Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Ideas

3 Bad things about me

1. I am very touch oriented. When I speak to people, I like to be close to them and put my hand on their arm or shoulder. This makes people feel uncomfortable many times.
2. I am very easily distracted. This hinders me from learning when I am distracted from studying, it also keeps me from developing close friendships because I am too distracted by new people to meet, and it keeps me from growing stronger in faith when I am distracted by things outside of my values.
3. I am quite vain. I've posted before that I do realize I am beautiful and well liked, sometimes I show it and I shouldn't.

3 Good things about me

1. I smile a lot. I am a very joyful person.
2. I really value friendship. When I can conjure enough patience to culture a true friendship, that relationship means everything to me.
3. I like to think.

This last point brings me to something that I've noticed lately. While culturing a friendship with Unconventional Boy, we love to discuss things. Theology, politics, ideas, tattoos... Everything. He always seems amazed at what I say which always surprises me. Some of what I say is slightly outlandish. "I love your ideas." he's told me many times, "Never stop sharing them with me."

I'm not an expert on anything. I never got good grades in school. I'm no Super-Christian who knows everything about God. But I like to talk about it. Unconventional Boy has been through four years of Bible college and he says I amaze him with my insight. I presented a theory at lunch yesterday and another friend who is a teacher of Hebrew working on his doctorate turned to Unconventional Boy and stated, "Every time this girl opens her mouth, wisdom pours out."

I have never gotten this before. No one has ever really appreciated my ideas. In highschool I used to debate with the teacher and a few classmates about political and economical issues. There were a few reasons for this 1) the more I argued the more class time I took up and the less we had to actually accomplish 2)I was the only democrat in the class, I had to take a stand on something 3) everyone else thought in a box. Dare I say, usually no one took my strange ideas seriously and I often just shrugged them off as impractical.

Unconventional and I had a serious discussion about a relevant issue the other day. We ended on a philosophical high and, when a similar topic came up the following afternoon with a different group, I presented the same points I had with Unconventional. A few of them laughed at me. What I had suggested was not impossible, simply unheard of.

The questions I raise are these: Why were my ideas laughed at when they were not impossible? Why are we as Christians, as Americans, as human beings so defined by convention? Why have my ideas never been valued? And why do Unconventional Boy and our small group of curly haired college senior friends see what others do not?

V for Vendetta is probable my favorite movie in existence. It is so symbolic. An idea cannot be killed, it cannot be kissed, you cannot hang onto an idea, or love an idea, or stop an idea.

Life is defined by ideas.

5 comments:

  1. very nice blog there and thanks for your answers on my tagging.
    I am curious though - what was your idea that you discussed with unconventional boy who's been studying the Bible for 4 years? (I didn't even realize one could do that)

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  2. I've always liked your ideas. you were the one who always thought of the best ways to build snow forts. You were always way ahead of me in that game--but you've found a boy who loves your ideas and thinks you're a genius. haha. is he cute?

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  3. wow, 4 more years to get a phd in bible study? Is this the training priests undergo or does he do this for the sheer love of it? I have to say he sounds quite interesting!
    Ok so basically the idea is that he was distinguishing their characters by favoritizing them? (im not even sure if that's a word)
    Unconventional boy sounds quite nice for you! :)

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  4. ok what does the hebrew on your arm say and he's going to be a pastor? He sounsd very determined!
    How is best friend at home, you still talk to him regularly?

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  5. Happy Friday to you Kitey Kite! :)

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