As people look at their lives, they supposedly have the capacity to reflect on their accomplishments and on their failures. The longer they live, perhaps it gets harder. The failures are many times bigger than they like. They seem to outweigh, or at least offset, the accomplishments. What was an accomplishment at age 30 is mere child's play at age 50. I guess it gets down to the point of whether people can look at themselves in the mirror or not.
That's where rationalization steps in. People can also put out of their minds this reflective capacity. They go on with their lives in a "rum dumb" manner. Nothing changes. I think that's why in Revelation, when the Christians were looking to God for a preemptive military-style strike to wipe out the Romans who were persecuting them so severely, God instead answered,
Whoever is evil must go on doing evil, and whoever is filthy must go on being filthy; whoever is good must go on doing good, and whoever is holy must go on being holy (22.11).
Wake-up calls happen to people who want to reflect. The rest of the people just can live their "rum dumb, hum-drum" lives. That's the way I feel about it, too. I guess the wish to God this evening is for more people to desire the will to reflect—look in the mirror and realize the consequences of their actions no matter how dire they may be. God can do something once that happens.
That's where rationalization steps in. People can also put out of their minds this reflective capacity. They go on with their lives in a "rum dumb" manner. Nothing changes. I think that's why in Revelation, when the Christians were looking to God for a preemptive military-style strike to wipe out the Romans who were persecuting them so severely, God instead answered,
Whoever is evil must go on doing evil, and whoever is filthy must go on being filthy; whoever is good must go on doing good, and whoever is holy must go on being holy (22.11).
Wake-up calls happen to people who want to reflect. The rest of the people just can live their "rum dumb, hum-drum" lives. That's the way I feel about it, too. I guess the wish to God this evening is for more people to desire the will to reflect—look in the mirror and realize the consequences of their actions no matter how dire they may be. God can do something once that happens.
5 comments:
first of all, when you brought God, and the Bible into this, i kind of didnt want to debate it.... but im me. so, failures are only bigger because we are punished for doing something once, and not given anything at all for doing good for a couple of times. in elementary, the average child has no reward for turning an assignment in, he doesnt get a cookie or a dollar. but if he doesnt, he get punished, sent to the office, or fails.
teenagers arent rewarded for abstanance, but they have sex once, and they may be "screwed". adulthood, a cop doesnt pull you over and say, "you were driving very well this eavning. here, have a cookie." but you speed past that same cop and you get a $180 ticket. moments such as these highlight the failures in life.
i dont think "wake-up calls" happen to people who want to reflect, thats why there called "rude awakenings," there not welcome. i think if someone wants to reflect, that means they were consious about what they were doing the whole time and new what the consequences would be, but figured they could just "reflect" on it next time... and do it agian.
I think the problem is that so many people believe that it's too late. They don't look at themselves in the mirror because they'll see failure, and they'll feel so overwhelmed by everything that they would have to do in order to correct their mistakes. It becomes easier to just...not look in the mirror. I guess reflection is a good thing. I mean it's not good if you just sit there and torture yourself with the maybes, the what ifs, the shouldas and the couldas. However reflection is good if you realize that everythig happens for a reason and that your the person you are today because of your accomplishments AND your mistakes. They go hand in hand. Reflection is good if you realize that yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come, so live for today and make it the best day of your life.
I think the best way I can respond to both of your blogs is to refer to Percy Shelley's poem, "Ozymandias." Although people in the stage of late adolescence can comprehend that there is a second half of life, their ability to see the winding trail of life does not allow full knowledge of the power and effect of rationalization on the way through life. Click on the link to read the poem.
http://www.rc.umd.edu/rchs/reader/ozymandias.html
Here's a link for a better version of "Ozymandias." It also gives analysis of the poem and gives the competing poem since "Ozymandias" was written for a contest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymandias
i read the poem and read the analysis. Did i understand it? No. But anyway, God really does want people to reflect on what they are doing. Once they start reflecting, he knows that he is able to help. But how can he help people? If they are rejecting themselves by ignoring what they are doing, and refusing to "look at the mirror"? By refusing to look at themselves, they are refusing to look at God. Well, that's my opinion.
And Nathan, i believe that just because you don't have a physical reward for being abstinent, or for driving the speed limit, or turning in your assignment on time, doesn't mean that u don't get a reward at all. For being abstinent, you don't have to worry as much about getting an STD, getting a girl pregnant, or hurting anyone...So it gives u less stress. = )
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