I started with 11 questions and now have 12. Some of the questions were answered, but Lost only gives answers that create more questions.
Answered questions:
1. Did the H-Bomb do anything? It sent people back, but that gives me a new question.
2. What is the smoke monster? Now I know that the smoke monster is Locke/Jacob’s Nemesis. But that gives me a new question.
New questions:
1. How can the survivors of Flight 815 be on the plane and on the Island?
2. Who or what is Locke/Jacob’s Nemesis?
3. Who are the people in the temple, including the old Japanese guy, and why is the flight attendant there?
Old questions:
4. What is the Island and why are people healed?
5. Who are the Others?
6. Who or what is Jacob?
7. What's up with Walt?
8. What is the Dharma Initiative?
9. Is Christian Shepard alive?
10. Who's the good guy, Widmore or Ben?
11. What's in the shadow of the statue and are the new people (Ilana and Cesar) on Team Ben, Team Widmore, or something else entirely?
12. What's up with the 4-toed statue?
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Pre-Season 6 of Lost
These are 11 questions that I want Lost to answer before the series ends. I have been waiting for almost 6 years and I want satisfaction.
1. What is the Island and why are people healed?
2. What is the smoke monster?
3. Who are the Others?
4. Who or what is Jacob?
5. What's up with Walt?
6. What is the Dharma Initiative?
7. Did the H-Bomb do anything?
8. Is Christian Shepard alive?
9. Who's the good guy, Widmore or Ben?
10. What's in the shadow of the statue and are the new people (Ilana and Cesar) on Team Ben, Team Widmore, or something else entirely?
11. What's up with the 4-toed statue?
1. What is the Island and why are people healed?
2. What is the smoke monster?
3. Who are the Others?
4. Who or what is Jacob?
5. What's up with Walt?
6. What is the Dharma Initiative?
7. Did the H-Bomb do anything?
8. Is Christian Shepard alive?
9. Who's the good guy, Widmore or Ben?
10. What's in the shadow of the statue and are the new people (Ilana and Cesar) on Team Ben, Team Widmore, or something else entirely?
11. What's up with the 4-toed statue?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Ressurection
The Pastor said that the only way to heaven was to accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior and to acknowledge that he rose from the dead. For me, that is not the way to heaven or the correct version of what I think Jesus wants from his Church. The Resurrection is mysterious and I believe that it’s meant to be. Einstein said that there is beauty in mystery and that is where the beauty of the Resurrection appears for me, in its mystery.
The best way I’ve heard the validity of the Resurrection described is that, whether you believe that Jesus rose from the dead or not, you must believe that something happened at his tomb on the Sunday after he was crucified. The vast social changes that Christianity brought to the world and the fact that so many people still believe today is a testament to the fact that something happened at the tomb Easter morning.
I have heard theories that the Resurrection is not meant to be a physical resurrection of the body. It has been described to me as the return of Jesus as a spirit, not as a ghost, but as a living spirit among living people. I do not know if I believe this, but I have thought about it a lot. My conclusion is that I have no conclusion at this point. I don’t know. I chalk it up to the mystery of the Resurrection, and that is where I find the beauty in it.
I personally believe in the Resurrection. Even though I believe, I relate to why it is hard for others to believe. Part of the problem is the reasoning behind the Resurrection that they, and I, have been subjected to. In Catholicism, there is not much else besides an authoritative “Of course he rose from the dead,” with tradition and scripture given as evidence. A Catholic discussion of whether or not the Resurrection was physical or spiritual has guided me, but it has not been the de facto reason I believe.
I have heard one Catholic tell another that they do not believe in the Resurrection and the believer has responded, “That’s okay, it’s hard to make the leap of faith. Jesus still loves you.” This Catholic response is part of the reason why I love the Catholic Church. The Evangelical or Protestant arguments I’ve heard for belief in the Resurrection have not convinced me. Their argument that it’s in the Bible, and God wrote the Bible so it’s true, does not justify the Resurrection for me. I believe that the Bible was divinely inspired, but I do not believe that the whole thing is meant to be taken literally. I believe that parts of the Bible were written as stories to describe God. A Pastor I met told me that his faith would be in vain if Jesus did not rise from the dead. My faith, however, would not be in vain. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, his message would be unchanged and I firmly believe his message made Jesus more divine than any miracle he performed. Love God and love your neighbor. As revolutionary today as it was then.
I have two reasons that have given me the courage to make the leap of faith to say that Jesus rose from the dead. The first is that I believe in miracles. I believe in the big ones and I believe in the small ones. I see the divine and God’s plan unfolding in a myriad of miracles that some may describe as coincidences. If I pray to get a hit while I’m batting in a softball game, is it because I believe in divine intervention, in miracles, or is it because of my own skill. No matter which you believe, the fact that I am praying for the miracle means that I believe in miracles. If I believe in miracles, then I can believe that the miracle of the Resurrection took place. To believe in small miracles, one must also accept that large miracles are possible.
The strongest argument I have for the Resurrection is the loving nature of God. The God that I know in my heart is the type of God that would resurrect Jesus. Rather than viewing the Resurrection as a triumph of God’s goodness over evil, I think of the Resurrection as proof of a God of love. I believe in a God that will vindicate a good man unjustly accused and punished.
The best way I’ve heard the validity of the Resurrection described is that, whether you believe that Jesus rose from the dead or not, you must believe that something happened at his tomb on the Sunday after he was crucified. The vast social changes that Christianity brought to the world and the fact that so many people still believe today is a testament to the fact that something happened at the tomb Easter morning.
I have heard theories that the Resurrection is not meant to be a physical resurrection of the body. It has been described to me as the return of Jesus as a spirit, not as a ghost, but as a living spirit among living people. I do not know if I believe this, but I have thought about it a lot. My conclusion is that I have no conclusion at this point. I don’t know. I chalk it up to the mystery of the Resurrection, and that is where I find the beauty in it.
I personally believe in the Resurrection. Even though I believe, I relate to why it is hard for others to believe. Part of the problem is the reasoning behind the Resurrection that they, and I, have been subjected to. In Catholicism, there is not much else besides an authoritative “Of course he rose from the dead,” with tradition and scripture given as evidence. A Catholic discussion of whether or not the Resurrection was physical or spiritual has guided me, but it has not been the de facto reason I believe.
I have heard one Catholic tell another that they do not believe in the Resurrection and the believer has responded, “That’s okay, it’s hard to make the leap of faith. Jesus still loves you.” This Catholic response is part of the reason why I love the Catholic Church. The Evangelical or Protestant arguments I’ve heard for belief in the Resurrection have not convinced me. Their argument that it’s in the Bible, and God wrote the Bible so it’s true, does not justify the Resurrection for me. I believe that the Bible was divinely inspired, but I do not believe that the whole thing is meant to be taken literally. I believe that parts of the Bible were written as stories to describe God. A Pastor I met told me that his faith would be in vain if Jesus did not rise from the dead. My faith, however, would not be in vain. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, his message would be unchanged and I firmly believe his message made Jesus more divine than any miracle he performed. Love God and love your neighbor. As revolutionary today as it was then.
I have two reasons that have given me the courage to make the leap of faith to say that Jesus rose from the dead. The first is that I believe in miracles. I believe in the big ones and I believe in the small ones. I see the divine and God’s plan unfolding in a myriad of miracles that some may describe as coincidences. If I pray to get a hit while I’m batting in a softball game, is it because I believe in divine intervention, in miracles, or is it because of my own skill. No matter which you believe, the fact that I am praying for the miracle means that I believe in miracles. If I believe in miracles, then I can believe that the miracle of the Resurrection took place. To believe in small miracles, one must also accept that large miracles are possible.
The strongest argument I have for the Resurrection is the loving nature of God. The God that I know in my heart is the type of God that would resurrect Jesus. Rather than viewing the Resurrection as a triumph of God’s goodness over evil, I think of the Resurrection as proof of a God of love. I believe in a God that will vindicate a good man unjustly accused and punished.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
The First Human Tribe
250,000 years ago, deep in the jungles of Africa, or maybe the savannah, a little monkey was born that was not quite like the other little monkeys. This little monkey in particular had defective DNA. The code of life that tells the body’s cells how to work had made a mistake. Instead of the defective DNA hindering our little monkey friend, it gave it an extra edge for survival. We’re not exactly sure which gene or which chromosome was changed, but there is speculation that it had to do with brain size and mental capacity. Whatever it was, it helped our monkey survive and become more attractive to the opposite sex. Our monkey took advantage of the situation, mated, and produced children with the same defective gene that gave the monkey a better chance to survive. These monkey children were different enough from the rest of the monkeys that they became something else entirely. This was the first tribe of humans.
If you’ve ever seen chimpanzees hunting as a group on the Discovery Channel, you have a pretty good mental image of what the first tribe of humans acted like. There are two main differences between the chimps on TV and the first tribe of humans. For starters, they are a lot hairier than we were. Though we were most likely hairier, the first tribe looked distinctively human. If we saw them today we would probably tell them that they looked like cavemen. We would be right.
The second difference is that the first tribe of humans were much better at hunting than the chimps on the discovery channel. There is speculation as to whether this is because of increased mental capacities or better communication skills.
No matter what made that tribe of humans better hunters, they quickly replaced the monkeys they had just evolved from. These monkeys didn’t really look like monkeys, they looked a lot like us. The scientists call them Homo Erectus. They also italicize their name for some reason. I just call them Erectus. And yes, the name has lended itself to numberless jokes. We don’t know whether the first human tribe directly killed Erectus or if they just hunted better and ate all of Erectus’ food and took the best hunting grounds. Either way, Erectus died out shortly after humanity was born.
Here is a brief history of the late great Homo Erectus. Chimpanzees and Humans share a common ancestor from about 3.5 million years ago. We know this because of DNA. DNA changes very slowly, but it also changes very punctually, give or take a few thousand years. Scientists can look at DNA from humans and chimpanzees and tell how many differences exist in DNA’s code. Because the mutations happen punctually, that is, they happen every so often and always at about the same intervals, scientists can determine how long it’s been since chimps and humans have shared a common ancestor. The time of our most recent common ancestor would have marked the time that Chimp’s ancestors and Humanity’s ancestors took different evolutionary paths.
From what can be told, 2.5 million years of evolution later, about 1 million years ago, the monkeys that would eventually become humans evolved into Homo Erectus. Erectus evolved in Africa, but the species migrated and settled throughout the world with the exception of the Americas and Antarctica. It is disputed, but some archaeologists have found evidence that Erectus was the first to control fire and make tools. These were traits that the first tribe of Humans took with them when they became their own distinct species.
Different groups of Erectus lived in different geographical parts of the world. Over hundreds of thousands of years, these different geographical groups evolved differently. Some became Neanderthals, some became Humans, and, though it is disputed, some archaeologists claim to have found Hobbits on islands in East Asia. These groups lived in different parts of the world until they naturally became extinct or until they came into contact with Humans. After contact with the Humans, the Humans either outright killed them all or just took their traditional sources of food. Scientists are fairly sure that there was no interbreeding that has produced mixes of Humans and any other descendants of Erectus, though some scientists have not given up and are still looking for evidence.
Erectus evolved into Humanity and over the course of the next 250,000 years Humanity has become the dominant lifeform on planet Earth. Humans have been writing for less than 6,000 years, so there is a lot that we don’t know about our own Human history between that first Human tribe and the present. We do know that the tribe grew, it separated, and fanned out to every part of the planet Earth and have even visited the Moon. Now, in the present day, for the first time in 250,000 years, the separation that occurred when the first tribe of Humans split is about to be rejoined. Globalization, the accessibility of the internet in the farthest reaches of the globe, and communication among different cultures is bringing humanity together in an unprecedented way. In many ways, we are once again one tribe. For the second time in our history, Humanity is joined as one tribe working together for the same goals.
If you’ve ever seen chimpanzees hunting as a group on the Discovery Channel, you have a pretty good mental image of what the first tribe of humans acted like. There are two main differences between the chimps on TV and the first tribe of humans. For starters, they are a lot hairier than we were. Though we were most likely hairier, the first tribe looked distinctively human. If we saw them today we would probably tell them that they looked like cavemen. We would be right.
The second difference is that the first tribe of humans were much better at hunting than the chimps on the discovery channel. There is speculation as to whether this is because of increased mental capacities or better communication skills.
No matter what made that tribe of humans better hunters, they quickly replaced the monkeys they had just evolved from. These monkeys didn’t really look like monkeys, they looked a lot like us. The scientists call them Homo Erectus. They also italicize their name for some reason. I just call them Erectus. And yes, the name has lended itself to numberless jokes. We don’t know whether the first human tribe directly killed Erectus or if they just hunted better and ate all of Erectus’ food and took the best hunting grounds. Either way, Erectus died out shortly after humanity was born.
Here is a brief history of the late great Homo Erectus. Chimpanzees and Humans share a common ancestor from about 3.5 million years ago. We know this because of DNA. DNA changes very slowly, but it also changes very punctually, give or take a few thousand years. Scientists can look at DNA from humans and chimpanzees and tell how many differences exist in DNA’s code. Because the mutations happen punctually, that is, they happen every so often and always at about the same intervals, scientists can determine how long it’s been since chimps and humans have shared a common ancestor. The time of our most recent common ancestor would have marked the time that Chimp’s ancestors and Humanity’s ancestors took different evolutionary paths.
From what can be told, 2.5 million years of evolution later, about 1 million years ago, the monkeys that would eventually become humans evolved into Homo Erectus. Erectus evolved in Africa, but the species migrated and settled throughout the world with the exception of the Americas and Antarctica. It is disputed, but some archaeologists have found evidence that Erectus was the first to control fire and make tools. These were traits that the first tribe of Humans took with them when they became their own distinct species.
Different groups of Erectus lived in different geographical parts of the world. Over hundreds of thousands of years, these different geographical groups evolved differently. Some became Neanderthals, some became Humans, and, though it is disputed, some archaeologists claim to have found Hobbits on islands in East Asia. These groups lived in different parts of the world until they naturally became extinct or until they came into contact with Humans. After contact with the Humans, the Humans either outright killed them all or just took their traditional sources of food. Scientists are fairly sure that there was no interbreeding that has produced mixes of Humans and any other descendants of Erectus, though some scientists have not given up and are still looking for evidence.
Erectus evolved into Humanity and over the course of the next 250,000 years Humanity has become the dominant lifeform on planet Earth. Humans have been writing for less than 6,000 years, so there is a lot that we don’t know about our own Human history between that first Human tribe and the present. We do know that the tribe grew, it separated, and fanned out to every part of the planet Earth and have even visited the Moon. Now, in the present day, for the first time in 250,000 years, the separation that occurred when the first tribe of Humans split is about to be rejoined. Globalization, the accessibility of the internet in the farthest reaches of the globe, and communication among different cultures is bringing humanity together in an unprecedented way. In many ways, we are once again one tribe. For the second time in our history, Humanity is joined as one tribe working together for the same goals.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Never Too Late For Good Ideas
I should have submitted a car to the Pinewood Derby that was only carved enough to fit wheels on and written on the side with a black Sharpie would say, "Winning Isn't Everything."
Friday, May 22, 2009
Idea
If the only phrase that, according to Kurt Vonnegut, Americans can agree on is that “Sugar is sweet,” then I would go so far as to say that the whole world can agree that sugar is sweet. If that is the only thing that unifies humans on planet Earth, I think that’s a pretty good starting point. In fact, I would like to give a sweet, a chocolate, to every person on the planet. A giveaway of this magnitude has never been done before, but I believe that with current technologies there can be a global distribution system that reaches every person in the world.
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