kc bob: QUESTIONS

Showing posts with label QUESTIONS. Show all posts

What is "The Press"?

I exchanged a few ideas on this topic yesterday on Facebook. Here are my thoughts:

Defining a "legitimate" press organization these days is pretty much a matter of opinion. Does one really think that organizations that are more pundit than press are legit? For example, I love your blog but would not consider it an outlet of the press.
...
Guess I associate "the press" with journalism and journalists and not pundits.

Not saying that blogs and FB are not good sources of opinion but, I may be wrong, I don't see them as "the press". Yet I think that it is all covered under free speech.

So how would you answer the question? What do you think of as "The Press"?

WD-40, Rifles, Missiles, Carburetors and Bicycles

WD-40 Was Invented To Protect What?

Rifle Actions

Nuclear Missiles

Race Car Carburetors

Bicycle Chains

Click here to get the answer.

And let me know how you did. I got it wrong.

What does it mean to have eternity in your heart?

Ever think about the future? Ever wonder about what life will be like when we shed our mortal shell?
King Solomon, when he was old, thought about such things when he wrote Ecclesiastes. He wrote:

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV)

Interesting that, in context of eternity, Solomon says that He has made everything beautiful. That is good news because life before death is often not too pretty, much less beautiful. It is interesting that we all seem to be born with this concept of eternity but really cannot understand it, even at a superficial level, with our heads. I guess that is because we cannot grasp timelessness.

I know that I cannot imagine a place where there are no seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks or years. What I find interesting about this idea of eternity is that it is a concept of the heart not the head. It is a concept that confronts us at a heart level. It causes us to wonder at a gut level. Sad that many take eternity, try to discern it with their heads, and arrive at some strange places. Maybe this sort of cogitation is a way to handle an unanswerable question with a non-answer?

Let me wrap up with the titled question. What do do you think it means to have eternity in your heart?

Is Believing in God a Part of Human Nature?

Theologians have been trying to answer the questions around the origins of faith for thousands of years. A piece by CNN reports that a new study concludes that religious belief is an aspect of human nature. Here are a few clips from it:

Religion comes naturally, even instinctively, to human beings, a massive new study of cultures all around the world suggests.
...
Studies around the world came up with similar findings, including widespread belief in some kind of afterlife and an instinctive tendency to suggest that natural phenomena happen for a purpose.

"Children in particular found it very easy to think in religious ways," such as believing in God's omniscience, said Trigg. But adults also jumped first for explanations that implied an unseen agent at work in the world, the study found.
...
"If you've got something so deep-rooted in human nature, thwarting it is in some sense not enabling humans to fulfill their basic interests," Trigg said.

"There is quite a drive to think that religion is private," he said, arguing that such a belief is wrong. "It isn't just a quirky interest of a few, it's basic human nature."

"This shows that it's much more universal, prevalent, and deep-rooted. It's got to be reckoned with. You can't just pretend it isn't there," he said.

I expanded the word 'religion' to 'believing in God' in the title because it is a bit more specific. I think that many disagree with this study and would say that we are not born with the ability to believe in God. To atheists the idea that all have some kind of belief is a bit ludicrous. Yet there are religious people who believe that people are born without the ability to believe and God grants some the ability later in their lives.

I love these kinds of questions. It reminds me how early in my life I believed in God. Yet later in life I became a practical agnostic that embraced a sort of deism where I believed in a God who created the universe but was no longer involved in it. Thankfully, when I was 27, that agnostic belief turned into real faith. And I guess faith is the issue. Whether we are born with the ability to believe in God or not the real issue is what we do with that belief.

... originally posted on May 29, 2011.

... for more Best of Bob click here.

What is a Patriot?

I think that this quote from President Kennedy symbolizes what it means (to me) to be a patriot. Here is a comment that I recently left on the topic.

Patriotism is largely defined by sacrifice. Taxes in part can be a way that patriots sacrifice to help fellow citizens. Donating to charity can be another way.

Here are a few quotes about patriots and patriotism with my commentary.

There is much more to being a patriot and a citizen than reciting the pledge
or raising a flag. -Jesse Ventura

I am so tired of folks calling others patriots because of what they think rather than how they have served and sacrificed for our country.

A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works. -Bill Vaughan

This is funny but somewhat embraces the idea that we are accountable to each other.

The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree. -Thomas Campbell

The voluntary sacrificial service of non-career soldiers epitomizes the concept of patriotism.

These are just a few thoughts to get a dialog started. How do you define patriot?

Groundhog Day Q&A

To celebrate the day try answering these:

1) How many times have you seen it?
2) How many stars (out of 10) would you give it?
3) What is your favorite part of the movie?

My answers are in the comments.

... originally posted in 2010

Border Crossing Question

The Border With The Most Frequent Legal Crossings Per Year Is Between?

Click here to check your answer. And let me know how you did.

Theologian Quiz

Who had/has a theology that included these ideas:

Transubstantiation is a valid view of communion;
The bible contains errors;
It is okay for Christians to drink beer;
Purgatory and prayers for the dead;
Possibility of salvation after death.

Here are your choices:

John Calvin
N.T. Wright
Arminius
John Shelby Spong
C.S. Lewis
John Wesley
Martin Luther

Check here for the answer and let me know how you did.

What would you do if you could not fail?

Saw this question of Facebook. Here are a few answers folks shared:

You only fail if you stop trying.
Become an artist.
Find a cure for cancer.
Dance on Broadway.
Run a horse farm and train horses.
Help others to succeed.
Move to Fiji and open up a bakery.
Shoot an 18 on 18 holes of golf

I love the diversity represented in these comments! I think that the answers reflect our dreams and wishes.

A golfer wants to golf better.
An artist and a dancer want to fulfill creative dreams.
Some want to fulfill entrepreneurial aspirations.
A few do not want to answer preferring to give advise instead.
And some want to help others realize their dreams.

These answers really make me think! Before reading them, I think that I would have said something about healing diseases. In truth I want that because my wife has a disabling neurological disease. Now I am wondering if my answer should be a bit less narcissistic. How would you answer the question? Please let me know.

Quiz: Influential Figures in American History

The Atlantic asked 10 eminent historians who they felt were The 100 Most Influential Figures in American History.

Which one of these 10 Americans do you think did not make their list:

Bill Gates
Mark Twain
Babe Ruth
Steve Jobs
Brigham Young
P.T. Barnum
Robert E. Lee
Robert Oppenheimer
Lyndon B. Johnson
Eleanor Roosevelt

So what do you think? Who did not make the list? Take a shot at it and let me know your pick in the comments section.

Really Hot Junk Food

Which Popular Convenience Food Carries A Fire Hazard Warning?

Digiorno Pizzas
Lean Cuisine
Pop-Tarts
Hot Pockets

Think you know the answer? Click here to find out.

Should Love be Unconditional?

"Groundless hope, like unconditional love, is the only kind worth having." John Perry Barlow

Aaron Ben-Zeév begins his Psychology Today post, titled Should Love Be Unconditional?, with the above quote. It makes me think about the ways that I love. I sometimes think that love should be sacrificial but am reminded of how the focus is then on the one who sacrifices not on the unconditional aspect of love. An excerpt from what Ben-Zeév writes:

Ideal love is unconditional in the sense that it is unaffected by the conditions of reality-reality cannot change it. Accordingly, it disregards reality and considers love to be beyond the reach of mundane altering events. It is also unconditional in the sense of willingness to give everything to the beloved.
...
We should characterize unconditional love in more moderate terms, seeing it as referring to love that endures despite unfavorable circumstances. In characterizing it thus, we do not require such love to totally disregard external circumstance, but rather to involve awareness of unfavorable circumstances as well as a profound wish and intention to prolong this love-sometimes, without even fully implementing it. In this concept of love, the lover does not disregard reality, but merely regards it as an obstacle to overcome or to bypass, or even one on which a compromise must be found. There is no ignorance here, merely an evaluative faith and the hope of overcoming such obstacles.

I like the connection he makes to reality. Unconditional love is not an ignorant love. It is not a love that enables bad behavior. It is, as a wise pastor once said, an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person. It is a love that sees no one as an enemy. It is a love that sees the best in others. It is a love that unifies. It is a love that never fails.

This is not a way of life at all ...

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete highway. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.

... taken from a speech by President Eisenhower to the American Society of Newspaper Editors in April 1953

Anyone surprised that this biker was stereotyped?

"To the family in the red SUV at Tim Horton’s today.

Yes I am a big 280 lbs guy with motorcycles and a full of tattoos, I am a welder, I am loud, I drink beer, I swear and I look like I would eat your soul if you stare at me wrong.

What you don’t know is that I have been happily married for 11 years, my kids call me daddy, I am a college graduate, my mother is proud of me and tells everyone how lucky she is to have such a wonderful son, my nieces and nephews are always happy to see there m’nonci Luc, when my daughter broke her arm I cried more than she did. I read books, I help people, I go out of my way to thank war veterans and I even cried at Armageddon…

So next time I smile and say hi to your little girl and you grab her and tell her “No no dear we don’t talk to dirty bikers” remember that even tho you hurt my feelings this “dirty biker” would be the first person to run into your burning house to save your little girls gold fish so she wouldn’t be sad!!!!"

Can you love and not like?

A few weeks ago I heard someone say about another person "I love them but I do not like them!"
I literally laughed out loud. What an absurd thought. I tried to clarify by asking if they meant to say that they loved them but did not like what that person did or is doing. No, they meant what they said and felt that it was perfectly logical to say that you love someone but do not like them. My reaction is that I really do not see much difference between loving and liking a person. And in a very real sense it is more important to like the person than it is to love them. Because it you like them, even though they may do things that you do not like, you will hang around them more and, perhaps, find a way to love them. In contrast, if you are focused on their behavior or their appearance (which you do not like) you will probably never really develop a relationship with them where you will have a chance to know them. And I think that it is healthier to admit that we do not love a person that to hide behind the "love but not like" cliché. Then we can come to grips with the things that keep us from loving.

Contentment Quiz

"Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody." -Benjamin Franklin

Had an online dialog a few weeks ago with a guy about what it means to be content with suffering. Though he leads a large number of people he just did not seem to "get it" as he spoke of a person who is fighting back and was overcoming their adversity. So I thought of a few questions about being content. Would you be content to:

be stuck in traffic for a long time with no chance to get off?
live in poverty with no hope of a better future for your kids?
only eat food that you do not like while you desire other food?
drive a car that is need of repair and constantly breaks down?
be imprisoned for life for a crime that you did not commit?

I think that these questions might give you a sense of what it means to be content with suffering. In my view contentment involves a surrender of control. It means accepting life as it is but not giving up on your dreams. And sometimes it means dreaming new dreams. What do you think of when you hear the word contentment?

Star Wars Mogul

Which Star Wars Actor Became Enormously Wealthy Off The Film’s Royalties?

        •  Harrison Ford

        •  Alec Guinness

        •  James Earl Jones

        •  Mark Hamill

The answer is supplied to us by the How-to-Geek here. Let me know how you did.

Will people remember 9/11 in 2101?

Kudos to the Newseum for producing this great front page from 100 years ago. My wife, her sister and niece took in the Titanic Exhibition at Union Station last year and spent hours viewing the seemingly ancient artifacts. She reports that there was silk and even papers that survived the salt water for so many years. Hard to believe that we are still talking about it today like it just happened. Of course the Titanic movie might be helping to keep the memory fresh.

I wonder if folks will be talking about the 9/11/2001 terrorist acts in 100 years? Not many younger folks remember the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese any more. I wonder how many will remember 9/11 if peace progress is made with the Muslim / Arab peoples? These days we seem to have a great relationship with Japan. What do you think?

Tesla Invention Quiz

Today is the 157th anniversary of the birth of inventor Nikola Tesla.

Which of these were not invented by him?

Robotics
Remote Control
Refrigeration
Electric Motors
Radio
Neon Lights
X-Rays
Lasers

Check your ~~guesses~~ answers here and let me know how you did. ツ

The First Rerun Quiz

What was the first TV show to be rerun?

    1) I Love Lucy
    2) Star Trek
    3) Leave It To Beaver
    4) Family Feud

Think you know the answer? The How-to-Geek has the answer!

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