Ramble ramble ramble

As the year draws to a close, it is time to reflect and reassess my own heart before I start criticizing this country's wasteful attitude, selfishness, and all that yadayadayada.

What is something that everyone strives for? Excluding the mentally, emotionally, spiritually and theologically sophisticated group for my purpose, I believe that at the bottom of each person's heart, there lies a passion for approvals of other human being(s). May one agree or disagree to this claim, I am convinced that this is the main force that drives most people's lives. Be it a poet's brilliant poetry, a musician's marvelous merits in performing arts, a scholar's competitive studying or an athlete's profusely sweating nights -- the ultimate goal is to impress your parents, teachers, friends, colleagues, courter or spouse. I am not saying the results are necessarily unhealthy. Surely, there are some passions that go awry, but by the world's standards, many succeed. There is no doubt about it; we seek approval of others, and often do we succeed and fail. What is the reason for this essence of human passion, the motive that lies behind all that we do?

Because humans are not stuffed animals. You can read your most brilliant poetry to your lovely Barbie, and she would smile as she would when you break her neck. You can embrace that favorite polar bear of yours; it cannot embrace you back. You cannot expect neither to be loved by nor to impress your dolls. On the other hand, humans are gifted with the marvel of free will and we cannot easily anticipate each other's reaction to a triggering statement. Throw that football as accurate as you can for your coach; play the most endeavoured piano concerto for your teacher; write your best essay for your professor and wonder whether a compliment would impress your date. Humans are fickle -- there is no such thing as an anticipated human response. And thus we rejoice when we obtain the optimal response. This is why a good review has a power to warm a writer's heart. This is why a mother's smile empowers a dancer to seek further practicing. This is why a scrawny modern Edison can write the best dissertation there is; this is why when there is a negative feedback, we have emo kids.

And this very reason why we do things, is a struggle that all religions must face in the world, where societies and politics are driven by the "realness" of human responses. Pantheism and wooden cuckoos are ancient philosophies already; they qualify as the equivalent of stuffed animals since the Enlightenment. Modern day is a battlefield between the modern philosophy and three great monotheisms of the west -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The modern philosophy that I speak of here, is a fusion of eastern "religions," which have their origins more in scholarly philosophies than in religiosity, and postmodernism. Judaism only appeals to a small minority, and Islam has lost its approval outside its adherents, mainly owing to their mistreatment of women and violence blatantly displayed in radical terrorism. In the end, Christianity remains the only formidable foe that a modern mindset must face. The saying, "God is not real," is already an archaic weapon. Isaac Asimov once wrote: "Emotionally I am an atheist. I don't have the evidence to prove that God doesn't exist, but I so strongly suspect that he doesn't that I don't want to waste my time." The Christian fort is loaded with endless archaeological, historical, scientific, philosophical evidences and personal testimonies. There is just one problem: why isn't Christianity thriving in victory?

I won't blame it on the divisions in the Church itself, although it has but a small factor. Perhaps it doesn't face enough persecution. "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church," so wrote Tertullian in the third century. Or perhaps modern minds -- Christian or non-Christian -- have become used to the reiterated Truths of the Scriptures -- especially the Truths about the personalities of God, which must continue to amaze us day after day. The Scriptures say that God is all goodness and greatness abiding -- infinitely faithful, infinitely wise, infinitely gracious, infinitely holy, infinitely just, infinitely God. He is the epitome of infinite Love, John wrote. The statement "God is Love," was demonstrated and can only be explained in the sobering reality, in which this perfect God was manifest in human flesh. God, crucified and risen on the third day! Why don't our hearts tremble when we hear the gospel of Jesus Christ? The person of Jesus Christ, whoever He was, He must have been truly remarkable to have influenced so many people in His day, and continue to influence multitudes to this day. The truths about Him were recorded, collected, and wasn't bounded in a book that we have today until much later, but His teachings and the teachings about Him have influenced countless since His death, some for good and some for evil.

Today, it is not a mere coincidence that there are 43 books about historical Jesus and just one book about historical Muhammad (pretty recent too, I must say) in a historian's library. True, the Bible does not provide us with all of the answers. But incomplete knowledge does not exempt us from total submission and obedience (which has been my personal problem for a while). The problem of evil and pain, the problem of inconsistencies and obscure passages, the problem of unbelief will not unwind until we have succumbed to the totality of simple Truth that He asks of us: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." And we are able, only because Immanuel, God with us, is revealed in us. Perfection is attainable because of Christ, and only through Christ. Jesus said, "He who perseveres to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22). And we persevere, only because God promised to finish what He began (Phil 1:6).

Word -- for what is in a word? There is something about those arbitrary letters coming to form uni or multisyllable units of speech; when our mentality enters this realm these units are no longer arbitrary but each has its own personality. There are some preconceptions in my mentality that makes arbitrary series of letters transient 'happiness' and everlasting 'joy.' And it is time to break down my preconceived notions about God and make them anew. It is time to disown my objects of worship and adore only Him. It is time to work -- and the goal is to please the Almighty.

For this Christmas and onward, I just want a thankful heart.