Thought: The book of Daniel

Pheee-ew: difficulties of interpretation in the book of Daniel. Do you know how many incredibly intelligent and learned people have devoted YEARS of study to the question: "Was Daniel written in the second or the sixth century BC?" ? One book I'm reading lists 28 commentaries and over 300 other works in its bibliography - i.e. that's how many books the author had to read to write his book - and it's only a fairly 'light' commentary on Dan!

And do you know what kills me - they haven't found an answer yet! Isn't that crazy!?

This actually peels off the corner of the sticking plaster and takes a furtive, inquisitive look at one of the potential wounds in approaching theology that I can see ahead of me - if the experts disagree so much on so many things, then how can we be sure about anything we believe?! However, it might well be the case that when the time comes to operate, I find that it's actually been healed by a greater understanding of what my faith is based on.

Yours with mild confusion.

D.

thought: Being intense

I can be a fairly intense person, I came to realise recently. This has some down sides. However, Andy says that he reckons King David, and Paul were both intense people too, so at least I'm in good company.

Let's hear it for being wildly, unnervingly passionate! (and hope that we can learn when not to be, too).

D.

story: The Fox and the Cat

The cat and the fox got on well when they first met. Very well – they really ‘hit it off’.’ After a short time, the fox said he liked the cat the cat said she liked the fox.

Happily ever after?

No. From that point on, things started to go downhill. The cat started to act like the fox didn't exist. She turned her back on him, wouldn’t talk with him, and made him feel awkward. Pretty soon after, she told him that actually, she’d changed her mind, and she didn’t like him in that way after all.

The fox was a very well-meaning animal. He always wanted to get on well with people - he thought he'd done something wrong. However, the cat never wanted to talk about it. She avoided talking about anything at all, and the Fox didn’t know why. She continued ignoring and not talking.

Three months down the line, the fox has just spoken to the cat about it. After three months of feeling awkward, it transpires that (and remember, the cat still doesn't want to talk very much about it, so the fox didn't get much out of her), that she was keeping him at arm’s length so that she wouldn’t his hopes up. That because he had felt attracted to her, she rejected any possibility of friendship with him, in case he continued ‘liking’ her.

From the Fox’s perspective, he feels that: This has been belittling to him and immature on her part. She assumed that the fox was incapable of platonic friendship and needed to be forced back ‘with a stick’ as it were. Is that really the case?! He also feels that her way of dealing with the situation has been imprudent: talking about this matter openly would have brought a much more positive resolution, and he imagines that they could be good friends now if they had spoken. Conversely, avoiding it has just brought awkwardness and hurt. He would like to talk to her about these things, but she doesn’t want to talk about it.

(The Fox recognises that this is just his side of the story)

The fox thinks forgiveness is essential, and bitching is never acceptable. His bible reading for this morning was ‘Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another’ (Colossians 3:13, NIV, Biblegateway.com) and that’s what he’s trying to do. He sees a lot of good things about the cat, and hopes that they can one day be friends. He no longer cares about her opinion of him though, especially with regards to his maturity.

And the Fox has learned from this situation:

That talking about things is nearly always better than not talking about things.

That you should never just ignore or be cold to someone if you suspect they like you – it’s a really bad idea.
(On a side note – the Fox today spent some time with one of his best friends, who at one point said she was attracted to him. They talked openly about it, and now they get on really well!)

The fox also looks forward to the day in heaven when he and the cat will look back on this and laugh with each other.

D.

story - Once upon a time...

There was a boy who liked to say "why?" Not in a malicious way, just an inquisitive one, because that's the type of boy he was. He would say 'Why does the universe work like this?' or 'Why can't everything be much better?' or, when he was stressed: 'Why is this person being unpleasant?' (the age-old question of the universe)

A long time ago, the boy stepped onto a train. Since then, the train has carried him a very long way, and he has learned to lean on the train with all of his weight. The train has taken him places he would never have gone, meeting people he would never have met, and, he envisages that it will be correct way to progress into life after death.

Recently though, he started particularly asking questions on the train. He started picking at the surface - seeing what lay beneath. He stuck his head down to see where the pistons worked, and where the steam went, and how the cogs meshed together. And the more he found out, the more he discovered that there was to know, and more he knows, the less he understands.

HOWEVER > the train carries on going. He doesn't understand how it works, but it keeps going, and carries him along. He doesn't need to know how it works, just as long as it does. He'll carry on relying on it, leaning with his full weight upon it, having faith in it. Whatever he learns about the train will never convince him that the train doesn't work; 'science tells us that the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly' ! He knows that the train is working because he's on it.

And therefore, every thought and every story must be read in the light of this one - that no matter how confused he may get, the boy continues to travel by train. He will let you know if he ever decides that he was deceived, and wasn't travelling by train at all, but until that day, the boy carries on leaning with his full weight, going places he would never have gone, meeting people he never would have met, and increasingly doing things you really shouldn't do.

all the best,

D.

Thought: Violence on TV

This is by no means an original thought, but I would like to see media role models setting a good example, especially in the area of conflict resolution.

Violence is the key method of resolving differences in almost any media piece. It's a staple plot line in a TV show or movie to have a protaganist (hero) overcoming an enemy using violence. For example, see shrek 2, where Shrek storms the palace to kiss Fiona, while riding on the back of a giant muffin man. And this a kid's movie!

I'm less worried that people will go and shoot one another after watching a violent film - I'm also talking about programs like Eastenders and the OC, where people get violent and shout at one another to resolve differences. The (primary school aged) children that I work with see violence - shouting, aggression, expressions of anger, as the first alternative in times of disagreement. They learn this from their parents, and from the TV. Part of my work is to teach them other ways to deal with these things, but it would be much easier if they had at least some examples to work from.

I don't know whether I am a 100% pacifist. There certainly seems to be something inside of us that loves seeing good triumph over evil in a pitched battle. I can imagine that Die Hard would be pretty weak if Bruce Willis had been like 'Yippie Ki Ay Cowboy, Let's sit down and dialogue about our differences in a dispassionate and empathetic manner" I think it really relates to the question of whether we can agree with the principle of a just war or not, about which I'm not sure. However, there seems to be so many examples of violence, of win/lose situations, of people imposing their wills onto others, that we never actually get to see any GOOD examples, of people dealing with conflict in such a way that it brings mutual benefit to both parties.

I think we should have something to re-dress the balance. Now, script writers? Authors? Anyone willing to take up the challenge?

Aha. My new blog.

Here it is.

D.