he who hesitates are you still waiting

And I ask myself, why do I care about other people and what they might be going through? Am I oppressing or elevating another? Initially, my actions were because Jesus said,

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. Matthew 25:45

But even in my system of beliefs, where Jesus is part of the omnipotent, omniscient Godhead / Trinity, it is not enough for me to adhere to Jesus’ words just because he spoke them. That would be mindless. I should adhere to his words because they are right and the right thing to do. Of course, it takes time, but with time and effort your character is developed into one that does the right things.

My Atheists friends can say, we treat people with respect, we hold life in high regard, and we want people to be happy and confident. We do all the things that you say you do. We do the right things because they are right. And I wouldn’t disagree with them.

And the recurring theme should begin to show itself. Hopefully the Christian does what is right because it is right, but beyond that… to praise and elevate God. The Atheist seeks to elevate humanity. The evidence is the same, but the motives and interpretation of the evidence is radically different.

he who hesitates is still waiting

Under normal circumstances, what do I gain by moving through the intersection amongst the indecisiveness and in essence out of turn? About the only thing positive that I can come up with is that I made a decision and I followed through on it. But even the positive seems to be tarnished by a lead, follow, or get out of the way bravado. As well, the rest of my gains seem rather demoting to the other driver.

• I went, they had to wait
• if you don’t drive aggressively enough, I will drive right around you
• when you deal with me, you will be submissive

Which leads to the next question.

Under normal circumstances, what do I miss out on by moving through the intersection amongst the indecisiveness and in essence out of turn? The missed opportunities far out weight the gains.

• the opportunity to extend courtesy
• the opportunity to elevate another
• the opportunity to smile and laugh at each other and yourself
• an extra couple of seconds to change your radio station

Of course both lists can go on pending on how far you are willing to explore the moment.

No matter what you choose, you will be affecting a future you, and at the least the present other driver. The choice is yours; you can lift them up or push them down. The affects of which can cascade for a very long time. The movies ‘pay it forward’ and ‘crash’ deal with this theme. A pattern of doing either shapes your character and affects theirs.

he who hesitates waits

And now for some reason the other driver has forgotten all right-of-way laws and stares at me like a deer caught in daylight running lamps, questioning whose to continue through the intersection. I wave them through, they wave me through, and we both move and stop. It really doesn’t matter how romantic you are, it can lead to frustration. Someone has to make a decision and follow through. In most cases, I end up going - and getting on with life. The interlude is over. This leads me to the following conclusion:

He who hesitates, waits.

Honestly, I kind of enjoy the interaction. The paths of two individuals have crossed in a very obtrusive way. We must negotiate with a fairly limited, yet significant vocabulary. Had they known the law, or perhaps had I driven in a less aggressive manner the interaction would have never taken place.

This event is far more enjoyable when we are pedestrians walking down a corridor and we momentarily dance together, unrehearsed, unchoreographed. We generally smile and giggle, and hopefully blush. It’s an odd intimacy. Not quite ‘Lady and the Tramp’ slurping on the same spaghetti noodle intimacy, but you know what I mean.

He who hesitates

Arriving at a stop sign simultaneously with a car adjacent and to either side of me has generated a simple conclusion. The drivers manual from the state which I reside says,

At a 4-way stop, the driver reaching the intersection first, goes first (after coming to a complete stop). If more than one vehicle arrives at the same time, the vehicle on the right goes first.

In the event of simultaneous arrival, with me being in the left hand position; maybe it's caution; usually I think its ignorance, and say so with different words; the inevitable stuttering start and stop routine ensues. Just before frustrations hits, the voice that loves romance or perhaps surrealism comes striding in to remind me that I love people and this is another opportunity for interaction.

The car on the right starts its move through the intersection; knowing I have plenty of room, I begin to move through the intersection. The other driver, thinking that I am going to broadside them stops. This means, if I don’t stop, I will broadside them.

the beginning

As an avid consumer of Reddit, it's become apparent that its contributors as a whole are at the least, left leaning. Sure there are plenty of exciting technological, cultural, scientific, and comedic posts. However, I have yet to see a post that supported the Bush administration or Christianity. This is not a complaint merely an observation.

I am a Christian, and reading a large quantity of the articles posted at Reddit has brought to light many strengths of my faith. But... it has also made me question my faith, in particular, how it looks to the non-believer.

One other important observation. Most the articles that I read there are voiced in a way that state as a matter of fact that God does not exist. The more that I am exposed to that type of thinking, the more acceptable it becomes to me. And the converse is true. The more I consume articles of faith, the more that I believe them to be true.

The more I travel certain neural pathways, the easier they are to travel again. It really shouldn't be an epiphany. It's simply garbage in garbage out.

This blog isn't about Reddit. It might be about those who believe, those who don't, and all those in between. I am not sure what it should be. I just want to explore some ideas. In the most dramatic terms, there is a war of perception that is taking place to capture the minds of the undecided and the under committed.

Both sides have the same evidence (the universe and its inherent laws), the same means, or media for evangelizing. And yet the interpretations and motives for them are so radically different.

I have participated in hours of discussion with non/believer alike. Many poignant points have been made, and tragically forgotten. Maybe this blog, which is so 2004, can help. I see how it might become consuming. Enjoy, and God Bless.