Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Gold_Dragon{TSU}'s LiveJournal:

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Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
1:37 pm	Religious Reflection - 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time (Cycle B - 2nd Reading) Today's second reading is the somewhat controversial Ephesians 5: 21-32. I remember my Mom told me once that she didn't like Paul too much due to this reading. :} The source of the controversy is probably verses 22-24. Out of context, it's easy to see how this is a controversial idea. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything? Hello! This is 2009, not 1709. However, given the entire reading, there's nothing that's really controversial. In the previous verse, Paul says, "Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ." This isn't directed toward either sex. There are two things on which I'd like to reflect from this reading. First, what does it mean to be subordinate? Is it fair to say that in contemporary society, subordination is not viewed as a good thing? Who doesn't want freedom and liberty? Who wants to subject themselves to the demands and desires of other people? Yet, I do not feel that God directs these words toward contemporary society specifically. God is outside of time, they say. Indeed, these words have existed for nearly two millenia. While societal standards are mutable, God's word has remained. Our changing society might reject the notion of subordination... but perhaps God is envisioning something else. In the not-too-distant past, society resisted equal rights for women... but eventually, things changed. Perhaps in another few centuries, society will change again with its view of subordination. In fact, even now, subordination is not viewed as a bad thing in the correct context. Imagine if there was no subordination at all. Children would run amok, having no desire to respect their parents. Employees would have no reason to show up on time at work (if at all) if there was no reason to respect authority. Anarchy would rule. Suddenly, having a little subordination doesn't seem so bad! This leads to my second point. Later in the reading, Paul tells men, "Husbands, love your wives." From the viewpoint of those criticizing this reading, I imagine that this line is probably forgotten completely. If it is remembered at all, it is probably cited as being an unbalanced command when compared to the subordination that the wives must go through. In other words, "Oh, men only have to love. Women have to be subordinate!" Again, the entire context must be considered. What does it mean for a man to love his wife? The entire concept of love is something I firmly believe is very much lost to most people. Love is trivialized by the entertainment industry where scripted relationships magically work out in the space of a two hour movie. Movies and sitcoms can surely give love a romantic air that appeals to people who watch such programs... However, I also feel it trivializes what it means to love. To give an accurate reflection on love would literally take days. For the context of this writing, however, try envisioning love this way... In loving someone, you are very seriously concerned about the person's well being. To love means to seek healing for wounds created by the past, to be supportive in the present, and to establish stability and security for the future. Love does not mean there are no disagreements... Rather, love is the realization that there is something more important than disagreements. Men, do you love your wife or girlfriend? Are you so concerned for her that you are analyzing what has shaped her in the past so that you can anticipate her needs in the present and plan for the goodness of her future? Do you want what is best for her in all circumstances... mind, body, and soul? That does not mean she gets her way all of the time, but it certainly does not mean you get yours all of the time, either! In fact, it might mean that you must undertake the ultimate act of subordination... That is, that she recognize God as first in all things, not you. Personally, I cannot speak from the female perspective... but as a male, if I felt a woman loved me in such a way, I would have no fear at all of subordinating myself to her. "But wait," someone might say. "What if someone in a couple takes advantage of the situation? If a women is subordinate and the husband is a jerk, what then? If a man is loving and the wife is a jerk, what then?" Again, the context is key... Not necessarily the context of this particular reading or chapter... but the entire context of Christian life... That is, goodness is crucial in all matters. For those who are interested in accepting Paul's writings, hopefully their lives are centered in Christ. Hopefully such people not only seek to bring God's goodness to a marriage, but they also consider it crucial in even picking a spouse. Even before a relationship is formed, goodness should be there. If such is the case, Paul's words should bring nothing but reassurance to any couple. If such is not the case, at best I can see someone reading this and seeing only the "controversy" perspective. At worst, it will serve as a bitter reminder as to what marriage should be. Hopefully this writing serves to dispell some of the remaining controversy surrounding this reading. In closing, I would like to point out that Jesus subordinated Himself to the cruelty of humanity for our sakes. God, truly worthy of being superior, mysteriously humbled Himself to those unworthy. In this act of subordination, the greatest good was done for us... and God remains, not diminished, but glorified. ~Gold Dragon Current Mood: contemplative ( 35 Thoughts Manifested <¤> Manifest your Thoughts )
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
8:51 pm	FYI, John Hong is totally pumping me up with his organ music. Por ejemplo, Holy God We Praise Thy Name... Day two of putting my emotional weakness in God's hands was quite successful. Te Deum, indeed! ~Gold Dragon Current Mood: okay Current Music: John Hong - Organ Improvisations ( Manifest your Thoughts )
Saturday, August 1st, 2009
7:17 am	In the course of your life, you may come across someone shrouded in bitterness. Perhaps this bitterness has come from years of implicit and explicit rejection, unfair treatment, or some similarly dark reason. Please try to understand and forgive such people. I feel I am one of them. I feel that it can be hard to want to interact with them at all because of the bitterness... But maybe underneath that is something worthwhile, waiting to shine forth with the correct amount of nurturing. Maybe the person is working to become something better, but progress isn't evident. Stick with them anyway. After all, some people work hard to achieve career goals or to become millionaires. They might be working very hard, but even then they might just be a low-level employee or have just a few thousand dollars to their name. That doesn't mean they aren't successful... just that they are still on the journey. Hopefully one day I can earn my emotional million dollars. I don't feel like I have a few thousand. I feel like I'm in debt... with a 15% interest rate. ~GD Current Mood: pessimistic
Friday, July 24th, 2009
6:54 pm	And for the Record My Opinion: It's silly at best and obnoxious at worst to have a Twitter account and then take all of your Twitter entries and post them to your blog. Twitter is ridiculous enough in the first place, however indicative it might be of our society's lust for merely superflous communication. There's no need to make it even more ridiculous than it already is. "Here, try this... It's call, 'Giving your friends a link to your Twitter account and letting them decide if they want to read your silly entries.'" ~Momma Bear, misquoted ~GD Current Mood: cynical
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
9:39 pm	TODO List Rework my bio page... Archive old bio somewhere and create a new bio. Learn More About... St. Bonaventure (Feast - July 15) Become comfortable singing the chants in the Graduale Romanum Current Mood: working ( Manifest your Thoughts )
Sunday, July 12th, 2009
7:54 pm	What Not To Do (A Behest) Please... if you think it's a good thing to not cause other people emotional hurt, avoid saying things like, "I'm glad you're such a cheerful person. Honestly, some people will complain about everything.. the silliest things. We're all adults here! Learn to deal with it!". It's easy enough to trivialize the problems, needs, or feelings of someone else. On the surface, maybe someone's problems seem trivial, but do you really know everything that's going on in their life? Or, maybe to everyone else in the world, the problem is trivial... but can we at least agree that not everyone is created with the same abilities? We wouldn't make fun of a paralyzed person for being unable to walk. Why make fun of someone who struggles to cope with emotional difficulties, no matter how "trivial" they might seem to us? ~GD Current Mood: sad
Saturday, March 28th, 2009
12:00 pm	"Free" Light, off grid with minimal global impact? If you had a spare $25 to spend, on what would you spend it? Probably not this... But I bet I could get a good return-on-investment if I bought something like that. Maybe not so much now that the days are getting longer, but come next winter, I bet I'd get some good mileage out of it... It would take some lifestyle change to use something like this consistently, but I bet I could make it happen... I'm thinking green today. Often I'm not sure why I'm even here. There are already plenty of people on earth. They didn't need me, also. Well, I figure the least I can do is minimize my global impact as much as possible while I'm here. The most I could do would be, like, suicidal. ;) ~GD Current Mood: busy ( Manifest your Thoughts )
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
7:14 am	I use them mostly for stylistic reasons, but aren't post scripts now anachronistic? Off to face another busy day... ~GD P.S. (hehe) On St. Patrick's day, it's good to think green. Current Mood: rushed ( Manifest your Thoughts )
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
1:36 pm	Yesterday was W.E.B. Du Bois' birthday. Merriam-Webster's "Word for the Wise" featured him, and I liked the following quotations: "The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression." "We continually set before us the successful rich man as more typical of what America means than the student or the philanthropist or the unselfish man of small income and simple tastes." "It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime." "Believe in life! Always human beings will live and progress to greater, broader, and fuller life." Current Mood: contemplative ( Manifest your Thoughts )
Friday, February 13th, 2009
6:54 am	So much logic... Yes! Absolutely... So, it's okay to express love. In fact, I encourage people to do so if they are so inclined (real love, mind you... not lust... not empty infatuation). However, do it on your own terms. How romantic is it to do something just 'cause someone else is telling you to do it, or because everyone else is doing it? Why not make your own day with its own meaning instead? Another added bonus: you would be doing society a great favor by helping to abolish Valentine's Day as we know it. In addition to the financial benefit of not sponsoring companies selling overpriced flowers, you'd be doing anyone who doesn't have a reason to celebrate Valentine's Day a huge emotional favor. Happy Friday the 13th everyone. :} ~Gold_Dragon{TSU} ( 6 Thoughts Manifested <¤> Manifest your Thoughts )
Sunday, February 8th, 2009
8:10 am	Need a Laugh? I found the Paul Baldwin segment in the last minute of this video clip to be hilarious... just FYI. ;) ~GD Current Mood: amused ( 3 Thoughts Manifested <¤> Manifest your Thoughts )
Friday, February 6th, 2009
1:13 pm	I am where I should be... The revelation of today is that I am exactly where I should be. As a Christian, my belief is that I am dependent on God for everything. This is a fact, regardless of whether or not I have the faith to believe it constantly. No one is self made. In any case, I can say that I am exactly where I should be since I am subject to God. Life circumstances might change and, superficially, it may seem at any given time that I need God more or less in my life. However, beyond the tumultuous superficial is the constant actual. I need God at all times and in all circumstances. If I've lost my job, and my family has disowned me, and I have no friends, and my life savings has been stolen, I most definitely need God. If I've got bountiful food available, and I've hit the lottery, and I've got both a winter and a summer mansion, and everyone likes me, I most definitely need God. Our dependence on God is a constant. Some humans are more adventerous than others, but I believe all of humanity wants some level of stability. Our dependence on God provides stability as it is independent of the highs and lows of life. ~Gold_Dragon{TSU} Current Music: Out of Darkness (Closing Hymn) / Jesus Christ Is Risen Today (Postlude) ( Manifest your Thoughts )
Friday, January 23rd, 2009
8:24 pm	Last week it was -11°F (-24°C) and today it reached the mid-40s (7°C). Yay 55+°F temperature swings in a week! ;) Oh, and according to the forecast on yahoo, we're supposed to have a low of 4°F tomorrow... So "back the other way"... This place is not for the feint of heart. ~GD Current Mood: crazy ( 2 Thoughts Manifested <¤> Manifest your Thoughts )
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
10:59 pm	Hi all. I haven't posted much recently. I guess I haven't found the time. Even now, I should be in bed, but..... Things have been emotionally weird, too, so I think that's contributed to my lack of posting. January never seems to be a great month for me, but things seem to have leveled off this week, so that's definitely a welcome change. I guess I'm not the only one in a posting bind recently. It seems like a significant number of my friends who used to post regularly haven't had the time or inclination recently. Didn't I see this beat in a rap video somewhere? ;) ~Gold_Dragon{TSU} Current Mood: tired ( 4 Thoughts Manifested <¤> Manifest your Thoughts )
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
10:04 pm	Social Commentary of the Day ( Kinda long winded with several links... ) Okay, I'm done... at least for now. :} ~GD Current Mood: tired Current Music: Bach - Organ Fugue in G Minor (Little Fugue) ( 6 Thoughts Manifested <¤> Manifest your Thoughts )
Sunday, January 4th, 2009
10:14 am	Amusement of the morning (specifically, Toad's letter to Mario at 9:40). :} ~GD Current Mood: amused ( 3 Thoughts Manifested <¤> Manifest your Thoughts )
Wednesday, December 31st, 2008
7:22 am	Thought of the Morning Is it just me, or does Rod Blagojevich look a bit like Steve Carell? ~GD Current Mood: rushed Current Music: Mendelssohn - Richte Mich Gott ( Manifest your Thoughts )
Thursday, December 25th, 2008
6:58 am	The Angels Said to the Shepherds... Angelus ad pastores ait: annuntio vobis gaudium magnum, quia natus est vobis hodie salvator mundi, alleluia. Have a great Christmas everyone. :) ~GD Current Mood: tired ( Manifest your Thoughts )
Saturday, December 20th, 2008
12:42 pm	I took both my mattress and box spring off the frame for probably the first time since I got the bed. :} I've taken just the mattress off to flip it before, but not the box spring. Did a little vacuuming under the bed as it's never really done and the dust accumulation was gross. Fortunately, it doesn't look like the water soaked much under the bed which is surprising since my bed is at the corner of the apartment. I'm not sure why more came in through the closets, but it's probably a waste of time to analyze... As I was writing this, the landlord came in with a moisture vac and suctioned up some of the more damp places. The bad part is that the closet is where it is dampest, but there really wasn't a way to get in there without moving a ton of (damp) boxes around... So I just let it go. Because I'm so stingy, I've switched to purchasing bargain ice cream in those 5 qt. pails. The main problem I have with it is that while the pails are recyclable, the lids are not. I hate throwing them away since plastic is so bad for the environment, but I was never really sure what to do with them. Given my situation over the last 24 hours, I think I may know. They'd make good platforms for anything that's stored on the ground. :) Since I'm mostly concerned about stuff that's under my bed or in the closets, it's not an issue of presentation since they won't be very noticeable. It'll take me a while to save up enough lids to create enough platforms, but hopefully I won't have any more floods any time soon. :} Anyone have any great recycling/reuse tips to share? :} ~GD Current Mood: busy Current Music: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch ( 3 Thoughts Manifested <¤> Manifest your Thoughts )
9:45 am	J-Town Flood, 2008 Edition Well, there was a pretty substantial rain storm yesterday. I live in a basement apartment, and water came in. So parts of my floor are damp. It's not terrible, but definitely not convenient. I'm going to have to spend the weekend worrying about it instead of wrapping up Christmas details. It doesn't feel like Christmas at all, and this isn't going to help. This isn't the first time I've gone through this. Wow, almost six years ago... It was weird reading through some of my earlier journal entries to find that post. I guess I haven't changed too much. I'm still lugubrious and unable to handle stress well. I used to post a lot more back then, too. At some point, I stopped posting so regularly because I didn't receive many comments. Then I stopped even allowing people to comment at all. Control freak reasoning = no one is commenting because I'm not allowing comments vs. no one is commenting because they don't care. Ultimately, the main reason I keep this journal is to communicate with others. I look at the non-mutual friends I have... people who used to be on my f-list but were removed. It's not that I hate any of them... It's just, they never commented, or hardly ever commented. I feel as though I comment fairly regularly (though not over the last few weeks as I haven't been able to find the time)... I guess when people never comment on my journal (or when they don't even respond to my comments on their journal), it makes me wonder what the point is? If you don't want to communicate, why not just keep a private journal? If you don't want to hear people's comments, why not disable comments? If you don't care about what other people have to say or what's going on in their lives, why even have them on your f-list? Anyway, I'm procrastinating from dealing with this minor flood issue. That hasn't changed from six years ago, either... my procrastinating. I guess I feel less stressed about it than I did six years ago, though. Granted, it was worse then, but this time, I feel less concerned. I mean, I can't do anything about it at this point except try to dry stuff out. To work. ~Gold_Dragon{TSU} Current Mood: sad ( 8 Thoughts Manifested <¤> Manifest your Thoughts )