Of This World

Driving today, I saw a full rear window sticker declaring "Not of This World." I've seen these before, and my immediate gut reaction is always the petulant "Yes you are!" What was different this time was my recent reading of part of "A Sideways Look at Time" by Jay Griffiths, in which at one point he describes the differences between Western, Christian symbolism and that of other cultures. The idea was that the snake is a fundamental cosmic life-bringing element in ancient cultures around the world, but that Christianity is at distinct odds with these cultures in its view of the serpent. This brought to mind other fragments I have gathered over time, including the revisions of Christian event dates such that Christmas and Easter supplant the pagan, earth-centered 'holidays' of the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

I have witnessed t-shirts being sold at Christian youth events, emblazoned with "Forget the whales, save the PEOPLE!" I remember the pastor at an Indiana church taking strength from his interpretation of Scripture that he should hate his family if they distracted him from his relationship with God. There are bumper stickers that claim "My reward is in heaven."

I submit that the presentation of Christianity has been slowly altered, partially through the translation from its original languages and the selection of books to omit, and partially through mass-message emphasis, to alienate the people of the world from one another and from the earth itself. Christians are given no incentive to care for each other (save for the vague threat that the person they mistreat might be Christ, which is highly unlikely) or for their home; they are constantly encouraged to focus on the afterlife. In most cases, there is not even a tiered reward system; Jehovah's Witnesses are the only exception I am aware of. The whole point is to look out for number one, and make it to heaven. The earth is a proving ground, full of pain and suffering; its sole purpose is to test your worthiness to pass through the Gates.

Is it any wonder, then, that blatant disregard for the earth has become common among fundamentalist Christians? The prevailing attitude seems to be "I'll be dead (implied: and in heaven) when it really gets bad." For a group of people so ostensibly concerned with their families, it's ironic that they don't care what conditions they'll be living in.

This kind of turned into a scathing rebuke, but that wasn't really the intent. I just want people to understand that the connections between ourselves and those between us and our planet are ultimately far more important that those with a father figure in the sky, because every day, when you look at the people and places around you, you are seeing the face of God.

Well, A, it looks like my element might be earth after all.

The Softer Side of Tallahassee

I placed my meter about fifty feet from the centerline of Orange Avenue, and proceeded to measure noise levels. Roughly fifteen minutes later, I made brief eye contact with the two inmates of the Leon County Jail road work crew as they passed me. Their job was to pick up trash, and they looked beaten. I unconsciously tried to convey respect, sympathy, and appreciation, but without pity in my brief nod. I'm pretty sure the message didn't get through.

Finding people at home during a weekday is not easy, and my normal tactic of starting my work and being friendly if the residents return before I leave is not as safe in Florida as it is in California. So when I saw two people sitting in a yard, I was grateful.
Their sign along the edge of the highway read "Home Grown Tomatoes." It soon became clear that the reason these two were actually at work after all. They were very nice, trusting, and interested in what I was doing. They even offered me a chair. They said, "If you need to come back, just go ahead and do what you need to. Don't matter if we're not here." How nice.

I pulled up in the driveway of the house I wanted to conduct a measurement at, got out, and walked up to the door. When I rang the doorbell and then knocked, no one answered; this is common. As I was driving away, I glanced back at the house, and saw the owner. I quickly got out, walked over, and gave her my spiel. She was skeptical, but unlike most of the people I've encountered here, her apprehension did not fade. I tried to tell her that I did not need to be there if it made her uncomfortable, but she was internally torn between (perceived) civic duty and personal safety: "I don't want to be an uncooperative resident, but whatever you need to do, you can do it outside the gate. Too many home invasions these days." She watched me count traffic for five solid minutes, then went inside "to call the City." I feel bad, like something really crappy must have happened to her or someone in her family in the past. Not that I want her to drop her guard completely and become foolishly vulnerable again, but I hope the fact that she trusted me and nothing bad came of it will somewhat restore her faith in the common person.

Resident #1 from yesterday came through with that Xerox. Turns out, it was a pamphlet for the hearing test booth his brother designed. Less dorky, but still. He also offered to show me around Tallahassee the next time I was in town; I am pretty sure he thinks this is the best place in the world to live. He was definitely lonely, and possibly a little bit gay.

It was at this point it began raining, preventing me from completing my last two measurements. This forced me to stay in town through the weekend, and the fact that I have posted more than once in less than a week is directly traceable to this situation. Sigh.

While waiting for the rain to clear (it didn't), I happened into The Bookshelf, which was billed as a used bookstore / comic bookstore. They might want to reconsider the emphasis, because all those old books (mostly romance novels and westerns) seemed to be getting in the way of all the awesome comics & paraphernalia. Anyway, that's where I found the two coolest things ever, and was forced to pick one. I can't tell you what they are now, because the one I got is a "Sorry I went away on business" gift for A. Anyway, by the time I left, I had the gist of the guy behind the counter's life story, particularly in regards to him working at this, his dad's store, while raising his 2-year-old kid. Also, he thinks Superman rules.

Florida.

I'm in Tallahassee doing field work that requires me to ask people for temporary access to their property to conduct noise measurements. Florida is a funny place. Evidential anecdotes:

1. 'Brother' Williams of the Jehovah's Witness Church glances at the official letter I have, doesn't read it, but asks me if everything I'm doing is "legal and proper."
2. Resident #1 presents a dissertation on why my ambient measurements will not be valid in the near future, based on the confluence of events in City politics he has foreseen. Same resident offers a Xerox copy of a photograph of his brother in a soundproof booth. He gives me a water.
3. Resident #2 gives me a blue Gatorade, and with a twinkle in his eye, apologizes that he doesn't have anything to smoke. Later, as he and his girlfriend are driving away, I ask if I can return the next afternoon for more readings. His girlfriend's jaw drops as he says, "Sure, but I won't be here. That's okay, though. Just leave me a joint somewhere!"
4. Resident #3 looks at me skeptically, as every resident always does. Then, for the first time since starting this gig eight years ago, he asks to see some identification. Perhaps inappropriately, I started laughing, because, as I told him, this should have happened dozens of times before this! We got on pretty well after that.
5. Resident #4 asks me hopefully, "If there's too much noise, will they have to buy me out?" His wife gives me a water.
6. Resident #5 informs me of the next-door neighbor whose door I just knocked on, "Well, she's not home because she's deceased."

I'm sure there will be more events tommorow. If you're lucky, you'll read about them this year.