Serene

Okay, so I'm hopelessly in love with the Lord of the Rings movies. Of interest to this post, the music is outstanding. Two quick thoughts. One, Renée Fleming is just awesome. Her voice in RotK is an instrument. If I could fall in love with a voice, it would undoubtedly be hers. Second, the song at the closing credits, performed by Annie Lennox, Into the West, is so serene. I've had it in my head all day since I finished the movie this morning. It's so sad, so soft, so wonderful. If you don't like LotR, you should. If you've never listened to this song, you should. It's enchanting, seriously, I think I have a problem.

Christmas Cheer

It is Christmas time again. The temperature is dropping, the radio is playing the standard rotation of the holiday classics, stores are packed with eager shoppers looking for the perfect gift and Christmas parties abound with family and friends. As for me, I’m dead inside. I am not ambivalent to Christmas, by no means. It is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the greatest gift ever given to mankind, salvation in the person of a newborn child. Even so, I am not looking forward to it either. I can remember being a child, when Christmas was the best time of the year. The house was decorated with all my favorite keepsakes, my mother baking cookies, snow on the ground and presents wrapped under the tree. As the day approached my anticipation started to boil over. I’m sure it was even more fun for my parents, considering that I was jumping off the walls the other three hundred sixty-four days of the year. Christmas eve was perhaps the most exciting day of the year, because in just a few hours Santa would come and leave presents. I remember waking up early one Christmas, probably around 4 AM and walking out to see what treasures Santa had left us. Happiness erupted when I saw the giant box of Legos. I spent a few minutes looking over the box carefully, and then went back to my bed, happy. I remember Christmas dinners with family up North, with my family down South; all wonderful experiences. Yet those are just memories. Pale imitations, glimmers of another life. All the things that as a child so enthralled me have passed into tedium, but have not been replaced with their adult equivalent. In the wake of their departure I am left hollow. I have tried faking it and hoping the real feelings would follow; you know, trying to jump start the process with a little positive reinforcement. All to no avail.

I think the problem stems from several roots. Most notably, as a child, Christmas was all about getting presents. All the other things were secondary. Now that I have a job, there is no physical thing that I want that I cannot buy myself. Even if I didn’t have a job, things still do not interest me. The things I want now cannot be bought in stores, cannot be ordered online. That is why I tell people that I don’t want anything for Christmas, because the things that I do want are not typically in their power to give.

You might say I should be thankful for what I have and rejoice in that, and I am and do. I am thankful from the bottom of my heart everyday for all that God has blessed me with, my family, my friends, my job, etc... However, being thankful and what I know as the Christmas feeling, are two separate things. Maybe this is a part of growing up. Maybe those feelings are supposed to leave, or mature into something else. I just hope that those feelings don’t leave me where I am. Apathy. a – prefix: without, no; pathos – feeling. What a terrible thing.

The rise and fall of the mighty monster of old

I stand victorious on the mountainside, the burnt remains of the Hebrew monster still smoldering amidst the blood of my slain comrades. It was a valiant battle, but alas, he stood no chance for the prepared warrior. I spent the morning in solemn meditation, carefully reviewing the battle forms. This foe is largely predictable, yet there exist slight deviations from his normal patterns that require careful attention lest he gain a fatal blow.

I arrived at the appointed battleground early. The enemy had yet to emerge from his lair. A fellow warrior was already surveying the grounds, another had come and gone, avoiding having to face the imminent conflict for as long as possible. Slowly warriors approached, some eager, others wary. Tension bristled in the cool evening air. Emotions charged the air like a summer storm, ready to strike. Then the beast emerged. He walked to and fro before the armies of God, those valiant warriors pledged to do battle this day, taunting them, daring them to face him in one-on-one battle. No one moved. Seeing our apparent lack of conviction, and feeling that victory was his, the beast charged the lines. Some of the warriors, resigned to their own fate, fell quickly and without much fight. Others fought with wild fury, yet none could quell the storm of his relentless attack. The beast then turned to me. His forms were predictable. I anticipated his every move, my preparation guarding me as armor. Lunge, parry, thrust, strafe. He could make no advance that was not easily avoided. Then he tried something tricky. He faked one form and tried to attack with its nearly identical twin. But he couldn’t fool me. I saw the dagesh forte that signaled the intensive Piel maneuver. I made one final thrust, and my blade hit true. The beast made one final cry, reassuring me that he would soon rise again, and fell before me in what can only be described as a fantastic display. A blinding light shone forth from the fatal wound, his eyes turned black and fire engulfed him from the inside out. Something tells me we will meet again, but for now, I am the victor!

Happy HanaRamaKwanzMas

In the spirit of this joyous season, let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas ... or... maybe Happy Holidays ... hmm... I know! Happy Winter! I once had a Christian friend actually disagree with me that people were actively trying to subvert Christianity by removing it from the public sphere. With case after case, and each ruling by the activist judges, it seems all too apparent. Luckily, some studets at t.u. (pardon me, old habits die hard) decided to parody the nativity by creating a politically correct display, something that would be acceptable to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union).

The full story can be read here
Take note that Mary has been replaced with Gary, the three wise men are Lenin, Marx and Stalin, and the shepherd is girded with an IED belt (improvised explosive device). I love it. I think the display is fitting. I'm glad both sides are able to see the humor in it. However, keep in mind that in every joke there is a glimmer of truth.

America has been attacked by the diversity police over the last fifty years. We are told that belief systems like Christianity are not inclusive, and therefore are wrong. We are told that each belief held by another is equally valid, regardless of what is true, because those who advocate this position are under the persuasion that truth is subjective. We are told to explore other ideas, and that we should be accepting of anything that comes along. This is a reverse form of censorship, contrary to the Constitution, and contrary to the nature of man. The progressives, note that is a code word for liberals, want to keep things changing, progressing. They want us to believe that newer is always better, the benefit of change always supercedes establishment. Guess what, newer is not always better. Some things are right the way they are. American culture for one. If you want to learn about other cultures, fine, learn, but don't disparage ours. Even more so with religion. God has it right. When he said, "Don't do it," I think it's a good idea to listen. God's rules haven't changed, because HE doesn't change.

This leads me back to Christmas. Other religions have their celebrations, but it is incredulous for businesses to be afraid of ACLU lawsuits over the use of the word Christmas, or to make reference to one religion (Christianty) over another. This is America, and guess what... we celebrate Christmas. If you don't like it, deal with it. No one is pushing their beliefs on anyone by saying merry Christmas. Beliefs are being shoved down the proverbial throat when we as a society are afraid to express our beliefs for the sake of offense. What about the things that offend Christians, or more generally, good American people? How about corrupt politicians, national debt, pornography on prime-time television, institutionalized secularism, Paris Hilton, activist judges, NAMBLA, PETA, ALCU, hypothesis pseudo-science being taught as fact, illegal imigration, politically correct war strategy, diversity training, Britney Spears, a nuclear Iran, public schools teaching to the lowest common denominator, and oh yes, the ever-present, full-force onslaught against Christianity; but I digress.

To all the detrators out there, I wish you a very, merry, Christmas!