"In a dream, a devout disciple of the master was permitted to approach the Temple in Paradise where all the great old sages who had studied the Talmud all their lives were now spending eternity. He gazed in at them, and to his amazement, they were all sitting around tables, just as they had done on earth, studying the Talmud still! The disciple watched them passionately exclaiming and arguing and reverently fingering the text. He wondered, 'Is this really Paradise? It seems like the earth.'
...But then his thoughts were interrupted by warm laughter. 'You are mistaken. This is not Paradise. The sages are not in Paradise. Paradise is in the sages.'"
Monday, August 27, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Twelve days until I leave the country
My stomach ties up in knots every time I realize I have less than two weeks left in Kentucky. I am generally organized to go.... I have only a large frame backpack in which to take my belongings, so I can't plan on taking much of anything, really. While I'm thinking of it, I'm going to write my packing list. Sorry if this bores you. This is my blog. Deal with it.
-three pairs of pants (two jeans, one black yoga pant)
-long shorts
-four t-shirts
-two long sleeve shirts
-two camisoles (white and brown)
-two skirts
-socks
-underwear
-raincoat
-sweatshirt
-one or two "tablecloths" (the large pieces of fabric that I wrap and tie around myself, and call a dress)
-sweater
-(to dress up?-- brown skirt, burnt orange sweater)
-flip flops
-two pair tennis shoes
-one towel, one wash cloth
-swimsuit
That's all I can think of now. more will come later.
-three pairs of pants (two jeans, one black yoga pant)
-long shorts
-four t-shirts
-two long sleeve shirts
-two camisoles (white and brown)
-two skirts
-socks
-underwear
-raincoat
-sweatshirt
-one or two "tablecloths" (the large pieces of fabric that I wrap and tie around myself, and call a dress)
-sweater
-(to dress up?-- brown skirt, burnt orange sweater)
-flip flops
-two pair tennis shoes
-one towel, one wash cloth
-swimsuit
That's all I can think of now. more will come later.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Characterization of Brian
This from my favorite professor and mentor, Dr. Jones. Read further down for a description of Brian and His wisdom, and then this latest post for a further develop of Brian's personality and character.
Today is not the best of my days, so to find Brian in my email inbox was a blessing. *sigh*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And now for a reflection on the impeccable goodness of religion at its best.
“We can move mountains, fly to the moon, murder millions, and map the mystery of our genetic making. But what if we dropped the dagger, plucked the beams from our eyes, and grew up? We already have maps of that bright country in the brilliant bones of religion. There are and have been many thousands of religions, stridently different, all flawed and greedy, but in their essence all are about the same thing: praise for the miracle of life; awe for the mysterious force that creates it; yearning for life beyond death; and most of all, inarticulate desperation for a future in which mercy trumps murder. More than any other force on this bruised earth, religions keep that desperate dream alive; for which I celebrate them and bow to what is best in us.”
Brian Doyle channeling Brian . . . again!
-Paul Jones
Professor of Religion, Transylvania University
Friday, July 6, 2007
Last minute preparations for Camp
I'm getting ready to leave for Pine Mountain Settlement School for Reading Camp 2007.... and there has been a whirlwind of things to do for me to get ready to leave.
Mostly I'm annoyed at myself for being irresponsible with money, and disgusted at how quickly I am able to deplete my bank account. It's not all my fault, though, because different places of employment have yet to pay me, and that makes it considerably difficult to pay the rent, fix the car, buy food, pay for gas (I want a hybrid), and pay credit card bills, which continue to suck the life right out of my very soul. I've just paid off one credit card, and I have one more to go, thank God. The minute a much-anticipated paycheck arrives in the mail, that credit card balance will go to $0 as well. All I can do now is wait and watch the interest increase my monthly payments.
I'm very glad to be going to camp right now, though it's not the same uncontrollable enthusiasm that it usually is. Maybe that will come when I hit KY-52. We'll see. I'm looking forward to the week, though, because maybe I'll be able to sit down and force myself to write again. My writing has finally become somewhat interesting, at least to me, and so onward I go, trying to write things that might bridge the gap from meaningful to me to meaningful in general. Sometimes I write some pretty insightful things, and then I go back a few months later and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that I might actually know something about life.
That's part of my interest in going to camp and dealing with adults, I guess. I am 20, I am young. Ok. that's out of the way. Be that as it may, I know something about what it means to live. I've had quite an interesting past that very few people know about, I've traveled, I've experienced, I've held positions of leadership, and I am not stupid. I'm ignorant of many things, but motivated to change that. So Reading Camp will be interesting, because I'll deal with adults who think they know what they're talking about and what they're doing, but in my 20-year-old "I know everything" stage, I will think they have a lot yet to learn. And I'll be in a position of "authority" with my mother and my aunt in positions under me. That's interesting. My mom has seen me in this type of role before, but she's never had to look to me for guidance and direction. My aunt has never seen me in this role..... hasn't really seen me in any role, for that matter. The last she saw me I was 12, and obviously things have since changed.
And lots of adults, especially the teachers, have been in positions of authority over young people for decades, and yet they're embarking on something entirely new. Reading Camp is not school. Reading Camp is a community characterized by a hierarchy based on seniority. The hierarchy isn't pompous, arrogant, or impossible..... it's just that people who have done reading camp for 6 years (even if they're 20 years old) know better, generally, how to do things than people who've just joined the game. And so, it's hard for type-A personality volunteers to forgo their desires and ideas and let the seasoned veterans do the job. But then it's also a challenge for the Reading Camp veterans to let go of some time-tested ways of doing things and allow new ideas to enliven and enrich the camp experience. Reading Camp is an interesting enterprise, a constant give and take between old and young, old and new, the way things were, the ways things are, and the way things should be.
Off I go to camp, for the 12th consecutive summer of my young (I think I know everything!) life.
Mostly I'm annoyed at myself for being irresponsible with money, and disgusted at how quickly I am able to deplete my bank account. It's not all my fault, though, because different places of employment have yet to pay me, and that makes it considerably difficult to pay the rent, fix the car, buy food, pay for gas (I want a hybrid), and pay credit card bills, which continue to suck the life right out of my very soul. I've just paid off one credit card, and I have one more to go, thank God. The minute a much-anticipated paycheck arrives in the mail, that credit card balance will go to $0 as well. All I can do now is wait and watch the interest increase my monthly payments.
I'm very glad to be going to camp right now, though it's not the same uncontrollable enthusiasm that it usually is. Maybe that will come when I hit KY-52. We'll see. I'm looking forward to the week, though, because maybe I'll be able to sit down and force myself to write again. My writing has finally become somewhat interesting, at least to me, and so onward I go, trying to write things that might bridge the gap from meaningful to me to meaningful in general. Sometimes I write some pretty insightful things, and then I go back a few months later and I'm pleasantly surprised to find that I might actually know something about life.
That's part of my interest in going to camp and dealing with adults, I guess. I am 20, I am young. Ok. that's out of the way. Be that as it may, I know something about what it means to live. I've had quite an interesting past that very few people know about, I've traveled, I've experienced, I've held positions of leadership, and I am not stupid. I'm ignorant of many things, but motivated to change that. So Reading Camp will be interesting, because I'll deal with adults who think they know what they're talking about and what they're doing, but in my 20-year-old "I know everything" stage, I will think they have a lot yet to learn. And I'll be in a position of "authority" with my mother and my aunt in positions under me. That's interesting. My mom has seen me in this type of role before, but she's never had to look to me for guidance and direction. My aunt has never seen me in this role..... hasn't really seen me in any role, for that matter. The last she saw me I was 12, and obviously things have since changed.
And lots of adults, especially the teachers, have been in positions of authority over young people for decades, and yet they're embarking on something entirely new. Reading Camp is not school. Reading Camp is a community characterized by a hierarchy based on seniority. The hierarchy isn't pompous, arrogant, or impossible..... it's just that people who have done reading camp for 6 years (even if they're 20 years old) know better, generally, how to do things than people who've just joined the game. And so, it's hard for type-A personality volunteers to forgo their desires and ideas and let the seasoned veterans do the job. But then it's also a challenge for the Reading Camp veterans to let go of some time-tested ways of doing things and allow new ideas to enliven and enrich the camp experience. Reading Camp is an interesting enterprise, a constant give and take between old and young, old and new, the way things were, the ways things are, and the way things should be.
Off I go to camp, for the 12th consecutive summer of my young (I think I know everything!) life.
Brian, the next installment
“Jesus shows us the importance of affirming, for God’s sake, both one’s self and the world, and by so doing, to transform both.”
Marcus Borg channeling Brian.
Brian lives, breathes, and transforms!!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Brian speaks again
“Everyone sees the unseen in proportion to the clarity of his heart, and that depends on how much he has polished it. Whoever has polished it sees more—more unseen forms become manifest.”
Brian channeled through Sufi Mystic Rumi
Brain lives!!
Paul H. Jones
Friday, June 22, 2007
Brian's Words of Wisdom
Brian is something of an inside joke that evolved and gained speed on the Transy trip to Turkey and Greece. I wish I could somehow explain Brian. Take the joy of laughter, the pause of contemplation, the humor of Monty Python's Life of Brian, and moments that make you realize that life is a worthwhile enterprise. That is Brian.
Dr. Jones developed Brian with our help over the course of Turkey and Greece, and he continues to remind us that "Brian lives!" through group emails that are always titled "Brian's Words of Wisdom".
The Words of Wisdom of the all-knowing Brian are too rich to discard, so they are now to be added to my blog.
There will be more, as long as Brian continues to live. And Brian alone is immortal.
Word of Wisdom #1, June 15, 2007
Dr. Jones developed Brian with our help over the course of Turkey and Greece, and he continues to remind us that "Brian lives!" through group emails that are always titled "Brian's Words of Wisdom".
The Words of Wisdom of the all-knowing Brian are too rich to discard, so they are now to be added to my blog.
There will be more, as long as Brian continues to live. And Brian alone is immortal.
Word of Wisdom #1, June 15, 2007
Brian was invoked last night by daughter Natalie, so he graced me with these words as channeled through Abraham Joshua Heschel.
“God is of no importance unless He is of supreme importance.”
Brian concurs!!
Words of Wisdom #2, June 22, 2007
“Above all, I contend that something called ‘the faith of the church’ has never existed; truth, whether it be religious truth or any other kind, is always evolving and changing, and the moment truth is codified, it begins to die. That makes it very difficult to be triumphal and certain. We Christians are pilgrims walking into the mystery of God, not soldiers marching off to war. There is a great difference.”
Brian channeled through John Shelby Spong
Brian lives!!
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