miscellany
Did you know that sulfur's historical name is "brimstone"? Hence the "fire and brimstone" of Hell -- it isn't just fire; it's stinky fire. (It's also chemical element #16 in the periodic table. Thank you, 2012 "The Elements" Engagement Calendar.)
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We humans are funny (or perhaps it is just me... I shouldn't overgeneralize and drag the rest of humanity down with me)... no matter how hazardous we know certain practices can be for us, we tend to indulge over and over again. For me, the indulgence of concern at present is Facebook. I enjoy seeing what friends and family are up to, but as a person with lifelong insecurity and inferiority issues I am constantly pulled down into time-sucking anxiety and over-analysis.
Nobody "liked" my current status... what does that mean? Am I a colossal dork? Unintentionally conceited? Simply unloved? Unapproved of by some entity or group?
Someone "defriended" me... what should I take from that? Have they defriended other people? Is this a personal commentary, and if so, upon what? What did I do? What did I say? Am I simply so lame they can no longer stand to be in my digital company?
Absolutely ridiculous, I realize. I've contemplated deleting my account completely, but I enjoy seeing photos of other peoples' kids (and, let's be honest, sharing my own). I have appreciated coming back into contact with some truly wonderful people I knew in high school or college, and with far-flung family. Also, the life of a writer and part-time instructor can be awfully lonely, and it's comforting sometimes to feel a connection.
How does one fling out the bathwater and still maintain the baby? I'm not sure I know, but I do know it needs to happen if I am to live in the life-giving confidence of one who knows that I am a beloved child of God. If Facebook is my demon, other people likely have different but equally frustrating nemeses... I'm curious to hear if you have strategies for dealing with them.
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I've been reading some of the writing of the late Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR) in preparation for a senior seminar lecture I'm delivering this afternoon. Hatfield was a deeply religious, intensely thoughtful politician with a gift for expressing a challenging and exciting vision of Christian service in the wider world. He was a strident critic of the United States' war in Vietnam (my focus in the lecture), but he had a lot to say about peace and justice more generally. I found the following quote to be especially inspiring, though there are many (perhaps I'll share a few more in coming days):
"Our responsibility is to bear witness to the love of God through Christ. This is a mission of peace, and we are under the call of God to fulfill it. In this task we must not be bound by rigid categories of what is a spiritual message and what is a social action. We cannot build a barrier between theological issues and social questions."
--Mark Hatfield, speaking at the "Pentagon Pulpit" weekly gathering on October 15, 1969, which was "Moratorium Day," and published in Conflict and Conscience (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1971).
*****
We humans are funny (or perhaps it is just me... I shouldn't overgeneralize and drag the rest of humanity down with me)... no matter how hazardous we know certain practices can be for us, we tend to indulge over and over again. For me, the indulgence of concern at present is Facebook. I enjoy seeing what friends and family are up to, but as a person with lifelong insecurity and inferiority issues I am constantly pulled down into time-sucking anxiety and over-analysis.
Nobody "liked" my current status... what does that mean? Am I a colossal dork? Unintentionally conceited? Simply unloved? Unapproved of by some entity or group?
Someone "defriended" me... what should I take from that? Have they defriended other people? Is this a personal commentary, and if so, upon what? What did I do? What did I say? Am I simply so lame they can no longer stand to be in my digital company?
Absolutely ridiculous, I realize. I've contemplated deleting my account completely, but I enjoy seeing photos of other peoples' kids (and, let's be honest, sharing my own). I have appreciated coming back into contact with some truly wonderful people I knew in high school or college, and with far-flung family. Also, the life of a writer and part-time instructor can be awfully lonely, and it's comforting sometimes to feel a connection.
How does one fling out the bathwater and still maintain the baby? I'm not sure I know, but I do know it needs to happen if I am to live in the life-giving confidence of one who knows that I am a beloved child of God. If Facebook is my demon, other people likely have different but equally frustrating nemeses... I'm curious to hear if you have strategies for dealing with them.
*****
I've been reading some of the writing of the late Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR) in preparation for a senior seminar lecture I'm delivering this afternoon. Hatfield was a deeply religious, intensely thoughtful politician with a gift for expressing a challenging and exciting vision of Christian service in the wider world. He was a strident critic of the United States' war in Vietnam (my focus in the lecture), but he had a lot to say about peace and justice more generally. I found the following quote to be especially inspiring, though there are many (perhaps I'll share a few more in coming days):
"Our responsibility is to bear witness to the love of God through Christ. This is a mission of peace, and we are under the call of God to fulfill it. In this task we must not be bound by rigid categories of what is a spiritual message and what is a social action. We cannot build a barrier between theological issues and social questions."
--Mark Hatfield, speaking at the "Pentagon Pulpit" weekly gathering on October 15, 1969, which was "Moratorium Day," and published in Conflict and Conscience (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1971).
Hi Laura :) Facebook (and all social network platforms - I am using Twitter more now) - can have a negative impact on us - especially when we begin to analyse what things really mean! It can take us on a downward spiral as we read too much into things and jump to wrong conclusions. I can't say I have a strategy to cope with it really - I usually talk my concerns through with someone - and that usually helps - especially if I think they might ask me how things are going! If I don't seem to be able to find the right balance - I pull the plug for a while - and refill after a break! Not sure that would work for everyone though!
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to know this is something others deal with, also. :-)
ReplyDelete