Monday, June 30, 2008

Nuclear Holocaust

If the Human Race is wiped out altogether in a nuclear holocaust, then no one will ever feel pain or fear or depression again.

Just a thought.

(that's assuming, of course, that the eternal conscious torment (ECT) people like Ken Silva aren't right)

Maybe watching this video a couple of times will help me feel better.

Hey, waddya know? It actually worked. And I watched it for the first time ever in full screen mode, and I think that might have made it even more effective.

Back when I used to read the Bible, I used to find that reading Ecclesiastes was a good antidote to this feeling as well. For instance, even just the beginning works reasonably well, although the whole book is even more powerful (except for the bullshit conclusion at the very end. But Solomon was before Nietzsche, so he could only do so much with what he had.)

From Ecclesiastes 1 (as translated by the yotta brilliant Eugene Peterson):

These are the words of the Quester, David's son and king in Jerusalem. Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That's what the Quester says.] There's nothing to anything—it's all smoke.
What's there to show for a lifetime of work,
a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone?
One generation goes its way, the next one arrives,
but nothing changes—it's business as usual for old planet earth.
The sun comes up and the sun goes down,
then does it again, and again—the same old round.
The wind blows south, the wind blows north.
Around and around and around it blows,
blowing this way, then that—the whirling, erratic wind.
All the rivers flow into the sea,
but the sea never fills up.
The rivers keep flowing to the same old place,
and then start all over and do it again.
Everything's boring, utterly boring—
no one can find any meaning in it.
Boring to the eye,
boring to the ear.
What was will be again,
what happened will happen again.
There's nothing new on this earth.
Year after year it's the same old thing.
Does someone call out, "Hey, this is new"?
Don't get excited—it's the same old story.
Nobody remembers what happened yesterday.
And the things that will happen tomorrow?
Nobody'll remember them either.
Don't count on being remembered.
I've Seen It All
Call me "the Quester." I've been king over Israel in Jerusalem. I looked most carefully into everything, searched out all that is done on this earth. And let me tell you, there's not much to write home about. God hasn't made it easy for us. I've seen it all and it's nothing but smoke—smoke, and spitting into the wind.

Life's a corkscrew that can't be straightened,
A minus that won't add up.

I said to myself, "I know more and I'm wiser than anyone before me in Jerusalem. I've stockpiled wisdom and knowledge." What I've finally concluded is that so-called wisdom and knowledge are mindless and witless—nothing but spitting into the wind.

Much learning earns you much trouble.
The more you know, the more you hurt.

3 comments:

Ken Silva said...

Hey I do appreciate the shout out but about the ECT thing; it was Jesus of Nazareth Who taught that, I'm just smart enough to quote Him since He is the Creator God Himself standing upon His planet in human flesh.

Benjamin Ady said...

Ken,

thanks for stopping by. I must of course point out that this is only one take on what Jesus taught, and that while there are a sizable number of people who think he taught that, they are not necessarily in the majority even among the orthodox, throughout church history.

Of course I'm guessing you see it as totally unambiguous. I rather suspect if you believed there was room for ambiguity, you'd do away with it, since it is a rather hideous thing to imagine.

BICBW =)

Anonymous said...

i think i'm going to have to check out eugene patterson. i went to bible study for the first time at my new church, and my new pastor (whom i really admire because he's got such a big heart and yet is freakishly smart) kept reading from his translation. i am enjoying my nrsv (much better than the kjv that i was using at the church i'm leaving), but i appreciate eugene's phrasing of things. anyhow - also - as i'm brand new to your blogs, i am so sorry to hear about the death of your mother. you'll be in my prayers.