Death is coming

The closer death creeps up upon me the less I am able to understand the reasons for life or living.

Yes I have experienced a close family member dying and unlike television it takes decades to handle such a thing. To think I am going to put my family through such a thing when I finally leave is more horrific to me than the thought of death itself.

My life was and is still a learning experience but when all said and done what am I to do with all this accumulated learning over my lifetime if I just die. There is no logic or reason to this.

Long ago I became aware that the God story that is sold to the majority is just a nice story to give mankind with a message of a basic layout of how nice life could be if everyone followed these ideas. Not many in life do and if one thinks about it the good and evil structures actually depend on each other. The good that can be experienced in life is only understood as good when there is it's opposite to compare it to. This is not rocket science only common sense in reality. I am not saying we need to experience bad but understanding in it is needed to appreciate the great things many of us can have in our lives. From birth to death there are many ways mankind helps his fellow man. How many ways can you help?


Thursday, October 21, 2010

Unusual Gifts From The Pope's Visit

By Tom Doerr

When Blair was still an Anglican but took communion in a Catholic church, the then archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Basil Hume, wrote him a letter of reproach, saying that non-Catholics were forbidden to do so. Blair's response to it was to suggest that Jesus Christ at any rate would have approved of his action - a clear rejection of ecclesiastical authority. I still suspect him of being a bit of a protestant fifth columnist in the Catholic fold.

The event is surrounded by security, terror threats and controversy but what has been overlooked is the amount of people jumping on the bandwagon and capitalising on the visit with souvenirs and commemorative gifts. But as you would expect, there is a lot of junk on offer which has been designed to make a cheap buck out of all the pontiff's supporters. Street vendors are offering baseball caps for up to 20. And many are flogging pilgrims t-shirts with the option to customise with the name of their church.

Westminster Cathedral's gift shop is stocking specially made plates, photo's books and crosses for the event. But there are also very many bizarre souvenirs available including a 'popener' bottle opener, a Vatican city lighter and a remote control popemobile. Many gift shops are offering silicone bracelets similar to those of the 'livestrong' trend and catholic Swarovski jewellery. However the Catholic Church has rejected claims that the papal visit is being commercialised.

The Pope has come under fire from activists and a potential terrorist plot was uncovered in which 5 men were arrested in London. There has also been much controversy surrounding the Popes address of the issue of child abuse amongst the catholic clergy. The ex-Hitler youth has also likened atheists to Nazis, a comment which has caused a riot in a society gradually moving away from religion.

There are four photographs on the shortlist for the National Portrait Gallery's annual photographic prize which were reproduced, one of them only in part, in yesterday's Guardian. The one of which only a woman's face and top half were shown omitted a part showing her genitals, and the three other entries were of two drug-addicted twins, one obese young woman, and a 14-year-old American girl riding back in triumph from a hunting expedition with a dead deer flung over her horse. Do photographs have to be disturbing, or feature controversial themes, for them to qualify for awards? It never used to be so.

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