bending_sickle | Basically, I believe the world is a jungle.*

Today's been a total waste of day (Grey's Anatomy marathon FTW), but yesterday I a) sold my bike for 35 measley euros (boo!) b) went to Amsterdam and wandered c) watched Case 39 (eep!) and d) had tea with Nahry (whoot!)

In other news, my mother may or may not be flying in tomorrow. Stupid volcano.

Supernatural's "The Rapture" Meta: Just been rewatching Jimmy Novak clips and holy angelcakes, Batman, does Jimmy's speech here scream Show Meta. I mean, if I didn't know any better I'd say the dialogue was Sam's or Dean's.

JIMMY: I'm done, okay, with demons, angels all of it. I just wanna go home. [...] I've been shot and stabbed and healed and my body's been dragged all over the earth. By some miracle I'm out and I am done. I've given enough, okay?

And of course, Jimmy can never go home. Just like Sam can never go home - or well, back to Stanford life. Just like neither can Dean, who's never had one. And just like the first ever Monster of the Week in Pilot. Oh, Show ♥

Meme - 30 Days - Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy: My view on religion, in crack metaphor form.

The way I see it, life is a big ass jungle. There's pretty things, poisonous things, cool things, slippery things, hard things and soft things all around. You walk along and you'll get mud on your shoes, trample some plants, forde a few streams, walk around some obstacles or claw your way through them. And it's alright.

Religion tells you that there's someplace very nice somewhere out there in the middle of the jungle. It tells you that you should point your steps towards that place, that temple which they call god, nirvana, heaven or enlightenment. Instead of making your own way through the jungle, religion shows you a path that others have taken, saying that if you follow that, it will lead you to the best place in the jungle.

Some religions say that you only have to follow the path, others that you have to do it at a certain speed, or that you have to observe particular signs along the way. Your path may even end up crossing or going parallel with other paths of other religions, either going in your direction, in the opposite direction, or completely tangental to yours. But since no one really knows where the temple is, you can't really be sure that you are on the right path, or the easiest or shortest path to the temple. For all you know, it's the other path that leads to the temple and not yours, or all paths leads to the temple eventually.

So religion gives you a path and asks you to trust that there is a temple in the jungle and that it will lead you to it. You may catch up to other travellers on your path or other paths, you may decide to go in groups. You may try to convince others to join your path away from theirs, or find people not walking any path and decide to tell them about the temple you hope to find. You may give up on the path, wander off it, try others.

Religion, then, is a path through the jungle that others have made and you decide to follow in the hopes of reaching the temple that you believe to exist.

Buddhists are the ones with the machetes. They've been taught how to make their own path.

Agnostics think that there might be a temple or not, but they'd rather not follow in anyone's path. If one day they walk out into a clearing and see the temple, they will be glad of it, but if they spend their life walking the jungle without finding it, it was still a nice jungle.

Atheists do not believe there is a temple and walk the jungle and enjoy it for what it is, not thinking of it as something to be walked through but as the place where you are.

In other words, The Powers That Be may or may not be in the jungle and religion may or may not lead to it. I say, get your boots muddy and enjoy the scenery.

Previously:

Day 01 → Your favorite song
Day 02 → Your favorite movie
Day 03 → Your favorite television program
Day 04 → Your favorite book
Day 05 → Your favorite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy - GIFs
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy - Nature is awesome!
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy - My irrational fears, let me show you them.
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobby of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video

Coming Soon

Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy

Quote of the Day: Anon. or uncredited

Leadership has to do with direction. Management has to do with the speed, coordination and logistics in going in that direction. The WORKERS are chopping their way through the jungle. The MANAGERS are coordinating, making sure the tools are sharp, etc. The LEADERS climb a tree and shout, "Wrong jungle!" The MANAGERS shout back, "Be quiet! We're making progress!"

Links of the Day:

Supernatural: