Category: Rev. Joe Dirt’s Ramblings

The unsolicited, unreasoned, uninformed, unapologetic opinions of Rev. Joe Dirt

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Tlaxcala Boot Camp

I am still in the process of listening to the audio book of The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow. This book is a reexamination of the current narrative of how our civilization, culture, social institutions, etc evolved in the light of new evidence and new interpretations.   I came across another passage that really spoke to me.

“Those who aspired to a role on the council of Tlaxcala, far from being expected to demonstrate personal charisma or the ability to outdo rivals, did so in a spirit of self-deprecation – even shame. They were required to subordinate themselves to the people of the city. To ensure that this subordination was no mere show, each was subject to trials, starting with mandatory exposure to public abuse, regarded as the proper reward of ambition, and then – with one’s ego in tatters – a long period of seclusion, in which the aspiring politician suffered ordeals of fasting, sleep deprivation, bloodletting and a strict regime of moral instruction. The initiation ended with a ‘coming out’ of the newly constituted public servant, amid feasting and celebration. Clearly, taking up office in this indigenous democracy required personality traits very different to those we take for granted in modern electoral politics.”

On the off-chance that you are not up on your 16th century mesoamerican Continue reading “Tlaxcala Boot Camp”

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The Book of Genesis: A Promulgator of Misogyny?

This is really just one of my random thoughts… something I have been ruminating on as I  listen to the audio book of The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow. This  book is a reexamination of the current narrative of how our civilization, culture, social institutions, etc evolved in the light of new evidence and new interpretations.   In it I came across the following passage:

“Rejecting a Garden of Eden-type narrative for the origins of farming also means rejecting, or at least questioning, the gendered assumptions lurking behind that narrative.  Apart from being a story about the loss of primordial innocence, the Book of Genesis is also one of history’s most enduring charters for the hatred of women, rivaled only (in the Western tradition) by the prejudices of Greek authors like Hesiod, or for that matter Plato.  It is Eve, after all, who proves too weak to resist the exhortations of the crafty serpent and is first to bite the forbidden fruit, because she is the one who desires knowledge and wisdom. Her punishment (and that of all women following her) is to bear children in severe pain and live under the rule of her husband, whose own destiny is to subsist by the sweat of his brow.”

I have no excuse why Continue reading “The Book of Genesis: A Promulgator of Misogyny?”

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Cultural Differences, the US Dollar, Ecuador

I have been visiting with a young lady, Micaela Vallejo, from Ecuador every two weeks for over three years for conversational practice using Spanish. She is a little north of 30. How far I do not remember.  She is unmarried, a fact I find remarkable given all she has going for her, but she seems quite content with her status. Micaela lives in Coca, a small town of around 45,000 souls in the northeast corner of Ecuador, close to the border with Colombia.  It is located in the Amazonian rain forest at the confluence of two large rivers and a smaller third. According to the web and Micaela Continue reading “Cultural Differences, the US Dollar, Ecuador”

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The Cookie Jar

  We visited some friends this weekend in Chicago, well one of the northwest suburbs of Chicago.  Despite the frigid temperatures, we had a great time. In their dining room, on the sideboard, is this cookie jar, brazenly inscribed with the eighth commandment, “Thou shall not steal.”

I bring this up as it reminded me of a story I posted about ten years ago that I am going to recycle with some small revisions. Enjoy.

Once upon a time, back in the day, when my kidrens were still knee-high to the proverbial grasshopper, my arm could still be twisted to get me to attend Sunday church services. My son, David, must have been around 4 which would have put my daughter, Keely, at 8. We were living in Oklahoma City, attending  a Baptist church fairly regularly. Sporadically, before the main sermon, the preacher would have a children’s story. In the front of the church was a low stage with steps leading up to the pulpit. He would sit at the front of this stage and ask the children of the congregation to gather around him.

This particular Sunday he did that, made his invitation to the children, and off rushed our two kids. I do not remember exactly what the story was about, but it did involve a cookie jar and the partaking of the contents unauthorized.

The preacher looked at Keely and asked her, “Do y’all have a cookie jar at your house?”

To which she replied, “No.” Then she brightly added, “No, but we have a cookie bowl and Mommy hides it from Daddy as he gets into it all the time.”

The whole church burst out into laughter and turned to see me slinking down in my pew.

And so it went back in the “day”.

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Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #3,040

yeah I know you did not ask!

This getting old gig is just weird. I do not need to shave every day so I generally just shave three or four times per week… but I need to trim my nose hairs just about every day.  And at least once a week I need to shave the bridge of my nose.  If I don’t Señora is trying to pluck the long, curly hair that cropped up there years ago.  And what’s up with these Andy Rooney eyebrows that causes Señora to chase me around the house wielding a sharp pair of scissors.

Yes, I know, TMI.

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Dear Elon Musk

I only infrequently post “memes”, but I really like this one!  I don’t quite understand why THE MEDIA spends so much time on the utterances of billionaires such of Elon Musk.  They generally do not add anything positive to our political or economic discussions. So many of them seem to think they are geniuses in all areas since they managed to make a boat load of money…one way or the other.

And so it  goes…

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The 23rd Psalm: Pan-Religious

Some of my readers might not know that Señora – my principal muse – is not Hispanic. In fact she is Jewish.  Of course, you can be Hispanic and Jewish simultaneously, but not in this case. Why I use Señora is a somewhat convoluted tale for another day. Most folks who are not familiar with Jews tend to think of Jews as they are portrayed in the movies or on television.  Those are frequently Orthodox Jews or perhaps Conservative Jews. I have concluded that there are about as many types of Judaism as there are Protestant branches. Señora attends a Reformed synagogue.

If I were ever to get a wild hair and decided that I needed to join an organized religion again, I would strongly consider Continue reading “The 23rd Psalm: Pan-Religious”

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Odds of Winning the Lottery

Okay, I admit it. I buy a lottery ticket when the prize gets absurdly big.  Of course, the minimum prize of $20 million would be as life changing (shattering?) as the world record $1.6 billion purse for tonight’s drawing.

Last night as I was in line to buy our ticket for the drawing for this extraordinary sum of money, the guy in front of me bought $40 of lottery tickets.  I also witnessed someone buying $24 worth a few days ago.  Last time the top prize got nearly this big I saw a gentleman buy $100 worth of dreams.

The odds of picking all six numbers correctly Continue reading “Odds of Winning the Lottery”