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One of the first things that I knew that I deeply learned, was this idea that if I could identify any amount of my culture/worldview/paradigm/cosmology, I would gain a proportionate ability to see my world more accurately. The thing I’m defining is the understanding of my universe, that is brought to specifically me through my relationships and experiences that makes up the reality around me. Daniel Quinn calls it “story”. I’m going to hereon refer to it as “framing story”.

It is appropriate to allow our framing story to adjust, as a more accurate presentation of reality comes at us through new relationships, relationship phases, experiences, etc. N.T. Wright said it this way: “…it is appropriate for humans in general to listen to stories other than those by which they habitually order their lives, and to ask themselves whether those other stories ought not to be allowed to subvert their usual ones…”

The problem is, we don’t always make the appropriate adjustments to our framing story. We’re not always open for our framing story to change at all, sometimes because we’re afraid of change, sometimes because we’ve formed poor habits (we have no exercise in adjusting our framing stories), sometimes because we believe it is morally wrong or weak to do so.

Here’s a beautiful story of my aquaintence, who’s framing story changed one day:

[Leroy] was a minister. He was indoctrinated to believe that the religous practice of glossolalia (speaking in tongues) was not legitimate. It was a phenomenon that existed and ended during the early church times (by 100 A.D.). When the Biblical author Paul wrote in a letter to a church group “I wish that everyone could speak in tongues”, it wasn’t relevant to modern people. After all, Leroy had never seen someone actually speak in tongues. One evening, while in his office studying the scriptures, a spiritual experience happened to Leroy, and out of the wells of his throat came glossolalia. His framing story was well-nigh forced to change, to make room for a new story. He conceded from that night forward that glossolalia was an existing and legitamate practice.

It’s a true story, and a perfect example of one’s framing story changing, to make room for a more accurate portrayal of reality.

My annoyance with humans comes when they deny shutting out (even the possibility of) new stories. (Thesis statement).

What’s worse is that humans often claim to have a different framing story than the one they have. For example, Leroy would have claimed that scripture was the first source for his beliefs, followed by church tradition, followed by rational thinking, and lastly his life experiences. But as he displayed, it was rationalization and experience that dictated how he interpreted the scripture in the first place.

This is why I said “people… make the Bible say whatever they want it to say” in the previous post. It’s not intentional, but they project their own framing stories onto the scripture, and then believe that scripture is the source for their beliefs. Did you read that slowly enough?: people project their own framing stories onto scripture, and then believe that scripture is the source for their framing stories.

This is such an important topic. If you aren’t convinced of its importance, drop me a comment and be honest so that I can keep trying to convince you.

Several years ago, when The DaVinci Code was in high circulation, many churches launched a campaign against the story, by which churches declared the faults (historical and otherwise) of the story. These churches made the assumption that the fans of the book acquired their framing stories by objectively considering [epistemology], not unlike they (the church people) claim to do. The problem was that humans gain their framing stories from much deeper and more basic sources. The controversy and mystery of the book somehow fit the framing stories of its fans better than the notion of historical accuracy, or the explanation of the story of Jesus that Christians claim to have. Sometimes people just believe what they want to believe.

One of my greatest dilemmas growing up was this: if a religion claims to be true at the expense of other religions, and multiple times so (more than one religion does this), then how can one be sure his is the true one? He would have to fully investigate the other religions in order to make a proper conclusion, and even so, the metaphysical, untangible, and sometimes copricous nature of religions can be so vast that one would never have the time or ability to sufficiently explore them.

Yikes, here I am off topic again. That’s okay. I keep telling myself to be more natural anyway, in my posts. Less essay, more memoire.

I hope to post more in the future about things we humans can practice in order to be more capable of adjusting our framing stories.

Good night.

Red House Painters - Mistress (Lyrics)

Múm - We Have a Map of the Plane

During my first semester of Bible college, I took a class about Bible interpretation. The Bible is inerrant, “they” said, and this is how we should approach figuring out what it says. I remember thinking that the methods of Bible translation/interpretation had better be equally inerrant, or else, frankly, it won’t matter much whether or not the Bible is inerrant.

The Bible can contain infinite truth, but it gets bottlenecked at the methods with which we pursue figuring out what that truth is. In a previous post, I mentioned the great importance of the historical aspect of Bible interpretation. This is another post that advocates hard work in Bible interpretation.

There is a great destructive act that is using holy texts to legitimize personal agendas. Sometimes this is done intentionally, but let’s assume the best of people, and assume that most of the time we do this unintentionally.

I’ve been convinced, because of observing myself, that people have the potential to make the Bible say whatever they want it to say. If they want it to present a post-tribulation apocalypse, it does. If they want it to present a pre-tribulation apocalypse, it does. If, like me, they want it to present an apocalypse that happened in Jerusalem soon after Jesus’ life on earth, it does. All one has to do to gain followers is become likable enough and then present his opinion. Certainly that’s what I’ve done (or at least a crude version of it).

Many people reject the teachings of the Bible because they’ve never heard a version of interpretation that matches their view of reality. Fair enough. One who rejects the Bible may, however, be guilty of stubbornly holding onto a view of reality that is insufficient. On the other hand, he may have excellent skill at replacing his view of reality with more effective ones, but may have never been presented with a sufficient Bible interpretation. The fault, then, lays with those who stubbornly hold onto Bible interpretations that are insufficient.

Real life example: in my growing up years, my interpretation of the Gospels (the four narrative books about Jesus) made practical use of perhaps five or ten percent of the text. I absolutely had no lens with which to see what in the world the other ninety percent was trying to say. For instance, I thought “the Kingdom of God/Heaven” was referring to the place that “saved” people go to when they die. Jesus said, countless times, “the Kingdom of Heaven is like this (or that).” Since I had the wrong context in which to place his words, they dissolved into uselessness (or worse, wrong-useness). I also thought that Christianity was mostly concerned about the afterlife, so it didn’t make sense to me why so much of the Gospels contain Jesus’ concern with the physical needs of the underprivileged in his society (mix the afterlife belief with the fact that in any of my religious environments there existed no underprivileged. It’s not hard to see why the Gospels made about five or ten percent sense).

So with little usefulness in the Gospels, I’d find myself in Paul’s letters (much like one rolls to the center of the bed when sleeping with a friend on a cheap mattress). After all, the style of the genre was preachy, which makes for easy application. This is as opposed to narratives or poetry, for example, which both require the reader to go to extra lengths in order to construct a set of rules by which to live.

As others have put it, I was more familiar with the Gospel about Jesus than I was with the Gospel of Jesus.

Where was I? We need to embrace a spirit of growing excellence concerning Bible interpretation. No, I don’t believe the Church has arrived at sufficient interpretation, but I do believe there has been wonderful evolution towards that arrival. I believe it’s a mistake to think humanity has arrived at any destination in any regard- technologically, socially, spiritually, economically, morally, etc… but that’s a topic in itself.

Again, I recommend the works of historian/theologian Bishop N.T. Wright, but even more so a general resolve to study the Bible with historical diligence.

Valley of the Giants - Whaling Tale

I used to think that people should be persuaded only by facts. Several years ago, when I entered the public speaking profession full-time, I was at odds with the practice of “buttering up” the crowd by joke-telling or story-telling before the “facts” were presented. “Isn’t this manipulation?” I thought to myself.

I can’t tell you how I’ve come to change my mind. Years of desensitization, perhaps. But more likely because I’ve come to realize the notion of “facts” is a recent construct, while stories have existed for thousands of years. Age is legitimizing to me, by the way.

Someone (my culture?) taught me that cool-headed logic and reasoning was ideal for decision making. Facts fuel these vehicles. The problem with logic and reasoning is that they don’t often produce action (or inspiration, for that matter). I adore logic and reasoning, ask anyone around me. They just don’t get the job done, in my life or others’. We need stories to change us, to move us, with which to construct our world.

So, beware. If I intend to persuade you, I’ll most likely be buttering you up first.

In Final Fantasy Tactics, the characters that the player controls gain experience from fighting, and the player can spend those “job points” on abilities that make the characters more effective in battle. With me so far?

Characters get job points and spend them to become more effective.

Well, there’s an ability that a character can buy with his job points called “Gained Jp Up”, which increases the amount of job points he receives in battle. I can’t remember the amount extra atm, but I seem to remember it being 50% (from 10Jp per action to 15Jp per action). So, it’s vital for the player to purchase this ability with each of his characters as soon as he can afford it, because it is an investment for the rest of the game.

I think about that a lot.

What is the equivalent to “Gained Jp Up” in this life? Could you imagine? What if every venture you pursued in life was 50% more effective? Jobs pay 50% more, relationships are 50% more [rewarding], projects get done 50% faster, etc.

Well, there is something. There are things in one’s life that he can “purchase” that will affect (benefit) his ventures for the rest of his life. Things like self control, tolerance, perseverance, humility, etc. And then there are things that can benefit some of his ventures for the rest of his life, like education in a certain field, practice in a certain skill, etc.

It’s the purchasing that’s the hard part, though. It’s much akin to working out physical muscles at the gym. In fact, it’s virtually a perfect analogy. When we work out our self-control muscle, it gets stronger, and able to lift “heavier” burdens. Also, things that were difficult to lift now are easier or effortless.

In any case, I’ve been wrestling with my “work out schedule” for years, seeing much success but still seeing a long way to go. It’s not something that a tutorial will help you with (unlike many get-it quick systems that surround us). It’s something that I have to actually get up and do and sweat for.

Ugh.

Aphex Twin - Girl/Boy Song

The cool sadness of acceptance,
The last phase in the colored spectrum of emotion when sad news falls.
The feeling… it feels… or maybe it’s the breeze on my face,
The stimulation of some sensitive nerves somewhere.
If this feeling excites me so much, perhaps I’ve not felt a thing lately
Or, perhaps I’m just really damn good at feeling.

Chris Garneau - Sad News

I’m starting a business. In the past I’ve had an eBay business with a partner, and have done numerous graphic design freelance jobs. Now I’m tackling something with a tremendous amount of risk, quite possibly the most significant project I’ve ever undertaken, and I feel the urge to compare it with graduate school and marriage…

Grad school was paid in increments (in both time and money), reducing the risk of the project. It was also easy for my friends and family members to accept. It’s a very acceptable venture.

Marriage wasn’t really a huge financial risk, and although I had my doubts, my feelings of love for Lydia reduced the perceived life risk. Also, engagement existed as a step toward marriage, so I didn’t have to make both commitments in one step.

But now here I am, and I don’t ever remember feeling so nervous. I find that if I don’t keep check on my thoughts, they spiral until my stomach is a mess with storms of nausea. And this is a consistent, month-long state that I’m in (grand opening is July 26, so I can only expect it to get worse from here).

Despite the threat of failure looming over my being, I find that I really can’t not pursue this path. This risky and demanding venture is the only real option, if I’m living consistent to the person I know I am. The choice to pursue this path honors my integrity, my masculinity, and my livelihood.

Even with bankruptcy, humiliation, and homelessness (read living with our parents) as possible outcomes, it will still have been worth it.

Everyone knows quotes like this from Theodore Roosevelt, right?

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in that grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.

I’m sure someone else has said it even better than that, but you get the idea. The concept is the reality I’m living in now.

Iron and Wine - Naked As We Came

I recently had a birthday, and was enormously touched by the amount of love I received from those around me. I felt very liked. Lydia invited some people over to hang out, and though it was unbearably hot in our apartment, people still stuck around (I’m assuming in my honor, although it could have been because they didn’t have anywhere else to go). Each card I received had kind and thoughtful words written to me, and perhaps the most touching was the list of things that Lydia wrote about me in her blog.  Although I was embarrassed at the attention, it was touching to see the care that others have for me. I was humbled.

edit: Oh, and Lydia got me the D&D 4th edition rulebooks ^_^

Les Balayeurs du Désert - Décollage

So, the iPhone 3G is coming out a month from tomorrow, and is significantly faster, has a better GPS, has a better battery life?, is slightly thicker, is $10 more per month, and comes with a black or white back. Oh, and it’s $200.

I’ve been an iPhone user for almost a year. In anticipation of the upgrade, I sold my iPhone today, for $326 $475. I also bought a cheap phone today to hold me over for a month (the data plan for which I won’t have to pay this coming month covered the cost of the substitute phone).

So, I made $275, and I’m getting an upgraded iPhone.

Here’s why you might not want to do this:

It is attractive to me to give up a valued material possession for a month. A little like fasting, but with more of a flavor of proving to myself that I am independent of a thing.

Band of Horses - Wicked Gil

No point… just lolcats:

The bottom one’s my favorite.

Totally Radd!! - Mike Tyson’s Punch Out