Another Term Down

And so another term ends. According to those ahead of me, this last term is the most demanding of all of them, so hopefully its all downhill from here, that is assuming I passed everything this term. I still have a 10 day field course to do near Sudbury. Its not for credit, but its still mandatory, yet another of those departmental things that just makes you shake your head. Hopefully it won't be too intolerable, although I'm not looking forward to waking my ass up to be on the road at 8 every morning, that's just not how I work. The day after I come back, I start work back at the University for the summer again, and I'm actually looking forward to it. Far less demanding, and a far more structured timetable compared with classes, evenings and weekends will be my own! A small break to relax would be nice, but working outside most of the summer, and with frequent summer long weekends, I have nothing to worry about.

Oh, and Catholics everywhere have a new spiritual leader to pass on his interpretations of the Bible on to the rest of the meek. I am awed at the fact that someone voted in to such a leadership position, suddenly gains the ability to understand and declare what is right and wrong to do. I personally have never seen the need to be told what is right or wrong, especially by the interpretation of a many times over translated document which may or may not have ever been based on actual historical events, or just conceived as philosophical conjecture. Translations, even now, are never perfect. One only need look as far as instructions in english for products imported from Asia and certain European countries to see that much. I, as much as with most logically thinking people, agree that one should go about their lives treating others as they expect to be treated, and all the other basic principles that follow, it is a rational interpretation of human nature. On the other hand, not eating certain kinds of meat, remembering that fish don't have feelings, and not using condoms to prevent disease spread, are both ancient and modern interpretations that seem completely irrational. This is why I find it difficult to 'practice' a religion, beyond thinking logically and treating others with respect. But hey, if in 400 years the Church can accept that Galileo was right about that whole world goin around the sun thing, then maybe, just maybe, it will be okay for us to go ahead and look at curing debilitating and fatal diseases with stem cells. And maybe by that time governments will be such that they don't feel themselves extensions of Christian 'law'.