Category: news

King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck

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I’m surprised King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck isn’t better known in Asia. The guy is single, has a Masters from Oxford, looks like a pop-star and is the youngest head of state of the world. He’s a wise and benevolent ruler who’s overseeing his country’s peaceful path towards democracy. His country lists “Gross National Happiness” as a priority (despite the recent problems with modernization).

jigmekhesar.jpg

In other words, he’s as close as we have now to a fairytale prince. Even the country he rules over sounds like something out of a fairytale–Bhutan, Land of the Thunder Dragon.

Why don’t more Asian girls fall for him?

Although I suppose the fact that he is the ruler of one of the most Buddhist countries in the world may have something to do with it. I guess being Buddhist isn’t quite compatible with being a dream lover.

Pope says not to worship… technology

fuzzybunnLeave a comment

CNN Article about the Pope’s Christmas message.

Now, I’m not an atheist and even if I were I’m too laid back to be the crusading kind, but christian tricks like these make me upset. Reading in between the lines of the Pope’s message are some falsehoods I find rather insulting as a non-believer of his religion.

  • “… mankind, which has reached other planets and worships technology, cannot live without God or turn its back on the hungry”
    he seems to be saying that we only those who “live with God” can care for the hungry, which demonizes atheists and nonbelievers as heartless uncaring bastards, which I am sure is true of a large majority of us, but has absolutely nothing to do with believing in God – I’m sure there are just as many heartless and uncaring Christians, Jews or Muslims around.
  • “The Pope, marking the second Christmas season of his pontificate, said that while 21st century man appeared to be a master of his own destiny, ‘perhaps he needs a saviour all the more’ because much of humanity still suffered.”
    the Pope is deliberately compounding the issues of physical, material suffering that the poor and suffering experience that can (and probably will) be solved without the assistance of a supernatural power with the “spiritual” needs of the soulless 21st Century Man. Does he expect Jesus or Moses (I forget which gave out the fish and bread) to come down again to provide food for the hungry? Or is he just trying to confuse us by making us agree that yes, since much of mankind needs help of some kind it is obvious that we need a Saviour (ie. his)?

It doesn’t bother me that people will hear (or read) his speech and make conclusions about how right he is, and how much the world needs religion after all because technology cannot provide us with everything we need in life. What really bothers me is that people will read this and conclude that nonbelievers like me are a heartless and evil bunch who are to be avoided at Christmas parties because God forbid that we poison your consumerist -Christian punch.

I hate spin.