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Alexa. please
The other day I said something like "Alexa can you please tell me the weather?" and my daughter said "Dad, you know you don't need to say please, right? It's a robot."
And my daughter is correct.
Unless, I'm saying please for myself and the way I want to interact with the world.
Which, if you get down to it, is most things in life. There is a part of how we live that benefits others but, in the end, it might just benefit us the most.
the ostrich.
We can't just bury our head in the sand... not these days. Not with the government as terrible as it is, and the church as messed up as it is, and poverty, injustice, and... do we need to go on?
We can't act like a problem doesn't exist... and hope it goes away.
The poor ostrich. Forever tied with a saying about people who refuse to see problems and instead just want to cover their eyes and hope the predator coming for them doesn't see them.
But, here's the deal. Ostriches don't bury their heads in the sand. Never have. Probably never will. Unless they want to die of asphyxiation.
What the ostrich is doing is taking care of eggs that have been laid in a big hole that the ostrich dug in the sand. It looks like it's burying it's head but it's actually being an incredible parent, and all around member of the ostrich species, rotating and protecting eggs and taking care of future generations.
Side note: ostriches are pretty tough. They're also really fast - as in the fastest 2 legged land animal - and they can run 30 mph for 10 miles. They also have a kick that can kill a lion.
Why would they ever bury their head in the sand?
They wouldn't.
Neither would you. But, what you might do is take a moment to look down and into the future. What you might do is stop worrying about the lions out there and the hyenas that might be over the hill and the wild dogs that might be planning something in the near future. If they come, you'll deal with them. Yes. You're fast and strong and will be for others when they need you to be.
Until then, it might be smart to stop reading the articles, stop worrying about the hypocrisy and not care as much about the thing those people are doing over there. Yes, you'll be accused of burying your head in the sand - because that's how it might appear - but what you're actually doing is taking care of the only thing worth taking care of: your legacy and the species, in ways that actually matter.
bezos.
Jeff Bezos is the new wealthiest person on the planet. Somewhere around 112 billion. (We were both born in Albuquerque, NM in January... does that mean anything for me?)
So, my family and I were trying to figure this out. If Mr. Bezos spent 1 million dollars a day (something that would be incredibly hard) for the rest of his life - and never made another penny (also basically impossible) he would still have about 100 billion dollars at his death. 1 billion is 1,000 million. He would have 100, 1,000 million.
His worth is now equal to 2.3 million average Americans.
He is the first centi-billionaire. More are coming.
There are 2,208 billionaires in the world worth 9.1 trillion dollars.
Bezos and the others are doing some amazing things... don't get me wrong... but at some point, when people keep talking about free market, capitalism, earning what you are worth, you arrive here.
The 3 richest people in America own as much as the bottom 1/2.
The 8 richest people in the world own as much as the bottom 1/2 of the world.
The problem with more is that there is never enough.
oscar.
Apparently the Oscars had one of the lowest audiences in its history this past Sunday night. Which raises lots of interesting questions:
1. Is there just too much other stuff to watch now? The audience is diluted.
2. Are the Oscars boring and out-of-touch? Is it time for them to evolve?
3. Are people not "artsy" enough? If The Avengers isn't nominated do they care?
4. Should the Oscars nominate The Avengers so more people watch?
5. Should people care more about movies that say something instead of pulp entertainment?
6. Who cares if it's pulp entertainment? Aren't movies supposed to entertain?
7. Who votes for the Oscars?
8. What is the success of an awards show?
9. Are people tired of out-of-touch Hollywood?
10. Is Hollywood out-of-touch? Are the majority of Americans out-of-touch?
11. Out-of-touch with what? Each other?
I've asked myself these kinds of questions for almost 10 years in the church world. I don't have the answers but I'm really happy I don't have to ask them anymore. They're exhausting.
the frog.
You know the old frog in boiling water? The saying goes that if you throw a frog into boiling water, it'll jump out, but if you slowly heat the water, it'll die, implying that we have to be very careful of slow change that will slowly kill us.
Good news!
It's a myth. The frog will jump when the water gets too hot. (Actually it'll probably jump right away.) And if you throw a frog into boiling water, it will die.
On a related note, can we now start taking care of health care for all, gun restrictions, and a better welfare system?
freeway life.
There are lots of saying related to the past is a memory and the future is a plan... and that it's only the present that exists.
So true.
But, there is another side of those sayings that can be a little frustrating... because the past matters quite a bit, actually, it's created the present, and the future matters quite a bit, it's determining the path we're on.
I prefer the freeway metaphor.
Rearview mirror glances are good - especially when changing lanes. You don't want to be surprised by something coming back that you've already passed, or didn't see from the past, especially when making a change.
Generally, we looked forward on the freeway though. Keeping our eyes ahead, on where we are going... not so that we focus on the future but so we can be present at each moment on the road.
Stare in the rear-view mirror, we'll get in a wreck. Never look, wreck. Stare too far ahead, and we'll get in a wreck. Never try to predict what's next, wreck.
Lots of options for wrecks but we've got the freeway down pretty well. So, if we can bring that glance to the past, that focus on the future, and that attention to now into life, well, it seems like we might be on to something.
the law.
We continue to hear things from certain individuals along the lines of "restrictions on guns won't stop shootings."
Why do we not hear the same thing in regards to restrictions on illegal immigration, abortion, gay rights, and a whole host of things that many of those same people seem very excited about restricting?
Or why be upset with restrictions on clean energy, environment, etc... they don't do anything, anyway, right?
two months.
Two months from today I'll be at The Bing. Speaking, creating, carrying out a really cool - I think - experience.
When I'm not sweating and fighting my desire to run away, I'm really excited about it.
I'd love for you to take a look at lightslikeus.com. As blog readers, not only do I hope you're there on May 3 but I hope you'll bring some friends because the more, definitely, the merrier.
Also, I gave a shoutout to Aaron McHugh a while back and I'll give him another... I got to sit in his bus and have an interview last weekend and the podcast is up! Give it a listen (iTunes link) if you like. Aaron is a cool dude, living a good life, doing pretty amazing things, and it was awesome to hang with him. I think you'll like the interview and the podcast.
everyone and no one.
Besides the fact that they don't exist... think how cool if they did. You could be the first one to ever do that? Whoa.
You don't need everyone. You'll never have no one.
You just need enough.
open it.
My wife and I were out to eat. Since we had been shopping, I really had to go to the bathroom. I, of course, excused myself and walked down the short hallway in the back of the restaurant to the bathroom. And, horror of horrors, the door was closed.
I really had to go.
I waited, in pain, practically, jumping up and down as though that would help. Waiting, waiting, waiting... what were they doing in there?!?
Finally, I couldn't take it any longer and knocked on the door. No answer. I reached for the handle and twisted... and the door opened. No one was there.
Have you ever noticed how one dirty dish in the sink tends to attract others? Well, of course we think, the dishwasher is full. So, we'll just put them in the sink. Finally, someone bothers to open it and finds that it's empty, waiting for dirty dishes.
There are some sayings around "closed doors" and "waiting for open doors" but I don't think there are enough sayings telling us to "Open the damn door - it's not locked and it's not full. It's waiting for us to try it!"
it’s happening.
Don't worry about tomorrow can be read a few ways and most of them are not very helpful to us. We have a mortgage due tomorrow.
The sentiment, we say, is that we only have today. Tomorrow may not exist. It's true, but focusing on the fact that we could be in a wreck tomorrow seems really pessimistic and anxiety producing - which is not the point of not worrying about tomorrow or focusing on today.
So, it's not that we don't know what tomorrow brings or that we shouldn't think about it.
It's that we do know what is happening right now and we should pay more attention to that. Do that, and the rest takes care of itself.
good looking...
I was recently with someone and we were talking about another tragic suicide... and this person said, as people often do when talking about a suicide, "...So confusing, he was such a good looking kid... so sad..."
Which got me thinking about how often, when we hear of a suicide or similar tragedy, one of our go-to responses is something along the lines of all the successful things they had going for them in life... and, more interesting, what those successful things are.
Good looking.
Football player.
Cheerleader.
4.0 Student.
CEO
Two points:
1. I hope to God to never hear anyone explicitly say "Yeah, kinda makes sense. Ugly kid with bad grades..." but... it is what we're often saying without saying it. That seems dangerous on all kinds of levels.
2. Good looking, football player/cheerleaders/CEO's/ 4.0 students can still feel as though they don't belong, can still have mental illnesses, and can still be weighed down by the endless pursuit of trying to keep up.
It's never a bad time to remember what we're living for and what we're modeling for our peers and the generations below us.
bold statement no. 7*
There is nothing to be afraid of.
*To agree, disagree, talk about, or ignore.
bold statement no. 6*
If there is a Hell where humans are tortured forever, there is not a God. If there is a God, there is not a Hell where humans are tortured forever. The two can not co-exist.
*To agree, disagree, talk about, or ignore.
bold statement no. 5*
America is the least Christian on Earth. (In part because it claims to be the most.)
*To agree, disagree, talk about, or ignore.
bold statement no. 4*
The experience of God is related to perception and nothing else.
*To agree, disagree, talk about, or ignore.
bold statement no. 3*
Religion and Church are concepts created, not to experience God, but to control humanity.
*To agree, disagree, talk about, or ignore.
bold statement no. 2*
Christianity and God have nothing to do with each other.
As in they each don't affect the other anymore than any other thing in the world.
*To agree, disagree, talk about, or ignore.
bold statement no. 1*
Church and Christianity have nothing to do with each other.
As in they each don't affect the other any more than any other thing in the world.
*To agree, disagree, talk about, or ignore.