Free to be Young

There's only one major thought right now:

1) And it goes to the massive riots and protests in Iran. In a country in which 50% of the population is under the age of 30, they are really brave to stand up against the government, despite threats of arrests, injuries, or even death if they dare to do so. I don't know if it's just because their recent election was perhaps rigged. Maybe it's more. In a country in which these young Iranians face high unemployment, even higher than in the US, the inability to even hold hands in public with their significant other, the inability to even listen to their own music freely and without persecution from the government, just a little more woman's rights, and then some, I can perhaps understand their anger towards the Islamic Republic.

It also brings in perspective of how I live. Sure, I am unemployed and single. However, I at least have the OPPORTUNITY to do the things I take for granted. I will eventually find a job. I will find a girlfriend and be free to hold her hand in public. I can listen to whatever the hell I want to listen as well! I have the freedom to be YOUNG! Despite the current problems I have, and my problems are definitely real and do give me grief, they are still relatively smaller than what these Iranians are facing right now.

They will definitely be in my long list of prayers for the time being.

And to quote the famous Bob Dylan song...

The times they are a changin'!

That is all.

Bring It On, Motherfucker!

The top five of the moment:

5) I have been fascinated with all the news going on with North Korea (I'm really in to the Cold War stuff). What's so amazing with especially North Korea is that unlike other Communist states like China, Vietnam, or even Cuba, we know very little to nothing about about South Korea's isolated relative. So, I've been looking up documentaries to learn a little more about this reclusive state.

And I've found a really awesome one here. Note that the documentary has fourteen parts to it (Don't worry, they are not that long.).

What was so crazy about all the documentaries is that:

a) They all had to film and take pictures in secret. If they find out that you have smuggled video cameras into North Korea, they will kick you out or even arrest you (NOT a good thing, especially since the US and North Korea have no formal diplomatic relations.).

b) They were always followed by "guides" and there is a set "tour" that displays the best things about North Korea and the how terrible the US "Imperialists" are. You are NOT allowed to go off and explore any other parts of the country.

After watching a few documentaries, I am curious to go. However, not really. (It's hard to get a visa into North Korea; it is especially harder if you are an American trying to "tour" North Korea).

There was another documentary that had a rare visit to a Catholic Mass in Pyongyang to demonstrate their "freedom of religion". You must be thinking, "Wait, I thought there was no freedom of religion in North Korea?" Well what made this Mass different was that it was 20 min., no communion was given, and the person presiding was a member of North Korea's Communist Party because there are no ordained priests in North Korea.

I don't consider the United States to be the most perfect country in the world (Perhaps that title should go to Sweden?). However, in contrast, I can only feel empathy to those that are still oppressed, even though they may not feel oppressed.

(EDIT: Here's the link to the other video I mentioned in this point. Unlike the other video, this documentary is told by someone posing as a French tourist. The tours and activities given to European nationals are very different compared to the tour given to Americans. He's also not as obnoxious as Shane Smith was on the Vice Guide. REGARDLESS of who's telling the story though, it's still pretty obvious that there's something awfully odd about North Korea.)

4) Though it has been a while since the season finale of The Office, all I will say is this...

I can't wait till next season! I think season 5 is the best season so far. Before then, I thought season 3 was superb.

3) This has been the most exciting NBA Playoffs that I have seen in a while. Most of the games have been close. There have been massive disappointments. There have been awesome miracles. If you don't watch basketball, perhaps NOW is the right time to watch it, regardless of whether or not you are a fan of any of the four remaining teams.

If only I still lived in SoCal to breathe in all the excitement of the playoffs...

2) One of my biggest pet-peeves are people who apparently can decide who is Catholic or not Catholic (or Christian or not Christian). The big reason as to why I did not become an Evangelical Christian (Did you take my Facebook quiz yet?) was that I did feel that the people I was with was able to decide who was a Christian or not and therefore who will be saved and go to heaven or not. I felt that Catholicism was rather more "cooperative" to a degree as to not passing such judgment among the masses, especially toward fellow Catholics.

That was 2004. We are now in 2009, and the tone has drastically changed. I believe that ever since we now have a more liberal President (which in my opinion he has rather been very moderate, like most US Presidents), that tone has become much more louder. Perhaps it is because I have been used to the more humble tone within Interfaith, but I have found Catholicism being hyjacked by the blowhards of the faith. What gives them the right first of all to decide who is a true Catholic or not?

That's not to say that that we should be more accepting to big issues like abortion. That's not to also say that we have to be an all-inclusive community (As if any community is inclusive in the first place!). However, at the same time the solution to these big issues is NOT condemning or damning the people. What scares me in the future is that if I even admit to being a Catholic to other people, they may label me as being an arrogant, homophobic, judgemental, insensitive jerk (Which I believe people ALREADY label Catholics or Christians.). That's a shame because that is ultimately not how I describe myself or my good friends.

Perhaps in the future, we will again be able to show the more POSITIVE aspects of Catholicism in a much louder tone than we are right now. That's what makes this faith so much more beautiful. We don't follow Jesus Christ because of fear of damnation, but rather we follow Him because we not only believe in a better world, we also work and serve to make it happen through God.

1) Summer is approaching. While I still look for that illustrious job, I will be taking another class.

For those graduating this year, going in a new job, going into school, or moving up another year at school, I will share you my mentality right here...

Bring it on, Motherfucker!

Actually, I'm stuck on that phrase because I recently saw Dave Chappelle's "For What It's Worth" show on Youtube. If you have watched it, you know where this phrase comes from (The joke was actually MORE innappropriate than the phrase itself.).

When I also think about it, I get a lot of random phrases from Dave Chappelle.

That is all.

The Love that Constrains Us

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NAB)

I have recently read The Reason for God by Timothy Keller and have attempted to write about the book and have miserably failed. I must have a few drafts of this entry. However, after coming back from Southern California and reflecting about the book, I should try again.

One of the major points that this book addresses is the idea that Christianity is too constraining, like a straight-jacket. There are people out there that do believe that all we need is love, compassion, and respect for one another, not a faith and overall not a God that tells us what to do and constricts our freedom. What the book points out is the one word that these same people assume is synonymous to "freedom", love, is rather a fallacy...to a degree.

First off, freedom is not as simple to define as it is assumed to be. Freedom can mean the absence of confinement and constraint. However, this is a massive oversimplification. Why does confinement and constraint have to be a negative concept? Can we also argue that some reasonable confinement and constraint can be a way to the path of liberation, to FREEDOM? Consider it this way. What would happen to us if our parents our guardians did not guide us or even discipline us when we were kids? We'd most likely would have find our lives screwed up at this point, and now we may be finding someone or something that can actually help us get out of the hole we may have dug ourselves, if we even can get out. However, because of the guidance, the discipline, the constraints, we are more set up to eventually be free and liberated from our parents because they have actually taught us and gave us the confidence to face the world by ourselves. I believe that there is no one out there that thinks that humans have the right to do everything they want. I don't think anyone believes that freedom ultimately means the absence of constraints and rules. Rather through some reasonable rules and discipline, we can actually find freedom through fulfillment and joy in our lives.

It's really funny when people use the word "love" as path to freedom in terms of making confinements and constraints not necessary, therefore making Christianity and God not necessary. To get to the point, love is never synonymous to freedom. Just think about physical relationships. We ultimately give up our autonomy when we fall in love with someone and decide to have a long term relationship with them. Sometimes, we may actually be disappointed about this. Even when we search for love, we give a bit of our autonomy by trying to change and discipline ourselves to do in order to attract someone, and as most of us know, we are sometimes disappointed with the results of this as well. There's always the option to not love in order to maintain our independence, but in the words of C.S. Lewis:

Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternate to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation.

There is a degree of risk when we fall in love with someone. We may first have to accept the fact that we might be accepted or rejected. Then, after we are accepted and eventually find our relationship to be in the long term, we further risk giving up some of the things we do to ensure that the relationship stays together. At the same time, our partner or potential partner in life is or will be risking the exact same things as well. They have to go through the acceptance or rejection process. They also have to give up a part of their independence. There is no such thing of a good relationship in which one does all the sacrificing and the other still maintains his or her independence and autonomy. These are the conditions of love.

When we reflect our own physical relationships or our search for a relationship, we also surprisingly reflect on our relationship with God (or at least we should be!). Sure we don't have to worry about being accepted or rejected by God; He always accepts us. However, we do give up our "freedom" to be with Him. We give up on what we want to do, sometimes what we dream to do, to ensure that we maintain our relationship with God. Has God also given up a bit of His autonomy as well? Most certainly! He gave up his deity and his infinite power to be a human. He experienced everything that was good and wrong in this world. He even experienced our potential fate as sinners by feeling abandoned at the cross and did everything in His power to ensure that we will never experience this for ourselves.

Love does not make constraint unnecessary. There will always be a degree of limitations and discipline that we have to accept. However, love, like freedom, gives us fulfillment and joy in our lives. While we do have to give up a bit of ourselves to be with someone, we are more than happy to do so. When we fall in love, we don't think of our relationships as constraining, rather we are more than happy and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that we stay together. While at the same time, our partner is doing the same thing as well. It is the exact same thing with our personal relationship with God. Just as He is willing to do anything to be with us, we are willing to do anything to be with Him, and we are happy to do so, even if it means giving up a part of us. Though we may find some constraint in loving God, we also find our own degree of "freedom" though Him.

This is ultimately the kind of love that I want on this Earth. Just as God has been willing to be with me and deal with me, just as I am willing to be with Him and deal with Him, I want to have that exact same feeling with whoever I may fall in love with, and be happy in doing so. Also, just as God has liberated me, I hope that my special someone and myself will liberate each other. This is not an ideal, rather this is how love should be in the first place! There may be people out there that think that this is rather "cheesy" or "crazy". Perhaps they have never experienced true love in their lives and that is rather a shame. After reflecting on my relationship with God, I aim to have the same exact feeling when I find that special girl in my life as I have already felt with God...

Like Heaven on Earth.

For the love of God impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NAB)

That is all.

Oh Science, How I Love You

As I was researching for a topic in microbiology to present to the class in May, I encountered many different science articles that were quite interesting. I didn't know scientists asked these kinds of questions in the first place! Well, here are the top 5 science articles that I read. Enjoy!

5) Pious "fight death the hardest"

Apparently, people who have the strong religious beliefs tend to do anything and everything possible to try to stay alive, even though they are on the edge of death. People who who had terminal cancers and prayed regularly were three times more likely to receive intensive life-prolonging care than those who relied least on religion. The major issue of this is that people who receive this life-prolonging care ultimately had a massive reduction in the quality of life on their last few days on Earth. Intensive end-of-life care includes ventilator support, resuscitation, having a feeding tube, and non-palliative (non-disease treating) chemotherapy. These treatments were associated with more psychological and physical distress. In addition, the chances of a patient dying in their "preferred place" is reduced.

The reason for this study is primarily targeted to those who give religious guidance to these patients, like the chaplains in a hospital or hospice. It opens the discussion as to if those that provide pastoral counsel to these patients with terminal cancers or any life-ending disease should try to convince these patients to be more comfortable with dying. I would especially like to die at a place of my choice if I'm struck with a terminal cancer. I found this article surprising because I would have thought that a person strong with their faith would be more embracing to their fates. However, perhaps these same patients are looking for a "miracle" that will allow them to live a few years more. If God really wanted them to live a little longer, He would've found a way. Otherwise, if He wants us to come home, He will find a way to that as well.

Also, maybe this article is another way of saying that humanity is afraid to die, regardless of whether or not we are confident on what is on the other side. I think even those that don't seem to be afraid of their deaths are afraid to die. Even though we may not have control on how we will leave this Earth, we have control on how we meet that fate. If I knew that I was going to die in a few days or weeks, the last place I would want to be is in a hospital having tubes shoved in my throat just to live a few minutes more.

4) Kids Curb Marital Satisfaction

A study involving 218 couples found that 90% of them have experienced a decrease in marital satisfaction when they had their first child. Note that couples who don't have children will have a decrease in marital satisfaction as well, but at a slower rate than those who have children. There are key variables that can exacerbate this marital dissatisfaction. Couples who lived together before marriage had more problems after the birth of a child than those who lived separately before marriage. Also, the problems are increased further if the couples' parents fought frequently or were divorced.

To be fair, the article also states that children don't ruin everything. Even though, marital happiness may go down with a child, other forms of happiness, like family happiness, can make the experience of marriage much more satisfying. However, this aspect of the relationship was not a part of this study.

3) Calorie-Burning Fat? Studies Say You Have It

If you especially have taken BIO SCI 98 at UCI, you may have been introduced to the concept of brown fat. It is the type of fat most commonly found in infants to keep them warm since they are unable to shiver when they are cold. However, it was once believed that as we get older and when the shivering response improves, the brown fat goes away. Researchers are proposing that this is wrong.

The paper indicates that most adults have a little bit of brown fat left in them that burn massive amounts of energy (a.k.a Calories) when activated by the cold (the example given to this type of environment is sitting in a room that is between 61 and 66 degrees Fahrenheit). There are also key variables in this study. Thinner people have more brown fat than heavier people, younger people, people with a higher metabolic rate, and women also have more brown fat than their respected opposites. What makes brown fat does its thing is that it is filled with mitochondria, which are the major energy producers found in a cell. Mitochondria also contains iron, which gives brown fat its reddish brown color.

Note that while there is potential that brown fat can be used to curb obesity in this study, it will no doubt take years to actually confirm this to be true and to find out what are the conditions required to make this happen. If it is confirmed, we may find drugs that increase brown fat production in our lifetime. Also, there's the idea of just hanging out in the cold.

2) 10 Surprising Sex Statistics

While there are nine other surprising sex statistics, the one that sticks out was the human papillomavirus (HPV). A startling 50% of sexually active men and women will catch a gential HPV infection in their lives. This can result at the very least genital warts and at the very worst cervical cancer and other forms of cancer. However, note that 90% of HPV cases will be fought off by the immune system in 2 years.

Also, there was another article that stated that HPV is also a chief culprit in throat cancers from those that had given oral sex to more than 6 partners. And who said oral sex was a safer form of sex? What a dirty world we live in, both figuratively and literally.

Note that there was a stastic about the average size of an erect penis in this article. Just looking at the ruler on my desk, I think they meant 4 to 6 cm in circumference, NOT 4 to 6 in.!

1) Our moral thermostat - why being good can give people license to misbehave

This is the article that stood out the most for me. It seems that the more people think of themselves as being good or morally right are also inclined to morally "slack-off" than those that think that their moral identity is being threatened. The study shows that people who describe themselves in a more positive note like "caring", "generous", and "kind" are less likely to give to charity or care about the environment than those that have a neutral descrpition of themselves or even those that thought of themselves negatively.

The researcher states two reasons for this. The first is habits. The more we do good and selfless acts, the more likely it becomes routine (e.g. recycling). Therefore, the effort lessens, the "costs" seems smaller, and the potential for moral licensing fades. The second reason is the standards that people give to themselves. People who satisfy their moral goals tend to award themselves by disengaging from their morally right behavior. Those who give themselves much higher goals are more likely to stay morally right and good.

Perhaps this is why the so-called "religious" people in our society are so damn annoying, or even why the big pastors, priests, and ministers do such heinous or shocking things. I guess our world is indeed filled with "saintly sinners and sinning saints".

In terms of myself, I can describe myself as a good person, but I'm not that good.

That is all.