Timothy - Dog Year

Defibrillator

This is actually a news item in 2006 - people are found to lie more these days through the use of cell phones, text messaging, and emails.  Even the survey finding that "most told lies with the best intentions and to spare others' feelings" is clearly a lie for most people - people lie to protect themselves and avoid further complications, not to be nice.  Let's blame it all on those evil technology and gadgets again.

Not quite.  People have been lying (and scapegoating) since the Garden of Eden.  Today's tech just helps us do it faster and easier.  Same with the many other negatives often associated with technology.  People atrophying their bodies away online wouldn't necessarily be found working out at the gym had the Internet never been invented.  People who have a habit (often anonymously) of flaming others probably aren't the best-tempered or self-controlled people anyway.  And let's not even get into what kinds of things cyber stalkers might do without computers.

What the latest communication technologies have created, though, is an artificial sense of security with behavior such as lying.  It's easier now than ever before to reach someone anytime and anywhere, but ironically it's also easier now than ever to hide behind physical distance and busyness as excuses.  Sometimes these excuses go by pious-sounding terms like boundaries or right to privacy, when the real terms are cowardice and selfishness.  For many people, their minimal exposure to the joys and pains of being around living flesh and blood (and fresh outdoor air) have just about made them permanently out of sync with the real world.

What this world needs is a device to forcefully prevent people from lying, a deFIBrillator of sorts that will reconnect everyone lost in make-believe onlineland and resync human relationships based on trust and honesty.  Technically, it's not unthinkable, but practically, it'll never happen.  Even God chose to pass on this idea, opting instead for free will.  God knew beforehand that it's after all not any human gadget, but Himself only, that can free people from their basic sinful nature.  That's the truth that perhaps we all need to echo more when using our new means of communication.

You the Man

With the rise of online communities and user-participation content sites like Wikipedia, YouTube, MySpace, and Second Life, Time Magazine's 2006 Person of the Year is, ta-da, YOU.  Nice.  Peter Stookey (of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame) once remarked jokingly in a concert on the progressive self-centeredness of American magazines, with the scope going from Life to People to Us.  Soon, he predicted, a magazine named Me will have nothing but glossy, reflective pages between the covers, so people can admire themselves on every page.  Well, that prophecy has begun to be fulfilled, because a reflective mirror surface is exactly what graces the cover of this latest Time issue.

If YOU sense a trace of cynicism in that opening remark, you're not far off.  It's not that I disagree with their selection - the mag's "X of the Year Award" has always been about who or what has had the biggest impact, good or bad, on society during the year.  Hence the likes of Stalin and Hitler have been previous winners.  Nor is the latest choice necessarily overly narcissistic - several of the issue's articles clearly remind us of the potential dangers that lurk with the proliferation of content from everyday citizens of the new democracy, anyone who knows how to post content to the Web (and maybe owns a video camera).  Finally, I certainly don't dismiss sites like YouTube or Wikipedia - anyone who's been reading this very blog can see how I've made use of their services, and of course, this blog itself is a small piece of this new phenomenon called Web 2.0.

Still, two aspects about this Person of the Year baffle me.  First, why now and not before?  Why wasn't this award presented to all of us when we began using emails, newsgroups, instant messaging, E-commerce, online games, etc.?  Some of those Internet technologies may not be as flashy or have as extensive an audience reach, but have they not also been vital sources of information and convenience for most of us?  Has merely changing the presentation format from text and images to video been that grand a revolution?  (By the way, I'm curious if the founders of Yahoo! and YouTube have now set an unwritten standard that innovative Web teams must be composed of a Taiwanese and a Caucasian).

Second, the choice smells like another version of the "technological democratization will save the world" mantra.  It's a basic and alluring concept, the idea that if everyone can say something, only good can result.  It's the coronation of the right to free speech to the exclusion of all else.  But I don't care how many bloggers, Wiki writers, or Second Life avatars are floating out there - they don't form the majority of the population, who at best see posting Web content as an infrequent hobby.  And I ask any blogger - if you keep your Web contents personal in nature (like most do), how many people who didn't already know you through other means are reading your blog on an ongoing basis?  In other words, who really cares to read content posted by strangers with unknown credentials?  Just look at the frequent crap I spew on this blog - are you going to alter your worldview based on what I say here?

Technology, however fancy or new, is just tools.  With or without the latest Web 2.0 offerings, people will continue to use other means of communication like paper, established media sources, face-to-face meetings, etc.  They may be slower, less convenient, more primitive, but no less informative.  The key point is, human nature remains the same, in all its glory and grotesqueness.  What makes a common person great, after all, is not that he is common, but that his greatness has been revealed.  For some reason, it took an ill-defined technology like Web 2.0 to finally open up Time Magazine's eyes to this person whose unmatched impact existed long before their annual award began.

Night of New Beginnings

At 8:47 PM EST in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off as STS-116, the most challenging mission yet for the most complicated machine ever built.  Leaving as the first night launch in four years, the most culturally diverse Shuttle crew ever will continue work on the International Space Station.

Around the same time. further north in New York City, a 25-pound trophy called the Heisman is handed to someone who spent teenage years in foster care in the Cleveland area, Troy Smith.  He wins the award for the year's best college player in the country by getting a record 86.7% of the first-place votes.  In the process, he becomes the first true quarterback ever from the Big Ten to win this award.  Not too shabby nor surprising for the guy who's 11-1 vs. ranked teams and 3-0 against Michigan.  The biggest test awaits him on January 8, 2007, in the national championship game.  Who knows how brightly his career will shine in the NFL afterwards.

It's worth noting the parallels between these two achievements tonight.  The Space Shuttle mission will not be successful without unique contributions from the individuals on the crew, while Smith would not be receiving his individual prize without all his coaches, teammates, and family past and present.  Moreover, exciting challenges and difficulties surely lie in the days ahead for both the Shuttle crew and Smith, so while the liftoff and Heisman are great moments in themselves, they merely point to the next level ahead.

No such dramatic show of a new start here in my home on this Saturday.night.  As long as I have breath and God exists, though, I too can expect new beginnings.

Courage to Abstain

Ohio State (OSU) football coach Jim Tressel made news today when he announced that he chose to not cast a vote in the USA Today coaches poll, the final one of the season before the bowl games.  The reasons were simple: he was the head coach of the #1 team, and he felt it would've been improper for him to show a preference for whom he wishes to play in the National Championship game in Arizona on Jan 8, 2007.  All individual ballots are made public, and he was not allowed the option of a split-vote.  Hence he abstained.  Many pollsters, coaches, and sportswriters weren't pleased with his decision, fearing it would set a dangerous example and precedent for future votes.  In the end, his one vote wouldn't have changed the outcome of Florida being OSU's opponent.  Given all his valid reasons, Tressel in my opinion did what was best and most honorable.

In this "Land of Liberty" called the U.S.A., we often hear that voting is both a right and a responsibility.  Many Americans interpret this as saying, "you have to vote."  "If you don't vote, you've no right to complain afterwards," goes a common saying.  Is the converse true - if you do vote, then you've all the rights in the world to complain and whine?  I say no.

Here's why.  While it's true that no citizen of this land should neglect this important right through sheer laziness, apathy, or cynicism, it's just as important that people make informed votes.  In this age of mass media and ads, that is almost impossible.  Still, more objective comparisons for making informed decisions are available for those who see the importance of doing so.  This leads to the next issue - what if, after all the research, a vote turns out to be a "pick your poison" deal?  What if it's a choice between a racist mobster and a totally incompetent wimp?  If the one I voted for turns out to lose millions of government dollars, should I be held accountable for my vote?

It is clear, then, that there are times when the best vote is to not, to abstain.  Usually that won't make you very popular.  You'll be called spineless, indecisive, irresponsible, or worse.  But that's what makes your non-vote powerful and courageous.  You didn't contribute to a lose-lose situation.  Like Tressel, you did what seemed most logical and honorable - and that is a right and responsibility that everyone should exercise.

Sloopy Hung On

On a clear, cold November evening, the #1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes football team won a close battle against #2-ranked rival Michigan.  They are headed to Glendale, Arizona in January 2007 for the national championship game - opponent to be determined as other colleges have not finished their regular seasons.

Despite the final score and all the pregame media hype ("Judgment Day," "Game of the Century"), it was not a pretty game, especially in the second half for the Buckeyes. Silly fumbles and turnovers nearly cost the Buckeyes a game they should have won more handily.  Neither team's defense played really well.

Nonetheless, the game gave Buckeye faithfuls some beautiful stats.  Coach Tressel's 5th win over Michigan in 6 years.  OSU's first outright Big-Ten championship in two decades.  With 316 passing yards, a lock for quarterback Troy Smith to win the Heisman Trophy in a few weeks.  Two big rushing touchdowns against Michigan's supposedly impenetrable rush defense.  A solid performance for the OSU offensive line in protecting Troy, who has now beaten the Wolverines 3 times.  A record Ohio stadium attendance of well over 105,000.

Sloopy has more than hung on this season - she's triumphed.

Secret of Their Success

It's always amazing to hear real-life personal testimonies on how one came to accept Christ as Lord and Savior, and how Christ has changed and strengthened the individual since that point.  It's indeed something special when such open and honest sharing is given by football players from the #1 team in the country, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in the middle of their season.

On Monday, October 30, at 7 PM at St. John's Arena on the OSU campus in Columbus, Ohio, Coach Jim Tressel, various current and former star players, Brutus the school mascot, and marching band members will share, for free, what drives them along in life and what is always their top priority.  If you're in the area and are available that evening, it's definitely something worth checking out for yourself.

More details concerning "The Main Event" can be found at www.osufootballaia.com.

10/31 Update: Columbus Dispatch report on this year's "The Main Event."

Cardinal Conclusion

I'll be honest - I don't care much for baseball.  It's a rare thing for someone from Taiwan to say, but the absence of a game clock and the low scores simply don't endear me to this sport.  Add to that the multimillion player salaries, the love of chewing tobacco, and certain players' strong "Bonding" to steroids, it's hard for me to respect baseball.  The St. Louis Cardinals' World Series win tonight,  their tenth title and first since the last dog year World Series in 1982 ( 1994 had no World series due to the players' strike) though, may help bring me back to having some interest in America's favorite pastime.

Interestingly, it was the Cardinals which temporarily got me into the sport in my youth.  Under Whitey Herzog, the 80s Cardinals were exciting to watch, constantly rotating players and going for extra bases.  Who could fail to be amazed by Ozzie Smith, the best shortstop ever, and Bruce Sutter's split-finger fastballs? (Incidentally, Bruce finally got into the Baseball Hall of Fame earlier this year, as the pioneer of this famed pitch).

This year, the Cardinals present a new generation of baseball heroes, most of them surprising.  There's Albert Pujols, perhaps the best player in Major League Baseball these few years.  Known for his consistent play and power on the field and his charity and faith off of it, he did more than any other player on the team to get the team to the World Series but didn't contribute too much offensively there.  Instead, it was players like series MVP David Eckstein at 5'7" and castoff pitcher Jeff Weaver who helped seal the victory.

The Detroit Tigers did not play well, with a total of 8 errors, including an incredible 5 by pitchers, but give credit to the Cardinals, for being the team with the worst regular season record ever (only 83 wins) to win the World Series.  Nobody expected such a team to get this far in the playoffs, much less win it all.  In tonight's game, the camera found an audience member holding up a sign saying "The experts are idiots."  Very well put.  And it's surprises such as this World Series that will help bring baseball back into the hearts of its former fans.

In but not of the World

50 years ago on this day, the first issue of a landmark magazine, Christianity Today, rolled off the press.  Founded by Bill Graham, it is still thriving today, both in paper and online forms.  Beside the main publication, which can be considered the "Time magazine" of the Christian community, there are 13 sister publications for more specific audiences: Books & Culture, Christian History, Today's Christian Woman, Men of Integrity, etc.  While the primary magazine is news-based, the sister publications and online "communities"  provide a wealth of resources and forums for essays, columns, reviews, reader feedback, and honest explorations into the nuances and struggles of Christian living.  Among the well-known Christian authors affiliated with this publisher is Philip Yancey.

Why is Christianity Today so vital?  It is vital because in today's fast-changing and pluralistic global society and economy, it is now more crucial than ever to show to each new generation how the inerrancy of the Bible is relevant and applicable to every new cultural development and change.  Bible study and intellectual scrutiny are not mutual.  The gospel is not only for Southern Baptist Republican Caucasians, but everyone, just as God's kingdom is not merely your local church, but the whole international body of believers who have taken Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Before any Christian goes out to conduct spiritual warfare, it would help to be aware of what is out there, both in day-to-day challenges and large-scale movements and trends.  This awareness provides the Christian a helpful basis for more specific and powerful prayer life, and from there how to engage the world as salt and light givers.

With God's guidance, may this 50 year-old mustard tree called Christianity Today and its readers continue to grow in their impact on the ever-shifting landscapes all around them.

The Campus

I've always found it amusing how many students, staff, or fellow alumni of my alma mater, the Ohio State University (OSU), like to place special emphasis on the word the, even capitalizing it in many instances, when writing or saying the school name.  I just never understood what that cheesy emphasis adds.

But when it comes to total enrollment (both undergraduate and graduate students), though, OSU appears to have reclaimed its title as the campus, the largest single campus in the US with 51,818 students, taking over 2005's top dog, Arizona State University.  What does it really mean?  Not a whole lot record-wise, since it's quite low compared to total enrollment counts across all campuses for universities like SUNY or to foreign universities like those in India.  Nonetheless, in a country known for educational excellence and opportunities, it's a great honor to have.  With new developments like the largest wireless LAN deployment in the world, OSU is coming along nicely despite its size.

See, OSU is not #1 just in football.  Big shout out to all my homies around the world in the Buckeye Nation!

Big Red(wood)

The record for the world's tallest organism has a new holder, Hyperion, though it remains rooted (pun intended) in the coast redwood species.  At 379.1 feet, it is 68 times my height and 43 times that of the tallest man ever (who was 8'11").  What other undiscovered record holder may still be out there?

Coast redwoods, while not as massive as their giant sequoia cousins, are still among the most impressive living giants in this world.  Words cannot fully describe the exhilaration and awe one feels when walking through a whole forest of these majestic creations.  Looking up, one gets a view like that of converging poles piercing the sky.  The trees do not move, yet one constantly feels that, at any second, the woods will come alive like the Ents in Fanghorn Forest.

If you've never been to Northern California, check out Redwood National Park and the Avenue of the Giants when you can.  You'll easily see what I mean, while your mouth slowly opens in astonishment.