Edward Introduces Himself

An Introduction (or, to be less pedantic: A Hello)

 There is no better way to begin my sojourn into the world of WikiSpirit then to jump right into the churning depths of intellectual profundity. Yes, ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between: I dare to cover, in my very first piece, the great taboo subjects of our time; the two topics that are guaranteed to make heart rates falter and faces turn puce. Those two sinister words that can transform even the most peaceful and loving households into the equivalent of a frontline trench in 1916 France. Even to type the terms sends shivers of rebellious joy down my hunched spine as I sit crouched over the keyboard! People of WikiSpirit. I, Edward Earnest, propose to discuss (theatrical pause): Religion and Politics. 

 For those of you who have not fainted at the sight of these words and are still conscious enough to make out the computer screen: I can hear you shouting in disbelief at my brazenness. "Who does this guy think he is?" "Where does he get off even mentioning religion?" "What does he know about politics?" Allow me to assuage your frayed nerves, fellow otherworldly denizens: I am the one with the gall not only to mention these words, but to place them front-to-back in the same sentence. Believe me: I understand why you tremble at the very sight of them. Who could blame you? Conversations are guaranteed to dissolve into psycho-somatic babbling or shrill histrionics while discussing either of these topics, as anyone who has bothered to try can attest to. (My personal tally is 150+ ruined conversations. Share your total in the comments!) There is also the social stigma: who hasn't been told by mom or pops that you should never, ever bring up these topics while you are out and about in the public square? To be fair, it wasn't bad advice: my grades would have improved considerably if I hadn't been making my teachers squirm uncomfortably while I dismantled their world-views right in front of the whole class. No one deserved that dunce cap more than they did - too bad I was always the one having to wear it. 

 Returning to the subject at hand, surely we can agree that as grown adults we are capable of discussing momentous topics like death, post-death, and what to do with ourselves pre-death in a civilized and cultured manner? What could be more important? Is this not what makes religion so interesting in the first place? As for politics: why not discuss politics?! I thought that was the whole point of living in a  democracy: informed citizens discussing the government! What the Hell is the big deal?? If my time on this earth is going to be even shorter than I'm willing to admit, I think a friendly conversation about human organizations and the afterlife are more than fair game. In fact, once you acknowledge the brief flicker that is our temporary existence, what else is there to do? Sitting in a sports bar with ten different angles of Sportschannel assaulting my eyeballs is tough to accomplish while I'm aware of my lifespan slowly grinding away against the crushing maw of entropy.  

 With that, we come full circle: right back to WikiSpirit, where you, fellow sentient beings, are sitting right this second and reading these very words. (How profound!) WikiSpirit has much to offer us on the topics of Religion and Politics, with many other subjects deemed taboo just waiting to be unearthed once again, subject to the proddings and pokings of the human intellect - just like the Greeks did. I say we make this site a real jamboree; a fun-loving carnival where all subjects can be examined with relish, or ketchup, or mustard, or any condiment that suits your taste. After all, if there is one thing spirituality has taught me, it's that everyone has different tastes - not just for the average corporeal sandwich, but for the mystical one as well. (Mystical sandwiches shall be the subject of next week's post - stay tuned!) 

 Discussing things openly and democratically will change the way people think. Changing the way people think will change the world. Changing the world will change all sorts of things. Also, it's just fun to talk.

 Until next time, ye fellow spiritual yearners,

 Edward Earnest 

P.S. While we're on the subject of politics, I'd like to offer my congratulations to the Federal Government of Canada for embarrassing their very own country on the international stage. It'll be hard to top the entire House of Commons giving a Nazi veteran two standing ovations back-to-back - but I'm sure they'll manage it someday soon. How about a rousing chorus of "Oh Canada" once you're finished reading this?

- Image by Arvi Pandey from Pixabay -