Fast and Cool

What really matters... You gotta be cool... 

Three years ago (3/31/2015 -- "Up and Down the Dial"), I posted about the #SiriusXM satellite "highway"—taken each night; sometimes holding my sanity together on the parking lot known as Houston traffic, descending like a femoral artery into downtown.

The alchemy of memories and music transports me back on a tightrope time-machine to a place when we were all pretty "kewl", if I can say so myself. “Fast and Cool” as in the club, or Fast Times at Ridgemont High, for movie buffs.

Maybe a long time ago, but I remember when we were buff and the feathered haircuts fell just right on starched oxford button-downs. The girls all dressed for each other, and the wild night was calling. There was a time, back in my prime, when your old-man could really lay it down; but we didn’t rely on Instagram or Facebook to show everybody. It was sealed in our memories.

The music, tasting the rum, giving or getting all the jokes; ok, crank up the car stereo, and take off. The feel of a slow-dance with that girl you like… in the end, there's only the dance. How did the years go by so fast but the memories play back so slow? The smell of a ski boat's exhaust, a bonfire; I can hear the roar of the crowd, or the whisper in the ear. Youthful discovery is like electricity, but the assurance of wisdom is comforting. Life’s a balance in every decade. Maybe my pendulum needs to swing back to happiness; time flies whether you’re having fun or not.

It could be the passing of an old friend recently, or the end of a long week sending me on this journey, but my “trigger” is often just the right song, which takes me to the file cabinet in my head: pulling out the right disk from the right decade. We manually take it out of the sleeve and place it on the record player, crackling and hissing with expectation. Easter is the season of passage from death to life. The memories linger tonight in the “bardo” or in-between: I don't try to reconcile the past, but I do go back.

Without a physical photographic record on social media, how do I prove our youth? We were from all over the state, and the world was much more laid back. Somehow we had enough money to pool our resources as a group; supporting a large social structure consistently together to have a good time, and act “big”. I went to high school and college with the fast and cool crowd, always looking for adventure, maybe we were like the Club Gryffindor before we knew about Harry Potter. Or it might have been a middle-child syndrome, seeking to fit-in?

I would like to think of those foolish, happy days not as my last fling, despite the age and the miles. I believe that there are new beginnings in every springtime; I’d like to be happy again. Maybe we can get together and shake off the worldly blues and stride out tomorrow with the same arrogant confidence we had in our twenties, when everything was possible?

Probably not, but at least give the same swagger. I have more money and less hair. My car is not as hot, but more reliable. I’m more educated, but hopefully wiser. The songs seem more poignant now; the friendships deeper and more valuable. At least we can commiserate rather than compete—like we did back in those heady days. I don’t want to impress anyone like we used to, I’d rather show humility and kindness than competence and success. My heart yearns to express connection, admit defeat, listen with an attentive ear, be slow to speak, quick to squelch my opinion, easy to talk to, or ask for a favor.

“Grief” and its verb “grieve” come from the Latin gravis, “heavy, weighty” and its verbal form, gravare, “to burden or cause to grieve.” Grieving is like being weighed down with sorrow and a sense of loss. “Mourn” has its origins in the Old English murnan, “to mourn, to be anxious”. Jung says that mourners are fortunate because they are involved in a growth process, that “even though it cost me a great deal to regain my footing; now, I am free to become who I truly am.” (end quote) This is God’s truth, because the more I’ve cried and felt wretched and worthless, the more often I've felt on-a-passage (journey), and that I could have occasional moments of utter joy.

I think we know now how elusive confidence really is; the escalator has made some unexpected stops. Values now drawing respect are affinity, realism, collaboration, servant-leadership, empathy, kindness, faith, relationship, and humility. Money, beauty and power are not only elusive but ephemeral. Age tends to level the playing field even for those who woke up on third-base. (you know who you are).

Character is formed in the crucible, but everyone yearns for a second-chance; like the magical saying under the pyramid, on the back of a one-dollar bill: novus ordo seclorum (“a new order for the ages”). That’s what's astonishing about Easter; with Christ there is always the opportunity to brush yourself off and start again. His work on the cross gives us new life, forgiveness in exchange for our brokenness. This year I will relish in free grace, give thanks for true friends: “put that one on His tab, please…” 

I need to write off a few things, people, and losses, starting again with a clean ledger; don’t we all? Happy Easter.

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Christmas Thoughts on Literary Devices and Why Jesus Came

Christmas Thoughts on Literary Devices and Why Jesus Came

“And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction (oppression), yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher (God).

Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but (then) let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, may glory dwell in our land. (When) steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” (end quote)

Note: (parentheticals and underlining are mine)

As literary works, these ancient passages from the Old Testament, also called in Hebrew “Tanakh” pronounced [təˈnax]; helped me learn more about writing tools:

·         metaphor, a substitute for perspective;

·         metonymy, a substitute for reduction;

·         synecdoche, a substitute for representation; and

·         irony, a substitute for dialectic.

The metaphor of bread and water represent synecdoche for the bare essentials needed for sustenance. Jesus instructed in the NT that in this godless world, we’d continue to experience difficulties, which indicates to me that tribulation is a basic component of life. But the next sentence from Jesus is an encouragement: “Take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”

During the season of hope that Christians call “Advent”, where hope’s coming to the world is celebrated; the promises of God can be found by listening to God through his Word (metonymy). After this good news above, the prayer is that we’ll not turn back to the folly of the “rat-race” which is the world, then and at this time.

These passages can be used as metaphor in order to gain perspective and not as a tired, dying cliché; like a tutor showing the lesson by using a word picture to bring home the point. I’m encouraged that the Teacher (metonymy) is not hiding, that my eyes have been opened to see God through his Word.

It is a fearful and wonderful thing to be taught at the feet of God, simply by opening his Bible and allowing its glory to shine light into one's circumstances. This is the intersection where steadfast love and faithfulness meet.

The metonymy of such large concepts: righteousness and peace embracing for a kiss, reduces meeting of truth to something loving, human, and simple to conceptualize. Picture the metaphor of the intimate closeness, and the kissing: it’s a story of relational love!

The apostle Luke wrote about Jesus and said, “then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and (Jesus) said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’” 

Jesus' clear instructions are that to hear from God, to learn about the gospel (metonymy), one must try to understand what is written in the Bible about his coming, his life & death, and the meaning of the resurrection; and it should be proclaimed to all nations. As we seek the light of the Scripture, shining into our land, bright with God’s glory; the gospel is the climax of the story, bearing witness to Jesus and his work. This is where the steadfast love of God meets the faith of believers. Merry Christmas. ##

©Mark H. Pillsbury

The Age of Dissonance

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Theo van Doesburg Dissonances (1925 image on canvas)


Assonance—vowels rhyming to have a semblance of the same sound, often used to represent partial agreement or correspondence.
(“He used the words penitent and reticence in the same sentence”)

Consonance—agreement of certain stressed syllables, often used to represent harmony or agreement among components.
(“It was a stroke of luck”)

Dissonance—musically inharmonious, or incompatible. Also represents disagreement, or a harsh variant.
(You think you are coming across one way but people see you in a totally different way)

Have you heard someone say on the street: “Doyouknowhadahmsayin?” or “Man, I know where you’re comin from.” Were these responses genuine or jargon? Continually bombarded with the ebb and flow of words, ideas, propositions, even sales pitches; how much sounds inharmonious or incompatible?

Unfortunately, even with various means of communication, so many channels to hear; are we really being heard? Dissonance keeps you from reaching people, and it keeps other people from reaching you.

I believe we live in the Age of Dissonance.

50% of all adults currently plug into social media, cell phone use increases yearly, and nearly 3 billion text messages are sent every day by US wireless companies. Communication creates the links necessary for relationships to flourish, nevertheless despite numerous channels and devices, dissonance regularly occurs.

"Why is modern communication so difficult?" says the typical adult.

On a closer level, humans strive constantly to know and be known. Incessantly communicating but failing to listen, communication varies in complexity and importance, the connections radiate out like a pebble striking a pond: close, constant, and outward into regular remote circles. But do we strike meaning with each chord? Is there agreement in the notes? The day flows like a musical score, the harmony naturally sought is played by the orchestra of our relationships; unfortunately we play from our own song sheet, not on the same page of our connections.

The three C’s of Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance—an emotional state wherein two simultaneously held attitudes or “cognitions” are inconsistent, or when there is a conflict between belief and overt behavior. Knowingly holding two competing ideals at the same time is like using a cell phone while driving, knowing that drivers using cell phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. The tobacco addict thinks, "Well, if smoking doesn’t kill me, something else will,” or, “Not everyone who smokes gets lung cancer."

Drive down any busy highway and look around at drivers; tell me that inattention due to cell phone use is not a major epidemic; or ask yourself if you “text” (or smoke) while driving when you have school-age children in the car?!

Cultural dissonance—sometimes unavoidable, nevertheless usually prevents streamlined communications in global commerce, as different peoples, customs, and languages struggle to work together with mutual understanding.

Corporate dissonance—often through a “roll-out” or a special project, the corporation thinks its employees have the same passion or vision as management; but instead, employees see the presentation as not consistent or unethical and do nothing to assist execution of the plan. Known as “dead-on-arrival.”

Opinion polls show that American business people are losing their faith in their country even as ordinary Americans are losing their faith in business (Economist 08/13/2011 p. 66).

An example of corporate dissonance is government recognition and celebration of the tenth (10th) anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC. Passions caused by the tragedy have faded with ten years; however many patriotic citizens feel great pride in what we defend, the homeland security, and the safety engendered by fighting the war on terror.

The message from leadership is not harmonious with the grass-roots perception of the event, indeed the President is rejecting the resonant, visceral reaction to the tenth anniversary of 9/11 by attempting to craft his own rhetorical response.

The White House said, “A chief goal of our communications is to present a positive, forward-looking narrative,” despite the historical perspective of seeing 9/11 as a uniquely terrible event in time recognized ten years later and symbolized by a numeric calendar day.

Another government communications adviser said, “We need to make sure we’re speaking to a very broad set of audiences who will be affected by the anniversary.” Domestic 9/11 ceremonies will honor Americans killed in the Sept. 11 attacks but also “all victims of terrorism, including those who had been targeted by Al Qaeda and other groups around the globe.”

The government is communicating about 9/11 in a way which accentuates the broad idea of global peace and the wider struggle of all peoples against terrorists. By attempting to put a different spin on the event, the White House hopes to set the tone of the narrative as more global than personal, more positive than macabre.

This is incompatible with a precise focus on 9/11, which was one of the most violent and despicable days in United States history. In my opinion, this message is difficult to harmonize with the acts of the 19 al-Qaeda hijackers, and even a positive, forward-looking narrative set out by the President rings dissonant to the reflective, thoughtful citizens who lived through that terrible day.

©Mark H. Pillsbury