Ironically unapplied study

[verax-acis]

A short hop ago a group of high school girls caught wind of a surprising rumor that, for the first time in its history, their school was going to host a senior prom. Excited by the news, the girls began whispering and chattering among themselves about the broad range of subjects involved with preparing for the prom, ranging from what to ware to whom to take. But a small group of girls, a bit over-weight and fashionably challenged, received the news with mixed emotions for they intuitively new their chances of attending with a date were relatively small.

But one of the girls, having received advice from her older sister, decided to change her chances using an old but reliable system that promised a complete make over to whoever followed its precepts.

Quickly the girl began to exercise and learn everything she could about fashion and appearance, remaining hopeful in her chances of turning her attending odds around. Soon her friends began to notice the change in her and asked her what she was doing. The young girl shared her hopes and expounded the system in which she was following, hoping someone in her group would follow the program with her.

But the group did not receive the idea well, responding pessimistically about their chances of transformation. To add to the group’s passively negative attitude, one of the girls spoke out openly against the idea for she not only did not want to follow some outdated program but she despised the idea of changing her appearance for the mere affection of a boy.

“What…You want to be like one of those dim witted cheerleaders?” she scoffed. The others laughed along with her, glad to have a reason not to follow the suggested plan. But the hopeful girl was not dissuaded from her choice and decided to continue alone.

Now, seeing the positive response she received from her friends, the outspoken girl continued her open objection to the hopeful girls new found system, feeling her dismissal of the idea increased her social standing and intellectual reputation. The outspoken girl carefully studied the history and practice of exercise and design in order to arm a poignantly precise rebuttal to any suggested statement that the hopeful girl offered. It soon became glaringly obvious that the outspoken girl was far more informed about the prevalent topics than her hopeful friend, making the hopeful girl reluctant to suggest or discuss anything in which she was doing.

Feeling her social standing with the group dropping speedily, the hopeful girl withdrew from the group entirely, but the outspoken girl continued her open objections, making sport of both the system and the girl who followed it.

“She’s so silly.” The outspoken girl laughed among her friends. “It’s not going to help her and I know it. I’ve studied their entire system and in fact I know more about the system than she does. What does she know? Four exercises and a three fashion designs. I know the entire history of exercise and I know exactly where those fashion designs came from. And on top of it all, everything she is doing is most likely in vain. This school has never had a prom and what she heard was probably nothing but a rumor.”

Laughing in agreement, the group of girls, led by their outspoken leader, continued their mocking dismissal of their hopeful friend’s new lifestyle. But the days passed and then the months and one fateful day, the principle of the school made the official announcement of the school prom, confirming the widely publicized rumors that had been circulating to this point.

Just as they had expected, being over-weight and not caring at all about how they were dressed, no girl from the group was asked to the prom.

But going alone, just for curiosities sake, the group of girls attended and was shocked to find that their hopeful friend, now in amazing shape and dress, was not only attending, but attending in crown and gown with the popular and hansom captain of the football team.

***********************************

Explanation

This parable was written to address the curious habit some people have of studying the bible with no intentions on ever practicing what it suggests. I seems useless to me that some acquire a word for word knowledge of spiritual systems, but they themselves not only refuse to practice the system but don’t even practice any other like or parallel system. Although there are a couple genuine reasons for non practice study, it seems to me, for the most part, a great waist. It would be like studying exercise practices but having no intention of exercising. It’s like a doctor studying exactly what smoking does but then smoking in spite. It would be like the study of swimming but personally disliking even the idea of swimming and never actually getting in the pool. Yes there are scholarly reasons to study these things but there is a bit of inescapable irony to the uselessness of their knowledge. Knowledge one has no intention of ever employing falls into the useless facts section of the brain that most common brains simply discard. Besides the off chance one could wind up on Jeopardy or the occasional night of trivia pursuit, there is simply no use for the knowledge.

Apart from the few genuinely scholarly reasons, the other reasons seem to me to have more to do with intellectual snobbery and the attention one gets by going against the grain of majority. I suspect for some, if Christianity was not the dominate practice of the majority, that they would have little to no interest in it at all. It’s the commonality and dominate practice that leaves the opportunity for individuals to stand out of the crowd by openly opposing it. Risks are relatively small and there is always the attention of controversy that makes this practice attractive. In fact I think, at base, this is why many who object to Christianity also put a high value on individualism. But being Christian does not stifle individuality in anything but a moral sense, therefore making me suspect that if the religious majority switched to non-Christian, these people would loose interest in Christianity altogether because not only would they no longer be “special” by being non-Christian, but the majority of religious people would no longer care about a non-Christian idea or perspective.

[Four Winds]

This parable reminds me of many of my "Christian" family members and the way they treat my eastern views of spirituality. They mock and ridicule my beliefs while everyday I grow a bit more enlightened and spiritualy fulfilled.

[Crimson_Magician_7]

This parable reminds me of someone trying to do a whole "one-up" maneuver to settle their own concious minds while not realising that if they left alone the person they were trying their one up then that person wouldn't be snippy or bite back.

[Four Winds]

This parable reminds me of someone trying to do a whole "one-up" maneuver to settle their own concious minds while not realising that if they left alone the person they were trying their one up then that person wouldn't be snippy or bite back.

Let's ponder that for a moment

[Crimson_Magician_7]

[verax-acis]

As for the parable. Spirituality practices and exercise are great parallels. Just like exercise makes a person more pleasing to the eye, spiritual training makes a person more pleasing to the heart. People who are advanced can do things others struggle to do or can’t. By the elimination of the ego, envy, and other spiritual fats, a person becomes much more pleasant to be around. Advancing in practice, ones patience increases, they are much more difficult to anger and they experience a great increase in empathy. That person also finds it much easier to be him or herself.

[BlueMoods]

As for the parable. Spirituality practices and exercise are great parallels. Just like exercise makes a person more pleasing to the eye, spiritual training makes a person more pleasing to the heart. People who are advanced can do things others struggle to do or can’t. By the elimination of the ego, envy, and other spiritual fats, a person becomes much more pleasant to be around. Advancing in practice, ones patience increases, they are much more difficult to anger and they experience a great increase in empathy. That person also finds it much easier to be him or herself.

So, you are saying that in order to be more amicable, perceptive, aware and more fully who you are you must practice some form of spirituality? I don't agree, I believe you can be quite aware, skilled, pleasant to be around and empathetic without such systems of belief. I know many who are not spiritual at all yet are very comfortable with who they are, even tempered, not braggarts in the least. Is it it possible to simply be at peace with yourself and have no need of any deity or higher power? Cannot you be aware of even those things beyond the tangible without a higher power?

I see so many praying to a god to change what they don't like about themselves or thier circumstances and, when they change those things, they attribute it to thier god. Can't humans handle having the ability to change themselves, thier environment, lives etc....? What is it that drives so many to attribute personal strengths to a god rather than themselves? Is it so ingrained in humanity that any pride in your achievements, strengths, skills is evil that you must attribute the results to a god? I think part of accepting yourself is accepting your strengths as well as you weaknesses, becoming all that you can be is using your strengths and skills to strengthen or remove your weaknesses and change what you do not like in yourself.

[verax-acis]

So, you are saying that in order to be more amicable, perceptive, aware and more fully who you are you must practice some form of spirituality? I don't agree, I believe you can be quite aware, skilled, pleasant to be around and empathetic without such systems of belief. I know many who are not spiritual at all yet are very comfortable with who they are, even tempered, not braggarts in the least. Is it it possible to simply be at peace with yourself and have no need of any deity or higher power? Cannot you be aware of even those things beyond the tangible without a higher power?

I see so many praying to a god to change what they don't like about themselves or thier circumstances and, when they change those things, they attribute it to thier god. Can't humans handle having the ability to change themselves, thier environment, lives etc....? What is it that drives so many to attribute personal strengths to a god rather than themselves? Is it so ingrained in humanity that any pride in your achievements, strengths, skills is evil that you must attribute the results to a god? I think part of accepting yourself is accepting your strengths as well as you weaknesses, becoming all that you can be is using your strengths and skills to strengthen or remove your weaknesses and change what you do not like in yourself.

You’re response sort of reminds me of the common attitude in people who don’t exercise. They walk around thinking they are in shape, or at least good enough, and they don’t need to exercise like those “fanatics”. Well you might not need to but you have the option to. It’s been my experience that you really don’t know how out of shape you are until you try some exercises. It also helps to find a person who is in really good shape and compare where you are at to where they are at (if you want to advance) but if you like where you are then of course you probably won’t do anything. But that’s where you will stay.

[ConservativePessimist]

That parable ended a bit superficially, I think it should've ended that the girl who got in shape lived a long and healthy life and the fat girls all died of heart failure. I don't think that you should pursue spirituality or religion (or anything for that matter) to please others; you should only do things that you believe are right, or that are pleasing to you.

Now I'm not saying that all athiests are going to die of heart failure... but if you die of heart failure don't say I didn't warn you.

[edit: also I liked the fact that you equated athiests to fat cruel women who can't get dates]

Edited March 13, 2007 by ConservativePessimist

[verax-acis]

That parable ended a bit superficially, I think it should've ended that the girl who got in shape lived a long and healthy life and the fat girls all died of heart failure. I don't think that you should pursue spirituality or religion (or anything for that matter) to please others; you should only do things that you believe are right, or that are pleasing to you.

Now I'm not saying that all athiests are going to die of heart failure... but if you die of heart failure don't say I didn't warn you.

[edit: also I liked the fact that you equated athiests to fat cruel women who can't get dates]

[verax-acis]

This is kind of off topic but what do the stars next to the threads represent? If they are some sort of rating, how does it work?

[edit: never mind, I figured it out]

Edited March 14, 2007 by verax-acis