I need Africa more than Africa needs me is a difficult concept which I believe can be explored two ways. On one hand we can look at it from the physical and literal standpoint on who needs the most immediate help, but also the topic can be viewed form a more spiritual and holistic standpoint of what kind of help is really needed.
As for the first approach there are people starving and dying all over the world. No continent, however, has a more widespread epidemic of war, disease and starvation than Africa does. We see it almost daily on the news and in the papers that tragedies are occurring in that part of the world at an alarming rate. As a privileged western society it is our duty to help those less fortunate and there is no better place than Africa to fulfill that duty. So in that sense the need is really focused on that continent.
If we view the topic from a spiritual standpoint things are reversed. I once heard that the Christian church was spreading at a faster rate in Africa than any other place in the world. There are miraculous acts of faith demonstrated by people throughout various African nations despite the great hardships constantly being faced. This is something that is being lost in western Christianity because we do not face the type of tests that those who live through severe life trials do. Even if you are not a religious person you can see that those of us who do live privileged lives have lost a sense of perspective about what really matters in life and we do not know how to truly be thankful for the little pleasures and even necessities of life. Seeing how the African people respond to the dire circumstances they face can offer new perspective to a society jaded by the trappings of opulent wealth and that is something infinitely difficult to put a price tag on.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Showtime Revived
The Lakers had their first two games of the season and not a moment too soon for this disappointed sports fan. I already blogged on my depressing baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, and how their postseason collapse really left me hanging. Now, however, it is basketball season and hope springs eternal.
The Lakers are the preseason favorite to win the title and most of that hype is due to the revived health of the team and the depth up and down the lineup. Young center Andrew Bynum was the talk of the town for the first half of last season. The somewhat lanky, baby-faced kid from New Jersey was having a breakout season and looked to be helping the Lakers toward a playoff run before he hurt his knee and missed the rest of the season. That kid is back and his lanky teenage frame has filled out into a muscular 7 feet tall and 285 lbs. His knee is healthy and he has played significant minutes in the teams first two wins, starting both. Fans, players, and Laker team officials alike all hope that Bynum will provide the size and toughness that was lacking when they lost to the Boston Celtics. Early results are promising.
The depth of the Lakers bench has been the real improvement at the start of this season. The newly healthy Trevor Ariza has been a great compliment to the up tempo style of the Jordan Farmar driven second unit. With Lamar Odom coming off the bench, Farmar running the break at the point, Ariza and either Sasha Vujacic or Luke Walton on the wing, the Lakers have a second unit that could start on other teams around the league. This unit is fast and explosive and are the reason why I see some of the run and gun showtime Lakers style of the 80's. Farmar and Ariza can flat out fly, and Odom, who at times is the second best player on the team, starts fast breaks with good defensive rebounding and excellent outlet passing. Walton's passing ability and Vujacic's outside shooting give the team options in the half court offense not to mention Odom's ability to score with great versatility. Even having the oft injured Chris Mihm healthy again helps by giving the backup squad a serviceable center. All this and I haven't even mentioned the starting lineup which features the greatest player in the world Kobe Bryant.
Traditionally the triangle offense which coach Phil Jackson runs is a half court oriented offense, but with this new plethora of weapons coach Jackson has opened up the team's game. This mix of half court prowess, and relentless fast break scoring gives the Lakers a recipe for a sensational scoring season. Fans (myself included) are hoping for an entertaining style of play that leads all the way to another title for this already storied franchise.
All this said I must admit that the Lakers are still not the favorites to win the title, in my opinion. Though the majority of analysts are picking Los Angeles to win it all they are still unproven. On paper this team seems capable of scoring 120 every night, but can they stop their opponents from putting up 130? Defense is necessary and the Lakers still need to show that they can get stops when it really matters. What about the fact that Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom seem to disappear when it counts? How can anyone be sure that won't happen again? Can Andrew Bynum be counted on when the pressure is on or does he still have some growing up to do in that area? The future is bright but questions still abound. As much as it pains me to say it the Celtics are still the team to beat. They play D like no one else and until I see someone put together a seven game series of consistent scoring against them, they are still king of the hill.
I know there are plenty of Laker haters who have comments for me so lets hear them. People are talking all over the Internet about the Lake show, get out there and check it out.
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/
http://www.thelakersnation.com/
The Lakers are the preseason favorite to win the title and most of that hype is due to the revived health of the team and the depth up and down the lineup. Young center Andrew Bynum was the talk of the town for the first half of last season. The somewhat lanky, baby-faced kid from New Jersey was having a breakout season and looked to be helping the Lakers toward a playoff run before he hurt his knee and missed the rest of the season. That kid is back and his lanky teenage frame has filled out into a muscular 7 feet tall and 285 lbs. His knee is healthy and he has played significant minutes in the teams first two wins, starting both. Fans, players, and Laker team officials alike all hope that Bynum will provide the size and toughness that was lacking when they lost to the Boston Celtics. Early results are promising.
The depth of the Lakers bench has been the real improvement at the start of this season. The newly healthy Trevor Ariza has been a great compliment to the up tempo style of the Jordan Farmar driven second unit. With Lamar Odom coming off the bench, Farmar running the break at the point, Ariza and either Sasha Vujacic or Luke Walton on the wing, the Lakers have a second unit that could start on other teams around the league. This unit is fast and explosive and are the reason why I see some of the run and gun showtime Lakers style of the 80's. Farmar and Ariza can flat out fly, and Odom, who at times is the second best player on the team, starts fast breaks with good defensive rebounding and excellent outlet passing. Walton's passing ability and Vujacic's outside shooting give the team options in the half court offense not to mention Odom's ability to score with great versatility. Even having the oft injured Chris Mihm healthy again helps by giving the backup squad a serviceable center. All this and I haven't even mentioned the starting lineup which features the greatest player in the world Kobe Bryant.
Traditionally the triangle offense which coach Phil Jackson runs is a half court oriented offense, but with this new plethora of weapons coach Jackson has opened up the team's game. This mix of half court prowess, and relentless fast break scoring gives the Lakers a recipe for a sensational scoring season. Fans (myself included) are hoping for an entertaining style of play that leads all the way to another title for this already storied franchise.
All this said I must admit that the Lakers are still not the favorites to win the title, in my opinion. Though the majority of analysts are picking Los Angeles to win it all they are still unproven. On paper this team seems capable of scoring 120 every night, but can they stop their opponents from putting up 130? Defense is necessary and the Lakers still need to show that they can get stops when it really matters. What about the fact that Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom seem to disappear when it counts? How can anyone be sure that won't happen again? Can Andrew Bynum be counted on when the pressure is on or does he still have some growing up to do in that area? The future is bright but questions still abound. As much as it pains me to say it the Celtics are still the team to beat. They play D like no one else and until I see someone put together a seven game series of consistent scoring against them, they are still king of the hill.
I know there are plenty of Laker haters who have comments for me so lets hear them. People are talking all over the Internet about the Lake show, get out there and check it out.
http://lakersblog.latimes.com/
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/
http://www.thelakersnation.com/
Education
My career goals have wavered more than once throughout the years. I would probably say that in the six going on seven years I have been at this schooling business (off and on not six years straight, I've been accused of slacking from time to time) that I have changed my path once every year. Now here I am back to where I started. When I began college back in the good ole days of 2002 I liked history and decided that teaching it may be fun. I did not stick with this, as I have said, letting my aspirations move from law, to business, to anything in sports, to construction, and several others. Now here I am many years later and I can confidently say that my first inclination was the right one. Though I had not fleshed out the reasons for my love of history and I did not truly have an appreciation for teaching, the sparks were there for what is now a true passion of mine.
I strongly believe in Education as the second most important factor in building a strong and productive society. The first is healthy family structure. Now, I am not leaving God and faith out of this equation. On the contrary I believe that ones faith should play a role in every aspect of life. Listing God as one factor among many does not truly acknowledge the all encompassing force of guidance and love that he is. I also am not saying that faith in God is the only way a society can have morals and that people can live decent lives within that society. God is more than just moral codes he is salvation. I can go on about that forever but it another blog, or ten, all together. What I am saying here is that my faith in God allows me to pursue a better life for myself and those around me (society) and his guidance and strength aids me in resisting the temptations of selfishness and overall evil that my human nature present. He is not just this and not the only way for people to resist many of the evils that make for a dysfunctional society. I hope that explains my stance on the place of faith in society somewhat.
Back to where I started though. Healthy families are truly at the foundation of healthy societies. A persons family unit is what prepares them emotionally, mentally, physically and any other lly way you can think of, for how they engage the world. People with a cohesive family unit that teaches them love and respect for their fellow man will inevitably be more functional citizens in whatever culture they live in. This is not a guarantee, but I am sure the odds are well in favor of affirming that assumption.
Following family on the list of importance in society is my chosen career path; education. A society that puts priority on educating all of its citizens will see the benefits pay dividends in many different arenas. People will have more job opportunities bringing up the national income level and giving a better quality of life to people from top to bottom. Better income levels would decrease the need of people to resort to crime to survive making a safer society. Also, people of higher education levels statistically are less likely to suffer from addiction or alcoholism and we can all see how those things have adversely affected the lives of millions of Americans. All of these factors increasing the quality of life for those who formerly would have been living below the poverty line enables them to survive without government assistance freeing up a massive amount of government funds to countless other worthy endeavors. Politicians being better educated could very likely lead to a more efficient and wisely run government, but at the same time many politicians already have a high level of education today and this does not seem necessarily to translate into common sense. Where I believe a better educated society, top to bottom, would see changes in politics is in the fact that people would realize when politicians are not doing a good job. Government officials would have greater accountability to a populous that knows exactly what they are talking about. Also, the political arena is typically an exclusive club for the elite upper class. A less stratified society could break some of the barriers that today exist enabling new ideas and viewpoints to challenge the old guard.
Thus far the things I have been saying are admittedly idealistic. This blog already has its share of disclaimers, but here is another. It is not as easy as fix this and all I have said will happen. there are many other factors in play when considering the ills of society, many of which are beyond my limited range of knowledge. Then there is the fact that this is simply a fallen world which cannot be made into some sort of utopia no matter how hard we try. It does not mean we stop trying. Good can, and is, being done and to some degree I believe that the things which I have discussed can be accomplished. That is why I feel the call upon my life to teach.
Some blogs which discuss education in general are http://www.historyiselementary.blogspot.com/ (for a more nuts and bolts approach to teaching), http://www.ahistoricality.blogspot.com/ (for some leftist rants on presently applicable historical topics), and http://www.bluebirdsclassroom.blogspot.com/ (for the humanistic and entertaining side of spending all day with kids). I hope to hear some of your thoughts and comments on what I said. There is so much more to touch on with this issue that I most likely missed and maybe some will disagree with my assertions. I hope to hear from both. Thanks for reading.
I strongly believe in Education as the second most important factor in building a strong and productive society. The first is healthy family structure. Now, I am not leaving God and faith out of this equation. On the contrary I believe that ones faith should play a role in every aspect of life. Listing God as one factor among many does not truly acknowledge the all encompassing force of guidance and love that he is. I also am not saying that faith in God is the only way a society can have morals and that people can live decent lives within that society. God is more than just moral codes he is salvation. I can go on about that forever but it another blog, or ten, all together. What I am saying here is that my faith in God allows me to pursue a better life for myself and those around me (society) and his guidance and strength aids me in resisting the temptations of selfishness and overall evil that my human nature present. He is not just this and not the only way for people to resist many of the evils that make for a dysfunctional society. I hope that explains my stance on the place of faith in society somewhat.
Back to where I started though. Healthy families are truly at the foundation of healthy societies. A persons family unit is what prepares them emotionally, mentally, physically and any other lly way you can think of, for how they engage the world. People with a cohesive family unit that teaches them love and respect for their fellow man will inevitably be more functional citizens in whatever culture they live in. This is not a guarantee, but I am sure the odds are well in favor of affirming that assumption.
Following family on the list of importance in society is my chosen career path; education. A society that puts priority on educating all of its citizens will see the benefits pay dividends in many different arenas. People will have more job opportunities bringing up the national income level and giving a better quality of life to people from top to bottom. Better income levels would decrease the need of people to resort to crime to survive making a safer society. Also, people of higher education levels statistically are less likely to suffer from addiction or alcoholism and we can all see how those things have adversely affected the lives of millions of Americans. All of these factors increasing the quality of life for those who formerly would have been living below the poverty line enables them to survive without government assistance freeing up a massive amount of government funds to countless other worthy endeavors. Politicians being better educated could very likely lead to a more efficient and wisely run government, but at the same time many politicians already have a high level of education today and this does not seem necessarily to translate into common sense. Where I believe a better educated society, top to bottom, would see changes in politics is in the fact that people would realize when politicians are not doing a good job. Government officials would have greater accountability to a populous that knows exactly what they are talking about. Also, the political arena is typically an exclusive club for the elite upper class. A less stratified society could break some of the barriers that today exist enabling new ideas and viewpoints to challenge the old guard.
Thus far the things I have been saying are admittedly idealistic. This blog already has its share of disclaimers, but here is another. It is not as easy as fix this and all I have said will happen. there are many other factors in play when considering the ills of society, many of which are beyond my limited range of knowledge. Then there is the fact that this is simply a fallen world which cannot be made into some sort of utopia no matter how hard we try. It does not mean we stop trying. Good can, and is, being done and to some degree I believe that the things which I have discussed can be accomplished. That is why I feel the call upon my life to teach.
Some blogs which discuss education in general are http://www.historyiselementary.blogspot.com/ (for a more nuts and bolts approach to teaching), http://www.ahistoricality.blogspot.com/ (for some leftist rants on presently applicable historical topics), and http://www.bluebirdsclassroom.blogspot.com/ (for the humanistic and entertaining side of spending all day with kids). I hope to hear some of your thoughts and comments on what I said. There is so much more to touch on with this issue that I most likely missed and maybe some will disagree with my assertions. I hope to hear from both. Thanks for reading.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Laments of a Broken Fan
Once again it's fall, weather is cooling (in normal parts of the country), leaves are turning (again not here in CA but this is fall stuff stay with me), and the cubs are giving me that sinking feeling in my gut that lets me know it's time for another postseason collapse. My highly touted loveable losers have entered the playoffs with the best record in the national league and constant talk about this being the year that they will end the 100 year world series drought. The story has been beaten to death on ESPN, TBS and any other tv or radio station that even mentions sports. So what do the Cubs do with all those expectations they lose game one to the Dodgers by a score of 7-2. The Dodgers enter the postseason with the worst record of all the playoff teams and are only there because they play in the worst division in baseball. I do realize that the team found new life and has played fairly well with the acquisition of Manny Ramirez at the all-star break, but come on these are not World Series contenders. They have an average pitching staff that is over-achieving at the moment, a beat up bullpen, and a bunch of young underachieving power hitters surrounding Manny. This team is built not to go very far, yet they still steal game one in Chicago. All that said I am not the least bit surprised. I could talk about the frequent cold streaks that the bats have had or the pitching that either looks great or attrocious depending on the night (this includes the bullpen), but none of that really matters. They are the cubs, this is what they do. They get to the postseason, remember they havn't won anything in forever and proceed to show why with their anemic play, no matter how good they looked in the regular season. I know it's not over yet, they could get it together and start winning, but even if they do that how long is it til some fan gets his hand on a catchable foul ball or a black cat runs on the field and the team reverts back to that same old cursed psyche. I'm only 24 years old and I must be one of the most jaded, pessimistic baseball fans ever. I now realize why in 2003 when the Cubs were 5 outs away from the World Series and blew it, my dad told me, "you'll get used to it." I am now, and I'm going to have to learn to say, "call me when you get to the World Series," every time the loveable losers from the North Side of Chicago get my hope up.
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