Sexual Identity

I think I finally understand some of my thoughts on sex. I think sex is a form of expression. It's not just a biological action. If we just see it as that then we dehumanize the event. Humans are able to express themselves and more than that understand that expression past what we have been wired to do. The line is difficult, but I think there is a difference. If we see it as a meaningful act of expression then it should not matter who your partner is as much as what the act actually means to the both of you. It does not matter if you are married or not, but it helps. If you are married then you have already told each other that you are committed to each other. However, there are many partners who are very committed to each, more than some married couples and if that commitment comes through sex then I see nothing wrong with the act. To me sex is more about the expression and the obligation of one partner to another than the consequent. The consequent is still important, but not as much as the expression and the meaning of the act.

To defend my own faith, I believe the original rules were made to ensure that the obligation of partners existed there and that there was not an extension toward recreation. I think Catholics get a bad rap because people think they are only concerned with the consequent, producing a child and are truly against homosexuals. I think that many bad leaders profess this message, but this is not an all encompassing rule. It is more of a minimum. Sex is for producing a child and it should be a meaningful act if the two partners actually have a meaningful marriage. However, such obligation can occur outside of marriage and such expression can occur without the intention of producing a child.

Best soda?

What's the best soda? I choose Sprecher Ginger Ale.

Let's Support Dan Rowan this weekend

My roommate is taking the MCAT this weekend. In whatever way you would like, show your support as he goes through this difficult time of preparation and then the actual exam.

Should people be protesting the Olympics in Beijing?

I don't think so. I mean how else is China suppose to come into the world circuit if we try to boycott them? That's smart. Let's pretend they don't exist and maybe they'll change their tune about torturing and killing people. It's like leaving the fat kid out of four square because he beats up kids for their lunches. Yes you shouldn't let him play because it will feed his ego, but excluding him could make him more hurt because he thinks you don't like him. And is China really the misunderstood overly large kid on the playground. He just doesn't know how to handle his size yet. Give the kid a break. He's learning.

What is the greatest Beatles album and why?

Greatest Hits albums don't count. I choose "Help!"

Fashion - Esoteric?

Perhaps. However, there are quite a few women who adore Sex in the City and its not because of the sex (even though it might be for the men). They dress well. How about the Devil Wears Prada? Another example of a common medium tracking high class culture. Fashion may have been something that was rather more sophisticated than sports, but I think it's coming down to the masses as a topic if it hasn't already.

Sports - A unifier?

Sports can be as much a unifier as it is a divider. It shows how much people like being in groups. I am supportive of a group for which I belong, but adverse to a group for which I don't. I find it interesting that the US tends to form rivalries within the US whereas the rest of world forms rivalries among countries. What does that say about us? Are we a little closed out by the world or do we keep the world out? You decide.

Svang - The Harmonica Sensation

I heard Svang on BBC's Late Junction and they are my favorite group of the week. They are crazy and worth a listen on MySpace. Beyond that I have been really addicted to the song "Autumn Leaves" that was played on Late Junction this week.

Commenting on Sports

I honestly do not understand deliberation about sports and recently there has been much on my blog about it. I mean is there really any purpose? So you think this or that? Who are you helping? Not the Brewers, the Packers, or whomever unless you have some connections. If so then by all means continue with your deliberation, but do it with the right people. Is it for some affirmation from some community of followers. I could appreciate that, but only to a certain extent. I mean even if you discuss about sports, how does that help the other person? I honestly am at a loss for what substantial knowledge you could gain from talking about sports. I think it's the man equivalent to fashion. It's good to get an affirmation about, but if you get deeper than that something's wrong. Just wear the clothes and just watch the sport. Stop all the rubbish.

Best Cinematic Scenes

What are your parts from movies? They don't even need to be good movies. Just good parts.

"Meatballs" - "It just doesn't matter" scene
"School of Rock" - "Stick it to the man" scene
"Tommy Boy" - "...the other guys break pads" scene
"Signs" "Do you believe there is someone to protect us?" scene
"Before Sunset" - The talk while driving to Julie Delpy's apartment
"Once" - Driving in the car to listen to the record

I'm sure you can all come up with better scenes than I.

Top 10 Movies Revised

1.) Before Sunset
2.) Before Sunrise
3.) Amelie
4.) Everything Is Illuminated
5.) Once
6.) Good Will Hunting
7.) The Princess Bride
8.) When Harry Met Sally
9.) Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
10.) A Walk in the Clouds

I realized when I looked at my top ten list yesterday that it did truly reflect my favorite movies. This is a more accurate list.

How would you like your hamburger?

I would like a half pound of ground beef well done. It should be topped onions, guacamole salsa, and a big slab of medium pepper jack cheese.

How do you like it?

Intellectual Duels

If you could see two people debate who would it be and what would they debate...

Some of my personal choices...

Jimi Hendrix v. Niccolo Paganini - Why does one experiment with music?
Benjamin Franklin v. Leonardo Da Vinci - What's the best system to achieve self-awareness?
Pablo Piccasso v. Michaelango - What constitutes art?
Shakespeare v. Ernest Hemingway - What is the purpose of a character in a story or play?
Freud v. Jung - What are dreams?
Albert Camus v. C.S. Lewis - What is the purpose of suffering?
Plato v. James Madison - What is the purpose of government?
Albert Einstein v. Plato - What is reality?
Dan Rowan (future Nobel Prize Winner) v. Richard Dawkins - Is God a delusion?
Lenin v. Lennon - How do you achieve world peace?

See which ones you can come up with. I look forward to it.

Some points on faith

I sat in Church today and really wondered why I am still a Christian. The priest was ranting about how Christ will protect his "chosen" people more than other people. I really do not believe that at all. He continued with advice about buying statues, necklaces, and other religious items that would "save" us. It quite possibly could be one of the most insulting homilies I've ever received. But then I was rattled by the fact that this is common for Catholics. When I went to the Churches in Poland they had these stands with relics of the Pope as if he were a Professional athlete. I was insulted by that too. Perhaps I'm insulted because this goes so contrary to the vision I have of the Catholic Church.

There was some redemption to the priest's homily. He talked about picking out things from scripture and ruminating on those lines and then applying it to your life. That really made sense to me. Catholicism has nothing to do with voodoo rituals and relics. Christ wasn't a genie. He didn't grant wishes. He came to guide us in our lives to lead us spiritual and physical fulfillment. This is why I have such a dark sense of modern prayer. Christ doesn't grant wishes, he leads us to higher sense of being. I think Christ would be very comparable in Buddha in that sense. However, I believe only the Lord could get us to such a state. This is why I believe that Christ is one with God. You will rarely see me pray for something to occur. I more pray in an effort to get to a higher state of being.

I really try to get close to the Jesuit vision of Christianity. The jesuits do not clothe themselves with relics, they are very much into prayer and the reading of scriptures as meditation, and they are very logic orientated. The Jesuits teachers I had were always questioning. More so than most of my teachers or priest today (an exception in each category).

As for the root of my faith. I would currently consider myself a non-believer in sense of belief. That probably sounds completely strange, but I currently do feel the Lord. I sit in awe thinking of men like St. Ignatius of Loyola, the apostle Paul, and St. Francis. Men who say they truly saw a vision of Christ that compelled them to faith. You have to either believe that they had a spiritual experience that set them on fire or they were crazy. I try to believe the first. I fear the latter.

I still attend Church, read scripture, and study theology because I believe that those men saw something because something exist out there. Few of us actually feel it, but it's out there. The rest of us have to walk with blind faith, cynicism, or apathy. I would say I am currently the middle. I am very cynical of Catholicism and Christ currently because I am afraid to walk blindly. I think you cannot truly find Christ if you do not question, however, I think that last step will be a leap of faith found in meditation.

This is all very outrageous for me to say considering I am such a cynic about everything. Something just doesn't feel right about being cynical about faith. Perhaps it is a fear of my own mortality, a strange desire for the supernatural, or deep roots formed in my youth. Probably all three.

I have some supernatural tendencies of myself, but they have nothing to do with relics and voodoo like prayer. Mine, if you haven't figured out, is tied to dreams, visions, and transcended knowledge. I really believe in these and they are all very illogical. I have two sides fighting inside of me. One that says that I need to be more open to that type of belief because it will get me to this higher state of being and closer to God and that other side thinks that I am full of rubbish. For right now I still have the feud inside and am undecided. Some days I would say it's all bull s*** and others I will say there is something to it.

I really desire to feel the presence of God, but currently my logical, cynical side wins out. That does not I will give up my journey.