Abstractions

Anybody who knows me will know how much of a cynic I can be. As of late, it feels as though my cynicism is lacking its usual sharpness and wit. But that's not to say I've been any less cynical, just that I haven't been doing it to the same high standards I've come to expect from myself. Anyway, being the cynic that I am, I keep returning to my two favourite topics: religion and love.

As always, I don't think either exists in the true sense of the word. Rather, they are both abstract notions, nothing but words to which we attach a whole range of attributes. When people think of 'love' and of religion they associate them with positive things (e.g. happiness, enlightenment, purpose etc.). The problem with this is that while these two abstraction certainly have the potential to deliver these things, they tend to cause a lot more trouble than good.

For example, while religion claims to spread the good word of peace and unity and what not, a large proportion of modern day conflicts are religious feuds. The Palestinians and Israelis are forever blowing each other up due to slight religious differences and an allegedly 'holy land'. Get rid of religion and presto, no more holy land. The main reason the Americans and just about every Middle Eastern state are in conflict isn't because of WMDs (in all reality, if WMDs justifies warfare, the USA would have to be wiped off the face of the planet). It's because of religious differences. The Americans think that Islam is wrong because it oppresses. The Middle Easterners think Christianity is stupid because it allows people too much freedom (on that point, they must be insane because Christians will damn you to Hell for just about anything). Hence, they declare jihads and wars against terror' and 'liberation campaigns'.

And on top of that, every religion claims to be right (except Buddhism) and goes on to damn the followers of every other religion. Now, because we can't say that any religion is wrong (because that would be discrimination, which is comdemnable), this makes them all equally right. This in turn leads to the conclusion that everybody is going to Hell (or the religion's equivalent). This also introduces a slight problem in that each religion condemns to a different place and a follower of one would be damned to several different places by the other religions. Anybody else see some slight logistic issues?

Anyway, religion bashing aside, love is another iffy concept. If we believe in it, we're called idealistic fools. If we don't, we're told that we are pessimistic and that we will 'grow old cold and lonely'. So then, for somebody like me who doesn't really believe that love exists (not in the way society defines it, anyway) is it better to be right or to be proven wrong?

And on that point, is there such a thing as falling in love with the wrong person? For that to work, there would have to be a right person because as polar opposites, they can not exist eithout each other. And I don't believe that there can be a right person to fall in love with and hence no wrong person. Love has (and needs) no reason. So long as there is blind happiness, I have nothing against loving for love's sake. And when it all falls apart, well... shit happens and then we find another 'true love' to fill the void.

That's all I have to say for now. I may elaborate in a later post. I may not. You'll just have to wait and see.