Tuesday, September 10, 2013

It's All In The Delivery

Listening to NHPR a couple of weeks ago.

They were interviewing a religious dude. Priest type, preacher type, minister type guy.

A holy man.

First of all, this guy is actively pursuing sainthood.

This repulses me. If you are proclaiomed a saint because of the amazing life that you have lived, that is cool. I'm pretty sure I am on the shortlist to sainthood myself.

But if you campaign for it like a politician, you should be condemned to Hell in a room with Fox "news" people.

This guy had that obnoxious priest intonation when he spoke. You know that quiet I know something you don't know faux pious bullshit tone.

I hate that.

The only holy dudes I like are the ones who talk to me like a man, not like an imitation god.

He was talking about people and hope and becoming more connected as humans. Instead of being pushed apart by today's technology.

I am with him on that. Every time I see someone walking down the street with a smart phone pinned to their ear I want to hop the curb and pin them up against the nearest Starbucks.

They look like idiots.

Every time somebody texts or answers a text while I am talking to them, I want to super glue their fingers together and jam them six inches deep into their ears.

He referred to people as little lamps. Said that if he could inspire hope in one person their lamp would be lit. He envisoned lamps being lit one by one around the world, bringing more and more light into being, until we became one.

I almost vomited.

Then it hit me smack dab in the face.

How is that message different than what The Beatles said? All you need is love. A lot of people consider that message simplistic.

I was temporarily rocked until I realized what the difference was.

The delivery.

The Beatles were real. They were not pious, they did not affect a preachy tone. They just said it. They sang it. You could believe in it.

The priest dude made sense too, but I could not stomach the message because of the way it was delivered.

If religious types want more money, I mean converts, they should consider making it real. Talking to people as people, instead of condescending to them.

Personally I think The Beatles were closer to being religious inspirations than any preist could ever be.

They brought beauty into the world, they made people smile, they made them sing.

That is more precious than hollow words and eternal threats.

But that's just one man's opinion.

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