The View From Here
It’s been a week, I can tell you that much.
Independence Day is my favorite holiday, hands-down. This year, a bit of a wash due to the rain and some other circumstances. I think I’m becoming a hermit.
It’s been a week, I can tell you that much.
Independence Day is my favorite holiday, hands-down. This year, a bit of a wash due to the rain and some other circumstances. I think I’m becoming a hermit.
Back in the day, we used to spend a bunch of time at Alladin’s Castle, an arcade in the middle of Granite Run Mall. It was one of those dark coin-op places, where our parents were sure drug deals were taking place in its shadowy recesses. And they were right!
I’ve got a bunch of really good topics to cover for blog posts, and it seems that I’ve not got enough time to sit down at the PC and do them justice. Instead, you get this. Sorry in advance.
Last week, Pat (my brother) flew home from working in Ireland to visit for a friend’s wedding. We spent some time together, and played some Guitar Hero II on the 360. This was fun. I have since played more Guitar Hero (which I specifically bought so that we could play) and am actually getting reasonably good at it. At least, I am much better at Guitar Hero than playing the actual guitar, which I should probably get out and practice some more.
I’ve lately noticed a specific quality that some people have to adhere to things they believe more strictly than reason dictates. And to be clear about this, it’s a quality of the person as a whole in many of their beliefs, not just about one thing in which they believe.
There really is only one good, universal example, and I dislike making it, but to explain further I have little choice. I do not begrudge anyone their religion. There is a place for me, too, in trying to figure out the bigger mysteries of life. Still, I don’t believe that these beliefs necessarily extend into every facet of life that some folks do. And that’s where you can find friction between what I think and what most everyone else on the planet thinks. But what makes me most different, I think, is that I’m still open to ideas and willing to lend them thought, whereas most religious people I’ve encountered are not.
I think there’s a switch somewhere deep in these people that is flipped to the setting that disallows them any further input. It prevents them from seeing reason in deference to their faith. I’m sure that it’s not just me who has tried to argue one thing or another (abortion, capital punishment, gay marriage, etc.) to a person like this and come up against the unassailable illogic of religion. But whatever this quality is about a person, I’ve noticed that it sometimes doesn’t only apply to their religious beliefs, but also to other thinking that they have.
Skippy posted about how his boss may get his department iPhones, and he wrote about how he thinks he may decline the offer for several good reasons.
I too, am impressed at first glance by the interface of the iPhone, but I think it’s like the iPod - Apple’s sheen veneer on a device that could stand a touch more practicality.