I believe any time science and my religion (Catholic) are in conflict, it means my understanding of one or the other is faulty. If you believe in an orderly God, and not one of chaos, then it follows that the Universe should be explainable and orderly. Even chaos is subject to laws, and randomness is only a perception caused by limited understanding.

That being said, this Universe being as carefully tuned as it is to sustain the evolution and survival of life is such a long shot, that it could be said to be statistically impossible. Both the religious and the "scientific" minded at that point revert to theories (non-scientific ones) about the answer to that problem. Those who do not believe in a god will point to things like multiverse theory - every possible universe exists - whereas the religious can say that God kicked things off just the right way at the time of the big bang.

Neither is falsifiable, testable, or observable, and at the end of the day unscientific. Accepting God does not necessitate rejecting science though, and accepting science still leaves room for God.

I often cringe when I hear “real man” get used in conversation. Very often it’s a specimen of my own gender, expressing some macho characteristics that he identifies as “manly.”

Other times I hear women expressing what they think they want in a man, whether they actually want it or not.

It’s cringe because in reality, every person defines where their value comes from for themselves. And that’s good, because that value cannot be reduced to a few abstract traits. We have both intrinsic and expressed value and they come from many of our behaviors and character traits.

Executing my (self defined) duty to provide for and protect my wife makes me feel manly.

Chopping down a tree makes some men feel manly.

Changing a diaper makes some men feel manly.

Helping the elderly carry their groceries makes some men feel manly.

It will be a combination of many things like this. Invert the gender, and the same holds true.

Maybe instead of focusing on what makes a Real Man or a Real Woman, we should focus on being Good Men and Good Women. Perhaps having a heart that desires good for others, and the will to carry it out, is the Realest thing there is.

#NoIDidntRealizeItShouldBeABlogPostUntilAfterIWasAlmostDone