by Ethan Johnson
December 31, 2007

Various thoughts and linked items to close out the year:

by Ethan Johnson
December 3, 2007

CAVEAT: I am unsure that anyone can ever really "understand" the Tao, but I have some thoughts on the body of work just the same. This is one article in an occasional series, to be authored in my leisure.

No sooner did I write my most recent heartwarming holiday hit, when I got something of a taste of my own medicine when I retired to my reading corner to read the introduction to the copy (translation) of the Tao Te Ching that I most prefer. I was under the erroneous impression that the work was written solely by Lao Tzu. We are meant to think so, similar to the way that Plato attributed most things to Socrates. Thus, the ebb and flow of the work ranges from minimal and poetic to more substantial paragraphs (insofar as Romanized punctuation applies to ancient Chinese). Recent discoveries have shed new light on who wrote the various tracts, how, and when. I will review and absorb the material as it becomes available to me.

by Ethan Johnson
December 2, 2007

I have been stewing on this for some time, and have opted to empty out my thoughts here for further examination. With limited exceptions, I take a dim view of "new" translations of ancient texts, and especially so for re-interpretations (Ralph Alan Dale's treatment of the Tao Te Ching comes immediately to mind). For translations (defined as someone going over the texts of the source language and translating it into say, English), layers of translation separates us further and further from whatever the original material actually said. For re-interpretations (defined as someone reviewing either the source material, or a popular translation of same and giving his or her own "spin" to it), layers of semantics and subjective opinion take us further and further from whatever the original material actually meant.

by Ethan Johnson
November 26, 2007

Earlier this year, I wrote about Breatharianism:

Breatharian thought (as I am defining it here) is rooted deeply in "keeping up appearances", and is identifiable either through covert activities to create a specific impression, or overt actions that oppose the stated ideal. But this differs from mere hypocrisy in that the hypocrite is loathed because he or she doesn't even bother to act in the manner that he or she claims to be the ideal, such as the finger-wagging moralist who snorts cocaine and enjoys horse porn. Hypocrisy in the business sense would be declaring "keeping jobs safe at home" to be the ideal while outsourcing 99% of the company's operations overseas. Breatharianism in the business sense would be to claim that sole entrepreneurship is the key to success, only to reveal that a virtual army of outsourced labor/resources was pressed into service to keep the business afloat.

Two items have recently entered the national bloodstream that speak to the above. One is a book, and another a movie (based on a book). I will try to keep "spoilers" to a minimum, however if you plan to read Better Off by Eric Brende or see Into the Wild at the movies, you may want to skip this article altogether but couch the above quoted text in the back of your mind somewhere.

by Ethan Johnson
November 17, 2007

Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. - Satchel Paige

While I was on my sojourn to Chicagoland, I heard a news report about Georgia's drought problems, which famously culminated in Governor Sonny Perdue hosting a prayer breakfast to pray for rain. One couple interviewed for the piece affirmed that they in fact brought umbrellas and rain gear to the event because they were convinced that the sheer power of prayer (their prayers, to be specific) would compel the skies to darken and years of drought to be erased in an afternoon. Putting the prayer thing aside for a moment, I think these folks need a crash lesson (on paper) as to why that might be as problematic - or worse - as the drought.

by Ethan Johnson
October 29, 2007

Well over a year ago, I pondered over an alternative telling of the Jesus myth called The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ. As per usual, I am in no way claiming that I "believe in" the material, or suggest in any way that this book is factual. I think of this more in terms of say, favorite stories or favorite authors (or both). I prefer Ray Bradbury's writings on what the colonization of Mars might be like rather than Arthur C Clarke's, for example. It is through this lens that these articles should be viewed.

by Ethan Johnson
August 28, 2007

In our last episode, I thought I was being clever yet poignant when I said,

Show me the passage where Jesus said that a given tenet was good only for "some people." Show me the passage where Jesus wishes death on his opponents. I'm no theologian, but as I recall his slant was much more centered on people who engaged in, shall we say, wrong action having to live with the consequences of their actions. It was possible to stop sinning and put things right, but it was essentially up to the sinner to consciously make that decision.

Funny story - true story, ripped from recent headlines: Buena Park pastor asks followers to pray for the death of his critics.

by Ethan Johnson
July 13, 2007

During our road trip that Ate My Brain, we had a stretch where Marlena's sister Cathy joined us for the Indianapolis to Memphis route. The conversation turned to religion, and Marlena identified herself as an atheist, while simultaneously identifying as Catholic. In her view, not to completely speak for her, being raised Catholic is a lifelong association, lapsed or not. Sort of like being an alumnus of a given school. Whether you loved or hated the place, you'll always have that connection. After she spoke her piece, I commented that the upshot is that I am increasingly identifying with Christianity. But, me being me, differently.