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Word to the wise…

Always, and I mean ALWAYS, check the expiration date on milk in a college guys apartment. One bite of cereal with expired milk, and I’m about to vomit. I may vomit. Soon.

ugh

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In our culture, when someone says or does something that causes a tense or awkward situation because of lack of thought, or sheer coincidence, we say that someone “stuck their foot in their mouth”. Today, I had one of those situations.

Most of the time, when these things happen to me, its because I say something offensive without first noticing my surroundings, such as making fun of someone for wearing blue jeans on the golf course when your grandfather is behind you and is wearing jeans as well. Take foot, insert into mouth.

Today, however, there is no possible way I could have avoided this awkward moment. I took Carrie, her brother, and mother, to the natchez trace bridge over highway 96. Its a gorgeous view. A large, arching bridge that suspends nearly 200 feet in the air. I’ve visited it several times, one time in particular to throw a couple pumpkins off of it. This past experience would lead to the awkwardness today.

Carrie and I stopped on the side of the road, about halfway on the bridge, when we were passed by a middle aged woman. I didn’t think it to be strange, however, looking back, typically middle aged women don’t drive out into the country to walk across tall bridges, but I wasn’t quite thinking about that at the time.

What I was thinking about was the pumpkins, and when Carrie stopped to wait on her mom and brother, I took off across the bridge, and quickly caught the woman walking in front of me. In my unceasing wisdom, I offered this tidbit of information. “I threw a pumpkin off this bridge once. It was awesome. ” To which she responded, with a deadpan expression, “I’m here cause a month ago my boss jumped off this bridge.” Total. Silence.

The only thing I could think to say was, “I’m sorry”. I’ve never been in a situation like that before, nor do I expect to ever be in it again, so I followed with, “do you want me to leave you alone?”

“No,” she replied. “I’d like some company”

She preceeded to tell me that he was driving over the bridge, where he stopped. Hopped out of his car, and jumped 200 feet to his death. I’m sorry was still the only thing I could think of to say, but I refrained, knowing how hollow those words can ring. I walked with her some more until Carrie and Johnathan came bounding up with large rocks in hand, prepared to throw them off the bridge. I shhhed them and communicated as silently as possible the predicament with which I was faced. We walked to the opposite side of the bridge and talked quietly. After she left, we threw the rocks off the bridge, and it was fun, but I couldn’t help thinking about the man who jumped, and the woman who was hurting, that probably felt more awkward because of my comments. I felt, and feel, bad about it, but there was no way of knowing. I just hope she gained some closure.

So next time you’re on a bridge that is a common place for people to end their lives, don’t talk about pumpkins. Actually, just don’t talk to anyone, unless you are positive they aren’t mourning a co-worker.

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I hate to be a post whore today, but something else has caught my attention.

Wendy Thomas, of the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, wrote this column today.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local_columnists/article/0,2845,MCA_25341_4563307,00.html

I am sick and tired of the smoking nazis telling people when and where they can smoke. The government shouldn’t have a say in this, unless its a government building. Private businesses shoudl make the decisions. If you don’t want to smell smoke in a resturaunt, don’t go to ones that allow smoking. If enough people don’t go, they will change things, because businesses are in it to make money. They will follow the money, and there is no reason for the government to force to to behave.

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Maybe I shouldn’t feel this way, but reading the reponsefrom the Christian Peacemaker Team after their fellow members were rescued from Iraq, kinda pissed me off.

They continue to call the U.S. Army occupiers, and make statements branding the whole group of people as evil, yet, they have nothing negative to say about the Islamic Fundamentalists who kidnapped them. What is wrong here? The “occupiers” are the people who rescued them. The people for whom they are causing the greatest harm, saved their lives, and the people for whom they are showing “love” are the ones who kidnapped them. I’m just not getting the logic here.

I can understand one having an opposition to war. I don’t agree with that position, but I can understand it nonetheless. However, if you are going to oppose war, in my opinion you should make a concerted effort not to take a side in an issue. There is violence on both sides of this conflict, none more obvious than the merciless killing of Tom Fox, who agreed with whatever group killed him that the Americans should leave Iraq.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

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Most notably, my girlfriend and I have been throwing around the M word with great frequency. We’re not engaged yet, but its coming fairly soon. I have to save up for a ring, and pay off my debt. Basically, in a nutshell, that means I need a new job. 500 dollars a month isn’t cutting it when I’m paying 60 bucks for cell, 15 for cable, 50 to church, and over 200 a month in gas. I’m trying to save 50 dollars a month, pay off 50 dollars on my credit card, and still have a social life. I’m getting rid of my 4 runner which is now only getting 17 mpg and hopefully tomorrow getting a Honda Accord, which will get close to 30 mpg. That will save me some serious dough.

edit: I had some other things written here, but in retrospect, I’ve decided that blogger isn’t quite the forum in which I should have released them. I apologize for anyone that was hurt or embarrassed by what I wrote.

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I’m reading Donald Miller’s new book To Own A Dragon. Miller’s prose is like music to my ears. I often don’t laugh out loud while reading. Actually, now that I think about it, I’ve never laughed outloud while reading. At least until I read Blue Like Jazz.

That’s beside the point actually. Besides the fat that Miller is hilarious, his books are extremely thought provoking. So far, I’ve been close to tears after reading some things that he’s written. While I did grow up with a Father, when reading his memoirs, I feel like I can fully empathize with what he’s saying. I feel his pain, cry his tears, experience his joy. Its a great thing when you find a writer that you feel like you know. This book makes me want to be a dad, and it makes me realize how incredible my own dad was and is.

Anyway, I recommend everyone picking this book up.

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I really like what Governor Richardson is saying out in New Mexico. If he is actually for these things, and if he seriously is for “free enterprise, social justice” etc, then I might just vote for a Democrat.

We really need people to get passed some of this crazy partisanship, and passed the fundamentalists in both parties. We need progressive policies on many things. Progressive economic policies that will create free markets and continue the global spread of capitalism and we need progressive social policies that don’t try and dictate what I can and can’t do in my bedroom, watch on tv, etc. Laws are for protecting individual rights, not quelching them.

http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/content/news/Richardson0314.html

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You are a Social Liberal (68% permissive) and an… Economic Conservative (83% permissive) You are best described as a: Libertarian Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

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I’m really frustrated with politics right now. I can honestly say there are no candidates for which I want to vote. President Bush has turned out to be a big government guy, who came in under the guise of Reagan. The only reason I support him is because I think he’s committed to fighting terrorism, well, at least moreso than the democrats. Most of the republicans are hacks (as are the dems) and they are both corrupted by the christian fundamentalists and the wacko leftists respectively. I can’t in good conscience not vote, however, I can’t vote for anyone in good conscience. It seems we’ve reached the point in democracy where it fails, where we’ve figured out we can vote ourselves the treasury, and its not gonna be long before our economy can’t and won’t support our government’s insatiable desire for entitlements and pork barrell projects. Besides that, we’re nearly WWIII with some combination of Iran, North Korea, China, and possibly Russia and other smaller Middle Eastern states, and this war is gonna make the first two look like skirmishes. The only possible deterent to this thing would be our country having a missle defense system that will keep us from nuclear devestation, but terrorism will continue as long as there are people willing to blow themselves up in the name of Allah, or whomever they deem to be their god. I used to be optimistic about this, but I don’t see anywhere to go but down. My political ideas are not anywhere close to the mainstream, and neither are my spiritual ones.

Sorry for the negative post. I’m just in a negative mood I guess.

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I agree with the vast majority of things that I read from emergent writers. However, more and more I find myself bothered by some lack of understanding, at least in my opinion, about some specific issues.

I’ve been reading Brennon Mannings “The Signature of Jesus” recently, and while I like the book, I’m having some difficulty with it. Like most emergent authors, Manning is an economic leftist. I can agree with a lot of things about the movement, but one thing I can’t stand is people talking about economics in moral terms, when they really don’t have a grasp on economics. For example, Manning mentions our buying goods made by people making low wages in other countries. He even goes so far as to say that maybe people in other countries whos goods we are buying should actually be making American minimum wage, but how we wouldn’t be able to afford our goods, and that the reason those people are working for such poor wages is because the big greedy corporations and all consuming americans just want to screw these people over. I’m sorry Mr. Manning, but economics is not quite that simple.

Wages aren’t set by a company who arbitrarily pays people low wages because they can. Wages are set by supply and demand, just like everything else in an economy. The reason they can pay people 50 cents a day in [insert african nation] is because there are a whole lot of people and not many jobs. When industry comes into an area, wages are set at a price where the supply of labor meets the demand for a job. If there are 50,000 people looking for a job, and I’m hiring 1000 people, I’m gonna hire the thousand people who will work for the least amount of money offerred. In a poor country, where 50 cents in american money goes a much longer way than it does here, wages can’t be as high as they are here. We used to be poor and charge low wages in this country when our workforce was much larger than the amount of jobs availible. We had immigrants pouring into this country from eastern europe, and factories that didnt’ have enough jobs for everyone. That drives down wages and it hurts people. However, when wages are low, and production is high, it enables companies to make a similar profit with a cheaper item. Cost of living goes down, so the low wages aren’t nearly as penalizing as they once were. Also, when companies become more profitable in these situations, they can hire more people, which means less people living in as dire poverty as once before.

What are these people in Africa doing before industry comes? They are sustinance farming, and they are dirt poor. When industry comes in, it offers them a chance to make money and if the money brings them more than farming does, they’ll take the jobs. Money enters the economy, poor people actually have a buying power, which causes more business to open, which in turn employs more people, which puts more money the the economy, etc etc etc, all the while allieviating the condition of the poor, who now have oppurtunity.

Just the same, many are pushing in this country for a higher minimum wage. Sure it sounds good on paper doesn’t it? All those fast food guys start making 7.15 an hour instead of 5.15…. but does it really help the poor. A very few of them it does, but if you’re looking for a utilitarian solution, this is not it.

When a company is forced to make its lowest wage 2 dollars higher, they will have to fire people. In order to keep profits to keep them in business, they will get rid of their least productive, least skilled workers (ie, poorer less educated people). Also, prices rise in order for the business to make a profit now with their increased labor costs, which make the poor who were making 5.15 an hour who now have no job, even less able to pay for goods that they need. Another factor that hurts the poor is how the higher wages will bring many unemployed upper middle class kids into the work force. Maybe they aren’t willing to work for 5.15, but 7.15 is enough incentive for them to get a job. Now, poor people are competing with middle and upper middle class white teenagers for work and if you believe that this country has some racist tendencies, you know that the kid with the polo shirt is gonna get the job before the kid with the fubu shirt.

If everyone took some basic economics classes, we’d get rid of these ridiculous “government trying to control the economy” policies, we would help the poor much more than we are now.

Besides all that, the kingdom of God isn’t a political, governmental kingdom. It is us. It is up to us to help the poor, not the government. If the government can do anything, it will do what is best for the economy, because thats what will help the poor the most.