Paradox (Updated from 3/15/2017)

 

Paradox:

• An argument that apparently derives self-contradictory conclusions by valid deduction from acceptable premises. 

• Two collocated docks.

Each morning, when I wake up and knock on wood to prove it, I look up and praise God for another marvelous day in paradise and another chance to excel in this 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 such crap of even lesser interest!

"Denial" is an emotion in which humankind excels and always seems eager to flaunt.  It gives us reason to shift blame from ourselves, excuse our actions, ignore that which we know to be right, and hate whatever we choose.  Prime examples of humanity can be found wandering mindlessly through your local Walmart.  Another example might be offended crowds who 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 that 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 League of the Perpetually Offended were as easy to ignore.  Unfortunately, we find ourselves too busy cleaning up the League's mess while we try 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

Recently we saw a 'walkout' of women protesting inequality during International Women's Day, which seemed to piss off women, nationwide here in America, who had to shoulder the workload and rearrange their lives for the selfish actions of these few malcontent 'sisters' who already have constitutionally mandated legal recourse if they feel slighted by their employers.  But, they seem too tied to being perpetually offended to consider making use of it.  Instead, they also 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 to all of it.  The majority of us simply don't give a shit.  Like entertainment awards ceremonies, we either turn the channel or, like the trains, simply learn to tune it all out.  Not my circus, not my monkey.  

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

-- George Carlin

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

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 in front of the mirror and touch our own face,  which is so much closer.

We make much ado about what God meant to be so easy for us.  God gave us ten very simple commandments to guide us through life; "do" and "don't do" commandments; black and white commandments.  But, only mankind could take less than one page of instructions, instructions a moron could understand, and presume to write thousand-plus pages explaining 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 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," assembled by man, during several councils in Nicaea.

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

-- Plato

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

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 paltry mediocrity, unless you're just after self-gratifying sex.

A final thought I try to keep upfront during 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.

“And this is the strangest of all paradoxes of the human adventure; we live inside all experience, but we are permitted to bear witness only to the outside. Such is the riddle of life and the story of the passing of our days.”

-- Howard Thurman

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 an alternate viewpoint. 

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those 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 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved 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, and wages his "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 volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony: tolerantpastor@gmail.com