GLADOS

Don't ask me what GLADOS stands for, she's an artificial intelligence in the game of Portal by the worlds best computer gamers at Valve. As my blogs are always long, I broke it into chapters in case that might help.

"Chapter 1: Fiction is about Truth"

Today I was talking with a coworker who shall remain nameless (Casey). It's hard to track the thread of a conversation, let alone any of the ones I'm involved with. It started with an earlier topic about what makes a hero: skills, character, or a combination of both? Friction revealed that a hero must possess both skills and character...a third component of destiny was also added as a skilled good man can still be hit by a stray arrow leaving a "lesser" character to carry on with the heroing.

It was from this last thought that a new question arose. What does it mean to be the best at anything? Is there even a best? One view said that there was always a best. Another view said that there was no best, only best in a certain time and place set to a specific task. If that hero was hit by an arrow than for the task of victory, the "lesser" character is in fact the best. It's similar to the illusion of risk. Not to draw this out, but it begs the question doesn't best rely most heavily then on destiny? After all, the "best" man gets killed then what does it matter that he was best?

Anyone who has known me long, knows that I have a philosophy that says "All things are like all other things." By that I mean that patterns repeat. The physical mirrors the spiritual, and the each mirrors themselves. Combine this with how desire always leads to God, and you come to a stark realization. What makes a good story, mirrors God's story. Why do we long for one guy to come and save us? Because God's plan of redemption is about one man coming down to save us. Why do we want our heroes to struggle? Because our lives are struggle in the spiritual. 

Why do we love stories at all? Because a story means there is meaning! There is something worth remembering and retelling! We are each created in the image of a God, can God do anything that has no meaning? Likewise, we crave for our own actions to have meaning! To be remembered!

"Chapter 2: Destiny or Triumph?"

This was the essence of the real question behind the questions. The question is not about whether a hero in a story is one by destiny or personal triumph, the question is: is my place in God's story merely one of destiny or merely personal triumph? 

Each has it's consequence. If it is destiny then anyone could "do my job" and my personal choices seem of no meaning. If is of triumph, then what of the man cut down in his prime who never had a chance to hero despite his best efforts? The short answer is that destiny cannot be denied. No matter how much we would like to think it personal triumph the fact is our triumphing only can last as long as God permits it. Your triumph is limited by the pleasure of God. Try to deny it and then follow that by saying "Even God can't stop me." 

That leaves us with destiny and the despair that our actions are without meaning. After all, can God's purposes be thwarted? But still we are in the image of God, if our Father's actions have meaning then so must his sons and daughters. What meaning can there be in person who does only what they are meant to do? 

Suppose the question is wrong. I have come to believe in paradoxes. They are the best descriptions we have for things we cannot describe, but are still true. We assume that the purpose of choice is outcome...what if choice is its own end? Suppose a bear attacks a child, his mother sees and goes to intervene. Does she have a reasonable hope of changing the outcome? She might "scare" the bear off. More likely she'll get torn limb from limb, but even if the bear changes course it wasn't because of her choice it was because of the bear's choice. Was her choice then meaningless?

Tomorrow, Chapter 3...

Does God have faith?

I have my own opinion mostly formed, but there's some debate about texts.

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

It seems to me that if God has 'dealt' (alternately: divided to...) men a measure of faith. From where did he divide it? Even if it came from another creature, then where did their faith come from? It seems that faith had to come from God's supply. But then is it like a so-called vestigial organ, something he has on hand to give to others or is it something he himself exercises?

Does God have a quality that he doesn't use? I can't imagine that being true. He's perfect, can he have more than he needs or does he have exactly what he needs?

It seems to me then that God must not just have faith, but use faith. My thought then is that faith has nothing to do with expectation, but potential. After all God cannot expect anything! He can still then believe in what can happen. For example, does God ever command what can't be done? If all commandments could be kept than he commands them on our ability (with him of course) to obey, yet sometimes we do not obey. I would say this is faith, he believes we can obey (and he is right).

I tend to view God to us as a very mirroring relationship. All of God's commands stem from "because I am the LORD" the implication being related to our being in his image. Or...

Joh 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Therefore, to have faith we must have seen faith. Its a circle of God showing and us following. God loves us so that we can love him and each other. God shows faith so we can have faith in him and each other. God gives life so we can give life. And in all steps its him through us. God perfecting love, faith, giving life through us.

Thoughts?

two things you do not talk about.

Government and religion are supposed to be the two things you do not talk about, but I have often wondered as both democrates and republicans argue about which party God supports, what would God want for our Govt. In the old testament God set up his Government with himself as the suprememe ruller, one religion, and utter dependence on his leadership. There were also men who heard directly from God and you had to trust to some extent that what that man heard was true. That government at least in that form no longer exist, but I would be interested in opening up the topic to see what everyone else thinks before I put in many of my own thoughts. In light of the messiah, and the laws of God, what would God's govt look like?

When did David meet Saul

Well this is a rather random and possibly insignificant topic but I was reading through the story of David and I found some kind of weird discrepency(for lack of a better word). David seems to have met Saul when he was called for to play the harp for him. As you may recall a Saul was a tortured soul and Davids playing would make his suffering subside. However when David who comes to fight Goliath Saul seems as though he doesn't know david at all. One commontary I read says that the order is messed up and David actually played after he killed Goliath. The problem with this theory is that one of Saul's men recomend David as though the King has never heard of him before. The qualifications that are attributed to david would seem to imply that it was after Goliath, but then why was it talod in a different order and why would the man recomend David as though Saul doesn't know him? Strange. I will look further into it and post again if I have found anything.

Can God talk clearly?

This is in many ways related to the last post, but I thought I would go ahead and write it as a new one because there is sort of a new spin to it. As I have struggled to make my recent move to the UK. I have been plaqued by buerocratic red tape. Besides the startling fact that most Govt agencies accept the ones that make sure you pay your taxes, are incompitent and take forever to do things, I was realy surprised to find out how much they can screw up you life and your plans. If you don't do this or that correctly they will mess up critical things that you need, and what is more they are never clear on how to do things so that you don't screw them up, so in the end you just stumble through it by trial and error and hope for the best. This brings me to my point. At what point when something becomes so hard do you stop trying to exhaust your options and accpet it as the will of God for you not to do that. Is hardship a sign. If you are doing Gods will should you expect doors to fly open for you? Or as is usually the case with me do you have to pound on a door for a good while until it falls of the hinges and then walk through? Is this how God works, can't he just speak clearly and tell you what he wants you to do? Why do we always have to wonder if this road block is going to be the one that breaks us? Judging from what I have seen in the story of Moses I am inclined to believe that God gives us trials to further reveal his glory by overcoming them for us. Then again moses had very clear instructions telling him what he was supposed to do. I came to England because it seemed to be a good move to make for my family and for what I want to do with my future. I asked God if that was what he wanted for me but he didn't say anything. So why has every step (and I do mean every single step) been met with dificulty and unusual problems? At what point do I quit or do I keep beating down doors until they open? Why doesn't God speak clearly what he wants? Perhaps I am unwilling to hear, but as a parent I have ways of making my children listen to me. Do you guys look at events in your life as a sign of God's will?