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The Virtual Meeting in Cyber Space

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The following is the beginning of the romance between our two heros. The woman enters first responding to a posting on the Man's Myspace profile page. The post is reproduced here for context
 
        THE POST:
                Do you know that dominant cultures are more imprisoned than their subjugatees? Do you recognize that liberation for the oppressed must include the liberation of the oppressor lest the roles just reverse? Do you find irony the sweetest most savory conceptual experience available? Does mortality piss you off and sometimes make you sad? Do you prefer to seek out the offbeat, strange and unusual? Are you devoted to kindness, compassion, non-violence? Are you tolerant of those who are like you? Do you question everything? Do high quality professional magicians amaze you and drive you crazy to the point of frustration? Do you value truth and beauty above all else? Do you like pleasure and intimacy, kissing, frolicking naked? Do you read read read? Do ideas make your heart sing? Can you find beauty in urban decay and ugliness in nature? Do you get turned on by ideas you never thought of and then wish to evolve your thinking so you might think of such ideas in the future? Are you tolerant even towards the intolerant? Are you pleased with your own ambivalence and extremity.

She responds:
Woman: I was just fascinated by what you wrote. You did write it yourself, didn't you? It's not often that someone can stop me in my tracks such as you did. I am intrigued by your intellect and look forward to reading more.

(the Man's response has been lost at this point. we know he did respond and that some discussion regarding Christianity was on-going when he posted the following message to the woman who has posted critical of one of his blog entrys..first his blog then his response ):

Man:

** en blog what should we BUY JESUS FOR CHRISTMAS

I want to shop for Jesus, he needs so much. I’ve heard that he doesn’t have enough to buy his friends a decent cappuccino at Starbucks. What a shame. Jesus needs a day timer to help him stay on schedule. He is very busy throughout the year. Also I would like to get him some smart leather wear for his crucifixion.**

I wrote this to you but thought I would also post to my blog:

Dear Woman:
Sorry. I hope Jesus would find it funny. He had a great sense of humor. Also, I do not consider myself (nor do I think most Christians would consider me) to be Christian in any traditional sense. I find all that symbolic cannibalism to be a bit too much. I do, however, greatly respect what Jesus taught...most of which, I believe, is not reflected in the synoptic gospels accurately. I find that I trust some of the modern new testament scholars who have employed a much less chauvinistic method and included a greater variety of sources to verify what Jesus actually said. The early church, which created the 'idea of Jesus as a supernatural being, did a disservice and I believe, distorted the true gospel of Jesus, who would never have claimed himself to be different from "even the least of" us. Their scholarship has helped me to understand the real beauty and magic that lays in the teachings, not so much the man.

IMHO Jesus taught that if you lived your life as he did then you will find heaven right here on earth, and that if you live your life based upon selfishness and greed and avarice and aggression and violence then you will find hell on earth. In no account do I believe that Christ was ever discussing the afterlife. He was a teacher of life, of how to live right here and now, not how to avoid punishment and get rewards after you die. I realize that Christianity finds these views to be heretical but I don't think that any Church or school of religion or philosophy has the right to claim Jesus as their own.

Here's a question I find easy to answer which most Christian friends I know find difficult:

Imagine two men, one accepts Jesus as his personal lord and savior, attends Church regularly, and prays to God everyday.

The second man does none of these things.

Further, the first man is angry and intolerant of others not like him. He despises those not of his own race and conducts himself accordingly. He is mean to his children and kicks his pets. He sleeps with all the women he can though he is married. When he feels someone has wronged him, he takes great lengths to get revenge. He feels that those who are poor and hungry are lazy and so he shares nothing with them.



The second man however treats everyone with respect and dignity, concerns himself with the suffering of others and does what he can to relieve it. He volunteers at hospitals and asylums. He gives of his own wealth to help those less fortunate. When he is injured by someone he meditates carefully on what his own possible role was. He seeks to help understand the pathologies of his injurer that he might demonstrate with example of his own life that he might find a path less injurious to others and therefore less injurious to himself.

Many Church leaders would find the first man to be a 'Christian" albeit a sinner, who will be forgiven and accepted into the kingdom of heaven. They would also claim that the second man would not be saved and would end up somewhere else.

I know who I would rather go with.

Love, Man
PS You look just like Judy Garland in current photo..Beautiful!


 

Woman:
Ok, all jokes aside...I thought you were going to write a serious post about this bullshit. I honestly DESPISE chain letters. I hate them, hate them, hate them!! Everytime one of my "friends" posts something I almost squeel with delight at the prospect of reading some profound message...alas I am constantly disappointed by an array of chain letters. Save me...someone.
RE: RE: RE: Watcha think?
Body: Yes, yes, yes dear. I'm well aware of what it was. That was precisely the point of my post. Daily I am bombarded with posts asking to be reposted but do you think I've ever reposted but one? Hell no. I have no time for such tomfoolery. LOL. Suzy should be shot....along with many of my friends. Have a wonderful day sweetcheeks and don't be so uptight.
your slightly amused,
Alona




----------------- Original Message -----------------
From:
A MAN Date: Dec 18, 2005 9:19 PM

The faux chain letter was just supposed to be sarcastic and was just a repost from another friend. SometimeS on My space people post bulletins which go to all their friends and then ask them to repost I wasn't even really paying attention to these. My friend Suzy posted and asked for A repost. I'm Sorry to have disappointed. I will try to Maintain a higher standard from Now on.




----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: 
A WOMAN
Date: Dec 18, 2005 5:10 PM

Oh my god! Stop disappointing me.




----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: a MaN

Date: Dec 18, 2005 12:26 PM

Watcha think?
Body: Body: This is the Hottest picture game.You opened this bulletin and the rules r simple,judt do the following

1.) Go to the profile of the person who posted this bulletin

2.) Pick one of the Hottest Pictures and post a comment

3.) Repost this bulletin and see how many comments you get on your own picture.....

Sometimes a life is just meant to be an example to others