So a few things over the past few days that have caught my attention.
First is just a continued obsession with TV on the Radio. I read a really good article of an interview with them about the New York Art and Film environment in which they grew up. http://www.splendidezine.com/features/tvotr/ Plus I really am enjoying their songs as I listen to them many times and the meanings slowly peel open in layers. I like albums like that. I don't want things to be too obvious. I want to discover things slowly and not in the timeline of the album; through multiple listens.
Something else: I was with Josh the other night at a party (kind of) and it came up that Josh was a pacifist. Some kid there was in shock. He replied, "What! I like violence. It's cool." Someone else said, "That's cool and all but violence is neccesary when someone bombs your world trade centers." I wanted to cry. First off, yes violence in a video game is fun. Shoot the bad guys. I love Halo as much as the next guy (ok, a little more). Violence in movies is cool too. Once again, the imagery of just killing the evil thing resonates with us very strongly. I was watching Kill Bill Vol. 2 tonight and saying how hot Uma Thurman looked at the end of the movie with a gun and Sara checked me on it and it made me think about it. But yeah, in a movie I think a chick (or frankly even a guy) looks pretty cool when she's sneaking around with a gun (that's half of what made the matrix great ... that and leather) However, no I don't think that's really cool in real life. If some girl showed up in my house or came to class with a gun I wouldn't be checking her out, I'd be scared. I don't think this kid knew what he was saying to say that he likes violence. Imagine, upon him saying that, I pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest, would not his views of how cool violence is change pretty quickly? And maybe he meant just video game or movie violence but I'm pretty sure he didn't mean that because the conversation went religious then and he sat there trying to convince Josh that Jesus was violent (might I add that everyone there besides Josh and myself were Messiah students) He referenced the destroying of the temples. Such ignorance! Jesus flipped over some tables in the temple and yelled at people = kill tons of Iraqis because some completely non-related terrorists blew up our world trade center? I missed the logic there. I like to think Luke 22:49-51 "When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man's ear and healed him." A lot of people try to justify violence in self defense or in defense of their family and loved ones. Here a disciple tries to defend Jesus (the loved one of all loved ones) and Jesus condemns him and even heals the guy. Jesus is remarkeably non-violent. To suggest otherwise is foolish. There. Had to get that off my chest. It angers me.
And finally from that same party Josh and I got into a morality discussion. We get frustrated when Christianity becomes a list of rules. So I've been trying to look into and think about the whole New Covenant concept. What was the old covenant? What is the New Covenant? Does the new negate the old? Does this mean a lack of rules? Sounds very post-modern to me. Very intriguing. A few scriptures I've been contemplating so far on this:
Galations 3:23 "Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith."
Hebrews 8:10 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 13By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear."
Finally. Once again, I miss school. I miss my friends. I'm even starting to get excited about classes coming up. Orchestration with Strohman! Counterpoint with Eggert! Film and the American Identity with a team of profs led by Robbins! This is going to be fun. Last semester of senior year. Well. Here we go.
