For the past few days, I've been vexed...
I know, I know; who really uses that word, anymore? But, still it seems the most appropriate word. Because, in fact, I have been horribly vexed by an argument that I allowed myself to be goaded into by my one off fundamentalist supervisor at work; in which, we spent four hours, while I was stuck at the front desk covering for our admin, going round in circles arguing the point of his belief, and how it was true... and that was that.
How, you might ask, did I manage to let myself get duped into such a folly? By, what seemed like such an innocent question, I suppose. He was curious how I could respect my grandfather, yet so completely disagree with his choice to leave science for the family business of faith.
From there it was easy for him to expose my personal assumptions and go after them. And, as typical for the religiously devout, he did so with the typical miss informed, under educated, half baked talking points that get regurgitated by all like him. My attempting to fill in the gaps of his arguments only made him cling harder to his flawed points; which ultimately did lead to the break down of his position; not only including his flip flopping on definitions and levels of veracity of his beloved scriptures, but to also reinforce the weakness of his personal character – for which I had, just recently, tried to protect him against when management approached me with the intent to possibly terminate him.
But all of that is pretty much water under the bridge. I stood my own ,and, I feel, came out on top, in that one. No, what has been really vexing me these past couple of days has been, truly, for the first time, coming face to face with the kind of creationist half assed back talk that, until recently, I've only seen second hand via sites like Youtube. Last Friday I actually met one of the biggest plagues on, not only America, but on mankind itself.
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Keep looking,
you'll find bliss in there, somewhere. |
Ignorance.
Or, more to the point, the celebration of, and willful participation in, ignorance. At the heart of much of the impasse in our culture today is the total lack of understanding of facts, language, and spheres of existence outside our own comfortable settings. In America, my home country, this is practically a way of life. After all, this is the country that challenged an empire, built a new form of government, and then poured out, onto the world, it's own brand of innovation and prosperity. It's only natural, I suppose, that we've developed an arrogant attitude of superiority; as if our way is the best, and only, way to get things done.
This is playing itself out horribly on the world stage, as it's finally catching up to the United States. And, as we are ignorant of the impact of our own actions, continue down a dark path; unable, or refusing, to see that we are, in fact, fulfilling the tactics of our “enemy” - to be spread thin through multiple engagements as we spend our country to the ground. (If you think that's bad, Osama bin Laden even announced his strategy to the world, early on in our “war on terror”. And yet, ere we still are...)
At home, the practice of ignorance has led us, as a nation, to turn on each other, as conservative forces work to erode the more progressive direction our country began to take, on its own, at the closing of the last decade, and whittle away our rights, turning thr clock back on America some nearly 75 years. Fostering an atmosphere of ignorance, they have changed public opinion in frightening ways; rewriting history to demonize once valued heroes, as well as undermine the very safe guards and protections afforded us by The Constitution of the United States. In many cases, trying very hard to establish a theocracy where none was ever intended.
From sky rocketing child pregnancy in states like Texas – who implemented a religiously founded sex ed class based off of falsehoods and fear, to Utah – whose Mormon political powerhouse spent $25 million to insure California would legalize discrimination with Prop 8, to the over all declining test score of our youth – ranking us closer and closer to the bottom of the first world list each year, the Era of Ignorance is taking its toll on us all. And worse, it's spreading.
The new political tendency of the far right, in America – ignorant of various facts and education (To which I will make no claim of personal intent.), to rise up in arms and violent aggression against open discord has spread to other dangerous factions, groups, and individuals who so feel empowered to take matters into their own, under informed hands. While here in The States, kids bully and assault, and political action groups post hateful messages on websites, insighting others to violent actions, we witness despicable acts like those over the weekend in Norway; where one gunman opened fire on innocent children and a youth summer camp as a way to cut down “Fascist Jihadist”, “Marxist Liberals”, and “Muslim sympathizers” he found to be ruining his country.
It's easy to point fingers and lay blame to the left, or right. And, in fact, many have already fallen into this trap. But, for me, the real villains are pretty clear; those who would foster ignorance,and it's resulting hate, fear, and violence, as a means to any end. The end result of such an air of idiocy is harmful, if not fatal, to the progress of the nation, as well as the world.
Last week I was entrapped by, and came face to face with, the very tool – as much as he is a victim – of the new Age of Ignorance. Through him, and his like, the spirit of a nation, a people, and a species will be brought to a halt; its course ultimately reversed.
And it vexes me. How can I, as one soul, combat this, share knowledge, and end the tyranny of those so intent to undo all that we have worked so hard to achieve?
For a period of a little more than three hundred years – roughly from 700 CE to, about, 1100 CE - Baghdad, Iraq was the center of all learning in the known world. And they were on their way to unlocking all the great mysteries of the Cosmos, until on fundamentalist imam swept in with his orders of reformation. Looking to retake his country from, what he saw, were great evils (“Math is the language of Satin”, the battle cry.) Imam Hamid al-Ghazali led a violent fundimentalist take over and managed to plunge the Middle East into a Dark Age it still has yet to recover from.
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| Sadly, he does. |
Today, despite all we've accomplished, we, too, are now standing at the edge of the precipice; our toes dangling over the edge of an abyss. Only with education and understanding can we find the path to a future for all mankind that will be to his potential, his own promise. But, as like my supervisor, we blunder along in ignorance, then that edge truly leads to the Hell he so fears; the bumbling meanderings of the ill informed and under educated making it a self fulfilling prophecy.
