No Clock

If anybody reads this I think they should know this. I’m agnostic. A semi-practicing Jewish agnostic.

Since I’ve been home I’ve had a few conversations about religion. In all of them I’ve found myself making the same point in defense of smaller and less socially accepted faiths, mainly Mormonism. The argument has nothing to do with theology, in fact the premise is that all religious theology is irrational. The rationality or “correctness” of a religion is completely subjective. There is no litmus test to see which deity is real, which gospel is true. Like a few religious people have told me before, faith is a choice.

So with that in mind, my premise is that no religious person is more or less rational than any other religious person (or dogmatic atheist for that matter). How new or weird a religion may seem should have nothing to do with how a religion or its disciples are perceived. Consider the historical lives of many Catholic figureheads. What makes Joseph Smith so unworthy?

One irrational set of beliefs should not be held in higher esteem than another. If faiths must be quantified and judged, let it be by the actions of their disciples. Let religions be rated by the behavior of their followers. Mormons for example, are highly successful in American society. The church breeds a strong sense of family, education, and charity. Most Mormons you meet are unflinchingly polite and kind. Putting aside the tenets of their faith, how can one object to the Mormon lifestyle?

The caveat lies in the extreme. In what we call cults. Consider the polygamist offshoots of the Mormon church which categorically rejects the practice. Or super Islamist terrorist groups. Or Scientology. In these cases the behavior of the disciples, often awful in itself, is overshadowed a hundredfold by the conniving and misleading efforts of leadership or the faulty structure of the institution.

The point I guess, is that religion in itself is all a bunch of question marks. And instead of judging how folks answer those questions, we ought to take a look at how those answers make them behave. Because there’s no right and wrong. Religions are not like elections or sports. There aren’t exit polls or standings. Just people trying their best to get through this world in a way that seems right to them.

This is a poem I started working on right after I got back from seeing the band X at the House of Blues the other night with my cousin. He is 17 and was probably the youngest person there. X is an old punk band from LA . They are probably in their 50s or so and got big in Southern California in the early 80s, reaching the edge of what would be called mainstream here. Despite some really good, and accessible songs, they were never as popular outside the region. Anyways, they don’t play many shows anymore because the members all have other stuff going on. The crowd at the show was diverse in many ways, including age. But for being so old, they were pretty damn bouncy and into it. That’d be my inspiration here:

Encore.

Middle-aged mosh pits turn counterclockwise.

Buttons break off plaid shirts with collars and fall

To the sticky concrete floor. Grey as the hair of the

Men and women. Spinning spitting, bouncing,

Busting with nostalgia. Women wear too-tight jeans

And too much-makeup and fan themselves with

Flyers announcing upcoming shows starring bands

They’ve never heard of and they smile inside (still got it)

When passing men with country club goatees

Grab their ass, which happens to be the most convenient

On the sweaty sojourn from the barrier to the bar and back.

And all of them smile on the outside and their eyes light

Up in the half-light between bands at that first whiff

Of marijuana through the must and mint of mojitos

On special tonight for only six bucks. This crowd knows

That middle-aged mosh pits turn counterclockwise.

And for a few hours it forgets that clocks don’t.

Comments and criticism highly encouraged.

Also, I really do highly recommend X. They were discovered by Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek back in the day and play a sort of roots/rockabilly inspired punk rock with duel (male and female vocals). The singers, John Doe and Exene Cervanka met at a poetry workshop. So the lyrics are always sharp, occasionally scary, and often hilarious.

Official Site.

Myspace.

Or watch this video from the 80s. It’s a live performance of their song Los Angeles. It might be one of their their most popular tunes but it’s not the greatest recording. Unfortunately, having your name be a letter of the alphabet makes search engines kind of difficult.  So young musicians, keep that in mind.