Quite a relaxed morning, but before breakfast I unicycled along to the Co-op to buy a copy of The Observer, which has an article about CRAGs and part of the article is an interview with me. I then spent some time thinking about the Gardening Club at school and formulating a list of questions and things to think about for our first meeting, then emailed that off to the chairperson who has let me know we're meeting up on Wednesday.
I rang up my parents to tell them about the Observer article and had a brief chat with my Dad who did his best to upset me by comparing some of my views to those of Scientologists!!! I felt really insulted to be compared to these crackpots! I feel like I can't ring them up because of his behaviour towards me, which does upset me and I tend to 'retaliate' and this doesn't go down at all well! I'll have to do my best to not turn into him, and keep my mind open to other peoples' views... to at least give them the respect of listening to them and not instantly slagging them off and belittling them. It doesn't make you any friends!
Lunch was late but delicious, then did some washing up and listened to Gardener's Question Time on Radio 4.
During the afternoon I went down to the veg shop and then on to the lottie where I composted my valuable collected resources and then went on to my friend in Heslington to wish her a happy 40th birthday. Nice coffee and chat with her and her hubby, then back home.
A relaxed evening, researched my paid blog on Richard Branson's biofuel experiment, the first aeroplane journey using biofuel. Also had a successful skype call with my friend over the pond, which was wonderful.
Typed in my blog but it wouldn't save, so I lost it all after several hours work. Annoying.
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8 comments:
I read the article in the Observer, qute a good write up, except I thought comparing it to Richard and Judy's Book Club was a bit naff!
I read it too - tell me John, who is that cute lady on your right?
Your dad must have a certain amount of respect for your views - he drives a Prius after all!
It's always difficult between fathers and sons, as you may be beginning to find out. I have had a taxing relationship with my own father, which improved dramatically after he turned 70!
Anyway, don't worry about your dad. He loves you and you love him.
How can you say that you want to be open-minded about other peoples' views and then call Scientologists 'crackpots'? Thats not very open-minded of you, is it? For the record, I'm not a scientologist, but it seems that someone such as yourself who is living an 'alternative lifestyle' should be more accommodating to others.
Hello 'anonymous'
Why do you want to know about the 'cute' lady, I wonder???
I can only tell you that she is in a relationship with the 'handsome' chap a bit further round the table, sorry!
John
Hi Megan, thank you for your comment. It has made me think.
However I do feel that some peoples' views are so unfounded that they can be described as 'Crackpots'. For instance, people who think that "75 million years ago Xenu brought billions of people to Earth in spacecraft resembling Douglas DC-8 airliners, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. Their souls then clustered together, stuck to the bodies of the living and continue to do this today." (wikipedia)
The other thing is that my Dad was brought up within a strict religious sect who interpreted every word of the Bible as true, and then when he was unable to believe everything they wanted him to believe, as a teenager, they excommunicated him and chucked him out onto the street... literally!
So, when my Dad calls my views akin to those of Scientologists (a religious cult similar to the one he was brought up in)it is a very strong criticism. He is an athiest and finds any 'spirituality' completely antagonising, unsuprisingly!
I am a scientist, 'believing' in evidence-based and repeatable provable hypotheses. I'm 'into' double blind experimental procedures, and a 'believer' in the power of placebo.
I do not mind if individuals have a sense of a 'greater being' or God; infact some of my closest friends have a strong spiritual leaning, or are Christian, Moslem, Jewish, Baha'i, Rastafarian etc etc. I am agnostic. I cannot disprove the existance of a Deity, nor do I really want to. God has never made him/herself known to me in a way that I understand but it might happen one day. I'm that open-minded.
Dear John,
I am a regular reader and have followed all your logs,I must say that i am proud of your response here.
You see seem to have taken time and done your reearch and seem to understand of this issue about scientolists and other cults..
I am sorry your dad is still in the mind set of not understanding or respecting you and your positive aims at improving and living a greener life..
my only advice would be to be yourself,do what you are doing and be compassionate and be willing to listen and respect others views too. At least listen/read and then calmy decide if you agree or not,then put your inteligent view forward!
best wishes
Thank you anonymous 'regular reader' for this affirmation, it is most welcome.
I hope you continue to read the blog and find it interesting, and that it perhaps encourages you to aim for a low carbon lifestyle, or lower carbon lifestyle!
Thanks again, John
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