Re: virus: Heaven's Gate Kooks

Eric Boyd (6ceb3@qlink.queensu.ca)
Tue, 27 May 1997 20:55:50 -0500


Tim Rhodes wrote:
> The oddest part of the Heaven's Gate phenomena to me was how quickly
> EVERYONE jumped to declare them loonies. What kind of strange cultural
> defense mechanism was that? I saw Christian minister the day after
> talking about how crazy it was for people to believe in something or
> someone enough to die for it. (Without catching the irony at all!)
>
> Why is it so easy to dismiss them, I wonder. If you could apply the kind
> of conviction they possessed to any aspect of your life, would you?

Very tempting. The trouble is, I can't think of where you could apply
it that it would do any good...
1) you could make youself beleive you are the most sexy man on Earth.
But where would that get you? Most likely in deep trouble
2) you could think yourself an intellectual "god"... but that's just
arrogance.

In the end, it just comes down to the fact that convictions arn't any
good unless you actually posses said trait... (or if the thing you
beleive is true; but then what is truth?)

So no, even though tempted, I don't think I would.

ERiC

"The temptation shared by all forms of intelligence: cynicism." --
Albert Camus