tuesday's blog on blogging

At some point, you run out of things to say on some topics...

Lust

I've been asked to speak in chapel October the 15th about lust. This is a dangerous thing to talk about to a bunch of guys on the internet... I'm taking nominations for funny stories, songs, or other "hooks" to incorporate.

Terrorist

When I travel through airports, I have a difficult time resisting some over-priced fiction at the book shops. On the way out to Portland, I picked up Terrorist by John Updike.

Last summer I tried doing a reading group with a couple of ex-philosophy students, but it fell apart when we picked Updike's Rabbit, Run (for reasons I'll leave to your imagination). Updike is one of those highly regarded contemporary novelists, and I've read a couple of his stories.

Well, this was not his greatest fiction. The supporting characters were under-developed and almost caricatures, and the plot was fairly predictable. But it was very interesting because you got into the head of the main character who is a Muslim teenager growing up on the outskirts of NYC. You could almost feel that it made sense for him to accept a suicide mission. Updike had certainly researched the Koran.

I don't know that I'd go so far as to recommend this as reading, but if you're looking to eat up some time between Minneapolis, Portland, Detroit, and South Bend, there are worse things you could do. Though I'll also admit that it makes you a little jumpy reading about terrorism as fly the friendly skies...

Tuesday's Blog about Blogging

Communication 101 drills into you that the first rule in communicating is to know your audience. Blogging by its very nature renders that almost impossible. I tried to do something about that.

Last week's blog about the blogging process yielded six people who revealed themselves from behind the mask of anonymity. How does that affect things? If I know who is out there, am I no longer blogging and now essentially writing letters to them?

I really want to be hip and with the times (though by using such a locution I probably render myself unfit for membership in the club), but I still would like to see a carefully articulated philosophy of blogging.

Ease into Mondays

Instead of adding some cheesy song to my blog today (which according to the feedback doesn't seem to be my most popular feature), I thought I'd post a You Tube video. And now that I'm composing my post, I realize that I don't know how to do this. A little help anyone??

In the meantime, you might check out this post by my Colorado-an reader which has a video of Keith Green--who was a significant influence in my own life.

Have a good week.

Internet Predators

Last night during the big storm in northern Indiana, our internet connection went out for a while. So, to track the progress of the tornado warning we had to break our weekday TV fast. Once the sensationalized weather coverage finally went back to network programming, I found myself watching this show called something like, Dateline--Predator.

The whole thing was a sting operation to catch guys chat with 13 year old girls on the internet and make arrangements to come have some sexual liaison with them. There are hidden cameras and microphones so we get to watch as some fifty year old guy comes to rendezvous with the girl (who is played by a very girlish, petite 18 year old). Then the Dateline host comes waltzing into the scene and springs the trap. Policemen come jumping out of the bushes and handcuff the guy while holding him facedown on the ground. It's quite gripping television (and another reason to keep the TV fast going!).

I haven't been able to sort out my thoughts on this yet. I guess I'm not surprised to know that there are otherwise fairly normal guys trying to do this sort of thing. I was pretty surprised to see it in action. I'm a bit repulsed by the slick, holier-than-thou host of the TV show (I wonder what his private life is like?), and it almost feels like entrapment. It is probably a healthy accountability mechanism for what people do on the internet. What was hidden and secret is laid bare for the world to see.

Oh, that we would have the character to be able to do the right thing even when no one is looking!!

Blank Spaces

In one of John Wesley's addresses ("An Earnest Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion") he writes:

"And, indeed, it is obvious that the earth, as it is now constituted, even with the help of all European arts, does not afford sufficient employment to take up half the waking hours of half its inhabitants."

I've always been intrigued with this claim, because it is so obviously false in today's culture. He claimed that in the blank spaces that were a matter of course in 18th century life, people were forced to reflect on themselves and the futility of life apart from God. Such reflection, I'll claim, is an important (I'll almost say, essential) component of being a rational creature.

TV, Ipods, internet, etc., do pretty well at filling up all the blank spaces in life today, and it is pretty easy for people to go through life and never have to reflect at all, but merely react to the constant stimuli they encounter. I'll almost claim that makes such creatures less human.

Tuesday's Blog on Blogging: Show Thyself

So during my hiatus from blogging over the last week and a half (or has it been longer?) I was in a couple of places where, rather unexpectedly, some people would come up to me and say, "Hey, I enjoy reading your blog." It got me wondering who all is out there. My readership fluctuates from about 15 to 40 readers per day (of unique visitors). Some of those are the very random "5 second stop by" variety who stumble onto Stump Speeches by scrolling through blogs on Blogspot. But many of them appear to be regular readers from places like New Jersey, Hawaii, Atlanta, Texas, and British Columbia. Who are you people?

I realize that one of the attractions of blogging is the anonymity that goes along with it. But I'd like to know who you are. If you are a regular reader (i.e., you stop by at least once per week), I'd appreciate you showing yourself. Perhaps you don't want to leave a comment to this post where everyone else can see you. Then you could send me an email at jstump46544@hotmail.com. If even that somehow ruins things for you (the way that, say, TV shows are ruined when the creative tension between two long-time characters is dispelled when they get hooked up), at least leave an anonymous comment as to why bloggees (is that a new word?) should not be coerced into exposing themselves.

Easing back into the saddle

Well, here we go. Back in the saddle again. It is Monday. There is now a straight shot until school begins next month. Lots to do. Better not get too serious here yet. The week has just begun.

Being back in the saddle makes me think of cowboy songs. Here's one from the Brasil silly songs: Peanut Butter.

I desire (see June 13) to get writing some substantial blogs again soon. We'll see how that goes.

1 vs. 100

Well, I'm back from gallivanting around the country. It feels like the summer is over. I have no more trips planned, and it's time to ramp things up for the next school year. I should be sliding back into the rut next week and will attempt to become regular once again at maintaining my digital doppelganger.

The family has been on a partial TV fast for the summer months: no TV at all (including movies and video games) Monday through Thursday. So by Friday evening, everyone is craving some mindless visual stimulation. Tonight we caught the new NBC game show One vs. One Hundred. It is actually pretty fun.

It is a trivia show--mostly about popular culture, but with a few geography, logic, science questions thrown in. The contestant and the "mob" of 100 people (tonight there were janitors, spelling bee winners, and Hooters waitresses in the mob) have to answer questions. If you get one wrong, you're out. The goal is for the contestant to beat everyone in the mob and s/he gets $1million. You can try playing it yourself online here. It is certainly far superior to the totally random Deal or No Deal and Bingo Night in America.

It is a curiosity to me that broadcast TV has become so saturated with game shows. I suppose the most reasonable response to this would be to extend the TV fast to 7 days per week.

Easing and Blogging

Well, I'm back from 2 weeks of vacation just in time to jet off to Portland, Oregon tomorrow for the big denominational conference. It has been nice to have some time away from the office and do some exciting things. My writing and blogging rhythm has been knocked out of sync, though.

I suppose I'm at a crossroads where I need to decide whether to double down and ingrain the discipline of blogging deep into my DNA, or whether I say, "that was a fun season" and merge back into the analog world.

By the time I get back from Portland, I feel like the summer is gone... it will be time to go hammer down getting ready for a new school year.

Independence Day Part II

Last year Jonathan Foreman wrote another declaration of independence (of sorts):

When success is equated with excess
The ambition for excess wrecks us
As the top of the mind becomes the bottom line
When success is equated with excess
If you're time ain't been nothing but money
I start to feel really bad for you honey
Maybe honey put you're money where your mouth's been running
If you're time ain't been nothing but money

I want out of this machine
It doesn't feel like freedom

(chorus)
This ain't my American dream
I want to live and die for bigger things
I'm tired of fighting for just me
This ain't my American dream

When success is equated with excess
When you're fighting for the Beamer, the Lexus
As the heart and soul breathing the company goals
Where success is equated with excess

I want out of this machine
It doesn't feel like freedom

(chorus)

Cause baby's always talkin 'bout a ring
And talk has always been the cheapest thing
Is it true would you do what I want you to
If I show up with the right amount of bling?
Like a puppet on a monetary string
Maybe we've been caught singing
Red, white, blue, and green

But that ain't my America,
That ain't my American dream

(chorus)

Independence Day

231 years ago, Thomas Jefferson penned these words:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."

He went on, then, to give a long list of grievances like keeping standing armies among them, taxing them without their consent, depriving them of trial without a jury, and so on. So we became the United States of America. On Memorial Day I gave a list of my conflicting allegiances to the most powerful nation on earth (find them here).

Happy 4th of July!

Tuesday's Blog about Blogging

I'm up late, so the body clock doesn't know it's Tuesday yet, but technically it is. So here is the Tuesday post:

One of the virtues of blogging is that it forces you to reflect on life a bit. Among you regular bloggers, how often do you think throughout the day, "I can write about this in my blog"? It think it is a positive thing to have to systematize your experiences through the process of writing.

However, there is a downside to this as well. I have an uncle who used to do a lot of world traveling with his wife. I remember one time asking him if he had some pictures of these places, and he said he no longer takes any pictures, because picture taking got in the way of experiencing the moment.

I suppose there is something to that for blogging too. Does knowing that you're going to have to write about life get in the way of experiencing life?

Rarely (but occasionally) is there unadulterated good.

Ease into Mondays

We're back to our "Ease into Mondays" feature. As I'm still recuperating from Cornerstone, I really need this today. Not much profound going on.

I mentioned a bit of disappointment with the Lost Dogs show there. One of the lowlights was a new gag they tried where they pulled someone up out of the audience to sing one of their songs. It was this one: Bad Indigestion. Sorry to share the misery.