Check Your Lettuce

Do you ever get really excited about making some food, then start to make it only to realize you don't have everything or something you do have is bad?

Well I haven't. At least not recently. That's because my wife makes my food. I did have something happen tonight that made me upset at the world, though. I didn't curse God and die, nor did my wife suggest such a thing, but I certainly cursed the quality of produce that is sold along the Gulf Coast of Florida.

See, what happened was that she made me a BLT. I love BLT's, especially the B part. I helped her cook the B, though, because she doesn't know how to cook it very well (men know how to cook red meat better just naturally I think). Anyway, after compiling the said sandwich components into one beautiful piece of art, I took a delicious bite with glee... only to find out that the lettuce tasted like... oh... how do you say... crap! Our lettuce, bought within the last few days, was bad! This made me angry to no end. After punching a hole in the wall and killing a homeless guy, I calmed down, took the lettuce out, and enjoyed my BT. My wife was quite helpful in calming me down, and the sandwich itself wasn't too bad. I did learn a lesson, though. The whole endeavor has taught me to, as the old wise saying goes, check your lettuce before you make your BLT.

Dang It!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... Crap!

Maniacal Muslims

Mahmood Ahmadinejad, the leader of Iran, spoke at the UN tonight. I've never heard such blatant lies and BS from a "respected" international leader. I couldn't find a transcript of his most recent speech, but this seems to be a common conclusion that he uses (this is from a 2005 speech to the UN):

Oh mighty Lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace. Oh Lord, include us among his companions, followers and those who serve his cause.

Hmmm... He is either refering to Christ, or someone else who sets up himself as Christ... Interesting.

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On another note, there has been a coup in Buddhist Thailand. Here's one thing you probably haven't heard: Did you know that the leader of the coup, the head of the Army, is a Muslim? I found that interesting. Read more here.

The Perfect Wife

What do you all think of this advice from decades ago? It was sent to me by a friend from college. If you click on the picture you should be able to read it. Otherwise, you can get it here.



I myself am disgusted by our society's destruction of male-female roles and tend to think that this advice has more good than bad. I think women would be amazed at the type of treatment they would receive from their husbands, children, and other men by following this. I want to know your thoughts, though, because it is very politically incorrect (it was actually posted in a humor section).

Pope on Islam

UPDATE: There has been violence over this issue, now, in response to what the pope said. Michelle Malkin's blog has a good article on the story.

"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
- Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus

This is a quote the pope used in a speech in Germany regarding how Western science and philosophy has divorced itself from faith. You can read more about it here or here. He "went on to say that violent conversion to Islam was contrary to reason and thus 'contrary to God's nature.'"

This has ruffled a lot of feathers, especially in the Islamic world. Here are a few of the responses:

"I don’t think the church should point a finger at extremist activities in other religions..."

"I call on all Arab and Islamic states to recall their ambassadors from the Vatican and expel those from the Vatican until the pope says he is sorry for the wrong done to the prophet and to Islam, which preaches peace, tolerance, justice and equality..."

"The pope’s statement is highly irresponsible... The concept of jihad is not to spread Islam with the sword."

None of the responses, however, address the pope's concerns. No one responded saying, "you know what, this radical form of Islam that is being practiced ever since our inception has made people think our religion is violent. Let's seek to improve relations with others such as the pope in order to show them that we don't believe our religion to be violent."

No. That kind of response might make Islam not look violent. Rather, the response was one of putting blame on the pope for not reaching out to Muslims, as if all problems fell on his shoulders.

Oh, here are some more reasoned responses from Muslims (found here):

"At least one Muslim leader, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the chief cleric of New Delhi’s Jama Masjid, India’s largest mosque, urged Muslims to 'respond in a manner which forces the Pope to apologise [sic]'. He did not elaborate."

"'These Christians are all infidels. Benedict himself is an infidel and a blind man. Doesn’t he see that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places were waged by Christians?' another worshipper said."

Wow. You've really proved the pope wrong. Maybe you should go kill people over it. I mean, it was done over cartoons. Oh, and good job doing the exact same thing you criticize the pope of doing. I mean, calling Christians infidels really gets 'em right back. Oh wait, I'm being sarcastic.

Islam has a very large problem with violence, and has since its inception. It is a religion of violence because its adherents are violent. Until it is willing to acknowledge its own problems, Muslims need to stop taking the victim mentality and blaming their problems on others. Here's hoping this religion can change from the inside...

Inteligince

Rosie O'Donnell, the well-known expert on Western history and culture, has made some news recently with her comments that "radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam". Well, obviously. Read about it here.

War

This is a day late. I didn't initially mean that on purpose, but in retrospect now I do. This is not a remembrance of 9/11. This is a remembrance of the war we are currently in. Radical Islamists attacked the United States 5 years ago. They did not attack as a foreign army. They did not focus on military targets. They did not attack over land dispute. They did not attack because of politics. They attacked because they hate us. They attacked because they cannot live in a world where everyone isn't a Muslim. They focused and attacked unarmed civilians - daddies, mommies, sons, daughters, acquaintances, best friends, grandpa and grandma, grandchildren... They are evil. Their ideology is evil. They declared war on us. And we are now at war with them. Disagree with tactics or strategy if you like. It does not change that we are at war.

To remember what these people did, here are some pictures of what happened. Do not forget what they did. Do not give up the fight for justice. We will win if our resolve is strong. Evil will be defeated. This is evil and we have been called to fight it. That task which God has given us must not be taken lightly. We must not give up. "Never, never, never give up." - Winston Churchill








Remember this picture. This is what evil does. Evil killed this innocent person - this daddy or mommy, or perhaps just someone's best friend. Remember them. And remember what evil does.

Nostalgia

Ecclesiastes 7:10:

Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions.

In light of my previous post, I've been feeling very nostalgic recently. It becomes very depressing, in fact, since the focus is on what has happened - events that cannot be regained regardless of one's efforts. I found this verse in Ecclesiastes a couple years ago and found it particularly insightful. I like the version I found in my wife's bible (NLT):

Don't long for "the good old days," for you don't know whether they were any better than today.

I find it's true that we tend to forget the bad things of the past (maybe not the really bad things - but most of the "normal" bad things we do forget), and cling onto our good experiences when we aren't enjoying the present moments. This can be quite disorienting, and intellectually dishonest, to say the least. I remember a time early on in college where I was motivated beyond measure to do many things - mostly politically oriented. I loved my life at that time. The problem is that I tend to forget that, one, it came as a result of a very hard (for me, at least) breakup with my first real girlfriend, and, two, during that time my grades suffered severely. So while I felt good, my life really wasn't that great. God used that time of my life to prepare me for the next step, not to keep me where I was. When I truly analyze it, I wouldn't want to be back there, even though I have many feelings of fondness for that time.

The point is that dwelling on the past because you miss it is a futile task, and brings no benefit to anyone. Both the ESV and NASB translate the second line in the verse as,

For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

Perhaps I'm seeking happiness by remembering past experiences. But unless I'm trying to gain wisdom in this, I'm wasting my time. Remembering the past is good only so far as it affects the future.

The bible clearly states that all things will be brought into account, whether good or bad. All things of the past will be dealt with appropriately so that all may "move on", so to say. Although God is obviously concerned that we understand and know the past (case in point: the bible has a bit of history in it), he means it for both his and our good, so that we may learn and grow (Romans 15:4).

So I should probably stop reminiscing. It's not good. But I do miss things of the past. And that can be hard to get over, especially if one feels lonely and discouraged in the present.

In Search of Happiness

I've been really sick over the last 2.5 weeks or so. I keep going to the doctors, they keep giving me different stuff, none of it works, and I keep suffering. Anyway, being sick means you can't do much. It also means you're in a lot of pain. I hate being sick.

I'm not asking for sympathy. I write this because I have nothing else to do and have a need to lament. I've been pondering more the meaninglessness of life the last few days. For some reason I've been really nostalgic too. It's kind of sad, to be honest. I even set my mind on eternal things, but even that seems meaningless.

It seems that the end in life is to be happy - this in regards to both earth and heaven. The more I experience life, the more the ultimatum "do what makes you happy" seems like a good rule to live by. [Added on 06 Sept] I think that's why Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that God has given us an inalienable right to pursue happiness. I don't mean hedonism, in the sense of what makes you happy now. I mean what makes you happy in general. The writer of Ecclesiastes writes:

Ecclesiastes 3:22:

So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20:

Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

Ecclesiastes 8:15:

So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.

I somehow find solace in reading Ecclesiastes. Misery loves company, I guess. When we seek happiness, we have motivation for doing good. As Dennis Prager has said, the 9-11 terrorists were not happy people.

So I'm currently in a rut because I'm not happy, and I find little value in seeking it out, because even that seems meaningless. As I searched Scripture for wisdom, I also found this verse:

Ecclesiastes 7:3:

Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.

That makes sense. Laughter is often a distraction from reality. Laughter isn't true happiness; it is temporal happiness. To seek happiness is not to seek laughter. It is better for the heart to acknowledge reality than to be flung around by emotion.

Ecclesiastes 2:2:

"Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?"

Proverbs 14:13:

Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.

So I shouldn't seek laughter or, rather, temporary joys. I should seek what makes me happy. The problem is that nothing really does make me happy, because everything seems meaningless. In the world's eyes I have everything: a high level of education, a stable and exciting job, an amazing wife, a loving family... I should be happy, but life still seems meaningless. That is really the crux of the whole problem. Seeking happiness only masks the reality that even that is meaningless (see Ecc. 5:20 above).

I originally titled this entry A Meaningless Life. But I thought a better title would be In Search of Happiness, since I would rather just forget about the meaninglessness of life anyway.