My Pull Back To The Right

I made a comment last week to a friend that I was feeling a pull back to the right (politically speaking). My reasoning was due to how insane the left and liberals seem to have become in recent years. I have been influenced quite a bit over the past 10 years or so by left leaning writers and commentators such as Bill Maher, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Dave Rubin. I also delve into philosophers like Alan Watts and Terence McKenna in an effort to "feed my soul" so to speak and try to keep from being overly accepting of the aforementioned influences. Naturally, being influenced by these people would definitely see me move towards a more overall liberal worldview. I still maintained that I wouldn't necessarily call myself a liberal, but I was done with conservatism as a worldview that I would adhere to in a staunch manner as I had for most of my adult life.

My choice was to stop identifying with one or the other and go issue by issue and stake out positions based on as much information I could get from both sides of any issue and my own personal parsing of that info. That's who I want to be and who I have attempted to be for quite some time now. With that said, I feel like at this point, I need to acknowledge that I am rethinking how openly I support liberalism as a whole. I could always forgive some of the economic things I didn't agree with because I felt that there was more open compassion from the left, because there were more people that could identify with how others lived based on their past and socio-economic position.

Over the past year or so I have been introduced to Jordan Peterson, Michael Shermer, and Ben Shapiro.  I wouldn't call any of them far right, but Shapiro is definitely a conservative, Peterson isn't a classic conservative, but he leans that way in how he attempts to make sense of our social/cultural constructs, and Shermer only appears to be right leaning because of how insane the far left has become. Shermer is probably where I am (or possibly Dave Rubin) speaking comparatively. I may not have shifted as much as the fact that the spectrum has moved under my feet. I don't even know if I'm speaking politically unless we are going to focus on specific policy/issue. This writing is geared more towards my rejection of political correctness and the general attempts of the "regressive" left to impose their fascist inclinations on everyone else. 

Dave Rubin has recently started rejecting his identification as a "liberal", simply because of what it seems to imply at this point in time. I strongly feel that a dishonest media, along with people who believe they need to be offended for others in an effort to gain power or some sort of misguided moral superiority are moving us backwards as a nation. It's going to turn out to be a phase, as we are already seeing a correction, as level headed liberals are moving towards the right and we have a president that is anything but politically correct. People are being driven into the arms of Trump in the same way that moderate Republicans were pushed to Obama or a more libertarian view by the George W. Bush years. I love freedom of speech, even when it offends me (which doesn't happen often, because I need to feel the hit personally) and I don't think anyone's communication with others should be stifled or made against the law. I want to hear from people I don't agree with. I can't understand when others don't want that. It's a chance to sharpen your own beliefs and more importantly, it's a chance to try to understand another person viewpoint. That's been very important to me for awhile. If I have a "fault" when I participate in group political/social discussion, it's that I seem to waffle, but that's really because I am trying to find out how it feels to hold each position. What about a persons worldview, up bringing, or person experience makes them stake out a particular position? I truly believe it's made me a better person by triggering critical thought and patience. 

I would really like to write more on the influence of people like Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, Dave Rubin, Austin Peterson, Larry Elder, Michael Shermer, and Sam Harris have had on me, but that would make for a small book. I have kept an open mind, as much as possible. Anyone that knows me or knows my past writing should understand that I try not to live in a bubble. I cull info from a lot of different places and I trust the words of people more than I do any information that comes from a for-profit organization. 

The bottom line for me and what I've picked up from Jordan Peterson in a big way is that none of us have a right to not be offended. If a person is offended, it's a choice. Words have no power that we don't give them as individuals. That's been a position of mine for a very long time. I'm much more interested in seeing our country move forward on the basis of fact than feeling. When people (or a group of people) call others fascists and then seek to shut down those people's ability to speak freely (going so far in some cases as to try to create law limiting speech), the true fascist is revealed. If the middle and moderate right is where I have to identify and where I have to speak to others from, so be it. I accept freedom, personal liberty, and fact as the most important influences on how I think and act, and right now, the left side of the spectrum (and largely from those further on the left) isn't living up to being the progressives that they think they are. They rely on stifling the speech and freedoms of others as a way of making the country better and I firmly believe that is misguided and it eventually will lead to the authoritarianism, and yes, fascism that they fear. 

I'm going to stick with what seems tangible and real. I know that being correct on so many things is subjective and I accept that as truth. On the other hand, there is also fact on many other issues and there is intellectual honesty and working from those areas has to be the best for us all. Maybe I'll have more on this later. Maybe someone will challenge me with a comment. Either way, I will do my best to be honest about how I feel and respond to what is swirling around me every day in the world. 

The Rubin Report

YOU TUBE: The Rubin Report

Nothing In 2017

I've got several half written, half started musings saved from the past eight months, but I just haven't had the inspiration to finish them. Like this offering, I sort of went about what I wrote with a half-hearted attitude. If I don't have anything to express or say, I just won't publish or I'll delete. At this point, I'm just making sure I get on the board for 2017

There is so much going on in the world, but my feelings float back and forth between disgust and exhilaration. From politics to science it seems every day brings something else to occupy my curiosity. Any sort of passion is out though. I don't really care much that the election of Trump is causing a melt down. He's a buffoon and a jackass that in over his head and the hysteria his election has caused can be a little entertaining. I don't feel like there are any politicians with anything to offer, so let this bitch catch fire for a little while. I've gotten some solid laughs and "WTF's?" out of it all so far. 

I have found a few bands that aren't new, but they are new to me. I recently started listening to Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton and that was born out of my love of Shooter Jennings and Sturgill Simpson. A natural progression into more music made by artists that are not locked into the mainstream. I have also started listening to a pop band called "Portugal. The Man" and I dig them quite a bit. They have been around for awhile and are very much in the same vein as "Broken Bells", and "Foster the People"......sweet melodies and infectious hooks with a sensibility to the lyrics that are largely missing from today's radio pop/rock. 

I finally learned how to use Twitter. That's been OK. I get my news from there now instead of going to CNN/FOX. I really hate the mainstream media and want to be able to find information based on the level of importance instead of having to sift through click bait headlines and stories that I know contain editorial bias. I will probably tire of it, but at the moment it fills some time for me when I don't have much else to do. It's not a bad thing to read Ryan Adams melting down at least once a week. 

Tommy Stinson Steals A Kiss From Yours Truly

Oh, I did get to hang around a bunch of people that were hanging around Tommy Stinson at a "store show" for his "Cowboys in the Campfire" tour. That was pretty cool. 

Joe Rogan is still awesome and his podcasts are almost always worth my time. I continue to miss Christopher Hitchens and wish that Bill Hicks were here to comment on modern society. That would be a treat right about now. 

So, there it is. Nothing. My only offering of 2017 thus far. If you don't hear from me again.....I'm not gone, just gone away until next time. Enjoy life, it's probably the only one you'll get. 

Summer Musings....

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I've written anything. Nothing going on really. The summer is just rolling by. Hard to believe it's almost July when it seems as though the kids just got out of school. 

I haven't swung a softball bat for about five or six (or is it 10) years and was primed to play in a work game against another company, but it got cancelled. Well enough. A few of the guys on our team played pro baseball (2 of them AAA and one was a AAA all-star), so it's probably a good thing that my old ass didn't have a chance to be embarrassed. I still feel pretty good at 45, but that's probably because I haven't given my body a real shot at letting me down in public. I have this little voice in the back of my mind that tells me to play one more summer, but I just can't make that happen. Facing reality means facing that I will likely never hit a ball again in a competitive game. So be it.

Since I'm rambling about age, when do I get to feel grown up? Do I even want to? At my age, I still feel like a young know nothing when I'm around anyone that is over 50. Maybe it's because I spent so many years working around people that were 10 or 15 years younger than me, so I didn't have that period where I became a respectable adult. I don't even know what's so fucking respectable about being an adult anyhow. If it means not having a good time as much as possible, I don't want anything to do with it really. I figure as long as I do my best to raise my kids in a way that will benefit them when they are older and I treat my wife good, I can do whatever the hell I want otherwise.  

I have been thinking about death a little bit. Yeah, I know....one of the more uplifting topics. Most people spend their lives either being afraid of death or denying it by getting wrapped up in the "importance" of their every day lives. Accumulating wealth and attaching ourselves to belongings that we think we can't live without somehow creates a mirage that fogs out the reality that we are all going to the ground. Why even be scared of death? Dying? OK, I get the fear of that. The process is largely unknown to most people. It's sudden in many instances and we don't want to hurt or be uncomfortable. But being afraid of what happens after you are gone is foolish. You are not likely going to be in a state where you can think "I'm dead", so the fear is not rational. When you go under anesthesia, you don't think about anything....you are just gone. One second you are looking at the doctor, the next you are looking at the doctor, but not realizing an hour has passed. My belief is that it's going to be like that when you die. And even that doesn't make sense. Be like what? Nothing. Nothing isn't even relevant because you won't have a conscious mind to even consider that you are nothing or nowhere. So, quit worrying about it. 

Am I whistlin' past the graveyard? 

Good to see Russ Smith get drafted. He should be in a situation to make the Pelicans and I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't logging some minutes next season. The guy can just play basketball, works hard and has a strong will. Guys like that usually succeed. 

I promised to cut down on my concert going this year and so far have done OK. I saw Broken Bells last week. I have tickets to see Beck, Jack White, and The Replacements at Forecastle and I have good seats to McCartney (if he doesn't croak first). Unless The Jayhawks or Shooter Jennings come around that may be the extent of my spending money on live music this year. I'd love to see Citizen Cope, but at $41? Come on dude, you probably priced yourself out of a sell out crowd. 

Some recommendations; 

Music

Broken Bells "After The Disco"

Beck "Morning Phase"

Shooter Jennings "The Other Life"

Movies

"American Hustle"

"Nebraska"

"Neighbors"

Television

Justified

Deadwood

News Radio

Books

"Hitch 22" by Christopher Hitchens

"Room Full of Mirrors" by Charles Cross"

"Waylon" by Waylon Jennings

Neil DeGrasse Tyson: An Astrophysicist Of The People

Usually, my posts involve music, movies, and things that interest me about the human condition. Over the past few years, I've really grown to love learning about science and the universe. Quantum theory is a lot of fun to learn about, but at a certain point, there is a lack of connection because I'm not capable of understanding some of the mathematics that are behind the theories. So, I have turned my attention more towards the universe and how interesting it is in all its vastness, glory, and mystery. 

Neil DeGrasse Tyson has inspired me to expand my mind on our origins in the same way that Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris challenged me to expand my mind to conceptualize what life could be like without a deity. It's one thing to hear that "there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches on the entire planet Earth" and it's another to have someone explain what that means in a practical way. It's all so vast that we sometimes get arrogant about our place in the universe. We can feel as though we are separate from the cosmos, and special in regards to it. Nothing could be further from the truth, because we are a part of the universe. That is inspiring to me, not depressing. Some folks push past the realization that we are OF the universe by ignoring knowledge and filling the gaps in understanding with a god. I do find that a bit depressing. At the edge of understanding, you will find god. But that only lasts until we finally do understand. Through the centuries, Galileo, Newton and others were content to reach the edge of their capacity for understanding and left it to a god from there. Then others came along and added on to what was known and once again, god was pushed further down the line to a new edge. Not to debate the existence of god, that's something I don't have an answer for, but I do know that it's simple and shallow to just assume what we don't understand has to be given over to a god or gods. 

Tyson loves to talk about how much a part of the universe we are. That's inspiring to me. To know that all of this that surrounds us, is, indeed, us! It's like when I finally figured out that people in Iraq, Russia, China, Africa and everywhere else on earth are me. They are the same as me, they just live somewhere else. They are not separate from me, they are my cousins that share a common place in the cosmos. The most common elements (that are not inert, like helium) in the universe (hydrogen, oxygen, carbon) are exactly the same as the most common elements in the human body. Is this an accident? No, because we are the universe. We are star dust. We have been exchanging atoms with the universe since life began on this planet. The atoms in us right now were in something else before us and something else before that and so on. That's fascinating and inspirational. In that way, we truly are immortal. We've always been here in some capacity. For billions of years....all that we are now has existed and will continue to. 

Back to Tyson though. This guy is one of about 6,000 astrophysicists on the planet and he is the only one that has really struck a chord with the mainstream popularity wise. He speaks in an excited tone and offers up the universe in a way that is interesting and full of possibility. He isn't dry and doesn't drone on with huge words and abstract language that is beyond the common persons understanding. I can't recommend him enough to those who are truly interested in grasping the universe outside of the usual dumbed down notion of the cosmos and our place in it. His take on the existence of life in the universe is interesting and exciting in that the vastness of the cosmos implies that life is bountiful and just because we have not seen evidence of it in the VERY, VERY small area we have explored and reached out to makes it no less likely. He says we only really understand about 4% of what there is to know about life, our universes origin, matter, energy and so forth and that leaves a lot of room for exploration and discovery for what is likely to be hundreds of years. Or, with the development and exponential increase in computer power, perhaps it's just decades away when we will have a really firm grasp on how the universe works. Hell, it's likely that there are many universes, especially when you start listening to Tyson talk about the theories of dark matter and dark energy and how empty space is anything but empty! 

The Testimony of Neil DeGrasse Tyson

So, if you dig this sort of thing, but can't deal with the dry wit of Carl Sagan, the often beyond comprehension language of Susskind or Hawkins, or the long winded, sometimes dull explanations of Brian Greene (all of whom I like, but don't hold a candle to what Tyson brings to the table in the way of communication) then give Neil DeGrasse Tyson a shot at needling your mind and moving you towards a greater understanding of the universe and what it means to be a member of all that exists! 

The Pope Quit? Good.

So the pope quit? You know, usually, I'd rip him for almost anything, including quitting, especially when it hasn't been done for 600 years. I still might, my post isn't over, but I am willing to cut him a break for one little reason; sometimes, you gotta know when to let it go. 

How many 142 year old drivers do we have on the road holding up traffic? How many ancient folk are in front of you at the ATM and they can't quite remember their PIN number, even though it's probably their birth date. Some of them still use coins. Nothing is more annoying than a person who uses coins. Especially if they are in front of you. I haven't used a coin for a purchase since a Pepsi was .50!

Sometimes you gotta know when to quit and if he felt like he couldn't hold up his end of the bargain by doing his World Tour and all that bit,well, good for him. He's like Andrew Dice Clay and Richard Nixon, he knew when to hang 'em up. 

I don't want to imply that I'm giving him a free pass on being a guy that covered up child abuse, but he's out, so that's that. If there is indeed a Bible god, Ratzinger better hope he's saved up a few "Hail Mary's", because he might need 'em. I'm sure Christopher Hitchens is smiling up at him right now. Maybe the next pope will be a stand up guy that cares more about the human being than protecting the church. At least I hope so. 

Good bye Ratz, I'll catch you in the line to hell. I hear it's a sell out! 

Oh, why not! Here's a couple for the road!

Struggling With Faith? Do Something About It!

For most of my life, I have been a believer in the Christian god. I was brought up on it and like others, I really got scared of the whole notion of hell and someone listening to my every thought. How bad I must be to have "sinful" thoughts as often as I did. I never even considered that everyone else has stupid stuff go through their minds too.....I thought it was just me. I wrestled with hell a lot, but I never allowed myself to even consider that I might be wasting my time with all that worry. 

A few years back, I started exploring my faith. I looked at Christianity with a critical eye and I began to research other religions. Then, I read "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins and it occurred to me; What if there isn't a god? What if I can just live my life without the guilt and torment? What if I could be a happy human being? 

From there, I felt like I should look into my questions. I had never really gave not believing a fair chance. How could I? I was raised up on Jesus watching me all the time (not just in December when Santa has his critical eye on me) and fear of damnation. I was in church at the time and came to a point where I felt like I was being hypocritical by attending Sunday school in the morning and then reading Dawkins and Sam Harris in the evening. I stopped going and decided I would put the Bible to the test, so I started actually reading it. I wanted to test it against modern morality and ethics and see what god really said about how to treat people and it didn't hold up. I still continued to pray a couple of times a day for Jesus to help me along and show me the truth. Obviously, he didn't have much to say. My relationship was a one way street with my imagination. 

I continued to study religion and atheism and finally a little voice in my head said; "There is no god." Along with my losing religion, I was also dumping my penchant for certitude. Rather than proclaim myself an atheist or whatever, I decided that I just didn't know. With a gun to my head, I'd bet on there NOT being a god, but otherwise, hell, I just don't know. Nobody does. 

OK, it's taken me four paragraphs to get here, but what I wanted to say is that it's alright to have doubts. It's natural and you should welcome those doubts. If you don't, you are shutting off your mind, your intellect, and reason. If you believe a god gave you those things, then certainly you can see why it should be imperative that you use your intelligence and exercise critical thought. If I had to suggest some reading for a Christian who was wrestling with his faith, I would first suggest the Dan Barker book "godless". Barker is a former evangelist, Christian song writer and record producer. His book outlines his journey from being on fire for god to firing god. It speaks in a easy going manner to the recently converted and/or those who are starting to become unsure of their faith. 

I'd also suggest "Letter To A Christian Nation" by Sam Harris. He makes a great case, in a very short book, against religion as a whole. He mainly focuses on Christianity, because it is the prevailing religion in the USA, but he does so in a way that tries to allow the reader to take their belief into account in context with Islam or any other religion. His first, full scale book is called "The End of Faith" and it's also worth a persons time. It would be easy and probably cliche' for me to tell someone to run out and buy "God Is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens or "The God Delusion" by the aforementioned Dawkins. Those are great books and for someone who has recently lost their faith, I'd recommend them as great guides to strengthen your decision and resolve. You Tube is a great resource to hear anyone speak that I've mentioned to this point. Learning about the universe, quantum physics, consciousness, and critical thought have been so satisfying after spending much of my life tuned out to those things. 

Don't let anyone talk you into or out of your faith if you are wavering. Explore it for yourself. Use your mind and reason. Read the Bible. Really read what god says. If your faith is meant to be, it should stand up to the scrutiny of your mind and what you learn. You wouldn't be afraid to read Lee Strobel's "The Case For Christ" or "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brendan Manning, so don't be afraid to read some of the stuff I've mentioned. Be fair to god and yourself.  It's been a very satisfying journey for me personally and I wouldn't change it for anything. If you are struggling with your faith, go ahead and do something about it. Either way, you should come away feeling proud that you came to your decision on your own terms, without indoctrination.