Today I discovered I like the tranlsation of Isaiah 7:13-17 as found in "The Message" version of the Bible. The text can be found here: http://; www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah%207:14;&version=65
Also, the other day I heard Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" on the radio. I have now heard it at least once since then. It's interesting, because I hadn't heard it played in many years, but the local "We play everything" station has played now a couple times in the last couple weeks, at least that I've heard. I even own this cassette. I got it when it was new in 1989, when I was 15 years old. It's one of the first pop albums I got when it was new. It was when I was first listenting to such music on the radio [yes, I was probably later getting into that than some kids], and the one reason I wanted his "Storm Front" album was for that popular song. But after listening to it over and over for several weeks, I guess I got burnt on it, and I bet that since 1990, I've listened to the cassette maybe 3 times, if that.
But it got me thinking the other day when I heard it, because it was the first time I'd heard it since, and, if you are familiar with the song, it's about events that happened in the singer's lifetime, from 1949 to the present day, which was 1989, so about 40 years. He goes into more detail for the first 15 years or so, and then combines all events after the JFK assassination to the present day into the last verse. Perhaps he did this because he had to cut the song down to 3:05 :) [okay, if you are at all familiar with Billy Joel music, you get the joke there from his "Entertainer" song, which I only discovered a couple years AFTER 1989, though it was, of course, an older song]. It may also be that he meant to start accelerating time within the lyrics to convey the major theme of the song, that 'fire' continues at a fast pace, regardless of the age in which we live [at least, this is what I undersood and continue to understand to be the theme]. The 'fire' [as suggested by mostly 'current events' by Joel] has been burning since the dawn of humanity and will continue to do so after we are dead. The same could be shown by personal/psychological type issues, or natural disasters, etc. I think he wants to show that there are things persons do that hurt one another, but that it isn't new. Maybe this is partly meant to calm the hearts of the 'accelerating decay of humanity' crowd, or just to remind people genearlly that this is not unheard of, and while we can blame ourselves, we didn't panic. I am not sure exactly the message he was after there.
But what intrigued me was a question that popped into my head. Even Desert Storm, I don't believe had happened the last time I had listened to my cassette, and now, look at what has happened in Iraq in recent years, along with everything in between. All the events of the Clinton and W. Bush presidencies, not only in foreign policy [collapse of the Soviet Union, Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq], and related terrorist events [9/11, UK terrorism, orange alerts], but certainly many domestic events also [Olkahoma City, Waco, all the school shootings], natural disasters [the S.F. and L.A. earthquakes, Katrina, the 2004 tsunami] and trends of culture [internet, the techno bubble of the late 1990s, reality TV]. It makes me wonder what Billy Joel would include in this song were he to have written it in 2007. If I am fortunate enough to have Mr. Joel read this blog :), I'd love to hear his direct answer. Short of that, I would love to hear any speculation from others, or, for that matter, what would y'all include in such a song. Oh, here are his original lyrics, as found on the following website:
http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/billy_joel/we_didnt_start_the_fire.html
Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnny RaySouth Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggioJoe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, TelevisionNorth Korea, South Korea, Marilyn MonroeRosenbergs, H Bomb, Sugar Ray, PanmunjomBrando, The King And I, and The Catcher In The RyeEisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queenMaciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye
We didn't start the fireIt was always burningSince the world's been turningWe didn't start the fireNo we didn't light itBut we tried to fight it
Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and ProkofievRockefeller, Campanella, Communist BlocRoy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, DancronDien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the ClockEinstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning teamDavy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, DisneylandBardot, Budapest, Alabama, KhrushchevPrincess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez
We didn't start the fireIt was always burningSince the world's been turningWe didn't start the fireNo we didn't light itBut we tried to fight it
Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, KerouacSputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The River KwaiLebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseballStarkwether, Homicide, Children of ThalidomideBuddy Holly, Ben Hur, Space Monkey, MafiaHula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-goU2, Syngman Rhee, payola and KennedyChubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo
We didn't start the fireIt was always burningSince the world's been turningWe didn't start the fireNo we didn't light itBut we tried to fight it
Hemingway, Eichman, Stranger in a Strange LandDylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasionLawrence of Arabia, British BeatlemaniaOle Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats PattersonPope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sexJ.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say
We didn't start the fireIt was always burningSince the world's been turningWe didn't start the fireNo we didn't light itBut we tried to fight it
Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back againMoonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rockBegin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airlineAyatollah's in Iran, Russians in AfghanistanWheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicideForeign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie GoetzHypodermics on the shores, China's under martial lawRock and Roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore
We didn't start the fireIt was always burningSince the world's been turningWe didn't start the fireNo we didn't light itBut we tried to fight it
Your comments and ideas are eagerly anticipated.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
the movie "Crash"
I just watched the movie "Crash" last night [10/22/07]. I was on FX network, and it won the Oscar for best picture, in 2005, if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, I can see that it could have. Wow! What a film! I had previously avoided watching it because I often shrink away from anything 'controversial' like 'racial tension,' as was the description on DISH Network's fabulous info button [I love that thing]. But, for one, this dealt with many races, not just two [like black/white, Korean/black, or Hispanic/white or Hispanic/black], as have many previous movies. Those stories certainly need telling, also, but they HAVE been told many times, and this film provided something new. the idea of MANY races living amongst each other in present America. It also implied a couple of points:
1. The idea, I believe, is that people living in a common world are going to interact with each other, and this is not always planned, but very often circumstanstial. The subtitle on the film's website, http://www.crashfilm.com/ is "Moving at the speed of light, we are bound to collide with each other." {I would recommend reading the 'synopsis' on the website also.} It is very much like 'crashing' into one another. And it puts racial strife into this context. I came away thinking very much that it was not 'scolding' one group or another, or certain individuals from certain groups for bad behavior. On the contrary, I believe the film may have been intentionally trying to rise above the all too common 'Who can I blame?' paradigm of the recent and distant past. This movie, I think, asks us to consider that we have to make decisions based on the circumstances in which we find ourselves. And one idea I take from this [granted, based on my own preconceptions coming into the film] is that simply finding a person to blame might not be the most helpful solution.
2. If life is somewhat random, then all 'violence' cannot be avoided. Is this even a good goal? And yet, we strive towards peaceful, good living. But, as I hinted at the end of point one, the solution perhaps lies more in system-wide responses than in just legalistic blame-throwing at one or two people. Sociology and psychology combine here. Certainly, love and basic respect for all people are a prerequisite. Because it is this love for someone just because he or she is, in fact, a human person, created by the same God that created me, that leads me to find out what this person truly needs, and then work to bring it to him or her. I understand Bill Cosby has recently come out with a book that emphasizes the idea the people who are hurt will go on to hurt others: not really such a novel idea, yet we often act like we don't believe it, that is, unless it be ourselves. We're often quick to excuse ourselves from responsibility because we're so 'busy' or we 'had a bad day.' Yet when other people misbehave, they must be hooligans or godless or self-absorbed. In John Grisham's book, The Chamber, he speaks about a former Klansman on death row for the killing of two Jewish boys. This is a fictional story, of course, but the points made are relevant. At one point, Grisham writes from the mouth of his main character [the attorney and grandson of Sam, the convicted murderer], that he could see how, growing up in the part of Mississippi in which Sam grew up, that it was only likely that Sam would grow up the way he did, to see black people and Jews the way he did; it had been schooled into him. I don't know that Grisham is 'excusing' such actions; I doubt it, and if he is, I'm not suggesting the same. There is something to taking responsibility for your actions, but I think Grisham is reminding us of something the Bible also reminds us of, to 'bear one another's burdens.' {Galatians 6, verse 2} If Sam was guilty of murder, in many ways, so are any of us who have ever been quietists when it came to racial issues [and who hasn't been at some time or other?], or who directly contributed to racial tension [sadly, this is probably true of us, too, and I certainly would have to plead guilty also]. This film brings out the idea of 'shared guilt,' I believe. Or at least, it seems that way to a person like me who has already been focusing on this idea for awhile. When we address racism in America or the world, we have to be thinking both sociologically and psycholgically, and we have to constantly consider our 'own' fears and hurts even as we consider those of others.
These are just my thoughts; I welcome anyone else's reactions the film.
1. The idea, I believe, is that people living in a common world are going to interact with each other, and this is not always planned, but very often circumstanstial. The subtitle on the film's website, http://www.crashfilm.com/ is "Moving at the speed of light, we are bound to collide with each other." {I would recommend reading the 'synopsis' on the website also.} It is very much like 'crashing' into one another. And it puts racial strife into this context. I came away thinking very much that it was not 'scolding' one group or another, or certain individuals from certain groups for bad behavior. On the contrary, I believe the film may have been intentionally trying to rise above the all too common 'Who can I blame?' paradigm of the recent and distant past. This movie, I think, asks us to consider that we have to make decisions based on the circumstances in which we find ourselves. And one idea I take from this [granted, based on my own preconceptions coming into the film] is that simply finding a person to blame might not be the most helpful solution.
2. If life is somewhat random, then all 'violence' cannot be avoided. Is this even a good goal? And yet, we strive towards peaceful, good living. But, as I hinted at the end of point one, the solution perhaps lies more in system-wide responses than in just legalistic blame-throwing at one or two people. Sociology and psychology combine here. Certainly, love and basic respect for all people are a prerequisite. Because it is this love for someone just because he or she is, in fact, a human person, created by the same God that created me, that leads me to find out what this person truly needs, and then work to bring it to him or her. I understand Bill Cosby has recently come out with a book that emphasizes the idea the people who are hurt will go on to hurt others: not really such a novel idea, yet we often act like we don't believe it, that is, unless it be ourselves. We're often quick to excuse ourselves from responsibility because we're so 'busy' or we 'had a bad day.' Yet when other people misbehave, they must be hooligans or godless or self-absorbed. In John Grisham's book, The Chamber, he speaks about a former Klansman on death row for the killing of two Jewish boys. This is a fictional story, of course, but the points made are relevant. At one point, Grisham writes from the mouth of his main character [the attorney and grandson of Sam, the convicted murderer], that he could see how, growing up in the part of Mississippi in which Sam grew up, that it was only likely that Sam would grow up the way he did, to see black people and Jews the way he did; it had been schooled into him. I don't know that Grisham is 'excusing' such actions; I doubt it, and if he is, I'm not suggesting the same. There is something to taking responsibility for your actions, but I think Grisham is reminding us of something the Bible also reminds us of, to 'bear one another's burdens.' {Galatians 6, verse 2} If Sam was guilty of murder, in many ways, so are any of us who have ever been quietists when it came to racial issues [and who hasn't been at some time or other?], or who directly contributed to racial tension [sadly, this is probably true of us, too, and I certainly would have to plead guilty also]. This film brings out the idea of 'shared guilt,' I believe. Or at least, it seems that way to a person like me who has already been focusing on this idea for awhile. When we address racism in America or the world, we have to be thinking both sociologically and psycholgically, and we have to constantly consider our 'own' fears and hurts even as we consider those of others.
These are just my thoughts; I welcome anyone else's reactions the film.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Inaugural post
Welcome, I am new to the world of posting, so please forgive any errors on my part, such as rudeness or lack of blogging etiquette; appropriate comments to gently instruct me in the right ways would be very much appreicated.
It is my intention to post about news items and other issues that occur, that may occur to me because of conversation with others, or personal reflection. I don't know how topics may occur to me; I imagine that readers may respond with thoughtful comments leading to further posts, etc. As I say, this is new to me, so I am not altogether sure what to expect.
I do hope to develop some of my own rules of etiquette and expectations. One thing I hope to accomplish by this process is to further the cause of affirmation of fellow travelers in this fantastic universe into which our Creator has put us. It is my belief that the material world in which we humans find ourselves is a sacred trust from our divine Master, even as we are sacred to one another in the Master's eyes. This being so, I mean this post to be one more means in this world of affirming the worth of humanity, both individually and collectively. This is not meant to suggest that humans are 'superior' in any way to the rest of the Master's creation, but only that we are very much loved, even as all creation is in its own way. I don't know that superiority is any way implied by suggesting that human life is worth a great deal. We have a role to play as faithful stewards. Let us help one another to fulfill it. I have read somewhere that some of the ancient Stoics were guided by the ethical precept that that which is truly good for an individual is truly good for the entire universe, and the converse being true as well. I see some wisdom in this idea. As one trusts in the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth for my deliverance from sin and eternal death, I see some common ground in this Stoic concept. Surely, not all Stoic thought matches that of Jesus, but some were surely moved by the Spirit of God to say wise things, and I believe this to be one of them. If you know precisely which ancient philsopher said this, be it Zeno, Epictetus, Seneca, or another great Stoic thinker, please inform me where it is written. I would like to know. In the meantime, whether I am right in attributing this thought to the Stoics or not, I do believe that I cannot claim to work for the ultimate good of the universe and still harbor hatred toward a single man or woman. Or, to put in the language of the New Testament book of James, I cannot claim to love God and hate my brother. Jesus said that there are two great commands, to love God with our whole being, and our neighbors as ourselves. I cannot do one without the other.
We common citizens of the Master's universe may not always agree on the methods of how to achieve the greater good, or the good of one, but I have a faith that believes we can begin with common beliefs and work to understand one another better. This, is turn, can lead us to learn more about the nature of 'good,' or God, and so live as we are designed to live, in mutul beneficial relationships with one another and with the material world. To this point, I believe we have learned that part of what is 'good' is the idea that love for one another is best when not tied to expectations from the object of that love. Some call this 'unconditional' love. Many Christians tend to believe this is the kind of love the Creator/Master has for all people. I believe this, and I ask anyone to at least consider it as true. It is difficult to believe if you have known much more hatred than love from those in your lives, and I have to understand that. And this makes it much more important for those of us who believe it to continue to model it, that is, to DO GOOD for those who are NOT necessarily doing good for us. Many have advocated this, and in our own time M. Scott Peck has challenged us to love those whom we don't FEEL like loving. This is its true test, and I pray the Spirit of God on each of us to bring us to love one another this way. It is true joy!
Thank you for reading my opening remarks. I hope it gives a flavor of what will come, but then again, I don't mean to tie myself down to certain topics. I am willing to consider most topics, even though I know little of them. May God bless you and those you love!
Brett
It is my intention to post about news items and other issues that occur, that may occur to me because of conversation with others, or personal reflection. I don't know how topics may occur to me; I imagine that readers may respond with thoughtful comments leading to further posts, etc. As I say, this is new to me, so I am not altogether sure what to expect.
I do hope to develop some of my own rules of etiquette and expectations. One thing I hope to accomplish by this process is to further the cause of affirmation of fellow travelers in this fantastic universe into which our Creator has put us. It is my belief that the material world in which we humans find ourselves is a sacred trust from our divine Master, even as we are sacred to one another in the Master's eyes. This being so, I mean this post to be one more means in this world of affirming the worth of humanity, both individually and collectively. This is not meant to suggest that humans are 'superior' in any way to the rest of the Master's creation, but only that we are very much loved, even as all creation is in its own way. I don't know that superiority is any way implied by suggesting that human life is worth a great deal. We have a role to play as faithful stewards. Let us help one another to fulfill it. I have read somewhere that some of the ancient Stoics were guided by the ethical precept that that which is truly good for an individual is truly good for the entire universe, and the converse being true as well. I see some wisdom in this idea. As one trusts in the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth for my deliverance from sin and eternal death, I see some common ground in this Stoic concept. Surely, not all Stoic thought matches that of Jesus, but some were surely moved by the Spirit of God to say wise things, and I believe this to be one of them. If you know precisely which ancient philsopher said this, be it Zeno, Epictetus, Seneca, or another great Stoic thinker, please inform me where it is written. I would like to know. In the meantime, whether I am right in attributing this thought to the Stoics or not, I do believe that I cannot claim to work for the ultimate good of the universe and still harbor hatred toward a single man or woman. Or, to put in the language of the New Testament book of James, I cannot claim to love God and hate my brother. Jesus said that there are two great commands, to love God with our whole being, and our neighbors as ourselves. I cannot do one without the other.
We common citizens of the Master's universe may not always agree on the methods of how to achieve the greater good, or the good of one, but I have a faith that believes we can begin with common beliefs and work to understand one another better. This, is turn, can lead us to learn more about the nature of 'good,' or God, and so live as we are designed to live, in mutul beneficial relationships with one another and with the material world. To this point, I believe we have learned that part of what is 'good' is the idea that love for one another is best when not tied to expectations from the object of that love. Some call this 'unconditional' love. Many Christians tend to believe this is the kind of love the Creator/Master has for all people. I believe this, and I ask anyone to at least consider it as true. It is difficult to believe if you have known much more hatred than love from those in your lives, and I have to understand that. And this makes it much more important for those of us who believe it to continue to model it, that is, to DO GOOD for those who are NOT necessarily doing good for us. Many have advocated this, and in our own time M. Scott Peck has challenged us to love those whom we don't FEEL like loving. This is its true test, and I pray the Spirit of God on each of us to bring us to love one another this way. It is true joy!
Thank you for reading my opening remarks. I hope it gives a flavor of what will come, but then again, I don't mean to tie myself down to certain topics. I am willing to consider most topics, even though I know little of them. May God bless you and those you love!
Brett
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