WSOP-C NOLA, Freerolls, and Free Thoughts

WSOP-C, NOLA:  Want to say a big thank you to everybody that bought a piece of my package.  Sounds weird but you know what I mean.  We start off with the freeroll tomorrow and those that took big enough pieces get a piece of that.

I'm excited about the Main Event and this tournament series in general.  Big thanks to my in laws for being able to watch the kids to allow me to play as much as necessary.  Oddly, I have a very good feeling about this series.

Now, I'm just going to hit on some topics:

KARMA - For those that think only good things happen to bad people, give it some time.  Lots of times "great" things end up being the worst thing for them.  Lottery winners are one example.

JASON COLLINS - Forgotten in all this acclaim is there was a west coast baseball player in the 70s who was out.  Think he co-invented the high five.  He told anybody that would listen that he was gay.  The sportswriters just didn't ever write a word about it.  He later died of AIDS.  Tommy Lasorda, was said to be fairly intolerant.  Lasorda's son, a homosexual, later died of AIDS.  

I find it odd that some of the hate steered Jason's way is predicated on the concept that somehow being gay is a choice.  Maybe for some straight people being straight is a choice, but for me, being straight is what I am.  I don't have to choose.  There is no choice.

Logically speaking, if people could chose between being gay and being straight, they'd all chose to be straight.  For hundreds of reasons, but here's three; there is no persecution, easier to get ahead in life, and it'd make their parents happier.  Therefore since I didn't chose to be straight, and if anybody had a choice, they'd all likely chose being straight, then for gays it's probably not a choice either.

So, for the folks throwing around being gay is a choice, perhaps, they've got some soul searching of their own to do.

Collins took a brave first step but it's entirely possible, if we chose to ignore the former baseball player and that seems to be what the country is doing, that Collins still won't be the first active player in American team sports to be gay.  He may not get signed next year.  As he says in the article, he's basically just good for six tough fouls now.  In a way, he's no different than John Amaechi, an NBA player who announced he was gay as soon as he retired.  Collins might not play another game after his announcement either.

Robbie Rogers is a professional soccer player, who in his prime, came out... as he "retired."  Maybe he retired first, but essentially the timing was the same.  That was less than a year ago, now it's likely he'll get signed in the MLS.  Perhaps, he should be getting a bigger share of the plaudits as a trailblazer.  Especially if Collins doesn't get signed next year.

That's another issue that will stir the pot.  Collins is borderline to make a team.  So if a team doesn't sign him will they be accused of being anti-gay?  Will it make a team more likely to sign him?  Or less?  Since he's borderline and he'll now bring all these detractors all things aren't equal.  Should we then accuse the NBA of being homophobic if he gets passed over.  What sucks is we'll never know either way.  If  he doesn't get signed, it might play out that the barrier won't really be broken until a player in the middle of a deal or in his prime comes out.

RELIGION - I believe in God.  I don't believe in ghosts or aliens.  I'm rational in regards to most things.  Though logic helps with the belief in God.  For example, if there is no God, it doesn't matter that I believed in him.  If there is a God, AND it does matter to him if I believe him, I'm glad to be a believer.

That being said I have issues with organized religion.  I don't think man as the voice of a deity makes any sense, and seeing as how all these "infallible" conduits have been only fallible through out all of history, I just don't buy it.  On the other hand, that would make sense for him to send his son down to clear some things up.  So, if you want a logical reason to buy into Jesus or some other messiah there's that one.

The concept of faith is another issue people tackle.  The response to give me evidence, is just take it on faith.  Taking things on faith usually tends to be a bad idea.  I get that.  You can wipe just about anything under the carpet if your go to response is you just have to believe.

However, it's logical that our tiny little brain can only accept a little bit of God.  Life is full of questions and very few answers.  Maybe we can't handle the answers, yet.  Maybe being tested prepares us to understand him later.  There is one great truth and irony in life.  People refer to it by saying things like "if I knew then the things I know now," but still fall prey to the illusion.

For some reason, as a species we are ill prepared at conceiving the future when our opinions might change.  We are always as smart as we'll ever be and that starts sometime around late high school.  Yet, as we age, our opinions  and worldviews change.  We see we are more informed, but we still fail to recognize that our opinons are every changing.  Hippies become Yuppies, metal heads hedge fund managers, and wild youth, grumpy old men.

Perhaps, in death our ability to understand the bigger picture will be expanded incredibly more.  There's a reason that as people get closer to death, they get closer to religion.  It's not universally true, but the lots of Veterans will tell you there are few atheisist in fox holes.  From a conversation with a hospice nurse, people that pass, relatively painlessly, go in two ways, either in abstract fear or peacefully slightly blissfully.  Want to guess which of those two groups believed in God and which group didn't?  Btw, the exceptions were the terrible people that believe in God, they tended to share that look of horror at death.

I don't like when people use religion to persecute anybody for being different.  God does the judging, .  I also don't like people saying things like religion has caused more death than any disease.  I disagree, the bigger truth is, people wrap themselves up in religion and fight wars, yes, even some of the Holy Wars, in the name of God and religion, but usually the motivating forces are entirely different.  If religion is an opiate for the masses it's also an easy scapegoat to rev up a herd of people unhappy with their own lives.

For example, Pakistan and Indai are probably going to go to war one day, and God help us it won't be nuclear, but when they do, despite their religious differences it will be because of water and resources.  Religion might foment the people but the reality is something entirely different.  Course it will be billed as a Holy War, but it'll be a water war.

If man was incapale of religion or belieiving in God, there wouldn't be any less violence, there were just be different, perhaps, more honest, rationales for the violence.  Power and money drive these things, but it's easier to radicalize and inspire hate through religion.

If you took away religion, there might be some less bloodshed (religious sacrifice and some of the Holy Wars are solely about religion) but there would also be a lot less good that I'm not so sure is so easily replaced.  Sure, good hearted atheisists can pat themselves on the back and say they don't need God to be charitble or kind or generous, and even insinuate since religion isn't steering them to do those things that somehow they are intriniscally better.  I don't accept the second part, but let's just for the sake of argument grant it.

Then in that world view, atheisists should be grateful for religion because it may be the only thing keeping other, less intrinisically good people, from being good.  There is a lot of gray in this world and sometimes religion is the only thing keeping some people on the right side of it.

What's weird is the lengths athesists will go to attacking people who believe in God.  As I said, I don't believe in ghosts or UFOs but I don't ridicule people that do.  I also don't seek to outlaw it, either.  If most people in our country wanted to say the pledge of allegiance "...under God... and Zeno the Squidman from Mars" I'd just shake my head at their silliness.  I don't get why atheisists have this devout, almost faith based, determination to excise God from everything.

What harm is it doing to you?  Just let people live and let live.  When religion doesn't do that, attack it, but be specific.  It's not because a Bible is used to swear in the President that those nuts from the Westboro church are ruining peoples lives.  If you are mad at them, be mad at them.  My Arab neighbor has nothing to do with the Russians in Boston nor do my peaceful Islamist friends I had in DC.  Because there are a lot of bad Christians don't go after the good ones, just let 'em be.  

OFFEND EVERYBODY?  I probably did.  Sorry, for that.  Just some things I wanted to get off my chest.

Comments

Captain Fantasy said…
You are such a dick for writing this. I am completely offended.
Anonymous said…
I'm trying to find the main topic sentence in your little manifesto there, like in a multiple choice school test... I think it would look something like this:

1) Like werewolves, gay people are dangerous and need to be shackled down for everyones safety.

2) Arabs, like werewolves, hate the Constitution, and hate freedom.

3) Werewolves are entitled to the same freedom as the rest of us.

4) Gay marriage NOW!!!

I think I'm going to have to choose #3.

K

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