Divine blog

We live in a godless age.

Or rather, that is what many people claim. Ironically, people say such things throughout history. And perhaps they are right.

What God would allow the killing of thousands of innocents? The raping of countless women? The raging of innumerable wars? The use of religion as an excuse for unnamed horrors?

Or people's pleas to a divine being to end it all, instead of doing something about it themselves?

I do not know if there is a God. Frankly, I care not. What I do know is that if there is, God will not look kindly on those who do not use their godgiven intellect for merely praising Him.

God, I am sure, would rather see his people use the attributes that He has given them. Intellect, reason, creativity, love, compassion, humanity. Not sticking to ancient rites and rituals.

I seldom go to church, and when I do, it's usually to be amazed by the craftsmanship with which such old buildings were built. They are a testament to mankind's great abilities. The Notre Dame in Paris; the Cathedral in Köln; the Dome in Florence; they are testament to their age.

And they say our age is even greater still. What of our biggest towers, our sliding doors, our (generally) astounding health care, our electricity?

No matter if there is a God, the best thing to do is use our (godgiven?) abilities.

Demon blog

The Dark Side is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be "unnatural"...

Despite its reputation, the Dark Side (by whatever name) has always been popular amongst both scum and the elite. Modern day views might reject the idea of a supernatural devil, "evil incarnate" seems to persist as a scapegoat for many things.

It is remarkable, for instance, how people who denounce religion and claim to not believe in a god, often continue to believe in a devil of some sort.

Despite the fact that in the Bible there is no Devil as described by most people (horned and with features of a goat or a gargoyle). There is, however, a "great beast" and "the evil one" that comes down from the heavens, and attempts to lure Jesus to evil, respectively. Nowhere does it say anything about leathery wings and menacing horns, yet that is exactly the image most people have of this supposed devil.

I once met a (delusional) man who claimed the devil was after him, in differing appearances. One moment it would look like the man next door, the next it was an attractive lady who offered him drugs. If there is a devil, I'm more willing to believe this guy (despite his apparent delusions) than the traditional view.

Whatever his appearance, it would seem natural for people to need a scapegoat to blame things on. "The devil made me do it", or "she must be straight out of hell". The truth, however, is that there is no devil. The evil is what we bring upon ourselves. We, as mankind, do a great job of it; we don't need a supernatural entity to do that for us.

Evil does not exist.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn't exist.

Arrrrgh!

Aye, it be that time of year again: International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day!

Please refer to Savage Chickens.com for more delightful fun with chickens, post-its, and, sometimes, pirates.

One blog to rule them all

Well, hello there. It's good to see you all again. I've been expecting you.

I suppose it's been a rather long time since last I blogged - and by "blogged", I mean actually typing words in a quasi-coherent fashion to make up a piece of text, worthy of the name "blog". I've done lots of pretty pictures and short grunts, but I decided to actually produce a serious blog now. And here it is. Pretend to be awed.

How has my life been going recently? Quite good, actually. Since July, I've got a new job at Brijder Parnassia in The Hague; I'm an intaker for an addiction treatment center. That means I see the people who want help for their addiction to alcohol, drugs, medication or gambling, and I map out the treatment that's most likely to be effective.

This, of course, is not to be regarded as working with only criminals and "junkies"; most people that show up are people like you and me. Some of them have good jobs and great family lives. Most people that I see, have trouble with their alcohol consumption, followed closely by people with cannabis and cocaine addictions.

So that's my job. I've only done it for 2 months, but I'm very glad I've got this job. It's a natural extension of my internship at a similar company. The only downside is the travelling: it's about 90 minutes every morning and every afternoon to get from home to work, and from work back home. But I'm changing that: I'm trying to find a house near The Hague.

Am I blogging at work now? Honestly? Yes. My client didn't show up. Part of the job; some people just won't show up. So I've got a few moments to relax and blog.

In other news: nothing else happened. Too busy with work. No time to have awesome long conversations on IM; no time to hang out with friends; no time for myself.

Well, that's a lie. The other day I rented the incredible Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. That's awesome. The D is The Bomb.

So, that's pretty much what my life is right now. Getting up early, getting to work (90 minutes), doing my job, getting home (90 minutes), having dinner, sleeping. Repeat.

Hey, I'm not complaining. I love my job. And I love my paycheck, too.

Blame it on the bad childhood

Six years later...

Today is September 11th, 2007. Six years ago, the unthinkable happened.

Six years later, even more unthinkable events have happened. The execution of Saddam Hussein. Tortures at Abu Graib. Countless soldiers and civilians killed. Privacy counts for naught. Human lives are discarded with only their close relatives to mourn them.

I ask you: What progress?

Darth's defeat