So, funny story. I tried to log in to blog, starting about half an hour ago, but the web browser refused to load even a single page. So I quit the program and tried again, with the same results. So I tried another web browser, and it could actually load pages, but it couldn't load this page because it uses Flash or JavaScript or some other special computer thing that that browser couldn't use. At about this point, I started to express my frustration, and Mom suggested restarting the computer. After I did so, my normal web browser started working perfectly again. It's funny how the time-tested, extremely simple solutions often work better than the new ideas do.
I was going to blog about something else this morning, but when fresh material throws itself at you like this, you almost have to use it.
The bible is one of the oldest books in existence, and it contains some of the oldest ideas ever recorded. The core of its teachings, especially of the 2000-year-old New Testament, are very simple. They've been tried and tested by Christians all over the world for centuries, and though we, as Christians, have some black marks in our history, the principles of Faith, Hope, and Charity remain a dependable moral compass that has led many the experience a deep feeling of inner peace.
Alternatively, there are lots of new ideas floating around. I don't want to list any by name, for fear of offending anybody, but there are many recently-developed, yet popular, ideas that seem rather strange to me, and they all seem to be trying to do what the Bible already does: explain the origin of Earth and the universe, illuminate the path to ultimate truth, and give those who apply the ideas to their lives a deep feeling of inner peace.
I hope I'm not offending anyone who believes in and/or lives by these new ideas. They may work. I'm not sure. I haven't tried them. I'm just wondering why they felt the need to find new ideas when the old ideas, the ones in the scriptures, still work.
Maybe it's because the old ideas aren't popular anymore. Maybe it's because they're not as fun. Maybe people think they can better better results, in less time, with less effort, by using the new ideas. And I'll certainly agree with the "less time, less effort" part. Following the old rules isn't easy, and the scriptures admit that it'll take a lifetime, if not longer, to obtain the promised reward, but that reward is a lot greater than anything any other path could lead to.
I suppose which path a person chooses to follow depends on what they really want and how far they're willing to go to get it. I think it's time I did some more self-evaluation to see if I can answer those questions for myself. I know which path I should be following, but I'm not totally sure I'm on it anymore. Maybe I fell in with the "less time, less effort" crowd. And I admit that I'm kind of proud of the new ideas I come up with, which I call new applications of old ideas. Maybe I'd do better re-anchoring myself to the old ideas themselves, without looking for new and exciting ways to trick myself into applying them. Anyhow, I clearly need to think about this some more. I hope that someday I'll figure it out.
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