FROM THE ZAMBIA BLOG

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

BLESSINGS

I often hear, "I am reminded that I am so blessed" in reference to an experience in a developing country. That comment has started to bother me. It has been a little while now that something about that graded on my nerves as I heard it. Finally, I was able to process it out with Joe today.
"I am blessed"= air conditioner, unlimited amount of food, TV, and a nice house. When we say we are blessed we are basing our blessings on material things. That is a shame. Granted, we would be ignorant not to recognize that we have more and our more makes things easier a lot of times. However, looking only at material blessings ignores what truly enrich our lives.
As Joe mentioned, slowing down our lives like is often done here can create positive relationships. I have been able to build relationships with people here because of the slowed down lifestyle. That is hard for us to recognize as a blessing.

Also, as one of the missionaries mentioned the people are more likely to feel dependent on God because they do not have 401 (k) plans and as structured life styles. This environment provides a context to develop a trust in God we are unable to develop.

I suppose what I am trying to say is spiritual blessings are what should be placed as most important in our lives. Measuring how we are blessed because we have more material things removes us from recognizing what is truly important in life.

ME, MYSELF, AND I

I do not like it when people use myself incorrectly.  The worst part about it is that professionals on television are among those I hear using it incorrectly. If you are unsure of what I mean, read below: 

Click on definition for larger image.

From the New Oxford American Dictionary

HORNS

Driving around Memphis I hear lots of horn honking. Most of the horn honking that I hear is unnecessary; the honking is only for the purpose of showing displeasure of someone pulling out in front of you, etc. By honking for that reason the purpose of the horn is lost. Car companies did not install horns for drivers to show anger to another driver. Rather, horns should be used to let a car know that they are there so they shouldn't back up and things of that nature. But since horns will not stop being used in that way, I have a suggestion for car companies. Multiple horns. One horn could be one that communicates "come on out" as someone is waiting to pull out in traffic. Another horn could be "don't back up I am here". One horn could communicate "hey, I know you". This would save a lot of confusion and immediate defensiveness when a horn is blown.

E-GRAMMAR

I do not claim to have perfect written or spoken grammar. At least I try. In the generation of e-mail, instant messaging and facebook I have noticed that grammar is on the decline. R U cng wht im talkin bout?

So, I have an idea. Since instant messaging has done much to increase the words typed per minute among my generation, I think that communicating on the computer can be a great form of learning grammar. What if every comment or post was blocked without the use of proper grammar? So, instead of "whatcha doin 2nite?" the post would read "What are you doing tonight?" Is that too much to ask?

NEwayz, ttyl.

SMOKIN'

I got a problem with smokers. They get a pass on at least two major frowned upon actions. Slacking off at work and littering. In high school I worked in the mall and those who smoked got smoke breaks. Non-smokers, meanwhile, continued to work. Annoying as that is, what is worse is the break on litter. Most people refrain from throwing trash on the sidewalk and out there windows while driving, smokers can throw out their cigarette butts. If I finished my candy bar and threw down my wrapper I would get dirty looks and rightfully so, however, smokers can throw down their cig and stomp it out and get away with it. Somehow this double standard needs to be stopped.

I AM STARTING TO UNDERSTAND

In the 90s as I was getting old enough to register sports information for trivia and meaningless discussions, my Dad seemed to be starting to grow weary of professional sports, specifically baseball. I only say that because I think I know where he is coming from. My good ol' days were what he found wrong about sports. I never knew a time when athletes weren't paid out the ying yang like he does, but I do remember a time when sports were more than a soap opera for men.

Face it fellow sports fans we get wrapped up in a reality show soap opera. The rumor mill and indictments are just as much a part of "sports" as pennant races and Super Bowls. ESPN saves more airtime for arguments about off the field issues than sports highlights. Who's "Now"? Who cares? I don't care how cool Derek Jeter is for dating some actress, I want to watch athletic competition. Since when did ESPN executives decide that people tuned in to ESPN for things other than sports? MLS has even gotten in on the act bringing over a glamorous soccer star for off-field attention.

But, if ESPN is going to have shows dedicated solely to football year-round they need something to talk about, unfortunately for sports fans it is legal scandal. The NFL is really messing up by having so much off-season coverage. The reason their sport is the most popular right now is because there is limited supply-fewer games. With all the coverage they are going to take the excitement of the weekly games away. They are also starting to rival the NBA in thug appeal, but still can't hang in mobster appeal.

So, what I am starting to understand is how pro sports can make you long for the good ol' days.

PRIVILEGE OF LEARNING

I guess I will be ready to finish school when the time draws near. I guess I will be more excited when I can tell someone how close I am to finishing my degree. Right now I am not. I choose to recognize what I have right now as special. It is a privilege. There are few people who get the opportunity to be exposed to the depth of knowledge presented before me. I do not want to wish away my time here so I can hurry up and be done with it. I did that too much in my undergraduate experience. I took it for granted and did not fully expose myself to the once in a lifetime opportunities to expand my world. I realize that graduating is important to celebrate as an accomplishment, but I am not going to spend my whole time here looking forward to finishing. I am going to spend my time here soaking up all the chances to learn that I can. So please do not tell me how ready you are to graduate. Tell me something that you learned recently. Tell me how your world is being expanded and how God is shaping you. If you are getting none of these, why are you here after all? A piece of paper? I realize the importance of getting a degree to get into the "real world" to make a difference. The requirement of the degree is there for a purpose. All I am saying is to take advantage of the privilege set before you to learn.

I AM NOT IMPRESSED

I have been thinking lately about busyness. I think that the way people most try to show their importance is to tell someone how busy they are. I always hear the answer "staying busy" to questions about what is new with them. Sometimes people just come out and say "I am so busy" as a way of trying to impress other people. If you are planning on impressing me please do not tell me how busy you are. Instead, tell me how well you manage your time so you can spend time with your family, serve God, and rest your body properly. Tell me how you make sacrifices to cut things out of your life. That would impress me. Some people are busier than others. There are people with many more responsibilities than me. I am still not impressed by the fact that someone is busy, so please do not tell me that and expect me to be impressed. Prioritizing things in your life is much more impressive to me. Maybe this is easy for me to say since I currently do not have as many responsibilities as other people. Maybe I am just lazy. It could be that I am on to something. What if everyone slowed down and prioritized, cut things out of life that do not have to be there (have to would need to be taken for what it really means)? I wonder what that would be like. It would probably impress me more than hearing about being too busy.