the truth behind and beyond dystopia

A few years ago, I spent a lot of time driving. To help with that, I would get some audio books from a library. I got to listen to audio book versions of the Dune novels, along with several of Asimov's Foundation books. More recently, I've taken an interest in the Warhammer 40K books, reading several of them.

Those are a few examples of dystopian stories. Yes, I think even Foundation was dystopian, even though I doubt that was Asimov's intention. Outside of not finding the appeal of those stories, not to mention the arrogance of the ideas behind the Foundation, there was simply the extreme cyclical view of history, such that the fall and rise of the space empire has to follow a certain pattern based on one man's researches and conjectures, and that everything must to done to insure that this pattern is not interrupted in any way. That's pretty dystopian, in my mind.

Dystopian fiction has been fairly popular. I suppose my first exposure to it was the old movie Logan's Run, though my interest at that young age had more to do with robots and lasers than in a deep and dark future world. But whether it's a dark future of the Alien movies, or a dark present or near future in which zombies rule the world, it's all dystopian.

So, what does it all mean?

“Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved. Some followers of the Reverend R.J.Campbell, in their almost too fastidious spirituality, admit divine sinlessness, which they cannot see even in their dreams. But they essentially deny human sin, which they can see in the street.” Chesterton, G. K. Orthodoxy (p. 7). Kindle Edition. While I suppose there might be dispute over whether original sin and the Fall are the only part that can really be proven, I think it's fairly clear that original sin and the Fall are as evident as Chesterton points out. We don't have to look far to see it, we don't even have to look in the streets. We need only look in a mirror.

This fact is all around us, and in us. And I'd say that it's in dystopian fiction (and utopian, too), whether or not that's the intent of the authors of those books.

We know that technological progress has not equated into progress as people. The fictional cave man with a club may have been able to only knock a few people over the head with his club, but the far too real modern terrorist can do so much more damage with a machine gun or vest bomb, and we can only imagine with dread what such a person might do with nuclear or biological weapons. We develop technologies for spreading moving images, and we use them to show off and celebrate our debaucheries and perversions.

What do I think is the truth behind these dystopian stories? Simply that we know that, left to ourselves, we cannot create utopia. Our attempts at utopia will not pan out, but will turn on us, and become something closer to a nightmare than anything we might dream of. We will be no less xenophobic in the 40,000s than we were in the 1940s. Our rulers will be just as despotic in the far future, as they have been in our far and near past. The best laid plans of mice and men will turn into well laid traps for mice and men.

Because, in the end, we know we are hopeless. We cannot change our own selves, let alone anyone else. We cannot make our own selves better, let alone anyone else. We are not improving as a race.

We know the truth of original sin. We cannot help ourselves, save ourselves, make ourselves clean.

If that was where the story ended, then let us rush blindly into the night, or rage against the coming of the night, both would be equally hopeless gestures.

But the truth is, that's not where the story ends. There is truth in that story, but if we stop with just that story, we will be left with hopelessness.

“But while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Mankind is not the hero of mankind's story, and when we try to be, we can't find anything but dystopia. But where our works of righteous are no better than the vilest of rags, Christ's sacrificial death for our sins has made us clean. Where our sins are like a mountain, Christ's death has won forgiveness for us. Where our technology and intelligence and creativity have made our futures only more precarious, Christ's death has given those who believe in Him a real future.

There is truth in dystopia, but there is a greater truth beyond dystopia. Where we by our own efforts would only create hell on earth, Christ has promised us new heavens and a new earth.

a bit of something funny

I found this amusing.



I think Hobbes sums it up best at the end of this comic strip.

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2010/06/02

slightly mixed feelings about this

Joss Whedon coming back to TV for Marvel S.H.I.E.L.D. series

ABC and Marvel have confirmed that Whedon is developing a TV series spinoff from The Avengers, based around the top-secret Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) organization that recently brought Earth's Mightiest Heroes together on the big screen

This sounds like a pretty good idea, except for one thing...

ABC

When that network does good, it usually does very good, like Lost. But when it does bad, it does very bad, like almost everything else. They got hooked on some kind of attitude, thanks I suppose to Desperate Housewives, that I can only describe as snarky towards all things decent and moral. So many of their attempts at DW clones have flopped quickly, but that does seem to be their trend.

I hope The Avengers avoids that, and works well. Having Whedon be a part of it does seem promising.

my first book!!!

I know it's been quiet here for a few days. There have been reasons for that. Here's one of them.

Rigor

Trying to figure out how to format it for Kindle took a bit of time and effort, but there it is, my first book.

the cute is overwhelming!!

chandler's sermon

I've listened to this sermon a couple of times, and it's solid. Not that such events as Code Orange are big on my radar, I'm just not into the whole "going where God's doing something" thing, and overall such events seem to be more about the church or organization than anything else, more about boosting egos than anything godly.



After listening to all or parts of some of the 'sermons' at this Code Orange event, I'm pretty well convinced that this whole thing is an ego trip. And the fact that this one sermon of Chandler's, which has some elements of rebuke to how the church and its pastor misuses Scriptre, was not replayed at it's scheduled replay times tells me that Chandler burned some egos instead of coddling them. And considering how much fawning sycophantic praise some of the latter 'preachers' have heaped on the church and its pastor, this event is less about godly revival than a meeting of the mutual admiration society.

THE HORROR!!! THE HORROR!!!!!!

Madonna Confirmed as Halftime Act of 2012 Super Bowl

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(Really, what is it with the Super Bowl and horrid halftime shows?)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(They've had a few pretty good ones, but the last one I really liked us the one with U2.)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(And last years was awful. But Madonna? I fear that will be a noticeable step down from BEP, which is saying something.)

OOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

so, don't attend the game

Well, it's that time of year again. The time when we really have to raise the question "What on earth are the college football people thinking?"

Now, granting, I think that having LSU-Alabama in the Championship game makes a lot of sense. But, still, I can see how OSU is rather unhappy with it. And there are a few other schools that could be considered reasonable contenders, too.

But, like the last few years, we're going to have lots of bowls, from the smallest ones with 6-6 teams to the so-called Bowl Championship Series games, which while most will have good games and be meaningful to the ones playing, in the end they will be essentially meaningless, except the Championship game.

(Btw why is it called the Bowl Championship Series? After all, there is only one championship bowl game, and there is no series of games that decide which teams play in it.)

Now, concerning the other bowl games, I completely understand why fans of schools in some lesser bowl will attend the game and go nuts there. If, for example, your team has made it to the Music City Bowl, which is kinda a lower-level bowl, well, the game is gravy. Likely, your team is not a serious Championship contender, so making any bowl game at all is an accomplishment. Go, and enjoy.

But if you're the fan of a team that is in a BCS bowl, especially a regular in such bowls, maybe it's time to rethink it.

Look, college football needs a tournament system. Period. This "championship by polls" thing just isn't working. Too many teams that should get a shot at the crown are denied it, and consigned to playing in games that mean nothing.

But the current system does one thing--it makes money. That's not a bad thing, but it's working against any hope of having a playoff system set up anytime soon. We can cry about it, but why would anyone change something that, while not perfect, is working well enough?

But what to do?

You, the fan, have one vote. It's not an official vote, but it's important, nonetheless. That vote is something like this, to not attend the meaningless games that the BCS has put your team in.

(Granted, it would I think be even more powerful if the teams themselves didn't play, but there may be things like contracts and agreements involved, and I'd rather not go there).

The point is this--such events are spectacles. They rely on having huge stadiums filled to overflowing with loud, enthusiastic fans. And, of course, fans want to attend. Very understandable.

But if these big, nationally-televised games were played before chirping crickets, well, the BCS folks may actually think that they need to finally listen to what the fans really want. And soon, too.

It's an idea. I do think that not attending, having the games played before mostly empty seats, people not watching the games on TV and not spending money in the cities where the games are played, will certainly draw attention to some fan unhappiness with the current system. Especially if you're an OSU or Stanford type of school, and you have been a serious contender the whole year but kept out for having one sour game (and because you lost later in the year than 'Bama did), you should really not support the thinking that puts your team in a meaningless exhibition.

Well, that's my idea, for what it's worth.

celebrate or not, as you wish

Thanks to the time I've spent on the internet, I've learned a few things. One of them, which seems to pop up this time of year, is that there are Christians out there who are simply not comfortable with Christmas. My ideas concerning this are as such.

1. There is nothing in the New Testament that tells us to observe Christmas as the birth of Christ; therefore, to observe or not is up to each person, family, or church. Those who think it would be wrong for them to observe it are free to do so, so far as I'm concerned, as those who are ok with it, like myself, are free to continue doing so.

2. Just as I offer no condemnation to those who do not observe Christmas, so I expect them to not condemn me and people and like me who do.

Various argument are given concerning why or why not. Certainly, some aspects of how the holiday is popularly celebrated are worthy of questioning and even discarding. One could make the case that the shops start far too early in pushing for Christmas, though I'm tempered a bit in my criticism of that by the idea that stores are simply acting like stores. Still, it was a bit unsettling to see so much Christmas stuff up a few days even before Thanksgiving.

Some will go on about "commercialism" and "consumerism". I'm starting the doubt the existence of those thing, and to consider that it may be better to call them what they really are should they actually exist, things like greed and covetousness. Those things really do exist, but the point is, they exist in all of us, all year round. If anything, considering how much Christmas shopping can be about giving, one could say that at the least those things are tempered to a degree, though being fallen humans they are not completely absent.

And I could almost support a moratorium on any movie or show with the title "X Saves Christmas", X meaning any character or group or whatever. Yes, even something like VeggieTales' "The Toy that Saved Christmas". Enough, already.

And R&B and rap artists should refrain from ruining any more Christmas songs.

Anyway, to my mind and for what it's worth, Christmas is optional, and you may or may not celebrate it if you wish.

couldn't agree more

Herman Cain: Wall Street Protesters 'Should Go Figure Out What America Is All About'

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain on Wednesday called the Occupy Wall Street protesters anti-American and anti-capitalistic.

"Don't be jealous, don't be envious," Cain said as he signed copies of his memoir. "I don't have much patience for someone who does not want to achieve their American dream the old-fashioned way."

When asked about the thousands of people that have been protesting in lower Manhattan, Cain said, "They're basically saying that somehow the government is supposed to take from those that have succeeded and give to those who want to protest. He added: "That's not the way America was built."

He added that the protesters "should go figure out what America is all about."

There's more in that article, go read it, it's great. Outside of a few hiccups, Cain has been spot-on for much of his campaign. I'm glad he's getting some success, and may even win the nomination. Romney's been a waffler, and while Perry has a lot going for him, his associations with KC-IHOP types is troubling to me.

Cain is right on with those remarks. The Occupy Wall Streets brats need to grow up and stop being used by the left push an agenda they'll come to regret.

one of God's coolest critters!!

Nature's Great Survivors: Water Bears

I first learned about water bears from seeing some toys of them in boxes of Giant Microbes in stores. Reading the bit of information about them which is on the attached card, they seemed like really cool critters--slow little mites which just kinda meander about minding their own business, and which are almost impossible to kill. They can survive in space, in extreme temperatures hot and cold, they can survive dehydration and really extreme radiation.


So, forget zombies!!! We all must prepare for the coming tardigrade invasion!!! They are already amongst us!!! Watch your step!!!

:-)

not figuring

Ok, so, we can be transfigured, just like Jesus?

Mark 9

1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” 2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) 7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

Umm...no.

This was something special, not something we either need to have happen to us, or is even possible. To say that we can have this happen to us is silly.

sometimes football is a generous sport

I was hoping Baltimore would beat Pittsburgh--kind of like both teams, but slightly favor the Ravens. Even with an ugly second half, they could have pulled it off if they had some receivers who could do their jobs at the most basic level (catch passes).

I'm now in a quandary. Who to cheer for now? Jets are a good team, but a joke. Pittsburgh's ok, though the QB's antics off-field leave a bad taste. Ambivalent about both da Bears and da Pack.