Sketchbook

I've just updated my Sketch book if anyone is interested in veiwing it :

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1264314#post1264314

This is a rather sarcastic creed by the english journalist Steve Turner - very funny

Creed
by Steve Turner

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin

We believe everything is OK

as long as you don't hurt anyone

to the best of your definition of hurt,

and to the best of your knowledge.

We believe in sex before, during, and

after marriage.

We believe in the therapy of sin.

We believe that adultery is fun.

We believe that sodomy’s OK.

We believe that taboos are taboo.

We believe that everything's getting better

despite evidence to the contrary.

The evidence must be investigated

And you can prove anything with evidence.

We believe there's something in horoscopes

UFO's and bent spoons.

Jesus was a good man just like Buddha,

Mohammed, and ourselves.

He was a good moral teacher though we think

His good morals were bad.

We believe that all religions are basically the same-

at least the one that we read was.

They all believe in love and goodness.

They only differ on matters of creation,

sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.

We believe that after death comes the Nothing

Because when you ask the dead what happens

they say nothing.

If death is not the end, if the dead have lied, then its

compulsory heaven for all

excepting perhaps

Hitler, Stalin, and Genghis Kahn

We believe in Masters and Johnson

What's selected is average.

What's average is normal.

What's normal is good.

We believe in total disarmament.

We believe there are direct links between warfare and

bloodshed.

Americans should beat their guns into tractors .

And the Russians would be sure to follow.

We believe that man is essentially good.

It's only his behavior that lets him down.

This is the fault of society.

Society is the fault of conditions.

Conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find the truth that

is right for him.

Reality will adapt accordingly.

The universe will readjust.

History will alter.

We believe that there is no absolute truth

excepting the truth

that there is no absolute truth.

We believe in the rejection of creeds,

And the flowering of individual thought.

If chance be

the Father of all flesh,

disaster is his rainbow in the sky

and when you hear:

State of Emergency!

Sniper Kills Ten!

Troops on Rampage!

Whites go Looting!

Bomb Blasts School!

It is but the sound of man

worshipping his maker.

Steve Turner, (English journalist), "Creed," his satirical poem on the modern mind. Taken from Ravi Zacharias’ book Can Man live Without God? Pages 42-44

Pursuits

I havent updated this for ages, but I now will...at last.
To whom ever is reading this ... hi.

Listen to this:

Happiness (fragment)

Ever again to breath pure happiness,
The happiness our mother gave us, boys?
To smile at nothings, needing no cares?
Have we not laughed too often since with joy?

-war poet Wilfred Owen

How far will we chase the happiness of this world, how far shall we leave that simple happiness we had as children?
The more we seek selfishly and soley after the happiness the world offers, that happiness of simply being happy no matter the consequence, the futher down the road we go towards ultimate selfishness as a society.

We can chase happiness all our lives, but what this world will never give us (although it tries) is meaning. And meaning is what this rough reality demands of our souls.

One thing I have learned- there is no meaning to be found within me, or within you. Humans are NOT the answer to the worlds problems. Yes we have our liberal solutions, but look carefully at these and very often they will produce a greater problem to the one it tried to solve.

...there is no such thing as absolute freedom, its a contradiction in terms, just as there is no such thing as free love. It is the nature of Love to bind itself.
... "I do." = love. Love = commitment.

Ravi Zacherias.

Be carefull in what you pursue of life, be carefull you don't take things for granted with out examining its roots, and it's fruits.

ciao

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

The study of the stem cell is a major excitement for the scientist of our day. My father is himself a micro-biologist, and although he deals primarily with sea food, he admits that the discovery of the power of stem cells is huge.

Now all over the world stem cells are being developed and researched to assist us, the human race, in the healing and in regenrative process. The cells contain enough information to become any cell in our body, thus allowing the potential recovery from desiase, injuries ec cetera.

But at what cost will we subscribe to this healing power being made avaliable to us?
There are as of now three ways of getting stem cells:
1. From the umbilical corn of new borm babies. These cords are normally disposed of, but it turns out they contain stem cells. The stem cells are only likely to help people within the babys family and bloodline. The futher the recipitent is geneticly from the child, the less likely the stems cells will be accepted by the body. But otherwise they are amazing.
2. From bone marrow. This is a good source of stem cells, albeit it seems that it causes alot of pain to the donor. But the pain may be the price someone is willing to pay for the healing of a loved one.
3. The most controversal source of stem cells is from embryos. Scientist all over the world are declaring that by using the original nuclei of a newly concepted embryo is the best and most powerful source of stem cells. The only problem, ethically, is that the extraction of the stem cell from a embryo imediatly terminates the life of that child. Of course it isn't considered human by modern day moralists, and according to many is of no concequence. I plead otherwise. We each, everyone of us was once an embryo, or a pre-embryo as they are now deeming the embryos they are experiementing on as a means to side-step the moral issue at stake here: ARE WE AS A HUMAN RACE WILLING TO SACRIFICE OUR CHILDREN FOR THE SAKE OF POSSIBLE HEALING AND FOR THE SAKE OF SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT. For THAT is a serious mistake.

These children, now being cut-off from the gift of life internationally every moment, have no voice. But when the next life comes, or is it the next death for some, they will be a voice to be reckoned with: "I was being killed and no one came to be my voice."

Will you act today?
Or will you stand by as the lives of so many are flushed down the disposial tubes of hospitals, science labs and abortion clinics.

The world is rocking back and forth

When you spend two days sailing on the Auckland harbour, it gives you the feeling of being a priveliged citizen of our world. Our world, where if you own a computer you are in the top one perecent of the human race, in terms of wealth at least.Some would say in other things also. I would not. Would you?

Think back to 1st century AD, when the mountain of Vesuvius, covering and cementing the city of Pompeii in ash within seconds. Almost all the citezens seemed to have ignored any warning of impending doom, if there was any. We see the solid remains of people sitting at a table together playing dice, cards or eating and talking together perfectly preseved in human shape statue. Some figures are standing, some sitting, some lying. All are frozen in time, presented to us as a memorial of those who died two thousand years ago and a caution to those living. Pompeii had a water stuply system more advanced than that of New York in 1987, not only watering Pompeii but also the surroundung cities. And in one day it was gone, left to us, the surviving world, as a warning. To be ready.

He will come like a thief in the night.

blogging

So things have been happening in my life, been away on holiday, camping. We left just the day after the herald screamed from the front page "cyclone warning". Didn't stop the Fletchers. Not us. Lets just say it was rather wet though.

So, not letting that put a hole in my head, heres some thoughts:

Do you agree that often when we run away from God he seems to step back from the picture. Maybe for weeks we have been on the verge of rebelling, aching to go off the path we know is right...then bang, we leave, run, run and at last stop. And THAT is where we find him. Why do I find him in the places I try to hide from Him? Maybe he knows me that well...

I was talking to this man on Queen street, in Auckland at 1:30ish in the morning and I mentioned it to him. He was with this Maori guy who was wacking away at his guitar and singing christian song in Maori, accompanonied by his friends. He said he hung out with that group not because he was a christian, but because he had nothing else to do and 'it was a bit of light fun'. Anyhow he said right away he agreed with me about God finding us in the times when we run. He told me about such an experience and told me how he had been in prison, the lowest point of his life, and then his room mate gave him this book to read. It was called the Bible Code. It seems to have had a profound effect in his life, and now he obviously believes that God is real, although he doesn't seem to have made any concrete discisions.

Stuff over the last two weeks thats been through my head

Im just back from camp at Mototapu Island (which is connected to Rangitoto Island) and recoveing from overtiredness, injuries and heaps of fun. I was a leader at this Scripture Union camp, my role was the ADJ - the MC and camp rules guy, a very new experience for me, but I adapted well, to my suprise. It was an Intermediate level camp, campers aged 10-13, and it was great to see some desicions from the kids to turn to God.

Anyway heres some tnings which have been running round my head the last few days and I've dabbed down on paper:

The First of a year
The first day of a year often recollects our vision of life, the stranded thoughts of a just past Eve come together to conform with the reality and conginuity of life,
thnough our Dreams still lead us on.

Recent Readings
The reading of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness has inspired for me an intrest in the power of the beauty of words, and the author's ability to dictate the mood and tone of his or her peice of art.

The Power of One and Tandia have revealed the strength behind a strong and livable, though tragic storyline. Very good reading.

The Sea
The water lapped at the shore, shrinking out and falling forward again and again and again. It is much like a broken rhythm or a lazy off beat of Nature's sympathy for us, the wicked mankind.

After all the Sea is Nature's strong example of it's long lived endurance, destroying rocky shores and leaving them as soft sand. The sea is always moving, alsways stretching futher and futher towards our land founded homes, an ancient and much forgotten threat. The rising and falling dynasty of the tides give the world a warning of its savage power by presenting us with it's sickly soft sand, or as we say 'our beaches'. These are the fruit of her endless work. Ah the savage power, the savage sea.

Know then thyself, presume not God to scan:
The proper study of mankind is man,
ALEXANDER POPE

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Sense over Sensuality

Im just beck from holiday, and am leaving again tomorrow. I have to say new years was great this year, and non alcoholic. I have to say you can have LOTS of fun without alcohol.
Its not that I dont drink, I do but I do know drunkeness leads to many many bad desicions, and it aint worth it in comparison to 'how good it feels'. Whne people say 'I don't remeber what happened last night' we all know (those of us who have been drunk) that we know what happened, at least in general terms, and are just too ashamed to admit it.
So everyone, lets let our SENSE rule our sensuality.

merry christ mass

Hope everyone had or is having a good christmas.


taken from:
T. S. Elliot, (1888–1965). Prufrock and Other Observations. 1917.

...

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;	25
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;	30
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.
In the room the women come and go	35
Talking of Michelangelo.

...

remember, theres always time.
Or is there?

Darwin's Heroes

Well the world keeps spinning even when we forget, at a hundred miles an hour.
I've been watching a TV series on the computer called Heroes.
It is quite good. The story line is actually complex, sophisticated and almost...almost... believable which is unlike most TV shows. Its only been showing for ten weeks in the US and is probably not going to show in NZ for a while, but you can watch it on NBC: http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/episodes/season1/111/

It's good, could be seen as an Xmen copy or mutation, but is not. I like it.

But I have one problem with it, a big problem:
The Heroes, seemingly random men, women and children who are each discovering their own power from flying to painting the future, according to the Narrator are merely experiencing the natrual movement of Evolution, eg these powers are a product of humans moving to the next stage in Evolution. Apparently this goes according to the great evolutionist Darwin's theory.
Now know that I am against the Evolution theory, but here is some questions, why is this all happening now, I mean present day?
I was under the impression that a species would only evolve when in danger, and then only over long periods of time. According to the show the heroes are all starting ot discover their powers quite quickly and almost sunddenly. Hasn't the human race been in more danger more often in the past than now, than in urban America and various other places that would be considered 'safe' in the world, as the show proclaims?
This theory seems to me to be an existentialist's attempt at explaining the supernatrual eg. dreams telling the future, levitating, superhuman strength, hearing others thoughts, which has been a part of human history in the ancient past just as much as it is in the present day. We, humans, are something more than physical no matter what we do in our short lives.

We are who we are, and who we are defines what we do.

We are more than merely physical, and the show 'Heroes' agrees on this, although Darwin wouldn't. How can science explain the existence of a soul, of the spirit, of the supernatrual?

And thats my problem with Heroes! Otherwise it's great!