Or maybe that’s what it’s all about: this religion’s substance is its lack of substance. In McLuhanesque terms, the medium is the message. Some people might find that cool.”“McLuhanesque?”“Hey, look, even I read a book now and then,” Ayumi protested. “McLuhan was ahead of his time. He was so popular for a while that people tend not to take him seriously, but what he had to say was right.”“In other words, the package itself is the contents. Is that it?”“Exactly. The characteristics of the package determine the nature of the contents, not the other way around.
A sound idea is a form of energy. It can not be destroyed. It evolves from inspiration, to a function of preparation, then determination - till the ideator's dream becomes actualized in real lifeAt the very least, success is a second iteration of the original, unscripted IdeaSo your idea refinement process needs to be test-drivenTestDetermine on time if investment in terms of effort and time is worth itWork SmartFail early, fail often,Success lies on the paths yet to be treaded,Open your mind,Think Disruption,Be FlexibleBe AGILEI think this is an idea worth sharing
Many today insist that music is amoral, that there is nothing innately good or bad about music itself. They say it is neutral, and only its use determines whether it is good or evil. To a degree this is true, but in a very real way music ceases to be neutral the moment those little black-and-white notes begin to be woven together to produce a certain combinations of sounds that result in the message or world-view that the composer of the music wants to get across. The music itself becomes a statement, even when words are not attached to its message.
To a shameful extent, the charm of marriage boils down to how unpleasant it is to be alone. This isn’t necessarily our fault as individuals. Society as a whole appears determined to render the single state as nettlesome and depressing as possible: once the freewheeling days of school and university are over, company and warmth become dispiritingly hard to find; social life starts to revolve oppressively around couples; there’s no one left to call or hang out with. It’s hardly surprising, then, if when we find someone halfway decent, we might cling.
I have a subconscious list of rules for how reality should work. I did not develop these rules on purpose, and most of them don’t make sense – which is disturbing when you consider that they are an attempt to govern the behavior of reality – but they exist, and they play a large role in determining how I react to the things that happen to me. Large enough that a majority of the feelings I feel are simply a reaction to reality not complying with my arbitrary set of rules. Reality doesn’t give a shit about my rules, and this upsets me.
The desert and the ocean are realms of desolation on the surface.The desert is a place of bones, where the innards are turned out, to desiccate into dust.The ocean is a place of skin, rich outer membranes hiding thick juicy insides, laden with the soup of being.Inside out and outside in. These are worlds of things that implode or explode, and the only catalyst that determines the direction of eco-movement is the balance of water.Both worlds are deceptive, dangerous. Both, seething with hidden life.The only veil that stands between perception of what is underneath the desolate surface is your courage.Dare to breach the surface and sink.
“SIL 2 systems are meeting a growing number of safety system requirements in process plants as users are trying to reduce the hazards in their plants to acceptable levels. Many companies have determined that if an operation requires a SIL 3 rating, then it's too hazardous and needs to be redesigned. After working to reduce the risks in their plants to SIL 2 or lower, customers are then looking to optimize their investments in safety related systems with the appropriate level of risk reduction. In these applications, a SIL 2 safety system provides a very cost effective solution.”
“People, especially a team like that, they're making sure they're getting the puck out, and they've got guys finishing checks, and they're committed to their system defensively. Toronto did the same thing to us the other day in our building. They played a desperate, determined game, but we were able to kind of match it [in a 3-1 win]. We never matched it [against Atlanta], and they pretty much had their way with us. Down the stretch you just have to be ready to play at all times.”
“Personally, the experience is amazing. To see where these kids live and grow up, it's an experience all in itself to just talk to them individually and feel that you have made some kind of positive impact on their life. Most of them really are good kids stuck in a bad situation and we are there to try to bring out that motivation and determination in them to succeed in life. And the kids have started to warm up to us. They are starting to bring their homework more often and have gained more interest in what we have to share with them.”
Getting closer to the truth is the result of hard work. Truth-seeking means analyzing presuppositions and propositions. It means criticizing evidence as harshly as possible, scouring it from all angles to see how it stands up. We must scrutinize each claim on the table, using each tool available to determine if our acceptance of these claims is justified or not, then forcing ourselves to truly follow the responsible conclusions. If this kind of commitment to truth-seeking is sincere, and if the rules of reasonableness are adhered to, there is hope of productive dialogue between Christians and their opponents.