today I might be mad

Today is Good Friday, commemorating the death of a wise man who tried to explain that compassion is more important than dogma. The powers that be nailed him to a cross for his efforts, and the blood has been flowing freely ever since.

Yes, yes, there have been plenty of secular atrocities in the history of mankind, but finger-pointing is not absolution. Tossing statistics around or trying to establish a moral equivalence index for atrocities overlooks the fact that each death – any death – is a tragedy, regardless of motivation. Besides, when a given religious creed has to posit itself vis-à-vis Cambodia’s Year Zero or the French Reign of Terror in terms of relative brutality, the issue becomes rather moot.

Humanity’s capacity for missing the point must be encoded in our genes. Take the most benign message of love and understanding, and there will be some idiot out there who’ll try and craft it into a weapon to use against others. How else could one explain the transmogrification from “The world can be a cruel place, so treat others with kindness” to “I hate queers, feminists, and anyone else who is different from me”? If you're going to follow the scripture to the letter, then follow all of the scripture. Don’t cherry-pick the parts that best justify your own narrow-minded world view, like you were some teenaged boy dog-earing the most salacious passages of Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

I’m not opposed to spirituality, though I have little use for it myself. It ought to be a personal voyage of introspection, rather than simply swallowing and regurgitating received doctrine without question. It’s not the words or gestures that count, it’s the meaning.

Tegan and Sara – Where Does the Good Go? (from So Jealous, 2004) – Where? Well, after one deducts the mandatory laziness, misguided intent, apathy, unforeseen consequences, and selfishness taxes, the take-home good rarely exceeds 12% of the original gross total.

Herman’s Hermits – I’m Into Something Good (from The Very Best of Herman’s Hermits, 2005) – My wife uses this song to dislodge other unwanted songs that get stuck in her head. I employ “Heart of Glass” for similar situations.

The Easybeats – Friday on My Mind (from Friday on My Mind, 1967) – I guarantee that some time between five and six PM today, this song will be played on a classic rock/oldies format radio station. I have more confidence in that statement than I have in the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.

The Associates – Tell Me Easter’s on Friday (from Fourth Drawer Down, 1981) – Do marshmallow Peeps dream of gloomy new wave?