Defining the Light and the Word

There is a certain calmness and assuredness that sweeps over man when He acknowledges the presence of God in his life. Today, I was touched to read Matthew chapters 11 and 12, and most specifically to share these words from Matthew chapter 11:

28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

In an earlier post from 2008, I spoke of the importance of challenging translations. Or at least seeking out varied translations to better inform one's understanding of the Bible. In these verses, it's worthy of noting the Contemporary English Version's use of footnotes to help define the word "yoke" as "a device put on the necks of animals, so they could pull a plow or wagon. A yoke was a symbol of obedience and hard work." For the longest time I used to think that "yoke" was "yolk" because as a child, I would often hear people say things like God is "breaking the yolk." That seemed to make sense since when you crack open an egg and pour into a bowl, the yolk often often remains intact. It takes a deliberate act to break the yolk. However, the word is "yoke," not "yolk."

With this newfound understanding, verse 29 has new meaning. Here, it seems God is saying to let go of the burdens of this world, and instead take upon the burdens of heaven or God. But of course, God is omnipotent, so whatever burden God carries is light like a feather. That's one way to look at it. The other way is to say that we should let go of the burdens of the world (again) and instead accept those burdens that God chooses to give us. Note that God does not say that things would be carefree, but that they would be easy compared to what we endure now.

Danica Patrick in the News

Here's an interesting story from Yahoo! sports about Nascar winner Danica Patrick, the first female winner of an IndyCar race.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=ap-danicapatrick-speeding&prov=ap&type=lgns

Freakonomics, A Book Review

The basic premise of Freakonomics is that everything that happens leads to something else, or that one thing leads to another. It's a book about cause and effect from a social perspective. With this view, the author challenges our assumptions about the way things are or the way we actually perceive them to be. The book is written with a lighthearted tone, making its subjects and case studies seem more like fodder for a cocktail party than as questions for research. Such treatment makes Freakonomics accessible for a broader audience of readers, especially those who might not otherwise venture into learning about such a field. And what is that field exactly? The "freakier," less mathematical side of economics.

For all its great writing and its rather daring subjects, the book and the cause-and-effect relationshps the authors propose are a bit of a stretch. Abortion is heralded as being responsible for the dramatic dip in crime across America in the 1990's. It is supposed that abortion was responsible for ridding the nation of the young, lower income, less well-educated individuals who would no doubt have been responsible for perpetuating crime had they been born. Yet the author fails to account for the drop in deviance levels from other segments of the population that were around. The book makes arguments like this and others without also giving attention to plausible alternatives.

Another case in point is the authors' assumption that young people want to be dealers of narcotics because it is flashy and cool in spite of the risks and low pay associated with it. They compare it to the way a young person would want to enter a glamourous low-paying profession like publishing to have a one-in-a-million shot at becoming a super high-paid executive. (See my review for The Devil Wears Prada.) That the authors compare an industry of entertainment to the selling of narcotics is laughable, but then to also say that young people become sellers of narcotics because they want to seems even more absurd. The author points out that the sellers of narcotics in his book earn as little as $3 a day, much less than minimum wage.

It would seem to reason that a person interested in making money would try to find a job that paid more. In the face of minimum wage, selling narcotics isn't even an option ... unless you have no other place to find a job. In areas suffering from the proliferation of the trade of narcotics, one key issue in whether people decide to sell narcotics is their options for finding an honest job. How many corporations house their offices in the ghetto? How many people patron businesses housed in ghettos over those they find in a mall? How many malls are in the ghetto? And even if a person were to find a job outside the ghetto, how much more of a burden would it be to find transportation to that job, an additional cost, especially if that person is already working to earn extra money and the only ride that person has is the bus. Now, if that person is a child or a teen, the time that child spends traveling to and from that honest job miles away from his or her home then takes time away from studying. For adults, it takes time away from parenting. It takes time away from learning skills for a better job. Given the choice, thinking in real economical terms of opportunity cost and benefit, the reason people choose to sell narcotics is clear. It has nothing, or at least very little, to do with being cool.

Freakonomics is not a rigorous book. That is its major flaw. It attempts to explain some of our generation's most challenging questions, but it offers only simplified answers. The onus to dig deeper for the true causes of events falls on the reader, but the book does not actually encourage such thought. Nowhere do the authors even suggest that they could be wrong or that there could be other plausible reasons for various events. Such writing is the mark of poor scholarship and I do not recommend that it be read.

Resolving to Resolve

This year has been filled with challenges. Some of them great, some small. Some affecting communitities and nations. Some influencing only me. The most obvious challenges are the ones I've created: learning more about the world, saving money, losing weight, and, more recently, to read more books. The country has also been challenged with a new president, a new administration, and a new way of thinking about race. This upcoming year will also have its challenges. Many will be the same one's I've tried to battle in 2008.

Of all the challenges, I am finding my battle with weight the most difficult. I am not huge (yet), but I don't want to have to get there before I realize I have to stop gaining weight. Part of my challenge in learning about the world now must also encompass learning more about myself if I am to win. I must overcome my excuses for not exercising.

Centers like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and such are available, but at what cost? There is not only the financial investment, which is not an option given my financial goal, but there is also the investment of time and other resources. Are there free weight loss centers?

Miss Black Maryland 2009

Pageants and the people who win them are always interesting. Winners have been ridiculed often for participating in pageants because part of the qualification for winning is beauty. But winners also must show their knowledge of world events, community service, and education among other things. There is also a talent and evening wear competition. The talent portion seems important because it sends a message to other women that it's important to develop interests outside of oneself to become well-rounded. The evening wear portion is also important because it highlights our need to continually place an emphasis on the way we present ourselves before others. It's a crucial part of developing self esteem. The pageant also provides scholarship funds to the contestants, and who wouldn't be in favor of an organization that provides an honest way for women to pay for college.

Here's a great news segment about Elsie Owolo, Miss Black Maryland 2009. This link takes you to WJZ Channel 13. Miss Black Maryland 2009 is on segment 2.

I've also heard word about a new television series about pageant winners competing for the Miss America title. It will air on TLC at 10pm on Fridays all next month. Here is a link to the show.


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Fat Pockets follow up

Avidan, a follower of this blog, commented on yesterday's blog post with

I used to do the same thing with being thrifty because it seemed the reasonable thing to do, then I decided that I will save more money and calories if for example I buy one doughnut for $0.90 rather than a dozen for $4.00, which I ended up throwing out half of anyways.

I came across your blog from Shelfari and find your posts quite interesting :)

I have two comments on that, and the first is that I am pleasantly surprised that people are reading. There are millions of blogs to choose from, and to have a reader stumble upon mine and then find it interesting is definitely a compliment. Thanks again, Avidan. Stop by again soon.

Second, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one this frugality/diet conflict has happened to. I did not end up throwing the doughnuts away, however. I took two more for breakfast the next day and left the rest in the kitchen in the office. They were gone in less than 20 minutes.

Fat Pockets

I saved money today in three ways, though I'm still not sure how this will translate into extra savings each month. First, today I did a free museum visit for my entertainment. The original admission for the museum would have been about $8.00 or more. Second, rather order a full meal with at drink, I opted for an appetizer and water. If I'd ordered a soda ($3.00) and a full dinner -- with a difference of $4.00 between the appetizer and the meal -- I'd have spent an additional $7.00. In total, that's a whopping $15.00 I've saved today just by making smarter consumption choices.

I also wound up saving myself lots of empty calories. Of course, being thrifty can also add on the pounds. On the way home, I thought it would be better to buy a dozen doughnuts from the market for $4.00 instead of just one for about $0.90. It does make sense economically, but with another 11 doughnuts sitting around, it will be difficult not to overeat. I am tempted to just throw the remaining eight (I've 4already) into the trash, but that would be like wasting the same money I just saved earlier today. I think I will throw them away. I've just eaten another one.