If you have found your way to this modest blog, then I suspect you are either bored, you are family, or you are a close friend. In any case, welcome to what i hope to be a small effort by myself to contribute, if not something worthwhile, than at least something entertaining to the vast wilderness that we earthly souls call the Internet.
And now with that grandiloquent pontificating over with, just who am i, why am I here, and what is my purpose in life? Well, i'll try to boil it down into something short and snappy, since anything that can't be read in under two minutes is probably not worth looking at anyhow. As the widget at the top of the page says, the main focus of this blog will be on five things:
1. Libertarian Politics. If you don't know what libertarianism is or why in the world everyone on Earth should be a libertarian, I forgive you. It's not a subject most know about, considering the incessant shouting and ridiculous nonsense that is the underpinning of most of the politics we see around us. Libertarianism is an alternative to the dialectic between conservatism and liberalism, and if you dig into it i believe you will at least be moved to thought. Politics is something that will likely get discussed the least around here, considering that I am a high school student who still hasn't taken American government and certainly can't tell you whether are healthcare system will soon transform into a slavish bureaucracy that will slaughter grandmothers and babies. To put it more succinctly: I will probably be quoting a lot of other people since, at least where current events are concerned, I don't know what I'm talking about and you shouldn't listen to me.
2. Christian Ethics. The subject of ethics and morality is complicated and fraught with danger, especially danger from people such as myself who can whip up a blog in five minutes and rant about why gay marriage is evil or any number of quanderies that people get hot under the collar about. I will ttry and steer away from controversies like that and talk about more general principles; though it is undoubtedly true that current topics will come up. You probably won't agree with everything I say; if you do, I advise you to stop reading this blog immediately and go get a copy of something that will make you think harder. I approach ethics from a biblical, Christocentric standpoint, and that should be evident in how I approach certain problems.
3. American and English Literature. i am something of a bibliophile and have a nasty habbit of starting way too many books at the same time. But I do love airing my own opinions about what I read, and this is my blog and I shall do with it what I will. If you're interested in seeing the ruminations of what the heck those glasses in lord of the Flies mean, look elsewhere; I will probably not discuss anything I read in English class since the people who write the curriculum don't really have any idea what the average person finds interesting in literature. i may post the occasional short story if I find it compelling enough; though i will attempt to limit myself to stories that are non-copyrighted.
4. Contemplative Spirituality. Put those two words together and you'll have a lot of glazed looks. Say them in my presence and you'll start an enthusiastic discussion of worship, prayer, meditation, silence, and the Christian's relation to God. Contemplative spirituality is one of those terms that is so nebulous that it's almost useless to look up in a dictionary. Instead, by showing how--and why--a Christian prays, I hope to show why I consider myself a contemplative.
5. Biblical Theology and Liturgy. I am a huge, smoochy fan of the work of James jordan, David CHilton, Patrick Fairbairn (he's a dead white guy from the 1800s), Geerhardus Vos, and Mike Bull. All of these authors deal with biblical theology, symbolism, typology and liturgy. Studying the Bible is one of my great passtimes, and the more I learn the dumber I feel. You'll probably be hearing a lot about me making a connection that I should've made months ago and how my day is brighter because of it.
So those are the main topics you'll get to hear about on this blog. Others will probably come up; musical theatre, philosophy, and such. My interests are broad and I am very mercurial. I hope to update this blog at least once a week, but don't be surprised if that doesn't happen.
My first series will be meditations on three quotes--two from the Bible, and one from St. John of the Cross--in which I hope to elucidate the way i look at God, humanity, and some other stuff I haven't thought of yet but will undoubtedly come to me as I write.
Until then, good readers, good night... and good luck.
