Submitting to the Light

This semester, I am taking PHIL 410. This course is part of my academic plan since I am a Philosophy major. The topic of the course is God and World. The text is really good. It's by Karen Armstrong entitled A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This week is mid-terms. What I really enjoy about classes online is that there aren't any "exams". Instead of an examination - midterm or final - most online professors prefer a term paper. This is totally fine with me. I love that I get to write about topics that I actually enjoy. I don't really care for this particular professor. He comes off as a guy that wants to be right all the time rather than someone attempting to nurture the thought process. He is very condescending toward most of the students. It's irritating but totally off subject.

He dropped the term paper topic list today. I love every single topic on his list. How can I choose just one? Here are the topics:

-Jewish Groups at the time of Jesus and the Concept of the Messiah
-Jesus in Historical Context
-Gnostic Gospels
-Deism
-Contemporary Commentary on the Koran from a Feminist Perspective
-Christian Mysticism
-Concept of Sin
-Major Figures (select one from this list: http://www.theology.ie/theologs.htm)

What I love about Philosophy is how much I explore into the mindset of thinkers throughout the history of the modern WESTERN world and the advent of religion and the social structures that either support it or discard it. I have had several epiphanies over the course of my studies. I am nearly done and will graduate with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Philosophy within the year. I don't really consider this an accomplishment because I have never liked the idea of college. Taking college courses and pursuing this degree was more a matter of accessing the funds that are made available to native Hawaiians through Kamehameha Schools.

I appreciate that many of the subjects I have explored throughout my studies have been topics that were outside of my experience. However, I don't think that a college degree is an indicator of how well a person can think. I say this because I have encountered many people (I work at a private university) who have difficulty utilizing their critical thinking skills. My social interactions with my family, friends, in my community, and even online have been colored with shallow/narrow conceptions of various topics. In an abundant universe with an infinite number of possibilities, I find it increasingly difficult to remain so fixed in my position on the topic of religion and philosophy, any topic. I am but a small speck in the large universe with very little understanding of infinity. I conclude that I couldn't possibly know everything. I cannot make declarations that will be fixed for eternity because, well, in a second that declaration could be overturned by new information.

I submit to the eternal search for light, love, knowledge, and truth. I do not search for these things to gain leverage over another. Rather, I search for these qualities only to understand, to feel compassion, to express kindness for all living entities in the universe. I want to share my light. I want my light to burn brighter.

Can you dig it?

BTW: the topic I selected is Christian Mysticism.

Live Forever? Here?

Challenge #8: If you could live forever, would you? Why or why not?


* * * * * * * * * *

This question instantly makes me reflect on my own personal philosophical beliefs. Everyone has a different way of looking at things. Even if people subscribe to the same "religious" philosophy, ultimately we each choose what it is that actually speaks to our core.

Many people struggle with death. For me, the sadness comes from the loss of contact and not from a belief that I WILL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN. Death, for me, is a birth into another existence. There's nothing far-reaching about believing in that. With that being said, if I could live forever in this existence I WOULDN'T! Remaining in the earth dimension means I'm stuck... no progression... and I want to move on to the next stage. Living forever on the earth without a way off of it is like playing a game of baseball and never ending it. At some point, the game must end.

Many eastern religions/ philosophies believe in reincarnation -- that our souls are immortal and we are birthed into many different existences. I tend toward the belief that it is possible. One finite existence seems to be the enemy of infinity and abundance. Our universe is ever expanding, infinite, and if God is the Creator -- why would he limit us to one mortal existence? Why would I only get one opportunity to learn whatever it is I need to learn here upon the earthly plane?

Wow... that was a mouthful. Me live forever? Here? Nahh... Not me!

Project's Galore

Life has been so  busy lately. I've put off blogging in favor of doing all the other things I do.

There are several projects on the table right now.

Project #1: Acquiring/ Launching my first "real" business. I'm partnering with my dear cousin to acquire an established business in the area. I'm super excited. She is too. The only thing missing is the funds. I've been rejected a ton of times already because of the student loans on my credit report. I'm bummed but not at all dampered by it. I KNOW that someone out there wants to gift or loan me the money. Even a co-signer would work wonders. **sigh** This has been my mantra lately (from the book One Minute Millionaire) "Every resource I need is possessed by someone, somewhere, at this very moment." My add on: "Lead me to these individuals. The resources will fall into my lap."

I have been brainstorming all the ways we can acquire the needed cash to purchase the business. We've been tossing around the idea of borrowing money from our friends and family then paying 1% interest on it. Another idea is to acquire gold and sell it to a refinery. Gold is like $1300 per ounce. That is terrible inflation but good if I need cash now. Any ideas you have on how to acquire money for a business would be great. I tried going through OHA but it takes 6-8 months processing time. ugghhhh!!! A dear friend suggested we have a plate lunch sale to raise the necessary capital. I'm seriously thinking about it. I mean, it wouldn't hurt.

Project #2: My bachelor's degree. As much as I would love to say that I love school -- I really don't. I think the way education is set up now is just so backwards. More on that later because that topic really needs to be explained in greater detail. I will have earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy within a year. My estimated graduation is July 2011. Can you believe that? It took me two years to get this done. I can hardly believe it. I was thinking of continuing on to earn a Masters in Pacific Island Studies from the University of Hawai'i... I'm still thinking about it. What would be the benefits for continuing on when really, all I want to do is be a business owner and WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. If I could count on Kamehameha Schools to foot the entire bill for my education, I think I would probably do it. We'll see.

Project #3: The Danielson Family Reunion. Aigatupu and (Tasi) Gustav Danielson (my maternal grandparents) and all the posterity are converging on the island of O'ahu in July 2011. How did I get placed in this position again? My cousin Marie and I were in charge of the 2008 reunion. How are we charged with planning it again. I know the next one will not be conducted by me. I'm pooped and busy already.

Project #4: The Tai Hook Family Reunion. Lizzie and James Tai Hook (my paternal grandparents) and all their posterity are converging on the island of O'ahu in October 2011. Long story on how I was assigned this project. It was originally my idea but I had slated this for October 2010, which would have been this month. However, my aunt wanted to push it back to October 2011 for whatever reasons. I told her if we did that then I couldn't be in charge of it because I had so many other projects slated for 2011. Well, the other day I get an email from her saying that she would like me to take over again. ugghhh!! In any case. My irritation with her WILL NOT prevent me from doing this for my father. It will all work out EXACTLY as it should.


Well... that's been the "goings-on" in my world. I promise to get back to the blog challenge as soon as my life slows down again. The holidays are approaching also and I'm super excited.

Wishing all of you well. Hugs!

Southern Holiday : Day 02

Day 02 started out really slow. When the whole house was finally up and moving around, it had to be after 10am. I had already showered and felt fresh and clean but sluggish... I'm assuming its the jetlag.

We started talkin' family history. Genealogy is a serious hobby of mine. I shared with my in-laws what I have been able to gather about their families so far. My in-laws seem impressed with the progress I've made. We had a long discussion about family stories. It seems that every generation loses something from the past thinking we have it figured out.

I remember my father telling me stories about his childhood and life without electricity. I find it almost unbelievable to hear them. I remember my mother telling me about outhouses (eeew!) and working to eat, as there were no grocery stores in Samoa. And I think to myself how so far removed am I from a life of physical struggle. Yet, I have a desire to know that hard life to feel and experience the contrast between my life here and now and the life of my parents 50 years ago.

In those 50 years, the clear and definite lines between good and evil have been blurred beyond recognition. The state of the family now includes "blending" and alternative lifestyles. And the world almost seems so screwed up, without a clear direction toward happiness. The gender roles have been squashed and I sometimes think that it hasn't been for the advancement of humanity. I think the Creator made us to carry out different roles and to have different characteristics based on gender.

The past 50 years since my mothers day and mine has seen much technological advancement but I wonder -- what have we advanced from? Has more computers meant a better standard of living or has it created an even wider gap between the rich and the poor? Has the combustible engine helped humanity in any way? We get to places a lot quicker yet have surrendered to oil dependence. We've stopped growing our own food and now have to wait to hear on the news if the produce we've consumed has been recalled. We have become so dependant on others for our basic necessities, from food to fuel, that if the grocery store closed its doors, America would starve. Can you imagine the people in the highly populated metro area's? **sigh**

My discussion with my in-laws prompted all these thoughts about their life, about my life, my parents lives and how much progress have we really made? And then, as if to spit upon all the ideals we had just spoke about, we carted ourselves off in a big, gas-guzzling SUV to a mall that's a hundred miles away, to shop for the commercial-driven Christmas presents that our family is waiting for. **sigh** Ironic, isn't it? We ate at Dave's BBQ in Franklin, Tennessee... not having to lift a finger to get fed. (Notice my plate, BEFORE and AFTER)


Don't get me wrong, I am truly grateful for what I have. The Creator has placed me here at this time, in this very special place, and I am humbled that he chose me to have so much abundance. Just imagine, you or I could have been born in much different circumstances. Yet the Creator has placed us right where we are.

Change Is Coming

When you make changes in your life, your whole routine is different. Your set of friends are different. Your daily discussions are different. Your routine is different. It's just like that!

I am loving the positive changes my husband and I are making. We have raised our level of thinking and have NO TIME for the little stuff that used to get in our way. We FINALLY have more common goals than common differences. That is VERY IMPORTANT! We also agree on the road that gets us to the common goals. That's rare.

I am excited about the road ahead of us. I am excited about the endless possibilities. The only sad difference is that if our old set of friends can't change along with us, they get left behind. And it's not because we choose to leave them behind. It's more that we gravitate towards like-minded individuals as will they. If our conversations only lead to differences than it makes no sense to continue the arguing. And I'm okay with that. We will continue on our road to success and they will continue to do how they do.

Sanity defined -- ALWAYS doing the same thing and expecting a different result. I'm changing my ways. Change is coming. Change is happening as we speak.