some guy in lebanon

SO I know it’s been a while since I posted, and after getting yelled at by the appropriate agents (namely everyone who gives a hoot about this blog), I have decided to post.

But let me be honest, it’s been a sloooooooooow few weeks, hense the lack of any real content. I’ve come to grips with the following issues, however:

1) America and the West are entirely responsible for the miserable condition of the Middle East. Even as much as the Arabs are a total pain in the ass, the fact is that the West has stymed the introduction of liberal democracy at every turn, and continue to do so despite what our leaders say. Take, for example, the quarter of a billion dollars in government aid we threatened to revoke from Jordan if they didn’t pass a law exempting our soldiers from being extradited to the Hague for war crimes. Now I’m not defending the Hague, but the very fact that we did this proves whole heartedly that we’re not interested in the sovereignty of developing nations, we’re merely interested in maintaining the same status quo that built the autocratic regimes that created monsters like Bin Laden and Zarqauwi.

2) Jordan’s inflation (probably 100% a year if you are really honest about it) will lead to the eventual destruction of the ruling class. The following will happen: The “Middle Class” (extremely poor by our standards) will no longer be able to make a living on an average Jordanian living in the next two years. Keeping them from raising up and overthrowing the King and the regime will come at an expense that will not last longer than three or four years after that – With the advent of weapons from Syria, Hamas and Iraq, coupled with an explosion of internet access to a large portion of the country, will mean that the per capita cost of the security regime will out pace what is possible for the Jordanian government. Thus it will do one of two things: Fold, leading to an democratically elected government full of Islamists (and the government has no protections such as a Constitutional Court that can keep these sons of bitches from taking away people’s rights on a ‘tyrany of the majority’ emphasis) who will ultimately screw the country over and after a few tries be voted out in favor of a more realistic political croud (this would be the best course of action) or far worse, America would continue to give the money that the regime needs to screw over its people, thus leading Jordan into the place that Israel is – In fact, I think that Jordan will become the new Israel of the Middle East in the next 15 years.

3) With only a week and a half of school left, I’ve begun planning my trip through Palestine and Egypt: A backpacking treck from Jerusalem, through Bethleham and Nazareth, then south to Alexandria, the Pyramids, and finally back to Amman. I fly out on June 17th.

4) If I ever hear the words Israel or Palestine or the Middle East again after I leave here, it will be too soon.

5) Despite the best interests of the Middle East, which I’ve found to be the most anti-spiritual growth spot on earth, thanks not only to the Muslims but to Christians, Jews, and the Communists who for some reason have a ton of power here, I’ve made gigantic strides in the understanding of religion in general.

On this note, I’d like to share a story I read in the New Yorker about the Episcopal Church. It turns out that the recently ordained gay Bishop of New Hampshire went to Episcopal Divinity school after growing up in an Evangelical setting. You can imagine how difficult it must have been, going from a Bible thumping church to the Episcopal ‘Catholic lite’ setting of ‘bells and smells.’ Coming into contact with the Nicene Creed, he realized he didn’t agree with large pieces of it, and he went to his minister to ask what he should do. The minister, in his infinite Episcopal wisdom (and thus proving why it is that Episcopalianism is the only legitimate form of established religion, or at least from my perspective) said, ‘there’s no problem. just don’t recite the portions you don’t agree with.’ I have to ask, HOW BLOODY SMART is that? This is the basis of religion, in this little story! In other words, there’s rules, but there only there if you want to follow them. I’ve come to realize how little Christianity has to do with Jesus, and how much it has to do with establishment in general. But I’ve also realized, having poured through the Bible over the past few months, that you can’t just be ‘all Jesus,’ either, because this a) Wasn’t what Jesus intended and b) Is viritually impossible unless you plan on being an aecetic and martyred in a horrible death, which just doesn’t happen very often these days. Therefore, the way I see it, the true “Christian” has to balance his “Christianity” with his “Christ,” and this is at the root of the story of I just told of the Nicene Creed.

Anyway, I know I went off on a rant here, but just wanted to let people know I’m still kicking.

Miss you all, see you soon,

Will