Pensees

13.3.14

– Alternative lifestyles – divine law, social order & individual freedom

– What can one gain (learn) by stripping life down to its bare essentials?

– Alyssa Siegel’s response to her father

– Human nature:
Total depravity
Vs.
Potential goodness

– Intrinsic motivation
Vs.
External locus of control

– Personal referents
Mythical signifiers

– Moral norms (social)
Vs.
Ethical convictions (personal)

– Emulate – moving from admiration to imitation.

– dulcet

– Jesus/Bible/Church
Vs.
Christ/Scripture/Spirit!

– BF

– Shanthuru Premkumar, Julie Goldberg & Chandran – Brussels.
Wow!

– Discernment » discretion

– I ridicule, condemn & curse the IPL (Cricket)!

– How can anyone live in lust or greed or anger or pride or cruelty??

– Pensees – my blog does not have articles which preach/say something, only vignettes which suggest/ask something!
Goads to provoke your soul…… launching pads for you to take-off on your own jumps, & points of departure for your own wanderings……
The dance of intersections & divergences!

– Desire-believe » feel-think » express-respond » belong-relate & build-repair!

– Blogging about blogging,
Movies about cinema,
Talking about communication…

– Words, images & impressions

– Light, texture & colour

– Observation & articulation » analysis & synthesis » evaluation & inferences » implications & application

– Advocating a message
Vs.
Insinuating a mood
Artful ~ subtle ~ indirect!

– Ingratiate with…

– Item numbers & comedy pieces

– Empowering women
&
Female-objectification

– Fucking socialites!
Culture » celebrity,
then
Celebrity » culture!
It’s a vicious circle…

– Love:
Passion
Vs.
Commitment

Studying a theology in its own religious, philosophical & cultural milieu

Martyrdom & atonement
Substitution ~ ransom
Mercy-seat, blood-sacrifice & forgiveness-cleansing

Dead works
Vs.
Vital worship
Pious frauds!

Demonic evil, cosmic catastrophe, divine victim & human redemption

Tenets – clear, coherent & concise – basic definitions, principles & instructions

Apologetics & accommodation
Adaptation & compromise

‘Devout reason’ & ‘Basic instincts’

Voluntarism & automatisation

State, church & school

Rational judgment & virtuous conduct

Spiritual knowledge, religious doctrine, virtuous character & practical reason

Anger, fear & grief always go hand-in-hand!

The value & danger of sensuality

No self-control, no justice
Equanimity ~ wisdom
Discipline, discernment & love (in that order!)

Reality, ideality & reflectivity

No passion/anger, no conviction/courage!

Faith vs. Impulse

Noble ~ honourable

The martyr, the tyrant & the land
4 Maccabees 1:11

“Jesus is Lord!”
Yes, but what does this mean & signify for us today? How do we understand its truth & seek to practice the implications of this belief?

Spirit/reason/mind OVER flesh/emotion/matter
From ruling factor to ordering principle!

Pleasure – love, joy, peace, faith (clarity/confidence), hope
Pain – anger/hatred, grief, fear/anxiety, confusion, despair
Where does doubt & wonder fit in here? Maybe they are just the 2 sides of the experience of Glory (which is greater than even Goodness, and transcends the dichotomy of good-&-evil!)……
How are virtue & vice related with the positive & negative emotions?

Gormandize

4 Maccabees 1:25

GOD is NOT good, he is great!

Rationality & affectivity
Personality & morality
Discourse ethics

“The jungle of emotions”
Mental desires & physical habits

Law/GOD, faith/spirit & will/mind

Yoga poses, emotions & benefits
Insecurity >> imbalance
Breathing, posture, balance & stretching
Destressing by concentrating (on your breath)!