Women Vow to Withhold Sex After Election & 76ers’ Joel Embiid's $1 million Shove
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: What is the purpose of prayer?
‘No man will touch me until I have my rights back’: why is the 4B movement going viral after Trump’s win?: No sex with obstructionist men until women’s rights are restored? About time.
Trump Watch 2024: Trump picks two members of his administration that do not bode well for America’s future.
Kareem’s Video Break: Prepare to smile non-stop at the ingenuity of lamb transportation.
The $1m shove: NBA cracks down on 76ers’ Joel Embiid after altercation with columnist: Embiid made a mistake and he’s paying for it, as he should. Athletes have to be more aware of their responsibilities as role models.
Kareem’s Kvetching Korner: SNL’s Dana Carvey did a mild impression of Elon Musk. Musk responded the way all Trumplodytes react: name-calling about who’s more successful.
What I’m Watching on TV: The Diplomat is one of the best television shows. The Avengers was popular in the sixties and is still immensely funny and entertaining.
Ruby and the Romantics Sing “Hey There Lonely Boy”: This old R&B song captures just the right tone and anxiety of being lonely.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), first Christian existentialist philosopher
The idea of prayer has long fascinated and frustrated me. I’m frustrated with those who use prayer to petition their god or gods for some benefit to themselves or even to others. The level of contradiction about their own belief about god (whichever religion they follow) is stunning. In general, the Judeo/Christian/Muslim God is defined as all-knowing (omniscient), all-powerful (omnipotent), and existing in all periods at the same time (omnipresent). This God also has a plan for humanity, which we can’t know because we are unable to comprehend it, but which followers show blind faith in by following God’s teachings, without interpretation or modification (because to do so would demonstrate a lack of faith).
Which brings us to prayer. Last week, someone told me that because they had family in Tallahassee, Florida, they prayed that the recent hurricanes would divert away from that city. When the hurricanes did, she credited her prayers. I chose not to point out the very unChristian effect of sending a hurricane to kill others and destroy their homes and livelihoods for her personal benefit. The same can be said of people appealing to others to pray for a terminally sick person to heal. The glaring problem there is that prayer shows a lack of faith in God’s plan. Same with prayers for money, to pass a test, to fall in love, or even world peace. They assume God overlooked something in his plan (which means he’s not all-knowing) and the human prayer makes the Supreme Being see the error of their ways. Maybe the terminally ill dying is God’s plan so their organs can be harvested to give life to others? The act of prayer in these cases of personal gain is to refute God’s power and plan.
However, there is another form of prayer that is very healthy and demonstrates faith. It’s when people use prayer to meditate on the right course of action, to strengthen their moral resolve, to better understand the type of person they want to be, to express gratitude for what one has, and to come to grips with disappointments and grief. Of course, for this kind of meditative prayer, no god is necessary, just the commitment to become a better person.
Maybe the best depiction of what prayer should mean comes from the above image included with this piece by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). It is one of the most famous works of art in history, reproduced throughout the world for centuries. Its image is on Andy Warhol’s tombstone and tattooed on Justin Bieber’s leg. The story behind it is that Albrecht and his brother (there were 18 children) wanted to be artists but didn’t have enough money for both to attend art school. They decided one would work in the coal mines to support the other for four years, then they would reverse roles. Albrecht won the coin toss and attended the art academy. But at the end of four years, his brother’s hands were so damaged from working in the mines that he could no longer do his art. His gnarled hands are the model for the work, his act of self-sacrifice is the model for the rest of us to live by.