love wins?

So, in the past few days I've been reading a lot about this new book that Rob Bell is going to publish called "Love Wins" and it's interesting because a lot of people are very upset that its message is going to be completely universalist.  The truth is that it may be and yet, at the same time what he has to say in the video that is a type of preview for the book rings true in a certain way.  I will be curious to read the book and see what he really has to say.  I'm not convinced one way or another.

LOVE WINS. from Rob Bell on Vimeo.

The fact is that in the past couple of weeks I have been thinking about censorship and it's implications for politics and religion.  Then, this week, I've found myself considering two possible examples of both.  The issue of political sensorship is one that I'm thinking about because of the situation with a Spanish reporter that got deported today from Panama and the only reason that I can think of for them to do that is to try to get him to be quiet.  They have been trying to get rid of him for ages because they are afraid of the way that he makes people think.

Then, there's the issue of Rob Bell and the reaction that makes it seem like possibly what he has to say is so bad that you shouldn't read it because something bad might happen to you or the people around you.  I would like to read it for myself and see what he has to say.  I always feel nervous whe people want to stop people from talking.  It is true that ideas have implications and for that very reason I don't think that anyone should be given the freedom to arbitarily stop someone from sharing their ideas.

attack on freedom of expression

Panama is going through some strange times.  For the past couple of weeks there have been some pretty heavy protests about mountain top mining being approved in some of the indigenous regions of the country.  There are a lot of people quite upset about the decision and a lot of people have shown their concern.

This past weekend a journalist and Human Rights worker, Paco Gomez Nadal, was arrested at one of these protests and today he was deported to Spain.  It is amazing, this government has had it in for him ever since they came into power.  He is the kind of person who was not afraid to be critical of the government and by doing so he earned their disfavor and ultimately they've deported him.  This is a bad sign.  The government is afraid of criticism and the freedom of press is in serious danger.

It's sad and it's going to be very interesting to see what happens in Panama in the next few months.

Worry

One thing that is interesting about being a teacher is how your work follows you everywhere you go.  You go home and you still have to plan or grade work.  You leave after a hard day and you cannot help but think about your students from time to time.  I went out with Ariel this weekend and saw one of my students who was out with his family.  It is just interesting because it is good, there is something very good about being involved in the lives of other people in such a way that you do not leave them and yet, there is something good about being able to disconnect from you work and just relax and be yourself.  I want to be better at doing that.  I spend too much time worrying about things.  That is something I want to focus on.

I've been thinking about this worry and anxiety that keeps me up at night.  I think it has something to do with not being able to say "no" very well.  I need to say "no" to some of my thoughts and I need to say "no" to some people in my life who have some very specific expectations for me.  I'm sure that it would be easier if I could just say no and not be so worried about what these other people were thinking.  I guess I need to have some dignity, that is what I need to make sure of.  I'm often too afraid of offending people.  It's something I need to work on.  I shouldn't be laying awake at night, it's not healthy. 

feeling strange on Sunday

I'm sitting here listening to a Josh Ritter concert procrastinating from my lesson planning.  

I've had another strange Sunday.  Sometimes I wonder if there will ever come a time in my life that I will not feel strange on Sunday.  Sometimes, I miss the days that I could sincerely sing with the Church Chimpunks "Sunday school, Sunday school how I love Sunday school, yes, I do!"

Oh well.  

750words

Saturday morning.  Listening to Morning Edition on NPR and doing some morning journaling from bed...looking forward to listening to This American Life.   This past week my friend Amy sent me a link to a web site called 750Words.  The founder of the program writes about the site saying this:

I've long been inspired by an idea I first learned about in The Artist's Way called morning pages. Morning pages are three pages of writing done every day, typically encouraged to be in "long hand", typically done in the morning, that can be about anything and everything that comes into your head. It's about getting it all out of your head, and is not supposed to be edited or censored in any way. The idea is that if you can get in the habit of writing three pages a day, that it will help clear your mind and get the ideas flowing for the rest of the day.(...)

I've used the exercise as a great way to think out loud without having to worry about half-formed ideas, random tangents, private stuff, and all the other things in our heads that we often filter out before ever voicing them or writing about them. It's a daily brain dump. Over time, I've found that it's also very helpful as a tool to get thoughts going that have become stuck, or to help get to the bottom of a rotten mood.

 So, he developed the site to inspire writing 750 words every day.  It uses a motivational point system to encourage you to write every day.  You get badges for writing days in a row, for writing without getting distracted, etc.  It is also private so, it lets me get back to just writing because I enjoy it not worrying that people might end up reading it.  It's interesting because getting out some of the mixed up ideas that I've had has made it easier for me to want to come back to my blog again to chat with y'all about life.

The other thing that has helped is that I've finally received my dad's old computer.  My computer died a while back and since I couldn't afford to get a new one my computer time was a bit more limited.  Since I've received my dad's I have a bit more comfort using it to write.  The other thing is that we went back to school after Christmas break and then had to get back into the routine of school.  I've also been trying to make some major decisions about what I'm going to do next year (work related) and I've spent a lot of time thinking about that.  Now, I think I've made a decision and I think that I'm back.  I hope that is true.