I am, therefore I think.

Good year

2009-05-17T16:08:00.003-04:00

Well I must say, I have enjoyed having a blog this year and I'm glad Mrs. Bell made it part of our class assignments. It's nice to have something to look back on and to be able to see all of the projects we've done, like the visual arguments or research papers.

This year, in my writing I think I really learned to pay more attention to my audience and adjust my argument method based on what will best persuade them. Writing for your audience is a basic concept I was taught a long time ago, but this year I think I tried to focus on it more. Looking back on the essays I wrote last year, a lot of the rhetorical devices I used in this year's essays are absent. In my work this year, simple things, such as alliteration or more varied sentence structure, are much more present. My essays this year didn't just answer the prompts, but they were also more artistic, more interesting to the reader (or at least, I hope they were!).

Overall, I think it was a good year and I'm very glad I took this class. My favorite part of it definitely was reading Blue Like Jazz - it was such a good book! I also really liked this introduction to blogging, and have decided to continue throughout the summer and the upcoming school year as I head off to college. My new blog is Musings of a Degenerative Bibliophile and I hope you'll come visit from time to time if you'd like to!

Passover

2009-03-30T17:23:00.004-04:00

This post is in honor of up coming Passover, a very special holiday too often overlooked by Christians. A couple years ago I read a terrific book called The Feasts of the Lord. It talks about many aspects of all the Jewish holidays and is very interesting; actually, it’s one of my favorite books. For each holiday, it discusses how the feast was ordained by God and its original purpose in the Bible, then moves on to how Jews celebrate it today, and lastly, it shows how Christ is represented in each of the celebrations. It does such an excellent job of linking God’s intentions from the Old Testament to the New, and paints a beautifully coherent picture of God’s entire plan for the redemption of mankind from The Fall all the way until Christ returns again. After I read it, I fell in love with the Old Testament and finally understood how it can be just as relevant and meaningful to Christians today as the New Testament is.

Passover is about mercy. It is about sacrifice. It is about redemption. The oldest feast in the world still celebrated today, it acknowledges how God’s judgment “passed over” the Israelites while they were held captive in Egypt. In order to be spared from the angel of death, each family was required to sacrifice a lamb and smear its blood over their doorpost. This lamb had to be a perfect, flawless creature, and was even required to be kept with the family for a time so they would become attached to it and more keenly feel the sacrifice of this innocent one.

And it was on this very holiday that the disciples found themselves in an upper room with Jesus, hearing Him say strange things during the normally predictable Seder. Throughout the Seder, there are four cups at wine taken at specific times. It is the third cup, called the Cup of Redemption, that Jesus began the ritual Christians now know as Communion. How fitting, considering that through Christ’s sacrifice, all of mankind would be redeemed. The last cup of wine is called the Cup of Acceptance, or Praise, and this is the cup that Christ said He would not drink with the disciples until they drank it in heaven. In The Feasts of the Lord, the authors write that this is because Jesus knew the Jews would not accept Him yet, and so His joy would be incomplete until then.

An interesting detail:
At one point in the Seder there are three pieces of matzah in a special cloth. The middle one is broken, half is hidden and later on in the Seder, it is found again. Jewish scholars have been debating the significance of this for years, some claiming the three pieces represent Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but this leaves them wondering why “Isaac” is broken and hidden. Messianic Jews believe this is instead significant of the Trinity, God the Father, the Son, the Spirit. “Jesus” is then the one who is broken (representing His death) and then later found (representing His resurrection). Interestingly, this special middle piece of matzah has a name—the afikomen. Ironically, afikomen is the only Greek word in the Seder, with Greek being, of course, the language Jesus spoke. It means “I came.” For Christians this is a meaningful reminder; for Jews, a haunting revelation they somehow manage to miss.

The theme of Passover is redemption. At the very first Passover, in Egypt, it was redemption from the angel of death, and from captivity that they celebrated. But God instituted this feast to foreshadow the greater redemption He had planned for us, through His Son’s death. It was this night that Jesus was betrayed to be later crucified, becoming the final sacrifice for Jews and Gentiles alike. Personally, I think it would be wonderful if Christians started celebrating Passover. Some may say that we aren’t Jewish, we aren’t bound under “the Law” anymore and so are not obligated to keep the feasts. This is true. However, the Seder is such a rich representation of God’s age-old plan to once again restore mankind. I just don’t see how we can pass up the opportunity to worship and praise God for fulfilling His plans through Christ, our perfect, redeeming Passover Lamb.

Final Paper

2009-03-17T15:07:00.002-04:00

Well, I am greatly relieved that our papers are finally finished. I will not post it here, as it is so long, but here is a link if you care to read the fruit of my labors for the past few months.

Final Visual Argument

2009-03-09T00:04:00.001-04:00

Visual argument

2009-03-06T23:58:00.002-05:00

Visual argument - notes

2009-03-06T23:37:00.007-05:00

I decided to create a visual argument, defending some of the decisions Donald Miller made that are a little "controversial" among fellow Christians. It isn't finished yet, and I know it is difficult to see my argument from these--there are a few important slides that aren't completed yet, so there are some gaps in the argument you see. But when it is done, I hope to communicate the idea that even though in the book Don hung out "with the wrong crowd," so did Jesus. Sometimes Christians get so caught up in our own little subculture, I think we pick on things that aren't all that important. There are different aspects of that idea that I am addressing. Once it's done, I think I will turn the slides into a movie if I can figure out how to do it.

Edit: Somehow I couldn't get it in this post, but it is in the next one.

Who needs religion, any way?

2009-02-28T00:09:00.001-05:00

In the second part of Dawkins’ argument, he claims that in disputes, religion always trumps other ideas, because it assumes a sort of sacredness. I find it odd that he treats religion as just another opinion, such as a man thinking “‘his wife is beautiful and his children smart.’” Dawkins seems to disregard the importance religion plays in developing a complete view of the world around us. Near the end of his argument he finally asks:

What is so special about religion that we grant it such uniquely privileged respect?

Hmm… Perhaps it is because religions have an inconceivable tendency of instruction in morals and ethics. Or maybe it is because religion offers answers to the most important questions about things such as life and death. Or maybe—and I know this is stretching the imagination—it is because religion offers meaning and a purpose to life. I don’t know really… I guess it is rather silly that we give religion any importance, after all.

All sarcasm aside, I truly find it disturbing that Dawkins and others put so little value on religion, and think it can be so easily replaced with other things, such as science. I started thinking about this while I was watching Expelled and the interviews with all of the scientists, but particularly Dawkins. The argument was centered on the seeming conflict between science and religion. However, I’m not so sure this is how the issue should be argued, because religion and science are two completely different things. Science can offer answers about the natural world around us and even about our bodies and ourselves, but it cannot tell us why we are here, if there is good and evil, or tell us what “the meaning of life” is. These are questions that every human being struggles with, and needs answers to. While science can, of course, validate religious beliefs, it cannot be a replacement for them.

Alarmingly, however, many of the scientists interviewed on Expelled, including Dawkins, seem to think that religion is unnecessary and science can tell us all we need to know. If I’m not mistaken, one of the scientists in the movie literally says that science will eventually replace religion. This simply cannot be true—this way of thinking is logically fallacious and does not follow. Lets say, for example, that a vibrant art program is enacted in schools throughout the country and suddenly everyone thinks that art is now vitally important, while mathematics is worthless (an idea I almost agree with :P). Now, they want to replace math and teach only art instead. This is pure silliness—math and art are two completely different things, and one cannot be replaced by the other. But this is exactly what would be happening if religion was replaced by science. Although science is important, it cannot ever take the place of religion. Only religion offers answers to the deepest questions faced in life, and it will remain important always.

Delusional?

2009-02-27T23:31:00.002-05:00

As I was reading the excerpt from Dawkins’ The God Delusion, I had a few different thoughts. At first, he talks about “religiousness” in a nonsupernatural sense, which, although I understood what he meant, still seemed weird to me.

Let me sum up Einsteinian religion in one more quotation from Einstein himself: 'To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is a something that our mind cannot grasp and whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly and as a feeble reflection, this is religiousness. In this sense I am religious.' In this sense I too am religious, with the reservation that 'cannot grasp' does not have to mean 'forever ungraspable'. But I prefer not to call myself religious because it is misleading. It is destructively misleading because, for the vast majority of people, 'religion' implies 'supernatural'. Carl Sagan put it well: '. . . if by â€�“Godâ€ one means the set of physical laws that govern the universe, then clearly there is such a God. This God is emotionally unsatisfying...it does not make much sense to pray to the law of gravity.'

If I am understanding his argument correctly, Dawkins basically says that there is some kind of desire in us when we study science and the beauty of the earth, but this is only a sort of admiration of the unfathomably vast Universe we live in, and has nothing to do with religion. However, some people mistakenly believe this desire/admiration is a feeling of the supernatural, and that is why they are “religious.” I am, quite honestly, a bit perplexed by this. If there is no God, as Dawkins believes, then why would we have any desires or feelings like this about nature? To my knowledge, humans are the only creatures on earth that experience this phenomenon. I think the awe and wonder experienced when studying nature is actually an indication that God does exist. I do not know any other reason why evolved homo sapiens, such as ourselves, would have to experience these “feelings,” if it is not from a desire that has been placed in us by a Creator. And by the way, that is exactly what Paul writes in Romans 1 and 2.

Rhetorical Strategies in Expelled

2009-02-26T17:39:00.001-05:00

One thing I really liked in the movie was all of the old movie clips, and I think they served as very effective rhetorical strategies. First of all, they provided visual interest and kept the viewer engaged in a serious topic that might have otherwise become uninteresting after a while. They also very effectively reinforced the ideas presented in the movie. At times, I think they even served as a way to send strong messages to the viewers—too strong to be put into words without attracting a lot of criticism. (I am thinking of several of the Nazi sequences, as well as the scene with the bully beating up the little boy. These are essentially saying that the people suppressing the Intelligent Design theory are not acting intellectually, but rather, are on the same level as big bullies—intellectual Nazis.) The repeated “Wall” imagery throughout the movie was also very effective. It really created the feeling that scientists and scientific research is being painfully suppressed, and gave Intelligent Design a sense of “forbiddenness.” It played up the “freedom in science” aspect of the movie, which was really the main focus. The movie wasn’t really saying that Intelligent Design is true, it only argued that it should at least be given the chance to be discussed, and I think the movie clips were very effective in reinforcing this.

Teenagers and Homeschooling

2009-02-23T21:48:00.009-05:00

I have to say, I really did enjoy doing my research paper. It was really interesting, and I learned some things I was not expecting. As I was doing all of my reading, homeschooling kept popping into my head. Although I did mention school in the paper, I didn't talk about homeschooling because the argument was just about teenagers in general, and I didn't want it to turn out as a "Public School Vs. Homeschool" thing. But even though homeschooling wasn't the focus of my paper, as I was reading more about the way teens develop and learn, and the problems they sometimes have, I found myself thinking "This wouldn't be a problem if they were homeschooled," or "Homeschooling would probably improve that a lot, too."

For example, as it turns out, teenagers are much more sensitive to the influence of their peers than adults are. Teens are very capable and while they may be able to make good decisions by themselves, when they're with their friends they tend to make much poorer choices. So this of course made me think of traditional schools, where students spend almost all of their time with people their own age. In a homeschool setting, students don't spend as much time with peers, and so I would guess that they would be better able to make good decisions.

Also, it seems, not surprisingly, that teenagers who are given more responsibilities tend to be more responsible. One thing that I've heard from homeschool teens quite frquently is that they have to do a lot of their work on their own. I've also heard other people, such as college professors, say that their formerly homeschool students tend to be much more independant workers. I have experienced this, too, because I have three younger siblings who need my mom's help and so most of the time I am left to do my school work on my own. This seems to be characteristic of homeschooling, and I think it is something that does help students become more independant and responsible.

I just thought this was interesting, because I did not think about homeschooling at all when I first started the research for my paper.

Spread the Words

2009-02-06T17:27:00.002-05:00

Yesterday my sister showed me a website called www.savethewords.org. It has obscure words up for adoption, meaning that you "adopt" the word into your speech and use it as much as possible. I'm not sure if the site was created in seriousness or in jest, but when I saw it I laughed very hard. It is such a funny idea! I just thought you might like to see it, especially because we are supposed to be building our vocabularies. Maybe you can find some good words to incorperate into your essays and such. If not, at least you will learn some cool new words to impress your friends with. ;-)

The more things change...

2009-01-21T12:36:00.003-05:00

In consequence of the New Year and the new president, I have been thinking about change, which, ironically, is exactly what our new president has promised America. It’s funny how at this time of year everyone has such strong resolutions. I used to work at the YMCA, and I remember how, starting January 2nd, there would be people standing in line at 5:30 in the morning, waiting for the doors to open because it was a new year, and this year they were going to work out every single day. That lasted for about three weeks. Then the parking lot was empty again.

Now, America has a new President. President Obama campaigned promising to bring change to Washington, change to America. Actually, every politician has, in some way, shape, or form, tried to bring change to his office. Everyone seems to have high hopes for President Obama, especially since he is our first African-American president. He is viewed as the pinnacle of a long-awaited dream, a symbol of progress in the United States. While having an African-American man as president does mark the long way we have come, I can’t help but thinking of the other ways that we as a country have not progressed. Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but I just think it’s important not to get too caught up in the nostalgia of this historic moment, and put too much hope in Obama. He is, after all, just a human like the rest of us, and none of us are perfect.

While I was doing my critical reading questions yesterday, something in the passage by Emerson stuck out to me. He was talking about the writer’s ability to speak to the hearts of many different kinds of people, from different times and places. “There is some awe mixed with the joy of our surprise, when this poet, who lived in some past world, two or three hundred years ago, says that which lies close to my own soul, that which I also had well-nigh thought and said.” This is true. How many times has it seemed like a story or novel or poem said exactly what you were thinking or feeling? The reason for this is, I think, because we are all humans, and no matter what era we come from, or what region of the world we live, we are united by our humanness. We may think that we, 21st century Americans, could have nothing in common with someone from several hundred years ago, but really we share many of the same hopes, dreams, fears, aspirations and mistakes.

Yesterday was a historic day in America as our 44th president was inaugurated, but as far as progress is concerned, we still have a long way to go. People have been prideful, lustful, stubborn, mean, selfish, greedy, and stealing, lying, cheating, hating, and murdering since the dawn of time. Even Cain and Able, the very first brothers, could not get along. Although in racism America has made mounds of progress, there are so many other areas that we continue to fall short in. Why? Because we are humans—we have always made mistakes and we always will. I just hope that in celebrations of President Obama, we don’t smugly forget our other shortcomings.

Yesterday I had trouble finding a cartoon that I liked. (Some political cartoons can be so mean!) But here is a nice one I found that even goes along with the theme of my post. http://candorville.com/comics/2009-01-18-inauguration.jpg

2009-01-10T13:16:00.002-05:00

I feel terrible that I have not blogged anything lately! My time has been so consumed with writing piles of scholarship essays and getting ready for piano auditions, I'm afraid I might have neglected my writing a bit. But I am actually in the middle of writing a short anecdote, and will be posting it shortly. For some reason, I felt the need to write a little satire. At least I think this could be considered satire. Well, I suppose that can be decided once it's finished.

My Visual Argument

2008-12-19T18:48:00.005-05:00

Well, here it is. For some reason I can't get it to go any bigger, but here is the link to the full size. http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc137/GalenaNutumnent/Visual-Argumentweb.jpg

Peace on Earth?

2008-12-05T22:14:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays. We say Merry Christmas. Santa Clause. Jesus is the reason for the season. Happy Winter Solstice.

Oh dear what is Christmas coming to? Normally I try not to let all of this nonsense bother me, but this year it seems worse than usual and it can really suck the Christmas spirit out of a person. If someone does not want to celebrate Christmas, that is fine. They don’t have to. No one is forcing them. What I don’t understand, however, is why certain people who disagree with the Christmas message, that God came to earth in the form of a human baby, feel so determined to ruin it for everyone else. No doubt you have heard something of the controversial sign that was placed in Washington.

This sign is completely uncalled for and inappropriate. Not only is it negative and demeaning towards Christians and anyone celebrating Christmas, but it also makes atheists look bad. I know that not all atheists are mean Scrooges with no motive other than to destroy other people’s opinions, but that is what this sign certainly suggests. If I were an atheist, I would not want this to be my representation at Christmas.

It is simply not necessary to spite other people’s opinions in the name of free speech. Constitutionally, there is no reason why a nativity scene or other Christmas decoration cannot be displayed in a public place. “Separation of Church and State” has been so taken out of context, I doubt Thomas Jefferson would have ever penned the phrase if he knew how it would be abused. He wrote it in a letter to a group of Christians, Baptists I believe, who were afraid the government would control religion too much. (It is not even in the Constitution!) He assured them that that would never happen, because there was a “wall of separation between Church and State,” so that the government could not interfere with the affairs of the Church. Now, this phrase has been reversed, to mean that the church and religion cannot be in any way connected with the government. This is not what Jefferson meant at all. In fact, he and many other Founding Fathers openly supported religion and Christianity, thought it was a beneficial and necessary part of the country, and even commended prayers, Bible verses, and religious things being included in schools, governmental ceremonies, and other public places. Now the “separation” phrase has been so misused.

As no one is forced to celebrate Christmas, I do not understand why certain people feel so inclined to speak so negatively about it. To my knowledge, there are not protests of this sort at Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist holidays, or celebrations of other religions. Why Christmas? I just do not see any reason to take away from one of Christians’ most sacred celebrations in this manner.

Working Bibliography

2008-10-27T13:58:00.002-04:00

Well, here it is. I will keep updating this post as I change/add sources.

Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne. “Brain Development during Adolescence.” Education Review 20.1 (2007): 82-90. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Wake Forest Public Lib., Wake Forest, NC. 26 Oct. 2008. http://web.ebscohost.com

Epstein, Robert. The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen. Sanger: Quill Driver Books, 2007.

---. “The Myth of the Teen Brain.” Scientific American Special Edition 17.2 (2007): 68-75. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Wake Forest Public Lib., Wake Forest, NC. 26 Oct. 2008. http://web.ebscohost.com

Graham, Philip. EOA: The End of Adolescence. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004.

Monastersky, Richard. “Who’s Minding the Teenage Brain?” Chronicle of Higher Education 53.19 (2007): A14-A18. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Wake Forest Public Lib., Wake Forest, NC. 26 Oct. 2008. http://web.ebscohost.com

National Institute of Mental Health. “Teenage Brain: A Work in Progress.” National Institute of Mental Health. 26 Jun. 2008 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/teenage-brain-a-work-in-progress.shtml

Sabbagh, Leslie. “The Teen Brain, Hard at Work.” Scientific American Special Edition 17.2 (2007): 54-59. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Wake Forest Public Lib., Wake Forest, NC. 26 Oct. 2008. http://web.ebscohost.com

Schlegel, Alice, Herbert Barry III. Adolescence: An Anthropological Inquiry. New York: Free Press, 1991.

So many topics, so little time.

2008-10-25T12:29:00.002-04:00

I still haven't decided which topic to write about for my paper. I wish we had a little more time to think about this and make up our minds. So far, I have two ideas.

Numero Uno: I'm thinking of writing about why music is important, beneficial, etc. I might talk about how it helps us learn, or a little about music therapy. I've found a lot of articles and books about this, especially since music therapy seems to be becoming more popular.

Numero Dos: My other idea is something about teenage development, whether or not teens are capable of more than is generally thought, or if our system of high schools/colleges is effective in helping teens grow into adulthood. This might be better suited for this type of research paper. I'd really rather write about this, too, but I'm having a little trouble finding sources about this topic. So far I've only found one really good article, and one or two others that might be somewhat helpful.

Hopefully, I'll be able to find enough to research for the teenager topic. Otherwise, I guess I'll write about music. I think either one could be pretty interesting.

What's in a name?

2008-10-17T23:57:00.000-04:00

How much importance is, or should be, placed on the name of something? Historically, names seem to be very important. In the Bible, more often than not, people’s names were much more than just a title, they were symbolic. After his conversion, Saul became Paul, and Simon was Peter, the rock and foundation of the church. Moses got his name because he was taken “up from the waters.” Both Abraham and Sarah had their names changed, too, after they formed a covenant with God. Parents would also give their children symbolic names. Moses, Isaac, Samuel, and many other Bible babies were so named because of events surrounding their birth. The Puritans also gave their children names such as Patience, Love, Faith, or other virtuous titles.

In fiction, too, it is rare that a name does not have a deeper meaning or shed greater light on the character. Even in the poetic nonfiction Old Testament book of Hosea, the characters’ names have very symbolic meanings. Hosea’s children’s names literally mean “God sows,” “having obtained compassion,” and “not my people,” which are extremely meaningful in the context of the book. God uses their names, among other things, to communicate His message to His people. Hosea 2:23: “I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, and I will say to those who were not my people, ‘You are My people!’ And they will say, “You are my God!’”

In all of these examples, when the person was named or renamed, a new chapter of their life began and their new identity was determined. Saul was a persecutor of the Christians, Paul was one of their strongest members. Samuel, at birth, was named and dedicated to God by his mother, and proceeded to continue in that role as an adult. Abram was a moon-worshipper from Ur, Abraham became the father of God’s people, the Jewish Nation. The list goes on.

So, what is my point in writing all of this? I just think it’s interesting how much importance is placed on someone’s name. After all, a person is still the same person no matter what we call them, aren’t they? Or does a name carry more weight on who a person is, and who they will become? When parents give their babies a name, they are giving that little person an identity, telling the world who the child belongs to. Although humans are of course free beings and can make their own decisions, I wonder how much our circumstances affect our growth. In a way, perhaps when parents name their children, and also as they are raising them, they are determining who they are and who they may become.

School

2008-10-06T15:56:00.001-04:00

With all of the reading we’ve been doing about education, I have, not surprisingly, been thinking about learning. After having to read the educational memoirs of so many different people, I decided to write my own. I think being homeschooled gives you a slightly different view of learning, or at least being homeschooled in my house does. Until high school, my mom never really gave us grades. If we got something wrong, she would make us correct it and study the material until we understood it. Then we would move on to learn the next thing. Although it was laid back and we often went on educational rabbit trails, I did learn a lot because we were focused on learning. We did not get distracted by busy work in text books or unnecessary exercises about material we already were proficient in. Many homeschoolers enjoy the flexibility they have to speed through or spend more time on subjects according to their needs. It seemed like every year, though, no matter how hard we tried, we could never get done everything we had planned to. We didn’t do enough lessons in math, or all the assignments in history, or the last chapter in science. But despite our seeming failure, we learned so much. We spent time studying things until we really grasped it, and at the end of each year I had a better understanding of so many different things that I would not have gotten to learn had we stayed directly “on track.”

Then I took a debate class. My goodness, those kids in debate were so smart. Every Monday after class I literally had a headache from thinking so much. There were some people that I was seriously terrified of debating—they could be brutal. (There was an excruciating process called “Piranhas,” where four or five people would cross-examine you after you read a new case. Definitely not the most fun experience I ever had, but it would weed out a lot of bad ideas in your cases. One girl was particularly good at cross-examinations. Some have described the experience of debating her as “crucifixion.”) And yet, they truly were the nicest kids I ever knew, and were so dedicated. Not only were they great debaters, but they were good in all their school, and most played an instrument well and maybe a sport or some other hobby. They were so intelligent and mature, and I wanted to be intelligent and mature, too. Debate was the most painful class I ever took, and also one of the classes that I learned the most in.

And then last year, I signed up for a Spanish class at a community college. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I liked it for the most part. For some reason, I always like to be prepared. This usually means that before a test I study until I memorized every word in the book we’re looking at and every single word out of the teacher’s mouth. In mom’s classes, I had to do this to get good grades (she writes the hardest tests!) and in debate, even when I did this I still felt less prepared than the super-smart debaters. Spanish, however, was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was so shocked when we had our first vocabulary quiz and, after studying so hard and knowing each word and phrase frontwards and backwards, it turned out to be a “matching” quiz. Like the kind I used to get in first grade. “Match the word in Spanish to its meaning in English.”

My classmates in Spanish were a lot different than my classmates in debate, too. The debaters strove for excellence and talked about things I could not even pronounce much less understand, while my Spanish compañeros were content just to pass. Some people would come to class and say, “Oh, we have a test today?” Little by little, I allowed myself to study less and procrastinate more when I realized good grades could be gotten with half as much studying, and it wasn’t necessary to be quite as prepared as I was. This is partially a good thing because I probably needed to relax a little, but on the other hand it is a dangerous attitude to adopt.

Lately, I have been thinking about school work and learning. As a senior, it can be so tempting to let things slide because it’s “my last year.” I have worked hard and deserve a break, right? Not exactly. Your intellectual life doesn’t end at graduation, so your desire and motivation to learn should not either. From a spiritual standpoint, intellectual laziness is not a good thing, either. God has commanded us to work at what ever we do as if we are working for Him, and not for men. Christ also said we are to love God with all of our minds, which means using them to our full potential. Both of these things have convicted me of my poor attitude towards schoolwork. They have reminded me how important it is to put your heart into your work and strive to do school assignments out of an earnest desire to learn, not just for the sake of doing them. Otherwise, what is the point of school? If you don’t truly want to learn, your work won’t be productive.

Can music be wrong?

2008-09-14T17:07:00.008-04:00

I have been thinking about New Age music, and just different kinds of music in general. In case you don’t know, New Age music originated as calm music intended to be listened to while doing things like meditating, relaxing, or yoga. Ever heard of Yanni? Enya, who did some music for the Lord of the Rings movies, is a Celtic/New Age musician, too. In their music they sometimes use unusual electronic noises to create a calming wash of sound. While some of these musicians do have New Age spiritual beliefs, many do not. So, I have been thinking. Is music wrong if it is often used for ungodly purposes, such as New Age spiritual practices?

Here is a song I like:

What did you think? My first reaction to it was thinking that it was beautiful and also a strong desire to find the music so I could play it. When I played it for my mom, she also enjoyed it. So has everyone else I have showed it to.

But for some strange reason, when I mention that “River Flows in You” is written by Yiruma, a New Age composer from South Korea, peoples’ reactions change slightly. “New Age.” That must mean it’s bad. But does it really? Is it possible for one piece of music to be bad, simple because sometimes people use it for bad purposes? Somehow, I don’t think so. Knives, for example, have been used as instruments of murder and violence countless times, and yet it is perfectly alright for me to use a knife to cut up vegetables for dinner every night. The knife itself is not evil, but the person using it can use it for evil things.

I enjoy listening to New Age music. Yiruma has written many pieces that are gorgeous and relaxing. New Age music, I think, is like knives. It does not have to be used for ungodly purposes, and it is very beautiful when used appropriately.

Pitbull

2008-09-11T13:57:00.001-04:00

Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin. That is the name on everyone’s lips this past week and a half. Personally, I think McCain made a wise choice in selecting her for his running mate. Many have said that she will attract female voters, which may be true, but Palin also serves another purpose in this election. Prior to the announcement of Governor Palin as republican VP, nearly all the conservatives I know were less than enthusiastic about John McCain. Some were even considering not voting at all. Next to Obama’s charisma and enthusiastic speeches, McCain was simply unexciting. Many also argue that he is not a “real” republican. Two weeks ago I knew very few people who planned to vote for McCain because they liked him, and not because they disliked his opponent. One thing Sarah Palin seems to be doing, however, is make hesitant voters much more supportive of the republican ticket.

The “hockey mom” strategy she presented in her acceptance speech seems to be serving its purpose well. Not only have more women decided to support McCain, but people in general seem to like her and feel that she is “one of us.” Check out this poll I saw on Fox News. Apparently, out of McCain, Biden and Obama, Sarah Palin is considered “most likely to understand ‘the problems of everyday life.’” She is also a more conservative conservative than McCain, which has been good, too.

I like her. So far she seems like a very good choice, and if I were old enough to vote I’d probably give mine to McCain and Palin. I suppose we will see how it all plays out. Already questions have been raised about her character and family life, and experience. But the self-proclaimed “pitbull with lipstick” seems pretty tough, and I think she’ll do alright.

Word Bank

2008-09-04T13:08:00.001-04:00

I now have a word bank! If you scroll down to the bottom, there should be a list of vocabulary words linked to thier definitions on dictionary.com. Hopefully this format will work well.

The Name

2008-08-31T13:53:00.000-04:00

For as long as humans have existed, we have been curious, and tried to make sense out of our surroundings. From many different cultures and time periods, we are all united by our desire to use our minds and to learn. I thought that taking an idea by another thinker and switching it around a little would convey this truth. Simply existing as a human necessitates the desire to think. Also, I thought the title would be appropriate, considering that this blog will be showing my thoughts and (hopefully) intellectual growth throughout the year.