mindless

I was talking to friend the other day about video games and their addictiveness. It inspired me to write another post.  :)
Once you start playing video games (or computer games), it is often hard to pull yourself away. You end up wasting many valuable hours pursuing pure nothingness. Why? Man is lazy. He likes things that don't require diligence and effort. Man is prideful. When he comes across something to be mastered, he must conquer it. Video games capitalize on the pitfalls of mankind.
Most television is only more aimless than video games because there is nothing to conquer. It simply requires laziness.
Now don't hear me wrong (actually, don't read this post wrong). I don't mean that video games and television are evil and we should go burn all our electronics in a great bonfire of doom. Occasionally, mindless entertainment provides needed rest and even fellowship. But because mindless entertainment isn't what we were created for, we must be careful not to slip into a lifestyle that centers around such entertainment.

quality

Which is more important when relaying information: quality of the information or quality of the presentation?

When information is not provided in proper sequence and with proper clarity it loses its significance. Only the most analytical and organizational of the audience will still gain the information in a way that will be beneficial to them.

When information is presented in a thorough and engaging way, it gains a large audience. However, because the information lacks solidity, it becomes dangerous. This is the main mindset out of which our culture operates. Information is presented in an engaging way, but only part of the information is given (e.g. Gardasil, Obamacare, Abortion). We have a culture who embraces ideas they know little about simply because the presentation of the information was engaging and the culture feels these things will be beneficial to them.

"Nobody ever became a writer just by wanting to be one. If you have anything to say, anything you feel nobody has ever said before, you have got to feel it so desperately that you will find some way to say it that nobody has ever found before, so that the thing you have to say and the way of saying it blend as one matter-as indissolubly as if they were conceived together." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald, in a letter to his daughter

motivation

My school friends and I have been talking about motivation. I struggle to understand how so many brilliant people I know have no motivation to complete their schoolwork. We discussed how different people are motivated by different things. But is that okay? Shouldn't we all ultimately find our motivation in Christ and the gospel?
...I am most definitely a people pleaser. And that can be good. I often care a lot about other people and what they are thinking and feeling. I hate to be an inconvenience to anyone. Anyone who knows me well enough will complain of my frequent apologizing. But this can also be a bad thing. Often I find my motivation to accomplish any given task rooted in my fear of man. In my Christian bubble (i.e. my small christian school and my small christian church), this motivation has rarely ever lead my actions astray. Yet, it has lead my heart astray. I have been more focused on how people view what I do than on how the Lord views the intentions of my heart. My little Christian bubble is about to burst. Whether I stay local or go out-of-state, college is going to be a whole new world for me. I must make my relationship with Christ of most importance if I wish to stand firm in my faith throughout the next years of my life.

hope

I have decided to post little thoughts and questions in between my annoyingly long and majorly in depth mini essays. Hopefully, in this way, I will be able to post more often and leave my readers with less headaches. So here is my thought for today (aided by our wonderful homeroom discussion as well as a literature discussion)...

 Often, when life is going well, we stop seeking God in the same way. We understand our dependence on Him the best when we experience trials. Does present happiness dim future hope? Hope requires dependence and some level of despair. While we should enjoy our experiences here on earth, we must not forget that they are tainted by sin and a better future awaits us.

What is the balance of finding happiness in present situations and yet never losing sight of the future of our lives/our hope in heaven?