I was thinking about “The Purpose of Tools” and the events that have led me to write it and how it could be perceived by audiences.  Funny that it could be described as my religion-bashing play when that’s not really what it is at all.  Yes, there are MASSIVE problems with organized religion, but most of those problems are not so much about organized religion so much as they are problems with human beings and how we tend to behave when we put ourselves into groups.  People will separate themselves into groups against other groups based on anything, from the type of car they drive to where on the planet they live to what kind of music they like.  Add to this mix some seemingly unquestionable dogma such as religion, an ideology, political leaning, nationality, whatever, and you have the makings of fascism.  You have the makings of people turning off their brains and letting the group rhetoric speak for them.  You put some people at the top of these groups in positions of authority, people who so convincingly believe and express it with an incredible charisma and charm and never once appear to have any doubts that what they are saying is THE truth, THE word, no question about it, just answers, and not just answers but ALL the answers…answers that perhaps some poor deluded souls out there are dying to hear, and the rhetoric, the fascism, it spreads like a disease.  So no, this isn’t my religion bashing play.  I guess it’s really just my human-race bashing play.

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Comments

Julie

2003-06-24T21:48:24.000Z

I keep reading how the reason the Republican Party has such a hold right now is that they claim to have all the answers.  Everything is black and white and people don’t have to make murky decisions.  Whereas the Democrats chew things over a little bit and try to say, “I see the merits of that, but…”  Republicans just say “You’re wrong and you’re evil and you make Jesus cry!”  I think in the wake of September 11th, a lot of “normal” Americans are scared.  They want a big Papa Bear to tell them it will all be okay.  They don’t want to hear that the truth:  It’s not okay, it’s not going to be okay, but this is how we try to work to make it better and to make the life we’re living right now better instead of worrying about how we could die tomorrow.