The worlds coolest tattoo
I had the worlds coolest idea for a tattoo (forgive me if I’ve shared this before). You know the buddhist koan “what is the sound of one hand clapping”? Imagine, if you will, that you took just the second part of that phrase, “… the sound of one hand clapping”, and translated it into chinese characters. Your tattoo would be the very answer to the koan! So awesome. The only downside is that I don’t think Chinese works like English that way, and it probably wouldn’t work. But if it DOES work I would seriously consider getting a tattoo like that. Or maybe just a fancy hand-drawn calligraphy copy to display.
Ode to an Ode (On a Grecian Urn)
I love language (not the “Love Languages”, but that is a whole other deal). Not only does an expanded vocabulary expand your ability to communicate subtleties (and enhances your inner life in the process), but just by looking at the words you can come to new insights as to how the world is put together. What do you think of when you see the word “wrong”? Likely you think of morality, e.g. “murder is wrong”. But there is also the aesthetic meaning, “Andre the Giant was all out of proportion, he just looked wrong”. It is my contention that these two in fact converge; morality is itself aesthetic. We do not feel compelled to respond to injustice because of the injustice itself, but because at a deep level we see it is “not right”. The pattern is broken, the beauty is marred, the original vision is corrupted. I find this good argument for the Fall… if Good were an emergent property we were growing into, it wouldn’t make sense that our aesthetic sense would exceed our ability to make things right. It strikes me as a memory of what once was, that there was a time when things were not thus, and there may be such a time again. Anyhow… this also explains to me why we feel good about doing good deeds… it is an act of creation; we are creating/restoring beauty.
Backlash Revisited
Last time I talked about Backlash and the shades of futility that come from trying to change anything. But I thought of two exceptions. In the case of gravity, it is true that by raising an object you are engineering its fall. But with a suitable anchor (such as a boulder) the object will stay elevated indefinitely. With rocks they will eventually wear away (or melt when the sun envelops the earth). But in a spiritual sense if you have God or something equally permanent to rely on you can escape the consequences. But more interesting than that is the case of nuclear energy. The whole idea of backlash is that there are forces at work that made the world as it is, and moving in one direction is like stretching a rubber band. But in the nuclear case, you undo the very bonds that hold things together. And in the process you release tremendous energy that can be used for other purposes. If the current world does not suit you, the nuclear option lets you undo the very fabric of reality. This is figurative of course, but the point is we do not have to be constrained by the properties of the universe as we know it. To undo even the smallest of bonds releases tremendous potential.
Mysteries of Fashion
There are plenty of things I don’t understand, but fashion is pretty high on the list. Why in the world is it considered poor form if you wear a new shirt that still has the manufacturers fold lines visible (i.e. you didn’t wash and iron it first before wearing). If the shirt is brand-new, that is as good as it’s going to get, right? I can imagine some ultra-wealthy person refusing to wear anything but brand new clothes, and the creases would be a mark of distinction (you can’t recreate those at home). Why is it desirable to pretend that you’ve had the article of clothing for a long time? It’s like trying to replace your “new car smell” with the funk of a rotting bananna or something. Can anyone explain this?
While I am on fashion, I’m thinking it is time for the cape to make a comeback. I read a story today where some crazy guy made threats to kill Obama while he was visiting the bank (http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=807770). The main reason he stood out was because he wore a cape. We can’t sit by while a perfectly good fashion is given a bad rap before it’s inevitable resurgence. I don’t know where you can even buy a cape, or under what circumstance it would be appropriate for me to wear one (work and social settings both seem out). Let me know if you have any ideas.
The Library That Isn’t
They recently completed the Billy Graham library here in Charlotte, and there are a number of billboards that say “No books to check out, just his story”. This struck me as odd, until I realized that there were probably a good number of people who showed up at the library with the intention of checking out books. At first I thought those people were morons, but on review I’m left thinking the whole concept of a memorial library is mildly absurd. In ministry, to elevate the minister is borderline idolatry… I’m not familiar with the Billy Graham setup so I don’t want to presume too much, but he is famous because he pointed people to God, right? So if people are focusing on the minutiae of his life, doesn’t that imply they aren’t taking his advice to make God the focus instead? If we are saying “he was a one-of-a-kind great man, none of us will ever be like him”, doesn’t that undermine his whole teaching? Anyway it got me thinking about my own legacy… not that this will happen, but if someone were to build a library of my life, what sort of documents would be included? Maybe a list of credit card purchases; meals at taco bell, music cds, movies, video games? A print out of these blog posts? My google listings? All the information would fit in a shoebox. I better start leaving a better paper trail, just in case.
A Theme
The world is always bigger than we think. We (or at least me) have a tendency toward the epic, thinking that wherever we are or whatever we are doing is supremely important, that we are in the final stages of the game, and our actions in this moment will surely “echo in eternity”. Eventually we will be right I guess (you have to die sometime), but for the most part we are very melodramatic. Back to the “eternity” quote, remember that this was said in the first scene of Gladiator… he was talking like they were about to die, yet it was just the first scene of the movie. Or take Lord of the Rings, where Frodo barely makes it to Rivendell after being poisoned, and talks about how it was a great adventure, but he is glad it is over and he gets to hand over the Ring and go home. Sorry dude, you are just getting started, two and a half more books to go. Or imagine the old-time settlers heading West… you hit Ohio or wherever the border was, and feel like you have finally left civilization and are about to reach your destination… except it keeps going… and going… and then you hit the Rockies… getting out of civilization was just the prologue, but at the time I bet many of them thought that was the bulk of the journey. Arrival in Heaven will be like this, guaranteed.
Arguing
You would think this was common sense, but before you to get into an argument with someone, take a moment and think about exactly what it is you are trying to accomplish. Presumably, in most cases you are arguing because you believe that you are right and the other person is wrong, and you want them to agree with your point of view. Supposing you are really are in the right, do you think yelling and lobbing insults is going to bring them over to your way of thinking? Has that approach every changed YOUR mind? It is horrible strategic choice. Maybe they are a rival, and you are both trying to look better than the other in front of some third party. Is flying off the handle going to impress the judge? I think not. If your goal is to make the other person like you even less and possibly harm their self-image, you may have found the right approach. But hopefully you have higher aspirations than that.
Spiritual Monkeys
We are quite a mess. Our vision apprehends the loftiest of ideals, yet we are driven by the basest of physical impulses… even the most ascended spiritual masters struggle with hunger and sex and temperature and physical safety. No matter your beliefs regarding pacifism, you still have to eat, and that means killing and/or defending your crops against invaders. Or in modern society you contract it out, paying your taxes to the .gov who provides police, military, etc. In a romantic relationship you may wish for a merging of souls, but in practice you don’t get much beyond base rutting. It all makes for a difficult dilemma; where must aspiration end and realism begin? Do you govern with an eye toward what we hope to be, or instead seek to manage the behavior we will inevitably see? It is the liberal/conservative split in essence, and I have no idea what to do about it.
Bonus Music – One of my favorite songs:
