Living in a tension of truth and rightness...

So I was thinking this morning...

I was sitting in my car at the top of mt Eden and there was this little old chinese lady with one of those awesome sun hats walking round giving out fallun dafa pamphlets and the old newspaper they hand out...

she came to my car window 2wice just to make sure that I was sure that I didn't want one... and then once again when I was wandering aimlessly around the mountain...

I said to myself how does this persistant lady think that she has the right to approach me and then attempt to force her beliefs dowm my throat unaware that I hold and value my own beliefs...

i felt revenge dwelling inside of me as I pictured me forcing a physical bible down her throat... (probablly a pocket sized cos any bigger would be nasty)!

But then i thought we live in this post-modern world where everyone thinks that they are right and as much as we get frustrated when other people attempt to inflict their beliefs on us we are reasonably open to everyone believing their truth. All truth becoming relative to each person...

Which I think seems openly fair and reasonably settling... it provides us with an everyone wins situation! But no no no my truth is THE TRUTH isnt is???

Living in this tension... ooooooooooooooo!

The News...

Recently ive become a bit of a news junkie! I dont watch the six o clock and to be honest i dont think i ever could or at least not consistantly! But I have developed a fascination for http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ and http://www.stuff.co.nz/ (the later in recent days has perhaps moved into the realms of a trashier yet more sophisticated publication consisting light hearted opinions of what you could percieve as news - mere opinion) but i find myself several times a day logging on to get my latest fix of juicy bulletins.

Someone suggested the idea of taking a news break... so often we consume news with such an apathetic approach we hear, see, hear some more, read and it all becomes one big story of nothingness... its almost as if I become immune to the effect that news is meant to have on me...

which got me thinking... what is the point of news? the point of knowing things, the point of keeping up to date with current affairs? Other then the ability to smoke a pub quiz current events round... people watch, listen to or read the news to stay informed, to form an opinion, but the idea of News for Entertainment... What?

Is this a new idea? in the 18th Century did people scour the tabloids for amusment? In the 80s was the attitude the same as today... I think it could be a reflection on our communication technology. The accesibility we have to media sources as well as the accesibility we now have to the world!

So I heard this story about a lady who couldnt hear needs in the news without doing something. She was devistated when people were hungry, homless, sick, stranded, abandoned, she couldnt hear stories of injustice and poverty without acting herself and doing all she could to make the situation better... she began telling people dont tell me about it cos im gunna have to fight for it!

Amazing story! and such an inspiration! Got me thinking what the world would be like if we responded to the needs we saw, heard or read about in the news... what transformations would we see?

So an idea I came up with... when watching, hearing or reading the news why not pray...
pray for restoration, for healing, for justice and mercy for compassion and love and for peace and joy! In situations where the darkness is real and the cry is unrelenting.