Gifts of Love

I figured I’d get this entry in while I’m on my lunch break.

I am a Christian. I wear a necklace of the Hindu deity Ganesha, the Lord of Obstacles. It seems appropriate when I’m writing and debugging code. It was given to me by Dino’s sister, a devout Hindu woman, as a wedding present. I don’t consider it heretical or idolatrous. For one, I believe God reveals God’s self in many different ways to many different peoples and cultures, and to claim to have the one truth and understanding of God (as, sadly, many Christians seem to do), is – quite frankly – racist. Second, it was a gift, lovingly given, from my sister-in-law, to her new brother-in-law. It was a gift of love, how could it not be of God?

Such things aren’t idols. They aren’t worshiped. They serve as reminders of the love God and others have for us. The keep us mindful of things we may normally take for granted. I’m Protestant, and traditionally Protestants are opposed to graven images, but I was also raised Catholic, and I have a crucifix, and a figurine of St. Francis, and a small statue of the Buddha. They are just things, but they serve as reminders, as points of meditation. If I were to loose them, I would not loose that which they represent, which is far more important.

Making the world a better place, one person at a time….

On the train home from work one day, I noticed a man struggling with two cans of pineapple in a ripped plastic shopping bag.  When I pack my lunch, I always put my container in a plastic bag in case it leaks.  Since my lunch was finished and the container was empty, I emptied my plastic bag and offered it to him.  From his reaction you would think I had offered him a kidney.  Practically, I didn’t really do all that much, but I made one person’s day a little better.

Doing simple things like that really does help make the world a better place.  Such things are contagious; when people experience something like that, even if they weren’t really paying attention, they’re more likely to do such things for others.  Opportunities abound for doing something to help someone else out.  Take advantage of such opportunities when they arise.

Steve’s random bit of wisdom…

I know, I know.  I’ve been tied up with work and other IRL junk.  I miss all of you, my online friends.  I wanted to share something with you while it’s still in my head.  I’m at work right now, so I’ll be brief.

If you find yourself obsessing over something that’s bothering you, even though when you think about whatever it is it really seems silly or foolish to yourself that it’s bothering you, but you can’t help but be upset over it, then chances are what you’re obsessing over isn’t really what’s bothering you, and you need to think a little deeper about the issue and your situation to get to the root of the matter.

I’m at work, and I just had a minor emotional breakdown because I had one of those internal revelations that went along the lines of: “Hay doofus! This is the real reason you’ve been upset so much lately.”  Of course, now that I see the problem for what it is, I can deal with it (in time)) and get back to work (which I had better do now before someone sees me doing this).

Love and Peace!