#1 Mindfulness Discussion

On the blog, I'm going to be doing some mindfulness discussions. I'm going to keep them short and sweet. I'm also going to number them. This will be the first (as the title indicates). 

For me, mindfulness is a way of life--in fact, the practice of mindfulness has made me afraid of not being alive. Before I go any further, what do I mean by being alive? Being alive is to be aware of your life. Death, I believe, is a total lack of awareness. To put it in a different way, the soul cannot be aware of itself; so without anything to be aware of, nothingness pervades experience. But at the same time, we can't know how unaware we are in the present moment. Only by becoming aware in the present moment can we understand our past lack of awareness. 

Porn: Turning People Into Perverts

Being a pervert is a bad thing, and porn (and masturbation to porn) certainly can transform a person into a pervert.

What is a pervert?


My definition of pervert—which I believe adequately describes it—is someone that is unable to control themselves sexually (in actions and thoughts); in other words, being a pervert means to have poor impulse control in the realm of sexuality. Being a pervert is a behavioral disorder because it does interfere with the mind and body's ability to function. I believe being a pervert should be considered in the same realm as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder; all of these disorders are caused by the brain functioning in a disorderly manner causing less-than optimal functioning (to put it mildly).

How does porn turn a person into a pervert?


Porn can be a highly pleasurable activity to those who consume it. Sounds good right? No. Because it is pleasurable, this means that the brain associates the content (random humans [and not their loved one] and sexual acts) with sexual pleasure. This means that, as a person feels stressed out or depressed, they will seek pleasurable rush caused by perceiving their surroundings in a sexual way. The brain, because it becomes addicted to sexual perceptions, will wire itself in a way that it sees the world through the lens of sexual lust. Thus, the pervert is created; a person defined by what pleasures him—sexual ideas and images directed towards anyone and everyone. Like a Christian will see God in everything (which is a good thing), porn addicts see sex in everything.

Why is Roger such an expert on porn addiction?


I'm a sociology major and have a strong interest (due to its relation) in human psychology. I'm also a heavy computer user, so I'm exposed to the views of the internet masses. I believe that I have a strong understanding of how a porn-addict's mind works; and, because I have an outside perspective on this cultural phenomenon, I believe I can see the issue more dynamically than those who are consumed by the perversion. A crazy person often doesn't know that they are crazy in the same way that a porn addict doesn't see their habit as a self-destructive addiction.

Fishing for Liberal Debate (in the Yahoo comment section)

I wrote the following to stir the pot. The news story was about gay marriage on some military base. Anyways, while I don't hate gay people (or have much of an opinion about them), I don't like the definition (perception) of marriage changing in my society. Now that liberals have gotten their foot in the door, over time, people will lose touch with the real purpose behind marriage—the union of man and woman for the purpose of creating offspring in a nurturing environment. With all liberals have fought for over the last 50-60 years, we have seen the family get decimated (approximately 50% divorce rate). Don't get me wrong, I don't hate liberals (or anyone), but I believe they are seriously misguided on many issues. Anyways, enough of my rambling, here is the post:

ME: "Liberal Strategy for getting their way: Push it in society's face until the people get used to it; it's brainwashing. Realize, morality is a perception; it's merely based on opinion (thus cannot be factual). Liberalism is a secular religion with its own god ([changing tradition]al social structures, customs, values, etc.), and they have faith that what they are fighting for is "progressive".If liberals got there way on every issue, they would still want something else to change. Essentially they look for what societal behavior is traditionally taboo and then fight for it, normalize, then move on. This is why liberals gravitate towards things like lewdness, vulgarity, self-destruction, and laziness (work ethic is traditionally valued). In other words, they fight for those who are considered social misfits. Liberals disobey authority like a brat kid disobeys their parent—just for the sake of doing it. This post will not get positive feedback. Sadly, what is true and good is a pain-inducing barrier for some (liberals) to overcome."

Anonymous liberal 1: "Jeremy, do you own a slave? Why not? At one time (in nearly every society) it was perfectly acceptable". 

 My response to Anonymous liberal: "Which had nothing to do with liberals (emancipation of the slaves). Anyone that takes a strict reading of the constitution would realize the issue regarding the rights of blacks. It had nothing to do with the moral degeneration that is occurring today. Apples and oranges (in case you haven't noticed, homosexual marriage is not slavery). If a gay person wants to get married, they should find an opposite sex partner or settle with a civil union. Here's a scenerio that will put my argument into context...
Imagine that the vast majority of society enjoys using Mayo on their sandwiches. However, about 3% of the population likes to use peanut butter. Those that love peanut butter create a bunch of activist groups to fight for the right to call peanut butter "Mayo". The peanut butter activists are successful and now peanut butter is referred to as "Mayo". The issue now is that Mayo refers to ANY sandwich spread and thus the word has lost its original meaning. Simple, right?"

Anonymous liberal 2: "No the conservatives strategy is obviously to deny they are gay until they get caught... happens all the time. True conservatives should applaud gay marriage as a conservative belief... "

My response: "Your warped brain needs to believe that. Reality: There is nothing conservative about gay marriage."

Anonymous liberal 1: "Again, your world view is incredibly limited. You're hard to speak with because I am an educated elitist. 
Everything you said is simple, but that doesn't make it right. You can't put your POV into any sort of context besides ignorance and intolerance." 

My response to Anonymous liberal 1: "Educated elitist? You seem more like a pseudo-intellectual, ego-maniac to me. You don't know my educational background. I know liberals let their imaginations get a hold of them. Sure, it probably feels good to daydream about how "elite" and "open-minded" you are; I'm sure you dream about your liberal superpowers regularly. Now, getting back to reality; while I'm not going to brag about the degrees I have, I will let you know that I have a decent background in Sociology and Psychology (one more-so than the other...I'll let you guess which). So when it comes to this subject matter (social issues and human psychology), it's very unlikely that you are significantly more knowledgeable than me. 

As for you: Be aware of the "perceptions" that you take for granted that are mere products of the imagination (liberals tend to be delusional). Realize that you are not a mind-reader, you'll be happier (and less deluded) in life. Did I forget to mention that your delusions of grandeur can get better if you step back down to earth? :) Yep, I believe so...

By the way, tolerance is not acceptance. I don't need to accept your worldview, but I admit that I am forced to tolerate the fact that people like you (liberals) roam the surface of this planet."

Anonymous liberal 3: "Jesus was a Liberal."

My response to Anonymous liberal 3: That's nonsense. Jesus didn't talk favorably about tax collectors, was against premarital sex (and even lusting "in the heart"), divorce, murder (he would not have supported abortion), supported the Old Testament (which had very strict laws), and warned of hell for sinners. If Jesus could come to earth today, I'm sure he would see liberal behavior as an abomination. 

I'll update if people leave comments about my comment. I'm fishing for a debate, let's hope I get some bites :)  Feel free to debate and/or just plain discuss the liberal vs. conservative cultural conflict in the comment section here.

*Update* Caught me some good, dopey liberals. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. 

Fred Willard's Lewd Conduct in Adult Theater

Image by Cbl62 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons (source does not endorse this blog)

If you don't know who this pervert is, he is a comedian; some of the roles he has filled were in the productions "Everyone Loves Raymond", "Best in Show", and "For Your Consideration". If you like any of those productions, I suggest you stop reading here; otherwise you will always have some disturbing imagery associated with those programs. Remember how Pee-wee Herman was ruined by his unwholesome behavior? I used to love that show as a kid, now it's just creepy. Anyways, let's get on with it...

The Los Angeles Police do a sweep of the Santa Monica area on a regular basis, and that includes a certain particular adult theater (a place where pathetic individuals with no dignity and/or self-control go; just my opinion). The authorities discovered that he was doing "lewd conduct". Now this is a family blog, so I wont go into detail; I would say use your imagination, but you really don't want to.

What is wrong with celebrities? I really don't understand it. I mean sure, you will get a few weirdos in a town, but some people make a living off reporting the terrible things these famous people do. Besides, isn't there enough nonsense for perverts on the internet to sustain them? Is it because he's into voyeurism? Is that it? 

Bleeding Nose Leads To Boxer's Arrest

A boxer from Toledo was arrested following some unorthodox evidence gathering. Martin Tucker (the boxer) had a fight in his home city— occurring in April—in which he got a bloody nose. To clean him up, his corner used a Q-tip. Tucker was suspected by investigators as having been involved in a bank robbery in July of 2009; the bank robbery involved two men stealing $5,379. A special agent named Robert Schmitz—a closeted Jedi master—snatched up the previously mentioned Q-tip after the fight and had the DNA analyzed to see if it was a match to the robbery in 2009; it turned out to be a match. Long story short, he was charged with robbing the bank and was charged for having a firearm involved as well. 


Was all that worth $5,379? They say that boxing can cause brain damage, well it certainly didn't help this guy. If you are ever tempted to rob a bank, stop for a few moments and contemplate just how stupid such an idea is. 


Random Note: Why does it seem most boxers are Christians? Well, if Tucker is a Christian he should be concerned about ticking off God; I'm sure He doesn't like people violating one of His 10 Commandments ("Thou shall not steal"..I think that's how it goes).  


Source: Detroit News (click me for link to original story)

George Zimmerman claims 'God's plan' underlying the shooting of Trayvon Martin

George Zimmerman recently claimed that he believed it was "God's plan" that the Trayvon Martin shooting took place. Before I get into my belief in God's role in this situation, let me give my take on the case as a whole.

Unless you don't pay attention to the news, you are painfully aware of the Trayvon Martin shooting; the media has been going OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder [anxiety disorder]) regarding its discussion/informing of the case. The short of it is that George Zimmerman—a neighborhood watch volunteer—shot Trayvon Martin in what he claims was self-defense. The media has been pushing the perception that Zimmerman's shooting of Trayvon was racially motivated and unwarranted. If you want to know more regarding the case, seek out your local Google website. 

At first I didn't buy the whole "he's racist" thing. But my opinion slowly turned around when family and co-workers came out of the woodwork to claim he was. In fact, a former co-worker (I believe a Muslim) claims that he harassed him because of his religion. 

To make matters worse, and while it isn't directly related, one of Zimmerman's cousins claimed that he molested her several times over a 10 year period (6-16 years of age, him being two years older).  

Random note: In the comment section of the molestation article I read (can't remember the exact article, I believe it was on Yahoo), this guy was defending Zimmerman's action saying that everyone "played doctor" at that age; stupidity on the internet is certainly not in recession. 

Keeping all this in mind, I'm going to step back and wait to see the results of the trial. On second thought, if I had a guy following me at night, I may get confrontational as well (probably wouldn't get physical). 

Is God responsible? Is this His will?

In my opinion, no; I don't believe this is a result of God's influence, but rather the opposite. The Bible is quite clear about God's perception of killing (one of the Ten Commandments) and hatred (Jesus said that to hate is to commit murder in the heart). If George Zimmerman is racist, he is certainly not following Jesus' teachings; Jesus said to not prejudge a person based on their outer appearance. In fact, Jesus taught non-violence; remember how he said that if someone slaps you in the face, slap the other side, etc.? 

British Olympic Cheerleader Controversy

The Olympics in Britain apparently have a cheerleading squad. The controversy stems from a public voting on the group of cheerleaders they wanted. The public chose The Crystals—made famous by their routine of the infamous song "Call Me Maybe"—a highly sexualized group. The committee in Britain, who had the final say, instead went with the London Wild Cat cheerleaders (a less provocative group).

I left a comment on the orginal story (found on Yahoo Sports). Here it is:

Roger: "Good for the British committee; they at least have dignity. If this was in the U.S. they probably would have had strippers and abortion tents. I know I'm being factious, but public events and the media need to stop catering to the perverts—the Olympics is not about trying to make people horny—there's plenty of internet space for such degenerates already."

I mostly got positive feedback so far. If some moron tries to debate me I'll update this post accordingly. Nastiness is too representative on the internet; the moral need to speak up. In regards to my abortion comment, I believe abortion is immoral in more ways than one. I'm not saying that those who get abortions are all perverts, but certainly many lack the values that I hold (e.g. family, human life, sexual morals).

Click here for the source (Yahoo Sports)