Empty Spaces

This is a response to a friend's blog post. Her blogs are a bit private so I won't give a link. I will copy the words that she quoted and link to the article that they came from. This friend is an American citizen who has lived in Germany for a number of years.

Want to know why people are Depressed, why as a nation, we’re diseased, unhealthy, addicted, over-medicated, over-incarcerated, committing suicide? It’s right here. It’s well-proven that hardship does not cause depression. People endure the most appalling things: the Black Plague, the 1918 Flu, the 1906 earthquake, hurricanes, tornadoes, dustbowls, violence, privation, starvation--anything at all as if it were nothing at all--as long as they have the freedom to respond to it. As long as they can choose what to do to change things, solve things, create a better tomorrow. As long as they have Life, as long as they have Liberty, and as long as they are allowed the Pursuit of Happiness as they see fit.

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogjun10/Eric-Andrews06-10.html

Another friend (who is from Germany) stated "America is seemingly empty, an empty space, people orientierungslos. She needs to invent herself again, but this time ..." which is what inspired this thought. And if we refrain from knee-jerk nationalism, we realize that this is true.

These are my thoughts.

I think there is no allowance for the pursuit of happiness, only the almighty dollar. There is only doing, doing, doing. Ours is a spiritually and morally bankrupt culture. I am not talking about false morals imposed by an institution designed to oppress the masses. I am talking about good, solid, common decency.

I hadn't thought about the fact that the United States is the country where people are most prone to falling for the whole fire and brimstone myth, but it's true. We were the only country that really fell for the Satanic Panic crap back in the 1980's. And boy did some bands (mostly Scandinavian) take advantage of the imagery! And then laughed at the idiots who were all agog and shocked about it. The joke's on us to be sure.

Here is another thought for the Christians that are reading this post. I am not mocking your belief in God, especially if the God you believe in is the kind creator. I'm not too keen on the punitive, judgmental one. But I don't care for the Christian church as an institution, though some sects are preferable to others. I find it to be an oppressive and judgmental institution on the whole, and if one is to read the history, one realizes that these ideals that I dislike were political creations, not spiritual mores. It is my sincere belief that the "Christian" church, on the whole, is far from what the peaceful teacher Jesus Christ intended for people. He was a spiritual man, a holy man if you will, certainly a good man. He would not want people judging and hating each other the way many of his followers judge and hate others.

Judgmental Jerks of Whatever Ilk

A blog friend stated at the end of one of her posts that "any comments that smack of mindfulness and new age horseshit will be deleted."

This was my response:

I have the same feelings much of the time. While I am kind of an agnostic pagan person I too hate the comments about "mindfulness" and how if I would just "think positive" my life would stop sucking. Or just as bad, people who tell me to pray to their god for a solution. Their god does not like me and I've no need for him. I don't want to belittle the decent Christians out there but I have run into so many who are harsh and judgmental, and so many new age types who are arrogant and with an air of superiority that I have pretty well soured on the whole thing.

Adding on:

I find a life without spiritual beliefs or at least the possibility thereof to be dull as dirt. And I also hate the type of atheist who acts like they are superior because they believe in nothing and think other people are stupid because they believe something beyond this life could exist or does exist. Basically I hate anybody who feels the need to cram their damn opinion down other people's throats. The only thing we know for sure is that we don't know anything for sure. I won't try to cram my opinion down your throat. Now do me the same courtesy.

Oh yeah, and the other thing that pisses me off is when I express an opinion about NOT wanting to be in a romance and being celibate by choice and not for religious reasons, people think they have the right to tell me that I am "missing one of life's great joys." Really. If it were such a joy, wouldn't I have it in my life now?