Ten of my best hates and ten of my loves.
I stole this idea off Calensariel. It was a great idea. Well it wasn’t so much a steal as a borrow and adaptation. It set me thinking. Thanks Calensariel (in reality she put it out as a challenge and borrowed it from elsewhere but that doesn’t reduce it). This was something that I did not want to do lightly.
These are the ten things I detest most
- Cruelty – particularly to helpless animals.
- Violence – I think it is primitive. There are better ways. War, thuggery and brutality are invariably wrong.
- Greed – people who think that the purpose of life is to take everything they can at the expense of others.
- Megalomania – the people who will do anything – lie, cheat and kill – in order to get to the top.
- The misuse of power – the way certain people wield power for their own interests and do not care about the damage they cause to others or the environment.
- Mindlessness which produces music, films, soaps, books, fashions and lives of such shallow superficiality that they reduce the magnificence of life to dross.
- The destruction of the planet – deforestation, pollution, and irresponsible dumping. It is a tragedy. It is short-sighted. The destruction of habitat and butchering of wild-life makes me want to cry.
- Superstition and indoctrination. I believe religion does far more harm than good. The intolerance, arrogance and dogmatism is appalling. Indoctrination of children is child abuse. From the hunting of rhinos to the slaughter of infidels it stinks. Jihads, crusades, pogroms, inquisitions, witch-hunts and beheadings. The destruction of historic sites. There is no god. Religion is man-made. The sooner we give up on that the better. Now spirituality …..
- Overpopulation – It robs us of a future, uses up resources, creates pollution, destroys the environment and traps us in huge claustrophobic cities.
- Poverty – There is no need for it. It is a result of the economic model we choose to adopt where a few reap trillions while billions live on the edge. It disgusts me. It doesn’t have to be that way.
- Disease – It may be natural and inevitable but disease is a breaker of hearts, an ender of lives, and a creator of misery.
- The isms that create inequality, injustice and unfairness – sexism, racism, fascism and intelligentism (I had to make that one up). The only ism I like is pacifism.
Those are the things I spend my life opposing, fighting and attempting to put right.
These are the ten things I love most.
- Love – To be in love, to hold your children, grandchildren, pets and friends, is the greatest thing of all.
- Beauty – To look at a sunset, a rock, a tree, a mountain, a flower, the stars, wild-life, the colours and shapes. It is wonderful beyond words.
- Women and sex. They are not only beautiful, graceful, discerning, caring and sensual but they bring serenity, calm and intelligence with style. I generalise. Sex is also a delight of sharing, passion and pleasure.
- Animals – I love them all apart from spiders.
- Music – It moves the spirit and warms you to the core.
- Reading. It is the greatest invention of mankind. We can share the thoughts, stories and dreams of the greatest people who ever lived.
- The natural world. What can be more impressive than the result of a few billion years of evolution, the majesty of the heavens, the magnificence of geology? What could match that?
- Writing and words. When humans created words they created a wealth of communication that enabled us to capture our thoughts and feelings. I love to ensnare my thoughts in symbols and share them. Communication is the essence of civilisation. Poetry is a distillation of the form.
- Creativity – In all its forms – art, music, drama, poetry, opera, sculpture, writing, dance …. It is transcendental. It gives purpose to life, expression of being and a means of exploring truth and life. Creativity sets us apart from most other life.
- Novelty and discovery. We are inquisitive and born with a natural desire to investigate the world we live in.
- Friendship – We form friendships through chemical bonds that join us. We do not have to share the same tastes (but it helps). Friendship for me is something as strong as any emotion. With a friend you are fully at ease to share the contents of your mind, to argue and dissect. To learn about yourself and change your mind.
- Food and drink. There is nothing better than to share a meal with a bunch of loved ones, close friends and the pets at our feet, while watching a sunset, listening to good music in front of a roaring fire.
- Sport – It is ritualised warfare without the violence and hatred. It is tribal. The thing I love most is the unpredictability. It keeps you on the edge of your seat with tension. I love to see the tactics, strategy and skill. It keeps me enthralled.
- Photography – freezing the moment into a perfect shot that captures, frames and locks in the essence of its beauty.
When I retired I said I wanted to travel, write and read. I should have added – with the ones I love. That would make my life complete.
When you have digested my lists of ten (I never was any good at counting and it was hard limiting it to ten) you can clearly see why the whole fundamental basis of ISIS is the antithesis of everything I believe and stand for. They stand for fascism, indoctrination, intolerance and violence. They wish to impose their brain-washed superstition on everyone and destroy all vestiges of other cultures. If there is such a thing as evil then they epitomise it.
(After I had posted this I noticed that WordPress had somehow removed a number of words from my post. That was weird. I have had to go back and edit them in)
Opher 5.9.2015
Reblogged this on Opher's World and commented:
Sorry – WordPress removed some words. I’ve added them in.
Now spirituality … transcendental … ??
I’m not sure what I mean by spirituality. I think it’s that connection to the dynamo of energy that pervades the universe and connects us all. There’s a vibration we swim in. Mystical is a word I am loathe to use because of connotations. I do not feel it is conscious or interested in the personal, per se, or something to worship, name or to appeal to. I feel there are times when we can become in tune with the natural ‘force’ of the universe. I don’t make gods or religions out of it. It is the energy that flows through us.
All sounds a bit ‘woo-woo’ to me opher!
Aaah well. What can I say? It’s a woolly subject to me.
This is a great post. Also, spiders are not animals. Nor are earwigs. FTR. 🙂
Thank you. I agree. Spiders are evil emanations from another dimension that are out to get me!
Haha. Also, my take on spirituality… (and I’m on antibiotics and painkillers… the rational me would never bring this up 😉 ) My belief is that we are spirits. People say part of their being is spirituality, but you take your spirit out of it, and nothing further exists. Not even the human bit. They put the spiritless people under ground so they don’t stink up the joint.
Many also equate religion and spirituality. Religion is a man made organization. One has nothing to do with the other, and while one can’t live without being spiritual, one can shed religious associations and live a happier, freer and fuller spiritual life.
But that is just my take on it, and it works for me. Peace 🙂
Makes sense to me. Must get some of those antibiotics and painkillers. They seem to work.
I agree Religion is man made. It’s about power, superstition, control and politics.
Not sure about the spirit. I guess that’s a matter of belief.
All I know is that I am alive, conscious and full of a desire to live life to the full, to fight for freedom, justice and fairness. That gives it purpose for me. To create and have passion, to read, write and enthuse about music, beauty and the power of the universe. What more?
What more indeed? And maybe we’ll find one day, that everything meets somewhere in the middle…
I will happily share 😉 haha
I don’t know about the middle? I always think I’m there but everyone seems to think I’m at the extreme.
Those must be good painkillers!
lmao
Hey, here too! But I suppose if THEY think they’re in the middle, then anything NOT where they are would appear extreme… an illusion.
The mind, she wobbles, no? 😉
Sometimes everybody else is wrong. If it wasn’t for all the people who have seen things differently we would not have made progress. I have my ideas, logic and imagination. The bulk of people are happy with superficial dross. I don’t have to think like them.
Yes, I think that’s true. The flip side though, is nor do they have to think like you or me or anyone else… thus arises conflict! Because so many are not tolerant of different.
Bit unkind on the bulk of people Ophy? Too many comments, almost as prolific as spiders.
Holy Spirit or wholly human spirit.
Inspiration – the breath of life until we expire.
Tolerance is the key. Everyone is entitled to their own views and beliefs and the right to voice them forcefully. It’s when it gets personal or vindictive or even violent and aggressive. That’s when it is wrong.
Now then Trev – my wife says that I am sometimes so opinionated I come over as arrogant. I don’t mean to be. I just get frustrated with the dumbing down process, the superficially and lack of content in most media, TV soaps, Pop songs, game shows. It drives me mad. Yet the safe, secure and untaxing seems to be what most people go for. They do not want to face reality or think. That irks me. I like some thought-provoking content and to address the real issues.
I also get frustrated when I see all those bright, alert, involved and creative young kids getting caught up in mind-numbing dross.
I’m not so much having a go at people as the system which creates this trivialisation.
I like a bit of fun too!!
Mindlessness which produces music, films, soaps, books, fashions and lives of such shallow superficiality that they reduce the magnificence of life to dross. AMEN BROTHER!!! The sad thing is we are so ready and even eager to take in the mindless crap that people put out there, especially the media.
Right on! I don’t mind a bit of light entertainment. But I want some content and involvement too. You have to have rice with your curry!