Sentential Links

Linkage!

:: Saying you're going to stop eating meat to prevent animal suffering is like saying you're not having children to prevent child abuse. Pacifism doesn't create change. Ever. (Oooooh, I love Jenna Woginrich and her blog and her books, and I love the full-force with which she is attacking her pursuit of the life she has decided she wants. But this bit here stuck in my craw the second I read it. The post is a collection of "life lessons" Jenna has learned, and a lot of them are great. This one, though, bugs the hell out of me. First, the comparison in the first sentence just doesn't make sense at all, but that's not what bothers me. "Pacifism doesn't create change, ever"? That might come as news to the Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, and Jesus of Nazareth, to name a few. And while I'm at it, Tennessee is almost certainly a fine place, but to my way of thinking, no state that doesn't have any coastline either along ocean or Great Lake is in the "Best state" conversation. But that's just me and my love of great bodies of water talking....)

:: You know that icy stab of fear that penetrates your chest when you realise you've made a huge mistake? (Oh, do I ever...!)

:: Imagine you've been following Harry Potter and Voldemort's conflicts all the way from the first book to the seventh book. Harry and Voldemort are finally battling it out face-to-face. It's a legit battle, think of the movie version. Then suddenly, someone stronger, even more evil appears and defeats Voldemort, and we find out the seventh book isn't the last book.

:: Let me ask you a question: after you heard Louis CK’s rant, did you step away from your screens for even an hour? Or did you “like” it, forward it and then go right back to playing Candy Crush Saga? Or checking your emails? Or tweeting something about whatever exciting sandwich you ate today? And if you did, do you often take the advice of rich people who don’t have the same daily grind that you do? Sure, it’s nice to pull over and listen to a Bruce Springsteen song and have an emotional moment, especially when you don’t have a “9 to 5” you have to get to. But a lot of other people want to check the news and need to stay in touch with work. (Aaron thinks that LouisCK is as full of crap as I did last year. Great minds think alike and all that! Speaking of which, I need to return to that topic, now that I actually have a smartphone....)

:: Arthur Chu’s play does not bother me. (Me either. I don't know what the big deal is. It boils down to "But that's not how they've always played!", plus, I think, a bit of the old "Oooooh, Chinese guy." Ken Jennings did some of these things, but geez, look up "Nice white guy next door" in the dictionary, and it's his picture you'll find there.)

:: Because in the meantime, it's the story that matters, and nothing is as joyous as loving the story you're telling. I remind myself to just immerse myself in the story and that's what's important and the rest will come as it comes. And I trust that it will come.

:: Hello? Anybody out there? It’s good to see you all again. It’s been far too long. You’re probably wondering just what the hell happened and where I’ve been, and why it’s taken so long to get this place back in business again. At least… I hope you’re invested enough to be curious about all that. (Jason Bennion is blogging again, huzzah!)

More next week!