Adventures in Bennionland

Before you read any further please note, that elements of this post contain strong language so if you are easily offended move to the next post.

I awoke this morning to troubling news, George Carlin passed away last night. I have not been affected by the death of a celebrity like I was with this news. I guess part of me thought that he would always be there. Not in some weird I worship the ground he walks on way, but that he is just out there thinking of new ways to poke fun and make me think about the world in a new and different way.

I have always been a fan of his. As an adolescent boy it was for the fact that he had a list of 7 words you can’t say on television (Click here if you want to hear the list.). I think I wished I could so openly say things like that just for the shock value. I think however that as I grew older and developed more fully the interest in questioning the things around me I appreciated the fact that I could put in a tape, or CD and listen to someone say some of the things I only dared to think.

I didn’t always agree with his point of view and I am sure he could have done a nights worth of comedy on all my flaws and inconsistencies. In the end it would be therapeutic to laugh at all the things that we take so seriously.

George Carlin inspired me in my pursuit of father hood for instance-

Don’t be afraid of germs:

Children are special, but yours are no more special than anyone else’s:

Sports are fun, but in the end they are just stupid games:

Question religion even your own:

His humor sums up the way I think, and though we may come to different conclusions the process is sound.

He made an impact on me and as I was thinking about him today I realized that he has had an impact on my children’s lives as well. Most days one, or the other, or both of my children request to watch one of these videos:

While I learned to think, question, and laugh at life by listening to George Carlin my children learn the basic moral values of society by listening to his voice as he narrates some of their favorite stories.