Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
My Hand
"Artists can't help but do what they love- painters can't help but draw, poets can't help but write."
DON'T QUOTE ME. They feed after each other's llama-ness. Curtain-climbers. Crib-midgets. Rug-rats. Haterific. Schtick (Yiddish). Your soul is the one thing you can't compromise. Crankbucket. Our towers are in sync! Can we not get into coffee semantics tonight, please? I am going to need you to umbrella me back to our dorm.
A mixture of words, quotes, and phrases covering my hand... there are a few already washed away that are not in this lovely list, but I think this gets the point across.
DON'T QUOTE ME. They feed after each other's llama-ness. Curtain-climbers. Crib-midgets. Rug-rats. Haterific. Schtick (Yiddish). Your soul is the one thing you can't compromise. Crankbucket. Our towers are in sync! Can we not get into coffee semantics tonight, please? I am going to need you to umbrella me back to our dorm.
A mixture of words, quotes, and phrases covering my hand... there are a few already washed away that are not in this lovely list, but I think this gets the point across.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Happy Humpday
I really hate that term- it brings to mind things better left locked away- but today it was the last thing I heard from my German professor, and I was at a loss for a witty post title. So there you go.
Anywho (love this word- though I can't for the life of me remember when I started using it), on this gloriously weird day I made up (or at least I hope I did) a new word, and I heard a new twist on an old phrase:
evility: the quality or state of being evil
"He didn't really sweep me off my feet- he just picked me up and ran away." (much thanks to a dear friend for this little gem)
AND, as if these were not enough to satisfy my nerdiness, earlier this week I discovered that pedestrian can be used to describe something as being commonplace. Strange, no?
Anywho (love this word- though I can't for the life of me remember when I started using it), on this gloriously weird day I made up (or at least I hope I did) a new word, and I heard a new twist on an old phrase:
evility: the quality or state of being evil
"He didn't really sweep me off my feet- he just picked me up and ran away." (much thanks to a dear friend for this little gem)
AND, as if these were not enough to satisfy my nerdiness, earlier this week I discovered that pedestrian can be used to describe something as being commonplace. Strange, no?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Written by a dear friend of mine...
A bold coyote demands everything fried green. His ignorant judgment kills lambs making nothing of pineapples. Queen Rachel says that usually vexed wizards Xerox your zebras.
-Jared McCoy
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
A New Love
secret: adj. done, made, or conducted without the knowledge of others. n. something that is or is kept secret, hidden, or concealed.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Positivity
"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
My mother used to recite this verse when I was little, and it seemed to pop up a lot in our home. It is, I think, a very decent representation of how one should view... well, everything.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
On pacifism
pac-i-fism: n. 1. opposition to war or violence of any kind 2. refusal to engage in military activity because of one's principles or beliefs 3. the principle or policy that all differences among nations should be adjusted without recourse to war*
The subject of pacifism arose in my religion class today, and so I thought I might post something about it on a very popular social networking site. Here are the three major responses I received to my prompt.
"It's the extreme of a spectrum of ideologies that places faith in the 'natural desire' of people to live in peace with each other, despite racial, cultural, religious, or other differences that may divide them. Because it is an extreme, it is practically useless in the world of today. I am, of course, speaking on a national scale. Speaking on a personal scale, it would be more correct to refer to this as being non-confrontational or something to that extent."
"Pacifism, in the sense of liking peace, should be everyone's ideal. However, in the sense of being afraid of violence, that's foolish. Sometimes, violence (even war) is necessary to protect the innocent."
"Theologically, for me, pacifism has to do with the ushering of God's kingdom of peace. It will not work for nations since they do not follow an ethic of God's kingdom. It was prophesied by the prophets. Isaiah and Micah both said, the day w...ill come when people will "beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks." However, pacifism is a misnomer. Instead of being passive about something, it refers to the creative use of nonviolence to enact change and to reverse control. (Someone will throw that Edmund Burke quote about this moment). Violence is about keeping the illusion of control and strength. That's why the Sermon on the Mount has those twists on conventional ethics. Roman legionnaires could force subjugated people to carry baggage for only a mile. If someone were willing to carry it the extra mile, then the Roman soldier would be in the wrong and lose control of the situation (From Walter Wink). Pacifism as commonly constructed is based on 19th c. Liberal Modernism that thinks everybody will get along because humanity is basically good. Scripture and theology routinely teaches us that this is not the case. We live in a fallen world, but Christians are called to live no longer like the world and use its mean to usher change. In the early church, converts either left the Roman legions or moved to noncombatant roles like the postal service or firefighting. Martin of Tours felt this way. To quote the title of MLK Jr's book, it takes "strength to love" our enemies, but it will transform them.
It's not just an ivory tower either. Currently, Christian peacemaking teams exist in Africa, the Middle East, and other places around the globe. In this country, Christian communities are trying to transform area by living different than the neighbors round about them (Rootba House, the Simple Way, Koinonia Farms), while the churches collect offerings to support "programs." One can be a Christian and still use the Just War Theory, but if that theory was carried to its fullest many will find that most of the conflicts we term wars are not just. Nonviolence becomes a complete way to live life God's way as far as I can tell."
*definition courtesy of dictionary.com
The subject of pacifism arose in my religion class today, and so I thought I might post something about it on a very popular social networking site. Here are the three major responses I received to my prompt.
"It's the extreme of a spectrum of ideologies that places faith in the 'natural desire' of people to live in peace with each other, despite racial, cultural, religious, or other differences that may divide them. Because it is an extreme, it is practically useless in the world of today. I am, of course, speaking on a national scale. Speaking on a personal scale, it would be more correct to refer to this as being non-confrontational or something to that extent."
"Pacifism, in the sense of liking peace, should be everyone's ideal. However, in the sense of being afraid of violence, that's foolish. Sometimes, violence (even war) is necessary to protect the innocent."
"Theologically, for me, pacifism has to do with the ushering of God's kingdom of peace. It will not work for nations since they do not follow an ethic of God's kingdom. It was prophesied by the prophets. Isaiah and Micah both said, the day w...ill come when people will "beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks." However, pacifism is a misnomer. Instead of being passive about something, it refers to the creative use of nonviolence to enact change and to reverse control. (Someone will throw that Edmund Burke quote about this moment). Violence is about keeping the illusion of control and strength. That's why the Sermon on the Mount has those twists on conventional ethics. Roman legionnaires could force subjugated people to carry baggage for only a mile. If someone were willing to carry it the extra mile, then the Roman soldier would be in the wrong and lose control of the situation (From Walter Wink). Pacifism as commonly constructed is based on 19th c. Liberal Modernism that thinks everybody will get along because humanity is basically good. Scripture and theology routinely teaches us that this is not the case. We live in a fallen world, but Christians are called to live no longer like the world and use its mean to usher change. In the early church, converts either left the Roman legions or moved to noncombatant roles like the postal service or firefighting. Martin of Tours felt this way. To quote the title of MLK Jr's book, it takes "strength to love" our enemies, but it will transform them.
It's not just an ivory tower either. Currently, Christian peacemaking teams exist in Africa, the Middle East, and other places around the globe. In this country, Christian communities are trying to transform area by living different than the neighbors round about them (Rootba House, the Simple Way, Koinonia Farms), while the churches collect offerings to support "programs." One can be a Christian and still use the Just War Theory, but if that theory was carried to its fullest many will find that most of the conflicts we term wars are not just. Nonviolence becomes a complete way to live life God's way as far as I can tell."
*definition courtesy of dictionary.com
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