Perhaps atheists are just waiting for all the religious folks in the world to finally agree on which is the one true God and how to serve Him.
With the many religions and how the religious behave based on their beliefs, i don't blame anyone for choosing to be atheist.
Wouldn't it be interesting if we could trace back the idea of "God" and "religion" to its very origin? What would we find? Would we find a single soul who thought, "ya know what i should start? A religion." To which i would say, not the greatest idea in the world, but you, sir, are a genius. Or would we find the truth of God? We have multitudes of religions & beliefs today, but it had to start somewhere folks.
What happened to impress upon us the thought of a greater power; a higher ruler; alpha omega, creator and ender; a God worthy to be praised?
If there is one way that is the right way, why does any other way have to discredit the right one?
I don't blame you, nonbeliever, for not believing. But there will be a day approaching when choosing to believe in something will take a whole lot of guts, just as there was a day before when choosing to believe in nothing once was a bold move. In fact, one day it will be made evident. And the faithless need evidence.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Capitalism. Democracy. And How Christians Should Respond To It.
2 things real quick. I had some insightful thoughts at work, which has been happening A LOT over the past several months. I wasn't able to remember very many from last night, but i was able to quickly write down two of these thoughts...
[i plan on coming back to this and either editing this post or making a new one that goes more in-depth and offers more insight.]
[i plan on coming back to this and either editing this post or making a new one that goes more in-depth and offers more insight.]
- Americans try to acquire cups to fill, but only God can cause them to overflow. We desire only to fill them and possess more of them all of the time. It is not in our imagination to have them overflow -- save for one: wealth of money. The end goal should not be an (over) abundance of money, and the means should not be the desire for such. But if you desire God and follow His voice and remain obedient to Him, it is within His ability (and likeness) to prosper you. This is a reward and a confirmation of an example of His love and care for us...though, He may overflow into you something other than monetary wealth.
- Democracy and Capitalism are the two words that define (the) America(n) (empire). Capitalism can easily be understood as this: capital = money. Essentially, we could call it "moneyism." And democracy is the form of government that allows it (money) to freely be made. Sounds great, right? First, consider what the wealth of money is accompanied by and easily influenced by: greed & corruption. While it may freely be made by anyone, it may also be plotted against and loop-holed in favor of others -- usually the already rich. It may be withheld and it may be stolen from you. And then something dangerous happens: the thought of this makes you tense and you've already decided, maybe already committed, to do those very things to others to protect your own money.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Reaction
Just watched the movie Chaos Theory (romantic comedy?). I kinda enjoyed it. I can deal with these types of movies so long as the main character doesn't cross any boundaries into an "unredeemable zone." There are certain decisions and actions that permanently remove any connection between me and the character, and likeability is not likely. From there, it's hard to like a movie in which you despise the main character.
I won't give any examples of my "unredeemable zone," but my film professor would say that Spider-Man 3 can't be redeemed for her. Peter Parker hits Mary Jane, and that is just something you don't do. But for my film professor, it was the fact that Peter never apologized. Even though it was one of those uncontrollable impulses, he never sought forgiveness and never apologized for this action. Still, Mary Jane forgave him -- she took him back.
But doesn't there have to be an effect on both sides? One person asks for forgiveness, the other does the forgiving. One gives, one receives (not by taking or accepting, but by seeking and embracing the forgiving grace). They both offer something. Interesting...
And for some reason at the end of the movie (Chaos Theory), i reflected on what happened right before i started watching it on Netflix Instant Play. I prepared a bowl of strawberry and cream oatmeal, yum :-D. It wasn't perfect. It had too much water and left no room for milk. Oh well. I set it down on my subwoofer so that i could unfold my chair. As i was unfolding it, the edge of the chair gently hit my bowl, and in one flowing motion lifted and flipped my bowl of oatmeal in the air. Of course, it landed upside down -- a splatter of oatmeal goo all over power chords and soaking into my carpet. At first, i was complacent. More shock than anything. Wait, how did my oatmeal end up on my carpet? And then i decided i needed a more suitable reaction. I grabbed my head like i was about to rip my own hair out. I got angry! How did my oatmeal spill all over the place?! I almost went crazy trying to replay it in my head. I felt no bump or nudge when i was unfolding my chair. I don't even remember motioning the chair in the direction the bowl flipped haha. I'm still like, "What?!" I was angry, so i tossed my chair onto my bed and kicked a few chords out of the way. And then...
reality set in. Ok, there's oatmeal on my carpet. What do i do about that? Clean it up, of course. And now! It's soaking into the carpet. I'll never get the smell out of my bedroom...
I had to deal with it. That was the next step. So i accepted it, and faced it. I cleaned it up. And i was still hungry. Then i remembered it wasn't my best bowl of oatmeal ever, and decided to try again. I had to settle with peaches and cream this time, but i made it just right :-)
In this case, there were 3 reactions:
Complacency.
Anger.
Forgiveness - or a type of it.
Perhaps these 3 reactions are the most common for everyone today. Not everyone, everywhere, always. But Americans today. I can't speak for other places because i haven't lived anywhere else, but i do know complacency plays a big role in the lives of Americans today. Complacent with almost everything! And that's enough to get me angry. And so it did. I got angry about the matter of spilled oatmeal. But not for that reason. This has been a longer process. I got really good at acting out of forgiveness and love, but without a constant reminder and focus on why this is important, i eventually slipped into complacency. And that's not a place i want to be. I don't want to be complacent with important things: faith, love, best friends, career choices, politics, etc. It's okay to be angry -- depending on how we act out of our anger -- isn't it? And so i go frustrated with my complacency and recently started getting angry in events of...spilled oatmeal and other things. It wasn't so much a reaction as a decision to choose how to react. I don't know. Part of me thought it might be healthy, and it could certainly solve some problems. Like getting caught in a spider web. I'd rather frantically wipe it off and angrily swat around and take my shirt off than to sit still and try to find each web fiber. Not the best example, i know.
The other day i tried to unlock my door, and i don't remember if i was using the wrong key or just couldn't put the key in right, but i had the choice to try slowly to get the door open or to get angry and try it. Both choices would've allowed me to focus, but i chose anger simply because i pictured it as a way to fast-forward through all my fumbling and turning the handle. What difference does it make?
It kinda makes a big difference. If you have enough time and the ability to choose how to react, you should always choose the same reaction. No, not complacency or anger, and love isn't the word I'm looking for. We'll call it "peace." You should always choose peace. All 3 are a matter of the heart. Complacency may be more of a matter of the mind. Still it's a condition of not caring. A condition! Like depression. When i look at American culture, society, politics, media -- just about everything! -- i see complacency :-/. If we look deep enough, i think we'd all find that a lot of us pretend not to care. Our friends, even society, have taught us it's better to not care in order to not get hurt, when really you do care. Don't fake what you feel -- but don't always act on it either!
Instead, practice peace; forgiveness; love.
I won't give any examples of my "unredeemable zone," but my film professor would say that Spider-Man 3 can't be redeemed for her. Peter Parker hits Mary Jane, and that is just something you don't do. But for my film professor, it was the fact that Peter never apologized. Even though it was one of those uncontrollable impulses, he never sought forgiveness and never apologized for this action. Still, Mary Jane forgave him -- she took him back.
But doesn't there have to be an effect on both sides? One person asks for forgiveness, the other does the forgiving. One gives, one receives (not by taking or accepting, but by seeking and embracing the forgiving grace). They both offer something. Interesting...
And for some reason at the end of the movie (Chaos Theory), i reflected on what happened right before i started watching it on Netflix Instant Play. I prepared a bowl of strawberry and cream oatmeal, yum :-D. It wasn't perfect. It had too much water and left no room for milk. Oh well. I set it down on my subwoofer so that i could unfold my chair. As i was unfolding it, the edge of the chair gently hit my bowl, and in one flowing motion lifted and flipped my bowl of oatmeal in the air. Of course, it landed upside down -- a splatter of oatmeal goo all over power chords and soaking into my carpet. At first, i was complacent. More shock than anything. Wait, how did my oatmeal end up on my carpet? And then i decided i needed a more suitable reaction. I grabbed my head like i was about to rip my own hair out. I got angry! How did my oatmeal spill all over the place?! I almost went crazy trying to replay it in my head. I felt no bump or nudge when i was unfolding my chair. I don't even remember motioning the chair in the direction the bowl flipped haha. I'm still like, "What?!" I was angry, so i tossed my chair onto my bed and kicked a few chords out of the way. And then...
reality set in. Ok, there's oatmeal on my carpet. What do i do about that? Clean it up, of course. And now! It's soaking into the carpet. I'll never get the smell out of my bedroom...
I had to deal with it. That was the next step. So i accepted it, and faced it. I cleaned it up. And i was still hungry. Then i remembered it wasn't my best bowl of oatmeal ever, and decided to try again. I had to settle with peaches and cream this time, but i made it just right :-)
In this case, there were 3 reactions:
Complacency.
Anger.
Forgiveness - or a type of it.
Perhaps these 3 reactions are the most common for everyone today. Not everyone, everywhere, always. But Americans today. I can't speak for other places because i haven't lived anywhere else, but i do know complacency plays a big role in the lives of Americans today. Complacent with almost everything! And that's enough to get me angry. And so it did. I got angry about the matter of spilled oatmeal. But not for that reason. This has been a longer process. I got really good at acting out of forgiveness and love, but without a constant reminder and focus on why this is important, i eventually slipped into complacency. And that's not a place i want to be. I don't want to be complacent with important things: faith, love, best friends, career choices, politics, etc. It's okay to be angry -- depending on how we act out of our anger -- isn't it? And so i go frustrated with my complacency and recently started getting angry in events of...spilled oatmeal and other things. It wasn't so much a reaction as a decision to choose how to react. I don't know. Part of me thought it might be healthy, and it could certainly solve some problems. Like getting caught in a spider web. I'd rather frantically wipe it off and angrily swat around and take my shirt off than to sit still and try to find each web fiber. Not the best example, i know.
The other day i tried to unlock my door, and i don't remember if i was using the wrong key or just couldn't put the key in right, but i had the choice to try slowly to get the door open or to get angry and try it. Both choices would've allowed me to focus, but i chose anger simply because i pictured it as a way to fast-forward through all my fumbling and turning the handle. What difference does it make?
It kinda makes a big difference. If you have enough time and the ability to choose how to react, you should always choose the same reaction. No, not complacency or anger, and love isn't the word I'm looking for. We'll call it "peace." You should always choose peace. All 3 are a matter of the heart. Complacency may be more of a matter of the mind. Still it's a condition of not caring. A condition! Like depression. When i look at American culture, society, politics, media -- just about everything! -- i see complacency :-/. If we look deep enough, i think we'd all find that a lot of us pretend not to care. Our friends, even society, have taught us it's better to not care in order to not get hurt, when really you do care. Don't fake what you feel -- but don't always act on it either!
Instead, practice peace; forgiveness; love.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
50/50
Hypothetically, if you and i were hanging out and looking for something fun to do, we would probably consider getting even more people together and having a party.
[The fact that people feel the need to do something "epic" in order to transcend normalcy (a.k.a. boring reality) is another issue altogether.]
Or maybe a party isn't reasonable, but "hey, let's get wasted!"
..................W H Y ? ! ..................
I just finished watching the movie 50/50 and **spoiler alert** toward the very end of the movie, Adam and Kyle are hanging out together, potentially for the last time for the rest of their lives because Adam has to go into surgery in order to remove the cancer. If they don't remove the cancer, he'll die. If the surgery goes bad, he'll die. Adam's best friend, Kyle, represents the average person. What he says and does in the movie is a reflection of what happens in real life. On what could be their last night hanging out, Kyle gets wasted -- because what else is there to do to commemorate such an important moment? [Kyle is also hoping he and Adam can find a couple of girls to sleep with -- because it's apparently the goal in life, right? Animals...But that's another issue altogether, reserved for another time. For now, let's focus on why people so often get wasted.] In some respects, we can all relate. You could look at hanging out and getting drunk together as a way for 2 friends to be completely on the same page.
Let's experience the same thing because then tonight will be memorable and we'll bond as brothers. (Guys bond by doing what the other is doing, whether its getting drunk, high, playing sports, video games, hiking, or whatever. People in the modern era have been conditioned to make "sharing memories" the end result, and not things like conversation/discussion/discourse. Ironically, after memories have been made, we share them with others by bringing it up in conversation and recounting the events that took place. So it turns out that conversation is the end result, but somehow not the desired ends of a mean. Nor is conversation a means to an end in today's society. And look, it's not society's fault. Don't we all have a role in shaping society? It works vice versa because, sadly, people choose to be informed by society so they can be like society. We are not taught to be improved individuals, though we are taught to be self-centered. The American government doesn't help matters because greed and corruption have skewed the way it makes decisions. Seriously, corporations are people? And the media is an uncontrollable beast which ultimately controls government and informs our society? Beware the news programs.)
As i was saying, "Let's experience the same thing because then tonight will be memorable and we'll bond as brothers."
Logical and makes sense. Except, of course, if you get drunk often just for kicks and giggles, you'll decide to get even more wasted to symbolize how special the occasion is. And then, of course, you won't remember much of anything, so WHAT IS THE POINT? In the movie 50/50, Adam didn't even get drunk with Kyle -- he was too concerned with dying tomorrow! He even says "what's the point?!"
My question for you is,
if you knew your best friend was probably going to die tomorrow and you had all of today to hang out, what would you do?
Every human faces the fears of death. For 1st world citizens who make a living out of acquiring material wealth, we have (seemingly) more to lose and seemingly more to fear (squandered opportunities to make a more positive world, are we leaving our loved ones set for life, etc).
What would you do today with your best friend who will probably die tomorrow?
What would you want to do if you knew YOU were going to die tomorrow? Who would you spend today with and what would you do? Something wasted, or something of lasting value? Something that would normally be regretful (obviously you won't regret it tomorrow if you're dead, but does that make it ok -- does that make it right)? Would you try to share your wisdom and hope, try to encourage your loved ones to make their lives more positive? Wouldn't you like to "rest in peace?"
..............whatever decision you make is probably how you should spend every day for the rest of your life. And if your decision is to do something that normally has regretful consequences, ask yourself why you would want that to be the last thing you ever experienced...the lasting image everyone is going to have of you.............who/what put that decision into your head?
[The fact that people feel the need to do something "epic" in order to transcend normalcy (a.k.a. boring reality) is another issue altogether.]
Or maybe a party isn't reasonable, but "hey, let's get wasted!"
..................W H Y ? ! ..................
I just finished watching the movie 50/50 and **spoiler alert** toward the very end of the movie, Adam and Kyle are hanging out together, potentially for the last time for the rest of their lives because Adam has to go into surgery in order to remove the cancer. If they don't remove the cancer, he'll die. If the surgery goes bad, he'll die. Adam's best friend, Kyle, represents the average person. What he says and does in the movie is a reflection of what happens in real life. On what could be their last night hanging out, Kyle gets wasted -- because what else is there to do to commemorate such an important moment? [Kyle is also hoping he and Adam can find a couple of girls to sleep with -- because it's apparently the goal in life, right? Animals...But that's another issue altogether, reserved for another time. For now, let's focus on why people so often get wasted.] In some respects, we can all relate. You could look at hanging out and getting drunk together as a way for 2 friends to be completely on the same page.
Let's experience the same thing because then tonight will be memorable and we'll bond as brothers. (Guys bond by doing what the other is doing, whether its getting drunk, high, playing sports, video games, hiking, or whatever. People in the modern era have been conditioned to make "sharing memories" the end result, and not things like conversation/discussion/discourse. Ironically, after memories have been made, we share them with others by bringing it up in conversation and recounting the events that took place. So it turns out that conversation is the end result, but somehow not the desired ends of a mean. Nor is conversation a means to an end in today's society. And look, it's not society's fault. Don't we all have a role in shaping society? It works vice versa because, sadly, people choose to be informed by society so they can be like society. We are not taught to be improved individuals, though we are taught to be self-centered. The American government doesn't help matters because greed and corruption have skewed the way it makes decisions. Seriously, corporations are people? And the media is an uncontrollable beast which ultimately controls government and informs our society? Beware the news programs.)
As i was saying, "Let's experience the same thing because then tonight will be memorable and we'll bond as brothers."
Logical and makes sense. Except, of course, if you get drunk often just for kicks and giggles, you'll decide to get even more wasted to symbolize how special the occasion is. And then, of course, you won't remember much of anything, so WHAT IS THE POINT? In the movie 50/50, Adam didn't even get drunk with Kyle -- he was too concerned with dying tomorrow! He even says "what's the point?!"
My question for you is,
if you knew your best friend was probably going to die tomorrow and you had all of today to hang out, what would you do?
Every human faces the fears of death. For 1st world citizens who make a living out of acquiring material wealth, we have (seemingly) more to lose and seemingly more to fear (squandered opportunities to make a more positive world, are we leaving our loved ones set for life, etc).
What would you do today with your best friend who will probably die tomorrow?
What would you want to do if you knew YOU were going to die tomorrow? Who would you spend today with and what would you do? Something wasted, or something of lasting value? Something that would normally be regretful (obviously you won't regret it tomorrow if you're dead, but does that make it ok -- does that make it right)? Would you try to share your wisdom and hope, try to encourage your loved ones to make their lives more positive? Wouldn't you like to "rest in peace?"
..............whatever decision you make is probably how you should spend every day for the rest of your life. And if your decision is to do something that normally has regretful consequences, ask yourself why you would want that to be the last thing you ever experienced...the lasting image everyone is going to have of you.............who/what put that decision into your head?
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Tolerance
I recently heard a definition for the term "tolerance." Generations ago, to tolerate someone (especially in religious respects) meant if someone disagreed with your views, you would tolerate them instead of killing them. In our postmodern world today, tolerance means if we have disagreeing views, i have to accept your views as truth, and if i don't, i'm not tolerable. Wait, what?
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