I don't like to post theological tidbits on my blog. I feel that I am rather not the person to consult on anything beyond the most basic of doctrines. I wouldn't say I am uninformed or ignorant of these things, but there are many who are much wiser than I am.
That being said. I had an interesting thought this weekend.
Sunday's gospel was the account of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The Lord almighty entering his own city, lowly, sitting on a Donkey, to loud cries of Hosanna. But it goes on, not everyone was singing Hosannas, there was a great disturbance in the city, a 'stirring up' of the people. This is not a positive reaction, they are fearful and speculative.
I do not know why, but today as I was considering this gospel I thought of when Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees in Luke: 11:14-22. He speaks to them concerning the house divided, referring to their accusation of his casting out demons by Beelzebul. He speaks first concerning a house divided; then when he speaks of casting out demons by the finger of God he goes on to use the Strong man analogy. A Strong Man with his armor and his sword is comfortable and at peace, relaxing. However, One who is stronger than he overcomes him and divides his spoils, taking his armor in which he trusted.
Up til now, as you can tell, has just been referencing the gospels. Here is my exegetical thought.
We have entered Advent, Death has been reigning freely, the Devil roams like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. They sit in their palace of hell, wearing the armor of unrepentant sin and wielding the sword of the law's condemnations.They sit comfortably, confident in the fallen nature of men doubting that God will fulfill his promise to Adam and Eve.
But then, the Christ, the Stronger man, comes lowly, with no armor, into this house of death, he overpowers Death and the Devil, claiming for himself the spoils of the souls of mankind. Even as he does so, men refuse him and allow Death and the Devil full reign once more. (Luke: 11: 23-26)
It's a thought, not particularly deep and definitely not unfamiliar. But I liked it.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Yet Another Frustrated Rant
Recently I have felt terribly disenfranchised. I followed the lead of the higher ups; forgave them for their departures from their core principles; faithfully endorsed their ventures; eagerly anticipated their dicta; answering their questions and reading their publications, not complaining about their ever increasing cost....
I am, of course, referring to the Lego company.
If you know me well at all, you will know that I am a die hard Lego fan. I love my Legos.
In more recent years though I have seen a steady and increasing disparity between my hopes and expectations and the delivered product. In short, I feel that Lego is losing its spark. In an attempt to become more marketable and profitable they have departed from what was, in my opinion, mind you, their greatest appeal, that Legos are what you make them to be. You do not need some sort of convoluted plot line about ninjas with super natural elemental spinning powers. The Lego sets are ultimately meant to be taken apart and reconfigured into the creations of your mind; zany starships, massive castles, obscure architecture, or maybe just a quiet little town. (Soon to be destroyed by aliens mind you.)
Lego's strategy is brilliant though. Create a storyline revolving around a dozen or so sets then sell them as a progressing story that you can partake of if only you would purchase all those sets. The plan is perfectly keyed towards those who lack imagination.
I have followed Lego for many years, and I believe that I have pinpointed the dock and vessel of this sad departure.
The year was 2000, the world of Lego consisted of very few genres, Star Wars Legos had just hit the scene, the Pirates were gone, Johnny Thunder was raiding tombs, the Bull knights were threatening the Kingdom, City Legos were prevalent. All of these groups and none of them really had a story to speak of, there were bad guys and good guys and adventures, everything else was up to you. Then, on December 30th, the Legos company released its new highly anticipated series.... "Bionicle" was highly successful. Featuring named elementally supercharged heroes and a flashy comic book series, the Bionicle franchise went on to have over eight re-inventions over the next ten years, and still lives on under another name.
Of course it wasn't an overnight change and perhaps I'm too critical, I loved Bionicle up until it had been going for over five years, then I got frustrated with it. However, after Bionicle's creation, the nature of Lego genres began to morph. Overtime it came to be that everything was a gimmick, everything had special powers or special abilities. The stories no longer consisted of the classic cops and robbers kind of set up. Legos started to be less about what you could build on your own and more about what you could build if you would only buy all of the sets.
Now, earlier I mentioned prices. I realize it is more economic reality than it is anything else. Legos are made out of plastic, plastic means oil, oil prices go up the cost of plastic goes up and Legos are more expensive to manufacture, not to mention the increase in prices for the shipping of the Legos from where they are made.
As well as this there is inflation. A weakening dollar which makes it more expensive to run their business forces Lego to place some of that cost on the consumer. There is of course also an element of profit in this equation. Lego is more popular than ever and they are able to charge what they do because of their company's strong name, people know that Legos are a high quality product, and the children don't care how much it costs... just as long as they get their Legos.
I used to have a very accurate rating system, Legos were an .8:10 ratio, for eighty cents you received ten Lego pieces. Then it increased to a 1:10, every dollar was ten Lego pieces. And now, more recently, the ratio has been 1.2:10 and the price keeps rising. It seems every time I enter a store the price of Legos has gone up. Even the used Lego market on Ebay is steep.
I still love Legos, and I still go to the Lego aisle and look at the sets there on the off chance that there will be something that I want, but there never is and every two months the salt is rubbed into the wounds by the Lego magazine whichs always reveals Lego's next big story genre.
I am disenfranchised, torn by my life long love of Legos and my ever increasing cynicism concerning the future of the brand for which I used to save my every penny.
That's all, I'm done now. Sigh....
I am, of course, referring to the Lego company.
If you know me well at all, you will know that I am a die hard Lego fan. I love my Legos.
In more recent years though I have seen a steady and increasing disparity between my hopes and expectations and the delivered product. In short, I feel that Lego is losing its spark. In an attempt to become more marketable and profitable they have departed from what was, in my opinion, mind you, their greatest appeal, that Legos are what you make them to be. You do not need some sort of convoluted plot line about ninjas with super natural elemental spinning powers. The Lego sets are ultimately meant to be taken apart and reconfigured into the creations of your mind; zany starships, massive castles, obscure architecture, or maybe just a quiet little town. (Soon to be destroyed by aliens mind you.)
Lego's strategy is brilliant though. Create a storyline revolving around a dozen or so sets then sell them as a progressing story that you can partake of if only you would purchase all those sets. The plan is perfectly keyed towards those who lack imagination.
I have followed Lego for many years, and I believe that I have pinpointed the dock and vessel of this sad departure.
The year was 2000, the world of Lego consisted of very few genres, Star Wars Legos had just hit the scene, the Pirates were gone, Johnny Thunder was raiding tombs, the Bull knights were threatening the Kingdom, City Legos were prevalent. All of these groups and none of them really had a story to speak of, there were bad guys and good guys and adventures, everything else was up to you. Then, on December 30th, the Legos company released its new highly anticipated series.... "Bionicle" was highly successful. Featuring named elementally supercharged heroes and a flashy comic book series, the Bionicle franchise went on to have over eight re-inventions over the next ten years, and still lives on under another name.
Of course it wasn't an overnight change and perhaps I'm too critical, I loved Bionicle up until it had been going for over five years, then I got frustrated with it. However, after Bionicle's creation, the nature of Lego genres began to morph. Overtime it came to be that everything was a gimmick, everything had special powers or special abilities. The stories no longer consisted of the classic cops and robbers kind of set up. Legos started to be less about what you could build on your own and more about what you could build if you would only buy all of the sets.
Now, earlier I mentioned prices. I realize it is more economic reality than it is anything else. Legos are made out of plastic, plastic means oil, oil prices go up the cost of plastic goes up and Legos are more expensive to manufacture, not to mention the increase in prices for the shipping of the Legos from where they are made.
As well as this there is inflation. A weakening dollar which makes it more expensive to run their business forces Lego to place some of that cost on the consumer. There is of course also an element of profit in this equation. Lego is more popular than ever and they are able to charge what they do because of their company's strong name, people know that Legos are a high quality product, and the children don't care how much it costs... just as long as they get their Legos.
I used to have a very accurate rating system, Legos were an .8:10 ratio, for eighty cents you received ten Lego pieces. Then it increased to a 1:10, every dollar was ten Lego pieces. And now, more recently, the ratio has been 1.2:10 and the price keeps rising. It seems every time I enter a store the price of Legos has gone up. Even the used Lego market on Ebay is steep.
I still love Legos, and I still go to the Lego aisle and look at the sets there on the off chance that there will be something that I want, but there never is and every two months the salt is rubbed into the wounds by the Lego magazine whichs always reveals Lego's next big story genre.
I am disenfranchised, torn by my life long love of Legos and my ever increasing cynicism concerning the future of the brand for which I used to save my every penny.
That's all, I'm done now. Sigh....
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Mostest Bestest Mama
Earlier today, during coffee after Lauds, the topic of the 'generation gap' came up. The one who presented the topic did not believe in it's existence; he didn't experience it with his children and he doesn't remember it as a child. I agreed that it does not naturally occur, but rather it is the product of the industrial schooling system. On our own, we want to be our parents--at least I do--we want to be smart, we want to solve problems, we want to know things and know how to get things done.
However, if you drop a child in the midst of his childish peers all it takes is one child complaining about his parents saying that they aren't cool or just in general being discontent, after that it snowballs; peer pressure kicks in and everybody jumps on the generation gap bandwagon. Children who never have thought that the rules of their parents were unjust are convinced otherwise by their peers. And so, having established this disrespect for the authority of their parents, they go on to perhaps have their own children, but *they* know better than their parents did, *they* are going to be *good* parents and not be so strict.
In many ways this disrespect is encouraged by the schools and pop culture. Advertizing appeals to it all the time. The schools encourage it every time that they contradict a child's parents. Creationism vs. evolution; disagreements of political ideology; the constant narrative of the power and wisdom of the government; all of these things contribute to a lack of faith in the wisdom and efficacy of one's own progenitors.
Now, with that in mind, I get to the point of this blog post.
It is with profound and humbling honor that I acknowledge this most auspicious of days. This prestigious natal day of one who is very likely the coolest, wisest, most awesomest, kick-buttest, wonderfullest, goshdarnedbestest mamas in the whole wide world, nay, in the universe.
Happy Birthday Mama!
That's all.
However, if you drop a child in the midst of his childish peers all it takes is one child complaining about his parents saying that they aren't cool or just in general being discontent, after that it snowballs; peer pressure kicks in and everybody jumps on the generation gap bandwagon. Children who never have thought that the rules of their parents were unjust are convinced otherwise by their peers. And so, having established this disrespect for the authority of their parents, they go on to perhaps have their own children, but *they* know better than their parents did, *they* are going to be *good* parents and not be so strict.
In many ways this disrespect is encouraged by the schools and pop culture. Advertizing appeals to it all the time. The schools encourage it every time that they contradict a child's parents. Creationism vs. evolution; disagreements of political ideology; the constant narrative of the power and wisdom of the government; all of these things contribute to a lack of faith in the wisdom and efficacy of one's own progenitors.
Now, with that in mind, I get to the point of this blog post.
It is with profound and humbling honor that I acknowledge this most auspicious of days. This prestigious natal day of one who is very likely the coolest, wisest, most awesomest, kick-buttest, wonderfullest, goshdarnedbestest mamas in the whole wide world, nay, in the universe.
Happy Birthday Mama!
That's all.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
A Tall Tale of Trade
I have a tale for you, my friends. A tale of hardship and struggle. A tale of four colonies struggling to survive in a rugged landscape....
Once upon a time, a great fleet of ships searching for a new home arrived on a bountiful island, Catan. They immediately struck out into this vast new land in an attempt to find their place. Many went north searching for wealth where there was wheat and brick, and the brick in that land was good. Some made their home on the far end of the island; they lived in peace with all despite being the greatest military power, and chose to devote their days to defending the land from robbers.
And then their were those who took for themselves the southern portion of the island. They were shrewd traders. They quickly expanded, claiming for their own the entirety of the south. They bade their time, working trades with the other colonies slowly positioning themselves into the perfect position. And then it happened...a merchant came to the local governor and said his favorite word in the world: monopoly. The shrewd merchant had discovered a way in which their colony could claim ownership of all brick produced on the island. The governor mobilized, and within a month the governors of the other colonies were informed of the treachery. They prayed for robbers to descend on the merchant colony, but no robbers came.
At that time, the local economy saw a great uptick in production; wood, grain and sheep were in great supply and the governor of the southern colony had great ambitions. He wished to build cities, and a great road that would make his colony the dominant force in the land but he had no ore to build his cities. Then, being a clever and shrewd merchant, he contacted his neighboring colony in the north. He offered them massive deals on brick if only they would give him a little ore. One of the neighboring colonies jumped at the chance because they hadn't any brick due to the recent monopoly. And so the governor had everything he needed and that day he commissioned the building of a great new city and a new settlement in the north as well as his great road.
Within the month, all the colonies on the island were either abandoned or they were controlled by the shrewd merchant governor. The End.
Well, there is our story. It's a story of hardship and struggle, but mostly it is the story of one governor's magnificent brilliance in wiping the floor with his opponents.
Once upon a time, a great fleet of ships searching for a new home arrived on a bountiful island, Catan. They immediately struck out into this vast new land in an attempt to find their place. Many went north searching for wealth where there was wheat and brick, and the brick in that land was good. Some made their home on the far end of the island; they lived in peace with all despite being the greatest military power, and chose to devote their days to defending the land from robbers.
And then their were those who took for themselves the southern portion of the island. They were shrewd traders. They quickly expanded, claiming for their own the entirety of the south. They bade their time, working trades with the other colonies slowly positioning themselves into the perfect position. And then it happened...a merchant came to the local governor and said his favorite word in the world: monopoly. The shrewd merchant had discovered a way in which their colony could claim ownership of all brick produced on the island. The governor mobilized, and within a month the governors of the other colonies were informed of the treachery. They prayed for robbers to descend on the merchant colony, but no robbers came.
At that time, the local economy saw a great uptick in production; wood, grain and sheep were in great supply and the governor of the southern colony had great ambitions. He wished to build cities, and a great road that would make his colony the dominant force in the land but he had no ore to build his cities. Then, being a clever and shrewd merchant, he contacted his neighboring colony in the north. He offered them massive deals on brick if only they would give him a little ore. One of the neighboring colonies jumped at the chance because they hadn't any brick due to the recent monopoly. And so the governor had everything he needed and that day he commissioned the building of a great new city and a new settlement in the north as well as his great road.
Within the month, all the colonies on the island were either abandoned or they were controlled by the shrewd merchant governor. The End.
Well, there is our story. It's a story of hardship and struggle, but mostly it is the story of one governor's magnificent brilliance in wiping the floor with his opponents.
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