I am sort of at a loss for words - again. I've been trying to
compile a list of New Year's Resolutions and it's beginning to feel sort of out
of control and forced. I'll leave you, rather, with some end of the year
thoughts - some things I feel it might be good to reflect on:
You have the time you make.
I often hear people say "I don't have
time for x. I wish I did,
it's really important to me." Obviously not. If x were
important to you, you would make time for it. What is eating up all of your
time, I wonder? Pointless conversations? Television you don't really want to
watch? Things you do out of habit rather than necessity? We make time for so
many unimportant things in our lives and yet we fail to see how we could
squeeze in things that are important. I, for instance, often bemoan the fact
that I don't read more. For some reason, it doesn't occur to me that I could
read a book in a few days if I were to work at it. Instead, I waste all my free
time goofing off on the internet. If we all collected the time we wasted and
pooled it together, we could probably cure cancer and have time for a cruise
before Easter. In the coming year, I hope to be more mindful of this.
You are what you do.
I may have mentioned that I was once a
Baptist G.A. In G.A.s, we learned about missionaries, both foreign and
domestic, and in Christian and non-Christian countries. In the early 90s, when
G.A.s was a big part of my life, we learned a whole lot about Lebanon, where
you could be killed for being a Christian. We were told that the missionaries
there could only witness through their actions. By living good Christian lives,
they shared the mission of the church and thereby spread their message.
Eventually, the locals would wonder what made these people act the way they
did, and when they started to ask questions, the missionaries could then share
the Bible with them. I am old and jaded and I'm not so sure that I think this
approach would work so well in missions, but I believe in the idea behind it -
that is, I think you should live your beliefs, whatever they are. While this
might be a slippery slope (Well, I believe in bigotry, so . . .), but I'm
willing to take that risk because I think if all the people who talk about
love, acceptance, social justice, equality, and helping the less fortunate did
more than talk about it, we would come home to a better world after our
"Yay! We Cured Cancer!" Cruise. And just in time for Easter, too. You
can talk about community all you want, but how often do you reach out to people
in your day to day life? Facebook is not an acceptable answer. This involves
being vulnerable.
Courage is a precious commodity.
I have lots of things to say about the
growing population of hipsters in this world, and none of them are good. The
hipster is defined by its love of irony which it uses like a shield. This is
because they are afraid to be authentic. I used to think that I was the coward
of the county because I have an aversion to anything that might prematurely end
my life. Furthermore, I run from conflict like the plague and I would rather
have a root canal than be criticized. I hate to fight and I only like other
people's drama, yet somehow I have managed to (mostly) stay squarely out of
hipsterdom. To me, authenticity, sincerity, and personal honesty are worth more
than money or gold. I truly appreciate a person who can be open and vulnerable
with me, and I try to be open and vulnerable with people as much as I can. I
think it's important to be honest and true to oneself. Maybe that's why I find
it so difficult to connect with people in my peer/age group. Being real is
scary. It takes courage - so they cloak themselves in irony. How did it happen
that I am really the courageous one? I'm not sure, but I know that I want to
keep pushing myself to be more courageous every day. I encourage you all to do
the same. The real you is so much more interesting than disingenuous irony. We'll crucify the insincere tonight
- We'll make things right - We'll feel it all tonight. Tonight so bright -
Tonight.
And now, for another FPNEPAC selection: The Counting Crows - Long December
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