I am relatively sure that my grandchildren will grow up to be conservatives. I would say that heredity and environment would be strong indicators but I know too many children from good families that have lost their edge. What gives me confidence is they have a sense of humor.
Maybe you have not noticed but liberals don’t have a sense of humor. It seems to be true of many women too. That may be why soccer moms seem to like Biden. A sense of humor must begin to develop very early in life. It requires more than the generous use of four letter words and slapstick antics. At least that is true of what I consider humor.
I guess they would say I don’t know what is really funny.
They are wrong.
homo unius libri
Medley of Worship
Our lives touch God in every way.
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Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship
This blog will be written from an orthodox Christian point of view. There may be some topic that is out of bounds, but at present I don't know what it will be. Politics is a part of life. Theology and philosophy are disciplines that we all participate in even if we don't think so. The Bible has a lot to say about economics. How about self defense? Is war ethical? Think of all the things that someone tells you we should not touch and let's give it a try. Everything that is a part of life should be an expression of worship.
Keep it courteous and be kind to those less blessed than you, but by all means don't worry about agreeing. We learn more when we get backed into a corner.
Monday, March 18, 2024
Opus 2024-049: Humor Correlation
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Opus 2024-048: Firsts: Pepita
In my quest for relevance, flexibility and novel experiences I tried a new restaurant. The prices seemed a bit high but in this age of Bidonomics I can’t seem to find a dollar menu any more.
The fare offered two types of chicken fried steak. They were the same price. I could not figure out the difference from the description. The second one was called Pepita Crusted Chicken Fried Steak. I asked and the answer had something to do with ground up pumpkin seeds. Time to live at the high octane level.
There are times when I am grateful that I do not have a discerning palate. One of the things that you food snobs never consider is that I have a much wider range of range craft I can enjoy. You miss much of it because it isn’t subtle enough. In this case the offering tasted good but I could not figure out what nuance was delivered by the ground up pumpkin seeds.
And I didn’t even ask for it to be well done.
homo unius libri
Friday, March 15, 2024
Opus 2024-047: A New Movement Needed
What are we going to do about the coup going on right in front of our eyes. There must be some solution other than violence. Violence would remove the elite trying to destroy the republic but would only replace it with another junta if history teaches us anything. Look at the French Revolution rather than the American. France was much more typical and had a lot in common in what we are seeing in our country today.
What are we to do?
We need to start with prayer. If you are not a believer go ahead with your “good thoughts”. I don’t suppose it will hurt anything. I also don’t suppose it will help much.
Then what?
It occurred to me that we might need a little cultural appropriation. It might be time to resurrect the Civil Rights Movement. The original was targeting a specific group of Americans who were being denied their basic rights as citizens. Now the goal of the elites is to destroy the rights of everybody. It may be time to resurrect the approach.
The original Civil Rights Movement had at least three types of people. The first was made up of true believers. That can be taken as a pun if you want. The original Civil Rights advocates were the abolitionists. Many of them were devout Christians. I think that most of the stops on the underground railroad were in the homes of believers. This of course would cause them to be true believers in man being created in God’s image and thus they would be true believers in the cause of what became known as civil rights.
The second were the Anti-American liberty haters that infiltrated because they saw a way to undermine the Republic. Their goal was not really to make black Americans equal. There goal was to drag down the culture and destroy it because it was too open to actual liberty. These are the same type of people behind the 1619 Project that pushes the lie about the country being founded on slavery. They were very good at looking pious but these are the people who took the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and turned it into reverse discrimination with affirmative action, quotas and the modern incarnation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness. Their whole purpose is to divide the country. At the back of their minds is the old “divide and conquer” mantra.
A Third was made up of party animals. I remember someone interviewing some young men at an event and asking them why they were there. They didn’t seem to be the kind that would be supporting the rally. Their answer? “Chicks, man, chicks.” They came for the girls. There were a good number of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement who were there for the excitement, and yes, I would imagine the chicks.
The resurrection of the movement would need to adopt the non-violent principle. Anyone who was involved would need to understand that there would be persecution and suffering. There would also need to be a strong element of faith and prayer led by devout believers. Would it work? I don’t know if it would “work” but I am not sure we have any choice. The alternative is to sink into a morass of totalitarian barbarism.
Does that mean there would never be an element of force? No. Remember how slavery was brought down starting in England and going around the world? William Wilberforce and his devout Christian friends campaigned for 30 years to get results. They did it peacefully. That worked in England but in order to attack slavery around the world the British navy came into play. It was a form of gunboat diplomacy. In order to keep from being attacked the countries of the world had to agree to outlaw slavery. Some places in the world just won’t respond to reason or moral arguments.
I don’t know how it can be organized but until it is we need to keep praying, standing up, speaking out and making a difference in our corner of the world.
homo unius libri
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Opus 2024-046: Five to Go
I am at the age when the ranks are thinning.
I figure I have about five years left. I have no scientific basis for that but then science often has no scientific basis either. It is pure speculation arrived at in idle moments. I think I started thinking about it in my 50's. My grandfather died at 67. He was super-sedentary, shaped like a bowling ball, probably had diabetes and did nothing to take care of it. My father lived to 74, a seven year difference. He had polio as a child and worked hard all his life. He had diabetes but dealt with it.
Fast forward in the world of fantasy and “evidence based” research. I figure I will live to be 81. That is five years away. I would not say I am frisky but then I never was. I am doing well. I walk every day and so far, as much as I can remember, have always found my way home. I could live to be 100. I have an uncle who is 91 and counting.
However it works out I am convinced that God will call me home when He is ready, not when I have it scheduled. I can live with that. I can die with that. My only request is that it be quick.
homo unius libri
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Opus 2024-045: A Not New Idea
I remember at school, where some teacher was presenting a concept that she called paying forward. The idea was that you would do nice things now for future generations as thanks for what people have done in the past for you. This was presented like it was a new and revolutionary idea. In reality, it is just the basis of civilization through the ages. People do things for their children and grandchildren. They do things for future generations. They plant trees they will never harvest from. They use trash cans even if they are just passing through.
It doesn’t take much to break the chain. Just one generation of eating your seed grain can doom you to famine. If enough people live just for today then tomorrow will take care of itself and them. It will not be pretty.
Sometimes this is expressed in the golden rule. You either do unto others or don’t depending on how you frame the statement. The apostle Paul had another way of expressing it,
(Php 2:3-5 NAS77) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,It isn’t just a point of philosophy, it is a foundational truth.
Try living that way and become part of the solution instead of the root of the problem.
homo unius libri
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Opus 2024-044: Madness in the Method
Ritual can add a lot of value to an experience. I don’t mean habits or routines. Those are different from rituals. I deliberately try to set up routines to compensate for my forgetfulness. They are to avoid disaster. Ritual is to spice things up.
Take chop sticks for instance. Chop sticks make Chinese food taste better. If you don’t believe it, the reason could be you never learned to used chop sticks. I can’t explain it. I can’t prove it. It is still true. A fork might be quicker but there is a cosmic sympathy that is just not there.
Hand grinding coffee for the French press is a lot slower than pre-ground in a drip machine. It gives a more satisfying result. To illustrate this check out all the videos out there proclaiming they have the perfect way to process it. They use scales to measure coffee and water in grams and timers to make sure you pace is right. It is all for the perfect cup.
Here are a few of the rituals I value that occurred to me.
Voting in personThere are quicker ways to do things. In an objective world they would be just as good as the traditional ritual methods. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they are not but the trade-off is worth it. Often the ritual makes life richer. Sometimes our emotions remember what our mind has forgotten and we are feeling valued memories rather than contemporary experiences.
Liturgy in worship.
Eating grapefruit with a spoon
Writing with a fountain pen
Reading from a really well made book
You may have your own rituals. Take the time to enjoy them. Let the mocking roll off like the advice of a fool.
homo unius libri
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Opus 2024-043: Wildflower Watch
The Bluebonnets are making their opening statement. We have them on the slopes in front of and behind our house. I am not seeing the carpets of blue that should appear on the road sides. I don’t know if I should expect them soon or if this is going to be a sparse year.
Either way, the wildflowers seem to be of the opinion that spring is here.
homo unius libri