I took this picture the other day and adjusted some things (saturation, etc.) using Picasa. I think it looks a lot like a painting now.
Doing the Right Thing
In this post, conservativedude suggests,
“It’s not about Republicans and Democrats, or those pesky Independents. It’s about ideology. Conservatism vs. Liberalism.”
I agree that it’s not about Republicans and Democrats and Independents. But I would maintain that it’s not about Conservatism vs. Liberalism, either.
Enough “us vs. them” in politics. Enough badmouthing the side you’re not on. Yes, some liberals are jerks. Yes, some conservatives are jerks. But most people don’t wake up in the morning and think, “I’m going to be a jerk today.”
Most people really are fighting for what they believe is right. Now, many maintain that “what’s right for you is your truth, and what’s right for me is my truth.” I disagree. There is a moral standard, there are absolutes, and Truth will still be Truth whether or not anybody believes in it.
But I think it’s important to give a little grace in politics. If we are reasonable people, we can understand that other people–yes, even those who aren’t on our “side”–are
a) reasonable people, too;
b) usually fighting for something they believe to be just as virtuous as what we are fighting for; and
c) able to give us opporunities to learn more about the many facets of an issue.
It’s not about Conservatism vs. Liberalism. It’s about doing the right thing. Let’s stop trying to brainwash people into hating “the other side” and start searching for the truth–not our own personal philosophies, but the good, strong, and perfect Truth.
Painting–and Life
In my Intro to Painting class, I tend to hate my paintings, because I think they are ugly, poorly done, awful. But the other day, I had a painting I hated, and I decided to give it a little bit of love. To care a little as I added a few strokes of yellow on the blue, green on the rose. And it really turned out beautifully. And my painting professor even came and borrowed it to use as an example for another student.
And it hit me: painting is like life, isn’t it? I thrive so much more in life when I don’t hate myself. How beautiful would I become if only I could learn to love myself?
Passion
I’ve been thinking about passion lately, thinking about how I can take things to such a deeper level if only I really poured my heart into it. For example, if I sing a song to God, he hears it and it blesses him, but wouldn’t it be that much more beautiful to him if every word came straight from my heart, if I really meant it, if I sang it as if it were the thread holding everything together? He’s worth it. Why am I so lazy?
My friend Expensive Ann and I were talking about this yesterday, and she said something that I was only then beginning to realize on my own: passion is not a feeling, an intense emotion, something you feel but can’t control. It is a choice, like so many other things that can be disciplined into being, and living a life of passion is not a flippant burst of energy, but a lifelong devotion, a choice made every single day to pursue that which we are passionate about.
I want to be passionate about God, not stagnant. Time to make the choice.
Favorite Photo
I already have a favorite photo from my new camera. Hopefully there will be many more favorites to come!
The New Camera
As much as I try to deny it, this camera really was an impulse buy. As accentuated by the fact that I could have gotten it shipped here for free in 3-5 days but chose to pay over $20 to have it shipped here today. I just want to take it to the beach with me and take some awesome photos. I hope I will take some great ones that are worth posting here. As for now, my camera still hasn’t arrived. I am waiting by the door, ever so eagerly, and I look forward to its arrival. For those of you who are wondering what kind of camera it is, have a look:
Why Procrastination Is Bad
Those are all the dishes I had to do after putting it off for a week. Thankfully they are done now. The photo was taken after I washed them all, while they were drying.
Surviving the Grand Dream
There’s something to be said for aspirations. If nobody ever dreamed of climbing Mount Everest, nobody ever would have done it. But if nobody ever dreamed of climbing Mount Everest, nobody ever would have died attempting it.
So where does that leave us? What do we do with these hugely outlandish ideas that burn inside our hearts but that only “certain” people–”other” people–can accomplish? Why do our friends and family assume that only certain other people can pull off these great dreams of ours?
They may be right; we may not have the talent or the skills or the money or the education. But what if we could learn or earn or aquire the tools we need?
I think that it’s important to keep dreaming. But then there is wisdom to consider. Is it wise to do every outlandish thing that pops into our heads? Maybe everyone else knows something we don’t about these grand ideas of ours. Maybe we are caught up in the daydream and they are offering the reality.
Whom to listen to? That’s the question I ask myself almost everyday. Do I jump out and do the outlandish thing, or do I listen to the people who are afraid for me? I guess that’s where prayer comes in. It shouldn’t be about listening to me or listening to them. It should be about listening to God.
After all, without his blessing, however could I survive?
Lonely Dandelion
I took this photo today and thought it turned out rather well. The hilarious thing is, it’s blazing hot out and not raining at all. That’s just the moisture trapped between our two window panes. The company promised that would never happen, so we called them up to get the window replaced, but, of course, the company had gone out of business. Oh well!
A Great Photo
Like there’s not enough . . ., originally uploaded by Lees2dent.
I found this photo on Flickr.com and thought it was really nice. It reminds me of all the dandelions in my yard. I personally am a huge fan of dandelions in the yard, but my father hates them because they don’t fight fair and take over the whole yard. He says he likes a diversity of species in the yard, which really means he likes a lot of grass in the yard.
It kind of reminds me of college, the way they claim they like diversity, but they really just want to teach one side of politics. They weed out the dandelions, allegedly because the dandelions don’t play fair, but then they cultivate nothing but grass, because that’s what they’re comfortable with, a yard full of grass, all one color, no diversity, even though that’s what they claim they’re fighting for.
