I switched my IE home page to Wikipedia, the Web-famous copy-lefted encyclopedia. I thought the daily news was under-rated anyway. What huge difference does it make whether you know what's happening around town or not? Lots of things we do just because we've been doing it, or society tells us it's what must be done at the given time.

Like: Showering in the morning. Sure you've got bed-bugs and bug-dirt all over you, but then why not shower after lunch when you've been bombarded by 4-5 hours of communal excrements? What do we have against bed-bugs, anyway? And who can TELL if you've bathed or not? Granted, if you didn't push that brushstick laced with alkaline paste all around your gap in the morning, people will SMELL your mouth's essence all day - but bathing?! Get real...

Like: Checking who's calling when your phone rings. Stop everything. Take a glance at the screen. To answer or not to answer - that's the question. To glance or not to glance - that's non-negotiable? Yeah, right. C'mon, evolutionists! Explain this! Lemme guess: Seeing who's communicating helps to promote the survival of the species, because there MAY be trouble and it's good to be alerted to the possible presence of predators.

But, can't it be: Not finding out who's calling is species-protecting because then you don't get interrupted all the time and you get to focus on the task(s) at hand, some of which MAY help save a life one day?

Like: Straightening people out when they've misrepresented you. What the hell for? You think it's not gonna happen again? You sure you even know what you stand for? Confident you won't be changing your mind or actions some time soon? Ah, it's a reputation thinggy.

I could go on and on. Not sure why we do the things we do. Over my dead body it's a species thing. It ain't. I suspect it's a spiritual thing. Our papers, our work, our exploitations, our recreations, our talk, our blogging, our indifference, our shames. It's all tied to that world we can't flippin' see with the naked eye.

Did you know today (Oct 31) is Reformation Day? When Martin Luther threw the gauntlet on the religious establishment of his day. Told them basically to shove their dogmas some place where the sun don't shine. The people were entitled to truth and ain't nothing gonna change that now that the means of truth's expression were available to all (translated: we have the printing press).

Luther was a violent man. He fought hard, with God, with the Devil, with society. With himself. He didn't have the I-don't-give-a-shit attitude that people like me do. I don't know. Maybe it's got something to do with the fact that he didn't have to raise a family...(weak laughter)...A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD!!!

Being reflective is both a blessing and a curse, a potential for strength and for weakness. It can lead equally well towards truth or error. Life can be richer, more textured, more challenging, more meaningful. Likewise, it can become more barren, more threatening, more overwhelming. (The Myth of Certainty, p.18)