Ignorant Quote Mining

I have decided to expand my horizons of human literature.

From this day forward, I won't be only reading about the classics. No longer will I pass over the written word preferring the burned DVD. From now on I will be picking up some selected works and scanning through them like a panicked college student with an overdue book report.

The enlightened reader will notice that my limited vocabulary will begin to grow over the next few weeks as I memorize new words and add them to my (pause to search nearby dictionary)... lexicon.

And here's something that I quote-mined from a book today:

"It is a common sentence that Knowledge is power; but who hath duly considered or set forth the power of Ignorance?

Knowledge slowly builds up what Ignorance in an hour pulls down. Knowledge, through patient and frugal centuries, enlarges discovery and makes record of it; Ignorance, wanting its day's dinner, lights a fire with the record, and gives a flavour to its one roast with the burnt souls of many generations.

Knowledge, instructing the sense, refining and multiplying needs, transforms itself into skill and makes life various with a new six days' work; comes Ignorance drunk on the seventh, with a firkin of oil and a match and an easy 'Let there not be' - and the many-coloured creation is shrivelled up in blackness.

Of a truth, Knowledge is power, but it is a power reined by scruple, having a conscience of what must be and what may be; whereas Ignorance is a blind giant who, let him but wax unbound, would make it a sport to seize the pillars that hold up the long-wrought fabric of human good, and turn all the places of joy dark as a buried Babylon." - From George Elliot's "Daniel Deronda"

From what I've seen in the media lately, this passage resonates. This one time only, I will spare you the pained tedium of my elucidation. This one time I'll allow you to apply it how you see fit.

One bad hombre

Have you ever run into a bad person? I don’t mean someone who cuts you off in traffic or litters in the park. I mean the sort of person that sparks your hypothalamus to drop fight or flight chemicals into your bloodstream. The sort of person Wild West novelists referred to as the “bad hombre”.

These people are in all walks of life and I don’t think its how they dress or what social background they come from. It’s not how they look; it’s something about how they look at you or maybe how they look through you as if you are merely an object in their way or something to be used.

Now I know we’re all technically “bad people”. That’s not what I’m talking about. There’s a bell curve of behaviour that becomes strikingly obvious when you are introduced to individuals that occupy the top 1-3 percentile of the bad hombre curve.

A few weeks ago I read the verse “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” – Romans 5:8. It’s a nice verse and I understand what all the words mean but the truth of that statement is profound and I don’t think I had ever taken it to the logical extension and allowed it to really sink in before.

Two truths related to that verse are quite amazing;

1) God doesn’t love me any more when I’m righteous than when I am a sinner. He loved me when I was still a sinner enough to send His Son to die for me. Sometimes I feel like I need to “get right with God” before I can approach Him. When I was at my absolute worst He approached me.

2) God loves the Bad Hombre as much as He loves me. The person that I avoid like the Black Death, He reaches out to. Of course I know that, but it never really sank in before and that changed the way I look at people. I realize the only difference between how God looks at anyone is whether or not He sees Jesus when He looks at us.

Argumentum ad populum

What is the greatest moral failure of our society today?

This is likely an impossible question for humans to answer correctly.

Here's a couple examples why: Today, we would agree that slavery is morally wrong but a few hundred years ago it was acceptable in many parts of the world. We have people like William Wilberforce to thank (among others) for bringing this terrible practice to an end, at least in the western world.

Less than a century ago in parts of Europe it was acceptable to murder Jews, Eastern Europeans and Homosexuals. The Nazi government sold the society of that time the lie that these people were not humans and without the intervention of the British Commonwealth, the US, and the USSR this would've continued.

Now you may say "there were lots of people who opposed these atrocities, it wasn't unilaterally accepted, some evil leaders in positions of power made these things happen". Sure, but they can't hold onto power unless the majority of people do nothing.

Society decides what is morally wrong (if anything). This makes me wonder about today's society and the morals that are generally accepted. There are two possibilities: 1) this society has everything right and what we call "politically correct" today is absolutely correct. Or 2) Some things that are generally considered acceptable today will be considered morally wrong in the future and/or things that are considered wrong today will be acceptable in the future.

Christians, who look to God's Word for their absolute morality, are often quickly marginalized and labelled "narrow-minded". They are like the smell of death to those who are perishing.

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? - 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

What's my point? I think everyone should think critically about what political leaders, professors and society at large say about what's right or wrong, and I think this is the most important part, don't be afraid to be called "narrow-minded" or "not-politically correct". Remember that the morals of any society are the product of the lowest common denominator of the majority of the people of that society. Today society tells us that unborn babies are not human they are "fetuses" and if we say that they deserve protection we are "narrow-minded" and "anti-choice". A few people today will take a stand while the morals of the society ebb away.

For my part I'm really thankful for these people; "narrow-minded" people like William Wilberforce and Corrie ten Boom. Their society may have called them that, I call them people with integrity.

Glogging

If you’ve ever bothered to look at the ground after it’s rained you may have noticed something strange.

Compelled by a lack of oxygen, hundreds of earthworms embark on a doomed migration out of the rain-soaked earth. Eventually they find themselves looking a bit lost on the wet pavement. Unfortunately, the sun will come out again and at that moment their ultimate fate becomes clear. Death. And not an easy death but a slow, painful drying. Today I walk coldly by and leave them to their squirming fate. I’m too busy and I don’t want to get my hands dirty. Sure I feel a twinge of regret when I walk back later on the dry pavement and see their dried bodies curled up, wilted under the unforgiving scrutiny of the sun. Sure I could ignore the puzzled glances from people and shout desperately at the worms, “Turn back!” “The sun will come out again and you will die” “ Why can’t you see that?”

When I was a kid my sister used to take me "glogging". Glogging, for the uninformed, was going out after the rain and saving earthworms. Our mission was clear and we were extremely motivated to look for as many of these little lost worms as possible, scoop them up and deposit them safely back on either a lawn or a garden.

What is a worm that we would even care? Maybe we should’ve saved animals that are more beautiful, more intelligent, more cuddly...

But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. - Psalm 22:6

Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you," declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. - Isaiah 41:14

Deeds not words

It's unfortunate that we live in a dangerous world. A world that requires police officers and soldiers. And though I have heard many people complain about the police those same people are thankful when the police are there to lay their lives on the line for them when required. In Canada many people take our soldiers for granted as well. We're happy to have soldiers as peacekeepers and for disaster relief but sometimes peacemaking is what is required

JTF2 are peacemakers and they are a departure from our usual "sorry you stepped on my foot" Canadian image. Whatever your political beliefs about war and warriors what I like about JTF2 other than the protection they offer is their motto "Facta non verba" or "Deeds not words". It's inspiring. While most people only talk, JTF2 goes into the darkest, most dangerous corners of the world and acts.

Over 50 years ago men and women from our country went overseas to dangerous places and acted as well. I hope my children will remember what that means for them today, what it cost to live in a free country today. Ironically those soldiers risked their lives and in many cases died so people today could have the priviledge to complain about the very protection they provided.

Nevertheless, actions win wars and not words alone.

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but the same principle applies, action is what is required.

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. - James 2:15-18

We need to get up off of our knees...




Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. - 1 John 3:18