Idle Worship

By Paul Wilson

Did God create man or did Man create god?
I prefer to believe the latter…Which is why I have decided to create a new deity for our modern times.
I call Her Minutiae…Goddess of trivia and irony; patron saint of the media and politicians.
After all, Her presence can be seen all around us…
In an era when pro-lifers are in favor of the death penalty…
In a country where the average citizen cannot name his congressional representatives but can sing all the words to the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song…
In a world where “national security” has never made us feel so insecure…
Yes, Minutiae is everywhere…
But, like the gods of ancient Greece, the Goddess Minutiae has human failings…She desires control and your undivided worship. She is clever, though…She knows that the modern world has developed a short attention span and will not remain loyal to any one thing for long. So, She bombards us with meaningless pieces of information…Tidbits to entice and titillate us, seemingly so important, at the time. Before we can become bored, the object of our fascination changes…She excels at distraction.
Minutiae is the goddess of want, rather than need. Not so much Ms. Right, as Ms. Right Now.
Minutiae gave us the cell phone…Forget world hunger; our biggest concern, now, is ‘where can I re-charge?’
Al Gore may have helped to create the internet, but it was Minutiae’s inspiration that made it what it is today; a veritable shrine to the banal (Mr. Gore has, since, managed to break from the Minutiae’s grasp, leaving politics for more weighty endeavors…Too bad the two philosophies cannot co-exist).
Minutiae works like a muse, inspiring us to perfect our trivial pursuits. She takes great pride in the 24-hour news networks. Where else can war and human rights violations be pushed to the background, while the world wonders who really fathered Anna Nicole Smith’s baby? “Journalists,” like Wolf Blitzer and Bill O’Reilly, have altars built for Minutiae, to whom they ritually sacrifice their integrity and intellectual curiosity.
But Her crowning achievement is modern politics…
In what is the most secretive, closed-door administration we have ever had (and that is saying a lot), shiny trinkets are dangled in our faces, while the real agenda goes undisclosed. We make our election decisions based on false issues, meant to turn our attention away from corporate corruption. Deep down, we all know this…which is why we are more apt to vote for the American Idol than we are for our politicians.
So why, you may ask, would I pray to such a flawed, mean-spirited goddess? I have hope that, by appealing to Her vanity, I can appeal to Her better nature, perhaps affecting some of Her bad choices. And, quite frankly, She is the only One who seems to be listening…

*Coming soon! Minutiae has created her very own worship website! Find the latest news on Michael Jackson, illegal immigration and gay marriage…Make donations and pray for the Oscar nominees of your choice! Just Google “Minutiae” often, to find out when this site will open! Lifetime memberships will be available!

Global Warning