More on that later.
What I do want to point out is something that seems to be corroding our very fabric as a society...you may already know what it is.
I'm sure you've seen it on television.
It may even lurk in the crevices, nooks, and crannies of your home....the thought that, the world has changed, when in fact it hasn't.
As a Christian- I have a problem with that. Regardless of what you identify with or how you view yourself, you too should have a problem with this.
Think about it, and we don't have to think too hard:
- Politics- a mess
- Education- a bigger mess
- Environment- Where were you this summer?!
Here's a quick snippet that I borrowed from my friend MIMS over at in the twenties:
I suppose my biggest takeaway in reading this some time ago with regards to the current "status" and/or condition of the world's well-being or lack thereof is this: "We should change and it will impact the world". Not to far off of what a one Mohandas Ghandi said in, "Be the change you wish to see in the world", which if you think about it isn't too far short of, "Do unto others..." I digress :-)
Specifically for those who identify with Christianity, the world is waiting on us Christians!
As a part of the Graduate Christian Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon, we switch up our "bible studies" and get a little academic by studying different books, topics, etc.
This summer we're finishing up a book called:
I don't know about you but...I. Am. A. Creator. From a faith standpoint if I'm trying to become more like Christ (God)...I should be creative...right?! Undoubtedly, I also have made it my life's mission to cultivate culture #whateverThatMeans
Before starting this book during the Summer we decided to discuss some of the articles, written by the Author, in the latter part of the Spring semester. Here's a quick run through some of the points.
SN: If you'd like more detailed information on these subjects mentioned here (I have notes) let me know. There are also links (each article title, links to the actual article).
A World Without Jobs: The gospel of a secular age
The jist of this article is a discussion on what the world would be like without Steve Jobs, written prior to the resignation of the #techSavvyGiant. Specifically, it seems that Steve (Can I call you Steve?) was able to "articulate a perfectly secular form of hope". Think about it...how often do people run to their technology in order to fulfill some type of need? (I'll wait)...
Don't get me wrong Jobs (Apple) was good at what he did, which allowed him to get as far as he did for as long as he did. I commend Apple for making the comeback with a "slow and steady wins the race" approach. It seems that we had been disappointed in the 2000s "politically, militarily, economically" up to this point...yet "technologically, it was defined by a series of elegantly produced events" (referring to the days when Steve would come on stage to announce Apple's latest toy).
Think of the #cultishFollowing that Apple has and what it means to be a part of #teamApple or #teamAnything for that matter. Remember when Macs first started coming out in the 2000s and to be a part of the family meant you were exclusive.
There's a question raised of the "future competition of hope" and what that means for our society. Most of what hope is derived from for people these days is no different than hope that we are able to generate ourselves...although a handful of us need convincing and persuasion before even attempting to hope.
Another secular gospel that brings false hope to folks is via politics, most namely through this idea of #separation...which I liken to be another "gospel" in and of itself.
Oooh, here's another good one #theRatRace: "Rest...why you not trending?" (i.e. How come you don't see things pertaining to rest, relaxation, and recuperating "trend" or as popular discussion topics online?)
Ten Trends of the 2000s
1. Connection
4. The end of Majority
5. Polarity
These were 3 of the 10 I felt needed the most mentioning. We all know that there's an over abundance of "need" from wanting to be connected. Social networking, ....I guess I can stop right there #pointMade
Interestingly enough, virtual reality didn't take off as stated in the article; however, the "reinforcement of our embodied relationships" did #facebook. One question I thought to ask: "Do younger generations connect more with people they don't know (i.e. Substitution)?" Quite the question to sit and ponder on...9 times out of 10 younger people have a greater chance and advantage in connecting with people they don't know due to the accelerated growth of technology and their "place in life" (i.e. Age, maturation, etc) at the time. We've seen "younger generations" be more prone to embracing inclusivity, and ethnic/cultural diversity because of the way they were raised versus that of older generations (e.g. Generation Y, Baby Boomers, Pre-Baby Boom). I've always gone to school in a multi-cultural environment. This was not the case for my parents.
Remember there used to be a lot of white people...not anymore; however, everyone is a minority in some shape or form because there's so much diversification. Think on that...the article mentions that the Roman Empire was also "culturally, religiously, and politically diverse". Is there an inherent fear of diversity? That was another question that I pondered, simply because well...could too much diversity be a BAD thing?! #powerStruggle #HouseDividedCantStand
This whole idea of polarity; turn on the television. What issue, debate, topic isn't forcing us to be "separated" into our individual subcultures? We're forced to take a side, to stand for this, speak out against that. In many cases our doing so doesn't really help any more than it hurts from a unification standpoint. Perhaps that's not what we want. It seems people love the idea of peace but would rather pursue avenues that continue to have us in pieces as a society.
Wanted you to get a taste....
Pretty soon there will be some "discussions" that'll be dropping on here to (as always) provoke your thoughts. Most likely you'll already have your mind made up, or may be trying to further solidify your stance, thoughts, and/or opinions.
If anything the fact that we're being forced to think or even rethink what we feel/believe is a good start to deepening not only our understanding of where we are coming from but genuinely getting a grasp on where others are coming from also.
That's why we're here...in the never ending search of truth, to live in peace and unity in the midst of seeking out answers while they may be found.
"When you ask little kids about what they want to be when they grow up, they usually answer with lots of radiant hope...Rarely will you ever hear I want to be an office clerk, work in a dead beat job, be homeless...dream of changing the world, helping others, and making their dreams come true..on the way from childhood to adulthood...lose that sparkle? ... Some people say that it's the system, others say it's fear, while the rest say it's just that children are naive...So what do we do? Some give up and go with the flow, others try to change the world, the rest wait for the wold to change."
I suppose my biggest takeaway in reading this some time ago with regards to the current "status" and/or condition of the world's well-being or lack thereof is this: "We should change and it will impact the world". Not to far off of what a one Mohandas Ghandi said in, "Be the change you wish to see in the world", which if you think about it isn't too far short of, "Do unto others..." I digress :-)
Specifically for those who identify with Christianity, the world is waiting on us Christians!
As a part of the Graduate Christian Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon, we switch up our "bible studies" and get a little academic by studying different books, topics, etc.
This summer we're finishing up a book called:
I don't know about you but...I. Am. A. Creator. From a faith standpoint if I'm trying to become more like Christ (God)...I should be creative...right?! Undoubtedly, I also have made it my life's mission to cultivate culture #whateverThatMeans
Before starting this book during the Summer we decided to discuss some of the articles, written by the Author, in the latter part of the Spring semester. Here's a quick run through some of the points.
SN: If you'd like more detailed information on these subjects mentioned here (I have notes) let me know. There are also links (each article title, links to the actual article).
A World Without Jobs: The gospel of a secular age
The jist of this article is a discussion on what the world would be like without Steve Jobs, written prior to the resignation of the #techSavvyGiant. Specifically, it seems that Steve (Can I call you Steve?) was able to "articulate a perfectly secular form of hope". Think about it...how often do people run to their technology in order to fulfill some type of need? (I'll wait)...
Don't get me wrong Jobs (Apple) was good at what he did, which allowed him to get as far as he did for as long as he did. I commend Apple for making the comeback with a "slow and steady wins the race" approach. It seems that we had been disappointed in the 2000s "politically, militarily, economically" up to this point...yet "technologically, it was defined by a series of elegantly produced events" (referring to the days when Steve would come on stage to announce Apple's latest toy).
Think of the #cultishFollowing that Apple has and what it means to be a part of #teamApple or #teamAnything for that matter. Remember when Macs first started coming out in the 2000s and to be a part of the family meant you were exclusive.
There's a question raised of the "future competition of hope" and what that means for our society. Most of what hope is derived from for people these days is no different than hope that we are able to generate ourselves...although a handful of us need convincing and persuasion before even attempting to hope.
Another secular gospel that brings false hope to folks is via politics, most namely through this idea of #separation...which I liken to be another "gospel" in and of itself.
Oooh, here's another good one #theRatRace: "Rest...why you not trending?" (i.e. How come you don't see things pertaining to rest, relaxation, and recuperating "trend" or as popular discussion topics online?)
Ten Trends of the 2000s
1. Connection
4. The end of Majority
5. Polarity
These were 3 of the 10 I felt needed the most mentioning. We all know that there's an over abundance of "need" from wanting to be connected. Social networking, ....I guess I can stop right there #pointMade
Interestingly enough, virtual reality didn't take off as stated in the article; however, the "reinforcement of our embodied relationships" did #facebook. One question I thought to ask: "Do younger generations connect more with people they don't know (i.e. Substitution)?" Quite the question to sit and ponder on...9 times out of 10 younger people have a greater chance and advantage in connecting with people they don't know due to the accelerated growth of technology and their "place in life" (i.e. Age, maturation, etc) at the time. We've seen "younger generations" be more prone to embracing inclusivity, and ethnic/cultural diversity because of the way they were raised versus that of older generations (e.g. Generation Y, Baby Boomers, Pre-Baby Boom). I've always gone to school in a multi-cultural environment. This was not the case for my parents.
Remember there used to be a lot of white people...not anymore; however, everyone is a minority in some shape or form because there's so much diversification. Think on that...the article mentions that the Roman Empire was also "culturally, religiously, and politically diverse". Is there an inherent fear of diversity? That was another question that I pondered, simply because well...could too much diversity be a BAD thing?! #powerStruggle #HouseDividedCantStand
This whole idea of polarity; turn on the television. What issue, debate, topic isn't forcing us to be "separated" into our individual subcultures? We're forced to take a side, to stand for this, speak out against that. In many cases our doing so doesn't really help any more than it hurts from a unification standpoint. Perhaps that's not what we want. It seems people love the idea of peace but would rather pursue avenues that continue to have us in pieces as a society.
Wanted you to get a taste....
Pretty soon there will be some "discussions" that'll be dropping on here to (as always) provoke your thoughts. Most likely you'll already have your mind made up, or may be trying to further solidify your stance, thoughts, and/or opinions.
If anything the fact that we're being forced to think or even rethink what we feel/believe is a good start to deepening not only our understanding of where we are coming from but genuinely getting a grasp on where others are coming from also.
That's why we're here...in the never ending search of truth, to live in peace and unity in the midst of seeking out answers while they may be found.
