Our Agenda Usurped

Greetings,

It is easy to be outraged at the recent usurpations by the federal government. It is frightening when one considers the possible future--the country has definitely changed. A hand up from the community--in which the Church was the primary agent--has become the indiscriminate Robin Hood state we have encountered in Europe and can now observe burgeoning in DC. While i will not argue that we should not give Caesar his due. Caesar has, over the past century usurped the Christian agenda. Perhaps at a later time I will expand on this concept since it goes further than a simple usurpation of agenda. Even so, I cannot help but believe that the Christian world is a little culpable for this development.

When Christians ceased to be the principle source for relief from poverty and disasters in the world, whether from a lack of ability or a dearth of empathy (understand that I am not trying to posit blame), the door was opened for those seeking political leverage to snatch the agenda from the Christian community. It is difficult for me to consider the recent turn of events in Washington or the past century's government expansionist follies apart from the impoverished classes' support for their "relief" programs. I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO READ YOUR IDEAS CONCERNING THIS.

Sirach 7:32-36 along with many other references in scripture strongly urged us to be the agents for poverty and disaster relief in our communities. If not us then who? Well we know the answer.

I would now like to turn this over for comments and debate.

Peace

Things old and new...

1. Wedded Bliss. First things first...one of our own wed his beautiful bride last Saturday...congrats, Dr. Zeius. The service was simple, classy, and appropriate. This...however...cannot be said of the three days of dionysian revelry that preceded this most important of days. If I see another bottle of Crown Royal in the next 6 months...it will be too soon. Also... it is just over a year since the stars aligned...causing the self-proclaimed "Bloggers Convention 2008" to occur in Savannah, Ga....for those who were there...you would be satisfied to know...that we had a Hall n Oats redux...ha!

2. On That Midnight Train To....Tennessee? Well....folks...as you can read below, I've been in a transition period, with regards to job, location, direction, etc...and I've now resolution, of sorts. I've accepted a position at a financial institution in Tennessee, and will be moving next week. Actually, my office is located in the same town as my under-grad Alma mater. Now...I am very excited about the job, as it is a considerable promotion...and am excited about being near so many folks that I care about. Still, I make this move with a trace amount of trepidation. Why? I'm not sure....it possibly has to do with the feeling of working so hard to get out of a place...only to return. This said, I am blessed, and embrace the opportunity with a full and thankful heart.

3. Hope and Change. There are so....so...many words I want/could/should type about President Obama's performance and attempt to move our nation towards a centralized and neutralized economy and politic...and will at some point. Right now...though...I just don't have it in me. Well...it's there....but I'm just...so....effing....angry...scared...and frustrated...that I'm not ready. I will say this though...both Rahm Emanuel and Hillary Clinton have been quoted recently as saying, " Never waste a good crisis.". Clinton said it most recently with regards to climate change. Think about that...these people know that families are struggling...losing jobs...losing homes...losing life savings...and their avowed and open response to this is "how can we use their suffering to advance our national-socialist agenda...". As I wrote...there will be more rants in the near future....but for now...I want to go on record as saying...this will not work. The mere premise...much less action...of redistributive economic policy is anathema to the American spirit. We will rise up, if tread upon...and we won't just flood the streets...as we have careers and families...but we are the producers...the business owners...the innovators...the do-ers...we make it happen...and we expect liberty while we do it...nay, we demand it. After all...isn't it written somewhere that it is an inalienable right endowed by our creator...not some "community organizer" who has dreams of a forced and coerced utopian equanimity. Which leads me to...

4. "Atlas, Can I Join You?". In light of the stench emanating from D.C. these days, I find it required of me to visit Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, as it deals with some of the issues referenced above. Feel free to join me...I'll have a post soon on my related thoughts.

5. Music To My Ears. I've been visiting with my dad and grandparents all week...kind of taking things in before the move. My days have been largely spent reading and listening to music. One of the folks that I've spent an inordinate amount of time with is Mendelssohn. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite composers. His is an under-appreciated and undervalued talent...as compared to the "bigs"...Mozart, Bach, Haydn, etc..

And, finally...I am very excited about an artist that I've recently discovered. Her voice is the right mix of sensual simplicity and crisp earnestness....and her story is very compelling. She went to Europe to study French, German, and Italian for a Master's degree in Comparative Lit...and was discovered for her voice. Gentlemen, if you are so inclined....get a good bottle of wine, slide your arms around the waist of beautiful woman, and enjoy the gift of Stacey Kent.

The road less traveled...

A few thoughts on recent goings-on...both personal and otherwise:

1. Life's little surprises. Well....I've happened upon another little fork in the road...having just resigned my position with a financial institution. The thing is...at this stage of my life...any decision I make regarding work is a career decision...one that has long-lasting implications. Aside from the economic downturn that has folks..shall we say...hesitant to hire...frankly, I'm not sure what to do. I enjoy what I've been doing these last few years...and this particular path would be fairly lucrative, were I to continue. Still, I have this thing in me that wants to strike out again...as it were...to abandon reserve and travel. In fact, I've already sent multiple resumes to international schools in Europe, South America, and Asia. So...we'll see. While it can be scary...life is always an adventure.

2. The anti-stimulus stimulus. Regardless of one's political affiliation...how difficult is it to rationally discern that to call something an "emergency stimulus package", the funds would need to be dispersed fairly soon? Meaning, what are funds allocations doing in an "emergency bill" if they aren't used until 2011. I truly believe Pelosi to be the worst Speaker in a good long while.

3. A supporting list. The other day, Dr. Zeius and I were speaking...and the conversation turned to " best supporting actors of the last 25 years". The first name that came up....Bill Paxton. Think about it....Aliens, Weird Science, Tombstone, Apollo 13, True Lies, etc...this guy was in many many good movies...and his characters were all memorable. So...here is a list very quick and thoughtless list of my nominees( in no order):

Bill Paxton
Bruno Kirby
Marissa Tomei
Kevin Bacon
Ed Harris

4. Finally...a bit of music. This is one of my favorite songs...from one of my favorite albums...from one of my favorite bands in the 90's. I don't listen them much...but when I do...nostalgia sweeps me up. Ladies and gentlemen...Mazzy Star.

My terminal truancy...

My rather conspicuous absence here is about to end...and there is all of maybe 10 folks left out there that would even care. Nonetheless, blogging should begin anew some time before Christmas. Until then, here is video of a couple of songs that I've grown to appreciate. Both are performed with an iconic aura...and a serious weight problem. Enjoy.

* i've also included a brief clip from a movie that i had no idea that i would like...and did...that includes a very brief rendition of my favorite secular Christmas song.

In my ears, eyes, and mind (in Herodotus' absence)

Mere Christianity – I’ve finally begun reading Mere Christianity after having purposed to do so somewhere between ages 15 and 17…I will be 28 in October. My lack of motivation notwithstanding, it has been a while since I started a book with this level of expectation and excitement. I have read here and there and found works, like Lewis’ The Great Divorce, that I read at someone else’s behest and finished with excitement, but not for a long time have I began reading something anticipating its greatness and relevance from the outset…Also, an unwelcomed restructuring of my budget is calling for me to cut off my cable which means my literary intake should increase by about 4000%, and it should be this way for a while. At this, there are so many books I’ve planned to read through the years and never have…Any suggestions where to start?


La Vie En Rose (Louis Armstrong) – This is a wonderful song, my favorite version of which would be Mr. Armstrong’s…My jazz season has started early. Usually about the time the first cold spell of fall hits, I go through a personal season where my jazz collection takes center stage, but for some reason, I am there early.

Faith and Reason – I’ve been thinking a lot lately on the relationship between our ability to reason and necessity to have faith. For a Christian, my beliefs about God, humanity, etc…necessitate my “suspending disbelief”, to some degree, to accept the “absurd” idea of God taking the form of man and then dying and resurrecting to redeem humanity. So it seems obvious that, at the base level of belief, faith requires the suspension of my rational capability, but I know a lot of Christians who operate on this notion in all aspects of the faith, their argument being that, since humanity is inherently sinful, our sense of reason is polluted thus requiring the life of faith being based solely on belief in the absurd. It’s almost as if they see reason like a bent shovel no longer useful for digging. They carry this mentality into some of the very practical practices of faith like, for instance, in how they interpret and, thus, apply scripture. To me, accepting the need for and/or possibility of the absurd is very different than assuming that possibility as denouncing the practical. I guess my tendency is to see my reason not as a “bent shovel” but as a sound one needing faith to be the map that shows me where to dig. Now, I know at least one person who has been, literally, at the point of death from cancer and been miraculously, instantaneously, and wholly healed by God. I know this person well. I know that he is not crazy, and, further, I know other people who also are not crazy that can verify his story. That is absurd. I have no problem with that, but does that mean that when I read Paul’s Epistles I should forego my ability to process and apply information (i.e. reason) and rely simply on my expectation of the absurd?...Thoughts?

"Lost" – I recently decided, with some friends, to start at the beginning and work my way through to catch up on this show. I usually don’t get sucked into shows and am typically skeptical when they’re praised as much as this show has been. However, I simply had too many people with opinions I value and trust in these things recommend, almost demand, that I watch this show. Well, here I am almost done with the second season and I have two thoughts:

1. I can’t believe I haven’t been watching this show.

2. With the reality TV mess that we’ve created, it’s nice to turn on a show and actually be entertained. Call me prudish, but I am simply sick of turning on my television only to find a bunch of idiots running around in their underwear and poking holes in the moral fabric of our next generation. Not only is it raunchy, but it’s just not entertaining. I don’t watch TV to be reminded of how ridiculous life can be. I watch TV to be entertained and escape that. So, ultimately, it doesn’t matter if Michael gets Walt back or whether Jack finally realizes that Kate is the devil because they’re not real…I can get into the story then shut it off and go to sleep unlike when I see the 19 year old "reality star"getting ripped and taking her clothes off on national TV that hopefully won’t be one of my nieces, cousins, or, gulp, daughters some day.

cheers

zeius

A few more weeks...

So...it has been a while since I've been in contact. And...really...this site isn't under construction. Rather, my computer crashed, and I am in the process of getting another. Until then, blogging will be sporadic at best. Still, if there needs to be a post that lingers at the top of the page...the most recent post more than suffices. But this too shall pass....Hope you are all well.

LOVE/LO-OVE! Or, A Five-Year Plan of My Very Own...