Today’s topic explores belief in existence of god (theistism) or not knowing (agnostisism) or not believing (atheistism.

Personally I am a theist,  however, I do not support any particular organized religion.  My experience for many people who classify themselves as athiests or agnostics it’s often more about the practice of organized religion than caring about whether or not there is a god.

Having being exposed to the Catholic religion as a child I am most familiar with that organizations practices.   I was baptized as a child  and then later went through confirmation.  In both cases I was never really offered a choice.  I came to view the church as a bureaucratic enterprise with political and social objectives funded by taxing it’s members through a semi voluntary process called tithing.

Over time this view became my general perception of all organized religions and while it did not affect my believe in god, I currently do not belong to religious group. (Even though the cathlics consider me a member, my babtism was non consensual so I do not consider it binding.)

Respect for All

Whether you consider yourself a Catholic, Jewish, Muslim or member of another organized religion, believe in god, or don’t believe or even know whether you believe or not,  it is critical to respect other peoples rights to make and practice their own choices.  (As long as those choices don’t do not negativley affect the choices of others, this is a little bit of a circular argument unfortunately).

Through history, sadly, there are far to many documented cases where the beliefs of others were subject to violent attack.  Often though, these clashes between beliefs were land grabs or political posturing only related to the religious groups pheripherally.

People helping People

Putting believes aside, religious groups do perform many valuable services.   When my father died the Catholic priest of the parish to which he belonged was a great sounding board for me and many others.  He clearly had great skill in assisting people to move through the grieving process regardless of their personal believes.

On the whole, todays practioners in the main organized religions (e.g., priest, rabbi, iman) are highly educated with University degrees (Master of Theology) or at least a designation from a seminary or equivalent institution (e.g.  Master of Divinity).  This training positions them well to assist others.

I recenly attended the wedding of a second cousin and was reminded about the power of a good memory.

Significant events like graduations,  weddings, funerals and such present the opportunity both to reflect on past milestones while adding another.

The associated rituals with weddings, graduations and funerals create a frame for us remember the past fondly and view the future positively.   By their very design these milestone events can be leveraged in very postive ways, motivating and reinforcing our love for life.

Good Fortune

I always feel fortunate to be a part of these celebrations (whether it be of life, death or a learning milestone) and I consider myself lucky to be able to participate.

Party on dude!

Drinking,  dancing,  eating and laughing, whether the celebration is our own or we are sharing the joy of others these key life events allow us the opportunity to build our own positive energy.  They can serve as reminders that life is good,  enjoyment and pleasure opportunities abound and are ours for for the taking.  we should do this whenever the chance presents itself.

So savour the moment, leverage it,  consider it just a another step in the path toward the search for meaning in your life.

I lived in Toronto,  the largest city in C anada and eighth largest in North America (by population) for about twenty-five years.  I moved to another large Canadian city about five years ago.

I recently made a return visit to Toronto and was reminded of the difference between a large city (population around a milllion) and a very large city (population around six million).

The excitement and energy of a bustling downtown center permeates major population hubs.  The night life is vibriant and continues into the night to morning.  Pretentious bars, clubs and food places of every description abound.  Pretentious is a very subjective desriptive term, just in my view a number of the places are more about being “in”, than a focus on the food or service offered.

The other night, I saw my first example of the use of the Uber online ride request service.   i was waiting outside the tony establishment where I had just had a pleasant meal (for a bit of fresh air) a couple of young damsels were also standing by waiting for a ride.  Their frequent checking of iphones coupled with a discussion about the make and model of vehicle coming to pick them up twigged me to the Uber transaction in progress.  As commented by a reader on a previous blog post, Uber is like the new hitch hiking, albeit with a fee.

This experience is definately trivial, but for me with the surrounding atmosphere and general aura of an eciting night life, it was pretty cool.

In Summary

In all honesty the vibrancy of the big city is hugely enticing although for me small doses are better. Visting a large metropolis infreqently, raises the enjoyment a lot.  Being a resident of the city though caused much of the appeal and excitement to be lost on me.  And while my current home is a fabulous place to live these trips to the big city do highlight the differences In lifestyle between the two  locations.

My wife and I visited our son-in-law, daughter and granddaughter on the labor day long weekend.

We drove to their house on the so-called “Highway of Death”, named I think for the higher than average number of fatal accidents.

On the way home I was in a three car pack when a pick-up truck passed all three of us on an up-hill stretch crossing a double yellow line to do so.  This is a two lane highway and we were doing 110 kilometers per hour so he must have been speeding at close to 140 or 150.  I guess some folks think they are invincible. (typically young males – hold the comments I get this is a stereotypical and politically incorrect way of viewing things).  As a defensive driver I was ready to handle the unexpected, but really I don’t mind if you have a death wish as long as you don’t create the risk of collateral damage.

Somehow when you are twenty to thirty you think you will live forever.  Let me say a head on collision can end that thought pretty fast.

Visiting our Granddaughter

Our granddaughter just turned one.  I had forgotten the pleasure of watching the children grow up.  Curious about everything they are like sponges.   The aura of innocence of those so young is like the smell of a beautiful flower.  Oh, youth, what a pleasure and a privilege to watch them explore, mature and ultimately take care of you in old age.  (That’s why we have kid’s right?)   Just trying to be humorous.

I would say I am nostalgic for those times, however, to be honest I am not.  I really did love being a parent, and we are very fortunate that in adulthood our children exhibit a very strong set of personal values all of which do them great credit.    And they let us visit from time to time, a credit to anyone.   I also really enjoy being an empty nester.

What’s the Point

This post does not have any deep meaning, mostly it is just the highlights from the weekend (if almost getting killed on the Highway of Death is a highlight.)

One final note, as some of you may be aware Highway 63, which is the main road to our children’s abode is undergoing a twining from two lanes to four.  This is a massive construction project and as you can imagine.  During the drive you see many construction workers.  My wife did comment how it was funny that as we passed groups of workers by the roadside they would usually be in groups of 4 or 5 with one doing something (for example sweeping) and the others supervising.

With the advent of video games, the mass popularity of board games has bee on the decline.  Franchise games like Monopoly, Clue and Trivial Pursuit still have followers, but even with these classics there are digital versions that currently outsell  the physical games

What about the loss of social Interaction?

We played a game of bridge with our daughter and son in law last night.  The game was fun but the conversation surrounding the play was the real pleasure.

The innovation and creativity apparent in modern board games is diiferent from that of digital games, not to say that both of these kinds of entertainment don’t exhibit these traits, just in different ways.  In general though its the person to person interaction that appeals to me most.

Some of my Favorites

Here are a few of my favorites.  If you get an opportunity to try any of these I strongly recommend it.

Takenoko, –  this is theJapanese word for bamboo.  The main character in the game is the Chinese Panda and the game was developed in Germany, go figure.

King of Tokyo – developed by the creator of theMagic collectable card game the play is simple and involves the usual Japanese monster themes, Godzilla etc.

Power Grid – cheap dirty power or clean expensive energy.  What will you be the mogul of, what works best to win the game.  Economics, ecology and good clean fun this game might make you think too.

Ticket to Ride – this games comes in geographic specific versions (Europre, North America, etc.). Build your track faster than the others and win the game.  Don’t forget the passengers.

Apparently going beyond the posted maximum speed limit is unsafe.  To protect members of society against this terrible danger we attempt to curb it’s occurance by leving a fine against those that transgress.

Is speeding really a danger to all?

Driving an automobile at a speed unsafe relative to the road conditions can lead to an accident.  This could lead to damage, personal injury or death.  If everyone drove at no greater than the posted maxiumum would there be fewer cases of damage injury or death? (Apparently the maximum is  a safe speed although given varible conditions I am not sure this is true.)

Tax Grab

While  it is probably true that controling the speed drivers choose as safe and appropriate has some value toward ensuring the safety of the innocent, I tend to view the fines associated with speeding as somewhat of a tax grab.  That is a way for municipalities to supplement their revenues.  Consider the traffic camera, its weeks before you even find out you were speeding and are being fined for it.  This does not alter your driving behaviour the way being stopped and presented a ticket right at the time of the offence would. It is also interesting that the speed traps are almost always in places where people are likely to speed, construction zones and the like, not in places where excessive speed is most likely to cause an accident.  This is likely because the revenue from fines is higher and easier to gather in the trickey places.

What happens when ther are no limits?

In Germany there are no speed limits on the autobahn (major highways) and although there can be many factors, like skill of drivers, there is not a significant difference in the accident rate.

Full Disclosure

I recieved a speeding ticket today in a construction zone where other than the officer of the law there was not another person in sight.