RE: Thoughts on Buddhism
February 29, 2012 at 10:38 pm
(This post was last modified: February 29, 2012 at 10:41 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
You know what I can't understand for the life of me Epi? A: why we never seem to find the shining examples of what a faith has to offer, as claimed by the faithful, and B: that the faithful cannot fathom a material universe that contains beauty, or wisdom, or wonder, any of the things often touted as the sole domain of the superstitious.
I am a vessel of life, forged by trail and error over spans of time that defy our very notions of time. A traveler through that time, and space, with no other purpose than to preserve and perpetuate that life which I have been granted by all those creatures that came before me. Linked, by blood, to every living thing on this planet, and indeed the planet itself, as well as the entirety of the cosmos. This is a materialist's sense of wonder and beauty. If no wisdom can be drawn from these events, from this demonstrable reality, then what wisdom can be drawn from the pale shadows of our own limited fantasies?
I am a vessel of life, forged by trail and error over spans of time that defy our very notions of time. A traveler through that time, and space, with no other purpose than to preserve and perpetuate that life which I have been granted by all those creatures that came before me. Linked, by blood, to every living thing on this planet, and indeed the planet itself, as well as the entirety of the cosmos. This is a materialist's sense of wonder and beauty. If no wisdom can be drawn from these events, from this demonstrable reality, then what wisdom can be drawn from the pale shadows of our own limited fantasies?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
