My Sunday Thought for 031917: Paradox

Paradox:
a) An argument that apparently derives self-contradictory
conclusions by valid deduction from acceptable premises.
b) Two collocated docks.

Each morning, when I wake and knock on wood to prove it, and after I look up to praise God for another day in paradise and another chance to excel in life, I can't wait to get out and about so I can enjoy what, for me, is an obvious paradox - the never ending circus which is humanity.  We are the most intelligent creature on this planet; a self-contradictory conclusion that is a valid deduction from an acceptable premise steeped in a rich history of egotistical stupidity.  If you don't feel this way, if you disagree with my premise, bonjour!  A seat is reserved for you in the audience and the show is about to begin.

Mesdames et messieurs, welcome to Paradox's Circus of Denial (and other crap)!

Denial is an emotion in which humankind excels, and always seems eager to flaunt.  It gives us reason to shift blame from ourselves, to excuse our actions, ignore that which we know to be right, and to hate.  Prime examples of humanity can be found wandering mindlessly through your local Walmart.  Another example might be offended crowds which riot for the greater good, and the culture which supports their argument that they are better than they are being treated.  The supporting culture will soon reel in shock and horror when the offended crowd burns down their neighborhood in an act of domestic terrorism to prove how much better they are.  The fact that the supporting culture didn't see it coming doesn't say much about intelligence.  This isn't cutting off your nose with a dull butter knife just to spite your face, this is more like setting your body on fire just to spite your life.  It is seen by the supporting culture of ignorance, and the rest of humanity, as a pointless exercise in criminal activity which damages whatever the cause more than it brings any constructive attention to it.    

I found, living next to railroad tracks for several years, that if enough trains come by daily with blaring horns, you will learn to tune the noise out and find humor in the scheduled earth tremors.  It is a humorously annoying part of daily life which becomes easier to ignore as time goes on.  Would that the perpetually offended were as easy to ignore, unfortunately we find ourselves too busy cleaning up their mess while trying not to judge the asinine stupidity of it all. 

If you don't like something, change it.

If you can't change it, change your attitude.

Don't complain.

-- Maya Angelou (1928-2014), poet, civil rights activist

Recently we saw a 'walkout' of women protesting inequality during International Women's Day, which seemed to piss off women, nationwide, who had to shoulder the slackers' workload and rearrange their lives for the selfish actions of these few malcontent 'sisters' who already won constitutionally mandated legal recourse if they feel slighted by their employers, but are too tied to being perpetually offended to consider making use of it.  Instead, they seem to prefer placing the onus, for making their lives better, on others because of their own self-evidenced weakness and inability to fight battles alone, and legally.  Why must people prove themselves to be less than they demand to be through the very actions intended to bring attention to their self-perceived plight, a plight which, more times than not, has already been fought against, and won, but which our society must be subjected to, yet again, like bad reruns of worse comedies?  We have grown numb to watching and listening.  For much of it, we just don't give a shit.  Like entertainment awards ceremonies, we turn the channel or, like the trains, simply learn to tune it all out.  Not my circus, not my monkeys.  

“If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?”

-- George Carlin (1937-2008), comedian

But this is who we are, and what we do.  Created in God's own image and given dominion over the world, right?  Careful consideration of this statement makes intelligent people question the Creator's reasoning behind our creation.  Philosopher, and poet, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) asked, “Is man merely a mistake of God's? Or is God merely a mistake of man?”  I think the greater majority of mankind would be the first to point an accusatory finger of blame toward their own perfectly omnipotent God while, at the same time, praising the deity for the very mistake which is them?

When you think about it, if we're created in God's image then one could assume our philosophy might also reflect God's own thinking:

“Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”

-- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), lawyer, statesman, philosopher

We are created in the image of our creator and our religious authority deems it sacrilegious if we dare to reach out and try to touch the face of God.  If we devoutly believe, with full unquestioning faith, we are created in the image of our God; we have but to stand proudly at the mirror.  Our own face of God's is so much closer.

We make much ado about what God meant to be so easy.  God gives us ten very simple commandments to guide us through life; do and don't commandments, black and white commandments.  Only mankind could take less than one page of instructions a moron could understand and presume to write a thousand plus pages of what God really meant to say.  If one is looking for heresy does one really have to look farther than our own holy scripture to find it?  I'm sorry, but I just don't remember where in the Bible mankind was instructed to complicate God's extremely easy to comprehend and understand Ten Commandments by writing an instruction book with over one thousand pages of conflicting information.  Yet, ministers consider this good book the definitive "Word of God."

“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.”

-- Plato (425-348 (+/-) BCE), philosopher

If we're looking for a paradox, one need look no further that the forest which cannot be seen for the trees in front of it.  As for putting the round peg in the round hole, mankind can complicate even this.  Mankind lives for complication.  We strive to climb higher, go faster, and discover that which is undiscovered so we might one day become the image of God we already are.  I wake up every morning to an obvious paradox.  It gives me reason, and it makes me smile.

“One must not think slightingly of the paradoxical… for the paradox is the source of the thinker’s passion, and the thinker without a paradox is like a lover without feeling: a paltry mediocrity.”

--Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) philosopher, theologian, poet

Just a note:  Anyone who has ever experienced a "lover without feeling" can probably identify with Søren Kierkegaard's comparing them to a "paltry mediocrity."  My goodness!  Carpe diem!  Let no one ever label you as a paltry mediocrity.

A final thought to consider for this Sunday, a thought I try to keep up front in my paradoxical life:  Everything is fleeting, but nothing lasts forever.  It would seem the Taoists are onto something - or nothing, as the case may be.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research.  Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage battle in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain, and Chaplain Liaison, at a regional medical center.