Hey guys,
I just wanted to sincerely say thank you to everyone who left such nice uplifting comments on my last post. I promise I’m not quitting the club or blog or converting or anything. I’ve just been having a stressful week (which is an understatement*) and those letters were the final straw, you know? Much of what was said is exactly what I’ve repeatedly told friends and members, but I think I needed to hear it from someone else to make sure I wasn’t just deluding myself.
Now, off to go finish our poster for Blasphemy Day! I’ll give you an update later, assuming I don’t get lynched before the day is over.**
Also, I will hold you all to your offers of buying me drinks.
*So far I’ve had two presentations (one of which I woke up 10 minutes before I was supposed to be there), a big exam, teaching, organizing our Richard Dawkins trip, I lost both my debit and credit card, I got triple charged printing BD flyers because I’m an idiot, I had to beg people to volunteer for BD…and I still have 3 scientific papers to read in the next couple hours, BD itself, trying to finish my research paper for my lab, a genetics presentation Thursday worth half of my grade, my Physics lab report, and my final paper for my laboratory class which is also worth half my grade. I actually have had about 3 different blog posts I’ve wanted to make, but I think you can understand why I haven’t yet.
** The way this week is going, I wouldn’t be surprised.
So, it's just stress. It looks like you have coped it fine, much better than those angry Christians.
Another way to cope with negative emotions is to bring them to the conceptual layer of your conscious mind. You can do this with your own negative emotions or others'. With your own, it's not hard. Introspection would do the job.
With others', you'll need to identify the emotions involved in their responses, mapped them in a diagram, and then try to predict what they would do and what emotions come after that. Once you do that, you can have a better control of the situation and eventually get them finally into the acceptance stage.
At the acceptance stage, they will accept your beliefs and abandon theirs.
From my observatons on the responses of the Christians in your blog, I can see: shock, denial, and anger. I'm predicting bargaining, guilt and panic. Acceptance is still far away, so we need to be patient, like playing a game of chess. We are only near the end of opening and beginning of the middle game. ;-)
Note: if you want to understand what I just said, you can watch Season 6 Episode 1 of House and look at how Dr. Nolan gets Dr. House open up to him at the end.
So, it’s just stress. It looks like you have coped it fine, much better than those angry Christians.Another way to cope with negative emotions is to bring them to the conceptual layer of your conscious mind. You can do this with your own negative emotions or others’. With your own, it’s not hard. Introspection would do the job.With others’, you’ll need to identify the emotions involved in their responses, mapped them in a diagram, and then try to predict what they would do and what emotions come after that. Once you do that, you can have a better control of the situation and eventually get them finally into the acceptance stage.At the acceptance stage, they will accept your beliefs and abandon theirs.From my observatons on the responses of the Christians in your blog, I can see: shock, denial, and anger. I’m predicting bargaining, guilt and panic. Acceptance is still far away, so we need to be patient, like playing a game of chess. We are only near the end of opening and beginning of the middle game. ;-)Note: if you want to understand what I just said, you can watch Season 6 Episode 1 of House and look at how Dr. Nolan gets Dr. House open up to him at the end.
Nah, you'll come out of it pretty clean, I'm sure, strength in numbers and all that.
If you do happen to see a lynch mob coming, though, the judicious application of cowardice and fear is probably the best way to approach things. Preferably while making Zoidberg noises.
Nah, you’ll come out of it pretty clean, I’m sure, strength in numbers and all that.If you do happen to see a lynch mob coming, though, the judicious application of cowardice and fear is probably the best way to approach things. Preferably while making Zoidberg noises.
Hmm, well only two people will be working the table at any given time, so I'm not sure if the "strength in numbers" argument makes me feel any better… ;)
Hmm, well only two people will be working the table at any given time, so I’m not sure if the “strength in numbers” argument makes me feel any better… ;)
Eesh. Well, I drop the 'strength in numbers' argument and play the 'broad daylight' card!
I was going to say 'someone should just bring a giant tub of nuts, so that the nuts can be offered nuts when they're being nuts.' But then I remembered that some nuts (and non nuts) are allergic to nuts, and accidentally sending them to the emergency room isn't cool.
Eesh. Well, I drop the ‘strength in numbers’ argument and play the ‘broad daylight’ card!I was going to say ‘someone should just bring a giant tub of nuts, so that the nuts can be offered nuts when they’re being nuts.’ But then I remembered that some nuts (and non nuts) are allergic to nuts, and accidentally sending them to the emergency room isn’t cool.
Well, you can always take comfort in being right. Or at least, being more right than theists.
Well, you can always take comfort in being right. Or at least, being more right than theists.
You can have a drink on me sometime too.
You can have a drink on me sometime too.
Happy Blasphemy Day! Good luck with the festivities…
As far as buying you a drink goes, well, I'd offer to do so too but I'm over 400 miles away.
Happy Blasphemy Day! Good luck with the festivities…As far as buying you a drink goes, well, I’d offer to do so too but I’m over 400 miles away.
Sorry I missed the first chance to join in in the consolations. I think you're doing a great job. This blog has a wide reach and must be germinating thoughts and ideas for other non-theist groups all over the place. It's an important community that's here on line for a lot of people and you've quickly risen to prominence within this community, so appreciate that.
And finally, remember to rejoice when they persecute you. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is non-existent, so you'd might as well enjoy what you get in this life even if it's a struggle. And remember they persecuted courageous thinkers throughout the ages. The struggle of reason against religion is one that has raged for centuries in the West and we truly stand on the shoulders of giants who lived in far, far less secular times and yet cut the paths that make it so we live in a secular society at all. We can be inspired by their example to hope things can be changed over the course of decades and centuries, even though the progress is slow. It's our turn to pull in the great tug of war. We didn't start the pull, we won't end it. But we do our part.
Sorry I missed the first chance to join in in the consolations. I think you’re doing a great job. This blog has a wide reach and must be germinating thoughts and ideas for other non-theist groups all over the place. It’s an important community that’s here on line for a lot of people and you’ve quickly risen to prominence within this community, so appreciate that.And finally, remember to rejoice when they persecute you. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is non-existent, so you’d might as well enjoy what you get in this life even if it’s a struggle. And remember they persecuted courageous thinkers throughout the ages. The struggle of reason against religion is one that has raged for centuries in the West and we truly stand on the shoulders of giants who lived in far, far less secular times and yet cut the paths that make it so we live in a secular society at all. We can be inspired by their example to hope things can be changed over the course of decades and centuries, even though the progress is slow. It’s our turn to pull in the great tug of war. We didn’t start the pull, we won’t end it. But we do our part.
Damn. It's good to be on the dole.
Not that I recall working that hard while studying. Not getting involved in anything and generally being afraid people helped in that regard.
Bonne chance!
PS: I deny the Holy Spirit – again.
Damn. It’s good to be on the dole.Not that I recall working that hard while studying. Not getting involved in anything and generally being afraid people helped in that regard.Bonne chance!PS: I deny the Holy Spirit – again.
Yep, I'll bring you a drink sometime. None of this piss-poor American beer, though – perhaps some of Alexander Keith's finest. Mind you, this sometime might be in years and years….
Having said that, I hope the week gets better. I expect it will. And best of luck with the BD table!
Yep, I’ll bring you a drink sometime. None of this piss-poor American beer, though – perhaps some of Alexander Keith’s finest. Mind you, this sometime might be in years and years….Having said that, I hope the week gets better. I expect it will. And best of luck with the BD table!
Jen,
If you have a few minutes and want to read a commentary article that should cheer you up a little, check out today's Mark Morford article in the San Francisco Chronicle.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/09/30/notes093009.DTL
Jen,If you have a few minutes and want to read a commentary article that should cheer you up a little, check out today’s Mark Morford article in the San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article...
Veritas, you can get some good beer and ale in Chicago. Try some Goose Island. There is another good one but I can't think of the name off the top of my head.
Veritas, you can get some good beer and ale in Chicago. Try some Goose Island. There is another good one but I can’t think of the name off the top of my head.
Beamer: I've heard of a few microbrews that are pretty good, my buddy from S. Illinois insists. But then I see legions of people drinking Bud or…*shudder*…Busch at sporting events, and I wonder how anyone can tolerate that pisswater.
As an aside, my uncle from Michigan came up and tried to give my dad a case of Coors Light as the night's beer offering. I've never seen my old man so offended. I should note he's a 31 year veteran of the Canadian navy, and he made me promise then never to drink American beers.
Beamer: I’ve heard of a few microbrews that are pretty good, my buddy from S. Illinois insists. But then I see legions of people drinking Bud or…*shudder*…Busch at sporting events, and I wonder how anyone can tolerate that pisswater.As an aside, my uncle from Michigan came up and tried to give my dad a case of Coors Light as the night’s beer offering. I’ve never seen my old man so offended. I should note he’s a 31 year veteran of the Canadian navy, and he made me promise then never to drink American beers.
Probably the best thing you could do to celebrate blasphemy day is to focus on your education. It would seem that education is blasphemy if you look at many of the fundementalists.
Probably the best thing you could do to celebrate blasphemy day is to focus on your education. It would seem that education is blasphemy if you look at many of the fundementalists.
I don't understand how anybody can drink beer at all. Of course, I have little experience with it, so it's possible that only the ones I've tried taste vile and it's not all of them.
I'd much rather go for a decent glass of imported wine, maybe something from France or Italy… I have an uncle who's a wine importer and as a result I've been rather spoilt for other alcoholic beverages.
I don’t understand how anybody can drink beer at all. Of course, I have little experience with it, so it’s possible that only the ones I’ve tried taste vile and it’s not all of them.I’d much rather go for a decent glass of imported wine, maybe something from France or Italy… I have an uncle who’s a wine importer and as a result I’ve been rather spoilt for other alcoholic beverages.
There is something to be said for a very nice wine, which is my preferred alcoholic beverages with meals. But I find beer to be rather more refreshing, and an easier drunk the next day, to be honest.
There is something to be said for a very nice wine, which is my preferred alcoholic beverages with meals. But I find beer to be rather more refreshing, and an easier drunk the next day, to be honest.
Hi Jen – came over here from PZ's blog last time he linked. Reading you ever day now. Love your blog – wish I had been as open minded and 'with it' when I was your age. Take a break, relax, have a stiff drink, and then go get those silly theist's (or Thesisits if you will)
Peace – Ben from Delaware.
Hi Jen – came over here from PZ’s blog last time he linked. Reading you ever day now. Love your blog – wish I had been as open minded and ‘with it’ when I was your age. Take a break, relax, have a stiff drink, and then go get those silly theist’s (or Thesisits if you will)Peace – Ben from Delaware.
In vino veritas?
In vino veritas?
Not tonight, I'm afraid.
Not tonight, I’m afraid.
I actually really don't like wine. Just tastes like rotten grape juice to me. Granted, I am in college, so I've only had the cheap crappy stuff.
I actually really don’t like wine. Just tastes like rotten grape juice to me. Granted, I am in college, so I’ve only had the cheap crappy stuff.
Hey, we've got 200 bottles of wine being made right now. I'm hoping one of them turns out well. It takes a long time to learn to appreciate wine…and money. Definitely money.
Hey, we’ve got 200 bottles of wine being made right now. I’m hoping one of them turns out well. It takes a long time to learn to appreciate wine…and money. Definitely money.
Wild Horse Cabernet=awesome wine; not very expensive, either. If you want a really good one, though, go with Stag's Leap cab from 2004 or slightly older.
Wild Horse Cabernet=awesome wine; not very expensive, either. If you want a really good one, though, go with Stag’s Leap cab from 2004 or slightly older.
I like wine, but again, only been exposed to the cheap stuff. I'm more of a liquor and beer guy. Very picky about my beer, though.
I like wine, but again, only been exposed to the cheap stuff. I’m more of a liquor and beer guy. Very picky about my beer, though.
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