The art of craft is the revival of so called hipsters, obsession with analogue, hand-powered, hand-made timeless technology has taken over an entire market space. Even the hand-written notes I took in a notebook to draft this post are a throwback to other ways; the typewriter an intermediary between the ancient and modern world.
The times/periods mentality is at work: The archaeological view of history and how our objects define and shape us. Perhaps that is the secret of old technology, that within it is a lost art. We look at the achievements of ancient man and the wonders of the world; we realize in their old techology are wonders we cannot ourselves produce in the way they produced them. When we look at the materialist view of human history, we are face to face with mystery; with uncertainty of who we are, or how we got here based on who we were.
There is a discovery of ourselves in our experience of old technology when we experience where we have come from. We use iphones because of the renaissance, we believe in justice because of the Resurrection, and we seek glory because have always sought glory. Humans have invented of changing society and themselves in order to feel the becoming of something new -- something other; something higher. We seek a way to to connect to the divine.
Genesis 2-11 takes us on this journey, the journey of naming, manipulating, killing, enhancing, gathering and enslaving, all in hopes of reaching heaven/God/another world. We seek technology to transcend, but the transcendence itself comes not in who we will be or who we were, but simply in who we are -- coming into the moment. Ancient technology, ancient practices reflect on human existence without distraction.
When we go back we find that the need of the human mind/heart/soul/will is the eternal existence of momentary presence. Our past and future are one in holistic harmony and connection to all things.
Friday, March 30, 2018
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Where We Are Now
We are well past half way of this year of CPE. I've learned a lot already, and it felt difficult to even articulate my new learning goals. I am at the overwhelmed by everything and the nothingness of all things apart from now. I hope it's just a phase.
My time visiting patients has been amazing, there are already too many stories to remember or recount and for secure information reasons, I won't be recounting them here, but there are inspirations. It really is true how profoundly everything around us affects us. People don't come from nowhere. There's a million neurons behind every troubled brow. And people will always need kindness, light, and love in order to make meaning out of suffering.
On a personal note, we're moving! we have had disruptive and disrespectful neighbors for almost 5 months now, and it is painful, but we finally found a new place. It was a really great experience to have gone through all the styles of grief towards them, and to have been strong, assertive and respectful in the face of people I would rather not be around.
Speaking of punching ignorant people in the face, the other day I had a weird encounter with another person. It was an uber driver in an SUV, we had both started driving down the same narrow road towards each other. He pulled slightly to the side but the opening wasn't big enough for me to sneak by. I sat and waited until he got out of his vehicle and aggressively tried to assert that I should either go through the opening, or pull over/back up myself to let him pass. I felt this eerie sense of self-control come over me, and repeated that he needed to calm down, get back in his vehicle and back up in order for me to pass as I had the right of way. He called me names and then finally relented. It was infuriating, and strange, but I felt like there was no reason to do anything but be patiently assertive and insistent. It was out of body.
I'm not one for nostalgia and I don't think the world is worse off now than is used to be. It's always been messed up, dark and twisted. I led a sheltered life in my youth, and I'm feeling a bit fragile these days, but I feel strengthened by kindness and community, by loving relationships, and by my faith and personal practice.
I guess by way of update, Cristin is managing to get along. She's been disturbed of sleep and had more pain when she doesn't sleep. We are hopeful for a new living arrangement. We are very excited to teach a workshop on Grief and Community next month. It's been a lot of work, but very rewarding, and we love working together. We also reflect on how thankful we are to be in San Francisco. This chapter may not last much longer, but we truly enjoy this ridiculously expensive city. My parents came to visit this month and it was a lot of fun. Meeting up with our people who come to visit us here in the city is the best excuse to go out and try new places, or show off the things we love about San Francisco.
Next steps in life, I am focused on what will happen after residency. I hope to start a program that will certify me as an educator to teach the CPE program that I'm currently a student. If not, I hope to find a chaplain job, and as a last ditch, I could try to do a second year of CPE, but that won't really pay anything more than now, which is not much. Wish me luck in getting accepted to these things and then deciding.
That's it for now!
My time visiting patients has been amazing, there are already too many stories to remember or recount and for secure information reasons, I won't be recounting them here, but there are inspirations. It really is true how profoundly everything around us affects us. People don't come from nowhere. There's a million neurons behind every troubled brow. And people will always need kindness, light, and love in order to make meaning out of suffering.
On a personal note, we're moving! we have had disruptive and disrespectful neighbors for almost 5 months now, and it is painful, but we finally found a new place. It was a really great experience to have gone through all the styles of grief towards them, and to have been strong, assertive and respectful in the face of people I would rather not be around.
Speaking of punching ignorant people in the face, the other day I had a weird encounter with another person. It was an uber driver in an SUV, we had both started driving down the same narrow road towards each other. He pulled slightly to the side but the opening wasn't big enough for me to sneak by. I sat and waited until he got out of his vehicle and aggressively tried to assert that I should either go through the opening, or pull over/back up myself to let him pass. I felt this eerie sense of self-control come over me, and repeated that he needed to calm down, get back in his vehicle and back up in order for me to pass as I had the right of way. He called me names and then finally relented. It was infuriating, and strange, but I felt like there was no reason to do anything but be patiently assertive and insistent. It was out of body.
I'm not one for nostalgia and I don't think the world is worse off now than is used to be. It's always been messed up, dark and twisted. I led a sheltered life in my youth, and I'm feeling a bit fragile these days, but I feel strengthened by kindness and community, by loving relationships, and by my faith and personal practice.
I guess by way of update, Cristin is managing to get along. She's been disturbed of sleep and had more pain when she doesn't sleep. We are hopeful for a new living arrangement. We are very excited to teach a workshop on Grief and Community next month. It's been a lot of work, but very rewarding, and we love working together. We also reflect on how thankful we are to be in San Francisco. This chapter may not last much longer, but we truly enjoy this ridiculously expensive city. My parents came to visit this month and it was a lot of fun. Meeting up with our people who come to visit us here in the city is the best excuse to go out and try new places, or show off the things we love about San Francisco.
Next steps in life, I am focused on what will happen after residency. I hope to start a program that will certify me as an educator to teach the CPE program that I'm currently a student. If not, I hope to find a chaplain job, and as a last ditch, I could try to do a second year of CPE, but that won't really pay anything more than now, which is not much. Wish me luck in getting accepted to these things and then deciding.
That's it for now!
Thursday, March 01, 2018
The Obsolescence of Sport
I've always played sports, watched sports, talked about sports, I've been a "sports guy" for most of my life. As I write this I realize I went through a very similiar process with video games. I was so into them, and now, I feel not only not into them, but repulsed by them, and also compelled to not be into them. These are all forms of simulation.
Sport is a simulation of conflict, it is a facsimile of human condition of adversary. Sport is a reflection of the literal meaning of Satan. And with the spirit, there is no conflict. the spirit is harmony, cooperation. Light and Dark are not dichotomous, Satan and Jesus are not equals. Sport is a platonic duality that enhances human tribalism and gives people a meaningless outlet to their worst impulses.
This alternate reality is a form of escape, a way to avoid the reality of our lives. IT is enhanced by the media coverage and lifestyle coverage of sport and athletes. This escapism is related to our human nature as worshipers. The number of people I've talked to who have pointed to a stadium, or television room where sport is consumed as their "church". I find this troubling not only in the approach to sport, but also in the approach to the meaning of church.
I the past I've tried to create spiritual practice, awareness and community engagement around sports teams and I feel bad now. Human beings need to move, and so sport is a good replacement for that. But any other manipulation is actually antithetical to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is where people who perpetually lose sports wear the victors crown along with the victors. The kingdom where conflict has no meaning, and where tribe has no place.
this is a personal post for me, sports are obsolete in there primitiveness. We participate in them to the detriment of our society as a whole. Some may argue for cultural relevance, powerful lessons of team building, and tradition, community knittedness, and a bunch of other myths. These ideas are laced into the idea of the tribe and the adversary, of the competitor and the rival. This dualism doesn't stand up.
We need not approve or dissaprove of a cultural practice for others. There sports obsessed are just as loved by God as any other. But rather, my challenge is to incarnate, and enact values of Grace, whcih does not obsess over winners, losers, allegiances, events or statistics, nor the approval or disaaproval there of.
Disable distraction.
Sport is a simulation of conflict, it is a facsimile of human condition of adversary. Sport is a reflection of the literal meaning of Satan. And with the spirit, there is no conflict. the spirit is harmony, cooperation. Light and Dark are not dichotomous, Satan and Jesus are not equals. Sport is a platonic duality that enhances human tribalism and gives people a meaningless outlet to their worst impulses.
This alternate reality is a form of escape, a way to avoid the reality of our lives. IT is enhanced by the media coverage and lifestyle coverage of sport and athletes. This escapism is related to our human nature as worshipers. The number of people I've talked to who have pointed to a stadium, or television room where sport is consumed as their "church". I find this troubling not only in the approach to sport, but also in the approach to the meaning of church.
I the past I've tried to create spiritual practice, awareness and community engagement around sports teams and I feel bad now. Human beings need to move, and so sport is a good replacement for that. But any other manipulation is actually antithetical to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is where people who perpetually lose sports wear the victors crown along with the victors. The kingdom where conflict has no meaning, and where tribe has no place.
this is a personal post for me, sports are obsolete in there primitiveness. We participate in them to the detriment of our society as a whole. Some may argue for cultural relevance, powerful lessons of team building, and tradition, community knittedness, and a bunch of other myths. These ideas are laced into the idea of the tribe and the adversary, of the competitor and the rival. This dualism doesn't stand up.
We need not approve or dissaprove of a cultural practice for others. There sports obsessed are just as loved by God as any other. But rather, my challenge is to incarnate, and enact values of Grace, whcih does not obsess over winners, losers, allegiances, events or statistics, nor the approval or disaaproval there of.
Disable distraction.
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