Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
A lesson in blogometry
Here are some useful definitions for the Chaunson family.
Blog- a web log. a website where one or more authors can post essays on different subjects.
Post- a single entry in a blog. Posts are usually restricted to one subject or the contents of one day.
Comments- this is a section found under each post where others can comment on the post. Comments are used to keep discussions coherent and to keep multiple people from posting multiple posts on the same topic over and over.
I know you don't get to create a clever title for your response but if you use the comments it will clean up the webspace and make it much easier to tell when you've been responded to.
The caveat here is that you have to actually check the comments section when you go to the blog.
So what do you say friends? Let's clean up this place!
Remember. . .
If you've just read a post,
and you need to lament;
don't boast a repost,
just leave a comment
Blog- a web log. a website where one or more authors can post essays on different subjects.
Post- a single entry in a blog. Posts are usually restricted to one subject or the contents of one day.
Comments- this is a section found under each post where others can comment on the post. Comments are used to keep discussions coherent and to keep multiple people from posting multiple posts on the same topic over and over.
I know you don't get to create a clever title for your response but if you use the comments it will clean up the webspace and make it much easier to tell when you've been responded to.
The caveat here is that you have to actually check the comments section when you go to the blog.
So what do you say friends? Let's clean up this place!
Remember. . .
If you've just read a post,
and you need to lament;
don't boast a repost,
just leave a comment
Love, Glove, Dove
AK47 Pleabs,
I don’t argue with you about “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.” In fact, I concur wholeheartedly my Heeby Pleeby friend.
When you started talking about Eros, however, that’s where I began disagreeing. Do you know where the concept of Eros stemmed from? It was a Greek mythological god. The god of love. Plato worked on its definition for sometime, and many philosophers used it later on. . .much like the definition you took from FREUD’S definition of sexual love.
What I’m saying is that these are still human-composed concepts, and if we believe in the same God, and God is Love, then those human-composed concepts are merely shots in the dark as to what human love is.
The Bible says God is Love, so if you claim to know Love, you claim to know God. You don’t know God. You have a glimpse as to what He is, but you don’t fully understand. Thee same goes for love, or unconditional love I should say.
So I guess, yes, we both agree that there is a duality in love, at least from our perspective. . . There is suffering and sadness. But we often see, in hindsight bias, that these are required for love to exist, whether we agree with it or not.
But my issue with Boyd is that he renounces any pain and suffering in this world as being Love or God-related. He says God plays no hand in those instances. And if you want to know why I have such a huge problem with this, read my entry right below this one “Who knows? (Nobody! Nobody!)”
As far as loving your neighbor as you love God, I think we need to constantly be reevaluating ourselves and where we stand. The big question is “How? How do I love?” It’s easy to say “just love.” But people who aren’t even Christians exhibit what seems to be love, so how do as Christians better represent it?
It’s easy to care for your wife, your girlfriend, your family and friends dude. But think about people you can’t stand. Think about people you despise. You are instructed to love them. How on earth do you even do that? I think we caught a piece of a snapshot of what love is in the crucifixion. It sent a message. . . deny yourself for God and for others. Sacrifice yourself. Give up your time, your money, your energy, all of you. And not just for the people close to you. Now how often do we do that? And how often do we even RECOGNIZE it? And yet, we have the audacity and the arrogance to go around preaching about love.
The truth is, like Lewis said below, people would rather not hear about it; they’d rather see it in action. It bothers me beyond all belief when Christians think that non-Christians will someday find a faith if they just hear more Bible verses about love thrown at them. Or if they hear that Jesus loves them. If they don’t believe in Jesus, then this has no relevance.
If you are instructed to be a part of the living body of Christ, your time would be better spent not talking about the love of Christ, aside from the fact that you don’t even know what that means, but rather living it out the best way you know how. This goes for me too.
Grandpa C
I don’t argue with you about “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.” In fact, I concur wholeheartedly my Heeby Pleeby friend.
When you started talking about Eros, however, that’s where I began disagreeing. Do you know where the concept of Eros stemmed from? It was a Greek mythological god. The god of love. Plato worked on its definition for sometime, and many philosophers used it later on. . .much like the definition you took from FREUD’S definition of sexual love.
What I’m saying is that these are still human-composed concepts, and if we believe in the same God, and God is Love, then those human-composed concepts are merely shots in the dark as to what human love is.
The Bible says God is Love, so if you claim to know Love, you claim to know God. You don’t know God. You have a glimpse as to what He is, but you don’t fully understand. Thee same goes for love, or unconditional love I should say.
So I guess, yes, we both agree that there is a duality in love, at least from our perspective. . . There is suffering and sadness. But we often see, in hindsight bias, that these are required for love to exist, whether we agree with it or not.
But my issue with Boyd is that he renounces any pain and suffering in this world as being Love or God-related. He says God plays no hand in those instances. And if you want to know why I have such a huge problem with this, read my entry right below this one “Who knows? (Nobody! Nobody!)”
As far as loving your neighbor as you love God, I think we need to constantly be reevaluating ourselves and where we stand. The big question is “How? How do I love?” It’s easy to say “just love.” But people who aren’t even Christians exhibit what seems to be love, so how do as Christians better represent it?
It’s easy to care for your wife, your girlfriend, your family and friends dude. But think about people you can’t stand. Think about people you despise. You are instructed to love them. How on earth do you even do that? I think we caught a piece of a snapshot of what love is in the crucifixion. It sent a message. . . deny yourself for God and for others. Sacrifice yourself. Give up your time, your money, your energy, all of you. And not just for the people close to you. Now how often do we do that? And how often do we even RECOGNIZE it? And yet, we have the audacity and the arrogance to go around preaching about love.
The truth is, like Lewis said below, people would rather not hear about it; they’d rather see it in action. It bothers me beyond all belief when Christians think that non-Christians will someday find a faith if they just hear more Bible verses about love thrown at them. Or if they hear that Jesus loves them. If they don’t believe in Jesus, then this has no relevance.
If you are instructed to be a part of the living body of Christ, your time would be better spent not talking about the love of Christ, aside from the fact that you don’t even know what that means, but rather living it out the best way you know how. This goes for me too.
Grandpa C
Who knows? (Nobody! Nobody!)
Sniffles,
When I say Buddhism is a “feel good” faith, I say it in terms of “what can I do to achieve inner peace.” In truth, there are a lot of everyday methodologies one can use to achieve inner peace – yoga, meditation, what have you. But if you don’t believe my Buddhism comment, look it up and read about it. Sure, it’s a religion that practices moderation, but the ultimate goal, at least from what I understand, is achieving nirvana. This is sort of like a heavenly state in which conflict no longer exists and one finds peacefulness.
Secondly, I don’t know why the hell it is so difficult letting the concept of God be God.
If we ignore the concept of Christianity momentarily, just think for a moment what it means for “a god” to exist. I guess I could ask you something like this: When asked what “a god” is, how would you define it? Would you bind this god to certain limitations? If so, I have a few words for you:
That isn’t a god. . .or maybe it could be by your definition. But that really seems more like a superhuman. It can do some things beyond human standards, but is limited in other areas.
If I believe in this god, I essentially am taking stake in something you just made up. That’s like you taking some crayons and a piece of construction paper and drawing “a god,” and me subsequently devoting my whole life to it.
Now that we’ve gotten past the general concept of “a god,” let’s consider God, as written in the Bible (the same God Boyd and I supposedly believe in, along with all other Christians).
Revelation 11:17 - Exclaiming, To You we give thanks, Lord God Omnipotent, [the One] Who is and [ever] was, for assuming the high sovereignty and the great power that are Yours and for beginning to reign.
Omnipotence – look it up.
Sniffles,
If God is omnipotent, he has infinite power. Infinite. Meaning unending. He always was, is and will be. He defies “time.” And why shouldn’t he? He created it.
If God created time Sniffles, and he subsequently became a victim of it, of his own created concept, he exists in the time frame as do we. He cannot know what will be, what will happen. He is no longer all-knowing. He merely moves through a timeline with us, completely oblivious to anything in the future. And if He cannot foresee the future, how could He have prophesied like He did?
That is what I mean by drawing lines. If Christianity is supposedly the only way and this is the one true God, He should reign above all. . .and according to Revelation, He does. What does this mean? HE HOLDS EVERYTHING. Take that kid’s song. . . “He’s got the whole world in his hands” and alter the words a bit: “He’s got the whole universe and all of its concepts in his hands.”
And if you’re going to try to argue that, because Jesus was human, he walked the earth and was subject to time just like the rest of us, I will agree with you. . .PHYSICALLY. But if Jesus is God, He abided by the same concepts as God (read above). He still had infinite knowledge and power. What was the Greek word that explained this concept? Ah yes. . . Kenosis.
In short, Sniffles, I have a difficult time when people start throwing God-Limitations at me, because it contradicts the concept of "god" itself! If these people understand God so well, meaning they can define what He would and wouldn’t do, they are really stating that they are gods over God. If God has limitations made up by some arrogant philosopher, then I’d much rather not adhere to that heresy.
Consider it this way: A limited mind can only produce a limited answer.
The rest follows suit.
Grandpa C
When I say Buddhism is a “feel good” faith, I say it in terms of “what can I do to achieve inner peace.” In truth, there are a lot of everyday methodologies one can use to achieve inner peace – yoga, meditation, what have you. But if you don’t believe my Buddhism comment, look it up and read about it. Sure, it’s a religion that practices moderation, but the ultimate goal, at least from what I understand, is achieving nirvana. This is sort of like a heavenly state in which conflict no longer exists and one finds peacefulness.
Secondly, I don’t know why the hell it is so difficult letting the concept of God be God.
If we ignore the concept of Christianity momentarily, just think for a moment what it means for “a god” to exist. I guess I could ask you something like this: When asked what “a god” is, how would you define it? Would you bind this god to certain limitations? If so, I have a few words for you:
That isn’t a god. . .or maybe it could be by your definition. But that really seems more like a superhuman. It can do some things beyond human standards, but is limited in other areas.
If I believe in this god, I essentially am taking stake in something you just made up. That’s like you taking some crayons and a piece of construction paper and drawing “a god,” and me subsequently devoting my whole life to it.
Now that we’ve gotten past the general concept of “a god,” let’s consider God, as written in the Bible (the same God Boyd and I supposedly believe in, along with all other Christians).
Revelation 11:17 - Exclaiming, To You we give thanks, Lord God Omnipotent, [the One] Who is and [ever] was, for assuming the high sovereignty and the great power that are Yours and for beginning to reign.
Omnipotence – look it up.
Sniffles,
If God is omnipotent, he has infinite power. Infinite. Meaning unending. He always was, is and will be. He defies “time.” And why shouldn’t he? He created it.
If God created time Sniffles, and he subsequently became a victim of it, of his own created concept, he exists in the time frame as do we. He cannot know what will be, what will happen. He is no longer all-knowing. He merely moves through a timeline with us, completely oblivious to anything in the future. And if He cannot foresee the future, how could He have prophesied like He did?
That is what I mean by drawing lines. If Christianity is supposedly the only way and this is the one true God, He should reign above all. . .and according to Revelation, He does. What does this mean? HE HOLDS EVERYTHING. Take that kid’s song. . . “He’s got the whole world in his hands” and alter the words a bit: “He’s got the whole universe and all of its concepts in his hands.”
And if you’re going to try to argue that, because Jesus was human, he walked the earth and was subject to time just like the rest of us, I will agree with you. . .PHYSICALLY. But if Jesus is God, He abided by the same concepts as God (read above). He still had infinite knowledge and power. What was the Greek word that explained this concept? Ah yes. . . Kenosis.
In short, Sniffles, I have a difficult time when people start throwing God-Limitations at me, because it contradicts the concept of "god" itself! If these people understand God so well, meaning they can define what He would and wouldn’t do, they are really stating that they are gods over God. If God has limitations made up by some arrogant philosopher, then I’d much rather not adhere to that heresy.
Consider it this way: A limited mind can only produce a limited answer.
The rest follows suit.
Grandpa C
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The greatest love story ever told..
= the passion. dehydration. 40 lashes. crown of thorns. mocking. carrying the cross. 9 inch nails. crucifixion.
that sounds like a lot of suffering to me.
Josh, the problem is that you take a very 'post modern' view on love. Maybe you should listen to Boyd's series on what 'love' is. Love really has 3 separate branches. One of them is Eros, which is what we think of a lot today - the emotion, cupids arrow, hearts, touch, sex, overall - erotic. But there is A LOT more to love. Love really has to do with death to self, and put others over you.
1 Corinthians 13 has a lot to say about it. or try colossions 3.
The fact is - the God you, Josh, believe in demands you not to understand him, not to understand his creation and omnipotence, but to 'do'
love God and love your neighbors above yourself. All God asks us to do (meaning he empowers us to do it) is wrapped up in this one verse in Matthew. It's simple and it's beautiful.
And that DOES NOT mean put on your birkenstocks, your favorite Grateful Dead tie-dye, hand out flowers, eat some Ben and Jerry's, rock out to Phish, and only eat granola.
sometimes it does mean suffering - as the greatest example of love this world will ever know was, in fact, SUFFERING.
love you Grandpa,
I can't wait to see you tonight, take a flight, i just might, a shining light, brilo-bright, fly a kite, nasty bite, pillow fight, out of sight, lots of height, yes I might, chaunson fight, chicka chight..
Friday, April 11, 2008
Who knows? (I do! I do!)
Grampa C,
It seems to me that both you and Boyd are just creating whatever kind of God you need to enable yourself to believe in God. For you to believe in God, you need him to be omnipotent. Why? What if God is inside and subject to time, but he still reigns over heaven and judges our souls and created us and insprired the bible and fathered Jesus Christ? What if (somehow) you came to know all this but that God can't see our choices before we think them? Would you seriously choose to not believe in this God?
I guess by this point in the narrative you'd at least have to believe he exists.
How do you KNOW that God IS omnipotent? regardless of which scenario is more likely neither possibility is extinguished. so why decide now without the proof?
Ultimately I think it's good to pick sides and beliefs if only for a little while to see if you really believe them. But if your always open to change and reinterpretation do you really ever believe anything? Does it matter? If your goal is to land in heaven then yeah it matters. what if you had no goals? I don't think that's possible. Maybe if you could really eliminate all goals from your mind, you'd just leave your body and move on.
Buddhism isn't about "feeling good" and solving personal problems.
The best thing you can do to save our environment is die.
Sniffles
It seems to me that both you and Boyd are just creating whatever kind of God you need to enable yourself to believe in God. For you to believe in God, you need him to be omnipotent. Why? What if God is inside and subject to time, but he still reigns over heaven and judges our souls and created us and insprired the bible and fathered Jesus Christ? What if (somehow) you came to know all this but that God can't see our choices before we think them? Would you seriously choose to not believe in this God?
I guess by this point in the narrative you'd at least have to believe he exists.
How do you KNOW that God IS omnipotent? regardless of which scenario is more likely neither possibility is extinguished. so why decide now without the proof?
Ultimately I think it's good to pick sides and beliefs if only for a little while to see if you really believe them. But if your always open to change and reinterpretation do you really ever believe anything? Does it matter? If your goal is to land in heaven then yeah it matters. what if you had no goals? I don't think that's possible. Maybe if you could really eliminate all goals from your mind, you'd just leave your body and move on.
Buddhism isn't about "feeling good" and solving personal problems.
The best thing you can do to save our environment is die.
Sniffles
RE: joy-fantasy land excerpt
"don't judge. . .just love" is a good system. What this friend of yours is arguing against is the "don't judge. . .just tell everyone to love" system.
Loving people is not simply telling them about love. Loving people takes actions and sacrifices. Yes suffering people want reasons and explanations but NOT FROM YOU! Sometimes loving people is shutting up, keeping your advice to yourself and just being nice. Help them out with the mundane challenges so they can spend time finding explanations and enjoying your love quietly.
Here's two easy steps to live a good life.
1. don't judge. . .just love
2. take a vow of silence
The most persuasive thing any Christian can do to convert others is to inspire them by being loving all the time. People know where you stand you don't need to tell them all the time.
I say don't get down on the love only all the time people cause they are pretty great people.
Sniffles
Loving people is not simply telling them about love. Loving people takes actions and sacrifices. Yes suffering people want reasons and explanations but NOT FROM YOU! Sometimes loving people is shutting up, keeping your advice to yourself and just being nice. Help them out with the mundane challenges so they can spend time finding explanations and enjoying your love quietly.
Here's two easy steps to live a good life.
1. don't judge. . .just love
2. take a vow of silence
The most persuasive thing any Christian can do to convert others is to inspire them by being loving all the time. People know where you stand you don't need to tell them all the time.
I say don't get down on the love only all the time people cause they are pretty great people.
Sniffles
You're Right Pleabus. Who Knows??
AK47 Pleabus in my Adidas,
I appreciate your insights, and I must say, for the most part, I agree with you; God IS love, and He is much greater than we can ever understand. But that’s exactly my point.
I’m not claiming to understand God. I’m not claiming to establish a concrete set of beliefs on some seemingly obscure topic that doesn’t have anything to do with the concept of Christianity.
What I am ultimately saying is that I DON’T understand it all. By relinquishing all of my knowledge and intuition and acknowledging that God has all the power, I essentially say that I know nothing. I know nothing of anything, except for the fact that God is everything; he is far beyond my understanding. So for anyone to say that they determine their own future and decide their own destiny is a bold, and quite honestly, arrogant statement to me. They are saying “God. . .You know everything. . .except when I decide.” Then I say. . .What’s the point of there ever being a God if you are controlling your own future?!?!?!?!?
I don’t want this to sound like an intellectual competition, really. I could care less about Boyd’s credentials and his intellectual hierarchy. I could care less about my formal thinking abilities. That’s not my agenda.
The reason I make such a big deal about this is because it IS a big deal. I think everyone who says that my argument with Boyd is senseless is really missing the main point of Christianity. If it wasn’t so important, I wouldn’t be making such a fuss about it.
My problem is that Boyd DRAWS LINES. He takes a supernatural, omnipotent presence, and he boxes it up. He says, “God does this, but He doesn’t do that.” Well Boyd, how would you know? That’s no longer a God then. It’s a man-made concept. And why would I want to believe in Greg Boyd’s concepts??? They’re his own, synthetic products . . .much of which are covered with holes and don’t make the slightest bit of sense anyways!
What I’m saying is. . .If we start at square one, in that God is the Divine Creator, we mutually agree that He is everything. He has power over everything. He made everything. He prevails over all, even the devil. That’s all that needs to be said. Everything else is explained by God, not us. That is an incredible weight off my shoulders, but I can see why it’s such a shock for the power-hungry folks like Boyd.
Deny yourself. That’s what Christ did. And He’s our God.
Deny what you think you know.
Stop philosophizing and creating concepts.
God knows.
That’s all that needs to be said.
~Grandpa
I will end by quoting a few excerpts from a couple emails sent from a friend of mine when she read a piece by Greg Boyd.
“On 'Repenting of religion: turning to judgment to the love of God' - by greg boyd
Dietrich Bonhoeffer inspired the book- who says love and judgment oppose each other
'The knowledge of good and evil seems to be the aim of all ethical reflection. The first task of christian ethics is to invalidate this knowledge.' ~bonhoeffer
So here is boyd... using his (ahem) JUDGMENT to pick and choose what he agrees with, what he doesn't, and what he changes about bonhoeffer's ideas. That is the introduction to the book.
The first chapter begins of Boyd telling of a time where he was people-watching at a mall and realized how he was sitting there judging everyone that walked by. So he decided to change his mindset and start looking at everyone in a more kind light. He discovered, AMAZINGLY, that when he told his mind to start thinking nice thoughts about others, that he found nice things about them and seemed to feel more love toward them. When he looked for good things in other people, he found some. Amazing.
So...'Don't judge...just love'.
I feel like I should stop showering, get out my rainbow sunglasses and my pot smoking conversion van with wall to wall shag.... and walk around with a confused look saying 'just love man.... peace is the answer'. 'Mmm I love brownies. And... hey lets go get something to eat.'
Noble idea... 'love'... but not exactly a theme the bible does much to support when it’s completely removed from its context, repainted, and thrown around like confetti....like 'love' truly ever has been FREE. I would have to say that the bible does a lot more speaking of the hardships and suffering and dying and COST than it does of just LOVE love love.... like anybody actually has a clue about what that means anyway. The pure fact that english has one word and other languages have several to define the different 'loves' should be a flippin clue.
Sheesh.
If you don't put a name on the suffering... you do a much greater disservice to non-believers than not saying anything at all. Speaking from experience...if you can do nothing to explain the hurt of this life, you won't resonate with those who are most open and ripe to hear the gospel of a God who traded himself in order to make it right for us
all in a million different ways. Is all you do is speak of purest
happiness and nothing more... and only instruct the world that 'love is the answer'... you will merely alienate those who needed you most.
Anyone who has loved and lost knows the kind of hopelessness in such empty advice.
That is where the exclusion of christianity truly seems to me... where the 'chosen' ignore the unchosen and look either down on them or simply away.... in their 'joy' fantasyland.”
I appreciate your insights, and I must say, for the most part, I agree with you; God IS love, and He is much greater than we can ever understand. But that’s exactly my point.
I’m not claiming to understand God. I’m not claiming to establish a concrete set of beliefs on some seemingly obscure topic that doesn’t have anything to do with the concept of Christianity.
What I am ultimately saying is that I DON’T understand it all. By relinquishing all of my knowledge and intuition and acknowledging that God has all the power, I essentially say that I know nothing. I know nothing of anything, except for the fact that God is everything; he is far beyond my understanding. So for anyone to say that they determine their own future and decide their own destiny is a bold, and quite honestly, arrogant statement to me. They are saying “God. . .You know everything. . .except when I decide.” Then I say. . .What’s the point of there ever being a God if you are controlling your own future?!?!?!?!?
I don’t want this to sound like an intellectual competition, really. I could care less about Boyd’s credentials and his intellectual hierarchy. I could care less about my formal thinking abilities. That’s not my agenda.
The reason I make such a big deal about this is because it IS a big deal. I think everyone who says that my argument with Boyd is senseless is really missing the main point of Christianity. If it wasn’t so important, I wouldn’t be making such a fuss about it.
My problem is that Boyd DRAWS LINES. He takes a supernatural, omnipotent presence, and he boxes it up. He says, “God does this, but He doesn’t do that.” Well Boyd, how would you know? That’s no longer a God then. It’s a man-made concept. And why would I want to believe in Greg Boyd’s concepts??? They’re his own, synthetic products . . .much of which are covered with holes and don’t make the slightest bit of sense anyways!
What I’m saying is. . .If we start at square one, in that God is the Divine Creator, we mutually agree that He is everything. He has power over everything. He made everything. He prevails over all, even the devil. That’s all that needs to be said. Everything else is explained by God, not us. That is an incredible weight off my shoulders, but I can see why it’s such a shock for the power-hungry folks like Boyd.
Deny yourself. That’s what Christ did. And He’s our God.
Deny what you think you know.
Stop philosophizing and creating concepts.
God knows.
That’s all that needs to be said.
~Grandpa
I will end by quoting a few excerpts from a couple emails sent from a friend of mine when she read a piece by Greg Boyd.
“On 'Repenting of religion: turning to judgment to the love of God' - by greg boyd
Dietrich Bonhoeffer inspired the book- who says love and judgment oppose each other
'The knowledge of good and evil seems to be the aim of all ethical reflection. The first task of christian ethics is to invalidate this knowledge.' ~bonhoeffer
So here is boyd... using his (ahem) JUDGMENT to pick and choose what he agrees with, what he doesn't, and what he changes about bonhoeffer's ideas. That is the introduction to the book.
The first chapter begins of Boyd telling of a time where he was people-watching at a mall and realized how he was sitting there judging everyone that walked by. So he decided to change his mindset and start looking at everyone in a more kind light. He discovered, AMAZINGLY, that when he told his mind to start thinking nice thoughts about others, that he found nice things about them and seemed to feel more love toward them. When he looked for good things in other people, he found some. Amazing.
So...'Don't judge...just love'.
I feel like I should stop showering, get out my rainbow sunglasses and my pot smoking conversion van with wall to wall shag.... and walk around with a confused look saying 'just love man.... peace is the answer'. 'Mmm I love brownies. And... hey lets go get something to eat.'
Noble idea... 'love'... but not exactly a theme the bible does much to support when it’s completely removed from its context, repainted, and thrown around like confetti....like 'love' truly ever has been FREE. I would have to say that the bible does a lot more speaking of the hardships and suffering and dying and COST than it does of just LOVE love love.... like anybody actually has a clue about what that means anyway. The pure fact that english has one word and other languages have several to define the different 'loves' should be a flippin clue.
Sheesh.
If you don't put a name on the suffering... you do a much greater disservice to non-believers than not saying anything at all. Speaking from experience...if you can do nothing to explain the hurt of this life, you won't resonate with those who are most open and ripe to hear the gospel of a God who traded himself in order to make it right for us
all in a million different ways. Is all you do is speak of purest
happiness and nothing more... and only instruct the world that 'love is the answer'... you will merely alienate those who needed you most.
Anyone who has loved and lost knows the kind of hopelessness in such empty advice.
That is where the exclusion of christianity truly seems to me... where the 'chosen' ignore the unchosen and look either down on them or simply away.... in their 'joy' fantasyland.”
Sunday, April 6, 2008
who knows?
I woke up this morning with further thoughts and pleabusness on my yesterdays post...
Just waking up in the morning I try to thank God. I don't know but today seems kinda odd. No barking from the dog, and no smog, and momma cooked the breakfast with no hog. I got my grub on, but didn't pig out, finally got a call from a girl I wanna dig out. Hooked it up on the later as I hit the do, thinking while a live, another twenty-fo....
just kidding, that's just ice cube.
food for thought..
question: Is water - a) a liquid b) a solid c) a vapor
answer: D - all of the above
question: is light a wave or a particle?
answer: both - it travels as wave and interacts as a particle
question: is God - a) the Father b) the Son c) the Holy Spirit
answer: D - all of the above!
Holy macaroni in my pony!! The bottom line is this - our homeboy is humungoulsy, jinourmously, and universally gigantic, omnipresent, and above all - mysterious.
The good thing is we were never called to understand his HUUUUUUGE creation. phew!
the stupid thing is - we try. Believe me - I am the most guilty of trying above most anyone. oh well, I am a stupid human. But when I am most in tune with my boy, the more I know I don't know - but the more I know. what?
humans greatest wisdom is not knowing. Socrates said this a VERY long time ago, and it remains true today.
so is Josh, Greg Boyd or any other scholor correct? who knows? sometimes points can help those questioning. it is too bad when it turns into debate against each other. it is just noise.
what if time, and the future is set - but it is also manipulated. both? it's possible. what if it is two in one? there is no way shape or form for us to try and understand this. so stop trying. we won't know until we are dead. don't waste precious breath attempting to figure out what you cannot.
Josh, you seem to be SO hung on the fact that you once confronted Boyd. who cares? maybe he wasn't ready to handle such a debate in that setting. maybe he didn't know how serious you were and how much you thought about it. maybe you stumped him. does it matter? you probably really are smarter than Boyd - or at least as intellectually challenged.
I love you more than any pleabus could love a chaun!! or is it chaun to another pleabus? or is it chaun to a chaun? or pleabus to pleabus.................................. WHO KNOWS!?!
bottom line - I LOVE you bro. I love the rest of you chauns as well.
AK-47
ps - today I didn't have to use my AK - I gotta say it was a GOOD DAY.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The man in the mirror?
Josh - my sweet pleabus (cousin word to chaunson) - you radiate so much chaunson that you have actually been able to take a ficticious word, "chauson," and make it real. You truly ARE, indeed, a chaunson. and you make me so proud.....
with Love from the sandy beaches of Newport Beach, CA.........
Josh, you are an amazing mind. Your intellect in incredible. Your wit and deep thoughts are FAR above the norm. You are extremely talented in constructing well, thought-out ideas and explaining them. you are a very gifted lyricist and it has been a great pleasure to be apart of your gifts - poop forecasts and all - and I love you for it.
I think you and Greg Boyd to go need sit down with a pitcher and be really smart together.
Do you know what a fundamentalist is? It is someone you has stopped listening.
You have decided to take your brilliant mind and construct a belief system, that has caused you to unwilling accept ANY other alternative. you have become very, very stubborn in your deep rooted beliefs, and you have stopped listening.
If you were able to hold a mirror up to a lot of the things you preach against, you would actually see yourself. Your great mind has established this very rigid, certain set of beliefs and you have become your own god.
How are you able to make such strong, certain decisions about EVERYTHING and "know" them to be true? who are you to decide the definition of what God is or what gods are??
If you ever really let Christ into your life ('let' as in CHOOSING to accept HIM), you soon realize that your faith is not understood (understood in your mind). It is a 'peace' that passes ALL understanding. It comes from within, from your soul, where Christ's holy spirit literally resides. "God's love has poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." (Romans 5:5) "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:11) And there are countless times throughout the new testament that claim 'those who believe' 'those who choose.' There are also many, many, many commands to not live by sinful nature, live by the world.
God has simply empowered us and it's beautiful.
There is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much we don't understand. but we don't need to. "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5). It starts with surrender - surrender of your mind, of your own understanding, and then you will understand what you DON'T understand - get it??
"If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become 'fools' so that you may become wise." (1 corinthians 3:18)
Here we go: faith is not understood with the mind. it is not a cognitive thought. it is not debated. it is an EXPERIENCE you get to have when you allow Christ to give you LIFE and life to the FULL. it is amazing. AMAZING LOVE.
So, surrender your life - your mind - your everything - and PROTECT it. keep giving it back to Christ.
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your fellow believers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9).
There IS a real evil presence in the world. and I have seen it. if you want REAL eye witness of stuff you thought was only in movies - I can tell you. WHO CARES? the devil is a coward. the name CHRIST causes him to tremble in fear. but, he is a witty little bastard and all he can do is lie. I will tell you this Josh, the guilt you feel from decisions or choices you make does NOT come from our boy upstairs....
fellas, this it is. LOVE. simple. that's it. it is seriously it. love. just love. it is beautiful.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.' ALL (ALL!!!!!!) the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matt 22:37-40)
BOOM!
all debate is just babble - a GONG. there is no need. lets stop it. it gets us nowhere. i tried to debate faith once and it ate me. i've learned from it. Christ has shown me SO much.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have LIFE, and life to the FULL." (John 10:10)
everything else is just existing.
May Christ's love shine on all of you Chaunsonas and you may have LIFE!
in the name of the giver of LIFE, my homeboy....
Chaunson #47 - AK
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Greg Boyd is a Heretic
Greg Boyd is a heretic.
Does this make me sound like a heretic? Before you answer this question, have you ever considered the possibility that the information one man is shooting at you might simply be mythical and overly-contrived? Where and when was it determined that one man could make such discreet statements about concepts that are both improvable AND spiritually incomprehensible to the mere human?
I think Greg Boyd is scared. I think many who follow this “theology” and “philosophy” are simply scared. They understand the fragility of human life, and they look short of God to their own ‘answers’ to define the concepts they either don’t understand or don’t agree with.
A very frustrating question to me is:
If Greg Boyd and I believe in the same Book, why do we have such completely different views?
Boyd has an impressive track record, graduating from Yale and Princeton in theological studies. He also studied theology for 16 years at Bethel University and founded Woodland Hills Church. But when talking about God, what the heck does that even mean to me? Nothing.
Regardless of whether or not Greg Boyd went to Yale or was a complete bum on the street - if he and I believed in the same God, we should believe in the same God. But we don’t.
1. Boyd paints a “spiritual” setting in which God intervenes from time to time. Humans make their own decisions, and it is the result of these many decisions, combined with unseen demonic activity and spiritual warfare, that ultimately creates the “butterfly effect.”
My response to this? If Boyd and I agree that God created everything, then we should agree He created the concept of time. Time is relative; this is scientifically proven. Therefore, time is not some concrete linear movement in one direction. From our perspective, it is. From Boyd’s perspective, it is.
If God created time, it simply exists. It doesn’t develop as a series of progressions. It just is. It exists. And God knows all of it. Some people say “Well yeah. God knows everything that is happening, but he doesn’t control all of it.” This doesn’t make any sense.
I hate to quote a movie, but I will, simply because it has some surprisingly keen intellect:
Donnie: Could these wormholes appear in nature?
Dr. Monnitoff: That...is highly unlikely. You're talking about an act of God.
Donnie: If God controls time...then all time is pre-decided. Then every living thing travels along a set path.
Dr. Monnitoff: I'm not following you.
Donnie: If you could see your path or channel growing out of your stomach you could see into the future. And that's a form of time travel, right?
Dr. Monnitoff: Well, you're contradicting yourself, Donnie. If we could see our destinies manifest themselves visually...then we would be given the choice to betray our chosen destinies. The mere fact that this choice would exist...would make all preformed destiny come to an end.
Donnie: Not if you chose to stay within God's channel...
And while this is a little off from my point, it still parallels what I’m trying to say. In essence, if we determine much of our outcomes in life, we are, in essence, gods ourselves. We do not control time; in other words, we do not control events existing in time. It may appear to us that we do, but God has created those “channels” that create life’s events.
A common response to this is: So we are no longer responsible for our actions? We can just blame God then? I respond with: Well, do you feel prompted to go commit a horrible act? We don’t justify our actions by saying “God mad me do it,” because humans inherently believe we have the ability to make our own decisions, both good and bad. I live each and every day with the feeling of freedom in that I am able to make decisions. I also feel guilt and remorse when these decisions don’t always fall in line with God. But this is what it means to be human. This is how God designed me. In a much bigger picture, however, zoomed way out, something has already been planned. I only have a limited mind and I only really see the here and now.
2. Boyd also states, if God is love, then why do so many evil things happen in the world? Surely they aren’t acts of God.
My response is: How do you know? How do you, Greg Boyd, truly know what unconditional love is? For all the evil and horrible things that happen in the world, how are you so sure they aren’t part of a much greater plan? How do you know that a short, abused life here on earth isn’t part of a plan for reincarnation and eternal life in heaven?
When your mother took you to get your shot at the doctor, assuming you didn’t like shots, I’m sure you looked at her with the same confusion.
Sometimes, pain and suffering are required. It IS an evil-filled world. And while some of us, including Greg Boyd, have the benefit of actually living in a blessed country and can indulge in some of life’s beauty, others aren’t so lucky.
The book of Job is a perfect example that displays God’s sovereignty over all. The devil requests permission to strip from Job everything he owns and God grants permission. Now why would God do this??? My guess is that He wants to show Job that he is all-powerful, and it is He that should be considered over all; even before Job’s children and wife. Did this seem evil? Yes. But it was from God. And it was all in the name of goodness.
Ironically enough, Boyd renounces the book of Job as nothing more than an “epic poem.”
Boyd, I would challenge your mode of thought with perhaps the most atrocious event in the history of the world: the death of Christ.
The birth of Christ was part of a plan by God to bring salvation to everyone on earth. Did we deserve it? No. Do we really deserve anything? No. But God did it anyways. And it was prophesied time and time again that Christ’s death was imminent. All events occurred as part of a plan leading to the crucifixion: Peter’s denial of Jesus, Judas betraying Jesus, Pontius Pilate giving into the pleas of the people.
Imagine if you were in that crowd of people. You’d be wondering how such a horrible act could happen to such a holy being. From your perspective, it would without a doubt be the most evil thing you had ever seen. But behind the curtains, behind the entire scene, God had a plan. He was in control of it. From Peter’s denial to Judas’ betrayal, God controlled. And He prevailed. And why shouldn’t He? If God isn’t in control of everything, the term “god” is stripped of its meaning. He isn’t a God anymore. He isn’t omnipotent. He is simply a man-made concept with limitations. And why would I want to believe some fictitious figure conceptualized by some scholared, whimsical man who includes the Fibonacci sequence on his website as a sign of some supposed intellectual depth? Give me a break.
3. When I had this brief discussion with Boyd, he also said “What’s the point of glorifying God if He determines when and how it will be done? Doesn’t that make us robots?”
Robots or not, read my statement above regarding decision making. And I hate to break it to you Boyd, but God doesn’t necessarily need us. And he certainly doesn’t need us to “glorify” him.
I would also challenge you to think about terms like ‘love’ and ‘glory’ and ‘praise.’ Do you really know what these mean? When you say that there is no point of bringing God glory if he’s already determined it, how do you know that this isn’t a part of what glory really is??? How would you ever know that Boyd??!? You wouldn’t!! And you won’t until you get to heaven. You won’t understand “unconditional love” until you get to heaven. If you say you know what it means now, you are a heretic. Because God is Love, and we all know that you don’t fully know God.
Again, I think Boyd is scared – scared that God is really in control of his entire life. It isn’t easy for a human to relent his or her own self-power or sense of control. (Keep in mind that I use this statement from a worldly view. From a much larger perspective, any perceived power we feel we have has ultimately been determined).
Boyd, you may think this concept completely eradicates all joy from the concept of faith, but I truthfully think it brings about a completely refreshing outlook. I trust that God controls all, and even when bad things happen, I know God is at work behind everything and there is a purpose for it all. . .even if I don’t see it on earth.
Also, I don’t feel justification in giving up my own self-perceived responsibilities because I am still a Christ follower, and I feel prompted to take action. Likewise, I feel blessed that God has planted this “freedom of thinking and acting” within me, but I also understand that it’s because He created my mind that I feel such freedom.
4. There is also mention of God changing His mind in the Bible, something Boyd emphatically uses as evidence to support his free-will claim.
But even if this information is relayed from God Himself, it’s only in the concept of relative time. In our timeline, it is said that God changed His mind. Perhaps this was said because it’s a concept we understand: God didn’t like outcome, changed His mind, changed outcome. But how do you know that God didn’t have the altered outcome already determined when he laid out all of “existence?” From His perspective, He knew His “mind change” would happen all along. From our perspective, He changed his mind.
What disturbs me about Boyd and his arrogance and “deep theological insight” is that he picks and chooses text to believe. When was Christianity EVER about theology and philosophy? Why do you have to analyze these things and discern which is believable to you and which isn’t? To me, it’s a cop out. Christianity is no longer demanding of you; you can make it out to be whatever you want it to be.
And to the rest of you who think Christianity is some “feel good” faith meant to help you solve your personal problems and achieve inner peace, maybe you should take up Buddhism instead. THE UNDERLYING THEME IN ALL OF CHRISTIANITY IS HUMILITY: THE DENIAL OF “SELF.” Rare is a man or woman who lives this idea to its fullest, including myself. The only one who ever completely did this was Jesus.
I realize that, after so many years of preaching and philosophizing about a certain view, it may be extremely difficult for Boyd to relinquish his theology. . .even if he knows it’s wrong. When I had a brief discussion with him some 3 or 4 years ago, he rudely and abruptly ended the conversation when he discovered I hadn’t read one of his books. Oh please Boyd. Please forgive me. I know where you stand. You stood up as a volunteer speaker at CPC and preached your heresy, then proceeded to retreat to a pew and sing words, along with the congregation, that completely opposed everything you just spoke about.
And then you pushed me aside.
Thank you.
Grandpa C
Does this make me sound like a heretic? Before you answer this question, have you ever considered the possibility that the information one man is shooting at you might simply be mythical and overly-contrived? Where and when was it determined that one man could make such discreet statements about concepts that are both improvable AND spiritually incomprehensible to the mere human?
I think Greg Boyd is scared. I think many who follow this “theology” and “philosophy” are simply scared. They understand the fragility of human life, and they look short of God to their own ‘answers’ to define the concepts they either don’t understand or don’t agree with.
A very frustrating question to me is:
If Greg Boyd and I believe in the same Book, why do we have such completely different views?
Boyd has an impressive track record, graduating from Yale and Princeton in theological studies. He also studied theology for 16 years at Bethel University and founded Woodland Hills Church. But when talking about God, what the heck does that even mean to me? Nothing.
Regardless of whether or not Greg Boyd went to Yale or was a complete bum on the street - if he and I believed in the same God, we should believe in the same God. But we don’t.
1. Boyd paints a “spiritual” setting in which God intervenes from time to time. Humans make their own decisions, and it is the result of these many decisions, combined with unseen demonic activity and spiritual warfare, that ultimately creates the “butterfly effect.”
My response to this? If Boyd and I agree that God created everything, then we should agree He created the concept of time. Time is relative; this is scientifically proven. Therefore, time is not some concrete linear movement in one direction. From our perspective, it is. From Boyd’s perspective, it is.
If God created time, it simply exists. It doesn’t develop as a series of progressions. It just is. It exists. And God knows all of it. Some people say “Well yeah. God knows everything that is happening, but he doesn’t control all of it.” This doesn’t make any sense.
I hate to quote a movie, but I will, simply because it has some surprisingly keen intellect:
Donnie: Could these wormholes appear in nature?
Dr. Monnitoff: That...is highly unlikely. You're talking about an act of God.
Donnie: If God controls time...then all time is pre-decided. Then every living thing travels along a set path.
Dr. Monnitoff: I'm not following you.
Donnie: If you could see your path or channel growing out of your stomach you could see into the future. And that's a form of time travel, right?
Dr. Monnitoff: Well, you're contradicting yourself, Donnie. If we could see our destinies manifest themselves visually...then we would be given the choice to betray our chosen destinies. The mere fact that this choice would exist...would make all preformed destiny come to an end.
Donnie: Not if you chose to stay within God's channel...
And while this is a little off from my point, it still parallels what I’m trying to say. In essence, if we determine much of our outcomes in life, we are, in essence, gods ourselves. We do not control time; in other words, we do not control events existing in time. It may appear to us that we do, but God has created those “channels” that create life’s events.
A common response to this is: So we are no longer responsible for our actions? We can just blame God then? I respond with: Well, do you feel prompted to go commit a horrible act? We don’t justify our actions by saying “God mad me do it,” because humans inherently believe we have the ability to make our own decisions, both good and bad. I live each and every day with the feeling of freedom in that I am able to make decisions. I also feel guilt and remorse when these decisions don’t always fall in line with God. But this is what it means to be human. This is how God designed me. In a much bigger picture, however, zoomed way out, something has already been planned. I only have a limited mind and I only really see the here and now.
2. Boyd also states, if God is love, then why do so many evil things happen in the world? Surely they aren’t acts of God.
My response is: How do you know? How do you, Greg Boyd, truly know what unconditional love is? For all the evil and horrible things that happen in the world, how are you so sure they aren’t part of a much greater plan? How do you know that a short, abused life here on earth isn’t part of a plan for reincarnation and eternal life in heaven?
When your mother took you to get your shot at the doctor, assuming you didn’t like shots, I’m sure you looked at her with the same confusion.
Sometimes, pain and suffering are required. It IS an evil-filled world. And while some of us, including Greg Boyd, have the benefit of actually living in a blessed country and can indulge in some of life’s beauty, others aren’t so lucky.
The book of Job is a perfect example that displays God’s sovereignty over all. The devil requests permission to strip from Job everything he owns and God grants permission. Now why would God do this??? My guess is that He wants to show Job that he is all-powerful, and it is He that should be considered over all; even before Job’s children and wife. Did this seem evil? Yes. But it was from God. And it was all in the name of goodness.
Ironically enough, Boyd renounces the book of Job as nothing more than an “epic poem.”
Boyd, I would challenge your mode of thought with perhaps the most atrocious event in the history of the world: the death of Christ.
The birth of Christ was part of a plan by God to bring salvation to everyone on earth. Did we deserve it? No. Do we really deserve anything? No. But God did it anyways. And it was prophesied time and time again that Christ’s death was imminent. All events occurred as part of a plan leading to the crucifixion: Peter’s denial of Jesus, Judas betraying Jesus, Pontius Pilate giving into the pleas of the people.
Imagine if you were in that crowd of people. You’d be wondering how such a horrible act could happen to such a holy being. From your perspective, it would without a doubt be the most evil thing you had ever seen. But behind the curtains, behind the entire scene, God had a plan. He was in control of it. From Peter’s denial to Judas’ betrayal, God controlled. And He prevailed. And why shouldn’t He? If God isn’t in control of everything, the term “god” is stripped of its meaning. He isn’t a God anymore. He isn’t omnipotent. He is simply a man-made concept with limitations. And why would I want to believe some fictitious figure conceptualized by some scholared, whimsical man who includes the Fibonacci sequence on his website as a sign of some supposed intellectual depth? Give me a break.
3. When I had this brief discussion with Boyd, he also said “What’s the point of glorifying God if He determines when and how it will be done? Doesn’t that make us robots?”
Robots or not, read my statement above regarding decision making. And I hate to break it to you Boyd, but God doesn’t necessarily need us. And he certainly doesn’t need us to “glorify” him.
I would also challenge you to think about terms like ‘love’ and ‘glory’ and ‘praise.’ Do you really know what these mean? When you say that there is no point of bringing God glory if he’s already determined it, how do you know that this isn’t a part of what glory really is??? How would you ever know that Boyd??!? You wouldn’t!! And you won’t until you get to heaven. You won’t understand “unconditional love” until you get to heaven. If you say you know what it means now, you are a heretic. Because God is Love, and we all know that you don’t fully know God.
Again, I think Boyd is scared – scared that God is really in control of his entire life. It isn’t easy for a human to relent his or her own self-power or sense of control. (Keep in mind that I use this statement from a worldly view. From a much larger perspective, any perceived power we feel we have has ultimately been determined).
Boyd, you may think this concept completely eradicates all joy from the concept of faith, but I truthfully think it brings about a completely refreshing outlook. I trust that God controls all, and even when bad things happen, I know God is at work behind everything and there is a purpose for it all. . .even if I don’t see it on earth.
Also, I don’t feel justification in giving up my own self-perceived responsibilities because I am still a Christ follower, and I feel prompted to take action. Likewise, I feel blessed that God has planted this “freedom of thinking and acting” within me, but I also understand that it’s because He created my mind that I feel such freedom.
4. There is also mention of God changing His mind in the Bible, something Boyd emphatically uses as evidence to support his free-will claim.
But even if this information is relayed from God Himself, it’s only in the concept of relative time. In our timeline, it is said that God changed His mind. Perhaps this was said because it’s a concept we understand: God didn’t like outcome, changed His mind, changed outcome. But how do you know that God didn’t have the altered outcome already determined when he laid out all of “existence?” From His perspective, He knew His “mind change” would happen all along. From our perspective, He changed his mind.
What disturbs me about Boyd and his arrogance and “deep theological insight” is that he picks and chooses text to believe. When was Christianity EVER about theology and philosophy? Why do you have to analyze these things and discern which is believable to you and which isn’t? To me, it’s a cop out. Christianity is no longer demanding of you; you can make it out to be whatever you want it to be.
And to the rest of you who think Christianity is some “feel good” faith meant to help you solve your personal problems and achieve inner peace, maybe you should take up Buddhism instead. THE UNDERLYING THEME IN ALL OF CHRISTIANITY IS HUMILITY: THE DENIAL OF “SELF.” Rare is a man or woman who lives this idea to its fullest, including myself. The only one who ever completely did this was Jesus.
I realize that, after so many years of preaching and philosophizing about a certain view, it may be extremely difficult for Boyd to relinquish his theology. . .even if he knows it’s wrong. When I had a brief discussion with him some 3 or 4 years ago, he rudely and abruptly ended the conversation when he discovered I hadn’t read one of his books. Oh please Boyd. Please forgive me. I know where you stand. You stood up as a volunteer speaker at CPC and preached your heresy, then proceeded to retreat to a pew and sing words, along with the congregation, that completely opposed everything you just spoke about.
And then you pushed me aside.
Thank you.
Grandpa C
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Peripheral Vision
It is becoming apparent to me that this “blogspot,” as you younger folks call it, will inevitably become a vent for much of my ranting; a tube for my complaints if you will. I’ve found, throughout my years, that it does no good to complain to people; they’d prefer you keep your mouth shut, and you ultimately realize that it does nothing to promote progress and resolution on your behalf. Thus, I figure writing out my problems will somehow assuage the tension running through my veins.
I’ve recently noticed a trend among many people, in which there is a general disregard for self-reflection and analysis. Perhaps it is due to the modernization of society; maybe we are all so engrossed in the words and chaos around us, that we somehow completely surpass a “realization of self.” Maybe you’ve realized it: A stranger blabbing too loud on their cell phone in public venues, a car putzing along the left lane with a parade behind it, or a smoker blowing his or her cancerous exhaust right into your vicinity.
Now I will be the first to admit that I am a perpetrator from time to time. We all are! Sometimes, we become so distracted, that we fail to see the effects of our behavior on others. After all, we are human.
But that isn’t what I’m referring to. I’ve noticed more and more that there are some individuals who seem to lack a general understanding of what it means to be considerate. Maybe they are, in fact, considerate in some areas, but downright ignorant in others. I call this “Lacking Peripheral Vision.”
Those who look straight down or only at the road ahead, fail to see the world around them. We live in a world populated by over 7 billion people! What does that mean? It means there will be times when you come in contact with people. There will be times when you will need to look to your side and realize that there is SOMEONE ELSE next to you. There will be times when you need to refrain from your stupidity.
When you lack peripheral vision, you are a nuisance to society. You interrupt social gatherings to answer your unimportant phone calls and have ostentaciously loud conversations, you vulgarly speak with a complete disregard for anyone around you, and you unapologetically spew out your retarded, pigheaded opinions, none of which matter to anyone. . .MOSTLY BECAUSE THEY SUCK.
Now you will probably say “Grandpa C. . .this whole blog is an opinion.” First, I will respond with “No. It’s a fact.” Second I will say “You took the time to read this; I didn’t interrupt you.” And lastly I will say “Shut your fat face.”
The most audacious violation I’ve noticed is in the workplace. People will literally interrupt your work and time so you can solve their stupid problems . . .simply because they DIDN’T PAY ATTENTION in the first place and/or they NEGLECTED TO ACTUALLY DO THEIR OWN WORK. Instead, they take the lazy route, disregard any important details, and make assumptions without collecting factual data and evidence to support their claim. The result? A complete waste of time. And prompting for me to literally smack the snot out of their ugly, zitty face.
These are generally the people who will pipe up about topics for which they don’t even know. Perhaps they know something similar to the topic, so they’ll carry it over into the current topic, and it makes absolutely no sense. Perhaps they THINK they know about the subject, so they’ll just throw an answer at you. Or perhaps they know they know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the topic, and they feel the need to talk anyways.
My response? SHUT UP.
SHUT YOUR MOUTH.
Standing in the exhaust is a group of people, including myself, choking on a bunch of crap you just spewed at us. Every day, we’re bombarded with your incompetency, your ignorance for those around you, and your loud freaking mouth.
Now you may also be asking “Grandpa, what can I do to keep from being an obnoxious perp?”
I will tell you:
Before you ask a question, make sure you’ve done the work yourself.
Before you make a “factual” statement, make sure you know it’s factual.
Restating other people’s opinions is not factual, nor is it intelligent.
Consider who is around you. Ie GAIN PERIPHERAL VISION
If you’re ever in doubt, shut up.
Stop trying to be different. You aren’t setting a trend. There are plenty who have “tried to be different” before you.
Eat Werther’s. They’re creamy and they’re good for you.
Look to your sides kids. Otherwise you may find yourself the subject of a beating by some ruthless suburban gang in a WalMart parking lot.
(WalMart sucks by the way. I will explain this at a later date).
Applying Extra Strength Gold Bond,
Grandpa C
I’ve recently noticed a trend among many people, in which there is a general disregard for self-reflection and analysis. Perhaps it is due to the modernization of society; maybe we are all so engrossed in the words and chaos around us, that we somehow completely surpass a “realization of self.” Maybe you’ve realized it: A stranger blabbing too loud on their cell phone in public venues, a car putzing along the left lane with a parade behind it, or a smoker blowing his or her cancerous exhaust right into your vicinity.
Now I will be the first to admit that I am a perpetrator from time to time. We all are! Sometimes, we become so distracted, that we fail to see the effects of our behavior on others. After all, we are human.
But that isn’t what I’m referring to. I’ve noticed more and more that there are some individuals who seem to lack a general understanding of what it means to be considerate. Maybe they are, in fact, considerate in some areas, but downright ignorant in others. I call this “Lacking Peripheral Vision.”
Those who look straight down or only at the road ahead, fail to see the world around them. We live in a world populated by over 7 billion people! What does that mean? It means there will be times when you come in contact with people. There will be times when you will need to look to your side and realize that there is SOMEONE ELSE next to you. There will be times when you need to refrain from your stupidity.
When you lack peripheral vision, you are a nuisance to society. You interrupt social gatherings to answer your unimportant phone calls and have ostentaciously loud conversations, you vulgarly speak with a complete disregard for anyone around you, and you unapologetically spew out your retarded, pigheaded opinions, none of which matter to anyone. . .MOSTLY BECAUSE THEY SUCK.
Now you will probably say “Grandpa C. . .this whole blog is an opinion.” First, I will respond with “No. It’s a fact.” Second I will say “You took the time to read this; I didn’t interrupt you.” And lastly I will say “Shut your fat face.”
The most audacious violation I’ve noticed is in the workplace. People will literally interrupt your work and time so you can solve their stupid problems . . .simply because they DIDN’T PAY ATTENTION in the first place and/or they NEGLECTED TO ACTUALLY DO THEIR OWN WORK. Instead, they take the lazy route, disregard any important details, and make assumptions without collecting factual data and evidence to support their claim. The result? A complete waste of time. And prompting for me to literally smack the snot out of their ugly, zitty face.
These are generally the people who will pipe up about topics for which they don’t even know. Perhaps they know something similar to the topic, so they’ll carry it over into the current topic, and it makes absolutely no sense. Perhaps they THINK they know about the subject, so they’ll just throw an answer at you. Or perhaps they know they know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the topic, and they feel the need to talk anyways.
My response? SHUT UP.
SHUT YOUR MOUTH.
Standing in the exhaust is a group of people, including myself, choking on a bunch of crap you just spewed at us. Every day, we’re bombarded with your incompetency, your ignorance for those around you, and your loud freaking mouth.
Now you may also be asking “Grandpa, what can I do to keep from being an obnoxious perp?”
I will tell you:
Before you ask a question, make sure you’ve done the work yourself.
Before you make a “factual” statement, make sure you know it’s factual.
Restating other people’s opinions is not factual, nor is it intelligent.
Consider who is around you. Ie GAIN PERIPHERAL VISION
If you’re ever in doubt, shut up.
Stop trying to be different. You aren’t setting a trend. There are plenty who have “tried to be different” before you.
Eat Werther’s. They’re creamy and they’re good for you.
Look to your sides kids. Otherwise you may find yourself the subject of a beating by some ruthless suburban gang in a WalMart parking lot.
(WalMart sucks by the way. I will explain this at a later date).
Applying Extra Strength Gold Bond,
Grandpa C
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