Like the Shredder in TMNT II.
Because like the Shredder, I'll probably look back on being covered in garbage and laugh. Then I'll want revenge.
25.2.09
I'm the Shredder.
As the camera zooms in on a giant pile of textbooks, papers, references, meeting agendas, and lists of missed calls, I'm waiting to see the hand punch through the side of the mound in dramatic resistance to the onslaught.
Because like the Shredder, I'll probably look back on being covered in garbage and laugh. Then I'll want revenge.
Because like the Shredder, I'll probably look back on being covered in garbage and laugh. Then I'll want revenge.
9.2.09
6.2.09
Stewardship and submission
(Foreword: this is an essay I had to write for an internship application. I had to describe my interests in environmental science, including my coursework and extracurricular activities.)
“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.” This was said by Aristotle in Parts of Animals, more than 2,000 years before my birth. His aged wisdom may be trapped behind the bars of a history book prison, to be interrogated by the mind of a historian and not one of an observer; but it can live on in my own ways. Nature is, aside from all others, beautiful—this makes its preservation, in my opinion, a worthy end in itself. However, a definitive practicality for this emerges from our own needs as a human species, as well. It is quite obvious to me, at the very least, that humans are offered a choice of interaction with their environment: we may act as blackmailing parasites, or as mutually benevolent partners. In either instance, I believe it follows that care for the environment serves not only my ontology, but my deontology as well.
Realistically, humans are as much of a product of their environment as any other animal. In the way I believe God has intended, we have developed into a species that is quite capable of thriving in a very specific way. It helps to mention, though, that we exist quite differently from other animals. In our case, it is easy to forget that the earth upon which we set out feet, our homes, our cars, and our factories is our biological cradle and fate in common. In a Biblical sense, it is the dust from which we rise, and to which we return. Having our fates so intrinsically combined, should I not make an intentional effort to see its health, its majesty, and its beauty preserved? The earth freely gave us life in the beginning of Genesis, and because of our faults, we now subsist on our exploitation of its life. It is not only my duty to preserve what the earth is and should be, but my right. The God-given gift of life is not one to be mindlessly squandered or stubbornly dismissed as entitlement. It is because of my interest in the conservation of life and beauty that my relationship with the environment has been watermarked by a sense of mutual respect and service, with all that I do.
Stamped across the syllabi of every science course I have taken at Spring Arbor is this commitment to Biblical stewardship. I remember specifically the arduous complication of methods in organic chemistry labs in favor of processes that were “greener” than simpler methods—altogether exemplary of this commitment. In a way, I have continued this course in my participation with a project on campus, designed to utilize biodiesel instead of normal fossil fuels. My work in biology courses served my commitment on a much more macroscopic scale. Ecology led me to see the de-magnified nature of nature, and the infinitely complex machines that exist to preserve the lives of individuals and groups. In zoology, botany, cell biology, and biological chemistry, the work I put forth guided me through the discovery of the various ways that smaller, but even more complex machines preserve life as a whole.
As I have explained to my classmates on several occasions, the detail and complexity with which I understand the world has exposed me to a very unique beauty; a beauty I had not previously known, nor appreciated. How could I leave this angel to be forced to descend to the hell of human greed, to the depravity of one-sided and silent disdain? To those uninterested in the aesthetic, are not our fates bound to that of the earth? There is no way for me to distance myself from its majesty, or from the giving submission of nature—so must I choose to submit to nature, in both gratitude and duty.
“In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.” This was said by Aristotle in Parts of Animals, more than 2,000 years before my birth. His aged wisdom may be trapped behind the bars of a history book prison, to be interrogated by the mind of a historian and not one of an observer; but it can live on in my own ways. Nature is, aside from all others, beautiful—this makes its preservation, in my opinion, a worthy end in itself. However, a definitive practicality for this emerges from our own needs as a human species, as well. It is quite obvious to me, at the very least, that humans are offered a choice of interaction with their environment: we may act as blackmailing parasites, or as mutually benevolent partners. In either instance, I believe it follows that care for the environment serves not only my ontology, but my deontology as well.
Realistically, humans are as much of a product of their environment as any other animal. In the way I believe God has intended, we have developed into a species that is quite capable of thriving in a very specific way. It helps to mention, though, that we exist quite differently from other animals. In our case, it is easy to forget that the earth upon which we set out feet, our homes, our cars, and our factories is our biological cradle and fate in common. In a Biblical sense, it is the dust from which we rise, and to which we return. Having our fates so intrinsically combined, should I not make an intentional effort to see its health, its majesty, and its beauty preserved? The earth freely gave us life in the beginning of Genesis, and because of our faults, we now subsist on our exploitation of its life. It is not only my duty to preserve what the earth is and should be, but my right. The God-given gift of life is not one to be mindlessly squandered or stubbornly dismissed as entitlement. It is because of my interest in the conservation of life and beauty that my relationship with the environment has been watermarked by a sense of mutual respect and service, with all that I do.
Stamped across the syllabi of every science course I have taken at Spring Arbor is this commitment to Biblical stewardship. I remember specifically the arduous complication of methods in organic chemistry labs in favor of processes that were “greener” than simpler methods—altogether exemplary of this commitment. In a way, I have continued this course in my participation with a project on campus, designed to utilize biodiesel instead of normal fossil fuels. My work in biology courses served my commitment on a much more macroscopic scale. Ecology led me to see the de-magnified nature of nature, and the infinitely complex machines that exist to preserve the lives of individuals and groups. In zoology, botany, cell biology, and biological chemistry, the work I put forth guided me through the discovery of the various ways that smaller, but even more complex machines preserve life as a whole.
As I have explained to my classmates on several occasions, the detail and complexity with which I understand the world has exposed me to a very unique beauty; a beauty I had not previously known, nor appreciated. How could I leave this angel to be forced to descend to the hell of human greed, to the depravity of one-sided and silent disdain? To those uninterested in the aesthetic, are not our fates bound to that of the earth? There is no way for me to distance myself from its majesty, or from the giving submission of nature—so must I choose to submit to nature, in both gratitude and duty.
2.2.09
What it looks like when I cave
Well, nuts. I suppose I've gotta write down 25 random things about myself. But I'm not telling you to read them.
1) Contrary to popular belief, I am not "missing" fingers. They didn't fall off or anything, that's silly. My fingers are, simply, very cleverly disguised by each other, having fused while I was in the womb. (science!)
2) I bought a FC Bayern Munich jacket in Germany. The next day, I discovered that my German ancestors are from Stuttgart. This is the equivalent of a Red Sox fan buying a Yankees jersey. Whoops.
3) Phlebotomy might be my life calling. I actually think it's a lot of fun to draw blood out of other people. This makes me a vampire, I think.
4) I was baptized as a Catholic. Technically, I've been a Catholic for most of my life-- right up until SLR 2007.
5) More often than not, I don't have a plan. Ever. Flying by the seat of my pants has made life both fun and extremely challenging.
6) I used to live on an island, and it was lame.
7) On that note, I've been in the eye of a hurricane. Incredibly surreal.
8) And on that note, I celebrated my eighth birthday while evacuating for Hurricane Bonnie in '96. We still had cake!
9) I love underdogs.
10) I sincerely hope that people don't think I'm trying to be a snob when I read philosophy books. I honestly do enjoy them, and I seriously considered being either a philosophy major or minor.
11) In my senior year of high school, I wrote a research paper on the negative effect of Santa Claus on our society. In doing so, I not only received an A, but also labeled Santa as a drunk and compared him to Stalin.
12) Writing is a minor hobby of mine. I have a notebook of poems that I've written, dating back to tenth grade. Don't ask to read them.
13) My brother and I taught my dad how to play Call of Duty 2. When we're together, at least one family deathmatch is required.
14) Sujon is the name of a child from Bangladesh that I sponsor through Compassion International. He is probably the coolest kid in the universe, and has partially inspired me to become a volunteer advocate for Compassion. You might see me at some tables soon...
15) I think ska is the greatest genre of music in the history of stuff.
16) I was chopped in the throat with a foam sword during my first and only game of Dagorhir.
17) I discovered very young that eating too many Skittles in one sitting will start to bore a hole in your tongue.
18) I used to play the trumpet. I was pretty good, too.
19) I totally freaked out when I beat a song on Expert in Rock Band (drums, "I Think I'm Paranoid" by Garbage). Just ask all of the people I told about it.
20) I've had six years overall of study in French, and I've only really used it twice.
21) My dream job is a public health administrator in East or North Africa.
22) Despite the amount of griping I make about it, I really enjoyed a lot of my job at the front desk of a hotel. I wouldn't mind doing it again.
23) I'm a fidgeter. I'm also a nail-biter.
24) I shot a deer once. It had sixteen pounds of meat on it. I felt terrible, but it tasted really good.
25) I am happiest when I know that someone else is better because of me.
1) Contrary to popular belief, I am not "missing" fingers. They didn't fall off or anything, that's silly. My fingers are, simply, very cleverly disguised by each other, having fused while I was in the womb. (science!)
2) I bought a FC Bayern Munich jacket in Germany. The next day, I discovered that my German ancestors are from Stuttgart. This is the equivalent of a Red Sox fan buying a Yankees jersey. Whoops.
3) Phlebotomy might be my life calling. I actually think it's a lot of fun to draw blood out of other people. This makes me a vampire, I think.
4) I was baptized as a Catholic. Technically, I've been a Catholic for most of my life-- right up until SLR 2007.
5) More often than not, I don't have a plan. Ever. Flying by the seat of my pants has made life both fun and extremely challenging.
6) I used to live on an island, and it was lame.
7) On that note, I've been in the eye of a hurricane. Incredibly surreal.
8) And on that note, I celebrated my eighth birthday while evacuating for Hurricane Bonnie in '96. We still had cake!
9) I love underdogs.
10) I sincerely hope that people don't think I'm trying to be a snob when I read philosophy books. I honestly do enjoy them, and I seriously considered being either a philosophy major or minor.
11) In my senior year of high school, I wrote a research paper on the negative effect of Santa Claus on our society. In doing so, I not only received an A, but also labeled Santa as a drunk and compared him to Stalin.
12) Writing is a minor hobby of mine. I have a notebook of poems that I've written, dating back to tenth grade. Don't ask to read them.
13) My brother and I taught my dad how to play Call of Duty 2. When we're together, at least one family deathmatch is required.
14) Sujon is the name of a child from Bangladesh that I sponsor through Compassion International. He is probably the coolest kid in the universe, and has partially inspired me to become a volunteer advocate for Compassion. You might see me at some tables soon...
15) I think ska is the greatest genre of music in the history of stuff.
16) I was chopped in the throat with a foam sword during my first and only game of Dagorhir.
17) I discovered very young that eating too many Skittles in one sitting will start to bore a hole in your tongue.
18) I used to play the trumpet. I was pretty good, too.
19) I totally freaked out when I beat a song on Expert in Rock Band (drums, "I Think I'm Paranoid" by Garbage). Just ask all of the people I told about it.
20) I've had six years overall of study in French, and I've only really used it twice.
21) My dream job is a public health administrator in East or North Africa.
22) Despite the amount of griping I make about it, I really enjoyed a lot of my job at the front desk of a hotel. I wouldn't mind doing it again.
23) I'm a fidgeter. I'm also a nail-biter.
24) I shot a deer once. It had sixteen pounds of meat on it. I felt terrible, but it tasted really good.
25) I am happiest when I know that someone else is better because of me.
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