The Meaningless and Useless Life of a Man Named Ratzinger

After the shocking and unprecedented pronouncement of the retirement of pope Ratzinger, comes an even more startling statement from the self-appointed ambassador of god.

"I will retire and dedicate the rest of my life to prayer" announced the pontiff.

It appears Josef Ratzinger is not about to undergo a life change and become useful. He was never into change. He was never useful.

Educated to teach the meaningless and insignificant topic of theology (*), Ratzinger went on to become a priest and quickly climbed the slippery rungs of the Catholic ladder all the way to the throne of The Vatican.

A man whose delusion prevented him from becoming a useful member of society, Ratzinger has caused more suffering than most. His stance on contraception and condemnation of the use of condoms has encouraged the spread of AIDS that is ravaging the African continent - ironically the only part of the world where support for  christianity and catholicism is on the increase.

On the subject of homosexuality, widely accepted nowadays in tolerant societies, as it should be - a phenomenon observed and studied in hundreds of other animal species as part of normal behaviour -  Ratzinger said  ""although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder"

This from a man who has done so much to protect members of the clergy accused of sexual crimes against children and each other.

The pope has not only alienated the gay community; he has also offended Islam by saying in 2006 "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

And he has offended the Jewish community by reappointing the excommunicated holocaust-denier Bishop Richard Williamson.

But the ultimate act of hypocrisy from the man who tells his followers to place their faith in god - that god will protect them from all evil - is that he himself chooses to place his trust in the 2" bullet-proof glass of his popemobile!

One would have thought his omnipotent boss would protect him. But then the pope is anything but a fool.

(*) Theology as an academic pursuit is what I consider a total waste of time and brain-power. No possible benefit to humanity can come from studying theology. Theology does nothing to ameliorate the human condition and even less to alleviate suffering and world poverty. As a study subject I consider it as futile an endeavour as spending years studying the life and times of Harry Potter...or Father Christmas...or Cinderella...or any other mythical concept.

Note to readers: Your comments would be much appreciated - I need views and opinions to help me with  the book I'm writing. 

:)

Like Tears in The Rain

Last night as I lay in bed, memories of a time gone by entered my head. And then I wrote this poem:

***

Like Tears in the Rain

Back in time, when love was our bond
we'd plan trips to places neither of us had been
And we'd laugh and cry, but most of the time
we were somewhere in between

One Autumn evening, I witnessed our fall
and all our plans oozed down the drain
Sentiments that were meant to last forever
were washed away, like tears in the rain

:(

Gratitude is the saving grace

Life is wonderful.

Second only to my family and friends, life is the most precious gift.

Nature has been kind to me. My genetic replication has had few glitches along the way; none serious enough to cause me health problems.

I am grateful.

I had the good fortune to be born to parents who loved and nurtured me, allowed and encouraged me to think for myself.

I am grateful.

I had the good fortune to be born into a society where I was free to express myself and question everything from injustice to religious beliefs.

I am grateful.

I have two sons and a daughter who have grown into the kind of wonderful human beings any father would be proud of.

I am grateful.

I have an older brother who loves me as I love him, who nurtured my talent for music and who still helps me for no recompense.

I am grateful

I have a father any son would wish to have. A man with the dignity, sense of responsibility and style I have always looked up to.

I am grateful.

I have an ex wife, mother of my first two, who still checks up on me, insists on helping and has the uncanny ability to know exactly what I'm in need of most.

I am grateful.

I have lost two beloved younger siblings, victims of  unforeseen and tragic accidents - but they were my loving brothers for so many years.

I am grateful.

I have lost my dear mother - but I will always have her with me, in my heart and mind, as a constant reminder of all that is good in humanity.

I am grateful.


I have numerous friends whose love and support have been a constant source of comfort through the good times and the not so good.

I am grateful.


I have shared most of my life with women who have taught me much, and, most importantly, allowed me to experience the immense pleasure and fulfilment of intimate love.

I am grateful.

Life is indeed wonderful...

...and I am eternally grateful.

:)

Wealth or Happiness?

I was asked recently by a friend, the hypothetical question - if I had to choose between wealth and happiness - what would my choice be? My friend was attempting to lift the gloom and raise my spirits and no doubt expected an instant reply that could be used to argue in favour of my present situation. As you know, I am presently undergoing a difficult transitional phase of adjustment to life in London.

After much deliberation, this is how I reached a conclusion.

The time in my life when I had the most disposable income was just after I sold my house in London, back in early 2007. The time of preparing a planned family move to Madeira. Those were stressful times and full of uncertainty and disagreement that led to the eventual breakdown of my marriage.

Although it was a time of affluence, when I could buy all I needed and a lot of what I didn't need, I remember mostly being unhappy, uncertain and unfulfilled. It was clearly a time of wealth without happiness.

Not something I want to experience again.

In contrast, the happiest moments in my life were in the last 18 months, when, as a single man living in Madeira, I lived a life full of music, constant socialising and making new friends.  The money was just enough. A case of having everything I needed but not necessarily everything I wanted.

Something I long to experience again.

As Mick Jagger once said "you can't always get what you want...you get what you need" defines perfectly my experience in Madeira.

The obvious conclusion is I want happiness, with or without wealth. But should the two ever combine, which I hope they do, I can't imagine ever asking for anything more.

:)

The meaning of life - Update

I wrote a post titled The Meaning of Life a couple of years back, and after re-reading it, decided to add a few more relevant points and some wonderful photos for your enjoyment. As we live and learn our ideas evolve along with everything else - at least it does for some of us.

Love and compassion - no god required

**

The Meaning of Life

Life has no meaning. Life needs no meaning.

Life's meaning is living life.

And that is why scientists and doctors, philosophers and deluded religious thinkers, have failed to come up with an answer. Life is for living, to the best of our ability.

We are not here for any purpose other than living the life bestowed upon us by Nature.  The gift of life comes with no conditions attached - never has and never will.

Nature has not given us or any other animal a life in order to indebt us to itself - it has no such agenda.

Nature expects nothing more from us than to live life. And when staying alive is not an option, it will absorb and recycle our remains and turn them into new life.

Nature has no bias towards good or evil, straight or gay, black or white, man or ant. It does not discriminate between the rich and poor, the giver and the taker, the maker or breaker; not even between the living or deceased.

Nature did not favour Mother Theresa over Adolf Hitler, or Florence Nightingale over Josef Stalin - it simply recycled both in the same uncompromising way it will recycle all of us.

Nature expects nothing but continuation and ensures life's longing for itself is the ultimate driving force - without judgement.

We are here to live the life we inherited, and if in the process we send forth our DNA by procreation, fine, if not, fine, there will be no retribution.  Nature bears no grudges and harbours no vengeful thoughts.

As social animals, we have developed laws and regulations, morals and activities likely to enhance our existence. All social animal groups display the same characteristics. You will find love and compassion, justice and fraternity in all animal social groups, from a pride of lions to a colony of ants, from a human village to a meerkat colony. Nature has bestowed upon its creations intelligence and common sense.

Humans are inherently good natured and will continue to strive to  improve the lives of all who share this great natural world of ours. Humans or any other animal group does not need to invent an almighty god to acquire morals and guidance, it needs only to study the world around us. The answers to social success are already available, one only needs to study Nature to get the answers. For examples of social cohesion and mutual benefit cooperation, look no further than a colony of Emperor penguins; or a band of gorillas; a school of dolphins, and countless more.

Here are some displays of friendship among animals - and no god-given moral code required!

Nature has one commandment; 'Let there be life'.

Humanity needs only to add another;  'Treat others as you'd like to be treated'.

:)