So I'm sitting in the dentist's chair getting ready to meet the guy who will be using instruments of pain in my mouth and I begin thinking of the worst scenarios. I think he won't be able to pull out the wisdom tooth, and in turn it'll require more injections inside my mouth.
As I meet the doctor I notice that he is a chubby fella in really good spirits. He proceeds to talk to me about how the longest part of this procedure is filling out the paper work and we strike up a conversation about technology. Being that I'm a tech geek I mention to him how it would be great if there was such a thing as a wireless tablet with a touch screen where all the info entered on there automatically goes to a database rather than writing it out on paper then entering all the info on a computer terminal.
The doctor proceeds to tell me that, that technology is already in place but in big hospitals. He tells me that perhaps in another 10 years we might start seeing all that in regular offices like the one I was in. While we're having this convo the doc proceeds to start the numbing procedure and we continue talking.
I ask the doctor "Why do they call it Wisdom Teeth?" The doctor then explains that wisdom teeth start to come out between the ages of 18 and 25 when we are supposedly "wiser" or when we supposedly acquire wisdom. I don't know if that's the absolute correct theory or explanation on why they're called Wisdom teeth but I like it and I'm sticking to it.
My next question to the doctor is "If we really don't have a need for these teeth why does our body produce them in the first place?" The doctor's answer: Evolution. Yes folks evolution is partly responsible for those extra set of teeth we have. The explanation is as follows.
Back in our primitive days we had a different diet where our body required the extra set of teeth to break down the kind of meat we ate along with the kind of greens we had as well. You have to remember that for a long long time we didn't have fast food, or for that fact cooked food. As we have evolved into what we are now, we no longer have a need for those extra set of teeth because our mandibles are receding thus it explains why most people have all set of wisdom teeth removed.
By now my mouth is numb and the doctor explains that I will feel a little bit of pushing here and there. He asks me if I want to put on my iPod and listen to music while he's doing this so I take out my iPod and start listening to music. By the time a third of the song goes by he turns around and starts packing up. He then says to me "you're all done". To my amazement the procedure took less than a minute and my worry had been for nothing.
Of course I couldn't really eat the first day but that was no biggie for me. So as I left I wondered who in the world came up with the idea of calling it Wisdom teeth in the first place. I ask this because you encounter things in your life that somtimes question what Wisdom really is.
So, you still think we acquire wisdom between the ages of 18 and 25?
So today is a terrible Tuesday for me. First, let's begin with the bunch of fun I will be having shortly at the Dentists office. Getting this damn wisdom tooth removed proved to have no wisdom. UGH!
Secondly, as a HUGE New York Mets fan I woke up to terrible news today. The manager for the New York Mets was fired last night after the Mets actually won a game. While there might be some understandable reasons for firing your manager in the middle of the night, after a win, I can't help but really be mad at the Mets hierarchy right now.
I don't think they conducted themselves in a manner that is due to someone like Willie Randolph. Willie had shown a lot of class and poise during the good and bad times he managed the Mets. Who knows what will happen to this team now?
To Willie I say this to you: Hold your head up high. You always did your best and if you're the one to take the blame for old players not being able to play to their potential, so be it. You know in your heart of hearts that it wasn't you who lost the games after your relievers couldn't throw a strike to save their lives, it wasn't you who struck out with your bat on your shoulder with one game to go to the World Series. It wasn't you who blew three consecutive saves with tons of runs on the scoreboard. And it certainly wasn't you who decided to let go of Ruben Gotay, Brian Bannister, Paul LoDuca, and many other stinkers Omar Minaya has done up to this point.
If this team no longer performs on the level it's supposed to, I say look at Omar Minaya as he's the one who assembled this team.
Good Luck Willie! Thanks for all the Amazin' Years as the Mets Manager.
When I think about diving with Great Whites, jumping out of airplanes, or any activity like that I don't normally get scared. Sure there is a sense of fear, but that fear eventually turns into fun and you want to do it over and over again.
So explain to me how in the world I am terrified to get my wisdom tooth pulled out? Yup, out of all the things that I have done in my life, getting my tooth pulled out has me scared like a little girl.
This brings me to something about the tooth itself. Why do people call it a Wisdom Tooth? If these supposed Wisdom teeth always end up getting pulled out, where's the wisdom in all that?
So now I eagerly await the fun filled day of numbing and pulling. Ouch!
How many faces do you have? After attending a wedding last Friday I realize that we all have multiple faces. We have our "work" faces, where we are always serious and trying to get the job done. We have our "partner" faces where we are different with our partners in crime. We have our "party" faces where we are always smiling at the same people that perhaps you wouldn't necessarily talk to at work.
So I ask myself... Why the need for so many faces? Is it hypocritical? I don't think so. I think it's necessary because you wouldn't behave the way you do at work, the way you behave with your friends.
No, that's not the extension to my phone number at work but rather a number that suggests we only have four more years to live. Yes, yet another prediction that the end of times is here (once again).
Do you remember all the people who went crazy in 1999 when they thought that the end of the world was coming in the year 2000? I remember them too. In particular I had a friend who really thought that his appliances were going to "wake up" and start taking over his life. If you think I'm exaggerating, think again.
So what should we make of this latest prophecy? Should we really start packing up our things and get ready for the world to end? The answer is of course, no. End of the world predictions have been going on since we could read and write.
So why are so many people on the 2012 boat? My thinking tells me that we are all obsessed with an eventual end. When we watch movies, we can't wait for the end to come. When we take a train ride to work, we can't wait till our stop (the last stop) comes along. When we're at work, we can't wait for the end of the day to come along, etc..etc....
So, are we really obsessed with the finality of the human race or are we all just buying into something that seems plausible in any time of our existence? Just so you know, in the year 2012 we are supposedly going to get hit by either a comet or asteroid. The problem I have with that statement is that, that can happen at any time. It can happen tomorrow, or it can happen in 100 years. That in itself is not a prophecy. There are also a bunch of other things said about the year 2012 but they all lead to a supposed End.
What if I told you that next year there will be huge climate changes to the world? Would I be a prophet if there was a natural disaster like the ones we have been experiencing lately? Of course not, natural disasters have always happened and will continue to happen.
It would be very different if anyone that is "predicting" the 2012 prophecy to specify a day and time, but you will never see that happen. I guess we'll see in 2012. I for one will be relaxing and wondering who I'll be voting for president then.
You can find some info on 2012 at Wikipedia and just about any other blog out there.
So perhaps the stress of all the events that occurred over the last month led me to finally get to the point when you know you're getting old. Yup, I finally got a gray hair. I actually got two to be exact and I'm hoping those are the only ones for now.
I realize that this is not a life and death situation but accepting that you're getting old is on fun at all. The first few sings of age started appearing in the form of small pains in the knees, the back, the arms, you name it... it has a tendency to hurt at some point in my life.
When I was much younger I never thought that getting old would be this tough but the major differences we go through is quite incredible. Just based on our faces alone, the wrinkles, the bags, the hair, everything changes.
So is gray hair a sign of age, or maturity? Is gray hair sexy, or yukky? I wonder if I'll ever use that hair product called "Just For Men"...
A perfect example of how we age would be the following image: Do you remember the National Geographic Cover with the Afghan girl on the left? Well, the women on the right is that very same girl.
After about a month and a half of being on the "disabled list", I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. While I was not literally disabled, or playing for a baseball team, I did have a few bumps in the road that I had to deal with.
As you saw in my previous post, I did lose someone very near and dear to me but the healing process has been rather long and unexpected. I guess everyone has their own way of dealing with things. In my case I guess I just needed some time before I can return to being "normal".
So what has changed? What is new? Mmmm... let's see. I've gained weight I've been cooking more lately (that's probably why I gained weight) I've been at work about two hours earlier every day I've been in yoga mode everyday (stretching everything) I've realized we have too much junk at home I finally got gray hair (an entire post will be dedicated to this) I've come to the realization that family is numero uno. and lastly...I no longer live alone
Being that this is my first post in a while I won't dwell too much on the negative stuff but rather the good stuff. All the experiences in the past month or so have only strengthened my belief that we should live this life to it's fullest every day. I have no clue what will happen tomorrow which is why I live my life like today is my last day. No regrets.
Thanks for all the well wishes to everyone that dropped by during my absence. Even if I haven't met you in real life, it's still awesome to know that you're out there wondering.
This picture has sort of been on my mind all this time. It makes me wonder if we're really all that different like most people think?
You know how people tell you that life is short and you should always live it to the fullest? I often find myself never regretting a day that passes by because I do in fact try to live my life to it's fullest. This method of thinking has allowed me to appreciate everyone in my life, and always communicating with them how I feel.
Today I'm not writing because I want to tell you a story. Today I'm writing this for myself. Although it's been 5 days since my uncle's death, sometimes it still feels like a dream.
I get the phone call around 8:30 pm on Wednesday night with my mom all in tears. Of course I immediately assume the worst has happened to my dad or my younger sister, but my mom manages to tell me that an uncle who I was extremely close with died. I needed to hear what she said twice because I thought that perhaps she was wrong. After listening to how the events unfolded and still trying to grasp the idea that my uncle will no longer be around, I went to see my mom to comfort her in whatever way I could.
I wish I could say that I broke down in tears, and that I was devastated but that's far from what happened. My mind and body instantly went numb, and thoughts of the times I shared with my uncle came to mind. My "uncle" was only about two or three years older than I am so I never really considered him and uncle. We were probably more like brothers.
About three years ago my uncle and I met up in Argentina, and we toured the country. Whenever I've gone to Ecuador he has always been the one to take me under his wing and see the country or do just about anything I wanted. Some of my greatest memories of being alive include him, and yet I still can't break down and cry.
I'm thinking perhaps that my mind is in denial and I really won't understand his loss till I visit Ecuador once again and realize that I can no longer count on seeing him at the airport. At the same time I stop and think that I do not have any regrets about my relationship with my uncle. Before his death I had talked to him about two days earlier and it was as if we never stopped talking.
In my heart and mind I know that I never once shied away from telling my uncle that I loved him, or that I somehow held back. Perhaps that's why I don't feel so horrible at the thought of him not being around anymore. My usual self keeps telling me that I should celebrate his life rather than lament his death and I guess that's what I've been doing.
My mom's words never rang louder than these past few days. My mom has always said to me "Don't cry for me at my funeral, considering I'm alive now". What she meant by that was that I should never hold back on emotions and time with her. She meant to say that I should spend as much time as I can with her now because when she's dead it serves no purpose to cry for her. Since then I've somewhat changed my ways with not only her, but everyone else in my life that is close to me like that.
So we're born and it's certain we will all die. How we live between those two points is what's important. I for one know that I try and live each day as if it were my last because.... you never know.
For all those who have perished, may we celebrate their life and never make a point of their death. After all, we should always celebrate being alive.
As a kid I remember my parents taking me to see a movie called "The Killing Fields". Before seeing the movie I remember that I thought it was a scary kind of movie where there would be ghosts, and supernatural stuff like that.
Little did I know how much that movie would have an impact on me. As it turns out, the movie was nothing of what I thought it was going to be. Till this day the movie still holds a special place in my heart and I think it's perhaps because it shows that people who want to succeed, will succeed no matter what the obstacles.
I hate to admit it, but the last scene of the movie always gets me. It never fails, but the music with which is played in the background (John Lennon's Imagine) along with what happens in the scene, it's sure to bring a tear to your eye as well.
The movie was based on a true story and one of the character's the movie was based on is Dith Pran. Sadly Dith Pran passed away on Sunday March 30, 2008. Dith's struggle through four years of imprisonment in Cambodia and success as a New York Times photographer is legendary.
If you don't want to read on the hell Dith lived through with the Khmer Rouge, or the atrocities he saw while he was imprisoned for four years, please try and see the movie "The Killing Fields". I guarantee you it will make you appreciate life in a totally different way.
Dith Pran has always been an idol to me. I'm saddened that he is no longer with us, but I'm also happy for his existence. Dith Pran will always be missed.
I can't remember the last time I was in bed like shivering like a little girl due to a cold. I'm not really sure if what I had was a cold or the flu, but either way I'm still feeling the ill effects of getting sick.
While I always take strategic and precise steps to try and prevent things like this, I guess it's never enough. If you looked in my every day bag, you'd find a travel size Purell in there as well as moist alcohol wipes for those occasions when there is no water to wash your hands with.
While on the subway I almost find it difficult to hold on to the hand rails or poles so that you don't fall, but we don't have much of a choice. With millions of people sneezing all over you, and not to mention all the sick people at work I guess it was inevitable that I'd get sick.
I say all that because there seems to be a huge misconception about how we get sick. Do you know anyone who tells you "It's really cold outside, so bundle up...you don't want to get a cold"? People have this idea that you can get a cold by going from extreme warm weather to extreme cold weather. The truth is that colds can only be transferred via a virus. That means that if someone sneezes in front of you, or you come in contact with the sick person's saliva or touch a contaminated surface, that's how you'd get a cold.
Don't get me wrong, you can get sick in a different way by going from one extreme weather to the other, but you wouldn't get a common cold or the flu. Having said all that, I'm thinking that I perhaps will start wearing rubber gloves on the subway, or even those face masks that our friendly Chinese people wear now a days.
Do you think that would make me look crazy? Maybe if they had it in black?
When I went scuba diving this past December I remember how we would hear Dolphins all around us, but seeing them was not quite as easy. Sound travels faster in the water and a Dolphin's song is very very easy to pick up.
It is no surprise to me that in Australia, a Dolphin helped two stranded whales back to safety. After an hour and a half of trying to get the whales back into the ocean by people who saw them stranded, along came a local Dolphin called Moko who in two minutes did what the humans couldn't do in an hour and a half.
It is believed that the Dolphin heard the distress calls made by the Whales, and thus approached them, communicated with them, and led them away from the beach. Is it really that difficult to believe that such a thing could happen? For me it isn't as I think that there are far superior beings in this world we call Earth, they just don't speak "English" or "Human".
If we humans had half the heart that Dolphin does, we'd perhaps live in a better world. A world where there are no wars, there is no greed, there is no deceit, and there are no differences amongst us.
Back when I was about 16 years old and tried my first beer I remember how disgusting that taste was. I couldn't for the life of me understand how or why my dad would drink beer instead of water or milk (in my case: i love milk) during a hot summer afternoon.
Of course as I grew older my taste buds changed and I began to actually like beer. I went from beer to wine's for a while but never really progressed to hard liquor (i hate the smell). As a youngster I also swore I would never cut my hair off (i had it down to my waist) and of course I reached a certain point where I no longer cared for long hair.
For the longest time I have never liked kids. That's not to say that I don't like kids in general, but the idea of having my own kids scared the hell out of me. I didn't pay much attention as to why that was, but I just knew that the thought of me and kids was like Peace and love in this world: non-existent.
Now that I'm getting up there in age I'm finally beginning to understand why I didn't like the idea of having kids: responsibility. That's not to say that I'm irresponsible now, but I like the liberties I have. I can pack my bags at any moments notice and go wherever I'd like. With kids, you have to run down the list of things you need to do before you even contemplate going somewhere.
I asked myself the other day "What are you waiting for?". It's not as if I'm getting any younger, and although I love my current life, I know that having kids now would not only affect me, but my parents, her parents, etc, etc...
The point was made the other when I was watching David Letterman. Collin Farrel had been on the show and was talking about how he had changed. He was no longer the bad boy who would get drunk almost every day, and it took him two years into his son's birth to realize that he no longer needed to be "that" dude. He mentioned how being a father really does change your life.
I'm not saying that I want to have kids now, but I'm no longer afraid. I realize that there there are other joys in life that I'm missing out on, and there can be some entity out there who would benefit from all things that I can teach them.
So now my life has changed a bit. Nothing too drastic, but certainly a different point of view. I can already hear my friend Jason (who has a young daughter) telling me the beauty of having kids.
I'm not sure if this is something that would happen anywhere else other than New York City. Most of us New Yorkers are glued to the Public Transportation system. We all basically use the subway and/or buses to get to work and then back home.
I have often thought about what the most lost items are in the subways or buses. I say this because the other day I happen to lose one glove (don't you hate it when that happens?) while I was in the subway. At least if I lost both gloves someone can you use them, but what in the world can you do with just one glove?
I couldn't really imagine this same phenomenon happening in places where you guys don't really use public transportation on a daily basis. Here is my top ten list of things I think are most commonly lost in New York City subways and buses.
Like many of the people that I know, most of us are not dead set on any one candidate just yet. I have been torn between hope and experience or Obama and Clinton. While Obama is very charismatic, I have yet to hear anything that entices me into putting my ballot for him.
This weekend I watched the movie Sicko again and it reminded me of the one reason why I'm leaning towards Hillary Clinton: Universal Health Care
I happen to work at a company that has a great Health Care provider. I have gotten coverage for just about anything and everything from foot issues, to hand issues and your basic necessities. During these times the last thing on my mind is Health Care, but I often wonder what would happen if I didn't work where I work.
That's where things start to become difficult. While I love the promise of "change and hope" I can't help but look past our current Health Care situation. I have plenty of friends who don't happen to be employed by any large companies and thus do not have any health care. Getting sick is not an option for most my friends and that scares the hell out of me.
Some of my friends are so desperate for cheap health care that they can't afford real dentists so they go to College Students who charge a fraction of what regular dentists would charge to alleviate their pain. While there is nothing wrong with that, we know that college students are just that: students learning on the job.
So why are some people opposed to Universal Health Care or Socialized Health Care? I've yet to hear an argument that makes me say "I can see your point" and acknowledge why that would be a bad idea. What I see is people who have hidden interests in Health Care companies doing everything possible to keep receiving that extra paycheck.
My opinion wasn't formed from a movie but rather from real life. I almost feel guilty having this job with all these benefits when friends in the same age category as me can't even afford a yearly checkup.
So, What is so wrong with Universal Health Care?
This 7 minute flick shows you something that wasn't in the movie.
Snow isn't that bad you know.. It's the damn sleet that makes it terrible! As you can see, in New York we're up to our knees in snow. I guess this makes up for the not so cold winter we've had so far. We were due to get slammed by the weather sooner or later.
A fond memory I have as a kid in NY is the kind of things kids do when it snows. Besides playing the obvious snow ball matches, some of us (including me) used to eat snow. Yes, I said we ate snow. Of course this can only happen when it snows a lot and you're not eating dirty snow. It almost feels like you're diving into a cotton candy pillow. I don't recommend you go out and do this, but seeing all this snow accumulate brought those tiny memories back.
The next time this phenomenon happens will be in 2010. Did you happen to see the Lunar Eclipse last night? I decided to brave the cold and take some pictures of the Eclipse. I must say that looking at the skies makes me feel magnificent.
I feel great to be part of this world, in this time and age, and in this state of mind.
The moon is barely visible as the Earth is covering the sun's rays.
Slowly but surely the Earth moves out of the way.
Can you see the little bit of light making it's way to the moon?
It's becoming clearer isn't it?
You can see that the Earth has finally begun to move out of the sun's way.
Every 14th of February we get the chance to display our fondness for a significant other by showering her with gifts, flowers, dinner, shows and any other baubles that women find romantic. Every Valentines day we rack our brains for that one special, unique gift that will show our wife or girlfriend that we really do care for them more than any other.
Now ladies, I'll let you in on a little secret; guys really don't enjoy this that much. Sure seeing that smile on your face when we get it right is priceless, but that smile is the result of weeks of blood, sweat and consideration. Another secret; guys feel left out. That's right, there's no special holiday for the ladies to show their appreciation for the men in their life. Men as a whole are either too proud or too embarrassed to admit it.
Which is why a new holiday has been created.
Manentine’s Day Celebrated on June 9 of every year
Rules of the day
No cards, No flowers, No dinners, No nagging Only the following will be accepted Liquor, Video games, Electronics, Sports, Dirty sex
Disclaimer: We reserve the right to change our mind and amend the rules at any given time.
Last week our temperatures were in the 50's and we consider that warm. Today it was so cold that I even considered wearing a warm cap. I say that because my hair is naturally thick so it usually prevents me from wearing anything on my head.
It's at times like this that I see how evolution has helped me for cold weather. Truth be said, I prefer the cold weather over hot weather any time of the year. Having been born in Quito Ecuador my body adjusted for that kind of climate.
Quito's altitude, at 2820 M (9252 feet), Quito is almost twice as high as Denver, Colorado. This is why Ecuadoreans usually tend to have the following traits:
1. We're small in stature 2. We have thick black hair 3. Men and women usually have bigger chest cavity's than most people 4. Most men and women have big noses
We all know that the smaller you are, the more you have a tendency to keep body warmth. The thick black hair helps keep the cold weather from reaching your head. Our chest cavity's are bigger because of the elevation in Quito. The air is extremely thin and thus as part of evolution we were given bigger noses to take in more air.
While it is frigid outside, at least I can bundle up with my thermals, scarf, gloves, and anything to help me with this weather. In the hot weather there's not much I can do to alleviate the heat. I guess that's why I'm a cold weather person.
So which one are you? A cold or hot weather person?
I had originally written something else here, but after revisiting the page later on in the day I realized I had written something based on emotions. The point of this post was for the information on a specific soldier and the treatment of the United States Government and Military towards him.
What you are about to see is SHOCKING to say the least. The video almost makes you want to cry with disbelief. I found it hard to accept at first, but reality sinks in and you realize anyone and anything is possible in this world. I hope you get to watch the video.
For all you animal lovers. This is pretty simple. The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals.
It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on the purple box "fund food for animals" for free. This doesn't cost you a thing.
Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.
Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.
The following is from an email I received. I don't necessarily know if any of the information is correct, but it sure does put things in perspective. Italy : The Manzo family of Sicily Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11
Germany : The Melander family of Bargteheide Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07
United States : The Revis family of North Carolina Food expenditure for one week $341.98
Mexico : The Casales family of Cuernavaca Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Poland : The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27
Egypt : The Ahmed family of Cairo Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53
Ecuador : The Ayme family of Tingo Food expenditure for one week: $31.55
Bhutan : The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03
Chad : The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23
Being a product of Ecuador I know all too well how lucky I am to have a full compliment of food at the dinner table. Back as a kid it was a privilege to have meat in our soups, or even as the main dish. Most of the time we couldn't afford such luxuries and lived on the grains and potato's that we could afford. I wouldn't say that most of us are lucky because perhaps the food we ingest isn't necessarily all that good. Instead I would say that we should make it our mission to see outside the box we know as home (USA).
Being a nerd pays off once in a while you know....
I say this because there has been this one song that I never knew who the artist was, or what the name of the song was. I started with a relative general search of what I remember the lyrics being. That search led me to "Men At Work" which apparently had either a cover of the song or just is labeled incorrectly.
After not being able to find the MP3, I searched YouTube and it's there where I found the real artist and the real song. After that, finding the song on the web took about 3 minutes, but I found it!
Now, I know this will squarely put me in the category of an 80's child....so if that's the case, then so be it.
This song reminds me of my days in Ecuador when I was a young lad. I remember several parties with this song being a hit and everyone dancing to it. I guess perhaps that's why I searched hi and low for this song, and now I'm grinning ear to ear.
I will leave you with the video of this song. I wonder if you guys like the song just as much as I do? Hmmmmmmm
I have a tendency to appreciate the small things. My friend Gabe is on hard times right now but his little gift actually means a lot more than anything money could buy.
What you see below is the product of Gabe's amazing clay skills. He replicated a Dean guitar that Dimebag Darrell used to use. After creating the guitar by hand he had to bake the clay in order to make it hard.
Incredible isn't? Like I said, these kind of things mean a lot more to me than a really expensive gift. It shows that he thought about it for a bit (even for 5 seconds), and really paid attention to the detail.
By now I'm sure you have all heard about the writers strike. Considering how dumbed down American kids and adults have become I have wondered whether the strike is a good thing or bad thing. It seems like more and more people are glued to their TV's now a days and books or just plain reading are a thing of the past.
Lately we have come to accept television as some sort of truth. Most of us don't realize that all the cable networks along with national networks have their own agendas and will report the news as they see fit. I see television as a tool to keep your mind occupied from the realities of the world. We are constantly bombarded with news of people like Britney Spears and her wonderful role model like behavior. How much is enough? At what point do we stop this insanity and obsession with other people's lives?
Besides the obvious ploy to distract us from real important events of the world, the writers strike does not get any sympathy from me. I can't sympathize with people who make more than I do a year and are complaining that they do not get paid enough. I know plenty of people who work a lot harder for a lot less. To me all these distractions are greed by the people who never seem to get enough.
Do we really need to have "new" television shows? Are we really that desperate for television? What is wrong with reading a book or two? What is wrong with knowing how this world operates? What is wrong with informing ourselves on how to stop Global Warming? What is wrong with trying to find ways to help stop the genocide in Darfur?
In many ways I see this strike as an eye opener for those who rely on television for everything. I see it as a positive. If it were up to me I'd hope that this strike goes on forever and we are forced to learn and empower ourselves with reality. Of course these wishes won't ever come true. Greed seems to rule in our society and there's not much we can do about it.
So what do you think? Is this strike a good thing, or a bad thing? If it's a bad thing, how so?
Suppose (I'm following a group therapy approach by the psychologist Richard Franklin) I seriously make such an assertion to you. Surely you'd want to check it out, see for yourself. There have been innumerable stories of dragons over the centuries, but no real evidence. What an opportunity!
"Show me," you say. I lead you to my garage. You look inside and see a ladder, empty paint cans, an old tricycle--but no dragon.
"Where's the dragon?" you ask.
"Oh, she's right here," I reply, waving vaguely. "I neglected to mention that she's an invisible dragon."
You propose spreading flour on the floor of the garage to capture the dragon's footprints.
"Good idea," I say, "but this dragon floats in the air."
Then you'll use an infrared sensor to detect the invisible fire.
"Good idea, but the invisible fire is also heatless."
You'll spray-paint the dragon and make her visible.
"Good idea, but she's an incorporeal dragon and the paint won't stick."
And so on. I counter every physical test you propose with a special explanation of why it won't work.
Now, what's the difference between an invisible, incorporeal, floating dragon who spits heatless fire and no dragon at all? If there's no way to disprove my contention, no conceivable experiment that would count against it, what does it mean to say that my dragon exists? Your inability to invalidate my hypothesis is not at all the same thing as proving it true. Claims that cannot be tested, assertions immune to disproof are veridically worthless, whatever value they may have in inspiring us or in exciting our sense of wonder. What I'm asking you to do comes down to believing, in the absence of evidence, on my say-so.
The only thing you've really learned from my insistence that there's a dragon in my garage is that something funny is going on inside my head. You'd wonder, if no physical tests apply, what convinced me. The possibility that it was a dream or a hallucination would certainly enter your mind. But then, why am I taking it so seriously? Maybe I need help. At the least, maybe I've seriously underestimated human fallibility.
Imagine that, despite none of the tests being successful, you wish to be scrupulously open-minded. So you don't outright reject the notion that there's a fire-breathing dragon in my garage. You merely put it on hold. Present evidence is strongly against it, but if a new body of data emerge you're prepared to examine it and see if it convinces you. Surely it's unfair of me to be offended at not being believed; or to criticize you for being stodgy and unimaginative-- merely because you rendered the Scottish verdict of "not proved."
Imagine that things had gone otherwise. The dragon is invisible, all right, but footprints are being made in the flour as you watch. Your infrared detector reads off-scale. The spray paint reveals a jagged crest bobbing in the air before you. No matter how skeptical you might have been about the existence of dragons--to say nothing about invisible ones--you must now acknowledge that there's something here, and that in a preliminary way it's consistent with an invisible, fire-breathing dragon.
Now another scenario: Suppose it's not just me. Suppose that several people of your acquaintance, including people who you're pretty sure don't know each other, all tell you that they have dragons in their garages--but in every case the evidence is maddeningly elusive. All of us admit we're disturbed at being gripped by so odd a conviction so ill-supported by the physical evidence. None of us is a lunatic. We speculate about what it would mean if invisible dragons were really hiding out in garages all over the world, with us humans just catching on. I'd rather it not be true, I tell you. But maybe all those ancient European and Chinese myths about dragons weren't myths at all.
Gratifyingly, some dragon-size footprints in the flour are now reported. But they're never made when a skeptic is looking. An alternative explanation presents itself. On close examination it seems clear that the footprints could have been faked. Another dragon enthusiast shows up with a burnt finger and attributes it to a rare physical manifestation of the dragon's fiery breath. But again, other possibilities exist. We understand that there are other ways to burn fingers besides the breath of invisible dragons. Such "evidence" -- no matter how important the dragon advocates consider it -- is far from compelling. Once again, the only sensible approach is tentatively to reject the dragon hypothesis, to be open to future physical data, and to wonder what the cause might be that so many apparently sane and sober people share the same strange delusion.
The preceding is an excerpt from "The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle In the Dark" by Carl Sagan, a Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author. The "Dragon" is a metaphor for God.
Does this make you think of anything, if so, what? I mean.. does it have any sort of effect on you? Whenever I read this I start seeing tons of things that make sense to me, but I wonder if other people see it as well. Nonetheless I thought I'd share one of my most favorite passages in a book.
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