A World In Flux

Now that we've gotten the sentimental mushy life-update stuff out of the way, I want to get cracking on some issues going on in the world that I've found interesting. I'm kind of a news addict, and there is a LOT going on all around us that we don't really pay a lot of attention to. I've got two big issues that have been of increasing interest to me, so here we go.

Hacking.
What comes to mind when you hear the word "hacking"? Perhaps some sci fi space movie with computers programs running amok? Or maybe you think of the stereotypical hackers of today, some antisocial overweight teenage kid with glasses typing furiously away at his computer, trying to get himself some Russian launch codes. As amusing as these anecdotes are, hacking has become a serious issue in society today. From individual "hacktivists" such as Jester (aka th3j35t3r), to hacking collectives such as Anonymous and LulzSec, to efforts from government forces around the world, hacking has emerged from the shadow of the internet underground and onto the international spotlight. Recently, China attempted to gain the usernames and passwords of several US government officials. Lulz Security (aka LulzSec) is a splinter cell of the hacker collective Anonymous that is responsible for taking down the U.S. Senate website, defacing PBS, and crashing the web site for the CIA, as well as taking down online gaming servers and various other hacks. LulzSec has also released thousands upon thousands of email accounts and passwords into the Net, resulting in countless Facebook, Twitter, and Paypal hacks. Meanwhile, Anonymous continues their online rampage against government forces and copyright enforcers, whether by disabling MasterCard, Visa, and Paypal in 2010, attempting to take down the RIAA website, or aiding activists in Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Greece, Spain, and elsewhere during the Arab Spring uprisings. You can find a link to their official news release blog here.

What does this all mean, and how is it relevant? Well, it appears that a sort of cyber war is emerging. On one side: the recording/copyright industry, governments, and large corporations. This is the side of oligarchy; of order, regulation, and stability. On the other side of the field is hacktivists, hackers, pirates. This is Team Anarchy. They promote freedom, chaos, and individuality. Yet in reality, these two sides are not simply mere organizations. They are not people, companies or governments. They embrace and embody two conflicting ideologies, both of which play themselves out through various laws, groups, actions, and individuals. This is a war between oligarchy and anarchy. A battle is being waged, a war for control and more specifically, control of information, whether on the Internet or elsewhere. The oligarchs would have you contained in a box, fed regulated, watered-down information, unable to access anything considered "dangerous" to their interests. The anarchists would have you able to access anything you want at no cost: pirated TV shows, politically sensitive information, child pornography, whatever you desire. Is either side right? No. Yet each contains an element of truth. I believe that we do need rules and regulations on the internet. I also believe that any individual has the right to information, even if that information has been deemed as 'sensitive' or 'dangerous' by oligarchic interests. Meanwhile, Anonymous, the RIAA, the US government, Lulzsec, each plays their part in this battle. Who will win? That remains to be seen.

Unrest in the East.
By now, you've probably all heard of the recent uprisings, riots and general unrest sweeping the Middle East. Starting in Tunisia and spreading to Egypt, Algeria, Yemen, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Syria, Libya, and now Greece and Spain, a wave of riots and protests have spread from country to country in much of the Middle East, Africa and Europe. From corrupt dictators being overthrown to US air strikes in Libya and Yemen, the issues erupting in the East are definitely hot topics in today's news media.

What does all this mean, and how is it relevant? Due to these uprisings, everything from international diplomacy to Middle Eastern economics is up in the air right now. We have Palestinian-Israeli attacks, protests and riots everywhere, dethroned dictators, hundreds if not thousands of dead, hundreds of thousands to millions of people in the streets in multiple countries, failing industries and economies, revamped political powers, etc. The US is now embroiled in what, five wars now? We are currently engaged in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and now Yemen and Libya, with no decisive outcome in sight. Congress is debating whether it's even legal for us to be intervening in Libya, and we've got NATO supposedly killing multiple civilians with every fresh batch of airstrikes. Greece and Spain are now protesting their governmental representation, new internet laws and austerity measures. Our entire world is in flux. Once again, it all boils down to a war for control. Oligarchy vs. anarchy. Total control against the absence of control. Neither side is right, yet neither will yield.

Now, what does this mean for us, the average American? Well, several things. These issues affect everything from the extremely tangible (rising gas prices, US politics, humanitarian crises in multiple countries) to the invisible and unheard (CIA shadow wars in Pakistan, Yemen, and Libya, America's subtle acceptance (or even promotion) of the crackdowns in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia).

My point here is that things need to change. We as Americans need to become more educated and outspoken. Learn what is going on in the world today, the reasons behind these events, and the significance they have on a local as well as a global scale. Become more aware. Read, read, read. Spread the word about current issues and what we can do to help. Research methods of aiding those in need then put those methods into practice, whether it's activism (online or offline), donating to worthy causes, or actually becoming physically involved in these problems and using your skills to help out. Remain aware of the reasons behind these events. Don't rely on one news outlet- do your homework. Look up the same event from multiple perspectives. Try to gain a picture of the problem as a whole, not just specific aspects of it. For news media, try CNN, BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, even (dare I say it...) Fox News. Each has a different side of the story to tell. Get the wider picture. Learn what the people on each side of the issue are saying, and form an opinion for yourself, based on what you believe and what you've learned. Become media literate. Become involved. I believe that we as Americans are too complacent. We need to get up and become more interested in what's going on around us, even if it doesn't directly impact us. Wake up America!

Updates

Wow... I have not been on this blog in wayyyy too long. Sorry folks. It's been a hectic few months, between my first year of college ending, me working over the summer, etc. Update time? I think so.

College: DONE! First year is complete, which is insane to me. Time has flown by so quickly and I'm not really sure where the year went. I learned a lot, had some crazy times with some awesome friends. Learned a few life lessons in there as well, made new friends, lost some friends, but in the end it was well worth it.

Summer: working at Eastern, making money to save up and (hopefully) be able to pay off a lot of next semester's debt. College is EXPENSIVE.

Next year: who knows? I'm open to see where life takes me. I'm going to be majoring in Communications, with a Mass Media concentration and possibly a minor in Journalism or Political Science. Currently I have no idea what I want to do with my life... I like to read, I like to write, and I'm really interesting in news and what's going on in the world around us. Where that will take me, I have no idea, but I'm not worried about it. :)

You Keep The Sunshine, Save Me The Rain

Have you ever felt like the world is about to come crashing down around you? I feel like the more I read and learn, the more disillusioned I become about the fate of humanity as a whole. It seems almost as if we are programmed as a species towards self-destruction. I know that's a fairly pessimistic stance to take, but lately that's how I've been feeling about life on this little rock we call home. From the current ecological disaster in Japan, to the massive revolutions and civil war occurring in the Middle East, our world appears to be in shambles. War, famine, and disease run rampant throughout much of the Third World. Among the developed nations, social issues (poverty, homelessness), corruption, and government repression become more visible every day. So, in this mindset, contemplating life, humanity, and the meaning of it all, I began to talk a walk across campus to clear my head. I find that pondering and meandering often work a wonderful combination upon my state of mind. I found myself walking along some of Eastern's ponds, admiring the blooming trees and enjoying the nice weather, though still preoccupied with the fairly dark thoughts rumbling around in my head. Finally I look up, and see the most beautiful sunset. Streaks of light orange and pink stretched across the sky, broken only by the soft bruise-purple underbellies of the clouds. It was absolutely stunning. As I walked slowly across the athletic fields and watched the sun go down, a thought struck me: God is still in control. If He can instill such beauty, such majesty in a mere sunset- one small aspect of His work, then surely He must have a plan for the rest of His creation. All thoughts of strife and suffering were instantly banished from my mind. Now, I will be the first to admit that I'm not the most devout Christian. Lately, I seem to find myself denying God at almost every turn. Sooner or later, it gets to the point where I feel separated from Him, alone and lost. To be honest, sometimes I rejoice in this newfound independence. Mostly however, I simply feel apathetic, broken, and weak. Yet without fail, something always happens to bring me back to Him. Whether through a talk with a friend, an astounding worship experience, a Scripture that jumps out at me, or (more commonly) through witnessing an act of His creation, I get back on track. College has been a challenge for me, academically, socially, and spiritually. Yet no matter what happens, I know that God has a plan for me. Just as a sunset is a reminder to me of how beautiful and powerful our Creator is, so should we be shining examples of how loving and gracious our God is.

Love, Life, Music, and Video Game Analogies

Hmm.... haven't been on here in a while. Apologies.

So this song has been pretty much the chorus of my life over the last, oh, month or so. Thought I'd share it with the big wide world of the Internet. The name of the song is "You Be Tails, I'll Be Sonic" (which sounds rather silly, but on second glance is actually quite metaphorical as it relates to the meaning of the song.) by A Day To Remember. Here's the link and the lyrics. Instead of having them in typical listed format, I've organized them into some semblance of grammatical coherency. (Incidentally, I've found I tend to use more terse and articulate language when I'm pissed off or frustrated. Again, my apologies.)

"I’m a mess, that's the best way to describe it. Having no time to myself is the only way I can fight it... when I'm alone it's like I'm staring into a mirror, don't know the person inside it and that's never been any clearer."

"I miss your family and I miss all our friends... if you had it to do over would you do it over again? 'Cause I would, this meant something more to me... There's a hole in my heart where you used to be."

"I still wish you the best of luck, baby, and don't go thinking this was a waste of time: I couldn't forget you if I tried."

"You killed what was left of the good in me, I'm tired so let me be broken. Look down at the mess that's in front of me, no other words need be spoken. I've got nobody else to blame though I tried- kept all of our past mistakes held inside... I’ll live with regret for my whole life."

"I confess that I brought this all on myself, condemned to suffer alone, like there's nobody else.
When you're gone, it's like a whole part of me’s missing, so I'll keep living the lie and just hope that you're listening."

"I tried to make us a life here but our foundation was built on sand. No time to run until the damage was done, and I’ve never had the upper hand."

"All the things you love are all the things I hate... how did we get here in the first place?"

"I play it cool but it's hard to be... all my trust is slowly burning inside of me. Over what? There can't be anymore progress, I know our fate... the only thing that can heal this is time and space."

Quiet Night Drive

How beautiful the moonlight-

It reveals the essence, the core of this world of night
Leaving all else, the ugly, the broken, the truth, behind.
Cold, stark, unfiltered silver, defining the bare earth
Its shades and hollows eternally graven in liquid light
Treetops rimed with celestial frost.

Head on my shoulder, her breath soft in my ear,
She whispers an off-key melody to match the ancient requiem of the stars above us
As we drift down this avenue of temporary bliss
To home.

Two Sides, One Coin

One of my all-time favorite fiction series is by an author called Tad Williams. It is called "Otherland", and while the plot is extremely complex, the basics are that a group of people are trapped in a place known as Otherland, which is in reality an immensely intricate virtual reality. There is a character in the book who goes by the name Hideki Kunohara. He is an enigma; a scholar, poet, and scientist all rolled into one. He has a quote which I've found to be both intriguing and enlightening. Kunohara states, "Always these dualisms- mechanists or spiritualists. Always choosing one side of the coin, instead of simply choosing the coin itself. Both have so strongly rejected the others side that they will regret it one day."

Now, in the book, he is discussing two opposing forces, one mechanist (attempting to achieve immortality through technology), the other spiritualist (trying through more traditional and religious methods to gain eternal life). These two organizations are at continual odds with each other throughout the series.

Yet if we remove the quote from it's context (I know, I know, some literary traditionalist is rolling in his grave right now) and we take it simply at face value, it lends itself to a wide variety of interpretations. Here's mine.

Dualism: two opposing forces, in this case "mechanist" (read: material) and "spiritualist", or immaterial. Two contrasting viewpoints, one focusing entirely on the present: humanity, technology, physicality, this present moment in time, our lives as a whole. The other, attempting the opposite; seeking the afterlife, completely immersed in the spiritual, ignoring or rejecting this world and all it has to offer. Each side choosing one side of the coin, rather than the coin itself.

I know people on both sides of the coin. I have friends who live entirely in the moment, never concerned with anything even remotely spiritual or ethereal. I also know people who seclude themselves, turn within and focus wholly on the spiritual, rejecting the world outside them. I present an alternative: to live within the world, yet not be of the world. Remain aware of this world, enjoy your life, yet at the same time, keeping the ultimate goal in mind. As Christians, we are not only told but encouraged to live this way. We should not fall entirely into one camp or the other. We are told to embrace the coin, if you will. I see this quote as a challenge, a challenge to keep our minds focused on the spiritual while at the same embracing our physical life here on Earth. If we fail to do this, as Kunohara says, we will regret it one day. The ultimate outcome of our lives should be to enjoy and spread Christ's love and gift of salvation to the world. If we live entirely in the moment, focused only the physical and material, we get sidetracked away from that goal. Likewise, if we maintain a wonderful relationship with God, yet completely ignore others, we are failing just as hard. We need a safe medium, a reconciliation of both sides of the coin.

Likes and Retweets

There is a saying: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Over the years, I've found that I prefer another saying, "Absence sharpens love, but presence strengthens it." Love, friendships, relationships in general are easier to establish and maintain when you are actually with the person in question. Seeing someone face to face, having a conversation, being able to see and interpret body language, all of these play key parts in strengthening a relationship. My generation has removed itself from this level of personal connection, instead choosing to rely upon a variety of other social media interactions.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love texting, Facebook, Skype, and Twitter as much as the next guy. But there is still something more... corporeal, solid, something more elemental about being about sit down across from someone and simply talk to them one on one. The advent of the internet and wireless, instantaneous communication has created a generation of youth desperately searching for fulfillment, for interaction. Yet our relationships, whether online or physical, tend to lean toward the impersonal. We have become a quantitative, rather than qualitative, culture. We can have a person's vital statistics at our very fingertips: age, gender, interests, dislikes, hobbies, friends, organizations they belong to, their taste in music, clothing, literature. We can view countless photos of them, see how they live their life, who they hang out with, what they do. We can read Facebook status updates and Tweets to get a feel for someone's emotional state. We can do all this... and yet never really know this person. They become a nonentity.

To put a different spin on this whole situation, let's take a look back at this beginning of this post. In it, I mentioned a need for contact in a relationship. I've had several relationships suffer (and die) because either I or the other person involved have simply not had contact for a long while. This same is true for our spiritual relationships. If we don't talk to God, if we don't communicate with Him, spend time with Him or in His Word, then we can't really get to know Him. And likewise, He suffers a disconnect from us as well. We need to constantly be with Him in order to foster a solid relationship. It's not simply tagging Him in a status update, or mentioning Him on Twitter, we need to sit down and have an active, engaging dialogue with Him. Otherwise, God to us becomes a nonentity. Worse yet, a nondeity. We forget about Him, and continue to live our lives, shallower and for the worse off because of it. The relationship suffers.

"Absence sharpens love, but presence strengthens it." This rings true in all relationships, whether material or spiritual. A good relationship needs to be relational. It's simple and cliche, yet true. I'm trying to put these words to action in my own life, and I'd encourage you to do the same.

Grey Day

I love days such as these.

Where grey skies meet grey earth and
Clash, against a backdrop of autumn's last dying embers

Where the hollow groans of a wistful bagpipe
Echo softly throughout the world

Where light, diffused and cold,
Trickles through the ash-laden clouds, quietly,
Onto the hardened ground below.

It is a day for strong words and cold acts.
It is a cigarette day, a rusted steel day.
It is another day in this broken cycle of the machine we call our lives.

I love days such as these.

Space Goats

I've begun doing a little research on an interesting internet phenomenon known as "predictive linguistics", run by a group known as "Half Past Human". (Kudos to Jon for introducing me to this whole thing, by the way) What I learned about the project immensely intrigued me. Now, the concept of how this works is a little complicated, so bear with me.

Simply put, this technology searches the internet for specific kinds of words, usually posted on discussion blogs, forums, news sites, etc. Incredibly large amounts (we're talking terabytes of information, here) of these words are collected by programs known as "web bots", along with a snippet of their surrounding text. They are reduced to series of numbers and plotted on graphic charts as dots. These dots tend to cluster in specific areas around certain words.

Now, every word in every possible language has a meaning (barring some random, obscure, or relatively unknown dead language). In order to define meanings, one has to essentially boil a word down to its essence, what the word conveys. When broken down in such a way, we can cluster words together under common conveyances or meanings.

Okay, now that we've gotten past the "simple" parts, here comes the creepy stuff.

What the people running this project have discovered, is that for whatever reason (more detail later) certain groups of words or phrases repeat themselves in a kind of pattern over time, based on the change in the word's meaning. These patterns tend to develop around a specific event or occurrence, in the future. That's right. Using this web-searching and filtering technology, these researchers can isolate specific traumatic events in the future, based off of web chatter occurring previously to said catastrophes.

To break all of this down into a few sentences, here's a quote seen here, "It's like changes in language precede large emotional events. The larger the emotional impact of the event, the more advance notice the bots seem to give."

They use the example of a rock being dropped into a pond, creating ripples. If you approached where the rock was dropped, you would get stronger and stronger ripples the closer you came. These events tend to create "ripples" in web chatter before and (obviously) after the events occur.

Now the problem arises in that in this day and age, there is a LOT going on in the world. To continue the analogy, it's like pouring a dump truck full of gravel into a pond, then sorting through the ripples to find the biggest rocks. Not exactly an easy task.

The wonderful folks over at HPH have also separated the data into different categories, such as "terra" (ie, anything involving the earth, ground, life, biosphere, etc) "globalpop" (world population sans U.S.) "USofA" (specifically the United States) and a host of others, including "SpaceGoatFarts".

...yeah. Basically this category is for anything involving... well anything we don't understand. Things from space, the unpredictable, things we have never heard of or seen before, aliens, etc. ...and apparently, Space Goat Farts. As you can see, even the creators of this project treat it with a certain level of humor; they don't take everything they learn as the absolute word of God Himself. Yet, while their predictions are by no means completely accurate and all-encompassing, many of the timing and indicators given seem to align with real-world events fairly accurately. Here's a quote from Half Past Human's affiliates, Urban Survival:

"We have friends who have developed a groundbreaking predictive technology which we simply call "web bot" technology... The technology, which samples large portions of the public internet with an eye toward "sensing the future" based on subtle changes in language, seems to have given indications before-the-fact of a large number of major news events, including but not limited to our reports before the fact on things like:

• 9/11

• Sumatra/ Banda Aceh quakes

• New Orleans Katrina/Rita

• Cheney and his "accident"

• Degrading of Iraqi's and Iraqi youth rebellion against US

• Silver (prices) exploding, followed by Gold

• Pakistan earthquake

• Climate change (the life-changing event)

• The multiple extraordinary hurricanes (with another season coming like the last)

• The increasing unpopularity of the Bush Administration leading up to the inevitable meltdown

• Space Shuttle explosion

• The unfolding disaster in Iraq

• Commodity shortages with more coming this summer (2006)

• Emerging and ongoing, oil price increases

• Then there's the more recent China Quake warning 72-hours before events, and the forecast of a major economic crisis to arrive around October 7, 2008..."

Makes you shiver, eh? Kinda creepy. Now, by no means is this an exact science. Even the founders of the project advise people not to base decisions off of their technology. But still, the fact remains that many of their predictions have come true.

Now, how is this possible? Is there such a thing as a collective human consciousness, as some would suggest? Is it mere coincidence? Or something bigger than us? The evidence is controversial at best. Dean Radin (PhD, Senior Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences) has conducted tests determining that human beings have the apparent capacity to see or sense a few seconds into the future (see pages 6-15). Interesting.

Oh, and by the way, apparently there's a large "tipping point" scheduled to occur on November 14th. That's this Sunday.

I leave the conclusion up to you, dear readers.

One Fist in Ten Thousand

I've been experimenting a lot musically lately, trying to broaden my horizons and sample a wide variety of sounds. Now, as a general rule, my tastes in music are widely varied. There are very few bands I genuinely dislike, and I'm always open to new genres or styles. I love music in all of its aspects (See The Trichotomy of Music for more). My music library has several days worth of listening in almost every genre imaginable. From Swedish techno to Southern rock, from Bach to the Beatles and beyond, I have a LOT of music. Yet there are a few select songs that always, without fail, get my head bobbing and my toes tapping. Here's a few:

"Supermassive Black Hole" -Muse
"Skin" -Breaking Benjamin
"The War" -Angels and Airwaves
"Holiday" -Green Day
"I Don't Care" -Apocalyptica
"Hey Jude" -The Beatles
"Sonne" -Rammstein
"Coming Undone" -KoRn
"Mr. Jones" -Counting Crows
"Bring Me To Life" -Evanescence
"Swing Life Away" -Rise Against
"Soldier" -Eminem
"Dota" -Basshunter
"Witchcraft" -Pendulum
"Blood Red Summer" -Coheed and Cambria
"Higher" -Creed
"Parallels" -As I Lay Dying
"Grace Like Rain" -Todd Agnew
"Last Resort" -Papa Roach


That's just a sampling, there are many, many more. Generally when I listen to an album from a band I like, I'll enjoy most of the songs except for one or two that just don't click with me for some reason. Without fail, every album I've ever heard has had one or two, sometimes even four or five songs that I just don't really connect with, except one: Ten Thousands Fists by a band called Disturbed.

I recently rediscovered my love for Disturbed after rifling through my CD collection and listening to this album in its entirety for the first time in a few years. Now, I've always been a huge fan of Disturbed, from about ninth grade onward. Their gritty yet smooth style, powerful vocals and complex, driving beats have eternally marked them as unique in mind. Their lyrics are strong and often emotional, compelling the listener to break free and empower themselves. The band is very outspoken against the government and the injustice and corruption inherent within, yet they support the US military with a passion that surprises even me.

I think I connected with Disturbed's music so well because I started listening to it at a really hard time in my life. Entering ninth grade with few friends and a shy personality was a tough experience for me, even though the school I attended was pretty small. I carpooled to and from school with several families in my area. The twenty minute ride to school and back gave me ample opportunity to relax and listen to music.

(Side note: now, at the time, my music tastes were heavily influenced by my brother Jon, who introduced me to such bands as Creed, Trapt, Breaking Benjamin, and Sevendust. As a result, I ended up listening to a lot of hard rock and metal, and still do to this day.)

Flash back to the carpooling for a second. I had bought Disturbed's (then) latest album Ten Thousand Fists during summer 2007 and was instantly enraptured by it. David Draiman's coarse vocals and caustic lyrics, combined with Dan Donegan's incredible guitar skills and Mike Wengren's syncopated, rhythmic drumming formed a perfect combination in my mind. Every day, without fail, when I saw the parking lot of my school approaching, I would switch to the song "Deify" by Disturbed and crank the volume as loud as possible, jamming out the whole way into school. It gave me the strength to face the day and imbued me with a sense of authority that I previously had felt I'd lacked. Disturbed was my life jacket in the turbulence of entering high school.

For that reason, to this day, I can listen to any track off that album and completely lose myself in the music. It's the type of thing that no matter where I am, whenever I hear a Disturbed song off that album, it instantly gets to me and I just want to let loose and start headbanging. I love it.

My Life As A Fish Hook

It's not every day a fish hook falls into your shoe.

Let me rewind a bit.

The night is young, a crisp autumn's eve; and there he sits, quiet and still, on a lonely park bench. Staring up into the starless skies above, thinking idly to himself, to God, to no one, really. A small wooden rod lays at his feet. Intrigued, he picks up it, notices the nails stuck into the wood at either end. Curiouser and curiouser, he thinks to himself. He begins the short walk back to his home, swinging the stick by his side. Suddenly, the sensation of cold, slippery.... something... slides its way into his shoe. Violently he throws off the offending article of fashionable footwear and checks it for whatever produced this decidedly slug-like sensation. There! On the ground! A glint of light reflecting off the shape of a.... fish hook?

That's right. A fish hook fell into my shoe. Not even like a wussy, three-pronged baby one. No, this was a serious, not-to-be-screwed-with fish hook. I'm talking serious serious hookageness, here. This thing was fearsome. Now, for me, sharp metal objects materializing inside my comfy, well-worn DC's is not something that happens every day. So here's the deal (non-sappy story-like). I was sitting on a bench this evening, when I noticed a long wooden rod by my feet. It had nails sticking out of both ends. Naturally, being the adventurous type that I am, I decide to keep it as a walking stick for the hike back to my dorm. After the fish hook fell into my shoe, I took a closer look at the piece of wood. It was a homemade fishing rod, either from some kid or an entrepreneurial (albeit non-artistic) college student. Wrapped around the nail at one end was a bit of fishing wire, which somehow had snapped, loosing the fish hook which then fell into my shoe. Like I said, not something that happens every day.

Yet this odd occurrence struck a chord with me. My personal belief is that everything happens for a reason, that it's all part of God's plan for me and everyone else on this planet. I take incredible comfort in the concept of predestination. But... that's a story for another blog post. Anyways, I was wondering why something this random and weird would happen to me, maybe it was just unimportant, maybe God was having a laugh on my part, I don't know. Yet in the end, it gave me an idea for a blog post and a funny story, so I guess it had some meaning after all.

Here's what popped into my head as a walked slowly back to home sweet Sparrowk, idly caressing this large metal fish hook.

Let's look at this as an analogy. Say there is a man fishing in a pond with this homemade fishing rod. A simple piece of wood (with nails stuck in at either end), fishing wire, and a hook. He cocks it back, then with an expert flick of the wrist sends it skimming over the water to the exact spot where he wants it to sink.

Now let's pretend that fish hook is us, and the fisherman is God. He throws us into this stream, these waters of life. Once we hit, we immediately sink (this line doesn't have a bobber, it's pretty low-tech). That would be the effects of our inherent sin, dragging us deeper into the dimly-lit depths below. As we drift through the murky waters of this life, we get swayed back and forth by the currents running just under the surface. We are influenced by a variety of sources; friends, family, the media, our culture in general. We are tossed around, not knowing where to turn or where to go. Sometimes, we get caught on a log or a some reeds, anything from sex or drugs to simply making bad decisions. We get mired down, caught in this snare. It takes a little tugging and prodding from the fisherman to get us out. Sometimes it's painful, it is almost never easy. Yet gently, surely, He pulls us out of our entanglements and drags us back to shore. Now let's take this one step deeper. If we are the fish hook, then suppose the line is our life and our faith, and the rod in the hands of our fisher God is Jesus Christ. We are connected to Christ through our faith and actions in this life. God sent His son to be used as a tool to guide us and teach us and ultimately to die for us, saving us and keeping us on track in the waters of this life. We are able to connect with God directly through his son. God uses the rod to direct our life (and therefore us) in this world. Many times we get snatched away by the current, but He always has the ability to reel us back in. To continue the analogy, if we are a fish hook, then the rest of the world are the fish. They're worse off than we are in many ways. They don't have the benefit of the fisherman's direction; they simply wander up and down the stream aimlessly. Our job is to catch them. There is a reason that Jesus calls for his disciples to be "fishers of men". Our purpose in this life is to first, glorify our Lord in all we do, and second, bring others to Him. Now, this process is not always pretty. Many times it's hard, even painful. It's not easy to surrender control of your life to someone else. It's not easy to completely open yourself to anyone, even your Creator. I find it slightly ironic that we try to hide things from God, like He doesn't know us better than anyone else in existence. (But I digress). Many people will try to fight God, like a fish on a line. But slowly, surely, He reels them in, a bit at a time. And, sooner or later, through us, the fish is reunited with the fisher. Now, this is where the analogy kind of breaks down... seeing as a real-life fisherman would probably gut and then cook the fish. But you get my point.

I thought that was an interesting analogy, and especially so because the real-life homemade fishing rod that I found had nails stuck into it... just like a cross. Hmm. Maybe everything does happen for a reason.

The Trichotomy of Music

Ever have a sudden flash of insight or inspiration in the middle of a completely otherwise mundane situation? That happened to me in class today. There I was, sitting in my chair, semi-following the discussion (something about Lady Gaga, jazz and Jesus... or something) when it hit me. Someone mentioned music, and that single word sparked off a concept in my mind that ignited and spread like wildfire... for all of a minute. But after it had burned itself out, I was left with the embers of a singularly thought-provoking idea: why do I listen to music?

Now, I love music. I mean, I LOVE music. Playing, writing, listening, recording, experimenting, I enjoy every aspect of music. I think it's one of God's greatest gifts to mankind. I listen to pretty much every genre or style of music, and if there's one that I haven't heard yet I am more than willing to try it out. I listen to screamo, hip hop, hardcore, classical, country, pop, rock, gangsta rap, opera, techno, industrial, foreign, indie, acoustic... you get the picture. That said, with this idea in my head blazing away, I took a step back and asked myself, "Why do I listen to this? What am I getting out of this?"

Having the incredibly analytical and logical mind that I do (thanks, Mom!), naturally I broke music down into three separate categories, each with specific requirements and characteristics. So here's why I listen to music.

1. Emotion
I listen to music because certain songs, bands, and genres make me feel a certain way. If I listen to upbeat pop or punk rock, it'll make me feel happy, alive, and energetic. If I listen to classical and techno, it makes me feel sophisticated and smart. If I listen to screamo (not even good screamo, like just complete aural garbage), it's probably because I'm in a bad mood. One of music's strongest qualities is that it has the power to move our hearts and make us feel. Another sub-genre that ties into this segment is entertainment. I listen to some music because it's entertaining, that is, it keeps my attention and makes me feel a certain way. A lot of songs and artists in today's culture play off the concept of shock value. For example, check out these people. Or this person. Or this one. . See what I'm getting at? These artists all play off the idea that they are crazy, quirky, dangerously original people. They play off their fans emotions.

2. Meaning

The second reason I listen to music is for it's meaning. One of the biggest problems that I have with a lot of our culture's artists today is that while their music is sound, well-made, even catchy, it has no meaning. So much music today is so shallow and pointless. I enjoy listening to music that makes me think. I like my music to be thought-provoking, to question and even break societal, cultural, or religious boundaries. On the flip side, I also find meaning in the complexity of music, in figuring out how a particular artist created a particular sound. Meaning can be found not only in lyrical content, but also in the musical quality of a song as well.

3. Worship
Last, but certainly not least, I listen to (and perform) music in order to praise, glorify, and reflect upon my God. One of the most endearing aspects of music for me is it's ability to bring us as mere humans a step closer to God. Music has the innate quality of being just a little bit otherworldly... it's almost magical at times. And in that magic, in that otherworldliness, I find God.

So, there you have it. The Trichotomy of Music, according to me, your humble host. Hope you enjoyed it.

Veritable Quotage (A College Update)

College life seems to consist mainly of late nights, early mornings, epic quotes, and lots of coffee and music. I could totally live the rest of my life like that. Unfortunately, that's not ALL of college. Classes, work, relationships, these all also play an important role in maintaining a healthy life. I think I've adapted here pretty well, I've made a few good friends and a lot of acquaintances, and I actually kind of love dorm life. My friends are solid, classes aren't overwhelming, and I'm remembering to do my laundry. All in all, even though I miss my family and friends in CT, I'm actually liking it here. Thank you for all the prayers everybody! I'm going to leave you with some veritable quotage that made me laugh... though out of context, it probably won't make sense to most of you. :P

"I have that book by the old dead German guy!"
"My cousin sent me a dinosaur egg!"
"I feel like I'm being smothered to death by kittens!" "It's an adorable, fur-filled death!"
"George Washington hates skinny jeans!"

...that's all, folks!

College Life...

Hey everybody, I just wanted to post a quick promo message/update about what's going on in my life (COLLEGE). So, I am officially a student at Eastern University. It's been an insane couple of days, to be honest. I'm physically exhausted, and even though I've only been here for two days, I truly realize that it's where God wants me to be. The community, the teachers, the staff, this place is truly amazing. I'm almost overwhelmed. I feel welcome, accepted, and even loved here, and I've only been here a couple of days. I'm blessed to have two honest, chill roommates, and my dorm is pretty much fantastic (GO SPARROWK!). To be completely honest, my brain is entirely fried right now so I don't even know how much of this is making sense. The point here is, I am proud and very very blessed to be here. It's a God thing. And I want to thank everybody who helped me get here, my parents (I love you guys! Miss you!), Jon and Angie (you guys are the best), and all the support from my friends. I love you all, thank you.

Definition and Declaration of Faith

I just listened to a pretty amazing sermon by the Reverend Dr. Abraham Waya on the issue of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. As I've never truly discussed this, and as it's a fairly important topic to me, I've decided to post an account of my definition and declaration of faith.

I am a Christian, in the sense that I am a follower of Christ and His teachings. I dislike labels, but I'd rather be called a follower of Christ than a follower of Christian religion. I believe that Jesus Christ died, for my sins and the sins of the world, and was raised back to life. I believe that Jesus was the son of God, and as such, wholly mortal and wholly divine. My life is dedicated to learning, serving, and spreading the Word of God in as much depth and in as many ways possible. This is what I believe and it is who I am.

I am a scholar, in the sense that I am actively interested in learning and exploring God's Word.

I am a follower, in the sense that I willingly submit to and obey my God's commands, directives, and teachings.

I am a teacher in that I believe it is my duty and my calling as a follower of Christ to spread my testimony and the news of God's gifts of salvation and love to the world.

I am a leader, in the sense that I try to the best of my ability to lead and assist others in their walk with God.

I am a musician, in that I attempt to bring others into the presence of God through musical worship.

I am a warrior, because believe it or not, every human being on this planet is knowingly or unknowingly engaged in active spiritual warfare every minute of every day.

I am a servant, in the sense that I serve others out of a love for them and for God.

But more than all these things, I am a man. A simple, fragile human being, easily shaken and easily distracted. My wish and my fervent hope is that this declaration will not only aid me in further strengthening my roots in my own faith, but help bring others to a more complete knowledge of Christ.

If you have questions, I'm always more than ready to share how God has impacted my life, and I'm always up for honest, open dialogue and discussion.

The Big 150

I just wanted to write a quick blog post about the community in which I live, the Willimantic Camp Meeting Association, or WCMA. Today is 'Opening Sunday' here, which traditionally is the first Sunday of what is known as 'Camp Meeting Week', a 7-day series of prayer meetings, Bible studies, and sermons, punctuated by pot-lucks and times of fellowship. It's something that many people here look forward to all year round. This Sunday however, holds special meaning as it is the WCMA's 150th anniversary. That's truly an astonishing achievement. Not only is the Campgrounds an amazing Christian organization, it's a wonderful community and a truly beautiful place to live. I've lived here my entire life and I've come to feel very blessed to have been so privileged to be able to reside in such an unique community of believers. So, to everyone at the WCMA, thank you and congratulations on 150 years of fellowship, faith and service. And if you're in the Windham/Willimantic area (or even if you aren't) please stop by sometime this week and help us celebrate our 150th anniversary! Details are right here.

From Pleasure to Pain

In C.S. Lewis' book, "The Problem of Pain" he writes, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." I know, growing up in a Christian school environment, I heard this quote a lot (especially in Mr. Dietrich's class). But it never really hit me until a little while ago. Here are a few thoughts on this topic.

"God whispers to us in our pleasures": God delights in what gives us joy, (within reason. God has designed certain things to give us pleasure, such as music, food, sex, etc. But taken outside of the boundaries of God's law, they become a perversion, and He doesn't enjoy that. But that's a post for another time). When we follow Him and take joy in our world and each other, we can hear a dim echo of God's voice in us.

"(God) ...speaks to us in our conscience": if God is whispering to us when we are pleased and obeying Him, he raises His voice a little when we're not listening very well. When we stray off the path, when we begin to swerve away from what God has planned for us, He uses our conscience, (an inner moral guide) to speak to us and say "This is wrong, don't do that." Yet if we continue off this path, eventually we will encounter pain.

Now, pain is not necessarily a bad thing. It's your body's natural reaction to an intrusion or injury. Physical pain can be helpful in determining what's going wrong with your body. For example, if you accidentally cut yourself, you'll begin to feel pain, telling you that you've hurt a certain part of your body. Yet there are many kinds of pain, physical, emotional, even spiritual anguish. Pain is a reminder that things are not as they should be. An angry break-up, watching a friend destroy their life, even a broken arm: all these different kinds of pain are warnings that something is wrong, that things are out of the natural order of life and need to be put back to the way God desires them to be. God shouts to us in our pain. He's trying to tell us, "Hey! I love you! Come back to me." And we need to listen to that.

Twitteriffic!

Hey, guess who's now on Twitter? Hit me up!

Snatches of poetry... "A Midsummer's Day Dream"

The neighbors must think me insane.

Seeing this boy of a man stretching his inelegant frame upon the dusty ground,
Savoring the sweet summer scent
Of freshly mown grass.
Arms spread wide, embracing the earth and sky,
Eyes open, soaring into that same ocean of endless azure
Framed only by the eternal evergeens now freed from their long winter solstice.
A few wisps of cotton seek asylum together, drifting lazily along cool blue streams as I
lay,
Fingers dug deep into the arid earth, juxtaposed 'twixt verdant blades and miniscule
remnants of some long forgotten mountain.
Headphones blaring,
A tuneless cacophony of white noise, accentuated only by the quiet chirping of a few downy sparrows.
The hot dirt and gentle breezes vie for my sensory attention as I
rest
uncaring
While snatches of poetry and verse run rampant through my mind.

Vampires Beware

Here's an interesting article about today, the summer solstice. Check it out.