If you have a moment, please take the time to read newspaper columnist Paul Greenburg’s article commenting on the tragic death of a store worker in New York state on Black Friday:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/05/shock-of-recognition/

Please be warned that this article will prick your conscience in regards to greed, materialism, and commercialism.

“Black Friday” in the United States is the day after the American Thanksgiving holiday (which is always the 4th Thursday in November). Many, but not all, workers enjoy a holiday from work on Black Friday, and so take the occassion to shop for gifts for Christmas or other winter holidays. More people in the U.S. go to stores to shop on Black Friday than on any other day of the year. Black Friday is called by the color black because it is often the day that merchants make so many sales that they are said to go from the color red (the accounting color for a deficit) to the color black (the accounting color for a surplus).

Over time, it has become a tradition for retailers to provide unusually high discounts on their products during Black Friday, particularly during the morning. Also, it has become a tradition for stores to open at eariler and eariler hours on Black Friday: now, some stores even open at 4:00 a.m (0400).

The stores with the best sales on Black Friday are known to attract large crowds. These crowds gather close to the door in the middle of the night and then rush in as soon as the doors of the store are opened. The customers move quickly into the stores so that they can get their hands on featured products before other customers do.

Until Black Friday 2008, these events often led to minor assaults (some pushing and shoving), but nothing really serious. This past Friday, however, a large crowd of customers rushed in to a Wal Mart store on Long Island, New York, and trampled to death a worker there who was trying to save a pregnant woman from serious injury.

In the midst of this tragedy, we greatly admire the deceased worker who courageously laid his life down to help someone else. Yet, at the same time, we are greatly saddened by the callousness of a crowd which would trample someone to death in order to purchase an item at a discount price.

After spending about one year of self-imposed isolation and meditation in the forests of southern Nepal, Ram Bahadur Bamjan, a teenage Buddihst, has emerged, at least for a few days, back into Nepali civilization. Now called the “Buddha Boy” by his followers, Bamjan is now teaching and blessing about 10,000 devotees each day. Bamjan’s teachings center on the need for peace and ending discrimination. Some even say that the Buddha Boy is a reincarnation of the Buddha himself, Siddhartha Gautama, but official Buddhist authorities have not made any such determination.

I’m not writing this post to endorse the Buddha Boy or his would-be followers. (In fact, there some who say that the Buddha Boy is a con man.) I’m primarily presenting this to you to show that the spiritual impulse within each of us has not vanished at the start of the 3rd Millenium. There is still a divine spark within us that drives us to seek out the spiritual essence of life. Everyone is on this journey, whether they realize it or not. This yearning moves us towards those who we think have gone further ahead on the journey than we have that me might be inspired and touched by them.

To read more about the Buddha Boy, please see:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24645114-2703,00.html

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aFanata0scqzpla4Ua1sa.axamal&folder=aHaoamW&Name=Home&dtSiteDate=20081116

http://blog.com.np/united-we-blog/2007/08/03/ram-bahadur-bomjom-the-buddha-boy-starts-preaching-arrival-of-a-meditation-guru-or-a-religious-zealot/

 

As a follow-up to my recent post “A Noticeable Act of Kindness and Mercy in Texas”, I have found the video online and here is where you can see it for yourself:

http://www.wfaa.com/video/?nvid=297095&shu=1

This is a powerful story; not your typical local TV news story, by any means. It is one of the more powerful stories of love and redemption that I have ever seen on television.

 

I have been fortunate to have read William Strauss and Neil Howe’s seminal work Generations when it was first introduced in 1991. I was introduced to it when I read the authors’ preview article for this book in late 1990 in the Washington Post. As soon as their sequel book The Fourth Turning came out, I bought it and read it quickly from cover to cover.

The thesis of these two books is that the course of the history of the United States is not entirely linear but also cyclical in nature. There are regular patterns in the course of the life and times of the nation that are repeated usually once every four generations. The term used in Generations for this four-generation cycle is the Latin word saeculum. A saeculum usually lasts for about 88 years (the length of a relatively long lifetime), where each of four successive generations is about 22 years long.

The four types of generations come in the following order:

Idealistic, then
Reactive, then
Civic, then
Adaptive

As the generations move through time in four life-stages (childhood, young adulthood, midlife, elders), the eldest generation fades away from public life and is replaced shortly thereafter with a brand new generation of children of the same type.

The alignment of the types of generations specifies what is called a turning. A turning, which roughly corresponds to the length of time of a generation, strongly influences the events of the day and how the public at large reacts to those events. The eldest generation during a turning most strongly influences its events and reactions, whereas the youngest (child) geneation influences events the least.

The first turning is called a high. In this turning, a reactive generation is in charge and uses blunt-force to push through projects of national scale and scope. Society appears to be the most orderly during high turnings, yet witch hunts often occur during these times.

The second turning is called an awakening. This is where young adult idealists begin to criticize the perceived lack of spiritual depth of the society as a whole. They begin to confront the existing order of things by protest in the streets or by withdrawal to communes in the countryside. Religious questions and yearnings that were suppressed during the previous turnings are pursued with fervor, and religious revivals usually occur during such awakenings. The arts and music are usually at their most creative during this period.

The third turning is called an unraveling. This is when the spiritual fervor of the previous awakening burns out and people concentrate on individual pursuits and goals. Starting and growing businesses and the stock market takes a high degree of public focus. Civic-mindnesses deterioriates as the elder adaptive generation tries to patch over the fraying social contract with increasingly complex sets of rules and laws. Unresolved cultural disputes reach hard impasses, while show trials and silliness in the life of public figures are most likely to occur during such times.

The fourth and final turning is called a crisis. This is where the entire resources and energies of the nation are put towards resolving a crisis or series of crises. This is where society as a whole is at its greatest peril and the entire social contract and fabric is rewritten for future generations. Here, the elder idealistic generation pours out the spiritual zeal that it had found in its youth for the good or ill of society at its darkest hour. The no-nonsense reactive generation produces mid-life leaders to lead the civic-minded young adults into life and death situations. People want to see big actions taken to confront big challenges and are even willing to tolerate big mistakes along the way.

In the U.S., the latest first turning (high) came from 1945 to 1963. The second turning (awakening) lasted from 1963 to about 1984. The third turning (unraveling) started in 1984 and may now be giving way to the fourth and final turning of a saeculum, a crisis.

To give you a better idea of how serious crisis turnings are, consider previous crisis eras in U.S. history. According to these books, the periods of crisis in American history include the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the Great Depression and World War II (which were twin crises).

————

Are we now at the next fourth turning, the next crisis era in the United States? My honest answer is mixed: yes and no. Yes, as per the overall mood and state of the nation; no, as we have not necessarily seen the dramatic “catalyst” event that Strauss and Howe say must usher in each fourth turning. (For example, the catalyst event for the Great Depression was the stock market crash in 1929. The catalyst for the Civil War was Lincoln’s election.) A catalyst event is so significant that even people contemporaneous to that event can recognize in it a clear “watershed” moment in the affairs of the world.

We now see an idealist generation, the baby boomers about to enter their elder years of public and political influence. The adaptive, or “silent”, generation is starting to fade from public view and influence. An ice-cold and hardened “Generation X” is turning from its young adulthood as “slackers” into mid-life (as crisis managers?). And a young and eager generation is rising that is comfortable with moving in close step together with others in order to accomplish large-scale projects for the good of the whole society.

The recent financial disturbances can be seen as a classic harbinger of a crisis turning. We see here the careful compromises of the past thrown out for quick and decisive public action: for example, very large bailouts of failing financial institutions with very little forethought or debate. We observe the yearning for change and hope for a new civic-mindedness that is expressed in Senator Obama’s presidential campaign. We look at the possibility of divided government giving way to nearly one-party rule (we’ll see in one week after the election), which is something characteristic of a fourth turning. We notice popular movies starring teens like the High School Musical series, where all of the young adults are dancing and singing together in choregraphed steps. (This is something that would have been unthinkable in the previous young adult generation of so-called slackers.)

If this is not the start of the fourth turning, then it must be right around the proverbial corner.

Please also see:

http://www.shadowsandsymbols.org/?p=79

http://www.shadowsandsymbols.org/?p=85

There was a dramatic news story on CNN this morning (Sunday, October 26, 2008) about a remarkable random act of kindness in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Evidently, CNN picked up this news story from TXCN channel 8 in Texas. I can’t find the video of the news clip on the web. (If it’s posted later, I’ll add a link here.) However, a brief written description of the local news story is provided at:

http://iflizwerequeen.com/?p=903

Evidently, a woman whose home was about to be foreclosed upon decided to go and attend a large, Dallas-area house foreclosure auction where her house was being auctioned off. The woman had already moved all of her possessions out of her house and was going to the auction to try to find some sense of emotional “closure” for her life. Caught up in the pain and anguish of the moment when her house was the one put up for sale, she began crying uncontrollably.

At that moment, the woman next to her asked her why she was crying. She told this complete stranger she was crying because her house was the one now being auctioned off.

Then, moved with compassion, not having intended to buy this particular house or even knowing the town where this house was located in, the stranger made a bid for the distressed woman’s house and won the auction. She then turned to the tearful woman and told her that she was giving the house back to her and that she should make arrangements to move back in.

This is the point where the TXCN TV news crew came upon the two women, who had never met each other before in their lives. The woman who was crying was still crying but her tears had suddenly been changed to tears of joy.

For those of you in the United States (and, yes, perhaps also those in Canada who watch U.S. television), the very long presidential campaign is almost over. For those of us who live in the so-called “swing states” (states that could vote in favor of either of the two major presidential candidates), we are especially relieved that this seemingly unending process is coming to an end on November 4.

It is the current policy of Shadows and Symbols not to endorse political candidates. For one, this blog is friends with supporters of both Senators Obama and McCain, as well as those who support third party candidates or no candidate at all. It is the intention of this blog to be as non-political as possible and thus welcoming to everyone regardless of political opinions. Two, as much as is possible, I believe that the followers of Christ should not use the political process to further the purposes of the kingdom of God. Jesus said plainly, “My kingdom is not of this world”. While it’s perfectly alright for followers of Christ to have and express political views, it would be foolish and dangerous for the body of Christ as a whole to align itself with one particular candidate or party. I have never seen an election where those elected did exactly what they had promised to do. And even if, when elected, they do what they promised and those policies are “pro-Christian”, then they will also make decisions re: other issues that are against the will of God. (After all, does not the Bible warn: “Do not put your trust in princes”?) And not only that, what does that say to supporters of Party A if the followers of Christ all decide to vote for Party B and say publicly that that is what Jesus would do? How would the love of Christ be demonstrated to them?

Do I know who Jesus would vote for? No, I do not. Do I know what Jesus would say about the 2008 U.S. election? Not exactly, but I can take an educated guess about what he might say …

…

A McCain supporter ran up through the crowd and yelled to Jesus, “My brother, an Obama supporter, is trying to steal the election from us. Tell my brother to stop that.” And Jesus said to him in response, “Who made me a judge of this matter between the two of you?” And then Jesus turned to the crowd and told them, “Beware of greed and those who lust after power; for your lives don’t really consist of how much money and power that you have”. Jesus then proceeded to tell them about a rich and powerful man who was very content but then suddenly died.

…

Is this what Jesus would say? I don’t know for sure, but it’s something to think about between now and Election Day on November 4, 2008.

 

As a departure from the typical posts here at shadowsandsymbols.org, … I think that each of us who is involved with this blog would like to express that our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with those who are and who are about to be effected by Hurricane Ike in the U.S. states of Texas and Lousiana. This storm is just about to make landfall in the Houston, Texas, area in the next few hours, and it is expected to produce storm surges in the 6 to 7 meter (20-foot) range along part of the NE Gulf of Mexico coastline.

We have never seen government officials in the U.S. warn of “certain death” for those in the path of a hurricane, so we recognize the seriousness of this situation and remember all of those who are in the midst of this very serious storm. May God watch over each of you now in the effected areas with his grace and mercy in your time of need.

The Saddleback (Church) Civil Forum of the two major presidential candidates just occurred in the United States. The forum occurred inside of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. The forum was not a presidential debate. (For those of you outside of the U.S., face-to-face presidential debates are held in October and not in August.) Rather, this televised event consisted of two consecutive and separate interviews of Senator Barrack Obama and Senator John McCain by the popular pastor and author Rick Warren. Mr. Warren asked each senator the same series of questions, and each senator was interviewed for about one hour. Mr. Obama went first, while Mr. McCain waited offstage in some kind of closed area where he could not receive any advance knowledge of the upcoming questions. Because Senator McCain’s answers were shorter, Mr. Warren was able to ask him a few extra questions.

I watched the entire forum from beginning to end. On the positive side, I do appreciate the way that Mr. Warren allowed both of the candidates to give fairly detailed answers to questions without interruption (something that is increasingly rare in the American political process). I also appreciated the contrast in responses to the same set of questions by each candidate. Mr. Warren also appreared to be non-partisan, not favoring one candidate over the other.

On the more critical side, I didn’t like Mr. Warren’s last question to each candidate. Others may disagree, but this question was basically asking each candidate to publicly justify what Mr. Warren and his church were doing with this forum. Perhaps this is little harsh to say but I think that this is like inviting someone to a party and then asking him or her, at the end of it, to publicly state to the other guests why the host of the party is such a good host.

And since Rick Warren brought it up via this final question, I would like to discuss here why I do not support this civil forum. Why?

1.  Quite frankly, I don’t see such a forum as having any biblical basis. In the Bible, I do see prophets confronting evil leaders, apostles (“sent ones”) sharing their faith with rulers, and I also see capable advisers raised up to give advice to kings and even serve as high-ranking appointed leaders directly underneath those kings (like Daniel and Joseph, for example). I even see prophets ratifying (anointing) the selection of a king, as per God’s choice (like Samuel and Saul). But I do not see any biblical pattern for serving as arbiters, gatekeepers, or kingmakers regarding the selection of the kings of this earth.

2.  Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world. Yes, as ambassadors of Christ, followers of Jesus should be prepared, as appropriate opportunities present themselves, to serve in love the rulers of this world, if they ask for the aid, assistance, and counsel of Christ’s followers. True disciples of Jesus are also very much interested in the causes of social justice and real care and concern for their surrounding communities. That said, the Bible clearly says that our citzenship is in heaven. The view of the gospels is to live in the kingdom of God here and now in the world and thus change the world around us with God’s love. In contrast, Jesus did not say to change the kingdoms of this world via manipulating the mechanisms of those kingdoms. (Rather, Jesus said to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.)

3.  Mr. Warren started his forum by saying that “faith is just a worldview”. Faith in Jesus Christ is anchored in eternity, and the word of God stands forever no matter what happens here in this world. Faith is an “eternal-view” and not simply a worldview.

4.  If followers of Christ actively arbitrate the process of selecting the kings of this world, then the world will be resentful and angry with his followers when things go wrong, as they inevitably will to one extent or another. Even worse, if the selected kings make immoral or evil decisions, Christ’s disciples in the world will appear as being complicit or hypocritical. Followers of Christ should not seek to interfere with the processes of king-selection, just as followers of Christ do not want the world to interfere with their life and work in this world.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree?

It is only 34 km (21 miles) wide. Yet even this narrow geographic distance is deceiving. Ships that pass through this waterway must do so in two opposing 3-km wide lanes. It is one of only seven strategic maritime passages on planet Earth: These are the world’s literal choke points, and this one is called the Strait of Hormuz. Unlike all but one of the other choke points, this strait has no alternative. It is the only way in and out of the Persian Gulf by sea.

And why is this oceanic passage that most Westerners have never heard of so important? Because 40% of the world’s oil (petroleum) supply passes out from the Persian Gulf into the Indian Ocean onboard oil tankers. Because of this, almost everyone outside of the Gulf is in someway dependent on this little opening in the sea, even if they could not name it or point to it on a globe.

So, who controls the Strait of Hormuz? No one, actually. It is open for use by all the world’s ships since the two sides of the Strait are controlled by two different countries. On the south side of the Strait is an exclave of Oman. On the north side is Iran.

As you probably have already heard, Iran is at the center of one of the world’s leading international controversies of the day. Iran’s nuclear program is widely believed to be military in purpose and not simply for civilian power generation. Iran may be as little as one year away from completing its first nuclear bomb.

Israel, threatened repeatedly by Iran’s leaders, is now practicing for an air raid against Iran. Could she pull off a large-scale attack against Iran’s widely dispersed and fortified nuclear facilities? We should not underestimate the Israelis. It is quite probable that Israel’s leaders see what is now called an existential threat: Iran’s future bombs could spell the end of the Jewish state. Unless Israel’s leaders determine that they can live with a nuclear-armed Iran or unless there is a sudden, dramatic political change in Iran, an Israeli attack upon Iran’s nuclear facilities within the next year is a very real possibility.

A key military leader of Iran has stated that Iran would move to cut off the Strait of Hormuz if Iran is attacked by either Israel or the U.S. The commander of the U.S. Navy has countered that the U.S. would make sure that the Strait stays open.

Would Iran carry through with this threat? (Quite possibly.) Do they have the military capability? Can the U.S. Navy stop them? (Probably yes.) Or is the mere threat of blocking the Strait enough to stop temporarily the oil tankers from going in and out? (Also, probably yes.)

Now several questions may be entering your mind. How is it that we live a world where so much of such an important commodity must pass through such a potentially precarious place? Who planned this? Who made it so? Could a war in some faraway place spiral out of control and shut off the gasoline (petrol) for my car?

… Yet so it is with all material things. We often forget that – in this life – the path from abundance to frugality is short and well-trodden. The storehouses of this world are sometimes plentiful one day and gone the next. All that it takes is the closing off of one choke point: a single weak link in the chains of provision and protection that we make for ourselves.

Just something to think about as the events in Southwest Asia unfold in the weeks ahead.

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