I have an opinion about Christmas

I have an opinion about the holidays in general, but let's focus on Christmas as an example. I have felt this way a long time - back when I was a pious teenager, through my "whatever" years, through my first marriage and the single years that followed. Now, in the second year of my second marriage, I am telling you a secret. You're probably doing Christmas wrong. Go watch the Grinch again.

1. If you are Christian:

If you are Christian, this is a day - a season - of celebration. It's Jesus' birthday.The theory is that we give each other presents because Jesus says that what we do for other we do for him. But ... We aren't doing things are we? No - we are buying stuff. Do you think Jesus meant "Whatever ye purchase because it is on sale, ye purchase for me?" No. He said (if you believe the Book) that we should DO for others. We should invite them into our homes, feed them, clothe them, protect them. 

He said we should be kind, be filled with love for our neighbors (meaning everyone not just weird guy that lives next door), and turn the other cheek when someone wrongs you. There are many wonderful sentiments in the New Testament about this. So what's with all the gifts? The dozens of packages under the tree? Half of them stuff you would buy anyway (like socks) and half of them stuff you don't need (like sparkly rocks). (BTW - Toys fall into both categories, depending on how stupidly expensive they are when you're kid would be happy with a empty box and a paper towel tube.) 

Give your loved ones a hug for Christmas. give them things like forgiveness and time. Or give them peace. If they need it, given them a helping hand with some yard work. If you get together every Christmas and end up fighting, you may have missed the point of the whole thing. 

The Christian Christmas is not about Jesus doing anything. It's about God giving the world a path to heaven. The best way to celebrate that is to take him up on the offer. Be good to each other, believe in something greater than yourself, and above all, LOVE one another.

OK. Let me pause here for a few sub-points.

• Jesus, assuming the guy was real (which I do assume), was not born in the winter. He was born during tax season (see Bible about why the inns were all full), which is during the spring, after the fields are planted. People had to trek to pay their taxes, so it couldn't be in the winter when it was inclimate for travel, or in the harvest seasons when they had to be tending their crops.
• Christianity already had a holiday in the spring (Easter), so they decided to make the other big holiday in the winter. They picked a day that falls near a pagan holiday that will work to indoctrinate the heathens into the Christian calendar of festivities so they end up seeming to be Christian even though their not.

2. If you are not celebrating the birth of someone you believe to be the human incarnation of the Creator:

Then what are you doing? What's with all the presents? Are stacks of presents in any religion? If you are wanting to give someone something, what's wrong with giving it on any random day? Give people things all year. Or don't give them anything. But for earth's sake, get out of the stores this time of year. Go home to your people or go find some people you like or go visit some depressed people who could use your company.

Stop being offended by people saying "Merry Christmas". I am not offended when people say "Happy Hanukkah" even though I am not Jewish. It's just a festive way to say Have a nice day. Get over yourself. Say "Happy Yule" back. Or Happy Thursday, or Happy New Year, or "Nice sweater".

I could rant for a while longer here, but I have to go spend time with people I'm supposed to enjoy the company of around a holiday I don't believe in. Because if I don't, people will be offended and the world will end.

Until next time, Happy Belated Solstice. May the lengthening days bring you many warm moments with people who know who you really are and still love you.

PS. Baby Jesus would not have built a wall. He would have built a path.

I have an opinion on opinions.

I have an opinion on opinions.

Why do people feel it necessary to agree with each other and not actually discuss things? I don't want to argue, and I'm not fond of debating. I don't want to have one person playing devil's advocate or another person using petty trivia as argument. However, I do appreciate an educated, unemotional conversation about a topic of interest, where all parties enter with information and an open mind, and both leave with knew insight (whether their opinions are the same or not).

I told someone I wrote a blog. I wasn't expecting much of a response, I was just answering the 'whatchabeenupto' question:

"Actually, I decided the next step in my growth - now that I'm forming opinions on things - is to verbalize what I think. So I started an anonymous blog!"

"Oh? What do you write about?"

"Well, my first opinion was on vegetarianism, but I'm going to be writing about all sorts of things. Whatever I have an opinion about."

She asked, "What did you write about it? What's your opinion?"

"On vegetarianism? Oh, I just wrote about how our bodies are not designed to be vegetarian. Like how we need things that we can't get from vegetables. Like B12 - just because the label says it's in stuff doesn't mean that it's in a form that our systems can use. We need to get it from meat.  And I said that if people are so upset about the meat industry, they should pay more for animals that are well cared for. If you want cows to be treated as well as pets, that's expensive."

"You sound like a crazy person."

I stared at her for a moment, then turned away and we both watched TV for a few minutes before I turned back to her. I find, in my newly opinionated state, I am less able to just let things go, to let things slide. I wanted her to put a little effort into her response. I mean, I hadn't even mentioned the part where I contemplate the possibility of self-aware rocks.

So I asked her, "What do you mean, 'a crazy person'?"

"Well, you're just going on, and ..." She shrugs, apparently unsure why I sound crazy.

"Because I have an opinion?"

"Well..." She faltered to a pause that turned into silence.

I asked, "Don't you have any opinions about things?"

"Sure, but ..." (another shrug)

I tried not to sound offensive or harsh because I know that she is just like so many other people out there, myself included, that have been hiding their own thoughts or even avoiding having independent thoughts for fear others will think poorly of them.

"But you don't share them," I said. "Because if you did people would say you sound crazy?"

She smiles in response. I'm a funny woman.

I smile and say, "That's why my blog is anonymous."

But why does it have to be? I plan to discuss hot topics like religion, abortion, prostitution, high-heeled shoes, woman's lib, politics, and bottled water. And my opinions will not always be the norm. I find that, once I start thinking for myself, I no longer blend into the crowd. And people, the Great Majority, will be angry with me or sad for me or be offended by me.

So I still keep my actual mouth shut, even if my virtual mouth is flappin'. I don't want to inflict my opinion on others unless they seek it out. Because I am not out to change the world just now. I'm just here, trying to find out who I am and what I think. If falling in line makes you feel better, then keep it up! And if you truly believe in the same things other people do, that's great too!

Personally, I have found that I feel much more like a Person if I look into things enough to form my opinions. What is the point of sitting around like an old sheep? Why live if I'm just a lemming, heading toward to cliff without a worry in the world other than stepping out of line? So in public, I will keep working to get along well with others. If you ask me, I will give you my opinion. But if no one asks, I won't.

Here, I will practice my individuality. And I hope to be tasked by you, my anonymous friends, to come up with opinions on other topics - things I haven't put thought into yet. Go ahead and ask me! Let's see what I say!

Willow Tree

I have an opinion about vegetarianism. Part 3

Part 3: Spirit


Here we are at the most nebulous of topics. Religion plays a part for many people and so I will discuss it. If you believe in God, or a similarly cognizant Creator, than you must be concerned with Their opinions about your diet. After all, if They made chickens, surely it is wrong to eat them ... but no, that doesn't work because They also made oranges and everything else and we really must eat something. Perhaps you think They would like you to protect the animals because they are not as blessed in brains or strengths? But wait - we are learning everyday how strong and smart animals are - ants have herds of aphids, dolphins play games, and monkeys know sign language. Is it the lack of an opposable thumb? I would really like some opinions here because I am obviously missing something.

Some dear souls have determined that one should not eat animals because they are spiritual beings, or because they are closer to our version of conscious than plants. I have even heard "I don't eat anything with a face". Okay. I find that horrible. A face? Really? Do you really mean that? I might be over-reacting but how can you justify eating something because it looks different than you? Come up with a different reason because that is just too close to various prejudices for me.

My spiritual reason for not being a vegetarian is this. If I believe in the human spirit, than I also believe in the animal spirit as well as the spirit of all living things. I hate to go a step further, but I must because I am a scientist by nature. Prove to me that a vegetable does not have a soul. Prove to me that you do have one. Prove to me that a stone is not self-aware.  How do you know plants are not operating on a level we cannot yet understand? 

Look - we gotta eat something. But I'm not prepared to draw some humanly prejudiced line about what deserves to be eaten and what is cute enough or nice enough or loud enough to get a pass. If lettuce could sing, would you still eat it? If a dog couldn't bark? I don't understand the rules of this game. Please explain to me how you know what qualifies as edible and what doesn't.

Until I know for absolutely certain that there is one thing more deserving of being farmed than anything else, I will continue to eat what my body needs.
 
Thank you for listening to my rant on vegetarianism.  May your own opinions serve you well. 

I have an opinion about vegetarianism. Part 2

Part 2: Body

Physically, we are omnivores. What does this mean? How do I know this? And why does our biological make-up dictate what we choose to eat?

First, an omnivore is one who eats both vegetable matter and meat. Cows are vegetarians (vegetable-eaters). Coyotes are carnivores (meat-eaters). Humans are omnivores. The hallmarks of a vegetarian species are blunt teeth (made to crush the tougher plant matter) and an extra-long digestive track (because vegetables are harder to break down than meats). The hallmarks of a carnivore are the opposite - sharper teeth and a shorter digestive track. The human system is classic omnivore: grinding teeth in the back, canines and sharp teeth in the front, and a medium length intestinal track.

So, we are biologically, technically, omnivorous. Why should our ancestral past dictate what we eat today? Why can't we choose to be vegetarians? Because our system is designed to expect meat - we need the nutrients from meat in addition to what we get from veggies. Not just the iron and B vitamins, but the animal oils - things you can't get from supplements. And if you do recognize that a lack of meat results in the need for supplements in your diet, than I know you've already recognized that your body is not designed to be a vegetarian.  And not all suppliments are equal to the real thing.  Take B12 for instance - just because it is listed, doesn't mean it is in a form that your system knows how to use.  See the American Journal of Clinical Nutritian:  http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/48/3/852

Your body is smart. Some of you think that when you are craving a steak, you just need more protein. So you eat nuts, broccoli, beans ... all of which have parts of proteins. But you are not getting complete proteins. If you are smart about it - well educated in how to get all the pieces you need, you may be able to maintain a diet that is Good Enough. Good Enough to keep you alive, which is pretty impressive.  But I, for one, don't want a diet that is Good Enough.  I want to thrive. 

I have heard the argument that people should choose to be vegetarians and that, over time, evolution will alter our systems to compensate. Okay - go for it! Give it a shot! I'm not going to stop you. And if you do succeed to alter our species' design, I will be the first in line to congratulate you ... in a few thousand years. The new human will be kinder, gentler, shorter, more brittle-boned, hunched over, slower of thought, slower runners, short tempered, forgetful, and pale.

Please, for the sake of your children, at least eat a fish. Red meat is very important also, but please - at least eat fish, drink milk, eat eggs. Read - learn the science of your decisions.  If you are concerned enough to drastically alter your natural diet, you should be concerned enough to read up on the benifits of meat and not just anti-meat propaganda.  Can it be unhealthy in excess?  Sure!  So can potatoes. 

Find out about higher incidence of malnutritian, cancer, immune-deficiency, and bad skin. Humans are made to eat meat and vegetables. You can't just choose to be a cow. Cows have four stomach cavities. Cows have longer intestines. Cows system's are designed to convert grass into the muscle-building proteins that they need, but humans' systems simply don't work that way. Humans can't perform photosynthesis either.  We need vegetables - and lots of them, all colors.  But that is not enough.

To be continued ...

I have an opinion about vegetarianism. Part 1

I have an opinion about vegetarianism.

There are three basic factors that I can see for people to become vegetarians, or to not become vegetarians: Mind (Morality), Body (Biological Health), and Spirit (Religion and Morality).

Part 1:  Mind
Most of us would like to believe we are moral people.  In the case of vegetarianism, morality tends to lead to two discussions - the validity of a human's right to kill and eat another animal, and the animal cruelty inherent in the current system of raising and processing that meat.

Let's start with the basics of the food chain.  Big fish eats little fish eats tiny fish eats plants that live off the waste of big fish.  Simple, cyclic logic.  However, many people feel that because the human is the animal at their perceived 'top' of the chain, humans should take pity on the poor animals beneath them.  Especially the cute ones (but maybe that is a topic for another day).  I would like to first point out that humans are not at the top of the food chain.  Virus' have that accreditation, which explains why we are all more frightened of touching the doorknob in a public bathroom than we are about the long-term repercussions of spilled crude oil killing the plankton that fuels our little food chain.

We are being murdered en mas by the tiny critters that rule our food chain - Influenza, AIDS, West Nile ... you hear about outbreaks and plagues and death-by-mosquito and yet here we are talking about how mean it is to feed ourselves on the flesh of the weak.  Yes, I say weak because, even though many of the critters we eat are stronger than us, they are not as advanced in mass-killing technology as are we humans. Of course we know that when we compare ourselves to, say, a virus, we are the weak.

Now, if we assume the food chain is not just some habit we picked up in the stone-age (we will debate our biological need for meat later), than we must focus this morality discussion of how we get our meat.  I am going to take a cow as my example.  First of all, cows are cute.  Wittle baby cows with their soft wittle noses and their cute little moooo.  It is my opinion that we should not use chemicals to make them bigger or produce more milk, or any other nonsense (another topic for another day), but we do breed them, grow them, and harvest them.  This should be done humanely.  Free-range, fed on the stuff they are designed to eat, allowed to live as normally as possible until they are taken away and quickly killed with minimal pain.  It's not like we're running them down and slowly gnawing at their hindquarters until they get tired, then eating their soft parts while they wiggle like some carnivores do.  Either way, the cow doesn't have a chance.  In our case, the cow wouldn't have been born in the first place, or would have had to search for food every day, fend off predator and disease and environment in a high-stress battle for existence until it eventually succumbed to the devastation. 

So morality ... how about instead of being a vegetarian, you put a little effort (like maybe a phone call to your government) into making the process more humane.  Instead of paying huge prices for tofu, or for mineral supplements, you buy meat from a local farmer.  You want to make a statement?  How about I will pay extra for meat that was raised in the sunshine?  The reason the process is as bad as it is ... people think life is cheap.  A decent life for a cow costs money.  That means that raising cattle in a moral manner costs money. 

By the way - one last bit on morality before we move on to issues of biology and spiritualism.  Do you wear leather shoes? Belt? Ever use rodent traps? How about this one: Have you ever been on antibiotics?  After all, virus' are animals too, aren't they?

To be continued...