Lydia Schoch

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, comic strips, poems, short stories and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

Peanuts on Theology. Other titles Snoopy should write: What if I Am Wrong?, How to Discuss Theology Without Irritating People Who Don’t Share Your Beliefs.

Untitled. I’ve posted similar charts on unproductive worrying on Suggestion Saturday in the past but this message bears repeating.

Your Limbs Will Be Torn Off in a Farm Accident. Despite the unsettling title this is the best poem about adapting to (and even thriving in) new circumstances that I’ve ever read. Thank you to my friend Liz for sharing it!

Unto the Third and Fourth Generations. Before you read this imagine the worst and best case scenarios for how we will live in 2031. Now go see what this author thinks it could be like!

First World Problems. An amusing rap song about the myriad of problems facing people in first world countries.

This week I thoroughly enjoyed Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Lathe of Heaven. It tells the story of a man whose dreams change reality. When he awakens the change may be as subtle as a different style of painting hanging in a room or as formidable as the disappearance of billions of humans.

What have you been reading?

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, comic strips and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

Everyone Is Born With a Missing Piece. This is a fantastic twist on the marketing of philosophies, religions and physical objects meant to make one feel whole.

Pointless. I’ve had similar thoughts about Facebook. While it can be a good way to keep in touch with family and friends who live far away there is also a fair amount of proselytization and arguing for the sake of arguing. On the bright side, it’s much easier to side step these issues online than it is in person!

From The Ease of Dehumanizing Strangers:

Can you honestly say that you have never done something unintentionally idiotic or rude? Maybe you were distracted. Maybe you just got some bad news and were upset. Maybe you were in a rush to get somewhere. No matter what it is, we usually find a way to justify our actions, to explain it away. We do the same when a family member or friend does something foolish or mean. We know there are extenuating circumstances.

Secrets of Adulthood. What has adulthood taught you? I would add this quote: “The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good & how he treats people who can’t fight back.”- Abigail Van Buren. For better or for worse I learn quite a bit about those I spend time with by how they treat, say, store clerks, servers or homeless people. People who are consistently dismissive and rude in those situations tend not to be invited out again.

This made me smile:

What have you been reading?

Are you looking for some new blogs to follow? In no particular order here is a list of fantastic ones I discovered over the last several months:

Grief Beyond Belief. A support group for non-religious people who are grieving the death of a loved one.

Tiny Buddha. Simple, often Buddhist-inspired wisdom. It is the only blog I’ve ever come across that urges people to only read what they need!

Daphne’s Haiku. My friend Daphne posts a new Haiku every day. Some are playful, others profound.

Microprogressions. A record of all of the ways in which our world is growing less prejudiced and hateful over time. I especially appreciate how much it relies on reader submissions for new posts.

Color Me Katie. The most whimsical, joyful blog I’ve ever read. When I have a bad day I read through the archives for a mood boost.

Castles in the Air. I don’t always agree with what Nina has to say about minimalism but she definitely gives me food for thought.

Unplugged Sunday. The challenge: set aside one day a week to unplug from your computer, cellphone, television and other technology and spend time in nature with your loved ones. Each post discusses various activities that the authors have tried with their families.

Respond

What great sites have you come across recently?

What will we say to our children
when we discover we were wrong?

– HK Stewart, Heated Conversation.

We might say things like:

• It seemed too horrible to be true.
• I didn’t think it would happen so quickly.
• Denial is a powerful defense mechanism.
• I didn’t think I could make a difference.
• No one I knew was worried about it.
• I thought we’d come up with a solution in the nick of time.

The history section is one of my favourite places to browse at a bookstore or library. This wasn’t something I particularly enjoyed studying in school but as an adult I’ve grown to appreciate it.

Certain chapters of our past make me wish I could go back in time and ask the people involved with them a few questions. How often did, say, people who worked in the earliest stages of the eugenics movement or the creation of Indian residential schools realize the damage they were inflicting on others?

As valuable as books, letters, journals and other documents are when learning about events that happened two or six or twenty generations ago they can’t tell us everything.

Respond

What questions would you ask if you could speak to someone from a former generation?

Here is this week’s list of blog posts, comic strips, poems, and other tidbits from my favourite corners of the web.

The Perfect Life Myth. Also known as: you can have it all but you cannot have it all at once.

Goodbyes. The problem with saying goodbye. I’ve never liked saying it whether the separation is for now or forever.

The World of Seven Billion. Wow, apparently earning $12,196 or more per year earns you the label high income level. One day I hope to see the cost of living for each society taken into account for this sort of thing. Yes, $12,196 is a larger number than, say, $995 but a family of four in a western country like the US or Canada would be extremely hard-pressed to survive on that amount of money for a year.

Solve. Don’t complain, go out and do something to fix the world.

Online Meditation Timer. I haven’t meditated regularly in a long time but this is prompting me to get back into the habit. Being disconnected from time was one of (many) reasons why I haven’t kept this habit up and a timer is a good way to ease into stilling my mind. If you try this time let me know what you think in the comment section!

What have you been reading? I haven’t read any books worth recommending this week but I do like this quote:

When people give you advice, they’re really just talking to themselves in the past. ~Austin Kleon