Interview
The Rules: If you'd like to play the game, comment on this entry and say that you want me to interview you. I will then ask you five questions. You will post the answers in your own journal along with a short message explaining the rules. It's easy, fun, and not too invasive, so be a sheep and jump on the BAAAndwagon.
1) How do you feel that you have changed since moving to Maine?
I often think about this, and often can come up with no good answers.
The only thing I can think of is that I have become more accepting of behavior I normally would not be in the persuit of finding people to be around. This is a very different world, especially in the areas which surround where I live. A world where brawn wins over intellect, and the idea of what a man is has been written in stone a long time ago. While I have not changed my views on these matters, I need to accept that these are the people I live with.
I also have found that I desperately miss my true friends. People make up my world, and I find that people are the most important aspect of my life. This is one of the reasons I did not leave NJ when the opportunity first arose back in 2002.
2) What do you find satisfying about working as an EMT?
Well, this is a tough question to answer for two reasons. 1) I was never an EMT, just an ambulance driver and 2) I stopped being a driver about six or seven months ago.
I believe that the only reason that I was hired was because my step-father is the director of the ambulance service in these parts. He somewhat pressured me into the position when I first came to Maine, and me, wanting to please those around me who were funding my living expenses, tried to go along with it and make the best of it. I was called in a total of four times over four months to work. It appeared that you had to somewhat compete for times to work, and I do not mix well with competition.
Eventually I decided to resign as I had no real desire to continue the work. Winter was almost upon us, and I felt that with little experience driving in a Maine storm, I was not the appropriate person to be behind the wheel.
3) What are your long-term career goals?
I'd like to teach on the high school level, which has been my career choice for many years now. However, my self destructive nature tends to conflict with my rational thought, and I forsake college many years ago. There may be opportunity yet to attend the University of Maine, Farmington campus which is somewhat renoowned for its teaching program. This means that I would have to come to terms with continuing to live in this state. While my rational mind has advised me that schooling would be the best course of action, every other part of me screams out to leave here.
4) Do you believe in a higher power? Why or why not?
I do not. There's some history to this, as I once did.
When I was very young, my mother would take the whole family to attend the Methodist church in Fair Haven. I have often described the Methodist church as "running through a field of butterflies with Jesus." This of course would only apply to the church I attended...I have no idea what may have gone on in others. Eventually, when I came to the age that I could actually pay attention to what the sermons were about, I was often appalled, as I had thought I had a clear understanding of what my religion was about. But openly speaking out against gays and women who had abortions bothered me even at a young age (the only two topics I can now remember). I had always believed very firmly in the free will aspect of christianity, as well as the fact that the only judge on morality was god, not those who followed him.
These facts, combined with the suicide of one of our ministers and the church burning to the ground, made it very easy for me to lose faith and walk away from what I thought was incredible hypocrisy. This was no quick process...I struggled with losing what I thought at one time was an incredible positive aspect of our society.
Eventually, I came to the realization that God is for those who need God. There is no logical conclusion I can come to which would allow me to believe in god. And when I see the world around me working by logic and science, I have a hard time believing that this one aspect goes against the rules of nature and life.
There's also something you had mentioned in your post when you answered this question for yourself:
"Often the concept of a deity who rewards good deeds and behaviors makes it easier for people to shape their activities in a positive manner, as they believe they will reap some benefit in the long view from their virtuous acts."
This is one of the most disgusting aspects of religion. It is ultimately selfish. We should do good things because we should be trying to make the world a better place for the people who live here. And the fact that many often hurt others in the name of their religion (not just old crusades, but the "God Hates Fags" crowd)...I dunno, just totally appaling.
5) From where do you prefer to get your news?
Well, I used to watch a lot of C-Span (1 and 2) because I figured I might as well hear it from the horses mouth when it comes to politics. I read a variety of news websites. I tend not to watch the nightly news as I find that it sensationalizes the worst in us. I enjoy reading mediamatters.org, which disects the news and points out the falacies. That's about it I guess...I tend to be doing these between calls at work.
1) How do you feel that you have changed since moving to Maine?
I often think about this, and often can come up with no good answers.
The only thing I can think of is that I have become more accepting of behavior I normally would not be in the persuit of finding people to be around. This is a very different world, especially in the areas which surround where I live. A world where brawn wins over intellect, and the idea of what a man is has been written in stone a long time ago. While I have not changed my views on these matters, I need to accept that these are the people I live with.
I also have found that I desperately miss my true friends. People make up my world, and I find that people are the most important aspect of my life. This is one of the reasons I did not leave NJ when the opportunity first arose back in 2002.
2) What do you find satisfying about working as an EMT?
Well, this is a tough question to answer for two reasons. 1) I was never an EMT, just an ambulance driver and 2) I stopped being a driver about six or seven months ago.
I believe that the only reason that I was hired was because my step-father is the director of the ambulance service in these parts. He somewhat pressured me into the position when I first came to Maine, and me, wanting to please those around me who were funding my living expenses, tried to go along with it and make the best of it. I was called in a total of four times over four months to work. It appeared that you had to somewhat compete for times to work, and I do not mix well with competition.
Eventually I decided to resign as I had no real desire to continue the work. Winter was almost upon us, and I felt that with little experience driving in a Maine storm, I was not the appropriate person to be behind the wheel.
3) What are your long-term career goals?
I'd like to teach on the high school level, which has been my career choice for many years now. However, my self destructive nature tends to conflict with my rational thought, and I forsake college many years ago. There may be opportunity yet to attend the University of Maine, Farmington campus which is somewhat renoowned for its teaching program. This means that I would have to come to terms with continuing to live in this state. While my rational mind has advised me that schooling would be the best course of action, every other part of me screams out to leave here.
4) Do you believe in a higher power? Why or why not?
I do not. There's some history to this, as I once did.
When I was very young, my mother would take the whole family to attend the Methodist church in Fair Haven. I have often described the Methodist church as "running through a field of butterflies with Jesus." This of course would only apply to the church I attended...I have no idea what may have gone on in others. Eventually, when I came to the age that I could actually pay attention to what the sermons were about, I was often appalled, as I had thought I had a clear understanding of what my religion was about. But openly speaking out against gays and women who had abortions bothered me even at a young age (the only two topics I can now remember). I had always believed very firmly in the free will aspect of christianity, as well as the fact that the only judge on morality was god, not those who followed him.
These facts, combined with the suicide of one of our ministers and the church burning to the ground, made it very easy for me to lose faith and walk away from what I thought was incredible hypocrisy. This was no quick process...I struggled with losing what I thought at one time was an incredible positive aspect of our society.
Eventually, I came to the realization that God is for those who need God. There is no logical conclusion I can come to which would allow me to believe in god. And when I see the world around me working by logic and science, I have a hard time believing that this one aspect goes against the rules of nature and life.
There's also something you had mentioned in your post when you answered this question for yourself:
"Often the concept of a deity who rewards good deeds and behaviors makes it easier for people to shape their activities in a positive manner, as they believe they will reap some benefit in the long view from their virtuous acts."
This is one of the most disgusting aspects of religion. It is ultimately selfish. We should do good things because we should be trying to make the world a better place for the people who live here. And the fact that many often hurt others in the name of their religion (not just old crusades, but the "God Hates Fags" crowd)...I dunno, just totally appaling.
5) From where do you prefer to get your news?
Well, I used to watch a lot of C-Span (1 and 2) because I figured I might as well hear it from the horses mouth when it comes to politics. I read a variety of news websites. I tend not to watch the nightly news as I find that it sensationalizes the worst in us. I enjoy reading mediamatters.org, which disects the news and points out the falacies. That's about it I guess...I tend to be doing these between calls at work.