Kategoriarkiv: English

Between minds

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There are people that can go really far into fine philisophical reasoning and put forth theories around stuff you never thought about… for a reason.

Then they look at you and say ”do you understand?”. There is hope behind this question, and what you really understand is that they are really eager you see their point.

Yes I do. Sort of. But I would never spend two seconds thinking about what you obviously have been pondering about for months. Or maybe I don’t understand. Maybe there is some hidden importance in what you say that escapes me, so I think you’re babbling while in fact you’re stating something really clever…

Then there are others who are just so shallow that everytime you have a glass of wine and try to go a little deeper into life’s secrets and provide some thoughts around topics that have kept you awake at night their eyes go blank and they say ”yes, I see”, and change the subject.

Thing is the blank look on the face of the second type is probably exactly the look you have when changing the subject with the first type.

Most people need some training before they can follow you into the dark and dusty corners of your mind, but on some rare occasions you meet someone that not just immediately follows you there, but also takes you a few steps further.

When this happens, it is always very unsuspected.

Events and unlimited choices

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We are event-driven.

Most of what we do are reactions. Outside events trigger us.

I read a political article, I get upset, I write a blogpost to comment.

You feel a need to talk to someone, so you call a friend.

Your car needs gas. Your kid needs food. Your bed needs making. You are hungry, thursty, tired.

Very rarely do we reflect and create out of nothing but our own minds.

My job regularly forces me to create and communicate visionary plans and strategies. On some level I don’t like it much. On that level it’s so much easier to just respond to customers and colleagues. ”So you need this? The answer is yes. So you need that? The answer is no, maybe, later, yes if…”

We should be forced to create and communicate a visionary, strategic plan for our lifes. Put it in writing, ask friends to review and comment, create a corresponding action plan for how to reach the goals, set by the strategies.

Only then will our choices be unlimited.

Otherwise they are just a series of yes/no/cancel.

Blasphemy – the joke’s on us

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”Are you a Christian?” I was asked by a colleague over lunch in Shanghai last week.

”Eh eh well…”

That’s the million dollar question. For someone raised a Christian, still beleiving in God as a Force of Good and a great listener (at least I hope so), but nowadays having serious doubts about Mary’s virginity, God’s omnipotence and almightiness, and a heaven where you have dinner with angels assuming you’ve been sufficiently good and said your prayers, this is not an easy one to answer.

Neither is the one about Islamic jokes.

There’s now a huge debate regarding what should be named ”The right to commit blasphemy”, though no one uses that term.

Christianity has been joked about for ages – Life of Brian, Dave Allen, numerous others have emptied all jokes that could possibly be made about Jesus as a person, angels on clouds, demons with red tails and what not. We have become adjusted to ”blasphemic” jokes and statements – and very few care, even though this of course varies between countries. There is a limit to what is allowed, see Piss Christ. We Westerners typically agree censorship by religion is not OK.

Hence, the Right to ”Commit Blasphemy” is simple in a sense.

Defamation is a criminal offence only if committed between humans. No God is human. Hence, insulting a God is OK. This means you can say and write anything about any God, and it’s OK according to the law.

One problem is obviously that to a lot of people, their God is in fact in a sense a person that is able to be offended. This God person will judge those that don’t fight to protect his name and reputation, and will reward those that do. Hence, every joke is a call for arms – sometimes literarily.

Another problem is that a lot of racists now have discovered this right to make fun of Islam as a means to bully Arabics and Africans and get away with it.

So should offenses against the Islamic God be allowed?

Yes. The Freedom of Speech is far more precious than the offended feelings of Muslims or others. Undoubtably. And I am completely convinced that whoever God is, she has better things to worry about than to be offended just because someone cracks a joke. Dave Allen once said something like: ”I believe God has a sense of humour – otherwise I’m in serious trouble.”

Still, we Westerners should ask ourselves why it is so much fun to hurt the feelings of those that do believe their God cares. Then we should commit one similar act of blasphemy against the Christian God for each against the Islamic God, and ask ourselves: was this really funny, useful, or to the point (whichever the purpose was)? If it was, then so be it.

Imho, that’s the only way the act can be justified. If it is not reversible, it is just bullying.

Links: AB, AB, SvD, SvD, SvD

First Entry

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It’s been three years since I stopped blogging. It took too much time. But so many words want out, so finally I decided to give it another try. Back in business. Back in the public world.