Routine life
I felt like crap when finals ended. I don't think I did all that wonderfully, and in keeping with my being in a rut for the semester, I was even further brought down by the fact that I didn't have a job lined up. But then something good happened, I had an interview with a small firm (virtually a solo practice) in midtown, got hired on the spot. That was good. Problem is that the dude who hired me insisted that I start that very next week. So things got moving fast.
It's not entirely like the paralegal experience. For one thing, despite not being paid, there's more pressure to perform. But it has its good and bad aspects. One good thing is that I'm doing substantive things, like researching laws and statutes and investigating particular circumstances. Dare I say, sometimes it's even fun (the investigations part at least). The downside is that it's stressful, and it's work. I feel that same old routine from Paralegalling days, when I come home, relax for a little bit, fall asleep, then do it all over again. Luckily I have the weekends to keep me entertained.
So for the past several days, I've been going to Jamatkhana services regularly. Ironic, I don't think I've been a daily attender since Al Ummah last summer. But this is nice, it's not far from home, it's a pretty peaceful place, and it's relaxing. Glad that I have that to keep me sane. Speaking of, my cousin's blog had a recent entry about the ubiquitous presence of God and violence. Interesting take on the religious issue. I don't remember who said it, but the quote "There are no atheists in foxholes" comes to mind. Hell, if I ever had to live in a warzone like Afghanistan, I'd be more religious considering how close to death every day existence can be.
Why is it that atheists and other staunch secularists always think religion is a bad thing? I totally see the merits of their arguments regarding extremism. I would never defend the practices of the Taliban or people like Bin Laden regardless of how much they try to wave the Islamic flag. Nor would I ever give any support to the Christian far right, with their war on secularism and evolution, with their thinly veiled attempts to establish a Christian version of Iran here in the United States. Nor will I ever stop condemning the Jewish extremists who insist on land grabbing in the West Bank and Gaza, causing unknown amounts of suffering just in the name of the letter of religion.
The problem's facing world wide religions are pretty universal. But it's not religion itself that is the problem, it's the lost spirit. When Muhammed came around in the 9th century, the Arabian peninsula was a complete hellhole with a harsh and violent existence amidst continuously warring tribes. His introduction led to unprecedented peace and prosperity in that region. But unfortunately, the egalitarian spirit of Medina has been forgotten, even in Medina. Ironically, it's the United States that's most closely resembling that spirit today. Instead we have those claiming to support Muhammed's mantle blowing themselves up, oppressing women, and god only knows what else.
One of my favorite stories is about the Rabbi Hillel, in which the Rebbe was mocked by some pagans, who said they would convert to Judaism if he could recite the Torah standing on one leg. He stood on one leg and said something along the lines of, "the essence of the Torah is to wish unto others as one would wish for himself. The rest is just commentary, go learn it." Somehow we got from that to a bunch of folks who see the Old Testament as nothing more than a land contract. Forget the 10 commandments (especially 'Thou shall not kill'), and forget the whole 'Love thy neighbor' concept, we have land at stake.
Christ was a pacifist. Remember the whole "turn the other cheek," bit, and the entire bit about loving your enemy?" Sounds like a nice message. If you love someone, he's no longer your enemy, so peace should prevail, or at least progress made. And somehow, today we have bible-thumpers declaring war on evolution and finding intricate ways to deny gay people certain rights.
Where did religion go wrong? When did it stop being about the spirit of goodness and humanity? When did all of this other crap become more important than the core meanings? All I know is that I enjoy my religion because it gives me an escape from the stress of the world. The whole 'be nice' aspect works pretty well for me. So, I pray for the salvation of true religion in this world. Because it's a good thing, if only people remembered what it's really all about.
But there is hope. Despite the shortcomings of institutionalized religion, there will always be a place for individual spirituality. Hopefully that will prevail. I'm anxiously waiting to see what will happen.
It's not entirely like the paralegal experience. For one thing, despite not being paid, there's more pressure to perform. But it has its good and bad aspects. One good thing is that I'm doing substantive things, like researching laws and statutes and investigating particular circumstances. Dare I say, sometimes it's even fun (the investigations part at least). The downside is that it's stressful, and it's work. I feel that same old routine from Paralegalling days, when I come home, relax for a little bit, fall asleep, then do it all over again. Luckily I have the weekends to keep me entertained.
So for the past several days, I've been going to Jamatkhana services regularly. Ironic, I don't think I've been a daily attender since Al Ummah last summer. But this is nice, it's not far from home, it's a pretty peaceful place, and it's relaxing. Glad that I have that to keep me sane. Speaking of, my cousin's blog had a recent entry about the ubiquitous presence of God and violence. Interesting take on the religious issue. I don't remember who said it, but the quote "There are no atheists in foxholes" comes to mind. Hell, if I ever had to live in a warzone like Afghanistan, I'd be more religious considering how close to death every day existence can be.
Why is it that atheists and other staunch secularists always think religion is a bad thing? I totally see the merits of their arguments regarding extremism. I would never defend the practices of the Taliban or people like Bin Laden regardless of how much they try to wave the Islamic flag. Nor would I ever give any support to the Christian far right, with their war on secularism and evolution, with their thinly veiled attempts to establish a Christian version of Iran here in the United States. Nor will I ever stop condemning the Jewish extremists who insist on land grabbing in the West Bank and Gaza, causing unknown amounts of suffering just in the name of the letter of religion.
The problem's facing world wide religions are pretty universal. But it's not religion itself that is the problem, it's the lost spirit. When Muhammed came around in the 9th century, the Arabian peninsula was a complete hellhole with a harsh and violent existence amidst continuously warring tribes. His introduction led to unprecedented peace and prosperity in that region. But unfortunately, the egalitarian spirit of Medina has been forgotten, even in Medina. Ironically, it's the United States that's most closely resembling that spirit today. Instead we have those claiming to support Muhammed's mantle blowing themselves up, oppressing women, and god only knows what else.
One of my favorite stories is about the Rabbi Hillel, in which the Rebbe was mocked by some pagans, who said they would convert to Judaism if he could recite the Torah standing on one leg. He stood on one leg and said something along the lines of, "the essence of the Torah is to wish unto others as one would wish for himself. The rest is just commentary, go learn it." Somehow we got from that to a bunch of folks who see the Old Testament as nothing more than a land contract. Forget the 10 commandments (especially 'Thou shall not kill'), and forget the whole 'Love thy neighbor' concept, we have land at stake.
Christ was a pacifist. Remember the whole "turn the other cheek," bit, and the entire bit about loving your enemy?" Sounds like a nice message. If you love someone, he's no longer your enemy, so peace should prevail, or at least progress made. And somehow, today we have bible-thumpers declaring war on evolution and finding intricate ways to deny gay people certain rights.
Where did religion go wrong? When did it stop being about the spirit of goodness and humanity? When did all of this other crap become more important than the core meanings? All I know is that I enjoy my religion because it gives me an escape from the stress of the world. The whole 'be nice' aspect works pretty well for me. So, I pray for the salvation of true religion in this world. Because it's a good thing, if only people remembered what it's really all about.
But there is hope. Despite the shortcomings of institutionalized religion, there will always be a place for individual spirituality. Hopefully that will prevail. I'm anxiously waiting to see what will happen.
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