Live long and prosper...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8411329.stm

Interesting.

Those scientists and their studies crack me up...

Movie Feelings

You know when you watch a movie and after, you feel a certain way? Actually, that's very vague, so let me be more specific:

• Taken: after you feel like you want to go on a personal vendetta against all injustice and corruption
• August Rush: after you feel like making music hardcore
• Any good horror movie: after you have an increased fear of someone breaking into your house or harming you in some way

What I don't understand is that regardless of day you see Taken, the same amount of corruption exists and the same desire to right it dwells within you- it just took watching the movie to draw the emotion out. You might love music, but it takes a movie like August Rush to rekindle the desire to increase your skill or write a symphony. Criminals might want to break into your house any day of the week, but after watching a scary flick, you have almost an irrational antenna to strange sounds and out-of-the-ordinary occurrences.

My grander point is this: I wonder if God has hardwired us in a way that we can only experience so many emotions at a time because we can only handle so many emotions at a time. If we experienced the whole range of emotions, full force, at all times, I think we would go insane. The capacity for all kinds of feelings exists within us, but we only have tastings of them at different times so, I suppose, we can appreciate each feeling in a unique way.

Am I way off?

Slavery in the Bible

I'm reading through the Old Testament and again I'm struck by the grating truth that slavery is condoned by decree of God at least in the Israelite nation.

I know I want more input on this subject, because it seems like it is the only topic I can't really wrap my mind around (except the Gospel and its amazing truths...but you know what I mean). I don't want to dismiss the subject, but I also won't allow the uncertainty to dismantle my faith.

Can the whole issue of slavery in the Bible be boiled down to cultural norms? But since when have the decrees of God catered to cultural norms? As humans, our "cultural norm" is a depraved nature and the message of Christ is one that acknowledges our inherent sinfulness before a holy God and the utter sufficiency of Christ's atoning (covering, paid-in-full) death and resurrection.

I don't buy the school of thought that the God of the "Old Testament" is one of doom and gloom and wrath, and the God of the "New Testament" is one of love and grace and peace. I can't tell you how many ways that argument violates the truths found in Scripture.

Am I mis-understanding how slavery and the slave/master relationship worked in Biblical times? As a frame of reference, I (and probably you too) automatically drum up pictures of the abolished African slave trade in the 17 and 1800's- but was it like that? Are we talking about more of an indentured servant situation? Were slaves mistreated? Were they forced into and held in slavery against their will?

I'm especially aware of the cognitive dissonance the issue of slavery creates in my mind because I love and support all the modern day abolitionist movements. (And for those who don't know...slavery is alive and well in our day....read the book "Not For Sale" by David Batstone).

Help me understand.

Google Voice

I just have to say that Google Voice is one of the coolest things ever.

Parking Lot Antics

(This is such a small thing, but hear me out and tell me if you agree...)

Why is it that people will wait literally minutes as someone is loading up their car to leave the store for a parking spot closest to the building ? They just sit there, blinker on, watching people pack in groceries etc. If it's really cold weather, I guess I understand that. If you or a passenger has a disability which makes walking difficult, I definitely understand that. But on more than one occasion (probably many, but I'll guess conservative) I've seen people wait in perfectly fine weather when (and here's the kicker) there are several spots open just a stone's throw away. I will literally drive into a parking lot, see a waiting car, park, and walk past the car before they turn into a spot. What is being accomplished here? I don't want to sound like I'm complaining because there are bigger fish to fry- I'm just trying to understand this phenomenon. I want to get inside these peoples' heads! Do we have an innate drive to always be the closest, always have the best- even if it's irrational? If you are this person, I want to dissect your reasoning.

Christianese

So I was looking through my book of music for worship songs today, and it really struck me how many songs have either lyrics or titles that would be completely foreign to anyone who hasn't been around the Christian scene that long. Think about it: "Open the Eyes of my Heart." Morbid literal picture if you ask me. Not saying the lyrics aren't meaningful for those who know the heart behind what the lyrics represent, but if you knew nothing about faith or God, what would you think if you visited a church who sang that? The songs shouldn't go, I just need to make a more concerted effort to critically think about what I'm singing and why.

Simply Back to the Basics

A funny thing has been happening in the food manufacturing business. There has been (at least in my opinion) a trend in recent years toward products made with good ole' fashioned ingredients. None of the "bad" stuff. (I picture Mr. Nabisco slaving over some sort of pastry made from my grandma's family recipe).

I must admit that these products have me hook, line, and sinker. I fall for them every time. Because I prefer food without high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated plastic. But the whole "simply" movement makes me think on another level.

I wonder if companies expect a round of applause from consumers for their nutty crunchy return to nature. I love the product, but I always think, "Awesome, but why haven't they done this all along??" It's not like using basic and naturally occuring ingredients is anything new- companies are just able to put it in attractive packaging and charge twice as much...and it seems to be working.

I say- bring on more products! Charge less, but keep em' coming! Welcome to a world where food was meant to be simple.

Thoughts on Technology

Landscaping every day affords me the unique opportunity to listen to hours and hours of podcasts while working. I cover everything from sermons (Paul Washer and John Piper), to economics (EconTalk), to funny shows (NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me), to history and politics (Dan Carlin's Common Sense and Hardcore History), to music (Forerunner (IHOP...International House of Prayer, not Pancakes)), to random stuff (Stuff you Should Know and TechStuff from howstuffworks.com). Lately, I've been catching up on an entire year of the TechStuff podcast, and it has got me thinking about technology.

I have to admit that I like technology. I don't always get the latest gadget, but I enjoy learning about it and waiting until I can get it used from a friend who is throwing theirs away. I suppose you could say that I'm a late adopter.

Like most things (i.e. money), technology is neutral, a-moral, as in it doesn't possess within itself anything intrinsically good or bad. You can use it for good...or not for good.

The worst thing about our love affair with technology turns out to be morbidly ironic. We spend so much energy texting, and Twittering, and IMing, and yes, blogging or vlogging or whatever- all mediums designed to increase human communication- that I fear we are fast losing the art of person-to-person contact. We communicate so much that we never communicate at all. We have spread ourselves so thin with technology that we lose deep and lasting contact with just a few people.

The scariest part of technology is not scary to some people at all. We have a constructed a network of devices and services that cater to you, the individual. What do you want? What sites do you like to surf? Post a video about your opinion! The most important person is you. Wrong! We do not need any help making things more and more us-centered. We already have that figured out as humans. Thanks but no thanks, technology.

But like I said before, technology is neutral. The problem lies with us. Human nature doesn't seem to change much, and where there are people like you and I who are obsessed with ourselves, technology will be there ready to broadcast that to the world.

Have I angered some people? Or do you agree?

Current Things

To get the ball rolling on this blog, I'll start by telling you some of the current things I'm enjoying:

Current Book: Not For Sale by David Batstone.

This book breaks my heart. It's an intensely non-fiction work about the current global slave trade. For those who thought Abe Lincoln ended slavery, think again. The true stories of exploited children, men, women, and families will break your heart- partly because the accounts are so raw and graphic and partly because you probably have no idea how prevalent slavery is in our "modern" world. Funny, some people think that as a society we're getting better and better. I think we're just getting better and better at hiding our true filth and rotten intentions.

Current Movie: Defiance, starring Daniel Craig.

Good movie. (Just a warning, there is language and there is definitely violence). For those unfamiliar with the plot, Defiance follows the story of a group of mostly Jews who seek long-term refuge in an forest during the Nazi occupation of World War 2. War movies always put me in a thinking mood. Under what circumstances would I kill another person? How does my faith in God play into my opinions about war? I suppose it's a blessing and curse that I can't watch a movie or hear a story about death without looking inward and asking myself the questions that naturally arise when talking about that subject matter.

Current TV Show: Shark Tank, ABC

All my roommates and I really like this show. The premise is that real people come before a panel of wealthy venture capitalists (people who invest money in high risk ideas in order to make more money) to present an idea for a business/product. The "shark tank" of investors then either declines to invest their money or they make the entrepreneurs an offer (usually money for a percentage of stake in their company or product). What's interesting about the show is that it makes you think about the business side of a good idea. If I had an idea, how would I make a case to investors which would entice them to risk their own money? The one downside is that the entrepreneurs usually have to give up way more than they had wanted just to make a deal. The show is so cutthroat and money-centered and yet it's gripping. It's reality TV I can actually watch...and that is an accomplishment.

What are some of your "currents"?

I know, I know...

I've done blogs before, and some have fizzled out. So no promises this time. This could very well be my first and last post.

Every so often I just feel the need to write. I don't really like doing it, but somehow I feel compelled. I don't have a webcam or the patience for Twitter, so I guess I'm left with a blog. That's okay- we can rock the blog. I think blogs will soon become old technology. Computers will just come equipped with nodes that stick on your head and automatically generate a post based on your brainwaves. (Is brainwaves two words?)

I'm thinking of 3 main goals for this blog: 1. to keep people updated on life 2. to share in small ways what I've been learning and 3. to recall funny or poignant stories from my life.

Folks, don't get your hopes up for this blog. I'm serious. We'll just take it one day at a time.