Sunday, September 26, 2004
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INFORMATION AND WISDOM.
LITTLE BOYS AND BIG BOYS.
ON THE COMPLEXITIES OF LIFE.
ON LOSING AN ARGUMENT.
ON FICTION.
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There is a natural tendency in all of us to overestimate the wisdom of someone who knows something we don’t know, or to confuse information with wisdom.
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Everyone knows something no one knows, even if what he knows is about himself and his experiences.
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Little boys brag about things they haven’t done or cannot do. Big boys brag about things they neither know nor understand, all the while hoping no one can tell if they are bragging.
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In life, the crucified do not always rise on the third day.
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A bishop will never lose an argument if losing it would mean defrocking himself. Neither will a born-again lose an argument if losing it would mean being dead again.
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Reality or life is a succession of false starts, vicious circles, and dead-ends. Faith or a belief system allows us to think otherwise by reducing life to a one-dimensional operation in which all questions have answers, the end is predictable, and man is subject to rigid laws. In other words, a belief system is a program and a believer is one who constantly programs himself in order to eliminate the uncertain, the irrational, and the incomprehensible by means of prayer and ritual, also known as incantation and mumbo jumbo.
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There is a visible as well as an invisible universe. Great many questions about the visible universe remain unanswered. As for the invisible: we know nothing about it. We don’t even know if it is an extension of the visible. To believe means to reduce the mystery of reality by assuming that since we know the Creator, we need all we need to know about His creation. I am somewhat simplifying things, but not as much as a man of faith simplifies reality.
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Every novel has a central theme or thesis, which can be expressed in a single sentence or brief paragraph. I speak only of themes because I have a horror of boring my readers with imaginary characters, landscapes and dialogue. When I was a child, words like “Once upon a time,” were pure magic. But I am no longer a child, and dark forests, castles, palaces and beautiful princesses no longer exercise the same spell on me. And it is beyond me why anyone would be interested to read such an opening sentence as “The bell rang and I went to the front and opened the door,” or “It was on my wanderings that I first met my beloved.”
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Fine sentiments and thoughts should be expressed either in a fine style or with the utmost simplicity, because even a hint of pretentiousness may expose the writer as a counterfeit.
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It has been observed that even when our words have wings they may fly in unpredictable directions.
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Monday, September 27, 2004
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WHEN BELIEF SYSTEMS CLASH.
PREACHING TO THE CONVERTED.
HOW TO JUDGE A NEW IDEA.
REALITY AND PROPAGANDA.
EXPLOITING DUPES.
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It is a mistake to judge a belief system on its own terms. It is only when it clashes with other belief systems that it arouses the irrational and the crocodilian in man.
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If I had a choice between a hundred readers who don’t agree with me and ten readers who do, I would choose the hundred for the very simple reason that there is no merit in preaching to the converted.
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One of the worst mistakes we can make is to approach a new idea with the question: “Is it for us or against us?” We should ask instead: Does it make sense? Does it appeal to our reason or to our emotions? Is it consistent with established facts?
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Whenever a reader writes that he enjoys reading me, I cannot help reflecting that I must be doing something wrong. I don’t write for anyone’s enjoyment.
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The best way to see the discrepancy between reality and propaganda is to study history and compare what happened with what was said by politicians on both sides of the conflict.
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The astonishing ease with which most people believe their side of the story and the ruthless cynicism with which leaders on both sides exploit this human weakness.
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Islam says, “If the enemy is an infidel, he deserves to be slaughtered.” Christianity says, “If Almighty God is on our side, we can’t lose.” The clash of these two belief systems resulted in the senseless slaughter of nearly two million Armenians. I am not saying religion was the main cause of our genocide, but I hope no one will disagree with me if I say it was a contributing factor.
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Tuesday, September 28, 2004
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ON THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER.
A MONUMENT TO HUMAN DEGRADATION.
THE AIM OF CRITICISM.
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As a child I was brought up to believe all prayers are eventually answered. If we assume that to be true, we must also assume that the millions of innocent civilians who were senselessly slaughtered during two world wars did not pray hard enough; and they did not pray hard enough probably because their faith in God was not of sufficient strength to meet God’s standards. Which also means that in some minimal way, they contributed to their own demise. This type of thinking is another proof of the fact that organized religions, and men of faith in general, are first and foremost in the business of dehumanizing not only their fellow men but also diminishing God. Because, if you think about it, what kind of God would allow children to be slaughtered simply because He was disappointed in the quantity and quality of their prayers? But then, what kind of God would ask a decent father to butcher his own son (see GENESIS) to test his loyalty? Can God be so insecure as to be in need of a poor mortal’s loyalty? And if He knows everything, shouldn’t he already know the answers to His own questions?
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The most underdeveloped countries are also the most religious. Two cases in point: Mexico and India. Where religion plays a central role, there will also be poverty, disease, corruption, prejudice, ignorance, and overpopulation. Are we to assume Mexican and Indian children deserve their fate because their parents did not pray hard enough?
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If Armenians were slaughtered because they more or less deserved it, does that mean the Turks did what they did with God’s consent? Or perhaps Sultan Abdulhamid II and Talaat were His messengers?
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I read in today’s paper that Taj Mahal (described as “a monumental love nest” and “India’s most famous monument”) was built 350 years ago. When I think of Taj Mahal I do not consider its beauty but the degradation of poor anonymous laborers who worked on its constructions to memorialize the love of two individuals who should have been hanged from the nearest tree for their arrogance and greed for immortality.
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Only the abysmally ignorant view criticism as an expression of hostility rather than concern.
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Wednesday, September 29, 2004
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FATHERS AND CHILDREN.
MUD IS MUD.
IN PRAISE OF MODERATION.
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As children we trust our elders and accept their simple answers to our questions. As adults we continue to behave like children when we are told patriotism or nationalism is good only when it is ours; or the word “homeland” is sacred only when it refers to our own homeland; or again, our mud is better than someone else’s.
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Silence contains the worst lies as well as the best truths.
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The difference between a fanatic and a moderate is that a moderate suspects there are two sides to every question and if he is honest and objective he may have a better chance to understand reality.
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If a writer cannot change our perception of reality, he might as well identify himself as an entertainer.
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Never insult an Armenian writer: being one is insult enough.
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