A father's open letter to God 04.19.2012

Dear God,

I've been a father for roughly two years now. My life has gone through a lot of changes. Seeing my daughter grow up, seeing this awesome little person develop right in front of my eyes is such a privilege. I'm thankful I have the opportunity to spend as much time with her as I get to do.

I had decided a long time ago that I wanted to be a hands-on father. To actively be involved in the life of my child. To teach her not just the "facts" of life, but to equip her with the skills needed to discover this amazing world for herself.

I've spent many nights sleeping with her next to me, or even just a stolen moment holding her in my arms thinking about the future. I can't imagine ever beating my child or abuse her in any other way. Although, sometimes, she can be a hand full and yes, she does get me to reach my boiling points at times, but I can physically feel sick thinking about not having her in my life anymore. To imagine she might get terminally ill and that she might eventually die, is almost too much to bare.

Obviously I want the best for my child, I love her, I want her to live her life to the fullest, giving her as much as I'm able to. Even at my own expense.

I want to teach her that I don't have all the answers. I want to teach her that she needs to go and verify things I tell her, don't just take my word for anything. I'd like to expose her to as much information as possible. Have her read about, listen to and be around different kinds of people with different ideas. I want her childhood to be as care-free as possible so she is free to live life as a child to the fullest extent. I want to let her know that growing up doesn't mean she needs to suppress her inner child. I want to stimulate and nurture her innate creative and inquisitive nature.

At least, that's what I think it means to properly raise and father a child.

I think this is also why I can't, for the life of me, see how Your behavior is in any way becoming of a father. You teach your children they should never question You, stating that Your will and rules are absolute. You teach them they should keep to their own kind and if they say they like another father better, kill them. You promote the restriction of information and have your children be ignorant so they are ready to make mistake upon mistake, for what reason? You have had to punish Your children several times throughout history by drowning them, inflicting diseases or sending wildlife to end their lives. You have constructed a torture chamber for your unruly children to have them experience pain for eternity, for simply not believing in You. Unfathomable to me is also the situation where You have sent down Your son as a sacrifice for a mess You have created.

In closing, I'm not quite sure how righteous or just I am, but I am sure I will -never- sacrifice my daughter to right a mistake I have made.

I would sooner give my own life and end my existence than see hers endangered.

Sincerely,
Michael

P.S. Feel free to reply in any way You see fit..

You might as well believe in Jesus 03.14.2012

You might as well believe in Jesus and God. After all what have you got to lose? If you're right, you gain eternal happiness in God's presence, if you're wrong, well nothing happens! It's a win win situation..

.. Only that it isn't a win win situation at all.

The quest to understand consciousness 12.20.2011

Mr. Antonio Damasio gives an excellent talk on exploring consciousness.

In it he addresses the point: "Enough of the mystery this is a mystery that really has been extremely hard to elucidate.
All the way back into early philosophy and certainly throughout the history of neural science, this has been one mystery that has always resisted elucidation and it's always caused major controversies and there are actually many people who think we should not touch it, just leave it alone, it is not to be solved."

I agree with mr. Damasio when he says "I don't believe that!". This is so true. We are finding out so many interesting things about our brain, consciousness and so many other things regarding our existence. We should not be afraid of this knowledge!

I personally believe that the more we learn about the human body and it's workings the more wonderful it becomes. There is no wonder in a "mystery", only ignorance. True appreciation can only come from understanding. Take away the mysteries, leave and perhaps increase the amazement and wonder!

Why am I the bad guy? 12.08.2011

I get a lot of comments on the way I communicate. That I'm arrogant, stubborn and intentionally confusing. A lot of people tend to think of me as a bad guy or a guy without emotions. Somebody who is set in his way and cannot be shaken or moved from his position, at all. A trickster who plays mind games with other people to make them think the same way he thinks.

This is so not true!

The Emotional and Person Experience 11.30.2011

Emotions are very powerful in influencing peoples decisions. Marketing people understand this. Con-artists understand this. Politicians understand this. The main objective of the 'game' is to stir up a certain emotion in your target so that they will be more receptive to your message. For marketing this means generating a feeling of need by creating emotions that feed that feeling. Feelings like emptiness for example or lust or jealousy. Politicians usually play the "fear" card in hopes of getting people to respond to it by voting on them and their solution "to cure the fear".