Random Rant Time

Work was pretty busy yesterday, although today looks pretty slow. I had been tasked with a fairly mammoth research assignment and because I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to research, I went above and beyond the actual parameters of the assignment and ended up writing a 3-page Executive Summary of the issue. To be perfectly contrite about it, that served a dual purpose. On the one hand, given the quantity of articles that I had selected, a summary seemed necessary so that the partner involved didn't have to sit down and read 200 pages of material. But on the other hand, writing executive summaries is pretty much a great thing to do for the old CV. It's the one thing that I do on this job that is actually a benefit to my so-called career. Plus I kind of enjoy writing them - or, more accurately, I just enjoy the chance to write about anything in an authoritative sense.

After work, there was talk of the Prototype and I getting together for drinks (talk that she began, I might add). But it fizzled. She still hasn't received the money that her former roommate owes her, so she's too poor to go out. Just as well since I'm down to my last £20 until payday. Instead, I watched Ocean's 11 (truly enjoyable) and Dogma.

I find it incredibly ironic that Dogma was so castigated by the Catholic Church when it was in the theaters. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's no surprise. The movie just scandalizes the Church and the Catholic tradition. But, if you're really paying attention, not only are the criticisms of the Church incredibly accurate (Bible was written by men and thus, is sexist, for example), but the overall message of the movie is pretty damn good. Religion, it is argued, is where humanity has gone astray from spirituality because it is men who have formed and run the organized religions of the world - not a higher spiritual force (God, if you will). The fallibility of men ensured that corruption was inevitable. And it is that corruption that twists the message to its own purposes - thus the Crusades, the Church taking "no position" on the Nazi's during the holocaust, etc.

I could go on about this, but I think I'd belabor the point. So I'll conclude with this: It's protests about movies and this kind of crap, "I believe in one church, the holy Roman Catholic..." That inhibits free thinking. For a thousand years the Church had the power and might to enforce its doctrine. Those days are over. The inevitable progression from mindless repetition of verse to actual thought and understanding of one's spirituality must continue. I'll end this rant with perhaps my favorite line from a most infamous singer:

"God grant me the sorority to accept that which I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

(Two points if you can name the singer.)