Who Will Mourn Me?

When I leave this world, who will mourn me?
     The children who never call?
     The siblings who never write?
     The parents who never held me?

When I leave this world, who will mourn me?
     The friends who have lost touch?
     The acquaintances who will most assuredly find other things with which to occupy their minds?
     The co-workers I did not impress, or maybe even outshined?

When I leave this world, who will mourn me?
     The zealots who speak of eternal damnation?
     The philosophers who speak of wasted opportunity?
     Those who know not themselves, thus, know not me?

When I leave this world, who will mourn me?
     Who will mourn me?

Of Hemmingway, Rogers, and Atheism

"All thinking men are atheists."--Ernest Hemmingway.
(Paraphrasing) "When expounding your beliefs, be respectful of others'."--Carl Rogers.

          I really do not care for Ernest Hemmingway's style of writing. He took (perfected?) the notion of minimalism and applied it almost to the point of absurdity in most of his stories. That being said, I must offer kudos in his statement concerning atheism.
          Carl Rogers was a noted psychologist who is credited with the "Rogerian Arguement" (named after him), the overall point of which being that as one expresses their beliefs, they must remain respectful of the beliefs of others. I had done this several times in my life, ignorant of the fact that there was even a name for it.
          Approximately nine months ago I made public the fact that I am an atheist. The more I look to the sciences to explain life as I know it (in this way I differ greatly from the Deists), the more I am convinced that science provides the answers. I do not need the figurehead of any religion to substantiate my existence; I was created when a sperm cell entered an egg. At that point the genes from my parents were passed on to me, and as I grew older social and cultural influences helped shape me into the being I am today. I am an extremely analytical person, so Hemmingway's quote holds true for me.
          I am a Rogerian atheist in the sense that the motto "Live and let live" applies to my philosophy concerning this topic. I do not try to cram my belief(s) down anyone's throat, and I certainly do not get angry when someone expresses their belief in a faith or religion, or even attempts to tell me I am wrong for believing the way I do. No one has to like what I believe, but I do ask that they give the same amount of respect for my views that they want for theirs.
          So what is the point of this newest entry into my blog? Quite simply, it is to inform--and hopefully change--the mindset of the faction of hostile atheists that have made atheism their religion. These individuals are not content to allow anyone to have their own beliefs. No, they ridicule and aggressively pursue Christians (and why Christians only I do not know. There are several belief systems in the world) to the point of "being offended" by the Christian belief and way of life.
          On any given day I read one story or another on how atheists are offended by a cross in the middle of a desert, or on a municipal building, so they protest until the cross (or other religious symbol) is removed. Then there is the rumor that Pepsi will not include the words "under God" on their products that will display the Pledge of Allegiance for fear of offending someone, when in reality they will have offended several religious organizations by omitting it, and as a sidebar to that, as one individual pointed out, "...they certainly don't mind accepting money that says 'In God We Trust' when the item is purchased." The ideology of not offending anyone is ridiculously out of hand, for, as the saying goes, you cannot please all of the people all of the time, and organizing a crusade against someone or something for the simple reason of having something to argue over ("Rebel Without a Cause" syndrome, perhaps?) should not be viewed only as an exercise in futility, but a complete and utter waste of time as well.
          These hostile atheists are fanatics in their own right, and just like all fanatics, give a bad name to those of us who wish peace, prosperity, and happiness among all. I certainly do not get caught up in the game, and I never go elephant hunting with a B.B. gun. There is no injustice in allowing someone to believe in the god or gods of their choice. I am reminded of a scene from "Corina, Corina" where the daughter of Ray Liotta's character mentions that she has been "...talking to Mommy in Heaven." Liotta's character says (paraphrasing), "Honey, Heaven is a made-up place that people convince themselves is real so they can feel better about things." The little girl then says, "So? What's wrong with that?" That is the question I now put forth to all atheists who feel it is their obligation to keep stirring the pot: What is wrong with that? If it gets someone through the day, why should you be offended? If it is your contention that Christians or any other religious group are too weak-minded to see the truth, just allow this to substantiate that belief. Live and let live. Believe me, when all is said and done, none of this really matters anyway.

Musings From A Cigarette Smoking Man: The Socialist Agenda in our Institutions of Higher...

Musings From A Cigarette Smoking Man: The Socialist Agenda in our Institutions of Higher...: My class is given an assignment. Being the person that I am, I research the topic to ensure I provide fact to substantiate my claims. I...

The Socialist Agenda in our Institutions of Higher Learning

     My class is given an assignment. Being the person that I am, I research the topic to ensure I provide fact to substantiate my claims. I spend hours editing and re-editing my paper to make it as perfect as possible, because I know that not only am I being graded on my essay, but my presentation as well. With that in mind, I practice the speech over and over again to ensure my timing and delivery are within the parameters set by the instructor. The day the assignment is due, I choose to go first, not only to get my turn out of the way, but to set the standard by which all others must follow. Let's face it: I am that damned good. This isn't boasting; it's just a fact. I give my speech without flaw, submit my paper, and am confident I will receive the 100 that I deserve. The next five people stumble over their speeches, clap their hands together while speaking, rock back and forth on their heels, read from their papers without ever looking up to establish eye contact, "UM...Uh...You know...Right?...Know what I mean? Know what I'm saying?" is more of what they say than actually informing us of their topic. Their essays are less than the 1000 words required by the instructor (I know this because I do socialize with my classmates. I do look at their papers and see they are filled with opinion substantiated by nothing). How in hell does someone who waited until the last minute to do their project, then delivers a lackluster presentation, make the same 100 I did? Quoth the instructor, "They tried. That's all I can ask for." I remind this instructor (later, in a one-on-one discussion) that the sign outside of the institution says "College," and by simple virtue of that one immutable fact, that in and of itself sets the standard by which all students should be judged. If this was a single occurance, I would not be writing this right now. I have faced this scenario in four different classroom environments. Socialism. Only the weak and unimaginative could embrace such a concept.

Goin' Retro!!!!!

I have been playing a lot of PSOne of late. Parasite Eve, Legend of LaGaia...Think I'll do Lufia II next. It seems to me that the best RPGs were on PS1. Oh, I just "upped" and forgot how to log onto twitter. I remember my passwprd, I just can't recall my user name, and I have tried EVERYTHING! Oh, well. Guess my twiggas will have to do without my tweets from here on out. Long weekend, but have four different papers to do before Tuesday. No rest for the weary.