THE NATURE OF CHANGE
Change is an interesting concept. Change can be anything big or anything small. When we change one part of us, or our outfit for example, are we still the same person? At what point are we considered to not be the same? When we think about how our identity or DNA makes us up, what really defines us? If we have a heart transplant, have we changed into a new person? We are then faced about what our essence is, what are we, what makes us, us. I think that when we change some physical things about us, we are still, at the core, the same. The Paradox of Theseus' Ship gave the example of, if the foundation of the ship changed, would it be the same? Or is it new? The ship carries the same purpose but some physical aspects have changed. Another example is, if all of the players of the Packers football team all transferred to the Patriots football team, would the Packers football team still be the Packers? Or would the Patriots become the Packers? I think that the name and the identity of the team would be the same, the Packers and the Patriots, although physically changed, still carry the same purpose, mission, and goal.
WHAT IS HOLINESS? |
We are God's people, He created us uniquely with different personalities and different experiences. I think that the experiences and things that we take a part of, and the traits that each define us, shape us into who we are. We go through a series of events and partake in new and different things every day. We grew up a particular way, we are under the influence of where we live, our social status, and our role models. Each of these things are unique to every person, no matter what trauma may happen, what physical changes might come about, we all have a soul and obtain experiences that nothing can take away. And this foundation remains the same in each and every one of us.
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The Euthyphro dilemma discusses the idea of: is something holy because God is holy, or is God saying something because it is holy? The first option puts God in the position that he is declaring something to us, that God has control over what is holy. The second option puts God below this concept of holiness. That God is less than this concept and is not the one who is above all. Either way, God is not perfect or above all in this dilemma. Instead, he is holy and he is good. He is our reference point as Christians. If a non believer felt that something was holy it would be false because they are the reference point in their lives. God is not the definition and reference point for them. They are their own reference point. Therefore, since God is holy, they never experienced true holiness because they never encountered something perfect or holy like God.
I think that holiness is something perfect that we experience. Since God is the only thing that is truly perfect, we would therefore be experiencing part of him or something he created. When we enter into a beautiful scenery full of waterfalls and mountains that God so skillfully created, we can feel holiness. We have an emotional response to these things because when we enter a place that is holy and perfect because God created it, the emotions arise because something that is holy is often something powerful. This then triggers a response that is typically emotional, whether full of joy and smiling to being brought to tears because of your encounter with God and his nature. Another example would be entering into a place of worship where you set apart time, whether at church or at home, to experience God and surrender yourself to him. In this time, personally, I have felt that moment of God is with me, I feel his perfection and holiness completely wrapped around me. When we encounter God and are in his presence, we can experience holiness and absolute perfection.
I think that holiness is something perfect that we experience. Since God is the only thing that is truly perfect, we would therefore be experiencing part of him or something he created. When we enter into a beautiful scenery full of waterfalls and mountains that God so skillfully created, we can feel holiness. We have an emotional response to these things because when we enter a place that is holy and perfect because God created it, the emotions arise because something that is holy is often something powerful. This then triggers a response that is typically emotional, whether full of joy and smiling to being brought to tears because of your encounter with God and his nature. Another example would be entering into a place of worship where you set apart time, whether at church or at home, to experience God and surrender yourself to him. In this time, personally, I have felt that moment of God is with me, I feel his perfection and holiness completely wrapped around me. When we encounter God and are in his presence, we can experience holiness and absolute perfection.
What is worthy of our sacrifice?
When we think about what inspires passion or deep love in us, would we sacrifice ourselves for the good of that person or object? I think that it depends on what we are passionate about. In order to make an act so selfless, we have to be confident and know that what we are sacrificing ourselves for is worthy. We would not be so selfless if we did not truly and deeply love that thing/person. For example, I am passionate about my faith, Jesus, and people. But when I think about it, would I really choose for someone to live longer at the expense of my sacrifice? Or would I die for the good of God's kingdom coming down on Earth? My answer is absolutely yes. When we sacrifice ourselves for a cause that is ultimately good, most people would be selfless and say, this good thing or person is worthy and therefore I would gladly sacrifice my life for their own good.
I think that this stance and outlook on life also depends on where you stand in faith and what morals you obtain. If people are idolizing themselves, they are less likely to make a selfless sacrifice. But, if somebody who is a Christian and who sets God above all and is called to love their neighbor, they might be more willing to make a big sacrifice. Plato once said, "we ought to live sacrificing, and singing, and dancing." I think that we should be self sacrificing and be selfless throughout our lives. We should be ultimately looking to be bringing the kingdom of God down to Earth. I took a trip to Uganda where I had to deal with uncomfortable situations and living styles, but it resulted in a new found joy for both the kids and I. It furthered my relationship with God and expanded my heart towards these energetic kids. So, what people are personally passionate about and what they determine worthy will affect their decision to make a sacrifice or what extreme of sacrifice they will make. Living a selfless and sacrificial life is where people often find so much joy.
I think that this stance and outlook on life also depends on where you stand in faith and what morals you obtain. If people are idolizing themselves, they are less likely to make a selfless sacrifice. But, if somebody who is a Christian and who sets God above all and is called to love their neighbor, they might be more willing to make a big sacrifice. Plato once said, "we ought to live sacrificing, and singing, and dancing." I think that we should be self sacrificing and be selfless throughout our lives. We should be ultimately looking to be bringing the kingdom of God down to Earth. I took a trip to Uganda where I had to deal with uncomfortable situations and living styles, but it resulted in a new found joy for both the kids and I. It furthered my relationship with God and expanded my heart towards these energetic kids. So, what people are personally passionate about and what they determine worthy will affect their decision to make a sacrifice or what extreme of sacrifice they will make. Living a selfless and sacrificial life is where people often find so much joy.
What would you do with your ring?
What is a good family structure?
do we need to be censoring information?
Myth of the cave
Recently in class, we watched and read about the Myth of the Cave. In summary, this myth is about prisoners who were in a cave and only capable to see their shadows because of the fire behind them. They could not move and only saw the shadows of things that passed by. Then, one prisoner escaped and got accustomed to the outside world with all of the light and faced the reality of the objects instead of its shadows. The prisoner went back to his cave and told the other prisoners what he saw but they did not understand his language. He then could also not see the shadows like he used to when he was living in darkness. This myth can be related to your spirituality because of the change in living in darkness and then being exposed to the light. Before an encounter with God or before you are aware of God, you are living in darkness. But you are ignorant of this way of living until you experience God who is light and goodness. It is until you are exposed to the light that you are aware of the darkness that you have been living in. You could be living life in a humanly nature and do not know any differently but once you are exposed to the character of God, you have the ability to change your ways. And after an encounter with God, it is hard to change your ways or see the things the way you used to see them. After you are exposed to that light, like the prisoner, it is hard to see the darkness in the same way.
Personally, I have been changed through my experiences in Uganda. I have grown more in my faith and knowledge of God, made more friends, and learned about a different culture. Living in America, you grow accustom to how things operate and your view of Jesus is different than somebody's across the world. But, in my trips of Uganda my view of Jesus has changed. I saw how people I met there fully rely on Him for everything, he is their provider and source of peace. I was exposed to this new way of living and new view of Jesus and I didn't come back home the same. Being exposed to this new lifestyle and new experiences can change a person from their old ways of living.
Personally, I have been changed through my experiences in Uganda. I have grown more in my faith and knowledge of God, made more friends, and learned about a different culture. Living in America, you grow accustom to how things operate and your view of Jesus is different than somebody's across the world. But, in my trips of Uganda my view of Jesus has changed. I saw how people I met there fully rely on Him for everything, he is their provider and source of peace. I was exposed to this new way of living and new view of Jesus and I didn't come back home the same. Being exposed to this new lifestyle and new experiences can change a person from their old ways of living.
The Nature of friendship
Aristotle wrote about the three different characteristics and types of friendships. They were: mutual kindness, utility, and pleasure. The mutual friendship was where both friends were benefitting from the relationship and is long term. The relationship built on pleasure is where one friend benefits and is short term because once the pleasure is fulfilled the friendship dies off. The last one is utility. In a utility friendship, the people involved in the friendship are only involved because of something like common work or coworkers. A person generally has all three of these types of relationships and that is perfectly normal. Not all people are going to be your best friend forever. For example a utility friendship could be classmates at school where you only see them there and work on group projects together. Some friends you have for a short period of time when they need you or you need them. And the people we call our best friends are the long-term, mutual kindness friends. These types of relationships also apply to the triangle. The mutual friendship would e at the top because of how it is benefitting both people and balances the triangle. The pleasure friendship would be on the left because of indulgence and "producing" only what they need for a short period of time. And the utility would be on the right because it relates to the "soldiers" and only doing their job, nothing too personal. All of these relationships are important and influence a persons life. Some may be temporary, but the mutual friendships are good ones that will last a lifetime.
Cynics, stoics, epicurians, or skeptics?
I think I identify more with the Stoic group because of some philosophical ideas. Although, any of these different "categories" or groupings are hard to fully identify with. The Stoics were highly virtue and duty based, as well as very conscious of their overall true happiness. The stoics mainly were concerned with the things that they were able to control, and disregarded/didn't care much for the things that they weren't able to control. They didn't rely as much on material things but rather found confidence in themselves. They also believed in reason and experience, where their knowledge is based on things they have personally experienced, as well as reason. These ideas came from both Plato and Aristotle, as learned in our class. These concepts are things that I agree with and also strive to apply to my life. Although, the stoics also believe in suicide when they don't find joy in their circumstances. Because their virtues are duty and honor based, they believe that when they cannot find happiness in their circumstances, they should end their lives shorter, but happier. They also believe these things to such an extreme that it can be either overwhelming or too self aware. They also do not view God the same way as a Christian would, in that christians believe God is active in the world rather than God's passivity in the world. These ideas would align with ideas and ways of thinking in the roman time, where duty and honor was above all else, as well as having reason and wanting to acquire knowledge. I associate with the stoics/desire to become in some ways more like them because of their sense of happiness, confidence, and disregard for unimportant things.