Luke Ford

My life is not exciting right now. I’m working, paying my bills. I went to a singles mixer last week and chatted up about 20 birds. None of the pretty ones had any interest in me, the ugly ones were grateful for my attention.

I bought a stationary bike five weeks ago and was pedaling about 10 miles a day in front of my tele but this brought on a CFS relapse and I’ve felt crook the past week. Able to drag myself off to work, otherwise, I’ve not been much good. I might be on the improve and will get back on the bike in a few days.

My fabulous reputation and impeccable people skills got me dis-invited from a community dinner Friday night. Funny how things don’t change from second grade.

I read a study that the more time you spend on Facebook, the unhappier you get, so I’m trying to wean myself off my attention-seeking posts. I’m always substituting one addiction for another, good thing I never touched the grog.

Keep the faith, mate,

Luke

JACK* emails: If you practice rational emotive therapy on yourself, you have to realize when someone is critical of your behavior, such as revoking a Shabbat dinner invitation or that you might lose conversation privileges, that the rational response is to determine whether the conduct on the other party’s part is reality based. If its not reality based, then you shouldn’t waste your time trying to convince them otherwise. If its reality based, then you have to assess whether you like that characteristic of yourself that others find offensive. If you like that characteristic, then keep on with it and accept the consequences including rejection by others. If you don’t like that characteristic, then work to change it.

I hit my first match.com event tonight. The women in their 20s had little interest in talking to me. Others were put off by my talking right off about my emotional addictions. At the end of the night, I met two women with MFAs in Writing and I hope they’ll be friends for life.

I figured out tonight with a beautiful blonde Russian accountant why Russian women have such a terrible reputation as gold diggers. When you come from places like Russia or Iran where there are few consumer goods available, you go crazy for luxuries when you get to America. In Russia, there’s little middle class, so Russian women from poor backgrounds naturally obsess about getting the goods.

I love stereotypes and figuring out what lies underneath them.

Josh asks: “Luke I watched your YouTube video on Finding Your Place in Orthodox Judaism. Has anything changed since you did that video? You said that someone who was your friend told you that you would never be accepted.”

Luke: It remains a work in progress for me.

* “Are you working or just staring at the screen and charging me $18 an hour? You’re not an Orthodox Jew unless you’re screwing some other Jew.” Orthodox Jews are not popular among my peers.

Why are Orthodox Jews unpopular with many of my peers? Whenever you stand up for something difficult and unpopular, the people around you try to tear you down to their level. Religious people encounter this all the time. Orthodox Judaism has so many things it stands for, secular Jews in particular want to tear down Orthodox Jews.

They don’t want the challenge of people who live their lives according to God’s law. It irritates them. Gets under their skin. Infuriates them. And so they look for flaws and inconsistencies so they can dismiss what is bothering them. The 10 Commandments bother the world and the world looks to tear down those who hold to God’s law.