The Death Crawl

Those of you who have seen Facing The Giants will know what I'm talking about. I'm sure you all of you agree that the death crawl scene is the most powerful scene in the movie.

But do you remember what Mrs. Taylor said about her husband's team philosophy? She said that it applies to all of life, and not just football. So lets look at it this way. Could you carry a hundred and sixty pounds on your back for a hundred yards; while crawling? Maybe. Maybe if you were motivated. But too many of us wither when trials come our way. It's hard to do that! So can we make it to Heaven with sin on our backs? It's a long, hard road, and those of us who don't like hardships will turn back. Christ said to take up your cross, and that means carrying it no matter how hard. Yes, it is hard, but when we do something, we are naturally rewarded. The harder the task, the greater the reward. How great is Heaven, and our Maker who lives there? That's how hard it will be. We can't get to Heaven without hardships. Yes, maybe we'll fall. Many times we'll fall. But we can all get back up and keep going. That's one difference between going to Heaven and the death crawl, and I think that's a good thing.

The Most Middle-Earthian Place on Earth

No, it's not Scandanavia, or Oxford, or even Nebraska, (although It might very well be Scandanavia, I haven't ever been there), It's.......Siena!

You may not know it but I am in Italy, which is why I haven't been posting anything and haven't been sending AAron several e-mails a day. (I have free internet today, because I'm at a hotel in Naples.) You will see pictures of Siena on Disciples of Diotima when I get back to the US. Anyway, there have been times when I have tried to picture myself in Middle earth and have succeeded. In Siena, it was different. I felt like I was in middle-earth without even trying!

Specifically, I felt I was in Annuminas. Annuminas was the capital of the North Kingdom of Men in the early Third Age. It was located in Eriador, a bit north of the Shire. The north kingdom fell about halfway through the third age, leaving only the rangers to guard the free and peacful peoples of Bree, Buckland, and the Shire. Annuminas was the capital of the kingdom that built the fortress on Weathertop, and was where the king resided that the Hobbits of Frodo's time paid posthumous respect to.

More Madness

I have attempted to get things going here one the Flame of Arnor by putting up a bunch of trivial polls. It's somewhat like the stimulus package. :-)

The Great Social Global Entity

Since the dream discussion doesn't seem to be going anywhere, I think I'll change the subject. This is a topic that I think we'll all be involved in. The subject is:



FACEBOOK



We all know this network of instant messaging, pictures, status updates and such. However, it has much controversy surrounding it. It seems to embody all of human nature and inclinations into one intertwining web. In fact, one could compare it to drinking and smoking. When one joins it, he may do great good, or great evil. He may improve his relationships, become more knowledgeable about people in general, and maybe even spread the faith.



However, one may do great damage to himself and those around him through this web. He may use it to slander others and gossip about them. He may also succeed in making his relations impersonal and distant: more like members of a corporation than friends. His actions - whether intentional or not - may also cause jealousy and envy. But do these things not already happen? This is just another means of transmitting them. I think that facebook, like drinking and smoking, is morally neutral. It can be good or bad depending on the person that uses them (although I think it should be said that facebook has more potential to do good than drinking or smoking).

So what is your opinion? Comment!!!!!

Dreams Again!

Well, I would like to reawaken our discussion on dreams. (Uuuuh, I apologize for the pun, I PROMISE you it wasn't intended!) I find the subject extremely intriguing. I've never actually been able to control my dreams (Lucid dreaming), though I think it would be really fun! Here's a wiki article I found on lucid dreaming, it's long, but interesting!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream

Maybe here's something we can argue about, because it seems people are eager for a debate: Do you think dreams ever mean anything, or predict anything? Are they distortions of events our subconscious is thinking about? Can we learn anything from dreams? Can we solve problems that have been nagging at us? DISCUSS!!!

Can We Disagree On This???

What does Chesterton say about cooking? About films? About war? About the economy? About environmentalism? About the feudal system? About democracy? About the Holy Roman Empire? About Napoleon? About ancient Greece? About ancient Rome? About ancient Egypt? About the city of Tyre? About France? About the occupation of Ireland by England? About the Hundred Years War? About the native Americans? About the Mongols? About James Horner and John Williams?

Is this enough to disagree on? Which one should we pick first? (am I asking enough questions?)

Advice from Lewis

CS Lewis developed a concept of a 'Second Friend,' a person who likes all the same things you do, but disagrees with you and can argue well. We all like LOTR, so we need to find something to disagree on so that we can be second friends to each other.

Never Mind

Okay, her kidnappers saw my post and hastily returned her in fright. Vote for my cuddly politician!!!

Jealous Politicians!!!

I'm afraid I must break the horrible news. My favorite politician (see picture below) has gone MISSING!!!!!! She was leading in all the polls, and now she's gone!!! Probably kidnapped. It's unfair to say, but I'm sure it was one of her opponents.

Telperion Lives!