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Thurgil's blog, such as it is.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Group Identity, Martyrdom, Movements (bowel and otherwise)
Oh my long neglected blog!
[misguided statements of intent concerning regular updates]
[caption of my current life situation]
Well, thats done, thank you for staying with me through all the regular its-been-forever update stuff. My true purpose for beginning this entry (ever so many pages ago) is to record some thoughts I'd had concerning the subject matter. Oh, and the impetus for this ramble is here: http://thefetteredheart.com/2008/03/25/a-letter-to-presbymergent/
I have nothing in particular for or against the presbymergent by the way. I quite like Presbyterians, I would go so far as to say that I identify with them more strongly than any other denomination or religion I've come across. Partially because of their (sometime) emphasis on scholarship. In any case I'm not sure what exactly emerges from a presbyterian, other than the regular of course, but I expect that like every other religion/denomination/movement there are things I agree and disagree with. The point is, the post was just the station for this train of thought.
I think I understand why people like to join movements and "sell out to the cause", but a part of me always thinks its a cop-out. It seems to me far easier to claim someone else's views and beliefs and champion them than it is to develop your own.
[digress] I don't mean re-inventing the wheel, or deciding on a whim that we're all from some distant planet and were once re-vitalized in a volcano. Not that it doesn't make for a great story. I have my own beliefs that some probably think are crazy, its a whole other topic, but suffice it to say that I believe in Christ, what he said, and taught, and lived(s), *who* he is, but I have major ongoing issues with the religion that sprung up around it, and especially with some of the people who sprung up around the religion ;-). [/digression]
Back to the main thread, I think its somehow wired in us, either socially or maybe just part of our nature, to want to be part of something exclusive. Some group bound together by shared hardship that outsiders just can't understand. Something that lets us feel just a little bit better than those around us. There are numerous examples, elite military groups, cults, sororities/fraternities, it might even play a part in something like Stockholm's syndrome. In short, we loves us some martyrs. We aspire to be them, misunderstood, rejected, beautiful.
Of course I'm as guilty of this as anyone else, I embrace my identity as a nerd, my status as an independent thinker. I've spoken at length with a close friend about how college created that kind of bond in us. I'm not even sure that its a bad thing, just something to be aware of. Recognize it in yourself, be aware of what you're feeling and why, and be certain that you're bonding with whatever cause or organization because you actually agree with its tenets.
[misguided statements of intent concerning regular updates]
[caption of my current life situation]
Well, thats done, thank you for staying with me through all the regular its-been-forever update stuff. My true purpose for beginning this entry (ever so many pages ago) is to record some thoughts I'd had concerning the subject matter. Oh, and the impetus for this ramble is here: http://thefetteredheart.com/2008/03/25/a-letter-to-presbymergent/
I have nothing in particular for or against the presbymergent by the way. I quite like Presbyterians, I would go so far as to say that I identify with them more strongly than any other denomination or religion I've come across. Partially because of their (sometime) emphasis on scholarship. In any case I'm not sure what exactly emerges from a presbyterian, other than the regular of course, but I expect that like every other religion/denomination/movement there are things I agree and disagree with. The point is, the post was just the station for this train of thought.
I think I understand why people like to join movements and "sell out to the cause", but a part of me always thinks its a cop-out. It seems to me far easier to claim someone else's views and beliefs and champion them than it is to develop your own.
[digress] I don't mean re-inventing the wheel, or deciding on a whim that we're all from some distant planet and were once re-vitalized in a volcano. Not that it doesn't make for a great story. I have my own beliefs that some probably think are crazy, its a whole other topic, but suffice it to say that I believe in Christ, what he said, and taught, and lived(s), *who* he is, but I have major ongoing issues with the religion that sprung up around it, and especially with some of the people who sprung up around the religion ;-). [/digression]
Back to the main thread, I think its somehow wired in us, either socially or maybe just part of our nature, to want to be part of something exclusive. Some group bound together by shared hardship that outsiders just can't understand. Something that lets us feel just a little bit better than those around us. There are numerous examples, elite military groups, cults, sororities/fraternities, it might even play a part in something like Stockholm's syndrome. In short, we loves us some martyrs. We aspire to be them, misunderstood, rejected, beautiful.
Of course I'm as guilty of this as anyone else, I embrace my identity as a nerd, my status as an independent thinker. I've spoken at length with a close friend about how college created that kind of bond in us. I'm not even sure that its a bad thing, just something to be aware of. Recognize it in yourself, be aware of what you're feeling and why, and be certain that you're bonding with whatever cause or organization because you actually agree with its tenets.
