Ever wonder what is wrong with the world? I do.
One fairly normal day, I'm coasting to an intersection. Coasting, because what is the point of accelerating? The light's about to turn switch to amber.... How do I know? Only 'cause I've driven this road before. You can't make it from the end of the previous light to this one. It's impossible. Unless of course you have no reservations about whizzing through a blind intersection ( buildings on both sides ) at double the speed limit. So I'm coasting.
Just like every other day, the light turns yellow and 4 seconds later, bright red. If no one is behind me, I can actually get to this light without hitting either the accelerator or grinding of a layer of my brake pads and rotor by riding the brake. Today there is someone behind me. Before taking the pressure of the gas pedal I try to match the speed of the person coming up behind me. He/she doesn't seem to be aware of the upcoming light change, or isn't aware that you don't actually HAVE to attain the maximum allowable speed limit in between red lights.
So we stop. Traffic isn't congested, but it is steady and moving. A driver directly in front of me sits waiting patiently, maybe too patiently not wanting to slip between the vehicles passing in the other direction even though there is more than enough room to allow the 2 seconds that the left turning vehicle would occupy their lane, even with plenty of margin. Oh well, their green is almost over, he will soon get his awaited, alloted window to safely clear the intersection. The flashing “Do Not Walk” warning broadcasting the countdown of the final few seconds.
When the lights to me left and right switch to amber in orchestrated syncronization, there are cars going in each direction obviously passing through without choice, but with an average safe stopping distance of 15 meters by current cars, the second car to go through after the yellow has chosen to enter on the yellow instead of stopping safely as required. Today, as most days 3 cars go through each way on the yellow despite seeing the car waiting with the “right of way”. Oh well, making others wait so they can wait at the next light seems like a fair trade.
Green light! Snapping out of the red light day dream, I'm aware of Mr. Maximum speed limit behind me I let my foot off the brake right away, but there is still the matter of the car attempting to make their left turn in front of us. Their assigned role in the intersection ballet at least temporarily postponed and now having to be played during the next act as the new group of drivers enter the stage.
Some of this act's players even happen to be pedestrians who have wandered up during my daydream. One of them, a kid probably heading over to a friend's house, eager to get there, steps off first as I start to roll as well. Another car! Hurtling at twice the speed limit, obviously preparing for this untimely streak several blocks earlier dodges right as a car trying to turn left enters his lane. His lunge to the right coincides precisely with the forward movement of the kid off the curb. Statistics show that hitting a person with a car going between 45 and 50km gives you a 73% liklihood of killing that person. A little bit faster and the chances quickly approach 100%.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Daniel versus Tyler
Daniel is given as a popular biblical example of the need for God's people to engage in society at all levels and in order to be a living example of a healthy relationship with God. In Daniel's example, he is able to successfully hang onto all those things he possesses, such as his identity, his ancestry, his God while at the same time completely immersing himself in the society in which he lived.
The movie "Fight Club" has 2 main characters; Jack and Tyler Durden.
Jack is “Ikea Boy”, consumer of all the things the world has to offer realizing that all his possesions do not help him sleep at night. Something that he is desparate to do. He's a “recall coordinator” in a “major” car manufacturer who calculates the cost of recalls versus the costs of lawsuits so the company can make the least expensive choiice for each defect found and he goes days without being able to sleep. He finally finds peace when sitting in on a testicular cancer support meeting. ( no he doesn't have cancer, but a doctor told him if he wanted to really see what pain is like, he should go )
He narates after his first session
“Then... something happened. I was lost in oblivion -- dark and silent and complete. I found freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.” He goes home and sleeps better than a baby and becomes addicted.
Within a few weeks he is attending support groups every night of the week.
“Every evening I died and every evening I was born again. Resurrected.”
Having dealt with his need for community, he is now faced with dealing with the problem of worldy possessions as his apartment condo explodes and everything he owns is thrown flaming to the ground 15 stories below.
The doorman tries to comfort him when he arives home: “Lots of young people try to impress the world and buy too many things.“
The now homeless Jack makes a decision to phone Tyler Durden whom he met on a plane during a business trip.
They get together over beer and reflect on the loss, come to the realization that Jack has maybe been delivered. Delivered from Swedish furniture, from trendy paper lamps and Martha Stewart.
TYLER: Oh, yeah, you gotta start making the list.
JACK: What list?
TYLER: The "now I get to go out and buy the exact same stuff all over again" list. That list.
JACK: I don't... think so.
TYLER: This time maybe get a widescreen TV. You'll be occupied for weeks.
JACK: Well, I have to file a claim...
TYLER: The things you own, they end up owning you.
From this point on a very destructive friendship is sealed. They head to the parking lot where Tyler demands that Jack hit him as hard as he can and “Fight Club” is born.
Others join and clubs spring up everywhere the 2 travel.
"When the fight was over, nothing was solved, but nothing mattered."
The movement to eliminate any last remnants of things that were unimportant was complete. One main aspect of that movement was Tyler's comment: “First, you have to know that someday, you are going to die. Until you know that, you will be useless."
Fight club is quite obviously a metaphor for all those “Ikea Boys” getting together and corporately stripping away those things in their lives of little consequence or importance. The problem is that driven by Tyler Durden, Fight Club begins to engage in “disinfomation” in order to share their enlightenment with society. Disinfomation then escalates into “project mayhem”.
Project Mayhem is simply a very good example of what happens when we forget that our identity is ours and try to impose our identity on others by force.
For Daniel, remaining true to his identity meant being the absolute best citizen he could be without giving up those things which were non-negotiable's such as direct commandments from God. Affecting people one by one was his mandate and if society changed as a result that would simply be a bonus. Subversion of society was not an option for that would not suit God's purpose for Daniel to be a brilliant example of God's faithfulness.
For Tyler Durden, society needed to change - and affecting people one by one simply gave him a greater and greater army of subversives to employ in project mayhem which intended to create the desired societal changes.
The movie "Fight Club" has 2 main characters; Jack and Tyler Durden.
Jack is “Ikea Boy”, consumer of all the things the world has to offer realizing that all his possesions do not help him sleep at night. Something that he is desparate to do. He's a “recall coordinator” in a “major” car manufacturer who calculates the cost of recalls versus the costs of lawsuits so the company can make the least expensive choiice for each defect found and he goes days without being able to sleep. He finally finds peace when sitting in on a testicular cancer support meeting. ( no he doesn't have cancer, but a doctor told him if he wanted to really see what pain is like, he should go )
He narates after his first session
“Then... something happened. I was lost in oblivion -- dark and silent and complete. I found freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.” He goes home and sleeps better than a baby and becomes addicted.
Within a few weeks he is attending support groups every night of the week.
“Every evening I died and every evening I was born again. Resurrected.”
Having dealt with his need for community, he is now faced with dealing with the problem of worldy possessions as his apartment condo explodes and everything he owns is thrown flaming to the ground 15 stories below.
The doorman tries to comfort him when he arives home: “Lots of young people try to impress the world and buy too many things.“
The now homeless Jack makes a decision to phone Tyler Durden whom he met on a plane during a business trip.
They get together over beer and reflect on the loss, come to the realization that Jack has maybe been delivered. Delivered from Swedish furniture, from trendy paper lamps and Martha Stewart.
TYLER: Oh, yeah, you gotta start making the list.
JACK: What list?
TYLER: The "now I get to go out and buy the exact same stuff all over again" list. That list.
JACK: I don't... think so.
TYLER: This time maybe get a widescreen TV. You'll be occupied for weeks.
JACK: Well, I have to file a claim...
TYLER: The things you own, they end up owning you.
From this point on a very destructive friendship is sealed. They head to the parking lot where Tyler demands that Jack hit him as hard as he can and “Fight Club” is born.
Others join and clubs spring up everywhere the 2 travel.
"When the fight was over, nothing was solved, but nothing mattered."
The movement to eliminate any last remnants of things that were unimportant was complete. One main aspect of that movement was Tyler's comment: “First, you have to know that someday, you are going to die. Until you know that, you will be useless."
Fight club is quite obviously a metaphor for all those “Ikea Boys” getting together and corporately stripping away those things in their lives of little consequence or importance. The problem is that driven by Tyler Durden, Fight Club begins to engage in “disinfomation” in order to share their enlightenment with society. Disinfomation then escalates into “project mayhem”.
Project Mayhem is simply a very good example of what happens when we forget that our identity is ours and try to impose our identity on others by force.
For Daniel, remaining true to his identity meant being the absolute best citizen he could be without giving up those things which were non-negotiable's such as direct commandments from God. Affecting people one by one was his mandate and if society changed as a result that would simply be a bonus. Subversion of society was not an option for that would not suit God's purpose for Daniel to be a brilliant example of God's faithfulness.
For Tyler Durden, society needed to change - and affecting people one by one simply gave him a greater and greater army of subversives to employ in project mayhem which intended to create the desired societal changes.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Wanted: Rickshaw
It's too late to put this on my Christmas list, but if anyone knows of a 2 wheeled rickshaw for sale ( not a pedal trike / pedicab ), PLEASE contact me by commenting to this blog.
