A Late Apology

I was going to write about the Pentagon’s report on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell today.  I was going to laud the report’s findings and our military’s commitment to equal rights.  I might have even crowed a little about how bigots in D.C. and elsewhere can no longer use the Military’s policy as a shield to hide behind anymore.  Even throw in a joke or two at Senator McCain and Mike Huckabee’s expense.  But, the report speaks for itself, and many other, more qualified people have already spoken on the matter (here is a single example.)

I have to say I don’t understand why letting the courts do it is such a bad idea, but he Pentagon seems really against it…  Anyway I’m not talking about that am I?

I’m writing to apologize to Finch.  Who is Finch?  Finch is that guy in your group of friends who exists merely to make fun of.  This type of friend is most prevalent in high school, and Finch was ours.  The group of people I knew and associated with in high school were a mix of the “coolest”and the smartest, as little as that means… and by all metrics Finch shouldn’t have been eating lunch or talking to any of the people that he did, I know High School is cruel.

I can’t think of a single time I was nice to Finch.  Even worse, I don’t even know Finch’s real name.  I think Finch was his surname but I really have no idea and my high school yearbook is.

So, Finch sorry for treating you as an object instead of a person.  Sorry, for using you to make myself feel better.  I hope you didn’t let how we all mistreated you get to you and that you are wildly successful today…

Wouldn’t that show us?

Atheism – Still Ruining the World

I formally left the LDS Church last year.  As part of the process I had to be interviewed by the local Bishop.  During the interview, after I revealed that I was an atheist the Bishop asked me, “without God why do you even bother getting up in the morning?”  I was stunned then and I’m stunned now when people ask this of atheists.  As if “God” is why anyone gets up in the morning… Why am I mentioning this at all?  Well, the other day George Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney had this to say about the ‘faithless’:

A minority of people, usually people without religion, are frightened by the future, it’s almost as though they’ve … nothing but fear to distract themselves from the fact that without God the universe has no objective purpose or meaning. Nothing beyond the constructs they confect to cover the abyss.

It’s clear from his statements that Mr. Pell has never sat down and talked with an atheist or a faithless person.  It would only take a short thirty minute discussion with one to dis-prove his statements or to talk with a Catholic racked with worry about experiencing an eternal, fiery torment.  How is that for fear of the future?

I honestly don’t understand the importance on ‘objective purpose’ that Mr. Pell, and others seem intent on attaching to their lives. I suspect Mr. Pell doesn’t either.  The Universe doesn’t need meaning to exist and our lives don’t need to come with a purpose.  No one gets up in the morning and continues living because they believe there is a God, they get up because they’re compelled to keep living by billions of years of evolution.  They get up because life is, in general, pretty fucking amazing.  They get up because they have a work they love doing, they have family and friends that care about them and that they care about.  Living is its own reward and experiencing it is the only purpose life needs.

I keep wanting to believe that people with imaginary friends aren’t all degenerate morons but, people like George Pell make it really hard sometimes.

Bonus:  Mr. Pell still wants to blame Hitler, the Second World War, and the Holocaust on atheism. Despite Adolf Hitler’s Christian beliefs.

Welcome to the updated Di Mortui Sunt

I’m still reorganizing, tweaking, and adjusting but you’re (mostly) looking at the new Di Mortui Sunt. I’ve cut out a lot of the extraneous tabs, consolidated the remaining, and added one more.  I still need to add my own art up the header, a small paragraph to the right describing the blog, as well as a find focal point that has been lacking (alternatively, I could always create another blog to be focused and this one can remain my own musing grounds.)

I believe the best way to make this work for me would be to create a new site to explore and promote more fully my work  in the “Creativity” section.  If you’re interested in that I’ll make sure to put a link to it here when it is ready.

So, things are happening.  I’m starting new projects and continuing with old ones.  I hope you enjoy the changes.  Here is to new beginnings.

New Things at Di Mortui Sunt

I’ve added a ‘Let’s Play’ tab at the top there with ‘What I Am’ and ‘What I Like’ etc. That page has links and short descriptions of the LPs I’ve done over at the Gamespite forum: Talking Time. I will most likely be changing the theme soon as too, seeing as the current one bores me. This is probably the first step in a process-design the site.

Why the re-design? I have some extra time right now and I feel that the sight needs to be better organized in order to serve me, and incidentally you, better. With a new more focused design I’m hoping that the purpose and role of the site can be focused to.

No entries this week, I’m taking the time off to enjoy the holiday with my wife and family. See you on the 30th.

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