Update: 100 times better than this post... and with doxins.

Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo Schiavo

For the love of God or whatever will you all just shut up already. I’ve never heard so many hypocrites throwing around the word “hypocrites” in all my life.

I am only absolutely certain of only two things in this world:

a) I do not have one single clue into the nature of the metaphysical. I have no I idea if there is a God or gods. I have no idea if there is a greater plan. If a God or similar facsimile exists, I have no idea if he/she is good or evil. I do not know if there is such a thing as good, evil, right or wrong; or if these are simply social constructs. I don’t know when life begins. I don’t know when life ends. I do not have an adequate definition for term “human life.” Nor do I for the word “soul.”

b) Neither do you.

So, lets do the math:

V = Me having absolutely no insight into the nature of the metaphysical.
X = You having absolutely no insight into the nature of the metaphysical.
Y = The facts of the Schiavo case.
Z = Opinion is irrelevant.

V + Y = Z

X + Y = Z

Therefore,

V = X!!!!!!!!

So please do the world a favor and shut your hole, already.

In addition to knowing only two facts, I hold only one particularly strong opinion. “Faith,” despite all good press the word gets, does not even remotely resemble a virtue. It seems to me to be the most destructive, despicable and inhumane of all human character flaws. Add every one of the deadly sins together (and I’m down with the deadly sins totally sucking. Just like you, I’m guilty of all of them.) and they aren’t capable of the fraction of the destructive power of faith.

I’m not talking about faith in religion. I’m not not talking about a faith in material science. I’m not talking about a faith in Atheism. I’m not talking about Christian Fundamentalism, Wahhabism, Hassidism, Nihilism, or Existentialism. I’m not talking about a faith in one’s own convictions. I’m not talking about one’s faith in their own intellect. I’m not talking about a faith in a political system; whether it’s Capitalism, Communism, Anarchism, Maoism, Khmerism, Trotskyism, Nationalism, Ba’athism, Libertarianism, Liberalism, Conservatism or Vegetarianism. I’m talking about ALL OF THEM.

And trust me, I’m not above faith either. There are times when I’m utterly convinced that my intellect, opinions, convictions, in conjunction with all the crap I was raised to believe, are p-u-r-e money. Why do I feel this sometimes? Because, just like you, I can be a complete idiot who’s too arrogant and mentally lazy to acknowledge the fact that I don’t know a God damned thing.

But, the one thing that I will never do is try to pass faith off as some sort of a virtue... it isn’t. I will admit that faith feels really good; as does anger, covetousness, envy, gluttony, lust, sloth and pride. Every one of these will satiate you with a sense of satisfaction and contentment that will build on itself until it consumes every last ounce of your humanity, making you hate anybody and everybody who stands between you and that which makes you feel so good. Sound familiar?

If you believe that Terri Schiavo has a right to die with dignity, you’ve come to the conclusion that she is no longer a human based on your faith that the self is defined by consciousness, or at least by the possibility that consciousness can be regained. By your own definition, she is a human turnip. Dignity became a non-issue the day she lost conciousness. You might be right, you might be wrong; but her dignity has nothing to do with it. So please spare me the platitudes about dignity.

If you believe that Terri Schiavo must be spared because it is not man’s place to decide her mortality, you’ve come to that conclusion based on your faith in a higher power. You might be right, you might be wrong; but she is still a human turnip. And please don’t give me any of that crap about her not being a turnip based on the statements of a handful of shamelessly partisan religious doctors. There are plenty of religious doctorswho would put their faith before their hippocratic oath. Take Ayman Al-Zawahiri, for instance. Don’t lie to yourself and to the rest of the world in the name of your faith. That’s just pathetic.

Basically, if you’ve developed a conclusive opinion on this case, you’re a hypocrite. If you believe it is wrong to stop keeping a human turnip alive by artificial means, but believe that it is right to execute criminals, than you’re a hypocrite. If you believe the question of whether a human life begins at conception or birth is superseded by the importance of a woman’s right to make decisions about her body, but think it is wrong to execute criminals, than you’re a hypocrite (feel free to attack me as a pro-lifer. You would be wrong, but I’d love to hear the convictions of your faith. OOOOOh, I just committed liberal sacrilege and uttered the unspeakable question. *Boo!*).

Not that I’m being a particularly critical of anyone for being a hypocrite, regardless of your opinion. We’re all hypocrites. I’m a HUGE hypocrite. But if you have one ounce of faith in your own powers of reason, if you’ve actually convinced yourself that you and everybody that agrees with you is not a hypocrite, but everybody that disagrees with you is a hypocrite; than you’re just an idiot.