Inspired Living

damien's picture
Submitted by damien on

I love research, I love science and I love technology. I am an engineer by training and computer programmer by trade. I am also a Christian.

I surf the web a lot and read lots of blogs. I subscribe to various mailing lists and a number of forums. A trend I am seeing a lot these days is people throwing around research in an attempt to prove their point, as if it is the gospel truth.

Of course everyone can dredge up some form of research (no matter how dubious it may be) to prove their position. Often times these exchanges wind up nowhere constructive, with the people who are most confident in their research arsenal shutting down the people who aren't. These things rarely end pretty, and rarely lead anywhere constructive. I'm fairly certain that "show me the research" will be the cliche of this Internet generation.

We have become a society of religious zealots, who instead of arguing the finer points of theology, throw around journal abstracts like Bible verses.

But this post isn't about research, or faith.

Science is reductionistic, it needs to be. Life is complicated and interconnected in ways we will never understand. Maybe it is the engineer in me, but what I want to see is application. And not just any sort of application, but wholistic life application. It is not until you see a particular action and/or activity in the context of someone's life - their whole life - that you begin to realize that reductionist thinking only gets you so far.

But this post isn't about science, or engineering.

If I have learned one thing by being a parent it's this - if I want to teach my kids anything, I have to model it myself. If I can't do it, then I certainly can't expect my kids to do it either.

If we really want to affect positive change in this world, we need to do it by example.

Sure, we need the research, the science, and the engieering to learn more about the world around us. The exact same thing can be said for our faith in God. In either case we won't get very far telling each other what to do, no matter how many research abstracts or Bible verses we have to back it up.

What we need to do is live our lives according to our convictions, and use those convictions to inspire.

If we really want to affect positive change in our own life, we should be looking for inspiration in the lives of others. Seeking out specific instruction (while helpful) is fleeting and will only get us so far. Seeking out real-life application that excites us (while sometimes more difficult) will stick with us for the long haul.

This is a post about living life to the fullest.

We all have beliefs, convictions, opinions, goals, and dreams. Most of us want to see the world changed for the better. The best way for us to achieve all of those things is to live an inspired life that inspires others.

With that being said... who inspires you, and why?

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Comments

Well said

Your post resonates with me, especially the two truths that, 1) all of life is interconnected and, 2) "ye shall know them by their fruits."

I have firstly, and mostly, been inspired - elevated in joy and vision - by passages of Scripture which declare the highest of visions for God's worth and glory. Psalm 95, Psalm 104, Job 38-41, and Romans 11:33-36, to name a few.

Christian hymnody has been a great source of inspiration, as well. "I Sing The Mighty Power of God," "This Is My Father's World," "Children Of The Heavenly Father," and "There Is A Fountain...", again, as just a few examples.

The testimonies of "dead guys" through the ages have inspired me too. Spurgeon, Cowper, Lewis, Augustine, and more. All have had the effect of lifting my gaze to glory.

Finally, in receiving and enjoying God's gifts I've been inspired and refreshed. Wife, children, good food, mountains, jokes, lakes, prairies, music, exercise, wilderness; "He fills your years with good things, that your strength is renewed as the eagle's."

In short: 1) the Word and, 2) the brethren 3) God's good gifts. Not surprising that one could see much overlap, -interconnectedness-, among those three.

Peace,
JB

"Sure, we need the research,

"Sure, we need the research, the science, and the engieering to learn more about the world around us. The exact same thing can be said for our faith in God"

There is an issue here. The first sentence is right on the money... however, did you mean to say "belief" in God rather than "faith"? If research/science/engineering were applied to produce evidence that would justify belief in a god, then there would be no faith necessary. I am a bit unclear as to what you were trying to say...

Thanks for the clarification.

Thanks for the clarification. Yes... science, research, and our senses (which can thought of as data) are needed to make sense of the world around us. I would have to disagree that faith in a deity should be included in that group, as the resulting subjective claims do not give accurate information of an objective reality. There are other reasons as well, but that is the primary one.

I see science as a method to

I see science as a method to understanding the physical world, but that is only part of the whole picture. I find that the intangible aspects of our world (love, hate, courage, selfishness, etc.) are more easily understood through my faith.

There are two

There are two possibilities:

1) The intangibles to which you refer are explained by supernatural means.
2) The intangibles are no different from the physical world and can be explained physically (in this case, through neuroscience).

A rejection of #2 on the basis that neuroscience cannot currently model the intangibles as well other components of the physical world brings us dangerously close to the god in the gaps fallacy (e.g. were primitive humans correct in their attribution of the phenomenon of lightning to a god because science could not explain it at the time?).

Option #2 is objectively more realistic, though admittedly boring. People are drawn to option #1 primarily for emotional reasons rather than rational ones.

On the Other Hand

A rejection of #1 on the basis that neuroscience could "possibly" model the intangibles as well as other components of the physical world brings us dangerously close to the "there is no god" fallacy (e.g. are modern humans correct in their attribution of the phenomenon of the unseen to materialism because science could not explain faith?).

Why would option #1 not be rational? The idea that matter and energy sprang from nothing seems irrational to me. It is interesting that through observation we can come to the conclusion that the universe had a beginning. Why would it be so irrational to propose a beginner?
Perhaps people reject #1 because of an emotional reaction rather than a rational one?

I have a sticky note on my

I have a sticky note on my cork board that reads "You can't change the world. You can only change yourself." The sticky note next to it reads "The way is in daily, diligent training." And that has been my focus - taking daily action towards the life my family deserves from me. It's definitely not the easy road, but it's so worth it.

Science is reductionistic...

Regarding reductionism, you reminded me of this quote I came across the other night:

"It is, indeed, perhaps the greatest prospect of humanistic studies to contribute through an increasing knowledge of the history of cultural development to that gradual removal of prejudices which is the common aim of all science."

Niels Bohr - Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge (1958).

Thanks for the inspiring post.

I like this thoughtful post.

I like this thoughtful post. Your heart and your wife's heart are real and I can feel that you really live what you think is best and are striving towards goals you think are best for your family and it is very inspiring! :)
I try to be a good role model for my children. I am not perfect, so while I strive to be what I wish to see in the world, I cannot be that at all times. I fail. My children see this. But they see me trying and that means a lot. I am not continuing past mistakes that my parents or grand-parents made....and yet, I have made my own. Life is a journey. If your kids see you trying and admitting your faults and asking forgiveness when you mess up, they'll know you were a good parent.

And all the good times, adventures, living and growing together...those will be sweet memories they will cherish.

I like the zealots line

I liked your comment about being religious zealots. It's good to really stop and think through what you believe about life and why. It does the heart good to cultivate deep thoughts about stuff bigger than ourselves.
It certainly is all to easy to hide behind the walls of secure dogma then to venture out into the great wide world and ask questions.

As for living my values.

I can measure my unhappiness by the distance between what I know in my heart and what I live out in my life.

Hope things are going well for you back in your homeland.

Always in my prayers.

Bob

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