The View From Here

“In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.”  -Bertrand Russell

I suppose most of us don’t truly understand the depth of meaning in the celebrations that are generations removed from the event that is celebrated.  How do you keep it relevant to the people celebrating it years from when it happened?  I can’t think of a way to do this.  I don’t believe we are guilty of anything just because we didn’t experience the same things our fore fathers did, but it would make us negligent and unappreciative if we don’t try to at least attempt to understand what we are celebrating instead of just using it as an excuse to party and blow things up.  On the Fourth of July we celebrate our independence from a government that would impose it’s will upon the people it governs without allowing them any real form of appeal.  We celebrate the ability to make our own decisions about the laws of the land we inhabit.  We celebrate our ability to disagree on certain issues while holding up the freedom of the individual.

These things we celebrate were deemed important enough by our founders that they were willing to shed their own blood to secure them.  We are now some two hundred plus years away from the events that placed us where we are today.  Do we understand the freedom that we have?  Do I?  If we don’t we will soon loose it to the powerful few, who history has shown to corrupt quickly and easily if not held to account. Take the time to consider the freedoms you have, at what price they were bought, and what we are still paying today for them.  Marvel at the ability we have to voice our opinions without fear of retribution from those in power.  Consider intently the freedoms we enjoy so that we do not forget where they came from.

Thinking on the freedoms I have as a citizen of the United States also made me start thinking about the freedoms I have in Christ.  It is amazing to me how even though human events seem to loose their depth of meaning the further you get away from them, the importance of Christ’s death and resurrection seem to gain even more meaning the as time goes by.  I am free from the sin that separated me from the God who created me.  This is not because of something I did, but because of unmerited favor that was poured out on me by God.  I deserve this as much as anyone else does: not at all.  How much more should I not forget the freedom God has given me and how much more should I share it with those around me?

Brian

The more I look back at history the more I see many common threads that seem to keep repeating. The most recent one I have observed is a tendency for the new generation on the planet to have some kind of “revolution”. They look at the way their parents or the past generation did things and think, “There must be a better way!”. A very visible example of this was the hippie movement that preached that peace is better than conflict among other things. This was a reaction to how the generations before had handled international relations and conflicts. While that mindset still exists in a great number of people, there are those who do not agree and when a big enough group decides that they are tired of this world view, there will be a change, they hope, for the better.

The truth is, everyone is looking for change or a fresh look at the world and its systems. We see the flaws that exist in the current system and look across the proverbial fence toward greener pastures. “If only this would change I would be happy”, we say. People join groups that they feel are moving in the direction away from the flaws they find so distasteful. But keep in mind that if a revolution wins out it soon becomes the very establishment that people want to overthrow.

I want everyone to understand very clearly that I am not suggesting just accepting the world the way it is. There are always improvements that can be made and we should all strive to make those changes. What I am saying is that we should not expect the changes we make to be perfect in any way. We will never arrive at a time when we have ironed out all the wrinkles because of changes we have made. Do not ever assume that your way is the best way or that joining this revolution or that one will ultimately fix anything. Every institution of man is fallen. Sin corrupts even the best intentions. If you think you have found a better way, great, but don’t look with scorn at the old way when your way is subject to the same sin that ruined the old way. By all means, keep trying to improve the world we live in but recognize that the best world will only come when Jesus does.

Brian

ove is in the air!  Valentine’s Day strikes again!  Since today is the day of love I figured I would do a little research about the day.  I would assume that most everyone know that we are celebrating the death of a Saint named Valentine.  That is completely true but what you probably don’t know is that the Catholic church (which started celebrating these Saint days) celebrated the deaths (they are really martyrs) of eleven Saint Valentines throughout the year up until 1969.  The Valentine’s Day we celebrate today is the day the Catholic church recognized two of the eleven (Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni).  The attachment of romantic love with the day didn’t come until the time when courtly love was idealized.  The first written statement linking love and the day came from Geoffery Chaucer in 1382 in Parlement of Foules and read as follows:

For this was on Seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese [choose] his make [mate].

The commercialization of Valentines Day started in the 1840s when the “valentines” cards were sold in a book and stationary store in Massachusetts.  As time went on men began to have to top what other men were giving the types and varieties of gifts given expanded to flowers and candy.  (I am not sure if that is true or not, but it does make sense)  Since we live in a world driven by money, companies will take any opportunity they can to make money, especially holidays.  Giving jewelry is associated with Valentines Day (even though we can’t all afford it) but this wasn’t the case until the 1980s when diamond companies began advertising the day as an opportunity to give it.

So, there you go.  That is a brief summary of how we came to celebrate this day.  I like history.

Brian