Looking Back (23)

I'm sure most of us are glad to be living in the 21st century. All the modern conveniences that we have make other periods of history seem unappealing. We don't have to talk to each other in "thee's" and "methinks". We also have running water and flushing toilets. But some pretty exciting things happened in the past and sometimes I wish I could have been around to see the events of history take place.

Probably my favorite aspect of history is exploration. The thought of sailing forth to the unknown and discovering things no person had ever seen before - or at least no one in your country - sends shivers down my spine. Perhaps the greatest voyage of exploration in the history of mankind was the flight of Apollo 11 to the moon. If I could witness any event in history, I would probably liked to see the moon landing first-hand. Actually, I would have liked to be one of the astronauts themselves!

On my 17th birthday I went to the Imax to see a 3D film I'd been wanting to see for months. It's called Magnificent Desolation and it is produced by Tom Hanks, the main actor of Apollo 13 who happens to be obsessed with spaceflight. I knew it was going to be good, but I wasn't expecting the experience that came when the theater lights dimmed and I lowered my 3D glasses. For the next 45 minutes I was right there on the moon with the astronauts. Amazing computer generated imagery combined with shots of actors moving around in spacesuits made it look extremely real. It was truly the best film/documentary I had ever seen. So in one respect, I did really experience the moon landings. And I'm planning on going back to see the movie again.

Removing the Trigger (22)

Have you ever pondered on the question of gun-control? Does the 2nd Amendment really allow every American to tote a shotgun? What would it be like if your friend kept a revolver in her refrigerator?

My opinion is that guns really have no place in normal society. It appears that the context of the 2nd Amendment deals with Militia. The provision for a Militia guarantees Americans the protection of a military, and this military is allowed to bear arms. The amendment really doesn't address whether ordinary civilians would be allowed or forbidden to have firearms.

Naturally, one must consider what the Framers of the Constitution were thinking when they wrote the document. I'm sure they weren't thinking of restricting gun usage from anyone - after all hunting was a sport as well as a necessity in their time. And I'm sure they wouldn't want to forbid themselves from going out to shoot partridges of boars. But that opens up another can of wormy questions like Should we be flexible in our interpretation of the Constitution to allow for changes in society and time? We're not going to go there.

Guns shouldn't be allowed in the hands of civilians. They don't need guns. Nobody needs to go out and shoot lunch anymore. And those of you who insist on being armed to the teeth whenever they go to the store, just learn some moves if you are that paranoid.

In a perfect world, if guns were not available to anybody, the criminals wouldn't be able to get a hold of them either. But unfortunately there would be other countries that the bad guys could get their guns from. Complete gun control is not possible, but it should be attempted as much as possible. Then there would be less incidents like school shootings.

How does green taste? (21)

The other day I saw a funny advertisement produced by the TV station it was airing on. A nervous employee was in his boss's office getting instructions. "Go out and fire 50 people. I don't care who they are, just fire them," he says. The employee is about to walk out of the office, when he turns around and faces his superior. "Actually," the worker replies, "you're fired!" The next scene shows the worker kicking back in his new office - at his former boss's desk. The commercial ends with the words, "Fight the recession. We are."

I'm not completely sure that the suggested advice of the commercial was practical, but it was inspiring and funny. With the U.S. in recession, people are having to dig up and dust off one of the attributes that used to define Americans: thriftiness. People are finding that a good way to fight the recession is to live more economically. One couple close to retirement lost nearly 60% of their 401k account, and now they've stopped eating out and buying expensive nonessential items. That makes sense. And one family cooks beans for supper every evening during the summer. And some people (including my family) are returning to the Crock-Pot. Interesting that all these cases have something to do with food. Eating cheaper often means eating healthier and this puts money in the bank of health. Simply put, a good way to fight the recession is to invest in a little more green!

Stop Blinding Me! (20)

I have been asked to highlight a news article of my own choice for this post. So naturally I headed over to the BBC's news website and browsed around for interesting articles. I found one that dealt with the problem of laser beams distracting pilots. In England, people are playing pranks by pointing laser beams at passing aircraft at night. If the plane is flying low, the laser can actually damage the pilot's eyes; if the plane is higher, it continues to be a dangerous distraction. The article described what police are doing to combat this threat to aircraft safety. Police helicopters have a new technology that is capable of tracking the laser beam to its source and locating the offender on the ground. An arrest follows suit, and now the bored teens who think they are playing a joke (these people are called hooligans) can face severe penalties. It just goes to show you that it's very important to be considerate of others and their safety.

We're Back (19)

I'm back! Last Friday we arrived back from Tuxtla, Mexico. The mission trip was spectacular, and a highlight for me was the choir performance at the end of the evangelistic campaign. I had the privilege of directing the choir and it was really fun. But now I want to learn how to really direct. The coolest part of the program came when the marimbas accompanied us for Vivaldi's Gloria. The sound was amazing and I don't think many choirs have ever sung Gloria with the marimbas.

I was a main speaker for one of the five evangelistic series, and it was my first time preaching. I don't relish public speaking, but at least the butterflies I used to get have flown away. The nervousness now has just transformed itself into a silent dread. But God got me through the series. There were no immediate results from the series, but I know I was just doing what God had asked me to do. As Jesus said in John 4:37, "For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'"

Congratulations! You just won...(18)

This isn't some bogus telephone message. It came directly from the English department of Weimar Academy: An all-expense-paid trip to anywhere in the world! Well, sort of. I only get to write about the trip, not actually experience it. Here is my idea of a dream trip.

Rent a six-seater airplane (remember, money isn't an issue this time) and take the Senior class with me on an exciting air trip. We'd fly down to Central America via Southern California, Mexico, and make the final destination someplace like Nicaragua. Along the way we'd visit tons of people that we'd met on our tour or mission trip. Swimming would be an absolute must - just no sand in the plane please! For part of the flight, I would route us along the coast. A leg of the trip would be over the mountains for some wonderful views of the rain forests of Central America.

The trip would be last all summer long and we'd be pretty sick of each other by the end, but nonetheless it would be a pretty cool vacation. So if you want to make the dream a reality, you can send your tax-deductible donation to . . . just kidding. This is just a "flight of fancy" but that doesn't mean I won't take my Senior friends flying. Checkride time is coming pretty quickly, and then the Flying Dutchman will be in business!

Morality on Trial (17)

An online article by Time magazine discusses the current issue of gay-marriage in California. Prop 8 was supposed to outlaw gay marriages, but the public vote didn't solve anything. An appeal to overturn Prop 8 is in the California Supreme Court, and the debate is not going to end after the ruling is issued. The idea has been around for a while that the word marriage be taken out of the picture and replaced with the term "civil union", thus taking religion out of the picture, and allowing straight or gay couples to be legal.

I believe it's a silly idea. So what if marriage is fundamentally religious? A male-female union also happens to be the only relationship of its kind in nature. The primary purpose of marriage is to continue the human race. Put two roosters on an uninhabited island and wait a few years. What will you get? A new colony of chickens? No. Just two dead roosters.

Gay couples who complain about not receiving government benefits have no grounds for their argument. They are incapable of multiplying, so why should they get government goodies reserved for parents? And no, gay couples should not be allowed to adopt and raise children. The family is being destroyed by today's culture. Allowing "civil unions" will be the next step down. Society is not the same as it was a century ago. The questions that are being raised now would never have surfaced then.

If the state allowing civil unions instead of issuing marriage licenses, people will supposedly get equal treatment, but some may be upset that they are not really "married". A change of wording isn't going to really change the true nature of the situation, however. As Seventh-day Adventists, we know that the end is near. We should fight for morality, but eventually there will be nothing more we can do to restrain the evil impulses of mankind.