tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144471752024-03-13T04:58:10.474+00:00robby's stuffthe blog page of author, cartoonist, torah student, disciple of Yeshua, teacher, fiddle player, quality software tester, husband and father (not necessarily in that order of importance), robby chartersRobby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489170772663055615noreply@blogger.comBlogger209125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-89833698638626336182022-06-02T11:22:00.008+01:002022-06-02T17:40:24.450+01:00Review of The Definition of Death<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eric-Carl-Wolf/e/B09XLZ1JNF/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk" target="_blank"><i>The Definition of Death</i> by Eric Wolf</a></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">(click the title for the Amazon.com page. Click <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09W4VBHJP" target="_blank">here</a> for Amazon.co.uk) </span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e1eda427-7fff-14dd-aa4d-e6107832a41c" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81TTN6luAHL.SR160,240_BG243,243,243.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="160" height="240" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81TTN6luAHL.SR160,240_BG243,243,243.jpg" width="160" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">If you're looking for detective fiction where the hero expertly separates the clues from the red herrings while twirling his iron, and always gets his man, this isn't it. Too much real life. Why, Zack even has a fear of actually using his gun! But it's the "real life" that makes this book a winner. </span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">While the town of Aguas Calientes is fictional, the culture and the social landscape are very real - heavily influenced by Spanish, Mexican and Pueblo culture. It is home to many, has a lot to love about it, but it's dying due to the drug trade, greed and corruption. Eric Wolf writes as one who lives in that part of rural New Mexico, as well as having a background in nursing. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">When we're not following Zack through the sleazy parts of town doing police investigation, or in the double wide mobile home that he shares with his wife, Eric shows us the hospital where Zack's wife, Liz works as a nurse with some of the other characters like Joe, a male nurse, and a doctor of questionable character, Dr Surabian. Quite a lot of the plot unfolds in that hospital, and Eric's nursing experience lends its authenticity. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">Also in the hospital is the comatose Gilbert Garza, maybe suicide victim, maybe murder victim - or not - depending on what's the Definition of Death. Dr Surabian, for reasons of his own, has chosen to keep him going on a ventilator, though he's brain dead. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">Gilbert Garza, who lived next door to the doctor, was a drug dealer, an addict, and a general troublemaker. Any of a number of people could have had a motive to murder him - if he was indeed murdered - and not many are sorry to see him go. But he was found unconscious after an unsuccessful attempt to hang himself, and is in the ICU, brain dead, but being kept alive for whatever reason. Zack and the detective begin by searching his adobe hovel for links to the drug trade, but the case develops into much more. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">In fact, the dead-but-not-dead man in the ICU is the lynchpin to a lot of the bad things happening to that town. There's a lot to love about rural New Mexico, as well as a lot to despair of. Eric Wolf skilfully brings it to the surface.</span></p>Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-48347055713999957082020-11-13T12:10:00.002+00:002020-11-13T12:10:58.764+00:00The Darkling Wind - The Surreal Climax<p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chronicles-High-Inquest-Darkling-Inquestor/dp/194099960X"> The Darkling Wind by S. P. Somtow</a><br /></p>
<p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-a858c78f-7fff-8f7a-2274-615129abadd9" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">It's the last in the series of sequels, but don't fret - still some prequels to go, some yet to be completed. It is quite a climax. The Throne of Madness makes its presence felt in all it's - well - madness, adding a surreal quality, what with a winged boy and other manifestations randomly appearing in various scenes. If you've been keeping up with the series, putti made their appearance in <i>The Throne of Madness</i>, which is also where Kelver comes into union with that side of cosmic reality - the side the other Inquestors choose to ignore - the side that will bring the fall of the Inquest. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">But this is not Kelver's story, as much as it is Jenjen and Zalo's, whom we met in the third installment, <i>Utopia Hunters</i></span><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">. Zalo, the playwright, plays a minor role in that one, but here, he takes one of the leading roles, as he leads a planet in resisting the will of the Inquest. The two remain on the front line as more evil is done in the name of good, in the final game of Makrugh to end all Makrugh. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">Besides the Throne of Madness, two other forces to be reckoned with are the mind of the Delphinoid (the brain that drives the ships through the Overcosm) and Shtoma, the sentient sun, who has been maintaining the one Utopia that is the bane of the Inquest. As in every good story, there are also the ultimate "good guys" and ultimate villains - but watch carefully as some of them trade places. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">So, it comes to a climax. I suppose it wouldn't be a spoiler to say the Inquest falls - after all, Davaryush and Varuneh have been saying it since Book One. But is there life after the Inquest? Millenia later scholars doubt there ever was an Inquest.</span></p><br/><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: wrap;">So… a great climax to a great series. </span></p>Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-63100455110305652002020-08-31T22:08:00.002+01:002020-08-31T22:08:17.441+01:00Review of Another Avitar<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Another-Avatar-S-P-Somtow-Novella/dp/1940999626">Another Avitar by S P Somtow</a><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not only do Superman, Wonder Woman and Bat Man have secret identities, but so, apparently, do the entire Hindu Pantheon. Krit's identity was unknown even to himself. As far as he knew, he was only an orphan boy living in an orphanage in middle of Klong Toey, Bangkok's largest slum community. Then, fellow deity Ganesh in the guise of his English teacher enlightens him. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On one hand, he's awakened to some new powers; on the other, he's just a kid, and an orphan one at that, with a propensity for mischief. He fumbles around, enables his fellow orphan to win money in the lottery, and other antics, until the English teacher cum banana-scarfing elephant god begins to teach him a few things, starting him on the path of what promises to be a series of novellas spanning his new career - set in seamy Bangkok, sprinkled with humour and irony. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bangkok is a fascinating place, as I can attest as one who has lived there much of my life. I've even worked for a short spell at the children's institution in Klong Toey that sort of inspired the setting. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I expect great things from this series. </span></p>Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-58119281719720512692020-08-30T13:49:00.004+01:002020-08-30T14:42:20.929+01:00Review of Somtow's The Utopia Hunters<p><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08CDXH4G4" target="_blank">Utopia Hunters</a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <br /></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7689180b-7fff-0cce-dbe4-de67811f1668" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;white-space: pre-wrap;">It's a collection of stories, each casting its light of meaning on to a bigger story; that inhabited by a young female artist named Jenjen. Through the stories, each told by the Rememberer, Tash, she slowly comes to understand the particular point in history in which she finds herself; namely, the beginning of the fall of the millenia old empire of the Inquest.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those who have been reading the Inquestor series already know some of the characters of the stories: the Inquestor Ton Elleran, Sajit, Veruneh, Siriss, Aryk; some appearing both in their stories and in the overall story - Ton Elleran in particular. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the collection of stories, we can now piece together Elleran's life history. They help Jenjen discover what made Hokh Ton Elleran into the sad, tragic old man she meets as an eight year old in the opening chapter. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some of the stories confuse her further, revealing the cruel side of the High Compassion, casting Ton Elleran as no better than the rest: but they also show the view he has from the inside, and his conviction that the Inquest must fall.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jenjen realises her part in it, as an artist, and she fulfills her role.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the same way, this book fulfills a unique role in the Inquestor series, following the logical progression of the bigger story, but at the same time, creating a diversion by sprinkling in the smaller stories, some of which have been published in various Scifi journals during the heyday of classical science fiction.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre-wrap;">A good read...</span></p><br /><br />Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-70626703401112951582020-07-04T13:47:00.000+01:002020-07-04T15:10:45.615+01:00A step into Uncharted Scifi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B087YTPKH9" target="_blank">S P Somtow's <i><b>Light on the Sound</b></i></a><i><b> </b></i></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-f4198739-7fff-4f8b-ed78-3a41306411f1" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div id="docs-internal-guid-f6ddc4a3-7fff-656a-19ec-59d16b85de88" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After reading or watching so much space fiction, when it seems like all the possible scenarios have probably been used at some time or another, and space warriors remind you of the US Marines, and the future of the galaxy is English speaking white, from S P Somtow's Inquestor Universe comes a breath of fresh air. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Light on the Sound is the first in the series, though it's the third one I've read and reviewed. It begins with a piece of prose describing a feature of a habitable planet like nothing ever imagined by the aforesaid works of space fiction, a gigantic covered crater with a dense atmosphere, in which swim - or fly - the delphinoids. These are a giant fish-like (or bird-like) creature with giant exo-brains (is that a word?) that give them a consciousness of the overcosm - that network of logical lines that links every part of the galaxy, enabling faster than light travel. Only the delphinoids know how to navigate the overcosm, but they don't. They just fly about their massive "sunless sound" singing about it, emitting both light and sound that would drive ordinary humans mad for their sheer beauty. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A delphinoid, connected to the right technology, is useful for enabling a space ship to navigate the overcosm. The only ones that are able to catch them are a race of deaf and blind humans, who have been doing this for many millennia , as part of their culture. The sunless sound is their whole universe. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the opening prose, the world opens up further through the eyes of 14 year old Kelver, a common peasant boy, whose life begins to take a totally unpredicted turn. That has to do with his meeting the second main character in the story, a girl from the other side of the "sky wall", the great dark area where the delphinoids live. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Her people have been innocently hunting the noble creatures which they can neither see nor hear for millennia, thinking they are guiding them home. However, Darktouch has a "birth defect"; she can both see and hear. She hears the song of the delphinoid on her first hunt, and realises something is very wrong. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, there's that proverbial question, "How do you describe colour to one blind from birth?" Somtow skilfully describes her sensations through her point of view in a world where there are no words for sight and hearing, and she thinks something is wrong with her. Even for the seeing, it's a dark world, so the difference isn't as profound as it would be outside. But there's enough to start her on her journey. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The third main character (actually the second in order of appearance), is the Inquestor, Ton Davaryush, who has just been appointed King of the planet. Through him, we discover the ins and outs of the Inquestral universe, the Dispersal of Man, the god like status of the Inquestors, and their guiding philosophy of High Compassion. However, Ton Davaryush has also known something is badly wrong, ever since his encounter with a sentient star. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then, there's Lady Varuneh, an equally interesting character. All their paths cross, and they set out together, determined to right all the wrongs. Their path twists and turns, they discover things… </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the reader also discovers life beyond warp-speed and planetary colonisation. Even in listing the concepts involved in this story, I've only scratched the surface. This is certainly a worthwhile read, and a first step into a new world of hitherto uncharted science fiction. </span></div>
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-16921594931414488272020-06-14T20:45:00.000+01:002020-06-14T20:56:11.766+01:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B086SFJW3L/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_j1N5EbMHNHNH6" target="_blank">Being Two: a review of P Somtow's <i>Homeworld or rhe Heart</i></a><i><br /></i><br />
<span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 125, 255); font-family: sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-1b8ac5ba-7fff-d480-29f9-cf5f2ed41d48" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you've read any of the others of Somtow's Inquestor series, you'll remember Sajit as the wisened musician, a character as only a virtuoso as Somtow Sucharitkul could invent, who under the patronage of the Inquestor Ton Elloran, has creat a music lover's paradise. In those earlier stories, we learn only enough about him to wish we could learn more. And now, here's our chance to do just that. We meet Sajit as a ten-year-old. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, my advice here is, don't rush headlong into this one unless you've read at least one of the earlier books in the series. Any of the first two or three will do. They're ok as stand-alone narratives. Things are sufficiently explained in those that you need to know before beginning </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Homeworld of the Heart</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - things like, what is an Inquestor? Why their obsession with utopias? Their cosmic game of makrugh, child soldiers with their deadly laser eyes, that vast habitable shell surrounding the black hole in centre of the galaxy, where whole stars are pulled through the gaps at the poles of the sphere; and other things. That's not a criticism. To go through the whole explanation yet again would be tedious. Time to get on with the story, but do your homework first if necessary. It will be well worth it. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Somtow's multicultural upbringing has left him with a profound ability to understand yet other cultures, and he uses that to full advantage in the inquestor series. I particularly appreciate that aspect, as I'm a bit that way myself. It is good to see science fiction that doesn't assume that the future of the galaxy is Anglo white. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because of the name, I tend to picture Sajit as Indian. The cover (painted by Somtow's protégé Micky), however, pictures him more Thai looking. The name could be either - or Khmer. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The culture, in this case, is both primitive and highly advanced. People travel about via displacement plates (for teleporting), and use other equally advanced devices on a daily basis; and yet they share a taboo with some of the most primitive tribes of earth: twins are considered an abomination. When they're born, one of them must be killed at birth. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sajit has something worse than a twin, a "dopple". It was cloned for him by someone very high up, who has an interest in Sajit's future, so that it could be sent in his place when it was time to be drafted as a child-soldier. But Sajit awakens his dopple prematurely, without anyone else knowing, and they bond. He names his dopple Tijas. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The story of not-one-but-two Sajits takes many an intriguing turn. There are expectations of Sajit's future that run contrary to his own longings; there's a planitary crises that's the result of the great game of cosmic chess - complicated by a bureaucratic error (and of course, the gods don't make mistakes); there are relationships complicated by time dilation; and more. All the while, Somtow keeps us glued, all the while imparting to the reader the aspirations and longing of the two boys for each other. Love does what love requires, even if it's fighting each other to save the other's life.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He weaves it all to a climax, but their story isn't over. There's more to come in another sequel. </span></div>
<br /></div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-76026092120945620202019-05-19T14:38:00.000+01:002019-05-19T16:00:40.421+01:00Where do I stand on abortion?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-35aa2fcb-7fff-dd0f-f32b-fbc4e2c37b96" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
An answer that's likely to displease both sides of the issue...</div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The root problem is the unequal treatment of the genders. Of course, you say, that's sort of obvious, isn't it! </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, there are aspects that are obvious on the surface, but I don't think we understand how deep it goes.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the beginning of history, people have taken advantage of each other. The strong and dominant rise to the top. If it's at the expense of the weak and vulnerable, that's always been considered par for the course. We have always tended to think of those at the top as superior to those at the bottom. Kings are superior to the gentry, who are superior to the peasants; Masters are superior to the slaves; the rich are superior to the poor, bosses are superior to their employees - and yes, men as superior to women. That's on the surface.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we look at what actually happens, we get a different picture. Often, we see the strong standing on the shoulders of the weak (in which case, who's actually stronger?). In ancient times, it wasn't uncommon for an illiterate slave owner to have a well educated slave whom they set to work tutoring their children, or other tasks requiring up to date know-how. Aesop, famous for his fables, was a slave. To this day, we often see bosses and team leaders who are less skilled in key areas than their employees. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In too many cases, we see people who were good at their job elevated to the position of a boss, and find they make a bad boss. They were better at what they were doing before, because that was their skill set. The previous boss was actually good at being a boss, though he didn't have the skill of the first person. Now, he’s also been promoted beyond his level of ability. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Different skill sets, yes, but who's superior? Who is higher on the social ladder? Who gets use of the executive lounge? Why?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And how do you explain to your neighbours, or to your mother-in-law that you turned down a promotion because you've already got the job you're good at - without sounding like you're making an excuse?”</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think it has a lot to do with having eaten of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, if we look at the world of women, we can also find a lot more below the surface. Throughout our male dominated history, we do find a few outstanding exceptions to the all too pervasive meek and dependent role of the female. In the Bible, we have Moses’ sister, Miriam, and the four daughters of Zelophehad. And what about the prophetess Deborah? Even the Apostle Paul, who on the surface seems to favour a male leadership in the Church, yet highly praises such female leaders as Priscilla, Junia and Phoebe. In his instructions to Timothy and the Corinthians, Paul was only dealing with facts on the ground; women who are illiterate, and have hardly ever been outside their home (like most women of his time), don't make good leaders. Paul was simply being pragmatic, not speaking </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ex-cathedra</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In secular history, there's Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Joan of Arc, Elizabeth the First, Victoria… And look at recent history: some of the most male dominated societies in the world, like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, have had female prime ministers, while the “most modern country in the world” hasn't had a single female president”. The two female prime ministers UK has had were anything but the “slap-your-face-with-my-bra” types.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Often, the very fabric of society, even the most male dominated, has been held together by the women, the mothers. They handle the family finances, keep the family in line. The men have the positions, the power, the salaries; but they spend their money before they get home, leaving their wives to come up with the extra money to feed the kids, keep them in school, and keep the world from falling apart.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So who's really superior? How are we equal, or unequal? Does equality mean uniformity?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can we be free to take a good look at the strengths and weakness of either gender (or of any other classification, for that matter) without offending the social justice warriors?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fathers are different from mothers. At their best, each adds a different aspect to the stability and quality of a family. Women bosses add something to a company or a team that men bosses don't, and vice versa. The same with women heads of state.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's in a perfect world. The world at its worst?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Women are more responsible than men. Why? Women get pregnant, and are stuck with the kids, while the men are free to run off anywhere they please and make more babies. That's the very factor that has always made women weak and vulnerable, and it's also the source of their strength.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, how do we equalise things? Do we try to enforce uniformity where it doesn't exist? Do we say to the women, “You don't have to go through with this pregnancy”? That will only make women just as irresponsible as men. Equalising by dumbing down is not the answer.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What if we didn't choose the easy way out? What if we put the same expectations on men as we do women, and make them just as responsible for a pregnancy as the woman? What if a woman's maternity leave were at the expense of the child's father? We now have the technology to prove who the father is. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This would have to go far beyond the legal issues. It requires a cultural change. What if it were just as much an insult to call someone a “playboy” as a “slut”? What about adding a few mandatory titles to men's names to alternate with “mister”, the same as women have Mrs, Miss, and Ms? What if a man's reputation were just as tarnished by how many children he's fathered (by as many women), as a woman's is by how many times you see her pregnant?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can we hope for a society like that?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Okay, my opinion on abortion: I believe it's wrong. I believe it's murder. By allowing it, we're taking the easy way out, enforcing equality by forcing uniformity where it doesn't exist.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other hand, by campaigning to make abortion illegal, without giving equal attention to the other issues I've described above, we Christians become nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites. Had we been fulfilling our mandate all along - the mandate that was pushed forward by the likes of Hannah </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moore, William Wilberforce, and others, that gave birth to the the women's suffrage movement, the abolition of slavery, child labour laws and other reforms - we could have led the way towards equality of the genders, thereby preempting the excuse of legalised abortion as an equaliser. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the other hand, if we now deprive people of the legal avenue of abortion, while keeping them from state aid to enable them to support the children we're trying to save, we place ourselves as the target of Jesus’ condemnation: “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” (Matthew 23:4)</span></div>
<br /></div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-43423780709835136302019-04-07T20:29:00.000+01:002019-04-08T12:15:16.250+01:00Hard Brexit and the Ulster Covenant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dignityrestored.org/perch/resources/1287482227healnotlightly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.dignityrestored.org/perch/resources/1287482227healnotlightly.jpg" data-original-height="135" data-original-width="93" height="200" width="137" /></a></div>
This book, HEAL NOT LIGHTLY, was written by a friend of mine a number of years ago, but the message is especially vital right now; especially as we face the prospect of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.<br />
<br />
Since the Good Friday Agreement, we've been living in a time of relative peace - that's "peace" as in "no noise", or "no people being killed", but one that requires "peace walls" between communities that still hate each other.<br />
<br />
With a hard border, a major supporting factor for the Good Friday Agreement will have disappeared. We could be back to square one. It's time to tackle the root of the problem. That, according to Harry Smith, is the Ulster Covenant. His book gives an excellent background and a way forward. You can <a href="http://www.dignityrestored.org/resources.php">buy it here.</a> <br />
<br />
My grandfather and my great-grandfather both signed the Ulster Covenant. It was a covenant solemnly sworn by two thirds of Protestants in Northern Ireland in 1912, to fight and be willing to die rather than submit to rule by the Dublin government, which was perceived to be Catholic controlled. In effect, we coerced Great Britain to keep us.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo16oJtFU10AvMN2_A_jbIGvCcnvpo1EmaqKLmo8VbtMTQQrl1qmxYBRyqH_tcvOME4dCKhVD1WMalGx6tDFoHBz5xeQ0H6rmiZuH302NMjTf8AUMxdalGmHw6DGGupPKizvhZ/s1600/covenant.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo16oJtFU10AvMN2_A_jbIGvCcnvpo1EmaqKLmo8VbtMTQQrl1qmxYBRyqH_tcvOME4dCKhVD1WMalGx6tDFoHBz5xeQ0H6rmiZuH302NMjTf8AUMxdalGmHw6DGGupPKizvhZ/s400/covenant.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crowds outside Belfast City Hall waiting to sign the <br />Ulster Covenant on 28 September, 1912 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Ulster Covenant was signed before God, and, in the words of Bob Dylan, we had "God on our side". <br />
<br />
The only hitch was, God never gave us the mandate, as Christians (which is what Protestants are), to fight or spend our energy in making the world safe for our own kind. So rather than assuming we have "God on our side", should we not ask, are we on God's side?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKumllPl-CqxV4ut4a0Ks2Q6KgekHmwn_AzFabmLc9c0Jx0F_4y738j91Wq4BHo9GxEHiq_jRn6n1lbX0pr_IIH8w5cicLCAWlZ8jyBGsrQWgbXUABdUFqoiMlYQAQycGiX0_f/s1600/ulster_covenant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="991" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKumllPl-CqxV4ut4a0Ks2Q6KgekHmwn_AzFabmLc9c0Jx0F_4y738j91Wq4BHo9GxEHiq_jRn6n1lbX0pr_IIH8w5cicLCAWlZ8jyBGsrQWgbXUABdUFqoiMlYQAQycGiX0_f/s400/ulster_covenant.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
The sentiment that both inspired the Ulster Covenant and is reinforced by it, is the same that is now pushing us towards a hard border situation; but what's worse is, the same sentiment also insures that the road beyond will be fraught with violence and strife. The next decision facing NI after a hard Brexit is whether to remain in UK, or reunite with the Republic. The Good Friday Agreement stipulates that that would be the choice of the people of NI. It will most certainly be debated, with more than just words...<br />
<br />
I believe, with all my heart, that we've come to the crises point in Northern Ireland history, in which we have to examine our attitudes and correct the mistakes of the past. God has been telling us about this; we are now approaching the due date. For myself, I've asked God's forgiveness for my grandparents' part in the signing of that covenant. <br />
<br />
I believe that's our only hope for true peace.</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11489170772663055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-68931705896912856632018-11-18T10:11:00.000+00:002019-04-08T12:43:31.211+01:00An Answer to the Moral Dihlemma of Theism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-b2ea294c-7fff-0fb1-12cd-b69c468e0b35" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Let's say you're omnipotent, and you want to make a clock. There are two ways to do it:</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The first way would be to create a dial with hands that always point in the right direction in response to the actual time. The big hand would move around the dial once every hour, always landing on the twelve at the exact moment the little hand arrives at whatever o’clock it is, simply because you commanded it to. You could either command it to follow that pattern for all eternity, or else you could dedicate one small part of your infinite mind to physically moving it according to that pattern. There would be nothing of what we call clockworks inside, just a giant cosmic miracle dial responding to your decree on its own.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The second way would be to build it with all the wheels inside meshing together, timed by the flywheel, driven by the power-source, working with utmost precision, insuring that the hands point to the right numbers on the dial at the right time of the cosmic time progression. Any addition you made later on would be powered by and in sync with the existing clockworks. It would be designed to work all on its own without any effort from you - except you could add an input device whereby you could make any corrections, such as, “increase speed by one millionth of a second”. We'll talk more about this input device later.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">From reviewing all the evidence, both from science and from scripture, I'd have to conclude that a certain Omnipotent being that we know, chose the second of the two ways, the “clockworks” model when creating this universe. A lot of folk religion does seem to favour the “miracle dial” method, as well as, perhaps a few early scientific models. However, even early scientists as Aristotle and others leaned in the direction of a clockworks type of universe.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">How does science point to a clockworks model? There are the four forces (that we know of), gravitational, electromagnetic, the strong and the weak; and we now know that atoms consist of dozens of types of particles, each rendering possible, various facets of our existence, including life. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Though we've always taken it for granted, actual life integrated with physical substance isn't an easy thing to come by. We know that rocks can't be living. Minerals can't hold life, nor can any other elements or simple compounds - although we now have very complex electronic circuitry with the right programming to make it act like it's alive (isn't that right, Alexa? “Yes, that's right”). But only the extremely elaborate intricate structure of the DNA molecule can actually hold life. We still don't know how it works, nor how to recreate it. All we can do is grow it from existing DNA.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">When God said, “Let there be light,” the big bang occurred at just the right intensity to divide that initial microscopic speck into a humongous mass of photons, all at the right density to enable the formation of atoms of every size and type - the clockworks that would eventually enable life. Had that big bang been even the slightest bit more intense, physicists tell us, all that would have been enabled would have been hydrogen atoms. Life could never come about. Anything ever so slightly less intense and the universe as we know it would, again, not have been possible. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Even at the right intensity, the time still had to be right. The Omnipotent Being said, “let light be separated from darkness.” Ripples appeared on the outward flowing stream of light, and gravitational and magnetic forces began to go to work at pulling it together to form galaxies and stars. The nuclear reactions within each star formed the various particles into atoms, splitting them again, completely dissolving them and remaking them into atoms again, while some that had spun off beyond the outer periphery formed into planets. When at least one planet had cooled sufficiently, God said, “Let the water be separated from dry land, and let an atmosphere appear.” Only then, was life even possible. We are living in what is called, “The Goldilocks Zone” where it is, like junior Bear's porridge, “Just right!” </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">So, how much time passed between these events that led to it being “just right” for life of any sort to make its appearance? Some say billions of years, others say only a few days. The thing about such intense gravitational force as was present at the big bang, is that it greatly speeds up time, so the first couple of aeons could have been a couple of days. To God, it doesn't make any difference anyhow, as a day and a thousand years (or a billion, as far as that goes) are all the same. It was all a part of fixing the clockworks to accommodate life, and setting up that relatively short Goldilocks zone where humanity could live and roam, and fulfil his destiny. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">There is reason to believe that the seventh day of creation was much longer than twenty four hours. According to Hebrews 4:3-11 we are still in the seventh day. God has been resting, and it remains for some of us to enter that rest. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">So, God told man on the sixth day, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.” God gave His creation over to humanity for safekeeping, set His alarm clock, and rested.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Well okay, He's not exactly sleeping. Remember, there's that input device whereby He can make adjustments, and that is through interaction with humanity, to whom He gave the authority to manage things. That input device is, in fact, the life that He breathed into man that brought him to life. So, humanity is both a product of the grand universal clockworks that God had spent so much time designing and developing, and alive with the breath of God Himself. Where other creatures are simply products of the clockworks, and therefore subject to determinism, humanIty is above that and is capable of true creativity, making decisions that can't be predicted by knowing all the maths. So, humanity, created in God's own image, holding God's life in his DNA, both belongs in the physical universe that produced that DNA, and transcends it. He is a higher order of being, meant to be God's own friend. That's who God gave the authority over His creation.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">But we also know that the first couple of humans blew it, creating a Mess (with a capital M) that all humans coming after would have to live with, so God has been making heavy use of the input device.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Everyone is affected by The Mess, some more than others, and in different ways, prompting many to say, ‘It just isn't fair!” There's nothing about The Mess that's fair. People are enslaved, bullied, tortured, slaughtered, bereaved, left destitute, while others reap the benefits, living high off other people's suffering; all because of how human nature has been skewed. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Early humans took on board something that they were told not to, and that gave us an acute sense of good and evil. On the surface that sounds good, but look closer. What it was, was an obsession to compare everything. The first humans looked at each other and then at themselves and said, “Your body is beautiful, but mine? Oh dear! Stop looking at me!” (To this day, we think of nudity as evil, but God made it clear that that’s only because we think it is, when He said, “Who told you you were naked?”)</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Later, someone said to his brother, “You are better than me, so God loves you more than me, therefore, I hate you!” That led to the first murder.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Later still people began saying, “Sex with you is nice, but I could have a better time with someone more beautiful/handsome than you;” and, “You have a prettier woman than I have, and a stronger beast of burden, nicer tools and more land than I have; but I'm stronger than you, so I'm taking it.”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Actually, the basic desires aren't bad in themselves. A healthy sex drive is a good thing, and some desires and urges are simple survival instincts. It's when we're obsessed with comparing the quality or quantity with what others have that it gets out of proportion.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">And so, because some were stronger than others, while following the same skewed logic, we've ended up with the unfair Mess that we're in.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Now, question and answer time:</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">First, how can a loving God allow those things to happen?</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The answer: remember the Two possible ways for an omnipotent being to build a clock? Had He chosen the Miracle Dial method, that would be a very good question. If everything worked simply because He had His hands on it making it work, then everything would run perfectly, and all the aforementioned evils wouldn't be happening. But He didn't do it that way. He went with the Clockworks model, designing the universe to run according to the laws of physics and quantum mechanics in a cause-effect continuum. Moreover, because humanity is a transcendent being, as well as an integral part of the clockworks, we had the power to screw things up on a grand scale, which we did.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Then why didn't the Omnipotent Being do something about that before things got out of hand?</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Keep in mind, the nature of the universe He made, the clockworks, the careful timing, the laws of physics and the quantum mechanics, and all the preparation that went into the Goldilocks Zone; it's clear that God took no shortcuts. All of that work went into the preparation of humanity's place in the vast clockworks of the universe, as a functioning part of the clockworks. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">So, let's rephrase that question: Why didn't the Omnipotent Being do something he hadn't ever done since detonating the Big Bang; and stick His finger into the clockworks, stop the universe, undo the human mistake and then start it off again where it left off? </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">That's not His way. He had already put humanity into the pilot seat, and had begun His day of rest. Humanity was given the freedom of choice, and with that comes living with those choices. Freewill is a dangerous thing. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Perhaps the next obvious question would be, wasn't God morally wrong in giving humanity freewill when He knew where it would lead? </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">There are many angles to that one. Part of the assumption is that it was like trusting the keys of the family car to a young child. Others picture it as setting a bowl of sweets on the table, and telling the two-year-old, “Don't touch!” The way the Adam and Eve story is often told, one quite easily comes away with that conclusion. However, if we examine the accounts more carefully, we might get a far different picture: The first man had already named all the animals, and, according to Rabbinical tradition, used sounds that matched the nature of each creature, like a well studied Kabbalist would. So, was Adam no more than a small child? Perhaps it was more like the father entrusting the keys to the car to a son nearing adulthood, who already knows how to drive safely and responsibly, and has already proven himself on many occasions. The son is ready, by anyone's standards, to be trusted with such a potentially dangerous machine. But he still messes up at the critical moment, causing death and destruction. Who is morally responsible for that?</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">That leads us to another angle: why was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil there in the first place?</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">One thing we don't pretend to know is what ultimate purpose it served. There are a few theories, such as: maybe it was meant for later after humanity had matured to a certain level; or that it was simply there to test humany's obedience; or as a chance to exercise his power to choose. Perhaps none of them completely satisfy everyone, but there is the other consideration: Adam, as we observed, had been there longer, knew what was what, and knew what he was doing. Eve was a new arrivals, so she was easily deceived. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">When Adam discovered that Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, why didn't he take Eve by the hand, lead her to where God would be walking in the cool of the day, and say, “I'm afraid we've had a miss-hap. Eve has gone and eaten from that tree you told us not to, because the snake told her it was good for her. Isn't there anything that can be done for her?” He didn't do that. He simply ate of it himself, knowing full well what the consequences were (and people point to the Genesis story to show how superior men are to women. How was that superior?).</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Yet another angle is, would it really have been better to be products of determinism than free will? If we were, would we be enjoying the levels of creativity that we do, pushing the limits to what's possible, or indeed, even discussing free will versus determinism? It's clear from a close examination of Scripture that God's intent in creating humanity was to enjoy companionship on that level. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">It's on that level that we see that God, by making use of that “input device”, initiated a midcourse correction intended to eventually bring everything back into line with what it's supposed to be. As anyone knows, who fixes things, some fixes may take a while, and in mid-fix, look even worse than when we started out. That Fix (with a capital F) involved instituting a covenant with various ones, which gave the Omnipotent One the leeway to manifest His Omnipotence in a limited way (things like parting the Red Sea, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">etc</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">) without overstepping the mandate He had given humanity. In fact, that was the whole point of having a “chosen people”, so He could “legally” maintain a presence on the earth so He could carry out the Fix. Humanity created The Mess, humanity must play a vital part in The Fix. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">What about those who have been suffering in the meantime, simply because The Fix is still in the works? What of those who have never heard of The Fix?</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The traditional assertion is that every man, woman, boy and girl, puppy and kitten who hasn't read aloud the Sinner's Prayer from the back of a Chick tract, will spend all of eternity burning in the intense fire of hell; it doesn't matter how miserable their life was on earth.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I believe there is a hell, and also a world to come, in which the meek will inherit the earth. I also believe that being fully initiated into God's Kingdom is through repentance and faith - being born again by the Spirit of God. We’ll talk about that in another post. However I also believe it is a mistake to assume that Theologians have distilled the sum of all truth from the little we can read of scripture. I do believe God is just, and besides being omnipotent, He is all knowing. He knows the lives of every abused child, every slave, each bullied and beaten vulnerable person, from beginning to end - and He's just. I can only trust Him with that. That’s a part of having faith in Him.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">We do get some vague hints from the Bible, the following from Yeshua's parables:</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The parable of the rich man and Lazarus: A rich man who had everything, but never showed mercy to poor diseased Lazarus who sat at the door grabbing what crumbs fell from the dishes as they were being carried out to be washed. Both died, the rich man went to hell, while Lazarus went to a comfortable place and was held in the bosom of Father Abraham. We're not told that Lazarus was a born again Christian, nor whether he was Torah observant; only that he was receiving compensation for a life of misery. The rich man </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">was</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">, apparently receiving just compensation for non Torah observance, particularly of those parts of the Torah that command us not to neglect the poor of the land, to see to the needs of the widows and orphans and the refugees - about consuming the earth's resources without giving anything back.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The parable of the sheep and the goats: At judgement day, the Judge of all the earth sits on His throne, directing some to move to His right, and others to His left. To those on His right He says, “I was sick and you helped me; I was hungry and you fed me; I was imprisoned and you visited me </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">etc</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">… enter into the joy of the Lord.” Those people replied, “Huh?” “When did that happen?” “I've never even been to church!” “I never saw you…” And the Judge replied, “Oh yes you did. When you befriended that homeless kid, when you went out of your way to check how that very sick looking man was doing, when you paid out more than you could afford to feed that family… you were doing it to me.” To those on His left, He had other things to say.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">As I said, the above are hints as to God criteria for judgement. A major one is according to how we judge others. Yeshua said, “Don't judge and you won't be judged. By what standard you judge others is how you will be judged.”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">I picture one of us standing in the queue at the final judgement: The man just two ahead of you approaches the throne and says, “I was really bad, I know. I had such a bad temper, I beat my wife and my kid A couple of times, and…”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The judge interrupts him, “Yes, you confessed that to me, and by my grace, you were beginning to overcome in that area. You were on your way to becoming a truly good gentle husband and father before your brother-in-law shot you. You are forgiven. Enter into the joy of the Lord.”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The one just before you approaches, saying, “I'm not sure I'm worthy to enter. I couldn't keep my hands to myself, always flirting, my wife divorced me…”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“But you kept looking to me for forgiveness, and you were slowly being transformed by my grace. Enter into my joy.“</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Then it's your turn. “I can't think of any reason I can't just enter, can you? I mean, I wasn't nearly as bad as those other two, and they…”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“Not so fast. What about when you went to church wearing a shirt that hadn't been ironed, or that time you were seen picking your nose in front of the City Hall? And then there's the time you bent over to pick up a coin, and the top of your bum was showing!”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“C'mon! Those are such small thing! Those two ahead of me were…”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“I can't judge you the same as them. You wrote your own rulebook when you judged others by how they conduct themselves in public, so I have to judge you by the same standard you judged them.”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Maybe not exactly like that, but you get the picture.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">James says in his epistle that by fulfilling the commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves instead of judging and favoring some over others, we qualify ourselves to be assessed by the royal law of liberty.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">This brings us to our biggest obstacle; by taking on board the Knowledge of Good and Evil, we've made ourselves experts in judging others, and that, in turn, subjects us to judgement. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">By showing mercy, giving people the benefit of the doubt, forgiving personal offences, releasing grudges, we place ourselves under God's mercy. However, we can't simply “unknow” the Knowledge of Good and Evil, can we! As much as we try to forgive and forget, it just keeps coming back. Also, some wounds are so deep that we find it impossible to forgive. That's where we especially need The Fix.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Just as The Mess was created by humanity, so also was The Fix, in the person of Messiah Yeshua. The Omnipotent One had been spending all of human history setting it up so that He, by human consent and cooperation, could send The Fix in the person of His Son, the human, Yeshua. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">After spending a lifetime telling us about The Fix, Yeshua Himself became the target of every injury, abuse, slander, false accusation, and was finally subjected unjustly to the most torturous death imaginable; absorbing the shock of all human injustice, while uttering His last words, “Father, forgive them.”</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">As a human, Yeshua had the authority of a human, but without the setback of having gone wrong. He expended all the energy He had been given, and all the authority He had, until there was no more to expend. The intensity was such, He underwent death; thus, the perfect exercise of human authority, completely undoing the Mess, making The Fix available to all of humanity.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">So, what exactly was it that this perfect exercise of human authority enabled the Omnipotent One to do? Something along the line of what He did with the first human, when He breathed into him the Breath of Life. It was so powerful that it brought Him back to life, complete with his body, but in a highly enhanced state. What's more, because it was officially enabled by human authority, it has the potential to affect all humans, solving all the world's problems, eventually bringing resurrection from the dead (in the same enhanced state). It's a force greater than we can imagine, and it's been in our hands ever since.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">So what's wrong? We’re like a bunch of kids sitting on top of a machine more powerful than a nuclear reactor, but we're fighting over a game of marbles. … a bit like having a supercomputer in our pocket -or in my case, at the end of a selfie stick - and using it to look at pictures of cats, and getting into arguments with people we've never met. Isn't that just like us?</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">So now the Fix is in place, it's there in the clockworks, but it's still up to humanity to apply it. That's what we're on about now - some of us anyway.</span></div>
<br /></div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-81885171977759213452018-08-21T20:30:00.000+01:002018-08-21T20:30:49.278+01:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-c612704c-7fff-4ad2-5aca-07ae33a47bd6" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Among my FaceBook friends, there people of every type, from Tea Party goers to Wall Street Occupiers, from anarchists to libertarians, even someone with Neo Nazi sympathies as well as Zionists, and of course Trump lovers and Trump haters. No, I'm not just maintaining FB friendships just to brag about my “collection”; I sincerely value their friendship, and I intend to keep them all, if you don't mind.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, my FB experience often includes memes and comments from just about every perspective, praising Trump, cursing him, as well as for and against every other issue from guns to refugees. It's also hard for me to express any political opinion without offending someone. So, what do I do?</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More often than not, I don't.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's not a cop out. It's just that there are things that are far more important to me, namely the Kingdom of God. The Church doesn't stand or fall depending on who’s in power or what laws are passed. Christians in places like China, the old USSR and Africa have demonstrated that over and over.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, I'm not against Christians voting and being involved in the democratic process. I did vote, not for or against Trump, but for UK to remain in the EU. I live in Northern Ireland where the consequences of Brexit are becoming more and more obvious. But I think, at this point, it would be an even bigger mistake to turn around and disregard the choice made by the people and remain in the EU in spite of it. The damage done to democracy would far out last the damage of leaving the EU.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When both sides love their own political agenda more than they do the democratic process, even to the point of scuttling the normal political process for the sake of their agenda; we no longer have national politics, but civil war - or more accurately “civil cold-war”. In sports, it's called bad sportsmanship (which also happens). </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm very much afraid that some places very close to our heart, are in a state of civil war.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Living in Northern Ireland gives me a perspective on this (I stop short of saying “unique”). I'm a participant of a “24-7” prayer cell in S. W. Belfast, where we've been both praying for and working towards reconciliation between the two communities.here. A lot has improved, but also a lot of work still needs to be done. Ethnic reconciliation has been close to my heart for quite some time. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But now, I'm also seeing another area badly in need of the ministry of reconciliation; the rift between conservatives and liberals. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I realise there are issues at stake that are very important, such as what's the proper response to refugees and immigrants (legal and illegal); how much ought to be spent on military or on welfare, or health and education; what laws should be passed regarding various moral issues, how to legislate guns - the list is endless. But we must not forget that there are Christians on both sides of these issues who truly love God with all their heart, soul and strength, and their neighbours as themselves, even if they disagree on what’s good for their neighbour.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The solutions to these problems do not ultimately lie with changing the laws, or voting in this politician or that, however wise and wonderful. Nor will the same laws and politician, however sinister, stop the Kingdom of God - that is, once believers realise where our strength lies.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We desperately need the ministry of reconciliation very close to home.</span></div>
<br /></div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-35445994509142295652017-08-07T21:13:00.000+01:002019-04-08T12:47:38.261+01:00How a Slap on the Floor Saved Time-space<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-32660f37-7fff-af55-75c4-9509904bff59" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">In the beginning, God created four dimensional existence. Before that... - well, there was no “before that” as there was no such thing as time, nor form, and therefore no movement. All was a dark void - no, we can't even call it dark; that would assume the existence of light, just as the digit zero assumes the existence of other numbers. Only “null”, the nonexistence of any state or number or concept, or the space to put it in. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> From whatever dimension or state of existence He possesses, God's Spirit brooded over the null and void, conceptualising matter, which therefore existed as a microscopic kspeck. All of space consisted only of that speck. Apart from that speck, there was no space.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Then, God said, “Let there be light.” Movement began, and thus, the dimension of time. The speck exploded into a vast cloud of photons shooting outward in every direction. The light shown from the centre, the beginning of time, outward in a straight line to the end of time, flooding all of space-time with whiteness.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Then, God said, “Let the light be separated from the darkness.” Dark matter began to separate from the light matter, causing ripples to appear in the stream. As it proceeded from the centre, light and dark matter began to form centres of gravity, swirling around them, forming galaxies. The vacuum that was left, those areas where darkness prevailed, God called “night”, and those parts affected by the light, “day”. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">In all of this swirling of galaxies and the gravitational pull, stars were formed, and then planets. On some planets, God saw to it that the conditions would be such that water could coexist in three states simultaneously: in solid, liquid and gas, and that an atmosphere would surround those planets. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">And so, the universe consisted of galaxies, that contained stars and solar systems, with planets of all sizes and types, some, no more than rocks, others mostly gas, but some with molten cores and having atmospheres, which presented other possibilities that God intended to put to use. Thus, God looked over His four dimensional space-time, beginning with the burst of light at the centre, developing into geometric spirals of energy and matter, evolving into orderly patterns, ever expanding outward to the end of time.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">God, from whatever dimension He possesses, saw it all from beginning to end, and thought that was beautiful, and called it a day.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The next day, in whatever dimension He possesses, God turned His attention to one of the planets with a molten core, that had an atmosphere, and water existing in three states.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">First, by causing lava flows and by shifting the continual plates, He made the land separate from the water, forming oceans and continents. Then God said, “Let there be molecules configured in such a way as to hold life, and let them reproduce and adapt so as to fill the earth with life after its own kind,” and deep below the surface of the ocean, DNA cells began to form.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Plant life began to spring up. Simple life forms provided nourishment for the more complex, which, at the end of their own life cycles, became food for others of their kind, all the while reproducing themselves through their seeds and shoots. Thus, to the end of time, the planet was filled with self sustaining multicoloured life. God, from whatever dimension He possesses - let's call it it the fifth dimension - looked at His four-dimensional space-time, and said, “it is good”, and again called it a day.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">On another day of fifth dimensional time, God said, “Let there be living creatures that move about, swimming in the sea, flying in the air, and walking and creeping on the dry ground. They can eat the vegetation, and become food for one another, and at the end of their life cycles, they can become food for the vegetation. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Thus the whole earth began to come alive with movement, creatures moving, swimming, creeping, flying, making noise, making music.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Each creature, acting according to its need and instinct, followed a course that could be predetermined by taking into account every factor and every movement in the universe. A butterfly living at the beginning of the age of butterflies, by flapping its wings one way or another, would affect the course of a tropical storm near the end of the age of tropical storms. Of course, how the butterfly flapped its wings was also the predictable result of yet other factors. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">When some of the species became so large as to take over and inhibit the further development of life, they were destroyed by a large asteroid, which was simply following it's predicted course.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">God looked at this and said, "It is good, but not good enough." The whole universe was nothing but a big toy, and after some shifting and tweaking - and doing things like flicking a butterfly, or adding to the gravitational pull of a small rock in space so that it would strike an asteroid, putting it on a course to destroy the dinosaurs a few aeons later, thus making room for mammals - God decided the four dimensional space-time needed something more innovative, something that would make it complete, less predictable, a true work of art, fully expressing His creative and loving nature.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Actually, it was the thing God had in mind from the very beginning.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">God created a new life form, unique from all the others - humanity. The human was capable of true creativity independent of his need to survive, his instinct, or anything that limited the other creatures to a predetermined course. In fact, the human was created after God's own pattern. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Thus, humanity would contribute to the final design of the four dimensional space-time. The main difference was that humans were limited to being conscious of the fourth dimension only one moment at a time, not seeing it from beginning to end as God does. That, if you think about it, is the only way humans could possibly influence space-time through un-predetermined choices, all the while God knowing about those choices beforehand simply by viewing the entire space-time from beginning to end. God can and does influence the the final design by interaction with humans through various means of communication, influencing their choice through suggestion, and sometimes enabling those humans to perform miracles.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Thus, the final shape of the four dimensional space-time is a collaborative effort between God and the human race which God designed to be both a part of and as fellow artist in the project.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">However, there is also a downside to this whole plan. Humanity is also capable of choices to do or not to do what God wishes, even of violating specific instructions. That factor is a necessary part of being designed in God's image, unlimited by pre-determinism. One day, humanity partook of an element that he was specifically instructed to leave alone. It affected him in a way he wasn't prepared for, giving humanity a consciousness of good and evil. Humanity was already creative, but now his consciousness was skewed by the need to constantly compare things by their rightness, their desirability and superiority. This opened up many dark areas that humanity wasn't ready for.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The action had such repercussions, it was as though shockwaves reverberated throughout the whole four dimensional space-time, threatening to shatter it. It's possible that, as viewed from God's perspective, it did begin to shatter.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">God's remedy was to absorb that shock. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">To understand the concept of shock and the absorption of shock, we could either delve into the laws of physics, or we could use a simple illustration, from Judo. People being trained in Judo are taught how to fall. Being thrown to the ground, or even falling backwards can cause serious injury if one doesn't know how break one's fall, because of the shockwaves going through the body. To prevent injury, one simply slaps the floor just before the back of the head hits the ground. The hand may smart, but the head stays intact because the hand has absorbed the shock-wave. As we talk further about the strategy of absorbing the shock, think about a judo fighter slapping the ground as he falls.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Interacting with various humans, especially those of the family clan of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, God set up a framework whereby He would continue to cooperate with humanity to enact His plan to both absorb the shock and restore everything to a beautiful state. An important part of this framework was the institution of blood sacrifice.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Death can be viewed as simply the end of a natural cycle; a part of nature. Untimely death, however, is something that continues to send shockwaves through the four dimensional space-time. Causing the untimely death of a fellow human without just cause is what we call murder. God told Noah and his sons that murder must be atoned for by the death of the perpetrator. Only by that means is the shock-wave absorbed so that it doesn't do further damage to space-time - like a slap on the floor. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Blood sacrifice is another means of using death as a means of absorbing shock. The agreement God made with Abraham and his descendants, given in detail to Moses, provided for blood sacrifices on a regular basis. This was sufficient to temporarily hold back the damage from the great shock-wave. Thus, Israel played a vital part in preserving the universe by becoming, as it were, the provider of a multitude of slaps on the floor.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">It is indicated in the Talmud that when Israel was at Mt Sinai, they saved the world from destruction by accepting God's terms and ratifying the covenant God had made with Abraham. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">However, that was not yet enough. It was only the preparation for God's ultimate solution. God sent an instance of Himself, His Word, to a critical time-location in space-time to be born as a human with all the attributes of a human including the ability of independent choice. He had all the authority of a human, including the option of communicating with God through the Holy Spirit, so his actions would constitute those of a human from inside the four dimensional space-time. Though He was from outside space-time where He could view the end from the beginning, by being born human, He restricted Himself to being conscious of the fourth dimension only one moment at a time.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">As a human, Jesus, the Word of God, exercised all the authority he had - authority that had not been diminished through human failings - even to the point of death. That death was the event that absorbed all the shock-waves and saved the universe - the ultimate slap on the floor. Not only did it save four dimensional space-time, but it left a surplus of energy that enabled the resurrection of the dead.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">We'll go into more of this in other video podcasts. We'll also deal with objections that often come up when discussing the existence of God, and His dealings with humanity. We'll look at the question of whether the assertion that God is righteous and loving, and that He is, at the same time omnipotent, are contradictory. While I don’t operate under the illusion that one can prove the existence of God to an atheist by argument, I hope we can answer some of the objections that often come up, and show that at least it's not possible to disprove His existence.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 11.35pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">We'll also go more into what all this means.</span></div>
<br />form, nor even dimensions to render form possible, and God's Spirit brooded over the face of the non-existence.<br />
<br />
Then, God said, “Let there be light.” Immediately there was movement, an intense brightness consisting of photons moving outward in every direction. Thus, existence came to be, as light shown from the centre, the beginning of time, outward in a straight line to the end of time, an ever expanding time-space of intense whiteness.<br />
<br />
Then, God said, “Let the light be separated from the darkness.” Dark matter began to separate from the light matter, causing ripples to appear in the beam beginning at the centre of time-space. As it proceeded from the centre, light and dark matter began to gravitate towards a multitude of centre points. Some of these formed into black holes which caused the light to swirl around, forming galaxies. The vacuum that was left, those areas where darkness prevailed, God called “night”, and those parts affected by the light, “day”.<br />
<br />
In all of this swirling of galaxies and the gravitational pull, stars were formed, and then planets. On some planets, land was separated from the water. God said, “Let life come into being.”<br />
<br />
Plant life began to spring up. Simple life forms provided nourishment for the more complex, which, at the end of their own life cycles, became food for others of their kind, all the while reproducing themselves through their seeds and shoots. Thus, to the end of time, life-baring planets were filled with self-sustaining multicoloured life. God looked at His four-dimensional time-space, and said, “it is good”.<br />
<br />
Then, God said, “Let there be living creatures that move about, swimming in the sea, flying in the air, and walking and creeping on the dry ground. They can eat the vegetation, and become food for one another, and at the end of their life cycles, they can become food for the vegetation.<br />
<br />
Thus the whole earth became self-sustaining.<br />
<br />
Each creature, acting according to its need and instinct, followed a course that could be predetermined by taking into account every factor and every movement in the universe. A butterfly living at the beginning of the age of butterflies, by flapping its wings one way or another, would determine the courses of a tropical storm near the end of the age of tropical storms. Of course, how the butterfly flapped its wings was also the predictable result of yet other factors.<br />
<br />
When some of the species became so large as to take over and inhibit the further development of life, they were destroyed by a large asteroid, which was simply following it's predicted course.<br />
<br />
God looked at this and said, "It is good, but not good enough." The whole universe was nothing but a big toy, and after some shifting and tweaking - and doing things like flicking a butterfly, or adding to the gravitational pull of a small rock in space so that it would strike an asteroid, putting it on a course to destroy the dinosaurs a few aeons later, thus making room for mammals - God decided that four dimensional time-space needed something more innovative, something that would make it complete, less predictable, a true work of art, fully expressing His creative and loving nature.<br />
<br />
Actually, it was something God had in mind from the very beginning.<br />
God created a new life form, unique from all the others - humanity. The human was capable of true creativity; independent of his need to survive, his instinct, or anything that limited the other creatures to a predetermined course. In fact, the human was created after God's own pattern.<br />
<br />
Thus, humanity would contribute to the final design of the four dimensional time-space. The main difference was that humans were limited to being conscious of the fourth dimension one moment at a time, not seeing it from beginning to end as God does. That, if you think about it, is the only way humans could possibly influence time-space through non-predetermined choices, all the while God knowing about those choices beforehand simply by viewing the entire time-space from beginning to end. God can and does influence the the final design by interaction with humans through various means of communication, influencing their choice through suggestion, and sometimes enabling those humans to perform miracles.<br />
<br />
Thus, the final shape of the four dimensional time-space is a corroborative effort between God and the human race which God designed to be both a part of and as fellow artist in the project.<br />
<br />
However, there is also a downside to this whole design. Humanity is also capable of the choice to do or not to do what God wishes, even of violating specific instructions. That factor is a necessary part of being designed in God's image, unlimited by pre-determinism. One day, humanity partook of an element that he was specifically instructed to leave alone. It affected him in a way he wasn't prepared for, giving humanity a consciousness of good and evil. Humanity was already creative, but now his consciousness was skewed by the need to constantly compare things by there rightness, their desirability and superiority. This opened up many dark areas that humanity wasn't ready for.<br />
The act of disobedience was so serious it sent shock-waves throughout the whole four dimensional time-space, and threatened to shatter the whole thing. It's possible that, as viewed from God's perspective, it did begin to shatter.<br />
God's remedy was to absorb that shock.<br />
<br />
To understand the concept of shock and the absorption of shock, we could either delve into the laws of physics, or we could use a simple illustration, from Judo. People being trained in Judo are taught how to fall. Being thrown to the ground, or even falling backwards can cause serious injury if one doesn't know how break their fall, because of the shock-waves going through the body. To prevent injury, one simply slaps the floor just before the back of the head hits the ground. The hand may smart, but the head stays intact because the hand has absorbed the shock-wave. As we talk further about the strategy of absorbing the shock, think about a judo fighter slapping the ground as he falls.<br />
<br />
Interacting with various humans, especially those of the family clan of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, God set up a framework whereby He would continue to cooperate with humanity to enact His plan to both absorb the shock and restore everything to a beautiful state. An important part of this framework was the institution of blood sacrifice.<br />
<br />
Death can be viewed as simply the end of a natural cycle; a part of nature. Untimely death, however, is something that continues to send shock-waves through the four dimensional time-space. Causing an untimely death without just cause is what we call murder. God told Noah and his sons that murder must be atoned for by the death of the perpetrator. Only by that means is the shock-wave absorbed so that it doesn't do further damage to time-space - like a slap on the floor.<br />
<br />
Blood sacrifice is another means of using death as a means of absorbing shock. The agreement God made with Abraham and his descendants, given in detail to Moses, provided for blood sacrifices on a regular basis. This was sufficient to temporarily hold back the damage from the great shock-wave. Thus, Israel played a vital part in preserving the universe by becoming, as it were, the provider of a multitude of slaps on the floor.<br />
<br />
It is indicated in the Talmud that when Israel was at Mt Sinai, they saved the world from destruction by accepting God's terms and ratifying the covenant God had made with Abraham.<br />
<br />
However, that was not yet enough. It was the preparation for God's ultimate solution. God sent an instance of Himself, His Word, to a critical time-location in time-space be born as a human with all the attributes of a human including the ability of independent choice. He had all the authority of a human, including the option of communicating with God through the Holy Spirit, so his actions would constitute those of a human from inside the four dimensional time-space. Though He was from outside time-space where He could view the end from the beginning, by being born human, He restricted Himself to being conscious of the forth dimension only one moment at a time.<br />
<br />
As a human, Jesus, the Word of God, exercised all the authority he had - authority that had not been diminished through human failings - even to the point of death. That death was the event that absorbed all the shock-waves and saved the universe - the ultimate slap on the floor. Not only did it save four dimensional time-space, but it left a surplus of energy that enabled the resurrection of the dead.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-19041747021668326082016-05-12T16:37:00.000+01:002016-05-12T16:49:27.044+01:00Politically Correct or Socially Aware?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I would like to propose
a new word to use instead of the term "Politically Correct".
I'd prefer be called "Socially Aware".</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As the term implies,
"Political Correctness" claims to define what's correct and
incorrect. It screams at us if we say something wrong, or express the
wrong opinion. "Socially Aware" invites us to look at
what's really at the heart of the problem, and to respond with
compassion, even if the wrong word accidentally slips out of our
mouth.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I find the "Political
Correct" mindset legalistic. It leads to polarisation. It
insinuates that one is either in or out, and if one fails to be
correct on one or two points, one is all the way out.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At its best, it's not
the ideal way of showing compassion to the downtrodden and
administering social justice. Too often, it's the fa<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">ç</span>ade
which justifies hating the perpetrators of injustice more than we
love the victims of it. Hate is never a good motivation for justice.
While it might move the crowds more quickly, the fruit of it is never
sweet. The only motive for social justice is to have compassion on
the victims, while recognising that the perpetrators of the injustice
are also its victims.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So, I don't claim to be
"Politically Correct", but I do want to express how I feel
about some of those injustices, while separating the true injustice
from the ones artificially created by the name-calling. I also want
to seek out helpful solutions to those injustices, ones that truly
enable the marginalised people-groups without creating more problems;
solutions not based on revenge, that don't idolise the victim, and
that recognise that the perpetrators of injustice are often also the
victims of previous injustice. I want to talk about solutions that
look forward to the day when the wounded party can truly get on with
life without being hindered by the pain of the past.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For-instance, I believe
that Native Americans have not been dealt with fairly, and that we
who claim a Christian heritage have a lot to answer for in regards to
American history (some of my own ancestors on my mother's side were
white settlers in Western Ohio during the Indian wars of the 1700s).
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I believe that the
Irish have been dealt with cruelly and unfairly by the British in our
history, and that Protestant attitudes have added to the problem
(some of my ancestors on my father's side signed the Ulster Covenant,
declaring their stand as Protestants in opposition to a Catholic
Ireland. I'm also an Ulster Scots on my mother's side).
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I also believe that
America has yet to fully come to terms with the slavery of Black
people in their history, and that many black people are correct in
their perception that they are not accepted wholeheartedly into white
society -- even among whites that claim "political correctness".
I've been among them long enough to know that, plus, I was raised as
a minority (a white living among brown-skinned people). Also, my wife
is Asian, and she often feels the same rejection. It's a fact.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I also believe that
many many Moslems simply want to live peacefully among the
communities of the nations of their adoption. They are caught between
those in the general population who perceive them as possible
terrorists, and the radical fringe groups within their own community
who are trying to push them towards radicalisation.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And, I believe that
Jesus' command to show compassion to the poor and to assist the
downtrodden -- <i>sic.</i> the refugee -- takes precedence over our
fear that there might be one or two terrorists among the refugee
population. The mandate He gave His followers was to feed the hungry,
clothe the naked, be hospitable to strangers and make disciples; not
make the world a safe place for our own kind.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On the other hand, does
being "Politically Correct" mean we're not allowed to
acknowledge that certain problems exist? Can we recognise the needs
of countries like Israel to take necessary measures to ensure
security for their citizens (which includes Jews and Moslems)? Or, is
it even politically correct to admit that Israel has a right to exist
as a nation? What about recognising that Moslems and other groups in
Israel are treated far better than Jews are in most Moslem countries?</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Does being "Politically
Correct" mean that one religion has the right to be offended,
but another religion doesn't? Why does a borough council that allows
a local mosque to broadcast their call to prayer over a p.a. system
not allow nativity scenes and church bells because they offend the
Moslem community? Mind you, I don't care that much about church bells
and nativity scenes. I was raised in a country where I was a
minority, and we didn't have those things. My Christian duty is to
tolerate an offence directed at me rather than allow my lifestyle to
offend others, except through the Cross of Christ. That, in itself,
is already offensive enough. However, in my mind, Church bells and
nativity scenes have very little to do with the Cross of Christ --
and for that matter, so do ornate gold crosses that we like to wear*.
However, I can still recognise a double standard when it appears in
the name of "political correctness".</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So, for me,
"politically correct" is an inadequate word. I'd prefer to
call myself "socially aware".
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
----------------------</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
* I hope my Catholic
and High Church brothers and sisters don't take offence. I'm not
against gold crucifixes, but I'm sure that they also recognise that
it's by the true Cross of Christ that we're saved by, which emanates
from inside.</div>
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-61423625104898426702016-02-28T15:10:00.000+00:002016-02-28T19:45:47.571+00:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The
Genie</b></span></div>
<div align="center" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
By Robby
Charters</div>
<div align="center" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
©1997
</div>
<div align="center" lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<br />
He had called
me out of the blue, and told me he had something important to give
me. I hadn't seen him since school days, and now, we were sitting
across the table from each other at a rather nice café.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
After
a sumptuous meal that was thankfully on him, we were all talked out
about who of our mutual friends had gone where, who had married who,
and when's the last time we saw who-ever, and we were sipping our
coffee. He still hadn't broached the subject. It was almost like he
was avoiding it.</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
finally bit. 'So, what is thing you were talking about?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
He
pause, looking at me, almost sheepishly. Then, without saying a word,
he reached into the carry case next to him, and pulled out what
looked like an ancient brass lamp, and set it on the table between
us.</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'What
is it?' I asked.</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'It's
been in the family for a while,' he replied.</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'An
heirloom?'</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
could call it that.'</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'And
you said you're giving it to me?'</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Yes.'</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
sure? I mean, this could fetch a very good price in an antique shop,
or in someone's collection.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Things
like this, you don't sell,' he said. 'You'll find out soon enough
why.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'But
how?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Now,
he paused, and with a slight grin, said, 'Some day, when you have the
whole day free, just take it and rub it real good.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
He
laughed, sort of nervously. I also laughed, thinking, this has got to
be a joke.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
He
said, 'Really.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Of
course,' I said, beginning to feel as awkward as he was feeling. I
tried to jog my memory for any private jokes we could have had that
could explain this gesture.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
<i>will</i> do it, won't you? I mean, some time, when you've got
time, rub it real good.' Now he looked serious. I was beginning to
really wonder about him.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'What
will happen?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You'll
find out. You won't believe me if I told you, but just do it.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Look,
really,' I said, 'This is such a valuable artifact, and we haven't
seen each other in such a long time. I can't take this from you,
really.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'No,
<i>please</i>.' He put his hand on mine as I held the lamp and looked
at me with impassioned eyes.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Well,
okay,' I said.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Finally
walking away from the restaurant, I felt disturbed. He obviously
seemed well off, and otherwise quite stable. Was he suddenly cracking
up under some immense pressure or other?
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I got
home, and found a nice place to set the lamp, and, to tell you the
truth, forgot about it.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I write in my spare time,
and have a few pieces that I'm sending around to various publishers
and literary agents – so far with limited success. My normal job at
that time was as a clerk at a brokerage firm. Those two things kept
me quite occupied, so I quite forgot about my lunch with my old
classmate.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
At
times, I allowed my literary interests to run away with me, and when
doing work on a real involving piece, it's hard to get my mind off of
that when I should be concentrating on my other work. That's sort of
what led to my losing my job all of a sudden – well, that and some
other financial setbacks that affected the whole firm, which if I
were more alert, I could have helped to prevent. Quite a few of us
were made redundant, and I was largely held to blame.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
This
was quite an upset for me. I was now without a job, and with bad
prospects of getting another one of this sort, what with the
references they were likely to give.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
gave myself over to my writing. In fact, I buried myself in it.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
<br /></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I was shaken to my senses
by the arrival of yet another rejection letter, along with the bills
for the rent, water, phone, and a statement from the bank showing an
ever dwindling account balance.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
My
savings were getting low.</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
just wasn't in the mood to write that day. In fact, I had the whole
day ahead of me with nothing to do.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Alone
in the house, pacing back and forth across the room, I was in one of
my moods, doing weird things on impulse, like shouting, or picking
something up, like the toy gun that my young nephew forgot on his
last visit, shooting some of the dishes in the china cabinet, and
then blowing the imaginary smoke from the barrel.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
My
eyes lit on the lamp, and remembered my fiends instructions, when I
have the whole day free, to rub it well.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Without
really thinking about it, with an air of drama, I grabbed the lamp
and began rubbing it vigorously.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I was
just in the process of saying, 'A good day to you Mr. Genie,' when
there, right in front of me stood a <i>real</i> genie.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'And
a good day to you too, Mr. O'Brien,' he answered back. 'I am at your
service for this day only. Ask for what you wish, and I will
accommodate you – within reason of course.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
only way I can describe him is to say that he looked like the cross
between a story-book genie, and an angelic being, and a tooth fairy.
Apart from that, there's no way to even remotely describe him.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Needless
to say, I was in a state of shock. My throat was dry, and I reeled
backwards until I collapsed on the settee.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
genie bent over me. Contrary to what the storybooks say, I felt no
inclination to pinch myself to see if I were awake. The image before
me was so real, and yet so other-worldly, that there was no question
of my being awake or asleep. Real dreams don't affect one like this.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'What
is it you wish me to do for you?' asked the genie.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'–
I need a drink –' was all I could manage.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Instantly
there was a glass of water in his hand which he gently brought to my
lips.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
That
water was the most refreshing water I have ever tasted. It wasn't
bottled water from the newsagent's, and it wasn't from the taps. Its
effect was to bring me into a more stable frame of mind.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Finally,
as though the genie were a visitor who had dropped in for a chat, I
indicated for the genie to sit in the armchair. He did so.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'So,
what brings you to my humble abode?' I asked.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
rubbed the lamp, just as your most excellent friend from school days
asked you to do, so I am here at your bequest.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'So,
are you my servant for always?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!
By no means! Only for today. Ask me anything within reason, and I
will see about accomplishing it.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Within
<i>reason</i>?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Well,'
he said, 'For instance, we don't want the local economy to go
spinning into hyper-inflation, now, do we!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!'
I said, not expecting such technical expertise from a genie. 'So if I
asked for a Swiss bank account containing about ten billion US
dollars, would that be going beyond the reasonable limit?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
genie thought awhile.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'My
sources tell me,' he said finally, 'that there is such a bank account
that once belonged to a close relative to the Czar, who died without
leaving any heir, or anyone to transact his business matters. Is it
your wish to obtain the said account?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'By
all means, yes!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Right
then,' he said. 'Some papers relating to the said account with your
name on them have just been dropped on the desk of the one who will
handle this matter. You will be notified tomorrow, when my service
has terminated.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'When
your service is – <i>terminated</i>?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'As I
said, I'm only at your service for one day – twenty four hours.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'That's
right,' I said, remembering he had said that already.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
began considering the position in which I found myself. I had a genie
for the day. I had just wished for, and been granted (so he said) a
bank account containing ten billion US dollars. That is quite a sum,
capable of buying anything that can be bought with money. What more
could I wish for?
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Then
I said, 'Why don't we solve the world hunger problem?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'That,'
said the genie, 'Is beyond what I'm authorised to do. World hunger,
national turmoil and things like that must be solved without help
from the likes of me. They require resources that have already been
entrusted to mankind. I'm only authorised to grant <i>selfish</i>
desires.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
That
sounded so noble, and yet, I was taken by surprise by the word
'selfish.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
As if
to answer my thoughts, he said, 'Oh, before the day's out, <i>you</i>
may be in a less selfish frame of mind, and with your ten billion
dollar bank account, you'll be in a good position to start getting
that job done yourself.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
However,
the prospect of using <i>my</i> bank account to solve such problems
wasn't quite as exciting as that of using the genie's special powers.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Finally,
I said, 'I haven't had anything to eat yet. How about a meal fit for
a king?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Which
king?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Does
it matter?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Well,
yes. The British monarchy eats one way, the king of Thailand eats a
different diet, various African kings...'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Okay,
okay,' I interrupted. 'I'll go British.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Fine.
How about the exact same menu that the queen is scheduled to have for
brunch today?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Okay!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
won't go into detail about what I had, but it was some of the finest
food I ever tasted, and yet in such small portions that I had to ask
for seconds. That was granted of course. I realised afterwards that
it's quite likely that royals eat to mind their weight. It's just
that I didn't feel like doing that just then.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Leaning
back in my chair, I tried to think of what else I could wish for that
my ten billion dollars wouldn't buy.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I'd
like to see the Orion nebula from up close. Could you arrange that?'
I asked finally.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Yes.
I could confine you in a bubble of artificial atmosphere, and take
you there.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
next thing I knew, I was suspended in something like a transparent
sphere, and we were moving at breath-taking speed through the
universe.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I can
only say here that it was better than a planetarium show, or even a
film show with special computerised effects. The nebula looked even
more awesome in real life than in any of the photographs I've ever
seen. We even came close to being right inside it.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
After
that, I asked to see a black hole, which the genie consented to do
from a safe distance so as not to be sucked in. Then, we went to view
a quasar. That was even more awesome. I can therefore tell you many
things about quasars, black holes and nebulae that astronomers don't
even know. I've even left some astronomers quite amazed at some of
the things I knew that they had only just begun to discover. However,
they still won't believe I met a real genie.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
All
this, of course, took quite a long time. By then, I was hungry again.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'How
about taking me to the finest café on the French Riviera?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
So he
did.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
We
sat and I enjoyed another great meal. I tried to ask the genie more
about himself. I began to notice that he had such an impersonal
attitude.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
must enjoy going to all these places,' I said.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'It's
a job.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I
mean, all that universe up there!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh,
it's marvellous, but I see it everyday.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
There
didn't seem to be much that would impress him.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Why
don't you help yourself to a sandwich?' I offered.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'To
tell you the truth,' he began, 'For me to attempt to enjoy myself
with any of these would be the same as you trying to gain the same
enjoyment from day-dreaming about something you wished for.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Then
how do you enjoy yourself?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Where
I live, things aren't like this.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'But
don't you live inside the lamp?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!
Goodness no! I only appear when someone rubs the lamp as you did, and
then, only once in their lifetime! No, I spend most of my days in <i>our
</i>world.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I had
been trying to think of some more wishes on which to spend the rest
of the allotted genie-time.</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Take
me to your world,' I said.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Now,
that will be a difficult one,' he said, now rubbing his eyebrows.
'It's so different there that I don't think you'll cope.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Try
me,' I said defiantly.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I
can take you only as far as my sitting room.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Okay,
let's go.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Immediately,
we were at a place which I can only describe in sketchy detail. It
wasn't really like a room, yet there was furniture – a few pieces
anyway. The remarkable thing was, everything was alive! Even the
furniture! Everything greeted the genie as we entered.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
genie greeted each piece and then introduced me to the easy chair, to
the coffee table, and to what looked like a huge video monitor, and
to some other objects, including some books and magazines on the
coffee table. They all greeted me heartily, as though I were a guest
in their house.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
noted that the genie, himself, began to change his composure ever so
slightly from one of detachment to warmth – at least tofwards the
objects in the room.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
genie invited me to sit down, and the chair confirmed the invitation.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
At
first it had looked something like an overstuffed armchair. When I
sat in it, however, it conformed to the exact shape I needed at that
moment, and then began massaging me! For several days, I had been
having back pains, but the chair began rubbing me in the exact spot I
was hurting. For as long as I was there, sitting in that chair, I was
always in the position I needed to be in, not because I changed
position, but the chair itself moved me around to the position I
needed. At times, it even threw me up a foot in the air, so that I
would land in a way that would soothe whatever part of me hit the
chair first.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
turned to the genie, and said, 'I wish for one of these chairs.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I'm
sorry. I cannot give away my friends.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Then,
he handed me a tray full of some of the most delicious pastries I
have ever seen.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh,
I couldn't. I just ate,' I protested.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'But
you mustn't offend these dear cakes,' said the genie.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Yes,'
said one of the cakes. 'You <i>must </i>eat at least one of us!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I was
shocked! Eat something that talks to me?
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
must understand,' said the genie, 'these cakes live to be eaten.
Their crowning moment is when they are chewed up and go gliding down
a person's throat.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'But
– these are living things! They'll die!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Ah
yes, you being from the world underneath, where concepts of life and
death have become distorted and therefore obsessed with extending
life for as long as you can hold on to it. These cakes, however, live
and long for the moment for which they were made, and that is to give
enjoyment to the one chosen to partake of them.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'They
don't want to live a long life?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'On
the contrary. The saddest food I've ever met was a steak and kidney
pie that had lived over a week, and therefore grown stale and lost
its ability to bring joy to the eater by its freshness. It was a
miserable thing! It even made <i>me</i> weep. It's hope revived
somewhat, however, when I went to feed it to the dog. At least the
dog could still enjoy it so that made the poor dear pie happy once
again.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I was
still hesitant. This was foreign to anything I had ever conceived of.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
chair and the coffee table joined in to induce me to eat. 'Oh! Do
have at least one piece! You'll make them ever so happy!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
back of the chair pushed me forward towards the tray. The coffee
table stretched and moved the tray closer to my reach.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'The
fact that you're from the other world makes it even more a
privilege,' said the genie. 'Don't let them down!'</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Feeling
quite on the spot, I finally reached for a piece; whereupon a cheer
rose up from the entire tray and a squeal of utter delight came from
the bun I selected.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
noises emitting from the chocolate éclair I picked up certainly
didn't help things as far as I was concerned. I finally took the
first bite fully expecting a cry of pain. Instead, came a cry of joy.
I could even hear the piece I had bitten off laughing and shouting
inside my mouth as I chewed. Every chew produced more cries of
delight, until finally its laughter faded down my throat.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I had
to admit that it was certainly a delicious éclair. By time I had
finished that, the revulsion had been replaced by a sort of curious
enjoyment. Next, I picked up a cream-puff. More squeals of delight,
but this time, slightly different. Each cake not only had its own
flavour, but also a personality of its own.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I ate
several pieces. It was becoming rather fun – like feeding animals
at the zoo, but in reverse.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Being
somewhat satisfied, my attention turned to some of the other things.
The genie was still there, but standing around with that sort of
detached air about him – except that he interacted with the
furniture and the cakes, and had a more jovial spirit about him as
though he were among his own.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
books and magazines intrigued me. I picked up a book – a sort of
special interest tome one finds on coffee tables – and it opened
all by itself. It was about mushrooms of all sorts, except they were
obviously not mushrooms you would find on the earth. The book told me
so. There were no words in the book, but the book spoke to me, and
the illustrations were all moving pictures.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
have never been interested in mushrooms, and would never have even
bothered to look at any book on the subject on the earth, but this
was a totally new experience.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
pages turned by themselves at the exact moment I would have turned
them myself, and the voice of the book would say things like, 'Here
we have a field mushroom. They usually keep to themselves, but
they're really quite pleasant once you get to know them. They go best
in a salad, as they get along quite well with the lettuce. In fact,
given the right ingredients, such as cheese and an oil and vinegar
dressing, this mushroom readily merges its personality with the rest
to make one very pleasant dish, and is generally quite talkative and
erudite on many subjects. On the next page, we see a tree mushroom.
As you can see, they become emotionally attached to the tree on which
they grow, and only consent to be picked if you promise to serve them
up with fruit of some sort. The tree, of course, enjoys the company
of the mushroom...'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
could actually hear the tree and the mushrooms in the illustration
conversing with one another.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
At
one point, I forgot myself and asked a question which the book
readily answered. Later, I asked a question which was a little bit
out of the range of that volume, and a magazine on the coffee table
suddenly opened up. The book said, 'The <i>Weekly Journal of
Botanical Science</i> should answer that question for you.' At that,
I became engrossed in what that had to say.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
After
a while, my attention drifted to the thing that looked like a video
monitor. Noticing my attention, the thing spoke:
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Anything
you care to see?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'What
do you show?' I asked.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Just
anything you like!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Well
– I've always wanted to see the Episode Seven of <i>Star Wars</i>.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!
Come now! Of course I could show you that, but then, you can see that
any time you please! After all, you're coming into ten billion
dollars, are you not? Why, you could buy yourself a whole cinema!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I was
taken aback that the video monitor knew all about my situation.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Then
what can you show me that I couldn't see myself?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Do
you want fantasy, or real life?' asked the video monitor.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Fantasy,'
I answered. I do enjoy the fantasy genre.</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
However,
I was unprepared for what immediately came on the screen. It was, in
fact, some of the fantasies I actually entertained.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
first scene was inside of a publishing house, in a particular room
that I always conceived was where manuscripts are reviewed and either
rejected or accepted. At the desk was a teenage girl chewing gum and
casually leafing through a pile of manuscripts and synopsis. She'd
pick up one, and glance at the title and author, and usually say
something like, 'This guy's a bore,' or 'Him again!' or simply heave
a sigh, throwing the manuscript into the reject pile.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
As
she was doing that with yet another manuscript, a superior walked
slowly to her desk. Just as the girl dropped the manuscript onto the
reject pile, the superior grabbed it, saying, 'Come now! You're
hardly reading these at all!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
superior looked at the manuscript. It happened to be one of mine. He
read the first paragraph.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Now
this guy can write!' he told the girl. 'How many of these has he sent
you?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Only
about ten,' said the girl.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'And
you've never once sent anything by this obviously tallented writer to
my desk?' He then proceeded to give her a sound brow beating, and
then fired her. That left me with a feeling of gratification.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Walking
into the other room with my manuscript, the superior said to his
colleagues, 'I've just uncovered a gold-mine! Here, look at this!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
rest of that scene was that of all the office personnel looking over
one another's shoulders reading my manuscript with comments like,
'This guy can write!' and 'Why haven't we heard of this guy before?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
scene changed, and I saw two old school friends walking into a book
shop. There, facing them on a book rack was a book with my name on
the cover.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Hey!
Look at that!' said one of the two, as the cover of the book caught
his eye.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'That
isn't the same Boz O'Brien we knew, is it?' said the other.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
One
of them picked the book up and looked at the back cover. There, on
the back was my picture in a dignified pose flashing a toothy smile.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I
can't believe it!' he said.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'And
I didn't think the guy would amount to anything!' said the other.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
first one had opened randomly to a section I was particularly proud
of having composed.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I
never though he had it in him!' he was saying.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Some
people are late bloomers, I guess,' said the other.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Walking
to the cashier, each with a copy of my book, one of them was saying,
'Whatever – he's obviously out-bloomed the rest of us!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
scene changed again, and there was an old school teacher telling how
he had greatly underestimated me. Other scenes showed me appearing on
talk-shows along side well known rock-and-role stars and actors, who
were gawking in my presence. In yet others, well know politicians
were talking about me, and how they should call me in for
consultation on issues I had addressed in my book.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Needless
to say, I was immensely enjoying the show. The very things I had
visualised were happening right here before my eyes. My sense of
justice was being gratified. It was as though things I felt were true
all along were being confirmed, including that maxim, 'Truth is
stranger than fiction.' The phrase, 'Too good to be true,' was
obviously an antiquated proverb fit only for the literary dustbins.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Just
for further verification, I asked the video, 'This is all in the
future, right?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!
Dear me! You did say you wanted <i>fantasy</i>, didn't you?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
That
was my first clue.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Well
– I guess I did.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Would
you like me to switch to 'real world' mode?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I
guess,' I said hesitantly.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Before
I can go into any other 'real world' images, it's necessary to go
back through the fantasies we've pictured, and replace them with
their corresponding realistic images,' said the video. 'We'll begin
with the last one we viewed.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Immediately,
I saw a repeat of the last image, which was one the scenes with the
politicians and heads of state. However, instead of praising me and
deciding they must call me for consultation, they were saying things
like, 'It's that Boz O'Brien again. He thinks he knows our job better
than we do,' and, 'If I could round up all of these crack pots, like
this O'Brien guy, and force them to take my job for <i>one day</i>,
then they'd see for <i>themselves </i>whether this is an easy job or
not.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
When
it came to the talk shows, instead of me stealing the show with my
sage wisdom, the other guests, which included rock-and-roll stars and
actors were grilling me on what they considered quaint or politically
incorrect ideas. Since public debate is not my strong point – I
have many a time lost an argument with my boss by my inability to
properly defend myself on the spot, only to realise later what I
really ought to have said – I was being made to look like a total
fool on the TV screen.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
On
the other hand, since the fantasies had followed a progressive
sequence, each new 'real' image I now saw brought a sense of relief
that at least the previous humiliation couldn't possibly happen. For
instance, being humiliated on national television, at least meant
that the politicians would certainly not give me even a second
thought. The next few scenes rendered any appearance on television
also out of the question.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
two old class mates walking into the book shop, this time took a look
at my book, and said:
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'That
Boz's book?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Looks
like it.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I
always thought writing was his strong point.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Yeah,
but I never cared for the subjects he chose.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Doesn't
look like he did much better on this one either.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
They
both walked off without buying a copy.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Then
came the scene that even put the stops on that one. This time, it was
a couple of level headed editors sitting in an office reviewing
several manuscripts.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'It
seems like everyone's trying to write about the same old thing.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Yeah.
Plenty of talent. In fact, too much talent. I just wish that either
more of them would launch out in something more out of the ordinary,
or else <i>we</i> would have the guts to go ahead on one of the
<i>really</i> way out ones.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
mean like this one?' picking up my manuscript.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Yeah
– well – good writer and all that, but...'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I
know. Just a little bit out of touch some how.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Again,
my manuscript ended up in the reject pile.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
By
now I felt like a deflated balloon. Now, up came a new scene.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
This
time, I saw my entrance with the genie into the sitting room where I
was presently. Everything happened just as I remembered it, except,
instead of looking out from inside of my head, I was looking at me
from the outside. Other than that, there was no change from what I
clearly remembered happening, apart from the feeling one usually gets
when looking at a video of one's self, a sort of embarrassment.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
After
a while, something began to disturb me about the scene. It suddenly
reminded me of a young child on his birthday, absorbed only in his
own enjoyment. My host, the genie was standing up to one side as I
sat in his chair, taking him for granted as a child would his parents
or teacher. The pastries with their personalities clamoured for my
interaction while I acted like a child feeding animals at the zoo.
Finally, there was me, indulging in the video showing of my
fantasies, with the look of one easily giving in to flattery. All
through this scene, I did my best to convince myself that this
impression wasn't really accurate – that it was just the impression
one always gets when looking at videos of oneself.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
However,
I could make no such rationalisation about the scenes that followed.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Now,
I saw some of my present friends saying things like, 'He just stays
cooped up in his house writing his books,' 'What is he anyway? Too
good for our society?' and, 'Whatever can he find to write about if
he never gets out and around!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Some
of the scenes where from the period before I lost my job. Fellow
employees were saying, 'He's got good ideas, but I think he doesn't
even know how to relate to <i>people</i>,' and, 'I think he's been a
bit out of touch lately – living in a <i>dream</i> world.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Suddenly,
things started to make sense – though not the sense I wanted it to
make. A definite pattern was beginning to show. Now, I felt sick.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Just
then, the video monitor said, 'That's probably enough for now,
wouldn't you say?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
He
was right.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
chair said, 'Sit back and relax a bit.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
realised I had been sitting on the edge for the past few minutes, and
my back was getting tired. I sat back, and immediately my back began
to feel better. But the rest of me didn't.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
After
a few moments, it suddenly occurred to me to say, 'Thank you – er –
chair.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!
Don't mention it. You know I thoroughly enjoy doing this.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Yeah,
but – well, I appreciate it just the same.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Thank
you. I'm glad you told me that.' I could sense a note of genuine
appreciation in the chair's voice. I started feeling better.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
noticed the genie still standing off to one side with his hands
behind his back, looking off in a different direction.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Genie,'
I said, 'You've been standing up all this time. You should sit down.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Well,
yes, come to think of it...'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
began to stand up.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'No!
No, no!' said the genie. 'There's room for two of us there, isn't
there, chair?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Why
of course there is!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
chair suddenly began to widen to become something like a settee, and
the genie took a seat opposite me.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
know, Genie,' I began again, 'I really appreciate you bringing me
here to your own home. I mean, I'm sure this isn't the usual thing
for a genie to do, and –'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
genie looked at me in a way he hadn't all day, no longer with that
detached look. That warmed me further inside.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!
Don't mention it. Why – here, there's still more of these buns
left!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
He
handed me the tray, and again the pastries began to squeal with
delight at the prospect of being eaten.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
picked one, but this time, I held it for just a second or two,
noticing the joy radiating from the apple tart.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
look delicious!' I said.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!
I hope I am! I hope I am!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I put
it in my mouth, and began to enjoy the fact that I was giving the
apple tart its ultimate fulfilment in life.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
genie helped himself to a few, and I had a few more. Now, we were
talking about things that probably weren't very important, but we
enjoyed talking. I was eating the pastries, but not as a child in a
zoo, but the pastries and myself were mutually enjoying one anther.
All this seemed to be refilling that same part of me that had been
drained completely empty from watching the scenes on the video
monitor – only now it was something more solid.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Suddenly,
I thought about the time. I looked at my watch.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh
dear! Isn't our twenty four hours up?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!
Don't worry about time!' said the genie. 'I'm just beginning to enjoy
this!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'But
you said I could be with you only one day!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'That
is, <i>I'm</i> only legally <i>required</i> to serve you for
twenty-four hours. If you and I both want to do something beyond
that, that's up to us, isn't it!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
laughed with delight.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I
know,' he said. 'Why don't we go pick some mushrooms!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
told him I thought that was a lovely idea.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
cannot begin to describe the beauty of the countryside we
encountered. It far surpassed any landscape I had ever seen on the
earth. We picked several kinds of mushrooms, including field
mushrooms, which the genie proposed making into a salad when we got
back; and some tree mushrooms, whom we promised we would serve up
with fruit, which we did. We enjoyed one another thoroughly; had
wonderful conversations with the salad on a number of erudite topics,
as we ate it; listened to the tree mushrooms' fond memories of their
trees (they also compared notes with the fruit); and we topped that
off with the remaining pastries. The video monitor then showed us
some other types of shows which I won't even try to describe here.
All in all, the genie, the chair, the coffee table and books, the
video monitor, our food and myself all had a wonderful time.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
At
one point, an idea popped into my head. I turned to the video monitor
and asked, 'I don't suppose you could show <i>Back to the Future Four
</i><span style="font-style: normal;">could you</span><span style="font-style: normal;">?'</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I suppose I could,' he said.</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I wondered how he would pull it off, as any further sequels of that
film would have to explain why 2015 has come and gone, and flying
cars still weren't a reality.</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">The
film opened sort of like a documentary </span><span style="font-style: normal;">about
the history of hover-cars. The inventor, it seemed, was searching for
a way to help his young brother who had been crippled in an accident.
His search for a way to give him mobility </span><span style="font-style: normal;">was
what</span><span style="font-style: normal;"> led to hover technology,
which was later applied to motor vehicles and skateboards. </span>
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">The
film showed the scene of the accident, </span><span style="font-style: normal;">a
white Rolls Royce, a black pick-up truck,</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
an ambulance nearby, with paramedics surrounding the young boy.
Others were assisting Marty McFly, who had injured his hand, and was
looking suitably horrified at what had just happened. Suddenly the
action sped into reverse. The boy flew back into the car, the black
pick-up </span><span style="font-style: normal;">up-righted itself and</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
sped backwards, while the white Rolls Royce glided backwards into the
side road. Finally, there was Marty McFly at the wheel of his new
car, and Needles, in the other car, challenging him to a road race.
Again in forward motion, the action </span><span style="font-style: normal;">proceeded</span><span style="font-style: normal;">,
but</span><span style="font-style: normal;"> as it did at the end of
</span><i>Back to the Future III</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">in which the accident didn't
happen. </span>
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">I
don't know if the film will ever be made or not, but I won't give any
spoilers – just in case.</span></div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
By
the end of the film I was getting tired. After all, I had been up for
well over twenty four hours – although the chair had helped to
offset quite a lot of the fatigue. The genie took me home by the
scenic route, and showed me other parts of the universe that not even
astronomers know about.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Finally,
we ended up in my kitchen. It was late at night.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'You
know, I'd offer you a cup of tea if I thought you'd enjoy it,' I
said.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Actually,
I would,' said the genie.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'But
– I thought you...'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Come!
Back there on the French Riviera, there wasn't much to enjoy. Here,
I'll heat the water and you get the cups.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I got
the cups, and also the biscuit tin.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'I'm
afraid these biscuits don't talk, but..'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh!
Never mind,' he interrupted. 'You and me can do enough talking for
all of us. That's what eating is for, really, isn't it!'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
Suddenly,
I was beginning to see that there indeed wasn't so much to be enjoyed
at the French Riviera cafe, or in the queen's brunch. In fact, there
wasn't much to be enjoyed in anything I had been so concerned about
in the last – I don't know how long.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
We
had our tea and biscuits, and the genie finally departed. I went to
bed and slept soundly.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
The
next morning, I was awakened by a phone call.
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Hello?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Is
this Mr. O'Brien?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Yes?'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'This
is the Banque of Commerce and Fidelity in Zurich. I've been trying to
get a hold of you since yesterday. It seems that the late Count
Zorrokoff ...'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
'Oh –
that. Listen, could you call me much later? I'm really tired right
now.'
</div>
<div lang="en-GB" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.52cm;">
I
hung up and went back to sleep.
</div>
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-4855547091129298382016-02-03T20:51:00.000+00:002016-02-03T20:51:25.147+00:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2333.Farmer_Giles_of_Ham" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Farmer Giles of Ham " border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388240771m/2333.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2333.Farmer_Giles_of_Ham">Farmer Giles of Ham</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/656983.J_R_R_Tolkien">J.R.R. Tolkien</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1536287198">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
<b>A hero on his own terms</b><br />
<br />
Lovers of Tolkien's books on Middle Earth could do well to take a break and relax with a story that he told to his children at bedtime. This story takes place in the "Middle Kingdom" of old England, when the Island was divided between various small kingdoms, dragons and giants ruled the north, and choices of a weapon ranged from enchanted swords to a blunderbuss. Oh yes -- and dogs could talk, though their vocabulary was generally restricted to the vernacular.<br />
<br />
Farmer Giles is a humble farmer who just wants to get on with business at hand, which is to bring in the crops, keep the larder well stocked and get a good sleep at night. His night time peace is broken when his dog, Garm, begins barking and babbling on about a giant that has stepped on his prize cow. So, Giles loads his blunderbuss and goes out to see what's going on...<br />
<br />
And what's a blunderbuss?<br />
<br />
"A blunderbuss is a kind of big fat gun with a mouth that opens wide like the end of a horn, and it goes off with a terrible bang, and sometimes it hits what you are aiming at." That's a quote from the second version, based on what Tolkien's daughter remembers of her bed time story. This edition contains both versions, as well as an unfinished sequel -- the first few paragraphs and some sketchy notes on how the story would have gone from there.<br />
<br />
Back to the giant. The farmer falls over backwards as soon as the giants head appears over the hill, the gun goes off, and a piece of scrap metal from the barrel hits the giant on the nose. Being near-sighted, and having no clue that there are people living in these parts, he thinks it's a stinging fly, so he turns around and goes back home. Garm, the farmer's dog, runs through town announcing that his master has single handedly driven away the giant, and Giles becomes the hero.<br />
<br />
That's just the beginning. Next is the story of the dragon, where Giles again becomes the unwilling hero. But hero he is, so he's a hero on his own terms, much to the chagrin of the king and the knights of the realm. Tolkien, a storyteller on his own terms, brings it to a delightfully satisfying "happily ever after".<br />
<br />
Among my favourite characters is the dog, Garm. He's exactly what I imagine a dog would be if dogs could talk. The old mare and the dragon are also well cast. In all, it's a great read.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2643046-robby-charters">View all my reviews</a>
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-81089770203658660652016-01-02T15:31:00.000+00:002016-01-04T16:41:30.494+00:00Israel had twins, their names were Christianity and Islam...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Twins_(HS85-10-36999).jpg/296px-Twins_(HS85-10-36999).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/Twins_(HS85-10-36999).jpg/296px-Twins_(HS85-10-36999).jpg" /></a></div>
...perhaps not in the
sense that we normally think; they were born 600 years apart. The elder twin, Christianity wasn't called by that
name at first. It was the local street
urchins and the bullies who began calling him that as a taunt. They kept it up for so
long that soon he was calling himself that, and the name stuck.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; page-break-before: auto; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
At first, Christianity took after his mother, which meant he
reflected the two divine attributes, Justice and Mercy -- also known as
Holiness and Love. In fact, he reflected them so well that the
mother became jealous, and he began to find it difficult to live in
the same house with her. This was also due to the fact that Israel's
husband had called, dressed as a beggar; and she,
failing to recognise Him, had turned him away. However the son had recognised him,
and they stayed in communication. He promised the child that one day,
they would all be reunited.<br />
As time went on, the son could
no longer stand to live in the same house as his mother, and left
home. About that time, the house was seized and the mother also had
to leave. They became a broken family.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Cut
off from his mother's influence, Christianity began to emphasise the
divine attribute of Love and Mercy, neglecting that of Justice
and Holiness -- receiving only the new and rejecting the old. He also began to emulate the neighbourhood boys in
other ways, and was soon unrecognisable as the son of his mother.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
This was truly sad, as the child had been destined to reign as a
prince alongside his mother, a queen, and his father, King Messiah.
This would bring perfect balance to the universe, however it couldn't
happen, because the child who was to be prince was away from
home, and his character was becoming increasingly unbalanced. Even
as it was, the mantel of “Prince of the Universe” was still on
the child, and as such, his imbalance also affected the universe.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
What
happened next was not the original plan of Him who was to reign as
King, but it was as though nature were correcting the
imbalance. He allowed it to happen, knowing that it would bring about
his purpose in the end, and in the mean time, there would be a
semblance of balance in the universe. So, because of the imbalance in the
cosmos, a twin was born. Just as the older twin was the son of
Abraham through faith, the younger was also a son, through Ishmael.
That twin's name was Islam.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Everything
that the elder twin rejected, the younger twin embraced. The elder
child had clung to mercy at the expense of justice, so the younger
twin clung to justice, but rejected mercy. The elder twin had become
careless in describing the Holy Trinity, giving the impression that
he believed in three gods instead of One God manifested as three
persons. The younger twin responded with, “That's polytheism! There
is only one God,” and rejected the Trinity. The elder child had
begun to describe the doctrine of the Incarnation and Virgin Birth in
a pagan sort of way, as though God had intimate relations with Mary
to give birth to Messiah, thus His title, the “Son of God”. The
younger brother was repulsed by this idea, and retorted, “No! God
cannot have children!”
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Never-the-less,
the younger twin did believe in the Messiah, even acknowledging that
He was the Word of God, not realising that that's what the term, “Son
of God” really meant in the first place. But he didn't believe in
the crucifixion and the resurrection, because those were the ultimate
expressions of Mercy. In essence, he had rejected Mercy because his
elder brother had so distorted it by divorcing it from Justice.
However, his own understanding of Justice was likewise distorted.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
It
was truly a broken family, and all nature wept. The mother, having
fled from her home and living wherever she could, was tormented and
persecuted by both of her children – when they weren't too busy
fighting each other.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Then,
one day the first child had an awakening. He began to realise what a
horrible son he had been, and began, by degrees, returning to his
mother. The mother's heart also began to open to her son. The son
asked her, “Please, remind me of the truths I've
neglected this past 2000 years, like Justice the Fear of the Lord.”
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
As
the mother began to open up to her child, her eyes also opened
to King Messiah, whom she had once turned away from her door when he
came dressed as a beggar. He had been communicating with the elder
twin from a distance all along, but the child had not
been very good at remembering all that he told him, and didn't know how to mix the new with the old. But now that the
King was revealing Himself more directly, the elder son also began to
think more clearly and understand the will of the King, and the
divine attributes of Justice and Mercy.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Another
thing began to happen: the more the older child embraced the more
balanced view, his twin began to fade away as his soul began
to merge with that of his older brother. Soon, they were no longer
two separate twins, but one child. Only a shell of the younger twin's
body remained, sort of like a zombie that continued to put
up a fight until it disintegrated. There were also other zombies,
clones of the mother and elder child that had spawned when the
reunion came. For a short time, all the zombies joined forces in an
attempt to devour the Queen and the Prince, trying to bring about a
zombie apocalypse. That was short-lived, and soon total harmony was
restored in the universe as King Messiah reigned with the Queen and
the Prince for the rest of eternity.<br />
<br />
<b>Image:</b> By William Fraser [Public domain or Public domain], <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ATwins_(HS85-10-36999).jpg">via Wikimedia Commons</a></div>
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-34398047243171272952015-12-17T10:01:00.000+00:002015-12-17T10:03:09.763+00:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DS9CR0Q" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51u2O9qrw2L._SX315_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" id="imgBlkFront" style="left: 0px; max-height: 346px; max-width: 217px; top: 0px;" title="" /></a>Subtitled: <b>Deep Healing Needed</b></div>
<b><br /></b>
HEAL NOT LIGHTLY, as the title suggests, is a book about healing – not
light healing that might be applied with antiseptic cream, or a
sticky-plaster or band-aid, but a deep one, that might require the skill
of a surgeon. More often than not, problems between ethnic groups fit
into the latter category. This book takes a look under the surface of
what have been called “The Troubles” of Northern Ireland, and Harry
Smith finds a few areas requiring the deeper sort of healing.<br />
<br />
One
of these is the Ulster Covenant, which was the response of the
Protestants of Northern Ireland in 1912 to the proposed Home Rule Bill
that had been submitted to the British Parliament, and looked like was
going to become law. This would have placed all of Ireland, North and
South, under an autonomous parliament in Dublin.<br />
<br />
This was good
news to the Irish Catholic community, whose experience of British rule
had been quite turbulent and often traumatic. However, the Protestants
community in Ireland didn't share the same historical perspective. There
were other issues.<br />
<br />
Among the biggest was that such a parliament
would have a Catholic majority. The Protestant community who had
migrated to Ireland in large numbers during the times of Queen Elizabeth
I, James I, and William of Orange to serve as their political pawns,
would suddenly find themselves in the minority. It was rightly believed
that the Dublin government would be heavily influenced by the Catholic
Church. A common slogan was, “Home rule is Rome rule”. If that seems
far-fetched, remember that religious freedom was not taken for granted
in Europe then as it is now. Also, those were the days before the
Vatican II council, which liberalised the Catholic Church's position
towards non-Catholics (however, even now, there are many Protestants who
regard these changes as strictly cosmetic).<br />
<br />
So, many Protestants
feared the worst. The Protestants of Northern Ireland, primarily under
the leadership of the Presbyterian, Church of Ireland and the Methodist
churches, banded together and signed a document called the Ulster
Covenant. In this, they swore not to submit to Home Rule, and in the
event that it was forced on them, to resist, taking up arms if
necessary. Some prominent Ulster Protestants signed it with their blood.
This covenant has been the basis of Northern Irish identity ever since.<br />
<br />
The
first chapter of the book contains numerous statements in the press by
various church leaders, politicians, editors and others regarding the
danger that was eminent, and the necessity of every Protestant who
values his history and his freedom as a British subject. Just reading
them gives one a sense of the atmosphere that prevailed. In all, around
250,000 men signed the covenant – with a similar number of women signing
a supporting document.<br />
<br />
Harry Smith also goes into some more
background, relating how former Moderators of the Presbyterian Church in
Ireland utilised the Scottish National Covenant of 1638 to unite people
politically and spiritually against the Home Rule Bill.<br />
<br />
The
Scottish National Covenant was a vow of solidarity, which established
Scotland as a Christian nation under God with their Presbyterian values,
in their resistance to attempts at control by the Church of England. In
effect, it was a reminder to God whose side He was on. It was even said
that in the same way that God had once regarded the Israelites as His
chosen people, whom He had now rejected under the New Covenant, He now
regarded the Scottish nation. In other words, Supersessionism, or
Replacement Theology was a cornerstone of Covenant terminology.<br />
<br />
Then,
we read details of how, during the times of James I and William of
Orange, Scottish Protestants were offered land in Ireland from which
Irish Catholics had been forcibly removed. They regarded this as their
divine mandate, and that later became the basis of the Ulster Covenant.<br />
<br />
So,
whose side was God on? Reading all the press statements in the first
chapter compels one to consider that a covenant may have seemed like a
good idea at the time. In fact, one would have been considered a traitor
– an enemy of God – for opposing it. But was it really a good idea? The
song by Bob Dylan, “With God on Our Side” comes to mind.<br />
<br />
Harry Smith believes that the Ulster Covenant is now one of the biggest hindrance to peace in Northern Ireland.<br />
<br />
But,
you ask, didn't the Good Friday Agreement bring peace? There still
exist huge fences crossing whole sections of Belfast, which are referred
to as the “peace wall”. They are, in fact, proof that there isn't
peace, otherwise, why would we need walls to separate us? That actually
fits with the same passage in Jeremiah 8:11 from which Harry Smith took
the title: "They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying,
‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace."<br />
<br />
God showed Harry Smith
that it is like a log-jam that holds back the flow of His Spirit - like
the river mentioned in Ezekiel chapter 47, which brought healing to the
land. Repentance at Church government and personal levels are essential
for the removal of this log-jam so as to release the river of God.<br />
<br />
To
achieve peace in Northern Ireland, Protestants in Northern Ireland must
renounce the Ulster Covenant, and the Nationalist community must
renounce the Sinn Fein Covenant (that was signed a few years later); let
go of our political agendas, and trust God to direct the future
according to His plan.<br />
<br />
There are also chapters on intercessory
prayer, a helpful exposition on the basis for believers' authority, and
many practical guidelines on how to seek God's plan for a city or a
nation, with particular emphasis on Ireland. Even if it were just for
those aspects, it's a worthwhile read.<br />
<br />
If you're interested in
ethnic reconciliation and want to understand more clearly, what you're
up against, definitely, get this book.
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-11411424703506429662015-12-11T22:21:00.000+00:002015-12-11T22:21:29.657+00:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DS9CR0Q" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/418z6venAaL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" id="imgBlkFront" style="left: 0px; max-height: 346px; max-width: 217px; top: 0px;" title="" /></a>
Subtitled: <b>Humanity Can't Be Trusted</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span class="readable reviewText">
<span id="freeTextreview1438974100">It's classical science
fiction. I read it in 1969 when I was about 13 years old, but re-reading
it now, I realise how much of it was away over my head. Not only has my
head changed since then, but so have the times. Yet, the message comes
out very clear in a way that only became popular later on: Humanity
can't be trusted.<br /><br />Robert Fairlie is an expert in languages,
ancient and modern. He has been asked to help with a project for what he
thought was the Smithsonian Institution. Instead, on disembarking at
the air terminal, he's picked up and driven to a top secret facility in
the New Mexico desert.<br /><br />I suppose you guessed it -- it's a
pre-Neil Armstrong we've-landed-on-the-moon story. On the moon, they
made a shocking discovery: someone's been there already. Thousands of
years ago, actually. There are the ruins of what was a space port and
evidence that it was destroyed in an attack. Enough relics are found to
enable scientists to recreate one of their space ships, but no one
understands how they work, or where they're from. There's documentation,
but in a totally unknown language. Also, voice recordings that play
back on a strange machine they happened to find in one piece. That's why
Robert Fairlie and other linguists were drafted.<br /><br />Deciphering a
language with no known references is nearly impossible. Almost ready to
give up, Robert tries one more idea that has been plaguing him. Some of
the syntax of the language reminded him of ancient Sumerian. He follows
that lead, and sure enough...<br /><br />The ancient astronauts are the
ancestors of humanity -- Earth humanity, that is. Humans didn't start on
Earth. What's more, they locate the original planet of humanity. Now
able to read the how-to manuals, they get the ship into working order.
The bulk of the narrative is the trip to a planet across the galaxy. Of
course, Robert Fairlie has to go along, as someone has to talk to the
people there.<br /><br />One question remains, which is why the project
seems so urgent. Who destroyed the base on the moon? Who was the enemy
even more advanced and high tech than the ancestors of the Sumerians?<br /><br />Before
it became a Hollywood scriptwriter's cliche, Edmond Hamilton
characterised DeWitt as the military heavyweight who's going to run
roughshod over any obstacle to American interests. Christensen is the
more level headed scientist who knows that there are more important
things at stake. If it seems like an old and dusty scenario, give him
the benefit. It was a much more fresh and daring thing way to express
when Edmond Hamilton wrote it in 1960. When I first read it, America was
still the good guy, playing the hero in Vietnam, "with God on our
side". Military men were always depicted as knights in shining armour.
Think John Wayne. Contrary to one of the other reviews I've read on the
Amazon review page, it wasn't a tired cliche when Hamilton wrote it.<br /><br />As
it is, Hamilton presented a very well narrated story of human
imperialism then and now. Who destroyed the base on the moon? Someone
who knew that humanity couldn't be trusted.</span></span></div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-28871169297643859682015-11-16T10:11:00.000+00:002015-11-16T10:11:04.825+00:00Review of Iranaeus' The Proof Of The Apostolic Preaching<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003E35Z28" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61bzA8nCujL._SX302_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" id="imgBlkFront" style="left: 0px; max-height: 346px; max-width: 217px; top: 0px;" title="" /></a>
Subtitled: <b>Towards a much more simple and basic theology</b><br />
Find it hard to get your head around Calvinism, Armenianism, Original Sin, Predestination and other focal points of Augustinian theology? Try simplifying things by shifting your focus to much earlier in history -- the time of Irenaeus.<br />
<br />
Mind you, St. Augustine was a deserving of the honour of sainthood. His dedication and devotion to God are exemplary, and his testimony of his conversion is a great inspiration. The story of his mother's dedication and unceasing prayer is especially inspiring.<br />
<br />
But his Bible teaching....? <br />
<br />
St. Augustine lived in the fourth century, was heavily influenced by his Greek style education -- though he never learned the Greek language. In other words, he based his theology on the Latin scriptures (with all their translation errors), and used his Greek style reasoning to interpret it. Many of the doctrines that he passed down to us, we are hard put to find in the writings of earlier Church Fathers. <br />
<br />
St. Irenaeus, on the other hand, lived in the second century. He was well versed in the Greek scriptures in their original (or closer to the original) texts, but interpreted it in the Hebraic style rather than Greek. In fact, he was the pupil of St. Polycarp, who was the pupil of St.John.<br />
<br />
A great piece of work is St. Irenaeus' THE PROOF OF THE APOSTOLIC PREACHING. He goes systematically through what the early believers had received directly from the Apostles. Free will vs determinism wasn't even a question yet. Original Sin isn't mentioned, nor alluded to. Instead, the emphasis is on death and resurrection. Sin -- or disobedience -- resulted in death. Jesus came to bring life, and the resurrection.<br />
<br />
Overall, you'll be edified by a challenge to walk the life of faith, worded in the simple language of the earliest believers.<br />
<br />
You can read it for free at <a href="http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/irenaeus_02_proof.htm">www.tertullian.org/fathers/irenaeus_02_proof.htm</a> <br />
Or download a copy here: <a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/irenaeus/demonstr.html">www.ccel.org/ccel/irenaeus/demonstr.html</a></div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-23218130099798712822015-11-12T16:10:00.001+00:002015-11-12T16:12:31.747+00:00Review of John C. Wright's City Beyond Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L6WI3PU" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518aLLZWuqL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" id="imgBlkFront" style="left: 0px; max-height: 346px; max-width: 217px; top: 0px;" title="" /></a>
Subtitled: <b>Time and Space Gymnastics</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
John C. Wright is one of the best I know at spinning a yarn out of the
fabric of space and time. This is a set of short stories that are all
based on universe of Metachronopolis.<br />
<br />
Metachronopolis is the city
at the end of time. It's where time travellers live, referred to as
"time wardens". They're the ones who keep things organised -- well, at
least they're supposed to. Like police in many parts of today's world, a
lot of them are corrupt and self seeking.<br />
<br />
They're not the only
ones there. Just about every famous personality in history is also
there. The time wardens are capable of showing up an instant before a
person's death, and replacing them with a dead clone of themselves. It
happens in a split second, so no one sees it happening. In other words,
that wasn't John F. Kennedy's body you saw being rushed to the hospital
on that momentous day in 1963, but his clone.<br />
<br />
In each tale,
Wright does a different acrobatic stunt, each with an unexpected twist
on time travel. They're all stand alone stories, but the last sort of
ties the whole concept together by showing us what it's really all
about. A Christian that John Wright is, there's a profound lesson in
each one.<br />
<br />
A must read...</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-27175954889586578612015-11-11T17:49:00.000+00:002015-11-12T16:13:56.692+00:00Review of Sean Sanborn's Rescue: Book one of the Naga Trilogy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Naga-Trilogy-Supernatural-Missionary-Chronicles/dp/1505611709" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QNSs0-naL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" id="imgBlkFront" style="left: 0px; max-height: 346px; max-width: 217px; top: 0px;" title="" /></a>
Subtitled: <b>Not the Typical Missionary Tale</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/541445">Link to eBook Edition</a><br />
<br />
I can relate to Chaz, because I was also a missionary's kid, spent time
in Chiengmai, have frequented some of the same haunts and can
practically taste the various foods as they're mentioned. But that's not
why I'm giving this book five stars.<br />
<br />
Chaz is 13 years old, lives
with his parents and two sisters on the outskirts of Chiengmai at the
foot of Doi Suthep, near the university. Many tourists and world
travellers will know exactly where I'm talking about. It's the beginning
of the summer holidays and they're expecting a team of young people on a
mission trip from America.<br />
<br />
So far, does this sound like a typical boring missionary tale?<br />
<br />
That
picture on the cover says otherwise. That's Chaz and his friend, Ashley
holding the hands of Katya, the little girl in the middle, running down
a street near the Night Bazaar. Chasing them is a European man who has
bought the little girl's “services” for the night. On an impulse (maybe
it was God's voice?) Chaz had grabbed the little girl and ran.<br />
<br />
Not
pictured on the front cover is the local Chinese Mafia warlord and his
men who don't take lightly to their young prostitutes being snatched
away like that.<br />
<br />
Katya is a nine-year-old tribal girl. The book
opens in the Karin village with her aunt and uncle warning her she must
take the canoe and leave, and never come back. A little later, she finds
out that the spirit doctor and the other villagers plan to sacrifice
her to the Naga who lives in the river. That's the ornate snake-like
dragon, whose head appears at the top of the front cover.<br />
<br />
What
exactly is a Naga? Is it mythological, or is it real? Is it a demonic
power? Apparently, the creature will play a part in the story, but we'll
have to wait for the sequel.<br />
<br />
So, Katya fled to the next village,
where a “nice man” offered to take her to the big city to get a job.
Chaz and Ashley meet her on the first night of what would have been her
new career.<br />
<br />
For daring such a thing, the police tell Chaz that
he's foolish, rash, and could have got himself and his family killed.
But at least this particular policeman is cooperative – not like some
I've heard of.<br />
<br />
And Chaz's dad, Nick, is not your ordinary dad,
even for a missionary. Does he scold Chaz for pulling such a stupid
move? Does he ground him for a week, and drill some sense into him, like
a responsible parent would have done?<br />
<br />
Well?<br />
<br />
What would
David's dad have done had he known he was going out to fight Goliath?
What about Jesus' parents when he stayed behind at the Temple? You get
the idea. Nick's response was, “I don’t like how it all happened but I
have to agree with Chaz. I think in this instance we did a good thing in
helping the girl.”<br />
<br />
But the Mafia people aren't happy, and there are consequences. They meet again...<br />
<br />
A
day or two before that, while sitting in an ice-cream shop, Nick had
described to his three kids how to listen to the voice of God.
Basically, it's to do with getting away from distractions and hearing
“the still small inner voice of God.”<br />
<br />
Chaz begins to get the
idea. The plot moves onward on the strength of the “still small voice”.
Once it leads to the decision to make a trip to Katya's village (which
will happen in the sequel). Another time, it saves Chaz's life. To say
how would be a spoiler.<br />
<br />
There are other aspects to the story as
well, for instance, the mission team that's visiting. On the team are
various sorts, including Ashley, for whom Chaz develops a crush; and
Brandon, the boy with the attitude, who's only on the trip because his
parents promised to buy him a motorbike. Things get into a tangle.<br />
<br />
Not
all the loose ends are tied together. This is only the first in a
trilogy. The sequel will be the trip to Katya's village, all because
Katya believes that if Jesus is all-powerful, he can defeat the Naga.<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to it...</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-65090593586564692952015-11-08T15:11:00.000+00:002015-11-08T20:27:27.088+00:00Flash Fiction: Little Red Riding Hood in historical context<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Little Red Riding Hood
knocked on the door of her grandmother's cottage. A gentle voice
inside said, 'Come in, dearie.'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; page-break-before: auto; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Little Red Riding Hood pushed the door open and carried her basket of
treats across to the bed where her grandmother rested. She stood
there and gazed at her grandmother.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'What
is it, dearie?” coaxed her grandmother.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'Grandmother,
you do have very big ears. All my friends grandmothers don't have
nearly as big ears as you do.'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'All
the better to hear you with, my dearie. I'll bet none of them could
hear nearly as well as I do.'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'Yeah,'
acknowledge Little Red Riding Hood. 'I just about have to shout to
get them to hear me – but – Grandmother, what big eyes you
have!'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'All
the better to see you with, my dearie! All the other granny's are
blind as bats, I bet.'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'Yeah,
they are – and Grandmother, what a big nose you have!'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'All
the better to smell with! Why, I knew you were coming when you were
yet a mile away!'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'And
what big, sharp white teeth you have!'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'Yes,
I keep them white and sharp by chewing on bones. Now, let me see what
you have there.' She lifted the cloth on the basket. 'Ahh! My
favourite! A loin bone, oh! And a shoulder bone! Ahh, full of lovely
bones. You must have had a feast! Thank your mother for me, won't you?'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'I
will, Grandmother.'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
There
was a knock at the door.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'Go
open the door for you uncle, will you, Riding Hood,' said
Grandmother.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Little
Red Riding Hood opened the door, and there stood a big burly
wood-cutter.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'Uncle
Remus!' cried Little Red Riding Hood, joyfully.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'How's
my favourite niece!' he said as he swooped her off her feet. 'And
how's my dear mother?'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'As
well as can be expected, I suppose. Your sister-in-law sent me these
lovely bones.'
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'What
a sweet gal she is, my brother's widow. Speaking of Romulus, I could
have certainly used his help on this project.'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'Yes,'
sighed Grandmother. 'It's too bad about his “accident”. That was shortly before Little Red Riding Hood was born. But it's
certainly good of you to name the new city after him.'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'If
it ever gets finished. At this rate...?'</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
'Rome
won't be built in a day!' said Grandmother.</div>
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-28360133532705131672015-11-05T20:42:00.000+00:002015-11-05T20:58:35.108+00:00Review of Justin Reed Early's Street Child: a Memoir<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Undazzled-Chance-Maree/dp/1470014610" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GxZKEbcdL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" id="imgBlkFront" style="left: 0px; max-height: 346px; max-width: 217px; top: 0px;" title="" /></a>
Subtitled: <b>Surviving Streetwise</b><br />
<br />
I said it before in my review of Jo Napoli's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0385746539/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">The King of Mulberry Street</a>:
there should be a new genre added to the list, called "street kids" or
"homeless children". They'd cover the whole range from fiction to
non-fiction. Included would be Charles Dickens' <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00T5H5EN2/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">Oliver Twist</a>, Fr. Joe Maier's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0794602932/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse: The Battle for Human Dignity in Bangkok's Bleakest Slums</a> (whom I had the privilege of working with in Bangkok), Robin Lloyd-Jones' <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0094HPT56/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">Fallen Angels: Stories of Los Gamines</a>, as well as my own <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1461073553/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">Pepe</a>. Certainly not least in this line-up is the one I just finished reading: Justin Reed Early's Street Child: A Memoir.<br />
<br />
As
the title suggests, it's Justin's own story . The first two chapters
cover his own life as the third son in a middle class family in
Washington State, his tumultuous relationship with his father (it's hard
to imagine a worse father than Justin's, a very unhappy man indeed!)
which led to his leaving home at the age of ten, his entry into the
world of foster car and youth homes, and finally his escape to street
life.<br />
<br />
Street life seems glamorous, perhaps for the first few
years. He meets the right people, street kids like himself, but mostly
older. Roberta and Frankie become his closest friends. Because he's so
young, everyone takes care of him. He quickly finds that the most
lucrative means of support is the sex trade. At his first pick-up –
“trick” is the local slang word for it – Roberta warns the customer that
her friends are watching, and “no penetration”. He gets picked up by
the police a few times, and even sent to a youth facility far off on the
other side of the state. He escapes, and as a “cute little boy”, he has
no trouble getting back to the streets of Seattle. Someone even buys
him a plane ticket.<br />
<br />
One only remains a “cute little boy” for so
long, and after that, life isn't as easy. While life as a street kid may
have its romantic side, Justin Early holds nothing back in showing the
consequences such a life can lead to. The chances of surviving into
adulthood are much less for a child of the streets, especially when
there's a serial killer on the loose – and the AIDS epidemic – and the
suicide rate...<br />
<br />
One of the events that Justin describes is the
filming of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lTQgfXb87k" target="_blank">Streetwise</a>. When I got to that part, I did a Google search
and watched the whole feature-length film on YouTube. I understand it
was a popular film in its time – it was nominated for an Academy Award –
but I had missed it. In one of the opening scenes, I recognised Justin
standing next to a phone box with Roberta, from one of the photographs
in the book. Other than that, Justin doesn't show up much in the film,
because Frankie had warned him to stay away from people with cameras.
However, many of the characters from the book are remembered in the
film. Lou Lou is the one you see loudly threatening anyone who would
abuse her fellow street kids. In the book, she chases away a would-be
pimp, and in the film, forces an older tramp to apologise to one of her
young friends. She's Frankie's sister and Roberta's lover. Then, there's
the tragic story of Dewayne. It would be a spoiler if I said more...<br />
<br />
If you do read the book, you'd be missing out if you didn't watch <i>Streetwise</i>, at least the YouTube video:<br />
.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/5lTQgfXb87k/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5lTQgfXb87k?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
As
I said, this would fit into my proposed “Homeless Children” genre.
However, all Homeless Children books would necessarily be a sub-genre to
others, like Science Fiction as in the case of my Pepe, or Classical
Fiction in the case of Oliver Twist. This one, of course, is a Memoir,
but it could also be classed in yet another genre, GTLB, due to the
permanent effect Justin's street life had on him. It wasn't the sexual
orientation of his choice, but too much had happened, and the last part
of the book describes how he came to terms with it.<br />
<br />
It's also not
how I would have hoped it would turn out. To be up front, I'm a
Christian who believes that being Gay isn't God's plan for human
relationship (but please keep that in perspective: nor do I believe that
a heterosexual relationship outside of wedlock or with multiple
partners is God's plan. Nor, do I believe, is gluttony or alcoholism.
But I have friends who are all of those, whom I respect and enjoy being
around – when they're not doing those things. We've all been broken in
some way or another). It doesn't keep me from enjoying a book like this,
and highly recommending it as an eye-opener to what really happens on
the street.<br />
<br />
It happens in America, even in pristine cities like
Seattle Washington. Granted, a slightly larger percent of the street
children there are from dysfunctional middle class families. Fewer –
though still some – are abandoned. Dewayne had run away from a foster
home and was waiting for his dad to be released from prison. Also, apart
from the occasional serial killer, the streets of Seattle are probably a
bit safer than places like Brazil, where the police have been known to
round up street children and shoot them. But the streets are still the
streets, kids are still kids, and life can still get ugly.<br />
<br />
For
Justin, it was ugly, but with a happy ending. There's a lot about
forgiveness, and his last moments with his dad are happy ones. Justin
now has a career in helping to improve the lives of other kids like
himself.<br />
<br />
That's not a spoiler – he did, after all, write this book himself....</div>
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-79043892458126093272015-10-28T16:05:00.000+00:002015-10-28T16:05:12.136+00:00Review of Chance Maree's Undazzled<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Undazzled-Chance-Maree/dp/1470014610" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ylHBPV3RL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" id="imgBlkFront" style="left: 0px; max-height: 346px; max-width: 217px; top: 0px;" title="" /></a>
<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview1427413378">Subtitled: <b>Planet of the – <i>What?</i></b><br /><br />As
the planet Earth is dying, it appears that we've come full circle.
We're again using beasts of burden for transport. However, these aren't
earth hugging camels and mules, but space travelling “worm-moles” – so
named because they bore worm holes to distant parts of the gallaxy.
They're gigantic creatures, and they wear what would make up the rest of
the space ship, like a collar. How were they discovered? Hold that
question for the last and climactic chapter of the book. <br /><br />The
people best equipped to pilot a worm-mole are upper middle-aged women,
dubbed “crones”. A part of the worm-mole's brain extends into the bridge
deck like an easy-chair, and the “crone” sits naked in it as it engulfs
her body, except for her face, so she can communicate with the creature
through her skin. <br /><br />Pots Khan-Anderson is a crone, who pilots
Alpha Horizon – “Alphie” for short. Earth is dying, and the race is on
to relocate as much of humanity as possible (or a chosen representation
thereof) to three habitable planets in a different part of the galaxy.
These planets are thought not to be already inhabited by intelligent
life. The Alpha Horizon is taking the first load. <br /><br />Something very
surreal begins to happen along the way – in fact, very weird – which
almost gives the story a fantasy edge. Then, when they arrive, they
discover, they aren't alone. Another race, closely approximating humans,
inhabits the planet – a primative tribe not much different from Native
Americans (at least that's how they struck me as I read it). In fact,
because of the surreal thing that happened along the way, they look more
human than the newcomers. <br /><br />There are a number of narrative
points of view, each told in the third person. Each chapter is named for
the POV. The first is Pots, followed by the commander, Gunner Dovmont,
and then the teenager who is thought to be his son, Tyr Dovmont. Among
later chapters are Ata, a pre-teen girl, a native of the planet.<br /><br />Commander
Gunner meditates on Taoist proverbs. Each chapter contains at least one
quotation. Despite that, he's the villain. We find out early in the
narrative what he intends to do about the native population – but not so
early that telling you wouldn't be a spoiler. But from the first, we
see that he and Pots definately don't get along. Since Pots isn't
military personel – rather works directly for NASA, which has become
privatised – that's okay. Montalbam, the captain of the Alpha Horizon is
her boss. Commander Gunner's command is over the actual settlement on
the new planet.<br /><br />Tyre is a hybrid human, the product of an
experiment that had to be aborted when the public found out about it.
The other young subjects, believed not to be human, had to be put down.
Gunner knew the doctor in charge of the project, and managed to keep
Tyre for his own purposes. However, we soon find that Tyre, though a
deadly weapon in the wrong hands (namely Gunner's), does have feelings
and a mind of his own whenever he has control over his own actions.<br /><br />Those
who understand the history of Native Americans and the rise of the
U.S., will get a lot out of this. While Gunner and his colleagues seek
to avoid some of the same mistakes, things still go awry – human nature
hasn't changed. There are the same questions: Whose land is it? How can
we co-exist when earth-human survival is the priority? Plus a few more:
Who are the fabled “people in the canyon”, whom the local tribesmen
threaten will squash the newcomers like vermin if they infest the land?
Are they no more than a local legend, or is there something more...? And
that surreal effect I mentioned earlier...<br /><br />Chance Maree handles
her characters very well. One of my favourite scenes is the screening of
The Planet of the Apes on the new colony. Things have happened, people
are upset with each other for various reasons, and Chance masterfully
plays two or three conversations at once while keeping us aware of what
Charlton Heston is doing during the opening scenes of the film.<br /><br />Over all, a good read. I give it five stars.</span></span></div>
</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-18066043220035875012015-10-22T11:30:00.000+01:002015-10-22T11:30:37.933+01:00Review of R. Leib's The Negative's Tale<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DW7JJJG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-YyOShAJL._SX404_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" id="imgBlkFront" style="left: 0px; max-height: 346px; max-width: 217px; top: 0px;" title="" /></a><b>subtitle: brilliant fictional
science in a tale within a tale</b></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Allon Wu lives sometime
in our distant future – far enough for people, having aged 300 with
the help of their non-sentient clones, to have become bored with life
– plus enough time for us to have developed that technology.
Alternatively, one could figure in the time it'll take us to get
around the barriers to faster-than-light travel, and then populate
the farthest reaches of our galaxy.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; page-break-before: auto; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
The latter technology is one in which our protagonist plays an
essential part, through his psychic ability. But first, let's start
with how faster-than-light travel is possible to begin with: it's
those factors that also make time-travel impossible, that are
combined so as to complement each other, that make faster-than-light
travel possible. When it's done right, computers can then be used to
calculate the variables that will relocate the ship to anywhere in
the universe – within certain limits. However, things can still go
horribly wrong through various distortions in the cosmos, and that's
where a navigators with psychic abilities comes in. Only they can
detect those distortions so as to make the necessary mid-course
adjustments. So, one or two such “navigators” are required for
every interstellar flight.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Allon
Wu's particular ability is rare. He's a dowser with negative
orientation. As a “negative”, he's able to enter the mind of any
psychic of “positive” orientation, and make use of their ability.
His use of his ability as a dowser (finding things, or hitting on the
right course of action) is also affected by his negative orientation.
The right course of action is usually the one his normal intuition
tells him is the most unlikely, so he has to learn act
counter-intuitively – almost in a New Testament sort of way:
becoming small in order to achieve greatness, losing your life to
gain it, <i>etc</i>.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Leib's
fictional science is brilliant. Not being a nuclear physicist myself,
I don't know where the hard science ends and his ingenuity begins.
Not having read every sci fi novel ever written, I don't know if
anyone else has thought of this sort of work-around to
faster-than-light travel – with the possible exception of myself (I
used something I called “logical relocation” in one of my novels,
but I didn't explain it in nearly so much detail – and I didn't use
psychics).</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
The
technical details are explained to 10-year-old Allon Wu by his aged
instructor, Professor Billgore at the beginning of one of the two
story-lines in this narrative. That's the other unique feature of
Leib's novel; he's actually telling two stories.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
The
main story is the one in which the adult Allon Wu has been
commissioned by his estranged wife, a Vice Admiral, to solve a
suspected murder on board a space station cum city. The background
story is told, initially through flash-backs, and then continued in
the form of a story he tells his colleagues during pauses in their
action – thus the “Negative's Tale”. The “tale” actually
takes longer than the main story. It begins with a workplace accident
that changed the direction of his career, then further back to the
age of ten, when he began his education as a “second navigator”,
then his romance with the Vice Admiral that began in the wake of his
career change following the accident. The story he tells his two
colleagues is of a trip to distant star system in pursuit of a
murderous religious fanatic who has almost killed his admiral/wife,
and is on his way to systematically kill more people. On this trip,
he interacts with non-human extraterrestrials, which, interestingly,
one of his old professors claimed didn't exist. Both stories come to
a great finish.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 0.5cm;">
Personally,
I loved the innovative style of this book. I can see how some might
prefer a more standard approach, but I loved it. Although there may
have been a few non-standards glitches such as switching points of
view in mid scene, a few over-long descriptions and a little bit of
unnaturalness in some parts of the dialogue; the great story-telling
carried it for me, so I'm giving it a fiver.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14447175.post-69709163705277908632015-10-05T11:36:00.002+01:002015-10-05T18:16:03.348+01:00Review of Donna Jo Napoli's "King of Mulberry Street"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385746539" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CDHXTkUcL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" id="imgBlkFront" style="left: 0px; max-height: 346px; max-width: 217px; top: 0px;" title="" /></a><b>subtitle: Homeless Children as a Literary Genre</b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
In my opinion, there should be a new genre added to the list, called
"street kids" or "homeless children". It would be a sub-genre to others,
such as memoirs and true life experience, for example, Justin Reed Early's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1482323567/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">Street Child: A Memoir</a> which I've downloaded and plan to read next, Fr. Joe Maier's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0794602932/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse</a>, whom I had the privilege of working with in Bangkok; science fiction/cyberpunk, such as my own <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461073553/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">Pepe</a>; or current or historical fiction, such as Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0094HPT56/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk">Fallen Angels: Stories of Los Gamines</a>,
and, definitely not least, Donna Jo Napoli's The King of Mulberry
Street, which I've just finished reading. While accepting it as a
literary genre, however, let's be careful not to romanticise it too
much, remembering that these things really do happen to real children in
many parts of the world.<br />
<br />
Whether historical, futuristic or
present, certain factors always remain the same. Human nature hasn't,
and will probably never change. Cruel opportunists exited in Dicken's
time, they exit now, and will exist in the future (judging by the way
things are going). Examples include the "padrones" in Dom Napoli's late
19th century New York, where they helped children to emigrate, but kept
them as slaves, working them on the streets. And what about futuristic
technology? The street kids are too busy trying to keep themselves fed
to worry about that, let alone afford any of it. If anything, it makes
their lives worse. Street kids of all ages don't even wear shoes -- with
the exception of Dom Napoli, whose mother thoughtfully bought him a
pair shortly before sneaking him on board a freighter to America.<br />
<br />
When
I refer to Dom Napoli, I mean the main character of the narrative
written by author Donna Jo Napoli. Dom, the character, is a
nine-year-old Italian Jewish boy from Naples, and is based on what the
author, Donna, imagines her own ancestor to be (who emigrated at the age
of five). Like Donna's ancestor, Dom finds himself totally alone in
America. He chooses the surname of Napoli because that's where he's
from. He doesn't know a word of English, but he's heard that Mulberry
Street is where there are people who speak Italian with the Napoli
dialect. He follows a man whom he heard asking directions to Mulberry
Street, until he arrives there. Maybe, he hopes, he'll find an uncle he
knew to have emigrated there previously. He doesn't. Instead, he sleeps
in an old barrel not far from a dead dog -- at least no one bothers him
all night. But what next...?<br />
<br />
Dom seems to be quite an intelligent
and resourceful boy for his age, and he actually makes it, and becomes
successful at selling sandwiches and helping out his friends. One might
be tempted to think that the story isn't very realistic on this point,
but it has happened before. At least the author's great-grandfather
survived on his own as a five-year-old immigrant and, although the
details of that are sketchy, did eventually start a similar business.
One rule of writing fiction is, "Truth is stranger than fiction" –
meaning that regardless of miracles that may happen in real life,
fiction has to remain believable. Donna Jo Napoli, at least, kept this
rule by making her main character a nine-year-old instead of a
five-year-old.<br />
<br />
In a street kid's everyday life, there are plenty
of obstacles to overcome -- enough to fill up any literary genre. Life on the streets can be as dangerous as
jungle warfare, or laser battles in an alien landscape. There's plenty
of possible action to draw on. If anything, the writer's challenge is
deciding whether he/she has made it too easy on the main character, or
made life too dismal for the reader to enjoy -- I speak from experience.
In reality, some people do survive a childhood like that, but in fiction
there must be a balance between reality, believability, and maintaining
it as a pleasant read. Remember, “truth is stranger than fiction (and
must be kept so)”. On the other hand, I don't think any realistic story
about homelessness can be told without relating at least one tragedy, as
also happens in The King of Mulberry Street. Donna Jo Napoli has
handled all these factors like a pro.<br />
<br />
As historical fiction goes,
Donna Jo also pulls it off well. Not only does she portray street life in
New York, but also nineteenth century Naples – including some things one
doesn't find in fiction. Back then, it was actually normal to see kids
skinny-dipping in the river or seaside both in Europe and in America, as
we also see from the paintings of that era, by the likes of Joaquin
Sorolla Bastida and George Wesley Bellows, and the photography of
Francis Sutcliffe. But one of the last things Dom's mother told him,
besides things like “Watch and learn”, “Get an education” and “Simply
survive”, was don't undress in front of other people. That was to hide
his circumcision, which would lead to another hazard of that age –
anti-Semitism. That, and keeping kosher is another of Dom's challenges
in the New World. Not only is he resourceful, but his vulnerability on
one hand, and his generous heart on the other, make him an endearing
character.<br />
<br />
All of it is narrated from inside Dom's head. It's in
first-person past-tense, but it could have just as well have been
present tense. Donna Jo puts us right there in Dom's shoes. Yes, I get
it – he did have shoes.</div>
Robby Chartershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08750503719647790725noreply@blogger.com0