Hang out time with Mom

Yesterday afternoon my mother and I spent most of the day together. It was the longest amount of time we've been around one another in quite awhile.

I drove her out to Gaithersburg, Maryland to have her special contact lenses examined and cleaned (I had to smile when, while traveling, she commented that she has never had any desire to live in Maryland at any point in her life-- affirming that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree).

While waiting for the cleaning, we went and bought drinks at a Starbucks. There, we actually held a long-lasting conversation about my parents retirement, my sister's college plans, my friend's new baby, and some other things.

Unfortunately, it has been awhile since I've actually sat down and talked with my mother, or any member of my family, for that long.

It was a nice change.

Buddhism Jank

I started on Brad Warner's second book, "Sit Down and Shut Up." For those unfamiliar with the author, his first book, "Hardcore Zen" served as part memoir and part instruction into Warner's interpretation of Zen Buddhism.

Warner is no newbie. With over twenty years of experience with zazen (Zen) theory and practice, and being an ordained Zen priest, he reads as a knowledgeable instructor (i.e. "no bullshit") of the Eastern religion/philosophy. The foundation of the book is the ongoing examination of the insights of Dogen, a thirteenth-century Japanese Zen Buddhist.

What makes Warner's books unique from traditional surveys of religion is his own past. As bass player for a punk rock band in Akron, Ohio, Warner provides an unorthodox background for his interest in zazen (although the notion of a young individual unsatisfied with "proper" and "traditional" thought, as established by societal norms, turning to a derivation of the Buddha-inspired religion is not so foregone).

Coming from the rhetoric of Christopher Hitchens latest book (see below), "Sit Down and Shut Up" is a far more simple undertaking of writing. This is a strength of the book, as Warner's ethos is far more conversational in tone than scholarly discourse.

With my own experience with Buddhism and Zen (from my coursework at VCU) in the back of my mind, I found much of the first chapters to be a bit drawn-out and boring as they were devoted to subjects I was, for the most part, familiar with. However, I understand that Warner is unsure of his precise audience, and their knowledge of zazen history and implications, which creates the need for the author to clarify.

Another likable aspect of Warner is his admittance of no easy solutions, no instant enlightenment (he does not use condescension by proclaiming to be enlightened himself), and no painless cognitive transitions. He states that if one is serious to learn more about themselves, and how they behave, then one must undertake difficult practices and self-realization techniques to achieve such ends.

I tend to agree with Buddhist notions of "self," and the need to gradually rethink how one's self impacts their life. For instance, in his chapter on anger, Warner interprets a Dogen passage on the subject to impart how it is not the specific event that triggers a feeling of anger (your boss, traffic, your kids, etc.). Instead, it is one's own reaction that will determine how one responds to such unpleasant circumstances.

Warner does a much better job of explaining this than I can at the moment, but it is nonetheless an interesting analysis of the human psyche. I hope the book will continue in this vein.

More with Hitchen's new book...

After completing "God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything," I can't say that I feel much more enlightened, so to speak, with regards to religion and God.

Although I was confirmed in the Roman Catholic religion a few years ago, my approach to "faith," or the unknowable, has drastically changed since that service on the Eve of Easter. Even at the point of my first communion, I did not think that Catholics were better than Protestants, or that other religions were any less poignant. I didn't think the Pope was possessed the abilities as defined by the doctrine of infallibility. I was far from being a fundamentalist.

One interesting point that Hitchens touches upon at various instances in the book is that religion is an anthropomorphic entity. Essentially, God is a product of human imagination and creation. However, how one defines God is quite problematic. Is the God in the Pentateuch the same as that of the New Testament (the latter is more relaxed, the former more...dickhead-ish?).

Hitchens writes:

God did not create man in his own image. Evidently, it was the other way about, which is the painless explanation for the profusion of gods and religions, and the fratricide both between and among faiths, that we see all about us and that has so retarded the development of civilization (8).

Ouch.

One criticism that I have with Hitchens' book is that he does not do enough to distinguish the fundamentalist religious follower with that of the more, for lack of a better word, liberal (or "open-minded," or "with-it") follower. Andrew Sullivan, a gay (and conservative!) Catholic comes immediately to mind. Or the many individuals, whose modest yet no less noble attempts at non-hostile co-habitation, which is often dwarfed by the zealous behavior of the fundamentally-based interpretations of various religionists, are hardly accounted for. Instead, the reader gets the impression that Hitchens gathers all religion-followers into one big pot of "crazy."

The warnings and criticism that Hitchens weighs against fundamental beliefs are quite potent and largely accurate. In addition, the writing ability that he possesses is superb. However, by allocating all religious persons together, Hitchens fails to realize the effects that his belief that God is an anthropomorphic creation has on his larger thesis. It should not be how "religion poisons everything," but how people poison religion.

Springfield is Dutch for "Satan's Crotch!"

If there is one benefit to, once again, living in Springfield for the summer, it is to be surrounded in an ongoing, tangible reminder of the life I don't want. I can't stand the shopping malls (in part because I work next to a monument to dullness: Springfield Mall). I can't stand the rush that people are (or, at least think they are) under. I can't stand that I have to drive everywhere, making the many enjoyable walks I've had in the Fan of Richmond, VA seem too distant in memory.

I think the tipping point came while waiting for my Taco Bell order in the Food Court of the aforementioned Springfield Mall. Looking around and seeing a predominant number of individuals who range from slightly over weight to significantly over weight, encapsulated the dormant laziness that Springfield has, at least compared to my time spent in Richmond.

The adage is: You get out of it what you put into it. I suppose I can be too hard on Springfield from time to time. And I suppose I could rear my attitude to yield less displeasure. But, as I mentioned to Brika while walking in Old Town Alexandria, I think for the most part I can be spot-on with my appraisal.

The good part about being in northern Virginia is the gained proximity to many of my friends. Spending time with them is what keeps me sane (seeing my family and watching a good Nats game also has a similar effect).

Perhaps my relationship with the area of my upbringing has much to do with where I work. While I am content with the amount of money that I will make this summer at the Michael's Frame Shop, I regret not being able to spend more time and creativity with customers because of the need to keep the "assembly line" of production at proper speed. I would love, love, to work at a smaller frame shop with much less traffic, which would enable a much more less-hectic pace of work, and would most likely result in a better product for the customer.

I know, I know, this is a "bitch" post. I just miss the college life at VCU, the neighborhoods in the Fan, and the more deliberate life style I have down there.

I can't wait to go back.

Hitchens' new book

I am about a quarter into Christopher Hitchens' new book, "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." My first exposures to Hitchens came from his various appearances on Bill Maher's HBO show, Real Time. Although far from expressing an upbeat personality, Hitchens came off as being a bright thinker. In addition, I had never read an atheist exposition, so I thought his new book might be a good place to start.

The chapters that I have read thus far do not include any theories or philosophies that debunk the existence of a God-entity. Instead, Hitchens writes of his opposition to religious beliefs, particularly the people that hold such beliefs.

For instance, he discusses the religious beliefs that some either create or subscribe to with regards to the use of condoms to reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa. Some followers of the Christian faith (notably the Vatican) do not support the use of prophylactics, considering them an unnatural phenomenon that God is in opposition to. Hitchens wonders how the continuous support of suffering (thought to be in "accord" with the wishes of God) outweighs the guaranteed aid that the use of condoms would bring.

In the same chapter, Hitchens writes of Muslim leaders who believe that the vaccines used to treat diseases in impoverished countries is a Western ploy to sterilize the "true believers." These leaders encourage anyone who is willing to listen to them to avoid such treatments.

The overall theme of the book (at least thus far) has been to show how religious beliefs and faith can easily corrupt human rationality and one's ability to make sound judgements in an age of science. This point is not a new one, but the rhetorical talent that Hitchens possesses argues these points with a fresh vigor that makes his book an interesting read.

Springfield strikes again

As if the potent monotony of northern Virginia wasn't enough, now I seem to have developed indigestion. Now, common sense dictates that I avoid coffee, soda, pasta, and beer to gauge if it is a passing condition, or something that requires an examination.

Hmmmm...life without coffee, soda, pasta, and beer.

Wonderful.