Boring rant-ish thing.

<— Entry with pictures that way.

I am still wondering where all of the good men hide. I guess I’m kindof picky, but hopefully it won’t be too impossible to find someone I’d be compatible with. I don’t want to sound like I’m getting desperate, like I can only hear my biological clock ticking and am ready to have as many babies as I can RIGHT NOW. Oh well, just complaining

So here’s a story. Every week before we do plantings we have to call the utilities company so they can mark the location of utilities in the area we want to plant trees. I usually have this responsibility (because I like it for some reason), and the past couple of times I’ve spoken on the phone with this guy named Jackson. We tended to get sidetracked, talking about things that weren’t in the script he was supposed to adhere to. Today I called where he works to get a few sites sprayed for this weekend, and in the middle of that he asks if I’ve ever heard of this band. I say no, and he explains them to me a little. Acoustic John Mayer, but not so poppy (or whatever). Then we get into some conversation about how people where he works get bonuses depending on how many phone calls they take. So I finish telling him the sites that need to be sprayed, then there is an awkward pause and I hang up.

I mention this to my supervisor and she says it sounds like the guy was trying to ask me on a date. I actually call back where he works, and when he answers I ask if he wants to hang out sometime. He seems excited by the prospect and I give him my phone number so he can call me later. While I’m driving back from work he calls to tell me he will be out of town for the next few days, but gives me his myspace page. I go check his page out and then message him, and he replies with, "So why did you choose to be atheist?"

First off, I wouldn’t necessarily label myself that. While I’m not religious, I believe making any sort of absolute statement about truth (i.e. God does or does not exist) requires a leap of faith that I am not willing to make. Second, what kind of opening line is that? I noticed in his profile that he was religious, but believe that people have the right to believe whatever they want and would never have brought up the topic had he not mentioned it first. I thought it was unfair that I was expected to defend my beliefs, while his beliefs seemed to be taken for granted as being the correct position. Rather than trying to justify anything, I replied with "What made you choose not to be an atheist?"

I could go into the discussion that we had, but it basically had him on one side saying that there is so much we can’t explain rationally, so there must be some Higher Power to account for it all. I tried to explain that just because you don’t understand something, that doesn’t make the existence of a Higher Power a logical necessity. There are limits to our perception, and limits to the order our minds can impose on our surroundings. I told him that his argument sounded quite like a "God of the Gaps" one. He also said that multiple sources have disproven the theory of evolution, but I asked him to look at multiple balanced sources… I also asked him to start small, looking at one particular species and reviewing how it has evolved over time.

He decided he didn’t want to talk about this anymore ("We could debate this all night, but let me ask you something else instead…"), so he shifted to morality. How can someone who doesn’t actively believe in the idea of a H.P. be moral and have standards for behavior? I explained my belief to him: Morals and standards are just things that help people live together well. Creating a system in which it’s legal to behave "morally" (to be law abiding) is really in our own self-interest individually. Isn’t it nice to have the protection of the legal system? It’s basically a system that develops over time, and is defined by what works. What is morally acceptable has changed over time, you know? Any good amount of research into history will reveal that. I asked him to explore the social contract theory, and maybe read some Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and Nietzsche for some variety.

I’ve never really been sure whether there are a few universals as far as morality is concerned, or if we’ve just come to think that way. What is considered moral changes over time, but I haven’t studied that extensively enough to determine whether or not basic ideas and patterns to exist.

It’s kindof silly to debate about things like this, because it’s likely that neither party will be swayed in their beliefs as a result. I don’t want to put people in a position where they have to defend and justify their beliefs (as long as these beliefs don’t hurt others, of course) and I don’t want to surround myself with people who put me on the defensive.

Whatever. Maybe I’m just too damn picky. Oh well, bed time!