Enlightenment

Occasionally we all read old ideas expressed in new contexts that help make sense of the world. Today, I read this piece in Slate by Fukuyama, and he reminded me of a critical distinction in American democracy. At once, it is both beautiful and peculiar.

At least aspirationally, the success of the American experiment is that we cherish and promote individual rights, not communal rights. Yes, we've been historically slow to extend civil rights to individuals within certain communities and even to acknowledge that individuals may be valued who are members of disfavored groups, but the successful trend has been right and steady. Today, as Fukuyama notes, Guatamalan, Korean, Nigerian, Candadian and white European immigrants all can call themselves Americans. Americans, at least most righteous Americans, welcome them and the opportunity of sharing our national identity with people of all shades, from all lands, who come to contribute to our social compact.

In Western Europe and Iraq now, we see the dangers of extending constitutional democracy when the cultural and political structures emphasize community status, not individual rights. I have my doubts that republican democracy ever can thrive when the old, old social forces cannot contemplate that individuals are the foremost unit of political life.

My Musical Missive

I have the bad habit of only blogging when the mood or the passion strikes me. This happens mostly when I see a news story by which I am either inspired or outraged. My outrage and/or inspiration is almost always tempered by one of the strongest forces in my life. My inherent laziness. I have recently been inspired by Gold Medal speed skater Joey Cheek's decision to give away his bonus to charity and his call for others to do the same. This, from a man who is in a class of people who could be considered a charity in and of themselves. I have also recently been appalled and outraged by the bombing of the Shiite's holy place in Iraq. I blogged about neither of these due to the aforementioned laziness.

So the problem arises that when I am ready to blog I am oftentimes not inspired/outraged or when I am inspired/outraged I am too lazy to do anything about it. Well there is one thing that always inspires me; one thing I am always ready to blog about; one thing that will more often than not allow me to overcome my laziness, that one thing is ROCK 'n' ROLL. Actually, music of all kinds inspires me but I will start with my first love.

I have generally tended towards the heavier stuff. This was probably because my parents usually only allowed me to listen to the Oak Ridge Boys and I have something of a rebellious streak in me. In middle school I warmed up to some of the Punk bands of the day: Black Flag, Dead Milkmen, The Dead Kennedy's, the Misfts. But my first true musical crush was on a band called Dokken. Dokken was a lesser know 80's metal band but they blew me away. They were just as corny as the Poison's, Warrant's, and Motley Crue's but for some reason I defended them to the end. Dokken led me to Metallica and Metallica led me to Soundgarden. Soundgarden led me to Nirvana and Alice in Chains and these led me to the Melvins. Now if you don't know who the Melvins are dont worry not many people do. The Melvins are generally accepted as being the forefathers of the Seattle/Grunge movement and are in my estimation absolute musical genius. Along the way of this musical progression (some of you may argue that these bands neither represent music nor progress but that is besides the point) I was also led backwards to find the roots of my modern day metal. I reveled in Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, the Misfits, Danzig, the Ramone's, the Velvet Underground just to name a few.

Well about the time I was falling head over heels for the Melvins I went to college. This was, as previously mentioned at good ole HU. My first roommate had very similar musical tastes as mine but late in my Freshmen year I met a young man named Jeff. We became fast friends and decided to room together the next year. I can't remember which of us arrived first in our room on Keller 3B but both of us soon realized that we were in for some culture shock after we had seen how the other had decoreated his side of the room. Jeff had posters of DC Talk, Michael W. Smith, and Stephen Curtis Chapman among others. I had an Alice in Chains poster that showed a severed head on a corn stalk. I wont bore you with details but Jeff and I eventually rubbed off on each other. Jeff would often times find me secretly listening to his DC Talk CD's while Jeff could often be found blaring Green Day at the top of his stereo's capacity.

So today I am all over the board when it comes to my choices for Rock 'n' Roll listening pleasure. I want to share a few of them with you.

Iron and Wine with Calexico: In the Reins. This EP (just 7 nearly perfect songs) has absolutely knocked my socks off. This is beautiful music. Quiet and somewhat subdued but absolutely amazing. I am not sure what category to throw this into as it is a mix of folk, country, and pop. Buy it and then go buy all of Iron and Wine's albums. I don't know much about Calexico but Iron and Wine is actually just one guy named Samuel Beam. He is profoundly talented. I can't recommend him highly enough.

The White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan. There is not much I can say that hasn't already been said about this band or this album. I can't put it down. Brilliant, diverse, and amazing. It is at the same time completely new territory for the Stripes and completely representative of their prior musical outings. This was the album that turned some of my friends, who didn't buy into the hype of the White Stripes, into White Stripes fans. This is a must have.

The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema. While this album is far from perfect it is another one that I cannot put down. Of my most recently acquired albums this is the one I listen to the most. This is Indie Power Pop at it's very best. The band has three lead singers and while sometimes this can be more headache than its worth on some of the best tracks on this album the harmony amongst the three is breathtaking. I think once you listen to the first track you will be hooked. I know I was. Give it a shot even if you feel slightly uncomfortable with buying something from a band called the New Pornographers.

The Drive-By Truckers: The Dirty South. You may think I am kidding about this band when you look at their title but The Drive-By Truckers are most definitely not a joke. If Lynard Skynard and Bruce Springsteen had an illegitamete child whom they sent off to be raised by a pre-June Carter Johnny Cash who grew up to be best friends with ZZ Top and then decided to record a record for Sam Phillips on Sun records then that child would be The Drive-By Truckers. While that description might have scared some of you away I hope at least some of you will be intrigued enough to give the Truckers a shot.

I think that is enough for right now. Like I said I love writing about this stuff so I will be back later with some more suggestions. Just in case you were concerned none of the artists or albums that I have recommended above fall into the heavy category and are all suitable for general consumption. The Truckers migh be considered hard rock and the White Stripes sometimes play some pretty raunchy guitar licks that might be considered punk but nothing that should turn anyone off. Next time perhaps.

So I leave you all with this question: What are you listening to these days? Also please let me know if you have listened to any of the above and whether you hate them or love them.

Anonymous

Anonymity affords a dangerous temptation. If we can act or speak anonymously, we may skirt consequences and accountability. If we remain anonymous, we can dodge responsibility, avoid conflict and cop out on our obligations. The anonymous driver may curse, scream, yell, flip off and pound the steering wheel over the slightest offenses of other drivers, and the anonymous driver may even retaliate by cutting someone off, slamming on their brakes or tailgating for pedantic effect. The anonymous caller can ball out a customer service rep in India or hang up on a hapless wrong number, because Who will care if we are rude to strangers? The anonymous business traveler, away from home and hearth, may indulge in porn, or worse, with only his own soul to confront, and that soul may be frail company after so much anonymity.

The anonymous blog commenter can be mean, distracting, personal and vile. The anonymous blog commenter can make ugly statements with impunity, without regard for personal feelings, for truth or facts, for consequences, without concern for accountability. The anonymous commenter may yield to the notion that he may write whatever he likes, without regard to the faith he imagines, because Who will hold him to his words? The anonymous blog commenter can be reckless and sinful and wrestle only with his own conscience, which he may have beaten into submission already.

The anonymous blog commenter is a coward. Without the possibility of confrontation, without the possibility of being held accountable for your words, without the possibility of being embarrassed for your own ugliness, you will write. Let us see what sort of man you are when you are named and cannot skirt the implications of your insult.

Let us also not forget that Jesus is much more concerned our minds and hearts. He teaches that our actions only reflect our own nature, and it is by our hearts that we are judged. Let us be people of the Kingdom who are not cowards, who are bold and who will not skulk about, afraid that our hearts may be revealed. Of course, such confidence can come only when we think, write and act in ways that can withstand scrutiny, criticism, rebuttal, confrontation and judgment. Let us set our hearts and minds on the noble things above and write only in love. Anything less is sin.

Modern life, and no aspect more than the internet, permits our anonymity, and to our great spiritual peril. We may escape detection for a season, but our hearts may rot before the revelation of our names and nature. We will make it Home if we are willing to be named and if we act and write always as if we are not anonymous.

Because of a few caustic abuses, we will not permit future anonymous comments here.

Planning Your Own Demise?

So, several nights ago, while sitting in bed caught somewhere between consciousness and slumber, I happened to catch Stone Phillips or one of those other late night news anchors casually toss out this intriguing sentence. I want to toss it out as fodder for those brighter than minds in our little blog-o-sphere...

"What would America be without planned obsolescence?"

Thoughts? Reflections?

Hothouse Flowers

The conversations at Elrod’s blog yesterday and Greg Kendall-Ball’s today about Harding’s “Core Values” have reminded me of my exit from the hothouse almost ten years ago. The exchange has prompted me to revisit the reasons behind a spiritual tail-spin that I experienced when I left Harding for the “real world” of Vanderbilt Law School. Why do so many Harding alumni resent and regret the transition from the bubble? What idea caused my hard and almost destructive move? What does Harding teach, or fail to teach, that hamstrings so many alumni and that continues to marginalize the school?

For me, it was the promotion of an idea which I was taught throughout my childhood and adolescence in the Church of Christ. It is the notion that “sinners,” unbelievers (and maybe Christians of other brands) were miserable, or were just a step away from misery. We were taught that sin, especially the Big Sins, led straight to temporal misery, sooner or later, and that the people brazenly engaged in the Big Sins were really just masking their misery with fun. This is a corollary to the cop-out notion that, “even if the Bible isn’t true and all this Christian stuff is wrong, this is still the best way to live a happy life.”

These are lies.

I did not learn they were lies until I actually met some unbelieving sinners, and it took me until I was 21 to do it. I grew up in the Bible Belt, fourth generation Church of Christ, active in the youth group, exclusively Christian friends and environment, even in public schools, then onto the Harding hothouse. Not until I moved to Vanderbilt did I engage with truly diverse people, of non-Christian faith, or no faith, who had a conscious understanding of their spiritual decisions and direction. Much to my dismay and bafflement, I made friends with many folks who drank, a lot, slept around, cussed and generally had a lot of fun doing things I never would have contemplated. The problem was that they were not miserable, not a step away from ruin. They were well balanced, pleasant, nice, even honorable and loyal.

Observing sinners in their natural environment threw me for a loop. In retrospect, one of my primary reasons for not experimenting with the Big Sins was a fear that it would screw up my pleasant life. What a shock to find plenty of folks whom I liked and admired who were not screwed up at all, despite the Big Sins. Their mental health and social experiences rocked a significant joist in my foundation. Since I lost one of the primary guardrails for my own life, I slipped into those Big Sins, wondering if there any reason not to, since even the consequences seemed right pleasant themselves.

The lie, described about, gives us some false comfort that the “righteous,” the church-going, abstinent, temperate Bible majors were superior and somehow exalted from the masses of sinners. We never, ever would say it aloud, but the unspoken motivation is that God surely must be glad that we’re on His side while those other schlubs skate near the line of self-destruction.

The prevailing spirit and message at Harding not only enforced this idea but magnified and expanded it to focus on those lonely hearts living the heart of darkness at state or secular schools.

At Vanderbilt, I finally learned the truth. The truth is not that they are on the verge of misery because of their sin, but that we all are. I wondered why I should not engage in the Big Sins if the consequences had been falsely advertised. The truth is that there is no Big Sin, just sin, no others wallowing in sin, just sinners, and I’m one of them. Despite my righteous resume and blessed pedigree, I was not different, not exalted, not better than the sinners.

The truth, though, is that my Christian community and I know Jesus. We are not better because we don’t sin, and we should not avoid sin to avoid the unpleasant consequences. We are saved because of Jesus, and we seek to obey because we know Jesus and know that we are saved by Him. We are not the museum of righteousness with the world banging on the hothouse doors. We are sinners who know the way home.

Harding would do well by its students to extinguish the pervasive spirit of righteous superiority and to affirm the truth of sin and grace. This deceptive spirit almost crippled this young graduate when he got outside the bubble.

Mag's Tag

Four Jobs I’ve Had:

• Making sand cores for metal molds at Sentinel Manufacturing in Tulsa (when the older guys weren’t throwing me in empty drums turned trash cans).

• Breathing noxious fumes and teaching freshman chemistry majors the wonders of acetone and fire as a chemistry and biochemistry lab assistant at ole HU.

• Putting the fear of the Lord (and the counselors) in inner city the kids at Camp of the Hills in Marble Falls, TX.

• Peddler of Zimabawean artwork at a family owned African art store in Tulsa.

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:

• So I Married an Axe Murderer. “It’s like Sputnik, spherical but quite pointy in parts.”

• Shrek “Oh, you’re a right sexy-me-bastard. Did you know that?”

• Casablanca. “So Charlie tells me you’re a butcher…”

• To Kill a Mockingbird “Um, being electrocuted. I was electrocuted once….”

Four Books I Could Read Over and Over:

• New Seeds of Contemplation. Thomas Merton.

• Dark Night of the Soul. St. John of the Cross.

• A Testament of Devotion. Thomas R. Kelly

• For the Time Being. Annie Dillard.

Four Places I’ve Lived:

• Tulsa, OK

• Houston, TX

• Abilene, TX

• Lake Orion, MI (‘burb of Detroit)

Four T.V. Shows I Watch:

• My Name Is Earl (Great show. Redemptive. Great spiritual overtones and insight. And stinkin’ funny.)

• The West Wing (It was the ER for my friends in Abilene. We would record it and all meet after going to our respective churches to watch it together, much like our post curfew ER viewings in the Old Marrieds.)

• The Biggest Loser (I admit it, Natalie and I watch and sometimes tear up! Well, at least I tear up. I’m a tender flower.)

• Law & Order (It taps me into the world of three of my best friends. At least in the sense that it has to do with law, they know nothing about order.)

Four Places I Have Been on Vacation:

• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

• Vancouver Island, B.C. (honeymoon)

• The Rockies (not an uncommon local, but I’ve been skiing with the Fellas)

Four Websites I Visit Daily:

• Sojourners: How can you beat the integration of faith, politics, and culture? Plus, Jim Wallis got a first name plug by Bono on Tuesday after Bono used the term “God’s Politics”. Nice…

• Cope’s blog.

• Google. What can I say? Inquisitive minds want to find things.

• Slate.com

Four Favorite Foods:

• Thai Food, just about anything. (Yes, even the soups with the jellied blood cubes.)

• Rendezvous Ribs

• The New York Strip at Taste of Texas in Houston

• My dad’s Chocolate Trifle (a family holiday tradition!)

Four Places I’d Rather Be Right Now:

• Reykjavik, Iceland (I long to sojourn in the land of my ancestors)

• Any 18 or 36 with the Fellas

• Finding solitude in a monastery (Mt. Athos would do just fine!)

• Murchison Falls, Uganda

Four People I’m Tagging:

• I’m calling a cease fire.

JRB's Tagee Submission

We’ve been tagged by Elrod, which is something I didn’t know could be done until this week. Here’s my installment, and I hope the others will follow. After recess, I'm going to ask jduckbaker if she'll play MASH with me too, then if y'all are finished with kickball, I say we neglect our algebra homework and lounge at Kile's mom's house. She usually hooks us up right with Hot Pockets and Sunny D after school.

Four jobs I’ve had:

1. Sweeping the Hangar Floor for my dad at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport: He’s the only employer who ever fired me, three times. Good sweepers are hard to find.
2. U.S. Space Camp: See the post below about these high times.
3. Extern at the Nashville/Davidson Co. Metro Public Defender’s Office: I only got paid with credits, but I did get to see a Puerto Rican man banished, I say banished, by a court of law from Davidson County, Tennnessee. Oh, Verona Walls!
4. Lawyer: One of my favorite things about my job is that I am privy to some truly remarkable, bizarre and novel-worthy stories and personalities. There’s a reason Mississippi produces so much great art, literature and music: we’re crazy as bessie-bugs.

Four movies I could watch over and over:

1. So I Married an Axe Murderer: It’s really more of a sociological experience.
2. Braveheart: “There’s a wee lass, she’s sitting in the heather! Let’s get physical! And spend the night together!”
3. Ghostbusters: “Here’s something the other tour guides won’t tell you. . . “
4. Casablanca: “Hey! Pisan! You better watch out or I’ll send your spaghetti-bending-butt back to Milan!”

Four books I could read over and over:

1. To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee: My wife was very relieved when we had a girl because she just couldn’t come to grips with naming our first-born Atticus. Now, Scout, on the other hand. . .
2. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens: I lobbied for Lucie, too, but she wouldn’t go for it. . .
3. A Wind in the Door, Madeleine L’Engle: My primary imaginary literary home is in an orchard over the stone wall.
4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain: Maybe my primary imaginary literary home is on a river raft. Huck Finn would beat the stuffing out of Charles Wallace, so I’m going with the raft.

Four places I’ve lived:

1. DeQueen, Arkansas: Just up the hill from the stop light is the Dairy DeQueen. No kidding. I saw Return of the Jedi for the first time at DeQueen’s drive-in from the back of a flat-bed farm truck. Good times.
2. Nashville, Tennessee: Not so much like DeQueen, but it’s alright.
3. Huntsville, Alabama: See post below about those deep, space roots in north Alabama.
4. Jackson, Mississippi: Under our previous mayor, Jackson was “The Best of the New South.” Now, under our current, gun-slinging, photo-opin’, larger than life mayor, we are “The City of Grace and Benevolence.” Can I get a witness?

Four T.V. shows I watch:

1. Law & Order: the original, CI and SVU, whatever is on at a particular moment, 24 hours a day.
2. Local On the 8's: Guess what? In Mississippi today its warm and wet.
3. Hardball with Chris Matthews: I hope someone at Harding’s ASI asks Zell Miller about his moon-bat dueling rant after the GOP convention. Brilliant.
4. SEC Game of the Week Presented by Jefferson Pilot Sports: The best (and often only) way to catch my beloved Commodores on the gridiron.

Four websites I visit daily:
1. Espn.com
2. Beliefnet.com
3. tennessean.com
4. clarionledger.com

Four places I've been on vacation:

1. Aruba and Curacao.
2. Sterling, Scotland.
3. Lucca, Italy.
4. Arles, France.

Four favorite foods:

1. Coffee,
2. Peanut Butter,
3. Bagels,
4. And Cheese Completes the Meal.

Four places I’d rather be right now:

1. Fido, Nashville, Tennessee: I spent most of my surplus student loan money on Fido coffee every night, for three years. Thanks, Bongo Java, for my career.
2. Home: The baby is girl is under the weather, and I’d prefer to be with her and her momma.
3. On a golf course anywhere with the Fellas.
4. Here with my baby’s momma.

Four people I’m tagging:

The buck stops here.

We're it!

Mark Elrod, a friend, mentor, and member of the Harding University Illuminati has tagged us. So here goes!

Four Jobs I've Had:

• Lawn Mower: this was the first job I ever received payment for. At about 10 years of age I was making $50 a week. In my mind I was unbelievably rich.
• Little League Umpire: this was probably the worst job I ever had. I got paid $15/game and had to deal with cursing coaches and abusive parents. This job is probably the reason I am not a huge baseball fan.
• Rodeo Clown: no just kidding, but wouldn't that be cool.
• Corporate Slave to Big Oil: yes that is my current job descripton and I am loving every minute of it.

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:

• The Empire Strikes Back: the best of the bunch.
• So I Married an Axe Murder: "Heed! Pants! Now!"
• Casablanca: possibly my favorite movie of all time. There are few fictional places that I have longed to go to more than Rick's Cafe Americain. And no, Humphrey Bogart never says "Play it again Sam."
• Oh Brother Where Art Thou?: For my money this is the Cohen Brothers' best. Great music and brilliant witty dialogue. "Are any of you boys a smithy or otherwise versed in the metallurgical arts?" Plus, no disposing of bodies in a wood chipper. Yah.
  

Four Books I Could Read Over and Over:

• To Kill a Mockingbird: I read this book nearly every year. What else can be said about this timeless classic. I love it and you should read it.
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: see above.
• What's So Amazing About Grace: this book, a critical reading of the book of Romans, and the fellas helped me mold my faith into an ever increasingly mature form. This is a truly beautiful exposition on what makes Christianity so amazing.
• The Lord of the Rings: I literally do read this book over and over again. I have read it at least once every year since high school.

Five Places I've Lived:

• Florence, Italy: I lived in Firenze for two years. I moved back to the states nearly six years ago. My heart still aches for the capital of Tuscany to this day and will likely do so until I return. I long to again sit on the steps of San Miniato and look over the beautiful city on the Arno.
• Chicago, IL: you just can't beat the Windy City. Middle School happenednd for me here along with Law School. I miss riding the "El" to work and school everyday. I miss going to the Green Mill and I miss going to Wrigley.
• Charleston, SC: someone once described Charleston to me as a "really clean and nice version of New Orlean's French Quarter". That just about sums it up. This beautiful city was nearly bombed to oblivion during the civil war, almost leveled by an earthquake, and nearly flattened by numerous hurricanes. You would never know any of this by walking through the lovingly restored historic districts. Plus the seafood is amazing here.
• Denver, CO: My current home and my favorite metro area in the states. The Mile High City is a great place to live and the gateway to the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
• Patoka, IL: this is my ancestral home. My mom's family is from here and still live here. The same goes for my dad's family. Patoka has a population of 650 and half of them are related to me.

Four T.V. Shows I Watch:

• Scrubs: now that Arrested Development has been cancelled, Scrubs is far and away the funniest thing on TV.
• NCIS: I don't watch any of the other criminal investigation shows but my wife and I wont miss our weekly dose of Mark Harmond. I still can't believe they killed Kate.
• Adult Swim on Cartoon Network: as will be evidenced in the websites below I am littlele bit of a geek. I love cartoons and while some of the cartoons in Adult Swim are either just stupid or vulgar most of them are brilliant. Futurama, Home Movies, Sealab 2021, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law and Aqua Teen Hunger Force are some of my favorites. Unfortunatelyly these shows are mostly just a memory for me since we recently decided to downgrade our basic cable subscription (our basic cable costs us over $40 a month) to a really really basic cable ($9.99 a month) thankfully we still get the Discovery Channel so I can still say I watch...
• The Mythbusters: these guys have the best job in the whole world.

Four Places I Have Been on Vacation:

• Banff, Alberta Canada: honeymoon.
• Trujillo, Honduras: spring break campaign that nearly killed me.
• Napa Valley, California: 5 year anniversary trip.
• Paris, France: my most recent vacation.

Four Websites I Visit Daily:

• CNN: not the only news site I visit but the best.
• CHUD: Cinematic Happenings Under Development. These guys like most of the same movies that I do.
• Engadget and Gizmodo: these are both technology blogs that focus on the coolest and newest gadgets. Like I said above I am kind of a geek.
• Penny Arcade: this is a comic strip and news site about gaming. I again reference my geekiness. Warning: some of the content on this website will certainly be considered objectionable, thus no direct link. But man is it funny.

Four Favorite Dishes:

• Salamine Piccante Pizza at Il Gallo in Scandicci, Italy.
• Cinghialle (wild boar) Ragu over Farfalle Pasta at Il Taverno del Diavolo in Scandicci, Italy.
• Gnocchi with Pesto: If its good I will take this over just about everything. We have found one place in Denver that we like. There were several in Chicago and none in Charleston.
• Orange Chicken with brown rice: I think P.F. Changs does this the best but our local East Dynasty does a pretty good job too.

Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:

• Here. Of course.
• Here with MY baby's momma.
• 20 years ago at my Grandma's house around Christmas time.
• 9 years ago at the Harding University Old Married Apartments on a Thursday night.

Four People I'm Tagging:

• I don't know anybody else so I am going to substitute this one for...

Four Best Albums I Bought Last Year: These albums were not necessarily released in '05.

• The White Stripes: Get Behind Me Satan - this is their best yet. I love just about every track on this album but Red Rain is probably my favorite.
• Tomahawk: Tomahawk - be prepared for sweirdierd but brutal heavy metal. This is a Mike Patton project. God Hates a Coward is my top pick of this one.
• Iron and Wine: Our Endless Numbere Days - pretty much the exact opposite of Tomahawk except for the fact that they are both brilliant. Beautiful music. Sodom, South Georgia is my favorite.
• Enon: High Society- cool, electronic, indie pop rock. Shoulder is probably my fave.