h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Must admit, chemistry today did seem a little harder to follow...Well, at least it seemed to me like our teacher is setting us up for something far worse and needlessly complicated.

Erk. He's going to be hit by reality rather quickly, methinks. What made him drop out?

I'm not saying anything... I found chemistry immensely difficult, but I don't want to put you off it.

Who knows? I don't talk to him much anyway, but he has his reasons.... just not very good ones, I fear.

TK[1]

Ack, I'm enjoying it vaguely right now because it's kinda a maths-y. I knew it wouldn't be an easy haul when I went into it, but 2 of my subjects are fairly easy, so I guess it averages out

Let's just hope he lands on his feet.

If you like mathsy things, why didn't you do maths? You're more sensible than me... only one of mine was easy. The other three were physics, chemistry and maths. Interesting, yes. Easy? No!

I hope I do first. To be honest, he needs a sharp kick in the teeth and a nasty fall. I'm not saying that just because I don't get on with him: he needs to be shown he's not going to be handed everything on a plate, because at the moment he thinks that he's going to get a fantastically paid job, wonderful life etc without actually working for it. It's the same thing with the computer- it's so packed with viruses because his way of 'dealing' with one is to ignore it and hope it'll go away by itself.

TK[1]

I guessed you might say that... It's because I don't enjoy studying maths at all. Algebra is fun [shock horror!] but most maths we seem to do I can never actually see a reason for doing, so doing science-y maths allows me to enjoy doing maths-y things that don't annoy me by having no obvious practical use. There's logic there somewhere. Honest.

Euugh, I'm not very good with the whole sibling thing... but it does seem like your kid bro needs to learn a bit aout the world. You're probably right in that he needs to take a fall. Just promise you'll play the good brother and help him back up once he's grown
I'm sure the right job will come your way soon enough. Just hang in there

O.k... but physics is more mathsy than chemistry. Far more so. And ore interesting too, though that's a personal opinion.

When he's grown up, he might start being... nice. That would make it easier to be nice tohim, and help him out of the rut he's dug himself into.

I know I've told you this already, via email, but I'VE GOT AN INTERVIEW!

TK[1]

But I couldn't do physics because it was in the same block as RS Don't you think I realise how much more fantastically wonderful physics is?

WE can only hope

I never liked RS... it always seemed a bit biased to me. We didn't seem to study anything except christianity, and even when we did, there was an unspoken undertone of "But they're wrong".

You don't have to live with him now...

Thank you and lots of other positive smilies...

TK[1]

Or RS teachers are quite good at not being biased. And half of this course is Buddhism. Besides, we're all to outspoken to let anyone try and tell us right from wrong..

...I sould count my blessings.

Our school was like Nazi re-education... It was, and is, the forerunner to Big brother. I'm surprised myself, and the few of my co-leaners who where similarly inclined, weren't lobotomised, or something.

TK[1]

Aww bless you lot

Someone in my RS class today kept asking questions about trees. Apparently; no, you cannot be reborn as a tree because it doesn't have a central nervous system. There goes my aspirations.

Where, in any bible or other religious text ever written anywhere, anywhen, does it say that to have a soul you need a central nervous system.

Some of the most vindictive things I've met (traffic lights and cones (see latest journal entry)) have no readily identifiable central nervous system.

If you want to come back as a tree, you bloody well come back as a tree and sod what any R.S teacher says.

TK[1]

Nonono...Buddhists don't belive in soul.. Even my teacher claims not to be able to explain why. But basically rebirth lies in karma, and you can't really be a "good" tree or a "bad" tree, can you?

You can be a downright evil tree. Like those ones that dive in the road in front of busses full of school children.

I thought with the whole reincarnation thing the idea was that the soul moves on from thing to thing. Obviously I'm wrong, but surely there must be a soul-type thing, or else how does reincarnation work? There must be some kind of common factor between one incarnation and another, or else they are completely different.

TK[1]

It's all to do with intent... Presumably if you don't have a brain you can't intend to do *anything*

I don't know the gig yet, but that's one of my basic problems with Buddhism. From what I gather though, the Buddhist believe there is no self.. therefore no soul. Just energy. Think "Circle of Life" in the Lion King

All depends on your definition of a brain, I suppose. Some religions and people believe that trees /can/ exhibit intent. What about the Ents? They're pretty intentful, they just work on a different timescale, that's all.

Surely an identifiable 'energy' is analogous to a 'soul'?

TK[1]

WEll, I'm sure Ents have brains and a re thus reborn... Hardly your run of the mill tree, though.

Again, that's what I don't really get. I think the whole denial of the soul thing is to stop people from being self obsessed. I'll tell you when I'm told

Lol, I'm not arguing with you, just trying to further my own understanding...

TK[1]

Yes you are...

[that isn't an argument! That's just contradiction!]

I now have to write a 1000 word essay on karma grumble grumble Still don't know quite how to adress the sould thing. These things come in time, I guess.

Sounds like fun. I wouldn't mind reading that when you're done

TK[1]