Well, it’s been awhile. And awhile means there’s plenty of time for thinking. And I don’t mean to get all philosophical or anything, but honestly that’s where my brain is headed. And this leads me to say, you’ve got some good reading to do, and I don’t mean my words. Read on …
1. I just finished the book Searching For God Knows What. I can’t believe it took me so long, because I started it back in the spring, but didn’t get very far due to that whole graduating thing and the busyness stuff. But WHAT a GREAT book. And I mean one of those that gets you riled up sometimes and agreeing sometimes, and sometimes thinking to yourself ‘I have been trying my darndest to put that into words and there it is.’ The ending really did me in. It was so beautiful. And when I finished it, my whole day just seemed beautiful. Do you ever have those days when everything is just beautiful? I read Hosea as well and it made things all that MORE beautiful. One of those days when it’s not about me, its not about what’s going on for my life, but kind of a God nudge saying ‘Hey, do you see what I’ve done in this world? Do you see what I’m doing? I’m so glad you want to be a part of it.’
2. I’ve always been interested in the God vs. Science debate, always wanted to hear the different angles and contest them on my own. But honestly I don’t really have a background that certifies me to know that much. BUT you have GOT to read this article - God vs. Science from Time mag last fall. it is fantastic. Francis Collins knows his stuff, and just reading what he’s said makes me feel smarter. I know I shouldn’t take other people’s words flat and praise them without thinking critically, but honestly I think he is right on. He’s also recently written a book that I’m reading with one of my Core Groups (Bible studies) called The Language of God. I’ll let you know how it goes. So far? 1st chapter = Ace.
3. I just watched the movie Babel. And honestly, I think it wasn’t as good as Crash, but was getting at the heart of the same message. That no matter where you’re from, what you do, or who you are, we all face similar issues, experiences, pains, hopes, etc. And it’s funny because even after finishing the movie and thinking it’s not THAT great, I feel really reflective. Maybe because it’s tying so many different people together it just reminds me of how huge the world is and how many people there are and problems in the world, and how ignorance is one of the worst. Right now I’m reading a book called A Thousand Splendid Suns (okay, so maybe I like reading … a lot …) and it is really good. It sends you into a different culture and a different way of thinking. I love that immersion. I had a dream a few nights ago that I’m pretty sure was influenced by it, in which I am married off, in an arranged marriage. My attitude in the dream was not to scoff, not to protest, not to try and get out of it, but comply with the ceremony and the life that was to be ahead. Really weird, but interesting. Not to say I now understand arranged marriages, but I had this attitude of ‘let’s make the best of it’ which is something I think (here comes the stereotype) as Americans we don’t really try to do. Which is funny, because I think the original American dream was that we can make the best of what we have, no matter how small or insignificant, and make it into something great. And now Americans (my generation?) have an attitude of ‘well I deserve better, I deserve more’ or ‘I’m stuck in a bad spot and woe is me, send your pity, can you believe this happened to me?’ Not an attitude of, ‘alright, we can make this work, we just have to try something else.’ What happened? We started taking the things that are privileges and try to make them into our rights. Weird, don’t you think?
1. I just finished the book Searching For God Knows What. I can’t believe it took me so long, because I started it back in the spring, but didn’t get very far due to that whole graduating thing and the busyness stuff. But WHAT a GREAT book. And I mean one of those that gets you riled up sometimes and agreeing sometimes, and sometimes thinking to yourself ‘I have been trying my darndest to put that into words and there it is.’ The ending really did me in. It was so beautiful. And when I finished it, my whole day just seemed beautiful. Do you ever have those days when everything is just beautiful? I read Hosea as well and it made things all that MORE beautiful. One of those days when it’s not about me, its not about what’s going on for my life, but kind of a God nudge saying ‘Hey, do you see what I’ve done in this world? Do you see what I’m doing? I’m so glad you want to be a part of it.’
2. I’ve always been interested in the God vs. Science debate, always wanted to hear the different angles and contest them on my own. But honestly I don’t really have a background that certifies me to know that much. BUT you have GOT to read this article - God vs. Science from Time mag last fall. it is fantastic. Francis Collins knows his stuff, and just reading what he’s said makes me feel smarter. I know I shouldn’t take other people’s words flat and praise them without thinking critically, but honestly I think he is right on. He’s also recently written a book that I’m reading with one of my Core Groups (Bible studies) called The Language of God. I’ll let you know how it goes. So far? 1st chapter = Ace.
3. I just watched the movie Babel. And honestly, I think it wasn’t as good as Crash, but was getting at the heart of the same message. That no matter where you’re from, what you do, or who you are, we all face similar issues, experiences, pains, hopes, etc. And it’s funny because even after finishing the movie and thinking it’s not THAT great, I feel really reflective. Maybe because it’s tying so many different people together it just reminds me of how huge the world is and how many people there are and problems in the world, and how ignorance is one of the worst. Right now I’m reading a book called A Thousand Splendid Suns (okay, so maybe I like reading … a lot …) and it is really good. It sends you into a different culture and a different way of thinking. I love that immersion. I had a dream a few nights ago that I’m pretty sure was influenced by it, in which I am married off, in an arranged marriage. My attitude in the dream was not to scoff, not to protest, not to try and get out of it, but comply with the ceremony and the life that was to be ahead. Really weird, but interesting. Not to say I now understand arranged marriages, but I had this attitude of ‘let’s make the best of it’ which is something I think (here comes the stereotype) as Americans we don’t really try to do. Which is funny, because I think the original American dream was that we can make the best of what we have, no matter how small or insignificant, and make it into something great. And now Americans (my generation?) have an attitude of ‘well I deserve better, I deserve more’ or ‘I’m stuck in a bad spot and woe is me, send your pity, can you believe this happened to me?’ Not an attitude of, ‘alright, we can make this work, we just have to try something else.’ What happened? We started taking the things that are privileges and try to make them into our rights. Weird, don’t you think?
Anyway, sorry this got so long. I should probably have put it all in a journal but here it is. Thank you, World Wide Web. That’s cool too huh, world wide. Oh, and I think I’m beginning to miss some of my own community – not to say these people aren’t ridiculously fun, but those people at home, who already know who I am, and all of our inside jokes. Plus the ability to have conversations about #1,2, and 3 up above. But don’t worry, these people are truly amazing, we’ll get there. And here, I’ll end this thing with another beautiful image of beautiful people …
1 comment:
You're funny. Let's talk soon, like today.
Post a Comment