Con Farm es Sneff?
Maxis will begin to share how it plans to move its largest franchise forward on March 19, when it will begin to release information about The Sims 3. The Sims is a big part of our house. I think we bestowed the game on them in Christmas 2008. It was played long after their other gifts grew old. Madison has since turned to more social endeavors, but Noah still returns for month long Sim binges. He’s purchased nearly all the expansion packs.
Proverbs about Fools
Elise loves to decorate with words. I don’t mind them so much, so long as the phrases are unique. I get a mixed bag, such is the nature of compromise:
- Faith makes all things possible, not necessarily easy.
- Live, Laugh Love
- Good things happen over coffee.
Today I found a phrase I would like displayed prominently somewhere in the house: “When a wise man and a fool argue, no one can tell the difference.” Many people in our house feel they can relate, but none of us agree who is the fool.
10.24.07Dinner Talk: Intellegent Design
My son breached the topic of creation theories at dinner last night. He announced he is a staunch creationist. His sister quickly announced she believes in the big bang theory. What an exciting time to be a father! At first I was concerned they were too young to tackle such a weighty and confusing topic. They would need a basic understanding of physics, geology and chemistry in order to understand half the arguments.
Best cover what they can understand. This issue may be what fuels their interest in the other subjects. I figure I will continue the conversation little-by-little over our evening meals. Chances are Madison would resent even a short family meeting as some punishment and be less likely to speak her mind in the future.
My primary goal is to make clear that I am less concerned with their conclusions as I am by how they reach those conclusions. I hope to use this subject to teach them to value truth. I need them to identify weaknesses in their own conclusions rather than ignore them. There is no shame in answering “I don’t know” or “maybe”. It takes a big man to admit there are things he isn’t sure about.
I plan to start by discussing the essence of science: the scientific method, the role of observation and the nature of theories. From there I will move to my trademark talk about philosophers and sophists. My children already have a basic understanding of the two theories. I’ll use that to help explain why this debate is such a hot topic. What is each person fighting for? What is at stake? Finally I will explain how the debate regarding intelligent design often bounces between two separate issues: the origin of the universe, and the origin of species.
True, I buy into the creation account in Genesis, but only because there is no evidence in the text that indicates it is allegorical. All other symbolic stories (Revelation, Jesus’s parables) are wrapped in passages that identify them as such. Genesis bleeds into history we accept as fact. Be that as it may, I am well aware and won’t deny all the well crafted arguments that support a Big Bang, prehistoric Earth and macroevolution. Let us all hope it is enough to show them the twisted, selfish fight this noble pursuit has become. May they never enter the ring.
10.5.07Campaign for Real Beauty
I’d like to introduce a few links with a small story that takes place before Elise and I were wed. A Dove commercial came on while Madison and I were in the living room. She commented about how the lady in the commercial wasn’t really that pretty. I explained that Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty is meant to help people understand that many different forms and shapes are pretty, not just the iconic model figures we see on magazines. She responded by telling me Dove was horrible shampoo. I asked her if she really thought the salon’s name brand did much better. She said yes without a moment’s thought. Ho boi.
Here is the latest commercial from Dove’s campaign. I wish them the best. The video itself struck a chord in me, which was amplified by this link that found it’s way on my desktop the next day.
09.18.07Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a surprisingly entertaining film and especially educational for younger viewers. Lindsay Lohan plays a even-keel yet naive new student that strikes back at a very shallow clique of girls called “the plastics”. The movie is a comedy, but the plastic clique is a fair representation of the sort of shallow people found in any secondary school’s social heirarchy. These kids feed on the faults and insecurities of others. They take pride in hollow “social” accomplishments. They champion fickle fashion as an art or a virtue. They have no taste of their own. They have no true friends. Everyone is a tool in their eyes. Every alliance serves some selfish purpose. When they feel pity serves them best they work to create dramatic sob stories from their pampered, meaningless lives. They tear others down in order to artificially inflate their own self worth.
When we learn to laugh at ourselves, we are free to be human. The proud are easily mocked and scorned. When we embrace our foolishness, it is more difficult to shame us with it. I pity these shallow people for they have forged their own chains. Everyone is keen to the threat posed by others with vices similar to their own. Let me clarify with some examples. I was a nosy child, so I carried a deep-seated fear people would go through my stuff. I know liars that have issues trusting others. Likewise, shallow people assume everyone is as critical and unforgiving as they are. They are never free to be human and embrace real life. I imagine this fuels their bitter downward spiral.
The schools I attended did not emphasize building student’s character. Most of the rules I remember being enforced were designed to control and protect students and faculty or facilitate learning. The psychological tactics plastic people use often fall between the rules that are enforced. Even the most damaging offenses sound petty when brought before an authority. When I was young I was discouraged by what I perceived as their prosperity. I was so mislead I even adopted some of their values. Now I see the real fruits of that lifestyle. They never learn to love. Rather they endure relationships with people as selfish and loathsome as they are. They never serve a cause greater than themselves. They grow neurotic from trying to maintain a facade of perfection: never misstep; never exhale; never relax.
I am grateful that my children are humble and free. They know plastic people and have experienced their venom. Although I know the natural consequences of a shallow life, I still find it hard to forgive them and wish them well in my prayers. When my children turn to me for advice I don’t have easy responses. The godly response I must recommend isn’t one I understand. At that point it’s clear I’m asking them to be better people than I am.