In case you haven't heard, I have recently been hired as the college pastor of Cross Pointe Community Church, in Tontitown, AR. I'm way excited about the future ministry possibilities that God is presenting me with, but I fully know that I am incapable of fulfilling this duty on my own, and I am desperately in need of the service of the local church and of God. I ask that you be in prayer for my success in ministry.
On another note, I am departing Tuesday, May 18 to serve in India for two weeks with my predecessor, Matthew. We will be riding through villages in Bangalore preaching and teaching for 2 weeks, until May 31. I'll be constantly updating this blog whenever I have internet available to update you on my trip, my photographs, and other things that are going on.
Any questions?
5.15.2010
4.24.2010
Public Schooling
Have you ever thought about what you learned in high school, and whether or not it was a good idea for them to teach you that?
I mean, sure, we all complained about math because we're never going to use this in real life. Honestly, though, learning math is important for everyone in their younger days because it grows brain synapses that strengthen your problem solving abilities whether the problem is math or shopping.
I'm talking about morally. Is there anything you were taught that you morally object to being taught?
I feel like there was for me. There was one book we read my junior year of high school called Native Son, and the teacher read in class the part that was removed from the edited version. Basically, it was a scene where two boys masturbated in a movie theatre. Classy, right?
Now, this didn't seriously offend my sensibilities at the time, but now that I'm within 5 or 6 years of parenthood, I worry.
The other thing, aside from moral problems with education material, is the image that a public school portrays of religion, a thought which is encouraged by the state and national governments. When I was in that same class, with many very controversial books, we also read the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards. This is certainly a very colorful piece, but on the whole it is almost entirely irrelevant to both American history and its literature. It was also the ONLY religious material I recall reading during all of high school.
For the uninformed, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is not a happy sermon, or one about love, but Edwards' primary sermon about the unstoppable wrath and judgment of God.
Now, if this is the only exposure allowed by public schools to Christianity for high school kids to learn from academically, there is no point in using this sermon except to portray Christianity as a group of fundamentalist nutjobs. That sermon is not for a group of people who have not accepted the beauty of the Gospel first.
From a literary standpoint, there are HUNDREDS of other famous sermons they could have used!
John Wesley wrote 120+ sermons of which exact copies exist online! St. Augustine wrote Christian philosophy, which is easily reconcilable with modern American education!
But, no, the public school system prefers what is "interesting" and ridiculous over that which is educational.
Homeschooling, here I come.
I mean, sure, we all complained about math because we're never going to use this in real life. Honestly, though, learning math is important for everyone in their younger days because it grows brain synapses that strengthen your problem solving abilities whether the problem is math or shopping.
I'm talking about morally. Is there anything you were taught that you morally object to being taught?
I feel like there was for me. There was one book we read my junior year of high school called Native Son, and the teacher read in class the part that was removed from the edited version. Basically, it was a scene where two boys masturbated in a movie theatre. Classy, right?
Now, this didn't seriously offend my sensibilities at the time, but now that I'm within 5 or 6 years of parenthood, I worry.
The other thing, aside from moral problems with education material, is the image that a public school portrays of religion, a thought which is encouraged by the state and national governments. When I was in that same class, with many very controversial books, we also read the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards. This is certainly a very colorful piece, but on the whole it is almost entirely irrelevant to both American history and its literature. It was also the ONLY religious material I recall reading during all of high school.
For the uninformed, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is not a happy sermon, or one about love, but Edwards' primary sermon about the unstoppable wrath and judgment of God.
Now, if this is the only exposure allowed by public schools to Christianity for high school kids to learn from academically, there is no point in using this sermon except to portray Christianity as a group of fundamentalist nutjobs. That sermon is not for a group of people who have not accepted the beauty of the Gospel first.
From a literary standpoint, there are HUNDREDS of other famous sermons they could have used!
John Wesley wrote 120+ sermons of which exact copies exist online! St. Augustine wrote Christian philosophy, which is easily reconcilable with modern American education!
But, no, the public school system prefers what is "interesting" and ridiculous over that which is educational.
Homeschooling, here I come.
3.01.2010
Unnecessary Guilt
I feel guilty.
Not because I have done something wrong.
I have a blog in mind that I want to write, and yet no time for writing it.
I feel guilty because I have neglected my blog.
My blog has become like another friend that I just don't have time for, even though it is an inanimate, nonphysical entity that places no guilt upon me.
There is probably something psychologically disturbing about all this.
Not because I have done something wrong.
I have a blog in mind that I want to write, and yet no time for writing it.
I feel guilty because I have neglected my blog.
My blog has become like another friend that I just don't have time for, even though it is an inanimate, nonphysical entity that places no guilt upon me.
There is probably something psychologically disturbing about all this.
2.09.2010
The Chilled Chorus
Have you ever noticed that cold has a sound?
I'm sure this is a fairly common observation, but I really feel like the world sounds very distinctly in the snow.
It almost feels quieter, almost like the sound is muffled.
But it isn't just snow, there's just something about being cold that sounds different.
You notice it in movies, too.
There tend to be a lot less background noises when characters are standing in the snow, than if they were standing in, say, a desert oasis.
Now, by the laws of physics, the speed of sound in air = 331.3 + (0.66 x T) m/s, where T is degrees celsius. So, sound moves slower, but I wouldn't say that that means there would be less of it.
Whether it is sensible or not, what is the purpose for the altered sensual perception during cold? Because, you have to admit, it smells different, things feel different, stuff tastes differently, and it looks differently, as well.
If you think about what, exactly, cold is, that doesn't help much either.
Temperature is literally the rate at which particles in matter vibrate. Everything is naturally vibrating. If they vibrate faster, they are warmer, if they do so slowly, they are colder. This is why you have things like liquids, solids, and gasses.
Technically, when the air is cold, it's even closer to becoming a liquid than when it is warm.
But, still, I wonder, what is the significance of the sound of cold?
I think that a major part of its purpose, from a divine standpoint, is beauty.
Think about it, God created the laws of physics, back in the beginning, Genesis 1, etc.
Naturally, it seems that the generally accepted periods of growth are Spring and Summer, with flowers in bloom, and sparkling water, and freshness. Fall is beautiful because of the changing leaves and the wind.
Winter has the beauty of snow, but there is a beauty in cold itself.
Maybe; just maybe, God made the laws of physics (at least this might be part of the reason) so that when it was cold, the hushed sound of winter added to the atmosphere of serenity that accompanied snow. The sun's light is whiter and reflects off the white of the land, which provides a sharp contrast to the dark of dead trees and barren soil. What people often interpret as an imagery of death may really just be the atmosphere of peace and rest.
Then, add to this the smell of cold, and the silence that accompanies slower moving sound, and you get not just an image, but a mood.
Imagine winter. In Canada.
It's not chaotic. It isn't hustle and bustle. It's calm.
Why is that? Because God catered the laws of physics so that you would understand beauty in all four phases of the state of nature on the planet Earth.
God is the master artist.
I'm sure this is a fairly common observation, but I really feel like the world sounds very distinctly in the snow.
It almost feels quieter, almost like the sound is muffled.
But it isn't just snow, there's just something about being cold that sounds different.
You notice it in movies, too.
There tend to be a lot less background noises when characters are standing in the snow, than if they were standing in, say, a desert oasis.
Now, by the laws of physics, the speed of sound in air = 331.3 + (0.66 x T) m/s, where T is degrees celsius. So, sound moves slower, but I wouldn't say that that means there would be less of it.
Whether it is sensible or not, what is the purpose for the altered sensual perception during cold? Because, you have to admit, it smells different, things feel different, stuff tastes differently, and it looks differently, as well.
If you think about what, exactly, cold is, that doesn't help much either.
Temperature is literally the rate at which particles in matter vibrate. Everything is naturally vibrating. If they vibrate faster, they are warmer, if they do so slowly, they are colder. This is why you have things like liquids, solids, and gasses.
Technically, when the air is cold, it's even closer to becoming a liquid than when it is warm.
But, still, I wonder, what is the significance of the sound of cold?
I think that a major part of its purpose, from a divine standpoint, is beauty.
Think about it, God created the laws of physics, back in the beginning, Genesis 1, etc.
Naturally, it seems that the generally accepted periods of growth are Spring and Summer, with flowers in bloom, and sparkling water, and freshness. Fall is beautiful because of the changing leaves and the wind.
Winter has the beauty of snow, but there is a beauty in cold itself.
Maybe; just maybe, God made the laws of physics (at least this might be part of the reason) so that when it was cold, the hushed sound of winter added to the atmosphere of serenity that accompanied snow. The sun's light is whiter and reflects off the white of the land, which provides a sharp contrast to the dark of dead trees and barren soil. What people often interpret as an imagery of death may really just be the atmosphere of peace and rest.
Then, add to this the smell of cold, and the silence that accompanies slower moving sound, and you get not just an image, but a mood.
Imagine winter. In Canada.
It's not chaotic. It isn't hustle and bustle. It's calm.
Why is that? Because God catered the laws of physics so that you would understand beauty in all four phases of the state of nature on the planet Earth.
God is the master artist.
1.23.2010
Realism is too much to expect
Kristen tells me I need to be more light-hearted on this thing.
It has been a while since I blogged about anything frivolous. I love the word frivolous. Whenever I imagine a person doing something frivolous, I imagine them wearing an oldschool dress with lots of frills, regardless of gender.
Needless to say, I do not often imagine myself being frivolous.
Anyways, today I shall write about my experiences.
I spent a good 2 hours playing video games with my roommate, which was incredibly satisfying.
One of the games I played was an RPG, called Tales of the Abyss, where you controlled a guy who found out he was a clone of another guy, who went around and killed stuff, to the end purpose of saving the world.
The other game we played was an action game called New Super Mario Bros. Wii. This is a game in which you assume the role of a plumber who goes around and kills stuff, to the end purpose of saving a princess.
The primary distinction between the genres of these games is based on the manner in which one destroys innocent woodland creatures, who are a common enemy both in Mario (sometimes he even stomps on hapless mushrooms just out of spite!) and TotA.
But, I noticed a distinction that stood out in the Mario game beyond just the battle system. Mario changes clothes.
Whenever he picks up an item, if it's a mushroom or a fire flower or an ice flower or a mushroom that grows helicopters on top (botanists, rejoice!), his clothing and his appearance change.
These transformations are one of the primary gameplay elements of Mario, and most people are familiar with it, but it is so unique to the video game world.
Novels, which are similar to video games, and RPGs in particular, because they tell a story, do not inform the reader every time that a character does mundane, everyday things. Things which include changing clothes, going to the bathroom, eating, sleeping, scratching one's buttocks, etc. These are not included because they are not relevant to the events of the story.
On the same token, the vast majority of video games, despite having a very significant visual element to them which is not present in novels, do not show a character doing these things.
What disturbs me is that people complain about the lack of realism in video games.
I hear, on a very regular basis, grumbles about how the character doesn't change swords on screen whenever you equip a new one on the menu. It doesn't look any different. Or they tell me that it's unrealistic for so many story elements to occur at once without eating or sleeping.
The video game industry itself responds to this with titles that include a day/night system to keep track of time, or characters with multiple outfits or whose avatar changes when equipment changes.
Really, who cares. I don't want to have to worry about keeping my character well-fed, as well as staying on top of saving the world. It doesn't help the story at all.
I really view games like that as stories, and in no way does regular passing of time, having toilets, or daily changes of outfits impact my appreciation and enjoyment of the story.
Mario has a great excuse by these standards, because his change of costumes is necessary to him saving the princess.
So, stop whining gamers. There are a multitude of other reasons why this doesn't occur. It's a pain in the butt to change the actions of a character for every outfit. It doesn't make sense to have a hunger system in a game. Get over the cosmetic details.
I'm sorry Petey the Monster Vanquisher isn't wearing your favorite pair of overalls as he pulls the Sword of Eternity from the Rock of Apathy. The rest of us who actually have taste would much rather interpret games as we would a novel: It is excluded for the purpose of the story.
It has been a while since I blogged about anything frivolous. I love the word frivolous. Whenever I imagine a person doing something frivolous, I imagine them wearing an oldschool dress with lots of frills, regardless of gender.
Needless to say, I do not often imagine myself being frivolous.
Anyways, today I shall write about my experiences.
I spent a good 2 hours playing video games with my roommate, which was incredibly satisfying.
One of the games I played was an RPG, called Tales of the Abyss, where you controlled a guy who found out he was a clone of another guy, who went around and killed stuff, to the end purpose of saving the world.
The other game we played was an action game called New Super Mario Bros. Wii. This is a game in which you assume the role of a plumber who goes around and kills stuff, to the end purpose of saving a princess.
The primary distinction between the genres of these games is based on the manner in which one destroys innocent woodland creatures, who are a common enemy both in Mario (sometimes he even stomps on hapless mushrooms just out of spite!) and TotA.
But, I noticed a distinction that stood out in the Mario game beyond just the battle system. Mario changes clothes.
Whenever he picks up an item, if it's a mushroom or a fire flower or an ice flower or a mushroom that grows helicopters on top (botanists, rejoice!), his clothing and his appearance change.
These transformations are one of the primary gameplay elements of Mario, and most people are familiar with it, but it is so unique to the video game world.
Novels, which are similar to video games, and RPGs in particular, because they tell a story, do not inform the reader every time that a character does mundane, everyday things. Things which include changing clothes, going to the bathroom, eating, sleeping, scratching one's buttocks, etc. These are not included because they are not relevant to the events of the story.
On the same token, the vast majority of video games, despite having a very significant visual element to them which is not present in novels, do not show a character doing these things.
What disturbs me is that people complain about the lack of realism in video games.
I hear, on a very regular basis, grumbles about how the character doesn't change swords on screen whenever you equip a new one on the menu. It doesn't look any different. Or they tell me that it's unrealistic for so many story elements to occur at once without eating or sleeping.
The video game industry itself responds to this with titles that include a day/night system to keep track of time, or characters with multiple outfits or whose avatar changes when equipment changes.
Really, who cares. I don't want to have to worry about keeping my character well-fed, as well as staying on top of saving the world. It doesn't help the story at all.
I really view games like that as stories, and in no way does regular passing of time, having toilets, or daily changes of outfits impact my appreciation and enjoyment of the story.
Mario has a great excuse by these standards, because his change of costumes is necessary to him saving the princess.
So, stop whining gamers. There are a multitude of other reasons why this doesn't occur. It's a pain in the butt to change the actions of a character for every outfit. It doesn't make sense to have a hunger system in a game. Get over the cosmetic details.
I'm sorry Petey the Monster Vanquisher isn't wearing your favorite pair of overalls as he pulls the Sword of Eternity from the Rock of Apathy. The rest of us who actually have taste would much rather interpret games as we would a novel: It is excluded for the purpose of the story.
12.09.2009
Ministry
2 months of no blogging hurts my soul. Maybe for Christmas break this will pick back up, but I doubt any of you actually check this any more. I hope you find this and really put some thought into it, though, because this is seriously important to me.
My blog for today is a paper which I turned in a week ago. This is my philosophy of youth ministry. This goes on my permanent resume, and I plan on giving it to the church that I ask to be hired by. I seriously plan on implementing this as my plan to affect the lives of youth. So please, critique me, affirm me, and really read into what I am saying. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers as I embark upon this.
My Philosophy of Youth Ministry
The main goal of a youth ministry that I design would be to help youth understand that, at every point in their lives, whether young or old, God has a purpose for them as a part of the body of Christ. While God does call us to this, he does not need us; he has given us the privilege of being included in his plan. As such, the adolescents of today's culture must recognize that they have potential to serve in the church and be part of the body, but that they also must seek wisdom and maturity in order to be a more capable servant. It is important to see that all Christians can contribute. God has called the church as a whole to recognize that students, while they do have disadvantages and weaknesses, are every bit a part of the church, and must be trained and brought up with discernment in order to guide them into a full life of Christian leadership and service.
One intermediate goal is integrating the youth with the church while maintaining their respect for the elders of the church. I believe that, to an extent, the whole youth group should be allowed to participate in the activities that the adult church body takes part in. This includes, and is certainly not limited to, baptism, communion, worship, service, prayer, and social events. This is not to say they need leadership positions there; they do not. I contend that the youth must be a part of the church in order to fully engage in their relationship with Christ, because the church community is a web of support, and they should not be denied the diversity of that body simply because of their age. Another goal is developing a public faith that emerges in every location of their lives. I am not necessarily saying that the youth need to become apologetic masters; instead, I would encourage them to be in regular discussion with peers, adults, and younger youth about spiritual issues in a casual, sincere way. This means I would focus on developing boldness and honesty as spiritual characteristics, as well as their identity. My last goal is to give them necessary skills for continuing their faith after they leave adolescence. The students would need to know how to find a church that matches up with their beliefs, how to be part of a body, and have a general understanding of the major issues of Christianity and the history of the church. This would include a fairly high level of cognitive development.
In the pursuit of the completion of these goals, there are several events I would like to see regularly occurring. In order to pursue integration with the church, I think it is appropriate for the youth to participate in contributing to the main events of the general congregation. This could include having youth read verses for the liturgy or assist in worship, perhaps even sharing from personal experience as part of the worship service. To develop a public and honest faith, I would assign "homework" (without the expectation of immediate success) for the youth to speak about a certain issue every month with at least one person. For the purpose of giving them skills for their strengthened and lifelong faith, I would teach sermons not necessarily targeting key issues in their lives, but speaking about what the church is and what the Christian life is. Topical sermons occasionally have their uses, but the truth of the Gospel and the wisdom from the history of the church contribute much more to long-term faith.
In order to ensure the greater success of all of these goals, I plan to have a network of discipleship, consisting of the support of the rest of the church. At most events, whether or not there is teaching, I intend to have adults (hopefully some parents) who are mentoring, engaging, and worshiping with the youth. This would ensure integration with the rest of the church, and since I alone cannot answer every objection or question of the faith to every youth, constant discussion with these volunteer adults about the lessons would create a greater understanding. Also, if the adults share their own stories of developing faith into adulthood, the youth will have a greater understanding of what is necessary to maintain strong faith even after leaving high school. Since adult volunteers cannot be expected to eternally pour out in a perfect way, I would also disciple and guide them in their leadership with monthly meetings to lift them up and teach them. This way we would all pursue the same specific goals.
The success of this plan could be determined in several ways. For one thing, the adult volunteers, who regularly interact on a more personal basis than I do, could inform me of the spiritual progress they witness, as well as the students' ability to interpret and respond to what they hear and see and do. Also, at the end of junior high and again at the end of high school, I would take one Sunday with that specific grade of students, and ask them to write out for me a summary of what they believe as a Christian, and determine their ability to do so. It would also be easy to determine how well the students are integrated with the rest of the church, based on how regularly and how well they engage the adults and the rest of the body.
The purpose behind the youth ministry that I envision is not to entertain students, or make them into morality angels with perfect Bible memory. The purpose is to make them part of the modern church and raise them up to be leaders of the future church.
My blog for today is a paper which I turned in a week ago. This is my philosophy of youth ministry. This goes on my permanent resume, and I plan on giving it to the church that I ask to be hired by. I seriously plan on implementing this as my plan to affect the lives of youth. So please, critique me, affirm me, and really read into what I am saying. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers as I embark upon this.
My Philosophy of Youth Ministry
The main goal of a youth ministry that I design would be to help youth understand that, at every point in their lives, whether young or old, God has a purpose for them as a part of the body of Christ. While God does call us to this, he does not need us; he has given us the privilege of being included in his plan. As such, the adolescents of today's culture must recognize that they have potential to serve in the church and be part of the body, but that they also must seek wisdom and maturity in order to be a more capable servant. It is important to see that all Christians can contribute. God has called the church as a whole to recognize that students, while they do have disadvantages and weaknesses, are every bit a part of the church, and must be trained and brought up with discernment in order to guide them into a full life of Christian leadership and service.
One intermediate goal is integrating the youth with the church while maintaining their respect for the elders of the church. I believe that, to an extent, the whole youth group should be allowed to participate in the activities that the adult church body takes part in. This includes, and is certainly not limited to, baptism, communion, worship, service, prayer, and social events. This is not to say they need leadership positions there; they do not. I contend that the youth must be a part of the church in order to fully engage in their relationship with Christ, because the church community is a web of support, and they should not be denied the diversity of that body simply because of their age. Another goal is developing a public faith that emerges in every location of their lives. I am not necessarily saying that the youth need to become apologetic masters; instead, I would encourage them to be in regular discussion with peers, adults, and younger youth about spiritual issues in a casual, sincere way. This means I would focus on developing boldness and honesty as spiritual characteristics, as well as their identity. My last goal is to give them necessary skills for continuing their faith after they leave adolescence. The students would need to know how to find a church that matches up with their beliefs, how to be part of a body, and have a general understanding of the major issues of Christianity and the history of the church. This would include a fairly high level of cognitive development.
In the pursuit of the completion of these goals, there are several events I would like to see regularly occurring. In order to pursue integration with the church, I think it is appropriate for the youth to participate in contributing to the main events of the general congregation. This could include having youth read verses for the liturgy or assist in worship, perhaps even sharing from personal experience as part of the worship service. To develop a public and honest faith, I would assign "homework" (without the expectation of immediate success) for the youth to speak about a certain issue every month with at least one person. For the purpose of giving them skills for their strengthened and lifelong faith, I would teach sermons not necessarily targeting key issues in their lives, but speaking about what the church is and what the Christian life is. Topical sermons occasionally have their uses, but the truth of the Gospel and the wisdom from the history of the church contribute much more to long-term faith.
In order to ensure the greater success of all of these goals, I plan to have a network of discipleship, consisting of the support of the rest of the church. At most events, whether or not there is teaching, I intend to have adults (hopefully some parents) who are mentoring, engaging, and worshiping with the youth. This would ensure integration with the rest of the church, and since I alone cannot answer every objection or question of the faith to every youth, constant discussion with these volunteer adults about the lessons would create a greater understanding. Also, if the adults share their own stories of developing faith into adulthood, the youth will have a greater understanding of what is necessary to maintain strong faith even after leaving high school. Since adult volunteers cannot be expected to eternally pour out in a perfect way, I would also disciple and guide them in their leadership with monthly meetings to lift them up and teach them. This way we would all pursue the same specific goals.
The success of this plan could be determined in several ways. For one thing, the adult volunteers, who regularly interact on a more personal basis than I do, could inform me of the spiritual progress they witness, as well as the students' ability to interpret and respond to what they hear and see and do. Also, at the end of junior high and again at the end of high school, I would take one Sunday with that specific grade of students, and ask them to write out for me a summary of what they believe as a Christian, and determine their ability to do so. It would also be easy to determine how well the students are integrated with the rest of the church, based on how regularly and how well they engage the adults and the rest of the body.
The purpose behind the youth ministry that I envision is not to entertain students, or make them into morality angels with perfect Bible memory. The purpose is to make them part of the modern church and raise them up to be leaders of the future church.
10.03.2009
Insufferably Loveable
Today is my lovely girlfriend's birthday. You should all have wished her a happy one.
For the occasion, her parents drove up and we all went to see the Freshmen Play, together. This year they chose The God Committee, a play based on a heart transplant committee at a New England Community Hospital somewhere.
The main point of the play was that we as people do not have the means (or the right) to decide who does or does not deserve to live. We simply don't. There is no quantitative way to assign value to a person's life. And yet, we all do it. When I meet a guy who lives on the street, as compared to a successful, kind-hearted businesswoman (I'm assuming they exist) I instinctively decide who has a more valuable life.
Hospitals try to account for this by saying that whoever is the most likely to live longer (and fuller) deserves to do so.
This still doesn't make up for the fact that we can never know who WILL use the heart better, but only who is more LIKELY to use the heart better.
I am a firm believer in the idea that 5 seconds well spent by an ungrateful, unsuccessful, ugly, dirty person can be infinitely more valuable than years of the life of someone who society admires. I believe this, in large part, because I see some of all of those bad characteristics in myself, and I want to know that significance can come to my life even if I am not capable of intentionally creating it.
So, let's just say I don't envy them the responsibility. Because regardless of the fact that we're unable to make an informed, just decision, a decision still has to be made.
That, my friends, is the human condition.
For the occasion, her parents drove up and we all went to see the Freshmen Play, together. This year they chose The God Committee, a play based on a heart transplant committee at a New England Community Hospital somewhere.
The main point of the play was that we as people do not have the means (or the right) to decide who does or does not deserve to live. We simply don't. There is no quantitative way to assign value to a person's life. And yet, we all do it. When I meet a guy who lives on the street, as compared to a successful, kind-hearted businesswoman (I'm assuming they exist) I instinctively decide who has a more valuable life.
Hospitals try to account for this by saying that whoever is the most likely to live longer (and fuller) deserves to do so.
This still doesn't make up for the fact that we can never know who WILL use the heart better, but only who is more LIKELY to use the heart better.
I am a firm believer in the idea that 5 seconds well spent by an ungrateful, unsuccessful, ugly, dirty person can be infinitely more valuable than years of the life of someone who society admires. I believe this, in large part, because I see some of all of those bad characteristics in myself, and I want to know that significance can come to my life even if I am not capable of intentionally creating it.
So, let's just say I don't envy them the responsibility. Because regardless of the fact that we're unable to make an informed, just decision, a decision still has to be made.
That, my friends, is the human condition.
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