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fifty years have ridden off into the sunset
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I'm sorry but I'm just thinking of
the right words to say
I know they don't sound the way
I planned them to be
But if you wait around a while
I'll make you fall for me
I promise, I promise you I will
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Often I've felt like the world is just far too complicated a place. Too many times I've wanted to simplify it, to make it just that much easier to understand and to grasp. I think for me, this is what life is about: a search for understanding. It basically sums up my entire life so far. All too often, I do things because they're rote, or required of me. Understanding these things is such an important piece of my life that without it, I just feel like I've been cast adrift, set loose on a sea from which there can be no returning.
I guess that basically sums up who I am, doesn't it? It's a strange thought, knowing that one word can encompass your entire life. And yet, for the last two years, I've known that my entire goal in life has been that search, that quest to know and to comprehend just what life is.
Perhaps this is why I grasp at science fiction, fantasy, philosophy. Perhaps this is why these things do so much for me: they present different perspectives into different worlds, yet worlds that are somehow the same. Yes, there are different rules to play by, altered ways of doing or seeing things, but in the end, it all comes down to that understanding of life and of human nature. The methods are changed but the concepts are the same.
And I guess, for me, this is the whole appeal. Perhaps too, this is why I feel like I'm not capable of finishing the story I've begun: because that perspective on life is denied me thus far. If, for me, life is about understanding, and I don't understand, how then can I begin to write about life?
It's a curious thought, but one that is so powerful, one that is so far-reaching and has implications for everything that I do and everything that I am. It gets me in trouble, because I can't just accept certain things. It gets me out of trouble, because I know why, not just what. It changes everything, shades everything with grey, alters how I see what I see. It is, in the end, the ultimate perspective-changing vision.
Understanding, then, is my gift, my curse, and my salvation.
-David
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My friend assures me, she says, "It's all or nothing,"
But I am not worried, and I am not overly concerned
My friend implores me, "Just one time only
Make an exception," but I am not worried
Wrap her up in a package of lies or send her off to a coconut island
I am not worried, I am not overly concerned
With the status of my emotions
"Oh," she says, "You're changing,"
But we're always changing
It does not bother me to say this isn't love
'cause if you don't want to talk about it, then it isn't love
I guess I'm gonna have to just live with that
But I'm sure there's something in a shade of grey or something in between
I can always just change my name if that's what you mean
But my friend assures me, she says, "Look, it's all or nothing,"
But I am not really worried, I am not overly concerned
You can try to tell yourself the things you try to tell yourself
Just to make yourself forget I am not worried
"'cause if it's love," she says,
"Then we're gonna have to think about the consequences"
'cause she can't shaking, I can't stop touching her
And this time when kindness falls like rain
It washes her away
And Anna begins to change her mind
"These seconds when I'm shaking leave me shuddering,"
For days she says, "I'm not ready for this sort of thing,"
But I'm not gonna break
I'm not gonna worry about it any more
See, I'm not gonna bend and
I'm not gonna break and
I'm not gonna worry about it any more
'cause I know, I know, it seems like I should say
"Oh well, as long as this is love,"
But it's not all that easy
So maybe I should just snatch her up in a butterfly net
Or pin her down on a photograph album
Well, I am not worried
I just do the same things over and over and over again
Then I stop to think about the consequences
'cause I don't get sleep, man, I never sleep
And this time when kindness falls like rain
It washes me away
And Anna begins to change my mind
And every time she sneezes, I think it's love
And oh, Lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing
She's talking in her sleep
It's keeping me away
And Anna begins to toss and turn and toss
And every word, it's just nonsense, but I understand
And oh, Lord, I'm not ready for this sort of fear
Her kindness bangs a gong
It's moving me along
And Anna begins to fade away
It's chasing me away
She just disappears and
Oh, Lord, I'm not ready for this sort of thing
-David
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"Do you really think that if you get General Aidid, that we will simply put down our weapons and embrace American democracy? That the killing will stop? We know this: without victory, there can be no peace. There will always be killing. You see? This is how things are in our world."
-David
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| Troy |
| 1:44 AM, Monday, May 24, 2004 |
Saw Troy today. Amazing. Didn't need all the nude scenes of Brad Pitt and Rose Byrne, but aside from that it was ... well, certainly one of the better films this year. FAR better than Van Helsing, which was possibly the biggest dud in the history of film.
Eric Bana never ceases to amaze me with his talent. He's been in a few duds, a couple decent movies, and had major roles in two great films -- Troy and Black Hawk Down.
Brad Pitt, well, I don't see why people ding him so badly. He's a skilled actor -- and I mean actor, not movie star. Having seen the varied roles he plays, from Rusty in Ocean's Eleven (and Ocean's Twelve now ... sigh) to Achilles in Troy to Joe Black in Meet Joe Black to Heinrich Harrer in Seven Years in Tibet, I find him frankly compelling as an actor. We won't go into the more base parts of what people see in him, but I really do like (most of) his work. Oh, and he was hilarious in Snatch.
Sean Bean ... I recognized him as Odysseus, but couldn't remember his name. Saw him in the end credits, and knew it immediately. He plays another great supporting role and does it very well. His voiceover at the end is haunting, stirring, and resounding at the same time.
Orlando Bloom ... uh, heh. He does well as Paris, although I can't really see him as the loverboy, despite all the fangirls from LotR oohing over him. I had to laugh when he picked up a bow at the end of the film, though. I mean, come on ... he's Legolas. Heh.
Overall, great performances from the main actors, amazing movie ... the only reason to hate it is if you're expecting it to be The Iliad. It's not. Understand that and you'll love it. Fail to understand that and you'll probably hate it.
-David
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She don't want nobody near
But you can't get away from that
They appear and disappear
And they all get a string attached
Pretty soon they've got you hanging on the line
Pretty soon they're singing, one by one, the same old rhyme
They say, "I'm alright, I just can't get home tonight"
She don't want nobody home
'cause it's a little too crowded then
But she don't want to be alone
So they just keep pouring in
Pretty soon they've got her headed for the door
She comes home to find that they're not hanging 'round no more
She says, "I'm alright, you just can't get home tonight"
Don't you wonder what she looks like in the light?
She says "I'm alright, I just can't get home tonight"
Pretty white-washed lies, endless alibis
And reasons that need cleaning every night
Half a world away, you can't wash away the stain of the deceiving
And the things that you cannot believe
And well, she don't want no one around
'cause she don't want anybody to see
What she looks like when she's down
'cause that's a really sad place to be
Pretty soon she gets them crawling up the walls
Then she wonders why they beg her please to never call
She says "I'm okay, it's alright, hey look who's on TV tonight"
She says, "I'm alright, I just can't get home tonight"
Don't you wonder why it's dark outside at night?
She says, "I'm alright, I just can't get home tonight"
She says, "I'm alright, I just can't get home tonight"
-David
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Sigh.
Really that sums it all up.
I was planning to spend all Friday, Saturday, much of Sunday studying.
Friday went down the drain with no studying, Saturday I spent a few hours (and will be spending a few more), and I hope I prove more faithful with Sunday than I did with Friday.
Finished review of chapters 1-5 for ESE372. Have to learn chapter 6, but this test doesn't worry me.
Haven't yet studied for AMS361. Have to learn LaPlace transforms a little bit better. This test does worry me.
Am going to study for ESE306 right now. This test bothers me. The prof knows me -- helped me look for an internship this summer in fact -- and knows I haven't been doing great in the class. We talked about it; he knows I don't really like the theoretical stuff, and he knows I have trouble with it. But I want to do well on the final. This signal stuff, though ... ugh.
Tomorrow am going to breakfast at Roger's house with the SB ministry. Will be a good time, but unfortunately cuts out about two hours of studying. Don't know if that should worry me.
AMS361: 0800 - 1030, 17 May
ESE372: 1700 - 1930, 17 May
ESE306: 0800 - 1030, 18 May
Sigh.
-David
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The United States has placed tough sanctions on Syria, charging Damascus with supporting terrorist groups.
Labeling Syria "an unusual and extraordinary threat" President George W. Bush has prohibited the export of U.S. products other than food and medicine to Damascus. It also prohibits flights between the two countries.
The sanctions also sever ...
The actions of the Syrian government - including pursuing weapons of mass destruction and occupying Lebanon - represent an "extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States," Bush said in signing an executive order imposing sanctions.
Sound familiar?
-David
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The massive Blogger update includes a new comments system. I don't really like it, but it's internal and probably a tad more reliable than Enetation, HaloScan, or any of the others, since it will always be up if the blog is up. So, you get to pick.
Edit: Never mind. After taking a look at just what this comments system entails, I actually really do like it. The only problem is that I'd like to keep the old Enetation comments ... any thoughts?
The other thing that makes the update very, very interesting is single-post pages. Basically, instead of that ridiculong archive link, URLs for specific posts now look something like this.
http://skylinefadedblue.blogspot.com/2004/05/on-divorce.html
Simple and classy. I like.
-David
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Divorce in the case of abuse is a tough question to crack. The major problem is this: it's quite a serious problem, but it's not adultery.
I'll be focusing on two key texts. First, 1 Corinthians 7:12-15, in which Paul talks about unbelievers leaving. And second, Matthew 19:3-9, where Jesus talks about divorce.
In the text from Matthew, we see the way in which God views divorce. To understand why, you have to understand how God views marriage. See, marriage is, quite literally, two people becoming one. This describes sexual relationships -- you have become one with that person. You are married, one flesh.
This is the major reason why divorce is committing adultery. God doesn't recognize divorce because you have already become one with someone. If you then become one with someone else, that is adultery, very simply. The reason divorce is legitimate in the case of adultery? The adulterous partner has become one with someone else, so is no longer one with their original partner.
Moving on from background information into the main point, divorce in the case of abuse. There are four situations which can be covered.
1. Both husband and wife are Christian.
2. Husband is Christian; wife is not.
3. Husband is not Christian; wife is.
4. Neither husband nor wife are Christian.
In the case of 1 and 2, the husband should not be abusing his family in the first place. One of the brothers needs to talk to him and "restore him gently" (Gal 6:1). If he persists, then it's covered under situation 3.
Situation 4, the Bible is irrelevant since neither will be following it, and this text then isn't for them.
Situation 3 is the crux of the matter, then. This also covers if the husband refuses to listen to the sound advice of the people who try to talk to him about his abuse, so this is really going to be getting into it.
In the Corinthian text, we see that "if he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him." We also see that "God has called us to live in peace", and in Hebrews 12:14 it says "make every effort to live in peace with all men."
If a husband is beating his wife, this definitely does not fall under "living in peace." The problem is, it's not adultery, so she should not divorce him. I definitely do not endorse her continuing to live with him -- she needs to leave that situation, both for physical welfare and spiritual welfare. As noted, God calls us to live in peace. If she can live with someone else from the church, or with a blood relative, let her do so. By no means should she continue in that situation.
But going back to divorce -- I can't agree with a divorce in that situation, unless the husband demands one. As stated above, the couple has become one flesh. Unless he first leaves, they are still one flesh, and since she is trying her best to honor God's commands, she is bound to him.
So, to sum it all up, she definitely needs to get out of the situation. But in God's eyes, they are still one flesh, still married, and divorce is not an option for her.
-David
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| On Books |
| 7:16 PM, Saturday, May 08, 2004 |
I read far, far too fast. Having bought fourteen books of R.A. Salvatore's Forgotten Realms work that deals with Drizzt Do'Urden, it took me about four days to finish all of them. That's over 4000 pages.
*sigh* And now I want the last trilogy. Problem? The third book of that series isn't out yet, and won't be until October.
*grumble*
-David
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