Thoughts

I've heard two comments over the past two days relating to illusions. The first was at the gym, where I overheard a man talking about the "illusion of choice," the idea being we think we have the power to choose the directions of our lives, but in fact are dictated by conditions out of our control. The second I heard at Barnes and Noble today. A cafe employee was taking people's orders and telling those without food or beverages that the cafe was reserved for patrons. When she left, I heard a man in the corner tell a stranger that this event highlighted an "illusion of happiness." He then went onto explain that the hospitality industry-- in places like Starbucks and Disneyland-- creates a setting that provides happiness to people, but that this happiness only exists for those who pay for their services. This second illusion brought back to mind what I'd read earlier on a blog (see markgalli.com, " Starbucks Homeless Bathrooms," N

A brilliant star that wrote his name O'er constellations bright Led restive men to seek his fame And gather in his light And come they did on sacred space To learn a sacred theme For what was writ upon his face Fulfilled their sacred dream Fulfilled a longing all men knew And cleared them of their crime This Word that stopped with reddened hue Eternity in time Eternity now put to sleep Along with sword and spear Along with other stars that keep Man's broken heart in fear.

What better way to celebrate Christmas than with the gift of random words. Tonight's story comes from three words produced on a random word generator. Without further adieu, here are the words given to me: glow, slump, and vanguard. My qualification is that I'm not allowed to hit backspace (that is, delete words I've written). Once I've written a piece of the story, it must remain. Here it goes. Their sabers flashed and rattled in a cacophony of light and sound as they advanced under peering moonlight. They, the first among equals, would also be the first to die. The soldiers behind them knew this, and the officers to their immediate rear all but spoke the words with their ghoulish glances, their faces dim despite being lit by august moonlight. That is, until one of them actually spoke. "Freedom is a word that men throw around as though it were something real, something to be touched. I know of no such word. All my days have been handed on scraps of paper to su

Aaaahhhhh!!” I screamed. School was over. My backyard was green and inviting, and the afternoon sun had still more warmth and radiance to offer. Still, nothing– no friend, thoughts of relaxation, or beauty– could have comforted me from the shock of pain coursing through what I once thought to be my left arm. “Dad! I think it’s broken!” It was, but dad thought otherwise, at least at first. It began after school on a brilliant spring afternoon. I was fifteen, and my friend was my adversary. We set foot in that arena, that soccer field that was my back yard, surrounded by what seemed like thousands of roses on three sides, following our every move and applauding our every triumph. The glistening, blue sky seemed almost to call us into afternoon play, a call which none of the cotton ball clouds dotting the sky could ever have stopped us from hearing. Chris, my best friend at the time, suggested we kick the ball back and forth, and I was ready. I was soon to find out, however, that this

Since 1987, more women have been enrolling in college than men (1). In 2010, for example, the American Council on Education found that 57 percent of those attending college were female, and 43 percent were male (2). One commentator from National Public Radio explained this by saying that “boys are directed toward sports and rewarded more for their athletic [ability] than for their classroom work” (3). While this may be an oversimplification, it does make you wonder why males aren't keeping up with women in college attendance. Perhaps males choose careers that offer comparable wages, but that do not require a college education (construction, for example); perhaps kindergarten through twelfth-grade education somehow caters to females (though I do not personally see that in our junior high school program, at least); or perhaps our culture communicates the message to males that academic achievement is not valued as highly as other forms of achievement (including sports).

In the past few hours alone, I've had students lobby me to do some pretty varied things. They've pushed me to buy new video games, they've attempted to prove God's nonexistence, explained why girls have it tougher growing up, and made it clear that pet therapy programs benefit hospital patients. Not only have they done this in the span of but a few hours, they have done it without speaking a single word. That's right. I'm grading persuasive essays. Besides those listed above, here are some of the topics so far: 1. Embryonic stem cell research is morally wrong. 2. Homework should be banned. 3. The death penalty should be abolished. 4. The keeping of animals in zoos is morally wrong. 5. School lunch programs should offer only healthy food choices. 6. Sex education should be taught in middle and high school. 7. Marijuana should be legalized. 8. Contemporary music teaches immoral behavior. 9. School should start later in the day 10. We should keep a milit

Think about these events: Event One: In 1992, the United States sent its military to help deliver food to the people of Somalia (a country in western Africa). One of the leaders of Somalia did not like that foreign soldiers were challenging his power, and as a result, he attacked them with rocket propelled grenades and road bombs. Because of this, the U.S. military sent a mission to capture this leader. By the end of the conflict, however, forty-two American soldiers had been killed, and many more wounded. Event Two: In July, 1995, a group of Dutch troops in Bosnia failed to defend Bosnians who were being attacked by Serbian soldiers. These soldiers eventually killed over 8,000 Bosnian people, mostly men and boys. Event Three: This year, Britain, France, other European countries, and the United States used air strikes against Libya (a country in northern Africa) when the Libyan government was committing acts of violence against its own civilians. In part because

Past blew its frigid wind at me And shut me in the cold I opened hands to newer years To fit into its mold But hands that reach for what’s not there Will seldom feel the same When tucked for warmth into the years That will not speak your name Again I reached reluctant palm To grasp ephemeral mist But found this tear-drenched hand of mine Was balled into a fist Now drunk on rage I used that hand To rap upon that door To throw all those who meant me pain To storms I felt before But what I heard within those walls Helped draw a list’ning ear To hear the words of those who hurt Conversing of their fear With rage that sank to sympathy I listened to them strain To tell of all their inner angst That left them none the same I looked again upon my hand Once clenched to end a fight And see again the tears that fell Now glist’ning in new light I turned away now lost in thought Prepared to face the cold Prepared to thrust aw

Because the remembrance of Christ's birth represents God's effort to reconnect with man, the Christmas season is often seen as one of peace. At the same time, anyone living here knows that it is also a controversial time of year due to the effort to represent all religions. There is perhaps no time of year, in fact, when the battle between worldviews is most visible. It's as though this little baby, by entering our world, started a war that rages to this day. Indeed, he did. Christ told us that he "did not come to bring peace, but a sword," and looking at our history and at contemporary U.S. culture, it is plain that men and women have waged intellectual warfare for or against the Christian message (and more broadly in the recent past, for or against any claim to truth). Keep in mind that the following narrative does not represent what has been seen as a war between science and religion. This is an oversimplification of the interaction between science and faith.