My World View – Concentric Circles

For the new year I thought that I’d share my religious world view with all of you.  I’m going to start with the importance I place on people/needs/etc.  The basic idea behind this is that those that are closer to me are more important that those I don’t know, or don’t know very well.  Think of this as a series of concentric circles (hence the title) radiating outward.  The further from the center, the less importance I place on it.  Here’s my breakdown:

1.       Kith & Kin – These are my family (Kin), regardless of what number/removed they are from me.  Be they blood relations or married relations, these are my family and the most important people in my life.  Also on this level are my Kith, those friends of mine that are as close as if they were my family.

2.       Tribe/Kindred – People here are tied to me through Oaths and share a common connection to the Gods and wights.  Currently I am not part of any group like this, but I was and I hope to be again in the future.

3.       Friends – People who I know and trust, but are not as close as Kith.  Most people here I have known for years, but some can get here pretty quick.

4.       Community – People that work and live in my town.  Neighbors are very important to me, since we have to live near one another, so I make it a point to help out when I can.

Now we’re getting into bigger geographical subsets, and I’m going to be specific to New Jersey, since that’s where I live and it’s what I know.  I’m sure there are breakdowns like this where you live.

5.       County – The needs of the people in my county are definitely more important to me that those of another county, and that’s because it affects my family and community more.

6.       State – The great state of New Jersey, for all its flaws, is where I choose to live and it’s more important to me than the other states in the Union.

7.       Region – The North East isn’t just a collection of states, it’s also intertwined via roads, power grids, economy, etc, and I’m a part of that.

8.       Country – As it says on the sub-title to this page, I believe that the United States is the greatest country in the world, and it definitely has my loyalty over any other.

9.       Continent – North America is my home, and the fate of Canada, Mexico and all the rest will eventually trickle down to the US.

10.   Planet – Do I really need to say more?

Since we don’t have any proof of anything beyond out little ball of blue and green, I’m going to stop here.  Needless to say, Earth trumps Mars when we finally get to colonization.

If you look at this list, it probably makes sense to you, but then it might not.  I know that my wife has a bit of a hard time with it, since she keeps trying to tell me which celebrity is getting divorces or having a baby or whatever.  Sorry, but that’s down at #8 (if it makes the list at all), which means I have much more important things to worry about.  This is also why I shoveled a parking spot for my neighbors after the most recent snow storm.  They weren’t home and were going to need a place to park when they did get home.  I didn’t do it for any reward or even a thank you, it’s that they’re part of my community (and elderly) and I was out there anyway.

Next time I’ll go into my views on the interactions between mortals and the rest of the universe.

I'm Doing It Wrong

Not something you hear too often is it?  Someone telling you that they are knowingly doing something incorrectly.  Still, I am practicing being a Heathen the wrong way.  At least, wrong in how I believe it should be practiced.  You see, I am a solitary Heathen.  True my wife and daughter are there for the rites, but my wife is a Protestant and my daughter is too young to know what she wants to be, so I am, technically, the only Heathen in my household.  While that's not unusual, I do think that it is the wrong way to do it.

The Heathen religion, in my opinion, is meant to be practiced as part of a group.  The main reason that I feel this way is the way I was brought into the religion, which is through a Theod, or Tribe, where the Gods are approached as a group, while the Wights and Ancestors are approached on a family basis.  That just makes sense to me.  The Gods are a bit on the busy side, what with trying to forestall Ragnarok and all, and they really don't have time to deal with individuals.

"So why don't you just join a group?" you ask.  Well, that's complex.  You see, the group I was a part of dissolved and the main person that got me into it is in another group.  However, that group is located a bit far out of my comfort zone as far as travel goes.  I my view, any group that I am a part of would be convenient for my family, and not require special preparations for average get togethers.  As far as a new group goes, I haven't been out to discover is there are any Theods in my area, and if there are then there's the whole joining process that I would have to go through again.  Nothing bad, mind you, but I'm getting close to 40 and I don't know if I want to do that at this point in my life.

So, until something happens to make it change, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing, even if it's wrong, because it's better than not doing anything.

You Better Watch Out...

I would like to wish all of you a very joyous Yuletide this year.  I would also like to thank everyone who believes in Santa Claus for keeping Odin in your hearts.

I'm interested in seeing if they track any clicks on this back to a pagan blog. :)

A Message for Political Groups

Doing my research for today's election I came across the website for the Burlington County Democratic Committee, which is helpful since that's where I live.  They have some nice write ups on the candidates that they are backing but nothing, really, on the positions that they are taking.  So, wishing to get more information, I clicked on the Chairman's Message.  That's where it all fell apart for me.  Does this message speak to taxes, marriage equality, jobs, or other items important to the people of Burlington County?  Nope.

In fact, it seems like their overwhelming issue, which is the only one I can find on this entire website, is "We need to make sure that Chris Christie does not even think about running for President in 2016."  Really?  There is nothing else that you could possibly think to run on?  There are no issues affecting New Jersey or Burlington County that could possibly make any difference?  Apparently not.  Apparently they think that an election that is 3 years away is the only possible thing that any voter could care about in this election.

This is the kind of thing that really makes me want more than two (or sometimes less on this ballot) choices for any position.  The "we're good and they're bad" mindset really ticks me off.  I, for one, am more concerned about what can be done about the outrageous property taxes in the state, the passing of useless (or at least, wrong headed) laws and wasteful spending than I am about who may or may not be running for President in 2016.

We (NJ residents) have a choice of 8 candidates for Governor, which is great!  But that's it.  Every other office has only 2, and my school board election has only 2 people listed to fill 3 positions.  It's at times like this that I admire people like Kevin Bott, who are willing and able to run as an alternate party candidate.

So, what's my message to these groups?  Try stating what you are for and what positive items you want to accomplish rather than what you are against or what political power moves you plan on making.  Not only does it turn voters off from what possible good you might do, it makes you the poster children for the worst in American politics.

Now stop reading this blog and go out and vote!

How I Vote

No, this is not a "I always vote for this party" post, this is a step by step procedure of how I cast my vote in elections.  Considering the amount of posts I see on a daily basis which consist of nothing but a re-post of a political image or slogan, with no added commentary or just a "Yeah", I am forced to conclude that many people don't do much research on their own.  Hence a little guide for those of you that might just go into the booth and cast your ballot for people with the appropriate (to you) letter after their name.

1. Register to Vote - You would be surprised how many people forget this, especially if they are moving.  The simple fact of the matter is that if you aren't registered, you can't vote.

2. Obtain Sample Ballot - In the vast majority of cases, this comes in the mail a few weeks prior to the election.  If you don't get one, you can call your municipality or local board of elections and see if they can get one to you.  This is a crucial step, since everything from here on is dependent on having this piece of paper.

3. Determine Incumbents - Also know as "Determine who has one strike against them."  All things being equal, I vote for new comers over incumbents.  I just have an innate problem with career politicians.  Public Office is not supposed to be a career, it's supposed to be service to the community.  For example, the mayor of my home town is a paid, elected position.  The person that holds the office, though, has a day job because the pay is worth it for their time, but not enough to make a living off of.  That just keeps them honest, IMHO.

4. Research Candidates - Here's the hard part, especially as one gets more local.  Take the ballot and look up all the candidates.  See where they stack up on issues that are important to you.  My general rule of thumb is that if someone agrees with my position on more than half of the things that are important to me, they are worth voting for.  I know that no one will be with me on everything, but 51% is good enough to make me consider them.  And I don't just mean those in the R or D columns, I mean research everyone.  You might just be surprised on how much you might like an alternative viewpoint.

5. Research Ballot Questions - If there are any questions to be voted on, take a look at them.  Don't just go by the ballot says, look into what impact that would have on you and your family.  There is usually enough information out there on these questions that you can form a decent enough opinion on it ahead of time.

6. Mark Sample Ballot - Now that you have all of your information collected, weight it all for each office/question.  Look at each choice you have and make a decision on what is best for you.  Once you've come to a decision, mark that on the ballot.  I refer to this as my cheat sheet, since I bring it into the booth with me and cast my vote based on those choices.

7. Vote at Designated Polling Place - I am always surprised by how many people just don't bother to vote, or vote for the wrong reasons.  There was actually someone that posted on Facebook something along the lines of "I wasn't going to vote, because I really don't like Candidate A, but now that Public Figure B has endorsed Candidate C, I'll go out and vote for A."  Not because this person felt that A most represented what they thought would be good for the office, but because they didn't like B, that meant they had to vote for A.  I try to ignore endorsements as much as possible, and simply vote on the issues that matter to me, for just this reason.

See, it's just that easy.  Yes there is some work involved on your part, but considering that we elect people who will be crafting laws that will affect all of the residents of this great country, is a little homework really all that bad?  I hope I have helped some of you out there with this process.  It works for me, so I thought it would be useful for others.  Just do me one favor, vote intelligently.  Don't go by party, but by what issues are important to you as an individual.

A Marriage Opinion

I'm going to say this once, and I think that should be enough.  If your marriage or faith are so tenuous that you feel people of the same sex getting married, with all the same rights and privileges as any other married couple, would completely shatter either, then you are fighting the wrong battle.  If you would devote the same amount of energy that you waste on what other people do with their lives and focus on your own, everyone would be in a better place.  That is all.

Kevin Bott for Mayor

I recently became aware of a campaign by Kevin Bott to become mayor of Syracuse, NY.  I have visited his website and watched his video (see below), and I have to say I'm impressed.  Here is someone willing to take a shot at being Mayor of a major American city who realizes what it's like to be a normal person in this world.  The fact that he's going about it outside of the two party system that has gotten way out of control is wonderful.

Do I agree with him, or the Green Party, on everything?  Nope.  Some of the issue are pretty much the opposite of what I would want.  However, I want to give him a shot.  What we need more of in our government is outsiders.  People that do not look at politics as a career, but as a civic duty.  I believe that Kevin is one of these people and I would like to encourage everyone in Syracuse to vote for him and for as many of the readers here as possible to donate to his campaign (I have pledged $10 myself).

It's my opinion that the two party system is one of the major reasons for this country being in the mess it is currently in.  Whether I agree with the candidate/party or not, I want to encourage as many alternate party candidates as possible to run for as many offices as possible.  Once real people get control, rather than career politicians, I think we'll have a better chance to turn this around.