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Wait, is it possible to not take this too seriously?

Started by A.N. Other, September 03, 2012, 07:00:15 PM

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A.N. Other

Whilst wandering around my mother-in-law's home, I got to thinking about the nature of a "religion" that two pot-smoking teens started in a bowling alley. Is it possible not to take such a movement seriously enough? If it hadn't been going on for over 50 years, would we take it with the passion (or involvement if passion is too strong of a word) we do today?

Personally, I realized that if someone came up to me and told me all about this joke religion that "follows" Eris, which was some Greek goddess that helped start the Trojan War, I would have chuckled, but wouldn't have thought much of it.

I think about silly things, I suppose, but I was curious if anybody else thought it was possible to be not serious enough about Discordianism.

(Let's not tackle the idea of being too serious about it. I've seen that conversation play out before. Of course, this one may have, too, but I can't find it.)
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AFK

Sure it's possible.  I would liken it to Sunday-Christians, which is a term I've heard used for the folks who show up and do their time at Church, but don't really give their religion much thought otherwise.  I can see a similar possible link with Discordianism, very superficial, just enough to belong, for some kind of status, but not deep enough to truly appreciate and understand.
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The Good Reverend Roger

Quote from: A.N. Other on September 03, 2012, 07:00:15 PM
Whilst wandering around my mother-in-law's home, I got to thinking about the nature of a "religion" that two pot-smoking teens started in a bowling alley. Is it possible not to take such a movement seriously enough? If it hadn't been going on for over 50 years, would we take it with the passion (or involvement if passion is too strong of a word) we do today?

Personally, I realized that if someone came up to me and told me all about this joke religion that "follows" Eris, which was some Greek goddess that helped start the Trojan War, I would have chuckled, but wouldn't have thought much of it.

I think about silly things, I suppose, but I was curious if anybody else thought it was possible to be not serious enough about Discordianism.

(Let's not tackle the idea of being too serious about it. I've seen that conversation play out before. Of course, this one may have, too, but I can't find it.)

Sure, it's possible.  That's YOUR Discordia.  Mine is something different.  That's the whole point.
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Mesozoic Mister Nigel

I would make an argument that the best way to not take it too seriously is to take it seriously, and the most serious way to take it too seriously is to 23PINEAL FLORD OMG MY ELBOW IS A PEEHOLE 5 TONS OF FLAX MR MOMOMOTO CAN SWALLOW HIS OWN NOSE.

To not take it seriously at all you run the risk of succumbing to the Curse of Grayface (in the form of refusing to consider different perspectives), and to take it too seriously you run the risk of missing the point entirely by finding a new religion and adhering (religiously) to its doctrines.
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."


The Wizard Joseph

I suspect that it was intended to be taken seriously only by the thoughtful folks that acquired the info and had a certain ability to laugh almost pathologically while keeping a cool head. I think that in effect, if not by design, the DANGEROUSLY over-serious remain consistently under-serious about Discordia, when they even notice.  This is a great strength that appears at first pass to be a weakness. 
Nothing to see here, just some fool with a big grin and a few good jokes.. 

50+ years on many of the pointed juxtapositions of the original works are passe, but they are passe because they are battles won quite a while ago. It is a means, I think, to fight a truly formless spiritual campaign.  Sun-tzu would have shit himself.
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AFK

In the end, you need a balanced diet of serious and not-serious.  Which is a good rule of thumb whether or not you are Discordian or thinking of becoming one.
Cynicism is a blank check for failure.