A Experiment in Compromise

"America is a great experiment in compromise." - President Barack Obama.

While watching TV from the comfort of my couch
My show was interrupted by a guy with a grouch
He scowled and frowned, blabbered and rambled
All together he was wee bit jambled
He spoke of important people with letters after their name
Of things that would change the world and who was to blame
There were tall buildings in the background and short people in front
There was hustle that bustled and a building with a dome like a bunt

Finally a hush came over the crowd and the reporter stopped his yacking
A man in a suit walked towards the camera and began his lip smacking
His words had power and his voice great command
He inspired the people with his magnificent plans
Sure he'd made mistakes, and his grammar sometimes was lacking
But he wasn't a grade school teacher, he was a city planner with a whole city backing
His words inspired a nation, why I can not explain
His words led people to cheer and never complain
Of course, people complained about his opponents
But that's normal, it's life, it's politics components

His speech went on, and on, and on, I though I would never end
Eventually he concluded his communication announcement (which was almost perfectly penned)
His last remarks fell on almost deaf ears
My ears were mute to the crowds cheers
All I could hear was the one last remark
The one that send my head spinning like a ride at the amusement part
"America is a great experience in compromise" say what now?
America did what, when, and oh really, than how?

If America is an experiment in compromise, in meeting in the middle
If a communist socialism is the obvious answer to freedom's puzzling riddle
America was no more built on compromise and on the middle ground
That it was built by fairies, trolls, giants, and large pink basset hounds
America is what she is, and isn't what she's not
Because those who came first stood firm and wouldn't take squat

America is strong, independent, confident and more
She has her rights, they will be protected, so the fathers swore
America is the one on top, not because she gave in to the peer pressure
But because she stood against all odds, like wheat before the thresher

Compromise is to America what an abacus is to a tech nerd
Unacceptable, gross, impossible, and simply unheard
Did the pilgrims exercise compromise when they stood for their beliefs
Did the colonists crumble when parliament offered them no financial relief?
An experiment in compromise... where both sides give in a little
America, the place who let it go, who failed to give a rebuttal?
She is not the country who gave in, who let go, who crumbled and caved
She's the country who never accepted no, and who saved the freedom we all crave

America is not an experiment in comprise
She's the country who stood firm, regardless of size
America does not give in, She does not meet half way
She fights for what she believes in, not offers a bouquet
An experiment in compromise, pshaw, as if
That's only what the other guys wish

America, don't listen to the guy with a grouch or the smooth talking politicians
Listen to the facts that history has time and time again proven,
Those that give in will crumble and those that ignore will be taught how to think
America might be pushed and pulled, or brough to the brink
But the America that made history books happy, and gave hope the oppressed
She will not give in, she will go find half way. She will fight and not rest
We are not a compromise, we are not a plan gone half wrong
We are the country that will last forever and more, all time long
Compromise? Never! Surrender? Unheard of!
Conviction! Courage! Victory for those we love

Experiment in compromise? No
A free democracy with equality for one and all (even the right wing crazies and left side quacks)?
Oh yes please

Dictators

I’ve been thinking about dictators a lot today.  About Hitler and his notorious mustache, about Stalin and his brooding personality, about Mussolini and any food critic inklings he might have. Was Napoleon’s temperament like that of a 4 year old? Did Mao ever eat a hot dog?

Strange contemplations I know.

I’ve been thinking about the men who have tried to take over the world. Thinking about the men who were brilliant (debatable?), stupid, slightly sarcastic, cynical, optimistic, fashion setters, and generation erasers. These men changed the world by creating a force to be reckoned with. A force that drafted young people by the thousands and a force that eliminated people by the millions. These men came up with plans that took the world by surprised. Surprised because no one would have expected so astounding, brilliant and complex a plan feasible, and surprised because no one could have expected anything to vicious and inhuman. These men changed the world. They saw the world as out to get them and as vastly not good enough, as well as ripe for the picking and as an open opportunity. Everyone wanted to dress like them. They were the fashion setters. They even had their own handshake of sorts. Nice. They influenced the young people, and took out entire people groups. Entire generations were erased. Not bad for a careers work right? Most people would be proud to have accomplished 1/4^th of what these men have done. Of course, most people wouldn’t take out whole countries of people to do it, but no means. Things happen right? As long as it’s all for the greater goal of climbing the business ladder, it’s acceptable right? Onward! Upward! Climb that ladder!

Do you think that any of the dictators were friendly? Were they nice people to be around or were they always paranoid and frantic? We know they were charismatic, and possibly charming (Hitler’s mustache… that mustache!) but were they nice to be around?  Were they a pain? People followed them seemingly mindlessly. Was that just at the beginning? It seems hard to believe that all the thousands upon thousands of followers that did the dictators bidding would continue to be blindly led.  After the orders came to kill millions and to destroy world artifacts, didn’t someone somewhere have some inklings of doubt? Did they ever second-guess themselves? Did they ever wonder “WHY IN THE WORLD AM I FOLLOWING THIS NUT CASE?!” I bet somewhere, at some time, some young kid with a swastika on his armband second-guessed himself. How was his doubt taken care of? Was he, uh…. removed from his position and relocated to a more permanent place… cough cough (cemetery) or was he given a lecture, a promotion, and a smack on the back? Was he maybe given first one, and than the other? You guess which one came first.

One of the things that puzzles me most about dictators is how in the world they managed to convince their followers to believe in a society with “pure equality”. In an ideal world where everyone was in control and other own fates, where the multitudes could control the government, and where everyone worked for a common good with no one person above another. Yet, of course (as we all know) this world also had one solid dictator who made all the decisions and who is absolute control of absolutely everyone’s life.  The dictator told the people how to live and what to say, what language to say it in, where to live, what to believe in and what to think. The rules dictated what was right and wrong, they determined what art was, which people were valuable and which were not, and of course, they had money with their faces on it. That’s sounds like a completely normal equal society to me. Go equality! I’m sure that’s just what you’ve always dreamed of right? Of course it is. Because we aren’t smart enough to think on our own right? That must be it. I obviously am not that smart. I couldn’t possibly know what to think if someone didn’t tell me. I NEED a dictator. I NEED someone to tell me what to think! Oh now I know just how those young people in Germany and Russia felt. I get it now. I am so glad to have thought out all this. I feel mush safer now.

Still… some of the young people in the world didn’t follow the leader. Crazy kids. Tiananmen square. Nuff said? Thousands of Chinese youth gunned down in broad daylight because they saw the lies through the smiles. They recognized the power hungry dictator for what he was and they were willing to stand strong against the man. Sticking it to the man. Oh yeah. That’s just what they had in mind. I know it. Of course “the man” ran them down with tanks and shot though them like they were made of tissue paper, but I mean it was their fault right? They didn’t listen. They refused to accept the change that was inevitable. Besides, it was better for everyone this way. I mean, a dictator can’t have little groups of insurgents running around. No one can oppose the dictator. It’s not how it works. Poor kids. It’s their fault for not lovingly accepting the brainwashing. Everyone loves a good brainwashing right? Just ask America or England, or maybe Cambodia. Brainwashing rocks man.

Mussolini sounds like it should be a flaming chocolate desert. Don’t laugh at me… it does. It should be. It will be. Someday, somewhere, there will be a desert called the “Mussolini”. It will be rich and chocolaty and so good it’s simply evil. It will be fabulously expensive and only made at the most exclusive of restaurants. Now thinking of dictators makes me hungry. Probably not the thought most of the dictators wanted to be first in people’s minds, but you know what, since most of the worlds dictators are dead (or at least the more famous ones are) I don’t think they’ll mind too much. Frankly, even if they did mind, what are they going to do about it? Nothing! MWAHAHHAHAHA! You know that deserved an evil laugh.

I remember the first time I saw Fiddler on the Roof. I love that movie. The songs, the dancing, the characters, the portrayal of life and people, I love every part of it. The characters are especially are just phenomenal. Do you remember Perchik? He’s the one who is in love with the second daughter Hodel.  He was the one who had ambition, and as Tevye (the papa) put it “A, wee bit crazy, but I like him!”. He seemed like the one who would do something with his life. I remember the scene where Perchik goes into the city, and joins a mob of people, standing on street corners, and yelling about changing the world. I remember when my mum told me that the particular scene I had in mind, was when Perchik joined Stalin. Oh my goodness! What?! The good guy joined a bad guy?! STALIN! What are musicals coming to… is nothing certain anymore? Why are the good ones so easily swayed by the evil ones? General rule of thumb: the more someone is a smooth talker, the more you should be afraid of them. Well, maybe not necessarily afraid, but if someone has the gift of people speak (where a person understands the power of words and knows how to wield his vocabulary like a master) they have power over those around them. Beware.

Did all the dictators have people speak or did some of them just have the power of a fully equipped army. Not quite the same thing, but sometimes just as effectual for getting what you want. Of course… one of the options requires skill and wit and the gradual take over of a person or country due to befriending and beguiling. The other requires tanks, and guns, and things going boom. Both very useful tools of the dictator I’m sure.

It’s probably very rude of me to assume that Napoleon was grouchy like a territorial toddler. He was short, and all though most short people are very temperamental, not ALL of them are. Maybe he wasn’t… but he probably was. What people lack in size they have to make up for in temperament and anger ability (the ability to get angry quickly and about any given subject ranging from food, and weather to troop movement and rug placement). I wonder… from what I can remember of world history, none of the dictators were particularly tall. Were they all seeking to gain the respect of the world, because they never got it on the playground at school? No one likes being picked last and no one likes being the smallest. Maybe short people are in danger of becoming dictators. Think about it… it’s always the small ones. In star wars, the Ewok’s were more ferocious (at least on a day to day basis) than Chewbaca. It’s normally the larger ones that have the heart of gold hidden beneath layers of muscle or fat. It’s always the short ones. George Washington vs. Benedict Arnold… who was taller? Yep, Washington. Lord Sith vs. Anakin. Yep, Lord Sith was worse. And shorter. Think about that one… sorry short people.

All in all, dictators are strange, confusing, powerful, power hungry, desperate, controlling, needy people. They were short, brilliant, wacky, and paranoid. Sounds like great leader material right? Of course it does. And if you don’t agree, your brainwashing just hasn’t been completed yet. Don’t worry. It will be soon enough. Soon enough… it all will be taken care of. That’s it. Relax. Sit back. Put the mask on your face, count those sheep, and wake up wearing a swastika.  One sheep… two sheep… three sheep…four…. Shes…. zzzzzzzzzz

Denominations

   There are about 2.5 billion Christians in the world. These Christians are divided into 38,000 thousand unique sub categories, known as denominations.

 Each denomination believes a unique variation of the Gospel. Some of these groups are radically different from others, while some are very similar. Some groups are sure that they are the one and only right way and others think that everyone is always right all the time. Some of these denominations have hundreds of thousands of people in their particular branch, and some have only hundreds. However different these groups may or may not be, there is one thing they all agree on. Jesus is God, and we need God to go to heaven.

Every single Christian that I have ever met has agreed on one thing. We need God. Even the Nazarenes who believe that we can become holy on earth, and the health and wealth people who think if we only have FAITH we can achieve the impossible, even they realize that we need God. If we don’t have Christ as a model for our holy behavior, what’s the point? If we don’t have a perfect God to put our faith in, why have faith?

The little things that set denominations apart matter. The little pieces that I believe in, and you don’t, are what make my personal relationship with God so intimate. It means that I have studied the scriptures, and I have earnestly prayed over my beliefs and I made my decision based on what I thought God was tell me. Of course, that’s what everyone does, and that’s why we have so many different denominations.

While representing my college at a fair in Northern MA, I was challenged by a mother of a high school aged student. She came up to my table and started firing questions at me about the school’s religious ties, beliefs on the inherency of the scriptures, Jesus's life on earth, and baptism. This mother had definitely thought out what she was going to say was quite prepared. I did my best to answer her questions as honestly as I could. When I was done responding to her outburst she said something along the lines of “Well, good. You know I choose (insert the denomination of her choice) because I think it’s closest to the scriptures. I don’t know what other people believe, but I’m relying on the Bible” When she walked away I could only stare in amazement. I was shocked by her frank assessment of her beliefs, and total dismissal of every single faith that didn’t completely agree with her own. Nothing to say about her being glad the school would accept her faith (vs. that of her child, whom I’m expecting would be the one to actually attend). Don’t we all choose a particular denomination because we think it follows most closely to the Bible? Who in the world would choose a certain set of beliefs because they thought it didn’t follow the Bible?  It just goes to show that we CANNOT dismiss others beliefs simply because they are different. We can engage in creative discussions where both parties honestly seek to learn about the other, and make decisions based off of reason and intelligent thought.

It seems to me that maybe denominations divide the body of Christ. Aren’t we all suppose to be the UNITED children of God, UNITED under one Father, UNITED we stand for his glory and the betterment of his eternal kingdom? Yes we all believe something a bit different from our neighbor, but we are ALL Christians. We ALL serve the perfect God. Don’t you think that maybe, just maybe…. God is sitting up in heaven looking down at us just shaking his head, laughing at our caterwauling and bickering, and trying to make things certain? Maybe things aren’t supposed to be certain on earth. Maybe sometimes we aren’t supposed to know. Maybe it’s enough that we try, we love, we serve, and we humble our selves before God. Maybe, all we need is love.

Infinity

Infinity is a very long time. It is a VERY VERY VERY long time. It’s a concept that I really cannot understand. I’ve tried. I really have. I’ve spent hours thinking about how long forever is. I’ve tried to think about what eternity would be like. I’ve made a serious effort to wrap my mind around a period of time, that isn’t really a time period because it has no beginning or end. How am I supposed to understand something that is infinite, when I am only finite?

It seems that by very definition of my humanness (FINITE/HAS A END) I can’t every understand God and his infinite-ness/never ever ever having any sort of an end. Never ending…. MIND BLOWING!

A few years ago I watched the movie Tuck Everlasting with some friends. It started fine, was intriguing in the middle, sad towards the end, and just plain depressing by the conclusion. A girl falls in love with a mysterious stranger who tells her that he is hundreds of years old, and that he can never die. She wants to be immortal talk like him, he says no, she says yes, he says no, she gets into trouble, he saves her and is almost found out… he has to go away, they stay in love, but she grows old and dies while he stays young. Depressing really.

The last scene of the movie shows Tuck visiting her grave. She had aged, and as time would have it grown old (something he could never do) and eventually died (also something he could never do). As a result, he was stuck as a wander on earth while his love moved on. What a depressing movie! Movies are our escape from reality, and what kind of a escape is it, if it’s a depressing one. Well not a very good one I’d say.

 Anyway… man is not meant to live forever. Somewhere in the old testament God said that man could no longer live past 120something years. I say maybe that’s god protecting the people he loves. Maybe we can’t handle seeing more than a century of years. I know that right now, even though I love life, and can’t wait to see more of it, come 70 years from now, I’m going to be ready to go home. No more for me Lord, take me home.

Infinity. As hard as infinity is to imagine, I think Infinity in Heaven is something I’ll like. I’d say I could wait forever if it mean getting to spend eternity with Christ in paradise, but... Do I really know what forever means?

blargnuf.

I didn't write yesterday, and i haven't finished the one for today. Blargnuf.

Destiny and Destination

 Do you remember those three slightly creepy sisters in the movie Hercules? What about Zeus? Have you ever heard of the Grim Reaper? Do you have your own belief about what controls life, death, and destiny?

Some people say destiny some say fate. Whatever it’s called the meaning is the same thing. Things are going to happen that are out of our control and we might as well accept the reality of an unknown future and man up and deal with whatever comes our way. No one really likes inevitable unchangeable events being thrown their way, but hey, it’s fate right?

Some say the universe decides what it wants and we are helpless to change the fact. That’s slightly frightening if you ask me. Having the “universe”, an inanimate knowledge less object, decide my fate seems like a problem to me. Yeah…. no possible way anything could go wrong there, right? J

In traditional Greek mythology the fate sisters were 3 witch-ish goddess sisters who controlled life and death of all mortals. They were extremely temperamental and very creepy. All it would take is one silly mistake by a simple minded human, and there went a few strings and the lives that they represented. These sisters wielded a pair of massive slightly frightening scissors with which they could clip a string, thus ending a life. They held the power of life and death. They decided when you had done enough damage on earth, and when you till had to stick it out.  They also could be bribed with small trinkets and special altars designed to honor them. What a horrible way to have your time on earth decided! By three witches who are fickle and prone to bribery. Nice.

What about the grim reaper? You know…. the skeleton swathed in a black cloak that visits when your time on earth is up. Supposedly he had shelves that contained a book for each human on earth, where the story records itself as it was lived out and the final chapter ends whenever he decided it was time. Not creepy or strange at all. It’s completely normal to believe that a skeleton is suppose to pass before me when he see’s that my story is getting a bit over done. Is relying on a personification of death, (whose only control is in the realm of death) that much more desirable than trusting that a God who is control of all?

What about all those roman gods, the ones who were inconsistent and mercurial? You know…  the ones who fought among them selves more than 3 year old twin boys and who randomly changed the seasons and blew things up just because they were having a bad day. Can you happily imagine a world where gods who are more concerned about their appearance and reputation than with their subjects, decide your time on earth? Yes, they did care (somewhat) and yes they did thing to help their earthly subjects (sometimes), but by in large, they enjoyed their own heavenly realm and left earth to it’s own demise. Would that explanation of life really satisfy you?

Is it really so hard to say “God did it” and “he’s in control of my life and even thought I might not know what’s going on, or understand why things happen, he’s got it under control”.  Are we that hesitant to give up control to someone who really knows better than we do?  It would seem to me that if we were going to give up control, it might as well be to someone who knows that their doing. Do the fate sisters, or grim reaper, or Apollo or even Zeus really know what’s going on? Can we really trust our life to “fate”? Can we honestly believe that destiny an acceptable answer to the unexplained parts of our lives?

If people through the ages have believed in all sorts of crazy figures who had the ability to control life and death, why is it so hard to believe in an all powerful, loving, omnipotent God?

Most ancient cultures divided their trust between multitudes of gods because they didn’t think it possible for one God to handle everything. There were sun gods, moon gods, gods for birth and gods for war, gods for harvest, winter, sailing, cooking, sleeping, and even bugs. It seemed impossible and beyond comprehension that there was one God who could do it all.

 Well guess what dear reader? That’s exactly what God is. He is beyond our wildest imagination and so much more than we could ever comprehend. He can control not only life and death, but happiness and prosperity, sailing, harvest, winter, cooking, and even bugs.  He can do it all cause “he da man”.

It seems to me tat most people only use the word “destiny” when they are trying to explain the potential good events that might befall them.

“You know… I really like that guy/job opportunity/school etc... I think it might be destiny”

“Fate” is normally used when people think bad things are coming and they can’t explain it.

“I don’t understand why this is happening to me! I guess it’s fate”.

Sometimes fate is used to represent good happenings, but destiny is rarely used when speaking of poor futuristic possibilities.

Do we really need fate and destiny? It seems to me that maybe we should be more concerned about the destination God has planned for us, than the unexplained inevitable series of events that may befall us while we get there. I know where I’m going. I know my final destination. I’m not so sure the stuff between now, and the end is all that important. Yes, how I live matters, and the events that I go through do affect me, but I don’t want to give “destiny” credit for God’s hand in my life. I think I’d rather have a loving God control my life than a fickle god, or three witchy sisters. Call me crazy but I’m focusing on the destination not the unexplained so called “destiny”.

Uncomprehendable Grace

We blame sin for a lot of things in our lives. Sin causes us to stumble in our walk with Christ. Sin causes us to lie, sin causes us to act like we are of the world or said things we later regret, but you know what? Sin is also the reason we need God. Sin is the reason we know the saving power of grace.

Have you ever experienced God’s grace? Do you know the feeling of grace and relief that washes over you, cleansing your being and washing away fear and doubt? Grace is something that is unique to humans. Even the angels don’t know what grace is. They have never experienced one of the more amazing features of God. We alone are blessed enough to know God’s grace. What a privilege!

Yes, sin is real. However, so is goodness and truth. God’s grace abounds more and more (thank goodness) and that grace is connected to God’s love. God’s love was expressed when he promised us that he would never give us more than we can bear. So, no matter what the sin is, or how much credit we want to give sin or Satan, God promised us that it would never be more than we can handle. So when we sin, it’s sort of a cop out on our part.

Sin is a result of finite man. Thus it’s hold is only so strong. It can only go about so far. Yes, sin multiplies and grows, but since it is a product of mortal man, sin has limits. God’s love however, is truly limitless. God’s love is an essential faucet of God’s very nature, and as such is everlasting, limitless, and more than we can ever imagine.

Try and comprehend a love that is infinite. A love that is boundless and truly more than you can ever possibly imagine. Not even a 6 year old with a over active imagination or a 50 year old theologian who puzzles over the worlds problems could ever even come close to fully understanding a limitless love. Such a concept is truly more than we can hope to fathom.

In some way, that is a bit scary because it proves the unpredictability of God. At the

same time… do we really want a God we can predict? I know what I’m capable of. I need a God who is capable of more than I can ever imagine. I need a God whose grace and love and mercy are incapable of being contained or described by human words.

God is God. God is by very definition, more than I can handle. And guess what, that’s why I love him. Thank you God for making your grace available to us. Shalom

Welcome to the Modern World

 We live in a world where our MacDonald’s coffee is labeled “hot”, our pajamas have suffocation warning tags, (who knew you could be suffocated by cloth?!)  and lawn darts and pool sticks are illegal. (Did you know that darts are sharp and sticks are pointy on the end? Why did no one ever tell me!) We live in a world where personal responsibility is “not my problem” and we have to be legally warned that hamburgers could make us fat. Wow. Do you see a problem with this? Or at least do you see that this is a bit strange and possibly unnecessary?

In 2003 bantransfats.com organized and led an international anti trans fat campaign which started by suing Kraft® (the Mac & Cheese people) in hopes of eliminating trans fat in Oreos. Later that year this same group sued McDonalds® for misleading its customers into believing that it had switched to cooking oil with less trans fat. This group helped make Tiburon California America’s first trans fat-free city. New York city adopted the same type of program eliminating trans fats in December of 2006 and Philadelphia in February of 2007.  In 2008 California Legislature signed a statewide partial ban on trans fats, which will take effect in 2010 and 2011.

Do the majority of American’s even know what a trans fat is? I don’t know what trans fat is. According to Wikipedia (obviously the most reliable source on life the universe and everything) Trans Fat is the common name for hydrogenated oils, or unsaturated fat. A fat which contains trans-isomer fatty acids. This term refers to the splitting of the double carbon bond found in non-hydrogenated oils.

Maybe it’s just me… but don’t you think that the fat part of an Oreo is probably what makes it taste good? Let’s face it. Fat tastes good. Ice cream, French fries, burgers, Oreos, cookies, fried chicken, Twinkies, Spam (yes… spam), whipped crème, mousse, all the foods that have fat in them… TASTE GOOD! And guess what… it’s the fat that makes them taste good. You try making fried chicken with no oil, butter crème icing with no butter, or cookies with no lard. Have some of that delicious un-earthly yellow Kraft Mac and Cheese, and than try some gluten free, sugar free, fat free Mac and Cheese (you know the brown stuff with the consistency of wall paper paste) and tell me which one you’d rather have. You try telling me that the one with the fat isn’t just an ounce better tasting. Yeah, that’s what I thought. You like the fat. But…. apparently we aren’t supposed to eat fat. Apparently we can only be absolutely healthy all the time (pshaw… and people wonder why we have poor body images). 

We’ve already established that fat tastes good, and we actually do need some kinds of fat in our diet. Unfortunately it’s the saturated kind. Trans fats are harmful because they contain hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenating oil, means that hydrogen atoms are added to unsaturated fats and the double atom bonds that defines saturated fats, are destroyed. Naturally our bodies are able to break down double atom bonds (such as those in saturated fats) better than single atom bonds (like those in trans/unsaturated fats). Plain and simple, our bodies don’t break down trans fats are easily as they break down other fats. HOWEVER! This does now mean that our bodies are incapable of breaking down this fat, or that in small quantities we can’t handle it. Hydrogenated oil (trans fat) was created by chemists in the early 1900s as a replacement for butter and other saturated fats when such products were first linked to heart disease. (Also, foods containing trans fats have a longer shelf life than their saturated siblings, and this comes in helpful during the proceeding wars) It was the sort of Frankenstein project of food scientists. Trying to fix an issue, only to create a delicious fatty monster.

In 2010 the California Legislature started debating the merit of toys in McDonalds Happy Meals. They argued that the toys were luring children to eat food that would cause them to be overweight and lead to long-term health problems. So basically, they were arguing that little plastic dinosaurs were causing children to grow up obese. Nice one. We might as well blame Barney for multiple personality disorders in children (every week a new child shows up, and an old one disappears… they have the same name but the old one was pale and the new one is Asian… anyone else see something strange going on? Apparently that’s normal….)

I can see the argument that a toy is a desirable thing for a child, and if going to McDonalds and eating fast food (with those dastardly hydrogenated oils) means they get a toy, children will do their best to convince their parents to frequent such establishments. That being said, I think it is the parents responsibility to help their children eat healthy foods. If a parent takes his child to McDonalds every day, and in 10 years the child is fat, one can hardly blame the toy. Parents are in control of what their children eat. Sure, most children would probably choose to eat the burger and fries in order to get the toy. That’s when I think something called “parenting” comes into play. It’s when the mom or dad says “Sorry honey, not today. Maybe another time.” Parents, you really can do it! You can say no! NO! NO! NO! But apparently parents can’t say no anymore. Guess their not suppose to. I guess a parent has to always say yes to their children. YES FATTY FOODS! YES! YES! YES!

Liebeck v. McDonalds, or the McDonalds Coffee case of 1994 is one of the most famous product liability lawsuits of the past 20 years. We all know the story of the woman who suffered third degree burned after she spilled her hot McDonalds coffee on herself, and than sued McDonalds for over half a million dollars and won. Yep, she spilled, she sued, she won. Welcome to America. I guess if I go to Panera and spill my soup, I can blame the store. Who knew it was their fault I’m a bit clumsy at times? I’m learning so much today.

It’s funny how no one wants to take the responsibility for their actions and would rather blame others for personal mistakes. Well no, it’s actually not funny. It’s kind of sad. Since when did it become so undesirable to say, “Hey, I spilled. Oops” or “Hm… maybe I shouldn’t have fed my child only French fries and ground beef, it might explain why he has a weight issue.” I always thought that fessing up to something you did wrong, was honorable. Maybe that’s changed. Maybe we are all really suppose to blame others. Maybe I am never wrong. Hm… Good to know.

I’m not trying to say that healthy food is bad, or that we shouldn’t try and eat healthy, what I am trying to do is display the absurdity that is a world where it is illegal to eat trans fats and where we have to be warned about the temperature of our beverages. God made us with brains and I’m pretty sure he intended for us to use them. Maybe we don’t need brains anymore. Maybe there will be new law soon.

“ALL INDEPENDENT THOUGHT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONE’S MISDEMEANORS OR MISTAKES IS NOT ALLOWED. BLAME OTHERS, GET MONEY, AND DON’T EAT FRENCH FRIES. WARNING! HOT COFFEE IS HOT!”

Goodness America. Really?

Woebegone 4 Letter Words

        It’s not just 4 letter words that frustrate me and cause nightmares about children with poor grammar and sentence structure (do you know how horrifying a world would be if everything was “cool” or “neat” or “nice”?) It’s the words and phrases that American society has over worked and under appreciated. They are the words and every one says, but no one uses correctly. The words that if used every one in a while are quite acceptable, but when used every other word in every single sentence become mundane, empty, useless, vapid, repetitive, lifeless, bland, stale, lackluster, banal, monochrome, dreary, humdrum, mind-numbing, wearisome, tiring, tiresome, irksome, trying, frustrating, and (to those of us who enjoy the artistry of a full vocabulary) painful. You know what I’m talking about.

Cool, dude, chill, sweet, nice, legit, my bad, like, literally, awesome, ridiculous, gay, nice, whatever, seriously, you know, don’t judge/judge, and countless others.

 

Are these really the most descriptive words the English language has to offer?  I mean… “Come on dude… seriously…. Like big words are gay man, just chill out.”

Ouch. My brain just shuddered.

Cool – This can mean anything from “OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE IT” and “yeah, I’d wear it if someone else bought it for me” to “no way on earth” and “I am so bored my brain is melting”. I have had conversations with people where the only descriptive word used (adj or adv) is “cool”. It leads to some VERY boring and confusing conversations. If everything is “cool” than I don’t know             what you really like, or what you sort of like, or what you hate, or what you are afraid to tell me you hate, because it’s all “cool”.  Some things are cool. Some are boring. “Cool” is boring.

            “So I heard you went indoor sky diving. How was it? Was it amazing? How exciting!”

            “Yeah, It was cool”

            “So he’s a pretty great guy right? I heard you really like him! So cute!”

            “He’s cool.”

            “Honey! I bought you an oboe! Now you can start taking lessons aren’t you excited?!”

            “Um…. Yeah mom. That’s cool…..”

Dude – Originated from England in the early 1880s, meaning a stuck up person who was foppish. Used synonymously with Macaroni and fool. During western expansion in America it meant a person moved west with no knowledge of what he was getting into. Meant something like city slicker or newbie. First used in print in 1870 in Putnam’s magazine. Today “dude” isn’t an insult, but it really shouldn’t be a compliment either. Dude can be used in a variety of  ways from pronoun to adjective. 

                        To start a conversation: “Dude…. What’s going on?”

                        To fill space in a conversation in place of “like” “um” or “huh” “It was                                                 like… Dude…. Amazing”

                        To signify something’s awesomeness “DUUUUUDE!”

                        To show something’s lameness “DUUUUUUDE.”

                        To add significance to a sentence “That burger was amazing man. I                                                 mean… like…. Dude… “

 

(picture taken from Wikipedia page on "dude". 1888 picture of Evander Berry Wall, a New York socialite who was dubbed "King of the Dudes.")

Chill – Adjective or verb used as an admonition to relax one’s countenance or position on a certain      subject, use as a compliment when regarding someone’s nature, describing doing a bunch of nothing or sometimes actually doing something but calling it nothing anyway as a way of avoiding conflict.

            “YOU ARE A AWFUL TUTOR! YOU ARE TERRIBLE AND HORRIBLE!”  

            “Wow…. chill out.”

            “What are you doing tonight?”

            “Just chilling out.”

            “Your teacher lets you use your computer in class?”

            “Yeah, he’s super chill about that stuff.”

Sweet – Most often used as an adjective meaning satisfaction or approval. It describes something desirable whether it is an event, person, object, or emotion. The longer the double “e” sound the more the satisfaction. 

            “Jamie is coming to visit”

            “SWEEEEEEEEEET”

            “Do you like Hannah?”

            “Oh course. She’s so sweet”

            “We’re having pizza for dinner.”

            “SWEEEEETNESS DUDE!”

Lame – According to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary lame means “having a body part and especially a limb so disabled as to impair freedom of movement b: marked by stiffness and soreness, or 2: lacking needful or desirable substance”. The term “lame duck” means an elected official who is    approaching the end of their tenure especially when their replacement has already been elected. Nowadays lame means something along the lines of stupid and “un cool”. Most of the time lame is used in reference to something that is thought to be unattractive or undesirable.

            “Hey, want to play a board game?”

            “No, board games are lame”            

            “Honey, will you please put on the sweater your grandmother game you for Christmas?”

             “No way Mom! It’s so lame!”            

           

            “What do you think about Edward? Nice kid right?”

            “Eh, he’s lame.”

Nice – Mostly an adjective used to fill up space in conversation and to avoid awkward pauses. Something you say when you’re describing a someone to a friend and you don’t really have anything particularly nice to say about them. What we say when we don’t think someone will agree with your real opinion. On the rare occasion that it’s used truthfully, it means generically acceptable. Acts as a conversation diffuser.

            “I went to the mall today”

            “Nice”

            “Don’t you just love my new purse?”

            “It’s nice”

            “I think that my opinions matter most. I have my own opinion! Isn’t that great?!”

            “Yeah…. That’s nice….”

Legit – Adjective depicting something that is real and not fake. Stemming from the word legitimate. Can mean “cool” or “nice” or “wicked”. This word is particularly overused. I’ve heard it used to describe a new outfit, a sports play, a relationship, a restaurant, and even a car. Acts as a low-key           compliment.

            “They are the sweetest couple ever.”

            “Yeah, they are so legit.”

            “Oh my goodness! My aunt bought me a car!”

            “That is so legit man!”

            “Did you see that sweet play Papelbon made?”

            “Yeah, it was seriously legit.”

My bad – The best definition I’ve heard of this phrase comes from Urban Dictionary

            “I did something bad, and I recognize that I did something bad, but there is nothing that can be done for it now, and there is technically no reason to apologize for that error, so let's just assume that I won't do it again, get over it, and move on with our lives."

           

            Got to love Urban Dictionary.com

            “What in the world are you doing?! You just deleted my paper! I can’t believe you did that! I    am so upset! That took me hours of writing and weeks of research!”

            “Woah, my bad.”

                       

Like – Signifies uncertainty on a certain subject, used to give the speaker time to think of a better word, can means “said”, can mean someone likes you, and sometimes used in between every like single like word like in every like single like sentence.

            “She was like, No way and I was like, oh yeah….”

            “He likes you!”

            “I know! It was like, the most like legit, like thing ever. Like, you know?”

Fail – A interjection or verb expressing disapproval or false shame. Best definition I’ve heard is “A glorious lack of success”. Root word of Failure. It’s possible that in our modern world where we can’t every tell anyone they didn’t brilliantly succeed, (since we couldn’t possibly say “YOU HAVE JUST EXPERIENCED FAILURE”) We have resorted to laughing in somewhat encouraging manner             and saying “Fail!”

            You try and jump onto a floating dock and tragically miss, thus falling into the water…

            “Ouch. Haha. YOU FAIL!”

            “M-I-S-S-I-P… uh… I”

            “FAIL FAIL FAIL”

            “He is so nice! I can’t wait to be in his class again.”

            “You like that professor? FAIL.”

 

Whatever – it really means something like this… “ I disagree with your point but I’d rather not argue because I am obviously just so much better than you for my choosing not to argue… or…. I actually think you might win this argument and instead of forfeiting honorably or admitting defeat, I will just bow out like a little kid who runs back home when he gets tagged. Nice.

 

            “Come on, you know I have a point… “

            “Whatever”

 

            “I love those shoes your aunt bought you! Don’t you love them?”

            “Uh yeah. Whatever”

            “What do you want to do today?”

            “Whatever. I don’t care.”

You know – This is possible one of the most frustrating phrases. It’s usually used when the person you’re talking to doesn’t actually know what you’re talking about and you have no hope of figuring out what they mean but they want to pretend that everyone is on the same page. Makes perfect sense. You know?

            “It was round, and flat, and purple… oh you know!”

           

            “He was just so like… amazing… and not normal… you know?”

            “Where is my shirt? You know the one…. It’s black… with the thing… Oh you             know.”

Wow. That turned out to be a lot longer than I intended and I even had to delete some words! Ever watch Princess Bride? Remember when Inigo tells Vizzini, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means?" Most of the words on this list…. are words like that. Words that no one really knows the meaning of, but everyone uses them. Where are the words like vapid, chatoyant, cynosure, demesne, desultory, diaphanous, ineffable, dulcet, effervescent, ephemeral, lissome, evocative, fetching, opulent, seraglio, I could go on. But chances are no one knows what I’m talking about so I will stop. Besides, I’ve been writing for too long.

Use your vocabulary to your greatest potential my friends. Be surreptitious with your words and use a scintilla such as vocabulary to make your speech more mellifluous.

Look it up :-p

Uncommon Common Sense

            Have you noticed that common sense is far from common? Have you noticed that most people have no sense whatsoever, common or otherwise? Have you noticed that people don't seem to know how to think independently and asking someone to use their brain seems to be stretching them to the absolute limit? I mean seriously, is asking a teenager to pick up the trash they just threw on the ground, or an adult to respect the space of others and not talk on their phone during a movie, or even a child to obey the directions of an adult, are those really such unreasonable requests? Have you noticed that manners are irrelevant? Innocence is frowned upon, and respect is only valued when its directed at self? Ok… those were a bit out there. I’m thinking more about silly warning signs and labels and people doing stupid things and than blaming others. Anyway….  What kind of a world are we shaping?  

By the very nature of the name “common sense” it should be quite common. But is it? It sense common? I would think that common sense would include things like not walking outside during a lightening storm, recognizing that hot coffee is hot (and it’s your fault if you burn your tongue), not letting your child dive in to a 3 foot deep pool, and being able to walk up a public stair case without a sign warning you that you could fall? Do we really need to be warned of such grave dangers? Personally, I don’t think it’s a manufactures job to warn me that a sharp object could hurt me if I acted stupidly with it. Wow. Talk about passing the buck. If I hurt myself with a object that you made, it’s your fault. That makes sense…

Right now we live in a world where our MacDonald’s coffee is labeled “hot”, our clothing has suffocation warning tags, and lawn darts and pool sticks are illegal. It seems common sense (and the ability to accept personal responsibility for our actions) is neither taught nor valued.

Why is it that the very elements that have structured society for the past thousands years, are suddenly no longer relevant? Respect, honor, chivalry, common decency, faith, obedience, recognizing the value of our elders, seeing children as precious blessings, or even just leaving a space better than you found it because the earth is a thing worth preserving (why we don’t observe this one more in our current “go green” society I can’t figure out), all these features are treated as irrelevant to our modern lives. As if suddenly reaching the 2000 A.D.E. mark means that all the hallmarks of acceptable human behavior suddenly get thrown out. 

I wonder where it started. Which was the first generation to decide to throw out common manners and be a generation of unthinking, uncaring, sort of irresponsible people? Now, most likely, whichever the unfortunate generation was, they most likely didn’t think all that out, but nonetheless, that’s what they (however unknowingly) did. The Victorian era still had manners and common civility. Even if you hated someone’s guts, you still greeted them with respectful salutations, bowed or curtseyed according to your gender, and if you really couldn’t stand to be cordial, you walked away or declined invitations to places where you new such people would frequent. Now a days, if there is someone you don’t care for, you either tell them to their face, tell all your friends about them so it will eventually get through the grapevine, or you just go right up and post something on a social networking site. There isn’t even any pretending to have respect. Now, I’m sure some of you will say that a honest society where we can truthfully voice our opinions about people, life, and everything is a better thing than a society where everyone feigns respect because it’s “the right thing to do”. Yes, this kind of community would lead to many false greetings, and empty bows, but let’s be real, everyone knew who liked who and which person was the bane of existence whether it was publically broadcasted or not. The turn of the century started a new way of thinking and the industrial revolution changed the workplace forever, but the traditional ideals still held strong. Somewhere between the 1940s and 50s something changed in American society and common sense was never the same again.

 

It seems to me that even if you were the most selfish of creatures, you would still want to treat others with at least a smidge of kindness because if you give it, you most likely will receive it. Maybe most selfish people also don’t like to use problem solving thinking skills. Hm. Good to know. Why did parents stop teaching their children to think before they speak? Why aren’t children taught how to problem solve or how to obey? Why don’t people use their brains?

Galileo Galilee Said  “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”  (he also could have said... Go made you smart enough to know that you never put your pet in a electrical appliance! goodness peoples really?!)

I am quite tempted to agree with him. God gave us brains. God made a world with lots of potential for wonderful questions and plenty of opportunities to use our brains. God made cliffs, but he didn’t post danger signs. Our world has problems, but we shouldn’t need warning labels and rules for every little thing. We are humans. We have brains. We can choose to use them. We can choose to be the uncommon ones and use our brains! Think independently! Be a useful human! Hooray!

The Power of Doubt

Doubt. It’s such a heavy word. Doubt causes us to question what we know and all that we have ever thought sure. Doubt creeps into our thought and shakes our world.  Doubt seems so unnecessary, distracting, and unhelpful. It would seem that if we could only remove all doubt from our world, we would be so much better off.  Surely a world with no doubt surely would be better wouldn’t it?

Imagine a world where everything is finite and doubt is impossible. A world where everyone knows what everyone should know, and nothing is unknown because everything that’s known is all that there is to know, a world where doubt does not and cannot exist because there is nothing to doubt.

A world where there is nothing to doubt… hm… wouldn’t that world also be a world where there is nothing to question and therefore, nothing to add variety to life? If everything is certain, where is the uncertainty that adds spice to life? What happens to the questions that stir up great brains and cause the humblest of men to do great things? What happens when there is only one right way, and no doubt to cause you to question what has always been? I wonder… is one pre-set right way, really so right for everyone?

For some doubt brings up connotations of fear and uncertainty, for others it symbolizes hope and a way out. Doubt causes us to question what we thought we knew and search for truth. That truth might be found in new places, or it might have always existed where we had thought before, but we will never personally discover what is truth, if we don’t doubt.

Doubt replaces our certainty in what we thought we knew, and the possibility that more exists.  Doubt doesn’t have to be about fear and a gnawing feeling of unreliability. It doesn’t have to be destructive or damaging. Doubt can bring about good and necessary changes that we were unable to see because we were stuck just doing the same old, same old.

 Sometimes I think maybe too much consistency can throw us off. Just a thought, and one to be perused another day.

I think doubt is good. I think doubt is helpful even. If I believe in x, but I have never questions why I believe in x, or what makes x so special, or even why x exists at all, than my belief is blind and empty. Not to say that believing in something “just because” is terrible, but saying that in the real world, an empty faith is the same thing as a irresponsible faith. An irresponsible faith will be taken seriously by no one, and one might as well believe in nothing. Is that what you want, to believe in nothing? Is no doubt, (thus leading to a unresolved faith where nothing is really certain because you don’t know why anything should be certain) really good? Isn’t a question or two here and there beneficial?

Doubt as a instrument of torture, meant to destroy our souls and crumble the walls of “truth” we build around ourselves? Or doubt as the instrument of truth with which we fortify our beliefs and strengthen our minds for the questions that surly lie ahead. Life is full of uncertainty… how will you handle it? Will you learn to constructively doubt your thoughts, come to a conclusion, and walk away better for it? Or will you let others place their doubt on you, weighing you down, and end up a confused and bitter soul? Use your doubt wisely my friends. It is a powerful tool only to be wielded by the most skilled of craftsmen. Are you ready to use your doubt? Come to think of it… are any of us really ready to use our doubt wisely? I’m thinking that’s why God makes sure we’re not alone. :) Amen.

The Freedom of Not Being Totally Free

1. How free will might not be free, 2. What “free” could possibly mean and 3. Do I even want free will?

Maybe I don’t have free will. Maybe my life is predetermined by Gods supreme decisions and I have no say in what happens. (Do I really want or even need a say in what happens? If God has it under control, isn’t that enough?) Maybe, Free will is not my choice. Maybe, free will is an assigned choice. Maybe free will isn’t free.

             If I am given a choice, then I have free will. If I am not, then I do not. So then, if I am assigned free will, and I don’t have a say in whether I get it or not, doesn’t that make me not free? If someone or something else chooses free will for me then aren’t I not free because the ultimate decision is made by someone other than myself? If I don’t get to choose whether I get free will or not, then don’t I automatically not have free will by automatically having free will? If my Mom says I am allowed to choose between spaghetti and pizza for dinner, then I do not have the freedom to choose chicken. My freedom to choose dinner only goes so far. Does free will only go as far as the spaghetti and pizza?  Is free will limited to the choices pre set out by God? How is that free will?  (side note: Do I really want free will if it takes me outside of decisions set in place by a loving and omnipotent God?

            So many times I have wished that I didn’t have to choose between one thing and another. So many times I have wished that I didn’t have freedom to control my actions. But I think that maybe choosing not to make a choice, is still making a choice. When you make a decision to do something, you are actually also choosing not to do something. Wouldn’t the act of choosing not to have free will remove my ability to have free will? Am I assigned free will? How can I be told to be free?

   If I am assigned free will, or if I am not, how in the world would it change how I live? How would the decisions I am making right now, whether I have free will, or not, change if I was living in a different world? 

            Does it even matter if I have free will or not? Honestly, what would it change if I suddenly knew that I had complete freedom? How would my life changes if I found out that the decisions I make are actually controlled by some feature other than myself? If I find out that to this point in my life God has controlled every action, or that my every action has been controlled purely by my own choices, how would it change my life? If I am not in control, then I can’t do anything. If I am in control then I can continue to go on doing as I have. Nothing will change either way.

        If nothing will change in my life whether I believe that I have free will or not, then why would I bother to think about it at all? Why puff up my head by thinking that I can control my world, or depress my self by thinking I cannot? (It’s really not that depressing not being in control… It’s liberating!) How does it change anything? Ok, there is a huge difference between a world controlled by God, and a world controlled by man. But if nothing changes if I believe one thing or another then why continue to boggle my mind by dwelling on subjects that hurt my head?

        Maybe I’m wrong, but isn’t the very nature of God, his omnipotence, power, and all encompassing knowledge? Isn’t the fact that God is in charge of the world part of what makes him God?  So doesn’t it logically make sense that God is in control of the world and everyone/everything that is in the world, i.e. us? How can God be God and not be in control of us? How can he be the creator and sustainer of the world if he is in no way control over what happens in our lives? Is he just an absentee parent who checks in every once in a while but for the most part is never around? I could be wrong, but I like to think God is active in our lives. He didn’t program the world thousands of years ago and then just sit back and let it run its course. Maybe he did and I am hugely confused, but I hope not. Maybe God just doesn’t care one single bit about what we think about free will and he’s sitting in Heaven laughing.

        Maybe God gave us free will. Maybe he didn’t. I will probably never know. However, I will accept whichever decision God may have made for me. I guess saying it that way makes it seem like I don’t have free will. I could say that I will choose which ever I wish and be satisfied with it and then it seems like I do have free will. Which ever I do or do not have, it doesn’t really matter. In light of eternity, my earthy squabbling against myself will come to nothing. All in all, free will discussions just make for a lot of headaches. I think that this might be one subject that I am content to more or less ignore. Unless of course, it’s up to me to decide what goes on in life, and in that case I’m screwed. Of course, if it’s up to God, then I don’t need to do anything at all. Glory day! What a mess free will has made of what I always thought was just understood. What a mess free will discussions have made in philosophy classrooms everywhere. What a mess my brain is in because of free will. Free will just gives the freedom to make a mess of my brain, freedom to make a mess of poor confused college students everywhere and the freedom to puzzle philosophers and theologians.  Free will is a messy and complicated debate. I’ll leave you to figure it out for your self. As for me, as of right now at least… I’m just content to stay confused and let God handle things. J

A Necessary Sort of Evil

To have gravity, we must be able to fall off a cliff. To have an antidote, we must have a poison. To have freedom, we must have slavery, and to have good there must be evil. In order to know what good is, we must have an understanding of what evil can do, I think.  It would seem that one extreme cannot live without the other. To say there is no evil among men, no seed of sin planted in every heart, is to say there is no goodness in men. If there is no initial entity, that how can we label what would have been the opposing faction? For good to exist, so must evil. Is evil is quite literately, a necessary evil.

  I’ve been trying to imagine a world with no evil. No natural evils such as leukemia, cancer, birth defects, death, suffering, and pain. No moral evils such as murder, revenge, hate, or vengeance.  I’ve been trying to imagine a world with no way to hurt, or to be hurt. Where you would walk off a cliff and simply float to the ground. Where you would never get cut or bruised and hearts would hold no scars. Trying to imagine a world where sadness was an incomprehensible concept. 

Would such a world truly be perfect? Would such a world be good? Would I know it was good?  If there were no evil of any sort, what would I describe as good? How could I know what good if there was no bad for me to compare it to? If I had never seen any “evil” in my life, would I be able to see the good in my life? If I had never seen anyone die, would I still value life the same way I do now? If I didn’t know how fragile life was, would I protect it so dearly? If knives couldn’t cut me, if I was in a world incapable of containing hurt, what would keep me from trying to juggle knives? Mothers tell their children not to play with knives, matches, and other dangerous things because they realize the dangerous potential. Parents can see the natural evils that could befall their children. If there were no poor, consequences how would I know how to make the right choice? Can there be right choices if there are no bad ones?  When we make decisions we weight the good consequences with the bad ones. We weigh the results of our actions and choose the one with the least harmful repercussions. If I could smoke what ever I wanted and not get cancer, if I could drink whatever I wanted and not be in danger of destroying my liver, why wouldn’t I smoke and drink? (Don’t worry, I’m not going to smoke or drink J ) If there were no bad consequences to define what a bad choice was, then how would I determine the bad choices from the good ones? If no matter what one did, there were no harmful results, why would one choose only the morally “good” choice?

I wonder which actions I would choose if there were no consequences. If there were no right or wrong, no good or evil, would I do things the same way I do now? Would I make the same decisions I make now? It scares me to think that the only thing keeping me from making bad/wrong/immoral decisions, is the possibility of having to face the consequences of my decisions.  That it’s really the fear of what could happen that makes me chose to do what’s right. Not because I truly seek to do the right thing on my own, but that I don’t want to have to deal with the consequences of my own actions.  Am I really that selfish?  Do I really try and do what’s right simply because I’m afraid?

          Still, here I sit, trying to imagine a world with no evil, and no good.  Imagine a world with no negative consequences for actions, and with basically no responsibility. In such a world, I would have no need for God. If I never sinner, and would never die, then why would I need a savior? Why would I need God?  If I didn’t need God, who would give me, hope? If I couldn’t die and couldn’t sin why would I need God? Why would I live under the rules and regulations of Christianity if I could live under the lack of rules an atheist lives under? If I could do no wrong and have no bad/evil happen to me, why in the world would I acknowledge good?  How could I acknowledge good? If all my life I had only known what we call “good” things, then wouldn’t there be no good things? If there wasn’t good and there wasn’t bad how would I tell them apart? I wouldn’t be able to identify on from the other because there wasn’t two separate identities with which to identify anything. If good is just what normality is made of, then its not good it’s just normality.  In order for me to know good, and to see my need for a good God in my life I need to have the evil influences as well. If I were always good, why would I need a good God to save me?  God has been the one thing that has consistently offered me hope in my life. I have experienced many different forms of evils. From family friends killing themselves, the 6-year-old daughter of a friend being murdered by her uncle, to the death of my own infant brother. I know that suffering is. I have seen what evil in the world. I know the pain and heartache evil causes. Still, I could not wish for a world without it.  I could not wish for a world where good and evil do not exist, and actions have no meaning.

When life is meaningless, there is no true life. I want a life where I have meaning and a purpose designed by God. I want a God who clearly shows me what is right and what is wrong. I want to have to take responsibility for my actions, and to have the freedom to choose the right or even the wrong thing. To take evil out of the world is to take God out of the world and I need God right where he is. I need God to hold the center together and keep me on the right path.  Without his goodness, I could not see the evil around me, I could not see my own

If our world were without evil, then we would not know good. If we did not know good, then we could never now God. It is only because there is evil in our world, that we see how much we need God. It is only because of the pain and suffering, that we can see how much we need something good. No matter how hard we may try, we can never be good, and that is the delight of finding God.  Only when we see our own sin and God’s lack of sin, can we see hope. A world with no natural evils such as cancer, death, and pain, or moral evils such as hate, murder, and revenge, is a world with no hope, goodness, compassion, love, generosity, and no God. A world where my actions don’t matter and my choices are meaningless.   A world with where there is no personal responsibility and no purpose.  If my world had no evil, there would be no good either. I think maybe the world needs both good and evil. There cannot be one without the other.  Here I sit, feeling as If I’ve come to some conclusion, but realizing that I’ve thought nothing new. I’ve simply wrestled with the same thoughts as the millions of humans before me. I’ve seen good and I’ve seen evil. I’ve wrestled with their coexistence.  I’ve seen my own sin, and seen Gods perfection. I can say that now I honestly know why we have evil. Evil is, so that God’s goodness may be proven. Evil is so that we see what binds us and be set free. Evil is, because good is. Good is because God is. I am, because God is. God is because, well, he’s God. He just is. I am finally content to say that Evil exists, and knowing full well that someday God will vanquish the evil in the world. Someday when earth is free of evil and sin, maybe I’ll understand a world with no evil.  As for right now, I am once again content to stay a bit confused.