That Figures

I realized something this week.

I've been working on a story about Hades and Persephone. Uberly excited about it!! And it's been writing very well, I don't remember the last time I wrote this effortlessly.

Then I realized that it was the same with fan fiction. I can easily pump out a story based on a game or book but I realized its because it's comforting using characters and ideas people are already familiar with. However with my own characters and stories I have to introduce everything. Whereas with fan fiction you can kind of cheat a little.

So I'm hoping to use this Greek mythology based story to use the comfort of familiarity to practice developing story and character. (I had a better sentence in my head and half of it vanished before I wrote it, blast!)

One of these days it will again be easy for me to write my original stories!!!

But in the meantime I'm having a lot of fun with the god of the underworld!

Overpopulation

A couple of months ago now I read Dan Brown's Inferno. I highly recommend it. It's thrilling, exciting and even better makes you think. About a rather terrifying subject.

Without giving too much away, one of the characters in the story is extremely concerned with overpopulation and the effects it has on the planet. We are past the earth's sustainability. We are running out of resources.

The character then says something rather controversial and says the black plague was in fact a very good thing. Population numbers were booming and the sickness culled the numbers. The scariest part of that exchange was when I found myself agreeing with the character.

My mother and I were talking about it this evening and at risk of causing I minor explosion of admitted that as much as I am grateful for medicine, it's too good. People live longer and less sickness kills us. It sounds absolutely vile to say but we're loosing humanity's only predator: disease.

It's like in an ecosystem, when the pray has a larger population than the predators, the system suffers and the herbivores devour their resources. The opposite is also not good, but nature requires balance.

I won't give away what happens in the book, but I will say I support the antagonist and his views, for the most part.

Overpopulation is the planet's greatest risk, and it grows exponentially.

Here's a scary image.

So when I hear people against gay marriage worry about replenishing the earth, that scares me even more. The earth is plenty populated. If something is not done there will be nothing left for us, nothing left for the future generations.

I personally don't want kids of my own. If I change my mind, I'm adopting. I just quake at the thought of adding to the population.

Anxiety and Mormonism

I was never comfortable talking about the church when I was member. Except with other members and even then I rarely went into details.

Let me give you an example of why.

Let's look at the Word of Wisdom. For those who don't know it's the code by which mormons live in regards to what is consumed food and beverage wise. Eg no alcohol, tea or coffee, no drugs, etc. As taught by the missionaries and in the class for new members it made sense. Alcohol can (and I mean can) be dangerous and coffee is addictive. Drugs, also quite obvious as is smoking.

It wasn't until a couple of years later when I came across the WoW (word of wisdom, not world of warcraft) in doctrine and covenants section 89 that it suddenly made no sense whatsoever. I remember being excited, thinking I'd gain a better understanding of the commandment instead it left me with a WTH? Feeling.

It says that hot drinks are not for the belly. Yet hot chocolate us ok? I don't know if it was universal either but in my area herbal teas were ok, but not green tea (which is super healthy for you and is considered an herbal tea).

It also talks about wine for the sacrament, and yet they use water. In fact the prayers for the sacrament say wine, and I remember searching for any info on when and why it was changed to water and came up with nada. I'm honestly suspecting (this is my opinion and I haven't researched this) but I suspect the change may have happened around the time of the prohibition.

I also remember a discussion in Institute (a weekly or even bi weekly in some areas church class) there being a discussion about how meat should be eaten sparingly, even not at all and only in times when everything else is sparse. So shouldn't that mean we should be vegetarians? And yet quite a lot of members eat meat all year round.

So when it comes to trying to tell others about this church, no wonder I felt anxious. I knew it was only a matter of time before someone would stump me with a question. And how easy it would be when there's already so much confusion within one of the biggest mormon beliefs. Especially since it has been changed and altered with time.

I used to just chalk it up to continued revelation.

But then when I learned how at one point in time there was the law of consecration, and for a time it worked. Until things eventually fell apart and they revoked the law. It made me uncomfortable because why would god instill it in the first place if the people were not ready? Was he all knowing or not?

But it was a trial of faith yes? The whole thing made me uncomfortable. Looking back a lot of it made me uncomfortable. It wasn't until I decided to explore the why that I realized I needed to leave.

Your Pants are not My Pants

So I saw this on Facebook.

And for half a second I almost agreed then I thought:  No!  People have the right to do whatever the hell they want.  I personally think it's ridiculous but if they want to trip over their own pants then let them.  No one's forcing me to wear their pants like that so why should I force others to wear their pants the way I want them to?

There's a difference between standing up for your beliefs and trying to get others to believe them with you.  Make sure you know and understand that.

Also, please, I am not "struggling" with my faith I have left the church.  As in resigned.  As in no longer going.  As in if you want to see me make plans with me outside of church because that's the only way it's going to happen.