CAPTAIN'S BLOG
Emotions are a tough thing. They arise seemingly from nowhere, and take control of your mind in ways that, after the fact, sometimes seem illogical or even insane. And sometimes, those emotions are the wrong emotions to be feeling. Just because you feel an emotion, doesn't mean that emotion is you - you have no control over where emotions come from or really, which emotions you feel at any one time. Once you become aware of an emotion, you can then interact with it - and our conscious mind can take steps to curb and change the emotion that one feels to one that might be more appropriate. None of this is to say that we are better off feeling no, or even moderated amounts, of emotion - emotions are powerful tools that remind us what we value and how much we value it. But sometimes, we have emotions that we don't want or inappropriate - or sometimes even, just plain wrong. Take homosexuality - and homosexual marriage in particular - and it's strange controversial status. To me, thinking rationally, there is no question that allowing gay marriage is something that have simply should have always been. There is no logical reason to deny anyone that right. But somehow, people still do. And why is that? Because when they think of two people of the same gender getting married, they feel fear. Fear that their belief structure is no longer true, and no longer valid. There can be no other reason to be continue to be a Conservative in this day and age. Religious beliefs hinge on emotion.
Without an emotional attachment to religious beliefs, they tend to seem a little... unjust. This does not quite extend to all religious belief - in particular, the feeling that we are a all part of something great, and amazing, and precious - that belief is surprisingly rational, and fortunately, can be attained through means other than religion. There is a fear at the heart of nearly every unmovable, absurd blockade that emanates from the Right in North America today. The US, as a much more religious nation, of course exemplifies this nature much moreso than in Canada - and I am very thankful for that. Still, this fear lives at the core of our modern politic just as much as it does for the Americans. Emotions are powerful tools - some emotions are like exposed dials on one's exterior, able to be adjusted by passers by sometimes with nothing more than a second-long glance. Fear of Homosexual Marriage? The Bible, read in the simple terms that your average person reads it in, condemns it pretty clearly. Annihilating a whole city clearly. So if it's being accepted now, and nothing bad continues to happen, that means one of two things: their religion is not, in fact, the true word of God, or the world is heading in a dangerous direction just like the Bible said it would. Fear of Transrights? Again, the Bible, read simply, makes it clear that anyone who modifies their body, especially to appear as the opposite of their apparent birth gender, is an abomination, just like if they were gay. Again with the fear that they're wrong about their religion. Fear of Atheism? Same thing. I mean sure, if people of other religions can be happy, at least religion is a requirement, and it is merely a matter of figuring out which religion is the right one (hint: it's usually the one whose culture you're born into) - but if atheists are right, and they can be happy without religion, then again, maybe this whole religion thing isn't right. Fear of Sex? The Bible also makes it pretty clear one ought to wait until marriage to have sex. I think that is terrible advice - sexual compatibility is very important when in a relationship. This is doubly unfortunate because their shame regarding sex prevents a lot of the healthy solutions to this problem from coming to fruition - from honest and open talks about sex and what satisfies you to adding another partner or even another couple, and all of the things that two people who are otherwise happy might try to live a happy life together. Commitment is a good thing when it is between the right people, and the shame that pervades sex where the Conservatives intersect with Christianity causes a great deal of totally unnecessary suffering. Fear of Liberal Ideas? Also the same, although more tenuously, as there are a notable number of Conservatives who see through this fear for what it really is - again, if the liberals are right about so much - we were right about slavery (eventually), the black right to vote, women's right to vote, gay's right to marry, and transpeople's rights to state assistance getting their bodies to be the way they want them to be. Plus things like taxation, as supply side economics doesn't work. Fear of Drugs? Drug addiction makes for a fine example of the illusion of free will, and god also made it pretty clear that drug addiction is bad. At least he got that one right. Really missed the boat on condemning slavery, though. Fear of Human Caused (Anthropogenic) Climate Change? Same emotion, different day. You've heard some Christians say that they believe god will keep the earth habitable despite our efforts to the contrary? Obviously, if we ever really do run totally out of oil, or poison our oceans, or cause climactic catastrophe via our emissions, their beliefs are going to seem pretty silly. And, given that there's every scientific reason to believe that, and the other things I mentioned, it seems to me like the core of the Conservative party is essentially invalid. Now, there are a few issues that Conservatives do have right. GMO's are not dangerous to anyone, and they are a great hope for our future. Monsanto is a suspicious company, but they aren't the evil they are portrayed as by the Left. Liberals are also dead wrong about vaccinations. Fortunately, the degree to which these bad ideas has infected the Left is significantly smaller than the degree that the right is infected with their bad ideas. And since their liberal ideals don't extend from an belief structure, they are easier to modify, although there are many structures out there for this kind of crazier... person. It is for these reasons that I believe that the only logical, safe, reasonable position in this day and age is to be an atheist, and a liberal. But the labels aren't what's important - they are just rough ways to group people. Believing what makes the most sense and what increases the wellbeing of conscious creatures to the degree that they are conscious as our moral principal is the only truly safe way to build a better future.
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AuthorChristina Hitchens is a trans female writer living in BC, Canada. She loves computers, animals, and a good argument. Archives
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