A couple of years ago I found myself listening to Sean Hannity, when the man began talking about why God exists. “I look at the sunset,” he said, “and I think, ‘There’s no way something this beautiful is an accident.”
I can understand Hannity’s point, because not only is he dumb and simple, but he’s been conditioned to be dumb and simple. That’s your proof of God? The beauty of the sun?
Truth is, on some planets a bloody sock is just as beautiful as the sun. As is a mound of fly-infested shit. In fact, I’m convinced a bunch of residents on Planet Hoskenpowell are gathered around a mound of shit right now, basking in its splendor and tasting its richness. “I know God exists,” one of them is saying, “because of this mound of shit …”
We’ve all been conditioned. Which is fine and groovy, but undeniable. I just took a run, for example. The leaves are now changing colors at a crazy pace, and I passed this one that was bursting with orange and green and red and yellow. “Spectacular!” I thought to myself. But is it really spectacular, or have I been told so many times about it’s splendor that I ust accept it. And, if that colors of that tree blow my mind, why don’t the colors of a box of Fruit Loops? They’re nearly identical.
This also happens in politics—all the time. We hear a candidate say something with enough frequency, we begin accepting—and repeating—his language. Immigrants are ruining the country. Immigrants are great. Taxes bad. Taxes good. We are sheep, bred to follow and adhere.
Baah.