20030131
4. Isn't violence always part of society?
How are you going to change anything? Some forms of violence have indeed always been part of our society. Always! But without the efforts of peacemakers that violence could be more vicious or transform itself into crusades of violence as occurred in Christianity during the Middle Ages. Our experience is that violence can be disarmed with the witness to peace, truth, love and justice. The willingness to give life instead of taking life is very powerful. In this Christ is the example.
BASRAH, IRAQ - CPT Reservist Killed in Iraq, Delegates Injured, in Highway Rollover
The Biblical injunction to "love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44-45) is often deemed "unrealistic." It is certainly "unrealistic" to think we can successfully seal off an entire country to terrorist attacks. Indeed our most realistic hope for safety comes from working to make sure that everyone in the world community is treated fairly and being just as willing to give our lives in pursuit of loving the enemy as the terrorists were willing to give their lives to kill the enemy.
How are you going to change anything? Some forms of violence have indeed always been part of our society. Always! But without the efforts of peacemakers that violence could be more vicious or transform itself into crusades of violence as occurred in Christianity during the Middle Ages. Our experience is that violence can be disarmed with the witness to peace, truth, love and justice. The willingness to give life instead of taking life is very powerful. In this Christ is the example.
BASRAH, IRAQ - CPT Reservist Killed in Iraq, Delegates Injured, in Highway Rollover
The Biblical injunction to "love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44-45) is often deemed "unrealistic." It is certainly "unrealistic" to think we can successfully seal off an entire country to terrorist attacks. Indeed our most realistic hope for safety comes from working to make sure that everyone in the world community is treated fairly and being just as willing to give our lives in pursuit of loving the enemy as the terrorists were willing to give their lives to kill the enemy.
20030129
Rik Leaf, of Tribe of One says:
Over the Edge
If the entertainment industry hasn't hit rock bottom, then I am amazed at how far it is possible to go down. It's a self-aggrandizing caricature of creativity adorned with garish accessories droning incessantly like a swarm of killer bees. I know I'm not the only one saying, "This is the pinnacle of rock & roll?" Where is the raspy open throated growl of dissention accompanied by thrashing distortion and tribal drums?
I'm certainly no expert on art history. I've never even been a student of art or history, but I know artists have played a much more significant role throughout history, especially in times of crisis than we are now.
When art wasn't relegated to the periphery as mindless distraction and used as a marketing tool to sell running shoes and blue jeans. Bringing art, and particularly art that represented the revolution, to the masses, motivated Russia's revolutionary artists. The French neoclassical artists became synonymous with their revolution. Today's musical mediocrity and lack of invention I believe has everything to do with how we view its relevance to our circumstances and ourselves as artists.
Many people wonder why socio-political content is even on an artist's web site. What does the impending war in Iraq have to do with being a musician? Who do I think I am even trying to connect the two?
Good question.
"We live in an age when people want to reinvent a whole bunch of demarcation lines and say, 'If you're a rock band don't step across the line into news coverage. We reporters do that! If you're a highbrow writer don't write about popular culture, we have popular-culture writers who do that!' I think all creative activity, in fact, is a process of destroying frontiers. You take your voice into a place where it hasn't been before and the friction is the interesting thing. And the sparks are the work."
Salman Rushdie, U2 At the End of the World
Once artists start to color inside the lines we lose the unexpected shades and creations that come from interacting with people who aren't like us, who don't think like us and who hold many views and opinions contrary to our own. The grinding off of our rough edges from what Salman calls the "friction" always produces more interesting and enduring work than we would have on our own. Whether we know it or not, one of the biggest reasons pop culture sucks so bad right now, is because it has nothing to say. It has been given a big stage; big sound, bright lights and an endorsement deal as long as it doesn't say anything.
Artists have unique abilities and resources and, therefore, unique obligations to speak out and further social justice through public activities like street performances, poetry readings, visual arts exhibitions, dance, rallies, protests, stories, fiction, art and photography, poetry, book, music and film reviews, relevant news, interviews and profiles, and personal essays, just to name a few.
What good fortune for those of us in power that people do not think. Adolf Hitler
We need to reconsider our abilities in light of the current state of affairs. We need to think. We need to pursue truth for ourselves and not simply open up and swallow what Peter Mansbridge and Lloyd Robertson tell us each night. There is an immanent war brewing in Iraq, and another war being waged right now for our minds by those who know that if we can be manipulated into seeing the world through their eyes, we will remain the subservient mass.
"We live in an age when the people who mediate the work of creative artists to the public actually don't understand something that the public and the artists both understand. So in the middle there is this block."
"I like when people go over the edge and invite you to go with them."
Salman Rushdie, U2, At the End of the World
Are you coming?
Rik Leaf
Over the Edge
If the entertainment industry hasn't hit rock bottom, then I am amazed at how far it is possible to go down. It's a self-aggrandizing caricature of creativity adorned with garish accessories droning incessantly like a swarm of killer bees. I know I'm not the only one saying, "This is the pinnacle of rock & roll?" Where is the raspy open throated growl of dissention accompanied by thrashing distortion and tribal drums?
I'm certainly no expert on art history. I've never even been a student of art or history, but I know artists have played a much more significant role throughout history, especially in times of crisis than we are now.
When art wasn't relegated to the periphery as mindless distraction and used as a marketing tool to sell running shoes and blue jeans. Bringing art, and particularly art that represented the revolution, to the masses, motivated Russia's revolutionary artists. The French neoclassical artists became synonymous with their revolution. Today's musical mediocrity and lack of invention I believe has everything to do with how we view its relevance to our circumstances and ourselves as artists.
Many people wonder why socio-political content is even on an artist's web site. What does the impending war in Iraq have to do with being a musician? Who do I think I am even trying to connect the two?
Good question.
"We live in an age when people want to reinvent a whole bunch of demarcation lines and say, 'If you're a rock band don't step across the line into news coverage. We reporters do that! If you're a highbrow writer don't write about popular culture, we have popular-culture writers who do that!' I think all creative activity, in fact, is a process of destroying frontiers. You take your voice into a place where it hasn't been before and the friction is the interesting thing. And the sparks are the work."
Salman Rushdie, U2 At the End of the World
Once artists start to color inside the lines we lose the unexpected shades and creations that come from interacting with people who aren't like us, who don't think like us and who hold many views and opinions contrary to our own. The grinding off of our rough edges from what Salman calls the "friction" always produces more interesting and enduring work than we would have on our own. Whether we know it or not, one of the biggest reasons pop culture sucks so bad right now, is because it has nothing to say. It has been given a big stage; big sound, bright lights and an endorsement deal as long as it doesn't say anything.
Artists have unique abilities and resources and, therefore, unique obligations to speak out and further social justice through public activities like street performances, poetry readings, visual arts exhibitions, dance, rallies, protests, stories, fiction, art and photography, poetry, book, music and film reviews, relevant news, interviews and profiles, and personal essays, just to name a few.
What good fortune for those of us in power that people do not think. Adolf Hitler
We need to reconsider our abilities in light of the current state of affairs. We need to think. We need to pursue truth for ourselves and not simply open up and swallow what Peter Mansbridge and Lloyd Robertson tell us each night. There is an immanent war brewing in Iraq, and another war being waged right now for our minds by those who know that if we can be manipulated into seeing the world through their eyes, we will remain the subservient mass.
"We live in an age when the people who mediate the work of creative artists to the public actually don't understand something that the public and the artists both understand. So in the middle there is this block."
"I like when people go over the edge and invite you to go with them."
Salman Rushdie, U2, At the End of the World
Are you coming?
Rik Leaf
20030125
Hope and hopelessness from a friend who I know is sincere about walking with integrity...
Hey gang...I went out this morning to drive the kids to school and was confronted by -43C windchill (the actual temp being only a balmy -32C) and wondered why, oh why, am I still in this place. I know that in a breath it will be so hot I will be complaining I can't sleep at night etc. But, man, that seems so far off right now.
Life is the same, really. Still working. Still waiting for my bus at midnight on Portage Ave. Still making peanuts for all my effort. Still helping out with the Saturday service. Still meeting Cynthia on Thursday mornings to figure it out. Still ordering bacon& eggs, over easy, with rye toast and coffee. Still not paying (her idea). Still reading when I can. Still longing for nearness to God and a vision of Him yet untouched. Still wanting to find my spot. Still looking for my friends on AOL and never finding them, mostly because I check too late in the morning (still my fault). Still looking for Eoghan's new cd in mail. Still wanting to spend more time with my kids and still frustrated that it is not working out.
Wait!!! I just got my haircut! And it is a slightly different look...now that's different.
But, still wear a hat every minute of the day to stay warm. Still listen to Bob Dylan to cheer me up. Still think about writing a book and sometimes even start one, only to have it sabotaged by a faulty computer, etc. Still love Guinness although I never drink it anymore. Still want to hang out with my friends although...
Still believe the end is near...and often wish it would come a little quicker.
Hey, I still believe in sudden and unexpected change. I still expect a great turn in my life that will have me released into the true things I have been called and prepared for. I still believe that everything we have learned is crucial to the future...it must be significant for us. I still believe in God. I still believe God is good! I still am convinced that there will come a day when the church, wherever she exists (hiding or not) will emerge from it's collective slumber and apathy and choose(!!) to serve the King like we have not yet seen in history. No superstars, but power endowed to the masses in a way only dreamed about. No disease will stand before this people. Darkness, conveniently hiding behind our systems and logical thinking, will be flushed out and exposed for what it is and the war will be on...full blown. God will empower His people. They will know Him. The sacrifices will be small when compared with the reward of seeing the King and going with his plans and purposes. Their will be great rejoicing. Revelation 19 will happen. We might see it.....
Hey gang...I went out this morning to drive the kids to school and was confronted by -43C windchill (the actual temp being only a balmy -32C) and wondered why, oh why, am I still in this place. I know that in a breath it will be so hot I will be complaining I can't sleep at night etc. But, man, that seems so far off right now.
Life is the same, really. Still working. Still waiting for my bus at midnight on Portage Ave. Still making peanuts for all my effort. Still helping out with the Saturday service. Still meeting Cynthia on Thursday mornings to figure it out. Still ordering bacon& eggs, over easy, with rye toast and coffee. Still not paying (her idea). Still reading when I can. Still longing for nearness to God and a vision of Him yet untouched. Still wanting to find my spot. Still looking for my friends on AOL and never finding them, mostly because I check too late in the morning (still my fault). Still looking for Eoghan's new cd in mail. Still wanting to spend more time with my kids and still frustrated that it is not working out.
Wait!!! I just got my haircut! And it is a slightly different look...now that's different.
But, still wear a hat every minute of the day to stay warm. Still listen to Bob Dylan to cheer me up. Still think about writing a book and sometimes even start one, only to have it sabotaged by a faulty computer, etc. Still love Guinness although I never drink it anymore. Still want to hang out with my friends although...
Still believe the end is near...and often wish it would come a little quicker.
Hey, I still believe in sudden and unexpected change. I still expect a great turn in my life that will have me released into the true things I have been called and prepared for. I still believe that everything we have learned is crucial to the future...it must be significant for us. I still believe in God. I still believe God is good! I still am convinced that there will come a day when the church, wherever she exists (hiding or not) will emerge from it's collective slumber and apathy and choose(!!) to serve the King like we have not yet seen in history. No superstars, but power endowed to the masses in a way only dreamed about. No disease will stand before this people. Darkness, conveniently hiding behind our systems and logical thinking, will be flushed out and exposed for what it is and the war will be on...full blown. God will empower His people. They will know Him. The sacrifices will be small when compared with the reward of seeing the King and going with his plans and purposes. Their will be great rejoicing. Revelation 19 will happen. We might see it.....
20030124
Jesus' program of discipleship was simple:
hang out with the disciples;
let them see you at your best and worst;
spend lots of time alone;
teach truths none of your disciples can grasp at the moment;
avoid crowds;
go slowly;
spend hours in solitude;
don't worry about opposition;
ignore criticism;
and don't expect immediate results.
(Mike Yaconelli)
from Len H.
hang out with the disciples;
let them see you at your best and worst;
spend lots of time alone;
teach truths none of your disciples can grasp at the moment;
avoid crowds;
go slowly;
spend hours in solitude;
don't worry about opposition;
ignore criticism;
and don't expect immediate results.
(Mike Yaconelli)
from Len H.
Do you think that, especially in the Christian realm, those that write and talk a lot tend to motivate others to write and talk a lot as well, while those who tend towards action motivate others toward action? I suppose there is a balance in there, but I am just noticing how in my own life, the people who I admire tend to motivate me to do what they do, not what they say...
20030123
I sure do like the sounds of this. Good news is that there is free shipping on amazon.co.jp...
Not Religion but Love, by Dave Andrews.
Not Religion but Love, by Dave Andrews.
20030121
Earlier today I was having very similar thoughts with regard to Avril Lavigne being the "anti-Britney", the standard-bearer of depth and lyrical honesty. It screams of the "Image is Nothing" Sprite hypocrisy.
From and article by Mark at Phuture.
...Give people ways to express their rebellion that change nothing, that keep oppressive systems in place, and nothing will change.
Marilyn Manson rips up a bible on stage, the typical areas of society react, their reaction causes there to be media interest ensuring that Manson's album becomes a best seller.
The giant corporation that is behind Marilyn Manson's label gets bigger and a smaller group of rich men go from being filthy rich to extremely filthy rich. Teenagers and youth buy Manson's album, thus venting youthful desire to be radical and rebellious and every body wins...
...The resigned consumer is a marketeers dream. This new target audience gives birth to the strange new false dialogue found in such advertising campaigns as the Sprite soft drink commercials...
From and article by Mark at Phuture.
...Give people ways to express their rebellion that change nothing, that keep oppressive systems in place, and nothing will change.
Marilyn Manson rips up a bible on stage, the typical areas of society react, their reaction causes there to be media interest ensuring that Manson's album becomes a best seller.
The giant corporation that is behind Marilyn Manson's label gets bigger and a smaller group of rich men go from being filthy rich to extremely filthy rich. Teenagers and youth buy Manson's album, thus venting youthful desire to be radical and rebellious and every body wins...
...The resigned consumer is a marketeers dream. This new target audience gives birth to the strange new false dialogue found in such advertising campaigns as the Sprite soft drink commercials...
Dan Hughes comments:
the challenge here (i have not read Michael's article--only the snippet you quote) is the classic revolutionary-establishment cycle. the idealization of the radical as if it were a utopian end in and of itself is to miss how the radical is defined by the establishment that it becomes if/when it overcomes the particular establishment it is defined against. at that point the radical slowly calcifies into an establishment (Iran, Cuba, China, USA, ...Christianity). There is an endless cycle of an establishment posture of stabilization and a radical posture of critique.
i believe that this is part of the reason that Jesus is not a political utopian. even the most oppressive regime was granted whatever it claimed to own (give to Caesar what is Caesars). it was only what was God's (the life of the people--community) that was outside of the establishment's ultimate control--even if at times it seemed so otherwise.
this kingdom utopian position may be apolitical, but the people who inhabit a kingdom utopian position are not. it is the work of communities of people to come to agreements that make for a step toward that ever elusive "good" society that we all desire (i am not implying an always progressing macro social evolution here). seeking after justice and mercy at a societal level is carried out by aligning oneself with others in positions, parties, governments and the like to create just structures of existence and good laws of governance.
it is impossible to create an algorithmic set of logic to determine how one goes about engaging the wider political situation. postures of stabilization are what enable jobs, judicial constancy and secure social environments. postures of critique are what engender sympathy for the marginalized, system checks and balances and chaos enabling social evolution.
and then...
what would Jesus do? i think he would turn over the tables of the religious elite. what other activism do we have as an example from Jesus?
personally, i am not a subscriber to the "WWJD?" system of ethics. i think that it is impossible to adequately answer that question. i prefer: knowing a little about what Jesus did what are you going to do?
WWJD? seems never to get to a place of moral action. KALAWJDWAYGTD? presumes action.
the challenge here (i have not read Michael's article--only the snippet you quote) is the classic revolutionary-establishment cycle. the idealization of the radical as if it were a utopian end in and of itself is to miss how the radical is defined by the establishment that it becomes if/when it overcomes the particular establishment it is defined against. at that point the radical slowly calcifies into an establishment (Iran, Cuba, China, USA, ...Christianity). There is an endless cycle of an establishment posture of stabilization and a radical posture of critique.
i believe that this is part of the reason that Jesus is not a political utopian. even the most oppressive regime was granted whatever it claimed to own (give to Caesar what is Caesars). it was only what was God's (the life of the people--community) that was outside of the establishment's ultimate control--even if at times it seemed so otherwise.
this kingdom utopian position may be apolitical, but the people who inhabit a kingdom utopian position are not. it is the work of communities of people to come to agreements that make for a step toward that ever elusive "good" society that we all desire (i am not implying an always progressing macro social evolution here). seeking after justice and mercy at a societal level is carried out by aligning oneself with others in positions, parties, governments and the like to create just structures of existence and good laws of governance.
it is impossible to create an algorithmic set of logic to determine how one goes about engaging the wider political situation. postures of stabilization are what enable jobs, judicial constancy and secure social environments. postures of critique are what engender sympathy for the marginalized, system checks and balances and chaos enabling social evolution.
and then...
what would Jesus do? i think he would turn over the tables of the religious elite. what other activism do we have as an example from Jesus?
personally, i am not a subscriber to the "WWJD?" system of ethics. i think that it is impossible to adequately answer that question. i prefer: knowing a little about what Jesus did what are you going to do?
WWJD? seems never to get to a place of moral action. KALAWJDWAYGTD? presumes action.
20030120
Whaddya think? Would Jesus have been in with the radicals like a dirty shirt? Or would he have avoided them like the Zealots?
Reactionaries aggravate hierarchical racial, sexual, political, and class relations. Rich and powerful people lust after still more. Corporate globalization tilts international exchange so further benefit thousands of multinational profiteers at the expense of billions of people too poor to eat and too weak to dissent. And, war, of course, is just corporate globalization writ violent.
Radicals weaken and replace hierarchical racial, sexual, political, and class relations with equitable, solidaritous, diversity enhancing, and self-managing structures. Radicals want the poor to benefit until new gains reduce and finally eliminate poverty, indignity, and disempowerment. Internationalism protects the ecology, benefits the poor, empowers working people, enhances dignity and power among previously disenfranchised elements, and ultimately seeks to entirely overturn competitive and profit-oriented relations.
From Michael Albert.
Reactionaries aggravate hierarchical racial, sexual, political, and class relations. Rich and powerful people lust after still more. Corporate globalization tilts international exchange so further benefit thousands of multinational profiteers at the expense of billions of people too poor to eat and too weak to dissent. And, war, of course, is just corporate globalization writ violent.
Radicals weaken and replace hierarchical racial, sexual, political, and class relations with equitable, solidaritous, diversity enhancing, and self-managing structures. Radicals want the poor to benefit until new gains reduce and finally eliminate poverty, indignity, and disempowerment. Internationalism protects the ecology, benefits the poor, empowers working people, enhances dignity and power among previously disenfranchised elements, and ultimately seeks to entirely overturn competitive and profit-oriented relations.
From Michael Albert.
20030119
This is so well said, and so how I feel, I say ditto...
Speaking of which, I wonder if a foundational issue in christianity isn't self-awareness, self-consciousness. I'll try to explain, though at the moment it feels like "looking through a glass darkly."
I was thinking this morning how I've become increasingly aware that these blogs are being read by a wide diversity of people, and how that awareness is inescapable as we relate to one another. So, now the temptation is to shape my words according to my audience. The temptation is to try to "grow" or "manage" my readers.
Well... why?
As I look inside, I can find good reasons and lousy reasons.
"It would be good if more people read NextReformation, because, as so many of you have kindly written, "You are making an important contribution."
"If more people visited my site, I myself would be better known. I would feel better about myself because I am having an impact. I myself would be "important."
The lie is that my value changes because of what others think of me. The truth is that if we truly seek the kingdom then what we do does have an impact. And the deeper truth is that what I do and who I am are inseparable.
And isn't it good and right that we care what our friends think of us?
Hmmm.. Maybe that is the sticking point. It is good and right to be in community.. to be known and loved.. and also to be challenged and accountable. But we should be accountable to the correct community.. that group of people "in whose hearts are the road to Zion." We should be accountable to those whose hearts are stamped with the image of the king. Being accountable to those whose direction in life is not toward loving God and loving their neighbors is risky. As the old Puritans used to say, "Sickness is easier caught than health," therefore be careful whom you let shape your life.
Be careful... have a care... all of which requires self-awareness. But that same self-awareness roots all this introversion that I wish I could escape.
So.. caring what people think is good.. and caring what people think is bad. I want to be so "god aware" that my self-awareness is a subset of my kingdom awareness. I want to care first what He thinks, and only secondarily what others think. Yet I also want to be accountable.. and to some extent to all my friends, not only the ones with whom I have bountiful agreement.
I wonder if all this complicated self-consciousness is a subset of the forward sweep of history. There are basically two views of time.. a circular one and a linear one. The linear view is rooted in the historical actions of God in Christ, moving toward an ultimate end. The circular view is rooted in the belief that all that was, will be.. that time is circular and meaning is unattainable, that there is only repetition, the great wheel of life.
Christians believe time will have an end.. and that history has a goal in God. Therefore we are conscious of our place on the line and the movement of things.. the flow of the river is directed by a sovereign and loving will. Therefore we try to line up with that flow and join in it, therefore we plan.. and analyse.. and are critical and self-critical.
But as someone pointed out in a blog somewhere recently, all this complexity is tiring.
from Len. (P.S. Len, in linking to you, I in no way intend for you to feel more important...)
Speaking of which, I wonder if a foundational issue in christianity isn't self-awareness, self-consciousness. I'll try to explain, though at the moment it feels like "looking through a glass darkly."
I was thinking this morning how I've become increasingly aware that these blogs are being read by a wide diversity of people, and how that awareness is inescapable as we relate to one another. So, now the temptation is to shape my words according to my audience. The temptation is to try to "grow" or "manage" my readers.
Well... why?
As I look inside, I can find good reasons and lousy reasons.
"It would be good if more people read NextReformation, because, as so many of you have kindly written, "You are making an important contribution."
"If more people visited my site, I myself would be better known. I would feel better about myself because I am having an impact. I myself would be "important."
The lie is that my value changes because of what others think of me. The truth is that if we truly seek the kingdom then what we do does have an impact. And the deeper truth is that what I do and who I am are inseparable.
And isn't it good and right that we care what our friends think of us?
Hmmm.. Maybe that is the sticking point. It is good and right to be in community.. to be known and loved.. and also to be challenged and accountable. But we should be accountable to the correct community.. that group of people "in whose hearts are the road to Zion." We should be accountable to those whose hearts are stamped with the image of the king. Being accountable to those whose direction in life is not toward loving God and loving their neighbors is risky. As the old Puritans used to say, "Sickness is easier caught than health," therefore be careful whom you let shape your life.
Be careful... have a care... all of which requires self-awareness. But that same self-awareness roots all this introversion that I wish I could escape.
So.. caring what people think is good.. and caring what people think is bad. I want to be so "god aware" that my self-awareness is a subset of my kingdom awareness. I want to care first what He thinks, and only secondarily what others think. Yet I also want to be accountable.. and to some extent to all my friends, not only the ones with whom I have bountiful agreement.
I wonder if all this complicated self-consciousness is a subset of the forward sweep of history. There are basically two views of time.. a circular one and a linear one. The linear view is rooted in the historical actions of God in Christ, moving toward an ultimate end. The circular view is rooted in the belief that all that was, will be.. that time is circular and meaning is unattainable, that there is only repetition, the great wheel of life.
Christians believe time will have an end.. and that history has a goal in God. Therefore we are conscious of our place on the line and the movement of things.. the flow of the river is directed by a sovereign and loving will. Therefore we try to line up with that flow and join in it, therefore we plan.. and analyse.. and are critical and self-critical.
But as someone pointed out in a blog somewhere recently, all this complexity is tiring.
from Len. (P.S. Len, in linking to you, I in no way intend for you to feel more important...)
20030116
via Josh Claybourn...
A plan for "decontaminating the world of Non-Canadian influence" through Global Canadian domination...
20030115
Slacktivist responds bitingly (but methinks poignantly) to a guy on the top of the pyramid looking down...
Winnipeg police scurry for cover when live grenade turned in
A spokesperson for the Winnipeg police said people shouldn't show up at the police station with explosives. The police recommend calling for a pick-up instead.
A spokesperson for the Winnipeg police said people shouldn't show up at the police station with explosives. The police recommend calling for a pick-up instead.
Mike Todd posts a message that followers of Christ need to be reminded of. And I think more are starting to listen, aren't they?
I just signed up for Hari, which is totally different from Harakiri (Japanese ritual suicide whereby you slice open your stomach with a sword - and it's an honorable thing to do - how's that for culture shock). Signing up in itself was an ordeal, as I stumbled my way through all the unfamiliar medical Japanese. Even without the medical terms it would have been a challenge, as in the moment of performance I start tripping over my words and spitting out whatever comes to mind. A Japanese friend once told me that I speak "Impressionist Japanese", basically that I just keep tossing out words and they draw meaning from all the words being tossed out.
So anyway, what's Hari? Literally, needles. I guess we changed the name to acupuncture to reduce the fear factor a few degrees. But I had a back injury here once, and before i could even protest a friendly old neighbor had me on the hari-man's table. And wouldn't you know, it was the most instant, pain-relieving healing my back has ever had. Good thing they forced me into it though, because the image of it had been weird enough to keep from ever trying it. Kinda the same thing with the toilets here. Washlets they are called. The nicest ones have a remote control the size of your television's, where you can change jet distance, pressure, angle, pulse stream, massage, etc; on the really good ones there is even a blow dryer. I haven't used toilet paper in months! (that would be an eye-grabbing headline) Apparently they test-marketed them in the U.S. and they just didn't catch on. I say we are missing out.
So anyway, what's Hari? Literally, needles. I guess we changed the name to acupuncture to reduce the fear factor a few degrees. But I had a back injury here once, and before i could even protest a friendly old neighbor had me on the hari-man's table. And wouldn't you know, it was the most instant, pain-relieving healing my back has ever had. Good thing they forced me into it though, because the image of it had been weird enough to keep from ever trying it. Kinda the same thing with the toilets here. Washlets they are called. The nicest ones have a remote control the size of your television's, where you can change jet distance, pressure, angle, pulse stream, massage, etc; on the really good ones there is even a blow dryer. I haven't used toilet paper in months! (that would be an eye-grabbing headline) Apparently they test-marketed them in the U.S. and they just didn't catch on. I say we are missing out.
20030112
"After spending the week doing what we are told and wearing the uniform suit and tie that are a sign of our obedience, there is no better way to relieve stress than to wander around naked for a while."
I felt like I was getting to see a different side of my neighbour
I was talking about public baths a couple weeks back. This guy goes into more detail... (March 16th post)
I felt like I was getting to see a different side of my neighbour
I was talking about public baths a couple weeks back. This guy goes into more detail... (March 16th post)
I was reading through my blog archives and realizing that I used to put a lot more heart into my posts. I used to be a lot more deliberate about sharing my heart and such. But lately I haven't felt like I have much to say. So what do you do when you no longer have much to say? Release a Greatest Hits album!
So here are my Blogging Greatest Hits Volume 1 (2002, as chosen by me):
The Root of Poverty?
Shout to the Road
"Real" Worship
God's Celebrities
Extreme Confidence
Head-Turning Faith
George Bush's Favorite Philosopher
Foundational Scripture
Dostoevsky's Hell
Spaghetti Joy
Faith or Works?
Gigantic Foster Quote
Kingdom Investment
Big Brother and the Institution
The Ultimate Warrior
The New Roman Empire
Translate Software No Working
Prayer and Control
Fundamentalism, Left and Right
I Need the Poor
So here are my Blogging Greatest Hits Volume 1 (2002, as chosen by me):
The Root of Poverty?
Shout to the Road
"Real" Worship
God's Celebrities
Extreme Confidence
Head-Turning Faith
George Bush's Favorite Philosopher
Foundational Scripture
Dostoevsky's Hell
Spaghetti Joy
Faith or Works?
Gigantic Foster Quote
Kingdom Investment
Big Brother and the Institution
The Ultimate Warrior
The New Roman Empire
Translate Software No Working
Prayer and Control
Fundamentalism, Left and Right
I Need the Poor
Here is funny one that is making its way around the email world. Apparently written by high school students doing as assignment on metaphors and analogies. From my days teaching high school english, I believe it to quite possibly be true.
Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two other sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a Guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipsewithout one those boxes with a pinhole in it.
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room temperature Canadian beef.
She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.
The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had isintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge free ATM.
The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.
McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.
John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
Even in his last years, Grandpappy had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.
Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for awhile.
He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
The knife was as sharp as the tone used by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) in her first several points of parliamentary procedure made to Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) in the House Judiciary Committee hearings on the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton.
It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
She was as easy as the TV Guide crossword.
She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.
Her voice had that tense, grating quality, like a generation thermal paper fax machine that needed a band tightened.
Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two other sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a Guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipsewithout one those boxes with a pinhole in it.
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room temperature Canadian beef.
She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.
The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had isintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge free ATM.
The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.
McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.
Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.
John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
Even in his last years, Grandpappy had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.
Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for awhile.
He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
The knife was as sharp as the tone used by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tex.) in her first several points of parliamentary procedure made to Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) in the House Judiciary Committee hearings on the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton.
It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
She was as easy as the TV Guide crossword.
She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.
Her voice had that tense, grating quality, like a generation thermal paper fax machine that needed a band tightened.
20030110
It is impossible to physically distinguish a burakumin from a non-burakumin, yet when a burakumin's origins are revealed he is subject to discrimination and often humiliation. A close friend whom I accidentally discovered to be burakumin was moved to tears that a foreigner should even know the word and feared that I would treat him in the same way that discriminatory Japanese have done all his life. Before we discussed his background, I was largely ignorant of what it meant to be burakumin. I had heard the word used and had heard of its pejorative connotations, but I expected the oppression that surrounded it to be obsolete; my optimism was misplaced. While I cannot claim to be an expert on the burakumin, this article is a personal reaction to the pain of a friend and an attempt to draw attention to the unnecessary suffering of an unseen minority group.
I asked a student about this group once, and he was reaction was so strong (for a Japanese guy) that I was shocked. I repeatedly asked that I never use the word again. And then as he was leaving the lesson, asked me one more time. Makes one curious.
I asked a student about this group once, and he was reaction was so strong (for a Japanese guy) that I was shocked. I repeatedly asked that I never use the word again. And then as he was leaving the lesson, asked me one more time. Makes one curious.
Japanese Couples' Aversion to Child Adoption Changes Only Slowly
Extended family ties are strong in Japan, and relatives often care for each other's children when the need arises. But when that is not possible - for financial or other reasons - many relatives would rather see these children in state homes than adopted by strangers.
As a result, Mayu and 25,000 others who live in Japan's 527 state-run or subsidized children's homes do not really belong to any family. They arrive at these homes because they were abandoned, neglected or abused by their biological parents. And there they live as Japan's invisible children, rarely discussed in public, and subtly discriminated against in private. In a nation where fitting in and being like everybody else is valued, growing up in a state home can make it hard to find a job, to get married, or to just be a kid...
She hates the stories she hears about how Mayu becomes so sad when other children at the home receive phone calls from relatives. The Satos have given Mayu a phone card she can use to call them. ''It makes us love her more,'' said Miss Sato, 39, who sews handbags in her home for a living, while her husband, 40, works as a supervisor in a plastics factory. Mayu and the other thousands of children in these homes are labeled in whispers on the playground as ''the children from the facilities.''
The homes have no budget for cram schools or private tutors, and so they do not spend after-school hours as the majority of their classmates do. They would have to pay for college themselves, so virtually no one goes. Typically, one day, between the ages of 18 and 20, they walk out on their own...
Extended family ties are strong in Japan, and relatives often care for each other's children when the need arises. But when that is not possible - for financial or other reasons - many relatives would rather see these children in state homes than adopted by strangers.
As a result, Mayu and 25,000 others who live in Japan's 527 state-run or subsidized children's homes do not really belong to any family. They arrive at these homes because they were abandoned, neglected or abused by their biological parents. And there they live as Japan's invisible children, rarely discussed in public, and subtly discriminated against in private. In a nation where fitting in and being like everybody else is valued, growing up in a state home can make it hard to find a job, to get married, or to just be a kid...
She hates the stories she hears about how Mayu becomes so sad when other children at the home receive phone calls from relatives. The Satos have given Mayu a phone card she can use to call them. ''It makes us love her more,'' said Miss Sato, 39, who sews handbags in her home for a living, while her husband, 40, works as a supervisor in a plastics factory. Mayu and the other thousands of children in these homes are labeled in whispers on the playground as ''the children from the facilities.''
The homes have no budget for cram schools or private tutors, and so they do not spend after-school hours as the majority of their classmates do. They would have to pay for college themselves, so virtually no one goes. Typically, one day, between the ages of 18 and 20, they walk out on their own...
Derek is talking about the "Christian/ Non-Christian" divide. I am not yet convinced that Castro is such a nice guy, I'm pretty suspicious of rulers and powers generally (with good reason, I think), but I like the general idea.
20030109
20030108
Via Richbot...
This guy is mad at the Royal Bank. I don't much like them either, so I thought I would spread the word. I wonder if I could get him do one about CIBC as well....
This guy is mad at the Royal Bank. I don't much like them either, so I thought I would spread the word. I wonder if I could get him do one about CIBC as well....
For whatever reason, I was feeling so entertained by the absurdity of Lou Reed today. From Andy's Chest:
Yesterday Daisy May and Biff were grooving on the street
And just like in a movie her hands became her feet
Her belly button was in her mouth which meant she tasted what she�fd speak
But the funny thing is what happened to her nose
It grew until it reached all of her toes
And then I got listening to a song by a friend I grew up with, Heath Whitelock. He is pursuing his music dreams in Vancouver now. His song "Fall" is a sweet one.
It was a good music day. I should also mention how much I am liking Ryan Adams and Wilco. Alt country they are calling it. Sounds good to me.
Yesterday Daisy May and Biff were grooving on the street
And just like in a movie her hands became her feet
Her belly button was in her mouth which meant she tasted what she�fd speak
But the funny thing is what happened to her nose
It grew until it reached all of her toes
And then I got listening to a song by a friend I grew up with, Heath Whitelock. He is pursuing his music dreams in Vancouver now. His song "Fall" is a sweet one.
It was a good music day. I should also mention how much I am liking Ryan Adams and Wilco. Alt country they are calling it. Sounds good to me.
20030107
On Being a Daddy
Put Rudy's post together with Littlebear's Jan. 5th post and you've got me with a tear in me eye...
Put Rudy's post together with Littlebear's Jan. 5th post and you've got me with a tear in me eye...
From Jason Evans (who, by the way, is off to Africa):
Leaving the church was no easy step, but the church simply was no solution to the problem of loving one's neighbor as one's self. That was, for me, impossible under a capitalist order, for I found that while I was giving of my surplus and not sharing all - whether of wealth, poverty, joy or pain - I was not really loving my neighbor, but demoralizing him. Of course I saw sincere individuals in the church, and would not cast a slur on anyone. But the church must be more than a collection of sincere individuals. It is the miracle of Pentecost - life and fire, and unity.
- Kathleen Hasenberg
Leaving the church was no easy step, but the church simply was no solution to the problem of loving one's neighbor as one's self. That was, for me, impossible under a capitalist order, for I found that while I was giving of my surplus and not sharing all - whether of wealth, poverty, joy or pain - I was not really loving my neighbor, but demoralizing him. Of course I saw sincere individuals in the church, and would not cast a slur on anyone. But the church must be more than a collection of sincere individuals. It is the miracle of Pentecost - life and fire, and unity.
- Kathleen Hasenberg
20030106
20030104
Life in Japan interesting fact:
Yes, I am on an extended break at work, and so a little bored. I just took a walk around Toyota (car mecca of Japan) and, by my estimates, about 80% of the cars are Toyotas. Why you ask? Well, lemme tell ya. Apparently, if a Toyota employee buys a Toyota, the company will pay for the gas. If not, no gas allowance. So only the rebels drive Hondas. I walk. And take the train.
Yes, yes, bored.
Yes, I am on an extended break at work, and so a little bored. I just took a walk around Toyota (car mecca of Japan) and, by my estimates, about 80% of the cars are Toyotas. Why you ask? Well, lemme tell ya. Apparently, if a Toyota employee buys a Toyota, the company will pay for the gas. If not, no gas allowance. So only the rebels drive Hondas. I walk. And take the train.
Yes, yes, bored.
What a quandry from Dups Kopp:
The Christians were being taken as slaves (often Muslim moderates are also enslaved) by fundamentalist Arab Muslims waging a civil war (under the guise of a Holy Jihad). Terrible stories of human rights violations abound. Question is did purchasing their freedom from the slave traders encourage and perpetuate the situation? I guess if my family was involved I wouldn't ask. I'd sell everything and try to buy their freedom...
The Christians were being taken as slaves (often Muslim moderates are also enslaved) by fundamentalist Arab Muslims waging a civil war (under the guise of a Holy Jihad). Terrible stories of human rights violations abound. Question is did purchasing their freedom from the slave traders encourage and perpetuate the situation? I guess if my family was involved I wouldn't ask. I'd sell everything and try to buy their freedom...
20030102
Here is my mystery of the day. I was back checking out Warren Kinsella's blog (no, I just can't get enough), and he has the following to say:
A blogger somewhere out West noted that the Elliott Anderson entry disappeared, which was true. He suggested that he had something to do with that, which wasn't. Here's what was sent to him:
We took it down because Elliott Anderson's hatred didn't deserve any further exposure. After Bourque linked to it, 60,000+ folks got to see Elliott attempt to take partisan advantage of a man's death. That said all that needed to be said about Elliott
Here at www.warrenkinsella.com, we subscribe to the Kennedy clan maxim: forgive your enemies. But never, ever forget. Ever.
Google is a big help, in that regard.
So here is the mystery: Am I the blogger "somewhere out west"? I did mention the taking down of the post, but I didn't receive any message like the one they quoted. But they were so locationally vague that I just can't get any closure on this. I mean it's keeping me up nights.
Two possible reasons for the lack of information:
1. These are Liberals so they are only vaguely aware that there is a western Canada,
or 2. They are lumping me in with the Elliot Anderson's of the world, as one who's hatred does not deserve any exposure.
Damn. Any press is good press.
A blogger somewhere out West noted that the Elliott Anderson entry disappeared, which was true. He suggested that he had something to do with that, which wasn't. Here's what was sent to him:
We took it down because Elliott Anderson's hatred didn't deserve any further exposure. After Bourque linked to it, 60,000+ folks got to see Elliott attempt to take partisan advantage of a man's death. That said all that needed to be said about Elliott
Here at www.warrenkinsella.com, we subscribe to the Kennedy clan maxim: forgive your enemies. But never, ever forget. Ever.
Google is a big help, in that regard.
So here is the mystery: Am I the blogger "somewhere out west"? I did mention the taking down of the post, but I didn't receive any message like the one they quoted. But they were so locationally vague that I just can't get any closure on this. I mean it's keeping me up nights.
Two possible reasons for the lack of information:
1. These are Liberals so they are only vaguely aware that there is a western Canada,
or 2. They are lumping me in with the Elliot Anderson's of the world, as one who's hatred does not deserve any exposure.
Damn. Any press is good press.
My name is John and I am a Canadian. This is called the "Canada switch ad". I don't really know what to say beyond that. Check it out. I wonder if in 7 years I will be writing a Japan switch ad??
20030101
New Year's Eve in Japan. We did the usual - hung out with friends, ate a lot, and watched the television count down, most of which was entirely incomprehensible to us. Some Japanese guy was going to jump off a huge platform into a fire. Fair enough, beats watching the ball drop in NYC. He got ready and pumped as the clock counted down and excitement built. Then as the clock hit midnight - he continued to get ready for the jump. Waited ten more minutes before he finally jumped. We were feeling a little ripped off, but at least he did jump, we were beginning to wonder if he had just plain chickened out or something.
Anyway, see it all here...
Anyway, see it all here...
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