Cringefest 2005

Perhaps someone can enlighten me. (BTW, if you suspect a pun, chances are, you're right! No "pun intended" asides here! Well, except for that one.)

Why is it that we in mainstream American society are able to openly discuss genital and breast sizes, sexual positions and proclivities, bodily fluids and emissions of every imaginable type, venereal disease, affairs, crimes, drug use and addiction, violence and abuse, rape, murder, animal cruelty, kidnapping, genocide, AIDS, Kirsten Dunst and right-wing politics, BUT

When one of us starts speaking about matters of the spirit, our inner lives, free will, the nature of reality and God, our purposes in life, intimacy, the fact that we're all insecure and want to be loved, how our hearts are breaking, our skin is too thin for this kind of life, or about our explorations into non-ordinary, non-linear existence, others cringe, lower our eyes and turn away?

Is it because we're pathetically programmed to be good consumers, to identify and try to capture what we've been told has street cred, is "cool" (depending on what's "cool" in ones crowd. To my mom, Celine Dion is cool. To me, so sorry, not so much.)

Is it because we want to be entertained, and topics such as Jesus Christ are a little bit of a buzz kill? People don't think Jesus is funny. Anagram for JESUS CHRIST: CRUSHES JEST. Coincidence? I think not.

I'm sure this blog is cringe-inducing for many of my friends. They enjoy my rants and confessions, but I have a feeling that they start wincing, shoulders inching towards the ears, the second I drift off into where my true passion in life lies - namely exploring our inner lives and reality. More Profanity, please!

One of my closest friends, who has shared with me the intimate details of his sex life and the grief over a breakup, not to mention some concerns he had about redness and itching on his penis, told me that spiritual topics were "too personal" for him to discuss with me. Again, the cringing, the looking away.

I'm sorry; I took the red pill. There is no spoon. Perhaps that's the answer - wear long black leather trench coats and sunglasses and kick serious ass while making sweet love to Keanu. . . what I mean to say is that spirituality can be cool again.

Today, I'm defining "cool"

- Honesty
- Courage
- Humor
- Integrity
- Compassion
- Matrix movie references
- Killing your TV
- Real hugs
- Eye contact
- Laughter
- Buy Nothing Day
- Angelina Jolie
- Anagrams
- Love
- Real food
- Dogs
- Nature
- Silence
- Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, all the prophets, saints, guides
- Unified Field Theory (or God, choose your definition)
- Taking responsibility for your choices
- Nothing packaged or branded

Are you hip? Or just another hypocrite like me? Jesus loves you either way. Ouch. Definitely a jest crusher.

Comments

[rednaked]

I recently commented on another blog..."Jesus save me from your followers"

I do not understand the negative reaction so many people have to spirituality or the misconception that God and fun can't possibly go together.

Followed you here from Popeye. I like the way you think.

[Jas...]

Actually, I think we're more like "pathologically programmed to be good consumers".

Uh-oh. De ja vu. That means they've changed something.

[Jayne]

Hey, nice Matrix reference! 10 cool points for you today : )