tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16562138351650296902024-03-20T20:19:31.481+00:00memoirs of a pedestrianannie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-47543795678718724742013-05-10T12:35:00.000+01:002014-04-27T10:57:26.926+01:00The Author of Time & The Bible Marathon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-31de7f30-8e3a-76cb-1f67-3dcb6fbfad7b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-31de7f30-8e3a-76cb-1f67-3dcb6fbfad7b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, ‘long-time-no-blog’ I hear you say...</span></span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-31de7f30-8e3a-76cb-1f67-3dcb6fbfad7b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where have I been?</span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-31de7f30-8e3a-76cb-1f67-3dcb6fbfad7b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-31de7f30-8e3a-76cb-1f67-3dcb6fbfad7b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those of you who don’t live closely to me you may think I’ve been erased off the face of the Earth. </span></span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-31de7f30-8e3a-76cb-1f67-3dcb6fbfad7b" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You wouldn’t be far wrong... </span></div>
<br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why? First of all let’s talk about </span><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what it means to be an individual</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Made in the image of God we are relational beings, creatures of thought, of passion, of expression. Like our creator, we see the beauty in creation, and therefore cannot help but be creative ourselves. My friends and I are potent examples of that (also known as the ‘artsy fartsy’ lot)! The way we think, feel, relate, create, all of these are witnesses to the reality that we are individually crafted. So my absence of blogging, absence of poetry, absence of cooking, of knitting, of crafting of songwriting... I have lost myself. All consumed by the confines of time and the demands of working to pay the bills, I have become the very thing I have resented; a mass produced robot recreated by the hands of culture.</span></div>
<br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But there is good news...</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Okay so no-one wants to hear about what I’ve been doing with my life since last December when I posted about missional communities. This isn’t a sob story about me. But you may want to hear how we can </span><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">reclaim identity</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in the crisis of modern day life. I hope to teach you something from my experience...</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you follow me on Twitter, or Facebook, or Pinterest... or whatever latest social network is trending the net right now... you may have seen me mention </span><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Bible Marathon</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In January as part of my ‘to do in 2013’ list, my God-Father challenged me to read the 66 books of the Bible in 66 days. I laughed to myself. He’s been doing the marathon for about 7 years now, starting every January with an intense reading of scripture from front to back. But for someone with long holidays and flexible hours as a missionary, surely it’s too easy for him to complete it, even if he does now have 4 small children... But me? No way.</span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> As you may know I have a full time job, a part time masters, a ministry leading a student group, a few mentees, ballet classes, rock climbing, a house to keep and relationships to maintain, all of which I owe my time. The Bible Marathon for Annie Davies was simply impossible, right?</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wrong.</span></div>
<br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...‘What is impossible with man is possible with God’ (Luke 18:27)</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This verse even out of context combats my pride and stubbornness and leaves me in awe of God’s ways...</span></div>
<br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we make time for God in a busy life, everything slows down.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I didn't think I'd be able to read 66 books in 66 days simply because of lack of time... </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...but I did! I finished it! And on time too! (if you know me you’ll know I’m not on time for ANYTHING).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Without jeopardising all the commitments I had made previously, I was diving into a new book each day, flowing through the chapters like a feather in a stream. Okay, I’ll admit, there were times I felt like I was swimming through treacle... upstream... with my hands and feet tied together... but even the tedious books were enlightening and revealed so much about God that I had never even considered before! Doing The Bible Marathon was helping me to </span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">put God at the center of every day</span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I’d wake up in the morning and know that my day was going to revolve around God's word. I was rarely able to sit down and read a book in one go, but I’d dig into it throughout the day, finding myself continually encouraged and continually filled with the Holy Spirit in a peaceful way. Then at the end of each day I’d think back on what I'd read and pray into it before I slept, feeling as though </span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd walked the journey of my day with the Lord at my side</span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This incredible experience taught me a heck of a lot about God, about myself, about life, creation, salvation... </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But most of all, The Bible Marathon has taught me a lesson in ‘time’. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God will always make room for himself to be present in my life, however busy. If we only let him in, he will move through us and give us a fresh breath of his love when we need it (and surprisingly even when we don’t!). He gives us rest and fills us up whilst still using us in our busyness to serve and to witness. This brings peace to me. Very rarely do I feel stressed or hurried, knowing that my creator is ever present and that time is sacred. One thing just seems to flow into the next, and little pockets of time happen to appear just when I need them. The Lord brings me work and rest in good measure, but only when I truly let him in, acknowledging his rule over my heart and his call over my life. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So when the Bible talks about keeping a Sabbath, what does that actually mean?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is God telling us to have a day in the life of a couch potato just ‘vegging’ in front of the TV? Or sleeping till 3 and not changing out of your pyjamas all day? What did God do on the first Sabbath?* God looked back at the week and he celebrated creation. He assessed his work and saw that it was good. In the same way, we should take time to ACTIVELY rest, to look back at the week of our life, to repent for the things we failed at and to rejoice in the ways God has blessed us. By active resting I mean reading the bible, spending time in prayer, engaging in worship. By having little pockets of ‘rest’, little pieces of ‘Sabbath’ throughout my days, my whole life became an act of worship and praise and my heart was seldom far from the Lord.</span></div>
<br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The things we choose to spend our time on are the materials with which we construct our identity.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I repent of my self-centredness, for my darkened heart that made me lost, lost in my own identity trying to be someone by the things I create. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mark Driscoll said: </span><span style="font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Creative self expression has become an idol. Whether or not you love your work, the goal is not job satisfaction but faithful worship.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When time is short you are forced to question where your hope is gone, why your joy has faded and what makes you an individual. You can’t fill your life with all the things that you WANT to and then face the challenge of filling it with things that you NEED to. Giving your time to the Lord, making him central to your life recreates you each day in his image. Only then are your outpourings holy, only then does your life become a worship song and a testimony to the perfect creator.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our true identity is not in creatively extracting ourselves, but in receiving Jesus.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am still astounded that God made it possible for me learn such a crucial lesson by experiencing scripture in such a way as I did through The Bible Marathon, but </span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how could I have ever doubted the author of time?</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*whether this was literally one day or not is irrelevant, the meaning is more important than the science here.</span></span></b></div>
annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-83332131988179906692012-12-04T14:30:00.001+00:002012-12-06T14:47:54.471+00:00'On with the Mish'<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Have you ever thought <span style="font-size: x-small;">to yourself 'how do I know what my calling is'?</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I think that all the time...</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I always wondered what it would look like to hear God'<span style="font-size: x-small;">s voice and follow his will.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Then <span style="font-size: x-small;">he <span style="font-size: x-small;">showed me that it happens every day<span style="font-size: x-small;"> on a small scale. Because I'm always <span style="font-size: x-small;">looking for something big and extravag<span style="font-size: x-small;">ant like a 10 year life plan<span style="font-size: x-small;"> laid out before me</span>, I miss the small things that God does through my life every day. And he<span style="font-size: x-small;">re <span style="font-size: x-small;">is a little fragment of my calling this year:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">If you have
read my previous blog post <a href="http://annie-penn.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/in-with-bish.html" target="_blank">'In with the Bish'</a>, you will be familiar with the
inspiration behind this next chapter of the story that I am about to share with
you. If you didn’t, in summary: I
attended a conference with John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, who spoke on
the revival of a broken Generation Y. I
was truly moved by his stories and inspired by his wisdom, and returned with an
eagerness to reach out to young adults as they walk through the difficulties of
life. Because Jesus first loved me, how could I then go on to love others? And so my mission began...</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">In the weeks
following the conference I thought hard, felt much, and met with various people
to talk about what I’d brought home with me.
I got together with Joshua the student leader at my church St.Nic’s and we
discussed the best ways to accommodate this care and support for young
adults.</span> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Then<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">‘Reel’</span></span> was born</b>: </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">a group based on film and
friends with a few meals thrown in for good measure. We found a way to bring community back into a
generation dominated by virtual social worlds and distracting technology. Sure enough students love watching movies and
love free food and are enthused to hang out with one another to share these
mutual loves. You may have heard the phrase ‘the Church is the only group that
exists for its non-members’, and holding steadfast to that truth, we wanted to
create a community that is open to everyone of the student age, from all subcultures
and backgrounds. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span><b>So what do
we actually do?</b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Reel works on a 3 week cycle to give a bit of variety to the group. We started off with a giant pot of homemade
tomato soup to feed over 30 university students crammed into my flat,
initiating some ice-breaker games to help people get to know one another. On the second week we gathered to watch a
film, followed by a discussion about the themes of the movie and how we can
relate it to our lives and culture. For
the third week we br<span style="font-size: x-small;">oke</span> down into small groups of 6-8 to have a time of
openness and vulnerability with one another.
During this time we <span style="font-size: x-small;">share</span> our difficulties and successes, our pains
and joys, and offer guidance and support to build genuine friendships to
encourage one another through the individual journeys we walk. And then we loop and do the whole thing
again... food, film, friends!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The idea is
to rely on the students to volunteer their homes as a hosting venue, working
together to cook for the group or provide snacks for movie night. Giving them this opportunity has had a
fantastic impact, and I have been delighted to see young people grow in
responsibility and compassion for others.
Students have brought some fascinating topics to the table in our
small-groups, ranging from ‘how do I know where my life is going?’ to ‘how do I
help my friend with psychological illness?’ and ‘why is Bruce Willis like
Jesus?’ (don’t ask). There have been
deep questions ignited, real pains revealed, and strong relationships
planted. Reel is working.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have
learnt that if you are inspired by something, you must not just let it
fade. Reel so far has been proof to me
that great things can grow from tiny seeds.
And this is just the beginning... </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">You may have heard the news about the rejection of women bishops that has been
bombarding the news as of late, and the talk of the church that is all
criticism of dysfunction. But behind
this curtain of dispute the real work is happening. People are united in a shared sense of
compassion for the lost, and real lives are being changed, I know, I see it
every week! It doesn’t matter what the
‘system’ is doing. It matters what the
people are doing. It matters that people are following their calling. And the mission
continues...</span></span></span></div>
annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-31199302674869805042012-11-15T16:22:00.001+00:002012-11-15T16:25:47.976+00:00The Fuel for 'Feminism' & Reclaiming the 'Feminine'<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m
Annie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You probably know that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if you’ve met me, read my blog, followed
me on twitter or simply heard of me, you probably also know me as a ‘Feminist’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Hi, meet Annie, she’s a feminist”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Oh so <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you’re</i> Annie
the feminist”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You’re that feminist aren’t you, so why do you hate men then?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As if it
isn’t bad enough that feminists have been given the label of ‘man haters’ (see
blog post on the F word), but my beliefs about gender equality have somehow managed
to present themselves as my sole identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You may as well brand a big ‘F’ into my forehead!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So for the sake of my own social
retribution, let me explain why that ‘F’ should be replaced with a ‘C’.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once upon a
time there was a girl who was very angry and bitter, yet passionate about
justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She dressed in dark clothing to
match her dark soul and dark thoughts and she didn’t really like anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was sad and lonely and never really had
much of an example of true ‘masculinity’ in the way that God intended it to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She saw violence, hatred, rage, malice and
deception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The definition of ‘man’ was:
reckless predator with high alcohol content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She felt the inflictions of this broken image and her heart gave birth
to feminism, a screaming baby with high demands to be consoled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She kicked and screamed and fought this
‘otherness’ of men that she just could not understand, as anger fuelled the
journey in her search for peace between men and women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, anger does not breed
justice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No peace was found.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It wasn’t
until the girl was touched by God, and for the first time in her life felt what
is confined to the word ‘love’, that things began to change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her heart was transformed - a true
miracle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A perfect father affectionately
placed his hand on the screaming rage and brought peace to an angry
feminist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of a sudden, into her life
came a figure of real ‘masculinity’, of love and comfort and adoration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A protector had found her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she didn’t want to be protected, this was
all new to her, she denied such love at first, and time was leant to her to
grapple in search of understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Darkness was all she’d ever known, so what was this light?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She tried to find ‘Mother God’, she found
her, yet something was lacking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then God
sent her an earthly father, a man persistent in love, a reflection of the
heavenly parent who never gives up on his children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She could not escape this physical presence
and she softened, and as she learnt to receive love, she learnt also to give
love in return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bitterness was made
weak by the strength of deep compassion, and the feminist fell in love with
Jesus the man and God the Father.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And they
lived happily ever after...?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well,
almost. <br />
The fuel behind my feminism has changed, but it is still there, just as it is
there for God who hates violence and loves the unity of man and woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we know, Jesus spent most of his life
trying to liberate women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My feminism is
not something to be feared, or scoffed at, or joked about, because it’s
probably not what you think it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So,
to clear things up:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am not a feminist because I hate
men, but because I love them.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am not a feminist because I love
women more, but because I want men and women to love one another.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So I love
men, does that make me a bad feminist?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Arguably I am ‘better at feminism’ now I’ve had a change of heart and
the fuel is pure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through embracing an
image of truer masculinity, I have also come to see the ‘feminine’ that once
was lacking from my feminism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blessed
also with an earthly godmother as of late, it has become all too evident that
my desires have changed and my fears have been lifted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over time the dark clothes disappeared, I
stopped hiding behind my grim image and bitter grudges against the hurt I’d
suffered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An exchange was made as the
frustration of being weak and vulnerable evaporated, and was replaced by a new
celebration of my God-given feminine beauty and a real sense of joy and peace
that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">I am a woman</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what if I’d like to be a wife and a
mother!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does that make me any less of a
person?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’d think so according to my
own determined political passions, but being a feminist is NOT about becoming
as ‘masculine’ as possible and denying all those wonderful things that women
are so dearly blessed with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a
feminist whose heart has grown to love her femininity, to embrace it even and
enjoy it for the blessing that it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
am a feminist who loves men and women for all their differences and unique
characteristics that are equally beautiful reflections of a divine God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If I were
branded, brand me with a ‘C’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I belong
to Christ, and my love for him comes first, as he first loved me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The consequence of this is an outpouring of that
love, so through me flows a passion for the lost and broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A consequence of this is my feminism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For God so loved the world, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">man and woman</b>, that he made us all in
his beautiful image - God so loved the world, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">man and woman</b>, that he gave his only son to set us free of conflict
and hatred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there you have it.</span></div>
annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-30507638067246409672012-10-10T11:46:00.004+01:002012-12-04T14:38:19.626+00:00'In with the Bish'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMNZo7BflDm1xNcN9IV34MdHvcWwaC5PEt9ufKKYCBwFp2Hce3g8GC5ZYhnyl1F_naMaQdkm4GBTeA9XaMcDrO0jVhLNhANYBlbUVmT9Iva-3781vPHBdxgJLz3KFC40NpH738z1wbrZD/s1600/instagr.am.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMNZo7BflDm1xNcN9IV34MdHvcWwaC5PEt9ufKKYCBwFp2Hce3g8GC5ZYhnyl1F_naMaQdkm4GBTeA9XaMcDrO0jVhLNhANYBlbUVmT9Iva-3781vPHBdxgJLz3KFC40NpH738z1wbrZD/s400/instagr.am.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Last month I was invited to a conference by the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, not a usual venture for an exams officer to undertake1. The two day programme in the beautiful city of Durham was to equip those who are dedicated to the support and welfare of young people in the north of England (yes, apparently the north stretches as far south as Nottingham in this case - the Archbishop has a big vision and knows no limits!)<br />
<br />
During my short yet impacting time at Cranmer Hall, I attended a heart wrenching seminar on Generation Y (those born between the 80’s and the beginning of the new millennia). Ruth spoke on the challenges that face Gen Y and why the works of previous Gen X has left them with little to live for. Our students have been tragically named; ‘the debt gen’,’ the tech gen’, ’the ‘me’ gen’... Gone are the days when teenagers are handed over to the world and expected to become responsible in order to survive, as the phenomena of ‘Helicopter parents’ makes it possible for adolescents to ‘just have fun’ without needing to grow up. Through social media we have instant communication, virtual friendships, and a wider yet shallow support network. There is a constant fight to become a ‘somebody’ rather than a ‘nobody’ - counting quantity of friendships, in the desperation caused by lack of quality friendships. All seems lost when depression, eating disorders and mental health problems are growing, and more teenagers are prescribed anti-depressant drugs than ever before. With escalating divorce rates and family breakup, the promise of debt after education and the disappearance of real community, Gen Y has got it bad. But there is hope.<br />
<br />
John Sentamu with his inescapable humour and gripping stories wooed a dominantly western culture group with his words of compassion and his heart for the broken. In the mist of postmodernity we keep getting lost in translation, but Sentamu like a breath of fresh air sweeps through and makes a clear path for the purpose of growth and journey. Calling us to speak the language of our culture, he spoke of revival in our generation, of new beginnings and alternative ways of leading our youth. He encourages us to use a language that translates, to speak through with words of hope, a new alternative: living freely, engaging deeply, with burdens lifted and hope restored.<br />
<br />
The Church (meaning ‘the people’ as a thriving living collective, rather than a decrepit old building) plays a huge part in this, and IS relevant today! Contrary to popular belief, listening to the blare of an organ and sitting in a pew with your head hung solemnly is not fundamental to Christianity. The church of the past may have adopted such a style, but form can change whilst content stays the same. What is really important to the Christian faith is that it offers a relationship like no other, and the way we actively engage in that relationship on a daily basis needs to work. Although some congregations are stuck in the past, most have begun to speak the language of today, translating what has always been truth into something that is accessible, enjoyable and impacting. But is the rest of the world aware of this revival? <br />
<br />
Preconceptions and stereotypes are stubborn barriers to erode, but this cannot be avoided simply because it’s a tough challenge. More than ever before, we need to offer our generation some good news for once. There is a place that they can find acceptance, there is a place that they can find recognition, and there are communities in which they can form deep relationships with real love at the centre. You may chuckle, but the Bish really is ‘down with the kids’ - and many more are united in this new vision to save a lost generation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1. I have left the realm of studentdom and now have a job in the 'real world' - well... kinda... I'm studying for an MA in Systematic & Philosophical Theology in my 'spare' time.</span>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-57263041823398971052012-04-15T13:48:00.000+01:002012-04-15T13:58:38.540+01:00'I never kiss and tell'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeStoY59kroXoYYzc26OKO7q9iW7fud5DeQDk3EtVwzrgOL9RONNIQDI5aajPbZckpfN4o2j9jCxhVrz9vFT8xkSr7kGl9IzBrgxngVyp6wD1AlsYRF0k_V0xwM5KBXdysVyDHfEiU-Lm/s1600/kiss" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeStoY59kroXoYYzc26OKO7q9iW7fud5DeQDk3EtVwzrgOL9RONNIQDI5aajPbZckpfN4o2j9jCxhVrz9vFT8xkSr7kGl9IzBrgxngVyp6wD1AlsYRF0k_V0xwM5KBXdysVyDHfEiU-Lm/s400/kiss" width="295" /></a></div>
I’ve found myself walking past a group of ‘lads’, bantering about the girl they pulled last night and how good (or bad!) she was in bed. On a disturbing number of occasions I’ve heard some vulgar mutterings and extremely embarrassing revelations of the all too common drunken fling. I’ve heard girls being called some horrid names, and criticised for how much pubic hair they have, or for their choice of underwear, or for the manners in which they try to arouse a man. I’ve felt a heartbreaking flinch at the echoing laughter at the misfortune of some poor girl oblivious to any of this mockery. It could even be a girl I know. It could be you. Whatever happened to ‘I don’t kiss and tell’? <br />
Gone are the days where one would exercise modesty, honour, respect. In the rise of ‘sexual liberation’ and the acceptance of sexual pluralism, we find a string of destruction trailing behind. The most disturbing notion I have observed is that it seems to go unnoticed. But does that make it acceptable? So what if people are laughing behind your back - you can’t hear it so you don’t care. Sadly that’s not the case. We all want due respect.<br />
<br />
When we look at the effects of gossip on a wider scale, we can see that metanarratives are being created, and standards set for women everywhere. Women are being objectified as tools for sexual gratification, and as these tools we are expected to meet a certain criteria of how we should look, the clothes we should wear and the way we should act in a sexual setting. With these ideals and ‘perfections’ comes a disqualification of the different, and if we do not fit these categories of the perfect sexual object we are excluded, laughed at, mocked amongst others. The irony is found in that no-one meets these expectations. Men expect a porn-star fantasy, when in reality, women have lumps and bumps and emotions and wants underneath that shiny shaven sexual robot. Sorry guys, we are just as human as you are!<br />
<br />
Now I have successfully created man-haters of you all, I would like to make the point that women too are guilty of this gossip. Although it seems far more rare, I have heard the occasional comparison of body shape, penis size and duration of erectile function. Girls, you wouldn’t appreciate guys talking about you in this way. It’s not clever, and you don’t look good for mocking. It’s actually rather embarrassing. However, I have found that this is extremely rare, and although girls are more prone to gossip, it’s usually on the subject of the qualities the encountered man possesses. “What does he study? Is he nice? Where did he take you? Are you going to see him again?” Women on the whole seem to have more decency about them when it comes to mocking sexual exploits. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(1)</span> <br />
<br />
So, I’m not saying we should stop talking about sex. I’m simply saying we need to start doing it respectfully, honouring the people that decide to make themselves so vulnerable to you that they allow you to share with them a sexual experience. Whether you are in a long term relationship or participating in drunken flings <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(2)</span>, I urge you to have some respect for the other partner. It’s not cool to banter about such a personal experience with ‘the lads’. It’s not smart to mock someone because they don’t fit your ideals <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(3)</span> (the truth is that you probably don’t fit theirs either). But the fact is that you shared that experience together, you both opened up and gave yourselves physically to one another. Surely this deserves some honour and respect. Bring it back: ‘I never kiss and tell’.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(1)</span> I maintain however that I have no statistical proof for such a theory, I am merely referring to personal research and experience.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(2)</span> I will refrain from going into my views on the proper use of sex on this occasion.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(3)</span> Or arguably societies ideals.</span></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-67564071084146664272012-03-04T18:50:00.000+00:002012-03-04T20:29:25.802+00:00Rae Morris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVtyJqX_t3Payg_9TYfNzAzeBhF2ef0Se0gPPhxNEkq0cBeVeRshUy3BTVL_PIjtj46EX5AMQ0VcNkYv7R7s-muLWNP2wSE7_MCuS_dw_l7AGA6VLZGv7CtnND15JVzxy5PzE6Q67Qajb/s1600/IMG_8911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVtyJqX_t3Payg_9TYfNzAzeBhF2ef0Se0gPPhxNEkq0cBeVeRshUy3BTVL_PIjtj46EX5AMQ0VcNkYv7R7s-muLWNP2wSE7_MCuS_dw_l7AGA6VLZGv7CtnND15JVzxy5PzE6Q67Qajb/s400/IMG_8911.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In
the Red Room of Rescue Rooms, Rae drew in a small crowd of fans for a rather
intimate performance. The audience stood
for two talented support acts, including London’s Marie Naffah, another young
artist in the making. Rae approached the
stage and people gathered around to be as close with this lyrical goddess as
they possibly could, some even sitting on the floor right in front of the stage
and cramping along the side. As eager
listeners homed in, Rae sang a short set of stories with great sincerity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
‘It’s
like having a birthday party’ she said ‘and even though it’s your party you’re
afraid no one will turn up’. Her timid
stage presence and evident nervousness were placebos to her performance. A skilled pianist combined her incredibly
versatile vocals into beautiful compositions, each one increasingly emotionally
impacting. Listeners clung to every word
and note, Rae holding the entire room in the hypnotic world of a young woman
with a lot of passion. This friendly
Blackpool girl was eager to chat with locals after the show, ‘I want to know
more about Robin Hood’ she said. This
artist has a lot to give and a long way to go. You can download Rae’s ‘Blueprint Demos’ for
free at <a href="http://www.raemorris.co.uk/">www.raemorris.co.uk</a> .</div>
<br />
<br />annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-45511726395126330912012-03-03T14:37:00.000+00:002012-03-03T14:37:49.872+00:00Joshua Buckland<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrSvc99SBKfRxwvbFV1tpyizel6iTu9ky5QNJFqVeKAhm-DMRWqKbbx4xgRnH7CzbhKAvZ5C19YEuWSqJxLq1Hdauq6X89FVMLP7nLL8DWoqJPh-9uhTbABURQ_8mQ__HdKVmKNaF8ypE/s1600/IMG_1449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrSvc99SBKfRxwvbFV1tpyizel6iTu9ky5QNJFqVeKAhm-DMRWqKbbx4xgRnH7CzbhKAvZ5C19YEuWSqJxLq1Hdauq6X89FVMLP7nLL8DWoqJPh-9uhTbABURQ_8mQ__HdKVmKNaF8ypE/s400/IMG_1449.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nottingham
University’s very own Joshua Buckland has been hitting the music scene in the
city with performances fit for the bigger stage.<span> </span>The Mic has been keeping a close eye on this
guy, checking out his most recent gig at The Maze.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Joshua
with great panache managed to draw in a difficult crowd of varying age groups
and musical tastes, and kept ears perked with storytelling lyrics and heart
stopping acoustic riffs.<span> </span>His set was
well comprised with his own material; ‘Diamonds In Your Eyes’ and ‘Cold, Drunk
and Alone’ with contagious rhythms leaving you trying to sing along to these
unknown tracks.<span> </span>His romantic c<span>over
of ‘The Book of Love’ originally by The Magnetic Fields captured the heart of
every young girl and middle-aged man in the room.<span> </span>Well, almost…</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span>Joshua
was also joined on stage by Mark Bridger on electric guitar and backing vocals
for ‘Smoking Never Looked So Cool’, a song by the lads band <b>Banshee Boardwalk</b>.<span> </span>Adding another level to Buckland’s
fascinating material, this band are another name to look out for, leaving
little room for criticism with their raw musical talent.<span> </span>Joshua is fairly new to the live music scene,
but promises to deliver with passion and determination.<span> </span>Check out his upcoming ‘Bedroom EP’ on
Soundcloud and support your local musicians.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span>I
also had the privilege to accompany Joshua to his performance at the Crocus
Café in Lenton (Nottingham), a fantastic venue for chilled-out open mic nights for which
I was commissioned to take photographs. You can find them <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62977268@N05/sets/72157629447809439/show/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-43749796149303158042011-10-31T20:21:00.004+00:002012-02-08T09:39:12.891+00:00Has marriage gone out of fashion?<style>
</style><br />
<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsqFiQ4d8Q2INLst9PI5plr1L_TT2hw6V-38FV4nKvufk4x2TTdB9ZVReN_S2P7Bv0QEfYSrFDS9kiRyQiuHsIMVM7jcej4oq0Cied8c_emixDiixfZz9j1recFNFQu7y0Zle8FRF1SPl/s1600/oldwedding" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsqFiQ4d8Q2INLst9PI5plr1L_TT2hw6V-38FV4nKvufk4x2TTdB9ZVReN_S2P7Bv0QEfYSrFDS9kiRyQiuHsIMVM7jcej4oq0Cied8c_emixDiixfZz9j1recFNFQu7y0Zle8FRF1SPl/s320/oldwedding" width="237" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This is a question that needs to be asked in today’s society. We live in a time of drastic change: technological development, social networking, media growth and political mayhem. I aim to discuss the concept of marriage in relation to such a changing culture with reference to the following issues: rebellion from tradition, dysfunctional families, pluralist lifestyles, stereotypical definitions, radical feminism, financial instability and the law. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">When I met James (22) and Imogen (21), one of the first things they told me about themselves was that they are married. This was instantly followed by an awkward silence, my head working overtime trying to understand something so ridiculous. ‘Smile and nod’ is my favourite way to deal with such baffling moments. Should I congratulate them? Pity them? So young and yet so bound by this contract called ‘marriage’. But was it really so ridiculous?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">In today’s world, particularly in the west, marriage is seen as something that happens when you’re </span><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">old and boring</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">, that you put on like an old pair of comfy slippers when you’re done with fun in your life. Marrying young is seen as a thing of the past, something our grandparents did because ‘that’s just how things were in those days’. Well that is exactly how I saw it. As time went on, I quickly became close with both James and Imogen, and can safely say that they are two of the most fun, lively and attractive people I have ever met. And they really do live life to the full!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">So why is it so rare to see such a phenomena? Why do we see marriage in such a negative light? Personally I put it down to experience of </span><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">dysfunctional families</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> and breakup. With a distinct lack of role models, and </span><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">divorce</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> rates through the roof (although surprisingly lower than they have ever been, simply because less people are getting married in the first place), today’s generation are growing up with the misconception that marriage is a burden (or at least that is how I perceived it coming from said situation). There are few examples of how marriage should be, a happy, enjoyable, secure and loving communion between two people; the epitome of love and joy. Marriage, as I have learnt through my friends, is beautiful. We should not be put off by our negative experiences, but learn from them ‘how not to do marriage’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Sadly this beauty is lost on the </span><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">pluralist society</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> we live in. Life is all about ‘convenience’, ‘freedom’ and ‘individualism’. We do not have time for commitment and investment in relationships, we want to pick and mix the aspects of our postmodern lives to make up our super slick identity. We want hot cars, top jobs and bachelor pads. No-strings-attached sex is ‘playful’, ‘fun’ and ‘attractive’, the new alternative for ‘boring’ and ‘out-dated’ pacts of marriage. On the cover is the glossy idea that commitment has gone out of fashion, but deep down, everyone has that secret longing for love and security. Even the most hectic celebrities and influential politicians have someone to cuddle up to at night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">But who’s to say that it’s all about security? Being married to someone is not just about having a safety net when you need someone to turn to or simply having someone there ‘at the end of the day’. </span><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Marriage has been so heavily labelled</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> with such characteristics, that although they are largely important factors of marriage, they draw attention away from other aspects of such a union: the things that marriage once required have now been placed as attainable only outside of marriage, by a generation seeking to rebel against anything that might be called ‘traditional’. But marriage is what you make it, just because the label carries such negative connotations in wider society, does not mean you have to adopt them on a personal level. Sharing life with someone means sharing everything; the life lessons, the glamorous social life, the achievements, adventures and heart-warming side-stitching memories. Two fun-loving people joined together make for a whole lot of fun!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Another reason that marriage has gone out of fashion is the rise in </span><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">radical feminism</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. Some feminists (a small minority) go to the extreme in thinking that being married somehow makes you weak and passive. Some believe that liberation is only gained through independence and separation from men. I believe that equality is achieved through unity rather than segregation (but this is another topic in itself so I’ll not go into detail on this point). Women are afraid to fall into categories of ‘wife’ or ‘mother’, two words again that have the connotations of boring, traditional unchallenging roles. Most of the women that I know who are either married or in relationships are incredibly strong and active in their position. Some are even active feminists. Being married does not take this away. If anything, being married is an incredible example of equality and unity between men and women, two people loving and caring for one another unconditionally and giving all they have to one another on an equal measure. It’s not really about cooking and cleaning while the husband is out working as the breadwinner (unless adhering to gender stereotypes is your thing… then err… whatever works for you).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">In such </span><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">desperate financial times</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">, most people discard the idea of marriage as an unnecessary celebration that costs the earth. Some people spend thousands and thousands of pounds on a wedding, buying designer dressed, hiring extravagant venues, paying attention to the smallest details from gold leaf place cards to ribbon dressed furniture. It’s become a competition, who can have the most ‘fairy tale’ wedding. Couples everywhere are going to drastic lengths to impress, taking out loans, sacrificing other financial commitments, even entering competitions and taking part in reality T.V. shows such as ‘Don’t Tell The Bride’; anything to get their hands on the cash for the big day. But marriage is not about the wedding. Of course the ceremony in itself is important, but the 24hours of the first day of marriage is nothing compared with the years that you will spend together afterwards. To put so much pressure and expectation into one day is pointless. Keep it small, keep it personal, and get the whole family involved in a DIY wedding! Bring it back to the bonding ritual it is meant to be, put love into it, not money. A wedding does not have to be expensive to signify that two people want to declare purely and simply, that they love one another.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Some people are against the idea of marriage because they simply don’t see the point. When I told friends that I was working on a blog on the topic of marriage, one of them linked me to a video of Doug Stanhope on marriage. Although ridiculous in the name of comedy, he makes one good point: when we have something as personal and beautiful as a loving relationship, why should we want to get the government in on it? Why should we have to declare by </span><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">law</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> that we love one another? Surely it doesn’t matter. Well I agree. To me, whether a marriage is legal or not is not what makes it a marriage at all. Personally, I believe that marriage is a promise before God that the two of you will love and cherish one another for the rest of your lives, the promise of union, two people joining as one. You may not agree with my personal perception, but you don’t have to believe in God to make such promises to one another, (although I do believe that a marriage without God at the centre is a fragile one). If you love someone, the greatest thing that you can give to them is your life, and promising them that you will share all you have with them forms an unbreakable bond. Marrying the one you love says ‘I will share with you the highs of life, and when the lows bring us down, I will fight for our love’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I’m not saying that everyone should get married. First of all, being single is not a negative thing, and life can be just as great if you have no-one to share it with, trust me, I’m not married! Also we should not disregard the seriousness of marriage. It is indeed a great level of commitment, a responsible decision that should be made for life. Baring these two statements in mind, I am simply asking, that for those of us who have been blessed with a partner, or those of us that are single, do not see marriage in terms of the problems that I have explored in this post. I ask that we rekindle the magnificence of such a beautiful part of life, that we see the fun and enjoyment that should be sought in marriage, and glorify it. </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Marriage brings not the death of life, but the everlasting life of love.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 8pt;">(I would like to thank James and Imogen Lowe for giving me permission to write about them in this post. You are such an encouraging couple, and impact the lives of many, day after day. Evangelists for marriage!)</span></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-305638042483311982011-10-20T17:06:00.000+01:002011-10-20T17:06:15.591+01:00Renaissance: The New Feminism<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Corbel";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Chalkduster";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Lucida Grande";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Apple Chancery";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How many times have you heard that there is no need for feminism in the modern world?<span> </span>Women have the right to vote, financial independence, (almost) equal job opportunities and powerful positions in the government and other institutions.<span> </span>The Suffragette’s have won all they fought for, and a line has been drawn through <s>‘feminism’</s> as a done and dealt-with cured ill of our society.<span> </span>So is feminism dead?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I challenge this claim with the proposal that feminism is very much alive, and an essential tool for building a great society even today.<span> </span>Yes, changes have been made.<span> </span>Yes, goals have been met.<span> </span>Yes, norms have been broken and women have been raised up to be more strong, powerful and influential than ever before in the history of gender politics.<span> </span>But, when we look at the content and context of the most powerful women today, is this what those first feminists really wanted?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sex: that three-letter word that has more power than the likes of words such as ‘peace’, ‘freedom’ and ‘equality’.<span> </span>Sex: that weapon that women have used to manipulate the predatory male into a position of passivity and reliance.<span> </span>Were women really onto something when they discovered the one thing that makes any man weak?<span> </span>Or have they been lulled into a false sense of security, where once again, men have got women exactly where they want them; driving and fulfilling their sexual fantasies?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Let us take a quick look at a few powerful respected women.<span> </span>Carla Bruni, Lady GaGa, Beyonc<span style="color: black;">é, Lady Macbeth, Margaret Thatcher (wait, how did that one get in there…).<span> </span>What do they all have in common?<span> </span>Sexual provocation.<span> </span>These wily women have all used their gorgeous bodies and alluring intimations to get them to the top.<span> </span>But although they’re in the highest places, the men are still looking up their skirts. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">Beyoncé is a fantastic example of feminism gone wrong.<span> </span>Feel free to cringe as I quote some lyrics here: ‘if you like it then you should’a put a ring on it’, ‘</span>my persuasion can build a nation, endless power, the love we can devour’ and the entire theme of the song ‘<span style="color: black;">Independent Women’.<span> </span>All of these signify all kinds of independence for women, emphasising the power and strength they supposedly manifest in todays society.<span> </span>These lyrics alone represent the passion behind those very first feminists and the ideals they strived toward.<span> </span>But the reality found in other lyrics such as ‘tonight I’ll be your naughty girl’, ‘I know you want my body’ and ‘ladies let him check up on it’ reveals that women are only powerful when using their sexuality as a manipulative tool.<span> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">Feminist fought for freedom, and women having gained this freedom were so bewildered that they didn’t quite know what to do with it.<span> </span>With this newfound freedom of expression, mixed together with male expectations, women easily fell into the bitter cocktail that we are still drowning in today.<span> </span>We have a narrow choice: use sexual appeal to gain a cheated upper hand, or remain a weak, prudish, dehumanised existence.<span> </span>Feminism needs to change this metanarrative, to reconstruct ideologies into realities.<span> </span>Sexualising women is dehumanising.<span> </span>Respecting women for their intellect, passion, and inner beauty, is the first step to bringing true equality.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Corbel;">The power of women needs to be <b><i>reassessed</i></b>.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Corbel;">The reality of inequality needs to be <b><i>reinterpreted</i></b>.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Corbel;">Feminism needs to be <b><i>reborn</i></b>.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Corbel;">This is a call for </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Chalkduster; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Renaissance</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Corbel;"> for today’s generation.</span></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-92210927336497870492011-10-13T23:21:00.007+01:002011-10-13T23:38:11.780+01:00The Bookhouse Boys<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaep1muRxKZK610uDIO_gCbMYq_a_YqusJtcU2Vwcohj-PZoIlr24AcBzPvMSDFUMraIisw3GOEKY-_wD17wxxoTJ9pEdOz-TC-Gv8SPAgWSUqAUcwhs8nf802DGZjJ3ZTlet_kyV4ohh/s320/IMG_7420.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">- photograph by Annie Davies -</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> Crammed onto the stage like a child’s nativity play, the eight-piece London band hit Nottingham’s Bodega Social Club with a performance that was far from amateur. This group of suave, sophisticated and talented performers, in attire fit for the ‘smoky jazz club’ scene, played a set chosen by the dedicated fans. Vocalist Paul Van Oestren asks the audience, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“do you want it mellow or do you want it loud?”</i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> both of which The Bookhouse Boys master with great ease.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The beautiful Catherine Turner hypnotizes fans with her strangely seductive jerky movements, and the smooth vocals of an introverted Kate Bush, complementing the gritty tones of Van Oestren.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> The upbeat favourite <i>‘I Can’t Help Myself’</i> pulsated through the venue and kept the audience dancing from start to finish.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Bassist </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">William Emms played the haunting tones in <i>‘Guns Like Drums’</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">, complemented by ghostly vocals, thrashing percussion and regal outbursts from Natty Defriend and Charlie Beringer on trumpets.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> As individual members each from radically varying musical and influential backgrounds, the eight compile into a strange cocktail of musical genius, deserving of a fresher consumer than they have so far received. Check out their album <i>‘Tales To Be Told</i>’, out earlier this year.</span><br />
</span></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(as published in The Mic - Issue 30, 2011)<br />
<br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y3iX4DyloIE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-21171763774973481742011-10-12T13:27:00.001+01:002011-10-12T13:31:11.661+01:00Did Darwin Kill God?<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">As part of my theology degree I opted for a module on The Philosophy of Religion last year, in which I touched on the thinking of the famous Charles Darwin. I was so fascinated that I enrolled for a module this year based entirely on the theory known as 'Darwinism'.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">So what is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the word 'Darwinism'? Probably the same things that popped into mine: Science? Evolution? Proof against the existence of God?</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Darwin was the guy that threw the first punch that began the battle between science and religion.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wasn't he?</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I thought that too... until I discovered that Darwin himself was actually a Christian...</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I've been reading on some fascinating stuff, but rather than writing out a complicated account of scientific theories and theologies, I thought it would be easier to post a video of the BBC documentary, 'Did Darwin Kill God?', by my very own lecturer Conor Cunningham. He presents a coexistence of science and religion, discusses the place for God in the theory of evolution, and how both Creationists and Ultra-Darwinists get it wrong. <br />
<br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mEwrkjTbWgU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you're interested in digging deeper in the subject, I would also recommend Cunningham's book, a huge chunk of text to sink your teeth into but a fantastic exploration into the development of Darwinism.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Conor Cunningham - <i><b>'Darwin's Pious Idea: Why the Ultra-Darwinists and Creationists both get it wrong'</b> </i>- (William B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2011)</span></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-79200507962472049412011-06-26T00:37:00.007+01:002011-10-13T23:11:56.486+01:00The Media God<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l13byrT4JD1qzd69ko1_500.jpg" width="400" /> </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Calibri";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Take a look at this Diesel advertisement: <i>‘Sex sells* (but unfortunately we sell jeans)’</i>. This is just one example of how the media forces pornography into modern culture, in this case as a form of advertisement. Last week, </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">a friend informed me that as TV turns digital in August, extra channels will be added to the network, and this will include pornography channels. An Internet craze that is also available on satellite television has now stuck its filthy mitts into the likes of national television. This exposure is somewhat criminal, and the government should be utterly ashamed of allowing such exploitative material to saturate our culture. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Advertisement and pornography channels are not the only media genres with dangerous content. In England, America, across Europe and even more dominantly so in Asian cultures such as China and Japan, material promoting the exploitation of women is everywhere. Strip bars and ‘gentleman’s’ entertainment clubs, raunchy music videos, newspaper photographs, magazines with pornographic images slapped on the front for any passer-by to stumble upon, it's all backwards. For a country that's so 'politically correct' in its conservatism, this is beyond a joke.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
<br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><u>‘If you don’t want to get involved with porn then don’t, it’s up to the individual.’</u></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Well actually, it’s not. Pornography affects everyone. It is no longer a material that can be chosen by the individual to ‘enjoy’ in private. But pornography is extremely evident in the public sector of today’s world, and cannot be avoided even at the greatest efforts. Such material has such a huge part in media representation that it creates an entire narrative of what women are and how they should be treated. The very fact that this material is now allowed onto national television is a huge statement in itself, a statement that says 'look everyone, it's ok to treat women as objects now because it's on TV'. Men everywhere are jumping on the [im]moral bandwagon and women everywhere are feeling the effects.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><u>‘But it’s just porn, it’s not such a big deal.’</u></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Well actually, it is. Men like to erect (excuse the pun) a barrier between fantasy (fictional pornography) and reality. Pornography is indeed a form of representation rather than ‘real-life sex’, but like most developed media adopts the concept of realism, and therefore naturalising such ideas so that this barrier is broken. It might be argued that this realism proves that pornographic media simply holds a mirror to the world in its natural state, but someone is creating these representations and manipulating reality through repeated exposure to such ideals. Such material is the propaganda of a male army, created to brainwash the world constructing a social acceptance of their perverse desires. And it will work. It has worked. The media is the great dictator of social values, a very dangerous tool, and when used in this way causes severe dysfunction. To make matters worse, due to realism creating a sense of naturalisation, this exploitation is becoming a blind ‘normality’. People are failing to question such ideals and are worshipping ‘the media god’. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><u>‘So how exactly does embracing pornographic media affect women on a whole?’</u></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Marquis de Sade famously made the connection between sex and violence. He said, <i>‘<span style="color: #cc0000;">there’s not a woman on earth who would ever have had cause to complain of my services if I’d been sure of being able to kill her afterwards’</span></i>. The women in pornographic images are dead, both virtually and functionally. Victimised as a piece of meat for the pleasure of the predatory male, these women have no role in the outside world. If Sade was able to kill his women afterward they would only ever be dead, existing only as lifeless objects in the sexual realm with no experience of the outside world. Without the escape from the sex realm to the mortal realm, women would not be able to reflect upon the abusive nature of such victimisation. However we DO have ‘cause to complain’, as some of us are able to reflect, some of us are able to see the true damage. This fiction, the created (fiction from ‘fingere’ = to form) enables fact to be continued into reality. Men objectify women, using them for sex, acting violently toward them, giving them unequal disadvantage in the workplace, as well as administering continued misrepresentation of women in politics and the media. <br />
<br />
<i><u>‘I watch porn and I’ve never hit or raped a woman’</u></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This statement is a great example of how [some] men are getting this whole issue completely wrong. Most think this is a battle not worth fighting. One comment I received in discussion of this topic is that <b>‘watching porn stops rape’</b>. So not only should we accept that men are sexual predators that need to be relieved, but we as women are the ones to provide an alternative method of pleasing them to save ourselves from being raped. We are still being raped every single day, in many ways, ways that are taken for granted. Objectification comes in many shapes and sizes and I am sure the majority of men are unconsciously guilty of it. You may not have raped a woman or physically abused her, but have you ever made a comment such as ‘women are bad drivers’ or criticised their capability in the work place or within education? Have you ever judged a girl for what she is dressed like, slapping on labels such as ‘slut’, ‘slag’ or ‘whore’ upon someone you don’t even know? Have you ever made a suggestive comment to a woman or touched a woman’s body, or expected that a woman is ‘up for it’ because of the way she is dressed? I don’t think I have ever been on a night out without one of my girl friends or myself being ogled at or groped. Women can’t even walk down the street without a man leaning out of a car window and hurling some lecherous comment at her. The problems are more widespread than you thought. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 18pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><u>‘But pornographic media can be empowering to women’</u></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Well, if the way a woman empowers herself is through sexual objectification then there is definitely something wrong with the world. It is far more empowering for a woman to work 9 till 5 earnestly sweeping floors than for a woman to sell herself as an object to a man. The women that aren’t being forced into such degrading submission usually only apply for these jobs because they are pressured into thinking that this makes them beautiful. Particularly girls who have low self-esteem and little self-worth due to lack of appreciation of personal qualities and lack of motivation toward them reaching higher goals. This is one way a woman can gain attention from men, and what is perceived to be ‘respect’, although is actually the complete lack of. A common argument is that ‘women get paid for doing this so there’s no issue’. Being paid is exactly what makes them objects. Again due to discouragement in the workplace and throughout education, women are lacking the support and encouragement they need to succeed, and therefore take the easy option of selling their bodies in pornography, strip bars and prostitution. At this point I will point out that not only men are to blame for this societal corruption, but women too are responsible for adhering to such ‘ideals’ and degrading positions, and therefore subjecting women on the whole to such victimisation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><u>‘It’s too late to change things’</u></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The tragic truth is that pornographic imaging is something that has existed for thousands of years, dating back to the Romans and the Greeks. This is far too often used as an excuse as to why it is acceptable to continue such degrading behaviour; ‘porn isn’t wrong, it’s always been around’. So has the slave trade. But surely if a diseased thinking has been spreading through the generations for so long, this age of revolution is the perfect time to step outside the box of conservative ideas and change things. Think about it (and yes I AM going to play this card), is this really the kind of world we want to bring our children into? It is disturbingly easy for an innocent child to flick over the television channels and find some form of pornographic imaging, or walk around newsagents and supermarkets with parents to glance upon the revealing covers of ‘ladmags’ such as ‘Nuts’ or ‘Zoo’, or even the pages of tabloid newspapers. Not only does it affect children directly, but indirectly. As men are naturalised to embrace certain concepts of women, this is passed not only between friends but also down to their children through primary socialisation in the home. Pornography causing sexual deviance and unequal treatment and expectations of women, often results in damaged relationships, and in some cases can cause parents to break apart and therefore leave an inheritance of disrespect toward women. Problems are then magnified through secondary socialisation from the education system, impact from peers and again the media.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i><u>‘So what can I do?’</u></i></b><u><br />
MEN:</u><i> </i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ok men, if you’ve come this far then perhaps you’ve realised that you feel a slight pang of revolutionary passion for the fight for equality. After this stage, some men tend to hit a brick wall: <i style="color: #cc0000;">‘There would be a representation of us as impotent and as losers which we cannot risk’</i>. Well ‘man-up’ and risk it. <b>Women need you.</b> The revolution against racism could not have succeeded so well without the white man accepting equality and forming an alliance to end such discrimination and oppression. Challenge the <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">‘man-made morality which covers up the immorality of women’s oppression, subordination and violation’</span></i>. Empower the weak and bring them to your level, respect them as equals and exhibit this attitude to the world. Stop watching porn and find a real woman. Love and care for her. Tell a woman she’s smart, acknowledge her potential, be a supporting figure rather than tearing women down all the time. And if you do respect women, do not be ashamed, but make it known throughout your day-to-day life. <b>Chivalry will never go out of fashion.</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center; text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>WOMEN:</u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <b> </b><b>United we stand!</b> (Which is exactly why we’ve fallen so far…)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Women have <b>died</b> so that we, the women of the future, have the blessing of freedom. And look what we’ve done with that freedom. We’ve been given a voice and a choice, so why do we still choose to be objectified and fail to use our voices? I ask you also to ‘man-up’, to take responsibility as a singular woman and set an example for the nation of women. Do not try to be what other people want you to be. Learn to love yourself, and do not ever feel as though you have to prove yourself to anyone. You do not need to take your clothes off to be beautiful. Look for respect where respect is due, and never underestimate your potential as a human being.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>Everyone:</u></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="color: #cc0000;">‘In Switzerland, women took the military to court for allowing officers to use photographs of a woman as targets for shooting practice. The reply of the Swiss authorities was that only the particular woman, the model of the photographs, could sue. And she would be unlikely to, added a spokesman, since she had posed in the first place.’</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Do not fall into the trap of treating each case singularly. This is a widespread problem and representation has lead to the naturalisation of generalisation. A tiny drop can cause a huge ripple, and every snowflake pleads ‘not-guilty’ in an avalanche. So be a good snowflake. There are always going to be worshippers of ‘the media god’, and there are always going to be people that pull the rope the other way. But the more people that play on the right side of this tug-of-war, the more chance we have of changing things. It’s not impossible. Black and white people share contented lives; racism is dying a well-deserved death. Our next world mission: gender equality. Get on board.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
(quotes from <span style="color: #990000;">‘The Pornography of Representation’</span> by Susanne Kappeler)</span></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-28316393582824283462011-06-22T23:22:00.003+01:002011-11-06T15:33:42.375+00:00The Great Divide<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }span.MsoEndnoteReference { vertical-align: super; }p.MsoEndnoteText, li.MsoEndnoteText, div.MsoEndnoteText { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 36pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }span.EndnoteTextChar { }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0cm; }ul { margin-bottom: 0cm; }
</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I am currently in Wolverhampton staying with my Grandma, what is supposed to be my home when I’m not at university. I don’t have a Church here. I don’t have Christian friends. And I don’t have the Christian Union. Here is my secular place. Nottingham is my sacred place. For two years now, my mind, heart and soul have been set in an unhealthy bipolar fashion, as I like many, have fallen under ‘The Great Divide’.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> This summer between my second and third year of university (the last time I have to return here to live) was my last chance to get it right and make an effort. I urged my sister in Christ (to whom I am accountable to) to push me over text and email, something that to both of our surprises was not much needed (thanks Jess!). I arrived on Saturday evening and by Sunday evening, after walking for almost an hour, I found myself in a Church, joyfully singing worship amidst a large family bearing happy hearts and welcoming faces.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Personal progress aside, this ‘Great Divide’ is something that continually effects the majority of us, it being a way of life that is too easy to fall into and exceedingly difficult to climb out of. Whether you’re at university and return to a home town during holidays, you have work life and personal life or separate your different groups of friends, think of the ways in which you banish God from parts of your life.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> At this new Church I’d visited, a woman asked, <i>‘what kind of fruit are you?’</i>. At this I was rather confused and so patiently waited for the coming analogy. <i>‘Are you an orange or a peach? Is your life broken into segments, or is your life integrated with God as your strong centre?’</i>.<i> </i> Well I happened to be an orange. I was always satisfied with merely being a fruit of God, bearing the good news in my heart, but I never took much notice as to exactly what kind of fruit I was. And it turns out I was the wrong kind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> In Paul’s biblical letter to the Colossians, he writes <i style="color: #cc0000;">‘whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him’<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1656213835165029690#_edn1" name="_ednref1" title=""></a></i></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Colossians 3:17). To me this means three things:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: x-small; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Whatever</b>: absolutely everything you do, from preaching the gospel to doing the shopping, playing sport with friends or doing the housework, in prayer or in day-to-day conversation. Whatever you do, do it with God on your heart and mind.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: x-small; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Whoever</b>: absolutely everyone you meet, not just your Christian friends but your non-Christian friends, the people on your course, at your workplace, on the bus, at the gym. Whoever you meet, show them that you have God in your heart and mind.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 54pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: x-small; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Whenever</b>: absolutely every minute of every day. Not just on Sundays, not just at times of organised mission outreach, but all the time. Whenever you live a waking breath, live it with God on your heart and mind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It all seems ridiculously difficult, almost impossible. But the beauty of it is that we WILL mess up, and we WILL drift away at times and almost slip into the ‘Great Divide’, but God in his outstanding grace knows this already and forgives us. He won’t leave us, nor will he forsake us, and no matter how far from Him we drift He will always seek us out to carry us back in loving arms. So why banish God from certain segments of our lives when He so desperately wants to saturate every inch of it with His love and grace? Give it all to Him, don’t hold back, and He will do things with your life so incredible that you could never imagine. Get rid of that ‘Great Divide’ and let the sacred bless the secular. Be a peach!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>Alternative helpful Bible passages:<br />
</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Romans 12:1-2<br />
</b> <i style="color: #cc0000;">‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.’</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Matthew 5:16</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="color: #cc0000;">‘Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.’</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-38656320734656399332011-05-17T18:05:00.004+01:002011-05-17T22:56:47.224+01:00The Final Solution<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKtRwT7cT9e9Ex5gXr9CF9YXR-060DG6Eus8oQfDO2G858xQ30M2cw5I0NpPfMn1ZcHbdawAqUUcUfhp4Yw_w_TOeQCGdQqA1N823cwFxvd1qny9XOBJYgFnTqk8W-g_miE5-n_am6h5j/s1600/CNV00008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKtRwT7cT9e9Ex5gXr9CF9YXR-060DG6Eus8oQfDO2G858xQ30M2cw5I0NpPfMn1ZcHbdawAqUUcUfhp4Yw_w_TOeQCGdQqA1N823cwFxvd1qny9XOBJYgFnTqk8W-g_miE5-n_am6h5j/s320/CNV00008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<b><span lang="de"><i>Arbeit macht frei</i></span></b>" - <i>Work makes you free.</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table> Recently I spent an evening reading <b><i>‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’</i></b>, by Irish novelist John Boyne. I can honestly admit that I don’t think I have ever cried so much in my life. You may have read it yourself, or perhaps it might be more likely that you have seen the film adaptation. Maybe you cried too. It’s a short read, I would recommend it to anyone who falls under the category of ‘reader’ as it goes above and beyond any literary genre that I have come across (don’t let my crying put you off!). Even if you have seen the film, go out and find the book! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYf4Ox6c0hZjjdNKs0e31_fEc_Mn8aoltFsKpmIIgZaP6RNZwJywxhAdvcXGE2o5GtZcULB0O8TKlmzht1bCHbWFmRxXtWbd8Z8u4Y1MkkX2IeRINzweGC51_ZeTki-vlvMLG6Pw3x1_bu/s1600/CNV00046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYf4Ox6c0hZjjdNKs0e31_fEc_Mn8aoltFsKpmIIgZaP6RNZwJywxhAdvcXGE2o5GtZcULB0O8TKlmzht1bCHbWFmRxXtWbd8Z8u4Y1MkkX2IeRINzweGC51_ZeTki-vlvMLG6Pw3x1_bu/s320/CNV00046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The remaining barracks.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">Boyne writes in such a simplistic way, yet he grasps your attention on every single page. His language captures the tragedy that was the Holocaust through the innocent eyes of a nine-year-old boy, replacing the expected horrendous descriptions with subtle images from an unknowing perspective, making more powerful the sheer horror of the cruel situation. There are moments of laughter, of confrontation, of hopes and disappointments, as Boyne beckons readers to chase the development of an unbreakable friendship before hitting us with an ending that would penetrate even the hardest of hearts.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-HBYnKIsb0f0ehp2h4XzO0pAMXFRW2HmXYT2B5VfkN-v6Eq6ey3BXDUIoeKiH_Ph1o3aDtkyE0x-t_mPMspzY9M1rYLggOhjDcv80B9sw5VMgDy5WNxG8_np0enDzLZEpmHMD1vEjReC/s1600/CNV00027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-HBYnKIsb0f0ehp2h4XzO0pAMXFRW2HmXYT2B5VfkN-v6Eq6ey3BXDUIoeKiH_Ph1o3aDtkyE0x-t_mPMspzY9M1rYLggOhjDcv80B9sw5VMgDy5WNxG8_np0enDzLZEpmHMD1vEjReC/s320/CNV00027.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The guards walkway between two parts of the camp.<br />
The barbed wire fences had an electric current running<br />
through to keep the prison from attempting escape.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>As well as being such a fantastic read, this fable addresses one of the most important events in history; a moment in history that people still deny today. As far as I know this is a topic rarely discussed, and one that is not often taught in schools in great detail. However, during the year before I came to university, I became involved in an incredible organisation called the <b><i>Holocaust Education Trust</i></b>. Travelling to Aston University, I attended lectures and seminars on various topics and ethical issues, where I met a Jewish woman called Kitty Hart-Moxon who spoke on how she survived the concentration camp. This was followed by a day trip to Auschwitz in Poland (the concentration camp mentioned in <i>‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ </i>and where Kitty and her mother were imprisoned).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPz69i1XmmzWNEvx1QBziUF2TQnDSkzTlqD-mWguVsLSpboWYvuVzWLKVNiGd_YTBzVes2Du9beIimTB9L3EIJFhmbVve4c4J-Qwg0awjvX5mffryfli46XUZjTs2_qPPg2cuOVBh17kA_/s1600/CNV00083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPz69i1XmmzWNEvx1QBziUF2TQnDSkzTlqD-mWguVsLSpboWYvuVzWLKVNiGd_YTBzVes2Du9beIimTB9L3EIJFhmbVve4c4J-Qwg0awjvX5mffryfli46XUZjTs2_qPPg2cuOVBh17kA_/s320/CNV00083.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Family photographs found in the suitcases of those who <br />
were killed. A memorial room contained walls covered <br />
from top to bottom with the only memories left of<br />
these families.<br />
</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Throughout my day in Auschwitz I did not cry, not once, not like I did at the writings of John Boyne. My pre-visit expectations were that I would feel an overwhelming sense of anger and despair; but I felt neither. I wanted to feel such things; but I just felt numb. It was incredibly difficult to take it all in; how could I comprehend the fact that almost 3 million people had been brutally massacred in such a small, eerie and now desolate space? As dusk fell, I remember walking through the black dead trees, as a kind of half-light hovered still in the air and the rain fell lightly on a world in greyscale. The birds sang melodically, almost as a mockery of the place, impounding a strange sense of guilt upon my heart. Birdsong and footsteps of the free were not welcome within the confines of this death camp.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_d5rtu2YXaNsqfTOoDXodeHWLZDB-6hC8BKS3eaBnNg2F_aO65aEq_D5TqxEBT1W2qyVVnN-9xiUCDq2tZZb4Vmhskb5FeBPJ_CmpqSV0wqri1CR4pRv9X7Tv0pwK6abKwouq6r2IXHzd/s1600/CNV00051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_d5rtu2YXaNsqfTOoDXodeHWLZDB-6hC8BKS3eaBnNg2F_aO65aEq_D5TqxEBT1W2qyVVnN-9xiUCDq2tZZb4Vmhskb5FeBPJ_CmpqSV0wqri1CR4pRv9X7Tv0pwK6abKwouq6r2IXHzd/s320/CNV00051.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The entrance gate and the train track which was built<br />
for the special purpose of bringing people from the cities <br />
straight into the camp, either to the famous crossroads for a<br />
selection process or right up to the gas chambers for<br />
immediate execution.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>As the hovering dusk dropped into a thick darkness, the group gathered together alongside the remains of a gas chamber, and a remembrance service was held by the Rabbi that accompanied us on our daytrip. From underneath the canopy of umbrellas we sang hymns and the Rabbi recited Jewish prayers. We each lit a candle and as we made our leave, we laid them along the train track on which cattle-carts full of people were shipped in to be killed. At the end of the day, I walked through the gates from which 3 million people came in and never went out again. To this day I remain fascinated, my heart lacerated, completely devastated, at the brutality that was conducted as Hitler’s <i>‘Final Solution’</i>. Such human capability perhaps shall never be understood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><u>- All photographs by Annie Davies -</u></span> </div></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-16205954642345021412011-05-13T18:22:00.003+01:002011-05-17T12:06:13.701+01:00Sound Check<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><u><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- As published in the Spring 2011 issue of Artemis, the Women's Network magazine.</span></b> -</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2jYsGPWRmzGUZLfza_ZVPSCSyW1VeSFkhWx03Fe1cOvT_VfGgqts_Hopw5aWwkUptGAC-GHdgZtDrmEitzLzancZcqUuSjOOgSlb4uwauLThQ66ZbAK0X6Bn4cJi7PHh_EIZSJZQYZvX/s1600/sounddesk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW2jYsGPWRmzGUZLfza_ZVPSCSyW1VeSFkhWx03Fe1cOvT_VfGgqts_Hopw5aWwkUptGAC-GHdgZtDrmEitzLzancZcqUuSjOOgSlb4uwauLThQ66ZbAK0X6Bn4cJi7PHh_EIZSJZQYZvX/s400/sounddesk.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photograph: http://www.testmeat.co.uk/photos/index.php?id=698</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">Doesn’t it just sound awful when you’re at a gig and the bass is ridiculously loud and the lyrics are incomprehensible? Or when the guitar riff is so distorted that the melody is completely lost? Or maybe I’ve just been to too many bad gigs… The same problem rings true in our day-to-day lives and the music we make. How loud are we projecting our voices as women? And in comparison, how do we fit this together with the other instruments in our lives? It’s time we had our own sound check.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">Myself, and others I have spoken to, have found that slapping the ‘feminist’ sticker onto yourself isn’t an easy task to undertake. It comes with baggage. Our lives, and identities for that matter, are made up of various different things, and it can often be difficult to fit our feminism into this overall picture. Our race, our class, our sexuality, our politics, our faith and even our minute personal interests, can conflict with our gender issues. So which do we prioritise? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">When we use our voices for change, we tend to concentrate too much or too little on the fact that we are women. It is a distinguishing factor of life that needs to be addressed, but our gender isn’t our ‘everything’. Take this into account: there is more than one type of woman. As postmodern feminist Bell Hooks puts it; ‘since men are not equal in white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchal class structure, which men do women want to be equal to?’ What about black women, working class women, lesbian women, liberal women, women of faith? We all face different kinds of discrimination and we need to accommodate for each aspect of our identities. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">I myself am a Christian. I often face criticisms from both sides. Some feminists accuse that ‘surely religion is a patriarchal tool of oppression’, and some Christians accuse that ‘feminism is a radical turn away from biblical teaching’. Both are wrong. As difficult as it may be to create a balance, it is certainly possible to integrate my faith and my feminism, fighting for gender equality whilst sharing my faith with others.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">So how loud do I sing of my faith? How loud do I sing as a woman looking for change? And how exactly do we balance these voices without breaking the sound barrier? Sing too loudly about one and the other easily fades into the background. Break this sound barrier and your identity is broken, consumed entirely by this single aspect. For me my faith is central to my life, the very essence of my truth and being, but born from this faith comes the search for liberation, and that includes the liberation of women. I have a biblical base upon which I can build my case for equality. But from this base I also build my politics, my philosophy, my identity, my relationships, and my lifestyle. The echoing voice of feminism may be an important aspect to life, but we need the rest of the band to bring body to the music that is our being. A perfect balance is impossible, but it’s time we stepped back and evaluated the value we slap on with our ‘feminist stickers’. So keep one hand on the sound desk, but let the show go on…</div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-83588213054158405802011-04-26T22:04:00.001+01:002011-04-26T23:10:26.000+01:00The liberation of loneliness<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">I am selfish, I am stubborn and subsequently single. I am so set in my own ways and obsessed with my independence that I tend to push people away. Unsurprisingly I am not the only person I know for whom this is the case. At least three close friends of mine seem to be poetically painted within this same frame of mind, but why? Is it simply that we’ve grown thick skins after wounds of the past? Or is there something else, a deeper satisfaction in being alone?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">There is something liberating about loneliness. I myself seem to feel accomplished for experiencing something alone, deeply content that I am able to contain things within the privacy of myself; thoughts and feelings that are mine and mine alone, things that no-one will ever know. I am in love with the ability to reflect, to take in the external and squeeze it between the hands of contemplation so that every last drop of opportunity has been used up.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">I like to look at my body. Not in a creepy bout of vanity but as a point of observation. I like to feel that I am a being, to recognise that I am myself. As much as interaction and emotions can overlap between one person and another, it is comforting to me to know that the body is a set form, a frame that distinguishes the self from the external. However, this shape is almost like a sieve. We may have a little control over what we do and do not let in from the external, but inevitably there are holes and the external <b>will</b> get in. We are not free from the influence of emotion. I often wish I could block these holes, as what seeps through them is what makes or breaks us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-42765212467566004822011-04-16T18:02:00.001+01:002011-04-16T18:03:30.710+01:00Made in His image...<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">Recently I found a huge scratch running along the top face of my Macbook, just next to the nice shiny white apple. I was absolutely devastated. I even cried in a rage that my once perfect piece of top-notch equipment was now defaced and in my eyes ruined, caused by a fault that wasn’t my own. In my life I’ve had my fair share of injuries. I’ve never broken a bone (touch wood), but I’ve dislocated my little finger, got a pool tile stuck in the heel of my foot, and had various other cuts and bruises on my arms and legs. I attended a dance school (as well as a normal academic school) for 14 years of my life, where I tortured my body day after day. If you’ve seen Natalie Portman’s feet bleed in ‘The Black Swan’ you’ll know what I mean. If I combined all of my injuries together, the emotional trauma would not compare with that I felt when I scratched my beloved laptop.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">If you’re thinking ‘what a shallow materialistic fool!’ then you are exactly right. I wasn’t spoilt as a child, my grandparents always taught me that you have to work if you want to get anything in this world and it’s not just given to you. So, as a poor student, I scrimped and saved for two years to buy my Mac, it being barely two months old when it was damaged earlier this week. I felt I’d worked so hard for it, that I placed upon it more value than my own body. I am completely foolish. For far too long I’ve taken for granted this body I walk around in. I’ve never really taken a second to step back, take a look at myself, and recognise that a God so lovingly, so mercifully, put more effort than I’ll ever know into carefully crafting my existence. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">The disrespect we have for our bodies is the root of many negative issues in modern life, varying hugely across the spectrum. Starting at the extreme end of the scale, close friends of mine, and even I myself, have been both villain and victim in the act of self-harm due to depression. Then consider that there are increasingly more and more women each day that are selling their bodies on the streets as a source of income. Following this are the acts of substance abuse; drug addicts, alcoholics, and then there are those who fail to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly. At the end of the day we are all guilty of disrespecting, or even abusing our bodies in some way or another, even the most trying of us. We can never achieve perfect health (that’s what makes us human!). But how many things can you count that you take pride in over your own body? I’d bet more things than you have phalanges! </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">In my opinion, living healthily out of respect for your body isn’t preached enough in Church. It is an issue seen as of little importance or even perhaps thought of as a prying issue to address to a congregation of over-polite English culture. Why should we be afraid to nudge a friend and tell them they should stop eating so much cake and get the ‘5-a-day’ on their menus? Why shouldn’t we drag one another outside for a run round the park or off for an hour at the swimming pool? I know that I would appreciate it. We need to be blunt in love, pushing one another, be that mirror that our best friends cannot run away from. If it’s smoking, taking drugs, self harm, eating rubbish food, don’t let our over-politeness get in the way of glorifying what God so beautifully created. Consequent of the development of technology and consumerism, as a culture we place far too much value upon the things in life that have no real value at all. Slowly but surely, Americanisation is infecting us with the pleasure factor and we are offending more than ever. But it’s not too late to change our outlooks; it’s no too late to be reminded that <b>the body is sacred</b>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; margin-left: 36pt;"><i>‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.’ </i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; margin-left: 36pt;"><i> - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20</i><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-53577602773784695812011-04-08T19:53:00.003+01:002011-04-08T21:15:24.069+01:00¿A qué te dedicas?<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;">This week I am staying with the Grandparents at their house on the south coast of Spain. They’ve lived here for almost seven years now, they love it but they miss the grandchildren, so I try to visit them at least once a year. My Grandfather is a smart man, a retired businessman with a strong mind. We usually engage in debates about something or other as we sit under the stars on the porch, his traditional conservatism contrasting with my postmodern liberalism. It’s a great bonding tool. A topic that seems to have dominated our conversation this week is the topic of careers. ‘<i>What do you want to do with your life when you leave university?</i>’ </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;">The truth is I have absolutely no idea what I want to do… Here in Spain the recession has hit harder than most places, surprisingly even worse than in the UK. People are running around looking for any kind of work they can lay their hands on, men even walking the main roads clutching hand written signs, offering to clean your car inside and out for a mere €3. The desperation is shocking. A person’s job is often central to their life. In most cases people would argue that their job <b>is</b> their life, financial income being their source of food, housing and health care. As well as bringing such security, our jobs seem to play a huge part in our identity and our social life. When we introduce ourselves to people we often say our name, age, and what we do for a living. When we make friends, we are more inclined toward those who have interesting careers, keeping useful contacts to boost our social framework. It is so easy to judge a persons entire personality based on what they do for a living.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;">So those of us who are holding that pin, where do we want to place ourselves upon the map of socioeconomic institutes that make up the working world? At the moment I don’t want to do anything. But simultaneously I don’t want to do nothing. So where do I go? I’ve been discussing various careers with my Grandfather and he has been suggesting areas of work that pay well, careers that haven’t been threatened by the recession. I feel I suit none of his suggestions. I find myself considering these jobs merely out of necessity rather than real interest. But then I think: why should I do something that has no real worth? After all, what is money gained when precious time is spent? I’m with Morrissey on this one: <span style="color: #990000;">‘</span><i style="color: #990000;">I was looking for a job and then I found a job, and heaven knows I’m miserable now… in my life, why do I give valuable time, to people who don’t care if I live or I die?</i><span style="color: #990000;">’</span><br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;">So does having a job mean sacrificing your spirit? Too many people today are doing jobs because they ‘have’ to, the stress and competitiveness of the work place driving people insane. People have forgotten about the things they really love. How many people have you heard uttering phrases such as ‘I always wanted to do this but…’ and ‘I wish I’d have tried this when I was younger’? The pressure of finding a career smothers any real flame of passion that might have burned within us, many of us going for life roles that bring us the greatest financial gain or the strongest sense of security. Following this comes the death of spontaneity.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;">I’m not saying that this is the case for everyone. I’m sure that there are many people that love their job and are quite happy to work hard in a career for the majority of their lives. I’m simply saying that perhaps we should question the system: how do we know it’s right? I’m no economist, but it seems to work economically (most of the time), but how does it work for the soul of the individual? We are not inclined to ask such questions because we are all born into this system, and we are taught from a young age to live and work for our future. We go to school to learn the basics to then move up to secondary school, then we work hard to attain enough GCSE’s to get into a good college or sixth form, work even more to get sufficient A Levels to get into a good university, and then get lost somewhere between 1<sup>st</sup> class degrees, masters degrees and PhD’s. Then you compete to get into a career, work your ass off, retire and die. The idea is that you can’t have fun until you retire, but then only during the time between hip replacement operations and queuing for your pension to pay for your TV license before (heaven forbid) you can no longer watch Corrie and Strictly Come Dancing!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 18pt;">It’s depressing to even think about let alone to live it out! To me it seems clear that the system is all wrong. Working nine till five in <b>one</b> job doing <b>one</b> thing, day after day after day, is the most torturous idea I can imagine. Where is the <b><i>freedom</i></b>, the <b><i>passion</i></b>, the <b><i>spontaneity</i></b>. Where is the <b><i>living</i></b><i> </i>in ‘<i>making a living</i>’? I know what you’re thinking, ‘what a ridiculous sensationalist idea!’ but why does it have to be so? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000; margin-left: 18pt;"><i>‘…and if you must go to work tomorrow, well if I were you I really wouldn’t bother, for there are brighter sides to life and I should know because I’ve seen them…’</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><i> - </i>Steven Patrick Morrissey</div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-11914150804660093492011-03-24T01:25:00.003+00:002011-03-24T02:38:02.306+00:00A night at the zoo?<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">After a recent visit to Hanley in Stoke, I feel compelled to write on what I found there… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">On a Saturday night I tagged along to a nightclub with an old friend from school, it was called ‘Manhattan’. After an entry fee of £2, kindly paid for by my friend, I walked in to find a dark room, poorly decorated, with a small dance floor and a long bar. Not really worth the £2 at all, but I remained hopeful all the same. My friend and I always used to go to this place in Wolverhampton that looked ten times worse, walls covered in black peeling paint, sticky floor, and absolutely vile toilets! ‘The Planet’ was definitely far from ‘home’. But we enjoyed it nevertheless. We loved the music, the people, the bar staff, the tacky freebies, we even learned to love the sticky floor! </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">So let me explain what I saw in Stoke and how this made me feel… The music was pretty awful. I don’t think it even deserved to be called music. It wasn’t like that stuff in the charts that is tolerable in a sense that you can at least sing along to it and forget how lame it really is. But it was just awkward sounds that repeated again and again, each track jumping into the next so that they became indistinguishable. The room was filled to a high capacity, a much higher ratio of males to females. The males mostly wore jeans and a shirt or t-shirt. The females wore hardly anything. They danced on a platform that ran along one of the walls, while the guys in the club stood below on the floor ogling at them. From below, I saw some disgusting sights, as the girls put their legs up on the railings and their short skirts raised to reveal an item of ‘clothing’ that I never thought I’d see: crotchless underwear. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">The whole scenario reminded me of one of those fancy restaurants, with a tank of lobsters from which you can choose which creature you want to kill and eat. But this was at the complete opposite end of the class spectrum. The guys in the club had the whole night to decide which half naked girl on the podium they wanted to take home and kill her soul. And unlike the lobsters, the girls were eager to be chosen. It made me feel physically sick. I don’t think I’m naïve, I’ve always known that this kind of thing happens, after all I grew up in Wolverhampton! But this was like nothing I’d ever seen before. Literally every other person in the room was in it for the prize sex at the end. It seemed to be pointless to even go to the nightclub in the first place, they didn’t want to dance or enjoy themselves with friends, they only had one thing on their agenda, but I suppose they needed somewhere to congregate to find like-minded people…</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">I felt like I was experiencing a part of hell. Everywhere I looked I was deeply disturbed. I wanted to close my eyes and disappear, but I wanted the whole room to disappear with me. I didn’t want it to be real. I didn’t want to accept that such things were so ‘normal’ to these people. I didn’t want to accept that this was happening not only here and now, but recurring over and over in many places… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> After an hour or so of straining to enjoy myself, I soon lost the strength and it became apparent to my friend that I was miserable. She asked what was wrong, accusing Nottingham of turning me into a boring stuck up twit. It made me question myself… If I could enjoy The Planet, why couldn’t I enjoy this? Had I really become a snob or was this really the epitome of hell that I’d stepped into? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">I’m not a complete Marxist but I am all for liberation of the oppressed, so this is not an attack of class. I gave up drinking alcohol just before I came to University in September 2009, but I have more fun when I go out now than I ever used to. I spend less money, I no longer hit that point of tiredness at 2am, I never get hangovers, I hardly embarrass myself, and the day after I can remember everything that everyone else forgets! It brings a whole new light to going out! So it’s not that I’m boring at all, or so I believe, but it really was that grotesque a place in reality. There was absolutely nothing there that I could enjoy, no matter how hard I tried.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">So what should I do? Should I even do anything? Society is becoming more and more accepting of this kind of behaviour as time goes by. Even my friend, who was always so like myself, now engaged in this activity and saw it as completely normal. Is there any stopping it? I could say the whole ‘I don’t want my children to have to grow up in this world’, but haven’t things gone too far out of control for anyone to change it now? It made me thankful that I have been saved from that. I wouldn’t say I’m a ‘good person’, but I am comforted in that I’ve found meaning in my life. I suppose all I can do now is to pray that others will find meaning too, and do my best to question everyone I can about it. Too many people choose ignorance over thought. Human beings were made to question, so that is what we must do, yet so many fail to do so when wrapped up in a world absent of reason. People have become animals, and thought and reflection have been discarded into the trash of unnecessary life tools.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f; text-indent: 36pt;">“Are we not perpetually falling? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there any up or down left? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is it not more and more night coming on all the time? Must not lanterns be lit in the morning? Do we not hear anything yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we not smell anything yet of God's decomposition? … God is dead … And we have killed him.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 288pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><b>- Nietzsche</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Needless to say, I won’t be returning to that place anytime soon…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(This piece is not a personal attack on Stoke, and is based purely on a single experience in one nightclub)</span></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-37970132896784025202011-03-16T14:52:00.000+00:002011-03-16T14:52:28.114+00:00little something/big nothing<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Calibri";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Tahoma";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri; }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri; }.MsoPapDefault { margin-bottom: 10pt; line-height: 115%; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;"><u><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 8.5pt;">A little something I wrote in September 2009:</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Well-being seems to crumble when a lost cause begins to rumble in the thunder of your nightmares of the bitter taste and petty cares that hold the heart in a thorny cradle you just don't seem to be able to eat or drink or sleep or breathe you realise that underneath the poison never settles in one place but spreads amongst a web of lace that catches words that look like gold but break the net so this unfolds...</i></span></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-33181424847428038882011-03-08T17:49:00.002+00:002011-03-16T14:58:22.237+00:00ἀπορία (Aporia)<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "MS ゴシック";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Calibri";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoTitle, li.MsoTitle, div.MsoTitle { margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt; border: medium none; padding: 0cm; font-size: 26pt; font-family: Calibri; color: rgb(23, 54, 93); letter-spacing: 0.25pt; }p.MsoTitleCxSpFirst, li.MsoTitleCxSpFirst, div.MsoTitleCxSpFirst { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; border: medium none; padding: 0cm; font-size: 26pt; font-family: Calibri; color: rgb(23, 54, 93); letter-spacing: 0.25pt; }p.MsoTitleCxSpMiddle, li.MsoTitleCxSpMiddle, div.MsoTitleCxSpMiddle { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; border: medium none; padding: 0cm; font-size: 26pt; font-family: Calibri; color: rgb(23, 54, 93); letter-spacing: 0.25pt; }p.MsoTitleCxSpLast, li.MsoTitleCxSpLast, div.MsoTitleCxSpLast { margin: 0cm 0cm 15pt; border: medium none; padding: 0cm; font-size: 26pt; font-family: Calibri; color: rgb(23, 54, 93); letter-spacing: 0.25pt; }span.TitleChar { font-family: Calibri; color: rgb(23, 54, 93); letter-spacing: 0.25pt; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria Math";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; text-indent: 36pt;"><i>‘The owl of Minerva spreads its wings only with the falling of dusk’</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; margin-left: 252pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><i> – Hegel</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">Consider this: we exist on the horizon of reality. The sun sets on history, and we live always at the tail of it. We are unable to re-live that ever-increasing day which constructs our current being, we are restrained to merely tracing over the line and considering how we got here and where we went wrong. Can we ever detach ourselves from that line and start a new one? Or does the human memory bind us to what has been and gone for as long as memory lives?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">I am only 20. I feel I should omit the word ‘only’ as it would seem that I have been on a greater journey than most people my age. However I know that the mathematical proportion of my past compared to my future proves that there is much more to come. I’m sure I will read this in another 20 years and agree…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">I don’t remember much of my childhood, my teens were rough, my parents divorced and I was kicked out at the age of 16 to find my own way. During a period of severe depression and insomnia, I experienced what most would call a ‘religious experience’ at the age of 15, which literally saved my life. I gave my life to Jesus two years later. I would say I’ve been in two serious relationships in my life; the first wrecked me, the second made me aware of how wrecked I really was. All these things make me who I am. But each new dawn, and each new struggle that comes with it, is made heavier by the things that I carry from my experiences. Not only does it effect times of struggle, but it dominates my thinking, my philosophical contemplations and my search for truth. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">As human beings, it is in our nature to ask questions. To live is to search for truth. Even the seemingly naive search for it, focusing on the truth of the self, testing their identity with the activities they partake in and the people they relate to, in an attempt to know oneself. One truth that seems to dominate over all others is that of love and all its subheadings. What is friendship, compassion, communication, trust? What do they mean to us? This is certainly something that has been central to my life; my years spent searching for security, acceptance, affection. My two major relationships provided a drastic dualism upon which I have tried to base my philosophy of love, as well as the masses of second hand experience that back it up. A search that I have ached with all along that line of history, can I finally spread my wings with ‘the falling of dusk’?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; margin-left: 36pt;"><i>“…take the case of a lover who has been unhappy in love, and suppose that the way he yields to his passions is really unreasonable, impious, and unchristian. In case you cannot begin with him in such a way that he finds genuine relief in talking to you about his suffering and is able to enrich his mind with poetical interpretations you suggest for it, notwithstanding you have no share in this passion and want to free him from it - if you cannot do that, then you cannot help him at all; he shuts himself away from you, he retires within himself…” <br />
<br />
</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; margin-left: 252pt;"><i>- Kierkegaard</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;">I believe that God is love. Therefore God is the definition of love, the one knowing love in its entirety. I also believe that God is unreachable in terms of us gaining understanding of Him. This notion, in concurrence with my aporia, brings me to the conclusion that I will never know love. I have come into wisdom, in the sense that I admit that I do not know anything. As Kierkegaard puts it: “Truth is subjectivity”. There remains hypocrisy in that I cannot but help longing for the search to go on, despite my accepting that the search would be an eternal process leading to no possible conclusion. I am only human after all, and as I said before, that is what we do, we live to search for truth. Perhaps some day I will find a new love that will spark a revision of this philosophy, perhaps one day I’ll be put into the situation whereupon I should have ‘the marriage talk’. How do we really know we’re in love, when we cannot know what love is in its entirety? That question can be asked day after day for months, even years, and it can never be answered. Unlike a relationship with God (for which we have reassurance or ‘proof’ from the Holy Spirit), we must take a blind leap of faith based on what we think we know about love. The search brings no gain, so now I retire within myself. And that, for now, is my horizon.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; margin-left: 36pt;"><i>“If you marry, you will regret it; if you do not marry, you will also regret it… Laugh at the world’s follies, you will regret it; weep over them you will also regret that… Hang yourself, you will regret it; do not hang yourself, and you will also regret that; hang yourself or do not hang yourself, you will regret both… This gentlemen, is the sum and substance of all philosophy”. </i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; margin-left: 252pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #38761d; margin-left: 252pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><i>- Kierkegaard</i></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1656213835165029690.post-71671667034495131532011-03-03T12:49:00.005+00:002011-04-26T22:05:13.516+01:00Blog One<div style="font-family: inherit;"><style>
@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "MS 明朝";
}@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }.MsoChpDefault { font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { page: WordSection1; }
</style> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What a better topic to write on for my first blog than blogs themselves?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">What are blogs? And why do we write them? What do they really say about us?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m no pro when it comes to technology, but it doesn’t take a genius to see that the internet has changed the world. It’s amazing to think that we can type a word into a little box, and at the click of a button we can access thousands of pages of data that relate to that very word. We can keep in touch with people all over the world, find lost friends, make new ones. We can build relationships with people that we may never even meet, look at their pictures, watch their videos, read their blogs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I remember there was a boy at my school who wrote a blog. It meant so much to him. It was his catchphrase. The word’s “read my blog!” passed his lips at least 50 times a day. He thought of himself as a comedian, and bothered everything with a pulse to get online and read his material. Needless to say I never did read it. He lived and breathed ‘blog’. He even named his band ‘The Monobloggers’…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">So why did he write a blog? He was a lonely guy. Didn’t have many friends. The friends he did have didn’t really know who he was. Maybe we all cry out for that deeper relationship, urging for others to try to understand us, what we think and how we feel. Everyone is lonely in their own way. Even those of us who are surrounded by people every day. In fact those tend to be the loneliest kind of people. We write diaries, as private accounts of the things that mean the most to us in our lives. Is a blog just an online diary? If so, how much of ourselves are we really putting out there, and why do we do it?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s interesting to consider how much truth goes into a blog. I have never written a blog before so it will be interesting to see what I leave out of it. As I begin this newfound hobby I promise that I will never write anything dishonest in my blogs, and that everything I write shall be the truth as far as is in my knowledge. But it shall be interesting to see the truths I am afraid to include. If you are reading this and you write a blog, how much of it is true? How closely does it match up to the real you, and how much does it really say about who you are? Can you really come to know someone simply from what they write?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the blogging begins…</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit;"></div>annie pennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01604885067142885893noreply@blogger.com4