A friend shared a graphic on Facebook of a quote by Osho, an Indian mystic who died in 1990, that went, “Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence.” I like that. I can’t speak for Osho, but for me, I make the following observation: Creativity is the mark of individuality. To be creative is to…
Category: Two Cents
On Secession
As much as I love the idea of secession, of people in a given territory breaking political ties with the larger territorial state, there is one major drawback: secession dissenters within the seceding territory being forced to break ties with the old state and live under the new state. Many “loyalists” were murdered and/or driven…
On “Should”
“Should” is another one of those potentially insidious words (like “have to“). It’s technically the past tense of “shall”, which means “duty, obligation,” but is more commonly used today as future tense. “You should do this,” is an example. Using it in the negative, as in “You should not steal from others” is innocent enough,…
On Child Misbehavior
I don’t think that children misbehave. Rather, I think they behave exactly as expected when either their needs are not being met, or when they are trying to meet their own needs as best they can at the moment and in their present environment. Think about it. When a child is coloring on the wall,…
On Mother Nature
The most tyrannical of all tyrants is Mother Nature. Decide not to drink, and she’ll torture and then kill you. Decide not to eat, and she’ll torture and then kill you. Decide to jump off a skyscraper, and she’ll give you euphoria, and then kill you. You can do very little without Mother Nature stepping…
On Love
“An intense feeling of deep affection,” is how Google defines love. Good. “A gentle feeling of fondness or liking,” is affection. Alright. “Affection or liking for someone or something,” is fondness. Uh-huh. “A feeling of regard or fondness,” is liking. Hmm. “Attention to or concern for something,” is regard. Ahh! Back around, love, then, is…
On “Have To”
How many times a day do you utter the pair “have to,” as in “I have to…” or “You have to…”? I’d wager it’s long of a few and short of several. But what a despicable pairing this is. Think about it. “Have to” means that you must, that you are without choice in the…
On Institutional Association
The UK tossed a case brought by Tom Phillips against Mormon president Thomas Monson for fraud. The accusation is that the Mormon church makes claims that are factually false and promises that are left objectively unfulfilled, and in return received monetary compensation, thus fraud. I don’t know if the Mormon church’s claims are false or…
On Religious Indoctrination
Indoctrination is the “imbuing of an idea or opinion,” and imbue is “to soak, saturate, cause to absorb.” It would seem, then, that indoctrination implies coercion, either physical or social (loss of privilege, fear, shaming). Religion is “respect for what is sacred, conscientiousness, sense of right, moral obligation,” and religious is “imbued with or expressive…
On Spanking
Is spanking abuse? Let us consult its etymology! Says EtymOnline.com, for abuse, “mid-15c., ‘improper practice,’ from Old French abus (14c.), from Latin abusus. Earlier in Middle English was abusion ‘wicked act or practice, shameful thing, violation of decency’ (early 14c.), ‘an insult’ (mid-14c.).” Very interesting. Is spanking an “improper practice”? Yes. Is it a “wicked…