Once upon a time Tyler was in a hardcore band. That's right, a hardcore band: where the guitars where tuned to drop B, the drummer constantly was breaking cymbals and the singers screamed every lyric. I was the guy who screamed. I thought this was a good time to look at old lyrics to see where I was to reflect better on where I am and where I hope to go as I live out my life.
"Holy Covenant"
Bury-the ashes of fallen dreams
release-our hopes for greatness
surrender-our pride our everything
to find something better than we could ever attain-on our own
we're expecting pain and suffering
anticipating the loss of everything
knowing the hurt
knowing the pain
we enter into this covenant
never give in, never live in surrender
stubborn until death, this will be our cry:
never give in, never live in surrender
"Cry of Resistance"
bite the hand that feeds me/when that hand tries to poison me/i will not be brainwashed/i will not be controlled/i will not be told how to think/i'll hear all sides/find the truth/not your convenient ideal/bite the hand that feeds me/when that hand tries to poison me
"Untitled"*
You're my all/you're everything to me/you're all that I am/everything I want to be/this fire inside me/forever let it burn/oh God keep this passion in my heart/oh God like the fire make me like you/i want nothing more than to follow you all of my days/so God I pray/take me and break me and make me more like you/come trials or persecution my strength is in you/i'll never turn/i'll never regret my sacrifice/its all about you
None of these are particularly good. But I think they are interesting to look at and reflect on. I like seeing where I was, so I can learn from the past and grow. Maybe I can hold onto those strong points, and progress in the weak ones. That's the dream** anyways.
*I actually wrote this when I was like 15 or 16 but we tried making it into a song so I thought it'd be fun to look at again after so long.
**not the American Dream, that I plan on discussing later
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Fear
Sharks scare me so bad my bone marrow freezes, my spine locks and vertebrae fuse together.
I am not trying to be cute when I admit that my friends and I recently took the time to watch Sharkweek one evening. I decided to face my fear, look into the eyes of evil, and stand anew, a warrior who has conquered the monster of fear.
I had nightmares.
The whole night's sleep was draped in visions of sharks swarming, chasing, and feasting.
I faced my fear but my fear remained resolute still.
God willing I will never see a shark in the flesh, apart from when he and I are separated by thick enough glass that all the desire and hunger in the world will not be enough for him to be able to break it. The fear remains and keeps me from waters and from watching Sharkweeks.
Sharks, you do not frighten me so much because in the darkness of my room you cannot harm me. You remain in your world and I in mine.
As I lay safe and sound from all the evils of the world of sharks there is another fear that lurks in my heart, that attacks me only when I'm alone. Only when I feel the most safe.
This fear, I would gladly exchange all the sharks in the world for this darkness.
It is the voice late at night.
The voice that challenges everything I am.
The voice that examines and criticizes and calls every imperfection to mind.
Every imperfection so I can think on them over, and over, and over again.
And that voice, when all other voices have been silences, whispers to me the thought.
The thought that makes me long for the company of Jaws himself to distract from the hurt.
The thought is this: what if all that I was ever good at was lying?
Have I fabricated fictions to perpetuate personas that create a caricature that would be me.
What if the only thing I was good at was pretending to be something, anything other than what I value most: Honest.
It seems foolish to escape swimming with sharks only to lay in the grass with snakes.
God help me!
I am not trying to be cute when I admit that my friends and I recently took the time to watch Sharkweek one evening. I decided to face my fear, look into the eyes of evil, and stand anew, a warrior who has conquered the monster of fear.
I had nightmares.
The whole night's sleep was draped in visions of sharks swarming, chasing, and feasting.
I faced my fear but my fear remained resolute still.
God willing I will never see a shark in the flesh, apart from when he and I are separated by thick enough glass that all the desire and hunger in the world will not be enough for him to be able to break it. The fear remains and keeps me from waters and from watching Sharkweeks.
Sharks, you do not frighten me so much because in the darkness of my room you cannot harm me. You remain in your world and I in mine.
As I lay safe and sound from all the evils of the world of sharks there is another fear that lurks in my heart, that attacks me only when I'm alone. Only when I feel the most safe.
This fear, I would gladly exchange all the sharks in the world for this darkness.
It is the voice late at night.
The voice that challenges everything I am.
The voice that examines and criticizes and calls every imperfection to mind.
Every imperfection so I can think on them over, and over, and over again.
And that voice, when all other voices have been silences, whispers to me the thought.
The thought that makes me long for the company of Jaws himself to distract from the hurt.
The thought is this: what if all that I was ever good at was lying?
Have I fabricated fictions to perpetuate personas that create a caricature that would be me.
What if the only thing I was good at was pretending to be something, anything other than what I value most: Honest.
It seems foolish to escape swimming with sharks only to lay in the grass with snakes.
God help me!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Silent and Stupid (when the wordsmith runs dry)
can we speak frankly?
Honestly?
Openly?
Words mount from floor to ceiling
Words to rest on rose pedals
Words to trip upon
Words to give wings to ideas
And words like led to bring them down
Words to create emotions
Emotions that I'm not feeling
but in guilt I am creating
Honestly?
Openly?
Words mount from floor to ceiling
Words to rest on rose pedals
Words to trip upon
Words to give wings to ideas
And words like led to bring them down
Words to create emotions
Emotions that I'm not feeling
but in guilt I am creating
'Cause that's what good alter boys do!
Let the clock strike
Let the drought end!
and bring me back what I once had
Magic words? a lamp to rub?
What brings you out to set me free?
I've said rhymes and clever verses.
I've said every trite and overused phrase...
bathed myself in predictable cliches
I don't know whats gonna make this end. If I say the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again!
what if i SCREAM! will you hear me?
What do I have to say?
Let me be stupid and speechless
Please don't make me say anything at all
Let me feel your arms around me
and whisper "son soon we'll go home"
Then stand me up steady and upright
your hand on my neck as we go
a warm palm always there to remind me
that I will never be alone
You bring the words that speak comfort
you're rain on the desert sand
so let me be silent and stupid
And soak up your words again
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Vision
I dreamed of a future that is not as distant as some would hope. There are those who will say I am a lunatic, but history will vindicate me! My dream has told me that we, modern man is spiraling into yet another world war, World War Three.
I stand, poised, feet shoulder width apart. There's blood dripping from my right hand, I'm not sure why. Is it mine? Is it his? I settle in my mind not to know. Nothing can be done about it now. There's a job to finish. I'm a soldier, this is what I'm made for. My pistol is pointed toward the ground, not the ground, the man lying on the ground. Kyhl, the man I once called brother. Now fate has made us enemies. I pull back the hammer, the bullet slides into place. Kyhl stairs down the barrel, his eyes nearly cross. He breaths out a last desperate plea, "Tyler... brother." I respond in a all too guttural, awesome sounding tough guy voice: "Once." A single tear falls lose from the corner of his eye, the man who never cries! The salt water creates a stream of white, washing away days of dirt and blood that were covering his face. "All of this... death... and for what? Its liked I don't even know you anymore! Its like we speak... but we don't make a sound." My finger moves on its own, the trigger pulls, the hammer falls, and the bullet explodes from the chamber. Kyhl falls limp, I turn my head, unable to watch as a man I once called brother finds his end.
"Can you hear me now?" I retort with a dry cool wit reserves for action heroes of the highest caliber (a'la Bruce Willis in Die Hard). Smokes rises from the chamber. I remain still, tall and proud. The full moon's glow reveals me in full uniform, black with red camouflage, certainly its not practical but it looks freakin' sweet. A "V" on the left side of my chest, its my emblem, the symbol of my devotion: Verizon Wireless. She is my mother, and I am her son, her administrator of justice. I am a soldier in the greatest war known to man, World War Three: Battle of the Cell Phone Providers.
I awake in a cold sweat, both impressed with how cool I looked as a soldier of the VMF (Verizon Military Force) and distraught to have seen myself kill a man who has been such a close friend to me. Worse still is the sinking feeling that I have looked at an image that was not intended for me, as though I were given access to secret information. I saw what will be: the terrible, Terminator-esque destruction of WWIII: BotCPP. Our only hope is that this blog would shed light on the danger we march towards, in hopes of creating a more tolerant world before its too late.
I used to hate cell phones. I hated the idea that someone should be able to get a hold of me at all times, there was no more privacy. Among all of my friends I was the last to get one, which seemed like a cool social stand for me to take but a pain for all of my friends from whom I was constantly borrowing phones. Then one day I gave in and got a cell phone and plummeted into the dark world of total dependency on that stupid little box. It has become a part of my life to where sometimes I feel completely disconnected if I don't have it; "who is calling me?" I wonder. Generally no one. Life goes on...
Along with having a cell phone is being aware of plans and limitations, I can text this often to a person with this other provider, and text all I want to anyone with Verizon, I can talk all I want to anyone on Verizon but can only talk for free on nights and weekends to So and So or Such and Such because they are on T-Mobile... etc. etc. Forget even trying to figure out different time zones or holidays. I don't know about you but I'm generally too lazy to keep track of how many texts I've sent, much less trying to keep track of my minutes used during the day. Its all too much. Laziness led to me deciding that my closest friends (if they wanted to talk to me) must be Verizon subscribers, otherwise they were just too much trouble. And there began my intolerance of other cell phone companies.
I know I'm not alone. We have all gone through the bigotry of disliking someone because of their cell phone provider I hate calling Ryan, he never has service here! I always joked that my number one standard for a girl was not her smile or any other thing guys often say, first and foremost she has to have Verizon. Otherwise its just too much trouble.
There was a girl I was interested in and we would text often. But she was from some other provider. She was not my people. I lived in panic with every text, conflicted by a desire to respond and fear of the tole it would take on my bank account. I was happy she wanted to text me and terrified of what my next statement would look like. I considered cutting her off, abandoning texting or calling her and turning instead to my own kind. I was troubled.
I realized this is exactly what the companies want, they want us divided and hating each other. They want to pull us apart and segregate us. It begins with dismissing a person now because of their cell phone provider. But the lines we draw in the sand may never be erased and before we know it our world is divided and war is commonplace: mother against daughter, brother against sister, friend against friend! We must practice tolerance before this dream becomes a reality. We must accept one another, no matter the service we choose, otherwise the big corporations win. And that's not what anyone wants... well... maybe the big corporations, but that's not the point.
I stand, poised, feet shoulder width apart. There's blood dripping from my right hand, I'm not sure why. Is it mine? Is it his? I settle in my mind not to know. Nothing can be done about it now. There's a job to finish. I'm a soldier, this is what I'm made for. My pistol is pointed toward the ground, not the ground, the man lying on the ground. Kyhl, the man I once called brother. Now fate has made us enemies. I pull back the hammer, the bullet slides into place. Kyhl stairs down the barrel, his eyes nearly cross. He breaths out a last desperate plea, "Tyler... brother." I respond in a all too guttural, awesome sounding tough guy voice: "Once." A single tear falls lose from the corner of his eye, the man who never cries! The salt water creates a stream of white, washing away days of dirt and blood that were covering his face. "All of this... death... and for what? Its liked I don't even know you anymore! Its like we speak... but we don't make a sound." My finger moves on its own, the trigger pulls, the hammer falls, and the bullet explodes from the chamber. Kyhl falls limp, I turn my head, unable to watch as a man I once called brother finds his end.
"Can you hear me now?" I retort with a dry cool wit reserves for action heroes of the highest caliber (a'la Bruce Willis in Die Hard). Smokes rises from the chamber. I remain still, tall and proud. The full moon's glow reveals me in full uniform, black with red camouflage, certainly its not practical but it looks freakin' sweet. A "V" on the left side of my chest, its my emblem, the symbol of my devotion: Verizon Wireless. She is my mother, and I am her son, her administrator of justice. I am a soldier in the greatest war known to man, World War Three: Battle of the Cell Phone Providers.
I awake in a cold sweat, both impressed with how cool I looked as a soldier of the VMF (Verizon Military Force) and distraught to have seen myself kill a man who has been such a close friend to me. Worse still is the sinking feeling that I have looked at an image that was not intended for me, as though I were given access to secret information. I saw what will be: the terrible, Terminator-esque destruction of WWIII: BotCPP. Our only hope is that this blog would shed light on the danger we march towards, in hopes of creating a more tolerant world before its too late.
I used to hate cell phones. I hated the idea that someone should be able to get a hold of me at all times, there was no more privacy. Among all of my friends I was the last to get one, which seemed like a cool social stand for me to take but a pain for all of my friends from whom I was constantly borrowing phones. Then one day I gave in and got a cell phone and plummeted into the dark world of total dependency on that stupid little box. It has become a part of my life to where sometimes I feel completely disconnected if I don't have it; "who is calling me?" I wonder. Generally no one. Life goes on...
Along with having a cell phone is being aware of plans and limitations, I can text this often to a person with this other provider, and text all I want to anyone with Verizon, I can talk all I want to anyone on Verizon but can only talk for free on nights and weekends to So and So or Such and Such because they are on T-Mobile... etc. etc. Forget even trying to figure out different time zones or holidays. I don't know about you but I'm generally too lazy to keep track of how many texts I've sent, much less trying to keep track of my minutes used during the day. Its all too much. Laziness led to me deciding that my closest friends (if they wanted to talk to me) must be Verizon subscribers, otherwise they were just too much trouble. And there began my intolerance of other cell phone companies.
I know I'm not alone. We have all gone through the bigotry of disliking someone because of their cell phone provider I hate calling Ryan, he never has service here! I always joked that my number one standard for a girl was not her smile or any other thing guys often say, first and foremost she has to have Verizon. Otherwise its just too much trouble.
There was a girl I was interested in and we would text often. But she was from some other provider. She was not my people. I lived in panic with every text, conflicted by a desire to respond and fear of the tole it would take on my bank account. I was happy she wanted to text me and terrified of what my next statement would look like. I considered cutting her off, abandoning texting or calling her and turning instead to my own kind. I was troubled.
I realized this is exactly what the companies want, they want us divided and hating each other. They want to pull us apart and segregate us. It begins with dismissing a person now because of their cell phone provider. But the lines we draw in the sand may never be erased and before we know it our world is divided and war is commonplace: mother against daughter, brother against sister, friend against friend! We must practice tolerance before this dream becomes a reality. We must accept one another, no matter the service we choose, otherwise the big corporations win. And that's not what anyone wants... well... maybe the big corporations, but that's not the point.
Friday, November 28, 2008
a question in priorities (regarding Twilight, Harry Potter, and other such things that scare evangelicals)
I work in a warehouse, a warehouse that distributes Christian books. Which guarantees two things: I have read the description on the back of "The Five Love Languages" book over 6,000 times (not to mention Five Love Languages: For Singles, Five Love Languages: For Teens, Five Love Languages: for Children, Five Love Languages: Men's Edition, The Heart of the Five Love Languages, The Five Love Languages of Apology, The Love Languages of God... you get the idea...) and I get to listen to Christian radio for over twenty hours a week. I haven't listened to Christian radio since the good old days of Britney Spears asking to "give me a sign (hit me baby one more time)" so I'm experiencing a little bit of culture shock. Mostly I get a hearty helping of Christian pop standards, and different renditions of what it would sound like if Pearl Jam converted (admit it... contemporary Christian music owes more to Eddie Veddar than anyone else, if you don't agree you're in denial. This isn't a bad thing, its just a fact. Modern Christian artists love Eddie Vedder and his sweet, deep vabrato.) Sometimes I get to listen to a little bit of Christians Christianizing talk radio. Often they talk about the marriage between culture and Christianity. And nothing is more prominent right now in American pop culture than the literary and cinematic sensation Twilight.
Apparently this radio station does a Friday morning segment on Christianity and film where they discuss how Christians can successfully interact (I use the term loosely) with popular films. While I was nearly herniating picking up a large box of Bible Commentaries and loading them onto the truck I affectionately call the Batmobile I overheard them discussing Twilight. The cinema and faith expert seemed entirely confused on how to address the movie. He stuttered like he didn't even want to talk about it, but since it had already sold out in pre-release in nearly ever theatre in the country he had to discuss it. He first went over Bolt and said how it was amazing and every family should watch it because its family friendly and cute and such and such and blah blah blah. Its a kids movie, there was nothing offensive in it, go see it, was the message I got. Then he got to Twilight, a film not about a talking dog but about a vampire (dun, dun, dun!). The undead creatures of the night who feast on humanity (although from what I understand vampires in this movie, by and large neither feast on humanity nor are night creatures but just sparkle in the day). None the less these are evil creatures.
The man could not in good conscience recommend the movie because it was about vampires. He asked: can Christians support a movie that has good vampires, likable vampires, heroic vampires? Just like Harry Potter who makes witchcraft look AWESOME, Twilight romanticizes the life of the undead. This is a bad thing. We can only conclude that Twilight should be avoided by Christians. Why? Because of vampires. Vampires are evil. Vampires are the undead. So don't be entertained by them. No one mentions the fact that vampires are fiction. But that doesn't enter in. "Don't see Twilight because there are vampires." I'm not really surprised by this, evangelicals protested Harry Potter with more passion then they often worship! The problem is, we're critiquing films on the wrong basis. Disregarding (much less protesting) a film because of witches, wizards, vampires or werewolves is not the right way to go about it.
We act like by watching these movies we are going to want to be a wizard or vampire, as if once I see Harry Potter slap a pig's tale on his cousin I'm gonna renounce my faith, buy a magic wand, and give my jerk cousin an extra piggy appendage. No one was concerned at the release of Lion King that I would start believing animals could talk and convert to animism. Because that would be STUPID! And I am sure that if I really thought I would be like Harry Potter my loving parents would buy me a wand and protective helmet to match.
At the risk of appearing condescending let me explain that these movies are not endorsing wizardry or blood sucking any more than Wizard of Oz supports brainless Scarecrows having political careers. The point, what we learn when we read or watch these things, lives below the surface. Wizards and vampires (and scarecrows... oh my!) are the body of the story, they provide the excuse to tell the story, they aren't the point of the story. Therefore they aren't a great evil to be avoided because they don't really matter all that much. They are the conduit to project values and principles. Its a tool. You can't say "I'm gonna tell a story about gaining self confidence and realizing one's potential" because that's stupid and no one is going to read that book because people want an interesting story line to help them digest the delicious values. But if you say "I'm gonna write a book about a kid who becomes a wizard and fights a guy with no nose" then sign me up! We use these clever story lines to teach, examine, etc. Not to recruit supernatural beings.
At the risk of being even more condescending let me ask this question: Who cares? So what if a kid thinks it'd be awesome to go to Hogwarts (funny how that name isn't flagged by spellcheck anymore... congrats Harry Potter mythology) or to be able to read minds and live off of the blood of animals. ITS FICTION!!! After watching Star Wars I sat for hours trying to use the force to move crap... it didn't work. I was sad. I learned a hard lesson. My parents thought it was funny. Good times for everyone.
So what should Christians be asking about these movies? What we need to be asking is what are these movies teaching us? Twilight is not teaching youngsters that vampiring is awesome. It was not written as a recruiting manual for the undead. The movies are teaching us something however, (whether on purpose or not, we are learning). What are these movies teaching us about love? Relationships? Family? Sex? Masculinity? Femininity? Truth? Life? Death? Sacrifice? Loyalty? You get the idea. These movies can also be indicative of where our culture is at (youth pastors listen up! you can learn a lot by paying attention to what kids are into and what it says about them). For example, what does Twilight say about what girls find attractive in guys and how does that effect both sexes when it goes to relationships and expectations? We need to move past the surface and consider what movies are teaching us beneath. When that happens perhaps we will be able to actually engage the culture in a constructive manner.
Apparently this radio station does a Friday morning segment on Christianity and film where they discuss how Christians can successfully interact (I use the term loosely) with popular films. While I was nearly herniating picking up a large box of Bible Commentaries and loading them onto the truck I affectionately call the Batmobile I overheard them discussing Twilight. The cinema and faith expert seemed entirely confused on how to address the movie. He stuttered like he didn't even want to talk about it, but since it had already sold out in pre-release in nearly ever theatre in the country he had to discuss it. He first went over Bolt and said how it was amazing and every family should watch it because its family friendly and cute and such and such and blah blah blah. Its a kids movie, there was nothing offensive in it, go see it, was the message I got. Then he got to Twilight, a film not about a talking dog but about a vampire (dun, dun, dun!). The undead creatures of the night who feast on humanity (although from what I understand vampires in this movie, by and large neither feast on humanity nor are night creatures but just sparkle in the day). None the less these are evil creatures.
The man could not in good conscience recommend the movie because it was about vampires. He asked: can Christians support a movie that has good vampires, likable vampires, heroic vampires? Just like Harry Potter who makes witchcraft look AWESOME, Twilight romanticizes the life of the undead. This is a bad thing. We can only conclude that Twilight should be avoided by Christians. Why? Because of vampires. Vampires are evil. Vampires are the undead. So don't be entertained by them. No one mentions the fact that vampires are fiction. But that doesn't enter in. "Don't see Twilight because there are vampires." I'm not really surprised by this, evangelicals protested Harry Potter with more passion then they often worship! The problem is, we're critiquing films on the wrong basis. Disregarding (much less protesting) a film because of witches, wizards, vampires or werewolves is not the right way to go about it.
We act like by watching these movies we are going to want to be a wizard or vampire, as if once I see Harry Potter slap a pig's tale on his cousin I'm gonna renounce my faith, buy a magic wand, and give my jerk cousin an extra piggy appendage. No one was concerned at the release of Lion King that I would start believing animals could talk and convert to animism. Because that would be STUPID! And I am sure that if I really thought I would be like Harry Potter my loving parents would buy me a wand and protective helmet to match.
At the risk of appearing condescending let me explain that these movies are not endorsing wizardry or blood sucking any more than Wizard of Oz supports brainless Scarecrows having political careers. The point, what we learn when we read or watch these things, lives below the surface. Wizards and vampires (and scarecrows... oh my!) are the body of the story, they provide the excuse to tell the story, they aren't the point of the story. Therefore they aren't a great evil to be avoided because they don't really matter all that much. They are the conduit to project values and principles. Its a tool. You can't say "I'm gonna tell a story about gaining self confidence and realizing one's potential" because that's stupid and no one is going to read that book because people want an interesting story line to help them digest the delicious values. But if you say "I'm gonna write a book about a kid who becomes a wizard and fights a guy with no nose" then sign me up! We use these clever story lines to teach, examine, etc. Not to recruit supernatural beings.
At the risk of being even more condescending let me ask this question: Who cares? So what if a kid thinks it'd be awesome to go to Hogwarts (funny how that name isn't flagged by spellcheck anymore... congrats Harry Potter mythology) or to be able to read minds and live off of the blood of animals. ITS FICTION!!! After watching Star Wars I sat for hours trying to use the force to move crap... it didn't work. I was sad. I learned a hard lesson. My parents thought it was funny. Good times for everyone.
So what should Christians be asking about these movies? What we need to be asking is what are these movies teaching us? Twilight is not teaching youngsters that vampiring is awesome. It was not written as a recruiting manual for the undead. The movies are teaching us something however, (whether on purpose or not, we are learning). What are these movies teaching us about love? Relationships? Family? Sex? Masculinity? Femininity? Truth? Life? Death? Sacrifice? Loyalty? You get the idea. These movies can also be indicative of where our culture is at (youth pastors listen up! you can learn a lot by paying attention to what kids are into and what it says about them). For example, what does Twilight say about what girls find attractive in guys and how does that effect both sexes when it goes to relationships and expectations? We need to move past the surface and consider what movies are teaching us beneath. When that happens perhaps we will be able to actually engage the culture in a constructive manner.
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Performance of a Lifetime (Lepers not welcome!)
wash down some Dramamine
with six shots of caffeine
don't i look pristine
doesn't my skin glow?
veneered and smiling
a wit that beguiling
countless lies are compiling
no one will know
"Come join us" they whisper
"there's a part you can play:
'the content little preacher
with nothing to say.'"
Be beautiful
appealing
aesthetically pleasing.
Be loved
or be cherished.
Be nothing at all.
My words can be Prozac
mounting Hell onto man's back
kill the mood with a voice crack
my true feelings would show
life just like fame
gone as quick as it came
better my words than my name
be remembered after i go
I like being ugly
and I'm proud to be crass
i'm the leprous warrior
battling the snake in the grass
with six shots of caffeine
don't i look pristine
doesn't my skin glow?
veneered and smiling
a wit that beguiling
countless lies are compiling
no one will know
"Come join us" they whisper
"there's a part you can play:
'the content little preacher
with nothing to say.'"
Be beautiful
appealing
aesthetically pleasing.
Be loved
or be cherished.
Be nothing at all.
My words can be Prozac
mounting Hell onto man's back
kill the mood with a voice crack
my true feelings would show
life just like fame
gone as quick as it came
better my words than my name
be remembered after i go
I like being ugly
and I'm proud to be crass
i'm the leprous warrior
battling the snake in the grass
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Useless Words
Words are important!
At least words used correctly are important.
When words are used flippantly or without thought they become meaningless.
In making words meaningless we strip speech of its beauty and words of their effectiveness. We make communication relative, and once communication is relative what is the point? Why even speak when the words that are used are completely subjective? We create ourselves into the people constructing the tower of Babel, where no one person is able to understand the other as we each carry around with us our own personal dictionary full of words defining words that are defined by us and have special meaning only to us.
Plus its just annoying!
There are two words in particular that have become completely useless in American pop culture: 1) "Feel" and 2) "Need." These two words have become overused to the point of being useless and I am not sure either really relates their intended meaning, as I will explain further...
But first, a tangent:
I am trying to anticipate arguments. The first I am trying to help as much as I can. I am sure there are those who are picking apart my own writing to show how ridiculous what I am saying is; they will try and find any misspelled or misused word and in doing so they think they have deconstructed my argument. In truth you've only discovered that I am slightly stupid or maybe dyslexic, you haven't really deconstructed the overall point that is made. You've proved the author is dumb, not the writing.
The other argument is in my choice of words to criticize. People may say that "like" should be involved in this list. That might be and there is an argument that can be made for it, but I would disagree. "Like" is not a useless word. It does not show our tendency to use words without regard to meaning and it does not try to communicate one thing while actually (if one is paying attention) communicate another. It is not useless. The problem with "like" is that it is entirely useful, and that is the terrible tragedy of it all. "Like" is used as a filler; it fills the silent beats between the necessary words. It is indicative of our fear of silence, rather than of our inability to properly communicate, or understand what it is that we are communicating. We should not fear silence in conversation, and we should not fear to take a second to respond. We would all do better to use "like" less often and let the silent beats exist. It gives us time to think about a response, about what is being communicated, about anything or everything. "Like" is a stupid word, but it is not useless.
Tangent completed, on to useless words:
1) "Feel": When asked what he felt was a Biblical view on capital punishment in the "Moody Student" (Moody Bible Institutes' student newspaper) a student replied: "I will always be an advocate for rehabilitation rather than capital punishment. I feel it is an Old Testament principle, but not a New Testament principle."* What in the name of Poseidon's trident does feeling have to do with any of that?! You feel pain, love, anger, joy! You don't feel whether or not capital punishment is a Biblical concept. I am not saying that feelings can't be objective realities I am saying that they are based on internal instinct and reaction. If I get a present, I feel joy, I cannot quantify that joy. I can manifest it with a smile, but I can't give proof of it. I can give proof that there is no such thing as an Old Testament concept that isn't also a New Testament concept(but that's a horse of a different color all together). Feelings are based on emotion and are, by consequence, fleeting. Those feelings are not lasting until partnered with a cognitive choice. Love is fleeting if not accompanied by the choice to show characteristics of love long after the feeling fades. Feelings are dangerous things. If we make decisions based on our feelings we are in a world of trouble. If we rely on how we feel to make a decision, rather than having reason and proof, then we are going to make poor decisions. I don't feel like working, but if I don't I will have no money. I don't feel like loving other Christians, but if I don't my witness is destroyed. We cannot base our lives on feelings. And if we are Christians trying to understand Biblical values through our feelings soon we are going to be very, very wrong. We're better off just reading the book and leaving our feelings out of interpreting Scripture.
If I can be blunt: It does not matter how you feel! Soon we will all die. When that happens this world will forget about most of us... probably all of us. It does not matter how you feel in the eternal perspective of things. All that matters is the truth. Lets not confuse our feelings with what is true. Be people who confess truth, not feelings.
And if you don't mean feeling in this sense than don't use the word! "Think" or "believe" are perfect words to use instead.**
2) "Need": Where to even begin with our shameful obsession with the concept of need?! I've spent enough time waiting tables at restaurants to hear my fair share of people say "yeah... I'm gonna need another soda." What a foolish thing to say! No one needs another soda! We live in the most wealthy country in the world. Even the poorest of us are the richest people in the world. We, as Christians are the most opulent Church this world has ever known. We don't need anything!!! To say the word need is an insult to those who actually experience need, those who go days without food, who wonder where they will sleep, and wonder how they will keep safe at night. To be honest with myself, I don't think I've ever needed anything. There was never an instance where a need of mine was not easily met. We need to be more grateful for the things that we have, and realize that they are blessings above and beyond what any of us need. We don't need soda with our meals, much less refills. We don't need beautiful cars or additions on our houses. We don't need seconds at dinner! But thanks be to God, who out of His abundance gives us all we need and more. I am concerned that this kind of language can make us ungrateful. We need to recognize our blessings and thank God for them. Not take them for granted. We need to start using the word want or desire more often, and stop mistaking our wants for needs.
Believe what you will about what I've said. But it is not a waste for me to emphasize:
Words are important!
*this quote is filled with all sorts of problems that can be dissected with whole blogs (forget that, even books!) dedicated to explaining how its wrong. But for our purposes I'm gonna focus on the word "feel".
** but even if that student thinks or believes that capital punishment is an Old Testament concept alone, and not a New Testament concept he is still wrong... just thought I'd throw that out there.
At least words used correctly are important.
When words are used flippantly or without thought they become meaningless.
In making words meaningless we strip speech of its beauty and words of their effectiveness. We make communication relative, and once communication is relative what is the point? Why even speak when the words that are used are completely subjective? We create ourselves into the people constructing the tower of Babel, where no one person is able to understand the other as we each carry around with us our own personal dictionary full of words defining words that are defined by us and have special meaning only to us.
Plus its just annoying!
There are two words in particular that have become completely useless in American pop culture: 1) "Feel" and 2) "Need." These two words have become overused to the point of being useless and I am not sure either really relates their intended meaning, as I will explain further...
But first, a tangent:
I am trying to anticipate arguments. The first I am trying to help as much as I can. I am sure there are those who are picking apart my own writing to show how ridiculous what I am saying is; they will try and find any misspelled or misused word and in doing so they think they have deconstructed my argument. In truth you've only discovered that I am slightly stupid or maybe dyslexic, you haven't really deconstructed the overall point that is made. You've proved the author is dumb, not the writing.
The other argument is in my choice of words to criticize. People may say that "like" should be involved in this list. That might be and there is an argument that can be made for it, but I would disagree. "Like" is not a useless word. It does not show our tendency to use words without regard to meaning and it does not try to communicate one thing while actually (if one is paying attention) communicate another. It is not useless. The problem with "like" is that it is entirely useful, and that is the terrible tragedy of it all. "Like" is used as a filler; it fills the silent beats between the necessary words. It is indicative of our fear of silence, rather than of our inability to properly communicate, or understand what it is that we are communicating. We should not fear silence in conversation, and we should not fear to take a second to respond. We would all do better to use "like" less often and let the silent beats exist. It gives us time to think about a response, about what is being communicated, about anything or everything. "Like" is a stupid word, but it is not useless.
Tangent completed, on to useless words:
1) "Feel": When asked what he felt was a Biblical view on capital punishment in the "Moody Student" (Moody Bible Institutes' student newspaper) a student replied: "I will always be an advocate for rehabilitation rather than capital punishment. I feel it is an Old Testament principle, but not a New Testament principle."* What in the name of Poseidon's trident does feeling have to do with any of that?! You feel pain, love, anger, joy! You don't feel whether or not capital punishment is a Biblical concept. I am not saying that feelings can't be objective realities I am saying that they are based on internal instinct and reaction. If I get a present, I feel joy, I cannot quantify that joy. I can manifest it with a smile, but I can't give proof of it. I can give proof that there is no such thing as an Old Testament concept that isn't also a New Testament concept(but that's a horse of a different color all together). Feelings are based on emotion and are, by consequence, fleeting. Those feelings are not lasting until partnered with a cognitive choice. Love is fleeting if not accompanied by the choice to show characteristics of love long after the feeling fades. Feelings are dangerous things. If we make decisions based on our feelings we are in a world of trouble. If we rely on how we feel to make a decision, rather than having reason and proof, then we are going to make poor decisions. I don't feel like working, but if I don't I will have no money. I don't feel like loving other Christians, but if I don't my witness is destroyed. We cannot base our lives on feelings. And if we are Christians trying to understand Biblical values through our feelings soon we are going to be very, very wrong. We're better off just reading the book and leaving our feelings out of interpreting Scripture.
If I can be blunt: It does not matter how you feel! Soon we will all die. When that happens this world will forget about most of us... probably all of us. It does not matter how you feel in the eternal perspective of things. All that matters is the truth. Lets not confuse our feelings with what is true. Be people who confess truth, not feelings.
And if you don't mean feeling in this sense than don't use the word! "Think" or "believe" are perfect words to use instead.**
2) "Need": Where to even begin with our shameful obsession with the concept of need?! I've spent enough time waiting tables at restaurants to hear my fair share of people say "yeah... I'm gonna need another soda." What a foolish thing to say! No one needs another soda! We live in the most wealthy country in the world. Even the poorest of us are the richest people in the world. We, as Christians are the most opulent Church this world has ever known. We don't need anything!!! To say the word need is an insult to those who actually experience need, those who go days without food, who wonder where they will sleep, and wonder how they will keep safe at night. To be honest with myself, I don't think I've ever needed anything. There was never an instance where a need of mine was not easily met. We need to be more grateful for the things that we have, and realize that they are blessings above and beyond what any of us need. We don't need soda with our meals, much less refills. We don't need beautiful cars or additions on our houses. We don't need seconds at dinner! But thanks be to God, who out of His abundance gives us all we need and more. I am concerned that this kind of language can make us ungrateful. We need to recognize our blessings and thank God for them. Not take them for granted. We need to start using the word want or desire more often, and stop mistaking our wants for needs.
Believe what you will about what I've said. But it is not a waste for me to emphasize:
Words are important!
*this quote is filled with all sorts of problems that can be dissected with whole blogs (forget that, even books!) dedicated to explaining how its wrong. But for our purposes I'm gonna focus on the word "feel".
** but even if that student thinks or believes that capital punishment is an Old Testament concept alone, and not a New Testament concept he is still wrong... just thought I'd throw that out there.
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