Day 09 - Your beliefs, in great detail
Back to this, then. I promised myself I'd finish it, and finish it I will, although it will take - fuck it, has taken - almost two months to do the first eight days of it. Hurm.
Prewarning: this is almost all utter bollocks.
Although it makes me sound like a giant hippy, I’m a very firm believer in "If it harms no-one, do what you will". Seriously. Sex? If everyone consents and is happy, do it, whatever it is. Don't want to clean your house? Then don't. Enjoy cleaning? Do it. My biggest problem with the use of a drug like cocaine is the level of human rights abuse tied up in its production and supply (I could also go on about the way drug use keeps disadvantaged people disadvantaged, but how much time have I got).
To sound even more like a giant hippy: I believe that there is beauty and wonder and interest in many things, and that a lot of things we take for granted can be awe-inspiring. Have you ever stared up at a clear night sky and truly contemplated how tiny and insignificant you are? To do so is, in my view, a million times more mind-blowing than believing yourself to be the centre of the universe, your wishes listened to by an omnipotent being.
On that note, obviously, I don’t believe there is a god. Nor do I believe in any kind of spirituality. I don’t think there’s any such thing as the soul. I don’t believe in auras, chakras, astrology or crystal healing either. I believe that individual people can be religious and good, and very often are; I do not generally believe that capital-R Religion is a good thing. On the other hand, I think that the sense of community that often comes with religious affiliation is a really good thing, and I sometimes wish that this was something that could be achieved in daily life without the need for religion at its centre. I believe that fandom can come close, as can friendship and family (the one you get dealt or the one you choose) and other things that probably also begin with F.
I believe there is such a thing as luck. I don't mean that if you carry a rabbit's foot you'll win the lottery or whatever - more that some people are just really good at being in the right place at the right time. To an extent you make your own luck, but a good way to make your own luck is by being confident and willing to take risks and things, which I think is made easier if, well, if you're lucky.
As a socialist, I believe the world would be a considerably better place if people were just ever-so-slightly more understanding and tolerant and nicer to each other. As a cynic, I believe the chances of this happening are, like, fuckin' zero. (Therefore I believe in a certain amount of restriction by government of the things that do harm people - specifically, let's tax the rich more and not let the police have guns, yeah? Which sort of brings me back to the first bit.)
I may edit more in later when I remember what they are.
Prewarning: this is almost all utter bollocks.
Although it makes me sound like a giant hippy, I’m a very firm believer in "If it harms no-one, do what you will". Seriously. Sex? If everyone consents and is happy, do it, whatever it is. Don't want to clean your house? Then don't. Enjoy cleaning? Do it. My biggest problem with the use of a drug like cocaine is the level of human rights abuse tied up in its production and supply (I could also go on about the way drug use keeps disadvantaged people disadvantaged, but how much time have I got).
To sound even more like a giant hippy: I believe that there is beauty and wonder and interest in many things, and that a lot of things we take for granted can be awe-inspiring. Have you ever stared up at a clear night sky and truly contemplated how tiny and insignificant you are? To do so is, in my view, a million times more mind-blowing than believing yourself to be the centre of the universe, your wishes listened to by an omnipotent being.
On that note, obviously, I don’t believe there is a god. Nor do I believe in any kind of spirituality. I don’t think there’s any such thing as the soul. I don’t believe in auras, chakras, astrology or crystal healing either. I believe that individual people can be religious and good, and very often are; I do not generally believe that capital-R Religion is a good thing. On the other hand, I think that the sense of community that often comes with religious affiliation is a really good thing, and I sometimes wish that this was something that could be achieved in daily life without the need for religion at its centre. I believe that fandom can come close, as can friendship and family (the one you get dealt or the one you choose) and other things that probably also begin with F.
I believe there is such a thing as luck. I don't mean that if you carry a rabbit's foot you'll win the lottery or whatever - more that some people are just really good at being in the right place at the right time. To an extent you make your own luck, but a good way to make your own luck is by being confident and willing to take risks and things, which I think is made easier if, well, if you're lucky.
As a socialist, I believe the world would be a considerably better place if people were just ever-so-slightly more understanding and tolerant and nicer to each other. As a cynic, I believe the chances of this happening are, like, fuckin' zero. (Therefore I believe in a certain amount of restriction by government of the things that do harm people - specifically, let's tax the rich more and not let the police have guns, yeah? Which sort of brings me back to the first bit.)
I may edit more in later when I remember what they are.