I was asked yesterday if I am generally a happy person. This was followed by an enlightening conversation regarding what happiness is and isn't, examples of who might be happy people, and whether we ourselves thought we were happy in life. Is happiness the absence of sadness or is it more than that? Is it a choice? Are some people just more disposed to be happy than others? Is it important that we are happy? Is happiness different than joy or contentment?
I'm afraid no answers were forthcoming, however, it was interesting to think about this. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator by certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..."
I answered the question that I thought maybe I was more of an unhappy person - however, now I'm not so sure that's the case. There are always things we would like to change, things we would like to be in control of, circumstances which are not ideal. But somehow, happiness comes anyway, in moments which are both unexpected and fortuitous.
My yard generally makes me happy, but not for several weeks as hot weather has set in, and it needs hours and hours of attention. This decreases my motivation and my happiness with how things are at the moment- but when I discover a small green tomato on a plant that appears to be thriving anyway - this makes me happy.
Gotta get to work before the heat comes. Thinking about these things.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Questions Not for the Faint Hearted
It's June 22, and about a week and few days out from a mass shooting in Orlando Florida which claimed 49 lives at a nightclub. Headlines for awhile. Here in Kansas we've had a shooting recently at a manufacturing plant in Hesston. And always, the subject of gun control comes around.
I, frankly, am not on either side of this issue. I can see both sides, and I lean both directions, depending. I am a partner in life with a man who is solidly in favor of no gun control, so we have had some interesting discussions. I have a feeling we will never agree on this issue, so we try not to get into it very often.
Gun control is a complex issue, but often both sides will make statements which "nutshell" their positions and appear to offer platitudes regarding what we need to do. Christians who expound on this topic, either sharing on Facebook or writing blogs or writing articles for Christian journals have widely varying opinions ranging from making all arms available to anyone who wants to buy them to outlawing all firearms everywhere. And each side uses the Bible and the teachings of Jesus to make their respective points, which I find interesting. Questions I've never been able to settle for myself on this issue include the following: The constitution states we have a right to bear arms, but which arms? Does that include me getting a cannon if my neighbor has a cannon and points it at my house? Are semi-automatic/automatic guns used in hunting? What is the purpose of a weapon of this nature? Are there people better armed than what our police force is? How would one in a practical way keep guns out of the hands of those who would misuse them, and who knows who that would be? Would Jesus own a firearm? If not, why do I need one? If Jesus would own a firearm would He use it to kill someone if he was protecting a family member? Would Jesus be a collector of guns? Would He kill a deer and eat it? Owning a gun implies that you would use it in order to disarm/maim/kill someone who was threatening you in some way. Can a person who is told to live at peace do that?
So there you go. Questions about guns at 11:30pm. I don't know what to do about undocumented immigrants ("illegal aliens") either, but it's too late to think about that. Everything I think about and hold an opinion of has to go through my filter of - what does the Bible say, what would Jesus do, what do my Christian faith and values tell me, and how do I live as a resident of another kingdom but an alien here in this world - I'm someone who doesn't belong here - this is not my home. But in the meantime, the question is, to quote philosopher and thinker Francis Schaeffer, "How Shall We Then Live?"
I, frankly, am not on either side of this issue. I can see both sides, and I lean both directions, depending. I am a partner in life with a man who is solidly in favor of no gun control, so we have had some interesting discussions. I have a feeling we will never agree on this issue, so we try not to get into it very often.
Gun control is a complex issue, but often both sides will make statements which "nutshell" their positions and appear to offer platitudes regarding what we need to do. Christians who expound on this topic, either sharing on Facebook or writing blogs or writing articles for Christian journals have widely varying opinions ranging from making all arms available to anyone who wants to buy them to outlawing all firearms everywhere. And each side uses the Bible and the teachings of Jesus to make their respective points, which I find interesting. Questions I've never been able to settle for myself on this issue include the following: The constitution states we have a right to bear arms, but which arms? Does that include me getting a cannon if my neighbor has a cannon and points it at my house? Are semi-automatic/automatic guns used in hunting? What is the purpose of a weapon of this nature? Are there people better armed than what our police force is? How would one in a practical way keep guns out of the hands of those who would misuse them, and who knows who that would be? Would Jesus own a firearm? If not, why do I need one? If Jesus would own a firearm would He use it to kill someone if he was protecting a family member? Would Jesus be a collector of guns? Would He kill a deer and eat it? Owning a gun implies that you would use it in order to disarm/maim/kill someone who was threatening you in some way. Can a person who is told to live at peace do that?
So there you go. Questions about guns at 11:30pm. I don't know what to do about undocumented immigrants ("illegal aliens") either, but it's too late to think about that. Everything I think about and hold an opinion of has to go through my filter of - what does the Bible say, what would Jesus do, what do my Christian faith and values tell me, and how do I live as a resident of another kingdom but an alien here in this world - I'm someone who doesn't belong here - this is not my home. But in the meantime, the question is, to quote philosopher and thinker Francis Schaeffer, "How Shall We Then Live?"
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