Politics, Faith, & Condescension

I thought this was a well-written essay by Michael Roth, the president of Weslyan University, in which he argues that education and faith should lead to a similar end: a realization of how little we understand and thus an openness to other points of view/belief systems.

Liberal learning is, after all, supposed to make us aware of how little we know. That’s what Socratic insight is all about: we need to learn because we understand so little. Education should lead to intellectual humility as we become more aware of our own ignorance. Conservatives also prize education, after all, but they do so because it should deliver the lesson of intellectual humility. Education should prevent us from thinking we can solve our deepest problems with science, technology or political structures.

There is a parallel here with faith. Some believers, infused with confidence in their own righteousness, display a spiritual arrogance that is offensive to those who don’t share their beliefs. But many people of faith discover a deep humility through their spiritual life—a humility that leads to openness to others rather than a proud sectarianism.

So maybe condescension depends less on questions of ideology, learning and faith than it does on differences in character. Some people just find it easier to sneer at others rather than to try to understand people with different points of view. The satisfactions of condescension are a temptation for people who feel they already know so much, just as the pleasures of elitism are seductive for people who are certain that God is on their side.

Read the entire article

Filed under: Faith, Politics

March 2010

February 2010 is going out with a bang, it seems, with this final week blizzard. However, glancing at my calendar this morning, I can’t help but be giddy about the prospects of March. I’ve mentioned before that March is my favorite sports month of the year, but add to that a couple other niceties and you’ve got the makings of a GREAT month!

Sports
Spring Training Games – 3/2
March Madness NCAA Tournament – 3/15

Movies Being Released (Theater)
Alice & Wonderland – 3/5
Brooklyn’s Finest – 3/5
Remember Me – 3/12
Green Zone – 3/12
The Bounty Hunter – 3/19
How To Train Your Dragon – 3/26

Movies Being Released (DVD)
2012 – 3/2
Gentlemen Broncos – 3/2
Up in the Air – 3/9
The Boondock Saints II – 3/9
Precious – 3/9
The Time Traveler’s Wife – 3/9
Brothers – 3/23
The Box – 3/23
The Informant – 3/23
The Men Who Stare at Goats – 3/23

Other
The Oscars – 3/7
Daylight Savings Time begins – 3/14
St. Patrick’s Day – 3/17
Spring begins – 3/20
Breaking Bad Season Three begins – 3/21
Switchfoot concert – 3/24

I’m sure I’m missing something else, but this is more than enough to give me a light at the end of this snowy February tunnel.

Filed under: March, Movies

Successful People

*Originally posted on April 7, 2008

• Successful people accept life as it is, with all its difficulties and challenges. They adapt to it rather than complain about it. They accept responsibility for their own lives instead of blaming or making excuses. They say YES to life in spite of negative elements and make the most out of it, no matter what the circumstances.

• Successful people develop and maintain a positive attitude toward life. They look for good in others and in the world, and usually seem to find it. They see life as a series of opportunities and possibilities, and always explore them.

• Successful people build good relationships. They’re sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. They’re considerate and respectful. They have a way of bringing out the best in other people.

• Successful people have a sense of direction and purpose — they know where they’re going. They set goals, accomplish most of them, and then set new goals. They accept and enjoy a challenge.

• Successful people have a strong desire to learn: about life, the world, and themselves. They see learning as a joy, not a duty. They continually enrich their lives by learning new things and improving themselves. They are always discovering, always growing.

• Successful people are action-oriented. They get things done because they’re not afraid of hard work, and they don’t waste time. They use it in constructive ways. They don’t get into ruts or become bored because they’re too busy looking for new experiences.

• Successful people maintain high standards in their personal conduct. They know that honesty is one of the main ingredients in the character of a good person. They are consistently truthful in both their private and public lives.

• Successful people understand the difference between existing and living, and always choose the latter. They get the most out of life because they put the most into it. They reap what they sow. And they enjoy life to the fullest.

(ht: The Maverick Spirit)

Filed under: Inspiration, Life, Success

Without It

Without It – MuteMath

[Embedded Audio]

Here we are
Isn’t life bizarre?
It likes to take from us and throw it out
We’ll carry on
What’s done is done
Yeah, we’ll do without it somehow

The world is gone, don’t think about it
Cuz life is short we’ll do without it
They say the road is long, don’t think about it
Cuz life is short we’ll do without it

We can move on forward
Don’t worry
The best we’ve known is yet to come
We can move on forward
Don’t worry
The worst won’t get the best of us

Some memories, a crippling
Don’t let the disease bring us down
There’s nothing else to know
Just let it go
Yeah, we’ll do without it somehow

The world is gone, don’t think about it
Cuz life is short we’ll do without it
They say the road is long, don’t think about it
Cuz life is short we’ll do without it

We can move on forward
Don’t worry
The best we’ve known is yet to come
We can move on forward
Don’t worry
The worst won’t get the best of us

The world is gone, don’t think about it
Cuz life is short we’ll do without it
We’ll do without it
We’ll do without it
We’ll do without it
We’ll do without it
Go

We can move on forward
Don’t worry
The best we’ve known is yet to come
We can move on forward
Don’t worry
Don’t you worry

Though the world is gone
We’ll carry on
We’ll do without it
We’ll do without it

Filed under: Lyrics, Music

Why I Run

A friend asked me a simple question, “Why do you run?” as part of some research she’s doing. That sounded to me like a perfect blog post. So here it is. This is why I run.

Physical Health
No brainer, right? I run because it’s good for me. I tend to be lazy and rely too much on my blessed metabolism, but I often neglect other health concerns such as cholesterol. Running has helped me get in the best shape of my life—inside and out.

Mental Health
I’ve yet to find many things more relaxing, and mentally freeing, than running. Stress is just an “easy three” away from disappearing. I’m a big fan of running to music or podcasts, but that doesn’t stop my mind from solving the worlds problems as I run. And I’m an outside runner, so benefits of the fresh air and scenery is impossible to calculate. (This is probably a great time to mention that running is a great prayer venue.)

Challenge
I started running as a little challenge to a few friends a couple years ago. We were meeting at our college homecoming and thought it would be fun to run in the 5K going on that weekend. That challenge set me on the course that now has me training for a Half Marathon this May. I’d have to say of all the reasons to continue running, challenging myself to new heights is pretty high on the list.

Community
Like any other hobby, running gives you an instant community. We all want to discuss our runs, our shoes, our gadgets, our races, our milestones, our training schedules, etc. Recently I’ve discovered that training with others is another a great community (and accountability) builder!

Inspiration
I run for inspiration—to inspire others, as well as to be inspired.

It’s also convenient, cheap, and fun! You get a great sense of accomplishment, and it’s extremely easy to make great strides (no pun intended). It started out as a simple challenge, turned into a hobby to collect t-shirts as I stayed in shape, and is now part of my regular routine.

Related Links:
» 6 Reasons To Run a 5K
» Lessons Learned From Running
» Race Log
» Why Run?

Filed under: Exercise, Health, Running

January Debrief

• That was a really quick month
• Got really cold there at the end too.
• Tanner lost another tooth.
• Our running posse added a couple members.
• 34.8 Miles Ran.
• Enjoyed a men’s retreat at Camp Michindoh.
• Got my first iPod with a screen!
• …and a Nike+ to go with it.
• Jason & Becca had their baby!!
• 24 started back up. Not feeling it so far.
• Apple introduced the iPad. Could be cool.
• On a Netflix scale, January was 3/5.

Books Read in January:
Outliers — Malcolm Gladwell
The War of Art — Steven Pressfield

Movies Watched in January:
9 – 5/5
Waterlife – 3/5
Avatar – 5/5
Nick of Time – 2/5
The Trials of Ted Haggard – 4/5
11:14 – 3/5
Wolf – 3/5
The Cove – 4/5
Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke – 3/5
Vertical Limit – 3/5
Chapter 27 – 2/5
The Hurt Locker – 4/5
Moon – 4/5
Joe Dirt – 2/5
The Book of Eli – 4/5
Zoolander – 3/5
The Road Warrior – 3/5
Fool’s Gold – 1/5
City Hall – 4/5
St. Elmo’s Fire – 3/5
In the Name of the Father – 4/5
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – 4/5
The Hustler – 5/5
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome – 4/5
All About Steve – 4/5
Hoffa – 3/5
Blood Work – 3/5
The Last of the Mohicans – 4/5
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – 4/5
Shaft – 3/5

Filed under: 2010, Books, January, Movies