...A monk is supposed to give up the idea of possessing anything, and, in this culture, that includes women. Ideally, in giving up the sexual pursuit of women, the male celibate learns to relate to them as human beings...I've seen young monks astonish an obese and homely college student by listening to her with as much interest and respect as to her conventionally pretty roommate. (The Cloister Walk)
Being single isn't easy. But particularly for a Christian young man who wants to exude the spirit of Christ in all his relationships. As I was reading a chapter in The Cloister Walk I was astonished by Norris's candid remarks on the differences between celibate monks and your average Joe. Monks come off as genuine, concerned, and interested whereas average Joes come off as seeking a goal, be it a long lasting monagamous relationship or more likely, sex.
You see, the thing is, its easy to be like the Average Joe. If you walk into a group of people, you most naturally are going to gravitate to the most engaging or attractive person and want to join their conversation or become a part of their group. It is more difficult to seek out the hurting, the emotionally needy, or those who don't seem quite as exotic.
My desire is to be more like the monks, who are easily approachable and refreshingly enjoyable no matter who engages them, or who they engage in conversation. I continuously try to make an effort to talk to everyone, no matter their appearance or popularity. Yet that isn't always easy, and it is something I have to continually battle everytime I am in a group of large people. However my natural inclinations feel amazingly transparent when I do try to talk to everyone.
The thing that is difficult about monks is that it appears that they have actually controlled their inner desires and stripped away the superficialities in their hearts and minds. That is a point I have yet to achieve, and something that will take a long time to arrive at. But it is a battle I want to win and one I will continually be actively engaged in. Tarry on!
11.13.2005
11.08.2005
Wooing the Ladies with the English Language
Language took on a whole new dimension once I went to Japan. I now can almost visually see words and sentences coming together, much as if I was regularly partaking of LSD. I also had plenty of downtime while waiting to go to work, so I read some fairly decent novels including Brothers Karamazov and Great Expectations. Both of these books convinced me that peasants in Russia and England respectively have far greater vocabularies then I do, not to mention a firm grasp on poetry and being bi or trilingual to boot.
So anyways, in an attempt to advance myself, or at least prepare for the GRE, I attempt to use the best possible word I can muster when ever talking to someone. Generally this probably makes me look like I am a bit slow rather than remarkably brilliant, but perhaps diction proficiency only improves with time.
This got me to wondering, at 5:45 this morning, does this impress females? Will I be able to woo them with my firm grasp of vernacular? In a time of sadness would they rather hear "I am so sorry" or would they be much better soothed with words like, "Woe is you in this hour of dark despair." Personally the latter would send me in the throes of the dashing young gentleman who used such words, but alas, I am not female and certainly not Lizza Bennett.
Ladies, please, provide me with some insight into your minds so I will know how better to sweep you off your feet!
So anyways, in an attempt to advance myself, or at least prepare for the GRE, I attempt to use the best possible word I can muster when ever talking to someone. Generally this probably makes me look like I am a bit slow rather than remarkably brilliant, but perhaps diction proficiency only improves with time.
This got me to wondering, at 5:45 this morning, does this impress females? Will I be able to woo them with my firm grasp of vernacular? In a time of sadness would they rather hear "I am so sorry" or would they be much better soothed with words like, "Woe is you in this hour of dark despair." Personally the latter would send me in the throes of the dashing young gentleman who used such words, but alas, I am not female and certainly not Lizza Bennett.
Ladies, please, provide me with some insight into your minds so I will know how better to sweep you off your feet!
11.06.2005
The Cloister Walk
This month the MRCC Singles' book club is reading a book called The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris. Norris was the inaugural speaker at the McBride faith and literature lectures and she was unbelievably good. There are times that words almost seem to take visible form where they are just floating around the room and connecting together in pleasing and easily comprehensible structures. Listening to her that night was one of those experiences and thus fellow book clubee Melissa Shumate and I decided that she would make a great read.
And indeed she has. Amongst other things she has inspired me to become a monk! Ok, well I probably won't become a monk but a life that's day to day moments are dedicated to living and experiencing God and His son is inspirational. I really do think that if I find myself single at around 35 I will join a monastery for a few years just to gain the enlightenment that comes from that experience.
One of the things I've learned from a mere sixty pages of reading is that monasteries aren't self-encased safe havens that totally remove an individual from the world. Monks, and nuns for that matter, are truly trying to live lifes separate from worldly pleasures yet they still make an evangelical impact on those that come to contact with them. I think too often in the past I have written them off as living in a bubble and not in touch with the world they live in. However I think this is great ignorance on my part, and there is more to this lifestyle then I originally thought.
I sometimes wonder if those of us who live in the world try to have the best of both worlds. Work with me because this is an idea still in development and not fully thought out. But we are blessed with so many worldly pleasures in America and become so busy and distracted with entertainment, technology, and activities that we spend less and less time actually focusing on God. Yet we at the same time try to bring God back into those crowded spaces and attempt to be "spiritual." I'm not sure you can actually do both.
Perhaps thats why we try to impose spiritualism on our society and why we focus on things like morality so often as opposed to a relationship with God. Morality is not always tied to righteousness, or for that matter, spirituality, but we figure that as long as we are doing right then we are being spiritual. And if we lead others to have to live by our moral code we are fighting the war against the evil powers that exist in this world all the while forgetting to focus more and more on God and less on ourselves and this world.
More rambling will ensue from this book, but as I'm just starting it I wanted to give you some insight into what Kathleen has to say. If some of these thoughts seem strange or off the wall, remember, she's a poet! I blame it on all these artistic people for being not so systematic in my theology!
And indeed she has. Amongst other things she has inspired me to become a monk! Ok, well I probably won't become a monk but a life that's day to day moments are dedicated to living and experiencing God and His son is inspirational. I really do think that if I find myself single at around 35 I will join a monastery for a few years just to gain the enlightenment that comes from that experience.
One of the things I've learned from a mere sixty pages of reading is that monasteries aren't self-encased safe havens that totally remove an individual from the world. Monks, and nuns for that matter, are truly trying to live lifes separate from worldly pleasures yet they still make an evangelical impact on those that come to contact with them. I think too often in the past I have written them off as living in a bubble and not in touch with the world they live in. However I think this is great ignorance on my part, and there is more to this lifestyle then I originally thought.
I sometimes wonder if those of us who live in the world try to have the best of both worlds. Work with me because this is an idea still in development and not fully thought out. But we are blessed with so many worldly pleasures in America and become so busy and distracted with entertainment, technology, and activities that we spend less and less time actually focusing on God. Yet we at the same time try to bring God back into those crowded spaces and attempt to be "spiritual." I'm not sure you can actually do both.
Perhaps thats why we try to impose spiritualism on our society and why we focus on things like morality so often as opposed to a relationship with God. Morality is not always tied to righteousness, or for that matter, spirituality, but we figure that as long as we are doing right then we are being spiritual. And if we lead others to have to live by our moral code we are fighting the war against the evil powers that exist in this world all the while forgetting to focus more and more on God and less on ourselves and this world.
More rambling will ensue from this book, but as I'm just starting it I wanted to give you some insight into what Kathleen has to say. If some of these thoughts seem strange or off the wall, remember, she's a poet! I blame it on all these artistic people for being not so systematic in my theology!
10.31.2005
I Love DOS
Blogs are amazing. Some blogs clue you in to ever so helpful information as to what type of food the blogger ate today and whether or not they walked their dog. You might also get stunning insights into their favorite color as well if you are lucky and check back often. Other blogs are much deeper and tap into spiritual, philosophical or even political musings. And then you come upon a blog ever so rare as to wonder what the person behind the keyboard is actually like. I encounted one of the blogs last week and have been going back regularly ever since.
The name of the blog? DOS. Now some of you may have never heard of DOS, and thats ok. Our wonderful friend, who we will call Marvin henceforth (I hate to genderize a person but I think it is pretty safe to assume that this writer is a male), has provided us a wonderful synopsis of DOS as his first post. And the posts just get better and better from there.
The question that comes to my mind is whether Marvin is pulling our leg, or is he really and truly this cool? This is a guy I'd like to go out with on a Friday night, as I'm sure a majority of my female readers would too and perhaps fight me for that very right. I mean, it is hard to keep up with M-Dawg because he always informing us of some new and unheard of feature in DOS. Simply incredible!
That's it for today. I just wanted to pay tribute to a truly awe inspiring blog. I am not nearly as worthy of my piece of internet real estate as Marvin has proven himself to be in just a week's worth of writing. Keep up the good work my comrade!
The name of the blog? DOS. Now some of you may have never heard of DOS, and thats ok. Our wonderful friend, who we will call Marvin henceforth (I hate to genderize a person but I think it is pretty safe to assume that this writer is a male), has provided us a wonderful synopsis of DOS as his first post. And the posts just get better and better from there.
The question that comes to my mind is whether Marvin is pulling our leg, or is he really and truly this cool? This is a guy I'd like to go out with on a Friday night, as I'm sure a majority of my female readers would too and perhaps fight me for that very right. I mean, it is hard to keep up with M-Dawg because he always informing us of some new and unheard of feature in DOS. Simply incredible!
That's it for today. I just wanted to pay tribute to a truly awe inspiring blog. I am not nearly as worthy of my piece of internet real estate as Marvin has proven himself to be in just a week's worth of writing. Keep up the good work my comrade!
10.29.2005
Three Days and then let the Greetings Ring!
Less then three days away till November 1st. I think we all know what that means! Actually, I don't think that most of you do besides a few of my closest friends who have had to share in Christmas music bliss nearly a month longer then they'd like. You see, on November 1st, its Christmas season! Or at least in my mind it is!
For years I've struggled come the end of October to hold off to listening to my favorite genre of music. I believe it happened sometime in college that my roommates finally agreed upon November 1st being an acceptable day to start listening to Christmas music. And so each year I eagerly await the moment where I can blast Noel and We Three Kings from my computer. Just this morning I had to restrain from the urge of queuing up iTunes and blasting away a little Mannheim Steamroller.
One of the reasons I love Christmas music is because of a very special band, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Before I came into contact with TSO I was of the illusion that Christmas music had to be very sweet and melodic. Boy was I ever wrong! Noel sounds amazing to the tune of several rock guitars! Wow! This year, for the second year in a row, I will be attending their holiday concert and I am prepared to jam the holidays into existence once more!
So Merry Christmas everyone! And don't listen to those naysayers who would lead you to believe that we must wait till after Thanksgiving. Its just not right!
For years I've struggled come the end of October to hold off to listening to my favorite genre of music. I believe it happened sometime in college that my roommates finally agreed upon November 1st being an acceptable day to start listening to Christmas music. And so each year I eagerly await the moment where I can blast Noel and We Three Kings from my computer. Just this morning I had to restrain from the urge of queuing up iTunes and blasting away a little Mannheim Steamroller.
One of the reasons I love Christmas music is because of a very special band, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Before I came into contact with TSO I was of the illusion that Christmas music had to be very sweet and melodic. Boy was I ever wrong! Noel sounds amazing to the tune of several rock guitars! Wow! This year, for the second year in a row, I will be attending their holiday concert and I am prepared to jam the holidays into existence once more!
So Merry Christmas everyone! And don't listen to those naysayers who would lead you to believe that we must wait till after Thanksgiving. Its just not right!
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