On Being Human - Erich Fromm

I come across, once again, a book I was required to read an excerpt from called, On Being Human, written by the philosopher and psychoanalyst, Erich Fromm. It was sitting on my bookshelf for some time, and I decided to re-read what I had underlined during my freshman year at MICA for a class called Critical Inquiry. I read a few pages, and I was deeply impressed with some profound remarks made by Fromm, but most importantly, I am taken aback by the meaning, application, and relatedness of his thoughts on page. I decided to google him and his work on the Internet, considering there are usually supplements or other online, written work about his work. I stumbled upon a series of interview clips published in 2007, although I have reason to believe based on the grain and quality of the film that it is from a much former period of time, maybe the early or mid 1900s. However, On Being Human is Copyrighted in 1994, and reprinted in 2005. Therefore, this interview is very substantial concerning our current time period, and age. I highly recommend delving into his work, as it has the capacity to stimulate a higher echelon of human thinking we, I believe, burry at times to cope with the mundane or ordinary life that is an illusion of our making. Therefore, jump in: The Interview is continued through 4 clips; the first clip is provided, the others are on the right-hand side navigation column on YouTube. Enjoy! And I hope you gain insight and start to work your human capacity to exercise knowledge more as a being and not merely one who possesses. 

You Are Beautiful

Music: Beautiful by MercyMe

No matter what happens, who you think you are, who other people think you are, God thinks you are beautiful! Beauty is discovered. You have to have eyes to see the glory of God's creation, of which you are most magnificent. God's beauty is reveled in when you close your eyes, imagine His great, surpassing glory overcoming all that you are. Just bask in His glory. The radiance of his glory surpasses any inkling of comfort the rays of sunshine can give you. His beauty is in the pure white robes that fill the temple. His majesty... is a flood. Hail to the King who is most worthy to be Praised!
Amen. 

Growing Up: Teenage Life

Just when you think you know something for sure, you realize you don't know everything at all. You hit the ceiling of your high, and your confidence turns back into porridge, sloshing around in the core of your body again. Teenage life -- How badly do we want to rest our sureness in something we have newly learned? Like driving a new car, a new experience that eventually turns numb with time, we want to be considered an expert already. You usually think you are when you think you have adopted an array of new driving skills. However, the constraint of time and experience has a way of revealing our inner pride, one we might have mistook for confidence.

We do not know who we are yet -- we only know a little bit. Although we know how ugly we once was, or are, we have yet to see beauty flourish. Will I ever be satisfied? No, not for a sustained time. Will I ever settle down? No, though physically we may live in a house for a short time, we will never be at home until we go to Heaven.

The teenage life is difficult, because we are constantly looking for answers. We realize, though, that not every question will have an answer. We have to deal with these uncertainties that seem to shadow parts of our life, if not loom over it altogether. Yet, you identify yourself to be a Christian. You know that shadows imply that something is blocking the light from the outside -- the light source must surround you in order for a shadow to be cast on your body, or your perception of life. It's hard to find your way in the dark. However, as followers of Christ, the light source is from within. We are the light of the light of the world -- Jesus is our lamp. That lamp is untouchable. We may feel suffocating under the weight of the unknown, but light penetrates darkness and we can breathe on our own.

The amazing cross, on which Christ died for all, covers every generation before and after the current one we are in. The power of the cross is marvelous. It overcomes all darkness: that no trace of the night is ever too dark for God -- that any star in the sky can never math His purity.