Conversations with people really are a good way to fully think about some things. This was a comment I wrote about judging people and how we judge people as either good or bad or in between.

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In my opinion, most people are too caught up in the superficiality of life and don't think about the more important things. If more people thought about things other than what was right in front of them, then things could be much better.

I think it is wrong to jusdge, but I do judge myself. I try not to and do it a lot less than most people, but I still do it. I think that, for conversations like this, it is always important to think of an example and try to think of how I would react to it. So here's one...Michael Jackson. I remember a while back when his trial for child molestation was going on and everybody was saying "Michael Jackson" this and "Michael Jackson" that. I think that everyone saw him as a bad person except for some who were die hard fans.

What did (do) you think of him? I was having a conversation with my friend and he isn't as calm as I am and he kept going on about how horrible Michael Jackson is and saying that he is a 'dirty pervert'. I stopped and thought about it for a second and replied with this... 'Do you personally know Michael Jackson? I know for a fact that you don't. Not only this, but do you know him much at all? You don't really know him at all and as if that wasn't enough, you don't even know if he really did what those people are claiming he did. How can you judge him based on such a small thread of information?'

Of course I do understand why he feels that way about Michael Jackson and what he apparently didn't do, but my point is that we usually base our own opinions off other people's opinions. We listen to the news and hear what's going on and we form an opinion and talk about it to others. It all gets muddled up in a large game of Chinese whispers and most people end up following the majority. And what's worse is that the news can even be wrong at times. They have to make a good story in order to get people to read, watch or listen and sometimes that means bending or even not including the truth. We can never be 100% sure whether or not something did or didn't happen. We have to be open to all possibilities even when they seem impossible. My favourite motto at the moment is..."It's not impossible...just improbable!"

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P.S. I'm not a fan of Michael Jackson in case you were wondering hehe

Again, this was originally a reply to a comment that I thought I'd post as a blog. It's a reply to a question about my opinions on heaven and hell and what I think about the concept.

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I have wondered about heaven, but after thinking on it a lot I came to the conclusion that even if I think about this for the rest of my life I still won't ever know the answer, because you would have to die to know the answer. So I simply just let it go. I do think about it sometimes, but I don't let it take control of my thoughts. I did come to one possible idea though...my opinion of what could happen when we die...think about it this way...

The universe has a certain amount of energy and, as far as we know and understand, this energy is constant. This means that the amount of energy in the universe is always the same. It is observable in things like falling items (if you went to the top of a building with a bowling ball and held it out over the edge, the ball has what is known as potential energy. When you drop the ball it converts that energy into kinetic energy [movement energy] and then when it hits the ground it exerts a force and possibly makes a big crack in the pavement and the ball. The energy transfers from one to another, but is never lost.)

Now, if we take this idea away from bowling balls and buildings and think of it in human terms. We eat food in order to give us energy. This energy is contained in our bodies and we use it for things like moving, thought processing, etc. But, what happens when we die? That energy can't just end because energy is constant.

I think you might now be thinking that I'm going to say something like 'we turn to ghosts' or 'our souls ascend to a higher existance', but my thoughts are much more simple. When we die, we give out our energy in various different ways. One simple example could be that our bodies decompose which gives off chemicals and, depending on how we are buried, these chemicals could give nutrients to the soil around us, which helps plants grow and, in turn, feeds someone and the cycle starts over again.

So, using this idea, when we die we lose all of our thoughts and memories because they are converted into a different energy. But we do in a sense live on through other things because our energy continues on. (take our memories as the bowling ball being held [potential energy] and death as the point when the ball is dropped [kinetic energy]. The memories [potential energy] have stopped, but it has converted into death [kinetic energy])

In my opinion, life and the universe is just a continuous equation of energy transfer and it just so happened that some of that energy transfer created me and you and everything around us.

Very complicated huh? I wonder if you managed to make sense of that 'cause it is very hypothetical and theoretical!

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EDIT

I just realised that I never really said that I don't actually believe this hehe...this really is just one random idea that I thought up one day. I like trying to think up weird ideas and then seeing if I can try to make sense of them and that's what I did here, so please son't take me to be crazy! hehe I don't really think this way

There is currently a huge injustice occuring in Darfur Sudan. Hundreds of thousands of people are being killed. You could help easily by filling out a petition to supply an envoy.

The petition along with all of the names will be presented to president Bush and other people who can make a difference and efforts will be made to save these people.

Here's the link to the petition page

http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/international_justice/darfur/voices/index.aspx?source=dq

Even if all you do is sign the petition, you will be making a difference.

This blog entry was originally a comment I posted to someone on this site that I thought would be a good topic to post. Just some small edits to make it more open to a wider audience.

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Have you ever thought of not believing in a religion? The idea of God and a heaven is in my opinion a great notion, but then nothing more. I feel that people who have a belief in some sort of religion are usually afraid of something and then lean on that religion in order to keep them going and resolve their fears. I myself am a Catholic and used to go to church, pray and read the bible, but as I grew up I began to think about life more and came to the decision not to follow my religion or any religion anymore. I made this choice for the following reasons...

1

When I see world news and see everything that's happening in different countries and also what has happened already in the past I find the recurring theme of war. There are many causes for war, but one of the main causes of it is religion. When people put their full belief into a religion they tend to get angry if others tell them that they are wrong. This has led to many horrible acts globally.

2

If you are aware of the collosal magnitude of the universe you will then also know that it contains millions of different galaxies with billions of different solar systems and even more planets not unlike our own. The chances that there is no other life out there other than us is possible, but very remote and if there is other life well what God do they have? They would most likely have different beliefs.

3

Also joined from my last point...there are so many different religions on this solitary planet so how do we know which one is right? Is it the one that our fathers and mothers believe in? Is it the one that suits us best? Is it the one that tells us we will die a horrible death or go to hell if we don't believe it? How can we be sure that we are following the correct belief system? Most people will follow the beliefs of their own parents. It is passed down to them from birth and, as in my case, they are made a member of the religion before they can make the decision themselves. For this reason the religion you follow will greatly depend on where you and your parents are born.

Think of it this way; if you were born in Afghanistan do you think you would believe in the same thing as you do now? And still, you may think that their beliefs are wrong because they are not the same as your own.

4

If we have a God, then what about animals? In some religions they are considered lesser beings, which are only here for us. Can we really say that we are more important than them? Of course we do have higher brain functions than them, but if another species of some kind was to come along and they were much smarter than us, then would it be fair for them to kill and eat us for nourishment? This is also one of my reasons for being a vegetarian.

These are only some of the reasons

Now, I know I have only been pointing out the bad sides of religion, but I do understand that there are good sides too. Religion brings people together and unites them. It helps people cope with life and death so they don't have to consider the fact that some of their loved ones no longer exist and soon they will have the same fate. It, sometimes, leads people to more productive and better lives in their communities. And it helps keep a certain amount of control over people.

After considering all of this I follow it up with this next question; can I not do these things myself without having to follow a religion? I can. I can be productive and a better person and a part of a community and control myself and I can do all of this without religion.

Now, I return to my point of this blog. Can you do these things without religion? If you can, I suggest you think of it as an option. I'm not trying to say that there is no true religion. For all I know there is a God and he/she/it does exist, but by thinking logically and agnostically I can say that I do not know the answer and probably never will. Instead of thinking of things as impossibilities, I like to think of them as improbabilities.

I do not fear the unknown. In fact it amazes me and I have decided to persue a career in studying the unknown. I am writing this in order to attempt to broaden your mind and give you options in a world where there are so many barriers. I am sorry if I have offended you in any way by writing this, as I know it is a touchy subject, but please be assured that I am not trying to convert you or hurt your feelings.

I enjoy disscussing religion and a lot of other topics so please do get back to me with your opinions on what I've said. Maybe we can learn from each other

The thing I love about books is that while I'm reading a good one I can't wait to get to the end, but once I finally get there I get upset 'cause I won't get another chance to read it again without knowing what's going to happen.

It's annoying, but it makes sure that I go looking for a new one to occupy the back of my mind again