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Back and out of the loop...

Hey guys.

I just returned from my occupation-induced exile and I promise that the blog will become active just as soon as I'm up-to-date on current events. I see that Dan, Flash, and Bri did not in fact pick up the slack during my absence so I do apologize.

I would love to post something deep and meaningful or light and funny or indeed something even remotely interesting, but as I said I am completely and utterly out of the loop, so if I am ever capable of writing anything useful, this is not the time. Going out on a ship far enough from shore that there is no radio or television and only infrequent emails and sat-phone calls home will do that. In many ways it is like being AFK, but more. More like Absent From Life, regular life, anyway. I highly recommend it for everyone. It is spiritually refreshing, but hell on the blog.

Question for the crowd - Is it possible to be a spiritual atheist? I might have thought that to be an oxymoron, but I don't think I do anymore.

Anyway, kevout for now, but I'll see you around the blogosphere as I go around asking dumb questions like why exactly does the Pope want to join W and begin a crusade?

Posted by kevvyd on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 at 1:48 AM |

Wecome back Kevvy. We did indeed miss ya.

My two cents:

I would say that spirituality and atheism are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, the Zen Buddhists would qualify in that respect since they deny a belief in a "GOD" figure, but instead espouse the quest to become enlightened as Gautama did. Although there is much worshipping of the Buddha figure, it is my understanding (from, admittedly, a limited amount of reading)that Guautama would consider such worship misguided. They still have a very spiritual tradition.

"Are you a god?" they asked.
"No."
"An angel?"
"No."
"A saint?"
"No."
"Then what are you?"
Buddha answered, "I am awake."

Conversely, people like Bush believe very much in a "GOD"; but their actions in this world, to my mind, declare them to be spiritually (and morally)bankrupt.

Posted by Blogger graven | Wed Sep 27, 11:09:00 AM  

I am ashamed that my frequent almost-postings that never came to fruition were, in the final analysis, quite sucktacular.

Welcome back, Kevvy, you keep the bar high for all of us.
-Flash

Posted by Anonymous Anonymous | Wed Sep 27, 12:53:00 PM  

Wow, what graven said. Exactly.

Nice to see ya back Kev.

Posted by Blogger Mike | Wed Sep 27, 05:55:00 PM  

Thanks, guys.

graven, where did that quote come from? It's brilliant!

As you (of all people) know, I have danced within and without of Zen as a philosophy, without getting off my ass (or onto it as the case may be) to really explore it as a functioning system.

Time for philokev to wax again.

Posted by Blogger kevvyd | Wed Sep 27, 07:54:00 PM  

I pirated it from www.yakrider.com

"Are you a god?" they asked.
"No."
"An angel?"
"No."
"A saint?"
"No."
"Then what are you?"
Buddha answered, "I am awake."

~ Huston Smith, The World's Religions,
Harper/Collins, 1991, p. 82

Posted by Blogger graven | Wed Sep 27, 08:57:00 PM  

I know all about your flirtations with Zen, Kev (you shameless spiritual-hussy!). It was YOU who got me started... with Philip Kaplan's "Three Pillarsof Zen", if I recall correctly.

Posted by Blogger graven | Wed Sep 27, 09:00:00 PM  

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