3 don't say anything stupid

i've noticed that i've been keeping a consistent 8 entries per month. I don't purposely plan this. it just naturally happens. i'm quite ashamed though. I thought it'd be more.

anyways, i've noticed my desperate lack to hide His Word inside my heart so I bought myself a new bible with a translation that I would enjoy more than my current one. I can't wait. It's a great size. I'm looking forward to it. still been reading, but it's not as interesting. the reality of Him who sits on the Throne. (wow...throne was such a weird word to spell out. i guess i don't use it much.)

90 do not make pancakes with hot water

i haven't been seeing the reality of it. for one, school hasn't been as exciting. feels like i'm on spring break or something right now. got mad stuff to do but have been avoiding them. need to get back on track. become more motivated perhaps. i'd usually slack off a little bit, but i think this is too much of a slack for me currently. i don't quite like it. my mind's been tampered with.

44 spoken in the courtroom of the prestigious ivy

five lives versus one. morality based on end results or end does not justify the means. cost-benefit analysis. right to one's property- taxation or forced labor. state of nature yet there is government. avoiding draft and avoiding parenthood- on conscription/volunteer or egg/sperm donors and right to child. the value of a human life treated as an object to be bought or sold. a price value labeled on a human. the life of a human being compared to lives of five human beings. justice. morality. politics.

113 the simplicity of life

we live in such a complex world. we live in an age where abundance overwhelms and consume us. there's so many things to do, so many hobbies we can pick up. Communication via the net or the phone or the travelling creates an environment where people stay connected- so many different people to talk to, to catch up with, to meet. All around us are commercialized buildings with stores full of clothing and furniture and jewelry and bizarre items, where buying more than we need don't seem too much. there are so many different styles and designs and functions, as well. so many new ideas spring up and philosophical debates arise and solution proposes. i don't think we're made to live such complex lives. we only get lost in it.

it's the idea of being jack of all trades but king of none. the idea of knowing everyone but not knowing a single one. the idea of having everything but not using any of it. the idea of knowing a lot but forgetting a lot. being caught up in all these things, being consumed by these, focusing energy and time of these- perhaps that is the tragedy of the modern man.

38 i wasn't there

i've been quite full of myself lately. didn't even realize til now. confidence vs. self-righteousness, security vs. pride. i need to sleep.

10 go to nyu or go play neopets

the more i read about it, the crazier it gets. these are lives of human beings created in the image of God. these are happening every second of the day, right now as i am typing, as i am breathing. what's crazy is the ignorance of the people who can do something about it- the ignorance of the church. i'm not here to simply blame the church, but it's staggering to know that we have so much abundance that we can easily lift the poorest 1 billion people in the world out of EXTREME poverty. The total income of American churchgoers is 5.2 trillion (more than 5,000 billion). The poverty gap between the rich and the poor is ridiculous and sickening.

Money isn't the only thing i refer to however. Food- a child dies every 5 seconds from hunger-related causes. some 350-400 million children are hungry every day. Water- 1 of 6 do not have access to clean water, with many walking miles everyday, missing school and work to fetch for water that is tainted and filled with parasites. Malaria, TB, HIV and AIDs, lack of shelter, abandonment, abuse, WAR and displacement.

How can we live life the way we do still after knowing such things happening in the world every second of our lives? What does God expect of us? "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

73 i'm guessing the time he arrived

some random conversation with a friend of mine got me thinking about the whole idea of predestination and the like. obviously, i won't be summarizing my entire thoughts because one, it's boring, second, you can read it anywhere and probably have, third, it's going to fill up a thousand and one pages.

however, i shall broadly share one- it's based on the idea of geographic accident, where we are wired the way we are because of the influence around us as we were growing up. in this sense, the geographical location (this includes the people living in the area and the media and the natural environment and ideas and government and all that). would my personality be very different if i was raised up differently? let's say i was raised in the same exact way as michael jordan was. aside from the physical abilities, or maybe even including the physical, would i share the same thoughts, do the same things as he did? that's kind of a weird premise though.

i suppose there's a confusion between talents, personality, character, skills, and strengths. as of now, i believe the first two are specific to each person regardless of the influence around them. i believe these can change however, which seems controversial, but i shall spare myself the explanations.

37 i already spent more on food in one week than i did all of last month

the mind can only grasp so much. i read and read. i store and gain knowledge and soon forget. information comes in and out. when messages are not put to action, they become useless. they become dangerous even. data overload. i keep forgetting.

the heart can only grasp so much. i read and read. i hear of stories of the displaced and of the violated. i hear of those who would rather sleep than live another day. i listen to the songs of those i dearly love and miss them so. when dying souls are not cared for, they simply remain empty.

i haven't posted in a while. thought i'd at least type up something.