Month: July 2014

Things

4.7.14

When reading, speak aloud new names, technical terms & foreign language words

Philosophy vs. Ideology vs. Critical theory
Where does Theology figure here?

4.7.14
– I am sick & tired, totally fed up & utterly frustrated by all this bullshit – this life, this world, this GOD, but mostly with myself!
Overcoming the Fall dramatically » repairing things gradually » enduring & weathering the Fall!
– There is a different kind of joy that comes from being able to say No to one’s own desires. From pleasure to confidence – from merely experiencing pleasantness to feeling good about what one has become!
– From frustration to astonishment!
From humiliation to praise!
From despair to wonder!
– Doing nothing » doing everything, but with a detached attitude.
Knowing that you don’t HAVE to do anything (external compulsion to prove oneself) » doing something, because you NEED to (internal drive to express oneself)!
– When & how did I turn 34 years old?!
Is it possible to become wise/mature with age and still maintain the freshness of youth?

5.7.14
– Divine madness!
– Ebullience
– Steps to freshen up my sagging spirit:
1. Try new & complex challenges – stretch yourself! iPad games, PC problem-solving games (lumosity.com), attend events, etc.
2. 15-30 min. of contemplation everyday.
3. Meet new people.
– Elfin Fey
– “Hey… Do you know what ‘xenophobia’ is? Check it out – it’s relevant to the comment you made on ‘chinkis’…”
– Movies: The Burmese Harp (Japanese)
The dead, the divine & the existential
Power of art – music & spirituality
Nation vs. Humanity vs. GOD
Mystical mission vs. Utilitarian activism
The Burmese ruby buried in the ashes-dust of human sin-death ~ the crucified Christ sown into the hearts & minds of all people

6.7.14
– The angelic chorus
– Maybe the Resurrection is more about the conquest of the fear (power/sting) of death than the destruction of (the reality of) death itself!
– Ps.46:9 – Christian mission, the weapons race & world peace
– Jews-circumcised & Gentiles-uncircumcised ~ the religious & the secular.
Petrine & Pauline evangelism in our context.
Circumcision (Judaism) ~ baptism (early Christianity) ~ religious conversion (comtemporary church)
– The appeal to divine revelation as the claim to universal validity.
– Inspiration » conviction » consecration
– Never forget the massacre of the Church following (the powerful demonstrations of) Resurrection, Ascension & Pentecost!
– The ‘authority’ of a free person!
Originality as authenticity
– What would Paul have done if the Jerusalem Apostolic group had rejected & opposed his message & ministry??
It’s not hard to answer!
– Divine calling & institutional approval
Inward imperatives & external authorities
– Sincere reverence & serious attention equated with literal interpretation & dogmatic zeal!
– How can a static/rigid gospel ‘transform’ evolving people in a labile context?
– Apocalypse – maybe the ‘veil’ is akin to the emperor’s new clothes!
This is it.
This is all.
This is good!!!
– The urgent & crucial need for the radical reconstruction of religious language in keeping with the Spirit’s move in this age…
– The blood, sweat & tears of a few » bread & wine for everyone!
– Deliverance ~ rest
– Movies:
“Ninja 2 – Shadow of a Tear” – grief » rage » depression/violence!
“Spirited Away” – we have to do with demons & angels!

Nuggets

30.6.14

– Maybe the 1 hour of silence & solitude (weekly) should be shifted to Sundays!

– The fundamental layer of everyday life is the contemplative attitude/approach/disposition (being present, open & willing). This must be maintained every single day without exception. The entire week must have this ‘Sabbath rhythm’.

– Why are my Sundays so (inwardly) hectic?! Don’t binge & purge, just relax & enjoy, Joe……

– The need to be needed is universal!

Necessity » significance

– Sighing, groaning & stretching – Nature, Man & Spirit!

– Movies:

Deep Blue See

Science, ethics & religion

Naturalism, humanism & individualism

Utilitarianism vs. categorical imperative

Despair & survival

Faith & struggle

Stress (personal) & conflict (social)

– Neither erotomania, nor megalomania nor altruism!

– What is love without the beloved?

What is faith without GOD?

What is hope without eternity?

– Can there ever be a flexible system? It seems to be either rigidity or chaos……

– The deontological seems to be the only sure basis for an effective & consistent utilitarianism!

Yes, Sabbath is made for man & not the other way around. But can man live well without paying any attention to the Sabbath command??

– The philosopher as therapist!

– Camp (adj.)

– Pastiche

– If I am a genius, I am a genius, I can’t help it. If I am not, I am not, & I can’t help that either!

1.7.14

– Vanya Rachel

Humanities: Four strands – Economics, Literature, Sociology (Development Studies), Philosophy.

1. Socrates – know cosmos » know yourself.

2. Start with contemporary issues

3. Introspection – self-examination – question of identity.

Critical Theory.

Ecology.

Politics.

Anthropology.

Religion.

Intellectual history.

History.

Communication.

Linguistics.

Cultural Studies.

2.7.14

– “The desire to achieve something is actually sin…work and production is a curse…Cain built the first city but Abraham was looking for a city who‘s architect and founder is God….God works and we just enjoy a sabbath way of being :)” – R

“Ha ha ha! Mmm……

I guess we all need something to work, fight & suffer for. Some worthy cause. Not out of GOD’s demand, but our own inner need for direction & purpose, & the realization of individual responsibility in the light of the current context (& the Passion of the Christ, of course!). It is a matter of how Sabbath-rest and labour/mission complement each other to give a holistic health & balance to our lives…”

“I think we can resolve the radical (& even violent) tension between inward contemplation (freedom of soul-self) and outward action (sociality of body-world), to a certain extent so that it doesn’t become destructive, by keeping them as two necessary levels of our life – the essential & the existential.”

“Something similar to your example during the last SFG meeting – our simultaneous existence at the level of awareness of the absolute liberating power of death, & the practical need to obey duly appointed & well functioning aithorities like the police. The former is definitely more important & necessary than the latter, but it (fortunately) does not always the contradict the latter!” – J

– We, as persons, differ from each other only in degree/proportion, not in quality/essence, right?

3.7.14

– “Fake event to work around calandar issue.”

– Maybe you are not paying enough attention to the details of the present moment (which alone is in your hands – the here & now!), & that’s why you’re succumbing to monotony (the illusion that every day is just the same).

– Maybe your pessimistic philosophy is caused by neurochemical imbalance in your brain!

Examine the psychology of the philosopher as a person, & the philosophy behind the psychologist’s theories…

28.6.14

Heat index (weather)

Approaches to any subject/topic – historical/developmental, philosophical/systematic/theoretical, psycho-social (critical/contextual), comparative-evaluative, practical-ethical, communication-linguistic, spiritual-theological, etc.

Darezhan Omirbayev – ideology vs. spirituality

Churlish

2.7.14

Distinguish:
Cultural Studies
&
Anthropology

Can the input of certain kinds of content alter the very structure of the mind?

Is the Christian neither stoic-activist (duty) nor epicurean-hedonist (desire), or is he both?

Indulgence must be short & fast. Rest must be long & slow. Work must be regular & flowing (neither fast nor slow). The first two are periodic.

Hour of prayer

Sport – somewhere in between the news & the movies. Watch it!

3 levels of learning:
Observing the teacher doing it
Practising the art under supervision
Becoming an independent practitioner

Reality, rationality & value

The truth of my meaning (accuracy of interpretation)
Vs.
The truth of what the author/text says (objective validity)