Unbalanced

There it is. A painting of Isaac Newton. He looks like he could have been a member of Kiss. He would have been chased out of the Bible Belt in the sixties, right?

According to Mr. Newton, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

What this has to do with figs, I have no idea.

But I find that this truth is remarkably untrue when it comes to emotional energy and the realities of everyday life. In particular, it doesn't apply to the arts. Using religious ideas to express it, it seems to me that Karma is not only not true, it is practically a joke. No offense intended to those who embrace the idea, but almost every aspect of life among humans demonstrates that there is no balance to the force. Everything is about as out of balance as you can get, and there aren't enough Darth Vaders in the universe to bring it into balance, no matter what anyone thinks about it.

And then there's God. The real One. Who doesn't seem all that interested in our sense of what is balanced and what isn't. He's got his own scale and we aren't allowed to touch it. So sad, too bad. But, the truth is, we'd only mess it up anyway because we simply don't know the true value of things.

Anyway.

How have you been?

I've been enveloped in the process of change. I'm changing in subtle but distinct ways, and it's making me a little nervous because I'm not really sure where it's all headed. I wonder if I'm going to end up being someone I don't care too much for, or will I be someone I could hope to be? I'm starting to feel the inevitable pull of "aging." And I'm not really what you could call old yet. Or at least I hope you don't.

Thing is, you'd think that if you put in a lot of effort, you could count on the results to some degree.  You'd think you'd end up with some control over what comes next. But, alas, that's just not the way it goes. At least not always. Then again, who knows?

Certainly not me.

And by the way...

I've been writing a lot of new songs after quite a long dry spell.

Why?

I have no idea.

I like it but it can be a bit unnerving how things come and go. And they do. Come and go, that is.

Turns out that some beasts require a lot of fodder to produce a few little morsels of meaningful something or other. And feeding those beasts can get very tiring.

If you don't believe me, just ask all of those artists with unfinished works.


Peace to you.




© LW Publishing 2014

Alive

Happy Easter.

How about a thoughtful Easter?

Consider:

Jesus is alive.

Jesus.

Is.

Alive.

He’s alive.

Right now.

He died. Then he rose from the dead.

He came back to life.

And...

He’s still alive.

Wherever “Heaven” is, he’s there, getting it ready for new arrivals.

He is physically, really, genuinely alive.

Waiting with open arms.

Acts 2:24  But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.



© LW Publishing 2011

Definition

Pilot asked Jesus, “What is truth?” It seems to have been a rhetorical question. Pilot’s answer to his own question would have probably been, “Truth is whatever I need it to be” or “Truth is what works for me.”

How about...
    “Truth is what is.” Given some contexts, you might say, “Truth is what is, independent of what we think or know about what is.” Einstein would have agreed with that, I think. If and/or how we know what is, well, that’s a different subject. But if something is, then its existence isn’t shaped by what we think or know about it. If it’s physical, and we touch it in some way, say to measure it, or whatever, then maybe it is shaped by our touch. But to measure it in our minds doesn’t change anything except, maybe, our minds.

So I think about God. God said, “I AM.” Jesus said, “Before Abraham was born, I AM.”

We can talk about God being there or not, but in the end, it doesn’t matter what we think or say about it. Our “experience” of God (or non experience) may be subjective by degrees, but God is not subjective. God is either real or not.  God exists or does not exist as a person or a thing (though not a physical thing, unless some people are right, thinking the universe is a "god"). If God is “there,” then God isn’t shaped by our opinions anymore than the Grand Canyon is. We can talk subjectively all day long about whether or not we think the Grand Canyon is a beautiful thing or a big, ugly hole in the ground. But arguing about whether or not it’s there wouldn’t change whether or not it’s there. That would be the kind of empty philosophy that makes people want to stay as far away from philosophy classes as possible. It’s either there or it’s not. Opinions don’t matter. It’s not subjective. It just is. Or it isn’t.

I remember once (and I hate to admit this), I was watching the old Sally Jesse Raphael show. She had some overbearing “religious” people on with some carny show types who were completely over the top and she just let them at each other. The conflict was the point of the show. It was quite entertaining in a despicable sort of way. But Sally herself became frustrated with the “religious” people. They were, after all, kind of idiotic. And, in her frustration, Sally put her face right up in the camera and said something like, “I will NOT believe in a hateful, vengeful God.”

I get what she was saying. I get what a lot of people are saying when they try to define God. They want God, if God exists, to be a certain way. They have some personal ideal that’s subjective. And on an emotional level this is understandable. If you’ve been hurt a lot, you want a “god” who will stop the hurt. If you’re full of doubt, you want a “god” who will affirm your thoughts against doubt.

But if God is there, if God is, God can’t be defined by what has been created. God can only be discovered in some way. If God exists, and I believe God exists, our discovery of God does not change God’s nature. God is not whatever we want God to be. If God is there, then God is the one who does the defining.

God is not defined by us. We are defined by God.


Peace to you.




© LW Publishing 2010

Ambitious

“Why is the world like this?” said the man in the grey flannel suit. “People are crazy,” he added, as he was wheeled into the emergency room. He had been shot. There was blood all over his nice, pressed suit, mostly where the bullet had gone in, near his heart, but not in his heart. There was that to be thankful for. But his suit had been torn open, tearing off the buttons, along with his shirt and t-shirt. His chest was bare except for blood and bandages.

The man who drove him to the hospital was pushing the gurney. He said, “Oh yeah. I know what you mean. I really do!”

Grey Flannel thought about it for a moment as they parked him and began processing him. The bleeding had been stopped on the way to the hospital and he had been given some pain killer. It put him in a contemplative mood. He finally responded, “We’re supposed to pretend it doesn’t matter. But it matters a lot, doesn’t it? Why people want things, what they do to get them, it does matter. Right?”

Gurney Man kept talking with Grey Flannel, trying to keep him calm. He said, “I heard a man once describe a Christian leader he knew as ‘ambitious.’ And he was right, I think. This guy, he was ambitious. Like a lot of people.”

Grey Flannel was with him on this. He knew what he was getting at. He said, “Yeah. I know a lot of guys in business who are that way. It’s how they survive. It’s how they get ahead and beat out the competition.”

Grey Flannel said, “Well. Ambition is really just wanting, isn’t it? It’s about wanting a lot of something. Which can be good or bad. Sometimes you can even get good from bad, you know?” He had to stop talking here to answer some questions for the doctor. They also asked Grey Flannel some things, then they started to move him again. Gurney Man stayed with him as they were wheeling him down the hall.

Gurney Man said, “This Christian leader, he was really concerned with what his dad thought about him. He was really concerned that he measure up because his dad didn’t seem to like him enough. And then he got to where he wanted affirmation from other people he looked up to. And this drove his ambition. He wanted to impress people. And he did it. That’s what drove him to do most of what he did. But the thing is, he did a lot of good along the way. He accomplished a lot of good, and that’s what you have to think about. You have to think about the good. Protect it even. And realize that the man doesn’t even know himself.”

Grey Flannel said, “Oh. I get it now. I get it. I know who you’re talking about, right? You’re talking about the guy who put this bullet in my chest, aren’t you?”

Gurney Man said, “I’m just saying. He’s doing a lot of good. His motives might be off a bit, but he’s doing good things. And what have you done? You just got in the way, that’s all. You just got in the way. Sure, this was a little over the top, but if you stop the man, you could stop a lot of good.”

Grey Flannel said, “So, how long have you been in on this? His voice started to tremble with anger. “You’re with him right? How long have you been feeding his ambition to get what you want?”

Gurney Man just smiled at him, with pity. It was clear that Grey Flannel just didn’t get it. Probably never would. So Gurney Man let him go. Let them patch him up. He’d survive. That’s what chumps were good at. Surviving. Not thriving.

They pushed Grey Flannel through some swinging doors and he was gone.

Gurney Man thought to himself: Let him live with his ethics and such. See how far it gets him. What good will it accomplish. Nothing.

Gurney Man walked away.




Peace to you.




© LW Publishing 2010