“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” -G. K. Chesterton
My initial thoughts stem from a conversation that I had the other night with a friend a couple of evenings ago. I was arguing that travelers are lame and that vagabonds/drifters/gypsies/nomads were much better. I mean, come on, they have a cooler name, they have a more adventuresome outlook on life, they’re counter-cultural, and the argument goes on and on. But this is not the case. I formally relinquish the defense of my previous perspective on this particular contention. The term traveler is an umbrella term, used to cover every type of person that moves from Point A to Point B. Thus, gypsies, vagabonds, drifters, and nomads are types of travelers. All gypsies/vagabonds/drifters/nomads are adventurers; but not all travelers are adventurers. After all, there are those dreadful lot that we call tourists. With that, I think that we all can agree on one more thing: tourists suck.
A tourist has a plan. A tourist goes to the Grand Canyon to see the Grand Canyon, the hawks, the sunrise and sunset, to hike a couple short hikes, etc. There’s not much to be said about the tourist. He will have pictures at the end of his trip but his experience is radically different from the traveler, the adventurer.
The traveler is an adventurer. What he sees is his adventure. There are no plans, no agendas, no pretenses, no expectations. Everything that happens is the adventure. The traveler will see the Canyon, the hawks, the sunrise and sunset. But that’s not all he’ll experience. The traveler’s travels are more than what meets the eye. Oh, yes! The traveler experiences the road, feels the Canyon, is the sunset. There is a perfect union between the experiencer and the experienced. In fact, the individual becomes the experience!
Have you ever gone to Colorado with no plan? Have you gone on a date with no idea where you’ll be taken? Have you ever just gotten in a car and drove? Have you closed your eyes but stayed awake for ten minutes? Have you ever seriously tried to pray in silence by yourself to a God? Be honest: have you ever really felt alive?
The more I think about it, the more I think that adventuring is a mind set. I reckon that it's possible to go on a planned adventure. But in order for it to be an adventure you must be willing for the plan to change, adapt to the circumstances, add to, take away from. An adventure is adventuresome only if the adventurer does not constrict himself to an agenda that could potentially jip him out of another adventure.
It all comes down to the fact that a person really just needs to experience life on a minutely basis. Was there a moment today that you were unconscious of what you were doing? Was there a time today when you slipped into a typical pattern? Was there a time today when you were on auto-mode? Was there a time today when you were a zombie that just went through the motions? These are all signs of tourism. Be alive; be an adventurer.
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life. Show all posts
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Zombies.
(Before I begin, I shall state my purpose for writing this particular blog post: I have been too serious lately. I’ve been thinking too much lately. I’ve been too beautifully consumed with enlightening thoughts lately. I feel that my reader might be getting bored and lulled into my patternized thoughts. So, I’m mixing it up a bit. I’ve posted nothing like this before. (It’s also crucial to mention that I can count on one hand how many video games I’ve played in my entire life. Nor have I read any zombie books/guides.) So, I might be completely oblivious to the entire issue at hand, but, regardless, this is how I intend to kick some zombie ass. Cheers.)
Alright kids, I’m going to reveal my plan of defense against the Zombie Apocalypse. It’s inevitable that the apocalypse will happen. By nature of it being an “apocalypse” every single person will die. Including you. Including me. No one will survive. My goal, then, is to slay as many damn zombies as possible before being overcome by the living dead. Let me briefly fill you in about the nature of zombies as I understand them. They are dead humans that are brought back to life by a scientist in a lab somehow (it’s not important). They are the fittest version of their living self while still being dead. Their brains don’t work, nor do their hearts. But they can still function. They are blazing fast and startlingly strong and are attracted to the scent of humans but they have no coordination. This is how I understand zombies to work. If it’s wrong or inaccurate, I don’t care because my defensive tactics are impeccable.
Okay, so I pointed out that my goal is to demolish as many hellions as possible despite the knowledge of inevitable death. According to my understanding of zombie-nature, the only way to defeat a zombie is by separating the head from its shoulders or inflicting substantial damage to the head of the thing. As soon as the news reaches my ears that America has been infected by zombies I will immediately move to Virginia. I have, in my uncle’s house, prepared a highly armed Dixie Chopper (a very agile four wheel lawn mower that is controlled by two handles that individually direct the motion of the mower). On this Dixie Chopper are several reserve batteries to reload and re-energize. Along with the batteries are two 50 gallon side tanks of spare gas. Approximations show that the best Dixie Chopper burns about 1 gallon of gas per hour. That gives me roughly 130 hours of chopping. So, anyway, I’ll be heading to Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. Why? Because it is the largest most organized cemetery in the country. It would require very little skill in the art of Dixie maneuverability; I'd just ride up and down the rows.
I will take my Dixie Chopper lawn mower to the cemetery and run over all the zombies that are popping up out of the ground because they’ve been bit and are rising back from the dead. They will be no challenge to the 52 inch blade of my lawn mower. However, they will eventually start popping up way too fast for me to keep up with. What I neglected to mention before is that my lawn mower will have two reinforced, super sturdy iron rods shaped like hockey sticks with blades protruding from them. When the zombies begin to rise from the graves and run after me, I will eject my blades, run them over. This allows me to cover a much wider spread with my “bladed wings”. Also I can just spin around in circles which will clear a twenty foot radius, giving me room to maneuver, re-adjust, and buy me time to come up with a game plan of attack.
Obviously, there will come a point where it is just altogether overwhelming and they begin to jump on to my lawn mower. Well, while in seminary I met a fine man. His name is José. He was our Hispanic maintenance guy. Fantastic dude. I reckon that he’ll be game for my plan. (If not, I’m accepting applications and will be hosting tryouts if you want to be my teammate in this endeavor.) Anyway, there will be a seat attached right behind the driver seat and José will be slightly raised above me, the driver. He is expertly trained in sniperhood. He’s a damn good shot. He’ll be responsible for the long-range picking off of zombies. He is also responsible for refilling the gas tank and changing the batteries. When the point comes that the zombies become way too challenging, José has the option to employ the self-eject button in which he will be launched into the air while attached to a parachute. But that’s his choice. I see that as a last ditch effort to avoid the zombies but it is inevitable that the whole land is infested at this point and he will be immediately transformed to zombieness once he has landed and is infected by the bite of a zombie.
I don’t really want to have a two man team but it’s better than going solo and it’s definitely better than a team of more than two because if one person within the “family” is infected then it will be much easier for that now-zombie to infect the other members. If José was to be bitten, I would have no choice but to ditch him. And vice versa. I would want José to shoot me in the head if I turned on him.
Anyway, once the point comes that I can’t take it anymore or my fuel is running low, I retreat to my house in Virginia. This house is highly prepared for the specific circumstance of a Zombie Apocalypse. First of all, I will have many years worth of food stored in the attic and the basement. Next, the house functions off the grid. There is zero external dependency: no heat, no electricity, no water, nothing comes from the outside world. It is positioned next to a river: hydroelectric power. Windmills: wind power. Solar panels: solar power. Plus, I have a wood stove for warmth and hot water. Meanwhile, there is a generator that is capturing and holding all excess energy for future use.
This house will probably be invaded at some point in the future. What’s my defense, you ask? I have treadmills surrounding the house. Not just one row deep but two rows deep. When the zombies eventually stumble upon my house they will run at it and merely get caught on the treadmills as they are trying to approach my house. Not to mention, I have a turret that protrudes from the top of my house in which I will be able to pick them off with assorted weaponry: grenades, bow and arrow, pistols, shotguns, sniper guns, bazookas, etc.
Eventually, though, I’m sure that they will be able to reach me when one of the treadmills dies or something. Then, I guess, my time has come. But you can bet your ass that I did my damnedest to save humanity. In the great words of William Wallace, "FREEEEDOM!!"
Alright kids, I’m going to reveal my plan of defense against the Zombie Apocalypse. It’s inevitable that the apocalypse will happen. By nature of it being an “apocalypse” every single person will die. Including you. Including me. No one will survive. My goal, then, is to slay as many damn zombies as possible before being overcome by the living dead. Let me briefly fill you in about the nature of zombies as I understand them. They are dead humans that are brought back to life by a scientist in a lab somehow (it’s not important). They are the fittest version of their living self while still being dead. Their brains don’t work, nor do their hearts. But they can still function. They are blazing fast and startlingly strong and are attracted to the scent of humans but they have no coordination. This is how I understand zombies to work. If it’s wrong or inaccurate, I don’t care because my defensive tactics are impeccable.
Okay, so I pointed out that my goal is to demolish as many hellions as possible despite the knowledge of inevitable death. According to my understanding of zombie-nature, the only way to defeat a zombie is by separating the head from its shoulders or inflicting substantial damage to the head of the thing. As soon as the news reaches my ears that America has been infected by zombies I will immediately move to Virginia. I have, in my uncle’s house, prepared a highly armed Dixie Chopper (a very agile four wheel lawn mower that is controlled by two handles that individually direct the motion of the mower). On this Dixie Chopper are several reserve batteries to reload and re-energize. Along with the batteries are two 50 gallon side tanks of spare gas. Approximations show that the best Dixie Chopper burns about 1 gallon of gas per hour. That gives me roughly 130 hours of chopping. So, anyway, I’ll be heading to Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. Why? Because it is the largest most organized cemetery in the country. It would require very little skill in the art of Dixie maneuverability; I'd just ride up and down the rows.
I will take my Dixie Chopper lawn mower to the cemetery and run over all the zombies that are popping up out of the ground because they’ve been bit and are rising back from the dead. They will be no challenge to the 52 inch blade of my lawn mower. However, they will eventually start popping up way too fast for me to keep up with. What I neglected to mention before is that my lawn mower will have two reinforced, super sturdy iron rods shaped like hockey sticks with blades protruding from them. When the zombies begin to rise from the graves and run after me, I will eject my blades, run them over. This allows me to cover a much wider spread with my “bladed wings”. Also I can just spin around in circles which will clear a twenty foot radius, giving me room to maneuver, re-adjust, and buy me time to come up with a game plan of attack.
Obviously, there will come a point where it is just altogether overwhelming and they begin to jump on to my lawn mower. Well, while in seminary I met a fine man. His name is José. He was our Hispanic maintenance guy. Fantastic dude. I reckon that he’ll be game for my plan. (If not, I’m accepting applications and will be hosting tryouts if you want to be my teammate in this endeavor.) Anyway, there will be a seat attached right behind the driver seat and José will be slightly raised above me, the driver. He is expertly trained in sniperhood. He’s a damn good shot. He’ll be responsible for the long-range picking off of zombies. He is also responsible for refilling the gas tank and changing the batteries. When the point comes that the zombies become way too challenging, José has the option to employ the self-eject button in which he will be launched into the air while attached to a parachute. But that’s his choice. I see that as a last ditch effort to avoid the zombies but it is inevitable that the whole land is infested at this point and he will be immediately transformed to zombieness once he has landed and is infected by the bite of a zombie.
I don’t really want to have a two man team but it’s better than going solo and it’s definitely better than a team of more than two because if one person within the “family” is infected then it will be much easier for that now-zombie to infect the other members. If José was to be bitten, I would have no choice but to ditch him. And vice versa. I would want José to shoot me in the head if I turned on him.
Anyway, once the point comes that I can’t take it anymore or my fuel is running low, I retreat to my house in Virginia. This house is highly prepared for the specific circumstance of a Zombie Apocalypse. First of all, I will have many years worth of food stored in the attic and the basement. Next, the house functions off the grid. There is zero external dependency: no heat, no electricity, no water, nothing comes from the outside world. It is positioned next to a river: hydroelectric power. Windmills: wind power. Solar panels: solar power. Plus, I have a wood stove for warmth and hot water. Meanwhile, there is a generator that is capturing and holding all excess energy for future use.
This house will probably be invaded at some point in the future. What’s my defense, you ask? I have treadmills surrounding the house. Not just one row deep but two rows deep. When the zombies eventually stumble upon my house they will run at it and merely get caught on the treadmills as they are trying to approach my house. Not to mention, I have a turret that protrudes from the top of my house in which I will be able to pick them off with assorted weaponry: grenades, bow and arrow, pistols, shotguns, sniper guns, bazookas, etc.
Eventually, though, I’m sure that they will be able to reach me when one of the treadmills dies or something. Then, I guess, my time has come. But you can bet your ass that I did my damnedest to save humanity. In the great words of William Wallace, "FREEEEDOM!!"
Monday, August 29, 2011
The Silent Revolution (Bad Ass Poem)
"On the surface of the world right now there is
War and violence and things seem dark.
But calmly and quietly, at the same time,
Something else is happening underground.
An inner revolution is taking place
And certain individuals are being called to a higher light.
It is a silent revolution.
From the inside out. From the ground up.
This is a Global operation.
A Spiritual Conspiracy.
There are sleeper cells in every nation on the planet.
You won't see us on the TV.
You won't read about us in the newspaper.
You won't hear about us on the radio.
We don't seek any glory.
We don't wear any uniform.
We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles.
Most of us work anonymously.
We are quietly working behind the scenes
In every country and culture of the world
Cities big and small, mountains and valleys,
In farms and villages, tribes and remote islands.
You could pass by one of us on the street
And not even notice.
We go undercover.
We remain behind the scenes.
It is of no concern to us who takes the final credit
But simply that the work gets done.
Occasionally we spot each other in the street.
We give a quiet nod and continue on our way.
During the day many of us pretend we have normal jobs
But behind the false storefront at night
Is where the real work takes place.
Some call us the Conscious Army.
We are slowly creating a new world
With the power of our minds and hearts.
We follow, with passion and joy
Our orders come from the Central Spiritual Intelligence.
We are dropping soft, secret love bombs when no one is looking
Poems ~ Hugs ~ Music ~ Photography ~ Movies ~ Kind words ~
Smiles ~ Meditation and prayer ~ Dance ~ Social activism ~ Websites
Blogs ~ Random acts of kindness...
We each express ourselves in our own unique ways
With our own unique gifts and talents.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
That is the motto that fills our hearts.
We know it is the only way real transformation takes place.
We know that quietly and humbly we have the
Power of all the oceans combined.
Our work is slow and meticulous
Like the formation of mountains.
It is not even visible at first glance.
And yet with it entire tectonic plates
Shall be moved in the centuries to come.
Love is the new religion of the 21st century.
You don't have to be a highly educated person
Or have any exceptional knowledge to understand it.
It comes from the intelligence of the heart
Embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse of all human beings.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Nobody else can do it for you.
We are now recruiting.
Perhaps you will join us
Or already have.
All are welcome.
The door is open."
-Unknown
War and violence and things seem dark.
But calmly and quietly, at the same time,
Something else is happening underground.
An inner revolution is taking place
And certain individuals are being called to a higher light.
It is a silent revolution.
From the inside out. From the ground up.
This is a Global operation.
A Spiritual Conspiracy.
There are sleeper cells in every nation on the planet.
You won't see us on the TV.
You won't read about us in the newspaper.
You won't hear about us on the radio.
We don't seek any glory.
We don't wear any uniform.
We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles.
Most of us work anonymously.
We are quietly working behind the scenes
In every country and culture of the world
Cities big and small, mountains and valleys,
In farms and villages, tribes and remote islands.
You could pass by one of us on the street
And not even notice.
We go undercover.
We remain behind the scenes.
It is of no concern to us who takes the final credit
But simply that the work gets done.
Occasionally we spot each other in the street.
We give a quiet nod and continue on our way.
During the day many of us pretend we have normal jobs
But behind the false storefront at night
Is where the real work takes place.
Some call us the Conscious Army.
We are slowly creating a new world
With the power of our minds and hearts.
We follow, with passion and joy
Our orders come from the Central Spiritual Intelligence.
We are dropping soft, secret love bombs when no one is looking
Poems ~ Hugs ~ Music ~ Photography ~ Movies ~ Kind words ~
Smiles ~ Meditation and prayer ~ Dance ~ Social activism ~ Websites
Blogs ~ Random acts of kindness...
We each express ourselves in our own unique ways
With our own unique gifts and talents.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
That is the motto that fills our hearts.
We know it is the only way real transformation takes place.
We know that quietly and humbly we have the
Power of all the oceans combined.
Our work is slow and meticulous
Like the formation of mountains.
It is not even visible at first glance.
And yet with it entire tectonic plates
Shall be moved in the centuries to come.
Love is the new religion of the 21st century.
You don't have to be a highly educated person
Or have any exceptional knowledge to understand it.
It comes from the intelligence of the heart
Embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse of all human beings.
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Nobody else can do it for you.
We are now recruiting.
Perhaps you will join us
Or already have.
All are welcome.
The door is open."
-Unknown
Friday, June 3, 2011
Something More
Here goes my simplest and most profound blog yet. I'll bet that some of my disciples will be on the edge of their seat to hear my analysis and further explanation of this blog post but I challenge you all to come to your own conclusions. This is an important idea for every individual to explore.
People go hundred of thousands of miles and spend millions of dollars to travel and to see new and beautiful things. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and see extravagant places but the issue here is that we don't even see the beauty right under our noses: the beauty of the human person.
The human being is the most advanced piece of work known to mankind and yet we look past hundreds, perhaps thousands every day. Not to mention the fact that every human being is specifically created for a very profound purpose that is for a magnificent reason.
My challenge: take this post to heart. Put effort into loving every human being that you come into contact with. They are not just the person that cut you off in traffic today; they are something more. They are not just the person who didn't hold the door open for you even though they were two steps ahead of you; they are something more. They are not just the aggravating person in class that acts as though he/she knows all the answers when clearly they don't; they are something more. They are not just a person who pollutes the air that you breathe while they are smoking; they are something more. They are not just the most inspiring human being that you have ever met; they are something more. They are not just the leader of our country, religion, schools, jobs, families; they are something more.
Imagine the potential if everybody appreciated every other person.
People go hundred of thousands of miles and spend millions of dollars to travel and to see new and beautiful things. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and see extravagant places but the issue here is that we don't even see the beauty right under our noses: the beauty of the human person.
The human being is the most advanced piece of work known to mankind and yet we look past hundreds, perhaps thousands every day. Not to mention the fact that every human being is specifically created for a very profound purpose that is for a magnificent reason.
My challenge: take this post to heart. Put effort into loving every human being that you come into contact with. They are not just the person that cut you off in traffic today; they are something more. They are not just the person who didn't hold the door open for you even though they were two steps ahead of you; they are something more. They are not just the aggravating person in class that acts as though he/she knows all the answers when clearly they don't; they are something more. They are not just a person who pollutes the air that you breathe while they are smoking; they are something more. They are not just the most inspiring human being that you have ever met; they are something more. They are not just the leader of our country, religion, schools, jobs, families; they are something more.
Imagine the potential if everybody appreciated every other person.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Twelve.
Outcasts, poor, weak, hated were the apostles. Yet Jesus chose them. God Himself chose socially and politically weak people that weren’t the brightest people of their time to follow Him. These twelve men were just like you and I. Jesus chose the twelve most unlikely people to spread the Truth that would profoundly change the world.
These men dropped everything. They were committed in their safe and unchanging lives as fishermen, tax collectors, and carpenters. They were willing to ditch everything for a life of simplicity and sacrifice. They had everything that they needed to be comfortable for the rest of their lives yet they walked away from it all. The apostles were settled into a life-long routine until this hipster came into their lives and said, “Let’s do this!”
I can see only three reasons why these men let go of their families, routines, and established life for a stranger:
- They were crazy. These men were psychopaths and didn’t head their parents’ advice to not talk to strangers. They were completely nuts to let go of everything that was comfortable and easy for this stranger. They were established in their lives but had they must have been crazy to have left their comfortable lives.
- They were desperate for change. They didn’t like their current life. They wanted to get the hell outta dodge and this Jesus guy was the one guy that was able to show them a life of adventure and spontaneity.
- Or they found and unreasonably powerful love overcome them. Something like no other that they hadn't ever felt before. In every single muscle fiber, comfort and peace filled them.
Who knows why these twelve men let go of everything that was guaranteed for a life that was not for certain? They knew nothing yet in time and with much trust, they became the most powerful men in the world. Because of their craziness, “despair”, and/or their ability to sense the awesome love of Christ these men dedicated their lives to our Lord and became the four cornerstones of the world.
The question that I’ve been wrestling with and am sharing with you is, what would you do? If some guy showed up on your campus recruiting people to spread this new and crazy concept to the world, would you join Him? Would you join Him because you are crazy and want to try something off the cuff? Would you joining His cause because you are bored with your life and are desperate for any sign of change to come and sweep you away? Or would you join Him because you are open to the love and beauty of God and are so committed to searching Him out that you recognize Him when He stumbles into you? What is your special quality that you can contribute to the Almighty King to help His divine mission? Why should He choose you? What do you have that He needs? Are you ready to drop everything for Him?
It’s obviously Advent. During the next couple of weeks I’m reflecting on whether or not I am ready to leave this life and join the War. He needs us, are we ready and prepared for taking on His battle?
These men dropped everything. They were committed in their safe and unchanging lives as fishermen, tax collectors, and carpenters. They were willing to ditch everything for a life of simplicity and sacrifice. They had everything that they needed to be comfortable for the rest of their lives yet they walked away from it all. The apostles were settled into a life-long routine until this hipster came into their lives and said, “Let’s do this!”
I can see only three reasons why these men let go of their families, routines, and established life for a stranger:
- They were crazy. These men were psychopaths and didn’t head their parents’ advice to not talk to strangers. They were completely nuts to let go of everything that was comfortable and easy for this stranger. They were established in their lives but had they must have been crazy to have left their comfortable lives.
- They were desperate for change. They didn’t like their current life. They wanted to get the hell outta dodge and this Jesus guy was the one guy that was able to show them a life of adventure and spontaneity.
- Or they found and unreasonably powerful love overcome them. Something like no other that they hadn't ever felt before. In every single muscle fiber, comfort and peace filled them.
Who knows why these twelve men let go of everything that was guaranteed for a life that was not for certain? They knew nothing yet in time and with much trust, they became the most powerful men in the world. Because of their craziness, “despair”, and/or their ability to sense the awesome love of Christ these men dedicated their lives to our Lord and became the four cornerstones of the world.
The question that I’ve been wrestling with and am sharing with you is, what would you do? If some guy showed up on your campus recruiting people to spread this new and crazy concept to the world, would you join Him? Would you join Him because you are crazy and want to try something off the cuff? Would you joining His cause because you are bored with your life and are desperate for any sign of change to come and sweep you away? Or would you join Him because you are open to the love and beauty of God and are so committed to searching Him out that you recognize Him when He stumbles into you? What is your special quality that you can contribute to the Almighty King to help His divine mission? Why should He choose you? What do you have that He needs? Are you ready to drop everything for Him?
It’s obviously Advent. During the next couple of weeks I’m reflecting on whether or not I am ready to leave this life and join the War. He needs us, are we ready and prepared for taking on His battle?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Listen.
My inspiration to write this blog post comes from Wednesday of Week II’s reading from Evening Prayer. But to be honest, when I first read it I thought to myself, “Tell me something my mum didn’t already tell me when I was 3.” I thought to myself that I have a practical knowledge of the statement that the apostle James so eloquently states in Chapter 1:
“[19]This you know, my beloved brethren, but everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; [20]for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”
Then I said to myself, “Josh, if you know this so well and are confident that you are such a fantastic guy, then you must act on this and do the things that James talks about, right?”
I am writing this post on purely selfish instincts. I’m writing this as more of a reflection on my life rather than to lecture or instruct others how to live. I hope that you might draw from this whatever you can.
Anyway, there are several points that I’d like to attack here:
- James’ use of endearment, “My beloved brethren”
- “Be quick to hear and slow to speak” and
- The issue of anger
As I sit here in front of my computer screen, I reflect. How James can address people whom he doesn’t even know as he does? He is instructing the twelve dispersed tribes (major groups of people spread out among many countries) with gusto on how to live a better, more full, and more Godly life. This implies that these people weren’t living a very holy life in the first place. As I thought/am thinking about this I asked myself how I typically think about or address people who are not being intelligent. I call them things like “jackass”, “idiot”, “moron”, “dumb ass”, and they only get progressively worse. And yet James calls them, his “beloved brethren”. He speaks to them with almost serene patience. All the other letter writers in the Bible also use this language, addressing people as their brothers and sisters...even in the face of their idiotic tendencies.
“Be quick to hear and slow to speak.” Yeah, yeah, yeah, you were always right, Mum. I should listen before I talk. I should be a better listener than talker. I should listen to peoples feelings. Yadda, yadda, yadda. While all this stuff is great, I’m reflecting on what I think are the deeper cues and hints in which James might be trying to get at. I am just wondering what the world would be like if we took this statement, “Be quick to hear and slow to speak,” to its most extreme limit. If we could never speak and could only listen. What would the world be like then? Imagine the things we would hear: a more profound whisper of the wind, the intricacies of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, the howl of a distant coyote, the sigh of a stressed passerby, and the tick of the rushing second-hand of my watch. I have more than enough to say but how much of it is truly influential to the world or even to those that are immediately connected to me? I know for a fact that I have taken the common sounds that I hear every day for a grain of salt, but without that grain of salt I would have nothing, eh? I figure I should talk a whole lot less and perhaps not worry internally so much and genuinely listen to the beautiful sounds of things around me.
Also, on this note, not only would I hear just the physical things that surround me, I imagine I might hear the voice of the One who created these sounds. Maybe I should try this out more often.
Lastly, anger. Probably one of my greatest weaknesses. It rarely amasses to anything substantial but a little bit of it everyday always manages to squeeze itself into my daily routine. This little bit of frustration tends to sometimes overwhelm me. I think that in these situations, if the previous two points that James make are taken care of then we will be ready for action. Imagine for a second how incredible we could feel if we responded to a sticky situation with an address of endearment and then listened to the person or hear out a nasty situation. If I could only take a step back and comprehend what is going on and hear out the beauties of humanity, then I highly doubt there’d be any room for frustration. If I am constantly reflecting on the subtle complexities of what I am surrounded by, is there any room for any feelings other than the desire to call an idiot my friend and to embrace the internal beauty upon which I should be reflective upon?
With all this under our belts, we may not be as fantastic of people as we think we are. There is always stuff that needs fixing. End of story.
“[19]This you know, my beloved brethren, but everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; [20]for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”
Then I said to myself, “Josh, if you know this so well and are confident that you are such a fantastic guy, then you must act on this and do the things that James talks about, right?”
I am writing this post on purely selfish instincts. I’m writing this as more of a reflection on my life rather than to lecture or instruct others how to live. I hope that you might draw from this whatever you can.
Anyway, there are several points that I’d like to attack here:
- James’ use of endearment, “My beloved brethren”
- “Be quick to hear and slow to speak” and
- The issue of anger
As I sit here in front of my computer screen, I reflect. How James can address people whom he doesn’t even know as he does? He is instructing the twelve dispersed tribes (major groups of people spread out among many countries) with gusto on how to live a better, more full, and more Godly life. This implies that these people weren’t living a very holy life in the first place. As I thought/am thinking about this I asked myself how I typically think about or address people who are not being intelligent. I call them things like “jackass”, “idiot”, “moron”, “dumb ass”, and they only get progressively worse. And yet James calls them, his “beloved brethren”. He speaks to them with almost serene patience. All the other letter writers in the Bible also use this language, addressing people as their brothers and sisters...even in the face of their idiotic tendencies.
“Be quick to hear and slow to speak.” Yeah, yeah, yeah, you were always right, Mum. I should listen before I talk. I should be a better listener than talker. I should listen to peoples feelings. Yadda, yadda, yadda. While all this stuff is great, I’m reflecting on what I think are the deeper cues and hints in which James might be trying to get at. I am just wondering what the world would be like if we took this statement, “Be quick to hear and slow to speak,” to its most extreme limit. If we could never speak and could only listen. What would the world be like then? Imagine the things we would hear: a more profound whisper of the wind, the intricacies of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, the howl of a distant coyote, the sigh of a stressed passerby, and the tick of the rushing second-hand of my watch. I have more than enough to say but how much of it is truly influential to the world or even to those that are immediately connected to me? I know for a fact that I have taken the common sounds that I hear every day for a grain of salt, but without that grain of salt I would have nothing, eh? I figure I should talk a whole lot less and perhaps not worry internally so much and genuinely listen to the beautiful sounds of things around me.
Also, on this note, not only would I hear just the physical things that surround me, I imagine I might hear the voice of the One who created these sounds. Maybe I should try this out more often.
Lastly, anger. Probably one of my greatest weaknesses. It rarely amasses to anything substantial but a little bit of it everyday always manages to squeeze itself into my daily routine. This little bit of frustration tends to sometimes overwhelm me. I think that in these situations, if the previous two points that James make are taken care of then we will be ready for action. Imagine for a second how incredible we could feel if we responded to a sticky situation with an address of endearment and then listened to the person or hear out a nasty situation. If I could only take a step back and comprehend what is going on and hear out the beauties of humanity, then I highly doubt there’d be any room for frustration. If I am constantly reflecting on the subtle complexities of what I am surrounded by, is there any room for any feelings other than the desire to call an idiot my friend and to embrace the internal beauty upon which I should be reflective upon?
With all this under our belts, we may not be as fantastic of people as we think we are. There is always stuff that needs fixing. End of story.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Life.
My last post was all about death and after reflecting I thought some very profound thoughts. What else is also guaranteed about us? Life is. 10 out of 10 people live. You must live before you die. What is tragic about this fact though? We live in a society that believes that this is not a fact or that we can control this. We have begun to shift the way we think about life, as if we control it. We have introduced death into the world in the evil form of abortion.
Abortion is the termination of that which is living. There is dispute within the argument of life; "when does life begin?" My answer is simply--WHO CARES? Let us look at the problems of abortion in a the light of truth-since that is what people care about...and yet truth has been ignored.
Whether the life begins at conception or at birth, abortion is still wrong because:
- it is not natural,
- it is harmful to the mother,
- and it is not the intention of God
The act of sex is natural. Babies are natural. Sex produces babies. Therefore it is necessary that we expect that which is natural: babies are intrinsically expected to come from sex. It follows from this logic that we should have sex with full intent of having a baby, unless you don’t mind a surprise. To terminate the baby is to take away from the essence of nature. In the act of abortion we are overriding the forces of nature.
Abortion is not safe. Here are just a few complications that may arise as a result of abortion: bladder Injury, bowel injury, laceration of the cervix, breast cancer, higher chance of having ectopic pregnancies in the future, hemorrhage, infection, perforation of the uterus, placenta previa, dramatically increased chance of miscarriages, and sterility. These are not small issues and none of these things are safe. There is nothing safe about abortion. If, for just a moment, we were to assume that the death of the child was a good thing, then it still does far more harm to the mother and her future wanted pregnancies even if the ultimate end of an abortion was good.
The previous two reasons against abortion are pitter-patter compared to what I am about to propose. Given that you believe in an all-powerful God, then we believe that everything that is enacted is because He willed it. If He wills everything then we must believe that our God intends for life to be embraced and cherished. If a young lady is to have a child then it is because God has intentions for her to have a child (that He has hand made for her). Who are we to make the ultimate decision to end that life? By having an abortion we are ending God’s own intention.
You’re probably asking yourself, well then if God wills everything then wouldn’t He will us to have abortions. To me this is just silly. When have we ever known God to be a God of death? Because of our free will we have introduced evil and abortion to the world. Our sinful nature is the inverse of God. Abortion is definitely not God’s will. Why would He enable something just for it to be ended?
Forgive me, I am no expert on the matters of abortion but it seems to me that life is the most important thing that we have been given, so how do we have the right to take this away? We, of course, produce the baby but after this the life-giving process is out of our hands. God’s will is that there is to be a baby. It is sad to think that we have the nerve to strip an all-powerful God of His own intentions. I don’t know about you but I would not want to try to stop God and His intentions.
Life is not something for us to determine. Naturally speaking, there is nothing good that can come from an abortion. Abortion is something that has irreversible harms that go hand in hand with each other. Spiritually speaking, there is nothing good that can come from abortion. There is an evil that goes hand in hand with abortion.
The true fight against abortion boils down to a spiritual battle. This war will not be won at rallies or protests. This battle will be won on our knees. We need retreat to prayer and embrace our God of life.
Abortion is the termination of that which is living. There is dispute within the argument of life; "when does life begin?" My answer is simply--WHO CARES? Let us look at the problems of abortion in a the light of truth-since that is what people care about...and yet truth has been ignored.
Whether the life begins at conception or at birth, abortion is still wrong because:
- it is not natural,
- it is harmful to the mother,
- and it is not the intention of God
The act of sex is natural. Babies are natural. Sex produces babies. Therefore it is necessary that we expect that which is natural: babies are intrinsically expected to come from sex. It follows from this logic that we should have sex with full intent of having a baby, unless you don’t mind a surprise. To terminate the baby is to take away from the essence of nature. In the act of abortion we are overriding the forces of nature.
Abortion is not safe. Here are just a few complications that may arise as a result of abortion: bladder Injury, bowel injury, laceration of the cervix, breast cancer, higher chance of having ectopic pregnancies in the future, hemorrhage, infection, perforation of the uterus, placenta previa, dramatically increased chance of miscarriages, and sterility. These are not small issues and none of these things are safe. There is nothing safe about abortion. If, for just a moment, we were to assume that the death of the child was a good thing, then it still does far more harm to the mother and her future wanted pregnancies even if the ultimate end of an abortion was good.
The previous two reasons against abortion are pitter-patter compared to what I am about to propose. Given that you believe in an all-powerful God, then we believe that everything that is enacted is because He willed it. If He wills everything then we must believe that our God intends for life to be embraced and cherished. If a young lady is to have a child then it is because God has intentions for her to have a child (that He has hand made for her). Who are we to make the ultimate decision to end that life? By having an abortion we are ending God’s own intention.
You’re probably asking yourself, well then if God wills everything then wouldn’t He will us to have abortions. To me this is just silly. When have we ever known God to be a God of death? Because of our free will we have introduced evil and abortion to the world. Our sinful nature is the inverse of God. Abortion is definitely not God’s will. Why would He enable something just for it to be ended?
Forgive me, I am no expert on the matters of abortion but it seems to me that life is the most important thing that we have been given, so how do we have the right to take this away? We, of course, produce the baby but after this the life-giving process is out of our hands. God’s will is that there is to be a baby. It is sad to think that we have the nerve to strip an all-powerful God of His own intentions. I don’t know about you but I would not want to try to stop God and His intentions.
Life is not something for us to determine. Naturally speaking, there is nothing good that can come from an abortion. Abortion is something that has irreversible harms that go hand in hand with each other. Spiritually speaking, there is nothing good that can come from abortion. There is an evil that goes hand in hand with abortion.
The true fight against abortion boils down to a spiritual battle. This war will not be won at rallies or protests. This battle will be won on our knees. We need retreat to prayer and embrace our God of life.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Death.
It's a funny thing, death is. 10 out of 10 people die. Some die when they are young, some die when they are old. We know that it will eventually happen to us. We know that it will eventually happen to everybody that we know. We are born into this world with a sure-fire statistic that we all will die.
These are the facts.
Yet for some reason every time death claims another life we are upset. We knew it would happen, yet depression sweeps into the lives of the people that the person had affected.
I’m not going to lecture you about why you should be happy instead of sad when somebody dies but I am going to suggest what you probably already know: the actuality of death is that the person who died is in a much better place. Death is something to be rejoiced at. In death we have the opportunity to appreciate what this person brought to life. The old saying, “You never know what you have until its gone,” is just as true with people as it is with trivial things.
A Roman philosopher, Seneca, said, “The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity.” In death we begin the rest of our lives. Just as when we go to sleep does tomorrow begin, when we die we really begin to live. Socrates said, “Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.” We become truly happy at the moment of death because we reach full knowledge and are in complete union with God. According to J.K. Rowling, “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” This adventure is the start of the relationship with God in a whole new realm and should be embraced.
We should not in the least bit be sad about death. If anything, the closer that we are to a person who dies, the happier we should be for them. In all reality we should be envious of the dead because of the glory and peace they are experiencing. It is right to mourn but to dwell on death is not fair to the person. Dwelling on death and wishing that the dead were alive is to do an injustice to the person. We want them back because they meant something to us, they took care of us, they taught us, they loved us but death is a vital part of life and should be embraced.
My last quotation is from DaVinci, “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.” A death is a reason to rejoice, and is to be celebrated, and should never be asked to be reversed. Death is just as great of an occasion as life. It doesn’t seem like this because death gives life a meaning that we can understand but death has greater implications than life ever could have.
“Don’t cry because its over. Smile because it happened.” -Dr. Seuss
Rest in Eternal Peace Grandma
These are the facts.
Yet for some reason every time death claims another life we are upset. We knew it would happen, yet depression sweeps into the lives of the people that the person had affected.
I’m not going to lecture you about why you should be happy instead of sad when somebody dies but I am going to suggest what you probably already know: the actuality of death is that the person who died is in a much better place. Death is something to be rejoiced at. In death we have the opportunity to appreciate what this person brought to life. The old saying, “You never know what you have until its gone,” is just as true with people as it is with trivial things.
A Roman philosopher, Seneca, said, “The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity.” In death we begin the rest of our lives. Just as when we go to sleep does tomorrow begin, when we die we really begin to live. Socrates said, “Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.” We become truly happy at the moment of death because we reach full knowledge and are in complete union with God. According to J.K. Rowling, “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” This adventure is the start of the relationship with God in a whole new realm and should be embraced.
We should not in the least bit be sad about death. If anything, the closer that we are to a person who dies, the happier we should be for them. In all reality we should be envious of the dead because of the glory and peace they are experiencing. It is right to mourn but to dwell on death is not fair to the person. Dwelling on death and wishing that the dead were alive is to do an injustice to the person. We want them back because they meant something to us, they took care of us, they taught us, they loved us but death is a vital part of life and should be embraced.
My last quotation is from DaVinci, “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.” A death is a reason to rejoice, and is to be celebrated, and should never be asked to be reversed. Death is just as great of an occasion as life. It doesn’t seem like this because death gives life a meaning that we can understand but death has greater implications than life ever could have.
“Don’t cry because its over. Smile because it happened.” -Dr. Seuss
Rest in Eternal Peace Grandma
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