I noticed something reading over my last post this morning: randomly words will be highlighted as though they were links, and when scrolled over they gave way to pop-up advertisements for careers and other strange things. Dubious, I found the same was true of all of my posts. I did not do this, and I'm a little bit angry about it to be honest. That wasn't what I'm going to talk about; I just noticed it now and wanted to make sure you guys knew that I wasn't doing that on purpose and that I'll be getting rid of it as soon as I find out how.
So there's a day that's fast approaching, and it gives me pause. It also, conveniently enough, provides ample opportunity (or just excuse) to talk about some thoughts that there aren't too many supporters of. The day of which I speak is Valentine's Day. Now before you start running for the animal shelter for the nearest puppy with a bow around it's neck, hold on.
Personally, I'm simply not a fan (GASP). I know, it's awful. Cover that poor puppy's ears. What blasphemy I speak!
But seriously. I simply don't see a genuine REASON for the day in itself. Obviously I know its PURPOSE; Valentine's Day is a holiday foreign to none of us. Yet I'm unaware of why it should EXIST at all. Put it into this perspective: if you need a certain day of the year to remind you to be loving to your significant other, you probably have a couple of problems that you should be working on without worrying about what holiday it is. Now I know that it's a nice adorable fun happy time for everyone... or, at least it's supposed to be. But let's examine a realistic (cynical) view of how Valentine's Day generally progresses in actuality.
Typically speaking, there are unspoken requirements of people for this holiday.
1. You must have a significant other.
2. If you do not have a significant other, you must find one.
3. If you are unable to find a significant other, you are faced with the choice between hiding indoors with the TV off or being subjected consistently throughout the day to the painful reminder of just how alone you really are (hence the popular term Single's Awareness Day).
(BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE)
4. You must do flowers (preferably roses).
5. You must be romantic, adorable, happy, and loving.
6. You must not let it show if you are anything other than the above emotions. God help you if you're in a bad mood that day, because society will joyously leap upon the opportunity to tell you all the sweet and romantic reasons you should be happy (which we all know just helps so much).
7. You must do a nice dinner.
8. Most people exchange gifts of one sort or another, be it chocolates, flowers, cards (or straight up sexual favors for you more promiscuous people), small animals, you name it.
But the most important rule of Valentine's Day is the last: no matter which of the above you do, you still got some of it wrong.
It's a day that thrusts heavy obligation unfairly upon the world. You're required to do certain things because that's just the way it is. It negates the whole "loving is supposed to be voluntary" concept. If your love wants to give you a special day, ra ra, happy day. If not: then, well, sorry. Some people just aren't incredibly expressive in that respect. Things like that are meant to be spontaneous and unanticipated, not planned and expected. It detracts from how special whatever it is, is. It's the same difference between you buying your loved one something and surprising them with it and having them point it out in a store and say that they will essentially be expecting something of the like from you later (I know, extreme example. But it qualifies).
Additionally, I simply don't like your average holiday (WHAT? Can he get more depressing?). Not because I don't like the joy they can bring or the meaning behind some of them, but because I hate seeing what they turn people into. A short trip to your local retail outlet during Christmas time should be all the evidence needed to show my point. This past Christmas, two days before Christmas, I went to Target to pick up some last-minute items and witnessed two fights; one in the parking lot and one over the fabled "last item on the shelf." Is this how we are supposed to behave? Why is it that when a holiday approaches rather than slowing down and appreciating it for what it means we feel obligated to accelerate and allow it to stress us to the point of emotional meltdown if not actual violence? Societal law. And societal law says the holidays are here so the pressure is on to perform.
I'm not saying that I want to abolish holidays or anything ridiculous like that: I just wish people could see these things the way they were meant to be seen. If you're in love, be loving. If you're thankful, be thankful. If you want people to understand how important they are to you, tell them. We shouldn't have to have to narrow these things to once-a-year limitations under which it becomes socially obligatory. Rather than wait for a day to tell you that now is the time to express your feelings and show your appreciations, take the initiative to do so yourself: on your own time.
I love the original idea behind the holidays. What I don't like is how fake they make us. Don't ruin Valentine's Day. Don't ruin Easter. Don't ruin Christmas.
What about you? Don't ruin YOU.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
An Ode to Skillet
Long ago, I accepted a challenge from someone for reasons I don't remember to create a story using the titles of every Skillet song I had currently on my iPod. For those of you who don't know, Skillet is a Christian band that caters to both religious and non-religious tastes, and it has therefore forever sealed itself in my mind as among my favorite bands. I ran across this little story today and liked it so much that I thought I would repost it here for anybody that would be interested in it.
As a side note, I now have every song Skillet has ever done.
One Day Too Late I realized I wasn't quite ready to be Awake And Alive, so I told everyone who came into my room "Don't Wake Me, because I feel like a Monster." My Forsaken mother told me that I need a Hero to bring me from my Comatose state of mind. Under My Skin I felt this lack of Energy and lay idly to watch it Cycle Down, and as I was Falling Inside The Black of sleep I thought to myself that I should have given A Little More effort to waking up because I was raised to Never Surrender... and yet Sometimes I just feel like The Older I Get the more it starts Eating Me Away, slowly driving me crazy until all I hear are Whispers In The Dark. I often battle with Those Nights, only to have them say to me "It's Not Me It's You" and attempt to Say Goodbye and leave me alone in my thoughts of my laziness. I feel my Open Wounds laced through my Imperfection, and I resolve that I'm going to Rebirth and Believe that this is The Last Night that My Obsession with wallowing in my own lethargy is going to hold me down. So I got up and said good morning to my sister Lucy and cleaned myself off, Fingernails included. I noted that my laziness hadn't tried to stop me, for it in itself was too lazy, and I said to it "You Should've When You Could've."
As a side note, I now have every song Skillet has ever done.
One Day Too Late I realized I wasn't quite ready to be Awake And Alive, so I told everyone who came into my room "Don't Wake Me, because I feel like a Monster." My Forsaken mother told me that I need a Hero to bring me from my Comatose state of mind. Under My Skin I felt this lack of Energy and lay idly to watch it Cycle Down, and as I was Falling Inside The Black of sleep I thought to myself that I should have given A Little More effort to waking up because I was raised to Never Surrender... and yet Sometimes I just feel like The Older I Get the more it starts Eating Me Away, slowly driving me crazy until all I hear are Whispers In The Dark. I often battle with Those Nights, only to have them say to me "It's Not Me It's You" and attempt to Say Goodbye and leave me alone in my thoughts of my laziness. I feel my Open Wounds laced through my Imperfection, and I resolve that I'm going to Rebirth and Believe that this is The Last Night that My Obsession with wallowing in my own lethargy is going to hold me down. So I got up and said good morning to my sister Lucy and cleaned myself off, Fingernails included. I noted that my laziness hadn't tried to stop me, for it in itself was too lazy, and I said to it "You Should've When You Could've."
Classic Interpretation
Let me start off by explaining the title of my blog. I named it Introspective of an Anomaly for a specific reason. I wanted to create a title that was as closely related to the actual purpose of the blog as possible, though admittedly I also wanted to retain a more sophisticated verbiage to it as well and therefore I'm pretty happy with it on all accounts.
in - tro - spec - tive
adjective
1. characterized or given to introspection.
in - tro - spec - tion
1. the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes.
a - nom - a - ly
1. Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
Put it together and the simplified definition is that this is to be a collection of ponderings, observations (possibly the occasional rant), and unanswered philosophical questions that come from me, a man who doesn't fit under any particular status quo. I don't follow fashion trends with enthusiasm, I don't fall under any social classification system that I'm aware of, and I'm typically against most organizations that involve systems of beliefs. I've actually been called a hipster before, but I don't think I wear enough scarves, drink enough coffee, or smoke enough weed for that (lol). I'm not an average guy. I'm not a cut-and-paste guy. I'm unique. I'm one of a kind, just like everybody else is (intentional lame joke).
Given the aforementioned, it can be reasonably understood what you, the reader, are getting yourself into following my blog. Do so if you'd like -- it'd be great to have your thoughts and feedback -- or don't, which is perfectly understandable as I'm not exactly everybody's cup of tea. I tend to value grammatical structure more than most other things. I love photography. I love animals. I am completely a cat person, which used to be shameful and emasculating, but I've gotten over it and am secure enough in myself that I don't need the approval of other guys, or dog people in general, to feel like a man. Granted, I love dogs to death (but not literally), but given the choice between a dog or a kitty, guess what.
I'm an avid writer, and though I'm currently writing my fourth... or fifth... novel, I've never attempted a publishing as I will eternally be unsatisfied with my works. I feel I'm doomed to revisit and rewrite my stories til the day I day. I also write poetry: primarily religious poetry, but poetry in general is a topic I dabble in from time to time. I'm a hardcore gamer (who saw that one coming), and I'll rock anything from a PC to an Xbox 360 if given the chance. I'm a passionate music lover. I listen to just about everything. There are songs on my iPod under Country, Classic Rock, Hip-Hop/Rap, Techno/Dance, Dubstep, Christian Rock, Oldies (50's and before), and others from foreign finds such as Russian rock and hip-hop or Swedish dance music or the Scottish bagpipe anthem. Music is part of my soul, and my mood can generally pretty readily be divulged based on what kind of music I'm listening to.
All that being said, the purpose of today's post is to touch on a fairly sensitive topic, which is Biblical interpretation. I don't expect everyone who reads this to agree with me, but that's perfectly okay.
There are things in the Bible that people take either for granted without scanning for deeper meanings therein, or ignore altogether. There are still others that entire denominations have elected to simply deem unimportant or trivial, though inversely there are others that take the trivial and capitalize them irrationally. This is one of the, if not the only, reasons why I disassociate myself from the classification of organized religion when possible. With something so complicated as a system of personal core beliefs, to give essentially control over the dictation of how that belief system should be interpreted to a singular man or group of men seems folly to me. There are so many interpretations of the Bible that who are we to know, really, who's right and who is wrong? My thought? NONE OF THEM. That's right. None of them. Not one single church or denomination has all the answers. Every single one of them has SOMETHING that they got wrong. Consequently and logically enough, this means that no man has all the answers either. Therefore, I choose to defer to my own reading and prayer for guidance in my core beliefs and opinions. Not to say that I don't value Sunday morning lectures and the opinions and debate points of others, but that the final word on it is between the Lord and myself, simple as that.
Primary example for today: tattoos. Ooooo, look at everybody's faces turn and their body language shy away. Nobody enjoys bringing this one up in a church setting, or any setting at all that involves a melting pot of mixed views and interpretations. I'm going to give you mine.
I recently, at the beginning of this month, got a tattoo. It wasn't a memorial tattoo either, for a deep and personal happenstance from my life or for a loved one lost. I got it simply because I wanted it. I like it, and I like how it looks. I've had a lot of people tell me I shouldn't have gotten one; that I should have put more thought into the meaning behind it; that I'm downright not very smart for doing so. My reaction to it all has been one of passive allowance. I understand their point of view and I let them express their opinions of it all while politely washing them aside. I understand the side of belief that shuns the very thought of getting a tattoo. I really do. I used to hold that opinion myself. There is a certain passage of the Bible -- Leviticus 19:28 -- that says "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord." I took that for years as a pretty clear-cut sign that tattoos weren't okay. So, then, why is it Christians the world across are always getting them still? I investigated further and found other tracks of belief that simply ignored the passage or deemed it too old to be of significance, and for a very long time I quietly frowned upon anybody who went the tattoo route.
I eventually, through my own perusing, came to understand the passage more deeply in terms of its reference point and not its specific wording (look, interpretation, like I discussed earlier). Firstly, there's the concept of that passage referencing a specific time that it was necessary to warn the people not to engage in the rituals of secular locals who would cut themselves or print ink marks on themselves for ceremonial purposes, to exalt their idols. Jesus had a little hand in worldly affairs here and there during his time on Earth, among which being the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:17 shows him stating that "I have not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it." because he was the only one to truly fulfill the laws requirement, including the Old Testament prophesies about him. John 5:39 says "You search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life, but these are they which testify of me." In Colossians 3 Jesus freed us from ceremonial law, including the legal side specifically for the nation of Israel. We are not to necessarily be bound to the following of the law to the letter (let's talk about eating meat, shaving our beards, getting a divorce, or remarrying after the death of a loved one shall we?), yet we are to follow instead the spiritual morals of the law. We are to do things to glorify the Lord. And while getting a tattoo for style isn't necessarily spiritually glorifying, it pretty clearly isn't a punishable offense either. I ate lunch yesterday, which wasn't glorifying to God either.
I'm not at all saying that we shouldn't be concerned with doing things to glorify the Lord. Not at all. What I'm pointing out is that daily life holds a multitude of things that we as people do because we as people want to do them. Not everything is of spiritual consequence. Everything has the ABILITY to be spiritually impacting, for good or bad, however, depending on circumstantial occurrences like why you got that tattoo or why you barbecued that meat. If you did so specifically BECAUSE you were trying to violate a Biblical law, overridden as it may be, then yes, your heart was in the wrong place and therefore it was wrong. But that's my two cents on tattoos, and other things of that nature: it isn't wrong unless accompanied by a wrong mindeset. Again, to clarify, I'm not justifying any sin under the guise of good intentions. But the verses I cited above make it pretty clear that the Old Laws are to, in fact, be no longer physically construed upon us.
It is my hope that I've opened a few eyes or at least effectively communicated my stance on these things here today. Til next time.
in - tro - spec - tive
adjective
1. characterized or given to introspection.
in - tro - spec - tion
1. the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes.
a - nom - a - ly
1. Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
Put it together and the simplified definition is that this is to be a collection of ponderings, observations (possibly the occasional rant), and unanswered philosophical questions that come from me, a man who doesn't fit under any particular status quo. I don't follow fashion trends with enthusiasm, I don't fall under any social classification system that I'm aware of, and I'm typically against most organizations that involve systems of beliefs. I've actually been called a hipster before, but I don't think I wear enough scarves, drink enough coffee, or smoke enough weed for that (lol). I'm not an average guy. I'm not a cut-and-paste guy. I'm unique. I'm one of a kind, just like everybody else is (intentional lame joke).
Given the aforementioned, it can be reasonably understood what you, the reader, are getting yourself into following my blog. Do so if you'd like -- it'd be great to have your thoughts and feedback -- or don't, which is perfectly understandable as I'm not exactly everybody's cup of tea. I tend to value grammatical structure more than most other things. I love photography. I love animals. I am completely a cat person, which used to be shameful and emasculating, but I've gotten over it and am secure enough in myself that I don't need the approval of other guys, or dog people in general, to feel like a man. Granted, I love dogs to death (but not literally), but given the choice between a dog or a kitty, guess what.
I'm an avid writer, and though I'm currently writing my fourth... or fifth... novel, I've never attempted a publishing as I will eternally be unsatisfied with my works. I feel I'm doomed to revisit and rewrite my stories til the day I day. I also write poetry: primarily religious poetry, but poetry in general is a topic I dabble in from time to time. I'm a hardcore gamer (who saw that one coming), and I'll rock anything from a PC to an Xbox 360 if given the chance. I'm a passionate music lover. I listen to just about everything. There are songs on my iPod under Country, Classic Rock, Hip-Hop/Rap, Techno/Dance, Dubstep, Christian Rock, Oldies (50's and before), and others from foreign finds such as Russian rock and hip-hop or Swedish dance music or the Scottish bagpipe anthem. Music is part of my soul, and my mood can generally pretty readily be divulged based on what kind of music I'm listening to.
All that being said, the purpose of today's post is to touch on a fairly sensitive topic, which is Biblical interpretation. I don't expect everyone who reads this to agree with me, but that's perfectly okay.
There are things in the Bible that people take either for granted without scanning for deeper meanings therein, or ignore altogether. There are still others that entire denominations have elected to simply deem unimportant or trivial, though inversely there are others that take the trivial and capitalize them irrationally. This is one of the, if not the only, reasons why I disassociate myself from the classification of organized religion when possible. With something so complicated as a system of personal core beliefs, to give essentially control over the dictation of how that belief system should be interpreted to a singular man or group of men seems folly to me. There are so many interpretations of the Bible that who are we to know, really, who's right and who is wrong? My thought? NONE OF THEM. That's right. None of them. Not one single church or denomination has all the answers. Every single one of them has SOMETHING that they got wrong. Consequently and logically enough, this means that no man has all the answers either. Therefore, I choose to defer to my own reading and prayer for guidance in my core beliefs and opinions. Not to say that I don't value Sunday morning lectures and the opinions and debate points of others, but that the final word on it is between the Lord and myself, simple as that.
Primary example for today: tattoos. Ooooo, look at everybody's faces turn and their body language shy away. Nobody enjoys bringing this one up in a church setting, or any setting at all that involves a melting pot of mixed views and interpretations. I'm going to give you mine.
I recently, at the beginning of this month, got a tattoo. It wasn't a memorial tattoo either, for a deep and personal happenstance from my life or for a loved one lost. I got it simply because I wanted it. I like it, and I like how it looks. I've had a lot of people tell me I shouldn't have gotten one; that I should have put more thought into the meaning behind it; that I'm downright not very smart for doing so. My reaction to it all has been one of passive allowance. I understand their point of view and I let them express their opinions of it all while politely washing them aside. I understand the side of belief that shuns the very thought of getting a tattoo. I really do. I used to hold that opinion myself. There is a certain passage of the Bible -- Leviticus 19:28 -- that says "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord." I took that for years as a pretty clear-cut sign that tattoos weren't okay. So, then, why is it Christians the world across are always getting them still? I investigated further and found other tracks of belief that simply ignored the passage or deemed it too old to be of significance, and for a very long time I quietly frowned upon anybody who went the tattoo route.
I eventually, through my own perusing, came to understand the passage more deeply in terms of its reference point and not its specific wording (look, interpretation, like I discussed earlier). Firstly, there's the concept of that passage referencing a specific time that it was necessary to warn the people not to engage in the rituals of secular locals who would cut themselves or print ink marks on themselves for ceremonial purposes, to exalt their idols. Jesus had a little hand in worldly affairs here and there during his time on Earth, among which being the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:17 shows him stating that "I have not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it." because he was the only one to truly fulfill the laws requirement, including the Old Testament prophesies about him. John 5:39 says "You search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life, but these are they which testify of me." In Colossians 3 Jesus freed us from ceremonial law, including the legal side specifically for the nation of Israel. We are not to necessarily be bound to the following of the law to the letter (let's talk about eating meat, shaving our beards, getting a divorce, or remarrying after the death of a loved one shall we?), yet we are to follow instead the spiritual morals of the law. We are to do things to glorify the Lord. And while getting a tattoo for style isn't necessarily spiritually glorifying, it pretty clearly isn't a punishable offense either. I ate lunch yesterday, which wasn't glorifying to God either.
I'm not at all saying that we shouldn't be concerned with doing things to glorify the Lord. Not at all. What I'm pointing out is that daily life holds a multitude of things that we as people do because we as people want to do them. Not everything is of spiritual consequence. Everything has the ABILITY to be spiritually impacting, for good or bad, however, depending on circumstantial occurrences like why you got that tattoo or why you barbecued that meat. If you did so specifically BECAUSE you were trying to violate a Biblical law, overridden as it may be, then yes, your heart was in the wrong place and therefore it was wrong. But that's my two cents on tattoos, and other things of that nature: it isn't wrong unless accompanied by a wrong mindeset. Again, to clarify, I'm not justifying any sin under the guise of good intentions. But the verses I cited above make it pretty clear that the Old Laws are to, in fact, be no longer physically construed upon us.
It is my hope that I've opened a few eyes or at least effectively communicated my stance on these things here today. Til next time.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Out With The Old...
Is it better to be admired, or respected? Is there a difference? The decisions we make daily have an unfortunate tendency to affect how people view us. What do you want from the way that people look at you? What do you want them to see?
I would like to imagine that when people look back on my years there will be good things to say. I want people to say that I was my own man. That I never sold out. That I measured my decisions carefully and did what I thought was best. I want to be reflected upon as someone that made an impact. Have I had an effect on people in their lives? If so, was it a good or a bad one? Did I sway somebody toward a good decision or a proper path, or did I inadvertently instigate wrongdoing? These are all things that I wonder to myself.
I often mull over these things and begin to wonder how I'm viewed by my peers; my elders; my family. I think the driving answer to all of this is this: think about it. DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
Why do we allow the opinions of others dictate our lives to us? If I'm going to be remembered as a solid person, I want it to be because I was uncompromising in my beliefs. That's not to say that I'll never change my opinions (Digression: I'm as stubborn as the day is long, and I don't like to admit I'm wrong or that I've made a mistake. But I have noticed over recent years I'm becoming less concerned with imposing my beliefs on others and more... accepting? I guess I just don't see any good in people shouting arguments back and forth about everything that irritates them. A debate is just fine: difference of opinion is vital to the development of opinion. But overbearing, aggressive slander gets you nowhere.), because as thickheaded as I am I'm open to new ideas, but it means that I won't compromise on my core beliefs. Morality. Right and wrong. The Big Three: Religion, Government, Society.
It seems that too many times lately I have encountered people who are... passionate... in their desire to have others like them, and approve of them, and respect them. All I can ask is how you expect somebody to respect you for who you are if your greatest efforts go into being somebody that's NOT who you are? Don't change what you're doing, how you talk, what you love, what you wear, where you're going, for sole reason of making an impression on any human being. Focus instead on whose opinions of you matter the most: yours, and the Lord's. Live a life that is good in His eyes, and live a life that you can't help but smile at. If you can accomplish that, you'll discover your worries melting away.
Be you.
I would like to imagine that when people look back on my years there will be good things to say. I want people to say that I was my own man. That I never sold out. That I measured my decisions carefully and did what I thought was best. I want to be reflected upon as someone that made an impact. Have I had an effect on people in their lives? If so, was it a good or a bad one? Did I sway somebody toward a good decision or a proper path, or did I inadvertently instigate wrongdoing? These are all things that I wonder to myself.
I often mull over these things and begin to wonder how I'm viewed by my peers; my elders; my family. I think the driving answer to all of this is this: think about it. DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
Why do we allow the opinions of others dictate our lives to us? If I'm going to be remembered as a solid person, I want it to be because I was uncompromising in my beliefs. That's not to say that I'll never change my opinions (Digression: I'm as stubborn as the day is long, and I don't like to admit I'm wrong or that I've made a mistake. But I have noticed over recent years I'm becoming less concerned with imposing my beliefs on others and more... accepting? I guess I just don't see any good in people shouting arguments back and forth about everything that irritates them. A debate is just fine: difference of opinion is vital to the development of opinion. But overbearing, aggressive slander gets you nowhere.), because as thickheaded as I am I'm open to new ideas, but it means that I won't compromise on my core beliefs. Morality. Right and wrong. The Big Three: Religion, Government, Society.
It seems that too many times lately I have encountered people who are... passionate... in their desire to have others like them, and approve of them, and respect them. All I can ask is how you expect somebody to respect you for who you are if your greatest efforts go into being somebody that's NOT who you are? Don't change what you're doing, how you talk, what you love, what you wear, where you're going, for sole reason of making an impression on any human being. Focus instead on whose opinions of you matter the most: yours, and the Lord's. Live a life that is good in His eyes, and live a life that you can't help but smile at. If you can accomplish that, you'll discover your worries melting away.
Be you.
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