E. C. (Gene) Ayres Blogspot

What is it about belief, that compels us mere mortals to reject all reason, logic or common sense, let alone science, in pursuit of that which we cannot have, and yet must? Religion, of course, has served to fill this gap in people's lives, and role in their hearts and minds for thousands of years. Religion is a proven provider of sustenance to a certain kind of addiction that seems to afflict most, if not all humans. It is potentially beneficial, of course, as was the probable intent of the prophets and originators in terms of its more positive messages. And of course, like chemical addictions, it is also potentially destructive, and has in fact taken the lives of millions over time, as it continues to do so even today. Music and art also provide an escape into an alternate state, like religion, and to some (including yours truly) it is a better outlet. When I go to a top-level performance of a Beethoven symphony, or a Bach or Mozart sonata or a Rachmaninoff piano concerto, it...

It always amazes me about how quickly we humans, or at least we American humans, can be manipulated into fits of righteous rage against things that are absolutely in our best interests, but we don't know it. The reason we don't know it, of course, is because loud, shouting bloggerheads, tea baggers and Repugs keep telling us the opposite of what's true, thus rewriting history, logic, economic theory, and the basic principles of right and wrong. It can be confusing, I must admit. What really gets me, though, is how poor and working people can be so adamantly opposed to the very notion of taxation. It's become an evil plot, certainly a dirty word, the very utterance of which has come to be the real-world equivalent to Harry Potter shouting: "Voldemort!" in a crowded dining hall. It seems that for pretty much the same kind of reasoning that can send people who depend on Medicare, for example, into a foam-frothing rage about a "government takeover" of th...