Religion, Now in the Fiction Section.

I am agnostic. At least I think I am. I would believe in a religion, if there was one that made sense to me. Religion was created as a means to control the population from stealing and doing bad things -after all, who would want to spend all of eternity damned to hell?

If there really was a god, or gods, where is/are he/her/they? Why do innocent people suffer? Why do young lives get taken away? If he is immortal why can't he pass on that immortality to some of us here on earth? How do we know that if there was a god that he did not die? If the Messiah is coming why is it taking him so long? If heaven is in the sky, why can't we visit? Why does prayer not work when you pray day and night for something to happen or change?

And, if there are so many different religions, Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, etc. how can only ONE of them be right? In theory, if I am a catholic and believe I am going to heaven, that means that all my jewish and muslim friends have been wasting their time. And, if thats the case, does that mean that I won't see any of my hindu friends in heaven? What about pets? They aren't baptisized, so if you go to heaven what happens to your dog?

And if the Hindus are correct, and we reincarnate, I ask why? Why go through many different lives relearning high school and college only to have to do it all over as someone else entirely?

How can people believe in something they cannot see? Shouldn't there be some sort of proof for the die hard believers? The people who devote their lives to prayer and church? Can't god send them a message on their ipods or something?

Plus, people are such hypocrites. They go to church every week, read the bible and pray. But then they go cheat on their wives, steal from friends or commit crimes. Their solution? Go to confession, and ask the Lord for forgiveness.

Muslim people cannot eat pork, or have premarital sex. Why should someone be sent to hell if they ate a pork chop or slept with their boyfriend?

And if heaven were SO great, why would we continue to suffer here on earth, why not just kill ourselves as soon as possible, so we can die young and live out eternity floating on clouds. How would it even be possible for our souls to continue? Once the brain stops, all thoughts and functions within us cease. How would a soul "find its way to heaven"?

To tell you the truth, I wished I did believe in a religion and a wonderful god. I see the benefit, if you are scared, or someone you know is suffering, you are comforted by the fact that god will soon take care of them and they will be in heaven; free of pain. If there is a crisis, you believe that god will answer your prayers and provide a miracle. Religion gives people hope and keeps them unified.

Cold is the new Hot

Why is it suddenly cold outside and inside? I live in NY, where its cold most months out of the year. You would expect to find warmth and comfort by being inside. Not so anymore. And its not just that places are saving on heating costs, they are turning on the ACs!

Everytime I go to the movies, I can't take my coat off and need to bring another pair of socks with me. Why am I shivering while watching a movie?

At work, I have a heater on my desk, blowing directly at me- (which is probably not the best thing in the world) otherwise I would be falling asleep.

Anytime I go to Atlantic City, ALL of the hotels keep the AC on..you can actually feel the air blowing on you. In the casino, in the lobby, hallways and guest rooms. Atlantic City is full of old people! Some of who already have ailments and I'm sure don't want their fragile bones freezing. Why should I have to be bundled up to be on a slot machine?

And the buses that take you to the casinos are the worst. I was wearing a hoody, jacket, 2 pairs of socks, and was still freezing. Airplanes are always horrendous as well. I really think it gets to be -20 degrees in some of these planes. I literally need to wear a scarf over my face.

The only place I can ever count on to be warm is the subway (thank god) and Target. I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to have people walk around with cold noses and hands indoors. What benefit can that possibly have for someone? Is this some sort of new trend I am not yet up on?

Its WINTER.....we use heat in the winter!!!!

Signed, freezing fingers

Seeking Vampire for Immortality

We are all perpetual renters. Even if we buy a house or car, these things are never truly ours. Even our bodies and faces aren't ours. When we die, our houses and cars go to a family member. All of our possessions get divided up, or thrown out. The albums it took you years to create can be tossed out in a second.

As we age, we get wrinkles, grey hair and a host of other things we did not ask for. When we die, our tattoos, piercings and uniqueness die with us. Viruses and disease can attack and take over your body, and there's not much you can do about it.

All of your stuff is someplace else, while your body and mind are forever gone. People also replace us in their lives. They get new spouses or friends. They have someone else to take out to your favorite restaurant. They will always remember you but you won't be there to share any of the special moments.

What is it all for if it all ends so soon? Why do we spend our lives trying to attain perfection and happiness only to rot away? Why do we form everlasting bonds of friendship and love if they get taken away from us?

If I knew the answer was because we are all going to heaven, then i wouldn't mind so much. But in that case, why do you usually go alone? And if it really existed, what if you re-married? Who would you spend eternity with, your old lover or new one?

Life is fucked. No matter how much you think you are in control, you never fully are.

Drug Free USA

Why does the USA make "prescription" drugs so hard to get? You have to go to your doctor, pay a co-payment and possibly get a referral to a specialist, only to pay him and run a myriad of tests just to get a script that you have to take to a pharmacy, fill out more info, wait for an hour, then pay and finally have your meds. Yes, a lot of drugs are dangerous or controlled substances. Controlled substances should require ID and a log of why/how many times you are buying them. But as for the danger part, all drugs have warnings on them. Pick up any drug in your house, Tylenol, pepcid ac and they will all list overdose warnings, who should NOT take the medicine and possible side effects.

As a smart consumer, I always adhere to dosage recommendations. If I was really dumb, I could off myself by swallowing 200 Advil tablets, or drinking poison. Canada has a lot of online pharmacies, why don't we? I mean they make it so hard here to get birth control, and wonder why there are so many teenage pregnancies. If a teenager could readily buy birth control pills, I'm sure there would be a lot less.

I could buy drugs online, but it is a little scary with all the stories of people marketing fake pills, or lower dosages. Plus, the online companies won't take any form of insurance. Not a problem for about 1/2 of the medicine I have been prescribed, insurance only covers certain things. If all I want is a godamned skin cream, why can't I just buy it?

But the FDA warns against "sharing" prescription drugs. That is so absurd! I mean if I have acne, and I use a friends prescribed acne cream, the worst that would happen is that I could get a rash or other allergic reaction. But umm gee that could happen to my friend who it was prescribed for, too. The FDA puts ridiculous regulations on drugs, Tazorac is a popular acne medicine that has also been found to keep the skin youthful. Yet dermatologists are not allowed to prescribe this for anything but acne. WHY? You can get an Rx for trentoin, which if used daily can cause redness and peeling, so why not tazorac?

It is ridiculous that medications that are so commonly used are Rx only, like ones for allergies, acne and various other skin conditions. Zyrtec used to be Rx only, and it was such a bitch to keep getting refills, it was also very expensive. Then within a year, it was available at my local Walgreen's, in a HIGHER dosage that I had been getting thorough the doctors. The OTC version is cheaper, stronger and helps me much more than the Rx version did.

Once again, America is not the land of the free. If we were free to make our own decisions we could decide what medicines we should take/not take. Don't get me wrong, there are certain things that would absolutely require you to visit a doctor first. You would not take asthma medicine if you suspected you had asthma, you would first get it confirmed by a doctor.

And You Thought Backhands Were Only Used in Tennis

My sister in law was telling me a funny story about a backhanded complement someone gave her, and it got me thinking about stuff people have said to me over the years. Do people use their brains to speak anymore or do they just open their mouths, start moving their lips and hope for the best?

I really hate when your "friends" group you into the same category they are in (or think they are in). After a night of hanging out, one of my friends said this to me:" I'm so glad my new friends are the same level of pretty as I am. I'm not ugly, and I'm not gorgeous either, we are all equally pretty". Yes, my friend was pretty - also not gorgeous. But who tells their friends they are not gorgeous?

I was walking with an acquaintance to get coffee and she made a statement about these immature men in their twenties she works with. She then went on to say " ...I mean wait till they are our age"...what?? Since when have I aged 10 yrs for fucks sake? One other time, I was telling her how a guy at the Post Office said I looked like Kristen Chenowich (sp?). My friend says "oh WE look nothing like her!" WHAT? Since when am I short and fat with bad hair and skin? I am short and have boobs, so I think thats what the guy meant.

Recently, I was in CVS after work. I was at the self-scanners and the store greeter came up to me to make sure I was OK. He said "Oh...you is beautiful, is perfect. Maybe not for everyone, but for me, its perfect". SO even in broken english, he was telling me that while he thought I was "perfect" of course, not every guy would think so.

Then there are also random people who say things like "oh don't you wish you could wear that"- ummm..sometimes I DO wear that.

People really have an overinflated sense of self these days. You do not look better and are not smarter than 99% of the population, or you would be famous.