Friday February 15 @ The Echo in Los Angeles
I saw St. Vincent in concert with Mel. Great Show. Annie Clark is an amazing guitarist, vocalist and lyricist. I was blown away by the creativity in her music, which I think can only be fully appreciated when experienced live. Talented and beautiful. I hate her. Just kidding.
Thursday, May 1-Monday, May 5 in New York City, New York
I spent six days in a hostel in NYC with a friend. We ate the best pizza ever and saw Fuerzabruta. Thinking about this trip reminds me of how fortunate I am to have this person in my life. He's solid and genuine--qualities not so easily found.
Wednesday, August 20 @ a studio in Culver City
I auditioned for the game show, "Deal or No Deal." Because...why not? I met some fun people, got to talk about myself in front of an audience and pretended to win $500,000 in front of a camera. It was fun. They still haven't called me.
Sunday, October 19 @ Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, CA
I had a day retreat in a cemetery. It was peaceful and beautiful--some of the most moving pieces of art I've ever experienced are at Forest Lawn. The retreat ended with a really wonderful, encouraging prayer session with one of my closest friends at Fuller. We need to do this again, soon.
Friday, October 31 @ a Couple of Parties
September and October were especially rough months. Halloween was the perfect excuse for me to express my angst. And who doesn't love Margot Tenenbaum anyway, am I right?
Friday, November 21 @ Conrad's
Ann and I got to talking, and we ended up writing the outline of my dissertation question and method on a napkin, which I presented to Dr. Brown the next day, who gave me an enthusiastic go-ahead. He told me to start collecting data A.S.A.P. I reminded him I still needed to write my Master's Thesis. "Oh, yes. Of course," he replied.
Thursday, November 27 @ home in San Jose, CA
Thanksgiving. An incident occurred during which I was reminded that my brother and sisters have my back. Always. This meant a lot. Thanks guys.
Lots and Lots of Weddings
Joanne and Alex, March 8 in Alta Dena, CA
Rachel and Dave, April 19 in Palo Alto, CA
Kathy and Andrew, May 3 in New York City, NY
Garland and Cyntha, June 7 in Irvine, CA
Josh and Janelle, June 22 in Upland, CA
Joanne and Danny, June 28 in Studio City, CA
Benson and Audrey, August 23 in San Diego, CA
It was a good year. : )
Christina
P.S. I was scanning through my iCal as I wrote this entry.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Read this if you want to know more...
About non-reductive physicalism but you don't want to read a whole book:
Science, Faith, and Human Nature: Reconciling Neuropsychology and Christian Theology, by Dr. Warren S. Brown
It's a lecture. Very readable and conversational.
Science, Faith, and Human Nature: Reconciling Neuropsychology and Christian Theology, by Dr. Warren S. Brown
It's a lecture. Very readable and conversational.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Beware of the Bystander Effect
Every psychology student knows about this phenomenon: In a given situation where an observer sees someone else in need or in danger, he or she less likely to come to the person's aid if there are other people around.
It sounds shocking, but many experiments have confirmed the validity of the Bystander Effect. Social Psychologists have two main explanations for this behavior: 1) The observer assumes that, since there are others around, someone else must have called for help already, so the observer him/herself needn't bother and 2) the observer assumes that the situation must not be very severe, since no one else has done anything about it.
In many cases, both of the above assumptions are wrongly presupposed, and the person in need remains in need. As a matter of fact, that person is actually MORE likely to get help if FEWER bystanders are around!
I was reminded today that I need to be more aware of my susceptibility to the Bystander Effect. There are people in need all around me, and I brush them off, assuming that they've been offered plenty of help and have rejected it, or that some social welfare organization will step in and take care of everything. For months, these assumptions justified my apathy, and one conversation today completely exposed me to their falsity.*
As Christians, it is our duty to defend and protect the weak and the poor. And that being said, as Christians, we need to be wary of the Bystander Effect. Don't let it blind you, and don't let it inhibit you from doing God's work. Never assume!
The good thing about the Bystander Effect is that it doesn't take much to stop it from running its full course. All you have to do is approach the person in need and ask if you could help them. And if you're lucky** (like I am), you'll have good brothers and sisters in Christ around you who are willing to help, too.
Christina
*Have you ever been utterly amazed, after being proven wrong, how completely, astoundingly WRONG you actually WERE? Well, that's how I felt today. It was as if lies and untruth had somehow crept their way into my head and settled there without my really noticing. Scary how that can happen!
**or blessed, rather...
It sounds shocking, but many experiments have confirmed the validity of the Bystander Effect. Social Psychologists have two main explanations for this behavior: 1) The observer assumes that, since there are others around, someone else must have called for help already, so the observer him/herself needn't bother and 2) the observer assumes that the situation must not be very severe, since no one else has done anything about it.
In many cases, both of the above assumptions are wrongly presupposed, and the person in need remains in need. As a matter of fact, that person is actually MORE likely to get help if FEWER bystanders are around!
I was reminded today that I need to be more aware of my susceptibility to the Bystander Effect. There are people in need all around me, and I brush them off, assuming that they've been offered plenty of help and have rejected it, or that some social welfare organization will step in and take care of everything. For months, these assumptions justified my apathy, and one conversation today completely exposed me to their falsity.*
As Christians, it is our duty to defend and protect the weak and the poor. And that being said, as Christians, we need to be wary of the Bystander Effect. Don't let it blind you, and don't let it inhibit you from doing God's work. Never assume!
The good thing about the Bystander Effect is that it doesn't take much to stop it from running its full course. All you have to do is approach the person in need and ask if you could help them. And if you're lucky** (like I am), you'll have good brothers and sisters in Christ around you who are willing to help, too.
Christina
*Have you ever been utterly amazed, after being proven wrong, how completely, astoundingly WRONG you actually WERE? Well, that's how I felt today. It was as if lies and untruth had somehow crept their way into my head and settled there without my really noticing. Scary how that can happen!
**or blessed, rather...
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Non-reductive physicalism. Yeah, I'm down.
Well, for the most part anyway.
Most of my understanding of non-reductive physicalism is derived from the work of my adviser at Fuller, Dr. Warren S. Brown, and the book, Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? by Dr. Nancey Murphy (also at Fuller). In a nutshell, non-reductive physicalism makes the claim that the human "soul" is an entirely physical entity. We humans are not composed of immaterial soul and physical body. Rather, it is the complexity of our neurophysiology that gives us that quality which sets us apart from all other living things. This is our "soulishness."
Now, I'll admit that I freaked out a little when I first discovered that my adviser, the individual who would be guiding my education and research for the next six years, was an advocate of monism (as opposed to dualism). I mean, can you call yourself a Christian if you don't even have a soul (or think you have one)?
Well, my answer to that, obviously, is "yes," considering the title of this post. And, I'll let you know now that I am not going to defend Christian monism here--you can read Brown and Murphy for that. Instead, I am going to share 1) what caused me to have leanings toward non-reductive physicalism, 2) how non-reductive physicalism has been shaping my faith, and 3) some unanswered questions I have about the whole thing.
I'll try to keep this as short as possible:
1) First, Christian doctrines are not necessarily Biblically derived. One such doctrine is that of dualism,* which is actually a product of Greek philosophy (Platonism). Of course, just because a doctrine stems from a non-Jewish or non-Christian source doesn't mean it has to be completely disregarded. Still, it doesn't mean we shouldn't put its validity into question. Second, As our understanding of the mechanisms of the brain increases, we find that more qualities and abilities that used to be attributed to the soul (emotion, cognition, etc.) can be explained by the physiology of the brain. The need for the concept of the "soul" becomes less relevant, then.
2) Dualism tends to put a hierarchy on the composition of the person; Soul > Body and, therefore, Immaterial > Physical. When Soul = Body, as in monism, this hierarchy disappears, and suddenly, the physical becomes much more central to the Christian faith. A brief survey of the implications:
-As purely physical beings, humans can more greatly appreciate the physical in general. When considering monism, I also consider my role in caring for, appreciating, rejoicing in the physical world around me**.
-The physical needs of those who are suffering become just as important as the spiritual, since they are essentially one and the same. If I offer someone the gift of salvation, should I not also offer them food, water, shelter?
Therefore, the focus of my Christian walk becomes equally "outward" as "inward." Nourishing my "soulishness" is just as important as serving God "outwardly" in service to the poor, encouragement within the Body, caring for the environment, and so forth.
3) Under dualism, every soul is worth the same. Under monism, it seems there is potential for one person's "soulishness" to be less "valuable" than another's. For example, what are we to do with the mentally handicapped? Those who have suffered brain damage? Was Phineas Gage a better man, in God's eyes, before the iron rod shot through his orbitofrontal cortex? As someone who works with kids on the autism spectrum, and does research with individuals who lack a vital part of the brain, these questions confront me rather frequently. Like most issues, doctrines and standards become more difficult to swallow when you find they are dissonant with personal experience.
So, clearly, I am still figuring things out in this arena. I apologize for this rather sketchy exposition of my thoughts (and by "sketchy" I mean brief and undetailed). But, I'm hoping it at least gave you something to think about.
Christina
P.S. In terms of the "afterlife" I believe (for now, anyway) that when we die, we stay dead until the Resurrection, when our bodies are miraculously restored (I assume they'll also be "improved"--like Jesus' resurrected body, that could teleport and walk through walls. hehe.) and we join Jesus. More on this later, maybe.
*Yes, both testaments use the language of "soul" and "spirit" when talking about the human experience, but a) In traditional Jewish thought, the concept an immaterial soul was irrelevant, and b) Even if the biblical scholars were writing on the assumption that body is separate from spirit, they (obviously) did not have access to the knowledge we have of the brain today, and therefore might have had to contribute those inexplicable qualities of humanness to some kind of intrinsic entity--namely, the soul.
**A good book on Christian environmentalism that left me rather convicted: For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care by Steven Bouma-Prediger.
Most of my understanding of non-reductive physicalism is derived from the work of my adviser at Fuller, Dr. Warren S. Brown, and the book, Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? by Dr. Nancey Murphy (also at Fuller). In a nutshell, non-reductive physicalism makes the claim that the human "soul" is an entirely physical entity. We humans are not composed of immaterial soul and physical body. Rather, it is the complexity of our neurophysiology that gives us that quality which sets us apart from all other living things. This is our "soulishness."
Now, I'll admit that I freaked out a little when I first discovered that my adviser, the individual who would be guiding my education and research for the next six years, was an advocate of monism (as opposed to dualism). I mean, can you call yourself a Christian if you don't even have a soul (or think you have one)?
Well, my answer to that, obviously, is "yes," considering the title of this post. And, I'll let you know now that I am not going to defend Christian monism here--you can read Brown and Murphy for that. Instead, I am going to share 1) what caused me to have leanings toward non-reductive physicalism, 2) how non-reductive physicalism has been shaping my faith, and 3) some unanswered questions I have about the whole thing.
I'll try to keep this as short as possible:
1) First, Christian doctrines are not necessarily Biblically derived. One such doctrine is that of dualism,* which is actually a product of Greek philosophy (Platonism). Of course, just because a doctrine stems from a non-Jewish or non-Christian source doesn't mean it has to be completely disregarded. Still, it doesn't mean we shouldn't put its validity into question. Second, As our understanding of the mechanisms of the brain increases, we find that more qualities and abilities that used to be attributed to the soul (emotion, cognition, etc.) can be explained by the physiology of the brain. The need for the concept of the "soul" becomes less relevant, then.
2) Dualism tends to put a hierarchy on the composition of the person; Soul > Body and, therefore, Immaterial > Physical. When Soul = Body, as in monism, this hierarchy disappears, and suddenly, the physical becomes much more central to the Christian faith. A brief survey of the implications:
-As purely physical beings, humans can more greatly appreciate the physical in general. When considering monism, I also consider my role in caring for, appreciating, rejoicing in the physical world around me**.
-The physical needs of those who are suffering become just as important as the spiritual, since they are essentially one and the same. If I offer someone the gift of salvation, should I not also offer them food, water, shelter?
Therefore, the focus of my Christian walk becomes equally "outward" as "inward." Nourishing my "soulishness" is just as important as serving God "outwardly" in service to the poor, encouragement within the Body, caring for the environment, and so forth.
3) Under dualism, every soul is worth the same. Under monism, it seems there is potential for one person's "soulishness" to be less "valuable" than another's. For example, what are we to do with the mentally handicapped? Those who have suffered brain damage? Was Phineas Gage a better man, in God's eyes, before the iron rod shot through his orbitofrontal cortex? As someone who works with kids on the autism spectrum, and does research with individuals who lack a vital part of the brain, these questions confront me rather frequently. Like most issues, doctrines and standards become more difficult to swallow when you find they are dissonant with personal experience.
So, clearly, I am still figuring things out in this arena. I apologize for this rather sketchy exposition of my thoughts (and by "sketchy" I mean brief and undetailed). But, I'm hoping it at least gave you something to think about.
Christina
P.S. In terms of the "afterlife" I believe (for now, anyway) that when we die, we stay dead until the Resurrection, when our bodies are miraculously restored (I assume they'll also be "improved"--like Jesus' resurrected body, that could teleport and walk through walls. hehe.) and we join Jesus. More on this later, maybe.
*Yes, both testaments use the language of "soul" and "spirit" when talking about the human experience, but a) In traditional Jewish thought, the concept an immaterial soul was irrelevant, and b) Even if the biblical scholars were writing on the assumption that body is separate from spirit, they (obviously) did not have access to the knowledge we have of the brain today, and therefore might have had to contribute those inexplicable qualities of humanness to some kind of intrinsic entity--namely, the soul.
**A good book on Christian environmentalism that left me rather convicted: For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care by Steven Bouma-Prediger.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Why I never tell my friends "It will be okay."
Because, the truth is, there is no guarantee that tomorrow will be better (or worse) than today. Of course, to some extent, we (and by "we" I mean those that have grown up under the benefits of "upper-classness" in relation to the rest of the world) have control over our lives. We make plans, and often times, those plans are executed successfully. Or, if they're not, we have the potential to work around the kinks and still end up pretty okay.
But even with the cushioning of financial security, good parenting, and even, dare I say it, the guarantee of eternal salvation, there are many things that are beyond our control. No matter how "good we got it," we are rather helpless. We can't control death. We can't control how other people treat us (although, I think to some extent we can have an indirect influence--but that's another entry). We have little, if any, control over the chemical imbalances in our brains that may cause euphoria or depression or a rapid cycling of both extremes. We can't go back in time and change our pasts. We can't look into the future and use that knowledge to avoid unpleasant circumstances. We are limited by space and time.
So, why am I saying all this? Should we as finite, human beings, destined to live out our mortal existence in a fallen, sinful world, throw ourselves a massive pity party? Does this mean we have the right to WHINE?
...No. My point is this: A good life isn't necessarily a life of easy-living and happiness. A good life is trusting in God to help you make the most of what you have been given. That's right. Your life might end up "sucking" really, really, badly. Worse yet, it might even be God's will for your life to "suck"! (And who defines "suck" anyway? Let's be real--it's highly unlikely that our lives will ever reach true "suckiness," in the global scheme of things...) So, I'm saying, suck it up!* Be grateful for everything you have and know that God, through His people, His creation, through anything that He can use (and that is, potentially, EVERYTHING), can give you peace. Joy, even.
I'm not a cynic. I'm not a pessimist. I just think, and this might be extremely arrogant, but I just think this is how it is. And strangely enough, this worldview has given me the deepest joy in life. I know I'm only 25--hardly worthy of saying that I've "lived", but I think maybe I've lived just about enough to know that shit happens, and I refuse to let that be cause enough for me to give up on this life that God has so graciously blessed me with.
Christina
*ugh, that was lame, I know.
But even with the cushioning of financial security, good parenting, and even, dare I say it, the guarantee of eternal salvation, there are many things that are beyond our control. No matter how "good we got it," we are rather helpless. We can't control death. We can't control how other people treat us (although, I think to some extent we can have an indirect influence--but that's another entry). We have little, if any, control over the chemical imbalances in our brains that may cause euphoria or depression or a rapid cycling of both extremes. We can't go back in time and change our pasts. We can't look into the future and use that knowledge to avoid unpleasant circumstances. We are limited by space and time.
So, why am I saying all this? Should we as finite, human beings, destined to live out our mortal existence in a fallen, sinful world, throw ourselves a massive pity party? Does this mean we have the right to WHINE?
...No. My point is this: A good life isn't necessarily a life of easy-living and happiness. A good life is trusting in God to help you make the most of what you have been given. That's right. Your life might end up "sucking" really, really, badly. Worse yet, it might even be God's will for your life to "suck"! (And who defines "suck" anyway? Let's be real--it's highly unlikely that our lives will ever reach true "suckiness," in the global scheme of things...) So, I'm saying, suck it up!* Be grateful for everything you have and know that God, through His people, His creation, through anything that He can use (and that is, potentially, EVERYTHING), can give you peace. Joy, even.
I'm not a cynic. I'm not a pessimist. I just think, and this might be extremely arrogant, but I just think this is how it is. And strangely enough, this worldview has given me the deepest joy in life. I know I'm only 25--hardly worthy of saying that I've "lived", but I think maybe I've lived just about enough to know that shit happens, and I refuse to let that be cause enough for me to give up on this life that God has so graciously blessed me with.
Christina
*ugh, that was lame, I know.
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