'People are taking the piss out of you every day. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are the advertisers and they are laughing at you' - Banksy
I dont think this really needs an explanation. Says enough...
Friday 27 June 2008
Thursday 19 June 2008
21st Birthday and other randoms
It was my 21st birthday on Friday. It was absoultey wonderful and all my friends made it so special for me. I went to Bradgate Park with B, L, and J and it was so much fun. It was just a really special day :) We had a picnic, and then we played frisbee, and on the space hopper and I just felt like such a child. It was just wonderful. In the evening A came up and we had a bit of a girly night before going out to Mosh with the rest of the group. Had such an awesome night and didn't even get drunk, which is highly unusual for me. I dunno, I was just so happy and there was no need. I didn't want to lose what was such a special day/night for me.
On Saturday I went home and saw my family. I miss them. I don't go home often enough and I miss my mum, dad, brother, sister, nephew and brother in law all so much. I've got a really amazing family, and they're so special to me. I just dont see them anywhere near as much as I'd like. I spent some really quality time with my mum and dad and then had a family get together on Sunday. Bar a few down right out of order comments from my grandparents and aunties, it was really lovely.
I came home on Sunday night and I've got to say I've felt pretty lonely and run down ever since. I dunno. I've been thinking lots about being single recently, and I dont like it. I have developed so much as a person over the last year, and I'm ready to move on from the past. Problem is, the only guy that treated me right was my ex. Apart from that, I've been so let down by men, and to be honest, I'm not sure how much I trust them. I thought I did, but then you get let down again...
I just hate being lonely. And no. Thats not the reason I want to be in a relationship by any means, but it'd just be so nice to be loved/love someone.
On a brighter/funnier note, I looked at some of the stupid things I've said at college that someone has put on facebook today. It made me laugh lots. I didn't realise I was quite as dippy as these portray me!! :
Sarah- "I'm not wisdom here"
Sarah- "There's an index in the yellow pages?"
Sarah- Is there a difference between a left handed and a right handed frisbee?" (everyone laughs) "no, seriously?"
Sarah- "what part of the chicken do chicken balls come from?"
"Sarah- "how can cricketers be death?"
"Sarah- "can fish drown?"
"Sarah- "That's because we're Christians, we don't like change"
"Sarah- "I've never heard George Bush say Yo"
Sarah- "Bruce, wheres the toast for the toaster?"
Sarah- "I didn't know you could get wing mirrors in asda!"
Sarah- "It's Christmas in a biscuit!" (about Dave's cinammon biscuits)
yes. I think I quite probably did say all of these, and yes, there were all totally innocent coments. I so need to think about things before I open my mouth...
On Saturday I went home and saw my family. I miss them. I don't go home often enough and I miss my mum, dad, brother, sister, nephew and brother in law all so much. I've got a really amazing family, and they're so special to me. I just dont see them anywhere near as much as I'd like. I spent some really quality time with my mum and dad and then had a family get together on Sunday. Bar a few down right out of order comments from my grandparents and aunties, it was really lovely.
I came home on Sunday night and I've got to say I've felt pretty lonely and run down ever since. I dunno. I've been thinking lots about being single recently, and I dont like it. I have developed so much as a person over the last year, and I'm ready to move on from the past. Problem is, the only guy that treated me right was my ex. Apart from that, I've been so let down by men, and to be honest, I'm not sure how much I trust them. I thought I did, but then you get let down again...
I just hate being lonely. And no. Thats not the reason I want to be in a relationship by any means, but it'd just be so nice to be loved/love someone.
On a brighter/funnier note, I looked at some of the stupid things I've said at college that someone has put on facebook today. It made me laugh lots. I didn't realise I was quite as dippy as these portray me!! :
Sarah- "I'm not wisdom here"
Sarah- "There's an index in the yellow pages?"
Sarah- Is there a difference between a left handed and a right handed frisbee?" (everyone laughs) "no, seriously?"
Sarah- "what part of the chicken do chicken balls come from?"
"Sarah- "how can cricketers be death?"
"Sarah- "can fish drown?"
"Sarah- "That's because we're Christians, we don't like change"
"Sarah- "I've never heard George Bush say Yo"
Sarah- "Bruce, wheres the toast for the toaster?"
Sarah- "I didn't know you could get wing mirrors in asda!"
Sarah- "It's Christmas in a biscuit!" (about Dave's cinammon biscuits)
yes. I think I quite probably did say all of these, and yes, there were all totally innocent coments. I so need to think about things before I open my mouth...
Putnam - Bowling Alone
So. I've just spent the last however long writing an essay on Social and Political Contexts. Something I highlighted in the essay was the idea of Social Capital and the demographic sprawl of recent years. I've just been reading through my blog subscriptions and what do I find but an update on someones blog about just this: http://www.theopraxis.net/archives/2008/06/bridging_connec.html
Here's a quote from his entry:
I think that this loss of bridging connections is connected to the decline of geography as a defining characteristic of a community. Think about it this way - my neighbors are the people in my social sphere with whom I am least likely to have commonality - the only thing that connects us is geography, and to a certain extent socioeconomic status. In my neighborhood are people of varying ethnicities, political persuasions, religious beliefs, interests, and life history. What do we have in common? Primarily that we live in a particular community (and to some extent that we can afford to live in a certain community). And, out of all of those neighbors, I know maybe half a dozen, and of those we are really connected with only one family in any real sense.
Our relationships have shifted to become more of a social network connected by shared interests or identity. In other words, the connections that I think most of us in suburban contexts hold are primarily bonding relationships - connections that are a result of commonality. I know and interact with people with whom I have much in common. And I rarely encounter those with whom I don't in any meaningful way.
What does this mean for a missional faith in suburbia? It means, primarily, that the most radical of missional imperatives - things like loving the enemy, showing hospitality to the stranger, and demonstrating unity in the cruciform love of Christ - are precisely the imperatives that are most difficult to practice in a suburban context.
Some interesting issues are raised here and it is something I touched on in my essay with regards to my placement. My placement is in a relaively deprived area yet attracts a majority of middle class people. Why is this? Part of me wonders if it is because it is so welcomming at the thology attracts that kind of person. The huge crossover comes with the young people who use the areas around the church to hang around. They are from an entirely different social class, and those who attend the church either havent got a clue how to respond to the young people or are worryingly, scared of them. As Christians we should be responding in a possitive way. Showing love to them, and not judging them, yet this is just not happening? Of course, these are quite often the most difficult things to practice in a suburban context, as the writer of this blog says. However, surely as Christians we should at least be trying?
Then on the other hand I am wondering if I am just as bad for condeming the people who attend church on Sundays becuase of their judgement. Am I just as bad for judging these people as they are for judging the young people? Possibly. But how can we get around this and have a positivie impact on suburbia?
This is something that God has really put on my heart, and I so want to have the answers, but I just don't. Ulitmatley I am aware that my theology is solely based on loving and accepting others no matter what that means. How I do that in a place where there is such demographic sprawl is beyond me
Here's a quote from his entry:
I think that this loss of bridging connections is connected to the decline of geography as a defining characteristic of a community. Think about it this way - my neighbors are the people in my social sphere with whom I am least likely to have commonality - the only thing that connects us is geography, and to a certain extent socioeconomic status. In my neighborhood are people of varying ethnicities, political persuasions, religious beliefs, interests, and life history. What do we have in common? Primarily that we live in a particular community (and to some extent that we can afford to live in a certain community). And, out of all of those neighbors, I know maybe half a dozen, and of those we are really connected with only one family in any real sense.
Our relationships have shifted to become more of a social network connected by shared interests or identity. In other words, the connections that I think most of us in suburban contexts hold are primarily bonding relationships - connections that are a result of commonality. I know and interact with people with whom I have much in common. And I rarely encounter those with whom I don't in any meaningful way.
What does this mean for a missional faith in suburbia? It means, primarily, that the most radical of missional imperatives - things like loving the enemy, showing hospitality to the stranger, and demonstrating unity in the cruciform love of Christ - are precisely the imperatives that are most difficult to practice in a suburban context.
Some interesting issues are raised here and it is something I touched on in my essay with regards to my placement. My placement is in a relaively deprived area yet attracts a majority of middle class people. Why is this? Part of me wonders if it is because it is so welcomming at the thology attracts that kind of person. The huge crossover comes with the young people who use the areas around the church to hang around. They are from an entirely different social class, and those who attend the church either havent got a clue how to respond to the young people or are worryingly, scared of them. As Christians we should be responding in a possitive way. Showing love to them, and not judging them, yet this is just not happening? Of course, these are quite often the most difficult things to practice in a suburban context, as the writer of this blog says. However, surely as Christians we should at least be trying?
Then on the other hand I am wondering if I am just as bad for condeming the people who attend church on Sundays becuase of their judgement. Am I just as bad for judging these people as they are for judging the young people? Possibly. But how can we get around this and have a positivie impact on suburbia?
This is something that God has really put on my heart, and I so want to have the answers, but I just don't. Ulitmatley I am aware that my theology is solely based on loving and accepting others no matter what that means. How I do that in a place where there is such demographic sprawl is beyond me
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