When I Die : Part 2

169. Despite these miseries, man wishes to be happy, and only wishes to be happy, and cannot wish not to be so. But how will he set about it? To be happy he would have to make himself immortal; but, not being able to do so, it has occurred to him to prevent himself from thinking of death.  - Pascal

Death is not a welcoming conversation topic. Many of us boast of a mostly casual relationship with death, even though deaths happen everyday. There is a steady stream of the departed. This can be proven by just watching the local news. But we have just been mostly carrying on. I have been recently reading Pascal's Pensees. Pascal rightly notes that death is the ultimate universal no one can deny, but many run away from in the form of pleasurable distractions.

Luther and the Love of God

Since it is Dr. Martin Luther's birthday today, and because my book review is still on draft mode, I will have to settle with a quote from the Doktor himself (the photo above) and Dr. Trueman (explaining said quote):

"Thus, divine love, by contrast, is not reactive but creative: God does not find that which is lovely and then move out in love toward it; something is made lovely by the fact that God first sets his love upon it. He does not look at sinful human beings and see among the mass of people some who are intrinsically more righteous or holy than others and thus find himself attracted to them. Rather, the lesson of the cross is that God chooses that which is unlovely and repulsive, unrighteous and with no redeeming quality, and lavishes his saving love in Christ upon it."

- Carl Trueman, Cross and Freedom: Luther on the Christian Life

Tadhana?: Reflection on Heneral Luna

I tried to remember the last time I both enjoyed a movie yet feel terrible after. Let me explain below.

I'm not a film critic. The last review I made for a film was during my dearly-departed undergraduate years. I do enjoy the technical aspects of a film: the aesthetics (cinematography/photography), the pace, the score... but without thinking much about it. I'm more inclined to view the whole as a package, because... Here's a confession: I watch movies for recreation. I rather not overthink things. But more often than not, I believe movies ought to do more: they should make the audience think. There's something more to moving pictures.

I'm glad that I got to watch Jerrold Tarog's Heneral Luna. Social media was filled with praise for the film. In case the reader is averse to local films, this is a welcome disappointment to the usual gibberish that is mainstream Philippine cinema. Against the backdrop of the usual romance-drama-comedy and blockbusters, there is actual artistic and creative talent in this film. I am happily surprised that it is enjoying an extended run, being a historical piece.

Pasensya pala, nag-i-Ingles ako sa sarili kong bayan.

Discipline

I found myself grovelling on top of a wet exercise mat in front R.O.X. in Bonifacio Global City, as the rain continues to pour. It's Thursday, the second day of training camp hosted by a renowned running coach. I signed up to get proper physical training. I knew I need this jumpstart to fitness.

I could vaguely hear the pep talk. Finish strong! or so I'm inclined to hear. I can hardly push myself back up. This last routine in the circuit, aptly called "suicide planks", has exhausted every breath and effort. Every muscle that is supposed to hurt throb sharply. The only comfort to this day is the cold rain performing a massage on my whole body as I lay tired and wasted. I will later bike home, struggling to put kilometer after kilometer. My body will ache for two days. I will find myself doing the same next week, hoping that I am a little stronger, more willing to endure. I know what this is for.

Librarian State of Mind

Conversing with friends and colleagues about reading for the past weeks has livened up strong desires to encourage more people to read, give the appropriate materials to read and so on. I am in a librarian state of mind. There are also visions of book clubs and the somewhat disturbing live-action roleplaying of famed characters from prominent literature. Those might be dated antics or gimmicks, but I am willing to let anything slide just to promote reading/learning.

Escape from Reason

I read an interestingly small volume entitled "Escape from Reason", written by Francis Schaeffer. Schaeffer was a pastor and a renowned theologian of the 20th century. Among his many contributions was the foundation of the L'Abri as a venue for those who are seeking answers to their honest questions. His commitment to historic Christianity and his compassion to his modernist contemporaries led him to write numerous volumes aimed to answer the questions of his age in a distinctively Christian paradigm.

Why is it interesting despite its mere 125 pages? This book was a clear reminder to not let the size of the book fool us for the weight of its content. A confession: I sloughed through this book. Also, this book is the second part of a trilogy consisting of "The God Who is There" (part 1) and "He is There and He is Not Silent" (part 2).

A Lesson in Irony

Irony*
(noun)

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect: Don't go overboard with the gratitude,’ he rejoined with heavy irony.

• a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often wryly amusing as a result: the irony is that I thought he could help me
• (also dramatic or tragic irony) a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions is clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character

* Taken from the Oxford Dictionary of English