A scientific alternative to religious delusion

Most of the elements that compose our bodies have experienced more fusion than the hydrogen and helium atoms of our current sun.

We're all reanimated bits of a stellar corpse; self-aware fragments of the previous star's carcass.

We were not the first to be here.

Perhaps all of humanity will also perish someday only to become part of something even greater.

Realization

Looking back, I realize now that we were the main cause of our own disappointment. We had anticipated so much and waited for an act of God, yet did nothing ourselves to turn our hopes into reality.

Simply put, the world didn't end on December 21 of 2012 because nobody had the balls to push the big red button. =(

Drinking from the half-empty glass

"Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself. Although, only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson, Why? Why do you persist?"


"Because I choose to."

 When the optimist has lost all hope, fuel the pessimist with spite.

Faust

Adding another topic to my growing list of interests, I realize that it's almost like a sick joke to be placed in such a fascinating world and be given the thirst for knowledge  but not enough time to sate it.

To make matters worse, I actually find it funny.

National exercise: pull-ups

In conjunction with the "It's more fun in the Philippines" campaign, an old friend from highschool recently brought up the topic of Filipino pride. Out of my habit for finding alternative interpretations (blame literature classes), this got me wondering if Filipino pride (or perhaps patriotism in general) is indeed as noble as people claim it to be.

Whenever Paquiao wins a fight, the nation celebrates. When The accomplishments of Lydia de Vega and Lea Salonga from past decades are mentioned, our countrymen claim that they are proud to be Filipinos. Hell, some of us still insist on giving credit to figures such as Agapito Flores and Lapu-Lapu even though more sober historians concede that this may be undeserved.

However, I must ask: What gives us the right to brag about the accomplishments of a few individuals whom we have no direct relation with? Do their feats really say something about the country they supposedly represent? Are we simply pretending that our cheers, prayers, purchased tickets, and bets on the matches somehow contributed to their performance? Are we that desperate for a bit of glory that we latch on like blood-sucking ticks to titans who just happen to be of the same citizenship? Just so that we could brag, "Look! We have the same blood running through our veins!"?

In short: Could it be that our so-called pride is merely a manifestation of crab mentality's mirror image? Hindi ba parang mga sabit lang tayo sa karangalan ng iilan?


Just a random thought from a guy who has never understood the popularity of the UAAP games.