Someone once said that those of us who are smart enough to avoid engaging in politics are punished by being ruled over by those who are stupid enough to… Well, I cant speak to the factual credibility of that statement, but I can say one thing:

Politicians do display a high level of stupidity.

The lessons I learned growing up, watching the news, reading and studying history books etc etc, created within me an impression of the role of leadership as one that is usually occupied by persons of integrity, who prize ideals over personal interest or ambition, and in an ideal world I guess this would be true, but unfortunately we do not live in an ideal world. 

It really is a shame, we live in precarious times. The illusion of freedom is thicker than ever before and the fog that clouds the clarity of our common sense has never been so dense, such that we live in a society that is nestled within a web of intricate and overlapping lies. 

I cant imagine what it would be like for future generations, but there is no space, no space to dream, it seems, idealism is a luxury very few can afford.

I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium, digital and smoke-free, a diversified multi-cultural post-modern deconstructionist, politcally, anatomically, and ecologically incorrect.

I’ve been uplinked and downloaded, I’ve been inputed and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech lowlife, a state-of-the-art bi-coastal multitasker, and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond.

I’m new wave, but I’m old school, and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat-seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice-activated and biodegradeble. I interface with my database, and my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive, and from time to time, I’m radioactive.

Behind the 8-ball, ahead of the curve, riding the wave, dodging the bullet, pushing the envelope. I’m on point, on task, on message, and off drugs. I got no need for coke and speed. I have no urge to binge and purge. I’m in the moment, on the edge, over the top, but under the radar. A high-concept, low-profile, medium-range ballistics missionary. A street-wise smart bomb, a top-gun bottom-feeder.

I wear power ties, I tell power lies, I take power naps, I run victory laps. I’m a totally ongoing bigfoot slamdunk rainmaker with a proactive outreach. A raging workaholic, a working rageaholic, out of rehab and in denial. I got a personal trainer, a personalshopper, a personal assistant, and a personal agenda. You can’t shut me up, you can’t dumb me down, ‘cause I’m tireless, and I’m wireless. I’m an alpha male on beta blockers.

I’m a non-believer and an overachiever, laid back, but fashion forward, up front, down home, low rent, high maintenance; super size, long lasting, high definition, fast acting, oven ready, and built to last. I’m a hands-on, footloose, kneejerk headcase, prematurly post-traumatic, and I have a love child who sends me hate mail.

But I’m feeling, I’m caring, I’m healing, I’m sharing, a supportive, bonding, nurturing, primary caregiver. My output is down, but my income is up. I take a short position on a long bond, and my revenue stream has its own cash flow. I read junk mail, I eat junk food, I buy junk bonds, I watch trash sports. I’m gender specific, capital intensive, user friendly, and lactose intolerant.

I like rough sex, I like tough love, I use the F-word in my e-mails, and the software on my hard drive is hardcore, no soft porn. I bought a microwave at a minimall, I bought a minivan at a megastore, I eat fast food in the slow lane. I’m tollfree, bite size, ready to wear, and I come in all sizes. A fully equipped, factory authorized, hospital tested, clinically proven, scientifically formulated medical miracle.

I’ve been prewashed, precooked, preheated, prescreened, preapproved, postdated, freeze dried, double wrapped, vacuum packed, and I have an unlimited broadband capacity. I’m a rude dude, but I’m the real deal, lean and mean, cocked, locked, and ready to rock; rough, tough, and hard to bluff. I take it slow, I go with the flow, I ride with the tide, I got glide in my stride. Drivin’ and movin’, sailin’ and spinin’, jivin’ and groovin’, wailin’ and winnin’. I don’t snooze, so I don’t lose. I keep the pedal to the metal and the rubber on the road. I party hardy, and lunch time is crunch time. I’m hangin’ in, there ain’t no doubt, and I’m hangin’ tough, over and out

I am vastly opposed to religion and for all the usual reasons too. It corrupts the minds of young ones, it fosters hatred and division among humanity, it is consistently misused and abused to indoctrinate and deceive and it never fails to cause needless death. I can go on for pages on why religion is bad for humanity, why it limits progress, why it is a self-fulfilling horror story etc, but I figure that we should all know these points by now, in fact if anyone is not aware of them, I recommend an hour or so on Google would suffice to give anyone a working understanding of the arguments circling the matter.

The mistake that most people make when discussing religion is they tend to confuse the argument against religion, with the argument against the existence of God. I for one do not believe in the existence of God in any form as constructed by any present religion, but that is a matter for another day.

In London on Easter, I was standing outside the underground station when two smartly dressed men approached me with pamphlets, entreating me to hear the ‘good news’ of Christ. I proceeded to engage them in a pretty long debate about the merits of this ‘good news’, the astonishing but not surprising result was that not only were they not clued in enough to answer my questions, they refused to admit at the very least that they simply did not know or have the answers, and this brings me to the point of this entry.

When a person believes that they have a way of knowing complete and undisputable truth about everything, then they cease to progress. Now I am not one to call anyone out on their ignorance on matters, there are many fields of study out there on which I am completely out of the loop. The difference is I do not place myself in a position to educate people on such matters. This, I believe, is the arrogance of religion. Whatever the case may be whether it is Islam, Judaism or Christianity. The Quran, Scriptures or Bible, when taken and propounded as undisputable fact is plain irresponsible.

To think that a person can claim to know how the world works based on a subjective interpretation of an ancient book written centuries before humanity began to compile our modern understanding of how the natural world works is just baffling to me. Why is it okay for people to believe in talking snakes and a man who lived in the belly of a large fish for three days, and be regarded as sane? Is that any less crazy than believing in Santa, The tooth fairy, or the sand man?

The point is we all think that the principle of religious freedom is an innocent right, but I think it could just as well be reworded as the right to brainwash and indoctrinate unwitting children. Let us remember that religion generally begins at home and if we are to say that children are too young to be taught the tenets of modern philosophy then we should apply the same to religious teachings.

It is not wise nor is it healthy for a child to be taught to broad brush and generalise over complex and life-shaping issues. It fosters a culture of insularity and ignorance and that is why I believe we live in a world where a vast majority of us live in dire poverty, yet politicians and world leaders wax away on irrelevant details like who should be allowed to have sex with whom. 

What do you think?

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, only a little while.

The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years.” “But what then?”

The American laughed and said that’s the best part. “When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.”

“Millions.. Then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”