We Stick Apart

[Zurtok Khan]

The Only Good is a Done Thing
-Ghengis Khan

We Stick Apart. That seems to be the Discordian Dogma lately.  I don't like it.  Ohh, no, I'm not saying we should all stick together, or completely dogmatise (although your actions around here might suggest that that is where you are leaning, some of you), but there is something wrong here.

I have asked myself lately, why do we stick apart?  And today, in a fit of silliness Eris did not ask me for a ciggy, she did not bitchslap me, she merely led me to Barnes and Noble.  Ohh, I went to the library alright, trying to resist the Chaos.  But there wasn't anything good in the Library (at this one really, there never is).  I returned my book, and restlessly looked at first the fantasy sections, hoping for an escape from this dull, mundane world know as "Living with one's parents."  But, I found nothing there.  I moved on to the fiction section, hoping to find something political...perhaps to read Brave New World, or 1984, yet again and renew my sense of the political wrongness (or should I say doubleplusungoodness?) we are encased in.  Nothing there struck me.  I even looked at the nonfiction section, hoping for some revelation on lost civilizations, or to delve deeper into the mysteries of yet another entirely dogmatic system of thinking, hoping to integrate it into my mind.  But none of it said, "Pick me," instead, it all pointed out the door and to the car.

It was a cold rainy day here.  Which only served to move me moreso to go to the B&N, as there is also that most great and detestable of evils there - The Starbucks.  And, as we all know the best way to get rid of temptation is to give in, thus I went.

Chai Tea in hand, I began my search for a volume upon which to spend a few hours of contemplation, maybe a titch of enlightenment, and maybe, just maybe, get ahead of the curve in school.  Fiction was right out, nothing good there.  So, I went to my favorite section of B&N, the History section.  Here ends one fabled tale.  I picked up a book on Ghengis Khan.  I'd seen it before, was even highly intriguied, but left with the feeling of "You'll read it later, worry not."

I know, now you are wondering what my point is, but I'll get to it, I promise.  Mr. Khan, it seems, was born to the lowest of the clans on the Mongolian Steppes, which you may be surprised to find out was the Mongols - at the time of course.  He was a slave for as many as 10 years, before begining his rise to power, slowly and methodically.  The next step was always forced on him - and I do not say this lightly.  He would have lived a quiet happy life had not his wife been kidnapped (a common occurance among the people of the Steppes, apparently) by a different tribe.  He felt obligated to retrieve her (not the most unusual course of action, but not unheard of).  Through this he gained some small power, as he had been accepted as the "son" of the most powerful Khan on the Steppes at that time.  Time goes on, and he forms his own clan, seeking to become the great Khan.  He lives in a sink or swim world, he can either take everything, or stand to lose everything.  As any of us would do, he takes everything.

At many times through his story one concern is constantly interjected - peace cannot be maintained because of an absurd feudal system based on family ties that have nothing to do with ability.  This system carries with it many, many problems.  Which I shall not delve into, but needless to say, the People of the (now) Mongolian Steppes Stuck Apart.

Thats all well and good.  "We like Sticking Apart!" you say.  I don't mind sticking apart too much, myself.  But, whenever I hear the battle cry, something in me says, "Hold your horses ladies and gentlemen!"

I've said it before, and I'm going to say it again.  There would be no us, if there was no them.  Should we unify and dogmatise ourselves?  Of course not, but what lead the people of the Steppes to their constant cyclical war was a lack of respect.  Their battle cry was "You are not my kin, therefore you are my enemy!"  To them, anyone they weren't related to was their enemy, they weren't even really human, so far as they could tell, or cared to tell - that is, unless they could give them something.

We stick apart, but we need to remember something while we're sticking apart.  We're all Discordians, and we're all Greyfaces.  What we're missing is respect for new and different ideas.  For questions, that though they may be hippies and opies, and whatever other word you'd like to term those people you see as hopeless optimists that ought to see things your way.  Your hopelessly pessimistic "realistic" way of thinking about people.  Don't get me wrong, you might be right, but not everyone with the opposing point of veiw is wrong.

I'm not saying we have to respect everything in the traditional sense of the word, but perhaps in the Discordian sense of the word?  What I mean is that most of us (all of us?) respect Hugh and Bella in some sense of the word.  Do we make fun of them?  Of course.  But, we listen to what they say and agree or disagree.  I've noticed that trolling and topic changing on their threads takes alot longer then on anyone elses, if it happens at all.  But, then again, for the moment I am their fan-boi, mainly because I need to grasp at the moon for a bit to regain my balence.

My point is, that you may not like Christianity, or (as I gather the feeling is from most everyone here) the people that practise it.  But, those people and their ideas (no matter how ignorant) should be accorded a certain amount of respect, otherwise, we are no better then Them(TM).

That, my Brethern and Cistern is a great stumbling block in opening your mind to anything.  Eris today provides a nudge, tomorrow a bitchslap.  Please choose wisely.

(The above may not all seem connected, but remember, it was inspired by Chaos...duh.)

[Irreverend Hugh, KSC]

::claps::

bravo!

i didn't know you were cleared for that information. but you bloody well deserve to be.

carry on.

btw...you can be bella's fan boi so long as you promise not to stalk me.

[Cain]

Hurrah! *and the crowd goes wild*

[Zurtok Khan]

Awww...thanks.  But, I dunno if I can take complete credit for this one dudes.  I mean, SHE was the one that inspired the whole damn thing.

Of course, it DID just scare away some dude who started talking to me because he saw my personal add on yahoo.  I figured if he couldn't handle this small dose of me then we would never be compatable...lol.

[Cain]

Well, you know my view on the whole thing, but that was very good. Even if She inspired it, you did the legwork.

[Eldora, Oracle of Alchemy]

Yeah, I think sometimes we stick apart too much.  We can disagree with each other, that is understandable, but do we have to be so antagonistic?

Some threadjacks seem to be silly and that is understandable.  I have also noticed that they happen to some posters more than others.  Also that some people seem more likely to jack a thread.  But when they are mean spirited, or when they are done in this section, where people are trying to make a point, or to get us to think, it just seems rude.  Just because we are followers of Eris, it doesn't mean we need to be rude.  

PS Fucking Hippy

[LMNO]

1.  As far as Xtianity goes, christ was cool.  But many Christians aren't.  I respect the faith of Johhny Cash, but not Oral Roberts.

2.  It seems that, in a way, the Mongols were indeed sticking together, in terms of familial structure.  this sticking together led to meaningless conflict.

3.  If you're gonna state a belief or an idea, it seems the point here is to defend it to the death.  Ideas have Power, and you best have a good Idea, else you get ripped.

4.  Has your thread been jacked?  the ignore it, or re-jack it!

5.  Everyone is ridiculed.  Nothing much is meant by it.  The very fact you're here means that you probably get it, if only a little.  You gain respect just by seeking this place out, & sticking around.

[fluffy]

::steps on the posters in this thread::

ew, ick
i got somethin' stuck to my foot



(yeah, yeah
what do you expect?)

[Eldora, Oracle of Alchemy]

1.  As far as Xtianity goes, christ was cool.  But many Christians aren't. I respect the faith of Johhny Cash, but not Oral Roberts.

4.  Has your thread been jacked?  the ignore it, or re-jack it!

1  Best analogy ever.  I may have to steal that.

4  The funniest threadjack I have seen was when I jacked a thread I started back to the original topic and someone bitched.  Something along the lines of, that's not what we were talking about. ROTFL LMFAO OMGBBQ And of course I pointed out I started the thread and laughed some more

[Ghost In The Machine]

1.  As far as Xtianity goes, christ was cool.  But many Christians aren't.  I respect the faith of Johhny Cash, but not Oral Roberts.

Careful.  Oral has a 700 foot Jesus.

[LMNO]

Oh, yeah?  Well I have MC 900 Foot Jesus!

[Ghost In The Machine]

Oh, yeah?  Well I have MC 900 Foot Jesus!

You = the w1n

Oral =

[LMNO]

BTW, I always thought it odd that a preacher has the name "Oral"...

[Ghost In The Machine]

BTW, I always thought it odd that a preacher has the name "Oral"...

Can't blame the man for his name.

But you CAN blame him for being a slackjawed monkeyfucker.

[Ben]

The thing to consider when it comes to unity is what am I joining?  Are we creating a healthy community or a mob?  principiadiscordia.com isn't the most popular place in the world because people don't like to join a society of blatant discord (though it is also a place of healthy humour and "illumination").  Unfortunately, they often do so unwittingly anyways.  Just look how many patriots there are.  Discordianism is one of those things that isn't necessarily about discord and strife, but it can be.