Worth Restating

I'm writing this instead of posting the totally unrelated tearjerker Travelin' Soldier video on YouTube that shows clips from the movie Pearl Harbor with Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale. 

The smartest thing I ever read on clothes and religion--that is, lots of clothes as a symbol of "sexual purity" or not-much-clothes or no-clothes-at-all as a symbol of "liberation"--was on a pagan blog. 

It was this: That both of those are the opposite sides of the same coin. The escape from one isn't the adoption of the other and vice versa. The way out is to stop being so obsessed with your clothes.

Just wear them to stay warm, to protect your skin from the elements, to protect yourself from other people(!), or to look nice. Be sociable, practical, and sensible. 

At this point, that much is obvious, but it's worth restating. 

Now I'll go back to my very insensible alienation from the twenty-first century. 

Marcus Aurelius's Mom

[Things I learned] from my mother: piety, generosity, the avoidance of wrongdoing and even the thought of it; also, simplicity of living, well clear of the habits of the rich.

 That's a good mom. 

Old Beijing

My friend from England and I ate at a vegan restaurant for lunch, and as it was warm and the sky was a clear blue, walked around old Beijing. 

Old Beijing is the central area of the city where there is a lot of traditional architecture, many traditional restaurants, etc. 

My friend from England tells the most hilarious stories. 

Long Time Gone

And me, I been a long time gone. 

100 Wishes Mountain

I went hiking today in the northwest of Beijing with a lovely new acquaintance. He speaks Chinese, and he told me the place we hiked is known as 100 Wishes Mountain. Looking east from one of the small peaks, you could see across to Olympic Forest Park, all the way south towards Beijing West Station, and looking northwest, a range of mountains that rise up dramatically from the intervening flat plain. Here's what it looked like. The wind was furious at the top, as in literally hurricane-force. 

I don't know the story behind the name--100 Wishes Mountain--or if it means that you are entitled to make 100 wishes if you go there. 

Fight Club

I've been wanting to quit online commenting. For reasons unknown to me, the gods have cursed me with a way of putting words together that attracts people's attention. Not always, but much of the time. However, a verbal gladiator is not how I imagine myself to be. I imagine myself as a devotee, a devotee steeped in the knowledge, lore, rituals, and theology of my particular deity, and in that sense, purehearted; maybe someday a priestess. 

There are issues and people for which there are few good advocates. Would-be advocates that I've seen online often fall short in their ability to articulate an argument. Or, alternatively, they are intimidated by the moral climate created by their adversaries. I don't think I generally have these problems. 

Some nationally-known writers were gracious enough to take notice of my writing. I guess they also cursed me and mocked me among each other as well when I argued hard. Yet, they still took notice of what I said. Nonetheless, this isn't necessarily good. To be noticed is, in a very small way, to take your place in this world. Someone whose opinion matters! And what could be more obstructive to a spiritual life than that?

Abstinence & the Zika Virus

The CDC is advising abstinence and safe sex to avoid the spread of the Zika virus, which can be sexually transmitted. 

China

It is the Chinese New Year. We have some time off from work. I went with a friend yesterday to a 'Temple Fair'. There was loads of people, all kinds of food, pavilions, a large lake, and many things to see. Afterwards, we went to Sanlitun, the foreigners' district. We talked and talked and talked. It was so much fun.

I'm getting more used to China. Slowly, I'm learning how to do things and how to say things. 

Happy lunar new year!