January 30, 2007
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Paradigms
My Paradoxical Paradigms:
I tend to have a serious personality. So, it’s good for me to “let loose” and set all seriousness aside. – At least that’s my intention. We laughted so hard last night my stomach was hurting. It was all stupid stuff that had absolutely no substance. At the same time, a heaviness is on me for the children of this generation. With that said I’ve been able to get a little more understanding of how to connect with today’s kids.
What are the opposites that come out in your personality?Today’s Paradigm – Kids are growing up in a Post Modern world, basically the belief that there is no absolute truth. Belief that no One created a set of rules for us to live by. If enough people believe it, then it must be true, in essence – Political Correctness.
Absolute Truth – there is a preset set of rules for all human beings.
Political Correctness – truth is conditional on what your belief system is. – Man sets the rules.
Do you believe in absolute truth or political correctness?
Comments (18)
Absolute truth. Black and white, no room for gray. There is a definite right, and a definite wrong.
That is what Pastor is tackling. We’re having Sat night servide. It’s a coffee shop atmosphere. We started a couple months ago, had anywhere form 6-30. Now we average about 50 and 2 teens have dedicated their lives. He really has a heart for the 15-30 generation. He tells us often how his generation brought in the gunk.
Absolute truth… and also huge forgiveness…
My personality opposites… I tend toward perfectionism… so since I never have time to ‘do it right’ it doesn’t get done… yup.. not what you would expect…
My opposites are kind of cuturally based. I’m very much a backwoods, mountain, country type person. In fact, when I’m outside the immediate city that I live in, I reacquire my accent almost immediately. On the other hand, I can speak four languages, read five and have studied history, philosophy, theology and physics. Not that these two characteristics are inherently mutually exclusive. I just seem to have to stop a lot and repeat the word “y’all” – as in, “The element of this temporal paradigm that Hawking is seeking for y’all to understand is . . . “
And while I can believe in both absolute truth and political correctness in the same manner I believe in both God and Satan, I also recognize that only one of those choices is a viable life alternative.
On the subject of truth. At one time everybody believed the earth was the center of the solar system. No matter how many people believe it, it does not make it true. Therefore truth can only be defined by the actual state of matter. It is most unfortunate though, that we as humans believe our own perceptions to be infalable,our own definition of truth to be acceptable.
Perceptual truth may very well be a valid basis for arguing towards the understanding of actual truth, however merely approaching the truth is not the same as complete understanding of the truth.
I have argued this point with my son’s over many issues. Just because everybody on earth thinks it is so, doesn’t make it so.
One case is the definition of music ( a great one to argue with young people). Music (the term and concept) is clearly defined by a set of principles. When a recording is deficient in these priciples it is not music, but rather perhaps some other art form. This is not a qualitative assessment but rather a catagorical one. When we accept a word to have a specific meaning, that meaning has to remain intact in order to effectively communicate concepts and ideas. If we were to continually reapply new meanings to old words our thoughts become lost in ambiguity. Thus we create new words to discribe new ideas. In today’s society any recording is considered music. Should it be? Again I would stress this is not a qualitative assessment, but rather a catagorical one.
The same arguments apply to truth. I believe the truth is a preset set, (and mathmatically defineable) and political correctness, a folly of human behavior. Albeit a necessary folly for our survival.
yeah I know that was a little longwinded… sorry.
beliefs are only lips services action upon what we believe is actually the Truth i think you people watch more than they listen old ones too control so i leave my bed unmade it’s tough but i do it anyway a couple of days a week have a great day i love laughing especially belly laughing don’t do enough of it tho
ABSOLUTE TRUTH! I can’t stand the way we have to tip-toe around things now trying not to offend anyone…We don’t want to subject God to someone who doesn’t believe in Him so lets take ‘God bless…’ our of everything. Let’s change everything to suit those with no faith. What about us that DO believe? Where are OUR rights? We have backed ourselves up in a politically correct corner, and I don’t see a way out…It’s sad.
I know what you mean about missing your kids, mine are on their own and I don’t see them as often as I would like…family reunions excite me!
Be Blessed,
Mike
Well, I am from San Diego, I live on the west coast of Michigan and my current residence is in Southern London, UK.
ABSOLUTE TRUTH! It is immutable and political correctness is exactly based upon “feelings”! Not a standard, at all. Feelings change from day to day…moment to moment…so if we base our standard on feelings then we, ABSOLUTELY, have no foundation. WE NEED GOD, He does not need us. He sets the rule and when He does that, we have a monumental choice, don’t we? To the “right” is correct and to the “left” is wrong!!!
“Connecting” with children always begins at home. They NEED a foundation upon which to build on their faith. Too many parents fail to sow the God-seed in their young and fertile minds today and for you to succeed with “connecting” to children is quite the challenge. It’s not impossible and your capacity of LOVE to Love is put to the test with our younger generation. God bless you, your efforts and your successes.
GraceAnn
hello have not hard from you, hope that you are having a good day
Absolute Truth. and I’m getting more and more defensive (and offensive) about it, lol. You ask about opposites in my personality, well I am strange. I have a serious side and a joking/class-clown-type side and I am still working out the kinks of discerning the appropriatness of when to use either. I look like a jock, think like a geek, and my personality exhibits things from all over…..kind of like a schitzophenic personality, lol. It’s bad too because I can go from joking to serious in .0007 seconds for no reason at all and it throws everyone off, sometimes me. What a wonderful messed-up me God created…..I wouldn’t have it any other way! =o)
Yeah except usually it’s matching DRESSES.
Opposites that come out in my personality. I am very shy around everyone almost except for my family and then I am very not shy around them.
I believe in absolute truth for that one. I think everyone does who has commented so far. I mean they sounds kinda stupid when they say political correctness. Who would say that? No one that’s who! Even if it was true. “Absolute truth” is much more noble-sounding than “political correctness.”
I view political correctness as more of a way to veil your absolute truths from offending people who believe differently.
Sometimes I am lazy, most times I am not. Sometimes I am low-energy, most times I am not. I don’t think that is so much being “opposite” as it is me taking the “course.” It’s just taking the course for appropriate levels of energy and enthusisasm. I suppose it’s the condition of every human being….sometimes this….sometimes that….as long as it’s not negative….and that indicates something entirely different. I think being serious is important but when there is something I can laugh about, I usually do so with complete abandon. My husband loves my laughter because it’s contagious…and I love to laugh. However, I don’t think that is opposite.
I recall a conversation with a professor at Pepperdine University (keep in mind, this is a conservative Christian school, most of the students were raised in homes where you would have thought truth would have been present) and he asked the question, “Was the genocide perpetrated by the Third Reich in the 30′s and 40′s wrong?” Even when asking students of Jewish decent, he could not elicit a single answer that even particular atrocity was wrong. Their answers were mollycoddled, muling responses like, “Well, it must have seemed right at the time to those people…” This is the danger of the fallacy we tolerate now. Good thing Europe did not have to rely on a politically correct US 60 years ago.
believing that there is no absolute truth, is an absolute truth in and of itself. thus absolute truth exists. its a self-refuting statement.
and the problem with political correctness, is that it prevents people from properly expressing themselves. they’re “walking on eggshells” so to speak, afraid of who they will offend. so in not expressing themselves, they avoid the conversation and avoid learning about it