Mono Monday : : The Big Picture

Rain this morning with intermittent downpours and hail meant that we either got soaked or found ourselves hanging out in dry places, some better than others, until we could make a dash for it.  All three of us got back from Ozzie's walk soaked to the skin, I hung out in the Flying Goat for longer than usual and OilMan hung out in his shed while hail thundered down on the plexiglas roof…dramatic….The skies were so dark that a mono panorama shot with my iPhone 6 (Thank you, Blipper Walking Wombat) of our challenging "hill garden"  didn't seem like a bad idea.

With President Obama visiting Cuba, the usual shenanigans in US politics, and all the things done and claimed in the name of religion from banning abortion to beheading Christians, I had plenty of fodder for musing as I watched the moisture condense on the windows of the Flying Goat.

Every religion, government, practice  or group has its "writings" governing acceptable behavior…the Bible, Koran, Constitution, Little Red Book, Yoga Sutras, or roommate agreement*. They are an effort to regulate human behavior (which in itself is something of an oxymoron) and as such are always open to interpretation. 

The Bible has countless examples of conflicting instructions from "an eye for an eye…" to "turn the other cheek". I'm not familiar with the Koran, but the number of sects from peaceful to unspeakably violent all seem to be acting in the name of Allah. I have sat through numerous sermons, homilies and discussions interpreting the Bible, the Yoga Sutras and the bylaws for volunteers who tutor kids in reading.

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution reads, "A well regulated Militia,, being necessary to the security of of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed".  The powerful US gun lobby, the NRA, interprets this as allowing anybody to carry a gun (in some states even in church!) without restriction, even though the need for militias is long gone. They seem to have forgotten the"'well regulated" part in their interpretation.

It is both fascinating and horrifying to see how many ways there are to interpret anything. If there is no room for interpretation, it becomes Mao Tse Tung's Little Red Book which led to some of the worst abuses of human rights known as the "Cultural Revolution". If there is too much room for interpretation, a democracy can be torn apart and rendered completely ineffective, as seems to be happening here in the US.

Interpretation necessitates open discussion, even negotiation, not closed minds and inflexibility. 

*From 'The Big Bang Theory', OilMan's favorite television program because it takes place at CalTech in Pasadena where he went to school.