Thy Will Be Dumb

In our house we're fans of the show 'Survivor'. I rather enjoy the inventiveness of the challenges–not only the competitions, but the struggle in camp to get food, build shelters and build relationships with people. It is also a game that brings out the best and worst out of people. You see people rise and you see people fall, be it physically, psychologically or when their integrity is tested.

This season has a new twist called 'Redemption Island' that gives someone voted out, the chance to return after a period of time. I won't go into many details on the mechanincs of the game–I will try to get to the point.

One contestant, called Matt, gets blindsided by his own alliance. Voted out and sent to 'Redemption Island'. He has to live by himself and battle the next person to get voted out, for the chance to return to the game. Well, Matt does this and defeats the next 6 people that got the tribal-boot in the ass. While he's going through this 'ordeal' he constantly praised God. He constantly claimed that it was by his will that he was still in the game. OK, whatever helps you get by, I'm thinking. Whatever tickles your pickle. Whatever floats your boat. Whatever stuffs your turkey... OK enough of that. You get my drift.

So, he gets back into the game, it was the will of God–according to him. Now he's a free agent, the middle-man between two opposing, merged tribes. He has the swing vote, a powerful thing to have in this game. He had two choices: go against the people that voted him out–his own tribe–or throw his vote in with the other guys, raining divine justice on his former team-mates. After all, it was by God's will that he returned.

So Matt, instead of going Old Testament on his backstabbers' collective ass, decides to turn the other cheek, New Testament style! Yes, he joins back with his old tribe, even after pleas and bible-reading sessions with members of the opposing team. The orchestrator of his demise, the man who signed, sealed and delivered him to 'Redemption Island' tells him how sorry he was, how he did what he had to do, and how it was 'all good' now. Really good. Until the next tribal council comes and Matt gets blindsided once more. Back to 'Redemption Island'. Talk about holy shit. Talk about being dumb.

They show his night-vision, green-tinted sorry ass, laying on a crude shelter, on his exile, saying something along the lines of "It's by your will that I'm back here. You have a reason for me to be back here." He was 'talking' to God. Seriously? So God's will is for this kid to be that dumb? That's not even the worst of it. Let's assume for a moment that there is a God—do you really think he gives a shit about a 22 year old kid playing 'Survivor'?

If your answer is 'yes' or even 'maybe', I think some perspective is order. As of April 14, 2011:

• 27,343 people died of hunger today
• 3,142,487 children under 5 have died this year
• 2,163,839 people have died of cancer this year
• 179,573 mothers have died during childbirth this year
• 3,206,288 hectares of forest have disappeared this year
• 39,508 animal species have gone extinct this year

Do you get it? If there is a God, it's more than obvious that he doesn't care much for humanity, or his entire creation, for that matter. He doesn't give a shit who wins the Oscar's. He doesn't care about your NBA, NFL or NHL team. He doesn't give a rat's ass on which side of a war you are, or who wins the Grammy. And he certainly doesn't give a flying fuck for a dumb kid on 'Survivor'. And do you know why? Because IF he does exist, he's like the Honey Badger... he just doesn't give a shit.

It feels like the epitome of arrogance to believe otherwise.