dandelionfiles

The Catholic church has started exorcism training again. If you’ve read my profile, you’ll notice that I try to admit to as absurdist a position as I can, but you’ll also notice that I mention that people create stories to describe the chaos of life and these stories can make them do various things—some lovely, and some horrible, such as the satanistic case in Europe in which several people were murdered by members of a satanic rock band. It was this case that inspired the Catholic church to start exorcism training again.

I may be a skeptic, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in Headology, as defined by Terry Pratchett in his Discworld series. I’m a psychologist—of course I believe in that. If someone honest to God believes that they’re worshipping a dark force and that dark force wants them to kill I usually would say it’s time for psychiatric medication, but it could be conceivable that the practice of acting out an exorcism could convince said person they should reconsider their story and give them a tool to revise it. Then again—maybe we’re pandering to sickness and maybe making it worse. You have to be careful what stories you tell yourself, and be willing to revise them when evidence starts suggesting they’re wrong. The minute stories become more important than people, well—there are horrible consequences that can evolve.

What brought all of this up? Oh--I don't know--making the mistake of TUNING INTO WORLD AFFAIRS? Reading justifications of torture by the US? My own general crabbiness? An odd phase of the moon? I don't know, exactly--I'm really crabby and need to shake myself out of it for my own good.

So where is the funny entry? I don't know. I was going to ask you guys, actually--anybody who is out there--anybody have a good joke for me? Anybody?