Growth Haiku

Growth

Building skyscrapers

stand firm where once only birds

or storm clouds could go

Tunnel through mountains

traveling where once was stone

dark place filled with light

Bridges traverse space

arches over the abyss

obstacles below

Moving faster now

running seems to cyclist slow

all surpassed by flight

Changing the landscape

make straight paths and overcome

not bound by nature

The Heart of the Creator

I've found my medium. There is something really positive about being able to know that there is one thing that you are tolerably good at and love doing. It's a high that doesn't go away. Then, just in case I get used to that high, I can think about ways that I can use my voice for God's purposes and it comes right back.

I'm convinced that everyone has a medium, some way that they can best express themselves. Some medium that is as natural as breathing that puts it all out there. You almost always know when someone has found it. I know a few guys who can write their souls into a song. I've seen a laugh made from yarn. I have seen doodles that would bleed if you cut them. When we find this medium we create things that no one else can create. When we see these creations do what they are created to do, we watch like proud parents knowing that our kids are going to be alright after all, despite all our shortfalls.

I am also convinced that this is the heart of God in us. He created us and his joy is made complete when he sees us live out what he created us for (to love Him and each other). The mini-creator in us does the same. We breath life into our poems, our songs, and our art and send them out into the world with their wobbly knees and trembling hands, and whether we smile or wince at each stumble we can't help but glow with pride when they take their first confident step into the world. I see a spike on the blog stats, and I know someone out there is reading. I hear the brief silence after my speech and I know that Ive just touched the hearts of my listeners.

It's taken no small amount of courage to let these fledgling works out into the open, but the encouragement I've gotten from all of you out there has given me the confidence to keep after it, and not be afraid of failure.

Lessons from Les Misérables (Part 5)

This is the final post in this series, a word in closing at the bottom, but here, more quotes!


"There is incomplete immensity in nature" -22399
This quote echos an idea C.S. Lewis wrote in the 4 loves when speaking of the "nature lover." When man takes nature as a teacher, he will learn whatever he came to learn. In Hugo's words, man's desire for knowledge fills in the incompleteness of nature, and the lessons he learns there will take on nature's immensity, like a magnifying lens turned on the object of man's curiosity.

__________

"No sword is simple. Every blade has two edges; he who wounds with one is wounded by the other"-22723
A well written reprise of the old adage.

__________

"... It depends on society to save itself, it is to its' own good will that we make our appeal. No violent remedy is necessary. To study evil amiably, to prove it's existence, then to cure it. It is to this that we invite it."-22737

Another poignant call for non-violence in the midst of the revolution. I believe that this is the truest form of revolution. Prove to a men that there is an evil in their midst, and I am convinced that they will act to remove it, to cure it. To study evil is easy enough, the most harmful of them are often omnipresent, easily observed to the eye that is not calloused. Proving, and persuading is the difficult task. Influence is needed, and respect, to prove the existence of an evil to those who are blinded by it.

__________

"Only a civilizing people should be a manly people. ... He must be neither a delittante nor a virtuoso: but he must be artistic. In the matter of civilization, he must not refine, but he must sublime. On this condition, one gives to the human race the pattern of the ideal." -22776

This is something like the call for masculinity that I have made in the past. It is interesting to consider this, now that France and the French have become something of a byword for the effeminate and the connoisseur. I have much more respect now for the France of the 19th century, and the leadership they brought to Europe as a democratizing force.

__________

"Matter exists, the minute exists, interest exists, the stomach exists; but the stomach must not be the sole wisdom. The life of the moment has it's rights, but the permanent life has its' rights also." -22800

A call for moderation for the sake of the eternal. The one addition I would make is that when one has properly assessed the weight of the moment and the permanent, the moment becomes subservient to the permanent. Reverie in the eternal leads to neglect, reverie in the moment is hedonism. The truth is found by placing the moment not simply below, but laying it as a foundation which supports and serves the eternal, that each moment might be exalted by its' light.

__________

"The pupil dilates in the dark, and the soul dilates in misfortune and ends by finding God there." -23440

Simply, the path to God is through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Without the quiet of misfortune, we cannot hear the still small voice of God.

_________

And Finally, I will allow the author to speak for his own book, that you might be encouraged to read it:

"The book which the reader has under his eye at this moment is, from one end to the other, as a whole and in detail, whatever may be its' intermittences, exceptions and faults, the march from evil to good, from the unjust to the just, from night to day, from appetite to conscience, from rottenness to life, from hell to heaven, from nothingness to God. Point of departure: matter, point of arrival soul. The hydra at the beginning, the angel at the end." -22811

__________

I hope that this has been as encouraging to you as it has been to me. I hope everyone will put this book on their reading list. It has enlightened me to many of the intricacies of the human heart, and has lit a fire in my soul to fight for freedom, justice, and truth wherever there is darkness.

Lessons from Les Misérables (Part 4)

Getting Close to the end! I think part 5 or 6 may be the final installment. For now, there is yet more to be seen!

"Intellectual and moral growth are no less indispensable than material improvement." -18475
In improving the plight of the poor, it is clear that welfare, on it's own, is no help at all. It is a half step in the right direction. Half steps, as we know, avail nothing. Education of the mind and soul must be paired with material improvement if we are to genuinely aid the poor, and we must aid the poor.
"If there is anything more heartbreaking than a body perishing for lack of bread, it is a soul dying from hunger for light." - 18477

__________

"One of woman's magnanimities is to yield." -18539

An interesting expression of the female gender role, a topic I have made it a point to tread carefully around (See my post on the role of Men)  I will not comment other than to say that I have experienced this magnanimity myself, and know it to be one of the best expressions of love in a romantic relationship.

__________

"Of all the things which God has made, the Human heart is the one which sheds the most light, Alas! and the most darkness."- 18544

That which has the highest capacity for good, by necessity has the greatest capacity for evil and corruption. Brilliance is found at the heights of human achievement and love, and in the depths of humanity's darkest hours. Great influence may pull men from the mire, even to the clouds, or it may drive them down to suffocate in the darkness. We, of all God's creation, hold this power over the hearts around us.

_________

"It is a strange claim on mans part that love should lead to something."-18661

It is a lie that our culture has sold to us that love need be anything more than simply love. That somehow agapé and phileo are crippled where eros soars. It is like saying that trees were made for building houses. A house is a wonderful thing. A house built from immature trees; however, from sticks and branches, cannot last or keep out the elements. Trees make an admirable abode for the woodsman and adventurer, and are beautiful in their own right.

__________

"Assasination is more of a crime here than elsewhere; we are under the eyes of the Revolution, we are the priests of the Republic, we are victims of duty, and must not be possible to slander our combat." -20564

Spoken by Enjolras after one of the men at the barricade has killed a bystander. This seems to be parallel to the idea that disciples are under the eyes of the world. What might be acceptable for any man is a shortfall for the disciple, and each of the wrongs of the disciple become abominable in that he becomes the "Priest of the revolution" when he takes up the call. As it is said during the Eagle ceremony in Boy Scouts "Your actions have become a little more conspicuous."

__________

A final note on (the now far more seasonal) springtime weather

"Nothing is so worthy of admiration as foliage washed by the rain and wiped by rays of sunlight; it is warm freshness. The gardens and meadows, having water at their roots, and sun in their flowers, become perfuming-pans of incense, and smoke with all their odors at once. Everything smiles, sings and offers itself. One feels gently intoxicated." -22375

Lessons from Les Misérables (Part 3)

And we're back to Les Mis after a short hiatus.



"Happy, even in the midst of sadness, is he whom God has given a soul worthy of love and of unhappiness! He who has not viewed the things of this world and the heart of man under this double light has seen nothing and knows nothing of the true. The soul which loves and suffers is in a state of sublimity." - 15968
Seeking to explain the paradoxical joy in selflessness.

__________

"God's whole policy consists in making slopes less steep." -15807
This is one of my favorite quotes from the whole book. Particularly when one thinks of iniquity as a slope, this artfully encapsulates the story of Christ. Where there are walls, God makes hills, and eventually plains.

__________

"And then strange to say, the first symptom of true love in a young man is timidity; in a young girl it is boldness" -16598
All too true.

__________

"If you are a stone be adamant, if you are a plant, be the sensitive plant, if you are a man, be love" -17255
One of the points that I like to make often when I talk about creativity is that there is nothing greater for the creator than to see is creation do what it was meant to do. This is a great example of that concept.

__________

"To meet the needs of this conflict [crime], wretchedness has invented a language of combat, which is slang." -18182
An interesting chapter, which covers the corruption of language that is slang. It certainly makes me pause to think of all the people who speak in some corrupted form of English (obviously Les Mis covers the topic of French slang.) There is on one end the simple slang of expediency (or ignorance) which is innocent enough. On the other hand there is the kind of slang discussed here. Invented in the prisons and alleys of the urban underworld, and brought into the light by the glorification of a life of crime. (Primarily in this day and age, Ebonics and rap, respectively.) One who enters into this slang speaks a language dredged from the subconscious of the night. Fear and hatred of authority, violence,crime, and all other sorts of vice are imbedded into this language. A poet may use it to good affect, but care must certainly be taken. Further to the point...
 "The words are misshapen and stamped with an indescribable and fantastic bestiality" -18222

__________

"Is the under side of civilization so much less important than the upper side simply because it is deeper and more somber? Do we really know the mountain well when we are not acquainted with the cavern?"- 18203 

This idea expresses well the need of any man who wants to be the love of Christ in the world (or do any real good at all) must become comfortable among the under side of civilization. Here I think, that the knowledge of hearts is as much as stake as civic knowledge. The discipler as much as the law maker must become "acquainted with the cavern" if he is to be able to accomplish his aim.

__________

"In this world, evidently the vestibule for another, there are no fortunate" -18237

While this statement seems to be defeatist, I cannot help but see the hope imbedded in it. That this world must lead to another, and that those who have vested themselves in that other world, rather than this one, might count themselves fortunate.

__________

I'll end this post on a similar, (if mirrored) tone as it began.

"He who says light does not, necessarily say joy. People suffer in the light, excess burns. The flame is the enemy of the wing. To burn without ceasing to fly,-therin lies the marvel of genius

When you have learned to know, and to love, you will still suffer. The day is born in tears. The luminous weep, if only over those in the darkness."

An Open Letter to the RPD

To whom it may concern in the Rochester Police Department and associated PR people,

I understand that you have been plagued for years by rumors (true and false) of racial discrimination, corruption, and general untrustworthy behavior. This limits your effectiveness, particularly in the areas that are hit hardest by crime and poverty, and among innocent minorities who have been treated as violent, criminal, second class citizens again and again. As an organization interested in serving all the people of Rochester, I also see your desire to move past these rumors and begin to provide every citizen of Rochester "equal protection under the law."

Let's take a breif look at one of the strategies you're using to accomplish this.

As I drove down Lake Ave towards downtown, I noticed a bill board. This bill board showed A black cop standing with another black man in a sport coat, and read in large letters "we've got your back." I won't take the time to unpack the subjective problems I saw in the design of the billboard itself. There is; however, a much larger problem behind the billboard. If you have to explain that you're fundamentally shifting (and it would require a shift of that scale) the way the RPD serves the Rochester community by treating everyone equally, You're doing it wrong. The old adage says "perception is reality," and if the people of Rochester continue to see police discrimination in the real world, your billboard will only drive deeper the belief that, despite all the press conferences and promises, the RPD and Police in general will never "have their back." I've also seen a second billboard as a part of this campaign that reads "On the same team."

I am not a psychologist, nor am I an expert in criminal justice, but I know that in order for the people of Rochester to see the RPD as serving, then the actual behavior of Police Officers needs to change. As for me, the only time I see cops in action is when they are writing tickets, directing traffic or arresting people. The rest of the time, the face of the RPD is the patrol car, impersonally patrolling the streets projecting the fear of the Law until the car has passed, at which point everything returns to "normal." A normal that has pushed the crime rate in Rochester among the highest in the nation.

If Rochester is to continue it's recovery, than the RPD has an integral role to play in gaining the trust and respect of all of Rochester's citizens. To accomplish that goal, the police must change the way they interact with the people. This change is one of action. So stop spending time and money creating billboards that tell us about change, and show us the change.

Sincerely,
Alexander Turner
Concerned citizen of Rochester, NY

Lessons from Les Misérables (Part 2)

We're Back!

"All the Crimes of man begin in the vagabondage of the child." -loc 10915
How true this is, and more to the point vagabondage is not a condition of the body, (poverty, malnourishment, homelessness) but one of the heart (absentee parents, lack of discipline). Compulsory public schooling, (which Hugo hails as the solution to many of the ills described over the course of this book) unfortunately, has become the greatest source of this vagabondage, often acting as a holding pen for these lost children until they find themselves in jail.

__________

"Let that vile sand which you trample underfoot be cast into the furnace, let it melt and seethe there, it will become a splendid crystal, and it is thanks to that Galileo and Newton will discover stars" -loc 11110
 An artful, (and somewhat jarring) picture of the effect of revolution and discipline on the "Fex Urbis" (the rabble). For all it's failings the #Occupy movement has, to a certain extent, captured this idea.

__________

"What a specticle is night! One hears dull sounds, without knowing whence the proceed; one beholds Jupiter, which is twelve hundred times the size of Earth, glowing like a firebrand, the azure is black the stars shine, it is formidable." - loc 11767
 The reverie of Marius as he undergoes a transformation. Just caught my attention as feeling very familiar. I think similar things as I stare into the night and contemplate.

__________

"As he thinks of the innumberable pleasures nature offers, gives, and lavishes to souls which stand open, and refuses to souls that are closed, he comes to pity, he the millionaire of the mind, the millionaire of money." -12724
Feels very similar to the effect of spiritual riches, reminiscent of Monseigneur Bienvenu, who gave everything to the poor, and received only their love in return, and felt all the richer for it.

 __________

"The conflict of right and fact has been going on ever since the origin of society. To terminate this duel, to amalgamate the pure idea with the humane reality, to cause right to penetrate pacifically into the fact and the fact into right, that is the task of sages." -15307
 And the task of disciples! To take the ideal (Christ's example) and to allow it to become reality. Which starts in believing it to be possible for ourselves, and ends in believing it possible for all, with a lifetime of living out and moving closer to that ideal in between.

 __________

Another short quip to finish out today:
"Logic knows not the 'almost', absolutely as the sun knows not the candle." 15344