I don't cook my fish in oil...

(Image borrowed from the WSJ)

BP has basically created one of the worst ecological disasters of my lifetime.  If the spill spreads outside of the Loop Current (which it has already entered), there's a chance it will destroy a goodly portion of the Atlantic ecosystem.  Those are just the facts as best I understand them.

I tried to research an expected recovery time for affected areas, but I didn't find estimates that anyone seemed confident in.  Based on previous oil spills, the best anyone can offer is "decades".  Decades?!  I can't help but wonder what the lesson is that we all will take away from this experience. 

Also, how long does it take to plug a fucking oil leak?  It's been over a month, just seal the damn thing?  This situation has been handled poorly by our government.  BP should be held accountable for the incident, but they should not be entrusted with the sole responsibility of resolving the issue.  The governments of the American continents need to step in.  This spill has become everyone's burden, and we need to do whatever it takes to fix it.

I'm not sure which government officials I need to write over this affair, so any suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated. 

A New Spin on Christianity

I’ve been reading a lot of FB posts on faith vs. science, and it inspired me to take a look at Christianity with fresh eyes. Today, I started reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. The book is about achieving enlightenment or, if you prefer, moving to a higher level of consciousness. Here is an excerpt:

“If we look more deeply into humanity’s ancient religions and spiritual traditions, we will find that underneath the many surface differences there are two core insights that most of them agree on. […] The first part of this truth is the realization that the ‘normal’ state of mind of most human beings contains a strong element of what we might call dysfunction or even madness. Certain teachings at the heart of Hinduism perhaps come closest to seeing the dysfunction as a form of collective mental illness. They call it maya, the veil of delusion. Raman Maharshi, one of the greatest Indian sages, bluntly states, ‘The mind is maya.’

Buddhism uses different terms. According to the Buddha, the human mind in its normal state generates dukkha, which can be translated as suffering, unsatisfactoriness [SIC], or just plain misery. He sees it as a characteristic of the human condition. […]

According to Christian teachings, the normal collective state of humanity is one of ‘original sin’. Sin is a word that has been greatly misunderstood and misinterpreted. Literally translated from the ancient Greek in which the New Testament was written, to sin means to miss the mark, as an archer who misses the target, so to sin means to miss the point of human existence. It means to live unskillfully, blindly, and thus to suffer and cause suffering. Again, the term, stripped of its baggage and cultural misinterpretations, points to the dysfunction in the human condition.”

In the past, I've always assumed that Christianity and the Bible were absolute truth or rubbish, but now I'm starting to wonder if a middle ground is possible.  To move forward with this belief, I will need to deny several basic premises of contemporary Christianity while recognizing that some aspects of my belief cannot be quantified or easily observed.

Let's assume that “God” is a character and not a supreme being, the New Testament is not timeless (but certainly revolutionary for its time), and Jesus was simply attempting to inspire others to achieve enlightenment.  With those three assumptions, Christianity and the Bible make a lot of sense to me, and I have to admit that Jesus was really on to something.  I may still not agree with every message in there, but it seems like he was certainly more enlightened than I am today.  This will require some thought.

Part 2 will be coming to a FB/blog post near you, but for now: dinner time.

Overcoming Obstacles

In my last post, I briefly discussed some of the goals I have set for myself. Well, today I identified two of the main obstacles that stand between me and achieving those goals: failure and shame. They're interrelated to a degree; let me explain.

I am not innately gifted in the world of finance or physical fitness. I haven't had a sustained and intentional workout/diet plan, and I find money management perplexing. Oftentimes, one misstep is the kiss of death to all of my efforts. I would let one small battle decide the war.

From today forward, I will accept failure for what it is - the cost of doing something great. In time, I hope to see these experiences as learning opportunities...but for now I'll settle with them not being indomitable influences in my life.

Shame is the other big obstacle. I am, quite literally, ashamed of my body. The feeling is so strong that it compels me to stay away from the gym. Shame should serve as a catalyst for self-improvement, not as a deterrent.  Now I move forward knowing that every pushup takes me one step closer to becoming someone I can be proud of.

Triumphs

• I completed the final piece of my credit card application.  As soon as the credit union sends me my card, I'll be able to finally start building some credit history.
• I updated my W-4 allowances after using the IRS's online calculator.  This should help me get a positive return during tax time next year.

Immediate Goals

• I was sent an informational packet concerning my company's 401K information.  I need to read it and, if necessary, speak with the company-hired financial consultant about investment plans.
• I need to find a suitable apartment for me and my new roommate, Jason.  The lease expires on June 30, so I need to have something lined up by the end of this month.

Final Thoughts

"Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it." ~Plato

The Night Shift

I have not had a presence online in some time.  This is true for a lot of reasons, but lately I've just been working my ass off.  I was going to insert something witty here, but I'm just dead to the world after a 13 hour shift.  However, I do want to give everyone the skinny on what's going on with me.

Scary thing of the month is that I may or may not have colon cancer.  It sounds like the docs really don't know what's going on, so I get to have them check out my GI and tell me what the hell is wrong.  That happens in just over seven days.

In other news, dating has been hit and miss.  It seems like I've attracted a lot of girls that I'm not that into, but I'm also attracted some girls that aren't into me.  My leading prospect was a med student at Wash U. who used to do figure skating.  She was a lot of fun when we got to hang out, but she's super unavailable.  We might give things another shot when she's less busy.

I'm also talking to an aspiring pharmacist that I seem to really click with.  We have pretty similar values on topics like family, religion, partying, etc.  The bonus is that she really likes politics and philosophy but isn't so knowledgeable on the topics that I will get destroyed in a discussion.  I digress.

My personal goals right now include:

1. Get my finances in order, including 401K and a credit card.
2. Start exercising regularly...Thanks Chi for some added inspiration.
3. Playing violin regularly.  I've been super slacking on this one, but it's pretty low on the list right now.
4. Take a Spanish class so that I can communicate with immigrant workers on the client site.

On a side note, I'm looking forward to another trip to Lollapalooza.  Gogol Bordello is playing, and I just know it's going to be a blast.  Overall, I'd say my outlook on life is pretty bright when I'm not burnt out from work.  I realized recently that finding a special someone is really important to my happiness, and I can use that as motivation to better myself. 

I would like to issue a challenge to all of my readers (lol, as if multiple people read this)...  Take a moment to identify your top three personal goals, and list one thing you are doing to achieve each one.  Sometimes, you just have to break down your goals into measurable bites. 

Final thoughts:

"I will apologize for everything but today.  Today, I give a shit!" - Kevin Kline in Life as a House