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Well, I survived the sale completely in tact and I actually sucked some very positive energy out of it. I was truly happy and present there which is a bit of a switch from my usual attitude about those sales. I felt genuinely needed and appreciated and it gave me goose bumps when a co-worked even expressed this aloud. I am honoured and pleased.
I’m trying to tie up loose ends, pull all my stuff together to prepare for the final pack tomorrow. A little laundry, a little bill paying, a little errand running… a whole lot of “little” things to do.
J.R. came over last night after work and we all went to see The Passion of Christ. I don’t think I’ll be giving any spoilers here as you probably all heard how it ends already. *wink* I actually thought the movie did exactly what it was meant to do. I enjoyed hearing it in Aramaic and Latin. It was a brutally honest interpretation of the Biblical account. It was well acted, well directed and I felt the pain, humiliation and betrayal. I don’t think anyone else was moved like I was. Perhaps it was my 22 years of Catholicism, but I was genuinely appreciative of the movie. I can remember all my years of going to church during this season and how we “reenacted” the Passion as a congregation during one of the holy days of obligation. I remember being rather bored with it. It added a good 20 minutes on to the mass time. I also remember reading the Bible and having it seem rather dull and impersonal. The language the Bible uses is neither authentic nor modern so it doesn’t necessarily capture me nor speak to me. I wondered how many other people were just sitting there going through the motions of the season with only the thoughts of an basket full of egg-shaped chocolate to look forward to. I actually think this movie should be required viewing for people of the faith to remind them why they are Christian and what this season is supposed to mean to them. I was always upset when I would go to a half full church every Sunday and then on Easter and Christmas I couldn’t find a seat because all the good little Catholics decided they needed to show their faces on the two most important holy days and those two days alone. The hypocrisy would drive me nuts. I mean, did they even understand why they were there? Did they care? If one lays claim to a faith, one should believe and honour it utterly. Don’t be wishy-washy about faith. You either have it or you don’t. I didn’t always agree with some of the tenants and principals of Catholicism, but while I professed to be one, I genuinely tried my best to adhere to the faith as best I could. When I found I could no longer work within those parameters, I stepped out and developed my own personal faith. It is ever evolving and I am completely true to it. I make no apologies and I am grateful for the strength my faith provides me.
I really don’t care what anyone’s religion is. That is a very personal thing and it belongs in the realm of privacy. What I do believe is that everyone should have a faith. Some faith. Preferably a very personalized one. If you are comfortable in a large organized faith and it does all the things you need it to, great. I support you completely even if I don’t derive the same comfort from that religion. The important thing is to have a faith. To have some faith. Without faith, where do our morals spring? Where do we gain our hope? Those things could really come from anywhere, but I believe they originate with faith. Faith in something or someone. Me, I have faith in myself. I have faith in my loved ones. I have faith that the Creator, the great energy that motivated and inspired all that is, has some purpose for me. I believe that I understand the basic reason why I am here, why I exist and what I should strive to accomplish. This gives me an eternal reservoir from which I can pull the energy I need to keep going when I can’t find a reason in my regular life. For, when all else seems hopeless, I find solace and comfort knowing that I must be in the process of learning some lesson that will later help me to help someone else. My personal suffering will eventually help make this universe a better place at some point. I also believe that my happiness and good fortune also make this universe a better place. This is what my faith does for me. I never forget that and I always appreciate it. I believe in this faith utterly and probably couldn’t exist without it. I have experienced that I make a difference. I have faith that a kind word from me or a simple but genuine smile is like a pebble dropped in a glassy lake. The concentric ripples of that one pure and loving act can bring positive energy to a small group of people around me who go out and touch small groups of people who touch larger groups of people and so on. Who knows upon what shore these waves will lap, but if they are good and kind, then I am honoured to have been a part of it. This is my faith. I am grateful to all of you who make my life so full and wonderful. I thank you for bringing me your love and your great energy. I am humbled by your love for me and honoured that you make me a part of your lives. I hope that I will always be worthy of the great love I feel from you all. I hope that when I reach the end of my life, that I will have smiled more than I frowned, that I will have given as much as I have received, and that my existence will continue to bring smiles and warm happy feelings even after I am gone. In all this, I have faith. And for all this, I continue to strive.
Wow, I hadn’t really intended to have a movie review move me so. I’m feeling very emotional and rather weepy at the moment. I think I’ll sit with myself in the sun for a few moments and contemplate the beauty of the flowers in my garden and compose myself. I’m never going to accomplish all my errands and chores if I am feeling overwhelmed by metaphysical profundities. Of course, this could lead to zen laundry and zen packing. Maybe this would help me fit more than one change of clothes in my suitcase. I think maybe I should run with this… *smiles fondly at the universe and gives it a warm bear hug*
In other news: a delicious organic Fuji apple. I bought an apple the size of a small rice bowl and have been eating it for two meals now. I still have about half the apple left. It is sweet, crunchy and it makes me happy.
That is all.
I’m trying to tie up loose ends, pull all my stuff together to prepare for the final pack tomorrow. A little laundry, a little bill paying, a little errand running… a whole lot of “little” things to do.
J.R. came over last night after work and we all went to see The Passion of Christ. I don’t think I’ll be giving any spoilers here as you probably all heard how it ends already. *wink* I actually thought the movie did exactly what it was meant to do. I enjoyed hearing it in Aramaic and Latin. It was a brutally honest interpretation of the Biblical account. It was well acted, well directed and I felt the pain, humiliation and betrayal. I don’t think anyone else was moved like I was. Perhaps it was my 22 years of Catholicism, but I was genuinely appreciative of the movie. I can remember all my years of going to church during this season and how we “reenacted” the Passion as a congregation during one of the holy days of obligation. I remember being rather bored with it. It added a good 20 minutes on to the mass time. I also remember reading the Bible and having it seem rather dull and impersonal. The language the Bible uses is neither authentic nor modern so it doesn’t necessarily capture me nor speak to me. I wondered how many other people were just sitting there going through the motions of the season with only the thoughts of an basket full of egg-shaped chocolate to look forward to. I actually think this movie should be required viewing for people of the faith to remind them why they are Christian and what this season is supposed to mean to them. I was always upset when I would go to a half full church every Sunday and then on Easter and Christmas I couldn’t find a seat because all the good little Catholics decided they needed to show their faces on the two most important holy days and those two days alone. The hypocrisy would drive me nuts. I mean, did they even understand why they were there? Did they care? If one lays claim to a faith, one should believe and honour it utterly. Don’t be wishy-washy about faith. You either have it or you don’t. I didn’t always agree with some of the tenants and principals of Catholicism, but while I professed to be one, I genuinely tried my best to adhere to the faith as best I could. When I found I could no longer work within those parameters, I stepped out and developed my own personal faith. It is ever evolving and I am completely true to it. I make no apologies and I am grateful for the strength my faith provides me.
I really don’t care what anyone’s religion is. That is a very personal thing and it belongs in the realm of privacy. What I do believe is that everyone should have a faith. Some faith. Preferably a very personalized one. If you are comfortable in a large organized faith and it does all the things you need it to, great. I support you completely even if I don’t derive the same comfort from that religion. The important thing is to have a faith. To have some faith. Without faith, where do our morals spring? Where do we gain our hope? Those things could really come from anywhere, but I believe they originate with faith. Faith in something or someone. Me, I have faith in myself. I have faith in my loved ones. I have faith that the Creator, the great energy that motivated and inspired all that is, has some purpose for me. I believe that I understand the basic reason why I am here, why I exist and what I should strive to accomplish. This gives me an eternal reservoir from which I can pull the energy I need to keep going when I can’t find a reason in my regular life. For, when all else seems hopeless, I find solace and comfort knowing that I must be in the process of learning some lesson that will later help me to help someone else. My personal suffering will eventually help make this universe a better place at some point. I also believe that my happiness and good fortune also make this universe a better place. This is what my faith does for me. I never forget that and I always appreciate it. I believe in this faith utterly and probably couldn’t exist without it. I have experienced that I make a difference. I have faith that a kind word from me or a simple but genuine smile is like a pebble dropped in a glassy lake. The concentric ripples of that one pure and loving act can bring positive energy to a small group of people around me who go out and touch small groups of people who touch larger groups of people and so on. Who knows upon what shore these waves will lap, but if they are good and kind, then I am honoured to have been a part of it. This is my faith. I am grateful to all of you who make my life so full and wonderful. I thank you for bringing me your love and your great energy. I am humbled by your love for me and honoured that you make me a part of your lives. I hope that I will always be worthy of the great love I feel from you all. I hope that when I reach the end of my life, that I will have smiled more than I frowned, that I will have given as much as I have received, and that my existence will continue to bring smiles and warm happy feelings even after I am gone. In all this, I have faith. And for all this, I continue to strive.
Wow, I hadn’t really intended to have a movie review move me so. I’m feeling very emotional and rather weepy at the moment. I think I’ll sit with myself in the sun for a few moments and contemplate the beauty of the flowers in my garden and compose myself. I’m never going to accomplish all my errands and chores if I am feeling overwhelmed by metaphysical profundities. Of course, this could lead to zen laundry and zen packing. Maybe this would help me fit more than one change of clothes in my suitcase. I think maybe I should run with this… *smiles fondly at the universe and gives it a warm bear hug*
In other news: a delicious organic Fuji apple. I bought an apple the size of a small rice bowl and have been eating it for two meals now. I still have about half the apple left. It is sweet, crunchy and it makes me happy.
That is all.
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From:
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In my opinion, it was a stark portrayal of real life. It has nothing to do with Jews, it just happens to be Jews in this instance. It could have easily been the Catholic Church not wanting to relinquish power to the Protestants, or the British not wanting to lose power to the Norman invaders. It could be the loggers not wanting to lose their livelyhood to the environmentalists. It could be the powerful CEO who will step on heads to keep his position. It could be any government offical. It was harshly realistic. In any conflict, there are powers that want to keep their power and will do whatever it takes, there are the simple people that are easily influenced and there are those who recognize the manipulation for what it is and try to combat it with humanity. Life. Struggles of power.
I do understand that the Jews would not want to have a fresh wave of intolerance released upon them so they are setting up some boundaries. Personally, I don't think the movie portrays the Jews in a bad light. I think it portrays a few specific power-loving rabbis as impure. I think it portrays a few power-loving Roman soldiers as cruel. I think it portrays a Roman governor and many of the Jewish population as sympathetic yet helpless. I think it portrays a few brave souls, both Jewish and Roman, as kind regardless of harm to themselves. I think it is worthy of being seen and developing your own opinion.