Good Samaritans among us

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I’ve been meaning to relate an incident I witnessed a week or two ago here in Alexandria, VA. First, a little context. The Old Town section of Alexandria is very charming, and I find myself walking up and down the particularly busy King Street pretty much on a daily basis. Typically, there are a number of homeless people sitting along the street here and there and, although I have offered some change once or twice, I find myself basically ignoring them when I walk past, as is seemingly the norm. I think this is an easy habit to develop, particularly among the relatively well-to-do; there are a number of ways to consciously justify such callousness, some fairly legitimate (this guy seems crazy and possibly dangerous), others not so dignified (this woman probably brought this on herself - incidentally, this one is explicitly challenged by the Book of Mormon and the Holy Bible. See Mosiah 4:16-19, Deuteronomy 15:7-8). Also informing indifference to the homeless and poor, I believe, are such factors as the development of general indifference towards strangers (for the sake of not being nosy or disrespectful) and the frustration of not knowing how best to address the plight of the poor (we are finite beings with limited resources, and the needs of the poor may seem to require more than we can give). I do not pretend to have the answer to poverty - it is a huge and, in some ways, complex issue. However, I do not think the answer ultimately lies in government as now constituted, notwithstanding the aid which public services do provide, albeit imperfectly. To ultimately erase poverty, I believe, will require a drastic and willing change in how we as a society view property, our material needs, and our relationship with our fellow man.

That sounds like a pretty incredible set of circumstances, and some may assert that the expectation of such is hopelessly naive or downright impossible. Nevertheless, I believe they are changes which will occur over time as individuals learn from and apply the teachings and principles of Jesus Christ. Which brings me to the incident which I witnessed. On one of my many strolls down King Street, as I approached some homeless people thinking to myself, “Just ignore them - you’re justified”, a professional-looking lady ahead of me cheerfully asked one of the men if he had eaten lately, or something to that effect, and came to an agreement that she would return soon. As it turns out, I saw that lady about a half an hour later carrying a bag of takeout food in the direction of the homeless man. It was actually quite a simple occurrence, not at all dramatic and certainly without any fanfare on her part, but it nevertheless impacted me. It made me want to be more like that woman, less inclined to silently pass by these people every time, and more willing to share what I have with others. And that’s an interesting thing, because I don’t currently have much; I don’t have an income here yet, and I almost couldn’t pay rent this month. However, while I am not advocating extreme and unprincipled generosity, I do believe that it can be dangerous for our development as Christians to give excuses why we are unable to reach out to others. Admittedly, I have as much room for improvement in this as the next guy.

In closing, I believe that Good Samaritans such as this woman are not rare in America, although their good deeds are not typically broadcasted to the world, mostly by design. In large measure, such people reflect what is great about our country; the magnanimity to actively share the prosperity, with which we have been blessed with those who have not been as fortunate, with the recognition that the abundance we enjoy is a gift, not an entitlement.

Why didn’t anyone tell me?!

So, I know I said I’d talk about some relatively substantial things next time I get off my duff to write but, well, sometimes I talk big and make promises I won’t keep (like Barack Obama! Zing!).  So, I just stumbled upon the news that another X-Files movie is coming out in July. My first thought was “Huh?”, followed shortly by “Cool!” Yes, it did seem a little strange to me that another X-Files movie is being released in the near future, seemingly unannounced (although I’m rarely at a movie theater, and thus miss a lot of trailers, I’m sure) and so long after the show’s golden era (i.e. before Duchovny left and before the writing and storytelling got kinda stupid). I mean, I bet there’s a lot of punk kids today who’ve never even heard of the X-Files! But strange or not, I believe what I’ve read - fitting as the film’s subtitle is “I Want To Believe”, nyuk nyuk. Seriously, though, I really liked the X-Files before its decline, not to mention before my attention got wrapped up in other things, like college. I have many fond, if not tense and scary, memories during high school of watching X-Files on Sunday night when I should have been completing my procrastinated homework. Ah, the memories!

Interestingly, the movie reportedly is a “stand-alone story on the struggle between faith and science” rather than another chapter in the series’ unfolding alien mythology.  I have to say, one thing I always liked about the show was its open-minded approach to both science and faith, embodied in Mulder, the irrational believer, and Scully, the hard-nosed skeptic, and their evolving relationship as they investigated the unknown. Wow, that’s a lot like life, isn’t it? We’re all some combination of Mulder and Scully as we try to make sense of this thing we call mortality. See, I somehow managed to go deep despite an initially frivolous topic!

The article can be found here.

Still alive…and now in DC!

To my dear, faithful readers,

Don’t worry, I’m still alive! I recently moved out to the DC area, but, sadly, have been without computer as I wait for it to arrive in the mail. But fear not! Lots of deep thoughts and cool posts are forthcoming on topics such as why I don’t like Barack Obama, philosophical musings about the job market, and my initial impressions of the LDS singles scene here ( hint: it’s a bit of a meat market). How fun!

Ah, that Kierkegaard!

Yet another nugget from my favorite existentialist:

“The Truth shall set ye free, but first it shall make ye miserable.”

-Soren Kierkegaard

If that’s true, and I think it very often is, that would explain why truth is so elusive. On the other hand, flattering untruths and half-truths, can be readily obtained in great abundance. Perhaps their supply is simply meeting an enormous demand

Because I like them and I’m too lazy to write…more Travis!

Travis (the band, not the person) probably makes the best music videos

These guys crack me up! I especially like the epic battle at the end.

This is totally awesome.

Happy Easter!

It is particularly appropriate today to speak a little of my faith. Long before I had been told by the learned and wise of this world how hard it is to know things, I had received countless impressions, had experiences both undeniably real and intimately sacred, and had enjoyed that sweet, quiet assurance that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He paid the price for my sins and was crucified, and that He lives again, and offers forgiveness, healing, and the greatest of all gifts, eternal life, to all those who will believe and follow Him. These truths can be had by anyone who will humbly and diligently pay the price to receive them, and they will be an anchor and a guide through the difficulties as well as the joys of life.

“Without risk there is no faith”

“Without risk there is no faith. Faith is precisely the contradiction between the infinite passion of the individual’s awareness and the objective uncertainty. If I am capable of grasping God objectively, I do not believe, but precisely because I cannot do this I must believe.”

-Soren Kierkegaard

While I would love to discuss this very profound observation, I’m afraid it would just be a rambling between me and myself. Suffice it to say, I consider Kierkegaard to be one of the best kinds of intellectuals: one capable of incisive observation and abstraction without the stubborn aloofness towards the gamut of unquantifiable lived experiences of which everyday life is primarily composed. He represents, to me, a model of intellectual development - depth without detachment.

This is, admittedly, ironic for me to say, because this, my blog, has been quite the detached intellectual endeavor. Blogs are, by nature, fairly impersonal, although their intimacy can be greatly enhanced by focusing on people, rather than abstractions. Believe me, I would love to focus on people more if there simply were people in my life on which I could appropriately focus!

Finally, some thoughtful analysis of Obama the President, not Obama the Phenomenon

I ran across this timely article from The Economist (Feb. 14th, 200 discussing the possible ramifications of electing President Obama, as opposed to Phenomenon Obama. It’s not Obama-bashing, but instead offers some thoughts on the substance of Barack Obama’s candidacy. This is not to say that candidates’ presidential offerings are reducible to mere policy positions, for, as the article rightly notes:

“[Obama] has persuaded huge numbers of people around the world to reconsider politics in an optimistic way. To many Americans, a black man who eschews both racial politics and the conservative-liberal divide is a chance to heal the country’s two deepest divisions. To many foreigners, he represents an idealistic version of America—the hope of a more benevolent superpower.”

In regards to the effect of Obama’s character, the article continues:

“His immediate effect on international relations could be dramatic: a black president, partly brought up in a Muslim country, would transform America’s image. And his youthful optimism could work at home too. After the bitterness of the Bush years, America needs a dose of unity: Mr Obama has a rare ability to deliver it. And the power of charisma should not be underrated, especially in the context of the American presidency which is, constitutionally, quite a weak office. The best presidents are like magnets below a piece of paper, invisibly aligning iron filings into a new pattern of their making. Anyone can get experts to produce policy papers. The trick is to forge consensus to get those policies enacted.”

As far as his policies go, however, The Economist makes the case that:

“Obama’s voting record in the Senate is one of the most left-wing of any Democrat. Even if he never voted for the Iraq war, his policy for dealing with that country now seems to amount to little more than pulling out quickly, convening a peace conference, inviting the Iranians and the Syrians along and hoping for the best. On the economy, his plans are more thought out, but he often tells people only that they deserve more money and more opportunities. If one lesson from the wasted Bush years is that needless division is bad, another is that incompetence is perhaps even worse. A man who has never run any public body of any note is a risk, even if his campaign has been a model of discipline.”

Regarding the limitations of character, the article continues:

“And the Obama phenomenon would not always be helpful, because it would raise expectations to undue heights. Budgets do not magically cut themselves, even if both parties are in awe of the president; the Middle East will not heal, just because a president’s second name is Hussein. Choices will have to be made—and foes created even when there is no intention to do so.” (emphasis added)

The article concludes:

“None of this is to take away from Mr Obama’s achievement—or to imply that he could not rise to the challenges of the job in hand. But there is a sense in which he has hitherto had to jump over a lower bar than his main rivals have. For America’s sake (and the world’s), that bar should now be raised—or all kinds of brutal disappointment could follow.”