As I watched the news tonight I realized something I am ashamed to admit…I don’t care about what is happening in Egypt right now.
Now before you jump on me let me explain where I’m coming from. First like I said I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t care about something happening halfway around the world in a country that I’m told is an important Ally of the USA. Every single week now we are confronted with images from all over the globe of earthquakes, political upheaval, financial crisis’, hunger, nuclear Korea and Iran, the upcoming wedding of some young Brits…it is all quite overwhelming IF you stop to think about it. And that seems to be the real problem with all this information being thrown at us day in and day out…we rarely do stop and think about it. Even if there is a story that captures our heart, the news is on to something else the next day or week and it quickly fades from our memory. Do you think the media plays apart in making stories big or small? Seems to me they do. Ask the deeper question; why do some stories get more attention than others? Why does Egypt matter so much that our President needs to have a position on it?
And I know what some of you are thinking; the world is flat, it’s a global village now…we have to care what happens there because it affects us here. I get that and I’m not advocating some American isolationism. I guess I just struggle to care as much about stuff happening around the world when my own country has both rising debt and moral decay, when my family is under great stress with aging grandparents, when my own budget continues to fall short month after month.
Egypt. Can you say that you really care? Or are you just nibbling on your peanuts again in your first-class seat on MediaHype Airlines?
“Television is the literature of the illiterate, the culture of the low-brow, the wealth of the poor, the privilege of the underprivileged, the exclusive club of the excluded masses” Lee Loevinger
A Beaverton School Bus Driver!
If you have been following my tweets you already knew this was a possibility. When this posts I will be sitting in my orientation class. I spent most of the weekend and Monday morning studying for my four DMV tests required to get a CDL Drivers License that allows you to drive a school bus. I’m excited for my new job as it should be fun and allow me to focus on seminary and a social life as well. I won’t start till my training is done, which could be up to three weeks…but hopefully I will get a route close to the first week of school.
Thanks to everyone that prayed and encouraged me in my short time of being unemployed! The next chapter is beginning to take shape finally.
Growing up the son of a police officer I have always held a deep appreciation for laws and those who risk their lives to enforce them. Now doubt the foundation to every free society is a system of laws and a people that follow those laws. On Christmas day a man aboard a flight bound for Detroit tried to blow up an airplane and yet failed. While the story is still unfolding, it seems it was a failed attempt due to the device not working as planned and the quick response of fellow passengers. When you are 30,000 ft above the Atlantic ocean there isn’t any official police force that protects us…but thankfully there are laws. I love the idea since 9/11 passengers are more willing then ever to intervene to prevent a terrorist attack by taking the law into their own hands. Now my parents always taught me that this was not the route to take when danger lurks. If someone is being robbed in front of you…call the professionals, the police to come and deal with it…never risk your life to help save someone elses. But is that how we should always respond when we could do something? What about the Golden Rule? What would we want others to do if they were observing us being robbed or hurt by another?
So what are your thoughts about taking the law into our own hands?
Check out this video of two thieves on a motor-scooter flew by and snatched a woman’s purse on a street in Wenzhou, China. As he was passing by the front of a hotel near where the thievery happened, he stopped, calmly got off his bicycle, picked it up, and then threw it at the thieves. The bicycle hit them.
Unless you live under a rock or on the moon I’m sure you have heard all the press recently surrounding Tiger Woods and his extra-marital affair(s). This raises a seemingly never answered question; Should Celebrities Private Lives Be Made Public? I have heard alot of different opinions on this one recently with Tiger…seems to become more of an issue the more perceived character a celebrity has. I mean if culture perceives someone to be a loser we dont really care how much they are exploited do we? Think Anna Nicole Smith. Now with Tiger being the face of many respected organizations, companies and on the cover of cereal boxes I hear alot of talk about keeping this sort of stuff out of the news. Personally I have always believed that celebrities cannot have it both ways…with the spotlight unfortunately comes a higher standard…especially if the image you attempt to portray in culture is one of integrity and not trash. Now as a Christian do I believe in forgiveness? Absolutely…I serve a forgiving God who has given me many… many second chances. However God is also one who brings light to darkness, truth to lies and pulls things once hidden into revelation. Part of the process I believe of a celebrity’s full forgiveness has to be public…afterall didnt he fall short of the image he has been portraying to us?
Now don’t misinterpret what I am saying…I do think there’s a line and unfortunately some channels will always cross it. He deserves to be treated with respect and not ripped to shreds on late-night talk shows. We all make mistakes and trust me I am thankful that I am not a celebrity and would then begin to understand the sort of shame Tiger and his family must feel these days.
What do you think?
You ever hear something on the news and noticed how we have become numb to big news events because we are so connected with worldwide instant news? I felt this way with the report this week that NASA found a significant amount of water on the moon. Regardless of your interest in space stuff, finding water under the moon surface is an incredible find! What was once thought of as just a barren rock of dust now has so much potential for sustaining life.
If you wanna read more about it check THIS out.
