Man's Wreckless Reason...

I have, as of late, been reading The Essay of Man by Alexander Pope. The four-epistle poem is a tale of mankind. It is Pope's observation of the enlightenment period. He lived during a time when the world was emphasizing Reason rather than utilizing the Church's direction. The composition of his work notes that human beings edified themselves like gods. They gave to self love. And certainly while the time period may have come with any number of successful ideas or accomplishments, the approach was very self satisfying, at least in Pope's perspective. The following passages are from his poetic prose-

"This light and darkness in our chaos join'd,
What shall divide?
The God within the mind...."
-- Alexander Pope, Essay of Man, Ep. 2--

"Know then thyself, presume not God to scan,
The proper study of mankind is man.
Plac'd on this isthmus of a middle state,
A being darkly wise, and rudely great:
With too much knowledge for the sceptic side,
With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride,
He hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest;
In doubt to deem himself a God, or beast;
In doubt his mind or body to prefer;
Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err;
Alike in ignorance, his reason such,
Whether he thinks too little or too much:
Chaos of thought and passion, all confus'd;
Still by himself abus'd or disabus'd;
Created half to rise, and half to fall;
Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all.."
--Alexander Pope, Essay of Man, Ep.2--

"Who, foe to nature, hears the gen'ral groan,
Murders their species, and betrays his own.
But just disease to luxury succeeds,
And ev'ry death its own avenger breeds;
The fury-passions from that blood began,
And turn'd on man, a fiercer savage, man."
--Alexander Pope, Essay of Man, Ep.3--

As I read these words I think - this was not a new phenomonon, it isn't now either. There is nothing new about it. BUT it is a series of passages written as a cry for a people to see the consequences of their selfish ways and it was written long after teachers of old did the same. The passages present the the problem and how mankind betrays himself when he sinks to the level that is below even that of creatures he is charge over. The essay is not a claim to return to the Church's demands of that time, rather to lay down the god of reason in their own lives. It's fascinating and thought provoking and beautifully communicated. Pope was not celebrated over this work. In fact he was highly criticized for it...having spoken out again mis-use of developing science, art, and theories of that time.

Ironically the poem, thus far, reminds me of a great lyricist today-

"Adam lives in theory
Trying to turn stone into bread
Masquerading like he got it figured out
Cut off from the sunshine, only smart in his own head
Leaving his descendants to hope and doubt
Left to his devices, those worth the sacrifices
Praying to the alter of himself
Making pilgrimages, thinking he's religious
Like he's got all the light, and no one else

He takes the unsuspected
Cause he knows they're not connected
And he shows them how to be just as he is
Virtually real, and commercially appealed
To the lust of all the people where he lives..."
--Lauryn Hill, Adam Lives in Theory, Unplugged--

Today, I wonder, while we are looking for new ways to move forward and improve the whole world through technology, taking care of "mother nature" or whatever it may be; will we call ourselves gods? Is it really about "improving the world" or improving our status? And what good will we do if these things become so much our obsession that we forget who we are, or our Creator or the purpose for which we were created? Perhaps this is a more accusatory or negative point of view, and later, I will discuss the other side of these issues...

But for now, what do you think when you read these passages?

Documenting the World, Wk 14 & 15, Children @ Play

I figured I owed you two weeks worth of pictures. These are some of my favorite kids. I love how spirited, smart and simple they are.

Wk 14

Wk 15

The Cell Phone Age

Changing Church

Recently, I had a rather long and intriguing discussion about churches today- their influence, their effectiveness, lack thereof and certainly what it means to be a church, as an institution or as just people. (NOTE: Man of Depravity has an interesting note on church in the future)

One of people in the group stated that she is hoping her church, in Indiana, will try to focus on a major area of outreach rather than dabbling in numerous projects, "visions," or "community efforts." She's on the board and hopes they will seek to reach college students (it's a college town) who of course, grow into young families. She asked me what were some things I thought might stand in the way of that- what is it that the current generation is looking for in a "church community?"

Looking at my generation and seeing what I see, I notice a few things, I told her. Ultimately we wrestled over three main ideas concerning the institution of church today.

1- The Church needs to go out more, instead of recklessly trying to bring people in all the time, hype them up with glitz and glam in the sanctuaries, big screens and cool equipment. Go out. Jesus went out, he was among the poor, the needy, the broken and so on. Even in the book "In His Steps," the local congregation took to befriending the public rather than allure them into the church for conversions. This is not to say big churches with big presentation are wrong. They're not. But I wonder, on the whole, has it become a gimmick to collect people and numbers rather than reaching for their hearts?

2-The second idea was not quite as easy because while I don't have a solid solution for this (other than just do it, but easier said than done for some people), I noted that pastors needed to be human- not only in their own delivery, but also in the eyes of their church members and even the community around them. Throughout the years priests and pastors have gotten caught in a series of scandals- money, sex, and so on- I think that two things go on there: first off, the leader himself tastes power and rather than taking responsibility, attempts to hide behind an image that he or she is not following. Secondly, people in the church put so much pressure on the pastor or leader to be perfect in every way and forget that leaders are human and are just as fallible. This again, is not to say, that leaders should not be aware of the position they carry. James clearly stated a warning...that not many should assume the role of pastor, b/c of the example they should set and how they will be judged. BUT- at the same time, why do we elevate them to "God's level?" And, why do they refuse to admit their struggles, be connectible to their church bodies?

3-Finally I mentioned that alienating people on a hierarchy of sins is wrong. When Churches do not make people feel welcome based on one issue, for example, homosexuality, but do not see the guy cheating on his taxes every year, or cheating on his wife, there is a problem. The Church needs to be open about the issues that plague the human race, talk about them, not bull-horn their way through the laws of the Old Testament. Let people ask questions. God has a lot more grace than we give him credit for and opening a discussion and offering love to people is what the Cross is all about. This is not to say churches should compromise to make everyone happy...but it IS about, again, realizing that we all have issues, we are fallible, we are all forgiven and addressing ideas from a practical standpoint is not un-biblical nor is the bible unpractical. So, my question is, what are the issues? How is the church not dealing with them? How can they do so better? Let's discover it together and become the people God created us to be.

Ultimately I stated that I think the church is about the people and not a 4-walled building we ritually attend every week. Nevertheless; these only skim the surface of our discussion. They only are a small taste of the differences that could be made and what ails the generation today about "church,"- both w/ and w/o faith in Christ.

What do you think?

Documenting the World, Wk 13, Studious

He found a way to pass the time after a small party for a special 90-year-old woman. And since he could not express his exhuberence w/ green hair on this day...the doctor whipped out his colorful tie. Charming, isn't it?

Love on the Brain, Part II

Just short of a month ago, I wrote a blog discussing love and brain chemistry. This week, in lieu of Valentine's day, I am continuing my thoughts.

I recently read an article in Psychology Today discussing the importance of touch in a relationship. The article discussed that touch, particularly during a tense moment, can alleviate harsh feelings toward your significant other. The author, Sue Johnson, even noted that, "Once we do feel safely linked with our partner, we can tolerate the hurts they will- inevitably- inflict upon us..."

While the article, Hold Me Tight, works through a number of mishandled conflicts of couples, it ultimately establishes that physical connection will essentially bring deep emotional connection. She rejects the idea that during conflict leaving the other person alone does any real good for the relationship. At one point, Johnson explains an example of a man, who is frustrated that making tea for the woman he loves, when she is afraid or timid, isn't enough, and rather, he ought to put his hand on her shoulder and draw her in- this will calm her that much more. She discusses the idea that couples who are in love are always touching. Johnson says that observing a couple reaching for one another is a tangible sign of their desire to love each other and connect in a way, that just maybe, they did not before.

Ironically, Dr. Gary Chapman, author of the Five Love Languages, lists Physical Touch as one of the five. The others include: Quality Time, Acts of Service, Gifts, and Words of Affirmation. He emphasizes that if we begin to love our significant other in their love language rather than our own, our chances of success change drastically.

Certainly all acts of love are important into establishing healthy relationships and maintaining them. It's important to learn about the psychological, emotional and even biological aspects of how we are treating the persons we love the most in our lives.

Your thoughts?

And from me to you- Happy Love Day!

Documenting the World, Wk 12, It Moves Me

Breathe and

Dance

Have I done these things today?

This is the essence of being

Release

Unconscious repetition

Of something so great

That it begins

And ends as-

Yod Hay Vav Hay

The Twit Experiment: Jury Duty

I woke around 6am. Truth was, I had never really fallen asleep. My eyes were so tired, and my body had no motivation, but I had jury duty, and so, like a good citizen, I got up. I slipped on a pair of charcoal-colored pants, my favorite beige sweater and threw my hair up in a pony tail. I debated for a moment whether to wear contacts or glasses, and decided on glasses. My sleepy eyes couldn't take the sting of contact solution. I knew it was going to be a long day. After looking in the mirror one last time, I grabbed a book, my phone and a my purse- there was just enough time to sneak in a bowl of cereal and head out the door.

As I was driving to the designated parking lot; I thought about what I could do to pass the time should I not be selected to serve as a juror for trial. Hopping onto the shuttle to the court house, I decided to experiment. I am not a Twitter subscriber, however, since I have Facebook mobile on my snazzy G1 phone, I thought perhaps I could update it every so often as to the events of my long day. Not that it was terribly eventful, but it was something to do. So in case my fellow facebookers missed it, this is how it all played out....

7:17AM- "Goin' from the parking lot to court hs in a shuttle bus...ppl look tired...its odd"
7:21AM- "Age demographics on this shuttle are not diverse..."
7:26AM- "Waitin in line to go thru security...gonna be a long day. Anyone got a snickers?"
7:30AM- "Will go thru security and to the 7th flr."
7:39AM- "Shhh...good thng I brought a book."
7:56AM- "People r still checking in. Yawn. Wonder when they get it started....more diversity iin juror waiting area."
8:05AM- "The 3 women next to me are chatting about texting like teenagers...haha...and they're twice my age."
8:16AM- "Back to book....this room is filled with people...how many do they need?"
8:22AM- " Its ironic I'm participating I the Amer. justice system while reading a book that talks about anti-Amer. demos in Iran..."[Note: according to the book, the demos mentioned were in the late 70s/early 80s around the Iranian revolution]
8:48AM- "The announcements are over...now we wait..."
8:55AM- "Apparently they keep you thru the day until courts are satisfied....eesh, wondering about work tonight."
9:22AM- "A very nice judge came down to personally thank us and explain that our sitting here is important"
**Melissa's Comment: Where are you sitting?-- Response: I was sitting in a chair...in a big room w/ a couple hundred other people...about 5 feet from the judge speaking.**
9:34AM- "I could use a sprite or something. Don't think I can go dow th hall to the vending mach yet..."
9:54AM- "A powerade and cinnamon poptarts..tasty treats."
10:32AM- "Lo bat. Will read...then update again soon."
11:42AM- "Almost lnch hour. 2 grps of 5 down. No call. Lo bat still."
12:52PM- "Nothin exciting. Frankly ready to go home and sleep..."
2:44PM- " Jury duty lagging only one of a dozen or so left...sigh."

They called the last of the jurors needed for a trial right after my last update. By about 3PM; my phone had completely died. I was in the juror's room until 3:32PM. I walked outside; it was colder than it had been before and it was drizzling. Great. One other juror waited at the shuttle stop with me for about 10 minutes. Personally, I was just grateful to be going home. It wasn't the most thrilling experience of my life, but at least I was able to finish a book I have started, Reading Lolita in Tehran. It was unfortunate that they kept so few of us another 45 minutes to an hour after they called the last of the people needed. But it was an experience, no?

I don't know that I could be a subscriber to twitter. Rarely do I have that kind of time or energy to dedicate keeping up with it. Facebook updates are enough for me I think.

I got home and crashed. I slept like a rock for about 7 hours and for that, dear friends, I am thankful.

Plugging In

Well, this comes a little earlier in the month than normal, but hey, while I'm still widdling through some thoughts, this will get you started in a month dedicated to love.

**News Blues~
-Regardless of your views on the topic, you would have to note that the new commercial from CatholicVote.org is fairly brilliant from an advertising point of view. However, it was rejected for a Super Bowl spot by NBC. The network claimed they were not looking to advertise anything "political" during the game. Of course to combat this- CommonSenseMedia.org did a study of over 50 football games through out the year and found intriguing results.

-So what exactly did President Obama do in his first ten days at the Chief? The UK Telegraph has a simple layout that goes day by day. And this is something I need about every 10 days continuing. It's much easier to keep up when the media bullet points it.

-Recently I pointed out an article from the New Yorker about the decline in Newspapers. This past week, a blog fan emailed me an article about how the economic downturn and technology is also affecting College newspapers.

**Flicks~
-Last night, I watched the film, "Burn After Reading." The indie comedy storyline takes place in Washington DC. After two fitness trainers discover a "high profile" disc with sensitive information on it, they decide to use it as blackmail to get paid. Stars include Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Frances McDormand. I thought the movie was hilarious and got a good laugh from the infamous dry humor. Plus Pitt had the best role for being a gum smacking clown. Netflix it...or whatever you do, it's great for a fun date night.

**Photography~
-My dearest friend, Kate, finally got a Flickr account. Now you can browse and swoon over her beautiful artwork a little bit easier.

-A photographer, by the name of LJ, recently took a great shot of a homeless man in L.A. He writes his story in the caption of the the picture and I vouch that it's completely touching. The photo itself is raw and colorful.

**Blogs~
-Harry Rud discussed, in his blog, an unflattering picture of dogs in Afghanistan and what it's like to be called a "dog-washer" in a struggling society.

-Tyler from Man of Depravity wants to know if we're all REALLY friends. This blog buddy-o-mine wonders if social spaces have diluted friendship at it's core. The answer? Probably yes. Thanks ol' chum (or is that young chum) for keeping us all in check!

-And, Brett McCracken has an interesting perspective on the "hipster" generation & Obama. While the young counter culture, "hippies at heart," were a great number among the Obama fans (and if not split b/t libertarian and anarchist attitudes); did they really get what they bargained for? This is a great blog touching that point.

For now, my dearest readers...carry on. Until next time....