Needless to say, legacy media won't report on any of this, but here you go: a tiny bit of genuinely good news and, who knows, perhaps the tide is about to turn?
"P.S.: while I grew up in a Catholic household, I’ve long since left the Church of Rome over the egregious discrepancies between the Gospel it preaches and the deeds it does."
Does leaving the Church of Rome also mean walking away from faith in personal salvation? How does one go about that predicament?
Oh well, that is quite hard, if not impossible to answer.
I suppose the following will have to do: I'm less convinved this was the best idea these days, as opposed to me leaving some 20-odd years ago. That said, I won't go back into the fold, for the Church of Rome is as corrupt as any other European institution.
As regards my personal faith, well, I won't rule out the existence of 'God(s)', but I'd rather try (struggle) to keep my faith in my fellow human beings, which is quite hard enough, as in: enough of a cross for any one man or woman to bear.
I'm still in the fold because I undestood quite early in life how weak people are (no matter the institution, family included) and that I will not be saved by the virtue of other people in the Church but by my own conduct.
The framework is very ornate and it's very easy to get deceived and sidetracked (just like Pharisees with their 613 commandments) but I try to stick with what Jesus said and John noted in chapter 13, verse 34. I fall short of that standard all the time, of course, but it's the striving that counts and I'm okay with depending on God's infinite mercy.
To conclude, I'd like to share one poll one youtuber (TiborasaurusRex) published some time ago:
"You find out a COMET IS HITTING EARTH in 1 HOUR - everything you know of this world is going to be gone. What do you do for the next hour?
a) 1 hour at a BBQ with your best friends
b) 1 hour at the park with your family
c) 1 hour on a mountaintop making peace with your creator
d) 1 hour scrolling through the shit channels on your TV
For me the answer's always going to be b) so that makes me alligned with your struggle. I hope it will work out for the both you and me. Keep on fighting!
The implicit values and message in this Ludescher's reply to the policemen's letter is very telling, isn't it? Freedom of speech is implied to be contingent on numbers of people voicing an opinion, as limiting said freedom is positionend against the majprity of officers and their apparent and assumed tacit sympathy for Covid-measures.
There's a swedish saying, older than christianity, that goes "Den som tiger samtycker", meaning "He who keeps silent assents/consents". It means not that those arguing for something is in the right if no protest is heard; it does mean if you object to something, make yourself heard in public in front of witnesses (otherwise, in a society based on the spoken word, how was others supposed to know your opinion?).
For a rock lyric, it nonetheless strikes squarely on the larger point. In the flurry of RUSH "rockumentaries" over the last years of Peart's unusual life, he often mentions reading as his personal shelter and recovery space on the road, as both a balm and rejuvenant after the massive physical and psychic drain of a live performance. Clearly he had a wide-ranging reading list... =)
I've written a post about the drop in German births. I think it could be primarily driven by a dramatic fall in weddings during the first pandemic year. Would be interested to hear any feedback.
Every victory starts with a single step. Every little win helps in some way.
I see it the same way.
Let's hope this will make the Courts move along the moral arc of the universe.
"P.S.: while I grew up in a Catholic household, I’ve long since left the Church of Rome over the egregious discrepancies between the Gospel it preaches and the deeds it does."
Does leaving the Church of Rome also mean walking away from faith in personal salvation? How does one go about that predicament?
Oh well, that is quite hard, if not impossible to answer.
I suppose the following will have to do: I'm less convinved this was the best idea these days, as opposed to me leaving some 20-odd years ago. That said, I won't go back into the fold, for the Church of Rome is as corrupt as any other European institution.
As regards my personal faith, well, I won't rule out the existence of 'God(s)', but I'd rather try (struggle) to keep my faith in my fellow human beings, which is quite hard enough, as in: enough of a cross for any one man or woman to bear.
Thank you for sharing the thought!
I'm still in the fold because I undestood quite early in life how weak people are (no matter the institution, family included) and that I will not be saved by the virtue of other people in the Church but by my own conduct.
The framework is very ornate and it's very easy to get deceived and sidetracked (just like Pharisees with their 613 commandments) but I try to stick with what Jesus said and John noted in chapter 13, verse 34. I fall short of that standard all the time, of course, but it's the striving that counts and I'm okay with depending on God's infinite mercy.
To conclude, I'd like to share one poll one youtuber (TiborasaurusRex) published some time ago:
"You find out a COMET IS HITTING EARTH in 1 HOUR - everything you know of this world is going to be gone. What do you do for the next hour?
a) 1 hour at a BBQ with your best friends
b) 1 hour at the park with your family
c) 1 hour on a mountaintop making peace with your creator
d) 1 hour scrolling through the shit channels on your TV
For me the answer's always going to be b) so that makes me alligned with your struggle. I hope it will work out for the both you and me. Keep on fighting!
The implicit values and message in this Ludescher's reply to the policemen's letter is very telling, isn't it? Freedom of speech is implied to be contingent on numbers of people voicing an opinion, as limiting said freedom is positionend against the majprity of officers and their apparent and assumed tacit sympathy for Covid-measures.
There's a swedish saying, older than christianity, that goes "Den som tiger samtycker", meaning "He who keeps silent assents/consents". It means not that those arguing for something is in the right if no protest is heard; it does mean if you object to something, make yourself heard in public in front of witnesses (otherwise, in a society based on the spoken word, how was others supposed to know your opinion?).
Or the contemporary version, as channeled by the late Neil Peart :
"If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice"
Freewill
Rush - Permanent Waves
There are those who think that life has nothing left to chance
A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance
A planet of playthings, we dance on the strings of powers we cannot perceive
The stars aren't aligned or the Gods are malign, blame is better to give than receive
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose Freewill
There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand
The cards were stacked against them they weren't born in Lotus Land
All preordained, a prisoner in chains, a victim of venomous fate
Kicked in the face, you can pray for a place, in heaven's unearthly estate
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose Freewill
Each of us, a cell of awareness, imperfect and incomplete
Genetic blends with uncertain ends on a fortune hunt that's far too fleet
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill
I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose Freewill
# # #
This is--stunningly beautiful. Thank you for sharing, Doug!
For a rock lyric, it nonetheless strikes squarely on the larger point. In the flurry of RUSH "rockumentaries" over the last years of Peart's unusual life, he often mentions reading as his personal shelter and recovery space on the road, as both a balm and rejuvenant after the massive physical and psychic drain of a live performance. Clearly he had a wide-ranging reading list... =)
Sounds like a wise man, from the lyrics and your words both.
As for reading, even a bad book has the virtue of teaching you how not to write.
Hello Epimetheus,
I've written a post about the drop in German births. I think it could be primarily driven by a dramatic fall in weddings during the first pandemic year. Would be interested to hear any feedback.
https://lostintranslations.substack.com/p/why-is-there-a-sudden-drop-in-german?sd=pf