Mandatory Masks in Newfoundland

There is essentially no COVID-19 here in Newfoundland. There is always the possibility of asymptomatic spread, however, that would be evidenced by actual symptomatic people becoming present in the population. Since that isn’t a thing it would indicate that there are no asymptomatic people. Therefore, mandating the wearing of masks isn’t a measure to curb an existing COVID-19 issue; it is, rather, an endeavor to mitigate the impact of its uncontrolled return.

This has been the prevailing intention behind the social distancing, capacity limits and bubbling recommendations. As a province we’ve long since flattened the curve so the focus has been to try and ensure that if COVID-19 does, once again, begin to spread in the province that it’s impact would be stunted and allow for a more controlled reaction. So, there are two sides to keep in view when you follow(or ignore) any of the anti-COVID-19 recommendations and guidelines:

1. The current odds of catching COVID-19 in NL are extremely low, therefore, following these recommendations and guidelines do nothing to affect the situation.

2. It is possible for uncontrolled COVID-19 spread to resume at any time, therefore, following these recommendations and guidelines may do something to affect the future situation.

Both of these things are true. Therefore, the wearing of a mask can, simultaneously, be pointless and also may have a point. Mask wearing has (like a lot of things) been politicized and been presented to entirely stop someone from spreading their COVID-19. That isn’t entirely true which is why early on those leading us through the pandemic were rather “meh” on the necessity to wear masks. However, it does seem apparent that masks do SOMETHING to help mitigate the spread. So, utilizing them can be beneficial but they ought not be looked at as the ultimate prophylactic as presented by the media and politicians.

The reality of the pandemic has exposed the spectrum of responses. From irrationally paranoid, to reasonably cautious, to reasonably incautious, to irrationally careless. (I’m not making a moral judgement on those that fall on any part of the spectrum; I’m just pointing out its existence.) Our increasingly identity-focus society easily takes those along the spectrum and makes them either friends or enemies. Mask wearers vs. non-mask wearers, etc. So, while we ought to fight against that mentality and maintain an open discussion with each other with respect regardless of our view, the concept of a government mandate is separate.

Governments are inherently risk-averse and it is more risky to not mandate masks and there be an outbreak then to mandate masks and there be no outbreak. In the former they can quickly be accused of negligence and in the latter any complaint can be countered with their expressing the need for caution. Their focus isn’t so much based on pure reason rather than reducing as much as possible any and all chance for them not to be reelected. Their continuing as government is a driving force behind anything they do. That doesn’t always mean that all they do is unreasonable or unwarranted but there’s always that to consider.

One more aspect regarding government mandate is their understanding of how people work. For example, the bubbling rules were originally one other family then it increased. Anecdotally, many people are no longer strictly following this recommendation and I believe the government is aware of this. In this case, even the existence of the recommendation is a mitigation tactic as it will cause, at least some people, to reduce their contact. Similar to mask wearing, staying within a bubble now both does nothing currently and may also do something for the future. While the government can take a strong stance for masks they are also aware that not everyone will follow the mandate exactly and some places may not enforce it.

This isn’t a post to argue for or against the wearing of masks or following any of the other recommendations and guidelines. It’s just some information to be considered as we all decide what is best personally and for our families.

The Devaluing of Scripture and the Rise of our Experience

In modern Christianity there has been an increasing devaluing of scripture with a subsequent emphasis on promoting personal experience and transitory, earthly benefits of following Christ.

Being a Christian has become, therefore, a state in which we commune with a very non-specific and poorly defined presence of God. As is fitting since subjective, personal experience is presented as the infallible, unquestionable rudder by which our walk with God is steered.

In order for us to esteem so much our own experiences it necessitates the lowering of scripture so that it sits in subjection to how we feel. Instead of our bibles being used to validate our experience, it is our experiences (and their often prideful and/or culture-focused influences) which, ultimately, validates the bible.

This is a terrible thing and has lead to a prominent expression of Christianity that is more in line with a secular spirituality draped in the echoes of church tradition and which uses the bible as a reference book. It is the end result of a lifting up of how we feel about things rather than a dedication to what God has told us and how that ought to rightly influence our feelings.

If, however, our bibles are the actual, inspired words of God given to us by the Creator of the universe and all existence then we need to properly frame this in relation to ourselves and our churches. A dedication to pursuing an experience at the neglect of the loving boundaries of scripture is actually an outworking of our own sinful assumption that we and our inclinations should be in charge.

One popular outworking of this way of thinking is the tendency for using scripture to back up an already decided upon conclusion. Context and authorial intent are often scrapped in order to shoehorn a verse or two into a pre-constructed opinion. The reality of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is used as licence to assume the experience of inspiration which supersedes scripture. The result is referred to as an anointed word and is propped up with a weak frame of biblical texts without the necessary work of proper exegesis using a historical-grammatical hermeneutic.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We should have a high view of the bible and a low view of our own opinions. It is given to us so that, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, we can rightly divide the word of truth. Not as the means by which we validate our whims and experiences.

Is it possible for a Christian to lose their salvation? No.

Is it possible for a Christian to lose their salvation? No. 

However, for the sake of having a longer post I'll elaborate on that. The idea that a genuine Christian who has had their salvation provided to them by God being able to lose that salvation is not compatible with scripture in any capacity. The Bible teaches that our Father writes the names of those to who salvation has been given into the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3, Revelation 20:15). God is not a fickle God and, therefore, will not erase these names the moment he becomes displeased at our inability to maintain a standard that could not be met in the first place.

A genuine Christian is positionally, morally perfect before God. This is solely due to the intrinsic righteousness of Jesus Christ expressed through his perfect life and keeping of the commandments. This righteousness is credited to the Christian upon their repentance and trust in the Savior. It is in no way earned and, therefore, it is in no way kept by the intent or activities of the Christian (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The bible describes all people as being spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1, Colossians 2:13). But it also says that God determined, before he even created anything, which of these dead people he would have mercy on (Ephesians 1:4). Salvation is begun by God, maintained by God and completed by God (1 Peter 1:3-5).

A Christian can no more lose the salvation given to them as they could have willed they're receiving it in the first place. It is not based on their works (Ephesians 2:8-9) that they are saved and, therefore, works are not relevant to their becoming unsaved.

But what about people that have claimed to at one time been Christian but fell away? The bible teaches not that their salvation had been taken away and their adopted Father abandoned them. But rather that their leaving the faith is indicative of their never genuinely being of the faith to begin with.

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us."

1 John 2:19

It's important to understand how a Christian is called a Christian. It is not that a person decides to follow Christ and is therefore a Chrstian. But rather God decides that you will follow Christ and therefore you follow Christ and further therefore, you are a Christian. This distinction matters greatly as to how we view the subject of losing salvation.

If the choice is ours to call ourselves a Christian than the choice can be ours to stop following Christ and God can reject us. Yet if the genesis of a Christian comes from the sovereign choice of God and the maintaining of that faith comes from the enduring power of God and the purpose of the granting of that faith is for the glory of God then the matter of remaining a Christian or not is one of the integrity of God.

God will see his plan finished and will ensure his own glory. Because of this the salvation of a genuine, God-ordained Christian is as established as the reality of the existence of the Creator of the Universe.

Because of this, backsliding is not a thing. No one ever just backslides because, if you're a Christian, you're not climbing up a hill of good works and law to reach God. God plucked you from the grave, breathed life into you and set you firmly on solid ground. He indwells you with His Holy Spirit and conforms you increasingly to be more like Jesus.

An objection to the biblical understanding of eternal security is that it allows licence for a Christian to live anyway they like and to sin without thought of God. But this is not the case. Paul says in Romans:

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

Romans 6:1-4

As mentioned earlier, the reality of salvation has been granted and cemented for the Christian. Yet we remain in a sinful world and, for a time, in a sin-susceptible flesh. As the Father brings the Christian through the path of sanctification there may be times where the progress is slow or we become distracted by the sides of the road. While we are guaranteed to be brought safely to our destination there may be obstacles and ditches along the way. But our Father will not leave us in our wallowing. There will always be forward progress. Even if sometimes it may not seem like it to us. But the Holy Spirit is committed to carrying us along and we can trust in his will to increasingly keep our steps sure.

There is never continuous, unrepented, willful sinning in the life of a Christian. Security of salvation does not give warrant to sin. Instead, if a Christian continues in sin willfully and does not return to God it shows that they never had him as Father to begin with. NOT that God changed his mind about keeping them.

Eternal security is an assurance and blessing for the Christian and honoring and glorifying for God. So, no, a Christian cannot lose their salvation.

What is the point of a local church?

Back in the first century the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the calling of the Apostles and the intent and will of God the Father as facilitated by his Holy Spirit established the church. It's an institution that has been maintained by God for a couple of millennia so far and, as has been promised to us in scripture, will never be defeated.

In the wide view the church is comprised of all believers of Christ throughout the whole world. But it also refers to a collection of believers in a local area. The presumption of the bible is that Christians of near geographical location will collect together under the leadership of a God-ordained plurality of elders. The reality of being an active, engaged member of a local church for a Christian is biblically normative.

It has become common in society, and also among some Christians, to solely view the physical building used for religious gatherings as constituting a church. It is seen as a place that people that consider themselves Christians can gather for a couple of hours every week (or less) before going back to their actual lives. This view does not fulfill the biblical purpose for the church.

In order to understand the point of church it's helpful to understand the point of the Christian. Why does God save people? The answer is, ultimately, for him to receive glory. Through his providing grace and showing mercy to a group of people that hated him our Father gets to forever hold each one of us up as a display of his perfect mercy and kindness. Consequently we get to receive the love of the Father and enjoy him forever.

But why does the Father leave his people in this fallen, sinful world? He could immediately bring them home to be with him upon providing their salvation. It goes back to his intent to receive glory and the means by which he desires to save people for this purpose. As discussed in the previous web log post, the default of mankind is one of enmity towards God (Colossians 1:21). The curse of sin and the pride of mankind permeates the earth. Yet the sovereign will of our Creator has decreed the means by which he will save some and redeem what he has made.

There are a multitude of changes that occur for the believer the moment they are saved including:

1. The Father forgives them of their sins. All sins that they have committed, all they are currently committing and any that they will commit in the future. The eternal consequences are extinguished and the judgement that each of those sins deserves has been placed upon the Son as he was crucified.

2. The Holy Spirit immediately indwells them and begins the work of sanctification. For the first time the believer becomes capable of obedience, able to truly understand scripture and is empowered to not only turn away from sin but also to turn towards righteousness.

3. An adoption into a new family. We are changed from being a child of the devil (1 John 3:10) to a child of God. This adoption provides for us an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11), a perfect righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) and a new home with our Father in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

These are realities for all Christians everywhere and they relate to the functioning of many Christians gathered together as a church.

It is the desire of God to save sinners (2 Peter 3:9) and it is with that purpose that all Christians are tasked with being ambassadors to spread his gospel and make disciples (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are like foreigners in a fallen world telling the people the name by which they must be saved. Yet we remain affected by lingering sin of a dying flesh and the temporal consequences of a past rebellion.

For the Christian there can often be a dissonance between the state of our soul and the reality of our lives and minds. This can be made more obvious as we proceed through sanctification and have sins that we didn't even know were a problem pop up in front of us. Our obedience to God and his scripture can sometimes feel like a brief sprint forward but then a tumbling down the hill behind us. Truths that we know from scripture regarding to who we belong, our eternal destiny and how the Creator of the universe sees us are, at times, difficult to remember. So God blesses us with fellowship together.

The church is designed to be a gathering of sometimes sin-prone, forgetful, doubting individuals made in the image of the One who has forgiven and loved them. Where some are weak God has strengthened others and it is for the purpose of lifting each other up from where we fall that we meet and do life with our brothers and sisters (Hebrews 10:24-25, Ephesians 4:11-13). It is a caring Father that sees his sheep fed, protected and led along the right path.

Church isn't a club in which we sometimes gather to be told how to feel good about ourselves. The point of the local church is to biblically feed, equip and encourage the children of God to reach the lost with his good news of salvation. It is to use the gifts that he gives to believers for the benefit of the whole. It is used by the Father to strengthen what is weak and to manifest his intentions.

Therefore, it is not just a building we go to but rather the local church is the primary paradigm of the living out what God has done and is doing in his people as he lead them to bring about his glory. That is what you are partaking in when you live your lives with other Christians and that's far better than just going to church sometimes on a Sunday.

The Confrontational Good News of Christ

The gospel of Jesus Christ is inherently a confrontational message. It is a declaration from the King to rebels which says that he has accomplished what was necessary to provide reconciliation and forgiveness and that "He commands all people everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30).

In our natural state our minds are hostile to God (Romans 8:7, Colossians 1:21) and the pride that facilitated the fall of mankind is expressed in diverse manifestations of sin as we live primarily to usurp the glory of the one that created us.

We were created as image bearers to reflect the character of the Creator. Every person is born with this inherent dignity. But in addition, we are born as corrupted image bearers due to the legacy of rebellion intrinsic to us from the garden of Eden. We are more concerned with seeking our own glory rather than the glory of God. No one seeks after him (Romans 3:11).

The default of the creatures designed to display and glorify him is, therefore, one of hatred towards him. (Romans 1:30) Since a holy God will punish sin wherever it is found this results in enmity between God and man.

This also means that sins are not simply mistakes and the extent of punishment isn't solely a separation from God. Hell is a literal place of eternal torment; a neverending judgement for sins against an everlasting and infinitely holy God.

An unfortunate reality is that left to ourselves we would remain prideful rebels. However, God is "...a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..." (Exodus 34:6-7) and he "...desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4)

Loving their sin and pride and having no desire to bow to the King the rebels are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and can raise themself to a right standing with God just as well as a corpse can jump from the grave. There is no desire and there is no ability.

It is up to a merciful and gracious God to turn the rebels back to him. 

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4‭-‬5)

In his sovereign decree, and while being entirely justified in destroying all, God chose to have mercy on some. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and died on the cross; living the sinless perfection that we couldn't and taking the punishment that we deserve. He rose from the dead and declared his victory. All that remains is for the rebels to bow their knee (Philippians 2:10), admit their sin and inability for good and to trust in Christ.

Therein exists the confrontation. The rebels believe themselves good (Proverbs 21:2) and rely on their own illusion of righteousness. In order for them to repent they must first believe in a need for repentance and a prideful heart despises such a thing. Unless God first awakens their spirit they will always fight against him. Such is the warning of Jesus: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you." (John 15:18)

As Christians we are tasked with the responsibility of declaring this message to those captive in their own pride. The message carries with it the commend to confront the love of our sins. It will either result in the hearers turning to God or their further cursing the one that gave them life. We need not add to this confrontation from a sense of aggressive zealotry. But we also must not soften the message from a desire to make it more palatable. God is the one who claims victory; our job is not to try and make the rebels feel better about their rebellion and suggest turning to God. We are to announce what God has done with obedience and love. The result and the glory are His.

Observations on Mark 5:1-20

Since my previous entries have been sporadic and random at best I've decided that in order to shore up this web log I ought to try out the concepts of consistency and intention. To that end I'm going to begin writing observations I develop from my reading of the bible. I'd recommend, nay insist, that you begin by reading the specified section of scripture. 

In Mark 5:1-20 Jesus and the disciples arrive on the shore of the Gerasenes and encounter some gentiles (probably gentiles, from the fact that there a quite a few pigs being kept here which is something the Jews would not have taken part in). Right away a demon-possessed man who hung around the graveyard and was constantly having a fit made his way to Jesus in order to try and persuade Jesus to leave him alone. In actuality, it wasn't just a him but rather a multitude of unclean spirits that were teaming up in order to control the man. This may explain as to why he appeared to have supernatural strength; being able to break out of chains and whatnot.

Eventually the man requests to be banished into a herd of nearby pigs and Jesus agrees to this and allows it to happen. I have a primary observation regarding this passage of scripture and this isn't it but that won't stop me from expressing it. Jesus, being God, is in control of all things. This is an example of Gods sovereignty. Despite the demons obviously being counter-inclined to the things of God they still recognize that anything they intend to do must happen at the command or allowance of Jesus. 

The legion of demons finally leave the man, enter the pigs and proceed to have their customary fits. The herd of pigs are destroyed via drowning and thus ends the proverbial reign of Legion. Now the townsfolk are most likely sorely afraid and annoyed that this man named Jesus, immediately upon landing on their shores, puts a dent into their livestock. There may have been rumors floating around of this Jesus person and all the incredible things he's done. Not wanting a part in all this they ask Jesus to get out of here which he agrees to do. 

This brings us back to the poor man now demon free. He wants to leave this place and go with the one who cured him. This makes sense. I would want to do this too. In addition if his memories of his experiences are intact than he may not want to attempt a re-assimilation with those he had terrified for so long.

Here's my observation! Jesus tells him that he cannot come with him but rather to remain and let his friends know all that God has done. The fellow does so and it is mentioned that "everyone marveled". In addition to the sovereignty and omnipotence expressed, there is also omniscience in the sense that Jesus knew how the people of this place would react to Him. The encounter with the possessed man had been pre-ordained, you see. Despite the intentions of the people to be free of this powerful man God will have mercy on them regardless and leave behind someone to do basic evangelism.

This man having been freed from the bondage by Jesus was made much more than he was and converted into a witness. His command was to tell everyone about Jesus (God) and the mercy he received. In the absence of eloquence and an answer to every objection there's the primary function of a witness; to tell of what you know. 

Therefore, in this passage we don't see an attempted trip by Jesus thwarted by a local tomb-dweller. It isn't a tale of accidental animal slaughter and the inconvenience it brings. But rather it is an expression of how God is in control, will bring mercy and use the perceived out of control circumstances of those that don't want Him.

Legalism in the Context of Christianity

I wish to now write and post my thoughts regarding legalism and works in the context of Christianity. In order to not obscure my points I’ll begin by stating plainly that salvation is neither a product of nor assisted by doing good things in any capacity. Ideologies that state otherwise are wrong (In my opinion, of course). Further to this, salvation is an act of God towards an individual facilitated through the repentance of sin and trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for atonement. As ought to be clear I don’t believe these conditions to be included within the category of works and I will endeavor to explain this and at the same time hope to be concise. (Note: I am using the term “condition” in the sense of God’s plan for salvation. I don’t want there to be confusion as to any denying of unconditional election)

Primarily I would like to focus on attitudes towards legalism and how these attitudes can bring about further detriment. To clarify, again, adherence to laws and works to create or maintain salvation is wrong and rightfully ought to be regarded negatively and to be actively avoided and persuaded against. My issue stems from these things being taken too far. But before I can elaborate on this I must fulfill my stated endeavor from earlier.

With the reality of salvation being an act solely of God and not earned by man it must be concluded that God controls all aspects related to the salvation. Man is corrupted by sin and incapable of willing it not to be. However, God calls on everyone to repent and trust. To repent means to recognize the personal state of being in sin and, more specifically, acknowledging any known sins committed or being committed and then turning away from this reality and state towards God. Trusting has to do with the reliance on the sacrifice He supplied in Jesus Christ having taken all our sins upon Himself and dying the death and receiving the punishment we deserve.

With that in mind the conditions have to do with returning to God on his terms; repenting and trusting as commanded. Not that we are earning anything via this but it is an act of obedience towards the Saviour. It isn’t a work; it is the right response. A brief example would be in the scenario of a man that cheats on his wife leading to a separation. If he becomes truly remorseful and seeks reconciliation and goes back to her asking for forgiveness and she chooses to take him back you wouldn’t look at that situation and say “Well, he earned that forgiveness”. No, he didn’t earn anything. His “repenting” of his sin was just the right response to it.

Now that this has been expounded upon I can finally get to my original intentions for this piece of writing regarding legalism. So if you’re a Christian that means you’ve repented of your sins and have trusted and are trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation. Many Christians find the concept of legalism to be near abhorrent; or varying degrees of disagreement with the concept to that extreme. This comes from the right understanding of where the work of salvation comes from; Jesus and not us, and wanting it to stay that way.

However, once someone becomes a Christian the life we’re to live involves obedience. In order to be obedient there must be things to which to be obedient. In another format; we’re to be holy as He is holy. It is at this point where the conflict of an improper understanding of legalism comes in. In a commendable desire to live in such a manner as to ensure our trust is in nothing other than God we (and I do mean ‘we’ as I don’t intend to make this seem like I am not susceptible) sometimes view the idea of denying ourselves something that is otherwise commonplace in the world to be legalism and to make certain that we are not legalist we are going to exercise our freedom in Christ to partake of this thing to prove that we are not adhering to legalism!

I am not referring to blatant sins as those wouldn’t be covered in this example anyway and ought to be avoided by everyone. I mean things such as actions or points of view held to by the world that in and of themselves are neutral at best but at worst are worldly and not beneficial. But again, to ensure we’re not falling into legalism we partake and approve. This is counter-productive to the outworking of holiness and, as stated, a detriment to the Christian and the fellowship through bad examples.

In conclusion, and having failed at my attempt to be concise, a proper understanding of our salvation is vital. Through that understanding we’re able to view what we do and don’t do in life to be separate from what saves us; and that is quite freeing (Not that a life lived without holiness and good works to be indicative of a Christian; it isn't). It is from this which the concept of Christian freedom stems. Along with it a right view of actions to be taken or denied regarding good works it can facilitate the expressions of holiness and growing in holiness to be in line with Christian character.

Finally (again), in yet another conclusion, the point is this: don’t allow good intentions of wanting to remain separate from any semblance of working for salvation to instead become a hindrance to holiness and denying what ought to be denied to that end. Sometimes obedience and avoiding worldliness takes effort and hurts.

Huzzah!

A Discussion of Being a Unique Individual

There is this thing that exists that can receive moving images and matching sound through some sort of magical and/or mystical means and display them on various rectangular screens. Some people call this television. I rather refer to it as "moving images and matching sound received via some sort of magical and/or mystical means and displayed on various rectangular screens". But for the brevity of this post I'll use the vernacular of the peasantry and henceforth call it "TV".

Anyways, so I was watching this television program on the TV (years ago, I don't recall exactly when) and it was discussing how people respond to peer pressure in different situations. For example, they took some average fellow and placed him in a room with some other folks who were part of this experiment. This group were going to be shown some objects on a screen and they were to respond by saying how many objects they see. The people planted in this group were instructed to always be wrong about the number of objects but always agree with each other. There may be ten dots on the screen but they would all say fifteen, for instance. Obviously the one guy who was not in on it would be very confused as there were blatantly ten items and he would begin by responding with the correct number regardless of what any of the other people said. He would even look around at them with incredulity no doubt wondering if they were just joking.

This would continue on for quite some time. The man would seem to go through phases. At first it was easy for him to defy the rest and give the correct answer but the whole time he was confused with his brow furrowed, attempting to understand the situation. After a time he would quietly begin checking with those sitting near him, asking what was going on and if they were sure of their answers. As were instructed the rest of the group responded with nods and expressions of "of course we're sure. It's obvious."

Soon enough, even though the man was still defying the convention and giving the correct answers it began to show that he was becoming quite uncomfortable. He would only briefly look at the screen to determine the correct answer and look away before giving his response. The consistent strain of being the one out of many that stood out with a different response was wearing on him. His shoulders appeared slumped, his voice became low and finally he gave in. Having shortly glanced at the amount of objects on the screen he put his head back down, waited to hear what wrong answer the rest would give and then, he too, said the wrong answer.

It was quite interesting. If the situation were more subtle he may have not been so confused. But it showed that even when the answer is so obviously wrong the human mind can be made to see it as right, or at least convince itself that it is right to see it that way. There is only so much resistance to fitting in. 

One aspect I found particularly interesting in this experiment was that it was tried on several different people with differing personalities. One such fellow stated in a pre-recorded interview mentioned that he was a unique individual and actually went out of his way to stress that he marches to the beat of his own drummer. This self identification was emphasized by things like his clothing and his satisfaction at the self-concept he described. 

The funny part came when it was shown what happened when this man was subjected to the test. Upon the very first round of questions as to how many objects were on the screen and having heard all the wrong, yet consistent answers from the rest of the group, this man did not flinch in joining with them to give the incorrect answer. He sat proud and unwavering in his belief that the amount of objects on the screen were whatever everyone else said they were.

Does this mean that proclamations of uniqueness among many is actually an attempt to stifle insecurity in a profound way? The outward expression of individuality is proportionate to the deep desire to, surprisingly, be one of the many?

Yeah, probably.

Finally, at the close of this program another experiment was demonstrated. In a crowded area an actor was to act injured or in distress. Several other actors were instructed to walk on by and give the poor fellow no attention. Upon doing this it was found that the majority of real people happening upon this, though often expressing concern in their facial features, would also walk on by. It was showing a group mentality. The first one to remove themselves from the normal proceedings would, quite obviously, have attention focused on them. Even for a good cause such as this; helping someone in need. The desire to remain with the pack superseded this. 

However, the interesting thing is when someone did finally stop to see if they actor needed assistance there were no negative repercussions. Despite the invisible barrier of social conformity. In fact, when one stopped several others did as well. The seal had been broken and a new pack of those compassionate individuals could form. They could check on this man by leaving the group that was ignoring him to join the group checking on him. Since they weren't the first to break away, there was no downside. Even though none existed in the first place. 

Can we learn anything from these experiments? Maybe. It's possible we're too entrenched in our attempts to fit in to recognize ourselves in these examples. But we're probably in their somewhere. We're fitting in with something, somewhere. The truly unique individuals in the world are rare and probably thought of as odd by everyone. Because they are. 

But, upon being made aware of these things, and taken with the crazy concept of stopping and thinking about situations we're in, perhaps we can try to recognize that the only thing holding us back from doing the right thing or expressing the obvious truth is nothing but non-existent, terrible, horrible repercussions made up in our minds. 

There Once Was a Web Log

I decided to write and post a blog entry. If you’re reading this it means that I carried out my plan OR it means my blog has been hacked and an impersonator is impersonating me for some nefarious purposes. I can’t actually think of any possible gain someone could achieve by doing this. Or what possible part of a plan this may be. But I suppose that the best plans are the most difficult to figure out. So, therefore, good luck Mr. Hacker. If this truly is some part of an elaborate plan for purposes nefarious or otherwise then I am proud to be a part of it. Unless this actually is me, then it is much less exciting

This web log has not had an entry since July of 2013. That’s only a few months short of a year (!). Incredibly, this time has passed without me being concerned over the lack of content. I guess I was busy doing other things. But now that those other things are over I suppose it’s about time that I spend some energy in updating this. I recently assisted my wife in some writing project and it got my desire to write flowing again. This could last months or hours. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

I’m not doing a very good job of encouraging readership. It isn’t a good sign of consistency when a writer states his trust in his own fickleness. But I’m nothing if not brutally honest to my own detriment here. That’s an ongoing theme really and I intend to stick by it. But I will say that my intentions are good. And that’s all that matters. Nothing bad has ever come about by good intentions. I am sure there is some sort of pithy saying that supports what I just claimed. Several even!

There are a few topics that I intend to write on. None of which I will go into right now. Considering that they haven’t even been written yet and I’d rather not promise what I can’t deliver on. That’s not what I do here at Jonathan Troke’s Web Long Extravaganza. But I have been thinking about some topics and I do have the inclination to follow through on them. That’s something at least

An issue I have been considering when it comes to my writing has been the expectations of my audience (ha, audience!). I’m told that my writings are sometimes interpreted to be rather humorous and that is, indeed, it’s intention for the most part. But what if I wanted to write on a serious subject? Could it be taken seriously? Would people spend their time reading my words and looking for, what they assume, are hidden jokes and dry humor? Only to either come to the conclusion that I’ve lost my touch or the humor is too embedded to get this time. That’s possible. So how to I combat this?

One idea I had briefly is to separate my serious topics from my attempts at humor. Make it obvious somehow that one particular posting is supposed to be taken seriously while another is to be lumped in with my usual rambling incoherencies. But, how would that be done? Perhaps I could make one posting glow with a soft purple light to indicate its tone. That may work. But it’s unrealistic. How ‘bout I create and maintain an alter-ego. A character. Some wacky, zany persona with some ridiculous name like Herman Hamworthy and use it to post all of my not too serious entries. I don’t know. It requires further thought. Much more then I plan to think aloud in a blog post.

The point is... well if you’ve been reading you should be able to decipher my point. No hand holding here. I view my audience (ha!) with respect. 

Troke: 0 

Pandering Troke: 9 Billion

A Random Story from a Random World... Part 1

A long time ago I began to write a story about an angry, potted plant and his friends. This was one of the first stories I remember writing but unfortunately, at this point, I only really remember the basic premise. So now, about fifteen years later, I am going to use what I remember to re-write the story and find out what happens. Onward!

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Mr. Robot, the anthropomorphic potted plant, sat alone on the cold, concrete floor of his airplane hangar and pondered to himself with no small amount of steeped frustration at his predicament. It had been twelve long days since his maid had last stopped by to clean his floors and, of course, move him around. Being confined to a two decimetre high clay pot did not lend itself well for locomotion and forced the Campanula to rely on the kindness of others. An occurrence he could not reliably count on due to his disagreeable attitude. So he often resorted to intimidation instead. Perhaps that is why she hadn’t returned, Mr. Robot thought to himself, straining to even remember his maids name.

                

“Hello?” he shouted. Having no lips you’d think it would be difficult for him to speak but that hadn’t stopped him before. Fortunately, the fact that he had eyebrows helped to display his emotion; that had always been enough. His shout had echoed several times since he spoke. He had very little in the way of furniture for to absorb any sound. Living in a nearly empty airplane hangar had that effect. The large door to exit his home was several metres away; the most he could possibly travel by himself was approximately zero anythings.

               

If only my crate of dynamite wasn’t so far away, he thought as he stared at the small crate labeled “BOOM” about a half a metre away. As the tiny flower strained his light green right leaf towards the box in desperation he heard a noise. Raising his dark eyebrows in hope and anger he shot his yellow, bulbous head towards the door. Finally, she’s returned! I’ll lower her pay significantly for this... Mr. Robot discontinued his train of thought upon the realization that he had stopped paying his maid about twelve days ago, around the time she had last did something to displease him. This could explain so much.

               

His maid did not walk into his airplane hangar. A young man named Jeremy the Human did. Jeremy was human; a rather mundane and predictable title yet accurate. Accuracy was safe in this world. Mr. Robot had no time for safety and therefore no time for Jeremy. “What do you want?” he bellowed angrily at the human. Then, reminding himself that Jeremy’s human arms could be useful to him as a mode of transportation, he leveled his voice and finished, “My best friend Jeremy?”

               

“Did you know Vincent the Nameless Snake is missing?” asked Jeremy. The boy walked swiftly across the length of the hangar towards the plant. He was young for a human, Mr. Robot assumed and of average height for a human, Mr. Robot assumed and perpetually wore the same t-shirt and shorts. Mr. Robot wore nothing, being a potted plant and all, but if he did he would show some variety.

                 

By this time Jeremy had come to sit cross legged on the floor directly in front of Mr. Robot with both fists propping up his chin as his elbows rested upon his knees. Show off, Mr. Robot thought, bending those human appendages and whatnot. It was at this time that Mr. Robot had determined that the boy was waiting for an answer. “Of course I knew that!” he shouted. He actually did not know this at all but he would never let that become apparent.

                 

“No one has seen him for over a week.” Jeremy informed, “I think we should look for him.”

                 

“What a terrible idea.” The plant responded with distain. Mr. Robot did not have time to search the world for a missing snake even if this particular snake was well liked by most and worked at the post office. The post office! How could Mr. Robot forget? He had been expecting a package for days now. No wonder he had not received it. “We must find Vincent the Nameless Snake!” exclaimed Mr. Robot, stretching his little leaves towards the sky.

                 

“Huzzah!” Jeremy jumped to his feet and began to dance, “I knew you’d be the one to save the day, Mr. Robot!”

               

Mr. Robot immediately began to dance as well. There were literally thousands of rules Mr. Robot lived by and one of them was ‘never turn down an opportunity to dance’. Although his dance mainly consisted of his slender stem wiggling rhythmically as each of his delicate, light-green leaves punched the air. He held his large, yellow head back swaying it with his eyes closed. Both he and Jeremy danced for nearly thirty minutes. A victory dance! Until suddenly there rang a bell...

                

“You don’t have a door bell.” said Jeremy halting his dance immediately and shooting a surprised look at Mr. Robot.

                 

“I don’t have a door bell.” echoed the plant with incredulity and wonder.   “Quickly, human, to the door!”

                

Jeremy nimbly grabbed the plant and balanced Mr. Robot on his head. Then the young man darted across the room and with one swift kick leveled the door with explosive force.

                 

From his vantage point Mr. Robot, having first been pleased with Jeremy’s brash action and show of incredible, super-human strength, suddenly became alarmed at what he saw having just now been crushed by a large, metal door of an airplane hanger, “Human, what have you done?!”

                 

“On noes, Mr. Robot where did you go?!” shouted the human.

TO BE CONTINUED

Jonathan Troke's Christmas Entry Extravaganza!

Thus concludes my 29th Christmas Day. Do you know what comes next year? My 30th Christmas Day. Because, you see, I'll be 30 years old at that time. However, not only is that not important right now it's a topic for another blog entry. Therefore it goes back to the desert I refer to as my "blog entry idea depository" or BEID which is pronounced like the word "bed" after you've been punched in the mouth. Regardless, just a point of fact I thought I'd mention to create the setting for what you're about to experience as "Jonathan Troke's Christmas Entry Extravaganza!"

See that? Bold typography and over-exaggerated descriptive. Now that's how you sell a blog entry, folks. You don't come here for understated font and nap-inducing narrative. Think of the setup for what follows as if it were directed by Michael Bay. In fact, it would greatly help me out if you wouldn't mind grabbing the nearest box of household explosives and detonating them as you read this introduction. There. Are you sufficiently pumped? Concerned that I won't be able to deliver on what has now been built up in your mind as the end all Christmas themed blog entries of this young century? I know I am! Onward!

In the last few seconds or so I've arbitrarily decided it would be best to narrow down my thoughts on the Christmas of 2012 into three concise paragraphs. Paragraph the first:

My wonderful wife created a new Christmas tradition this year. She decided to view one Christmas themed movie or show beginning on the first of December and leading up to Christmas Day. While she succeeded at doing this I failed to match her enthusiasm on occasion and didn't watch each film with her. (Although I did managed to see most of them) On Christmas Eve we watched one of my favorites; A Christmas Story. Since we don't have TBS and exist in the late 90's anymore with their near constant showing of this classic we had obtained our own DVD for just this occasion. Other notable mentions from this tradition include Christmas Vacation, Muppet's Christmas Carol and the Muppet's Family Christmas. Of which my favorite line is delivered from the stoic Sam the Eagle: "Why am I here?"

As I've grown older and wiser I've come to appreciate Christmas in new ways. There was a time when I was a wee lad that lil'Troke could barely sleep on Christmas Eve night. At this point I don't have that problem anymore. But despite the absence of insomnia inducing glee I now look forward to the time off work to spend with my wife, going to church for the Christmas Eve service, and the Christmas turkey... and turkey sandwiches and turkey salad and turkey gravy and Turkey Hash and Turkey a la King and gallons of turkey soup!  The point is that I like turkey and quoting movies.

Finally, my final thought on Christmas, finally: Receiving new underwear is the gift that keeps on giving all year 'round.

Well, there you go. Did I deliver? Don't answer that. It was a rhetorical question. Besides, it isn't important right now. What is important is that it is now the year 2013. I expected, as did we all, to be able to hop on my hover-board and ride to the hover-store and pick up some hover-milk by now. But can I? No! If any of you know of way that we can speed up the process for inventing a non-lethal form of hover-milk I'd greatly love to hear of it. Which is why from this point forward, beginning in 2013 and beyond my readership will henceforth be known as Jonathan Troke's Personal Think Tank Extravaganza! So pull together and get this figured out. It's up to you. My part is only to write about it when you're done.

My Analogies are Nothing if Not Relevant to the Times!

Imagine you were a participant in the Olympic Games. Doesn't matter what sport. And also try to imagine that as you make your way to London via aeroplane you realize that over the course of the past four years you forgot to do any training whatsoever. None! In fact, you've done the opposite of training. Using the determination only an Olympic athlete could muster you allowed your muscles to atrophy through a series of sits and sleeps to the point where it required months of rigorous physiotherapy just to allow you to walk onto the plane. As if that wasn't enough, let's assume that your country of origin has not only decided that they don't want to be associated with you but has actually legally removed you as a citizen. There's more! Your favorite beverage of choice, lets say for instance Pepsi, which you drink four to five times a day did not inform you when they decided it would be in their best interest to replace the contents of the cans with sulfuric acid.

So, you're on your way to compete in the world's premier athletic event. You used up your weeks energy just getting on the plane. You're country-less, functioning stomach-less/esophagus-less and to top it all off the plane seats have caused mild lower back pain. The question is... how do you think you'll fare in your event? Not well. Actually, you may even say you'll... fail! Which now brings us to this blog.

The above analogy is meant to describe how pitifully my sticking to the original rules has gone. Although I would like to point out one thing. With the successful posting of this it will mean that I've managed to make at least one posting per month since the beginning. ...I'll take what I can get!

This Post is a Joke! (As will this whole blog become if you don't act now!)

This isn't a very good start at all. I've only really adhered to one or two of my rules that I laid out in the previous and initial entry entitled: Rules, Tulips, Extravaganzas and More!. At this rate I won't become a respectable blogger with a following numbering in the thousands and the ability to purchase several Italian sports cars from ad revenue alone. Which, I should mention, is my ultimate goal with this blog. Nothing makes money faster than selling unnecessary e-books on how to make money.

All joking aside, it's obvious that there is something this blog lacks that is keeping it from attaining number one status. Content! If there is one thing that my years as a computer user/internet browsing expert has taught me is that if there is nothing to read a blog will inherently fail. Failure is not an option. Unless at some point in time failure becomes profitable. And then? Look out!

Again, jokes to the side. Seriously though, it's time to gird my loins and get down to work. No one wants to read a blog of which its main topic of discussion is how content is either non-existent, unprofitable or both! People want rich, in-depth information that appeals to them on a personal basis.

Which is where you people come in! I need to know what it is you want. I am open to anything. I'm nothing if not susceptible to suggestion. So suggest away and and if your suggestions are appealing and you're willing to sign a waiver which states you give up all rights to said suggestion to myself and any financial benefit thereof than... we're in business!

Seriously though, I place the jokes in extremely close proximity to the side. To any readers out there you have five (5) minutes from the time of the posting to give well thought-out, meaningful, mass-appealing suggestions for which I am to write about. After that time I'll take any inaction on your part as disinterest and will expect your prompt apologies.

Just joking.

Rules, Tulips, Extravaganzas and More!

As the very first entry on my blog which I've predictably titled "Jonathan Troke's Web Log Extravaganza" I've decided to provide some basic rules that I plan to follow when it comes to posting. I’ve numbered them for ease of reference and a small, pocket-sized edition will soon be available for order to those interested.

1. There will be no less then 40 entries per hour. That’s right. At the bare minimum you can expect a new post every 1 ½ minutes. This is incredible if I do say so myself. How do I intend to maintain that pace and still produce quality content? See number 2.

2. Do NOT expect quality content. I can’t stress that enough. If you’re here looking for some groundbreaking or insightful editorial than you’re in the wrong place. And don’t get me started on those people that say “But sentences need to be coherent to make sense!” I will be the judge of what is and what isn’t coherent on this blog, mister. Average tulips don’t iron on metabolism.

3. Each entry will consist of no less than 400,000 words. Think of your average fantasy novel and you’ll get the idea. How do I intend to create posts of that length and still remain within my admittedly excessive time restraints? See number 2.

4. Will I ever devote an entire entry to asking a ridiculously long question designed to end up with a platform that simply allows me to respond with a shallow answer for the sole purpose of making an eye-roll inducing point? Yes.

5. If I ever miss an expected entry I will voluntarily submit myself for suitable punishment. The punishment will be decided upon by at least 30,000 readers of this blog chaired by a member of the media. And by media I mean an anchor from CNN or something. They must meet near the oak tree at noon and are expected to agree upon and carry out the punishment within the hour. Failing to do this will be frowned upon and in the end… well, I’ll just never learn now will I?

6. Finally, when in doubt just refer to number 2. Actually, the more I think about it I just can’t see a better motto for this blog. Unless I receive a more appropriate suggestion by the end of the week then the slogan will be: “Refer to Number 2”

7. One more thing.. Squirrels? Yeah, why not.

That should do it. Remember, the lower your expectations are the better for everyone involved. You never know, perhaps I just might get away with breaking every single one of these rules on a daily basis and still have a readership. I know, unlikely, but we’ll see what happens.