Predator Prayers

People want to give up the responsibility of being able to understand. And because they can’t understand, then they have faith. And they put their faith into people who say they can understand. And I think that’s a situation that’s ripe for a predatory relationship.

Paul Stamets

Why am I alive?

We long to be here for a purpose. Yet despite much self-deception, none is evident. The significance of our lives and our fragile planet is then determined only by our own wisdom and courage. We are the custodians of life’s meaning. If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal.

Carl Sagan

Love isn’t gonna save us

Do you know what love is? It’s a hot bath. What happens to things when you leave them in a bath for too long? Huh? They get soft; fall apart. […] It’s a war, baby: this life. The things we endure. You said you saw the future and it’s an apocalypse. Who survives that? The lovers? Or the fighters? They sell us this lie that love is gonna save us. […] Love isn’t gonna save us… it’s what we have to save. Pain makes us strong enough to do it. All our scars, our anger, our despair: it’s armor. Baby, god loves the sinners best ’cause our fire burns bright bright bright. Burn with me.

—Sydney Barret, Legion S2/E4

Seven Tenets

  • Strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.
  • The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.
  • One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.
  • The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo your own.
  • Beliefs should conform to our best scientific understanding of the world. We should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs.
  • People are fallible. If we make a mistake, we should do our best to rectify it and resolve any harm that may have been caused.
  • Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.

Cleanliness Godliness

  1. Naturally an animal wants to clean itself after the kill.
  2. Translate modern society in which clean and flawless appearance are symbols of dominance.
  3. Infer my proclivity for trusting unkempt people is instinctual.