Is Truth Relative?If laws govern the physical universe independently of human belief, how absurd would it be to assume that if there were a spiritual realm it would operate on a dissimilar notion of randomness or individual interpretation? If our attitudes and beliefs cannot refute the fact that two hydrogens and one oxygen will always equal water, where does the idea come from that our attitudes and beliefs can define God, the cosmos or the afterlife?
Rethinking Religious LegalismIt’s said there is a letter of the law and a spirit of the law. The letter of the law is what a particular law actually says, for example, "No person shall cross the street on a red light." The spirit of the law is the behavior a particular law was designed to produce. The letter of the law should facilitate our understanding of the spirit of the law. In this case, the spirit of the law is to get people across the street safely.
It is possible to observe the spirit of the law while breaking some letter of it. Let’s say you’re at the corner of an empty intersection. After looking both ways, you don’t see traffic in either direction but the light is red and displays the obligatory "red hand" signal, which is the universal sign for "don’t cross this street." Reasoning that it is safe to cross an empty street, you walk. You have just broken the letter of the law, which states that no person shall cross the street on a red light, but you observed the spirit of the law, which is to get across the street safely.
On CommercialsSince I’m not an avid television watcher I haven’t been exposed to any candidacy commercials yet this season. However, I am very familiar with their typical format; they are usually along the same unethical lines as commercials from pharmaceutical companies endorsing the latest diet wonder drug, male enhancement product or sleep medication. With no specific piece in mind, I’d like to address a few of what I see as serious problems that are typical of political and pharmaceutical commercials in America today.
Twenty Bucks & A Full Tank of GasSo why exactly did I come here with only twenty bucks and a full tank of gas? The reasons are many, but mainly to get away from the same old routine and experience each day fresh and anew again. A major reason people snap in the modern world is due to the rising pressures of making a living while simultaneously maintaining one’s sanity and personal integrity. Freed from these burdens, one is more readily afforded the option of waking up every day with a clean mental slate, similar to childhood.
Why do our mental states shift whenever we take a vacation? What prevents one from operating at home with the same at-ease carelessness one experiences while being on the road?
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Time For Some ChangeThe tired custodian emptied the trash and locked up, departing to Al’s Liquor via bicycle for his standard three quarts of Schlitz Ice. He pedaled off, not knowing the bank he had just cleaned so meticulously was about to be visited by yet another customer. He didn’t even crack the first quart before the commotion began.
"KLAK-GRGRGRGRGRGRGRGRGRGRGTTTTTTT…"
A few seconds later, this unusual sound was followed by another one, different, yet equally foreign and intriguing.
"TSHHHHHHHHHHHT…"
The aural combinations would be juggled and repeated for hours into the night. The smooth, marble benches and red, painted curbs surrounding the monetary fortress have provided skateboarders with a challenging playground for years, ever since they replaced the ugly, dried-up grass that used to run the perimeter of the building.