Have you ever noticed how you typically have to experience something first hand to really understand what it's like? How you have to go through something yourself before you fully grasp what others who have been through the same thing might feel? How you can't relate to others who have seen the Grand Canyon until you've seen it too? I call that feeling or reality perspective.
I've come to believe that true perspective only comes with contrast. You never really know what something is until you can contrast it with something that it is not. Take the Grand Canyon. Everyone knows that the Grand Canyon is big. But I've seen some pretty big trucks, and some pretty big buildings. Heck, for that matter, I've seen some pretty big mountains and rivers and lakes. If you've been to the Grand Canyon you know...everything else seems small. You walk up to the edge of it expecting something big and you're surprised because big isn't descriptive enough. When you, a person maybe somewhere between 5' and 7' see the Grand Canyon you feel like you're as small as an insect. Perspective comes with contrast.
Don't believe me? Take photography then, or rather think of focus. Put your finger in front of your face about 8 inches out. Now if your finger is bigger than your eye, you might have eye cancer! JK JK. Keep your finger there and focus on your computer or phone or tablet or whatever else you might be reading this on. Then focus back on your finger. Then back to the screen. You see a whole different set of things when you switch your focus. One moment you're thinking, "Man is there something wrong with me since I'm seeing two fingers when I know I only have one up?!?" and the next moment you're thinking, "Geesh I should trim my finger nails more often." Perspective is a lot like focus. Whatever you're focused on will automatically exclude everything else. You can't focus on two things at once. Now, if you get really good at it, you can focus on something but still be paying attention to a lot of other things outside of the center of your focus-kind of like a narrow aperture in photography. Your depth of field can increase with skill.
I think that life works the same way. You gain perspective when you contrast things. When you've experienced something, say depression for example, you gain a new sense of perspective on what it means to be affected by your feelings and circumstances. Or say you loose something very valuable to you, you gain some perspective on what it's like to life without certain privileges or conveniences. You gain a fuller perspective when you have something to contrast with. You may not even be able to tell that that favorite white t shirt of yours is actually kind of ivory until you can hold it up against a brand new white t shirt. You probably don't think your vision is that bad until you can contrast it with the vision you have when the optometrist flips that lens down giving you two examples of how you might be able to see. Perspective comes with contrast.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Run with the Horses-a book review
Hey, figured I'd share this from my Goodreads. Really, just check out the quotes. This book has in many ways enriched my life recently. I will probably have plenty of blog topics that spawn from within this writing by Eugene Peterson.
Here it is:
This book was strangely just what I needed. Peterson talks through the life of Jeremiah and his story. He takes the narrative of Jeremiah's life and connects it to the narratives of all believers. He talks about being the best that you can be.
I found this book to be very enriching to my soul. In a weird sort of way, I couldn't read it quickly. I felt as if I needed a few days to deal with the truth of each chapter, applying it to each and every part of my life. For something that I thoroughly enjoyed, this book took me a strange amount of time to finish; however, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for some challenging and convicting truths about Jesus and a life pursuing Him.
I highlighted a ton in this book, so let these highlights be my review!!
-The thorough integration of strength and sensitivity, of firmness and feeling, is rare. We sometimes see sensitive people who are unstrung most of the time. They bleed profusely at the sight of blood. Their sensitivity incapacitates them for action in the rough-and-tumble cruelties of the world. In contrast others are rigid moralists, ramrod stiff with righteous rectitude. There is never any doubt about their dogmatically asserted position. But their principles are hammers that crack skulls and bruise flesh. The world makes a wide circuit around such persons. It is dangerous to be in their company for very long, for if they detect any mental weakness or moral wavering in us, we will be lucky to escape without at least a headache. location 516
-Religion became what it must be but often is not-a way of discovering the meaning of life, of ordering justice in society, of finding direction toward goals of excellence, of acquiring the discipline to live with integrity, of realizing how God loves and of learning how to love God in return. location 567
-All truth must be experienced personally before it is complete, before it is authentic.Read more at location 735
-What is wrong is to evaluate the worth of words and deeds by their popularity. What is scandalous is to approve only what is applauded. What is disastrous is to assume that only the celebrated is genuine. Read more at location 808
-Scripture cannot be used. It is God's word calling us to a personal response. The word of God addresses us, calls us into being. The only appropriate response is a reverent answering. It is always more than we are, always previous to us, always over us. Read more at location 1167
-An accident, a tragedy, a disaster of any kind can force the realization that the world is not predictable, that reality is far more extensive than our habitual perception of it. With the pain and in the midst of alienation a sense of freedom can occur. Read more at location 1325
-The aim of the person of faith is not to be as comfortable as possible but to live as deeply and thoroughly as possible-to deal with the reality of life, discover truth, create beauty, act out love. Read more at location 1368
-"As long as matters are really hopeful," wrote Chesterton, "hope is mere flattery or platitude. It is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength at all. Like all the Christian virtues, it is as unreasonable as it is indispensable."5 Read more at location 1559
-It is, of course, far easier to languish in despair than to live in hope, for when we live in despair we don't have to do anything or risk anything. We can live lazily and shiftlessly with an untarnished reputation for practicality, current with the way things appear. It is fashionable to espouse the latest cynicism. If we live in hope, we go against the stream. Read more at location 1609
-God does not send us into the dangerous and exacting life of faith because we are qualified; he chooses us in order to qualify us for what he wants us to be and do: "I've just put my words in your mouth.... I've given you a job to do among nations and governments-a red-letter day!" location 451
-In Jeremiah it is clear that the excellence comes from a life of faith, from being more interested in God than in self, and has almost nothing to do with comfort or esteem or achievement. location 106
-It is enormously difficult to portray goodness in an attractive way; it is much easier to make a scoundrel interesting. location 110
-If I am frequently and authoritatively treated impersonally, I begin to think of myself the same way. I consider myself in terms of how I fit into the statistical norms; I evaluate myself in terms of my usefulness; I assess my worth in response to how much others want me or don't want me. location 21
-Apart from the before, the now has little meaning. The now is only a thin slice of who I am; isolated from the rich deposits of before, it cannot be understood. location 300
-If we are going to live appropriately, we must be aware that we are living in the middle of a story that was begun and will be concluded by another. And this other is God. -location 323
-We are so used to considering everything through the prism of our current feelings and our most recent acquisitions that it is a radical change to consider the vast before. But if we would live well, it is necessary. Otherwise we live feebly and gropingly, blind to the glory that we are known, chosen and given away by God. location 399
-We underestimate God and we overestimate evil. We don't see what God is doing and conclude that he is doing nothing. We see everything that evil is doing and think it is in control of everyone.location 505
-
Here it is:
This book was strangely just what I needed. Peterson talks through the life of Jeremiah and his story. He takes the narrative of Jeremiah's life and connects it to the narratives of all believers. He talks about being the best that you can be.
I found this book to be very enriching to my soul. In a weird sort of way, I couldn't read it quickly. I felt as if I needed a few days to deal with the truth of each chapter, applying it to each and every part of my life. For something that I thoroughly enjoyed, this book took me a strange amount of time to finish; however, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for some challenging and convicting truths about Jesus and a life pursuing Him.
I highlighted a ton in this book, so let these highlights be my review!!
-The thorough integration of strength and sensitivity, of firmness and feeling, is rare. We sometimes see sensitive people who are unstrung most of the time. They bleed profusely at the sight of blood. Their sensitivity incapacitates them for action in the rough-and-tumble cruelties of the world. In contrast others are rigid moralists, ramrod stiff with righteous rectitude. There is never any doubt about their dogmatically asserted position. But their principles are hammers that crack skulls and bruise flesh. The world makes a wide circuit around such persons. It is dangerous to be in their company for very long, for if they detect any mental weakness or moral wavering in us, we will be lucky to escape without at least a headache. location 516
-Religion became what it must be but often is not-a way of discovering the meaning of life, of ordering justice in society, of finding direction toward goals of excellence, of acquiring the discipline to live with integrity, of realizing how God loves and of learning how to love God in return. location 567
-All truth must be experienced personally before it is complete, before it is authentic.Read more at location 735
-What is wrong is to evaluate the worth of words and deeds by their popularity. What is scandalous is to approve only what is applauded. What is disastrous is to assume that only the celebrated is genuine. Read more at location 808
-Scripture cannot be used. It is God's word calling us to a personal response. The word of God addresses us, calls us into being. The only appropriate response is a reverent answering. It is always more than we are, always previous to us, always over us. Read more at location 1167
-An accident, a tragedy, a disaster of any kind can force the realization that the world is not predictable, that reality is far more extensive than our habitual perception of it. With the pain and in the midst of alienation a sense of freedom can occur. Read more at location 1325
-The aim of the person of faith is not to be as comfortable as possible but to live as deeply and thoroughly as possible-to deal with the reality of life, discover truth, create beauty, act out love. Read more at location 1368
-"As long as matters are really hopeful," wrote Chesterton, "hope is mere flattery or platitude. It is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength at all. Like all the Christian virtues, it is as unreasonable as it is indispensable."5 Read more at location 1559
-It is, of course, far easier to languish in despair than to live in hope, for when we live in despair we don't have to do anything or risk anything. We can live lazily and shiftlessly with an untarnished reputation for practicality, current with the way things appear. It is fashionable to espouse the latest cynicism. If we live in hope, we go against the stream. Read more at location 1609
-God does not send us into the dangerous and exacting life of faith because we are qualified; he chooses us in order to qualify us for what he wants us to be and do: "I've just put my words in your mouth.... I've given you a job to do among nations and governments-a red-letter day!" location 451
-In Jeremiah it is clear that the excellence comes from a life of faith, from being more interested in God than in self, and has almost nothing to do with comfort or esteem or achievement. location 106
-It is enormously difficult to portray goodness in an attractive way; it is much easier to make a scoundrel interesting. location 110
-If I am frequently and authoritatively treated impersonally, I begin to think of myself the same way. I consider myself in terms of how I fit into the statistical norms; I evaluate myself in terms of my usefulness; I assess my worth in response to how much others want me or don't want me. location 21
-Apart from the before, the now has little meaning. The now is only a thin slice of who I am; isolated from the rich deposits of before, it cannot be understood. location 300
-If we are going to live appropriately, we must be aware that we are living in the middle of a story that was begun and will be concluded by another. And this other is God. -location 323
-We are so used to considering everything through the prism of our current feelings and our most recent acquisitions that it is a radical change to consider the vast before. But if we would live well, it is necessary. Otherwise we live feebly and gropingly, blind to the glory that we are known, chosen and given away by God. location 399
-We underestimate God and we overestimate evil. We don't see what God is doing and conclude that he is doing nothing. We see everything that evil is doing and think it is in control of everyone.location 505
-
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