Saturday, January 17, 2009

RB: Julia, Jan 17 - 5:08pm

UPDATED: The post wasn't completed. See below!

Our Lady of Introspection has found the Lord!

Turning the other cheek


As a young girl I was taken to church every Sunday, but at the age of 11, after much thought and extensive “Are you there God, it’s me, Julia. God? GOD? SERIOUSLY ARE YOU THERE?!?!” diary ruminations, I determined definitively there was no God, and the whole religion thing was bullshit. My father declared it “a stage,” but I remained an insistent, sometimes belligerent atheist for the next 15 years.

I used to make that the punchline to my jokes about my religious beliefs - or lack thereof - as if, “HA! How could something I feel so deeply and surely, for over a decade, possibly be ‘just a stage’?”

I sure showed him.

Except … like so many things our parents espouse and we reject as children or young adults, he was right.

It was just a stage. A long stage, definitely, but a stage nonetheless.

(Then again, isn’t life just a series of stages, as we slowly evolve into new people? Hmm. I guess that’s another post.


But wait! Initially, that's all that was published in this post. Then, she completed her thoughts. It continues:

In any case, last year I had a bit of a … well … there’s just no other way to put this, so I’ll phrase it hella cheesy and just get it out of the way: I had a spiritual revelation. There. I said it. Now go make fun of me, because I certainly would have, if I had heard someone else say that in years past.

Except that it’s true, that’s what happened, and it’s thrown my entire world into a sort of crazy inversion. A lot of things I thought were DEFINITELY, ABSOLUTELY, SURELY WITHOUT A DOUBT the case are simply no longer as clear cut.

I still don’t believe in the traditional judeo-christian anthropomorphic “guy with a beard” God. But I believe in something. I believe we’re not alone, and I believe this world isn’t random. I believe in karma, and I believe in love - not the romantic, dopamine filled drug-like Valentine’s Day love, but the eternal, unconditional love that surrounds all of us.

And now I’m veering dangerously into slushly-makes-no-sense gush, which wasn’t my purpose here. My purpose was to ask you about the title of this post, specifically, and to tell you that I’m going to start to have conversations with you about spirituality.

I don’t think enough of us are talking about it - or if we are, we’re not talking about it enough. I was required to take two theology courses in college, but, bullheaded as I was, I dismissed anything with the word “God” in it as total crap, and came away (unsurprisingly) not as enlightened as I might have been had I opened my mind.

So I’m going back, if you will. I’m reading a few books and starting to have these conversations. More importantly, the tenets underlying my daily interactions with other human beings have started to take on a spiritual significance.

The lessons aren’t complicated - in fact, they’re all cliches. And none of them even have the word “God” in them. But they mean something to me now, more so than they ever did when I was an avowed atheist. Strange, right? I can’t really explain why, but they do.

1. Treat others as you would wish to be treated.
2. Be kind.
3. Judge not, lest ye be judged.
4. Turn the other cheek.

My question for you concerns #4. Can anyone tell me what this means to them? I want to read more about it, because it’s something I feel I’m being asked to do now, especially as people say hateful things anonymously on the internet. The truth is, I don’t know how to react. Should I try to understand their motivations? Where is this hatred coming from? Should I talk to them? Ignore them? I keep hearing “turn the other cheek” in my mind - which is why I started writing this post - but I’m still confused. I need detailed instructions, please! (ha)

Beyond that, where do you go to talk about sprirtuality? I don’t feel like organized religion speaks to me, but I know that I want to start a conversation.

22 comments:

  1. Hi Julia,

    You can't turn the other cheek because you only have one good one.

    tootles!

    maria louisa pinto-van ness

    ReplyDelete
  2. "I feel I’m being asked to do now, especially as people say hateful things anonymously on the internet."

    Self-awareness. U R doin it rong.

    Poor, poor Julia. She has never hurt anyone or used anyone for personal/professional gain or abused anyone's trust and then demanded that person buy her a Mac laptop.

    Can't everyone see that she just wants each and every one of us to have a lovely day?

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  3. That list of things has nothing to do with "God" or spirituality. It's just a list of basic human values/ethics. And she doesn't get that "turning the other cheek" is simply a metaphor for forgiveness, moving on. No surprise there as the ex's she still stalks can attest to. And it's not really possible to "forgive" any one unless you are also able to forgive or accept forgiveness for yourself. No suprise that she doesn't get this. She has no ability to see beyond her own surgically altered nose; no sense that she has ever needed to be seek forgiveness. And to her pat argument: "you don't know me" ... these comments are strictly in response to the online persona that she has created; one that I presume she means to portray the best possible version of Julia. She has made it voiciferously clear that it's not the "real" her.

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  4. Oh God this is particularly hilarious. Yes, she suddenly tells of her spiritual revelation and her desire to be kind and turn the other cheek when finally her whole world is TOTALLY onto her and she fears important "friendships" and associations are at serious risk.

    Did her recent fucking-over of her supposed friend Rachel Sklar fall into "treat others as you'd like to be treated" and "be kind" category?

    What a transparent, soulless fucking lunatic she is.

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  5. Your mention of Rachel Sklar piqued my interest and I found this transcript (http://gawker.com/news/catfights/obama-girl-video-destroying-hot-female-friendships-279296.php). Interesting to read Julias attempt at logic.
    The truly enlightened just forgive their "enemies", even love them. They don't need to beg for pity on a website. Julia is a pretty girl who needs to grow up, fast...

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  6. What happened with Rachel Sklar?

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  7. Julia Allison is totally going for 39% insightful. Good luck with that, o spiritual one. And yeah, my thoughts immediately flew to her underminey text messages in the recent Rachel Sklar incident. Nothing too golden rule-ish about that, duckie.

    Sunday: here's the link to Sklargate. http://gawker.com/5130969/the-last-hurrah-of-microcelebrity

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  8. She's offensive on so many levels. Now she's trying to shoot for "deep" since everyone called her out for being shallow and self-agrandizing and self-obsessed. True spirituality is about recognizing how unimportant you, the individual, truly are and acknowledging that you are simply a tiny, tiny cog in a very big wheel.

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  9. To what Anon said at 8:30: A-fraking-men.

    For a very long time, I observed Ms. Allison bemusedly--I saw her as a rather harmless individual who was misguided at best and calculating at worst. But her clear intent to be an influence on society, on thought, and on freaking Internet entrepreneurship has crossed the line with me--the belief that she can make "fuck you money" based on becoming a caricature (particularly one based off of an established fictional character) is offensive to me both as a woman as well as a writer--if you want to be a character, make it your own instead of trying to milk off of a pop-culture phenomenon that lost any significant influence back in 2004.

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  10. OH, Lord.

    Need we say more? Really?

    "Should I try to understand their motivations?" she asks.

    Her supposed confusion over OUR motivations shows just shows how misguided she is. She's been whoring herself for many years, figuratively and literally, doing everything she can to MAKE PEOPLE SEE HER. Well, we've seen you Julia. And you know what? It's not pretty.

    Your friends see through you.
    Your exes see through you.
    Rachel Sklar (link above) saw through you.
    And yes, US, your anonymous "hateful" fans on the Internet see through you, too.

    We got our attention, Julia, you did what you accomplished. I'm SO sorry Jules that we actually saw through you for who you really are: a very very unattractive person who resorts to disgusting measures to get ahead in this world and continually thinks she can get away with it because she has boobs and Miss America hair.

    So our motivation, Julia? Our motivation is putting a stop to the madness you have created. The lives you've ruined. And honestly, to see you reap what you sow.

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  11. Egads. Typos. Please forgive - I was writing quickly.

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  12. I've changed y'all!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  13. Mona: that is pretty much it, isn't it? She jumped up and down for our attention. She got it. Then when we didn't like what we saw over a period of time, she's all hurt and astounded. Ummm.....karma? Y'know, that karma you like to think only works in YOUR favor, Julia? You've got some bad built-up karma heading your way now, and you have earned it. Every bit of it. You need to be asking yourself why, not wondering (rhetorically, of course) about your critics' "motivations." You gave us all the motivation anyone needs by flaunting yourself every which way til Sunday (just to keep it spiritual) in increasingly irritating and even maddening fashion. You make journalists look bad. You make
    women look bad. Some people take exception to those things. Bunnies are coming home to roost.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 3. Judge not, lest ye be judged

    all the while being totally dissrespectful of people w/religious beliefs:

    judeo-christian anthropomorphic “guy with a beard” God.

    and people who are romantically in love:

    and I believe in love - not the romantic, dopamine filled drug-like Valentine’s Day love

    you cant make a post about finding god w/out putting everyone who allready found him or a romantic partner first? oh how you have changed!

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  15. God I hate her writing style.

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  16. Please. A ton of people, myself and the commenter reachel d. included, left lengthy, respecful comments explaining just what our problem with Nonsociety and its propriotors was.

    There is no mystery as to what the issue/s is/are. And if there was any real interest in the "motivation," the comments that clearly and respectfully explained it would not be eagerly deleted as the critical comments on their site are each day. Julia Allison's I'm so enlightened, evolved, and don't get the negativity routine is transparent and not working.

    No surprise though that that is the approach she takes. Completely untrue, superficial, and designed to make herself appear in what she perceives to be a good light, so good she can't supposedly even conceive of the type of mindset it would take to be critical or judgmental. Sorry, not buying it.

    This video I saw the other day speaks to a major problem of Nonsociety's and why they are driving even their supporters to become critics.They do the opposite of what is recommend here and explains:

    http://garyvaynerchuk.com/2008/12/05/ego-searching-or-caring/#comments

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  17. Sorry ignore "and explains" at the end of my above comment. And by "superficial" I meant the attempt to appear interested in critics' motivation while in reality ignoring, deleting, and doing nothing to listen to, address, or consider legitimate critique.

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  18. Now I have read EVERYTHING.... Is she SERIOUS. CAPS need to be used in this.

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  19. This isn't about julia being deep--or introspective--
    this is about page views. This is bulimia part two; she is becoming quite the puppet master [secret to her branding] Must. Provoke. She writes something that she knows people will have strong opinions about--posts it and checks her google site thingy and voila.

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  20. Jane: Good point. Throw the spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks. If the injured pose can rally defenders to click through and comment, it's all good. That is why this site is such a service--one can wallow in the perverse enjoyment without adding to the pageviews. I've already curbed my NonSensical habit in a big way.

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  21. Julia Allison is a former friend of mine, and find this post beyond laughable. She is a pathological liar who will do anything and say anything to promote herself.

    She used me as long as I was in a position to promote her career; we would have long talks about her career as I gave her countless hours of advice.

    Then, the moment I'm fired from my job, she starts betraying all my confidences to whomever she can.

    The girl is a two faced bitch, and my only regret is not seeing this from the moment she entered my life.

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  22. Anonymous ex friend: Please say more!!! What you say is not at all surprising.

    ReplyDelete