[[How has been]]

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

[[The justice of emergency spendings (A BRIEF THEOLOGY OF MONEY?)]]

Initially this post was gonna be about how bailouts of companies suck donkeyballs and how they are unjust and all that shizzle. How the taxpayers are subsidising the rich, basically a transfer of wealth from everyone (kinda) to the rich (shareholders and executives that profit the most during the good times). But decided yknow, nvm. Anyway here's this article that covers most of it. https://medium.com/incerto/corporate-socialism-the-government-is-bailing-out-investors-managers-not-you-3b31a67bff4a

Then the question was given these things are happening right, what is the best option. Obviously given that me (we) are of sufficient means, we can hop on the bandwagon right. For instance, aggressively buy a stock to profit from the times and let the govt/everyone else pick up the tab when things go bad. Wouldn't it be stupid if you know that it is a surefire way to earn money to not do it? Wouldn't this be at least a way of "stewarding" it well, at least for the short term?

Then this links toe conversation I had with boon who said something about the justice of buying reits or whatnot. Basically the ethics of profiting of something unjust -> are you complicit in the injustice?

But if not, how better to act?

I think there are 3 classick Christian viewpoints here.

1. Robin Hood - O yaz i gonna b rich by whatever means possible (ok maybe not the worst of the worst, but not everything is wrong wrong right??). And i am so gudddd that im gonna give to the poor after i become rich (and/or whatever other causes say missions). So i be 1 man wealth transfer pump. Because all other people dont have this ability to b rich and maintain a moral compass but I can. Be the bill gates look at what he did for the people in india and africa and aids and whatnot. plus i look cool too when i rich and give away hugeass sums of money.

Justifications -
i. The ways of earning money is there bro. You dont do it other people will do it. You dont buy the reits and earn 10% dividends per year other people gonna gobble dat shit up man. And they only interested in build big house. I gonna give away youknow. One day la, when i build big enough bankroll coz u need MoNeY tO EarN MoNEy. Better a good guy with the money than a bad guy with the money right.
ii. Can make the biggest amount of change amirite. Did u see how dis guy lifted a wholeeee village out of poverty just by dropping say 5k per person? And like somethings need CAPITAL OUTLAY BRUH. u got read economics anot. ECONOMITISCISTS. How to do R&D without a couple million dollars to cure cancer or aids bruhhh.
iii. We cannot stand by and do nothing right. we can be more shrewd than the other shrewd people but we r the gud shrewd people. WE TAKE THIS INJUSTICES SEERIOUSLY. AND DO MY BEST 4 JESUS.

Deficiencies -
A. All about you bruh. Dis one all about you. You think u so gudddd. And lets say you succeed, it is gonna be all about you and what you think is important bruh. Actually all the rich people right now also doing what they think is important luh. Though u haz better morals apparently which goes to next point.
B. Basically saying u r the uncorruptable by riches (and the way in which you get it). O YAZ when i get rich i will still live within my means and whatnot. o boi o boi.
C. Never think of the harm u mite cause, maybe indirectly thru you amassing wealth. Unless u r american republican Christian like greg, oho pie get bigger i just get part of the bigger pie and just oblivious to the fact that your riches is built on many other people's labours or inability to profit. do u really think the work u do is worth so much? hu do u think u r? (ok la you probably smarter than 95% of population and richerer so u got the means to b rich luh. So?)
D. I think most importantly this one shares the assumption that money is the most important thing. So basically money very important so needa redistribute it. Not entirely wrong... but u think u r gaming the system to subvert the system. But does that work bcoz the gamers of the system r generally what makes the system work. Maybe you are a trying to be the best pump to pump the Mediterranean sea into the Atlantic ocean but u run on the elektricity generated by inflow of water thru the gibraltar strait.

2. Mister Good Christian Boi - I am good Christian boi. I don't do immoral things. I do my good christian boi work in the public or civil service or whatever safe ass job like an engineer or doctor or teacher. Not lawyers tho, lawyer no morals. I pay my tithes. Gib to charity likka gud boi. Raise a family build a nice Christian household.

Justifications:
i. see no evil do no evil
ii. at least it is honest work. is hard work ok!! u think ____ very easy ah?
iii. I understand I cannot change the world.i play my part. i know i only pick starfish but at least i save 1 starfish per year yknow. Better than 0.
iv. I in the world not of the world okayyyyyyyyyyy. the one on top totally in and of the one below not in not of.

Deficiencies:
A. Not actually looking to make any sort of big change. Basically injustice is unchallenged, just avoided. So passive bruhhhhhh. U can avoid these not everyone can avoid this leh. U think become engineer doctor teacher very easy ah. If everyone can have a reasonably comfortable job then no injustice lo. Absence of evil is not presence of good leh.
B. Seems quite/very self serving -> comfort first then yknow, would be nice to do some Christian things. Not really at the frontmost. U juz wanna live your own life right, tho of course u wanna be gud also luh.
C. Might be actually profiting from the unjust system quite handsomely even though u r in a supposed "good"sector.

3. Radikal Activist - I go to usa become radicalised. Now i am prophetic word against all dis nubs. Dey not as daring as me to b poor. I will B THE POOR and talk to the poor instead of just talking about the poor. I subvert the system yo!! B like Jesus and sit with sinners.

Justifications:
i. I AM outside the unjust system, dont profit from it so i can criticise it and work against it.
ii. I can influence other people to take this whole thing seriously bcos i different and special.
iii. USE MY PRIVILEGE TO GIVE IT UP 4 JEZUS
iv. I see money for what it is!!Money has no hold on mi.

Deficiencies:
A. Uhhhh unless you farm your own food (oops, get land how), if you take money from all the good Christian bois and they profit from the system, actually u also cannot say u don't need the system.
B. Might b seriously overestimating the impact or importance of the poor no longer being poor.
C. Bruh nobody listening 2 u bruh. dey not as privileged as u 2 do all dis shit, think u just detached from reality.

Okok. Enough of that. If you haven't noticed, I think I see bits of me in each of the characters lol.

I think generally tho, the question is how much can individuals/church change social structures (for the good)? - well, broad social justice qn, can discuss forever.

But other than that, there is the point that money is not yours but a gift from God, as is all private property. God is sovereign over all structures, however entrenched. God cares most deeply about injustice.

What implications tho. Of course it is very importantly about the heart but how it look like?

[[I wrote this at]]*|11:39 PM|

Sunday, March 22, 2020

[[On forgetting]]

Thinking about forgetting is so interesting. Especially from a Christian perspective.

Let's perhaps just define, for the philosophers, forgetting as not remembering what one could have.

I wonder whether forgetting is inbuilt into humanity. Is forgetting culpable? Is forgetting natural?

In secular law, I would think the defence that I had dementia, I forgot such and such and hence I committed a crime would be a reasonable defence.

Let's look at original sin. Is there an element of forgetting there? Is it wide-eyed, intentional sin?

Maybe there are two things here. One is forgetting the commandment not to eat the forbidden fruit - I would answer that Adam and Eve clearly did not forget this. The other one is forgetting the severity of sin, of dying, of separation from God, or at the very least, it not being at the forefront in consideration?

Because it seems to me they did not think about it as do I want to die or do I want to live. Even though that is what logically would have been entailed with them remembering the covenant, and remembering God's character and so on and so forth. So somewhere along the line, I shall contend, the lie displaced truth and Adam and Eve forgot truth. Presumably if they had remembered they would not have sinned (maybe this assumption is wrong).

Perhaps then it will be helpful to define the first as some sort of strong forgetting and the second as weak forgetting. Where in strong forgetting you forget the explicit propositional truths, while in the weak, perhaps you did not trace out these propositional truths that you hold to the extent that they would have changed a certain decision because of forgetfulness (I won't quibble if you want to find another term for this actually.

When God, throughout the old testament calls the Israelites to remember that he brought them out of Egypt, what sort of forgetfulness do you think he is cautioning against? And the whole lot about memorising the law and covenants and sending Judges and prophets to remind the people. A lot about remembering what God has done. To remember and to trust that the past is a indicator of the character God and hence how to act in the present and the future. And Jesus being the culmination of all that.

And after Jesus rose again, Paul has many exhortations to remember the gospel.

I wonder what is the link between (weak) forgetting and taking your eyes off a truth.

I wonder then, whether then, much of sin is due to forgetting. I wonder whether we will forget anything in eternity. I wonder whether the devil never forgets in the strong sense, but deliberately forgets in the weak sense.

Forgetting in the strong sense is rare. It is rare for a child, or lets say me, to explicitly say I love something is more important than God. It is like how when we were young, I always remember ranking who I love most 1. God 2. (whichever parent was treating me better at the time) 3. (the other parent) so on and so forth. As a kid you say that, and you will likely remember to say that at anytime you are asked the question of who do you love most. But the story that my life tells is quite different ain't it.

And especially so for I believe, if in every case of an action of mine which I sin, intentionally or unintentionally, I forget, at least at that moment.

But if forgetting is causal to sin and sin is culpable, forgetting cannot be exonerating or a justification against the culpability of sin right?

And all those exhortations to remember. I suppose thats part of being historical. Things have happened in the past and I don't have the perspective to span across time to experience everything all at once. I need my memory to bridge it.

But my memory is far from perfect - is it a human thing? What about the article I read about how memories are but imperfect copies of the real thing. I can put in effort to remember. The Israelites put in great effort to remember in copying the scrolls faithfully and reading them everyday.

I dunno man, the fact that you have to put in effort to remember - and yet, to what degree? Such a big thing to wrap my head around. Maybe the whole idea that we can make moral decisions as an independent actor- with almost perfect information is problematic. Maybe the making the wrong decision to sin extends backwards (in some sort of causal chain) to one not putting in enough effort to remember.

Or maybe forgetting sounds too neutral. Maybe we chose to forget, to trade truth for a lie. And the effort expended into remembering is to actively trade lies for truth. It is so much effort though. It is so easy to forget the past. To forget God's goodness to me. My past promises. The times I had with friends. God does not forget. Yet we in his image do?

Or maybe everyone has the ability to remember everything only lacking the will and maybe the Holy Spirit to remember? That could maybe link to some cases of hyperthymesia.

I dunno man, I wanna remember the right things. I wanna not weak-forget. I wonder whether earthly Jesus can weak forget. I wonder if this is just barking up the wrong tree.

I think memory is fascinating and has much to be explored.

[[I wrote this at]]*|11:50 PM|

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

[[On chilling]]

Someone said I am "no chill" with how I ask people out to meet. Which I found it so interesting.

I suppose I am quite hyper-intentional about asking people out and meeting people, especially people whom I value and deem to be worth meeting. It seems to me that who you meet and talk to and such are so important for your own life as well as some other Christian considerations about encouraging each other and basically enjoying another's company as well as sharing about Jesus.

Anyway. I'm quite happy to say I am "no chill" in picking people to meet as well as meeting intentionally. Actually most of my life is "no chill". In things that I seem "chill", they are actually in a "no chill" way deemed to be unimportant and hence "chill-able".

But isn't it so funny, the term "no chill". Like it is supposed to be a bad thing. Maybe this is a paradigm/value difference but I am quite happy to be intentional rather than just letting the circumstances and the majority think for me. Like since when is passivity supposed to be celebrated and good? I take life very seriously. Don't wanna waste my life.

I suppose for some, at the end if you say "I lead a chill life" that would be good enough. But lol it seems to me to be so misguided. But to be honest, very few people lead a totally "chill" life. They are just intentional / give priority to different things.

I would love to tell people they are "no chill" in thinking about what other people think about them, in choosing what to wear, in deciding what sorts of things to buy. Or how to leave a good first impression. Or what to name their dog. Or horoscopes. Or earning money. Or saving money. Or making grand romantic gestures.Or picking photos to post online. Or what to eat.

In other words, I'm quite happy with my current priorities and/or "chillness". I think more people should be chill about the things I'm chill about and less chill about the things I am less chill about. After all, I non-chill-ed-ly thought about it.

But it is chilling how deep the divide in these values lie.

[[I wrote this at]]*|11:41 PM|

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

[[]]

I overestimate other people's keenness to meet / interact with me.

And I think that above statement, in itself, is just tragic. Makes for a good one line story.

[[I wrote this at]]*|11:43 PM|