The Conversation on Religion

I finally heard someone say it....

A few of my friends posted a video on Facebook the other day, and it was a friendly debate between an atheist and a christian on a late night talk show called “Totally Biased.”  They started off talking, and I was impressed how they two were interacting, especially how great the christian guy actually was.

A debate between an atheist and a Christian.

"A debate between an atheist and a Christian has quite a surprising result. You should share this if you wish every disagreement went just like this..." - Upworthy about this clip from Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell ( W. Kamau Bell)

Posted by Jamie Kilstein on Saturday, April 25, 2015

It never got heated, and both made great points.  But there was one line in there that got me, because I had used it several times before, but he said it quite eloquently:

"So my take is if I get up to Heaven and there is a God and he's like, 'You were wrong, how did you live your life?' And I'm like, 'I tried to help people, I tried to give to charity, I didn't know if you were real, there was no evidence,' and he was like, 'Well, you didn't worship me every day.' And I'm like, 'Fine. Send me wherever is as far away from here as possible because you're a sociopath!'"

THIS is how I feel when christians get all christian on me.  The christian bible is full of analogies, so let me do the one I always say.  “When I go and rescue a dog, I don’t do it so that dog will worship me, I do it to give the dog a better life.”  If I did it to get worshiped, what kind of being am I?

I fully believe we were all given this life to enjoy, this world is beautiful and amazing.  We were all given morality to know right from wrong.  The biggest evil in the world, when you look at it from this direction IS religion.  It has divided us beyond any possible belief.  It might be the point of a popular song, but imagine if there was no religion, and we could work together as the human race?

In the end, I’m not saying anything one way or another, because I don’t know for sure.  But when I look at this world, I don’t want to believe its all some crazy coincidence.  And when I think about everything that’s out there, I know in the end it doesn’t matter.  We are in a huge playground, full of beauty and mystery, if it wasn’t put here for us to enjoy, if it wasn’t put here as a test to see how well we do this thing called life, then there’s something wrong with...well, everything.

To quote another song, “I’m not a slave, to a God, that doesn’t exist.”  No one is a slave.  Most of us learned that slavery is reprehensible, that dictatorships are bad, and freedom on all levels is the most wonderful thing, the right thing.  Why do people break the bonds of others to be willingly enslaved to some factious dictator that the preacher believes is real, that the preacher makes up dogma to control you for?

My advice is the simplest of advices.  Find out for yourself what is out there, find out what you believe before you believe what some book says, or some other man says.  The truth is within you.  It always has been and always will be.

(poem) - Facebook's Evils

There are worse things in life
Than Facebook in the morning
There is always real life
Outside the door, moaning

Avoid it all costs
For it will devour your soul
Unless Facebook gets it first
Since you serve it up in a bowl

Feeding the beast
On a regular basis
Yet complaining about it
Enters you into a form of stasis.

I’ve watched
Day after day
As people go on
Facebook and say:

“Facebook sucks
Facebook is bad
I give my life to Facebook
Because the owner is a cad”

If you don’t like something
Then walk away
One of the best protests of all
Is letting silence rule the day

Yet alas
The ignorance persists
They go online and tell all about
There mate’s infidelic twists

Can you do me two favors though
While you are there
Shut the f- up
About the appointment for your hair

And swing on by the blog’s Page
And give it a quick Like
So you can follow all the rantings
That you know you like.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

The End to Comics

Once upon a time, I fell in love with comic books.  Sometimes it seems like so very long ago, but I still remember those days quite fondly.  There are many pros and cons with comics these days, and I’m so very happy to see them getting big screen recognition, along with the great video games.  But in all honesty, I’m glad I no longer read them.

First off, there’s something to be said about an ending.  I know I’m one to talk, since the Emerald Bard series seems like it can go on forever, but someday her story will end.  Whether nor not its passed on, or what, I don’t know, but an ending is inevitable.

(poem) - Birthday Instructions

Preparing for a birthday
Is fun thing to do
When its your loved one’s birthday
There’s oh so very much to do.

She needs to know you love her
That is essentially the key
Because on her birthday
You are the only thing she’ll want to see

First things first
You have to do it all right
Else you’ll be caught
In some screwed up plight

The best part about it all
Is not everything has to be perfect
She’ll cherish the attempt
Delivering a softer verdict

In the end,
The best thing you can do
Is simply love her
Through and through

So do that
And you will see
That if she truly loves you
She will give you a big ol’ smilie

No matter what her circumstance
No matter what she’s going through
Her love will shine through
If she truly loves you

And even the worst of days
Will not deflate her love
Because she has placed you on a pedestal
Somewhere far above.

For if she hasn’t
It will shine through
If on her birthday
She wants someone other than you.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Falling in Love Again, for the First Time.

I can honestly say that I have never been happier. I'm sure you have heard it or even said it but for me it is the truth. I have never felt or been so loved in all my life and it's all because of a wonderful caring man that I call my husband.

After my late husband died I was lost. I really didn't know what I was going to do next. It was just me and my 13 year old daughter. I thought there was no way I was going to get married again and have my heart ripped out of my chest again. After a few months I started to get lonely. I missed the championship that I had with my late husband. My mom told me that I was too young to be by myself and I should start dating again.

(Poem) - Happily Forever After

Bad days aside
Most are pretty good
Some days can even
Be better than they should

Those days are blessed
Wonderful through and through
Because I simply get to spend
All my time with you

I feel like I belong
I feel like part of something
Something far bigger
Than wearing your wedding ring.

Someday the dog doesn’t scratch
The dog doesn’t grunt
She simply lays there
Performing a silent stunt

Harmony can reign
Within this amazing home
There can be a calm
Without the petulant groans

Of a crazy teenage girl
Who is our entire world
That’s not getting her way
As her life is unfurled

Yes, there are days
Where life it truly the best
In fact there are quite a few
That are far better than the rest

The hammock is crying our name
Swaying in the breeze
There’s not very much better
Than reading our Kindles with ease

It almost seems
As if our life is a fantasy
Yet it is most definitely not
This is our reality

A life full of love
A life full of laughter
I love my wife with my entire soul
For now and for happily forever after.

(( FYI, this poem is actually part 3 in my "3 Post Experience" this week. Experience the low point in part 1, where a bad day reeks havoc in Days Like This.   But of course, every bad day becomes just another tomorrow, where you find out that there are no failures, just unfinished successes.  All you have to do is remember There Will Always Be Days Like Yesterday. ))

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

An Analogy of Rain

There’s something about driving in the rain.  I’m not sure what it is, maybe its just the grey of the sky, or the memories that flood in, but the wipers flick at a certain beat, and time seems like a vague concept.

I’ve lived a life that I cannot sometimes comprehend.  The way the moonlight shines through the trees, creating shadows at night fills me with a warmth I never expect.  A cold night wind takes that feeling away every time, but it WAS there, I FELT it.

(poem) - Wearing Black while Baking Bread

Is there anything better
Than wearing black
And being covered by flour?

Cooking is so much fun
Baking is as well
Watching bread rise, hour after hour.

Mix everything together
Add the right about of spice
And suddenly an amazing flavor comes together

I never realized
It could be so much fun
Cooking in the kitchen with her

My wife and I
Make a great team
Doing everything together, time after time

When it comes down to creating
We make the best of teams
As we write a story, line after line

But together in the kitchen
Kneading out the dough
We make the most amazing things

With flavors so astounding
We are reminded
Of why we gave each other rings

Food nourishes the body
Enhances life itself
Especially with the right flavors

Our love nourishes our soul
Mix in the spices of our life
And our marriage resonates with a purr

So, in the end
Cooking food together
Sums up our love

Add just the right mixture
Makes all the flavors of life
Soar so high above.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

(poem) - I Belong in Her Arms

Is a dream a dream
(A crazy little dream)
If its based in reality?

What about pain?
(Is it pain?)
If its based within the mind?

Its hard not to scream
(Scream so loud)
When a dream involves pain?

Why does it hurt
(Its hurts so very much)
To have your heart broken?

I once had an ideal
(Such a great ideal)
Of what the perfect woman should be.

But the woman that was perfect
(Perfection on another level)
Broke the mold of everything that was

She changed my life
(Which needed changing)
For the better in every single way

And became my wife
(The perfect wife)
Making me the happiest man alive.

But I still remember the past
(Oh so very long ago.)
When heart break felt like it would kill me.

I remember those times
(Times best forgotten)
Crying over some foolish idiot not giving their all

I always gave my all
(Pouring my very soul)
To make sure that my love found its home

But it never did
(It grew stronger, harder)
And somehow found its way into Lisa’s embrace

This embrace
(This beautiful embrace)
Is something amazing that words cannot describe

Poetry
(No matter how you write it)
Cannot match the beauty of my wife’s soul

She survived
(Things I cannot imagine)
To be with me here, laying her head against my chest

How did either of us make it here
(This wonderful place we’ve found)
After going through so damned much without each other?

The answer is so simple
(Yet so very silly)
We survived what we had to, to be together.

Because this is where we both belong
And belonging is pretty awesome
When you belong in someone’s arms.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

(poem) - Bring on the Pain

I hate those moments
Right after something special
That take a great time
And make the whole even awful

Its going to happen
From time to time
But I’ll hate it with a passion
No matter the reason or rhyme

It gets more rare
With every passing day
That everything goes right
In every single way

Something always
Tries to come around
Bringing along
A dank and dark cloud

I rage against it
With all my might
But I’m getting tired
And always loose the fight

The one thing
I know I can say
Is that the longer people
Together stay

They’ll be able to find
The best ways to hurt each other
Making paradise
A little less brighter

I truly hate those moments
Right after being inspired
When the yelling starts
And an argument has to be retired.

There is nothing more devastating
Than doing what I do
Stopping you from hurting me
By making sure I hurt you.

But life goes on
As beautiful as it may seem
With this one argument
Lurking behind the scene

It might be
The only one we have
But it’s a dozy
And definitely not drab.

All I can say is
Love is a beautiful thing
And conquers everything
That gets put in a sling

Today
The aftermath might be oppressing
But tomorrow is another day
And nowhere near depressing

For love will come
With the brand new dawn
And spread its rays
Upon our green lawn

The grass will grow
Along with our love
We will catch wing again
And fly like a dove.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

(poem) - Clung for Far too Long

I made mistakes early on
Wishing I could find the one
Looking past an idiot’s flaws
My fate’s conclusion seemed forgone

I lost my faith
In failed love’s wake

The true love I thought I’d never find
Was you

Life brings all sorts
Of slings and arrows to your ports
Love is extremely hard
When it was used, before, to extort

But then I came around
Thinking true love was not to be found

I had to give up on my false idea of love
For you

I woke up one day
Very far away
From my dreams and reality
I gave up on love in every way

I was lost
Without knowing the cost

And the person that found me
Was you

I never knew
This day would bring you
And I would experience
A love known only by few

I was found
And quite knowingly bound

The woman I call my wife
Is You.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

(poem) - Passing the Time Away

There is nothing
Like passing the time away

Reading books
Enjoying the hooks
Writing a novel
Can’t be that trivial

Singing a song
Under the rain
Can’t be wrong
Using the brain

Video game are a challenge
If you take the plunge
Experiencing a story
Told through allegory

There is nothing
Like passing the time away

Poetry and rhyming
Are much like breathing
You just start doing it
And never ever quit

Fame and fortune
May never arrive
But I live my life fun
This is for what I strive

Art flows from my fingers
Onto many, many papers
Words forming thoughts
Keeping my wit very taut

There is nothing
Like passing the time away

Jobless
But not homeless
I work for a bright future
Based on our love for each other

Nothing will keep us apart
The beauty of love brought us together
Every day we create amazing art
All the while, ignoring the weather

The climate of the entire world
Is trying to make our life unfurl
We will make it through this
For, together, we have nothing but time to pass

Fact is
There is nothing
Like passing the time away.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

(poem - Deeya) - A Closed Heart

My heart was closed
For so very long
Closed to all
Who wanted to get along

I had suiters
To be sure
But I cared for none
No matter how pure.

My Soul Mate

The concept of a ‘soul mate’ is an interesting one to talk about.  There are so many ideas and folk lore associated with it.  Mom wanted me to watch a movie called Made in Heaven the other day, and though I did not like the movie, I loved the concept, as it portrayed why some people fall in love, get married, and then it just doesn’t work out.

The problem with the movie was it skipped around too much to truly follow, and had moments that were obviously important, but never really explained them.  I saw that it was made from a book, so I figured the only way to really appreciate the movie was to have read the book.

Rivers of Inspiration in our Home

There’s something rather insane about living in this house.  Mainly...its the people in it.  Everyone in this house is a artist of some sort.  It makes the conversations interesting, with never a dull moment to be had anywhere....

One of the main things that attracted me to Lisa was her being a published author.  Not a self-published mind you, a real published author.  You can see her books over on the right hand column.  They are quite imaginative, and an interesting read.

(poem) - Travel

There’s something beautiful
About traveling the country
Once you get past
Other driver’s stupidity

It makes one tired
Of driving real fast
When you have to hope
That the other drivers you can outlast

It is what it is though
Because you will be able to see
So much
Of this world’s history

Every mile I’ve traveled
Has led me to something amazing
Where I could just sit in awe
Letting my soul rise up and sing

The truly crazy thing
Is that I’ve not seen much
A barely calculatable amount
Have I gotten to touch

I have seen enough
To know I want to see more
The beauty of this world
Is something I truly adore.

In the end
Home is where the heart may be
But my home is where
My wife is most happy

My heart beats
Within her chest
So I make sure
That our travel is always the best

Where we will go next
I have no clue
But there is one thing
That I can promise you

I’ll be with her
And she’ll be with me
Because my wife and I
Will be together eternally.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Lisa's Turning me Back into a Nerd

As I walk down the street now-a-days, something happens that hasn’t happened to me since the 90s.  People stop and tell me how cool my shirt is, ask me where I got my shirt, or go about telling me a memory sparked by the shirt.

Fact is, back in high school, I wore nerdy shirts.  From Wolverine to the house crests from the A Game of Thrones novels, I enjoyed sporting the shirts based in the books and comic books I read.  I would always sport some kind of shirt that meant something to me.  The last one I bought, before meeting Lisa, was from Princess Mononoke, a wonderful anime movie.

What My Life is About

I always hate looking at my blog topic list and not seeing anything on there I want to write about.  Its not technically writer’s block, or being burnt out, its just...ambiguity I guess.  So much good is going on around me, so much fun.

This blog is going great, I’m loving my camera.  The hammock is such a great place to be, enjoying the hell outta my marriage.  Got my Kindle loaded with books to read, and am writing a novel while helping Lisa write her newest.  Exercise flows decently easy, though I need to do more of it, and I’ve got a great collection of stuff.

(poem) - A Strength in True Love

There comes a time
When all men die
But sometimes first
They live the lie.

There is something fanciful
About living life
No matter how much
You go through strife


There will always be
A lie down deep
That prevents you
From getting sleep

Pain will set in
If you let it start
And all your friends
Will faithfully depart

Alone
Trapped in a mine
Alone
Within your own mind

I’ve watched it tear
The strong apart
The weak
Simply do not have the heart


To do what I did
I did it right
I trusted my spouse
Without a fight

I believed in her
She believed in me
And somewhere along the way
Her and I merged into We.

I made a choice
Where some simply cannot
To love her dearly
Until I rot

Yet being buried
Is a long way off
And at men’s typical weakness
Doth I scoff

I enjoy being hers
In every way
Knowing that my love
Will never sway

There is a strength in that
I have found
That most never do
They do nothing but cheat at the sound

Of winter coming
And old age drawing near
I accept its coming
With my love I hold so dear.

--Dan

--Want more Poetry?  Check out my Poetry Collection Page!

Old Wounds

There’s nothing quite like getting old.  It seems the more you age, the more you hurt.  But I always looked at a bit differently.  It seems the longer you live the more wounds you collect.  And nothing hurts worse than old wounds.

Yes, I’m talking about physical and emotional.  On the physical side, I have the one that scares me the most.  A few years ago, I feel off some rocks on the California coast.  I hit my head pretty hard, bled quite a bit, but it stopped quick enough.  That injury has caused me to have acute motion sickness now.  I never had it before...but now, I go up in a plane with Lisa, and if I haven’t taken something, then yeah...I know it pretty quickly....