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| It's 1:45 am in the morning and I should be studying for my linear algebra but i decided to take a break. Today is December 7, 2006, 65 years after that fateful day when the Japanese attacked the United States and propelled this country into the throes of war. December 7 "a day that will live in infamy." Why am I writing about this? Because it seems we have traveled so far from that time, traveled so far from the screams of thousands of lives, traveled so far from the bodies being dragged into the abyss. At least for me, I know that Pearl Harbor plays a great part in the relatively short history of this nation and its people and I know that the lives, the souls, the spirits of human beings were taken away on that day, but for some reason I don't really feel what happened. In a way, I wonder what it would have felt like living through those times, the fear for one but also the excitement of going to war, of actually defending justice, of knowing concretely who your enemy was... wow, what would have it felt like... In this modern day and age, I feel that this generation, our generation have changed our priorities, have changed our thought processes, have changed the way we fear. What do we fear in our lives? I believe that is what has changed. For the good or worse I don't know but it has definitely changed. One could say our generation went through the hardships of 9/11, of those planes hitting those towers, of the bodies piercing the air, of the silence after the dust has cleared... but is this our fear? for me, I don't think so...
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| DOVER BEACH
By Matthew ArnoldThe sea is calm tonight,
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.
Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the Agean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night. | | |
| Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.
First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady
During
my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a
conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I
read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the
school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the
cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s,
but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last
question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last
question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said
the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are
significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do
is smile and say "hello".
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One
night, at 11.30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on
the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm Her
car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she
decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help
her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took
her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.
She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked
him.
Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To
his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A
special note was attached.. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting
me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my
clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I
was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed
away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."
Sincerely,
Mrs. Nat King Cole.
Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 -year-old boy entered a hotel
coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him
"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.
"Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
"Well,
how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people
were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.
"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins.
"I'll
have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream,
put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice
cream, paid the cashier and left.
When the waitress came back,
she began to cry as she wiped down the table. there, placed neatly
beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he
couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave
her a tip.
Fourth Important Lesson - The obstacle in Our Path
In
ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid
himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some
of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply
walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads
clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.
Then
a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching
the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the
stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he
finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables,
he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The
purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating
that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the
roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts
Many
years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a
little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious
disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion
from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same
disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.
The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the
little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
I
saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and
saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion
progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did,
seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and
his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling
voice, "Will I start to die right away".
Being young, the little
boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to
give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Courtesy of Jane =)
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| considering this is Korea I can't really access english newspapers, good thing I have the net =)
but the solemn note about this entry is that after reading several articles in the wake of the London bombings, I have come to notice our world is becoming a rather scary place...
I am actually quite serious, with people saying that "[suicide bombings] a tactic that has proved so effective in cities like Beirut, Jerusalem and Baghdad that it would only be a matter of time, security experts have warned, before it would migrate to other parts of the world." but what is even more scary is not only the fact that a normal LIRR/subway ride to school could mark the end of my life;
it is the fact that the world seems to be going in a direction described by 'utopian' books, in which people, rather living under individualism, are controlled or, at least, restricted by a higher force. As the threat/danger of the world increases with each day, as some countries are giving concessions to more dangerous, unpredictable ones while others are constantly thereatening war with others, and with ideologies, religious beliefs, and philosophies clashing with each other, there will be greater fear permeating the people of this world. And with this growing fear will come a person or persons that will be able to manipulate this fear, pushing our world, our society, our entire way of life out of balance.
As quoted from an NYT article, "Warning that "terrorism is knocking on Italy's door" in the wake of the London bombings, Italy's interior minister went before Parliament on Tuesday to request new security powers that he said would help combat the threat." While we need not worry all that much about major civil liberties violations (although the Patriot Act was enacted about 6 months after the 2001 terrorist attacks), our world seems to be guiding itself to an unforeseeable, rather grave future. This is perhaps pessimism on my part but it is interesting to note what living in our world means today. Having finished Anthem by Ayn Rand and currently reading Blindness, the world may possibly lead to its own destruction...
however, I truly believe there is hope for people in our world and in our generation, just looking at the people in my church, looking at the people around me, one can see hope... it is the pioneering human spirit, our determination, and, ultimately, our belief in God that will allow us to plow through the fear, through the fear and allow us to come out unharmed... there is hope with God in my opinion, unfortunately, I have yet to set a strong foundation with Him, but I hope I will try to the fullest extent my heart, my mind, and my body can give me
thank you for your strength... | | |
| going to korea has made me just reaffirm the weakness I have towards God... my limitations, my weaknesses, my... I don't know how to describe it, it's just I usually try to live my life according to myself, according my 'rules' I guess... but that's not how I should live it, I betray God everyday, I lie to myself and lie to Him and sometimes I just feel so mad and regretful at my actions and, especially, my thoughts... using God and my belief to propel me in this world, using God selfishly and prematurely, not believing in Him and the path He has set for me, not trusting in Him, thinking that I should live in the name of God when I don't, acting like a hypocrite, aigo, there's so much that I lack in my belief... forgive me God for I have continued to failed you and myself... but, even though I may not fill out my role in this world, I hope, from my heart, hope that I will be able to say at the end of my life that I have fulfilled or, at least, deeply tried to follow in your son's footsteps =\
And i haven't even been going to church during my stay here, sigh, but at least I have a way of keeping up with the sermon's back home:
07/03/2005
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.
(1) Love your parents. Your parents have and will always love you unconditionally. Whether it be the small or big things they have done for you, you should always pray for them and thank them. Even if you say those three simple words "I Love You", they appreciate it whole-heartedly.
(2) You should not hide your own identity. Even if you hide your true self, you still know the truth. By putting up a false appearance, you slowly deteriorte your true inner self. And once you start to crumble inside, it will be difficult to rebuild the foundation again. So be honest and truthful.
(3) Love the Lord with all your heart. God's love is amazing and miraculous. God sent his one and only son to save you and that is why you should thank the Lord for eveyrthing in your life, even the small things like for having eyes to see or a mouth to speak. Try to not think ahead towards the future, but think now. Love the Lord and your parents now for both of them have eternal love for you.
06/30/05 – Morning Sermon
2 Corinthians 9:6
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Galatians 6:7-8
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Everyone adopts bad habits and you cannot get forgiveness for them. For example, you would use profanity as a way to express anger if you are spiritually weak. It is difficult to fix habits as time progresses because you get accustomed to them.
Many people misinterpret love. Love does not stem from lust or your sexual desires. For example, men would view woman as a tool to satisfy their sexual desires by looking at an adult site. They misinterpret the profundity of love and therefore that love disappears within them. Since a seed of sin has been implanted, it is inevitable to become truly happy and blissful. People’s first impression or desire to have a partner is not love but rather instinct. It is natural for human beings to satisfy their own intentions first. Unlike lust, love is when you help your partner’s spirituality grow.
06/30/05 – Evening Sermon
You don’t need to do everything that is necessary. The most dangerous truth is when one thinks that he/she always has to do something. We choose to do what we do because we are aware of the consequences if we don’t take those actions. For example, we don’t have to attend school, however, we do so because we know that if we don’t receive an education, it will definitely affect our lives and will make it more difficult.
Ruth 1:16-18
But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
Ruth had no obligation to live with her mother-in-law Naomi, but she chose to stay with her.
I am grateful for these words...
http://www.fumc.net/yg/ =)
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