Camp Inquiry

I thought this might be something nice to consider, for all the brilliant and die-hard Nexians who just won't accept "SPIRITS!!!" for an answer.

I post this in playful spirits. Because of our admittedly scientific edge, I thought this may provoke some interesting discussion.

So, what do you think?

I never went to overnight summer camp as a kid. My mom used to get involved with BIBLE summer camp, though... The best part was running around with my friends like a bunch of hooligans, climbing enormous tombs in the graveyard and trying to break into the church's steeple.

Personally, WHILE thinking outside of the box is wonderful, asking questions is great, indoctrination is still a dangerous thing. I must admit, a la Tyler Durden, I would fight James Randi if I had the chance, and I sure as hell would not want that man teaching my children, anymore than Bill O'Reilly or Ned Flanders.

Being indoctrinated to doubt EVERYTHING, if it means doubting one's existence, worth, or experiences, self-doubting to the point of becoming detached from the varied, irrational, beautiful, animal parts of one's humanity, one's emotions, impulses, instinct... It's just a type of programming that ultimately devalues one's life, is it not? I'm not saying that's the objective of this camp--I'm just considering the dangers of indoctrinating one with rationalism/determinism/skepticism to the extreme. Any extreme indoctrination would be a bad thing.

I know I like to eat uncooked food and beat my bones at the moon (I love you, Art! ), but, OMFG, I ate some BENADRYL the other day. Straight out of the polished cardboard box!! It was even coated with red-40, or some other equally neurotoxic coloring agent. Fractal and I didn't want to die of an allergic reaction, and yes, science saved us. <3 Science

There is a balance, somewhere. Throwing science to the wind and using just the imagination may not have gotten us to the moon... but to deny the sense of wonder inspired by nature, something greater than self, to deny the sense of awe and reverence from the megalithic presence of a massive waterfall (or a massive hit of DMT ), equally misses the point.

I must also say I am a bit SKEPTICAL about rampant feminism. Something went wrong somewhere if you look at the extent of how broken families--what's left of them, tiny, nuclear families--have become. Scientifically considering all of the estrogen-mimicking chemicals that unchecked industry has spewed into the environment in the past 50 years, well, should we further exacerbate this imbalance? Not to undermine the struggles of women (or anyone) to be treated fairly--just that, in some ways, I feel women's struggles to be treated fairly may have been usurped to a degree by other self-serving interests. Okay, so you want to talk about feminism with my children--but can we also talk about depth of the resultant social impact? Not just the bottom dollar, women make 78 cents for every dollar that a man makes, or, whatever. Mom and dad working often leaves the feeding, education, and care of children to either private entities or the state. Look at neglectful daycares, unhealthy school lunches, the atrocity that is now public education (I grew up in America). Feminism is no good if it fosters a "man vs. woman" sentiment because it takes two sides of the same coin to create truly whole beings... which, in turn, can create a truly whole world.

(Edit: Maybe feminism was a necessary step in social evolution, but my point is, we're still missing something HUGE and BASIC, so maybe we need something now like family-ism? Being home and eating dinner together, you know?)

Good god, why can't there just be a balance of science and spirit? Why DO you think everyone loved Harry Potter and Hogwart? I'm watching Full Metal Alchemist right now, a somewhat steam-punk anime set in an alternate version of the early 1900s in which hermetic alchemy is the most advanced branch of science... (Yes, retreating to fantasy because the world is either SO black and white or SO irrational and dogmatic that I can't have my cake and eat it ).

It seems like everything in life is so rooted in action=>reaction, but where's the synthesis? We need a SOCIAL SYNTHESIS.

And because I am feeling TERRIBLY punny, until then, I will just extract the best parts of life privately in my own home, smoke them and dream of a better tomorrow.

Like imagine... Getting sick (life), going to the doctor, being prescribed anti-biotics (science), and then being prescribed some top-notch camel poop probiotics to take immediately after (airy fairy new age hippy woo woo), and living in a generally cohesive world that promotes well-being. :O Ahhhh... is it possible?!

Some great sentiments, Ms. Minxx! =)

I'm not sure that there's any conflict between scientific modes of thought and spirituality. It's all about learning to balance the two. I don't think that introducing children to skepticism and rationalism is going to undermine any depth or richness to their existence. I think it just offers another tool for uncovering the truth.

I also totally agree with you re: feminism. I'm all for women's rights, but one right that women do NOT have is to abandon their children to a day-care service where the only attention they get is divided between twenty other kids.

I, too, would love to see the balance between science and spirit that you speak of! We need to shed the idea that they're incompatible, or mutually exclusive. This forum is probably a perfect demonstration of the fact.