Saturday, November 20, 2010
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Friday, November 19, 2010
Prison
I can honestly say that I have never been to prison and never been inclined to do anything that would put me there. But there has been bondage which is a type of prison.
The gray, dank walls of my cell were built with fear from deep within. The floors were solidly composed of despair. The ceiling was constructed of the finest apathy. Windows were blocked with curtains of depression while matching throw rugs of dreams lost and anxiety lay loosely upon the floor. A coarse black sofa filled with the prickly cactus needles of distrust finished the scene. I stood there clothed in a garment of indifference desiring I don't know what and it did not matter.
That is the kind of prison that requires no outside abuser to torture the pained soul. The walls can only be breached from within by the occupant. The door was never locked. It never mattered that there never was a door, just a simple doorway with a view.
It is difficult to see the view if your back is never turned toward the portal. It helps if someone comes to the doorway and knocks to draw your attention toward the light. Scripture speaks of visiting those in prison. While the reference is most likely toward those in a cell with concrete or stone walls, it could be used for those who are imprisoned by their own fear or desperation or mental state.
That friend you haven't seen in a while, the one who did not speak, where was their mind? Was it off tending to its garden of weeds and choking vines?
You, who were rescued from prison, have you forgotten what put you there and how you escaped? Have you passed on your good fortune or simply folded the memory and pressed it like a flower in a book?
Too often, I forget the ones who need a simple word of encouragement. I forget how deep the well is. I forget the stench of despair and how exhilarating it is when someone called or came by with the sweet incense of kindness.
Don't give up. You are loved. Pass it on.
Shalom. May God's Grace shine abundantly upon you.
The gray, dank walls of my cell were built with fear from deep within. The floors were solidly composed of despair. The ceiling was constructed of the finest apathy. Windows were blocked with curtains of depression while matching throw rugs of dreams lost and anxiety lay loosely upon the floor. A coarse black sofa filled with the prickly cactus needles of distrust finished the scene. I stood there clothed in a garment of indifference desiring I don't know what and it did not matter.
That is the kind of prison that requires no outside abuser to torture the pained soul. The walls can only be breached from within by the occupant. The door was never locked. It never mattered that there never was a door, just a simple doorway with a view.
It is difficult to see the view if your back is never turned toward the portal. It helps if someone comes to the doorway and knocks to draw your attention toward the light. Scripture speaks of visiting those in prison. While the reference is most likely toward those in a cell with concrete or stone walls, it could be used for those who are imprisoned by their own fear or desperation or mental state.
That friend you haven't seen in a while, the one who did not speak, where was their mind? Was it off tending to its garden of weeds and choking vines?
You, who were rescued from prison, have you forgotten what put you there and how you escaped? Have you passed on your good fortune or simply folded the memory and pressed it like a flower in a book?
Too often, I forget the ones who need a simple word of encouragement. I forget how deep the well is. I forget the stench of despair and how exhilarating it is when someone called or came by with the sweet incense of kindness.
Don't give up. You are loved. Pass it on.
Shalom. May God's Grace shine abundantly upon you.
Texting and Chatting
I do neither with one exception. That exception is my son. I will chat with him online.
Chatting and texting have their place. They are convenient and a quick way to convey information. Personally, I need to see who it is I am conversing with. Facial expressions often will tell you more than the spoken word and so much more than the written word.
The written word can be misinterpreted far too easily and just who is that person on the other end? The only text message I have received in the past year was from a friend who texts regularly and I never responded. I was driving at the time and by the time I stopped to see what it was, I was at her house.
I get text messages from my cell phone provider and texts from wrong numbers.
That brings up the other possibility. Just who is that person you are chatting/texting with? Just because it is a familiar number does not mean that you know who is on the other line. I do not chat with strangers or people I have just met online or new friends on Facebook. It's a policy of mine.
There is nothing more frightening than realizing you have been speaking with someone who has just gotten a lot of personal information from you and you really don't know this person. And that was in person.
Chatting online gives one a sense of freedom that between a man and a woman should be reserved for husband and wife. We tend to be more relaxed in front of a screen and say something mildly suggestive that only serves to open doors that should remain closed. The same goes for texting. The same people that would never go to a bar without their spouse or strike up unwarranted conversations at the office with an attractive co-worker will do it easily on the internet and consider it harmless. It is not harmless. It is a pathway to discontent and allows you to talk about things that you should be discussing with your spouse.
Chatting and texting do not use enough words to suit me and the words that are used are a different language of parsed words and right now I don't want to learn a new language.
Chatting and texting have their place. They are convenient and a quick way to convey information. Personally, I need to see who it is I am conversing with. Facial expressions often will tell you more than the spoken word and so much more than the written word.
The written word can be misinterpreted far too easily and just who is that person on the other end? The only text message I have received in the past year was from a friend who texts regularly and I never responded. I was driving at the time and by the time I stopped to see what it was, I was at her house.
I get text messages from my cell phone provider and texts from wrong numbers.
That brings up the other possibility. Just who is that person you are chatting/texting with? Just because it is a familiar number does not mean that you know who is on the other line. I do not chat with strangers or people I have just met online or new friends on Facebook. It's a policy of mine.
There is nothing more frightening than realizing you have been speaking with someone who has just gotten a lot of personal information from you and you really don't know this person. And that was in person.
Chatting online gives one a sense of freedom that between a man and a woman should be reserved for husband and wife. We tend to be more relaxed in front of a screen and say something mildly suggestive that only serves to open doors that should remain closed. The same goes for texting. The same people that would never go to a bar without their spouse or strike up unwarranted conversations at the office with an attractive co-worker will do it easily on the internet and consider it harmless. It is not harmless. It is a pathway to discontent and allows you to talk about things that you should be discussing with your spouse.
Chatting and texting do not use enough words to suit me and the words that are used are a different language of parsed words and right now I don't want to learn a new language.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Evolution Means Humans Should Be Getting Smarter?
All you folks that believe in evolution think we are improving, right? I don't think so. At least not in the United States of America. There may be some small pockets of brilliance out there, but if the government has control of the schools and the teachers are controlled by unions, the majority of the public schools are in deep trouble.
I have a great deal of empathy for teachers. The good ones are dedicated professionals who spend much of their personal time working on their class planning, sometimes tutoring students, talking to parents and spending an unfortunate amount of time doing paperwork for the government. While I agree that there should be uniformity within the school system, I feel that the government is now an intruder in the classroom and it needs to back off.
Children should be learning more at home than they are. Schools cannot and should not be burdened with the total task of teaching. Unfortunately, many parents are ill equipped to handle even teaching their small children the alphabet or how to count to 20. It really is not their fault, but the fault of their great grandparents for allowing the downfall of the public school system to begin in the first place.
If we are getting smarter, we should be doing at least the following:
1. Studying Latin, Greek, French and Spanish by at least age 9
2. Begin mastering a musical instrument
3. By age 14 students should be studying history and science intensely
4. Age 16 students should be entering college where the study of mathematics and other studies as preparation for law school or another profession.
5. Be admitted to the Bar by age 23.
Much of the reason that we are not progressing, has nothing to do with evolution. We, the adults, have made it a point to allow children to be children. Life is so tough out there that they need to have fun while they are still children.
Really? At what point do we cease raising children? This philosophy has created a group of children who never leave home because life is just too tough. We do not need to be raising children. We need to be grooming our offspring for adulthood. When do you teach them to handle money? You teach them as soon as they ask you what it is, which could be age 2 or 3. Start then. They won't be dealing with a profit and loss statement until they get their first lemonade stand.
Insisting that children remain children for as long as possible is just plain asinine. Do you want your puppies and kittens to remain immature for years? Of course not. If you want a good pet, you start training them right away. At least treat your children as well as you treat your pets.
So, why do I think we have fallen way behind?
Many years ago a young man did the following:
1. Studied Latin, Greek and French at age 9, learned to properly ride horses, learned to play the violin,
2. Age 14 studied history and science
3. At the age of 16 attended the College of William and Mary and studied mathematics, metaphysics and philosophy
4. Studied law and was admitted to the bar at age 23
His name was Thomas Jefferson. It was the same Thomas Jefferson that helped draft the Declaration of Independence at age 33 in 1776. That was more than 200 years ago.
If evolution works so well, why are we getting dumber?
I do not believe in evolution of any kind. I believe that God spoke the earth and everything into existence in a state of maturity. In other words, the chicken (a plump, mature chicken) came first, not the egg.
I have a great deal of empathy for teachers. The good ones are dedicated professionals who spend much of their personal time working on their class planning, sometimes tutoring students, talking to parents and spending an unfortunate amount of time doing paperwork for the government. While I agree that there should be uniformity within the school system, I feel that the government is now an intruder in the classroom and it needs to back off.
Children should be learning more at home than they are. Schools cannot and should not be burdened with the total task of teaching. Unfortunately, many parents are ill equipped to handle even teaching their small children the alphabet or how to count to 20. It really is not their fault, but the fault of their great grandparents for allowing the downfall of the public school system to begin in the first place.
If we are getting smarter, we should be doing at least the following:
1. Studying Latin, Greek, French and Spanish by at least age 9
2. Begin mastering a musical instrument
3. By age 14 students should be studying history and science intensely
4. Age 16 students should be entering college where the study of mathematics and other studies as preparation for law school or another profession.
5. Be admitted to the Bar by age 23.
Much of the reason that we are not progressing, has nothing to do with evolution. We, the adults, have made it a point to allow children to be children. Life is so tough out there that they need to have fun while they are still children.
Really? At what point do we cease raising children? This philosophy has created a group of children who never leave home because life is just too tough. We do not need to be raising children. We need to be grooming our offspring for adulthood. When do you teach them to handle money? You teach them as soon as they ask you what it is, which could be age 2 or 3. Start then. They won't be dealing with a profit and loss statement until they get their first lemonade stand.
Insisting that children remain children for as long as possible is just plain asinine. Do you want your puppies and kittens to remain immature for years? Of course not. If you want a good pet, you start training them right away. At least treat your children as well as you treat your pets.
So, why do I think we have fallen way behind?
Many years ago a young man did the following:
1. Studied Latin, Greek and French at age 9, learned to properly ride horses, learned to play the violin,
2. Age 14 studied history and science
3. At the age of 16 attended the College of William and Mary and studied mathematics, metaphysics and philosophy
4. Studied law and was admitted to the bar at age 23
His name was Thomas Jefferson. It was the same Thomas Jefferson that helped draft the Declaration of Independence at age 33 in 1776. That was more than 200 years ago.
If evolution works so well, why are we getting dumber?
I do not believe in evolution of any kind. I believe that God spoke the earth and everything into existence in a state of maturity. In other words, the chicken (a plump, mature chicken) came first, not the egg.
Why I Write
There is much to be said for writing.
There is The Bible that answers questions, creates questions and in spite of humanity has survived centuries in its basic format. It tells stories of historical value. It relates the failings of humanity on a grand scale. It gives the answer to the major question, "Why are we here?"
There are strictly historical writings oftentimes written with a bias to the ruling power.
There are informative books. They teach you how to do anything from digging ditches to building skyscrapers; feed your dog; make home improvements; and anything else you want to do.
Self-help books abound by the millions. Most of which do not help in the long run and are more about the writer helping themselves than trying to help you unless you learn what not to do.
There is poetry, fiction of all sorts and the list goes on. Each person's reason for writing is as varied as humanity itself.
So, I asked myself that question. Why do I write?
Writing is a release for me. It takes me back to when happiness may have been a reality. It takes me to a place where release is possible and if anyone laughs at me or pooh-poohs what I have written, it finally does not matter. I can say the things that I always wanted to say to the people who loved me and the ones who hated me. In the stories, there can be happiness where sadness lived; there can be hope where there was only despair. It is my own little world where I can make things turn out okay even if reality was filled with terror. Now and then my own form of justice is meted out sometimes harshly. Even in the truest of them, the end is in sight. Hope reigns!
If you have ever had the desire to write, make it happen. It is much easier to write anonymously and get instant feed back. The internet has opened your ramblings to a monstrous audience, to anyone, anywhere in the world. Your neighbors next door may not even know you have a desire to write. Someone in San Diego, Saudi Arabia, China, Bermuda, Canada or Mexico may be reading your every word.
There are even on-line courses for learning to write. But, it is not about style or sentence structure or even good spelling as much as being able to convey ideas, passing on information in an understandable way or just touching someone's heart.
I will leave you with this:
May The Lord Bless you and keep you!
WRITE ON!!
There is The Bible that answers questions, creates questions and in spite of humanity has survived centuries in its basic format. It tells stories of historical value. It relates the failings of humanity on a grand scale. It gives the answer to the major question, "Why are we here?"
There are strictly historical writings oftentimes written with a bias to the ruling power.
There are informative books. They teach you how to do anything from digging ditches to building skyscrapers; feed your dog; make home improvements; and anything else you want to do.
Self-help books abound by the millions. Most of which do not help in the long run and are more about the writer helping themselves than trying to help you unless you learn what not to do.
There is poetry, fiction of all sorts and the list goes on. Each person's reason for writing is as varied as humanity itself.
So, I asked myself that question. Why do I write?
Writing is a release for me. It takes me back to when happiness may have been a reality. It takes me to a place where release is possible and if anyone laughs at me or pooh-poohs what I have written, it finally does not matter. I can say the things that I always wanted to say to the people who loved me and the ones who hated me. In the stories, there can be happiness where sadness lived; there can be hope where there was only despair. It is my own little world where I can make things turn out okay even if reality was filled with terror. Now and then my own form of justice is meted out sometimes harshly. Even in the truest of them, the end is in sight. Hope reigns!
If you have ever had the desire to write, make it happen. It is much easier to write anonymously and get instant feed back. The internet has opened your ramblings to a monstrous audience, to anyone, anywhere in the world. Your neighbors next door may not even know you have a desire to write. Someone in San Diego, Saudi Arabia, China, Bermuda, Canada or Mexico may be reading your every word.
There are even on-line courses for learning to write. But, it is not about style or sentence structure or even good spelling as much as being able to convey ideas, passing on information in an understandable way or just touching someone's heart.
I will leave you with this:
May The Lord Bless you and keep you!
WRITE ON!!
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