An admonishment from my new favorite author-- a quote from Flannery O'Connor about birth control which causes me to half apologize for my recent post on the world's population:
'The Church's stand on birth control is the most absolutely spiritual of all her stands and with all of us being materialists at heart, there is little wonder that it causes unease. I wish various fathers would quit trying to defend it by saying that the world can support 40 billion. I will rejoice the day when they say: This is right whether we all rot on top of each other or not, dear children, as we certainly may. Either practice restraint or be prepared for crowding."
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sid the Rational, Mature, Disenchanted Kid
I am not a fan of Sid the Science Kid, so my opinion here is a little biased. I don't appreciate a show that depicts children going to school only to learn about science. Plus the cartoon kids on the show are nearly incoherent: "Like wow! The human body is like totally awesome."
So today, as the TV babysat Lucy while I caught up on work, I caught the tail end of Sid the Science Kid. Sid was explaining that he'd learned in school that when your stomach makes noise, it isn't talking to you. I assume he was referring to the ever popular "your belly's talking" set of expressions. Sid cleared the air (thank God!) by saying that the noise is digestion beginning. Now if an 8 year old responded to me saying "your belly's talking" with "no, that's only the beginning of digestion" I'd be apt to find him impertinent and sadly adult.
Fine, teach your kids about the functions of the human body at an early age. But is there anything wrong with something like the body being a little mysterious until a certain age? Is there really any harm in believing your stomach is talking to you, or that watermelon seeds might take sprout if you swallow them, or in the value of lost teeth to some eccentric fairy with a wand and wad of cash? I am often disturbed to see how proud people are when their children see through something like the tooth fairy early on. It as if they are saying "Look at my kid, she's so filled with doubt! I love how realistic my 3 year old is!"
I'd rather Sid the Science Kid not disenchant the world for Lucy quite yet, so he may have to sit out of our viewing line up for a while. Perhaps the lesson is to have her do something more constructive while I'm working...
So today, as the TV babysat Lucy while I caught up on work, I caught the tail end of Sid the Science Kid. Sid was explaining that he'd learned in school that when your stomach makes noise, it isn't talking to you. I assume he was referring to the ever popular "your belly's talking" set of expressions. Sid cleared the air (thank God!) by saying that the noise is digestion beginning. Now if an 8 year old responded to me saying "your belly's talking" with "no, that's only the beginning of digestion" I'd be apt to find him impertinent and sadly adult.
Fine, teach your kids about the functions of the human body at an early age. But is there anything wrong with something like the body being a little mysterious until a certain age? Is there really any harm in believing your stomach is talking to you, or that watermelon seeds might take sprout if you swallow them, or in the value of lost teeth to some eccentric fairy with a wand and wad of cash? I am often disturbed to see how proud people are when their children see through something like the tooth fairy early on. It as if they are saying "Look at my kid, she's so filled with doubt! I love how realistic my 3 year old is!"
I'd rather Sid the Science Kid not disenchant the world for Lucy quite yet, so he may have to sit out of our viewing line up for a while. Perhaps the lesson is to have her do something more constructive while I'm working...
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Mostroms Take DC
Alan is attending a conference in Washington DC this October and since I like tagging along Lucy and I will be joining him. Last year his academic wanderings took us to Florida and Disney World-- this will not quite measure up, I know. But I still enjoy an adventure, even if it is just to the capitol for a few days.
There is not much for a two year old to do in DC, however. Thankfully we will be there only two days and there are only two Lucy-friendly activities there: the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I'm hoping between lions, tigers, and pandas one day and Kermit, ruby slippers, and Abe Lincoln the next she will have plenty to feast her eyes on. I'm looking forward to not cooking, staying at the Sheraton (I am easy to please), and zipping around on the metrorail. It always does me good to take a little trip to the city.
There is not much for a two year old to do in DC, however. Thankfully we will be there only two days and there are only two Lucy-friendly activities there: the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I'm hoping between lions, tigers, and pandas one day and Kermit, ruby slippers, and Abe Lincoln the next she will have plenty to feast her eyes on. I'm looking forward to not cooking, staying at the Sheraton (I am easy to please), and zipping around on the metrorail. It always does me good to take a little trip to the city.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Blaaah!
Pregnancy is a funny thing. For me it starts out with awful sickness. All I feel is a fist of nausea shoved into my solar plexus. At least this time I know the better part of pregnancy-- kicks from the baby, bursts of energy, the knitting one gets done while nesting-- can only be a few months away.
My parents were here for a long weekend and while I felt bad that the trip was a bust in some ways (we couldn't do anything we planned because of my stomach) I was glad they were here to take care of things. My mom took care of Lucy and fed us all while my dad fixed our dining room chairs and did a few other repairs. We still had good conversation and they had some time to relax, however I wish I was in better spirits for their trip.
I am lucky I work from home and have Alan here throughout the day; its allowed me to rest and coddle my stomach much better than I could last time. Lucy has taken to telling me "I know mommy. Better! Better!" whenever I get a green, and its nice to have a little cheerleader around as well.
My parents were here for a long weekend and while I felt bad that the trip was a bust in some ways (we couldn't do anything we planned because of my stomach) I was glad they were here to take care of things. My mom took care of Lucy and fed us all while my dad fixed our dining room chairs and did a few other repairs. We still had good conversation and they had some time to relax, however I wish I was in better spirits for their trip.
I am lucky I work from home and have Alan here throughout the day; its allowed me to rest and coddle my stomach much better than I could last time. Lucy has taken to telling me "I know mommy. Better! Better!" whenever I get a green, and its nice to have a little cheerleader around as well.
Friday, September 4, 2009
O to grace how great a debtor
"If it can be said to be 'about' anything, then it is 'about' prophets and prophecy, 'about' revelation, and 'about' the impact of supernatural grace on human beings who don't have a chance of spiritual growth without it." -Alice Waker on Flannery O'Connor's works
After a few years of being homeschooled, maybe my first year of high school, my mother purchased a new set of curriculum for my sister and me. The Sonlight program was Christian like the Bob Jones text books we used (I rue the day my parents bought them!) but it was a simple reading calendar rather than text books. As far as I remember, that year I read through history, english, social studies and so on. It was a welcome change picking up All's Quiet On the Western Front rather than picking through another tome on dates, facts, and figures, surrounding the World Wars.
Then in college I was fortunate enough to find a religion professor who handled things similarly. Larry, as we called him, assigned us Potok when we studied Judaism, the Ramayana for Hinduism, Elmer Gantry for the psychology of religion, and the more dubious The Celestine Prophecy for New Age thought. Again, a welcome relief as I found learning through works of fiction had a way of driving the point home in a round about, through the back door sort of way.
Like all terrible people I am stuck in my ways and still find this a superior method of learning. This summer Alan, on a booking buying ban, purchased a copy of Flannery O'Connor's complete works supposedly for me. I told him if he was going to play school teacher and make me read something he'd have to read it with me. So we went through Wise Blood and A Good Man is Hard to Find. To my chagrin I was enjoying the work of this sassy little Southern woman. Worse, her stories wouldn't leave my head for days, weeks.
I am moving through O'Connor's complete works and, after a short stint of being mad at her for killing off so many characters, the finer things of the stories emerged. I've never been one to "get" literature-- I was always wrong in English class when it came to analysing stories, always. But O'Connor I'm beginning to get. She writes of mercy, forgiveness, grace in a way that doesn't quite make sense until you sit on it a while. So, once again, novels are leading me on into something new, and the works of Flannery O'Connor are teaching me about God's grace in a way a devotional or theological text just would not be able to. Please pray I learn to understand.
After a few years of being homeschooled, maybe my first year of high school, my mother purchased a new set of curriculum for my sister and me. The Sonlight program was Christian like the Bob Jones text books we used (I rue the day my parents bought them!) but it was a simple reading calendar rather than text books. As far as I remember, that year I read through history, english, social studies and so on. It was a welcome change picking up All's Quiet On the Western Front rather than picking through another tome on dates, facts, and figures, surrounding the World Wars.
Then in college I was fortunate enough to find a religion professor who handled things similarly. Larry, as we called him, assigned us Potok when we studied Judaism, the Ramayana for Hinduism, Elmer Gantry for the psychology of religion, and the more dubious The Celestine Prophecy for New Age thought. Again, a welcome relief as I found learning through works of fiction had a way of driving the point home in a round about, through the back door sort of way.
Like all terrible people I am stuck in my ways and still find this a superior method of learning. This summer Alan, on a booking buying ban, purchased a copy of Flannery O'Connor's complete works supposedly for me. I told him if he was going to play school teacher and make me read something he'd have to read it with me. So we went through Wise Blood and A Good Man is Hard to Find. To my chagrin I was enjoying the work of this sassy little Southern woman. Worse, her stories wouldn't leave my head for days, weeks.
I am moving through O'Connor's complete works and, after a short stint of being mad at her for killing off so many characters, the finer things of the stories emerged. I've never been one to "get" literature-- I was always wrong in English class when it came to analysing stories, always. But O'Connor I'm beginning to get. She writes of mercy, forgiveness, grace in a way that doesn't quite make sense until you sit on it a while. So, once again, novels are leading me on into something new, and the works of Flannery O'Connor are teaching me about God's grace in a way a devotional or theological text just would not be able to. Please pray I learn to understand.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
It stinks in the bull penn
"The Vatican should leave science to those that believe in it." - Penn Jillette on Bullshit
Sure. Now please, sir, eat your own words and leave religion to those who believe in it. Please please, pretty pretty please.
Another atheist rant. I know the fact that I believe in God takes away all of my credibility, even with some of my faithful readers. However, I am a somewhat rational person (at least I hope). I can imagine what life might be like not believing in anything greater than the human mind. What I can't fathom is why I would care so much about religion, especially that Catholic Church which, in the minds of many atheists, seems to be the biggest joke of all.
Here I'll reference the episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit that has everyone up in arms. The saddest part is that it isn't funny, but rather scathing, as if big jovial Penn was replaced by windbag Greg Giraldo. The show lays down the typical, hysterical argument: the Vatican has lots of money and power and is causing destruction around the world.
It is responsible for people in Africa dying of AIDS, for example. Is the Catholic Church the only organization allowed to access African countries? Penn kept referencing how the unbelieving are so naturally moral, compassionate, conscientious, and humane-- why aren't they taking care of the AIDS problem south of the equator by distributing condoms and teaching safe sex as they wish the Vatican would do? Many athiests are quite well off, enough that if all of them banded together they could take care of the problem in little time. Why hasn't that happened yet? And if it is happening, than why care so much that the Church is teaching abstinence and not handing out condoms?
Again, as a "religious" person I hardly find the atheists of the world capable of taking care of hunger, poverty, ignorance, or the corrupt powers that be as they seem unorganized and apathetic. So I take it upon myself as the person of morality to contibute to the education, feeding, housing, and clothing of the disenfrachised. If Penn is so convinced that religious people are filled with "intolerance, greed, paranoia, and callus disregard for human life" than I hope he is trying to step into the space the church is supposedly standing in when it comes to AIDS or poverty.
Addendum: a more aptly put bit about the same topic
Sure. Now please, sir, eat your own words and leave religion to those who believe in it. Please please, pretty pretty please.
Another atheist rant. I know the fact that I believe in God takes away all of my credibility, even with some of my faithful readers. However, I am a somewhat rational person (at least I hope). I can imagine what life might be like not believing in anything greater than the human mind. What I can't fathom is why I would care so much about religion, especially that Catholic Church which, in the minds of many atheists, seems to be the biggest joke of all.
Here I'll reference the episode of Penn & Teller's Bullshit that has everyone up in arms. The saddest part is that it isn't funny, but rather scathing, as if big jovial Penn was replaced by windbag Greg Giraldo. The show lays down the typical, hysterical argument: the Vatican has lots of money and power and is causing destruction around the world.
It is responsible for people in Africa dying of AIDS, for example. Is the Catholic Church the only organization allowed to access African countries? Penn kept referencing how the unbelieving are so naturally moral, compassionate, conscientious, and humane-- why aren't they taking care of the AIDS problem south of the equator by distributing condoms and teaching safe sex as they wish the Vatican would do? Many athiests are quite well off, enough that if all of them banded together they could take care of the problem in little time. Why hasn't that happened yet? And if it is happening, than why care so much that the Church is teaching abstinence and not handing out condoms?
Again, as a "religious" person I hardly find the atheists of the world capable of taking care of hunger, poverty, ignorance, or the corrupt powers that be as they seem unorganized and apathetic. So I take it upon myself as the person of morality to contibute to the education, feeding, housing, and clothing of the disenfrachised. If Penn is so convinced that religious people are filled with "intolerance, greed, paranoia, and callus disregard for human life" than I hope he is trying to step into the space the church is supposedly standing in when it comes to AIDS or poverty.
Addendum: a more aptly put bit about the same topic
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