The Inquisitive Hand Blogger Blog

A Blogger Blog for Religion, Money and Conspiracy

Today's Message: Open your minds, Expand your thoughts, Find meaning.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Obesity in the States

I'm currently on holiday in the States and my experience so far has been very enlightening, not to say the least. I've seen the Statue of Liberty (which is about as big as my house), Penn Station, Empire State Building and even the US Postal Service HQ in Central New York. However, out of all of the amazing sites I have seen, the most intriguing has to be the people. I must go back to a statement that I use regularly, "Famine in the East is as rife as Obesity is in the West". Firstly, I must say, what a shame. Secondly, I must point out that it is due to a number of factors for ordinary families living in the United States. I have identified the following:
  • After looking for a Sports Centre in the phone directory I only found 1 in the entire of New Jersey, which in fact didn't offer adequate facilities for playing Badminton. The thing that was most shameful was that there were like 20 or 30 businesses which actually made tennis and badminton courts for people in their own homes. How odd.
  • I'm currently staying with some family and I have found that everyday the parent's of my little cousins buy them take away food. They all look like 18 stones and are 15 years of age and younger. They are clinically, biologically, chemically, academically, generally and officially OBESE (and yes, it does have to be written in CAPS). The take away food (and yes, of course I've tried some, I'm in the US) tastes like a rotting Dog whose face has been opened with a cap opener (to be graphic). The rice, vegetables and everything else is fried and doused in more oil than you can extract from a rat's legs. Again, what a grave shame.
  • The government of the US do not seem to care about any sort of initiatives to (1) Save energy and (2) Save lives by promoting and enforcing healthy eating. In America, I have seen my cousins leave their computers and everything else on all night. America is the only continent that has not signed the Kyoto Agreement to reduce global warming. Even Antarctica has signed it and they have no government. There seems to be a lot of over wastage and over usage of resources at the same time. I am seriously appalled I'm sorry to say.

However, It's not all a negative experience, I'm having a great time and everyone should experience the American lifestyle one time in their lives if no more. This is the place of opportunity, money and business, which all of you shall know, I simply love. At the same time, I've thought of ways to combat this obesity and wastage and to help drive the Unites States into a more wonderful country:

  • Have more Sub Ways. No, I'm not talking about underground trains but instead about the company which sells freshly made Sandwiches. I think they're a bloody God send. You MUST try one and you'll be hooked. They're downright tasty, full of flavor (notice the lack of 'u'), at a good price and healthier than you'll ever know. They're splendid in every way.
  • The government need to charge the people of US a little more tax so that the economy can become more buoyant again with more government spending and less borrowing and lots of redevelopment. The extra pool of money can be spent building public sports facilities than sustain themselves by charging 'tiny' fees to people who use them.
  • The government can add more legislation to the existing fast food businesses to make it harder for them to produce unhealthy food. At least if the current generation cannot be saved, then we can save the next generation else face grave unquantifiable consequences.
  • Parents need to attend courses on healthy eating and be given lots of information on the problems obesity can cause. Education is a key weapon to combat this problem.

All in all I think the US will have to wake up, if not now, then soon. They shall have to face these issues and act to improve the lives of the citizens of the US. God Bless America and In God We Trust to help us, help ourselves. I thought obesity in the UK was bad, but I was gravely mistaken. Now I must go downstairs and eat the vile take away food that has been ordered because no one can be arsed to cook a fresh, healthy meal (not even me). Again I shall have to cleverly bin the food when no one is looking so to not cause offence. But, you know what needs to be done, go fly people, FLY and SAVE THE WORLD!

Saturday, July 02, 2005

Why is there so Much Suffering?

London Terrorist Bomb AttacksYet again, I'm moving from being a Jockey into my serious mode (for the moment) to discuss an infinitely more complex and contentious issue of "Why is there so much suffering, if God is all-loving?", as I've briefly discussed with Black Cat in the wonderful comments blogger blog feature. A week ago there was the Live 8 concert to help end the debt of the third world countries and hopefully give these countries a head start in progressing, I emphasise the word hopefully. However, poverty in these countries is as rife as obesity is in the United States. Little babies, who have done nothing wrong, die a painful, excruciating and unnecessary death. Also, recently in the London attacks, many innocent people died and hundreds more were injured severely, did they deserve this? Now comes the dilemma. If God is an all-loving being, as is in the Classical Theistic view, then why wouldn't God save that child in poverty or protect the people in the London blasts? Surely, a Mother would do anything to save their children from pain, no? Also, if anyone, it is God who can do a miracle and bend the rules of nature to save his/her/it/their children. Here are answers some religions give:

A God and a Devil

  • There is a God, but also a Devil that works against God to destroy the world. It is the Devil that causes this suffering not God.

This is a crap explanation, because if God is all powerful, then why doesn't God kill the Devil today and end our suffering. This means that either God is not powerful at all (thus cannot be called God) or more logically, there is not a Devil. If there is a Devil, then the Devil must work for God, thus, the Devil cannot really be called evil but is instead trying to do his/her/it's/their duty. Many Christians would say that the Devil is a very real human being, but then the question I would pose that if the Devil is a human being who walks on Earth, then why is it that bombs can explode in two places at once, why is it that evil can happen at two places at once. Christians may further argue that in fact the Devil has associates, but then it still wouldn't solve the contradiction on an All powerful creator who cannot seemingly control a mere Devil.

Really there is no Devil. The concept of a Devil was created by high priests and holy men who would commit various evil acts such as murder and so needed someone or something else to blame. The devil is just a character that we have created to place the blame of evil off ourselves and onto an imaginary being. The real Devil is of our own minds. As humans, our minds are in constant battle with themselves to try and get control. Also, if the Devil punishes people for their wrong doings in Hell then surely the Devil must be good. If the Devil was truly evil then he would make the people in Hell his/her friends because they would have something in common (being evil of course). Again, this is a grave absurdity of the whole "Devil" affair. If you still disagree with me then go back to your Holy Books and read a bit more deeply. You shall come to realise that the real Devil is of our own minds. The real hell is in our minds. We are in constant conflict with our own minds to try and get control, but currently, our desires are in control of us. What a shame.

A Not so Powerful God

  • God is not so powerful now but used to be an all-powerful being.

This makes as much sense as a Dog with hair extensions. This theory can be solved by asking "Can God create a mountain that he cannot move?". If not then this means God is not so powerful therefore the God in question is not the God. If so then this means God has created something more powerful than God, therefore, God cannot be God. If you don't understand this, don't worry, let it mull over for a few weeks and one day you may get it (much like me, I took half a year to understand it). Generally, the point being that if a God is not so powerful, then that God cannot be the God. This explanation for suffering is therefore illogical.

An All Powerful, All Loving God

  • God is both all powerful and all loving, but there is also evil in the world.

This seems to be back to square one and you may be wondering how on Mother Earth this is pulled off. I have not seen this concept fully explained in any other religion more clearly than it has been done in Sikhism. It is written that as humans, because our desires are in control of us, we have become attached to the world and materialism. In order for us to become aware of our goal in life again, there is suffering. Suffering is the mechanism which God has created to remind us of the meaning of life. This is explained better as an analogy:

There is a blacksmith who purifies iron. First he takes the iron, puts it on the anvil and begins to beat it with his hammer. The iron screams and weeps due to the suffering it has endured. But the result is iron without the impurities.

The suffering we face is for our best. In our own minds, we see death as a bad thing because it is seen as the end of life, but without death how would we understand life? We have a misconception about death as being bad, but what if for one moment we assume death is good? This would mean death is the beginning of something even more wonderful. After all, death may ironically be seen to be the ender of pain and suffering.

Similarly, without suffering how would we understand pleasure? The system is a perfect one, which requires no intervention by God. Our entire creation seems to have a beautiful ability to regulate and repair itself whilst continually changing and expanding and unfolding in beautiful ways which we may never understand. Much like an ant cannot understand how vast our world is, similarly, we are even smaller than ants in comparison to the universe and all its wonder.

In my mind, the answer to suffering is a simple one, and related to the meaning of life...it is to make us realise where we stand in life and what our lives mean to us. It allows us to snap out of our materialistic world we have indulged in and see reality for what it is. It opens our eyes. And I hope I've opened yours too.