RANDOM THOUGHTS

 

The moral code ascribed to Jesus is a good one.  It is the one I learned as a boy and to which I try to adhere today.  But this is only one such code, and versions of it have been around for a long time.  The Jesus code is more than a moral code.  It forms the basis of democracy, fairness, and the treatment of all people as sharing in the environment, the fruits of the climate, and the means of production.  I used to think the tax code was at the core of our efforts to create equality and fair treatment.  Wrong.  The body is a refreshed and uniform moral code combined with controls on capitalism.  I am not a Christian because man has corroded the teachings of Jesus.  Moreover, he is among us with the same sound principles (assuming he actually espoused them).  I am an atheist for all the reasons I stated in my first email (the universe is because it is, and we evolved by natural law).  And I believe that if we magically rid ourselves of religion, we would discover our true self-worth and the ability to exercise goodwill toward each other.

 

For our species to survive, we must organize ourselves into democratic groups.  This is one of the great moral principles.  Only through democracy can we treat each other fairly and equitably.  Yet capitalism, left unchecked, devolves into oligarchy.  This is the present-day history lesson of the United States.  Democracy cannot survive unbridled capitalism.  The horrid inequity of income disparity today demonstrates how the abuses of capitalism erode democratic institutions.  Although I believe the means of production should remain private, our democratic institutions must control the abuses of the capitalists.  Through democracy, the people can exert the necessary moral control of the abusers and effectively manage the means of production.

 

Religion's hook is eternal life.  We all fear (do not want) death.  So, at our most desperate hour, we came up with eternal life.  It's a myth.  See my first installment.  The randomness of the universe and its asymmetry (yes, Sheldon and Amy were right), the absolute rule of evolution of the species, and our overdeveloped sense of self have assured our ability to contrive a heaven about which we know nothing, and we would no doubt hate if we actually experienced it.  See Mark Twain for instructions on how to play the harp.  Religion is our Achilles heel.  It probably will bring down our species.  We do all kinds of horrible things in its name.  We are good when we love each other.  We do evil (yes, we came up with it) when we abandon our innate moral code and return to morality.  We do have a natural ability to be good.

 

Our species has been capable of writing and observing moral codes.  The Bible, not divinely inspired, is one example of some honest code writings.  Other authors have done even better.  Bertrand Russell, after whom Russell is named, comes to mind.  What's missing today is moral leadership.  Some 35% of our species in America have lost their ethical way.  Religion is mostly to blame.  For the species to survive morally, it must eschew religion.  Alas, I don't see hope unless, for example, we subjugate capitalism and replace it with a form of socialism that allows controlled private enterprise.  

 

The universe happened.  Earth happened.  The laws of nature that created them are only partially known.  We have searched in vain for a meaning because we are self-conscious and have an ego.  This has made us futilely attempt to ascribe events to religious nonsense.  And religion has been the scourge of the species.  The rest of the animal kingdom is not so afflicted.  We should reunite with the rest of the animal kingdom and use our overdeveloped brains to create a just and equal society.  Above all, we should use those brains for good and eschew evil.  We have that capability.  So does the rest of our animal kingdom.  Read Karl Marx and Dave Barry. 

 

I studied psychology in college and devoted myself to focusing on human behavior.  The current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in DC has an anti-social behavioral disorder.  He is a malignant narcissist and pathological liar who is so insecure in his own skin (because he knows he lacks essential intelligence and a moral compass) that he projects his failings onto others.  As he claims of others, he is a man of low intelligence who overcompensates for his shortcomings with loud, abusive language.  He has no sense of ethics and morals and was reared by his parents to lie and even kill, if necessary, to succeed.  He is an asshole and a crook.  He also is a white supremacist, nationalist, demagogue, and would-be dictator.  He has no sense of the Constitution or American History.  He is, in short, an oligarch who is too stupid to see what other dictators think of him or what he is doing to undermine democracy in the world.  Should we survive his time in office, we should relegate him to the trash heap of history where Hitler, Stalin, and others of his ilk reside.

 

I hate the word "spiritual".  I think it is a word we use to describe an emotion when we cannot or choose not to tell it some other way, like the concept of a god.  When words fail, mainly when we cannot or will not try to understand an experience, we ascribe the cause to a god or something spiritual.  We can have a broad spectrum of thoughts and emotions, including the highest form, often expressed in our music.  However, we should not fool ourselves into thinking something godlike or spiritual is going on.

 

We have formed moral principles over thousands of years.  Good for us.  We have recorded them in various ways, including in the Bible.  I was the beneficiary of early Bible training.  My first sermon was 1 Corinthians 15:33: "Beware, evil companionships corrupt good morals."  Frankly, that is the only sermon I preached or care to remember.  We pass along our sound moral principles and our evil beliefs and practices.  Indeed, the immorality of the political and religious right will forever be passed to new generations, and we can do nothing about it.  But those of us with a solid moral code can also take heart that we are passing on our principles.

 

I tried hedonism.  I drank because I liked it, and it fed my sexual promiscuity.  I did not believe in monogamy.  I think it is unnatural among primates.  In part, hedonism was my gateway to a new life after religion.  The problem was I hurt many people, including my wife and children.  Getting sober was, first and foremost, a survival instinct.  But being straight allowed me to lift myself to a higher moral ground. 

 

It’s high time we amended the United States Constitution.  The forefathers had many good ideas, but we need an overhaul after a few hundred years.  I would do away with the Senate and elect the People’s Assembly members (House of Representatives) of the legislature every four years.  I would keep most of the amendments, except I would do away with the second amendment.  I also would do away with the Electoral College.  Three branches are a good idea, and their equality should be maintained.  I also would limit the term of the President to one four-year term.  I also would favor another amendment eliminating political action group funding and limiting political contributions to individual contributions to candidates and their parties.  I would make it clear that corporations are not people.  I would prohibit political advertising on television and the Internet.  The Constitution should clearly provide equal rights to all, and I mean all.  The right to universal health care should be written in the Constitutional amendments. 

 

In the end, it really is all about morality.  The golden rule.  Jesus, if he existed at all, was a socialist.  The golden rule preceded him.  Socialism takes place on the highest ground of which we primates are capable.  I hold no hope for the future of the species that fails to find the truth that fairness, equality, and justice for all is the only way a society can exist without polarization and collapse.  The haves and have-nots eventually will fight it out to the death.  Almost everywhere you look today in the United States, something significant is broken, probably beyond repair.  Examples are legion.  Perhaps the best one is the perversion and control of right-wing religion.  Total hypocrisy.  No allegiance to the golden rule.  Capitulation to political hacks just out to gain more power.  The Constitution must be amended.  Economic inequality must be equalized.  The government must control the excesses of capitalism.  Moral leadership must prevail.  To say nothing of addressing climate change caused by human beings, reforming the tax system, and placing the proper emphasis on education.  Perhaps the best sign of the collapse of democracy is the utter failure of the educational system.

 

The one currently occupying the Oval Office has but one legacy and contribution to America.  He has shown us our dark underbelly and everything wrong with American society.  At least a third of Americans are stupid and immoral.  And he has energized them into actions designed to destroy democracy.  He has committed the highest crimes by eschewing intellect, reason, factual inquiry, and critical thought.  He is totally without moral guidance and, therefore, incapable of ethical leadership.  Quite the opposite.  He revels in committing crimes and encouraging evil actions.  He has decimated America’s reputation abroad and made us a laughingstock.  He is totally without any redeeming qualities.

 

Religion is the antithesis of critical thinking and reason.  Religion asks us to abandon critical thinking, scientific inquiry, logic, and defense.  We are asked to leave all this in favor of a belief that defies science, logic, and motivation.  The word faith is illusory.  There is no such thing.  It is just the absence of all sense and understanding.  Who created the god?  Another god?  Infinite regression.  We did.  We also invented all religions.  Heaven?  Read Mark Twain.  No one wants to play the harp and not enjoy sex.  What is it anyway?  Religion is at the root of much evil in the world.  If the species is to survive, it must relegate religion to the fringes and imprison it.  The Christian religion is the most baffling.  A trinity?  A god disguised as a man who dies and then returns as a god?  A father-god who is all good and wise who allows human suffering of the innocent?  Who has not shown empirical evidence of his existence and whose non-existence is readily apparent? 

 

I do not want a funeral.  I am not going anywhere.  I will cease to exist.  The end.  Cremate me and read these writings.  That’s it.  The end.

 

Education is the key to all aspects of life as a human being.  Education makes us human beings and teaches us everything we must to survive and thrive.  I was fortunate to be educated early at University School, a secondary school located on the campus of Indiana University and staffed by teachers and student teachers from the University.  At college, I decided to read as many books in the library as possible in four years.  Since then, I have studied religion, philosophy, literature, English language, law, and science.  Life is learning.  All the time.  The law instructed me to think critically and to revere the facts.  In short, my life has been a search for truth through education.  That should be everyone’s pursuit.  We should put our resources where they count – in education.

 

Race.  Racism is rampant in the world, particularly in the Republican Party.  It is illegal, immoral, and anti-Christian, although the so-called Christians are its primary practitioners.  I am proud to be the great-grandfather of two mixed-race boys.  I am humbled by the superiority of others of other races.  I look up to them and try to do my best to honor them.  The war of the races will go on and doom the species.  However, education can ameliorate the short-term pain and suffering caused by white supremacists.  If and when moral leadership returns, we may be able to make strides toward fair and equal treatment for all.  Don’t expect the religious people to do it.  They have a vested interest in racial segregation and abuse.

 

The search for truth.  I do not believe there is any meaning in life or purpose for life.  The universe happened, and life on Earth happened.  But once alive, everyone should search for the truth in everything, including what we can do with our lives.  Facts.  Reality.  First and foremost, we need to know what is real and fake.  That is where critical thinking comes in.  Then, we should seek the reality of what we can accomplish.  Education is the foundation.  I had no idea I could be a lawyer until I hit the books and went to class.  Over time, I discovered that I could be a good lawyer.  I had just enough ambition to hit my ceiling.  But all the while, my principal effort was to separate fact from fiction.  Around age 75, I began telling myself that each day was as good as possible.  I continue to remind myself that each day is the best I will experience as I age.  

 

I hate the word spiritual.  It has no meaning.  People who feign disbelief (they probably actually believe in god) use it as a crutch to describe what they think is a higher emotional state.  Actually, there is a side of the brain for emotional intelligence.  Some people really live a lot of their lives there.  Most Americans do not.  They are incapable of the highest level of emotional intelligence.  They are superficial and lost in materialism.  I have just listened to over an hour of IL Volo, the DVD of the newest three tenors.  Music like that takes us to the highest emotional intelligence of which we are capable.  To call moving in that sphere spiritual is degrading and stupid.  Human beings are capable of the kind of emotionally intelligent experience that IL Volo brings.  That’s as good as it gets.  People brag about so-called religious experiences.  Balderdash.  IL Volo is as high as we can go and as high as we should wish to go.  And when we live there, we are as godlike as possible.   There is no god.  Nothing is spiritual.  Music is our most outstanding achievement.

 

On aging.  Every day, I tell myself it will never be any better than today.  But I also tell myself this is the best day of my life.  I can relax and do pretty much as I please.  I am not in perfect health, but my brain still functions.  I am still capable of love and empathy.  I can see the small, good things; the small, bad things don’t bother me.  I would say I am the happiest, the truly happiest I have ever been.  I wish I could do a few things, but I can avoid looking back without much effort.  I don’t have much to look forward to, but that does not bother me.  I can live in the moment for once, knowing I don’t know how many more I have left.

 

I am reading Joy Reid's new book, The Man Who Sold America.  I jumped to the end to find the only good news: more than half of us disapprove of Trump.  Faint hope.  I keep hoping someone more intelligent than I will show us the way out.  I also am rereading my favorite book by Mark Twain.  Think about how many great people were atheists:  Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Katherine Hepburn, Charles Steinmetz, Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell (after whom Russell was named), and Carl Sagan, to name a few.  Letters From the Earth is a satirical masterpiece of man's foolhardy attempt to elevate himself to immortality.

 

If I were running for president, I would:

1. Attack the current resident of the Whitehouse by pronouncing him guilty,
2. Because the Russians interfered in the 2016 election,
3. Because they wanted him to win,
4. And he invited them to help him win,
5. And they continue to interfere on his behalf,
6. And he continues to invite their assistance,
7. And he tried to shut down the investigation of Russian interference,
8. Thereby committing a crime for which he should be convicted and sentenced to jail just like any other common criminal who obstructs justice.

I would repeat this message in every speech until the idiots we live with cannot get it out of their vacant heads.

 

Simply put, the United States is just fucked up.  The First Amendment must be amended to prevent all hate communications and actions.  The Second Amendment needs to be abolished.  It was intended to allow arms when we had no standing military.  The Electoral College needs to be repealed.  It was designed to prevent a Trump, not elect a Trump.  The rich should be taxed at least at a 50% rate.  Military spending should be reduced and the money transferred to education.  Government single-payer health care should be provided to everyone.  Social security payments should be increased.  All guns should be strictly controlled, and required gun licenses should be issued only to people in law enforcement.

 

I predict the end of the United States within the next 10 years.  If we stay on our present course, we will devolve into a civil war with states succeeding from the union.  The big question is what happens to the military.  Whoever ends up controlling the military will dictate the future.  If unity is maintained, it will only be because the military controls and a dictatorship follows.  Bloodshed is inevitable; all the blood will be traced to the Republican Party and its greed.

 

For the record, the current resident of the Whitehouse is a liar, a cheat, a racist, a white supremacist, a white nationalist, a fascist, a would-be dictator, a serial adulterer, a misogynist, a malignant narcissist, an insecure, overcompensating projector of his failures on others, a failed businessman, a fraud and a conman.   He is anti-America, a wolf in sheep’s clothing who lies to his supporters and seeks to undermine the society Americans have structured.  If he is not impeached, as he should be, he must be voted out of office and prosecuted for his crimes.  America will never be the same and is surely doomed if he is reelected.

 

 

Well, it is 2020.  I lived to work.  I did not work to live.  Now, I must reorient my life.

 

I have supported Bernie Sanders for President since he decided to run years ago.  He is my kind of democratic socialist.  Perhaps I can devote myself to his election.

 

Most thinking people have awakened to the fact that Christianity has long forsaken rational morality. Morality is well conceived in our ability to reason and to be open to societal expectations. The faults of today's Christianity have never been more exposed than today's Trumpism. Trumpism confirms Christianity's narcissism and denial of the socialism of Jesus in the Gospels. Trumpism is without a moral compass, a perversion of the human capacity to reason, and a con. Rational, open minds must unite to overcome this reversal of evolution.