Sometimes he suggested that one day we would take over the planet. He once said that the gates of Hell couldn't stand because of our unstoppable force.
Not religion. Love.
I was watching a historical documentary the other day about the last week of the life of Jesus (on the green channel) and one of the historians was talking about the political times of Jeaus under Roman rule and he pointed out that anything that looked remotely like insurrection to the Roman government during that time was brutally put down.
The last week of the life of Jesus involved Passover which was a Jewish festival that brought thousands of people into the city of Jerusalem every year. It was crowded (think of the ball drop at Time Square in New York on New Years Eve.. about 2 to 3 hours before midnight).
The streets were filling up with fresh pilgrims doing business. getting ready.... Some making their way to the temple. All of them.. there to celebrate the feast. A Hebrew feast.... packed with symbolic meaning... centrally built around the concept of deliverance... and escape from oppression.
To a ruling foreign government anything out of the ordinary would be threatening. Any scuffle. Anything that drew the sudden attention of the masses. Anything that had a mob of people chanting. Everything to the governing authorities balanced precariously on the edge of a very thin razor blade during Passover time.
And into all of this rides a suddenly popular young teacher... A healer... a prophet. The young man Yeshua (Jesus) returning to the scene of an ancient crime where humanity were once taken hostage. That's the story.
Don't think about Peace... he once said. Think about War. Because what I've brought to the earth is a sword.
And so riding down the street through the chants and waving palm branches like patriotic flags.... he comes humble... But still... a revolutionary.
The Historian says that what he was doing was radical... outrageous... equivalent to black men holding up black fists during the national anthem of the 68 olympics.
A gesture.
But more than that? A sword. A defiance.
Unconditional Love... in your face. Backing you into a corner. Demanding that you make a choice.
What will you do?? He asks.
Continue in the Greed.... The hatred. the prejudiced power that rules the world?
Or love?
What will you do?
Friday, April 22, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Pride and Prejudice and the problem of Porn
How incredibly Lazy we all are.
Or is it something worse than that?
I've been reading a book by Vladimir Nabokov called "Lolita". High school friends will remember the reference by Sting... in that 80's song... "Don't stand so close to me".
-It's no use... he sees her... he starts to shake and cough...
just like the... old man in.... that book by Nabakov".
Traditionally its a very controversial book.... considered at times in history to be pornography... (primarily I think because of the tendency for moralist masses to knee jerk... and miss the point).
It was banned in England for a time because of it's subject matter.... the story of a French Literary Scholar (Humbert, Humbert) who only finds very young women... girls... attractive.. (in Humberts case.... Lolita... 12.)...
* Before judging Humbert too strongly as a random historical freak... BTW... please see the history of European monarchs... and the tradition to pledge marriage of daughters as young as 4 and 5... (actually not wedding... until around age 12 to 13)... Near eastern cultures as well.. It's believed that perhaps Mary... the mother of Jesus could have been as young as 12 or 13 when she was betrothed to Joseph.
The Nabakov book is controversial because it's a look into the polluted mind of a pervert.... a willful pedophile.. He... (Humbert.. the character.... not Nabakov... the writer)... is a dangerous ass for sure.
He's dangerous because he roams free. He has the ability to do what he wants... when he wants... Manipulate... etc. But most dangerous when he's thinking.
He is dangerous primarily because he has the freedom to think what he wants... about a thing... or a person... with no concern for rightness... accuracy... truthfulness... or reality.
He's not concerned about knowing a thing as it is... for what it is... rather he's content to settle in on his own preconceived notions about it.
What I had madly possessed was not she.... but my own creation... another.... fanciful Lolita- perhaps.... More real than Lolita... Overlapping... Encasing her.... Floating between me and her... and having no will.... no consciousness.... indeed no life of her own.
-Humbert.
This is the pornography. The idolatry. The "unholiness of it".
It's the pornographic mind of the character... (not the book) because Humbert is content to settle on conveniences in his own mind about the girl... He settles on the things he wants to believe about her.... Not the things about her that are actually true.
Let me ask....
Is this the reason that... say.. things like lawn jockeys are offensive to black people?
Stereotypes?
Are prejudices offensive to people because they're oversimplifications and generalizations of who and what people actually are?
Why do we do it? Settle for the fraud... or the fake?
Laziness?
Convenience?
Are we safer that way??? Our meticulously crafted world?
What about Idolatry?? Worshipping the false God?? The convenient God of our own choosing? (Fred Phelps)... The God of our own creation?
As the world considers "Holy Week"... I wonder... do we kill the God of reality?... crucify Him because we just can't take the possibility that we might all be wrong after all?
Or is it something worse than that?
I've been reading a book by Vladimir Nabokov called "Lolita". High school friends will remember the reference by Sting... in that 80's song... "Don't stand so close to me".
-It's no use... he sees her... he starts to shake and cough...
just like the... old man in.... that book by Nabakov".
Traditionally its a very controversial book.... considered at times in history to be pornography... (primarily I think because of the tendency for moralist masses to knee jerk... and miss the point).
It was banned in England for a time because of it's subject matter.... the story of a French Literary Scholar (Humbert, Humbert) who only finds very young women... girls... attractive.. (in Humberts case.... Lolita... 12.)...
* Before judging Humbert too strongly as a random historical freak... BTW... please see the history of European monarchs... and the tradition to pledge marriage of daughters as young as 4 and 5... (actually not wedding... until around age 12 to 13)... Near eastern cultures as well.. It's believed that perhaps Mary... the mother of Jesus could have been as young as 12 or 13 when she was betrothed to Joseph.
The Nabakov book is controversial because it's a look into the polluted mind of a pervert.... a willful pedophile.. He... (Humbert.. the character.... not Nabakov... the writer)... is a dangerous ass for sure.
He's dangerous because he roams free. He has the ability to do what he wants... when he wants... Manipulate... etc. But most dangerous when he's thinking.
He is dangerous primarily because he has the freedom to think what he wants... about a thing... or a person... with no concern for rightness... accuracy... truthfulness... or reality.
He's not concerned about knowing a thing as it is... for what it is... rather he's content to settle in on his own preconceived notions about it.
What I had madly possessed was not she.... but my own creation... another.... fanciful Lolita- perhaps.... More real than Lolita... Overlapping... Encasing her.... Floating between me and her... and having no will.... no consciousness.... indeed no life of her own.
-Humbert.
This is the pornography. The idolatry. The "unholiness of it".
It's the pornographic mind of the character... (not the book) because Humbert is content to settle on conveniences in his own mind about the girl... He settles on the things he wants to believe about her.... Not the things about her that are actually true.
Let me ask....
Is this the reason that... say.. things like lawn jockeys are offensive to black people?
Stereotypes?
Are prejudices offensive to people because they're oversimplifications and generalizations of who and what people actually are?
Why do we do it? Settle for the fraud... or the fake?
Laziness?
Convenience?
Are we safer that way??? Our meticulously crafted world?
What about Idolatry?? Worshipping the false God?? The convenient God of our own choosing? (Fred Phelps)... The God of our own creation?
As the world considers "Holy Week"... I wonder... do we kill the God of reality?... crucify Him because we just can't take the possibility that we might all be wrong after all?
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