Go me. Since I got so energized by Satu's moving, I've been a good little girl and done some spring cleaning at home, too. Namely washed the windows in my bedroom and kitchen. Now there are only the windows in my study and the livingroom left. It's really remarkable how the view from a window becomes clearer when you wash off about a year's worth of dust... Suddenly the sky's a brighter blue and the view is somehow sharper in general. :)
In a few weeks time, I'm pretty sure, a very important era in my life is going to be ending. I'm very seriously thinking about selling my car. I'll be done with the dance classes in two weeks' time and after that I thought I might put the Old Faithful for sale.
As ridicilous as it sounds, it's going to be tough to part from it. I get so attached to things. Besides, this is my other grandpa's old car and I've always thought he follows me where ever I drive his (my) Skoda. Nobody really thought that the car would still be running (well, at least running every once and a while...) ten years after grandpa's death. So now I'm trying to contact some Skoda enthusiast, who would buy it and take good care of it. I'm such a sentimentalist. Who would've thought I'd have any second thoughts about selling the car after complaining so much about it lately? Well, I've never said I was logical in every way... :)
It's going to be funny to be without a car. I've gotten so used to it, even though I don't need it daily. It's a four-wheel-set of freedom. Not having to worry about bus schedules (or other people's schedules for that matter) is wonderful. But I suppose I'll cope. And since dad keeps battering me about graduating (his reason being that we can go car shopping when I get a job), I guess my carless times won't last forever. And in case my graduation is delayed (I can't think of a reason why...krhm), he promised I could maybe borrow his VW Beetle sometimes. The one we bought him as a birthday present for his 50th birthday. It's bright yellow and it's going to be cute as a button, when he fixes it up. It already is very nice, but he's planning on all kinds of original chrome parts and so on. It's his summer project.We'll see.
On to other, more important, things. This coming week (and next week, too) is going to be very interesting. We're going to see living history. I'm referring to the situation in the Vatican, of course. Since I was only a year old baby when pope John Paul II was elected, I've never known any other pope and haven't had the possibility to follow the procedure of electing a new pope. I think I'd like to be able to be in the Vatican when the white smoke arises to announce that a new supreme pontiff has been chosen.
Not being a religious person (and certainly not a Catholic), I do have to admit my interest in all of this is purely scientific. The papal office has, no doubt, one of the world's most fascinating histories behind it. Because of the central role of church in history, the papacy is no stranger to controversy, power politics or even scandals and mysteries. My personal favourite is, naturally, the story of the pope named Johanna. :)
Of John Paul II a lot can be said, for sure. First and foremost I'm happy he passed away and doesn't have to suffer anymore. In the past year or so it's been heartbreakingly sad to watch him in his duties, an old sick man, trembling. I felt such pity for him. The tradition of a lifelong papacy without a retirement (although technically he could've resigned, but he chose not to) is certainly a remnant of times when people didn't live as long as they do nowadays. Therefore I'm glad I can say this now, to a man that lived a long life. Requiescat in pace, Karol Wojtyla.
There is talk of naming him pope John Paul the Great. Or at least some specialist speculated on it on Saturday evening, as I watched BBC World right after the official announcement of the death of the pope had been given. Sure, he was a very strong opposer of war and did, there's no doubt of that, a lot of good during his papacy.
But not all of it was good, from my point of view as a Western liberal non-Catholic woman. The misery and suffering he, whether directly or indirectly, caused for millions of women for instance, shouldn't be forgotten. His conservative views on birth control and such were just unbelievable in a modern world. Preventing the spreading of AIDS without using condoms? Not going to happen. Telling women in war-torn countries in the Balkan that they shouldn't perform abortions even if the pregnancies had begun with violent raping? Unnecessary suffering for the women.
I know the pope was very strictly "pro life", which is an honorable principle to follow, but honestly, who in this world believes that it would be possible to solve the global problems of AIDS and on the other hand overpopulation just by telling people not to have pre-marital sex and to be faithful once married? I may be a cynic of the worst kind, but I just don't see that happening. Ever. People are too hedonistic/selfish/idiotic to suddenly change. Some people will, no doubt, follow the advice of the late pope, but I'm pretty sure that the majority of people on this Earth won't.
Once again this comes to the question of faith. Faith I simply don't have in that sense. I believe that humanity is facing problems which cannot be solved by religion - any religion. I'm not saying religions are bad per se, because they aren't, but in some ways I think people should rise above religions in some matters. I mean, it's important to save the planet for the humanity, not for Christians or Moslems or Jews or Hindus. And saving the planet is going to mean solving some serious global problems that require more than just sermons of morality.
Once again I've wandered to the deep end of the pool. I'm sure religion and other questions of this magnitude would deserve several hours of discussion (preferably over a glass of good wine) and not just a few scattered and random blogged thoughts. But since I'm sitting alone at home, this'll have to do. This is certainly a downside to blogging. There's always something that is left unsaid (or is misunderstood) and no matter how much I write, it'll never compensate for a real discussion with a real person, face to face. Never enough of those. But certainly enough blogging for one day. :)
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