Think. Live. Learn.

IRJ_22

jesus — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:20:47 +0000

IRJ 20#
Reading through both the Bible and The Odyssey, the themes of hospitality are constantly mentioned. Lot gives his virgin daughters away to be raped for the sake of his guests, and King Nestor welcomes Pallas and the prince into his feasting hall for food, seemingly without a care for who they are and what business they were on. Nestor had nothing to fear though nobody in their right mind would accept such an invitation to steal from the host, or murder him, for their morals were higher. They knew if they DID do something of the sort, not only would they be without honor, they’d also be tortured, left horribly disfigured, dead, or left to face the wraith of the Gods. Greed, Anger, Revenge and Hate have been around since the beginning of time, but so have the ideas of helping your neighbor. Why is it that over the millennia we have become more civilized with our punishments, yet lost our sense of hospitality? It’s almost as if we’ve gone backwards in time, back to idea of ‘survival of the fittest’ and of self preservation. Or maybe nothing has really changed, it was just a lot harder to see. Helping somebody else improves your reputation, gets people talking, and helps you out when you need it.

IRJ_21

jesus — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:47:21 +0000

Collected Thoughts 1

‘I mean, this has been the center of my life since, really as long as I can remember. Five years is a long time to stay in one place.
(Laughs)
‘maybe not for you…but c’mon that’s what? Half of my conscious life spent around the same people day in and day out.
‘Of course, of course…it’s just that I’ve made a name for myself. Not a bad one, I was one of the most popular kids at my school, the class clown that teachers would hate because I’d get sent out every day, and still managed a 4.0 since they started keeping track.
‘Cause acting like that sure as hell gets tiring: physically and mentally. It’s essentially been that person since I was old enough to talk back to my parents.
‘Yeah…well, when you live in upstate New York and your first word is ‘Clock’
(brief stilted laughter, and then silence)
‘You ever heard of that one statistic that everyone thinks they’re better than average, and more deserving than everyone else? Well, in the least cocky way possible, I’ve sorta been feeling that lately.
‘I just feel like I’m more mature, more perceptive than everyone around me.
‘Jesus, you really suck, you know that?
I feel as if there’s another me, another side that’s laid back and nice, not always bouncing off the walls and being mean to every authority figure.
But I’ve made that stereotype for myself. I can’t change how people see me (Like you’ll always be the manwhore that only the pretty girls like).
I just want to go somewhere where nobody knows me. I just want to start new. Act somewhat close to my intelligence. Maybe a private school? I don’t know.
I want out of this life.

IRJ_20

jesus — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:25:05 +0000

I’ve been reading the Bible for 28 (I decided to get ahead) chapters seriously wondering what are God’s motivations, and why he lets almost insignificant things go, while turning a blind eye to lying, incest, and murder? Are God’s morale’s really all a difference of culture and time? Or is there something wrong with the hypocrisy of his actions?

Take for example Lot offering his daughters to a crowd of sodemic men in order to maintain his honor, and well being of his guests. Shouldn’t the basis of honor be the guiding force for God’s actions? He almost seems to encourage distrust and betrayal. But then again, none of it is without a cause. Most of the actions the Lord seems to seem to put a blind eye on strengthen those within the covenant he made, or with people with truly honest intentions (unless the honest intentions hurt Abraham’s descendants). It’s essentially an idea of evaluation: survival of the fittest; the smartest and strongest succeed, survive, and bear children (with a little help sometimes). God for reasons unknown and by ignoring the extremely vile reasons he destroyed ‘us’ in the first place, surprisingly attempts to strengthen the human race. But not strong enough that it could cause him trouble; the Lord seems kind, bust selfish.

My Interactive Reflection Journal

jesus — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:16:57 +0000

How can I describe the contents of my reflection journal? It’s my passing thoughts, bits of ideas I would have never considered writing down, to slowly and gradually paint a picture of me: my thoughts, ideas, and views.

IRJ_19

jesus — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:39:55 +0000

The one thing that really struck me while reading was God’s very…human behavior. Barely brushing the surface of the Bible, (s)he shows fear, anger and sorrow, very human emotions. It’s a unfathomable thing to think about: leaving our lives, and everything we know, in the hands of someone, something with fatal and catastrophic weaknesses? What blind, nearsighted being, would give such a..God such power such that he could destroy and create, everything we know?

But isn’t that what we do in modern-day society? Electing the seriously flawed people to run our towns, states, and even countries?
We put everything we know on the line to hope that our leaders aren’t corrupt, and will do things for our interest, and nobody else’s? Leaders get elected because of their charismatic persona’s and mass appeal. Granted, God wasn’t ‘elected’ (well, as far as I know), but isn’t in interesting the typically the hard-line Catholic’s vote generally for smaller governments? They’ve accepted having an all-powerful man in the sky, who they worship, pray to routinely, yet they resent the idea of having a larger government believing simply that people are corrupt?
Well, we are. But Aren’t we made in the spitting image of God himself?

IRJ_18

jesus — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:51:09 +0000

The first thing that struck me when reading the first few parts on Genesis was the distinction of creatures: birds, fish, animals, and the insects, and humans. It showed both a different belief and a symbolism of the hierarchy set up by God (and possibly the Holy Spirit). Gods reign over Man; Man in turn, over the lesser creatures, each in turn, ‘ruling’ their own specific kingdoms: birds of the sky, the insects of the ground, fish of the sea, animals of the land and woman of their household.
Does something sound wrong with the almighty God saying ‘your desire will be for your husband, and he shall rule over you’ (TNOAB 15). Woman as an equal to the cockroaches on the ground and the rats of the sewers seems like an absurd notion coming from the most produced and sold book in history. Woman should be born with every right a man does. The bible, like any religious work or piece of fiction should never be taken literally because of some downright absurdities; such as the bible saying the eating of Shellfish is a sin (see Leviticus 11:1-47), and being pro-slavery.
Philosophy from the time of the written bible then and now is dramatically juxtaposed, but some things are just downright absurd to believe in for any timeframe. Follow Jesus, God, Buddha, the city of Zion or Allah, just don’t degrade others because of what your religion says.

IRJ_17#

jesus — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:37 +0000

When Lyra discovers Tony Makarios, she is repulsed. Lyra thinks to herself ‘A human being without a daemon… [Is] something that belonged to the world of…[Nightmares]’ –Pullman 214

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/071205/opener_l.jpg Lyra

http://cjwriter.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/racism2.jpg Racisim

The Gobblers have taken to stealing children, and using them for horrific experiments. Lyra discovers Tony Makarios in a distant village, abandoned and ‘cut’ daemon. Naturally, she is filled with fear, for everyone in her world has a daemon. But it brings up the question, what defines a human? Nothing physical, for some people have no eyes, or limbs, no hearts; there’s something more than appearance. It isn’t how we learn, interact, or willpower; yet, you know when somebody is a human, without a doubt. Tony’s daemon was cut from him, but as horrible as Lyra thought he looked, he was still a human, the same being as her.http://www.theodoresworld.net/pics/1009/YaroshImage5.jpg

If we are all human, why are people racist? Why do obese, or those with deformities, disabilities and injuries, get mocked, or looked down upon? Are some people so stuck on looks, that they refuse to have a little bit of self-respect? Almost everyone has a negative, subconscious stereotype about races, classes, and religions, for we are all human, and we fear what we don’t know. Keeping thoughts like those, however, is a good thing; speaking out negatively without knowing does nobody good.

IRJ_15#

jesus — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:44:59 +0000

Once upon a time, there was a very peculiar bedroom owned by a small boy, a small boy who wasn’t much older then the age of six. In this odd room, the walls were lined with a vast array of shelves, most of which littered with small toys and half finished projects; a forgotten fish tank, with the glass covered in a thin layer of algae, foam swords, and Beanie-Baby dolls. More importantly, there were forgotten snow globe, a disarmed toy soldier, and a tiny stuffed dog. The later three toys all sat side by side, the tiny stuffed dog leaned against the forgotten fish tank. All that these forgotten toys could do was sit upon their shelf and watch the little boy play with all the other toys.
One day though, it just got to be too much for the forgotten snow globe.
After the little boy had gone to bed, and all of the other toys rested peacefully in their spots, you could hear the soft sobs of the plastic snowman that lived in the glass dome. Eventually his cries grew louder and louder, until it was audible to all of the toys in the room. Some of the ‘more important’ toys started grumbling to one another, complaining about the lack of sleep. But the two other toys that lay on top of the shelf turned to the sobbing snowman, an anxious look plastered upon the stuffed dog’s face and a serious one upon the soldier’s; it was a hard thing to deal with for the Snowman, dog, and soldier alike. But sometimes, fighting the system, or anything else, is a hard thing to do. It was unsaid, though sometimes it’s not worth the fight; maybe another day.

IRJ_14#

jesus — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:33:34 +0000

Meeting with my old Science teacher, I professed him that had a good time relating to those who have been depressed, or have had issues with abuse. He smiled, and said ‘Only the wounded physician heals’ -Carl Jung.

This statement could be taken two ways, but I will focus on the more logical meaning; when you experience something, positively or negatively, you can usually relate to those with a similar occurrences. When there is empathy, people typically feel like they can open up more; as if there is not a need to explain themselves. Such as an inside joke with friends; it feels better when people know what your talking about, not when you have to drag out every little detail, and emphasizing every point until you reach the joke, and which point it lost it’s fun for both you, and the person your talking to. Usually though, a person can pick up, or think to pick up, subtle hints in how you react to what is said, if you know how they feel. However, couldn’t an actor be just as effective with appearing to emphasize as someone who can actually relate?

Actors are very good at portraying emotions, and reacting quickly to someone else’s reaction. They don’t have to have experience, just know when to gasp, cry, or make up a short, relevant story to the one presented. Acting can only go so far, however. Most of the time things are hard to fake. Nothing is better than nice, true empathy.

http://comodissociate.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/empathy-belly.jpg

IRJ_13

jesus — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:46:50 +0000

One of the most unique places in the world is where you can saunter down the street for less then three minutes, and houses go from sumptuous to small and deplorable. This is a place where the rich disdain giving to the less fortunate, maybe, simply, because they feel sanctimonious. They piously go to church, and get taught you love your neighbor, be kind, and whatever else, though they don’t seem to follow the rudiments of their religion. The rich can have stout heads, but so can the poor. I could go on, but I shouldn’t. I make it sound like there’s so sort of need to pacify the situation; just my annoyance more than anything on my part. But I have a question are such obstinate people that unique? I hope so.