I am currently reading The Power of One. It is a book that follows a young man's life in South Africa in the 1930s and 1940s. It came on a recommendation from my sister-in-law, and I can sincerely say that it is a very enjoyable and engaging book. Among other things, it addresses the issues of religion, race, and personal fortitude in the face of overwhelming adversity.
One of the main characters in the book is a German professor of music named Professor von Vellensteen. He has served as a mentor and friend to Peekay, the book's protagonist. He has been imprisoned for the duration of the war based on his failure to register as an alien at the beginning of the war.
The professor is often imparting his wisdom to Peekay. The following comparison between cleverness and intelligence is one of my favorite things that the Professor taught Peekay:
Cleverness is a false presumption. It is like being a natural skater, you are so busy doing tricks to impress that you do not see where the thin ice is and before you know, poof! You are in deep, ice-cold water, frozen like a dead herring. Intelligence is a harder gift. For this you must work, you must practice it, challenge it, and maybe toward the end of your life you will master it. Cleverness is the shadow, whereas intelligence is the substance.
The book is inspiring and enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
The Kingdom
After much delay, I have finally decided to begin the Kingdom of Fife blog. While I enjoy my family blog, I figure that this will provide me a forum for addressing issues of interest to me personally. So, instead of discussing my toddler's potty training, I may discuss baseball, Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize, LeBron's aspirations to become the global icon, or mechanic's liens. Okay, probably not mechanic's liens unless worst comes to worst.
For example, tonight I think that I will discuss a group called The Parrots. The Parrots are a Japanese tribute band dedicated to the Beatles. They are the house band at a club called Abbey Road Live House in Tokoyo. They speak very little English, but when I listened to them covering Beatles's tracks I could have sworn they were from Liverpool. NPR ran a story on them this week.
What caught my attention most when I was listening to the NPR story was a quote from the individual that imitates John Lennon. The story talked about how this individual had gone to England to visit all of the old Beatles sites. He then was quoted as saying the following:
"I know I'm so far from John, and my personality is completely different from his. John is always above everything," Yoshii says. "I want to become closer to him. I'll always love him, but I can never reach him."
I couldn't help but draw the religious parallels from the statement. It sounded as if he was speaking of Jesus Christ (which is ironic given certain Lennon claims concerning the Beatles vis a vis Christ). Of course, that got me thinking about the Parrots and what they have accomplished. They have gone out of their way to mirror the Beatles--to sound, to dress, and to perform like the Beatles. And they have basically accomplished this while being from a culture and while speaking a language that arguably have nothing in common with those of the actual Beatles.
So, if they can do it, why not us with Jesus? If they can focus themselves on the Beatles and study the Beatles and take the kind of steps that they have taken to become like the Beatles, then why can't we do the same thing with Jesus? In the end, we can attempt to shape our lives in the image of Christ's, but only if we are willing to adore him and study him the way the Parrots do with the Beatles. The analogy isn't perfect, but it struck me at the time.
For example, tonight I think that I will discuss a group called The Parrots. The Parrots are a Japanese tribute band dedicated to the Beatles. They are the house band at a club called Abbey Road Live House in Tokoyo. They speak very little English, but when I listened to them covering Beatles's tracks I could have sworn they were from Liverpool. NPR ran a story on them this week.
What caught my attention most when I was listening to the NPR story was a quote from the individual that imitates John Lennon. The story talked about how this individual had gone to England to visit all of the old Beatles sites. He then was quoted as saying the following:
"I know I'm so far from John, and my personality is completely different from his. John is always above everything," Yoshii says. "I want to become closer to him. I'll always love him, but I can never reach him."
I couldn't help but draw the religious parallels from the statement. It sounded as if he was speaking of Jesus Christ (which is ironic given certain Lennon claims concerning the Beatles vis a vis Christ). Of course, that got me thinking about the Parrots and what they have accomplished. They have gone out of their way to mirror the Beatles--to sound, to dress, and to perform like the Beatles. And they have basically accomplished this while being from a culture and while speaking a language that arguably have nothing in common with those of the actual Beatles.
So, if they can do it, why not us with Jesus? If they can focus themselves on the Beatles and study the Beatles and take the kind of steps that they have taken to become like the Beatles, then why can't we do the same thing with Jesus? In the end, we can attempt to shape our lives in the image of Christ's, but only if we are willing to adore him and study him the way the Parrots do with the Beatles. The analogy isn't perfect, but it struck me at the time.
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