Fun to have people reading and my blog being motivated to share opinions. Almost motivates me to just post non stop about hot button topics like religion all the time. Almost.
I do want to expose my kids to as many different opinions and world views as I possibly can, so they can figure out for themselves (in the long run) what works for them. And the reason I want to do that is because, I don't think any particular world view is any more correct then the next. My choice to be atheist is just as valid as my friends choices for religion. Neither is the right choice or the wrong choice, they are just personal preferences. The important thing is to figure out for yourself what "fits" for you.
And that's the main reason I find it SO utterly difficult to participate in any formal organized gathering of any religious type. Because usually (not always), that group of people want you to think just like them. And if you don't, you're labelled as "wrong". Whether it's a Christian church wanting to convert you to a belief in god, or a liberal Unitarian church where everyone bashes conservatives and republicans. Either group comes with preconceived notions of who is right and wrong and what beliefs are right and wrong.
Which brings us right back to my subjective view of life and truth. Something that is hard to describe, but it is central to almost all my beliefs. I profess my love of the classic existential philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, and how reading his essays was the first time in my life, I ever read something about a world view that "fit" for me. Where for the first time in my life, I said "Wow, this is exactly how I've come to view the world.".
Yet still, despite that, there is a small part of me that wonders. Is subjective truth just a way to live your entire life without taking a particular stand on a subject?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Target Audience
I'm usually pretty perceptive of changes in my normal routine. For as long as the "Followers" feature became available, I've had 3 followers. The 3 blog links on my blog roll. All of a sudden today I have 10 followers! (and I lost one of my original 3!) Oh, I must be getting famous.
Has my recent post on religion grabbed people? Should I do a full month of blogging about "Why Shawn is Atheist" or "How I think I developed morals without religion"? It's funny how much feedback I got on my recent post. Thanks to those that left comments. My Mom says to me, "The things you say amaze me." She's either amazed at what I say or I'm simply crazy. My brother tells me I get him "fired up". But if what I say gets people worked up one way or another, I must be on to something. Honestly though, I'm not really on to anything. I just enjoy being an instigator of thought.
And in the meantime, I'll try not to let the possibility that more than 3 people read my blog effect the way I do business around here.
Has my recent post on religion grabbed people? Should I do a full month of blogging about "Why Shawn is Atheist" or "How I think I developed morals without religion"? It's funny how much feedback I got on my recent post. Thanks to those that left comments. My Mom says to me, "The things you say amaze me." She's either amazed at what I say or I'm simply crazy. My brother tells me I get him "fired up". But if what I say gets people worked up one way or another, I must be on to something. Honestly though, I'm not really on to anything. I just enjoy being an instigator of thought.
And in the meantime, I'll try not to let the possibility that more than 3 people read my blog effect the way I do business around here.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Rest for the Wicked
Tonight Andrea and I talked about one of those hard topics. Religion. More specifically, teaching religion. For some families, it's not even a question, let alone a hard one. You are given a belief structure from your parents in whatever religion they are a part of and then choose to accept or reject it.
For whatever reason, I don't feel I was ever "taught" religion, or in a more broader sense, taught how to figure out my place in the world/universe/whatever you want to call it. My thought is that religion provides answers for people to a lot of those hard to answer questions. Why am I here, what is my purpose, what happens when I die, etc etc. But I honestly don't know if that is the case, not being a part of any religion. Maybe it just gives a framework for finding answers to those questions but still leaves the actual answering up the individual.
But none of that is the point. The point here is I want to arm my daughters with at least some skills that give them a starting point to find those answers for themselves. The question is, what is the best way to go about doing that? Would taking them to a specific religion church do that? Or would trying to expose them to lots of different religions in some way be better? Either option seems tough.
I know the one thing I can't do is lie to them about my own beliefs, and that's maybe the hardest part. Being atheist is a tough proposition in it's own right. Trying to get someone to understand my belief structure, and how it is possible to be atheist and still "care" about things, life, other people, and still strive to be a "good" person, is not easy. On top of that, there are all these studies out there that show religions people tend to be happier or healthier or that church-going kids have better GPAs. Sadly, neither of these are motivators for me but they do at least force me to ask myself, what is best for my girls?
For whatever reason, I don't feel I was ever "taught" religion, or in a more broader sense, taught how to figure out my place in the world/universe/whatever you want to call it. My thought is that religion provides answers for people to a lot of those hard to answer questions. Why am I here, what is my purpose, what happens when I die, etc etc. But I honestly don't know if that is the case, not being a part of any religion. Maybe it just gives a framework for finding answers to those questions but still leaves the actual answering up the individual.
But none of that is the point. The point here is I want to arm my daughters with at least some skills that give them a starting point to find those answers for themselves. The question is, what is the best way to go about doing that? Would taking them to a specific religion church do that? Or would trying to expose them to lots of different religions in some way be better? Either option seems tough.
I know the one thing I can't do is lie to them about my own beliefs, and that's maybe the hardest part. Being atheist is a tough proposition in it's own right. Trying to get someone to understand my belief structure, and how it is possible to be atheist and still "care" about things, life, other people, and still strive to be a "good" person, is not easy. On top of that, there are all these studies out there that show religions people tend to be happier or healthier or that church-going kids have better GPAs. Sadly, neither of these are motivators for me but they do at least force me to ask myself, what is best for my girls?
Saturday, February 13, 2010
8 days between posts!
Epic fail! This week was weird, and I didn't deliver on my promise of pictures from the Apple Valley Midwinter fest. I ended up going to work every other day this week, which sorta made the week fly by. I was working from home on Tuesday because I didn't feel like getting trapped in 3 feet snow drifts in my driveway. Thursday I had the day off so we could get some family pictures taken and so Andrea could get our taxes done and go to Megan's conferences.
Foot update: Still not 100% healed, but definitely better. Random pain throughout the day is very rare, and it usually doesn't hurt unless I really stretch and push/massage the area forcefully. I'm still hopeful for late March.
Anyway, not much else to report this week so here are the pictures and videos from Midwinter fest, as promised. First up, Megan got a cool balloon bracelet.
Everyone at the ice sculpture, and just Megan with a better shot of the finished product.
Foot update: Still not 100% healed, but definitely better. Random pain throughout the day is very rare, and it usually doesn't hurt unless I really stretch and push/massage the area forcefully. I'm still hopeful for late March.
Anyway, not much else to report this week so here are the pictures and videos from Midwinter fest, as promised. First up, Megan got a cool balloon bracelet.
Everyone at the ice sculpture, and just Megan with a better shot of the finished product.
Friday, February 05, 2010
501st Post
Didn't even realize it, but happened to glance at my post count tonight. I hit 500 posts, with today being 501. Not bad for 5 1/2 years of blogging. When I started this little adventure I didn't think I would last this long. I've come SO close to quitting many times. But in the end I always come back because quite frankly, for whatever reason, blogging can be very therapeutic for me. It's a place to come and bitch and moan without burdening anyone with my worries. The side effect of course is that sometimes my blog shows only the negative side of me, but I try my best to balance it out.
Foot update: Got the night splint this week and I've worn it twice now. It's not bad, and it definitely helps with the morning pain. I don't know if it is going to be a miracle cure, but I have hopes. In most studies, it helps 70-80% of the time. Even if it does, it's going to be a long healing process. I'm doing elliptical for now, but will see how that goes. It feels like it's low impact, but it's hard to tell.
Not much else going on really. Work is still just work. Still trying to make a difference, because why not? It's more fun to try and make a difference and then be forced not to, rather then just straight up not even try. Sure the outcome is going to be the same, but at least that way I can put the blame on some other abstract concept like "the business" making bad decisions.
The girls are doing fine, and Megan starts a new preschool program on Monday. It's a "Playschool" program at the near by Eastview high school. It's a great program, 3 days a week. She will do that in addition to normal ECFE 2 days a week, so she will be a busy girl!
Tomorrow we are doing the Apple Valley Mid-Winter Fest which we try to do every year. It's mostly just so that Megan can do the inflatable jumpers, but maybe this year she would have the patience for mini golf. I'll try and snap a few pictures and get them up this weekend.
Foot update: Got the night splint this week and I've worn it twice now. It's not bad, and it definitely helps with the morning pain. I don't know if it is going to be a miracle cure, but I have hopes. In most studies, it helps 70-80% of the time. Even if it does, it's going to be a long healing process. I'm doing elliptical for now, but will see how that goes. It feels like it's low impact, but it's hard to tell.
Not much else going on really. Work is still just work. Still trying to make a difference, because why not? It's more fun to try and make a difference and then be forced not to, rather then just straight up not even try. Sure the outcome is going to be the same, but at least that way I can put the blame on some other abstract concept like "the business" making bad decisions.
The girls are doing fine, and Megan starts a new preschool program on Monday. It's a "Playschool" program at the near by Eastview high school. It's a great program, 3 days a week. She will do that in addition to normal ECFE 2 days a week, so she will be a busy girl!
Tomorrow we are doing the Apple Valley Mid-Winter Fest which we try to do every year. It's mostly just so that Megan can do the inflatable jumpers, but maybe this year she would have the patience for mini golf. I'll try and snap a few pictures and get them up this weekend.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Difficult Decision
I've come to a very difficult conclusion. I know it's for the better and hopefully the best for my long term goals, but that doesn't make it any easier. What is that decision you ask? I'm done running... for now.
You may remember my off hand comment about Plantar Fasciitis a few weeks ago. Well, I took my week off running, did even more research, and even visited a podiatrist. I've decided I have full blown plantars, and that I need to treat it before it gets worse.
The thing that makes plantars such a horrible injury, is that it is a silent killer. It doesn't hurt THAT much, usually only early in the morning. Stretching it or running on it can actually make it feel better. But running on it is a false approach, because you are doing more harm. I've read more than a few accounts of people who "ran through" a plantars injury only to be completely debilitated later.
The other horrible aspect of plantars, is that there is no easy cure. What worked for one person doesn't work for the next and vice versa. I was even at a running store looking for night splints and the store clerk mentioned how he had plantars once. He says to me, "You basically have to throw every treatment at it. What worked for me was...."
At the core, there are the 3 basic things: rest, icing and stretching. In addition to the basics, I'm wearing orthopedic shoe inserts at all times. One of the most important rules is to never go barefoot, even at home. I'm going to do a week of anti-inflammatory starting soon (tomorrow?) I've also ordered a "night splint" online (couldn't find one in a local store).
The idea behind the splint is that during the night, your foot rests in an extended manner, allowing your plantar fascia to constrict. Then upon waking, you take your first step out of bed and BAM, tear it apart and start the cycle of healing/tearing all over again. The night splint keeps the muscle flexed, allowing it to heal better over night and then be ready to go in the morning.
I need to be icing more, which I will probably start more of this week. I think I'll start icing at work too, where I have more time to just sit. If I don't see noticeable change within 4 weeks, I'll head back to the podiatrist and consider more drastic measures such as professional message therapy or ultrasound cortisone cream. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. I am absolutely committed to getting this taken care of over the next 8-12 weeks. One thing is for sure, no matter what, I will never run on a treadmill again, which I feel is the main reason I suffered this injury. (although, stupid use of a treadmill is also to blame)
You may remember my off hand comment about Plantar Fasciitis a few weeks ago. Well, I took my week off running, did even more research, and even visited a podiatrist. I've decided I have full blown plantars, and that I need to treat it before it gets worse.
The thing that makes plantars such a horrible injury, is that it is a silent killer. It doesn't hurt THAT much, usually only early in the morning. Stretching it or running on it can actually make it feel better. But running on it is a false approach, because you are doing more harm. I've read more than a few accounts of people who "ran through" a plantars injury only to be completely debilitated later.
The other horrible aspect of plantars, is that there is no easy cure. What worked for one person doesn't work for the next and vice versa. I was even at a running store looking for night splints and the store clerk mentioned how he had plantars once. He says to me, "You basically have to throw every treatment at it. What worked for me was...."
At the core, there are the 3 basic things: rest, icing and stretching. In addition to the basics, I'm wearing orthopedic shoe inserts at all times. One of the most important rules is to never go barefoot, even at home. I'm going to do a week of anti-inflammatory starting soon (tomorrow?) I've also ordered a "night splint" online (couldn't find one in a local store).
The idea behind the splint is that during the night, your foot rests in an extended manner, allowing your plantar fascia to constrict. Then upon waking, you take your first step out of bed and BAM, tear it apart and start the cycle of healing/tearing all over again. The night splint keeps the muscle flexed, allowing it to heal better over night and then be ready to go in the morning.
I need to be icing more, which I will probably start more of this week. I think I'll start icing at work too, where I have more time to just sit. If I don't see noticeable change within 4 weeks, I'll head back to the podiatrist and consider more drastic measures such as professional message therapy or ultrasound cortisone cream. Hopefully it doesn't come to that. I am absolutely committed to getting this taken care of over the next 8-12 weeks. One thing is for sure, no matter what, I will never run on a treadmill again, which I feel is the main reason I suffered this injury. (although, stupid use of a treadmill is also to blame)
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