Tuesday, September 20, 2005
From God to Money
Well, since most of my recent posts...ok all my posts are usually related to some spiritual subject matter, I thought I would shake things up and bring up something near and dear to my heart and that is...Mercedes Benz. "What", I hear you exclaim," could Mercedes have to do with you? You've never owned a Benz!!!" And to that I reply...true. HOWEVER, I work for a call centre that is employed by mercedes benz and thus talk to many owners of them daily. Now mind you these are rich people (who are snobby) and English people (who are snobby) which adds up to Mercedes English people (butt-holes). But the shortcomings of these individuals as human beings is of secondary importance. What I want to discuss is this:
Many of the people I talk to own an SL Mercedes which is between a 50 to 70 thousand pound car (that is pounds stirling not pounds as in big bottoms). They usually own more than one and I actually had a lady complain to me today because her husband was dismayed by the disproportionately large amounts of special SLs (80-90 thousand pounds) he saw and was thinking of changing for a MORE ELITE car! My question is this: Should these people be taxed extremely hard because of their obvious amount of disposable income or is it fair that they are able to afford 2-3 mercedes and others can't pay rent.
Basically, just want to see who is more of a socialist (Zhubin, Bobak, Stalin) and who is more of a capitalist (Paige, Joe, Jesus). What do you think?
Many of the people I talk to own an SL Mercedes which is between a 50 to 70 thousand pound car (that is pounds stirling not pounds as in big bottoms). They usually own more than one and I actually had a lady complain to me today because her husband was dismayed by the disproportionately large amounts of special SLs (80-90 thousand pounds) he saw and was thinking of changing for a MORE ELITE car! My question is this: Should these people be taxed extremely hard because of their obvious amount of disposable income or is it fair that they are able to afford 2-3 mercedes and others can't pay rent.
Basically, just want to see who is more of a socialist (Zhubin, Bobak, Stalin) and who is more of a capitalist (Paige, Joe, Jesus). What do you think?
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Big Cities
Well, I had my graduation this friday...yes, I know what some of you are thinking. You are saying, "Christopher, my good friend...has all the boiled food gone to your head and made you senile and forget that you graduated last september?!" Yes, although I graduated last september, we didn't go through the ceremony till this past friday...the 9th...of SEPTEMBER!!...hmmm...
Anywho, it was cool. Brian Dennehy was a special guest speaker and he was cool. All in all it was a cool day. Did I use cool enough?
Ok, so enough about that. I have another post on the meaning of life that came to me as I was walking down the street in downtown London.
As I was walking I began to really look at all the people. Thousands upon thousands of people traverse those streets daily and each has a life that is rich in its history, if nothing else. And as I walked I began to think a few things. 1)Our individuality, if you discount the existence of a conscious deity, is largely meaningless. There are so many individuals with so many thoughts and ideas that anything you think or do is most likely thought or done by others and you are not special. Indeed, anything you can do is most likely meaningless and moot which leads to point number two. 2) Even if you don't believe in a deity but still believe life can be meaningful by how you use it, you are really deluding yourself. I was reading the Once and Future King by T.H. White and was thinking about that novel and other "great" works of literature, about philosophers, kings, and fame. On that tangent, I thought that for every Dostoyevsky you have, there are thousands if not millions of writers who also could have been great, but have faded into obscurity. Philosophers have been with us forever, yet very few of them stand the test of time; indeed, most don't even withstand their own lifetime. Even those who wield enormous power in their day, whether they be rulers or well-known by the populace, fade away and usually make very little difference in the river of life as we know it. Only a tiny percent of a tiny percent of a tiny percent do something with their life that changes this world at all. Much as anyone tries, the greatest chance is that your life, whether good or bad, will be completely meaningless and your passing will affect the world virtually not at all. Indeed, even people who commit horrific deeds are forgotten unless they arise to the Hitler level (who will probably fade out of history eventually too)
Basically I guess this post is a challenge to those who don't believe that we were made for a purpose and are known individually. If that's true and if, regardless of how hard we try, we will probably affect things less than a pebble in a fast flowing river, what is the point of doing good or striving for perfection? Is the possibility, remote though it may be, of leaving some sort of legacy enough to make one try? Or is there another answer?
It rained a lot this week and my thoughts have turned darker...almost as dark as Zhubin's black heart...
Anywho, it was cool. Brian Dennehy was a special guest speaker and he was cool. All in all it was a cool day. Did I use cool enough?
Ok, so enough about that. I have another post on the meaning of life that came to me as I was walking down the street in downtown London.
As I was walking I began to really look at all the people. Thousands upon thousands of people traverse those streets daily and each has a life that is rich in its history, if nothing else. And as I walked I began to think a few things. 1)Our individuality, if you discount the existence of a conscious deity, is largely meaningless. There are so many individuals with so many thoughts and ideas that anything you think or do is most likely thought or done by others and you are not special. Indeed, anything you can do is most likely meaningless and moot which leads to point number two. 2) Even if you don't believe in a deity but still believe life can be meaningful by how you use it, you are really deluding yourself. I was reading the Once and Future King by T.H. White and was thinking about that novel and other "great" works of literature, about philosophers, kings, and fame. On that tangent, I thought that for every Dostoyevsky you have, there are thousands if not millions of writers who also could have been great, but have faded into obscurity. Philosophers have been with us forever, yet very few of them stand the test of time; indeed, most don't even withstand their own lifetime. Even those who wield enormous power in their day, whether they be rulers or well-known by the populace, fade away and usually make very little difference in the river of life as we know it. Only a tiny percent of a tiny percent of a tiny percent do something with their life that changes this world at all. Much as anyone tries, the greatest chance is that your life, whether good or bad, will be completely meaningless and your passing will affect the world virtually not at all. Indeed, even people who commit horrific deeds are forgotten unless they arise to the Hitler level (who will probably fade out of history eventually too)
Basically I guess this post is a challenge to those who don't believe that we were made for a purpose and are known individually. If that's true and if, regardless of how hard we try, we will probably affect things less than a pebble in a fast flowing river, what is the point of doing good or striving for perfection? Is the possibility, remote though it may be, of leaving some sort of legacy enough to make one try? Or is there another answer?
It rained a lot this week and my thoughts have turned darker...almost as dark as Zhubin's black heart...
