The Matrix
24For,
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.
--1 Peter 1:24-25
A Dave Matthews song says, "Strange evolution how people have come to believe that we are its greatest achievement when really we're just a collection of cells overrating ourselves. Oh God I'm avoiding the truth." The thrust of what this is saying isn't all that different that what we find in verse 24 of this passage. It has an Ecclesiastes feel to it. "Generations come and generations go. . ." (Ecc. 1:4) "For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered, in the days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!" (Ecc. 2:16).
Some seem to be ok with this. Eat, drink, and be merry is the remedy for meaninglessness. And we are a society that has this way of life down to perfection. Some may dabble in religion here or there--a tool for finding satisfaction, but no different than a fork that brings tasty food or a cup that delivers delicious drink. Who cares if it's "true"? No one cares or debates about the truth of a glass of lemonade. Whether it refreshes is not a question for philosophers but for each one of us to answer on our own. To debate about absolute truth is as silly as debating about whether or not a glass of lemonade is "absolutely" tasty. If you don't like it, order something else.
It's all about expectations. Religious people simply set the bar too high and only set themselves up for disappointment. They either find God or find despair. But we take the middle road. We don't expect anything to last. Why get married? 15 years from now we'll just hate each other. "Sorry babe, you're just not stimulating enough norepinephrine in my brain any more." And there are plenty of ways to get our neurotransmitters firing. Hopefully one day it can be like in the Matrix and we can just lie in bed all day with an IV and a catheter with wires hooked up to our brains giving us all the stimulation we could ever want. Playstation 77.
"You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end." -Amos 6:4-7
During the concurrent reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel the Israelites had all their neurotransmitters firing. If they were ever to find the life that God intended for them, he was first going to have to awaken them from their drunken stupor. "The Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father, the son he delights in." (Prov. 3:11) Are we due?
"The word of the Lord stands forever."
"All men are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.
--1 Peter 1:24-25
A Dave Matthews song says, "Strange evolution how people have come to believe that we are its greatest achievement when really we're just a collection of cells overrating ourselves. Oh God I'm avoiding the truth." The thrust of what this is saying isn't all that different that what we find in verse 24 of this passage. It has an Ecclesiastes feel to it. "Generations come and generations go. . ." (Ecc. 1:4) "For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered, in the days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!" (Ecc. 2:16).
Some seem to be ok with this. Eat, drink, and be merry is the remedy for meaninglessness. And we are a society that has this way of life down to perfection. Some may dabble in religion here or there--a tool for finding satisfaction, but no different than a fork that brings tasty food or a cup that delivers delicious drink. Who cares if it's "true"? No one cares or debates about the truth of a glass of lemonade. Whether it refreshes is not a question for philosophers but for each one of us to answer on our own. To debate about absolute truth is as silly as debating about whether or not a glass of lemonade is "absolutely" tasty. If you don't like it, order something else.
It's all about expectations. Religious people simply set the bar too high and only set themselves up for disappointment. They either find God or find despair. But we take the middle road. We don't expect anything to last. Why get married? 15 years from now we'll just hate each other. "Sorry babe, you're just not stimulating enough norepinephrine in my brain any more." And there are plenty of ways to get our neurotransmitters firing. Hopefully one day it can be like in the Matrix and we can just lie in bed all day with an IV and a catheter with wires hooked up to our brains giving us all the stimulation we could ever want. Playstation 77.
"You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end." -Amos 6:4-7
During the concurrent reigns of King Uzziah of Judah and Jeroboam II of Israel the Israelites had all their neurotransmitters firing. If they were ever to find the life that God intended for them, he was first going to have to awaken them from their drunken stupor. "The Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father, the son he delights in." (Prov. 3:11) Are we due?
"The word of the Lord stands forever."
posted by Kevin Hanly at
8:49 AM
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