Religiosity

Can religion exist with out man? No, I honestly do not think it can. The superior being we have come to know as God, yes; but, religion I think is directly related to man's ability to think.

By definition Religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. More specifically it is something one believes in and follows devotedly.

I believe, though, that Religion originated directly from our (man's) need to place meaning to things beyond our realm of understanding. Thus, with out man's ability to think there would be no concept of Religion.

Now I do not believe that man is the only being that posses the ability to think, but I do believe man has specific cognitive thought that enables us to conceptualize the past, present, future as well as the wheres, the whys and hows of the universe. Other beings, are able to think but on a different level and seem to remain in their present, it is more instinctual and naturalistic as opposed to really processing information in the same way as man. Man's ability to think, reason and feel is one of the great gifts from God, and also enables us to maintain our free will.

However, prior to man's existence the concept of Religion was an unnecessary concept. With out the ability to think or reason, there is no doubt, no questioning and thus no need for a belief structure to explain anything beyond the realm of understanding. If we could not think and reason in the way we do, we would just be as other beings.

I honestly think, believe religion is a direct product of needing to understand god and to give reason for that which man at the time had no reason or understanding. Often I find myself pondering the concept of religion v. spirituality and where faith fits in to all of this. I have settled on no one answer as of yet. For that matter I also wonder if one needs to identify with a specific religion to live a spiritual and faith filled life, or if religion has been maintained so structurally not only to explain what we cannot understand but also out of a need to identify.

Berserk

Though its quite possibly due to the fact that I have been mostly out of work for the past two months, I find myself being slightly aggravated by little things more and more. I like to call them Buzzerks, mostly because they remind me of little buzzings that drive me beserk.

Two newly recognized Buzzerks


1. People listening to their I Pods so that everyone on the train can hear them. I don't know if its the head phones or the listener, but every time I ride the train or even walk down the street, I find myself overwhelmed with everyone else's music so much so that I can't think straight. What makes you think I want to listen to your music? I appreciate your attempt to broaden my musical horizon; but when I am trying to read on the train and can't concentrate because of your music, you know its time to turn it down.


2. There aren't many all knowing authorities on all subjects, so I get a little irritated the moment someone decides to talk to me like they are. Now, I'm not claiming to be an authority on anything and I will be the first to admit if I am wrong, but because of my broad interests I know a little about a lot of things. Last week I made a comment pertaining to something that happened in some show I was watching, something (despite how far fetched it seemed) I knew to be fact as it was an issue discussed in a biological anthropology class. The person who was watching with me argued back. I don't mind debates, in fact I rather enjoy them as they force me to critically think about what I say. The thing that pissed me off was the fact that she called my bluff and demanded I produce sources. Why, when you speak as if you know everything but actually don't, do you demand me to produce sources. You don't even know what you're talking about. I don't normally retaliate, but as my boss was an hour late the next morning I tried to find the scholarly articles I read in college. I didn't find those resources, but I did find other valid sites to back up my argument.



I know in real debates you need to produce support, but in simple conversation to call someone out and demand back up when you don't really don't know what you're talking about is just plain rude.

I am sure there will be more to come, but for the time being I am over and out.

Anxiety

As I look at the pile of chocolate wrappers sitting on my desk, I wonder where my will power has gone. There was a brief time where I could resist the temptations of the chocolatey goodness that are minis.

Then again, perhaps I am horribly mistaken. Maybe I had no will power at all. Perhaps I was simply not hungry.

A Variety of Experiences

Not that any one remotely cares who reads this blog, and not that I have a following of anyone in my area; but, I thought I would throw in my two cents anyways.

So, because one of my lovely roommates left the gas for our stove on (could have been me, but I'm 99.9% sure it wasn't), I made an effort to get out of my apartment and see the sights in Williamsburg for a change. I mean there is only so much of being a homebody I can do, I am starting to go crazy and get cabin fever.

Basically the gas was a godsend.

Anyways, the point of this post is that I found a mega cute coffee shop, with free Internet and quite possibly the best Latte I have had in New York City. I know that's a huge, huge accusation to make, but I believe it to be the best latte I have had in quite a while.

This wonderful little cafe is Variety on Graham Ave, just north of the Graham L Stop. Yes, I realize I am supposed to be cutting back on my coffee intake, but I am down to one cup of coffee a day. I think I am doing well.

Variety has a nice homey feel to it. To be quite honest, it reminds me of something I would find in my college town, a little country. What did you really expect? It is Williamsburg, after all, that I live in. This place, though, seems to have taken extra care in the aesthetic of the whole place, unlike some little hole in the wall coffee places. From the white paneling to the cool colored wall paper, to the silver plated ceiling, the whole place feels light and full of energy. A perfect place to sit, relax, have a cup of coffee and let the creative juices flow.

The Klutz Extrodinare

I am the queen of botching things up. I am a klutz, what can I say? You've already seen many forms of my klutzy tendencies. By now you really shouldn't expect anything less.

What did I botch up this time? You remember that guy my friends wanted to set me up with? Yeah, that. Here's how it happened:

So after our trivia night Wendy sent an email to the guy she wanted to set me up with. He seemed to take the bait, and she asked me how she should handle this. Stupidly I said group as opposed to just giving him my number. Clearly I wasn't thinking because if I were, then I would have realized that I am always quiet and come off stand offish if you meet me that way.

I mean we were supposed to have a larger group, but ultimately we ended with Wendy, Emily, Amy, the guy and myself. The three people who knew about the set up, and then me and the guy. This situation screams awkward... and why didn't I run?

I arrive and Wendy is already there, so is he. Go figure. Because of how they were already seated, I sat across from him. This would make it difficult later to have any kind of personal conversation with him. And, to top it off I'm not drinking so I can't even drink away the awkwardness. As a result, I started a dialogue with Wendy instead of him. It did become a discussion, but I still talked more to Wendy that to him. I know, I know I wasn't thinking or maybe I was thinking too much. I don't know, I was just in an uncomfortable situation that was spiraling downward... very quickly.

When other people arrived I talked more to them than to him, not to mention I was still sitting across from him making it difficult to talk directly to him.

Exactly what I did wrong:

1. I got quiet and reserved
2. I felt on the spot
3. I was short in my answers, not opening them up for conversation
4. I avoided eye contact
5. I talked to everyone else more than him.

All in all I'm sure I came across as nice but cold and stand offish. Yeah, not surprising.

He and Wendy left, I stayed with Emily as she finished her beer. They walked out the door and I hit my head on the table multiple times as I detailed to Emily why everything went wrong.

Why of all nights did I choose tonight to play the shy card?

I was going to shoot him an email, but before I had the chance to Wendy mentioned he wasn't interested. I didn't ask why, I didn't have to.

Please don't hold this one interaction against me. I promise, I am normally way more personable. I guess I just picked a bad night to have an off day.

Fireflies and Freedom

So, I'm watching episodes of "Firefly." Yes, I am a nerd, just like every other nerd who realizes the brilliance of Joss Whedon. The episode I happen to be watching is this one where the ship's engine malfunctions and there is no power to the ship. The crew thus needs to flee in order to survive. Everyone, that is except the captain, who wants to go down with the ship. Horribly poetic if you ask me.

So while he is trying to reach some other ship out in space to hopefully acquire some help, the captain remembers how each of his crew comes to join the venture. Through out this we see how truly attached he is to his crew. He gets the part but gets shot in the process, demise is before him. In turn, when the crew returns and ends up saving him, we see how truly attached they are to him.

The last shot of the show says it all though. It flashes back to the captain first purchasing his ship. The used ship salesman is trying to sell him on another ship, but nothing to it. Mal sets eyes on his ship and he knows the sky's his limit. The look on his face was that of complete bliss, complete freedom. It gave me the kind of feeling I felt when I was first moving to NYC.

Hair Dare

The wonderful think about New York is that you can find almost anything for free. Most recently I took advantage of a salon training night to get a free hair cut. Here is the account of my experience:


I walk into the studio... salon... classroom? I check in and they tell me to sit down. I pull out a book to read, as they mentioned it would be a little while for them to get settled. I am distracted by a woman across from me. She was heavy set, had a wide frog like face, and shoulder length combed over hair. She looked like a cross between Mary and Professor Umbridge, she had the temper of both as well. She was there for a free hair cut like I was and she was getting all up in arms when they couldn't accommodate her immediately. Its a free service, lady, get a life and stop complaining.

Anyways, I finally get called for my hair cut. Woo hoo. Unfortunately my student didn't quite comprehend what she was getting herself into. You see I straightened my hair and my hair is normally curly. Other than the fact that she was a little timid and slightly afraid of the power she herself had with the scissors in hand, she preformed well.

All in all, I would say i made out on this deal. Free hair cut in exchange for letting them practice with my wonderful hair... I let them chop so much off. The instructor loved my hair so much she asked me to come back as a color model!

I love my hair.