Fun with Words

. . .all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed.

That little gem is from the Declaration of Independence. Reading it at face value, it seems to indicate a preference for the status quo. It could be argued that this is a very American trait, at least in America as it is today. I won't get into that.

I would argue that the better interpretation of this line would be a message of confrontational avoidance. We seem to live in a culture of confrontation. We advocate confrontation in virtually every situation, whether it's foreign policy, class-action lawsuits, or personal relationships. While there are certainly times when it is the best, or even the only morally acceptable action, there are far more times when it's outright inappropriate. Sometimes, people just need to chill.

Personally, I don't really like confrontation. Perhaps you feel differently. That's cool, too. It's all part of my philosophy of "chillness." Spread the word.

Also, it has come to my attention that I use far too many "words" and not enough "purty pictures." This is true. I was planning on putting up a pic of the various iterations of batarangs I have assembled in the machine shop over the past few days, but the camera I was going to use doesn't seem to be up to the task. The future, then.

The future.

Hoop/Dreams

Note: I'm writing this about 5 days after the events mentioned took place, which will undoubtedly lead to oddities. Huh. That'll teach me to update sporadically.

I went to a Northwestern basketball game on Wednesday. We lost by 3 points, and we were ahead for quite a while. None of the major NW sports are particularly good (with the exception of the national champion girls' lacrosse team), so it's a big deal if we stay alive that long. One thing that I always notice when I go to games is the "team spirit" or whatever, that takes the form of incredible hostility towards people you have never met before. Being a college game, you have fewer spittle-emitting parents, but you have even more spittle-emitting coaches. Them guys is scary. Good game, I guess, but watching grown men scream at each other always unnerves me a bit.

Also, I had a really weird dream last weekend. I don't remember everything, but I remember Hitler was there, and for some reason he really liked me, almost as a son. There was a little group of people my age, and I had a bible strapped to my chest, because that was what he had decreed, and he was talking to me, when I noticed I had carved out the middle of it to hold a gun, very Shawshank-esque. I kept trying to close the bible so he wouldn't see my blasphemy, and I don't think he noticed.

Suddenly, I was back in my dorm room, but it wasn't my actual room. My dream roommate had been involved in a RPG-esque magic battle, and I think he was dead, or waiting to respawn, and he had made some silver flax for me. I don't even know what flax is, but I'm going to look it up right now. I guess they're plants of some sort. Weird. Anyhow, I lay down on my bed, and then Matt came in and said something to the effect that Hitler was coming and we had to leave right now. And that's when I woke up.

The most important thing I learned in that dream is that getting hugged by Adolph Hitler feels really bad.

Deep Stuffs

I've been thinking about spirituality for the past few days. I've known for some time that I'm not one for religious faith. I don't know if it's a result of my upbringing or brain chemistry or who knows what else, but I cannot believe in some higher God when He chooses not to provide us with some sort of evidence for His existence.

My train of thought generally leads to a sort of strange half-regret that I don't feel this way. If so many people achieve a great fulfillment in their lives due to this faith, what could I be missing? This is a somewhat disturbing feeling for me, because I generally pride myself in being independent of religious "interference" in my life. The thought that this independence might be damaging rather than helpful just feels wrong.

But then I was thinking again. I don't have blind faith in some magical man who lives in the sky, but I do seem to have a general faith in humanity. Time and time again, reports indicate that many of us don't seem to learn our lessons about responsibility, tolerance, and the dangers of our own weaker natures. (For reference, see "Fox News, Entire History of") Sure, there are plenty of instances of true compassion and goodness, and it is on these that I concentrate. And it's nice to know that some of these acts are based in other forms of faith.

The fact is, it's not entirely our choice whether we have faith in our lives. Either you believe that there is always the potential for betterment, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, or you cease to live in the true sense of the word.


Reading back over that, I seem to make a few huge leaps between my thoughts. Makes sense to me, anyhow.

The Gang

What is this. . . new Beanery?

Ah, Shawnimus Erasmus Ellingsworth Bean. You may know him as Alec Trevelyan from Goldeneye or random characters from Equilibrium or National Treasure. It's far more likely, however, that you know him as the greatest captain of Gondor, Boromir. He's a terrific actor, and his rugged good looks combined with his dreamy English accent only serve to double how much we dig him.

Oh, and one more thing!

FOR GONDOR!!!!

The 'giving

Howdy kids, Bob here.

So.

I'm here in the dorm over Thanksgiving break. Pretty much alone. It's been all right so far. Played computer games, went streaking through the hall. Y'know, standard stuff.



guhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........

People We Dig (Part the First)

Even though it's a weird way to break many, many weeks of blog silence, here is a person who is currently "dug" by one Matthew Schley and I:

Giorgi Suka-Alex Trebek, known to you as Alex Trebek, host of hit game show Jeopardy! and all-around Canadian bad-ass.

Consensus? Dug.