The Real You

Life is like the Matrix, do you really know who you are sometimes?

I think we are being lied to about as much as person can be living in a media generation (ie: tv, radio, internet, billboards). Yes you heard it here, advertising is basically a fresh spin on lying. Plus the news, the news is basically spinning stories into someone’s perspectives, more lies if you will. We’re being lied to from every direction it’s really getting tough to make a conscience choice on what is true and what is fabricated.

News flash: It’s basically all fabricated. The reality is you are living in a media savvy world that is hell bent on having you ‘believe’ whatever ‘they’ say (‘they’ meaning whatever channel your watching). ‘They’ being basically whoever has the money to do such things.

Hmmm, is global warming real? Hmmm, is Islam really that terrible? Hmmm, are these pills safe for consumption? Hmmm, is the food I eat healthy? Hmmm, is this plastic bottle safe to drink out of? Hmmm…everything has to be questioned because were being lied to sooooo much these days.

I blame Capitalism for this idiotic mess. He with the most money may speak the loudest, may not be true but they can speak the loudest and most often. Truth is, the more often you hear something the more apt you are to accept the idea. We need a god-damn breakthough.

Like the Matrix! You need to realize the world in front of your eyes is largely based on lies. Behind it there is something that is ‘actual’ and ‘real’ and ‘honest’ and ‘true’…but you must search for that because ‘they’ aren’t giving that piece of land up very quickly.

Your Mind.

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Beyond the Scars…

Is a human being.

I was writing on Naked Pastor’s site about some previous experiences in life and used the phrase ‘beyond the scars’…I like that.

The idea is that we all have some hurt and pain to deal with and go through. But is the scar going to be someone’s defining feature? I like scars to be honest. But scars show us something happened at some point in someone’s life…it left a memory. Pain and hurt is like that, except inside of our beings. They leave a trail of memories behind them as well.

Question is – is there more for us ‘beyond the scars’?

War on Christmas?

Apparently there is some kind of war on Christmas or something.

Reality check coming.

Who cares. There are 2 real wars happening in Iraq and Afghanistan where human beings like you and I are being tortured, killed, and mentally broken. Real suffering, real angiush, real bullets.

So wrap that present, listen to the Christmas carols, and enjoy the egg-nog…because whatever war there is on Christmas it’s media BS.

Lost God.

Does God get lost in our constructs? Our pathways? Our institutional guidelines? Is there even a God to find after we get through with assembling our institutions dedicated to Him?

I have found some of what I am questioning here to be at the heart of the matter concerning faith in God.

Churches, for example, have pretty intricate systems that define how one can reach God. There are services, prayer meetings, communion, tent meetings, revivals, many sets of rules by which one must live by, altar calls, etc. But is this God’s plan or just some churches way to make sense of God? Does church replace God at some point?

Is the search for truth impeded by the simplicity of the church? God is losing some mystery in churches. He’s figured out. There is no secrecy to God. He cannot be seen, nor has He been, but somehow the church has developed a whole system by which He can be totally accessed. Is this a joke or something?

I think we lost God. We have church.

5 Years of Blogging

I have been blogging for 5 years this month (started this trip in Dec 2005).

What I love about blogging is the personal interaction with people from a variety of backgrounds – and getting that feedback about some of the things you think and believe. Doing this for 5 years has helped me to change a lot of my views via questioning and research.

People don’t realize how secluded they are from the larger world outside them. Until social networking exploded. Blogging is part of that social networking. I also love facebook because of much of these same reasons – interaction on ideas.

I don’t have any plans to stop blogging, for me it is very therapuetic…reminds me of writing music (ie: in its inherent creativity). Plus, I love talking about faith/religion and where it fits in community…fact is most churches wouldn’t have me speak if they wanted to (ie: too much of a rebel and don’t believe many of the same tenets). This is my outlet.

Determination of Ethics

My brother has been writing a great piece on this and it’s intrigued me.

I have ethics that I live by and I use a formula something like this to determine them:

Situation – bounced off biblical ideal – mixed with pragmatic 21st century solution – based in experiences that have worked prior.

Ethic: “also known as moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice, etc.” (taken from Wikipedia – Ethics).

I think we all develop an ethic of some sort that works for us.

How do we determine our ethics? What are key pieces that determine your ethics.

This might be my subject for 2011 I am thinking.

Christmas Season is here!

I put the Christmas tree up yesterday and watched Inception – Christmas season is officially here!

For me, Christmas is kind of about the day of Christmas, the giving and recieving – the feeling of happiness that’s all part of that exchange – it’s very child-like and I hope to never change. I also like the holidays since people seem to be in brighter spirits this time of year…and nothing wrong with some holidays and nog.

What do these holidays mean to you?