Henry David Thoreau wrote "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them." It appears as if such quiet desperation repeatedly plays out among undergraduates and graduate students. Away from the moorings of home, undergrads conform to the "Animal House" mythology for parties where alcohol flows freely, weed and experimentation is accessible, peer pressure is at an apex. For most with still developing identities, escapist hedonism appears the most ready answer; but hedonism is unrealized. Pleasure is sought but, devoid of substance, many are left searching without a compass.
For post-college days, many have given up this search and settled for an unsatisfying morass of just being in the presence of others. Perhaps it is the atmosphere of economic downturn and job scarcity but they've entered a haunted insomniac pursuit: over-entertained but lacking introspection. There is no patronizing here but a observation of many contemporary young adulthood. The light in all this is that being young and educated there remains room for hope.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Tulmultuous Times for Christians
2010 ended sadly for the rights and lives of many Christians and their sympathizers:
1. The Alexandria, Egypt Coptic Christian Christmas and New Year holiday church bombing drew attention once again to the threat faced by many Christian minorities.
2. Pakistan's ambiguous blasphemy law allows for continued persecution of Christians. The woman Asia Bibi was accused by fellow farm workers for insulting the Prophet Mohammad during an argument. Imprisoned since November 2010, she has been sentenced to death. Expressions of sympathy or leniency towards her have led to violence, in fact 37 people have been murdered for having any implied support of this woman. Among these deaths is the brutal assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer by his own bodyguard after Taseer appealed for this woman's pardon. By this act, his bodyguard, Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri, garnered popular support from the public, attorneys, and clerics. With many Pakistani officials being mum on the assassination or siding with clerics, Islamic extremism continues to be on the rise and the hunt for "blasphemers" continues to expand.
1. The Alexandria, Egypt Coptic Christian Christmas and New Year holiday church bombing drew attention once again to the threat faced by many Christian minorities.
2. Pakistan's ambiguous blasphemy law allows for continued persecution of Christians. The woman Asia Bibi was accused by fellow farm workers for insulting the Prophet Mohammad during an argument. Imprisoned since November 2010, she has been sentenced to death. Expressions of sympathy or leniency towards her have led to violence, in fact 37 people have been murdered for having any implied support of this woman. Among these deaths is the brutal assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer by his own bodyguard after Taseer appealed for this woman's pardon. By this act, his bodyguard, Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri, garnered popular support from the public, attorneys, and clerics. With many Pakistani officials being mum on the assassination or siding with clerics, Islamic extremism continues to be on the rise and the hunt for "blasphemers" continues to expand.
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