Cool
Beans
Unless you're
still waiting for your testicles to drop you'll understand the feeling
one so often get when you behold kids doing something unbelievably
cool and
wonder
why
you
didn't
have
whatever-it-is
when you were a kid.
I felt that way when I heard about Camp
Quest. It's, uh, it's... well,
I'll let them tell you:
"Camp Quest is the first residential summer camp in the history of
the United States for the children of Atheists, Freethinkers, Humanists,
Brights, or whatever other terms might be applied to those who hold
to a naturalistic, not supernatural world view.
The purpose of Camp Quest is to provide children of freethinking parents
a residential summer camp dedicated to improving the human condition
through rational inquiry, critical and creative thinking, scientific
method, self-respect, ethics, competency, democracy, free speech, and
the separation of religion and government guaranteed by the Constitution
of the United States."
When I was a bratling the nearest thing we had to Camp Quest in Fort
Worth, Texas was
vacation Bible school, known here-abouts as VBS. It was about as exciting
as you could imagine being locked in a church on a beautiful summer
day could possibly be. The River Oaks Baptist church, which welcomed
us with
open arms,
saw
us all
as little urchins
in need of salvation (not to mention possible future donators) but
I know my parents saw it as free baby-sitting.
It was there, within those
solemn, air-conditioned confines that I made my decision to become
an atheist even though I didn't yet know the word for it. My dis-conversion
had something to do with one or two occasions of distinctly un-charitable
events
involving the pastor's son but I'm fuzzy on the details. Thankfully.
Anyway, we need more Camp Quests in this here USS and even though I
have no spawn to pack off to its enlightened environs I've instead
donated
them a
few
hard-earned simoleons, and I hope you would, too.
--------
Check this out:
There's a company in the UK called Creative
Coffins that lets
you decorate the outside of their product with virtually any
design you wish.
It's the ultimate in consumer packaging... literally. This
sunflower design is their most popular "classic" version
but they also have one that looks like a box of chocolates.
Too cool.
The coffins themselves are made of 60% recycled paper (what
else?) and are suitable for burial or cremation. I don't know
if their product is legal in the U.S. but the mind literally
boggles
at the possibilities of turning a somber experience into one
that more suitably celebrates the life of an individual, in
a suitably individual way.
Imagine, for instance, the whole surface covered
in snapshots from the person's life. Or one that looks like
King Tut's sarcophagus. Or, more appropriate for America, the
happy McDonald's logo. The Happy Coffin.
Me? I 'd like a picture of a beautiful woman printed on the
lid, laying face down. What a fabulous way to drift through
eternity.
ADDENDUM: Hey, guess what?
A very nice reader (Thanks, Kris!) has pointed out that Americans
have the option of using any kind of casket they want. It says
so right here.
KEWWWL!
=Lefty=
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