Cats and Immortality

My wife wants a Maine Coon if we ever get a cat.  And I have to admit that such a cat would be pretty spectacular.  The only problem with getting a cat is that I have hopes to spend stupidly high amounts of time with my cousin, who is pretty allergic to cats.  I don't really like the hairless types much, either.

I also have this thing where I love animals but I don't really care for having pets.  My family had pets when I was younger, but they all died/disappeared/were re-homed by the time I was fifteen, and I've never really wanted one again since.  I got a bit attached to the ones we had, and knowing the stories of all their endings saddens me a lot.  I also go to know how much work goes into having a pet, and I don't really want to put that much effort into something that, ultimately, is categorically incapable of loving me back.

You see, I don't believe animals have souls.  Not that I don't believe heaven will be bereft of animals.  I believe there will be all sorts of creatures in the place I'll be after the end of time, but I just don't think my dogs Buddy or Midnight will be among them.  They aren't people.  There's nothing immutable about them.  Nothing to preserve.

Actually, I feel rather strongly on this issue.  Maybe it was that one girlfriend I had who believed the opposite that fashioned this rather vehement streak in me.  Maybe it's my pain at the loss of my pets.  Maybe it was my upbringing (I will be the first to say that my parents were always loving to their animals and never spoke with bitterness about their status as not-people).  But there, that's a thing about me that you may not have heard about.  You probably haven't heard it because it's never come up, or because I keep to myself because there are those out there who would string me up by my small intestine if they heard me say that animals other than humans don't have souls.  I really rather wouldn't have that conversation.

I mentioned earlier that I love animals.  And I do.  Because while rocks and blue skies and lakes are pretty enough, those things can't touch the heart-swelling (or panic-inducing) beauty of living things, be they trees or German Shepherds or giant squid.  Earth is full of these wonderful creatures who should be respected and protected.  Just not at the cost of human life.

That's where I draw the line.  Never, when a human's life is weighed against the life of any other creature, should the other creature's life take preference.  Not unless that creature is proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be a sentient being with an immortal soul.  For me, that is one definition of the sanctity of human life.  It's also my big beef with utilitarianism.

The idea that the few be sacrificed for the many never really sat well with me.  Yeah, there's Christ.  I have feelings about that, too.  Not heretical feelings.  Just "Sometimes I wish there was a better way" feelings.

Now, though, I think I'm getting into deeper territory than this blog was intended for.  If you're interested, hit me up about truth and right and God's plan some time.  Preferably not during Finals week.  Once I have my writing degree would be nice.

Right this instant I'm going to eat some bacon and watch Star Trek:  Voyager with my wife.

Shrug out.

Hereafter

He is Risen, praise God!

Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, whatever day you want to call it, Christ has Risen and lives today, and He's way better at living than I am, so I think I'm gonna try to follow His example.

Later today I'll be back with my other family, and then tomorrow I'm driving the rest of the way back to college, where I'll spend a month laboring the final stretch until someone hands me a piece of paper and it's time to drive all the way home again.

What really strikes me is that I'll be leaving behind a load of good friends when I leave school again. Yeah, I've got Facebook and Twitter and Skype and Steam to keep in touch, but it's not the same as seeing them in person. I've got so many good memories built up from my time there, and it will certainly be a sad thing to go away knowing there are some of them I'll never see again, barring class reunions. I ought to think of some way to let them all know how grateful I am for the time we had.

I'm a writer, maybe I can think of something.

First World Problems

My friend and former roommate Kyle posted this as his status at some point today, and I think it's a pretty good summation of what's going on in Christendom at the moment:

"This is the in-between day. The day when the reality of Christ's death sank in. The day when they were forced to recognize that it really happened. He was really dead. The day in which nothing happened. On Good Friday God asks us, "do you trust Me?" On Saturday He ask, "No, really, I mean it. Do you trust me?""

I'm facing an interim year. Once I graduate, I'll be moving back home with my parents (with my wife Rachael in tow) for the time being. My current plan involves applying to various MFA creative writing programs (specifically the ones with fellowships attached) and waiting a year to find out if I get in, because I was late for the party for the coming academic year.

What this means for me is that I have time to make bank, if I can find a way to make bank. As was so recently hammered home for me, this means making connections. And that means interacting with people. My Kryptonite. Whelp, that's just the way it goes. Time to deal, right?

Merf.

So anyway, that's the sort of thing on my mind today. There's fun stuff happening with Guild Wars 2, like that it's now officially rated Teen (I think). I spent some time watching a Let's Play of Kid Icarus: Uprising, which is another one of those pretty games I'll probably never get to play because I can't afford a new game system and won't be able to until I make bank, like I was talking about earlier.

I could spend some time creating a backlog of games I want to play.

I could spend some time creating a reading list of books I want to read.

I could spend some time creating a watchlist of films I want to see.

Each of these things would cost me money, unless

1. I can borrow games (and their respective systems).

2. I have reliable access to a library with a good collection of books.

3. I manage to bum my way through the theaters.

None of this I can realistically expect to happen. I can look forward to spending my money on gas, food, and bills for the foreseeable future, which renders one array of my writing-resource sucking tendrils totally paralytic. I'm aware that one must intake if one is to put out art properly. Another concern.

I'm noticing that I don't tend to write these blog posts until the end of the day, and that they're egregiously organized. Maybe I'll work on that. Or not. We'll see. For now, I'm going to work on not having to punch my own face.

A Good Day

We are dust. You may have heard the statistic that an adult human's body broken down into component compounds would sell for $20 on the market. Some scientists like to say that we're stardust. Regardless, we're a bit more than just the carbon and water and oxygen and aught else that makes up our bodies. We are, as Shakespeare once wrote, "the beauty of the world" and "the paragon of animals." But the conclusion of that praise, calling us a "quintessence of dust," is not a flattering proclamation.

It is good to remember that we were fashioned from the stuff of the earth. It reminds us of our true worldly ties, and it puts a check on our belief in "our better angels," as another wordsmith of the English language put it.

Today is Good Friday. For Christians like me, that means it's a pretty somber day. It's the day we remember Jesus's death. I've been relatively happy today. Earlier, I had some moments of distress, as I thought about my need for a job once I graduate, and worried about my future, but during the Good Friday service, as communion came around, I became eager.

I'm usually anxious or a bit depressed when it comes time for communion. It's rare for me to be eager to celebrate what Christ has done for me pursue His purpose in my life. When I put it that way it sounds odd, but there it is. For just this moment, I'm excited to be a Christian and to be going out into the wide world at this time in history. I want to shine for Him. This is a big deal for me, because I've always been reluctant about the whole ministry thing.

The emotion is temporary, I'm sure, but I mean to retain this attitude.

Sorry for all the seriousness. Well, that's a lie. I'm not sorry. Deal with it. :P