As a discretion, this article has quite a bit of colorful language, and I don't mean the kind that's waxed poetic. But despite this, the author kind of has a point. Since when did it become our "right" to get what we want and by doing that we (generic: consumers) have to treat others like garbage when we are inconvenienced or have to go out of our way?
http://www.violentacres.com/archives/59/two-phrases-that-destroyed-american-culture
A prime example I have from this is not necessarily the horror story of witnessing someone being treated horribly, but still related. I was on an airplane just the other weekend, and as we were boarding a woman was having difficulty finding space for her luggage and was concerned about it getting checked. I helped her a little and in the end I offered her my space while I shoved my bag of unbreakables (see: one day's change of clothes and a hairdryer) underneath the seat in front of me -- which I didn't even know was an option. When the flight was over I grabbed her bag for her since it was a seat behind her's, and she said that I was the nicest person she's ever traveled with.
I was surprised, and I managed to say that I wanted to help and it was the right thing to do- adding that I didn't see a point in being a grumpy traveler, since it never solves anything.
I mean really, there's no need to be a grump to the people around you if you see someone who is in a tough spot and might need some help... and even though they might be delaying the overall movement of your plans it's not a big deal to lend a helping hand. Maybe we all need to go over the Golden Rule from time to time: Treat others the way you want to be treated.
When it comes down to it none of us really deserve the things we think we deserve... But it's probably the Christian -- the one who is really following Jesus and not acting high and mighty -- who recognizes this the most. At least, that's what I can only speculate. From my understanding of Scripture and the teachings of Jesus is that we are to be humble in all circumstances. Paul says it as well in Philippians 2:3,4 - "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." There's something about barking over a plate of differently cut potatoes that just doesn't settle with considering others better than myself. Maybe that's just me. I'd still eat 'em.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Patron of the Arts
I was browsing through various blogs and stumbled upon this interview with a screenwriter/author/professor, Barbara Nicolosi. The interview is quite insightful, and actually comes from a Catholic point of view of the arts -- particularly that of media, Hollywood, and the like. I typically will find stuff like this from the Protestant point of view - which I also come from - and actually a lot of her opinions about the topic resonate with my own. Check it out:
http://www.cuf.org/laywitness/LWonline/mj08nicolosi.asp
Yes, it's long, but absolutely worth the read!
"Pope John Paul II says in his “Letter to Artists” that the way to save the soul of an artist is that they really commit themselves to beauty. Because if you find beauty you will find God. Real beauty."
http://www.cuf.org/laywitness/LWonline/mj08nicolosi.asp
Yes, it's long, but absolutely worth the read!
"Pope John Paul II says in his “Letter to Artists” that the way to save the soul of an artist is that they really commit themselves to beauty. Because if you find beauty you will find God. Real beauty."
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
"Christian art is by no means always religious art..."
Here is an excerpt from Francis Schaeffer's essay, "Some Perspectives on Art:"
Christian art is by no means always religious art, that is, art which deals with religious themes. Consider God the Creator. Is God's creation totally involved with religious subjects? What about the universe? the birds? the trees? the mountains? What about the bird's song? and the sound of the wind in the tree? When God created out of nothing by his spoken word, he did not just create "religious" objects. And in the Bible, as we have seen, God commanded the artist, working within God's creation, to fashion statues of oxen and lions and carvings of almond blossings for the tabernacle and the temple.
We should remember that the Bible contains the Song of Solomon, the love song between a man and a woman, and it contains David's song to Israel's national heroes. Neither subject is religious. But God's creation -- the mountains, the trees, the birds and the bird's songs -- are also non-religious art. Think about that. If God made the flowers, the are worth painting. If God made the sky, the sky is worth painting. If God made the ocean, indeed it's worth writing poetry about. It is worth man's while to create works upon the basis of the great works God has already made.
This whole notion is rooted in the realization that Christianity is not just involved with "salvation" but with the total man in the total world. The Christian message begins with the existence of God forever and then with creation. It does not begin with salvation. We must be thankful for salvation, but the Christian message is more than that. Man has a value because he is made in the image of God and thus man as man is an important subject for Christian art. Man as man -- with his emotions, his feelings, his body, his life -- this is an important subject matter for poetry and novels. I'm not talking about man's lostness, but about his mannishness. In God's world the individual counts. Therefore, Christian art should deal with the individual.
...
Christian art is the expression of the whole life of the whole person who is in Christ. What a Christian portrays in his art is the totality of life. Art is not to be solely a vehicle for some sort of self-conscious evangelism.
There is much in this essay (or pamphlet, rather: Art & the Bible) that I would love to write down and share with the masses, but that would probably infringe upon some copyright law or another. If you're interested in what else he has to say, I recommend getting a copy of it because so far as I can tell it's Scripturally accurate rather than depending on Christian-culture-trends. It also sheds some light about where art is actually brought up in the Bible, in all of art's varying forms. It's worth a read.
On an unrelated note, there are many things that could be said about life and art right now and once again I'm in a place where I have to take a deep breath. School is starting again soon which means my lull of a summer ought to be amped up with meeting new people, mentoring students, and preparing discussion group material. Because of certain circumstances it also means that I've been tense lately about how everything is going to pan out financially for my husband and I. However, God provided a beautiful picture for me the other day as I went outside to read the essay mentioned above. Next to the bench I decided to claim there were these short plants with little purple flowers with sparrows hopping around them. As I watched, the sparrows would check out the purple blossoms, hop up, and pluck the petals right off if not the whole flower. I couldn't figure out what they were doing for a few seconds but realized they were eating the flowers. Now, I don't actually know a lot about birds so I didn't know that they even ate flower blossoms. The whole scene playing out before me was encouraging because it was a vivid picture of God providing food for the birds of the air, as described in Matthew chapter 6.
Other than this, life has been well. Artistically, not much has been going on although I recently was challenged to start and finish a drawing in a limited amount of time because I wanted to reach a deadline for a magazine. It turned out well and it also forced me to use a medium I haven't used in a while: pastels. Now before you start thinking of bold colors or soft drawings of flowers or lakes or something, my use for pastels is to more or less color the paper and through pens and erasing I make the drawing. I'm sure this technique is called something but I haven't a clue what it is. I just know it was a 5 minute exercise employed by a drawing professor in college. I've since started another drawing this way and hope to have a better idea of where I'm going with it soon.
When I get a chance, I'll post pictures!
Christian art is by no means always religious art, that is, art which deals with religious themes. Consider God the Creator. Is God's creation totally involved with religious subjects? What about the universe? the birds? the trees? the mountains? What about the bird's song? and the sound of the wind in the tree? When God created out of nothing by his spoken word, he did not just create "religious" objects. And in the Bible, as we have seen, God commanded the artist, working within God's creation, to fashion statues of oxen and lions and carvings of almond blossings for the tabernacle and the temple.
We should remember that the Bible contains the Song of Solomon, the love song between a man and a woman, and it contains David's song to Israel's national heroes. Neither subject is religious. But God's creation -- the mountains, the trees, the birds and the bird's songs -- are also non-religious art. Think about that. If God made the flowers, the are worth painting. If God made the sky, the sky is worth painting. If God made the ocean, indeed it's worth writing poetry about. It is worth man's while to create works upon the basis of the great works God has already made.
This whole notion is rooted in the realization that Christianity is not just involved with "salvation" but with the total man in the total world. The Christian message begins with the existence of God forever and then with creation. It does not begin with salvation. We must be thankful for salvation, but the Christian message is more than that. Man has a value because he is made in the image of God and thus man as man is an important subject for Christian art. Man as man -- with his emotions, his feelings, his body, his life -- this is an important subject matter for poetry and novels. I'm not talking about man's lostness, but about his mannishness. In God's world the individual counts. Therefore, Christian art should deal with the individual.
...
Christian art is the expression of the whole life of the whole person who is in Christ. What a Christian portrays in his art is the totality of life. Art is not to be solely a vehicle for some sort of self-conscious evangelism.
There is much in this essay (or pamphlet, rather: Art & the Bible) that I would love to write down and share with the masses, but that would probably infringe upon some copyright law or another. If you're interested in what else he has to say, I recommend getting a copy of it because so far as I can tell it's Scripturally accurate rather than depending on Christian-culture-trends. It also sheds some light about where art is actually brought up in the Bible, in all of art's varying forms. It's worth a read.
On an unrelated note, there are many things that could be said about life and art right now and once again I'm in a place where I have to take a deep breath. School is starting again soon which means my lull of a summer ought to be amped up with meeting new people, mentoring students, and preparing discussion group material. Because of certain circumstances it also means that I've been tense lately about how everything is going to pan out financially for my husband and I. However, God provided a beautiful picture for me the other day as I went outside to read the essay mentioned above. Next to the bench I decided to claim there were these short plants with little purple flowers with sparrows hopping around them. As I watched, the sparrows would check out the purple blossoms, hop up, and pluck the petals right off if not the whole flower. I couldn't figure out what they were doing for a few seconds but realized they were eating the flowers. Now, I don't actually know a lot about birds so I didn't know that they even ate flower blossoms. The whole scene playing out before me was encouraging because it was a vivid picture of God providing food for the birds of the air, as described in Matthew chapter 6.
Other than this, life has been well. Artistically, not much has been going on although I recently was challenged to start and finish a drawing in a limited amount of time because I wanted to reach a deadline for a magazine. It turned out well and it also forced me to use a medium I haven't used in a while: pastels. Now before you start thinking of bold colors or soft drawings of flowers or lakes or something, my use for pastels is to more or less color the paper and through pens and erasing I make the drawing. I'm sure this technique is called something but I haven't a clue what it is. I just know it was a 5 minute exercise employed by a drawing professor in college. I've since started another drawing this way and hope to have a better idea of where I'm going with it soon.
When I get a chance, I'll post pictures!
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