The Misplaced Immigration Debate

Its high time the immigration debate received an overdue overhaul.  The raving liberals pride themselves on being "for illegal immigration (or excuse me, undocumented citizens)," while the crazy conservatives cry out at the injustice of not forcibly deporting 20 million people.  The sad thing about the whole debate is that if people just stopped yelling at each other for 2 seconds they would realize they have a lot more in common than they realize.  They would realize that a solution is within reach.  They would realize that they can enforce the law and be humane at the same time.

The liberals are for illegal immigration.  Thats retarded, being for illegal anything is retarded.  That is not a political position.  It would be more honest to say that they are for treating illegals humanely.  That does no mean you are for an illegal act.  You might say you are for open borders all you want, but I guarantee you at some point you would want restrictions.  If the U.S. actually had completely open borders, people would be flooding this country like there is no tomorrow.  Why? its simple, over 3 billion live on less than  $2.50 a day.  Meanwhile, the minimum wage is 7.25/hour.  It does not take rocket science to see why people will want to move here.  However, obviously the U.S. cannot take in 3 billion people (If you cannot understand why you are hopeless).  I know I am exaggerating, but even if only 100 million wanted to move (which is easily plausible), then America would have horrid problems trying to accommodate them all.  Perhaps we would eventually adjust, but particularly in this recession there is no reason to be enthusiastic about letting in immigrants.  All this to say, that America needs some restrictions on immigration.  It cannot be a free-for-all.  

I can't understand why anyone would wish this on
20 million people simply for wanting
to live here, many of whom have lived here
for a very long time.

Then, the question becomes not a question of being for or against illegal immigration, but of what the immigration laws should be, what the quotas should be, and what the penalties should be for entering illegally.  Here the conservatives are at least willing to acknowledge that illegal immigration is not acceptable, just as breaking any law is not acceptable.  Where they drift off into lala land is when they advocate deporting 20 million people.  If having the government deporting 20 million human beings does not strike you as wrong, I do not know what will.  Imagine, 20 million dumped at the border to fend for themselves.  Indeed, I am sure all the drug Cartels in Mexico would have a field day.  Not to mention how many families will be torn apart, along with how many children would be left parentless, and how many productive workers would be gone. 

 It would make much more sense to institute a minor penalty, such as a fine and registering them all with guest worker permits.  In addition, perhaps allow a gradated system in terms of how long they have been here.  If they have been living here a long time, then simply fine them.  If they have come here recently, then track them and ask them to leave on their own volition within a few years, fining them progressively more for each year they do not leave.  A gradated system would force new entrants to think twice, while older entrants would not be forced to play by rules they never had to play before.  However, ultimately I do not believe the punishment aspect is the major part of the debate, though it is the only one most ever focus on.

This is when President Johnson signed the 1964
Immigration Act

In my opinion, the major problem comes from two sources.  First, the immigration quota system itself.  It is based off the 1964 Immigration Act.  The criteria are based off of your family connections (to members living in the U.S.), and your education.  The reason all your doctors are foreign is because our immigration system heavily favors educated people.  All the Asians in the U.S. are smart because the only Asians that can get into the U.S. are the smart ones.  However, the bizarre fact of the matter is that the immigration system reflects what type of people the U.S. wants to enter, it does not reflect the reality of who wants to enter the U.S.  Two times the law has been modified to include more Latin Americans into the quota.  Yet, of course, it has not been enough.  That is because the system has not been altered to favor where the demand comes from, it has only been tweaked.  

In my opinion, the whole system should be reset to a simple first come first serve basis.  In addition the overall number allowed in should be expanded.  Yes, we want educated workers, but why not educate the ones we already have?  Why must we rely on foreign brains?  I will tell you why, to cover up our broken education system.  Yet that is another subject for another time.  Until our immigration system caters to where the demand actually is, we will continue to have horrific problems with illegal immigration.

Redeploying military bases along the border would
be one easy way to help enforce the border.

The second source is the unenforced border.  It really makes no sense to have an unenforced border if one is going to enforce an Immigration policy.  We have already settled that having an Immigration policy is a necessity.  Therefore, I think it should not be too hard to realize that enforcing the border is a logically step in that process.  Since even if you reform the immigration laws the way I proposed, many more will want to come.  Some will resort to trying to come here illegally.  It is best to stop that before they get in, not after.  Then one will not have to deal with the moral problems of forcing people out of their homes.  It is much simpler.  In addition, there are other side benefits.  Drugs now days come mostly to the U.S. through the Mexican border.  If that border was actually guarded efficiently, then the drug problem will disappear quickly.  Not to mention that the drug Cartels in Mexico would soon see their coffers dry up, allowing the Mexican government to finally assert itself and establish law and order.  In addition, American guns are shipped to Mexico through the border, contributing to the violence.  Efficiently guarding the border will end this as well.  The benefits of a secure border are obvious.  We have already secured our ports (which are borders), its absurd that anyone would think that a land border is not as important to secure as a sea border.  

The problem has logically causes and a logical solution.  If both political parties stopped bickering for two seconds they would realize a solution was quite reachable.  However, it will require both sides to stop damning the others' opinion simply because it is the others' opinion.  It will take cooperation on a scale we have not seen in decades.  The answer lays clearly in front of us.  The democrats have been right to point out the need to be humane.  The Republicans likewise have been right to point out the need to enforce the law.  Therefore, make a solution that combines these.  Make a solution that will make legal immigration more accessible, illegal immigration less desirable, and illegal immigration less doable.  Its time to fix our immigration system.  

A Week without Water

So I just experienced what no American should ever have to experience: a week without water.  It was absolutely terrible, it was so terrible in fact I thought I would chronicle my journey for you.  It is a gut wrenching tale of water gallons and stinky, greasy bodies.  This is not for the faint of heart.  Do not read this if you cannot stomach the idea of perverse odors secreting from our toilets, or dirty dishes stacked sky high.  Only read this if you can stomach the atrocities i logged in the upcoming paragraphs.

I will always remember how it happened.  My brother and sister walked into the house.  Their faces expressed bewilderment.  I did not react in any particular fashion because they always acted this way.  However once I heard the vile words slip out of their mouths, the world collapsed around me.  They said, "water is gushing out of a pipe outside." That was our water supply! And it was broken! That meant only one thing, we would have to cut it off.  We would be stranded on a lonely island with little water, until some courageous lads could fix it.

Thus the week of horrors began.  We now had to buy gallons of water from the store to use for everything, from washing our hands, to showers, etc.  Going to the bathroom took on a much uglier countenance.  The 5 senses were offended every time one went to the restroom.  Refuse piled high in the toilet, and the only way to avoid the stench was to murder the scent with Febreze.  We had no choice but to leave the refuse, for the toilets could not flush.  Then while holding your breath you had to wash your hands.  However doing it by yourself was quite a chore, for you had to multitask between pouring water on your hands with a water bottle, to soaping up with a soap bar.  The worst part was rinsing off the soap suds afterward.  Then you had no choice but to grasp the water bottle with a soapy hand, forever leaving the bottle uncomfortable sudsy.  Nevertheless this whole process was much easier with two people.  Then, one simply poured water while the other washed.  It simulated a sink quite well.  I was quite happy.

Sort of what washing our hair looked like.

Showers were impossible.  They simply did not happen.  However you could wash your hair and face.  It took teamwork.  One poured water on your head while the other applied shampoo and thoroughly washed his head and face.  It was good fun dumping water on your partner's head and watching them yelp from the sharp cold sensation they felt when the cascading waterfall enveloped their head.  Then of course it was my turn.  Their heads were then avenged.

We would occasionally turn on the water, but only temporarily.  This would allow us to take showers and flush the vile refuse down the toilets.  Both of which we were eternally grateful.  Nevertheless there was a catch.  The showers could only be 5 minutes max.  Our dad said so.  I had never taken quicker showers in my life.  I literally applied shampoo and washed my body and rinsed off in two minutes.  They were not very enjoyable showers, but they were showers nonetheless.  

The odd thing about it all was as the week progressed, I became acutely aware of how much less water we were using as opposed to before.  Not only that, I realized how little water you actually need for most things.  When I had water I probably wasted endless amounts of water just washing my hair.  When we did not have running water, I used maybe half a gallon.  Every activity that required water, I noticed this.  I realized that I used way more water than I needed.  I realized that I easily could have used less.  Not only that, I realized that I waste a lot of water simply because I absentmindedly leave the sink on.  

In Texas we had a drought last summer.  If everyone had used the amount of water my family had used over the last week every week, there would have been no water shortage.  If was not even that hard to adjust honestly.  It would be great if we could flush the toilets regularly, but besides that it became easy to get along with less water rather quickly.  Indeed, I found it hard going back to using water willy nilly once we regained access to running water.  

I am not saying people should be water Nazis and judge everyone for using too much water (whatever "too much water" is anyway).  Rather, I am just saying that try to be a bit more conscious how you use water.  We use far more water than we need to in America.  I know how many of you feel.  You hate others telling you how to use your water.  I know I did.  I always asked, "Well we have plenty of water.  Who cares."  Often we do have plenty of water, however that does not make it any more okay to waste.  You might have plenty of food, but that does not mean you just throw away food whenever.  So why do we have that attitude with water?  One thinks twice before throwing away a jar of peanut butter, but we never think twice before throwing away a gallon of water.  We have been blessed with both, lets take neither for granted.

The Misplaced Debate Between Communism and Capitalism

Since the economy has transformed into a dying duck, everyone has found it necessary to bash Capitalism.  The entire system must be at fault for the disruption in our economy.  Since our economy is "Capitalist," that must mean that anytime our economy fails that proves the failure of Capitalism.  Then, of course, those critics of Capitalism admirably look on any other economic system that is not Capitalist.  Communism becomes the best thing ever.  Capitalism becomes the worst thing ever.  In this whole quagmire, I want to point out a dire inconsistency that always occurs whenever people debate over what economic system is better.  The comparison is never, as it should be, between how both systems play out in reality.  Instead, the comparison is always made between the ideal of one versus the reality of the other.

The ideal will always look better than the reality.  That is because an idea is always free of the variables we did not consider.  There are always infinitely more variables that we did not consider than we did.  You probably have had a moment in which you thought your idea was perfect.  You then wondered why no one else has thought of your marvelous idea and implemented it.  I know I have.  See, your idea is perfect, given the variables that you have considered.  However, once you start to load it down with the variables you did not consider, it quickly becomes imperfect.  There is simply no perfect human idea, because no human idea can take account of all the variables.  

This is what people compare the Communist
ideal to.  No wonder Communism wins.

Therefore, when any ideal is implemented, it becomes fair game to the brutal rules of reality.  Every idea must pass the reality test to be even worth considering.  If it fails in reality, it is not a good idea, given the variables.  Now, this does not mean that the idea is always bad.  The idea may indeed work if implemented in the right setting, but if it fails in one setting, then it is certainly bad in that setting.  

Comparing an ideal to reality is like comparing apples to oranges.  There is no comparison.  Yet people stupidly argue this way all the time.  They will say, "Communism is better than Capitalism because it cares for the poor."  Hmmmm, true, Communism in its ideal form cares for the poor, but what about in reality? Communism's record in reality has been atrocious.  Millions upon millions have died by the hands of Communist dictators.  The system has failed to deliver its people a better way of life.  Inequality is rampant, just manifested in a different way.  Instead of money being the determinant of inequality, its power.  The elite got what it wanted, and the poor suffered.  People make all sorts of arguments that Communism would be great if it was implemented right.  True, but so would Capitalism.

Now you can argue that the ideal of Communism is better than the ideal of Capitalism.  That indeed may be true.  However any utopian dream I make would be better than both.  I do not believe arguing over the ideal outcomes of both systems makes any more sense than arguing over what dream I think is better.  If one is to argue over these, the only logical thing to argue over is the reality of both.

The reality of Capitalism is far from perfect.  Monetary inequality is rampant, materialism is praised, and greed is fine.  Many people get left behind in its wake.  Its relentless, and does not stop for anyone, rolling over those that are not good at the game.  There is a strong element of Social Darwinism to it as well.  The strongest win, coming out on top while the weakest lose.  

Yet, it has produced great benefits to society.  People are much better off now, even the poorest, than people were in the past.  Capitalism has created incentive for people to work hard and try to be the best they can be.  Capitalism has unleashed a storm of human creativity and productivity.  Its benefits have been enormous, can you say the same about Communism?

No! Communism has utterly failed anyone that has experimented with it.  Many in an ideal world with ideal people it would work, but the world we live in is not ideal.  It is fallen.  A fallen world will never be suitable for a perfect system.  I am not saying that we must accept all the negatives of Capitalism.  We can try to tweak it through legislation.  We do not have to accept it the way it plays out.  However, it must nonetheless be recognized that all ideals are subject to reality.  Capitalism works in our fallen world, more or less, while Communism fails, every time.  Therefore, next time you get in a debate on this, at least debate it from the perspective of reality, not from the perspective of your dreams.

Memorial Day: Selflessness and Sacrifice

Well you all know what day it is! Its Memorial Day! Therefore I have decided to dedicate this post to all the brave men and women who have laid down their lives for the rest of us wimps.  I don't know if I could have done what they have done, which only makes what they have done all the more remarkable for us.  Whenever I hear stories of people that have hurled their bodies on top of grenades to save their fellow soldiers, it challenges me.  I wonder, "can I have done that?" I really do not think I could have.  How do people become so entirely selfless? I wish I knew. Anyways, I know that many soldiers died doing just that.  They knew what it meant to be selfless.

History has proven time and time again that in the worst of times, men step up to defend what they hold most dear.  Men do things they never thought they were capable of before.  In every war from the War of Independence, to the Civil War, to WW II, to Vietnam, and finally to Iraq, Americans have sacrificed their lives for something they thought worth dying for.  After all, there were ways out.  Running away was an easy option during the Civil War.  One can always wait, and cower in the moment when all your buddies are pinned down, and unless you do something, they can very well die.  But they didn't.  They stood up and fought, and laid down their lives for their buddies. Every single one of those men is 10 times the man I am, and forever will be.

Ask yourself, "Could I have done what they done?" and seriously ponder on that.  We need men that will stand up for good and against evil.  We need men that will sacrifice themselves for others, even if it meant laying down their life.  Luckily for us, we rarely have to make such dramatic choices, but nonetheless we should live out our daily lives to be intentionally selfless.  Make sure that every day you stand up for good and against evil.  No matter how minor the incident, do not simply look out for your own skin, your reputation, your popularity, your career, or whatever else it may be.  Stand up for what is right, no matter the cost.

That is what Memorial Day is about.  We get to enjoy all we do today because of ordinary people that stood up for what is right in the past.  If we wish to continue to enjoy what we have, then we must be ready to stand up and sacrifice.  Tomorrow's society is shaped by today's sacrifice, let us never forget that.

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What We Crave and Why We Crave It

Life goes on.  Its disturbing how true this statement is.  I mean really, no matter what happens, life goes on.  The most joyous events drift away.  We look forward to or quake in fear at the thought that something good or bad may happen, but at the end of the day, they are extremely short events.  Given the doldrum of routine we usually are stuck in, these highlights of our existence literally are like the blink of an eye.  The rest of life, the other 99% we never talk about, is the daily routines we glaze over in our minds and in our conversation.  Yet that is the majority of our life, but we rather focus on the 1%.

It is easy to see why.  The 1% is far more exciting than the 99%.  That 1% of life is what we crave.  Why? those moments of life are an escape.  They let us escape from normal life.  It actually does not matter what the moment is that leads to our escape.  Yes, we do not want it to contain any threat to our existence, but besides that, as long as it differs from our norm, we will be happy.  Its quite strange, for I guarantee that if what we did became flipped, then we would crave what used to be the 99%.  In the HBO series Band of Brothers, in one scene Lieutenant Dick Winters is looking on into all the destruction and death that had just been inflicted on France.  He concludes that after all that, all he wanted was to settle down on a farm and live in peace.  When America had entered WW2, everyone craved escape from their normal lives, and many joined the military as a result.  However, once they joined the military, and that life became normal, they soon desired what they had left behind.  It truly is a ruthless cycle, for we will always desire what we do the least.

Think about it, do we like diamonds
because they are shiny? Or because
they are rare?

Nevertheless, any good event that we do not do very often, we look on fondly.  We love vacations, but I do not believe we love vacations just because we love traveling to other places.  We love vacations because they are an escape from the norm.  Many businessmen get to travel all the time, yet because it becomes normalized, it loses the flair it once had.  Now, they probably look forward to just being at home with their family more than anything.  So a vacation would be a joyous event burned into our memories, but the businessman's routinized excursions to other countries would not create the same memories we hold onto.

Our most joyous events are the rarest events, and we hold onto them fleetingly because they are rare.  If whatever it was became routinized, the happiness we receive from the activity would soon drift away over time.  Thus the paradox of happiness.  We gain happiness from doing things we rarely do, yet if that activity ever becomes normal, we would not care for it much anymore.  Therefore, joyous events are fleeting because only fleeting rare events bring joy.  It cannot be any other way.

Oh yeah that's me, no big deal.

I know this personally from my experience as a swimmer.  The experience I would most crave in swimming was winning a race, placing high, and dropping time.  When I finally dropped time my senior year from my 100 breaststroke and broke a minute, going 58.88 seconds, I was ecstatic.  I was on the high I lived for in swimming.  There is nothing like the feeling you get when you have worked your butt off all four years of your college swimming career, and you finally had achieved the goal you always wanted, which was breaking a minute for me.  The moment lasted a few days, but eventually normalcy set back in.  Indeed, After such a high I was down about a week, because it was all over.  I had looked forward to the event so long, and now it was over.

Yet what if I always dropped time?  Then it would not have been such a big deal.  If I dropped time every time I swam a race, it would not be as big of a deal.  Indeed, when I was younger, I took time drops for granted.  I just assumed it was normal to drop time every time you swam.  However, as I got older, dropping time became more difficult, and the longer it took to drop time, the more ecstatic I was when I finally did.  The happiness associated with an event is directly associated, in my view to its rarity (though of course, a bad event would not make us happy).

This is not a bad or good thing, its just the way things are.  There is nothing wrong that we humans crave the rare things in life, but I believe it we recognized this it would make us realize why we actually crave what we crave.  Perhaps then it would help us to appreciate everything more.  Think about it, some day the things you take for granted, like hanging out with your kids or parents, could be a rare thing.  Some day, some things you take for granted that you do not appreciate may go away forever.  Its okay to desire the rare things in life, but do not neglect what you have right in front of you as a result, for it may be rare some day as well.

Segregation: by Kids for Kids

Youth culture, or should I say, youth cultures, are an interesting phenomenon.  Kids enter these youth cultures, which are tied together with their cliques.  Your identity is wrapped up in what you wear and what music you listen to, and your friendships are determined by this identity.  I will describe how kids fall into such a ridiculous arrangement in the first place, and why its asinine that its accepted as normal. Its segregation, intentionally fostered by kids for kids.  Individually, kids have good reason to play the game, find a clique, and adopt one of the myriad of pre-manufactured identities, but collectively it harms everyone involved.

 Kids go into cliches because they want to be accepted by their friends.  In addition, being part of a clique gives you much common ground with other members of that clique.  Say you are Emo (or scene or whatever its called now), then you will certainly find it easier to "click" (see what I did there) with another Emo person because you share much in common. You listen to the same music, like the same movies, watch the same shows, wear the same clothes, shop at the same stores, etc. etc. etc.  The list of commonalities goes on and on. 

Meanwhile, if you do not join a clique, life will be difficult for you.  Even if you have friends in a clique, until you conform, you will not feel at home.  You must adopt their fashion tastes and music otherwise the friendship will inevitably be weak.  Just as cliques give lots of common ground to those in them, they widen the chasm between those that are part of different cliches.  Cliques often share open animosity toward each other.  After all, their music, their clothes, and their activities are obviously inferior to your own. 

It sounds absurd when you point it out, but then why do so many actively engage in such ritualistic tribalism?  The dirty secret is that they do not feel confident enough as themselves.  They will pretend they are, because its cool to not care what anyone else thinks, but they actually do.  They care what their group thinks.  Its primitive, but its true.  What their groups thinks matters more than anything else.  Do whatever it takes to stay in, because acceptance is all that matters.  I mean, if a group rejects me, I will have to find other friends.  Not only will I have to find other friends, I will then have to conform to their standards.

"The Breakfast Club": a stupid
but hilarious 80's movie about cliques.

However, when you really get to the bottom of it, there is little difference between the different "youth cultures." They are all formed to satisfy that inner need for community in a savage world.  Your "gang" will always have your back.  Every clique hates every other clique because they are different.  Cliques perform active intentional segregation.  They intentionally separate themselves from each other.  It is ironic that America prides itself on ending segregation in the schools 40 years ago when students still actively segregate, without any legal prompting.  It is all the more ironic when one sees that all these groups are actually little different.  They are all composed of confused younglings trying to find their place in this world.  Besides their differences in fashion and music, they are basically the same.  They share the same frustrations, problems, and desires, yet they can't get past the shallow fads of the day for 2 seconds to realize it.

It is funny to think where all these cliques came from in the first place.  They never start with your average kid in high school.  That is a myth.  They are started by the collective fashion and music elite.  The cultural elites carve out niche markets and prey on the kids of this nation and their habitual stupidity for their sales.  No market is more exploited than teenagers, and the reason why? because they let themselves be exploited!  Kids will do anything to fit in, and all your favorite music labels and clothing stores know that.  They know they can get away with charging $100 dollars for a pair of jeans and kids will still buy it.  They know that all they have to do, is make what they sell fixed to an identity that kids identify with (or desire to identify with) and they will buy it.  See, these stores are not selling clothes or music, they are selling an identity.  

Kids have a high demand for these identities.  Its truly pathetic how easily manipulated they are.  Even worse, its pathetic that they think that they are acting on their own will.  That they are being "rebellious" or "doin their own thing" whenever they choose to buy the same clothes or listen to the same music as 30 million other Americans.  They are actively buying into the big money making machine.  They are actually on the side of big fashion and music, while their poor parents have to fight an uphill battle to knock reason into their kids.  We can only hope that one day kids will see the light that excluding people simply because they dress differently from you is just about the stupidest thing they have ever heard, and that buying jeans for $100 is idiotic.

Opinion and Elitism: the Bad Couple

Why do credentials matter? They certainly do matter, but why? If I was a writer, what difference does it make what I have done, if what I write is true? The fact is that the audience indeed does think it matters, and they will reward or judge an argument not by its clarity or effectiveness, but by the character, experience, and prestige of the author.  If you are well known, you must have something worth listening too.  It is an interesting phenomenon I wish to explore more.  It is best that we look at what exactly the pros and cons of this practice are, and to reconsider our assumption that credentials outweigh the actual substance of someone's opinion.

First, what are the positives.  They do indeed exist.  You got to consider why the person is well known in the first place.  Obviously, you have to do something remarkable in this society to be well-known.  A politician had to rise through the ranks of his party and beat out everyone else that competed with him for his position, as a representative, senator, or President.  A military commander had to rise through the ranks, which requires a very talented and determined individual.  A business executive had to likewise climb through the ranks of a corporation and log in countless hours, sacrificing all to beat out the competition for the top spot.  All of these "great" people have had to accomplish a lot, and experience a lot.  They have tons of experiences to draw from when making their opinions.  In addition, perhaps the person is well-known simply on the strength of their ideas or opinions.  In that case, knowing that the opinion is theirs signals to you that a really smart intelligent man made it.  In either case, being well-known does send signals that the person's opinion is potentially more valid than someone less well-known.

The opinion formers such as the media and
academia would prefer it this way

This is a convincing argument in some cases.  If General Petraeus gives his opinion on how winnable the current war in Afghanistan is, there is good reason to believe him over a radio commentator or some random guy (like myself).  However, that does not mean, that his opinion is undeniable.  People can still make valid arguments against his opinion, and if their arguments are more persuasive than his, then people should accept that indeed, General Petraeus may be wrong.  Nevertheless, he may still be right even if their argument sounds more persuasive.  That is the tricky thing about opinions, a better argument does not necessarily make it true.  Indeed, since he is a general, not a debater, he may not have the acumen some have for making witty arguments.  That does not mean he is wrong.  However, being a general does not make him automatically right either.  Many generals have been wrong before, no reason he could not mess up as well.  

This brings us to the big negative, there is a certain elitist flavor to favoring an opinion simply because it is made by a higher up.  Obviously the credentials a professor has makes it clear that an opinion he has in his field is more probably valid than not.  However, if an amateur comes along that has an equal passion for the subject, and makes an argument in opposition to that the professor made, his opinion should not be dismissed outright.  It is ridiculous to deny him the right to have an opinion and to take his opinion seriously simply because he does not have the experience, or level of education of another person.  While those are important, I do not deny, they are not the end all of truth.  

As a Christian, I believe this is self-evident in the Christian faith.  Christians should keep in mind that the founder of Christianity, Jesus, was a carpenter, and that his disciples were fishermen and other commoners.  None were Pharisees.  Yes, Paul was educated, but the opinion of Peter, a fisherman, is given equal footing with him.  Both are in the Bible, and Peter's opinion is not seen as any less valid.  Before dismissing someone's opinion because of their lack of "credentials," keep in mind who the founders of our faith were.

Credentials do give us signals that an opinion is likely more valid than not, but not necessarily.  Someone less well-known and "qualified" may indeed have a better opinion, or not, it depends.  Nevertheless, what I am arguing for is that people's arguments should be judged at face-value.  Arguments should be determined by how persuasive they are in themselves.  Yes, the better arguments do not necessarily equate with the right opinions, yet it is better I believe, to consider everyone's opinion as equally valid from the start, rather than force someone to prove himself first before even considering what he has to say.  The elitist control of opinion must be stopped.  Lets consider what everyone has to say.  I guarantee that all the "experts" would be surprised what brilliance average people can possess.

Whatever happened to Patience?

Whatever happened to Patience? Nobody knows.  It seems to have disappeared.  I cannot recall the last time I saw the fuzzy little critter walking around.  I think he has gone hiding.  After all, no one really likes him after all.  He used to have many friends that appreciated his company, but he is too slow for them.  They want things now, not later.  He dares insist on waiting for things.  He dares insist that we cannot have our way all the time, that sometimes we actually have to wait quite some time before we get what we want.  He tells his friends that if they want something, they will have to work long and hard to get it.  He insists that it is better to wait for some things than to indulge them instantly.  

All his former friends have cast him aside because he dares to demand such things from them.  They don't want to wait for pleasure, that would be the end of the world.  Everything glorious in life should be handed to them on a silver platter.  Everything in life should be free.  They should not have to work for anything.  They despise Patience, because he does not echo their delusional fantasies.  

If there is anything America lacks, its patience.  If there is anything America needs more than anything, its patience.  Patience could be a great friend, if Americans would give him the time of day.  All of our problems could be solved if we were just a little patient.  We demand entertainment 24/7.  We insist that every "need" of ours be filled instantly.  If its not, we complain that life is not fair.  Think about, why does  society insist on abortion?  Why does it need abortion? Because it is not patient.  People do not want to wait until they are financially independent and stable to have kids.  They want the pleasure without the consequences.  In addition, people want cheap sex now without having to develop a fulfilling relationship with the person.  Relationships take time, and no one wants to take time.  

Government likewise is a mess because of our lack of patience.  If people were patient, then maybe they would give solutions the time of day that in the long run will benefit everyone but in the short run may cost us a lot.  The short term is always benefited over the longterm, to our detriment.  Think about it, when planning out your finances, its best to think what your long term needs are.  However, most don't.  Most splurge their paycheck and go into debt, because it is the now that matters to them, not tomorrow.  When tomorrow comes, they will regret their decision.

Ultimately I believe our lack of patience is directly related to our affluence.  Time is expensive now.  We are used to buying things instantly, and with purchasable commodities that is fine.  However, we have lost our way with the intangibles that one cannot buy.  Friendship cannot be bought.  One has to work hard to build a friendship.  No matter how much money you make, you can only make friends by investing time into them.  Likewise, some problems require time to fix.  Our society cannot buy away every problem with money.  Some things simply take time, and no amount of money can change that.  A plant takes so long to grow up, and no amount of money can change that.  Likewise, some problems take a long time to solve, and no amount of money can change that.  If Patience was our friend, then nothing could stand in our way.  Lets regain his friendship before it is too late.

Debts, Deficits, and Gay-marriage, oh my!

The absurdity of American politics astounds me.  America's debt is going gangbusters, yet the train keeps chugging forward at full speed, with none of the passengers aware that they are about to fly off a cliff.  Instead of debating how to fix the deficit, we are debating secondary issues like birth control and gay marriage.  It would be kinda like the passengers of a train debating what table they should sit at in the train cafe when the whole train is about to fall off a cliff.  The absurdity of the whole thing astounds me.  Our nation better get its priorities straight, and fast, before we wind up like Greece (All of you who don't know what I am talking about, just search "Greece" in google search, and you will quickly learn what I am talking about).

Alright, here is a quick breakdown of just how big the problem is.  According to Reuters, the fiscal deficit in 2011 was $1.3 trillion, that makes 8.6% of GDP.  You know how big that is!?  Our deficit is larger than Mexico's entire economy, and it is barely smaller than Australia's.  The national debt is over 100% of GDP.  Our nation's debt, is larger than our entire economy.  It is over %15 trillion.  We are now in the same camp with the likes of such austere nations as Greece, Italy, Ireland, and Portugal.  Why is no one worried about this?  If our debt continues to grow as fast as it has been, at 8.6%, the debt will quickly implode.  This is not to say it will.  Indeed, the debt probably will not climb that fast.  Assuming economic growth grows larger than the budget from year to year, the deficit will slowly decrease.

Nevertheless, this may calm people's fears more than it should.  The economic growth has been sporadic.  The first quarter of 2010 saw economic growth at almost 4%.  However, economic growth had slowed to 0.4% by the first quarter of 2011.  However, now it has recently recorded in the past two quarters growth of 3% and 2.2%.  In addition to the sporadic growth rate, the deficit as a percentage of GDP as only declined modestly over the past several years.  It did decline from 10% to a bit under 9% between 2009 and 2010, but now declines have been much more modest, despite the improved growth.  Its been floating above 8% for 2 years and soon that will extend to 3 once 2012 closes.  Here is the graph:

What is blatantly odd is how exactly the deficit declines so rapidly between 2012 and 2014? It seems such declines are ideal, but far from likely.  If the deficit has been steadily above 8% despite economic growth, why are we so optimistic it will plunge rapidly in 2013 and 2014? 

The reason this graph and others like it take such an optimistic view is because they rely on estimates prepared by the CBO (Congressional Budget Office).  Why everyone likes its projections is obvious, their optimistic.  However, they really don't have any good reason to be as optimistic as they are.  CRFB (Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget) has challenged these the CBO projections on many levels.  1st, its projections of GDP growth are ultra-positive, at an average rate of 3.2%, when CRFB predicts 2.9%.  2nd, it assumes budget cuts that may or may not happen.  If it was a given that significant budget cuts would happen, then there would be reason for optimism, but this is not likely.  If the budget cuts do not happen, then the graph above is going to look a lot uglier, with deficits hovering around 8% for quite sometime.  In fact, a more recent report has modified the 2013 deficit to 7%.  Hmmm, its interesting how each year the estimate keeps getting modified upward, isn't it?

The reason it is not likely is because politics has become too partisan, the politicians care more about themselves than the country, and voters are more concerned with issues that are of secondary importance.  As long as the politicians can get away with doing nothing about the budget, they will.  Why? because touching the budget for sure will make enemies.  People will start screaming bloody murder once they realize the government is going to take away their goodies.  Only when people make it clear that they will kick people out of office that are not committed to serious non-partisan budget reform, will any true budget reform happen.  However, as long as people let themselves be distracted by issues that can be put off to another day, like "free" birth control or gay-marriage, the politicians will continue to put off what really matters.  If the deficit does not decline, we will be staring at a draconian debt of 180% of GDP in 10 years! We have to get serious about this!  Greece did not till it was too late, will we do the same?

Lastly I will like to adress a couple of objections that people are sure to bring up.  First, they argue that the debt is actually only 70% of GDP, for it doesn't make sense to include social security and other programs.  That is ridiculous, any government outlay of cash should be included.  It is absurd to think that social security spending should be exempt, or any other government spending.  No other nation does it.  The only point of such self-deception is too make us feel better about ourselves.  Either way, the problem is still there, and must be solved.

Second, many will argue that its all Bush's fault (of course).  They say that in actuality the vast majority of the blame lies on Bush's tax cuts.  That is ridiculous for one reason.  It assumes that government tax receipts are larger with greater marginal tax rates.  If this was true, then the Government revenue as a percentage of GDP should be larger before the tax cuts than after.  This is not the case.  They hover steadily around 18% before and after.  This graph to the right proves my point.  Therefore, it is a false assumption to believe that raising taxes (as the tax structure currently stands) will do much of anything.  In particular, just look at the decrease in the marginal rate caused by the Bush tax cuts in the early 2000's.  The decrease is tiny compared to previous changes in the marginal rate, and if the larger changes barely affected Government revenue as a percentage of GDP, why would repealing the Bush tax cuts do much of anything? If you really want to increase Government revenue as a percentage of GDP, the entire tax code will have to be modified to eliminate loop holes and exemptions.

Third, conservatives pretend they are serious about lowering the deficit, but are they? They always accuse democrats of being reluctant to cut social programs, however the conservatives have their sacred cows as well.  Any cut in military spending automatically produces an uproar.  Why? Its ridiculous, we utterly dominate everyone militarily.  You could cut our military spending by half and we would still be supreme.  Just look at the graph! The U.S. spent 700 billion dollars in 2010.  China, the "biggest threat" spent almost 150 billion.  Its utterly ridiculous how much we dominate.  We can take on all the other nations shown in the graph and we still would spend more!  If conservatives want democrats to throw overboard their sacred cows, then the conservatives should be willing to throw theirs as well.

Thus, my analysis is complete.  Both political parties, and the electorate at large, must get serious about the deficit.  The deficit should be at the top of the agenda, not free birth control.  Time to see through the distractions the politicians throw in our face, and demand real solutions to real problems.

P.S. Here are the websites I drew my data from, I hope you find them of use:
U.S. deficit at $1.3 trillion in fiscal 2011 | Reuters
UNITED STATES GDP GROWTH RATE
Government Spending Chart: United States 2007-2017 - Federal State Local Data
Analysis of CBO's Budget and Economic Projections and CRFB's Realistic Baseline | NewAmerica.net
Projected Debt vs. Potential Debt | Mercatus
List of countries by military expenditures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We all want to be Mr. Incredible

As a recent college graduate, I have been splitting my brain in half looking for jobs.  I am torn between one side that says, "just get a job, any job." and the other part of me that says, "don't settle for mediocrity, go for the gold!" At Wheaton College I have had inculcated in my brain these expectations for myself that I can go out there and literally change the world if I tried hard enough.  I could, single handedly, make the world a better place.  Wheaton College does much to bolster our egos and make the highly implausible seem within our grasp.  We have big whig speakers come in that have done much to change the world.  We arrogantly refer to ourselves as the "Harvard of Christian Schools."  Last but not least, seemingly all the students around you are on the fast track to success and stardom.

However, once I leave Wheaton, I get an entirely opposite message.  Yes, my family encourages me to pursue my dreams, but overall, I dread telling people my plans cause I know they are going to think they are like pie in the sky.  The pie is there, but you will never reach it precisely cause it is in the sky, out of reach.  Even worse, once I tell anyone I am a history major, the conversation instantly moves on to, "So what are you going to do for grad school?" As if a history major is worthless.

Nevertheless, I still want to pursue my dreams.  I don't want to let them go.  I want to make a difference in the world.  I still cling onto the hope that maybe someday, I can be Mr. Incredible.  I believe most people have their moments when their want to be Mr. Incredible.  Everyone has a romantic side that wants to do the impossible.  Everyone, I believe, wants to be the superhero that saves the day.  Why else are superhero movies so popular? Why else do movies always portray the spectacular? not the ordinary? I believe it is because no one wants to be ordinary, everyone wants to be extraordinary.


However, then our realistic side kicks in and says, "No, you can't do that.  I mean come on, there has got to be thousands of people better than you."  This may be true.  Not everyone can be Mr. Incredible.  We can't all be superheroes, otherwise the ordinary mundane work would never get done.  This "mundane" work, after all, matters just as much as the work of any superhero.  If we did not have Joe the Plumber, we would have chronic issues with our toilets, sinks, and bathtubs, and that would be really bad.  We all need Joe the Plumber, yet I believe all of us ultimately want to be Mr. Incredible.


Nor do I believe it is bad to want to be Mr. Incredible.  I believe too often people give up on their dreams without ever even starting.  They convince themselves their dreams could never come true.  Yet tell me, if people like Martin Luther King Jr. or Ghandi thought that way, where would we be?  The world needs people that are crazy enough to try to change the world, otherwise it would never be changed.  That is why I encourage everyone who reads this to pursue their dreams, and to pursue them relentlessly, for I believe it is better to dream big and fall short, than to never dream at all.

The Virtual World: A Cheap, Unworthy Substitute for the Real World

Today I am going to talk about every young person's favorite past time, the internet.  Or should I say every young person's only past time?  Or even worse, is the internet no longer a past time, but a way of life?  Perhaps everything not internet is now the past time?  I know its ironic that I ask these questions in a blog on the internet, but I will ask them nonetheless.  No one can deny that the internet has dramatically changed society, but how exactly? It is certainly a great tool.  One can find things and do things instantly, like look up when Michael Jackson was born or email your best friend, that would have taken far longer before the internet.  You would of had to rely on snail mail! Gasp!  Yes, the internet certainly is helpful.  It has indeed made life more comfortable.  However this great tool is beginning to become a substitute for many for an actual life.  People are trading in their actual lives for virtual lives.

Just take Facebook for example.  A "friend" is no longer someone that you have developed a mutual bond with over a long time and that you know you can trust.  A "friend" is now someone that you have added on Facebook.  No one in real life has 1,354 friends, that is impossible, yet in Facebook world it is.   You actually had to talk to a real friend to learn about them, but not in Facebook world!  Now you can learn "everything there is to know" about a person simply by checking their info, wall, and pictures.  Facebook, and other "social tools" have cheapened the value of friendship.  People have let the virtual world take over the real world, and this is the result.  Friendships are now quantifiable.  Friendships are now only "screen" deep, so to speak.  I can be your friend without ever talking to you, thats messed up.  Its not as if these virtual "friends" have left us feeling any more loved.  People are just as lonely as ever, if not more lonely.  Yet people cling to these virtual friends as cheap, quick substitutes for real ones.  After all, a real friend can hurt your feelings.  A real friend can betray your trust.  You can't terminate a real friendship simply by clicking an "unfriend" button.  A real friendship takes work, it is a longterm investment.  It takes time to pay off, yet when it does, it is far more valuable than precious than even 2309407230843095843 Facebook friends.  Nevertheless, people have picked the cheap, quick and easy virtual friendship, and their reward will forever be a shallow, empty, and unfulfilling social life.

Besides the social realm the internet has also provided a means of escape from reality in other realms.  One can literally look up anything your heart desires.  One can warp yourself with one click of a button to a fairytale land with gumdrops, double rainbows, and pornstars.  You can "go" anywhere you want.  You can travel off to virtual China or go gambling.  You can have virtual sex and learn all there is to know about Zimbabwean politics.  However, these cheap substitutes for the real thing, whether it is travel, luxury, humor, or sex, can never replace the real thing, just as virtual friendship can't replace real friendship.  They are empty, shallow experiences restricted to your computer screen.  They can never deliver like a real experience.  Yet, like the virtual friendships, they are appealing because their is no risk involved.  You don't have to spend the money to travel to China.  You don't have to worry about the language barriers.  You do not have to worry about rejection, ever.  Yet in the end this lifeless virtual experience will reward you with nothing more than a shallow, empty, and unfulfilling life.

Don't get me wrong, the internet is a great tool.  One can learn everything one can learn in books on the internet.  However, book smart is not the same as street smart.  You will never gain street knowledge of the world or of people unless you put yourself out there, take the risk, and go for it.  You may be able to learn "everything" about China on the internet, but once you go there I guarantee you will realize how little you actually knew.  That is because written words and pictures can only convey so much information.  It neglects all the other senses.  In addition, there are some things we learn in life we cannot express.  There are many things that are of value in life that are not quantifiable.  The only way you learn these things is by experiencing them.

Yet many people go on treating the internet as if they can live out a real life on it, despite the fact it is devoid of all that makes life real.  Yet, ultimately, one will have a really warped view of the real world if one based it all off of things you learned on the internet.  You would think that everyone on Facebook was having the greatest time if you looked at their pictures, and that something must be wrong with you, because you are not.  Yet in reality, all those pictures are what they want you to think of them.  They are not a fair representation of the person, for the person is simply posting pictures that make them look like an awesome, exciting person.  If you checked out the comments to a youtube video, you would think that people are absolutely rotten.  Yet in reality no one would say half those things in person.  Think about it, if you based what you thought about the world strictly on your experience on the internet, you would have an extremely warped and false view.  Yes, there is much you can learn on the internet, but you could only learn half the story.  The other half of the story can only be learned by going out there and experiencing life for yourself, discovering the intangibles that can't be expressed in words or pictures.

In conclusion, the internet is a great tool, but it is just that, a tool.  It was never meant to serve as a replacement for reality, so don't make it one.  Don't raise it on a pedestal it does not deserve.  Life belongs on that pedestal, not the internet.  You will forever live an empty life if you constrict it to the internet.  Yes, there will be no risks, but there will also be no blessings.  Your worldview will no doubt be skewed, for the knowledge you gain of the internet is only of one type, and that must be balanced against experience to have a healthy understanding of the world.  So go out there, and live life.  You will fail and look stupid every once in a while, but I guarantee you, that in the end you will be grateful you chose to live a real life, not a virtual one.

The Comfort Epidemic

A strange epidemic has hit our society, and its wreaking havoc on our minds.  Its called comfort.  We have so much comfort in our society we don't know what to do with ourselves.  In fact, the comfort epidemic has reached such epic proportions that those inflicted by it try everything possible to make their lives less comfortable.  We work out.  We eat "health" food.  We spend inordinate hours at work trying to fool ourselves that we are actually doing something worthwhile.  We organize everything to the most minute detail, simply because we have nothing better to do.  The comfort bug has hit America hard.  However, we are not willing to deal with the root of the problem, so instead we deal with it at the margins.  We intentionally try to make our lives less comfortable physically and emotionally because we actually cannot stand so much comfort.

Physically, are lives are more comfortable than ever before.  We live in air conditioned houses with access to tasty food at all hours of the day.  We don't even have to put much work into making our food anymore.  We can simply pop in a microwaveable meal or go out to eat.  In either case we do little physical work.  In addition our jobs are far less physical than in the past.  Only a very small percentage of the population must exert a significant amount of physical effort in their jobs.  Only 1% works in agriculture and another 15% in manufacturing.  I was not kidding when I said a small percentage.  The rest of us do almost nothing physically.  We stand around at retail stores being bored waiting for someone to ask us a question.  We sit around in a cubicle filing paperwork and doing data-entry.  Most of us make a living by exercising our fingers or by moving our mouths.  Neither takes much physical exertion.  

This has led to the phenomenon of Americans intentionally torturing themselves physically.  Many Americans ritualistically "work out" and plan out their food consumption.  They run, bike, and swim for no other reason than to run, bike, and swim.  People are no longer using physical activity as a means to an end, but as an end in itself.  Back in the day such a thing would have been unthinkable. If people from 100 years ago had been transported to the present, they would have leapt at the opportunity to eat whatever and chill out.  They would marvel at the fact that we torture our bodies when we have the option not too.  We are afforded the opportunity for the ultimate comfort, yet we pass it up.  We simply cannot stand being too comfortable.  

Americans have a hard time dealing with the reality of how easy our lives are.  We cannot and will not accept that life in America today is easier than life has ever been before, ever.  We try hard to find clever ways to make our lives seem less comfortable than they really are.  Perhaps we simply find our lives boring and want more excitement.  Perhaps we do not think others would find us interesting if they found out our lives are as boring as they really are.  No matter the motivation, we will do anything to make our lives look harder than they actually are.  Many try so hard they actually deceive themselves into believing that their lives really are as hard as they make them out to be.

Just look anywhere in society and you will see evidence of this.  Everyone prefers to be modest of their luxury.  No one wants to be seen as the mucky muck rich dude.  Everyone over exaggerates their poverty.  Someone living in a house with a nice car is more inclined to complain about how hard it is to pay the bills than how blessed he is to have what he has.  This tendency is particular strong amongst young people.  Everyone wants to live the hollywood worthy storyline.  And as we all know, no good hollywood movie is ever made about your average joe (except Dodgeball).  It is far more romantic to come from humble origins than to be average.  It is far more romantic to have family problems than to not.  Sad depressing music was popular amongst so many teenagers starting in the 90's and lasting up to today, though it has fizzled out recently, because it tapped into the desire for self-deception.

The strange thing is, that this epidemic is a relatively recent phenomenon, and is becoming more and more prevalent with each succeeding generation.  Why is this? Its quite simple.  Life has gotten easier and easier.  In addition, my generation in particular, generation y (which covers those born in the 80's and 90's pretty much), has literally had no major trials.  When there was the great depression, then ww2, then the Korean War, then the Vietnam War, then the stagflation of the 70's, no one wanted to add more to their anxiety.  They wanted to emphasize the positive precisely because there was certainly enough bad things going on in their lives.  This is not to say that bad things do not happen to us.  But it is to say that there are less external factors ruining our lives today than there were in the past.  We might have had 9/11 and the Iraq war, but their combined death toll was less than 8,000, amongst a population of 300,000,000.  Meanwhile, the Vietnam War took close to 60,000 lives, amongst a population of maybe 200,000,000.  Needless to say, the numbers are not even close.  Therefore, it is odd why music has actually gotten more negative in the present, not positive.  I contend that is because we cannot stand having no problems.  We cannot stand being perfectly content.  We need some misery, and if we don't naturally have it, we make it up, to satisfy a natural need.

Today is living proof.  The recession occurred, which has affected everyone and has been probably the most traumatic event in American history since the Vietnam War.  The future is no longer so certain.  Americans now have enough problems to worry about, and the music reflects it.  The music has now gotten more upbeat, and even kiddish at times.  Now that we have more natural problems, people are no longer looking to make them up.  Don't get me wrong, people are still suffering the comfort epidemic.  Victims of it can still be seen running endlessly, listening to depressing music, and creating problems for themselves that don't exist.  Nevertheless, the comfort epidemic will forever be with us, and forever people will look for ways to punish themselves for this excessive comfort.

To all the Moms of the World!

Since today is mother's day, I believed it was only necessary that I dedicate a post, firstly to my mom, then secondly to all the other moms of the world.  I would like to say thank you for all the sacrifices you make on behalf of your idiotic children.  Children everywhere have a wonderful talent for pursuing the utmost destructive course in life as fast and as carefree as possible.  Few things can stand in their way and successfully stop their course of world destruction as effectively as the mom.

Children work tirelessly from their day of birth to annihilate themselves.  My brother started even earlier.  He conveniently wrapped his umbilical cord around his neck.  Luckily my mom was able to nurse him back to health after such a rough start, and admittedly with the help of advanced technology.  Perhaps they should have a tech day as well, to reward tech for saving our babies from their likely demise that was oh too common a hundred years ago and beyond. Yet I digress, let's continue.  Moms have been given the gift and curse of raising little whipper snappers, and they have so far succeeded, for there wouldn't be any whipper snappers if moms did not do their jobs, especially the first few years after a baby is born.  The baby is literally incapable of living without their mom, and amazingly, the moms put up with these whiny needy appendages that literally suck nutrients out of their mom's...you get the idea. 

Then there comes the young Oliver Twist years.  These are the years the child is capable of some tasks physically and mentally but is still largely in need of his mommy.  Luckily, not every child has to live like Oliver and not have a mom, for moms have stood up to the challenge of even raising these vile little demons.  There is good reason the man explodes when Oliver asks for more food, for behind the innocent needy face is a demon, a demon of sinister proportions.  It is the mom's task at this stage of development to exorcise this demon from the poor child.  It will be a long and dire struggle, yet in the end, the child will have no choice but to let go.

Unfortunately, even after exorcising demons, there is yet more work to do.  Their child will then enter the angsty teenager stage of life, at least in developed countries.  In undeveloped countries, these "angsty" teenagers will be forced to actually grow up, and will have to actually work hard day to day to survive.  Since in the peripheries of civilization children simply do not have the luxury to be idiots.  Unfortunately, in America and elsewhere, pubescent younglings have that luxury, and they latch onto it for dear life.  They will beg the mom to "give us free," yet they don't really mean it, for at the end of the day they still want to rely on her paycheck.  The mom puts up with it, knowing that she was the same way when she was their age, and quietly hopes to steer them along a good path and channel their energy into productive channels that will aid them later in life.  The mom has the best for her angsty teenagers in mind, while the teenager seems to have nothing else on his mind but self-annihilation.  Things have changed little for the mom or her offspring since the early days of crying appendages.

Blessed be the mom that makes it this far, and surprisingly, most moms do! They see their children grow up into adults, that can more or less function on their own. (If they can't then, they will learn to shortly) She now can release herself of her massive obligations to her child and settle down to drink piña coladas in the hot summer sun.  She can take pride in her massive investment, and hope that it yields equally massive dividends for her when the relationship flips on its head.  The cycle of life goes on, with moms pushing civilization forward.  Forever onward moms of the world! Go and save the world!

The Great Sin Divide

Today I am going to go Mr. Christian on all of you and talk about sin.  Yes, the dirty three letter word we would rather not bring up, sin.  In particular, I want to talk about how the Church handles, or mishandles, sin in its congregation.  I personally think that the Church does a horrid job handling sin in the congregation.  Before I go on, I would like to add that this article is more geared for those that have gone to church enough to know what I am talking about.  Nonetheless, even those that don't go to church or ever had may learn something from this article.  Namely, the difference between the Christianity in the Bible versus the Christianity practiced by many Christians today.  Now I shall proceed.

Many Christians intentionally or not, divide sins into two camps: the okay sins and the no no sins.  We all, I am sure, can guess what the no no sins are.  And that is precisely why they are the no no sins.  Sexual immorality, swearing, and drunkenness in particular are the big no no sins, if you couldn't guess.  These sins receive more stern treatment form the church than the okay sins, which practically includes everything else.  If you are struggling with a no no sin in church, your fellow Christians would of course try to help you out, but that is the thing, they help you out in a way distinct from how they would help you with an okay sin.  From that point on that you told them you struggled with a no no sin, your whole spiritual walk becomes tied with how well you are combating that sin.  If you are falling into that sin, that must mean your faith is weak.  If you are combatting the sin well, then that must mean your faith is strong.  

On the other hand, if you are struggling with an okay sin, chances are you would not even know it, for the church does not care enough to bring it up.  In addition, even if you are inward thinking enough to notice your own okay sin, it would not warrant any urgency.  If you brought it up to your fellow believers, they would of course pray about it for you, but they would let it slide relatively easily.  Say I told someone I struggled with gossiping about my friends.  Chances are they would pray for me, and that would be that.  They probably would never bring it up again.  In addition, I would have experience little to no conviction that my sin should be dealt with now, or that it is particularly hurtful to anyone.  In stark contrast to a no no sin, I would not feel that my spiritual walk was tied to my progression with that particular sin.

What is ridiculous about this whole thing is the great divide between the no no sins and the okay sins.  Since when was there an "okay" sin?  Yet there are several we passively accept while we actively fight to stop the no nos.  According to the Bible, all sins are equally bad.  Whenever the sins are listed in the Bible, no special preference is given to any particular sins.  Sin is listed in Matthew 15:19- "For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." Again many sins are listed in Mark 7:21-22- "For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly." Galatians 5:19-21 says:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealously, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 Notice that alongside sins consider no nos in the church such as sexual immorality and drunkenness lie sins that we Church going super Christians do not see as all that bad, such as selfish ambition and factions.  All these sins condemn us to hell, yet we have the gall to point out sexual immorality and drunkenness as particularly looked down upon by God.  Yet we ignore sins such as selfish ambition and faction.  How many times have churches split into petty factions over minor, seemingly insignificant issues? How many times have pastors left their congregations astray to take a higher paying post? Or how many times have Christians taken the higher paying job out of selfish ambition and greed over the lower paying job that offered more opportunity to follow Christ?  We commit sins all the time that are worthy of God's wrath, yet we single out certain sins as particularly worthy of God's wrath, or at least our wrath, when there is no Biblical basis for such behavior.

Since the no no sins are in actuality no worse in God's eyes than the okay sins, why do we treat the no no sins any differently? I believe at root of the issue lies the distinctness of the act.  The sins we find the most atrocious are the ones that require a distinct physical act.  Sex obviously requires a physical act, but so does drunkenness.  Getting drunk requires us to deliberately drink alcohol.  Swearing is looked down upon more than other verbal sins because it is a very distinctive identifiable act.  Yet, sadly, such acts, while most distinct, are not necessarily more dangerous.  They indeed can be, but so can many "okay" sins.  Slander is particularly dangerous in my opinion.  Tearing apart people's reputations, even in the "name of Jesus" is absolutely rotten.  Few things are as terrible in my mind as tearing someone apart behind their back while you would never confront them to their face.  This can be very subversive and destroy any Christian community from within quicker than almost anything else.  Yet such behavior is very common in churches, indeed many Christians don't even bat an eye when they engage in such sin.  Most don't even think of it as a sin, yet the damage they do with their tongue is devastating.  James 3:6-10 shows vividly how dangerous the tongue is:

 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind,  but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

Did you see that! It says the tongue is "full of deadly poison!" The Bible takes the tongue seriously, so why don't we? Oh yeah, we take swearing seriously.  If you swear, good church people will be sure to bat an eye.  But what does more damage to others? An occasional swear? Or gossip that destroys someone's reputation? I will let you be the judge.  And again, it is obvious that the more easily identifiable act, swearing, is looked down on more than the subtler act of slander.  Either way, there is a blatant inconsistency in the Church in its attitudes to different sins, and this inconsistency must stop.

This obviously brings us to how this inconsistency should stop.  Well, I have an opinion, and I shall share it.  Stop treating certain sins as distinctly more evil than others.  Stop telling people that struggle with "no no" sins that until they fix themselves, that further progress in their faith is impossible.  Let people know that they can indeed still grow as Christians despite the fact that they sin.  This should be a given, for everyone sins.  But somehow we have developed a mindset that certain sins hold back spiritual development, this is not the case.  Perhaps you have been perplexed in the past by a televangelist who fell into sexual sin, yet you thought for sure they were a great Christian.  Well have you every thought that maybe they still were a great Christian?  Perhaps it is better to ask ourselves why we demand perfection from other Christians for certain sins, when God has never once demanded perfection from us, but only that we accept his unconditional grace for our wickedness.

P.S. I would highly recommend "Jesus + Nothing = Everything" By Tullian Tchividjian.  It does not deal precisely with what I am talking about, but it lends in my opinion a more scriptural approach to sin that many Christians miss.  It makes it clear that Jesus should be our focus, not our sin.