Facing Reality

What is the reality of your place in the universe? Yeah, this question has been asked by everyone through the ages.

The only reason I think about this is that today there was a news report about a bicyclist killed by a drunk driver. The guy was biking across the country collecting signatures on a petition that I imagine he was planning to deliver to potentates when he arrived in Washington. He was specifically protesting the latest massive government bailouts.

I think that's a pretty good idea, really. Why should taxpayers be asked to rescue others who've made awful decisions and and who will not only refuse to learn from those decisions but are employed specifically to make them? The reality is, however, that the government always spends gobs of money to do what it thinks is best to crack heads of those under its thumb... as well as to reward those they like whoever they are.

The radio news report I heard was that the petition will now not be delivered. All those voices will go unheard. I thought as I listened, so what? Are those voices really heard anyway?

Nah. I just don't think so. It's the World echo chamber, voices bouncing about and vanishing in the vapors of deceit and dissembling.

It just seems all the bike trekking this guy did was so utterly pointless.

And it is, really.

Unless you are known by the One who made the universe you are in.

How Authentic is Good?

Berke Breathed, the mind behind Opus, is on an authenticity kick. I love it. His Bloom County was the greatest strip there ever was, because it so deeply penetrated the realm of truth. He's now running Opus, and here's his latest Sunday paper offering, here.

I am big on authenticity. Really big. Phoniness is something that I want to run from at five thousand miles per second. But the question here for consideration, something I've thought about for some time, is this:

To what extent can one be authentically unrighteous?

Is it perfectly fine for the gods of authenticity if one is perfectly authentic in his deceit, folly, arrogance, stupidity-- if one is so putridly awful, so wretchedly murderous-- could it not be okay if that is who he or she authentically is?

Of course I have my own thoughts. But for now, there it is.

Truthiness in Film

Stephen Colbert has made "truthiness" quite popular. Satire has a way of dispelling falsehood--his recent run for the presidency has given truthiness some credibility. Did he really run? Was his run truthiful?

Just wanted to point out a few major motion pictures that highlight the meaning of truth, belying the postmodern riff that each of us has our own truth. What is the meaning of each of the following unless there is Truth? (Note the capital "T"...)

"The truth can be adjusted" from Michael Clayton. A film about a lawyer who sees what's really what and bad guys go after him--what meaning would this have if there isn't a Truth that is being messed with?

"The search for true love begins outside the box" from Lars and the Real Girl. This film is about a guy who treats a blow-up doll as a real girl. The twist is when everyone else starts doing it as well. Charming. Thing is, it is only such when we all have firmly in the back of our minds what real actually means.

"Everyone wants the truth... until they find it" from Gone Baby Gone. Is truth painful? Sure it is, when we must confront our falsehoods. Most people just don't want to do that. When you do deal with it, then you're free. Actually.

"Something's happening to Dan. It's confusing. It's awkward. It's family." From Dan in Real Life. Ah yes, the "Life is messy" movie. Steve Carell is funny, but... yeah. Another "Life is messy" movie. True enough. What of it? Sometimes the messiness does mean it's authentic. Other times we really don't like it if it is too messy. Want it to be authentic and not-too-messy?

"If you don't stand for something, you might fall for anything" from Lions for Lambs. Scary-- that you'd fall for something that would destroy you. My question here is, what precisely is it that the "something" should be? What exactly is the "Truth with a capital 'T'"?

I think it's a Person.

The Assault on Reason

Al Gore has a new book out called The Assault on Reason. It is yet another plea, eloquent as it is, for us to all to get going reasoning together as we should. Sadly, he won't go beyond the typical censure of certain bad things--especially those things particularly bad to him. He will say "Look at this truth," but have no real answer for it.

I asked in my last post if God is responsible for not allowing us to see Truth. I still think about it, but one of my thoughts is simply that God blasts us in the face with Truth. Big-time.

It's just we like to stay behind the lead wall so we won't be infected with the radiation that is His love. If we choose to cower there, He's not going to force us out.

Al Gore makes a good, solid part of the wall.

The Questions of Deception

Here are two questions I think about a lot:

To what extent can an individual be excused for his deception that he just knows nothing about, when that deception causes great harm to someone?

To what extent is God responsible for allowing people to remain in their deception, even if that seemingly nebulous "greater good" comes from it?

I don't know the answers. I kind of have some ideas. And the questions themselves, indeed: quite loaded with all kinds of baggage.

Are Shadows All We Have?

Are we hopelessly stuck in the cave looking at shadows, as Plato surmised millennia ago? Because the "Ideal" is outside there somewhere, is it impossible for us to truly know what's real?

While this is a genuine concern of all thoughtful people everywhere, I believe the answer to this is no, simply because there is One person who actually comes into the cave. He not only brings light, but

He is The Light.