Madness

The year was 1992, the place was Las Angles, city of angels. The people were unhappy, and they had been at a number of things, for quite some time.

African-American and Korean-American communities came in conflict. The former feeling insulted, and perhaps, displaced or pushed back by the latte, after all, this had been "their" community, who were these new comers? Was this about jobs, or lack of jobs, maybe, Korean would hire Korean, but not the other way around, because of language mostly, but also maybe because of lack of trust, these people simply did not know each other, and no one seemed willing, or able to bring them together. Where was the effort of someone to step forth to unite these people? Should the mayor do something, shouldn't someone? No one did, thus the tension built. This reached a point where a Korean was killed by the African-American. Black on yellow violence, if you will.

Alongside of this, the LAPD had been reported numinous times by many prominent blacks and others as being to brutal in their ways, using excessive force, at this time, no mention of the color of the officers was mentioned, perhaps latter people did, but them being white was not the issue, it was that they, collectively had been abusing their power, stepping over the line, and not being punished for it, those that were enforcing the law were also breaking the law. When one Rodney King got beaten by several officers, the tension in the community bubbled and boiled up, the blood was boiling hot. Then, a trial was held. Finally, justice would be done... but the officers were found not guilty.

Then hell broke out. Riots happened over the next several days. Destruction of personal and private property, people beating up other people, and there were hero's risking their well-being to save others from attacks, harm, and assault.

Yet, too few heros to stop the madness, the anger was there, mob mentality and group think had taken over many, "oh look, they are doing bad, I guess I can do bad as well" a single person might be sensible, but a group of people can be insane, and if so — become a mob.

I was thirteen at the time. We wrote about the event in school. I do not remember what I wrote, or what we were told about this event, it was far away, and I saw it as something wrong, something unjust yet it was not something I understood.

Today I am forty-one, and we see, again that a number of things have been building. People HATE the President, and the media is helping them to hate him. The left vs right has become a cold war of sorts, or so some would lead us to believe that is the case, mutters of civil war, negation of free speech, a rise of cultural Marxism, all sorts of things happening all around the same time that are making people upset. The men are the problem feminists say, the whites are the problem some say, white males who are heterosexual are the problem, someone other than the one complaining is at fault for how things are. Yet things are pretty good, all things considered.

Then C19 hit. A virus that spread quickly and killed old and young, and those whose health is bad. It was global, and the government's had no idea what to do. Lock down was called. People had been, mostly, keeping at home, loss of jobs was stress, lack of freedom was stress. It had only been a few months, but people were TIRED of being stuck inside, they demanded freedom, protesting in numbers. Not a wise idea. A giant bee that kills other bees was around, and oh right, a black person had been killed by the police.

Uh oh.

So we see again, riots. I'm not sure where the hero's are out there, the protests grow, people have forgotten or perhaps do not care about C19 now, they are ANGRY they are MAD, justice was not done, again! How many blacks have been killed by whites anyway? If it was the other way around and a black man had killed a white man, there would be lynching right? Justice — what a joke.

Or so some believed. Why? Oh, many reasons, BLM did not help anything. Spouting a false narrative that blacks are dispositional harmed to whites, that everything is about race. (studies contradict such narrative but who cares about data), and lo — its history repeating. On a new cycle. Yet, people will pack up at some point, as they always do, something else will distract them and bother them. C19 might take a few of them out. No one can know what will happen next for sure, yet I do think that its madness.

I reflect on how wrong the Rodney King beating was, and yet, how it was not about race, and it was not. It was an abuse of power, but the narrative has changed, every time anyone that is black is harmed, it is because of race. No idea when that happened, but that seems to be what we are being told, or telling our own self's. I do not believe it, because the data says otherwise.

It should not be about the color of our skin. It should always be about doing the right thing. About being the hero, not the villain. If you want to protest, do it like Marten Luther King Jr. there was a man that knew how to lead, how to speak, and how to protest properly to make a lasting change. His dream came true, well... sort of. Segregation ended, but then became self-imposed. Opportunities  opened, but people took the wrong paths. I do not know why, I can not pretend to have the answers to what was, or to say what will be or even what should be.

I can just look at it, as all of you can and sigh and ponder when the madness will end, oh also its getting hotter all over the world and that is changing weather like crazy, so there is that as well.
Bleep me. We really need some hero's. Some brave people to step forward from the dark, to speak just and right into this void. To say kindly, yet firmly (X) is wrong, yet we will not do wrong, we will do right. To bravely face hate with love. To fight war with peace. Oh for those brave hero's, wherever they might be, I long for them.

Yet, here I am, wondering who will save us all, could I be that person? Could I get up and speak?

Could you?

Well, last time no one did anything to change things it went badly... so maybe, just maybe we will learn from the madness of the past.

Yet, here we are, repeating it all the same.

Madness.

Reconstruction Man:

When I had faith in Christ, and the whole Christian ideas, mindset, bible, God & so on, my life was largely shaped by those ideas. I would ask God for direction, although none really came, it was always me directing myself, but at the time, I didn't know or believed that. I tried to think the right thoughts, impure thoughts were bad, looking at porn was bad, desiring sex was bad. The things that a typical teen & young adult want, perhaps need to do are "bad", because this is how the meme (and the belief of God is a meme) takes hold of our brain, and keeps hold of it. The meme only exists as long as we believe the meme is real, it stops once you no longer believe in it.

Yet this writing is not about my deconversion per say, but my reconstruction after it took hold. For a year or so, I was an angry atheist. I was bitter, depressed, and low. Nothing mattered. I simply existed, barely from day to day. Yet, I was still learning, still reading. I realized, I had to say something about this nonsense. I had to go back to making videos again. I loved to do it, I wanted to. This was my thing, as Deconverted Man. This music video (click this) shows this transformation well I think.

Learning informal logic, helped me to place myself properly. Having a label "skeptic" helped me focus. Looking at arguments and analyzing them gave me purpose. So, yes when or if you deconvert, it might be hard, it might be easy, for me it was rough on the emotions, but I am glad to be a skeptic now, because, for the first time in my life, I can honestly LEARN anything - ANYTHING and never worry that it will hurt my beliefs, because I hold none to be hurt, or any that I do, I have become willing to challenge, willing to question, eager to learn something new, something amazing. Wow, I didn't know that was how that worked! Cool! I no longer have to worry about "bad" thoughts, I am not slowed down by looking to the sky for answers, they come from me, and when I do not know, I can ask others.

Rebuilding is something I did on my own, but I hope that I can somehow help if you need it and are reconstructing after deconversion, if you want said help, let me know via twitter @deconvertedman or via email.

Best to you, and yours, always.

The Good Place

The Good Place (NBC, September 19, 2016, to January 30, 2020) was a great, and fun ride.
Very funny, and also, deep, but not super deep.

The question of afterlife, what would it be like to get everything you wanted, forever? You would get tired, you would get board, and this happens. The answer: actual death. A way to leave when you are done.
There is a hint that the particles that made up "you" go on to effect others in some small way. The wave returns to the ocean. 

Its a nice way to think about it. Also there is that, you don't really know, and no one knows what it is to die. Not even the all knowing Janet knows. That seems very, human.

Unanswered, and perhaps for the best is why the system exists at all - why was the universe made, why is there any afterlife at all? Who made all of this? No real answers are given. This is just the way it is.

No clear devil or god, just demons and angel like beings who are not perfect. (They run away leaving Michel in charge of the Good Place)

The other idea of the Good Place being the Bad Place at first - and them all working though this together, improving along the way, its a nice idea.

What is the point, if any, of life? How to be ethical? Is it all just a test? The Good Place says it is a test, sort of, but then you get tested over and over until you pass, or I suppose if someone never passes then they do, in fact, go to the Bad Place. But, its never made clear.

As a skeptic, I do not believe in an afterlife, but I do ponder what would it be, or how could it be, what would make sense, or how one should be judged, if one is to be judged, fairly. I think that the Good Place has a nice system, but not a perfect one in mind. Perhaps, in the end, that is also the way it is, even an afterlife is not perfect. 

I enjoyed the show, and it was a nice send off, may we all find a Good Place here, and now. Perhaps we must make it. No idea how, but its worth trying.

x

My reflections on: Being Functional by Atticus Blake

Life is wondrous, hard, unfair and strange. There is a beauty in the symmetry that Atticus has woven into his life, whether by his masterful writing or because I'm a pattern seeking human and find patterns, regardless this is beauty & art, honest & true.

There is a moment in the book, where he writes about this pastor who has been counseling him, he writes "what comes next..." and I think to myself, "oh no! he is going to be molested!" although, in that moment, I had forgotten that Atticus had said in the opening of his book that he had not suffered that, yet then the pastor does something that is far worse in a way then molestation - he does an exorcism. By "driving out" the demons, this otherwise well meaning man has instead infused my online friend with demons that will haunt him for years to come. He had spiritually molested him.

There is this chapter that begins the year with a maglite smashing a window, and a man yelling. The year ends with his ""friends"" (not enough quotes in the universe to indicate how much of "friends" they were to him) who broke into a house and used a maglite- I forget now as I write this review if they used it to bash in the window, but that would be fitting. That is how he frames this year, a black maglite. Yet, I saw a second frame that could be there, as he is yelling now at the boy who he loves (& who uses him) giving him what for. Here is a man out of control yelling at the start, here is a man yelling in control at the end. Insanity vs righteous anger. What a wondrous tapestry.

I get excited when I find people's names from youtube I know. "Hey I know that persons work! Oh yay!" I get even more excited far latter as he mentions the "deconverted" & mentions as well as explains logical fallacies and talks about being a skeptic. I think to myself, "Yay! I know what those things are!" I feel like he is talking to me though this book.

I feel for him, as he painfully struggles with OCD, something I've had for a very long time. The god believe interacts with this, and makes it worse then otherwise. What would Atticus be like had he never been made aware of this God concept? Who can say, or know. We know he will deconvert, yet this isn't about that, not really. I was surprised at how little of this book is his deconversion, as if that was taken care of on youtube, its all the life leading up to that moment that needs to be told.

He tells it. I want him to succeed, I worry what will happen to him next, and want things to go his way, yet I know as I read that this is life, and there is random chaos here, who knows what will happen next?

Yet he makes it, by the skin of his teeth so to speak. He worries about being an adult - "Am I an adult now?" he ponders, I smile, grateful that someone besides myself has worried about such things.

I wanted to ask Atticus what he would write about me, if there was a part two, but his next book will not be about real life things. Alas, I wanted to know how he would frame me in his writings, what would he say about "Deconverted Man" what were his thoughts on me? Could my ego handle it? Would it be good, bad or bland? Who knows. Perhaps its best I not know in a way. Yet, because I'm highly narcissistic I find myself wondering about "me" - as I read his life story, I wonder about my life story, I think about how I would write my story. I wonder how Atticus can remember whole conversations. I reflect upon what his life was vs what my life was. Perhaps this is what it is to read anyone's biography, although he calls it his memoir.

Regardless, I've had the pleasure to interact with this man online from time to time, and in my brain I think of him as an "online friend" whatever that means, these labels are not always helpful. I guess what I mean is that I would want him to be a friend in "real life" as if the internet is not real life as well, in a way it is not, in a way it is. The people I've connected with online, are they friends or just online friends? Is there a difference? Should there be? Ah low, Atti, you've gotten me thinking deeply. Was that what you intended?

Anyway, I like him in my own way. I beat him in a debate once. So badly that he exploded the video in fact. I'm not going to let him forget that Lobsters won. I'm sure he will say that Turtles won. Since the video is gone I could explain this, but I'll let it be an inside joke for those who were around to have seen that video, and for him and I to share publicly this silly thing we did online together once. Something I hope to redo one day, if I can get him to do it of course.

The book is well written. I want more. I want to read everything and anything he writes. He is really, really good. I like the short chapters. I like how he can make you want more - he will write things like "the next thing was even worse" Yet, this is not over done, nor is it in every chapter, yet it was enough that I didn't want to stop reading.

His final statement in the book is profound, I think Atticus wanted to say something epic to conclude this bit of his life story, and I think he did. Is it odd to enjoy someone's life story? I do not know, but I did, I saw much of myself here as I did of Atticus. Again, maybe that is the point.

Life is a tangled tapestry of travesty and turtles, lo lob the lobsters towards logic: May it save us all.

Social Justice & its warriors.

Social justice, broadly speaking is the idea that a group of people (society itself) can & will be the judge of any given event.

The SJW, social justice warrior is the one who engages in this sort of activity, promotes it, or thinks that it is a good idea.

On twitter, youtube, facebook this sort of thing can be seen. Groups of people will rally around someone who has been declared the "victim" &, anyone who denies that they are a victim, is automatically the enemy & a proper target of the mob. The mob mentality here is clear, the in group is protected at all costs, conform or die.

You might have read or heard about "virtue signaling" this is when someone says they support a "marginalized group" to display there "virtue", its unclear if this is a tip off if that person is a SJW type or not in my view, but certainty its not a good sign, do we really have to go out of our way to say we support any given group? Also, are not most of these groups well supported by now? Just how long is a group "marginalized" typically this is said to be LGBT(+) but, is that group REALLY oppressed? Sometimes its "colored" people that are marginalized, sometimes its women. Its never men, never white people, never its heterosexuals.

So you are either in the protected group, or you are not, if you are not - then you are a target of the sjw type, and even if you are part of the protected group, you still might be a target should you say something "out of line". Casting doubt on someone claiming abuse, rape, discrimination are all sins that the sjw's will get you for.

You are simply not allowed to say things that might offend people. What might that be? Anything of course. "Hate speech" is a commonly dropped idea - that simply doesn't exist as any sort of coherent speech, hate speech is simply speech that people dislike. Saying anything racist, anti-LGBT, anti (X) whatever (X) might be if (X) is a "marginalized" group - is a sin & is punishable by the mob.

People who are offended by anything will tweet out that they have been emotionally traumatized by the words, and the group of sjw types will then attack that person that did this. With, or without any evidence. Saying sorry is only proof you are guilty, so never, EVER apologize.

Its very much cult or religious in nature, this ideology - its focused on protection of feelings, it props up the "week" as it tries to smash down the "strong" - who is the strong? Whoever is not one of the protected groups of course.

Is it a bad thing? Is it harmful? Oh yes, people have lost there jobs over people complaining online. What madness. Speech online is hampered by the busy-bodies who feel that they must and should report all the "bad speech" to everyone. That others must join in to stamp out this horrible thing that someone said on facebook.

Sadly - companies are spineless and are not standing up for there workers as they should be. Saying that no, we will not fire (X) person as they did not say (Z) during company time. But so afraid of a bad image. Frankly, I'd see any company standing up for its employees as noble.

SJW's also think they are RIGHT and feel justified about doing these things. They are self-righteous people. They think they have a better ethical & moral code then you do.

You might have heard that people get "red pilled" - this happens when they are attacked by the mob, only then do they see, that this idea is a bad one. They must be eaten by the intolerant mob to see just how evil the ideology is.

What can one do? I said before to simply not play the SJW game, but also, be better then them, do not use those hate tactics, do not moral police people. You be a good person. Love, not hate will win out in the end, it has in the past.

Will they eat each other? One can hope. Until then, the war marches on, but only if we let it. Only if we do not stand tall, and be better then they.

Atheism: still not a world view.

What the bleep is a worldview anyway?

Well I guess the net will have to answer that:

Wiki:
A world view or worldview is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge and point of view. A world view can include natural philosophy; fundamental, existential, and normative postulates; or themes, values, emotions, and ethics.

Google:
A particular philosophy of life or conception of the world.

Merriam Webster:
A comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint.

That should cover it, I suspect some will reject those in favor of there own idea of what a worldview is, as they might have a worldview about the word worldview...

What about the word Atheist?

Wiki:
Atheism is, in the broadest sense, an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. 

Google:
A person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.

Merriam Webster:
A person who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods : one who subscribes to or advocates atheism.

Again, that should do it, but again people can make there own choice about what they think the word should mean or does. These are the most common uses of these words. So, lets just go with them shall we?

Alright so the question that got me to do this is from a twitter question directed at me by my esteemed associate John Buck:

(Tweet)

Plenty of apologists have said that atheism is a world view, and others have said its not. In fact, many apologists complain that atheism does not tell you how to live, what to do, feel, believe, has no ritual, no tradition & so on, well, of course it doesn't. That isn't what it is.

Atheism is, as descriptive word, not a prescriptive word. To some extent so is theist.

Theism also is not a world view. That word only tells us that someone believes in a god. 

Not what god is, how god is, where it is or anything else. Just they think there is at least one, the word theist is a bit more descriptive then atheist, as theist imply an agent-god whereas deist implies only a god that wound up the universe so to speak, and let it roll without further messing about, or a god that made us, but did so without any agency per-say.

Of course for what a deist thinks or for that matter what a theist thinks - you must ask that person. We can not know, nor should we assume that the label that they are using is being used in the common way described by dictionaries. My outline itself might very well be rejected by some theists or deists.

Simply put, nether theist, deist, agnostic, or atheist tells you what they believe in full, only one bit about there belief. What about the word "Christian" or "Muslim" well - that tells us more, and those are world views, at least, if we are using the common understanding of the words being used. We assume we are, and that is of course, that pesky natural language issue popping up: we assume other people are using words the way we understand them... and they might not be! Still, for the sake of this entry, we are assuming common use, so yes, "Christian" is a worldview, but "theist" is not.

But... why not? Isn't "GOD" a big deal? Isn't believing it world-changing? Isn't it so massive that there will be a vast gulf between the theist & atheist?

Maybe.

Yet its still not a worldview. Nether of them are. They can not inform us of the way (X) person see's the world, its simply not up to the task of doing so. 

There are people that think there are faeries (fay folk) - not many of them granted, but a few. Is belief in faeries a world view? No. Its part of one, perhaps, the best I can find on anything that is close to a religion would be "fairy belief" outlined here. In and of itself, "Fairy-believer" (faeist?) is not enough to say much about that person's way of viewing the world.

So no, atheism is not a worldview, but might be part of one, so as well is theisem - its not itself a worldview, but a part of one. 

What about the word skeptic? Is that a world view?

Hum.... it might be!

....but I'm skeptical that it is. ;)

Did Yahwah make sin, or did man?

Ah good old "god" - well, the god of the Judeo-christian "Holy Bible". I'll just call him Yahwah since that is one of the names "he" gets.

Anyway, so lots of Christian's seem to think man made sin, that is, because of Eve, then Adam eating the FORBIDDEN FRUIT. That everything went to bleep.

So, lets look at this, with logic, but first I need to recap the story...

The story thus far:

God made Adam put him in a really nice Garden. Told them they could eat anything - BUT not the tree of knowledge of good & evil or he will die. (Gen 2:17)

Then God realized, woopies, Adam is alone, so he made a bunch of other creatures, Adam however couldn't bone any of them, bummer. (Gen 20:20)

God made Adam a woman out of his rib because... why not?

Some all knowing narrator that knows what will happen latter on tells us that this is why men will leave there mom & dad - to get a woman. (Gen 2:24)

Adam & Eve are nudists, but its cool.

A serpent (Or Naga/Lilith) talked .... (sure why not) to Eve and was like "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"" (Gen 3:1)

Hold on a moment! Eve wasn't there! She wouldn't know what was said!
Adam was there! 

Also we never get a scene when Adam tells Eve about this tree. Go figure.

Eve, having only SECOND HAND information is like, nah we can eat any of the tree stuff but not touch that one or we die. (Gen 3:3)

The Tempter (Serpent/Naga/Lilith/Devil/whatever) was like , nah, you will not die, (true) but you will know what good & evil are, just like god (also true). (Gen 3:5)

Eve takes it because it looks yummy and she wants to know things, she also gives it to Adam. Things go to bleep after that. (Gen 3:6)... Okay we are caught up now.

So here begins the problem of sin, because Eve/Adam ate from this forbidden tree... that God made. God also made the serpent. And made the rule. And God made it so that Eve/Adam would not know good or evil - and made the tree's forbidden fruit look yummy and also gave Eve the desire to want to know things.

Also, God knew what Eve/Adam would do, because Yahwah knows the future (according to many Christians, eh I'm sure its in the bible somewhere)

So... who is at fault here?

You really, really want to blame Eve, she didn't know good and evil. She also had SECOND HAND information (off screen) from Adam about this tree.

Want to blame Adam? He doesn't know good and evil and was LIED TO by God - the fruit does NOT KILL THEM, and no - none of that bull about "spiritual death" nope - God said you will DIE. They didn't die. God is a liar or at the very least God didn't explain to Adam what he was saying by "die" also - does Adam know what death even is?

So its not Adam's fault either.

The fault is upon God.

It made the whole thing, knowing full well what would happen.

It blames it on the humans, but its really God's own "design".

Of course, this isn't want Christian's are told to believe, so they don't. This is the logical way to view this story, but that isn't what many Christians will do, rather they will say all sorts of things to try to

defend this nonsense story.

... Its just a story. Its not true, never was. Its a just so story, to try to say why things are bad in this world.

That's all it ever was, and all it could ever be.