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An article by Sha'Tara, local writer and friend.
Mr. Potato Nose, God
[thoughts from ~burning woman~ by Sha'Tara]
I have a friend who's currently between men and lonely. She's met a man who is very nice to her, very considerate, patient, treats her like a queen, etc. She likes him, but she has reservations because he's an older man and he has a big nose, making him, well, not so desirable. That's none of my business even if she confided this to me, but it makes me think (and what doesn't make me think?) about people, religion and God.
It's a fact that people certainly go on and on about God—all over the planet, in all sorts of ways, some inane, some ostentatious and some, obviously sociopathic in their violent craziness. Do any of those ways represent what we are told God expects of the people of earth, should they choose to obey him? Not in the least, not a one! Just one basic commandment alone sets the record straight: love your neighbour as yourself. Any takers?
So I'm thinking that the people would really like to trust and love God but there's the problem: he's too old and he has a big ugly nose. That's why no one obeys God. No one listens to what is really, really, being said in that most abused book called the Bible. Instead the people listen to con artists and scammers called televangelists, preachers, priests, gurus, imams, rabbis and various other witch doctors who all create gods in their own image with which to delude and fleece the sheeple. The path to their god is money, property, organized violence and chicken bones, mostly in that order.
Some years ago now when I did what we call street ministry (not affiliated with any organizations, just free individuals who could, or felt like, driving to the city some sixty miles from here to spend weekends or evenings and their own money trying to help the homeless) I befriended an old drunk who had a huge swollen nose. I called him Mr. Potato Nose, not in a put-down way, but rather as a distinction. I liked that old man. He was street smart and would sneak into "restricted" areas where the homeless were banned and kicked out and there he'd find his sustenance. Pretty independent. And he could make himself so invisible! Maybe he was God.
In the movie, The Big Kahuna, Danny DeVito tells of a dream he had. The world had been destroyed and the city he was in was wiped out. Then he heard a child crying inside an upended barrel (or such, doing this by memory here). He looked inside the barrel and saw the child and the child was God. He crawled inside the barrel, took God in his arms and said, "It's OK, God. Don't cry. Things will be all right. Don't cry."
Whether they know it or not, admit it or not, everyone, and I mean everyone, has at least one specific, definable, encounter with God in a lifetime. I think that's a life requirement! We encounter God—the real God—but we are so brainwashed by "all the rest" of what we are told, know or think we know that we simply cannot recognize God when we see Him. And that's the problem, you see. God is never, ever what we expect. It's like love. Love is never what we expect, and no wonder because we don't know what to expect yet expect that it will be... well... what we expect.
I've said this many times and will continue to say it even if no one understands: I don't believe in God and that's a fact. No point getting into a faith argument about this because I've heard all there is to hear on the subject, thank you very much. The question would be, "Why don't you believe in God?" Now we're getting somewhere. I don't believe in God simply because I already know that God exists as I've had my conscious encounters with "God." Once you have that, it's like anything else: who believes in what they know to be true , or what they already have? Why put in all that effort in "faithing" what is self-evident? If I'd never seen a car and someone described this amazing mode of transport to me and told me I could have one if I believed in the possibility, then probably I would. I mean, what's to lose? But if I already own a car, why would I need to believe in a car? I already know such a thing exists and I have one. So that's a case closed. I don't need to go to the local garage for an hour every Saturday morning to pray to the Great Car up in Detroit in the hope that someday one will come to me and take me on a marvelous journey. And I don't need to line up at the parts counter to buy assorted spare parts in case the Great Car demands such of me.
We live in a society that is imploding on itself. The people have a death wish expressed daily by seeking ever more esoteric ways to enjoy life, each of those ways more destructive of life than the one before. As I've said before, there is greed, immorality, impatience, lasciviousness, gossip, pride, competition, cheating, lies, theft and ungratefulness. Most of these vices are openly practiced by the leadership and the rich. The sheeple just follow suit and at this point no longer know vice from virtue. In fact vice is now virtue. What caused this? The so-called good life aided and abetted by what I call socialistic capitalism. The worst offenders, of course, are the bail-out artists who, after fleecing the public through lies, bad business deals, extortion and leverage buyouts, con governments to bail them out with taxpayers' money. Predictably, the rest of the "led" want the same privileges for themselves. We're all "entitled" aren't we, from a guaranteed income to a guaranteed heaven. Predictably, such entitlement means that no one has to take responsibility for anything. If it feels good, do it. If it's illegal it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is, make sure your ass is covered so you don't end up in jail. In any case, who ends up there? Only the scapegoats, those chosen to "make an example." There is no justice in the land just as there is no longer even a shred of common sense anywhere. But we will have guaranteed "security" at airports and school functions. What a choice this society has made.
...If we could, all of us, have one collective encounter with God today, all we would see is a very tired old man with a big ugly nose shaking his head sadly and crying because there'd be nothing he could do to help us.
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hug
Kathy
I remain optimistic that the majority (and youth) will continue to make this world a better place for everyone. However lately I've been thinking about how easy it is for a disaster on a global scale to unravel society because every time there is a small disaster the people who I have it put their hand out for assistance rather than pulling up their bootstraps and rebuilding like we did a century ago. The supply chain is too long for people to find local resources for rebuilding. The result is scavenging that quickly turns to anarchy. We are that close to our primal instincts for survival–cannibalism and the like.
Ron
Lieu Of (God) Has Slanted Eyes...
TRASK...
Perhaps whomever wrote the phrase "Man was created in the image of God!" -
Used 'poetic license' or 'artistic license' because she/he didn't like what was seen - that Big Snozzolla'?
But, take a lesson from the Late, Great JIMMY DURANTE ... 'THE SNOZZ" did quite fine! Movie Star, Performer, Singer, Recorder ... had plenty of Friends, was Financially Successful, and lived to a Ripe Old Age! I CAN DIG IT!
He had the savoir-faire and self-confidence to SUCCEED, even with his Mr. Potato Nose! My Assumption is that GOD could do No Less!
'Ugly IS - as Ugly SEES!' Tell your lady friend to latch onto her 'catch!'
As always, 'Inner Beauty' is what truly COUNTS!
'A Good Man is Hard to Find!' TK, the Only-eth!
John Michael Domino
Great.
Anyway you're right as always, if HE don't do it, we're all too willing aren't we. Bless ya, Sha Tara! Jasmin Horst
I can't agree with you on this one, but I respect your opinion and your right to write about it! I wish you well in all of your future works on AD. Your Friend, Joy L. Hale