Archive for October, 2009
Expelled For Wanting A Debate
Oct 26th
One of the hallmarks of democracy is the ability to have free and open debate. It’s what differentiates us from many communist and autocratic societies, where having a different view to the government or ruling body can get you harrassed, imprisoned, and even killed.
But what if there were some topics that even in democratic societies were no longer open for debate, even though the evidence (or lack of it) demands it?
One such topic is within the area of scientific debate, and in particular the debate about the origin of life. It is not widely known, but there have been many prominent, well respected scientists, professors, and teachers across America and around the world, who have been sacked from their jobs because they have held a different world view on the origin of life.
The fact is, that Neo-Darwinian or evolutionary theory does NOT hold all the answers to how life began. Like most theories, it has many gaps in it. And as molecular biologists and scientists discover more and more about the amazing structures of our bodies, particularly inside our cells and DNA, more and more of them are wondering whether it’s even possible that this could come about randomly by chance. Should they lose their job because they are asking those questions? Why is there a suppression of free and open scientific debate? Isn’t that how science develops?
Evolutionary theory contends that life is the result of a random, purposeless process. This theory is often taught in schools as if it is the only plausible scientific explanation of how life originated and developed. But other theories, such as Intelligent Design theory, challenge evolutionary theory but are being suppressed worldwide.
Both are scientific theories, and the debate is therefore legitimate. Why are people being sacked just for asking the question?
To support freedom of debate in America and around the world, visit this site to learn more and sign the petition.
Like A Child
Oct 20th
Studies show that children laugh on average over 300 times per day, whereas adults only laugh on average around 20 times per day.
There’s obviously a number of reasons for this. The main ones are that children are innocent about many of the world’s “evils”, and don’t have the responsibilities that many adults are faced with, like paying a mortgage, dealing with a stressful job, negotiating complicated relationships, worrying about world affairs, and so on. When I think back to my childhood, my fond memories are often related to being in a state of innocence and not having responsibilities.
But regardless of the reasons, it’s still an interesting statistic. We start out in life full of wonder and excitement. Everything is an adventure. And then as we get older we tend to let the burdens in life weigh us down more and more.
I think we have a lot to learn by looking at our children. Not only should we try to laugh more like they do, but I think that taking a look at life and the world through the eyes of a child every now and then is a healthy thing to do.
“Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.”
Jesus
Mandatory Sentencing
Oct 17th
In one of my previous jobs many years ago, I had a client come to me for legal assistance. He was a hopeless heroin addict, and had been charged with home burglary for the third time. His reason for breaking into homes was to steal things, so he could sell them to buy more heroin.
Under the laws of our state, anyone convicted of their third home burglary offence must go to jail. It’s often referred to as the “three strikes and you’re in” law. So what this meant was, when this guy went to court, the magistrate could not do anything but send him to jail. That’s what the law required.
The problem was, in this case, that this guy needed something else. He had an addiction that he couldn’t beat, and what he really needed was to be taken away to a health facility of some sort, and helped to get over his addiction. He needed care. And once that addiction was beaten, he would most likely have returned to being a productive member of society.
Instead, what was going to happen was this man would be sent to jail, where he would get no support for his drug addiction (in fact, in all likelihood he would have got hold of more drugs in jail), no real rehabilitation, and possibly made more connections with the wrong kind of people.
I never saw that guy again, and who knows where he is now? I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not even alive anymore, considering what heroin does to people.
But let me balance that. I know that there needed to be consequences for what that man did. He needed to compensate the victims, pay back what he stole, and have some kind of punishment. I also know that the victim suffered. I’ve been the victim of home burglaries and violence, and I know the effect it can have. Nobody held a gun to this guy’s head and made him rob those homes. He hurt lots of people. But if we stop focussing on our need for punishment and look instead to what is the best way to heal our community of situations like this, the victims needed healing but so did the perpetrator. We had a chance to help him change his life but instead the magistrate was not allowed to do that – he/she had no choice but had to send him to prison.
Our state has recently introduced more of these kinds of laws, that automatically send people to jail for certain crimes. While I’m very much in favour of strong penalties for these crimes, and assistance/protection for victims, I don’t believe in taking away a judge’s right to make up their own mind about what is an appropriate sentence, after they’ve taken into account all of the facts. Jail is sometimes the right sentence, but other times it isn’t. While the intent behind mandatory sentencing is to provide justice, it can sometimes be unjust too.
You’re Special
Oct 16th
Always remember, you’re unique. Just like everybody else.
Isn’t life an amazing thing? There’s almost 7 billion of us, a number too big to really comprehend, plus all the billions who have lived before us, and yet there still isn’t another person who is quite like you. We’re all unique people with unique personalities and characteristics. The variety and spectrum of life just seems to be endless, and it amazes me.
And yet while we’re all unique, we also have so much in common. We’re all on this crazy ride together, trying to negotiate life. And death. There’s so much we don’t know about. Some of us make out like we know all the answers, that we’re in control, but at the end of the day we’re not actually in control of a whole lot. At funerals, we often get a sense that all the things we built up to gain some kind of control over our life have been leveled, as we stand together trying to make sense of things. We all want to be loved, and be happy. No matter what our differences are, we all share a bond, like one big family.
But enough about the hard times. Life also has soaring highs. Amazing highs. Make sure you treasure them, preferably with other “special” people around you.
What’s Your Addiction?
Oct 15th
Every now and then I get migraine headaches. I have for years.
I still can’t work out what the pattern is, and what causes them, but it’s likely to be things like lack of sleep, lack of water, stress, or something I’m eating. Sometimes I can go weeks or months without any, and then all of sudden get a couple within a week.
Apart from trying to work out the cause, and live a healthier lifestyle, one of the immediate remedies I have for migraines is to take strong pain killers with codeine in them.
For really strong migraines I might have to take 2 tablets, and when that happens, not only does the pain subside, but my whole body feels very relaxed, and I tend to just feel like everything is “no big deal”.
It’s in those moments that I realise how easy it would be to get addicted to pain killers, or any kind of drug, and why so many people do. I get a similar feeling when, after a hard day’s work, I come home and have a beer and suddenly I feel great and everything is right with the world. For people who have problems in their life, I can empathise with them why drugs and alcohol would become very addictive.
I think I’m too much of a hypochondriac to become addicted to drugs and alcohol. I see the dangers and symptoms a mile off and get worried. But there are so many other addictions in life that can be just as harmful, but perhaps go under the radar because they aren’t as obvious or considered dangerous.
What’s your addiction? Whether it’s food, sex, the approval of other people, drugs, alcohol, self image, anything, I reckon it’s healthy to stop and think every now and then about the things in life that have too much control over us.
Poor People And My TV
Oct 14th
Just before the last Olympic games, I bought myself a wide screen LCD TV. My previous TV, which was around 10 years old, was still doing it’s job OK, but I’d been thinking about a new TV for a while and my mum happened to give me some money as a gift to buy something I’d like. So I thought I’d like a new TV!
And it’s a great TV. I mean, I didn’t buy the bargain el-cheapo brand, I got the latest technology, high refresh rate, super viewing experience LCD TV. Just about anything you watch on it looks amazing.
I’ve noticed though that often when I look at my new TV, I think about the world’s desperately poor people. Not that I didn’t think about them before, but more and more these days I look at the wonderful lifestyle I have here in Australia, and it reminds me about the millions around the world who are struggling to survive.
It was Jesus who said “You’ll always have the poor with you…”. Now I know by that he didn’t mean “so don’t worry about it too much”. I think it’s a really important topic, and that we have a responsibility to help the poor. I’ve heard some people suggest that our rich Western lifestyle is in fact one of the major causes of global poverty (along with other factors). Apart from the disadvantages poor countries have against richer countries, we’re controlling a disproportionate share of the world’s resources. If all 7 billion of us each had a dishwasher, two cars, air-conditioning and a big home, the world probably couldn’t sustain that. In basic terms, some of us are living beyond what is reasonable and others are possibly suffering because of it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there is anything bad in itself with enjoying good things, but sometimes I wonder what I would say if I came face to face with some of the 26,000 people who die every day from poverty related problems. Could I really look into their eyes and say “Sorry, but I really like to watch my football in high definition…”? I can’t deny the fact that I have the ability to save thousands of people – I’ve got way more than I actually need to live on. And my income is below the national average.
I do often give to charity, particularly overseas, but I still struggle with where the right balance is. What’s an acceptable amount for me to keep and enjoy, considering my brothers and sisters are dying from going without?
