fort minor's back w/ a sick interactive video thing

or at least for one song. but yeah check it he did a 360 degree music video and its super cool (or at least if i used chrome id say that. thanks youtube for pulling an ie)

Religion

Haven't posted in a while so I figured I might as well dump some of my thoughts.

This is something I don't let on to many people but basically I'm a very religious person. Not religious in the "this is my creed and this is what I believe" kind of way, but more in the "there is definitely something out there and we need to recognise this fact if we want to live full lives" of way. I don't use the world spiritual because even though it technically is closer to that definition, it diminishes and gives the wrong impression of the feelings I have; it's kinda like, if I had been raised a Christian, I would 100% be a Christian today.

Anyway, moving on. What I wanna preach is that I feel like we in the West have lost something very important when we moved on from widespread spirituality. I mean, I can see why we did it. On the surface religion appears to offer little outside of explaining the world to people who have no other way of doing so, but with the advance and proliferation of science that role has been usurped. However, when you look deeper, you find it has a whole system of directives and activities that are designed to help you explore and expand your understanding of yourself and your role within the world. Religion isn't meant to be a superficial set of beliefs and ideas that you just have, its meant to be an aide to the deeply personal journey that every single one of us is on.

Take fasting for instance. Superficially it might seem like fasting is a dumb idea and was only made up so priests could justify food shortages to their people, and that its irrelevant in the world today, but when you actually look into it and experience you understand it's about denying the self and getting into closer contact with the stuff you truly value. It helps keep you grounded, helps keep you appreciative. It's a minor challenge designed to force your mind to take a step back from its usual drives and desires and to let your soul gain some of the spotlight.

Then there's the matter of faith itself. I'll admit, I'm still not 100% that there's some other force out there, but if someone pointed a gun at my head and asked do you have faith, the yes-or-no answer would straight away be Yes. And since developing faith, my whole worldview has changed. I now feel like life has purpose more than what I used to, and that just the very act of being is itself something that should be honoured and respected. It's hard to describe, but essentially life is more beautiful in itself, and that's something I didn't have before, and it's something I feel like we're missing as society. Life is now just seen as the fortunate side-effect of chemicals swirling around in the brain; and while that's technically what life is, it's not really what life is, if that makes sense. rational secularism has given us a huge deal in terms of human rights, individual liberties, etc. but it ultimately isn't a replacement for spirituality (nor should it be, but that's for another time.) When you try to deconstruct everything down into digested, rational terms, you often miss the point of said thing in the first place.

Now of course, I am keenly aware of all the human grievances religion has committed over the centuries, and by no means am I saying we should become anti-intellectual religious zealots. Instead, I say we should open our lives up to spiritual devotion so that, through time, we might be better able to deal with life's misgivings and disasters as they come to us. In fact, I think a time such as ours with widespread wealth and knowledge is one of the best times for renewed spirituality. Since we don't need spirituality to explain the sufferings of everyday life, and since we don't need it to explain the world, we can instead use it for it's highest purpose - self-fulfilment and growth.

Anyway I'm not sure how to end this so here's a song I've been jamming to lately.

Heading out to battle

I've never really had this ultimate feeling of doom. I'm about to walk into a test, and i know no matter what i've studied it is going to be wrong, or not enough information and not referenced correctly in the eyes of this teacher.
I've never failed a subject in my life. It just sucks cause future me is paying for all of this... stupid uni. Don't they realise that making mistakes is also a part of learning, and should be encouraged not condemned.

In response to Smaz

First off, smaz, shit's fucked up. 

Honestly, the immigration debate gets off on thinking that immigrants, however they come are not actually people, who have children and jobs and lives. Like what I said on Friday night. everyone would be up in arms about sending children into a war zone, but sending immigrants back to their own country, well that's different. In fact since 50% of immigrants are children and most are fleeing persecution in their own countries, it's really pretty similar. 

Basically the news media has painted immigrants as people who "sponge" off the system, and are just coming here because they need jobs. Beyond the fact that the news is pretty racist cause it's run by rich old white people. The reality of refugee immigrants is far worse. To face that reality, for a lot of people and a lot of governments, would involve trying to fix regimes that persecute people by the thousands and ones at that, where western governments fucked things over in the first place. It's far easier to see people as unwanted cattle who are grazing on land than as fleeing from shitty lives in places that we had a hand in fucking up. 

It would also involve admitting they were racist when there is literally no financial reason for immigration to be stopped (I will fight someone over the studies that proved immigration actually improve economies and GDP)

Not to mention, there is literally a photo of immigrants to Spain climbing an 8 metre barbed wire fence to get into the country, beyond which is a really luxurious golf course. 

Actually, here it is:

Immigration is way less of an issue than you'd think, particularly boat-based immigration. Something like 90% of immigration to Australia is approved, comes by plane and is very authentically let through passport control by the government. 

The reason we don't hear about it, is because it's not scary or groundbreaking so it's not something to win an election on. 

All governments like something they can take a hard line on, which will keep their approval rating up. The government cares way less about immigration than you'd think, I bet you, they care about staying ahead in the polls and using the fear that people have is pretty easy. Other governments use renewable energy or gay marriage or getting rid of the carbon tax or cutting tax. It's about using people's beliefs and strong feelings. Being apathetic is the enemy of a number 1 vote. 

Schifoooo

TJust saw this at like 3am and I have to vent about it somewhere. Man... it really gets me down to see Italians being super racist, fuck.

Tradux - "Spain - no stranger shall pass; Australia - 24h naval blockade; USA - they'll shoot at you; Italy - a total fucking mess!"

As if our or the USA's treatment of non-white immigrants is anything to be proud of. As if Italy is actively fucked up by black people? Um no the guy who posted this shit lives in a town that barely even sees people from outside that town, let alone other Europeans. It's just appealing that this fucked up world view is so prevalent over all the world, that people like this guy think we should be lauded for dehumanising those who are born fucked up. Aaaaaaaahhhhhh fuck man. I hate this shit so much what a crock of shit. These attitudes are exactly why tone got elected somehow, and they all come from the media (berlusconi is like Murdoch but if the only channels on tv were his, no wonder Italians are so sexist, racist, homophobic... Shit breeds fear which keeps the people under control)

There needs to be a revolution, but one of love, where people open up to the human inside them instead of fucking sitting huddled in a corner of their own brain shivering while the ads they pay for deliver them reaffirmation a that their empty lives are valid and under threat.

Ok my writing style is all over the place sorry

random thought of the day

if the song was 'feliz navidog' instead of 'feliz navidad' the song would be like $200% better

I burnt tofu

And now my house smells like a packet of burnt tobacco. Fml.

italians and memes: editzione limba sarda

so i've mentioned before how bad "memes" generally are in italian. but did you know. memes in sardinian are much worse.... haha seriously what the hell is this shit

 

[IT] Clara, I'm going down to town

[SD] And when do you get back?

[IT] After dinner, don't wait up for me

[SD]You're just a poor little whore!

I don't speak sardinian but i undestand enough of it to be able to translate this shit. [IT] italian [SD] sardinian

what what's funny about this

what i dont understand

why would you make this what

more:

im so tired

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hip-hop international is my life blood i fucking swear. even when i dont understand it

this song is so good w le francais