#435 words

[shortficsdiary]

1.8.2018

“Babe, if Makkachin could talk, what do you think he’d say to us?”

It’s another lazy Sunday morning for Victor and Yuuri in St. Petersburg. They’re nestled up together under the blanket in Victor’s king-sized bed, Victor’s arms holding Yuuri to his chest as Makkachin lies snoozing on top of the covers at their feet. Victor absently presses a kiss to Yuuri’s ear while he considers Yuuri's half-awake musing.

“Maybe he’d say he’s getting tired of the dog food mix we always feed him, and he’d like us to switch it up once in a while, hm?”

Yuuri’s soft laughter warms Victor’s heart. He’ll never tire of it as long as he lives.

“Well, I guess the life of a dog doesn’t have much in the way of intellectually sophisticated thought processes then.” Yuuri shifts, pressing their chests together as he tosses an arm over Victor’s shoulder. Victor closes his eyes and just focuses on the feeling of Yuuri’s own heartbeat against his. 

“How rude, Yuuri. I’ll have you know that our Makka is a certified genius, maybe the smartest dog in the entire world. Actually, he’s got six degrees from Moscow University, didn’t you know?”

Yuuri snorts. “Mm, I must have missed that section on your Wikipedia page.”

They lapse into a comfortable silence. There are birds chirping outside Victor’s window, the sun’s soft light filtering in through the blinds. Makkachin’s leg kicks out behind him as he dozes, chasing pretend rabbits in his sleep.

Victor loves these moments with Yuuri. He doesn’t ever want to let them go.

Yuuri’s nearly asleep again when Victor whispers to the crown of his head, “Actually, I think I know what Makkachin would say, if he could say something right now.”

Yuuri’s quiet hum of acknowledgement encourages Victor to go on.

“He’d say, ‘I love you, Yuuri, so, so much, and I’m so glad you came into Victor’s life. Please stay by our side, and never leave us.’ I think that’s what he’d say.”

“Oh, Victor.” Victor’s heart leaps when Yuuri tilts his head up to look at him, eyes soft and glowing with life and love.

“I love you too.” He lifts his hand to Victor’s face and strokes the skin of his cheek, his body shifting again to a more comfortable position as he starts kissing up Victor’s jaw. Makkachin’s tail unconsciously thumps the bed at the movement, bringing the two men’s awareness back to the now-waking dog.

Victor stills, and Yuuri smiles fondly when the poodle rises, his fluffy tail wagging at the sight of his two favorite humans. “And Makkachin, too, of course.”

[lauras-rpv-blog]

Week 5

Sam Harris critiques the value of religious belief in his book, The End of Faith. He suggests that faith and reason clash and that it is not possible to operate together. He accuses religion of being society’s greatest danger and causing human conflict. It was evident that Harris has taken a strong position with strong opinions on issues of religious belief. The main purpose of his book appears to be to convert others to his way of thinking, which is that religion is the root of all evil.

One element that Harris discusses had the most impact on me. He writes, “if a Christian made not tacit claims of knowledge with regard to the literal truth of scripture, he would be just as much a Muslim, or a Jew – or an atheist – as a follower of Christ” (p.68). Although, here, Christians are being used as an example, Harris applies the same understanding of what a believer needs to do to be considered as genuine. He does not discuss or take into consideration the commitment someone has to the scripture in terms of their reverence, or the way it drives them to action, or affects their daily living, or even if it incites awe, love, or devotion. Harris instead, emphasises a literal understanding the scripture in what he defines as whether someone has “perfect faith” (p.67) or not. On this issue, his understanding is similar to extremist and fundamentalists groups in that Harris argues that believers must subscribe to a single narrow understanding of scripture (literal reading of scripture), therefore not allowing any other interpretations.

Harris applies his understanding to other religions, with one being Islam. He writes, “The men who committed the atrocities of September 11 were certainly not “cowards,” as they were repeatedly described in the Western media, nor were they lunatics in any ordinary sense. They were men of faith – perfect faith, as it turns out – and this must finally be acknowledged, is a terrible thing to be” (p.67). Here, Harris demonstrates that only through a narrow, extreme understanding of scripture can someone be considered to have “perfect faith”. If you do not adopt this view, you cannot be considered someone of faith at all.

In conclusion, Harris poses some large unsupported claims. His anger, hatred, frequent use of sarcasm, and extreme oversimplification of complex themes and issues make his arguments unreasonable. His negative, un-academic and disrespectful approach to issues of faith and religion make me less inclined to consider some of his other arguments that could be relevant for discussion, such as the separation between the secular and religious spheres.

[pleasuresovermatter]

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