Don Quixote at the Cyber Mill

So I'm giving my go at raising awareness/keeping awareness raised regarding the ill-treatment of women in the world. My go is hardly something to brag about as I'm doing it on a blog no one visits except me. But some day people will come. And when they do I want them to know where I stand on certain issues.

I happen to love women. Always have. Always will, I hope. Yes, and I can hear the taunts. "Oh, yes. You like women all right. [wink, wink]" Well, if that's the way you want to think of me than go right ahead. I really don't give a cr*p anymore. People think what they want to think. And that the problem! People think stupid things. And then they believe them. And then they act accordingly.

Jesus talked about this.

And he called the people to him and said to them "Hear and understand: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Then the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" He answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rotted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man. For out of the heartcome evil toughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands doe snot defile a man." Matthew 15:10-20 Revised Standard Version

It's amazing - and frightening sometimes - to realize the insanity some people purport to be truth. People convince themselves of the most malicious lies. And what we do not realize when we cling to hateful beliefs is that we make ourselves tools in the evil purposes of others. In essence, we become accomplices.

I have believed some horrible things in the past. But with the belief was the nagging doubt about the truth of someone else's inferiority and/or my superiority. Getting older has been good to me in the sense that it has provided me with more data, and after analyzing this data I have changed my position 180-degrees on several issues.

That's the thing about data. We can take it in and use it help us maintain and adjust our position on pretty much anything. This is called, Evaluating our Beliefs Based on the Data.

We can also do the opposite. Look at data and see if it conforms to our beliefs, tossing it aside as worthless when it doesnt. This is called, Evaluating Data Based on our Beliefs.

So many Christians, Jews, and Muslims become violently terrified at the prospect of taking in new data. They're just terrified the data will somehow undermine their faith by proving the non-existence of God, or his lack of caring, or the mere randomness of existence.

Guess what, people? Data doesn't do any of that. Do people look at the data and declare God does not exist? God does not care? God is evil? Existence is random? Of course they do. But here this hear it good: they were pre-disposed to come to those conclusions.

How do I know? Because they thought to prove God's existence. Can't be done. And ALL faith-bearing people understand that innately. God set things up so we can only find him through faith. Did that right from the start. We know that data cannot be used to prove God, so why believe it can be used to disprove God? It can't.

Neither can it be used to prove the inferiority of women, other faiths, other skin colors, other anything. If you think otherwise then you are walking against God. God didn't make any two of us the same, but at the same time he made us all equal. I just bought a bag of Braeburn Apples, a bag of Clementine Oranges, and a bag of Seedless Green Grapes. Each individual pieces of fruit is different from all other pieces of fruit. This is true even within a fruit variety. No two apples look the same. Nor do the oranges or grapes.

Yet the grapes all taste pretty much the same. Some are more ripe than others. So with the oranges and apples. Some apples are more crisp, and some oranges reveal themselves better. Each piece is uniquely different.

But no piece of fruit is superior to the others! Not one! When I take fruit for a meal or snack, I am not concerned, for I like ALL of the fruit.

People are like that with God. We are all so different. Even within the same faith, gender, skin color, community, whatever, we are different.

But no human is superior to another! Not one! When God speaks with us he is not concerned about skin color, gender, community, or even our faith - except that it is in Him.

So why do so many hate women? I've met women who hate women. Why? Because we're stupid. We like to believe the lies which tell us we're better than someone else. Anyone else. And after we believe those lies we attack any data (or messenger of data) who dares challenge our belief.

Life would be so much better if so many more of us could just accept our lowly place. I think we could achieve much greater things then.

A friend of mine from long ago had this phrase on a posted in her bedroom. It was by the door so she could see it every time she left her room. Let me see if I can remember how it went. I do not recall the author.

God did not create woman from man's feet, to be trodden underfoot by man.

Neither did God create women from man's head, to be lifted high above him.

God created woman from man's rib, to stand at his side as an equal helpmate.

Woman completes man. She does not dominate him. She is not his slave.