Personal Wealth and Spiritual Health

One of my sisters-in-law recently posed an interesting question that made me think. After considering Christ's rather austere life, one might ask whether a minimalist life in terms of material wants and needs is elemental to one's discipleship. On the other hand, maybe the consequences of living a good life following Christ's teachings will inevitably lead to some form of material gain that can put one in a better position to serve others and follow Christ.

Offhand, I'd say that, as with most lifestyle choices that aren't specifically commanded one way or the other, there are pros and cons. They can bring us closer to God or push us away from him. All of us are born with a conscience that comes from God and/or have the proper gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us discern whether the choices we make regarding our expenditures and material possessions really are drawing us closer to Heavenly Father or leading us away from him.

I recently read a passage near the end of The Book of Mormon with my family. Mormon, a prophet, talks about a couple of concepts about discerning whether things are good or evil that can apply here. On the one hand, he says that a bitter fountain can't bring forth good water and that a good fountain can't bring forth bitter water. This would seem to indicate that there are certain things that are just inherently good or inherently bad.

On the other hand, he talks about a different kind of thing by saying that if the thing persuades us to do good and to follow Christ it is of God. If it persuades us to do evil then it's not of God. That would seem to indicate that it's the effect that things have on us that make the thing good or bad, as opposed to an analysis of the thing's character. I would think that if a thing were inherently evil then we would have been commanded against it for our own protection. The Savior warned us that it is difficult for a rich man to enter into the gates of heaven, but didn't say that it was downright wrong. There is a commandment to seek first the kingdom of God and a warning that one cannot serve God and Mammon, but that's different than a "Thou shalt not..." statement.

All that has been commanded that I know of regarding finances and lifestyle are tithing, generous offerings, wise investments, no misuse of church resources for those investments, savings, and food storage.

Going back to my first thought, there are probably those of us for whom wealth could become a great evil. It could cause us to become prideful, to serve Mammon, to contribute to inequalities that lead to the destruction of the people of God all throughout the The Book of Mormon, to fill our lives with activities that distract us from the most important things, and to distance ourselves from the Spirit. Those same resources could enable us to give generously to others, to serve those who are less fortunate, to serve missions for the Church, to provide assistance and support to our families and children, and in so doing draw us closer to the Spirit.

If we're being honest with ourselves and seeking the Spirit, I think we'll know into what category we fall. I'd be very curious to see what you folks out there think. Let's hear your thoughts.

Punished by the Computer gods

Most of us, unfortunately, know the feeling. You turn your beloved computer on. Provider of Knowledge. Source of Fun. Means of Communication. Facilitator of Business. Teacher. Mother. Secret Lover. But, most of all, your friend. Your computer.

You turn it on, and something's not right. It's not well. You can tell. Maybe it emits a strange noise. Maybe something clicks. Maybe the smooth hum of the fan is a bit rough. What's wrong? Then, if anything appears at all on the screen, it's something with exclamation points or questions marks. Something artificial (i.e. Windows' "Safe Mode"). That sinking feeling starts to form deep in your gut.

You think that maybe resetting it will help. Does that seem overly simplistic a solution? Perhaps. It's the first thing any good technical support person suggests, after all, and you've been close to this scenario before when you tried to download that piece of demo software. But you and your computer have always been able to pull through. Even that time you had to use your recovery disks and re-load your operating system, you made it. Post-op was a bit rough, but after some hard work in rehab, things were okay. Maybe if we just reset it again, things will be okay?

You can hear your heart beating in your ears as uou try to reset the machine again and again, but each time less and less of the usual startup routine actually happens. The lump in your gut grows in size as you begin to think of all that's on there, wondering if it can be saved. Journal entries, notes and assignments from school, financial records, correspondence, and oh, the music! Such music! Favorites, emails, business information, contacts, passwords!

Like the guy who frantically tries to give the appearance of knowledge by looking under the hood of his car, you realize that you've reached the end of your expertise as with each reset the computer becomes less responsive, and a spark of hope begins to smolder in the deep recesses of your impending depression. Tech support!

You bought a warranty! You bought from a company that allows you to bring your machine in and talk to a live person any time you need it! You don't have to wait on hold and talk to another continent for help! What joy! What hope!

Quickly, you strap your computer to the gurney and speed to the store, sirens blazing. They hook your computer up to an IV, but within seconds, you can see it in the technician's face. Things don't look good. It's not responding to conventional treatment. He calls in a second opinion. The kid with his piercings and tatoos can maybe save you. But no. He shakes his head. There's one more thing they can try, but you can tell it's without enthusiasm or much hope.

Without a word, you can hear the long, drawn-out beep of the computer EKG. They disconnect their diagnostic devices and effectively pull the blanket over your computer's face and shut its eyes.

It's gone. You've lost a friend. You've lost everything that friend represented. And oddly enough, the knowledge that it was your own arrogance and irresponsibility at not backing everything up like you KNEW you should strangly is little consolation.

Be not deceived, my friends. A Mac by any other name is still a computer. It can still break. It can still fry. There need be no explanation. I'd always treated it with the best of care. But the premium I paid to buy a Mac over a PC, to say nothing of the extra money I paid to actually get a decent warranty (Mac's standard warranty isn't all that amazing) now means nothing.


Sure, they replaced the hard drive. But unfortunately, the new hard drive they gave me and installed for me doesn't have my journal on it, doesn't have my notes on it, doesn't have my correspondence on it, and oh, the music!

I'm told that even now there is still hope to recover the data. It's costly. Between that and the cost of a backup drive that I'm sure to buy in the next few weeks, it will cost about the same as the above-mentioned premium did. I'm not so embittered that I can't appreciate the irony. But, if I were, I'm not sure anyone could hold it against me.

In retrospect, I brought this on myself. Not long after school started, a friend of mine's computer crashed. A SONY. A lovely machine. "You should've gone Mac!" I gloated. "Those things don't happen! It's worth the money!" I told him at his time of greatest vulnerability.

For a long time I looked with scorn upon smug Mac users. And then I caved. They're so cool-looking and everyone says they're great. I’d sung the praises of Macs for a year, but no more. I’d committed myself to going PC-free for the rest of my life, but no more. I’d idealistically looked forward to being part of changing a PC-only profession (law) to a more universal one, but no more.

I'm a little wiser now, and a little more cynical. I add my voice to the chorus of those who've lost everything their computer stands for, and will be preaching the gospel of backing up from now on. Don't be a victim.

Just for fun...

As a baseball fan, sometimes it's a matter of pride to also be a Dodger fan. This piece of nostalgia just about made me throw up in my mouth. But, it was all in good fun. Enjoy!

Media Fascination with New York

So what is with the pop culture fascination with destroying New York, anyway? New York is easily America's favorite city to see destroyed in disaster movies, and you'd think that in a post-9/11 world this would be particularly distasteful. Yet, the destruction goes on.

New York is destroyed at least in the following: "Independence Day," "Escape from New York," "I Am Legend," "The Day After Tomorrow," "Cloverfield," "Planet of the Apes," "A.I.," "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," "Godzilla" (1998), "King Kong" (any year), "War of the Worlds," (Tom Cruise version and original Orson Welles broadcast).

What's more, New York is among the favorite settings for chick flicks. Granted, one of the top rules of chick flicks is that the heroine must have a dream job working for a) an advertising firm, b) a design firm, or c) in print media of some form, though print media about a) or b) is the ideal chick flick dream job. And since that's the case, New York becomes a logical target. (Think "Hitch," "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," or "The Devil Wears Prada.")

I find this particularly surprising having grown up in Southern California and been exposed all my life to how important the film industry is there. People forget how many jobs that Hollywood provides and how reliant media outlets there are on celebrity information and news. Could it be, that L.A. may have a bit of envy for New York and a strange fascination with their speedy, in-your-face, stressed out ways that are so at odds with Southern California's mellow roots? I'm not sure.

And I suppose it's not such a bad thing. New York's a fun place to visit, and I suppose it would be a fun place to live for a short time. But still, there are a lot of great cities in the U.S. to say nothing of the world. Plus, I can't imagine how much it costs to film in New York compared to nearly any other city, so if anyone has a take as to why we like to see New York blown up and/or glamorized in the media, I'd love to hear it.

You Know It's Time for the Season to Start When...

You know it's time for football season to start already when this is the kind of story being reported:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-usc14-2008aug14,0,2415417.story

Headlined, "Trojans have a little problem," here's an excerpt:

Each day, it seems, another player shows up at USC football practice with a pained expression and an uncomfortable gait, feet spread wide, stepping gingerly across the turf.

They are victims of an ailment that has swept through the team during training camp, something that coaches refer to as "a skin irritation."

The players call it "jock itch."While dislocated kneecaps and high ankle sprains draw more attention, Coach Pete Carroll said he has never seen anything like the minor outbreak that caused key players to miss practice Wednesday.

As much as 25% of the team has been affected by the apparent run of tinea cruris, kicker David Buehler estimated. The condition seems to have spread by way of new compression shorts, or tights, worn under their football pants.

Tailback Joe McKnight and receiver Travon Patterson were sufficiently afflicted to spend Wednesday's practice on the sideline.

"It burns," Patterson said.

Yes it does, Travon. Yes, it does.

Now can we get started with the season already!?

Wacky Japanese Innovation

Well, folks, at long last it's arrived. Guys, put this little gift on your idea list for next Valentine's Day. It's finally here: the solar-powered bra with hydration pouches! No, really.



http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/boobs-not-bulbs-974.html



With thanks to ESPN's Tuesday Morning Quarterback.

Gas is Cheaper Now Than in the Sixties?

That's right, gas is actually cheaper now than it was in the sixties. Comparatively speaking. Check out this article from the L.A. Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-goklany11-2008aug11,0,3798951.story

After you adjust for inflation, when you look at the price of gas relative to the amount of otherwise disposable income you have, the cost of gas actually took more out of your wallet back then than it does now. And let's not forget that we pay significantly more per gallon of bottled water than we do for gasoline. If we pay $1.25 for a 16 oz. bottle of water (which is likely just filtered water like the kind you can get out of the tap), that's roughly $10.25 per gallon that comes in one of the least environmentally-friendly packages you can ask for. Food for thought.

As my family looks at the possibility of getting a second car (something a bit safer for the ill-plowed winter streets of Denver), we're definitely worried about the increased cost of gas. Anyone have any suggestions? In the meantime, we're grateful for our Costco membership and all it lets us save on gas.

Title IX and other issues

My buddy Bitner posted an intersting food for thought about Title IX's impact on the academic athletic environment. I thought he handled it pretty tastefully. It's hard to be a guy and comment on such issues without coming off as a misogynist, but he handled it well. The upshot of his question was whether the aims of Title IX have been met in a way that does justice to all parties. Here's his post:

http://bitnersthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/08/gender-equality.html

I initially was going to comment, but it mutated into an essay that I put out now for your feedback.

It's always a tough call to determine at what point the cure has become more damaging than the disease. I think you'll find a lot of similar rhetoric with discussions of Affirmative Action generally.

As I read Bitner's thoughts I do sympathize with low-revenue sports who've lost their status with some universities due to Title IX. I can't for the life of me, however, figure out how you'd be able to sustain the needed level of women's athletics to provide the types of opportunities that Title IX shoots for without making cuts somewhere.

An interesting analysis might be whether the proliferation of women's athletics that Title IX enabled has in any way diluted the talent level within women's athletics generally. I'm not even sure how you'd quantify that, but maybe the increased availability of scholarships and the like has in some way had that effect much like expansion has diluted the NBA and MLB.

If that where the case, then maybe there could be justification for scaling back Title IX's administration. In defense of academic athletics generally, the theoretical justification has traditionally been that the development of the human body is an aim of a true university no less than the development of "academic" pursuits. Whenever universities feel that any program is no longer perfoming at a level consistent with their institutional aims, they don't hesitate to scale back funding and resources for those programs or eliminate them entirely, no matter what level of dismay that creates amongst that program's supporters.

You hate to reduce it to a purely economic analysis, and I think most people would argue that certain public policy goals can properly fly in the face of economic reasoning when those aims are important enough for society to pay for. Liberals in particular rely on this rhetoric all the time even while conservatives argue the opposite.

I, too, am curious about what your thoughts and Bitner's readers come up with.

Simpsons in the News

I found this funny story about Homer's blessed visage finding its way onto a 1 Euro coin in Spain:

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL872708020080808

May I just put out there that the Simpsons rule? I really hate to limit my love for the Simpsons to such a blatantly fan-boy reduction, but they really are just wonderful. I've loved the Simpsons since I started to get their jokes around the third or fourth season and have never looked back.

I love the satire, the social commentary, and the stupid body jokes. More than anything, though, you have to respect and admire the fact that as dumb as Homer is and as many mistakes as he makes, every conflict ends with he and Marge talking over their problems together before going to sleep. Without the cheesy piano chords we all remember from Full House, Family Matters, and that whole TGIF genre, Homer and Marge always talk it out and end up more in love for their conflicts. Homer always patches it up with his kids, too. He'll typically visit them in their bedroom and work it out together so the kids can get a good night's sleep.

Now, his advice may not always be good, but it's from the heart. Here are two examples:

When Bart was getting frustrated with his guitar:

Homer: Bart, if something is hard to do, it's not worth doing. Now you just stick your guitar in the closet next to your karate suit and your short wave radio, and let's go watch some TV.

Bart: What's on?

Homer: It doesn't matter.

When Lisa was particularly upset:

Homer: You just take your rage and crumple it up into a bitter little ball to be released at an appropriate moment. Like that time when Daddy hit the referee.

Heard through the grapevine about this fellow-blogger's love for the Simpsons and lessons learned about, of all things, eating healthy. Enjoy!

http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2008/07/cutting-calories-and-saving-doh-25.html

Olympic Thoughts

My buddy Bitner recently posted a very strong commentary on sports v. athletic events. (Check it out at http://bitnersthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/08/sport-or-athletic-event.html) The short version is that if it's a competition whose winner is determined by judges, it's not a sport. If it's a competition determined by goals scored or the best time, then it's a sport. Pretty good breakdown, though NASCAR and to a lesser extent horse racing will always be up for debate.

To take the conversation on Olympic events in a slightly different direction, I'm pretty sure that I'm the only person in America who can't stand Olympic television coverage. I hate that we're so saturated with coverage of gymnastics in the summer and figure skating in the winter. I'm obviously in the minority since if the ratings weren't there, the networks wouldn't cover them. Then again, I'm not so crazy about reality TV in general and American Idol in particular, so I'm obviously in the minority on a lot of things TV.

For all of the reasons Bitner mentioned about how politically charged, subjective, and just generally unsatisfying the process of winning and losing is in those types of events, I don't enjoy watching them. Now, I'm not saying that we should cut to live coverage of the entire marathon event. But you can't tell me that watching someone hurl themselves over a 20 foot standard using a flimsy fiberglass pole isn't cool to see. Or that there's something oddly fascinating about Olympic-level table tennis. And who ever gets to see fencing?

I mentioned it with the pole vault, but I think that Track and Field generally is sorely underrated viewing. The very motto of the Olympics, "Citius, Altius, Fortius," is arguably best manifested in the Track and Field events and embodies some of the traits that Americans most look to in their heroes, particularly their athletic ones. We're all about "faster, higher, stronger," in America. It's what helped us cover our eyes from the steroid era in sports for so long.

That there is room in the Games for gymnastics, figure skating, diving, or what have you is not what the point I'm trying to make. There is. They are athletes performing at the highest level and why not let them? Besides, what would our lives be like if we hadn't all experienced the gut-busting unintentional comedy of hearing Michael Hamm talk for the first time in the 2004 games and sound exactly like Kerri Strug?

I just can't figure out why we're not equally interested in athletes (pure athletes, mind you, since the traditional name for Track and Field is "Athleticism) competing in other events, especially when those events are so cool.

For drama, you can't beat a 4 x 400m relay. For freakish all-around athleticism you can't beat the decathlon. And for strength, you can't beat the hammer throw (I mean come on, the guy spins around while swinging a 15 lb. bowling ball attached to a steel chain over his head and hucks it as far as he can!). What's more, though, you have the history of the games wrapped up in these events. I for one would like to see more of them, and if that means that I don't get to see quite as many gymnasts or divers, so be it.