We're All Wrong! (And yes, that includes you, too)

Here's something interesting. Every human being, since the dawn of time, up until the later 1700 hundreds, is known to have been completely and totally WRONG in their understanding of the way the world works, where it came from, and all the rest. Here's something else interesting. Everyone alive today, seems to think they are some sort of exception. That's the thing that gets to me about humanity. God, we are arrogant. For some reason we think we are somehow close to the peak of humanity, the peak of technology and understanding. But we're not. Every civilization before us has thought it was the greatest thing since the wheel, and everyone has faded into dust, or at least gone through such major reconstruction, it can hardly be the same civilization.

The fact of the matter is this. Modern Science can not be, in any way, misconstrued as "fact". Because, the problem is, it's not. It's just the best wrong answer so far. First we thought the world was flat. Then we thought it was round. A little later, we found out, oh hey, maybe we're not the center of the Universe, and maybe there's other stuff out there. And now? Maybe it's not even a UNIverse, maybe it's a MULTIverse. Most good scientists out there will tell you that science is not concrete, it's always changing, etc, etc. But, they still laugh at the concept of a "Hollow Earth". Have they been there? No. The fact is, until we send something there, we can't rule out the possibility of a ruling race of Mole-People, quietly pulling strings behind the scenes. Yes, it's silly, but silliness is nothing comparable to evidence, which, since we haven't been there, we have none. (Yes, I'm ignoring siesmographic scans, etc, because, hey, those mole-people could be crafty).

And as for you, religion? Have any of you died? If you're reading this, I think we can assume no. And I know I certainly haven't died. So then, if you haven't died, and I haven't died, how do we know what happens after we die? We don't. All religions are based on, at the core, a fear of death. I'm not going to say that after we die, there is nothing but an eternity of purgatory-esque darkness and nothingness. I'm just going to say, STOP PRETENDING YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IS OUT THERE. That goes for athiests, too. You guys know just as much as the fundamentalist christian who told me I was going to hell because I listened to "Bad Music". The fact is, there have been thousands of religions, which have all dissapeared, and for some reason, most modern religions just laugh and point, call them heathens, and move on with their day, completly ignoring the fact that there are way to many similarities for comfort, and instead finding comfort in various texts, religious figures no one can decide existed, and general tomfoolery.

So yes, I've pissed off a fair number of people in my day, and I'm sure many of those who read this will be equally irate, P.O.'d. or generally insulted. But the fact is, deep down, you know I'm right. Truth is rare, hard to find, and not applicable to reality. All we have is what is less wrong. Which is good. I'm fine with less wrong. I mean, hell.. It's how American's vote, right?

"Teenagers Think They Know Everything"

That sentence is the bane of my existence. Ok, yes, I will admit, on some basic level, I think I know everything. But here's the thing. Most of my peers think they know everything because "I'm not a little kid anymore, y'know? I have my own mind and stuff, and high school taught me a lot about life, so I can figure this stuff out, 'kay?" On the other side of the fence, I think I know everything because, while those kids were out partying, drinking, dancing, etc., I was sitting at home going, "huh... I wonder what the meaning of life is..." And then I would proceed to spend the next hour and half wondering on that exact subject.

Now let me be clear, this is not any sort of bitterness on my part that makes me say that. On the contrary, it doesn't bother me that much that my social life has been sort of, lax, over the years, because I've had a lot of time to get clear about who I am as an individual, and what I think my place is in the world. However, that is my exact problem. I've spent a great deal of time considering my identity and place in the world, and as such, that feeling of "I know a lot more about things than you" attitude ends up lumping me in with all of my peers who have scarcely even begun to consider the concept of what happens after college, much less after they die. And sure, maybe I'm a little arrogant, but I feel it has an actual basis, rather than just brought on by a fear of being inferior.

Plus, I'm sure Plato and Socrates were arrogant little snots in their younger days, and kept on having little smartass smiles and shaking their heads when their friends "had a sudden epiphany" for many years to come.

A quick note...

So, this blog started a long while back, and it's been many, many months, and only 4 posts since then. However, now that I'm out of High School, going into the Coast Guard, and generally moving on with my life, I think I can finally get around to putting out regular posts. Granted, I don't think anyone views it yet, so, you know, no one'll probably notice until far after this particular post, but, y'know... whatever.

Personal Problems

I've gained a tendency in the past few months to roam the streets late at night. I think I find something soothing in seeing an area normally teeming with people struck silent, darkness and silence enveloping everything, leaving my normal busy suburbia a desolate wasteland, wreathed in fog. It's good for thinking, and often leads to some of my more pensive moments. But tonight.. there was something strange about tonight. The usual light fog was remarkably thick, leaving it impossible to see more than a few dozen yards away. Occasionally I would get the sharp scent of burning wood, probably from winter fireplaces. It gave the whole trip an ethereal feel, and for once I actually turned of my headphones, and basked in it.

Blinking back the tears brought on by the smokey fog, I found myself considering my arrogance. I have a tendency to think I'm smarter or wiser than my peers. But, being 18, I can't excuse the possibility that I'm just another kid who thinks he knows everything. I'm always trying to push myself to think more, and farther than I have previously, but I never see anyone my age doing such a thing. I don't know if my impression that thinking is a pox to be avoided is correct, or perhaps everyone else just keeps such things to themselves. There would be no way to know.

For example: The question "Who am I?" is one I throw around a lot. I consider it, I mull it, and, in the 2 years I've spent trying to broaden my mind, it's one of the many questions I've never been able to answer. I guess some things can never be answered. It'd be nice if someone could organize a little list for me, so I can know what stuff to take it easy on. Of course, I'd probably not believe them, and keep trying to figure it out anyway.