Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins is without a doubt the most famous scientist on the planet promoting atheism today. He wrote The God Delusion that sold millions of copies. I have not read it, but I have listened to his interview on the BBC and his talk on TED.

As a Deist (ie. I believe in a Mind behind the universe), you would expect that the bullets in his arsenal of arguments would have my name all over them. But upon closer inspection, you'll realise that most of them are actually aimed at Christianity. And since I'm not a Christian and you CAN'T prove there is no God by debunking Christianity, my beliefs remain largely unscathed. RD is no threat to me.

But he is most definitely a threat to idjits like GW Bush Jr and S Palin, who see the world in black and white, defined by an ongoing war between good and evil, God and Satan, Christ against the anti-Christ and Christians and Jews versus everybody else. Dawkins wants to bring some sanity back into the USA. For that, I applaud him.

That's him in the photo. It's from a campaign back in Jan 2009 to promote atheism in Britain. Now a scientific theory is an explanation that best fits the data and stands until a better theory comes along. So science is all about probabilities. Which means you can't make an absolute statement like "There is no God" when you can't even begin to prove it! The word "probably" was added because organisers of the campaign "did not want to be dogmatic in the way that so many religious leaders are" (timesonline.co.uk).

Even though my position and theirs are diametrically opposite, I respect these atheists for that generous gesture! :)

Cyber Clash!

If you hang around online discussion forums long enough, you're bound to clash with someone sooner or later. Needless to say, opinionated me has had many such encounters, so much so I can probably call myself a veteran! That is not to say that I don't get upset or stressed sometimes. I still do but I'd like to think that I am emotionally and psychologically much stronger than before, plus a little more adept at wriggling out of tight spots and protecting by butt from getting shot off.

To me, online debates are like paintball games. Very stimulating, yet very painful if you get hit! You are dealing with real people who can be very smart and unpredictable. Yet with enough experience you will be able to develop a set of strategies to handle most situations adequately.

A lot of people seem to believe that the primary objective is to win the argument at all costs. Some will try to drown you in a sea of words. Others employ highfaluting bombastic language or profanities to intimidate you. A few actually think they are victorious if they get in the last word!

The truth is you can win an argument and still lose the audience! People are not always rational. Say there is a quarrel between X and Y. X may be very logical but end up losing hearts and minds because he sounds like he is bullying Y. Get me?

In that way, a weakness can actually turn into a strength. When two or three gang up against one, people tend to support the underdog (unless the latter is promoting something absolutely ridiculous or revolting). Of course if you find yourself outnumbered in a forum full of extremists, the smartest thing is to get out!

There are many lessons one can actually learn from such experiences: about conflict resolution, about keeping cool under fire, about not taking things too seriously, about mental flexibility and dexterity, about winning friends and influencing people, about developing a reputation for honesty and integrity, about showing mercy and compassion to a weaker opponent, etc etc etc.

Below is a little altercation I was involved in recently. See what you think. (Names have been changed, of course.) Hydrogen first mentioned liking the tv series Band of Brothers.

Me: Sorry, but to me it's more propaganda from Hollywood promoting the myth that America saved the world from Adolf Hitler.

Silver XXX: Promoting the myth? I have to say if it wasn't for the americans we'd all still be kaotaoing and saying arifuckingato! True 70%of german losses were on the eastern front but until a good russian war movie is made i'll watch the good ole yanks tearing up normandy! Anyways at the end of the day it's a good show.

Gold XXX: Thank you! I wanted to say 'if it weren't for the Americans, you'd be a panty sniffing pervert whose mother is a bukake pornstar'. But I'm too nice and I hear a lot of American bashing and get tired of it at the end of the day. Also, I might add Hollywood is as liberal as it can get, and the last thing they like to do is to promote the right wing propaganda and patriotism.

Me: Silver, I said "Adolf Hitler", not arifuckingato Japanese. Gold, I don't know you at all and you want to call me a 'panty sniffing pervert whose mother is a bukake pornstar'? Must be the American influence!

[Notice the sting at the end of my reply?]

Gold XXX: Grow some balls and take it like a man.

[At this point, how would you have reacted if you were me? Would you have gone stark raving mad and behaved accordingly? Would you have apologised for causing displeasure? Would you have cleared out of there fast to avoid the stress? Pause and have a think about it before you go on.]

Me: Nice meeting you, too.

Oxygen: As an American, I am apalled at Gold's post. I say its the British influence.

[I was laughing my head off because Gold was defending the Americans and an American came and disowned her!]

Silver XXX: Now now. Play nice people. This is bringing some nasty things to the table.Rich, if it wasn't for the Americans keeping the Atlantic trade route open, Britain would have collapsed. The fact is that even though America didn't officially enter the war until 1941, Many american ships were involved in protecting aid convoys against the german U-boat ... Read Morethreat. Please don't discount the fact that many American Serviceman died doing it as it insults their memory.Gold, please don't insult people like that as it's not nice. you don't even know the guy. In fact neither do i. I know you hear alot of american bashing but sometimes you have to let it go. Personally i think Americans are nice. From what i see the average joe is honest, friendly and like the rest of the world just wants to get on with his life. Their politicians on the other hand have been terrible since Reagan was elected. But you can't blame the majority for the minority. So there.Anyways Band of Brothers is a damn good show.

Silver XXX: And Oxygen, it is the British outspoken sarcastic side of her. Ah... my sis.

Gold XXX: Oh no nigga! I got owned!

Bronze XXX: The best WWII eastern front movie was probably that German film, Stalingrad. Realistic, but waaay too depressing. The entire Ost- Front was depressing to read about. And Silver was right, America was in the war prior to 1941 by supplying arms, ships and then aggressive anti-German patrols for the Brits. God bless the Americans of the 40's. Where are they now?

Hydrogen: All this over the Band of Brothers box set? Dang. Think I'll watch the Simpsons next. Less "political"! ...hee hee

Me: Don't get me started on the Simpsons! (Hahaha!) Nice to meet the XXX family. Happy Ramadhan to you! About movies, I'm waiting for Steven Spielberg to make one about the 10 million Native American Indians who disappeared off the face of the USA.

Silver XXX: Thanks Rich. Nice meeting u too. The XXX family like many others is as dysfunctional as they come but we all love each other....really!honest!

As you can see, it could have ended in total disaster, with me and the XXX family becoming sworn enemies. A certain amount of skill and emotional calmness is needed to turn such encounters around and gain the desired objectives - the respect and maybe grudging acceptance of the logic of your position.

One last tip to remember: Check your facts before opening your mouth! Will save you a world of hurt! :)

Crazy!

This is inspired by a list I saw in Facebook and I thought I'd do one too. What are the wildest, craziest, riskist things you have ever done in your life? Here's my list. See if you can beat it!


Drank a glass of fresh snake blood in China

Half a glass, actually. I was in Guilin with my dad. We were in a kind of snake restaurant. This guy sliced open a snake and drained the blood into a glass. Then he added some alcohol. The people there kept asking if we wanted it, like they couldn't wait to snatch it from us. My dad turned his back for a moment and was shocked when he found I had gulped it all down! Hahaha! Could only taste the alcohol, though.

Ate "balut" in Manila

Balut is duck egg, boiled just before the duckling hatches. You peel off the shell at the top of the egg and add a bit of sauce. Then you sorta suck the contents out, feathers and all!












Ate monitor lizard in Medan

Guy on a bicycle sold pieces of lizard hot in banana leaf. A bit tough but tastes like chicken. :)














Spent a night outside a girl's apartment trying to impress her

Not exactly like in the cartoon - I didn't have a guitar and I didn't sing! I tried to sleep in the car but it was hot and I got eaten alive by mosquitoes! She rejected me just the same! Said she'll call the police if I didn't get lost! :)






















Cried for a week after attending a girl's wedding dinner

Met her after she was registered to another guy. We got along fantastic. She looked so beautiful in her wedding dress. Broke my heart into pieces. Such is life.


















Nearly drowned when I got sucked under a waterfall

Never swim under a waterfall. The force of the plunging water pushes you downwards. Fortunately I managed to kick my way up. Swimming lessons are GOOD for you!

















Lost a few toe nails after a run through the jungle

I was wearing a cheap pair of track shoes when I participated in this Hash House cross-country run through some secondary forest. The jungle floor is uneven and full of roots. I managed to twist my ankle somewhere near the end and had to limp the rest of the way. When I took my shoes off, three of the toenails had turned black. The entire nails came off after a week or two!















Visited a Mormon temple all by my lonesome

That was during my Christian phase. I was very enthusiastic about saving these cultists from burning in hell, you see? I even had a long discussion with a Hare Krishna fellow once. The Mormon temple is very much like an old-fashioned church. They sing hymns!

On the left is a photo of a godly Mormon guy with his many wives and lovely brood of kids. Mormons also believe God hates black people and had marked them with dark skin.










Visited a mosque with my two kids

No big deal if you're a Muslim but non-Muslims will award you with a Badge of Courage for doing this! :)
























Handed out Christian literature to prostitutes in Sydney!

Probably the maddest thing I will ever do in my life and I did it all alone, driven by the conviction that God loved these ladies of the night. I took a bus from my house in the Eastern Suburbs to Kingscross in Sydney with a bag full of little New Testaments. You bet I was nervous. The girls were standing along the street waiting for customers. I tried giving a copy to a pretty girl who looked Chinese but she rejected me. That hurt. I approached a blond girl and she said, "Do you wanna go?" I said no and handed her a Bible. She said "Ta" and turned away. After that one success I chickened out completely and took off for home. Unfortunatedly the buses had already stopped running by that time - around 11pm, I guess. I called a Christian guy who came to pick me up. He was mighty impressed as you can imagine!

The Art of War

The Art of War by Sunzi is one of the most amazing books I have ever come across. Written by a Chinese general some 2,500 years ago, it still contains lessons that are absolutely relevant today. This is not a book review. I only want to list some of the points that are, to my mind, the most important. Incidentally, my version of the book has James Clavell as the "editor".

1) Discipline

Sunzi was once requested by a Chinese king to demonstrate the effectiveness of his ideas on a group of young women. He carefully explained the orders he would be issuing to the ladies and got them to stand to attention. "Right turn!" he called out. The ladies stood and giggled. "Left turn!" The ladies giggled some more. Sunzi very patiently explained his orders again. If the instructions were unclear, the commander was at fault, he stressed. The ladies acknowledged that they had understood the instructions. "Right turn!" he shouted again. The ladies laughed and did nothing. "Left turn!" More laughter. Sunzi promptly had the group leader, one of the king's favourite concubines, beheaded! Guess what? He had no more problems getting his orders obeyed!

Why did it require the combined might of the USSR, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, etc to overcome a relatively small country like Germany in WW2? My answer: the Germans were highly disciplined.

2) Knowing your enemy and yourself

If you asked me, this is the very reason why the Americans lost in Vietnam (and why they will lose in Afghanistan). The Yanks did not understand the Vietnamese language, culture, spirit, aspirations, etc, and cared less. They arrogantly assumed that they could beat anyone into submission with enough bombs and bullets. As a result, they got their neo-colonial asses whipped.

3) Breaking resistance without fighting

This is not something you would have heard from American Generals like Douglas MacArthur, who had built a career on a mountain of dead bodies. When the Japanese kicked him out of the Philippines, he declared "I shall return!" Years later, the Yanks could have bypassed Luzon island on their way to Japan but MacArthur had to "return" or lose face. The ensuing needless battle for Manila killed 100,000 Filipinos and destroyed the city. Just so a vainglorious general could keep his promise!

Sunzi, on the other hand, preferred not to fight, if at all possible. (Does that sound like he was advocating diplomacy?) If not possible, then fighting should be done in such a way as to minimise casualties and waste. The German blitzkrieg (lightning war) for example, was highly efficient in the use of speed and power to knock an enemy out before he could seriously react.

4) Prisoners and civilians should be well treated

In my opinion, the Rape of Nanjing was a public relations disaster for the Japanese army. What they really intended was to crush Chinese resistance once and for all, via a demonstration of extremely barbarity on the capital of China. But the war was far from over at that point. If you were a Chinese soldier and you knew you would be mercilessly tortured and then executed if you surrendered, would you give up or fight to the death? If the Chinese soldier would no longer surrender, wouldn't life be much harder for the Japanese soldier? The Germans made the same mistake during the Battle of the Bulge. US prisoners were massacred by the SS, which only strengthened American resolve to keep fighting.

5) Holding positions that cannot be attacked

Sounds like common sense, doesn't it? But I've seen lots of people on internet forums get shot to pieces by exposing themselves to fire. If a position cannot be defended, move to a better one, dummy! I will blog more on this later - maybe!

6) Maintaining an army at a distance will impoverish the people

Which dumb-ass nation is conducting wars miles and miles away from home and has consequently gone bankrupt? Give yourself a pat on the back if you answered "the USA!"

Isn't it astonishing how smart Sunzi was compared to some of our modern-day world leaders?

(Art work by Anna Lorimer.)

Porn

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