Opus 2016-88: Critical Mass: The Death of Courtesy

Society has many bumps and potholes.  What happens when those potholes become sinkholes?  What happens when a small blip reaches Critical Mass.  Today I want to talk about courtesy or the lack of it.

My life was made difficult today by two ladies.

One was a little old lady who cut me off in the parking lot.  It was totally unnecessary.  The lot was mostly empty but she had to turn in front of me so she could get out of her car and beat me to the counter.  I didn’t honk or gesture.  I was calm and dignified.  Irritated, but dignified.

Then as I approached the door of the bakery I held the door for a lady.  She was one of those people who probably has diabetes because of weight and exercise issues.  She was having a hard time walking.  I felt her pain.  I was far enough ahead that I could have ignored her, but I held the door and waited for her.  She said, “Thank you”.  So far, so good.  What I do when people are courteous like that is wave them ahead.  Others have done the same to me.  It is mutual courtesy.

Not her.  She hurried to get in line ahead of me.  No big problem but an indication.  What was a problem was that she began a long litany of an order with many small details and questions.  I waited while the lady who cut me off and her friend completed ordering and moved on.  I placed my order and received my bread and coffee.  I went to my seat, filled my cup and tracked down some butter.  The lady I held the door for was still ordering.

Courtesy would have not moved to the head of the line.  Courtesy would have known that they would be holding up others who are waiting and let me go first.  Courtesy is a choice.  Fewer people are choosing it.  When the choice reaches critical mass it will be another sinkhole for our society.  People will be forced to get aggressive to survive. 

I may soon add myself to the growing crowd of people who have given up on courtesy.  I am not there, nor does my Bible allow that option, so I am stuck.  But I might start looking for loopholes.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-87: Locust Steaks

One of the plagues that has been a scourge of mankind is locusts.  There are stories of swarms of locusts that blot out the sun.  They eat everything that is green or has food value.  I have seen video of them carpeting the ground so you could not walk without squish.  It has been a problem.

Why not apply some thinking outside the box and apply modern technology to the problem.  Let’s make some lemonade, locust flavored or not.  Why don’t we develop ways to harvest these multiplied billions of pests and use the protein for food.  If we can do it with tofu and soybeans we should be able to do it with locust.  We make other common crops to taste like anything we want.  We could make steaks out of locusts and it would be real protein.

In the past we have poisoned them as pests.  In the future we could harvest them as hamburger.

Answers are all around us.  There are many things we don’t think about that are pointed out in the Bible.  Keep in mind that locusts are not only edible, they are kosher.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-86: New Terms: Phoney People

I hate telephones.  I didn’t hate them when I was a child or a teen.  I am not sure when the feeling started but it is strong today.

What is different?  When I was young we did not have telemarketers like we do today.  Phones were tied to a location by a chord and took time to dial.  You could get away from them.  Phone calls cost money based on how often, how long and how far so you thought twice before picking up the handset.  All of these facts made telephones less invasive.  It kept them useful tools instead of masters.

But there are other issues that turn me off.

I refuse to join the mindless masses that fixate on a piece of technology.  Next time you are in a restaurant look around.  You will see entire families on their cell phones or other device.  They are not talking or aware of their surroundings.  Watch people on the streets.  They are always checking their phones for the latest tweet, post or e-mail.  I guess we could call them phoney people. 

I reject being controlled by constant interruptions.

I refuse to give out personal information for the convenience of apps.

I am a dinosaur, I admit it.  Remember that if the scholars are right the dinosaurs ruled the earth for millions of years and would still be in charge if it were not for a giant meteor that took them out. 

I do have a phone.  I call it my wife’s “security blanket”.  It is cheaper than a divorce.  So far.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-85: Forgiveness, Not Fusion

I was listening to Alistair Begg preach.  I don’t remember the context but I made a note that he said, “Jesus did not come to deal with my loneliness, He came to deal with my sin.”  In that one statement Begg pointed out another big conflict between modern culture and Biblical culture. 

The Bible is not a history book.  It is not a book on self-esteem.  It is not a self-help book.  It is not designed to help us make friends and feel good.  It is a book that is presented to deal with God’s attempt to redeem mankind, one soul at a time.  It is a book to deal with the big issue, sin.  Every problem we face is rooted in sin.  It is a condition we are born into and the actions we take.  There is no solution to that in philosophy or science.  We may some day find the key to fusion power.  We may find a way to educate everyone.  We may find a way to pay the federal deficit.  None of that will make much difference because sin will cause us to misuse the solutions.

We face problems like nuclear proliferation.  The problem is not in the science, it is the values behind the science.  Carry that across into everything we are trying to do.  What is the point of having a doctorate in Chemistry is you don’t know it is wrong to poison people?  Why be the master of economics if you don’t accept that it is wrong to cheat people?

I’m sorry.  It may sound trite.  It may sound simple minded.  It may set your teeth on edge but what the world needs is not “love, sweet love” but Jesus.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-85: Celebrate, Observe, Acknowledge, Concede

Take you pick.  Which verb do you associate with?  Today is commonly called Easter Sunday.  Whether you like the word or not, it is the day that the non-Orthodox branch of Christianity set aside to remember and emphasize the resurrection of Jesus.  It is the most significant event in the history of salvation.

(1 Corinthians 15:14 KJV)  And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

Christians celebrate and observe this day.  Many don’t like the word “Easter” so might refer to it as Resurrection Sunday or some other term but they still celebrate and observe.  They acknowledge the history even if they question the etymology. 

My understanding is that even sceptics will concede that Jesus existed and the evidence seems to indicate that at least the people of His day believed He rose from the dead.

So take your pick.

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-84: The Humor of Being a Stranger

I don’t know when it was posted on Hope and Change.  I enjoy the cartoons but I have also gotten into reading the blurbs below.  The one with this cartoon struck me as significant to me as a Christian.  Jarlsberg wrote,

“ And although the electorate is clamoring for "outsiders" in this political cycle, we feel like we're the real outsiders because we can't even identify with most Earthlings anymore.  And not just when it comes to politics, but also cultures, communication, and commonality of purpose. Not just in our own wounded United States, but throughout the world.”

This should describe Christians.  I know it is how I feel when I drive among crazy people or listen to the leadership at our school.  I seem to be surrounded by people with totally different ideas.  I would say ideas of right and wrong but they reject those labels.

Then he quotes the Bible

“Maybe we're just having a bad day. But we feel like strangers in a strange land and, ...

I know that most people think this was the creative writing of Robert Heilein but like many authors he was just borrowing a phrase from the Bible.

(Exodus 2:22 KJV)  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

We see the thought repeated in the New Testament.

(Hebrews 11:13 KJV)  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

I have not picked up that Hope and Change is written by someone who is serious about being a Christian.  I can still enjoy his humor and his insights.

We, as followers of Jesus, are aliens.  We are strangers.  We are out of place.  It has always been that way.  It will always be that way.  I don’t like it.  I don’t enjoy it.  I accept it.  I am afraid I don’t identify with Earthlings any more, but then I never did.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-83: Sammy Davis, Jr., a Famous Cuban

You are never too old to learn something new.  Again, the rest of the world has it wrong and my middle school has it right.  After all, we are educators, right?

The rest of the world believes that Sammy Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem.  At my middle school in a Black History Exhibit we saw him identified as Cuban.  I bet you never knew.  I doubt if he knew.  We probably had someone do some research that says he was kidnaped as an infant from Havana and dumped in Harlem.  Maybe we can find that on Wikipedia. 

I know that February is supposed to be Black History Month but somehow we could not it together so we are celebrating on March 25.  Welcome to modern edg-u-ma-ka-tion.

Remember, you heard it here first.  Watch out Breitbart. 

homo unius libri