This Story Cracked Me Up

You all need to have a look at this piece if you can handle reading profanity where profanity’s the appropriate word in its context.  Heck, you’re probably already familiar with this piece, but I read it this evening for the first time and was laughing so hard my wife, scrapbooking at a desk behind me, took notice.  So here it is:  Some Atheist Guy Infiltrates Texas Megachurch Indoctrination Weekend.

Somewhat Disappointed

What a surprise, my recent application for a state and federally funded master’s degree program was not accepted. Here’s an excerpt from the puff-piece biographical and personal goals statement that was required with my application. Shit, they would have found out, anyway…

I am also interested in organizational leadership because an organization interested primarily in appearing to comply with mandates of the federal government in order to retain and acquire additional federal, state, and local funding is an organization that fails to assist in providing adequate outcomes to the population it was established to serve. Bureaucratic self-perpetuation isn’t a worthy goal. I want to exercise influence that has the effect of increasing power’s tolerance for, and, ideally, its ability to adjust policy and procedure to truth.

I honestly wasn’t expecting an acceptance letter. As I said previously, without management and administration sponsorship and support in the endeavor, it would have taken a miracle for me to get in to the program. Although unsurprised, I was somewhat disappointed by my rejection. On the other hand, as I inventoried my emotions and internal responses, I found myself pleased at another level because this frees me to pursue a degree in something I find more interesting. Because the universe I inhabit is personal and is governed by a personal, sovereign creator, I also take this as a sign from God that I should be focusing my best efforts on something other than the work I do for a government agency.

Not long after this past Easter on a paddling forum I wrote the following about working in government:

Yeah, about the real world thing…

I work for a smaller government agency that bases its goals on whatever policy fiction makes the a-hats in administration and management feel good about their inability to manage, meaningfully direct, add any value to the process that no longer results in even partially successful outcomes for those who voluntarily seek the services we are reputed to provide. The real lives of our clients contradict the happy clappy politically correct cant of the memoes purporting to describe them, their goals, and their abilities.

When I paddle, I see contrast the bureaucratic “State” with the actual state - land, water, growing things, wildlife, other people, that comprise the state upon which a societal hierarchy has been superimposed. The one is better than the other. The one is free and the other is a model of soviet-style political correctness that enslaves to no good purpose those whose lives intersect its framework.

A lousy day on the water is better than a tolerable day in the office.