Muslim. Ebola. Obama.
Church of Christ. Meth. Tea Party.
Dead-enders. Get some. Let's roll.
Remember the Maine.
Life is terribly complex, uncertain and rarely yields sure, easy conclusions. Nearly every challenge we face is born of a multitude of causes and none of the potential choices offered to meet them promise unalloyed success. "All phenomena are multi-determinate. All reactions are multi-effectual."
Kobayashi motherfucking Maru, motherfuckers.
This inherent, and inherently dreadful, nature of existence is terribly uncomfortable, and becomes more so as our knowledge expands and the power of our tools and measuring sticks increases.
It's hard. It's confusing. And it's scary. You could put an eye out.
And so we turn to the comfort of ritual, of slogan, of what that guy said and he sounded so sure of himself. Us and them! No, all is one! Tastes great! Less filling!
All fine, if that's what floats your boat.
But when the yearning for simple, slogan answers is wedded to Hellfire-loaded tools and laser-guided measuring sticks, when our expanded YouTube knowledge is the vehicle for desert beheadings and strip mall cop-killings, maybe simple isn't so good.
Maybe we need to take a deep breath, gather our courage, and dip our toes in the terribly complex, the uncertain, the multi-determinate and multi-effectual.
Maybe we need to grow up.