I was a neo-platonist, part the second

For all of those who read that posting all those months ago--whenI began to realize the implications that philosophical priorities have impacted the way we live, the way we interact with the world, and the way we view God--here is the second installment.

In my earlier post, gentle reader, I wrote about how I once believed that the material things of this world were of virtually no consequence, being utterly corrupted by the fall. But as time has worn on I began to feel more and more uncomfortable with that understanding of nature.

I've been fascinated by the whole campaign concerning liveEarth, which being absent from the States I've been able to keep up on thanks to MSN. Today I found this article by Phillip Harper which is titled "What Would Jesus Drive?" Beyond the title, which brings up memories of the Christian-Ghetto marketing nightmare that was (and still is), the article is compelling. It does not attempt to give a simplistic answer to the issues of where evangelical Christians stand in regards to care for the environment. Like nothing I've ever read before it acknowledges that there are some very complex issues to be dealt with.

There are some (who are very influential, might I add) who say that Christians should not be concerned about the environment--they say it will divide our attention from the great moral crises of our time. This, I believe, is the impact of that neo-platonic influence I was talking about--"why worry with the material world?? We have souls to think about!" I find it to be short-sighted and one-dimensional in perspective. They seem to think that the world can be changed if they lobby enough on one or two issues. They are throwing all their resources at one symptom of a greater problem--which includes the misuse of the world God has given us in both its material, moral, and spiritual implications.

The first reason I like this article is the fact that Harper gives credence to the aspect of my faith that causes me to care about the environment: stewardship. This world is a precious, precious thing and we are to care for it, and as the article says, "nurture" it. One of the unfortunate byproducts of almost all technology has been to manipulate nature, not to craft nature. I just wrote a paper on Chaucer's Franklin's Tale in which the Franklin juxtaposes the beauty of a garden--nature crafted, shaped, and designed by man; and a magician attempting to manipulate the world by science and illusion for some other purpose. I'm not saying we should only be making flower gardens with technology, but only that our technology should be responsible and pursued with the perspective of the whole in mind.

Another aspect in relation to man's use of environmental resources which the article touches on is the belief that God has given mankind the responsibility of dominion over the world. We are his stewards, the ones he has given charge to as he looks over it. So therefore it is our responsibility to find ways to tame this wild yet beautiful world. We can go back again to the gardens of England and find their beauty being a mixture of art and nature--man's touch upon that which God has made. Things like electricity (which really, I must say is pretty addicting--who wants to live without that??) would never have been possible without people learning how to harness that which provides us with so many other helpful things.

But perhaps my favorite aspect of this piece is that it refuses to ignore the human element in regards to the environment: it does not forget the poor. I feel a little uninformed about the policies that have been discussed for global reform and the implications they might have, but Harper raises some really good points about the immediate moral implications this has upon the world's poorest peoples. They barely have resources as it is--is it right for us to strip away what little they do have when the newer technologies, while better, are not available to them? Should we ask them to wait another 100 years to receive electricity and running water when resources which are based on fossil fuels are available today?

Like I said, I'm not terribly informed when it comes to all of those details, but like some have said when studying Jesus' words: what I don't understand shouldn't scare me as much as what I do understand. And what I do understand, both in what Jesus says and in what the problems are in the world is this: there are people who are dying, physically and spiritually. Our wealth in the world and in is completely disproportionately distributed. I'm not saying I know how to fix it, I'm not sure if anyone does. The complications, details, and repercussions are immense. But it's just nice to know that someone else sees them. The creation and the poor cannot be forgotten. That's what I can understand. And there's enough responsibility to scare me to death as it is.

reason for being non-committal revealed!

Ok, I know what you're thinking. But I'm not single because I'm non-committal. That's not what this blog is about. This entry is about my recent revelation concerning why I don't like to make plans...unless of course I'm really excited about them.
So here's the big reason: I don't like to be disappointed. That's why I hate making plans.

This all came to me as Rachel and I were planning our attack on London this weekend. We decided that an evening of Shakespeare would be very nice. So I went online and found tickets to the Globe (the original theatre that Shakespeare's plays were performed in, rebuilt and completed in the 1990's) for a great price(the groundlings section). It was easy...too easy. So anyway, I get the confirmation email--which by the way stinks because by the time you get the email it's too late to change it--and realize that I booked them not for this past Sunday, but NEXT Sunday after both Rachel and I individually will have crossed the Atlantic.

So I made plans. They got messed up. No refunds. Wasted money. Not exactly of King Lear proportions, but still sad. Rachel and I did visit the Globe this weekend, just not to see a play. While I was there, I wrestled with whether to buy another ticket for when I was going to be there on Friday night. Did I want to commit myself to that again? What if I was disappointed? But I decided to just do it. I made plans. I looked disappointment in the eye and committed. Should you need a date for Friday night and happen to be in London, I'll be enjoying Love's Labors Lost, hopefully. If I'm not disappointed between now and then.

But then again, isn't life always about taking chances and living with the potential to be disappointed? Since I'm in the UK, I have the need to quote James Joyce: Welcome, Oh Life! I go to encounter for the millioneth time the reality of experience.
Yeah, was that convincing? I'm ready to come home, I think. Five days.

Wishing for Wellies

Today I sit in a proper English tea room drinking proper (well, almost--it's decaf) Earl Grey Tea (hot). Which we've been said to have had excellent weather during our stay, today has been the first day of rain. I now see why they wear wellies here--big, high often obnoxiously colourful, rubber boots. I haven't worn rubber boots since college. Then we called them duck boots and they weren't particularly feminine. But I did feel like I could take on any puddle and therefore, take on the world. Here I'm wearing my tennis shoes which are nicely vented so that when I'm training for my marathon (yeah, right), my feet stay cool. Well, that doesn't work so well for English rain. So my feet are pretty wet.
But outside, I still think it's lovely. A proper English rainy day while inside of a proper English tea room called a proper English name (The Rose) while drinking proper English tea. Yes, my shoes are wet. As are my socks. And my feet. And my hat. And the bottom half of my pants. But I can still say boldly that it is indeed, a lovely day.

Cheers!

Three Pounds, Fifty Pence None-the-Richer

I debated on what to title this little installment. I had two or three names all rolling around in my head, all of which having to do with numbers and the ordinary. I've realized this past year or so that I really like numbers. I like their symmetry and the concreteness that they represent. But then I like to tie them to something ordinary yet extraordinary, too. Maybe you'll see more of what I mean in the future.

So today I am three pounds, and fifty pence none-the-richer in Oxford. Another name for this entry was about to be "the $80 run." I guess I could still call it that. So here's the story.

If I don't exercise, my muscles hurt. That's the the short version. It's been a long while since I've really got some good circulation happening--sure I've walked, but not really got the blood moving since I left Orlando 11 days ago. So last night I thought I was being so good and disciplined, heading out the door at 8pm (still quite light in Oxford)to Christ Church Meadow, a beautiful little place with a walk lined with lavender. I had a nice little jog/walk/whatever and was feeling pretty proud of my stamina and also had some creative thoughts for the paper I was working on. I walked out of Christ Church Meadow feeling pretty good about life...that is until I stuck my hands in my pockets and realized what wasn't there--my keys.

So needless to say, I sort of freaked. Long story. Many other walks around the meadow, to the porter's office, to the police station, and back. But they're gone. The hall charges 10 pounds per lost key...there were four on the ring. But sadly as I was taking the fourth and final lap around the meadow before I gave up, I realized as I prayed that God would provide for me financially, even if these keys didn't show up, like I was asking for them to.

It was just about that time that I remembered that I overpaid for my tuition here when I was doing the fund transfer back in May. So they owed me money--43 and a half pounds, in fact. And I owed them 40 pounds. God did provide, with money I'd already counted on not having. So now, at the end of the day, instead of being 40 pounds (about $80) further in the hole, I'm now in possession of 3 pounds and fifty pence...and all the richer for it.

Cheers.

I'm noticing a pattern here...

...that I only seem to blog when I'm avoiding writing a paper. Today's topic: Chaucer, Wife of Bath. I'm looking forward to writing it. I love my tutor (think more UC Berkley and less Oxford, yet at Oxford) and feel as if I have a lot to say, mostly because I've lived life.
Experience, though no other authority
were in this world, is quite enough for me

...says the Wife. And so I've found it to be true. Then again, my topic will be mostly about marriage, about which I have no experience but years of observation having watched some friends go through hell and back...and some who are not so much back as of yet. So we'll see what pops out the other end of the document. It might just be good.

In other news, as I was walk/jog/running/whatever around Christ Church Meadow today, I lost my keys. Sad. Expensive. So if you think of it, ask Jesus to bring them back for me. He has a habit of bringing things back for me.

So now...onto the paper...

Oxford Blues

I can't believe it's been nearly two months since I've written. So much has happened, most of which I won't take time to put here except in passing. Basically, it's been a hard couple of months. I've gone from the heights of experiencing an infinite sense of blessedness on this road I'm on to the depths of fear and depression, wondering what on earth I've done.
It's been as if a door has been opened...more of like a can that contained all of the fear of the future I'd been pushing down all year. I think it was just because I've been pushing so hard and am just so tired.

So now I'm at Oxford at the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. I have my very own room on the top floor, which I've titled 'The Tower.' I've struggled with loneliness for weeks before I even arrived here and initially feared the feeling of being separated from the others in my program. But part of me now wonders if this tower is exactly what I need this summer. To be lonely but to find Jesus in the midst of it. Maybe that's why I needed to come all the way here to discover.

More on Oxford later. I'm here for three more weeks. Pray that I enjoy my time here and don't obsess too much with counting down the days until I'm back home again in Orlando--which has become more dear to me this year than ever.

Photos to follow, in theory.