Simulations of God/dess

God/dess as Higher Education

"I went to see the doctor of philosophy

With a poster of Rasputin
And a beard down to his knee" - "Closer to Fine" - Indigo Girls

The non-believer - "Pay tuition..more tuition, now even more (if you had brought more of your
friends here this wouldn't be happening, cur!)..now fees, books... Bow at the feet of the mighty
brain, the brain that is alive, alove, atemporal, atheist. Repeat verbatim the verses which the
mighty one deigns to deliver, repeat them precisely and with maximum efficiency, and then you'll
be a man, my son For this is the temple of intellectual health, which can make a sickman (fraud or
not) well again. Abandon mythos, all ye that enter here, for the Logos demands your complete
obeisance to it's system of non-truth, lack of truth, and nothing that resembles the truth.
Regurgitate meaningless dates, times, places to achieve good marks: if successful, pass go, collect
diploma, and graduate to mediocre-paying jobs that require little if any use of these mental
faculties you spent years developing".
The true believer - "But always remember what you owe the Goddess of the academy: from her
bosom you were matriculated and so always strive to maintain her endowment. Don't be as the
ungrateful types who say, "I think it's neat she exists, but let someone else support her. All it takes
is a few cold individuals such as this to weaken the future of higher academia. Also, take the time
to counsel those presently striving toward their educational goals who may be about to succumb
to circumstances and leave - stress the benefits of perseverance".
Scouting report - The Goddess of Academia is still a productive player. Bats both ways, has some
pop from the left side. On the mound, her repertoire is somewhat stereotyped, but can throw some
great curve balls. She will field the average lobs, but often has trouble with the sharp
comebackers. Too passive to be a clubhouse leader, she needs to be more vocal in the field. Not a
good choice for a pinch-hitter in the clutch - she should play every day to keep her stroke in the
groove. Grade: B-

God/dess as Sex:

"Sex is natural, sex is good

Not everybody does it
But everybody should" - "I Want Your Sex" - George Michael

The non-believer: "To state the obvious: sex is a pathology. Procreation turned into perversion,
pleasure into pain, satiation into sickness. De Sade was not the exception, but rather the rare
embodiment of the rule. Intercourse = rape, father/daughter love = incest, marriage = legitimized
prostitution. The erotic impulse is the futile attempt to deny the death instinct. One form of sexual
expression valued above all others, and if one doesn't fit the pattern, what results is a hellish life of
prejudice and discrimination. Sexuality is separated from the rest of life, becomes commoditized
and is sold to the highest bidder".
The true believer: "Sexual labels are arbitrary, have no ontic status. Gender is a tenuous definition,
more correctly tenuous position, along a continuum. All forms of expression have equal value. Eros
can escape from its binary opposite, Thanatos. Tantric yoga demonstrates the spiritual nature of
sexuality".
Scouting report: The God of Sex perennially draws a huge number of fans. Long on stamina, if
short on technique, he manages to violate the opponents zone at will while maintaining possession
of the (p)uck. Often a lightning-rod for controversy because he lingers on the wrong side of the
blue line, there have been few in the game who have ever been so blessed with the talent of
penetrating the opponent's crease. Grade - B

God/dess as Money:
"Money...it's a hit
But don't give me that
Do-do-good bullshit" - "Money" - Pink Floyd

The non-believer: "Instead of actual products and services being exchanged, symbolic
representations have assumed a primary importance in the capitalistic monetary system. Money
then becomes a fetish, with all of the attendant ills. Priesthoods of bankers, accountants, and
lawyers are created to serve the under-Gods of the Money God: banking, tax systems, and real
estate. The means of material production can more efficiently be carried out with computerized
automation; therefore, the human being becomes marginalized by worshipping this deity".
The true believer: "Capital = initiative = progress. Worship of the Money God is only a temporary
position - once enough capital is accumulated, one is freed from the frantic, exhausting pursuit of
money and can focus their energies upon other deities. Without symbolic exchange of capital,
more unequal distribution of goods and services would result".
Scouting report: The Money God has diversified his talents over his career. After relying upon his
tremendous size and leverage during the early years in the league, he has became a student of
the game, and has developed a devastating back-door move that allows him to score at will.
Consistently among the statistical leaders in steals and points scored, of late has shown a "kinder,
gentler" side of his persona, and his assists-to-takeover (er, that's turnover) ratio has improved
dramatically. He is the ultimate option when one needs to score down the stretch. Grade - A-

God/dess as Computer:

"I've got a secret, I've been hiding

Under my skin
My heart is human, my blood is boiling
My brain IBM" - "Mr. Roboto" - Styx

The non-believer: "Complexity and speed do not equal evolution of intellectual faculties.
Computers are incapable of making aesthetic choices, responding to rapid change in input, or even
understanding jokes. AI is a dead-end search to improve on the unimprovable - Homo sapiens
sapiens".
The true believer: "Silicon, solid-state based life forms are infinitely superior to carbon-based flesh-
and-blood humans. Computer chips can function at almost absolute zero, in the vacuum of space,
without any energetic input for their maintenance. Man is no longer necessary for
communications, most forms of production, and the future promises that all functions necessary
for human survival can be accommodated by computerized robotics".
Scouting Report: A many-time All-Pro player, even at this early stage of her career, she will
undoubtably rewrite all of the record books before it's over. Her speed has amazingly improved
every season, and now opponents have to commit their fastest elements to defending her. In the
red zone, she invariably is able to RAM it into paydirt. But it's not only the amazing physical
presence she brings to the game, but also her well-developed communication skills that have
made her the future Hall-of-Famer she is. Capable of playing every position, she is the nucleus of
her team's game plan which perennially leads them to the championship. Grade - A