Wonderful Matters

I really thought I should add some more thoughts to a post I put up a couple days ago that could easily be called "The Die Hard  Factor." I'd mentioned the movie Die Hard was so compelling because the filmmaker did a fine job of showcasing some phenomenally stupid people, and I believe a big part of that was their skill in portraying them in all their self-absorbed exhibitionist glory. "Look at how danged smart I am while I go full bore into something mindbogglingly stupid that will likely end in my demise!..." Ouch. Makes me think of the Darwin Awards, you know, those stories about people doing exceptionally stupid things that only end in something very, very painful for them. Hate to say it, but this makes me think too of that quote, you may have seen it before too: Death and stupid people who don't know they're stupid are the same. It is only painful for everyone else. That's really the essence of this "Part II" post. Other people's...

We enjoyed one of the best Christmas movies ever the other night, Die Hard  with Bruce Willis, from 1988. I know, I know, everyone's arguing about whether it is really a Christmas movie or not, but it is. It happens at Christmas time, there are Christmas songs in it, and the most important reason is that John McClane is, in a very profound sense, a messiah character almost giving his life to rescue people. I know, I know, lots of movies feature their action heroes kick-boxing and blowing away bad guys to save others, but this is just different. For one thing he does walk across broken glass causing his feet to bleed badly. In everything he does he is a sort of living sacrifice and employs great courage and tenacity to give of himself to get the job done. Plus he uses tremendous insight, knowledge, and wisdom to make the things happen he must make happen to do that job. Just amazingness from an action hero throughout. But this is not the only reason the movie so thoroughly enjoyable...

My recent home page piece gets a bit into my own professional life, and the experiences I have had with the now entrenched woke  hegemony. I have been an experienced and reasonably decorated school teacher for now about 35 years. Most of that time was spent teaching high school Civics and Economics in the public school system, and certainly being a devout follower of Christ I have wondered if readers of my webzine and blog might wonder, "How could you be situated in such a System institution like that?" I have indeed thought about assembling something of a comprehensive polemic to answer that question, and I'm afraid I cannot do that now. It is simply because there is so much to it, including my consideration that people like Joseph and Daniel were in the service of Caesar in some high office yet still served Christ and loved others where they were. I have also had the opportunity to share Christ's love with thousands of students, some hundred of whom actively and vo...