An intelligent hell would be better than a stupid paradise. ~Victor Hugo

There is something that strikes me here about some recent top blogs. I hope no one minds if I put in my two cents. If you do, feel free to stop here, and go back to your book and tea, or whatever else you may have been up to before you started.

Here I go!


Now as much as everyone likes to bash on Christianity’s shortcomings, I think the religion, or rather the philosophy behind the religion, needs a little standing up for. Because it’s not really the morals that are the problem.

Now, I know as soon as these words slip from my fingers and onto the screen, some of you are immediately looking for fault or for confirmation in everything I say next. Pretty please, with sugar on top, do me the personal favor of suspending your judgment till just the end of this page…

And here’s the disclaimer: I am not a Christian. While raised in a Christian household, I do not identify with the religion. The reason is mostly to keep from being associated with many of its “spokesmen”.

But.

 I am going to defend the idea, and I’ll tell you why.

A belief that stems from the Eastern religions (in fact, a rough interpretation of one of, if not the first line in the Tao Te Ching) is this: When you think you’ve got it, you’ve lost it.

It, the reason, the pathway, the guide to life, whatever you want to label it. Basically, those questions that religion was invented to answer.

It seems to me that what gets everyone fired up isn’t Christianity. The debates that are heated and personal are not the ones that center on the very principle philosophic beliefs behind whatever religion is being discussed. It’s argument over the presentation.

In one word: Proselytizing. In the case of Christianity, they call it Evangelism. Now, this is one of those ideas that sounds great… in theory. But in the rush to get out there and “spread the word”, people are missing something big.

Firstly, I don’t think that anyone wants to learn anything from someone if they found out that person was unqualified. Take a moment to explore an analogy with me.

Your Life = your house.
Religion = roofing your house.

There are a lot of different kinds of roofs, a variety of materials, methods to keep the elements out. Think tiles, tar, thatching, etc… Some work better in one condition than others, but generally they’re all there for the same thing.

No one just “knows” how to roof a house when they are born; most of the time, you need someone to give you a rough outline of what to do. Many people prefer having someone else build the roof for them, and use it without really knowing how it works. But for the most part, the general idea of what you are trying to accomplish is just common sense. Usually when someone sees a roof, they don’t ask, “Hey, what’s that for?”

It takes a lot of trial and error to get the technique down; some people have had a lot of this and can give you some ideas as to what has worked for them. But depending on whether or not they’re building the same kind of roof, even the most experienced person can give you the wrong information.

…Are you following? Because now we get to my point.

No one wants to learn how to roof a house form someone who is unqualified.
No one wants his or her house roofed by someone who is unqualified.

Because if you do, what do you get? A leaky roof. The roof doesn’t serve its purpose.

“Of course,” you say, “This is common sense.”

But how many people are out their who think they know what they are doing, but don’t? Like I said, even the most experienced person can give you the wrong information if you’re building different roofs. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, if you don’t mind the expression.

Which leads me to my own conclusion: those who don’t qualify should not be building roofs for other people, or teaching them how to build. Sharing ideas is one thing, but thinking you can single-handedly whip up the basis of their shelter just based of your personal experience is ludicrous, especially when you’ve never lived in their house.

So lets get out of this analogy and re-apply this to religion.

People almost always get touchy when they think a person is unqualified to be speaking about something, even though the person is adamant about their skills. This is where the issue comes from. It has NOTHING to do with whether or not the roofing method/religion is ‘correct’.

It brings me back to what I said in the beginning.

Who are most often the people who don’t know what they are doing? Who do I think is unqualified? The people who say they have it. The people who know, for sure, that what they have is the way. Because like I said, even the most experienced person can give the wrong advice.

Everyone’s house/life is different, and the wise person knows this. So instead of saying “THIS IS THE WAY, I’VE SEEN IT!” in my mind you’d be more likely to hear them say, “I can’t show you the way, but I can give you an idea based on what I've seen.”

I have no qualms with any religion. Whatever works is great. Christianity is no exception to this rule.

But I do have a problem with teaching done by unqualified people. And since no one lives the same life, yet the point of proselytizing is to convey that only one path is the correct path, I think the only person you're qualified to be proselytizing to is yourself. Share with me your experiences, your thoughts, your ideas. I can defend your right to ideas, even the ones I don't agree with. But don’t use your path as a yardstick against the path I or anyone else takes. Because in the end you just end up as the unqualified trying to teach.

And that’s not faith, it’s condescension.

 

Thanks to my favorite Brazillian for this one. It never fails to cheer me up. ^_^ <3

So I guess I’ll put a donation in for my internet stalkers and post something about life. It’s the least I can do for the most tenacious of you out there.

 

So let’s see… I’ve had so little (especially internet) time since I’ve been here in Japan. That’s very much my own doing. It’s a “me” thing to bite off more than I can chew. So all you peoples who think I’ve neglected you back home, that’s not the case. I’ve just been worn thin and I expect you guys, who know me the best, will understand the most when I decide that sleep may be an important thing. So just keep bugging me, and I’ll get back to you when I can.

 

Also, I don’t have a personal computer. When I want to e-mail, or blog, or post pictures on Facebook, I have to go down to the lab, which really is not conducive to inspiration. It also means that I lack many of the means (pictures, settings, options) that I would with a PC. On top of which, the slowness of the internet for a long stretch of time didn’t help.

 

But now classes are over. I took my finals, and now all I can do is wait for my grades to come in. It’s a stressful time, because at the same time, my extension to stay at Kansai Gaidai University is also in the pending. I’m crossing my fingers in hopes that things go smoothly, because a rejection means problems too big for me to handle right now. A stressful time in empty days means a lot of sleeping and or pacing. Forgive me if I’m a little stir crazy.

 

So, that’s the academic side. The friend side? Well…you know me. That’s complicated. My social life seems like a whirlwind of ons and offs some days. What’s new, you say? Haha… oh dear.

 

If I predict anything here, I’m sure it’s only going to change tomorrow. But I guess there are a few things I can safely say here.

 

I can say that I appreciate Ana if I appreciate anyone. This girl has been there for me at every turn, no fail. She is seriously the savior of my sanity of late and always. (Thanks, hun.) It makes me feel better about life to know that someone will always have my back.

 

Also, surprisingly yet heartwarming enough, a few things have let me know that I mean a lot to some unexpected other people as well. While I’ve been feeling the absence of that needed appreciation in some of the relationships I put much of my energy and time into, it’s good to know that you’re appreciated somewhere for only the little things. Those people, well, maybe you know who you are. At any rate, thanks.

 

And the Sailor Gaijin… oh dear. I can safely say I won’t ever forget you guys. Crazy how something like staring as a troop of Sailor Moon rip-off superheroes in school-video-project that got showed to everyone can create memories that bring a handful of people together. Definitely one of the highlights of my Kansai semester.

 

Relationships? Haha… those who know me are probably either rolling their eyes or getting out the popcorn. I hate to bring this one up here for the same reason. Predict something today, it changes tomorrow. Let’s just say that right now, a chapter is at an end. This leaves room for the start of something fresh, or maybe nothing at all. I can’t say I’m looking for anything. I would be happy with just being happy, and I can do that on my own, with my friends. Besides, usually the best things in the world are the ones that fate drops in your lap, so I’m keeping an open mind.

 

The work side of things... Well, I have two Christmas parties next week. This is going to be a little stressful seeing as it’s a matter of impressing people, but nothing a well-slept me can’t handle with the usual grace. Hopefully I meant social, and not physical. I’d rather not meet the Christmas cake face-on.

 

Family? I’m so happy to hear that my family has gotten together a bunch of stuff to send me in the mail. A little bit of love goes a long ways. Thanks guys. I know my Christmas will be a good one this year.

 

And speaking of family and Christmas, my home-visit family has invited me over to their house the 23^rd for dinner. I’m so excited! We’ll be making eggnog, or attempting it. They’ve never even heard of it… I hope it’s not too sweet for them. Japanese people seem to have that aversion to the sweet.

 

I think that is as good of an update as I can give. I probably forgot a million things, but I can always get around to them later. Or you can ask me what I think; the best communication goes both ways. I just want to let you guys know what is going on in life, and let everyone know I haven’t forgotten about you.

 

For those of you who I met at Kansai that are leaving, it was a great time! I’ll miss you all. Don’t think for one moment that the next round of students here won’t hear about how cool some of the people who were here last semester were.

 

And if I didn’t meet you this semester, or didn’t get to know you as well as I could have, just knock on my door. I’m crazy and always up for anything, whether its fun or the need for a patient ear.

 

To the people back home: I miss all of you. I’m sure you know this, but maybe you’ve seen my adventures in Japan and think I’ve forgotten you. No way! I can’t wait to see you guys again in May. Hopefully, mines a friendship worth waiting around for.

 

I know I may not always show my appreciation, so here it is. I hope it was enough. Thanks for a great semester and year everyone.

 

<3

Sooo... curiously I wonder who has been looking for me. Espritsaura is my handle only, you won't even get anything close, and I know if you search for that on google, it's a good way to find my blog, ans some people know that. Seems like with my visitor log, that's what someone has been doing quite frequently. *eerie stalker music here* O_o

 

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Who is it?? They're on to me!