Promised Land

The land of Israel has been characterized by a strange mix of military conquests, religious commitment, settling and resettling. There is also the conflict between what we can call the "State of Israel" and the "Palestinians". 

There are lots of different views as to how best deal with that particular volatile situation which in the worst case could result to a war between Muslims against Jews and Christians and everyone else caught in between. 

The promised land is though a slightly overlooked spiritual signigicance to the Christian. It symbolises something special and unique. Something they long and pray for, the same way they look at the Rainbow. 

The story as to why it's "Jewish Land" can be taken from  the book of Genesis. God appears to this man called Abram.

Gen 12:1  The LORD said to Abram: Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 

Gen 12:2  I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others. 

The narrative continues following this man and his travails then God makes this statement

Gen 15:16  Four generations later, your descendants will return here and take this land, because only then will the people who live here be so sinful that they deserve to be punished. 

When you think about it. The only reason Abram has this land is because God has picked him, not that he is any special or morally superior that other people. God picked him and gave him the land just because. From our own human standards it seems undeserved and I think it intorduces us to what Christians call "Grace". 

The story proceeds following his second born son. Normally it should pass on to the first born son, a child born because his barren wife so desired a child that she gave him her slave woman to have a child. God though had other ideas. The land should go to a child that is the product of a miracle the child of a barren, old woman of questionable character in some respects.  We come to the grandson. A second born son, who turns out to be quite the trickster. Abraham's (Abram) son wished to pass on the inheritance to Esau his firstborn. A man's man, a great hunter who sold his birthright to his younger twin, a momma's boy who can cook but followed his mum in their plan to rob his brother and lie to his Father. There are other things to note in this story that hopefully we can explore another time; but I think we can agree it is not deserved by our standards the land goes to Jacob, this wily mommas boy who didn't love his first wife but adored his second wife; this man that had quite the propensity for playing favorites. Jacob gets the name Israel as God passes the land to him. They move to Egypt. 4 Centuries pass by and his descendants come back to take this land that was their ancestor's by divine ordinance. They do this by means of conquest. Again I don't think many would feel that them having this land is deserved. This undeserved gift is somehow tied to something that would bless all humanity. 

This brings us to why this point of "undeserved gift" reflects something important to Christians. They acknowledge their moral failings, and their insignificance in comparison to God. They don't deserve God's goodness, love, forgiveness or eternal life. This is something that God has chosen to give freely because he can to bless all humanity. The Christains are Abraham, "fanatics" willing to sacrifice their own sons. They are Isaac a man that played favorites with his twin sons. They are Jacob, liars, trickers. They are slaves, stuck in a foreign land worked to death, hearing tales of their ancestors and their great inheritance beyond the sea. 

God giving Israel to the Jews is some sort of symbolic gesture; a sort of guarantee of what God has chosen to do. The restoration of the Jewish state despite it's destruction under Rome, and the rule of the Islamic Empires and British colonization, and even the third most Holy Islamic site  to them is a sign. God will keep his promise. God will keep his promise despite all these factors that seem to indicate otherwise. God's grace to Israel, shows also God's grace to us. The destruction of the Canaanites shows the holiness and impartiality of God; but through Jesus the demands of justice can be satisfied and they can received this promised land they do not deserve. A land free of their sufferings as slaves in Egypt. A land flowing with milk and honey. More Importantly, a land with God as their king.  

The Prenup

It's rare that I get a glimpse to the romantic lives of my younger siblings. When I think about it, despite the dreams I had of being that safe haven of which all their problems could be laid before me and I'd be this remarkable well of insight, wisdom and experience turned out to be just that. They've grown up and haven't really needed me. It's the strangest thing, feeling proud and deflated at the same time. All I can do is pray for them.

I've developed quite a dislike for prenuptial agreements. I understand that one has worked hard, made countless sacrifices and paid in blood, sweat and tears; in some cases literally (a chef immediately comes to mind) for their material possessions. I understand you can't really predict the future and it is best to prepare for it. Have insurance so to speak. Our means of looking into the character of others are not without holes and flaws. It is best to keep our bases covered especially considering how hard it is to get access to resources necessary for a relatively comfortable life.

This is the reasoning behind the thought, if you cannot trust someone with your material possessions how can you trust them enough to raise children together? Considering how much more precious children are in comparison to material possessions, how can you? Considering how much more precious your family is in comparisons to material possessions why involve them with such a person? Is your desire for good sex and the buzz of infatuation that much more important? To quote a wise man, if you can't handle earthly riches who can entrust you with true riches? Considering how much more precious you are in comparison to material possessions, why then tie yourself to a person you cannot be certain they have the kind of character to keep their commitment?  I'm not saying that trust should be given freely without the use of rational faculties nor would I with good conscience advocate that. I also am not saying you should come to such conclusions alone. I don't think you can do that. With marriage one is looking to both build a family, and unite two previously separated families. There are certain qualities that one must have and there are means of looking into this matter and getting the relevant answers. There were quite some efficient methods in the past, cultural practices that actually help dramatically increase the odds of a successful marriage.  If marriage was just a matter of dates and love making am pretty sure there wouldn't be much to say on the matter. With time hopefully I'll be able to explore the matter at length.

Here I wanted to look at the Prenuptial process. What to do that makes you a living, walking prenuptial agreement; one the carries the guarantee of a blissful successful marriage. What would make you a delight to marry. I'd like to submit the following.

1) Quit an addiction. i.e. say you watch porn or addicted to masturbation or a compulsive gambler. Do everything and anything to quit. There is a useful skill to be gained in this. The ability to deny your cravings for the sake of a greater goal. In marriage there are times you will desire something that might or will hurt your marriage. You may feel absolutely justified or feel totally powerless against it, and you will need to pull away from it for the sake of your spouse. That ability to tell yourself no, the ability to deny yourself is a key to being faithful.

2) Gain a new skill or learn a new language. It takes alot of discipline to set a goal, make the necessary sacrifices to accomplish the goal. Marriage is a life long cycle of climbing and descending mountains. There will be progress and there will be setbacks. Your ability to keep the end in mind and push aside distractions will help you be a better spouse. It will also help you be a resource in marriage. A big part of marriage is gathering and deciding how best to use limited resources. Take something that will challenge you, and push you and require you to use discipline. So accomplishing a few long term goals can help you grow into a more useful person to have around. It helps your spouse to think "at least he can do a,b,c"

3) Serve your family members. In interacting with family members you will come across landmines that are common in marriage. The irritating mundane tasks that mean absolutely nothing to one but the be all and end all to another. The fights over the remote. The biting your tongue and keeping quiet knowing well the other person is being absolutely irrational and reason is something they will not listen to.  The is also a good habit to be gained here. Learning how to be reliable. Learning to keep your word. Learning to forgive. Learning how to fight fair. Learning to be good and kind despite resentment building up inside you. Learning what to sacrifice and invest in your family. That is what your spouses is going to be. Family. Simultaneously you are going to be spouse, friend, sibling and parent to an adult. With family you will learn to interact with the child in others, as well as the adult in others. You will learn how to live together.  Make your parents smile but also learn not to be bullied into making immoral choices. Learn how to deal with unpleasant relatives. All these tests will make you a better spouse and navigate that ocean known as "in-laws" with all their strengths and weaknesses.

I think time spent in doing these three things  will make a big difference once you chose to walk the aisle or pay the bride price. Even if you are already married I think you would agree it would help your marriage get better.

African Rosewell

Roughly 3-4 decades before I was born, in a place that I am made to understand that was called Roswell, New Mexico some people claimed that the remains of an alien space craft is said to have been recovered. By Aliens I don’t mean the hundreds of people that line up at the home office to get one permit or another. I refer to intelligent creatures from another world. Apparently even some of these “little green men”/”Big headed skinny grey men” were taken alive and the debris of the space craft was taken. Regardless of the truth concerning this “controversial incident” that had long since disappeared from our T.V. screens (by that I mean American media) to the best of my knowledge is not the matter I am to discuss.

Years ago, in the world’s second largest continent (which is also the world’s second most populous continent) by some sandy seashore a group of natives stood perturbed by the sight of creatures that though they could swear that they were similar, were not like anything that they had imagined. This I imagine was by the Eastern side of this continent. These strange beings had arrived in a large ship like they had never seen. They were amazed by their technology, it seemed like magic. These aliens had landed on the east coast of Africa.

I can imagine the skepticism on your face. Is this author trying to tell me that aliens landed on Africa and that it can be confirmed; that sometime after Columbus had “discovered” America a possible ancestor of mine had seen aliens with their ship?

Allow me to clear the air. Imagine a certain Mpho, standing in a place that would one day have the name Maputo. He sees this large object slowly approach from the horizon. He runs and calls the elders in panic. They consult the resident doctor from Malawi. He has no answers. The ship comes into view. Something comes from the ship which has stopped some distance from the shoreline. There are several bipeds on the approaching craft. The chief, the council of elders and the young men are all present. The young men are ready to be cannon fodder at a moments notice. It is easy to produce millions of sperms. One male could repopulate the village. The womb is more precious, so the women and the children are kept at a safe distance. The strange beings land on the shore. They looked like them, but they seemed to be like albinos with hair color.

“Olá! meu nome é Gama de Vasco a Dinamarca, É este India?” asks one of the strange beings.

The natives look on bewildered. If they could see the future they might have destroyed these visitors from another world. Oh, by the way, the strange being had said Hello; my name is Vasco da Gama. Is this India? So the African Roswell had played out in different ways all across Africa. The Aliens were explorers who were experiencing a new world. To the aliens it was the last frontier, but that topic is best left for another day, cause over time, some of these aliens came to call that place home.

Intro!

Well after months of procrastination i finally made a blog. Why do i want to blog? Guess i hope that itll benefit someone out there. The issues will be as trivial as a movie i saw yesterday or as complex as the interaction between quarks of different weights. I have a friend with this cool blog resolve2day.blogspot.com so i guess am walking on the same path. Now here we go