Tue - February 17, 2004

Why can't we just get along?


Some thoughts about the outcry over Mel Gibson's movie

I haven't seen the movie because it hasn't been released here, yet. But I'm following the controversy, even though such ranting rhetoric upsets my delicate constitution. Here's my position: It's easy to get caught up in mindless, hateful generalizations about a group of people you don't know or understand or with whom you have no relationship. But even if you knew personally just one or two individuals from that group, you would be much less likely to get caught up in the mob mentality. If Christians were building relationships with Jews and Muslims and Hindus, it would be a lot harder for us to distrust each other. And our lives would be so much richer.

Whatever you believe about sharing the gospel, you don't have a witness unless you have a relationship.

Here's a great article written by a Rabbi:

http://www.towardtradition.org/article_Passion_Feb_2004.htm. Feel free to pass this along.









Posted at 08:12 PM     Read More  


Wed - February 11, 2004

Why Do I Have No Style?



A stylistic disclaimer here: I'm still learning how to use this software. Someday I will learn how to add links like all you superbloggers do, and I'll figure out why my font styles button doesn't permit me to politely italicize names of magazines and newspapers.

Thank you for your patience.

Posted at 01:34 PM     Read More  


Fri - February 6, 2004

How Much Energy Does It Take to Split a Hair?



It's something in the genes. My sister has it, her daughter has it. I have it, and all of my children have it. We haven't figured out which ancestor bequeathed this trait, but here's how it manifests: 1.) Topic comes up. 2.) People in immediate vicinity talk amongst themselves and move on 3.) I and/or person(s) closely related to me am/are not satisfied with shallow, popular opinion and proceed with great alacrity to take the topic to a transcendent level. 4.) Eyes of people in immediate vicinity glaze over and/or roll back in head. This morning's topic, brought to you by 13-year old Mary, was "Energy." Here's how it went:
"I just don't understand energy, Mom. What is it?"
"What does your textbook say?"
"It isn't matter. It's energy. So what is it, if it isn't matter?"
"Energy is the ability to do work," I say, feeling pretty clever to remember that one.
"But, what is it?"
"Well, it's either heat or a chemical reaction, or kinetic or electrical..."
"Aha! Then, if heat is how fast particles move, and chemicals are compounds made out of various substances, and kinetic means movement and things can't move unless they are, well, things!!, then energy can't be energy without matter!"
Mary took a breath right about here.
"Okay, Mary, you're gonna miss the school bus," I say, vacillating between being impressed and rolling my eyes.

Which brings me to my question. I was reading about theories of the origins of the Universe, and now They're saying that two Universes in different dimensions collided, like rippling membranes ('branes, is the lingo), and, as Dave Barry is fond of saying, "I am not making this up," these 'branes are like bed sheets hanging on the line, moving in the wind ... So, my questions is, what is a Universe? How can there be more than one? Don't try to placate me that mathematical dimension stuff. If these Universes are real, at least in the minds of the mathematicians who write the equations, then, the characters in my stories are real, too! In some Universe.

Posted at 07:25 PM     Read More  

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