In another thread, our dear atheist ally Jo made mention of certain thoughts and beliefs being sacred. And that got me curious, as I had never really thought much about the term until that moment. Therefore, this thread.
Pray tell, what exactly makes something "sacred" such that it is put upon a pedestal, beyond question, beyond criticism, beyond reproach, and beyond examination? Seems like a fairly dangerous concept to me, if I am understanding Jo's meaning correctly. Any and all input is welcomed.
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I got one.
My wife holds sacred that the toilet always get flushed, even if it is only a little bit of clear pee.
To my wife flushing the toilet after any use is:
"put upon a pedestal, beyond question, beyond criticism, beyond reproach, and beyond examination"
Coincidentally, my wonderful wife does not put god or any person on such a pedestal.
(She loves my dearly, but not even me, especially if I do not flush the toilet!)
@Logic Re: Toilets
LMAO... Good one! Speaking of toilets, you forgot to mention that the toilet seat must ALWAYS be put back down after use. Even the flushing part is not as sacred as that around this household. I can be forgiven for lack of flushing after a quick pee. But leaving the toilet seat up after doing so would bring unimaginable wrath... *chuckle*...
@Tin-Man
I got a bit of a confession to make, I suggest any light hearted readers skip the rest of this post:
- No! Not that kind of confession! No "god" involved, no priest alone in a dark room with me kind of confessional!
At home, I almost always sit down to pee. (The only common exception is if I am in a big hurry.)
I do this probably mostly because then I cannot forget to put the seat down and worry about that possible great "wrath."
But also I realized that: I can take a guaranteed moment to myself, reflect and do nothing but rid myself of bodily waste. I have had a lot of epiphanys on the toilet.
And I can be lazy, sitting is easier then standing, and as a guy, I actually have to pay attention enough to aim if I am standing, and guess who gets to clean it if I miss? Yeah, rightfully so, me.
Now any public restroom? I am going to do that standing if at all possible. That is why we have urinals in public bathrooms but not at home.
@Logic Re: "At home, I almost always sit down to pee."
Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I often do the same at home. Primarily if I have to get up at night, because I don't want to turn on the light. And then in the mornings for the first pee of the day, because I am still too sleepy and too lazy to aim. Other times would be if I am having bowel pressure at the same time. (I don't trust my farts anymore. lol) But, yeah, in a public restroom I will ALWAYS remain standing to do #1... lol...
@Tin-Man: the toilet seat must ALWAYS be put back down
Indeed. I have been severely punished for past transgressions. I should add that not only the seat but also the lid must be lowered to prevent the flush from spraying out a miasma of germs and other evil spirits from the hell at the bottom of pan into the room. The lid is your only defense against these shitanic beings trying to pollute the sacred air of our mundane environment.
When I read Jo's post yesterday, I also wondered. So I pulled out one concept that on the surface appears valid, "honor thy mother and thy father".
I respected my mother and father, and I am sure a great majority of people do so also, no matter the location or culture.
But what if your mother was a prostitute/crackhead and your father an unemployed raging brutal alcoholic that beat everyone in his family?
@David Re: "...honor thy mother and thy father".
Yeah, on the surface that would seem to be a valid case. However, it turns out that my father is a bit of a selfish dishonest asshole. So, in my case, it is a tad bit difficult to honor somebody like that.
Jo, if you are reading this, it would be appreciated that you offer examples on what you consider sacred and beyond criticism.
RE: SACRED: connected with God (or the gods) or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration.
TRANSLATED: 1. It's mine. Don;t fucking touch it or we will kill you. 2. It's special. You better bow to it and kiss it or we will fuck you up. 3. If you do not do exactly as I command, around the sacred place, object, or person you will be cursed for all eternity and burn in the pits of hell in the worst case, or be ever separated from the grace of god and have an end to your existence in the very least case. 4. I can touch it and you can't, I'm special and understand these things and you don't.
@Cog
Yep. Sounds about right.
@Cognostic
You forgot to tell them to leave offerings!
@Nyarlathotep: Point conceded.
The only thing around my home considered sacred is Mau, the God King feline.
He is fed on request, brushed with special grooming gloves ONLY between 11am and 12 noon, when he wakes from his morning under bed (on handmade rug)slumber.
Takes position on She Who Must Be Obeyed between 2pm and 6pm and must NOT be disturbed
Takes position on secondary slave (me) between 6:15pm and 8pm. Then insists I walk the bounds with him, a quick game of tag and then he starts to suggest that it is bedtime for us softskins.
He lies with us on the bed until lights out whereupon he embarks on the first of his semi hourly patrols.
By 2am he reports (loudly) the goings on of the neighborhood and settles down to sleep before the long day ahead.
Both slaves accommodate his sleeping position whatever contortions it makes our bodies assume.
Truly Mau is a Sacred Cat. Transgressions are punished by a severe biting.