Techno Waif Ramblings

What is love? (Why do I even find myself thinking about this?) I mean its not like it should be all that complicated. I rather like the thought of keeping it simplistic, and keeping love as love, but then which love am I really talking about? Do I have what it takes essentially to profess the real form of self-sacrificing love for anyone? Or will I stumble and fall. I mean, philia, the format of love that deals with friendship, yeah, that’s easy. I can pass into that form of caring rather quickly, but to step into the danger zone of agape love, the format of love that Jesus most exemplified, yeah right.

The problem is expressing the forms of love in English. I can’t even properly do it in Japanese. Something in me, screams that I should express philia in words in English… but who can really turn to their buddies (either male or female) and say “I love you guys” ? I mean, do you realize how completely facetious that sounds? Or on the other hand it could be misinterpreted in various ways as a form of sexual attraction which can and should be differentiated from eros, which is the format of love pertaining specificially to the human experience of romance. Romance, of course, is not wholly devoid of a sexual love, but far from being the focus, it acts a singular aspect of Love (eros).

So, I guess what it comes to is this: English cramps my style. Seriously, the greeks had philia(friends), agape(sacrificial), eros(romantic) and storge (I like pizza). All we’ve got is “Love” and “like”. Oh and most of the time it is typical to use Love the same way we use “like”, so we effectively only have one way of expressing love. Does it come down to a need for actions to speak louder than words? I hope not, there just has to be a way to express it.

I propose a modification of a certain quote:
The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians
Who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and are armed by their lifestyles.
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.

That is only slightly different from the original but I think it emphasizes more the onus for consistency and example to come from us Christians. We are armed by our lifestyles in the true mantra of St. Francis: preach always, when necessary use words. A teaching well reflected in 1 Peter 3:15.

What it comes down to is this.
φιλια We need to love our friends (philia)
στοργε We need to let go of our love of things (storge)
αγαπε We need to die to ourselves and live for God (agape)
εροσ We need to love otherworldly based in our walk in this life (eros)

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends; 1 Cor 13:4-8 (All of these “Loves” are Agape)

Then note that this is Jesus’ most explicit commandment:
John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
But what you don’t know because of English is that He is asking us to (Agape) love. Meaning he is asking us to sacrifice for others, not just (philia) love. He did it on the cross for all of us, maybe we can too learn to take up our yoke. After all, He tells us that His “yoke is easy and (his) burden light.” (Matt 11:30)

Go and set the World on Fire. /_0\/3 4/_/_

I think I got it memorized...

あなたがたの抱いている希望について
説明を要求する人にはいつでも
弁明できるように備えていなさい。
　　　ぺトロ　一　　３：１５

I actually don't know what I planned to write today at all. I just think this verse sums up a lot of what I've been wondering about, but it is elaborated just as well in a DC Talk song:

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today
Is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips
Then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle.
That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

Our examples must be a shining light.

Go and set the world on Fire

Angry Figure

Just one short thing on Anger and Figs. Apparently, a non-fruit bearing fig tree can be justifiably the victim of righteous wrath.

Seriously, can anybody read the story of the Fig tree and completely understand it the first time? I mean, it makes you wonder which side of the bed Jesus got up on that day? It's just a fig tree! Don't you think he over-reacted? Not really...

Matt 21:18-19 "In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside he went to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once."

Our preconceptions, I think are, of course, the problem. We hear fig tree and we think we know about trees so we think we understand. In this case, we imagine an object as "only a fig tree" when really it symbolizes something more. Perhaps it is obvious to some but given the general sub-theme concerning Jesus' condemnation of Israel as unfaithful and unfruitful, do you think this might be relevant? I think so, and following a hunch, I found something interesting.

Figs are the flowers of the tree. They aren't the fruit, the vegetable or the nut. Although, they kinda are the seeds... This only matters because my experience has shown me that flowers grow alongside the leaves on deciduous plants. The fig tree just happens to be deciduous too. Fig tree pictures on the net also seem to confirm this theory.

Although, having never grown a fig tree, I really can't confirm or deny this, but I suspect that seeing a fig tree with leaves on it is the same as seeing it in some stage of bearing fruit. If that was the case then seeing a fig tree with leaves but no fruit, not even budding ones or, as in this case, just leaves alone would have been exceptionally unusual. It would be much like encountering "God's chosen people" and instead of seeing people turned towards God, encountering people who have hardened their hearts. Which is, of course, the main message here.

Although the following verses do certainly show that faith can kill fig trees just as effectively as it can move mountains. (tongue in cheek guys, tongue in cheek!)

Be the spark, Go and set the world Ablaze.

Change over?

To grow is to change: To be perfect is to change often
~Cardinal Newman

I forget which great philosopher it was that foolishly tried to define humanity as "change," but while he was obviously off the mark, he was definitely on to something. Change exists as an important factor in our lives. However, it is not what we are, but what we do. I mean, just think about how much you have changed just recently. Can you even imagine how you would go about explaining that you are the same person you were ten years ago? However, that's just it, you are the same entity but at the same time very different.

I love the above Cardinal Newman quote, but because it can easily be misconstrued, I would add but one thing to it: Change for the better, not change for change's sake!!

Custom without truth is just old error.
~Cyprian

Which is, of course, to say that Custom with truth is only eternal reality..

But from this it must follow that I extrapolate to the Bible. After all, even the beginning church experienced its own pains from change. One such example is found in Acts. Read if you will, Acts 2:44-45 "And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. "

What? When? How? Out of context, doesn't it sound like a bunch of socialists?

Then read Acts 6:1-6. Shortened version: Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists murmured against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.... "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ...we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit... and they prayed and laid their hands upon them.

I don't know about you, but some sort of movement from an initial small community sharing everything to a more role-oriented community seems to have occurred here.

Do one thing every day that scares you.
~Baz Lermin

I'm sorry but just thinking about what kind of things this quote might inspire me do actually scares me. So, I think that means that I have done my that scares me for today. I'll have to now think about something I can actually do tomorrow.

Life is a bridge. Cross over it, but build no house on it.
~ Indian Proverb

Positively, the best advice you could get for a Christian from a secular source. Just think, it is as simple as LUKE, one, two, three, four (12:34) "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. " Life is simply fleeting, and therefore the focus must be beyond this world.

Still dabbling with pilot lights? Go and set the world Ablaze, already!

(FYI: The above non-biblical quotes were taken from the book "God, I have issues")

Something Burns

I think I slipped up
I should have stepped down,
instead I stepped up.
Lost without a sound

Trying to make out the words
is like catching live birds.
They float, they flitter, they splat.
it's pitter patter pat.

I think I fell down
I should have stood up
instead I sat down
Lost into the ground

Something fell from the blue sky
What is that I do spy?
Images twist, criss and cross
For words, I'm at a loss

I think I woke up
I should have slid by
Instead I froze up
Lost without a sigh

Something red burns around me
From it I can not flee
A pilot light, sparks, wanes, bursts
Maybe this is the worst

I think I failed hard
I should have gone next
Instead I hit hard
Lost without the text

Trying to escape the sand
I can not see my hand
Effervescent, float, rise, sink
Vanish into the drink

I think I started left
I should have thought right
Instead I turned left
Lost without a fight

A beat from within my soul
something cries, "It was stole--"
Internal mind, thump, bump, blaze
so begins happy days.

~ NoR3450N ~