Fuck Death, and Fuck Van Halen
Jan. 11th, 2020 03:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfsVan Halen’s “Right Now” came on the car radio, and for a moment I turned it up to enjoy Eddie’s guitar work, which is unquestionably amazing on this piece, way better than the intro to “Hot For Teacher,” before remembering: this song affirmed my atheism.
In the music video for this song there are words on the screen telling you what’s happening “right now.” It’s about mindfulness and being in the moment. One placard reads: “Right Now, God Is Killing Mothers and Dogs…” [pause] [fade in] “Because He has to.”
It’s strange, but I doubt I’ll ever forget how angry that placard made me. “Does He? Is this universe the best possible universe, the one where He ‘has’ to kill people? Why couldn’t the universe be structured otherwise?”
Do NOT give me blather about the incomprehensibility of the divine. That story is indistinguishable in quality and character from eldritch abomination territory. An eldritch abomination that has our best interests is still an eldritch abomination.
For all that I do appreciate and understand Montaigne’s observation that to live well is to study how to die well, death itself remains a horror, a library burned down, another chance to learn better.
If “He” has to burn down libraries, deprive us of second and third chances, furthering joys and accumulated dreams, and deprive the rest of us of the company of our loved ones, then the only legitimate response is rebellion.
Above and beyond #FuckCancer, just #FuckDeath in general.
In the music video for this song there are words on the screen telling you what’s happening “right now.” It’s about mindfulness and being in the moment. One placard reads: “Right Now, God Is Killing Mothers and Dogs…” [pause] [fade in] “Because He has to.”
It’s strange, but I doubt I’ll ever forget how angry that placard made me. “Does He? Is this universe the best possible universe, the one where He ‘has’ to kill people? Why couldn’t the universe be structured otherwise?”
Do NOT give me blather about the incomprehensibility of the divine. That story is indistinguishable in quality and character from eldritch abomination territory. An eldritch abomination that has our best interests is still an eldritch abomination.
For all that I do appreciate and understand Montaigne’s observation that to live well is to study how to die well, death itself remains a horror, a library burned down, another chance to learn better.
If “He” has to burn down libraries, deprive us of second and third chances, furthering joys and accumulated dreams, and deprive the rest of us of the company of our loved ones, then the only legitimate response is rebellion.
Above and beyond #FuckCancer, just #FuckDeath in general.
