Rants and Raves

Coronavirus is here, and like an obnoxious guest that just won't leave the party, it's making everyone a bit cranky.  I haven't had the time off work that a lot of others have had, but believe me, I'm thankful for that.  During my six weeks off with a broken wrist, I had enough 'time off'.  People have asked me, 'how do you like your extra vacation?'  A vacation is time off on your terms.  My broken wrist and coronavirus don't fit that description.  I think just about everyone would agree with that.

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It might come as somewhat of a shock to some that I've given up on WWE.  It's been over a month since I've watched any of their programming.  Before you think to yourself, "he's finally given up on that fake fighting crap", no, he hasn't.  I watch AEW, a rival wrestling promotion that has a considerably different direction, but watching AEW isn't the reason I've quit on WWE.  I gave up on it once I found out WWE founders Vince and Linda McMahon donated millions to the Trump re-election campaign the same day they laid off and fired lots of wrestlers from their company.  I don't like the republican party in the States, but that's really neither here nor there on this issue.  What my problem with it is that such a vile, evil, hateful man like Donald Trump is getting support from a company that I used to endorse.  I've always known the McMahons are republicans.  Linda was a part of Trump's administration, even, before leaving it to devote all her efforts on his re-election.  Before Trump, I had no problem with it.  Now, I have a huge problem with it.  I no longer subscribe to the WWE Network, because I hate the thought of one penny of my own money is helping support a wannabe dictator bent on destroying the lives of anyone who doesn't 100% agree with him.  I also gave up on watching "Survivor" and "Shark Tank" as well as any Mark Burnett production, because he's an ardent Trump supporter and fundraiser.  Same with Wendy's restaurant chain.  I don't like the conservative party in Canada either, but there's no Trump in Canada.  Yet.  I do, however, have a measure of respect for the Progressive Conservatives, which is what my province in Canada has.  When the federal party splintered to become Conservative without the Progressive, they appeared to become more hateful and imposing, and they lost me.  Progressive, to me, means to look forward.  Conservative, to me, means to make do with what you have.  Same old same old.

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I've had a lot of spiritual questions lingering in my head lately.  The chief one being, why are the Old Testament and New Testament in the Bible so vastly different?  Why did God become so much more gentle in the NT compared to the OT?  It makes me wonder if God Himself has the inclination to change his mind from time to time.  I would like to believe that the God I follow judges His children on how they treat one another, that He takes into account everything that everyone is pre-disposed with.  In other words, a God of mercy.  If God really loves us more than we love our own kids even, then I have to think that He loves all of us despite ourselves.  Is the Bible God's word, or man's interpretation of God's word?  Because many religions came along that splintered from Catholicism claiming their way is the written way.  Man's interpretation is certainly lurking in there somewhere.  My belief is that God wants us to love each other especially when it's difficult to do so, because love conquers all.  A lot of us ask, "why does God let such terrible things happen?"  To which I say, because God gave us free will.  If He bailed us out every time we screwed up, how do we learn anything at all?  When Jesus asked His Father in the garden to spare him of the great pain that was about to happen with him, it didn't happen.  Man got his way.  If God won't spare His own Son, why would He spare any of us?  I believe you can appeal with prayer, but it's God's judgment to let man decide his own destiny, for better or worse.  I think that's completely fair.  If you move out of your parents' house and you get in financial trouble, you can ask your mom and dad for help, but they might refuse it in order to teach you a lesson.  You can't get help every single time you ask for it or you'll learn nothing.  And hate gets no one anywhere.  I have to wonder what Jesus would say about immigration issues going on today, or gun control problems, or capitalism run amok.  To me, Jesus was the original socialist.  True socialism is about making sure the less fortunate don't struggle or fall through the cracks of society.  No one should be homeless, without health care, or judged by the color they were born with, nor should they be chastised for the religion they adhere to, as long as it doesn't harm anyone else.

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Then there's the issue of abortion.  Wow, that's a loaded one.  You have people on one side and people on the other, very few in between.  My personal view is I don't like the idea of abortion at all.  But there has to be a better way to deal with both sides without one pissing off the other so much.  Firstly, every woman is an equal human being.  No man or woman can dictate what happens with her body.  I do believe abortion needs to be discouraged, though, or better yet, that birthing a child needs to be encouraged.  Many conservatives tend to incite anger in women by telling them they must have a child if they're pregnant, no matter what the circumstances.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  The same conservatives that treasure that life in the womb often pull the rug out from under the mother once the child is born, which largely contributes to such pushback from those who are fearful once they become pregnant.  Democratic socialism is key to fixing this.  Assistance to the mother and child, namely when they don't have access to it, is what can change the entire narrative around the abortion subject.  Until everyone genuinely tries to understand a pregnant woman's plight, there can be no solution to such a sensitive subject.  Far right "Christian" politicians who see things in either black or white, with no room whatsoever for discussion, have no place for rule in a democratic society.

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What about the gay culture?  Geez, all over the Bible there's passages ranting against homosexuality, right?  It's also in the Bible that you can't get tattoos and expect to go to Heaven.  But there are lots of clergymen and women with tattoos.  So what changed?  WE did.  We evolved and became smarter and more understanding than we used to be back in biblical times.  At least for the most part.  Perhaps society 2000 years ago was a bit different, no?  Could it be that we were actually able to grow over that time?  Because if God changed between testaments, why wouldn't He between those days and now?  As long as love, civility and fairness are involved, why would He be against it?  Maybe in those days, homosexuality involved lust more than it does love as it does today.  I don't think God's very approving of the whole lust thing, but love is a different story.  And straight people are every bit as prone to lust as gay people are, make no mistake.

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Something that really changed my view on gay culture is a TV show called 'Six Feet Under'.  I think that show might be a bit too raunchy for some, but for those with an open mind and heart, I think it can be revelatory.  There are two gay characters in the show in particular that try to show the audience that they're people too, every bit as much as anyone else, deserving of respect and love as much as the next person.  A good person is a good person, no matter what their sexual orientation.  But to see 'Keith' and 'David' interact and deal with life issues and their difficulties is eye-opening, to say the least.  If you follow the show, you wind up getting to know these characters and genuinely appreciate what they go through.  You develop feelings for them, just as if they were... what... human beings.  Because they are!!  Hey, I'm guilty as anyone else of making fun of gay people in my past.  I look back on it now and see how ugly that really is.  Not unlike racism of any sort.  It's very un-Christian.  There is no place whatsoever for hatred in any form of Christianity.  Which is why I scoff at the very idea that Donald Trump is a Christian.

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A lot of folks in the U.S. sides with either Fox News or CNN/MSNBC.  Fox News, of course, leaning heavily to the right, the others to the left.  There's a site on Facebook called Politifact that appears to call things right down the middle, exposing truths and exaggerations on both sides.  I tell a lot of folks to just take in Cuomo Prime Time on CNN on weeknights.  He's very gracious and gives both sides time for their arguments and challenges them both.  He's a Christian man who does what he can to see both sides of an argument and looks for a bridge in the form of facts rather than opinions.  You won't see any hate spewed on his program, at least not by him.  If you haven't watched yet, give him a try.  My wife and I actually find hope in watching his program because there's a lot less spin than on other political commentators' shows.

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Anybody missing baseball?  I sure as hell am.  Where I live, my house is adjacent to a local ballpark, where games are played all summer.  I grew up in this neighbourhood, too.  Like everywhere else, though, games are canceled through the summer because of the whole coronavirus thing.  It's only going to remind us of how bleak things seem when there are no ballpark lights illuminating the field with cheering fans when I go to bed early sometimes to get up early for work a couple of times a week.  Not even on TV.  The big thing that really bothers me about major league sports is the money involved.  A great man I know named Donny Goguen told me many years ago, "no man's job is worth a million dollars a year."  That extends to baseball/hockey/football etc. players.  If their "jobs" are worth millions a year, then what about the military that protects our country?  The doctors and nurses that literally save our lives every day?  The cops that are constantly subject to questioning of the actions they take to quell violence and crime with their lives on the line?  Something is way out of whack.  That 'something' is capitalism.  Sports money got crazy greedy in the 80's when Reaganomics took over.  Now, people are conditioned to admire players who get record contracts with ridiculous unnecessary amounts of money to PLAY sports.  Same goes for music.  Concert ticket prices are just stupid these days, but I kind of, sort of understand it.  The music industry is fading every year because of online piracy, and artists are looking to concert events to recoup that money.  Problem is, it's on the backs of the everyday citizen who's a fan of their music.  The bottom line is, people don't need to amass unnecessary amounts of money to sustain themselves.  Sure, everyone should be able to enjoy some degree of luxury if they've earned it, but it becomes obnoxious when greed overtakes desire for sustainability.  And no oligarch should be able to dictate what happens politically and at what rate they choose.  I'm looking at YOU, Bezos, Kochs and Irvings, among dozens more.

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Watching any TV these days?  I know that's a silly question, where everyone's being told to stay home and watch Netflix.  Besides 'Six Feet Under' reruns, we're catching up on 'Westworld', and recently finished up a series called 'Devs', which I totally recommend.  It's a bit of a mind-bender, but not in the sense of having to figure things out, as much as challenging your beliefs and what you think you know, as well as where we might be headed.  I say it all the time, producer/writer/director Alex Garland is the new Stanley Kubrick -- you'd swear it was his work.  'Watchmen' on HBO is also exceptional, and it does help to have read the comic/graphic novel before you watch, but also if you can watch the 'Watchmen' theatrical movie first, because the HBO version of 'Watchmen' is actually a sequel to the original story.  You'll want to watch it again after you've seen it.  I also recommend 'The Leftovers' on HBO.  It's a fascinating take on the question of what would it be like if a rapture-like occurance happened, where 2% of the population on earth suddenly disappeared.  It's heart wrenching, thought provoking and thoroughly fascinating, and at time depressing, but hard to stop watching.  It's only three seasons long by design, with an ending that's quite satisfying.  I should also point out that 'Watchmen' and 'Devs' are both limited series as well, both at one season each.  They play more like a long movie split up in chapters than an actual series. 

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Anyway, that's all I have for rants and raves for the time being.  Take care and thanks for reading.