A New Tomorrow is around the corner, I am working on several projects and toying around with lots of ideas, and those projects and those ideas are taking the the time and effort I usually put toward the blog. So for now I’m going to step away from here but I will be back with lots of brand new content. I’m very excited and I hope you all will be too! Until that time follow me on twitter @ www.twitter.com/kevindun. See you soon!
When a new day dawns, we are all given the same amount of time to use as we wish. We will have the chance to erase the slate clean of yesterday’s mistake and lay foundations for tomorrow’s success; and so we can pander to the status quo, or work for the common good; we can focus on the bottom line or on one in need; we can chase every dollar, or follow where hope will lead us. Because at the end of the day what will distinguish us will be what we gave, how we served, and who we loved.
- Tallu Scott Schuyler (New Day’s Resolution from www.coolpeoplecare.com)
” I had always vaguely felt facts to be miracles in the sense that they are wonderful: now I began to think them miraces in the stricter sense that they were willful. I mean that they were, or might be, repeated excercises of some will. In short, I had always believed that the world involved magic: now I thought that perhaps it involved a magician. And this pointed a profound emotion always present and sub-conscious; that this world of our has some purpose; and if there is a purpose, there is a person. I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story, there is a story-teller.”
- G.K. Chesterton
For the last month I have suffered the effects and consequences that follow a brain attack. Don’t worry, I’m fine. Apparently the brain is stronger than the heart, if I would have gone a month with a blocked artery I would have been dead, but instead it was my brain that suffered the massive blockage, leaving me cranky, irritable, emotional, and in need of some good ideas. During this time, I’ve pondered the idea of life as a story, something willed into being by some magical story-teller and maintained by a collaborative of my own will and His. Maybe my blockage was for a point or a purpose, like: what if my brain’s lack of ideas prevented a tragedy or catastrophe, and I single-handedly saved the world from “the bunny flu” or “H1N1000,” or Maybe I stopped a terrorist attack or saved the life of a small child, or maybe I was just saved from myself. There are parts of my story controlled by my will and parts I have nothing to do with, and it’s in those moments that a growth of my faith is required. I like the idea of life as a story, and I look forward to discovering what my story holds for me. Maybe dreams will be possible again after all.
Here are a few other Story related items:
- Here is unique story of brothers, community, acceptance, and love from the New York Times created from a collaborative of wills.
- The Story:Chicago Conference taking place October 28th 2009 at the Paramount Theatre. (I’m extremely excited)
- A Collide Magazine Article on “The Excellence of Story.” (Well Worth a Read for All Story-Tellers)
People are more transparent when expressing themselves through art. I think, too often, when writing to prove a point the goal is to hid our feelings, biases, and world views within our arguments. We have this longing for our views and perspectives to stand on their own, apart from our feelings. The question I guess I’m asking here is “don’t you think hiding our biases and feelings from an argument leaves a big chunk of the truth undiscussed?” There is a lot of truth to be found in asking why. Full transparency reveals the full truth and so it’s important to find a way to express these things if discovering, knowing, and revealing the truth is the ultimate good. Art is much better at portraying real genuine truth and perspective. Journalism in it’s very nature tries to deny the existence of it’s own biases, leaving a big part of the truth unknown while Art, even in it’s simplest forms, reveals the whole story, biases and all and does so through the individual perspective of the artist. A few days ago I taught a Language Arts class at a nearby middle school. The topic of the day was the limerick, which is a very basic 5 line poem where lines 1,2,5 rhyme together and lines 3,4 rhyme together. The last thing we did was write our own limerick and I had the opportunity to walk around and read the students poems. What I discovered was that each poem revealed several truths about each student’s life and perspective outside of the class room, you could clearly separate the optimists from the pessimists, the kids who have it easy and the kids who have it tough. I also discovered some limericks that I can share here, that show what I’m talking about. Here they are in all of their extravagant transparency:
BED
I wish I would have stayed in my bed.
with pleasant dreams dancing around in my head
but I had to get up, you see
for I really really had to pee
If I’d remained in bed, boy would my have been red.Losing at Life
If I were a child once again
think of all the games I could win
I would be the best
I could pass every test
but I’m stuck losing at life to grown men.Spring
It’s awesome outside in the spring
to hear all the birds begin to sing
it starts to feel warm
you hope its the norm
To those days in the spring I will cling.
These poems express much more than just a basic thought or concept, they are in their very essence a state of being, a perspective, a feeling put to words. it speaks volumes about the entire being who wrote them. The first one was silly, the second speaks of his own life as if he is frustrated or disappointed with his own life, and third one speaks of the hope of re-birth, holding on to the good days when things are going so well. Art often holds within it a metaphor, a literal and not-so-literal interpretation, and in doing that it brings more to the table than just an essay about springtime. These poems hide nothing, but express everything. And this brings me back to my point, while essays and written arguments bring a literal truth, they hide and deny their own bias, but art puts it’s bias and perspective on display
A Study on Friendship: (from Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Dish)
Last year, researchers studied 34 students at the University of Virginia, taking them to the base of a steep hill and fitting them with a weighted backpack. They were then asked to estimate the steepness of the hill. Some participants stood next to friends during the exercise, while others were alone. The students who stood with friends gave lower estimates of the steepness of the hill. And the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared.
So things have been kind of slow here on the blog, don’t try and adjust your internet connection it’s just a symptom of this massive case of writer’s block I’ve been cursed with, as of late, my journal has suffered something to the same effect. I hate the feeling that I have something to express but lack the mind frame in which is required of me to be capable of putting them to words. There are only a handful of feelings more aggravating than that. However, no matter how clogged my brain may be, it’s never too clogged to recognize the persistent, undying affection my soul has for a friend. At the very mention of the name of a treasured friend many thoughts, emotions, and words come pouring out of me like the rushing waters of Niagara Falls. I sat there for hours, my brain still fully clogged and bloated with all the valuable words of wisdom I long to share, and yet page after page had been filled with the wishes, longings, desires, and infinite supply of loving and affectionate thoughts that have found their residence within me, toward a friend. And yet all is done in vain, for I am left to wonder If these words will ever be heard, understood, or shared. Which, by chance, happens to be even more of an aggravating feeling than that which I spoke of prior.
If men could only know each other, they would neither idolize nor hate.”
- Elbert Hubbard
The effect of the indulgence of this human affection is a certain cordial exhilaration. In poetry and in common speech the emotions of benevolence and complacency which are felt toward others are likened to the material effects of fire; so swift, or much more swift, more active, more cheering, are these fine inward irradiations. From the highest degree of passionate love to the lowest degree of good will, they make the sweetness of life.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
MY RE-WRITE
The consequence of the taking part in this pleasurable experience called human affection is an intensely comfortable and lively emotion. In our stories and our real life relations the feeling of kindness and satisfaction which we feel for one another is much like the physical feeling of warming yourself by a fire. There are few things more exhilirating than these sparks of light that peirce through the dark. Whether it be an intense affection or just a kind act done one to another, these are the ingrediants that add the sweetness to life.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (paraphrased)
I love discovering new blogs! It’s like opening a whole new world of exciting new perspective. When I do find a good one I’m just like a kid waking up on Christmas morning and it was truly just like that when I discovered Black Hockey Jesus’ Blog “The Wind In Your Vagina.” Black Hockey Jesus writes one of those beautifully crafted daddy blogs, and yet his is so much better than any of the other ones I’ve ever come across.
A few weeks ago He wrote an entry where he mentioned that when his kids were born it was like his entire history had been re-written. And ever since I read that little tid-bit from his entry I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. Now, I realize there are those things in our lives that happen to us unexpectedly that change everything, our past, present, and future, events like what Black Hockey Jesus described, events such as: holding your brand new baby boy or girl in your arms, a friendship given on a daily basis, or the first time you lay eyes on the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. And yet what his perspective triggered within me was slightly different. I began to wonder if re-writing our history was actually possible and I came to the conclusion that if it was it’s what my everyday should be about. Then I slowly began to realize that with every situation in life the question always arises “What do I do now?” and when we try to answer that question we are presented with exactly that, the opportunity to re-write our histories.
There is probably not a day that goes by that we are not presented with the opportunity or chance to change things, to choose reconciliation, forgiveness, repentance, unconditional love, or grace, the things that truly do re-write the events of our past and re-direct our future. Maybe this is what is meant when scripture points to us as new creations, not only does our future change but our very essence, which has been defined by our past. It’s when we make these decisions, that our past begins to present a purpose, a drive, a voice that was always calling to us, pushing us to our current moment of reconciliation or redemption. Too many times we solely focus on our future and the permanentness of our mistakes and we miss out on the fact that Jesus provided for us a way to form a masterpiece with our life by writing and erasing, breaking and repairing, making mistakes and giving them purpose. For If I were to speak about my own life there are definitely times when I am broken, lost, and blind, and yet I continue on until my past proves a purpose and I become repaired, found, and healed. I am determined to write and re-write the story of my life until it’s complete, beautiful and full of purpose.
God grant me the wisdom to use reconciliation, forgiveness, love, and grace to write and re-write the story of my life in a way that’s brings people closer to wanting and having a relationship with you. I have a lot to learn, and many things to re-write, guide my steps, for you are the light that I depend on to guide me along this path. Thank you! AMEN
Happy Easter Everybody!
The Global Organization asking for the destruction of all nuclear weapons. It’s a wonderful thought, I hope they can do it someday! It is very interesting that we are the only country that has ever used one and yet we think no one else can be trusted with them. I really do think that may qualify us as arrogant. My that’s just my perspective. What do you think?
