Seasons

May 26, 2011 a world of progress, progressive living Comments Off on Seasons

So I was thinking about the rapture myth today and not just because of all the recent hoopla or non hoopla.  I’ve long been fascinated by this concept and people who really believe in its literal translation. I like a little give and take, but seriously, if there’s not some room in this story for the metaphorical then all I can say is “wow”.

I don’t mean to bash people who believe this is actually going to happen, literally, exactly like it says in the Bible. I really don’t (conservatives don’t wast your time on this point). I do however marvel at the lack of desire to just simply and naturally expand one’s consciousness a little, forget thinking completely outside the box. There was a study a week or two ago that said conservatives and liberals are just wired different. Sorry I don’t have the link to that story… feel free to Google it.  Is this divide between left and right all in the hardware? I don’t know about that, but I do know it’s definitely in the stuff we can’t measure. The consciousness, the Soul, the essence, the life force, the spirit… the whatever.  Not being able to grasp the symbolism and simply choose to learn from it right now, combined with the delusion that hard working patriots just naturally need larger sexual arenas, It all just screams second chakra to me. Look, we all have our baser natures, but the idea is not to use the fires of hell and the rapture story to keep other people in line while you party like it’s fucking 1999.  It’s mostly at the intersection where pious ass and stone cold hypocrite meet that the Holy head banger logic just doesn’t add up for me and I just don’t care to deal with them anymore. What if way back some plugged in peep got a glimpse of the world after we got done hating each other and the planet to death? What would you have called an offshore drilling rig if you didn’t have the damnedest idea what the hell it was?

There is definitely a shift in consciousness taking place, my conservative fellows, but it has nothing to do with being rewarded for allowing your fear to make you a tacit accomplice of legislative extortionists if not an outright one. If the rapture is about teaching us anything it’s about bringing the dream of cooperation and community to fruition. The model where individual liberty meets social responsibility. We can’t ever completely eject the Paul Ryans from the relative world, without the dark we can’t appreciate the light, but I sure as hell don’t want him and his ilk making that choice for me. Change the polls, my ass.

Hope y’all are off to a great summer, but please remember to keep those who are suffering in your thoughts and wallets when and where you can. Especially don’t forget the pets that have lost their people. I heard a story this afternoon on a 880 The Revolution news break about a white German Shepherd that was hurt and wandering around a parking lot in Joplin Mo. The story says the animal control people caught her when she couldn’t walk anymore and just laid down to die. You know that shit made me cry. Don’t know what happened to her next, but people are helping them right now and you can lend a hand Right now. Hell there’s pulverized swaths of towns all over the place. Must be because God hates the Gays.

In other news I have a new love in my life. His name is Angus. He’s a handsome, but mischievous devil that loves to snuggle. Brother Wolf was keeping him for me until I realized he was looking for me. My love of beefy dogs is a lifelong one, but he is the first Pit mix I’ve experienced. He is an amazing little spirit.  Say hi Angus : )

More exciting news on the horizon for AWOP. Stay tuned for details on our new internet radio show. I will be volunteering and hosting our new show from the fabulous West Asheville studios of Asheville FM. Grass Roots community radio. Perfect. If you are interested in being a part of our new media stream, let me know. I will be looking for guests and sponsors. Thanks so much to Lesley Groetsch of Local Edge Radio on 880 The Revolution, Asheville’s Progressive Talk for your solid advice and words of inspiration about the project and for the great work you do on your show. I shall not chicken out.

And lastly, I’m just damn glad it’s summer.

Peace Y’all.

Looks like we’re all still here

May 22, 2011 a world of progress, progressive living Comments Off on Looks like we’re all still here

It's probably best to not be out when the Rapture comes because of all the cars without drivers and whatnot.

OK, so I never took the whole Rapture thing seriously. I even made plans for after 6 p.m. yesterday: I went to a ballgame.

Unlike many of my more liberal friends, I know all about the fundamentalist theology, so I knew this Harold Camping character was wrong. For one thing, only God is supposed to know. Jesus is quoted as saying even he doesn’t know when the end will come.

The Rapture isn’t in the Bible, although you can probably twist Revelation to say it’s going to happen.

As a kid, I was told to be ready ALL the time because the Antichrist was probably already born and growing up in Europe somewhere because the Eurpoean Common Market (which became the European Union) would become the one world government and the Pope would bring about this watered-down one world church and we who believed the truth would be persecuted.

The bar code would become the Mark of the Beast, and without it we wouldn’t be able to buy food or anything.

It was never clear whether this would begin before or after the Rapture, but the Rapture would be followed by seven years of Tribulation, which we definitely didn’t want to be around for. Lots of death and misery, topped off by the Apocalypse, which is supposed to be really messy.

This theology kept me very scared for a very long time. But as I grew and learned, I figured it was kind of like the government telling me we’re doing the right thing in Vietnam.

My epiphany came when a guest preacher at my church said — from the pulpit — “We’re doing the Lord’s work in Vietman killing all those Godless gooks.”

I was 17, and I was opposed to the war. I also was opposed to hate language (I still oppose both).

My parents would wash my mouth out with soap for using racial epithets, and I believed the Greatest Commandment: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.

I approached the minister after church and told him I didn’t think we were supposed to be killing God’s children at all, since there’s a period at the end of, “Thou shalt not kill.”

My pastor told me I should show respect, and I told him I was showing respect, but not for this advocate of war; I was showing respect for God’s children.

It didn’t surprise me when the Rapture didn’t happen any more than it didn’t surprise anyone else I know.

But when it does happen, I’m going straight to the Mini Cooper dealership and getting me a sweet little red one.