Preparing for Christmas: In simple terms

How could we prepare for Christmas? Below are two short answers I gave to some high school students.

1. Christmas is all about the birth of Christ. As is usual in a birthday celebration you are attending, you prepare a gift. The best gift you could give to Christ is to go to confession. On the first Christmas, Christ was born in a manger. Each succeeding Christmas, you have to allow him to be born in your soul. You do that through confession.

2. When you attend a birthday celebration, you usually greet the celebrant. We have to do the same this Christmas. You have to greet- talk! with Jesus- in prayer. Then talk with the people close to Him- Mary and Joseph. Ask them how they prepared for the first Christmas.


Resources
How to go to Confession

• Contains video and downloadable guide

Chesterton on Christmas

• Quotations from GK Chesterton from The Everlasting Man

"The hands that had made the sun and stars were too small to reach the huge heads of the cattle. Upon this paradox, we might almost say upon this jest, all the literature of our faith is founded." - G.K.Chesterton, The Everlasting Man

A New Areopagus : Attending Cebu Blog Camp 3

It was in Areopagus that St.Paul boldly engaged the intellectuals of the known world. Taking the cue from a naive religious manifestation of the Greeks (putting up an altar to an Unknown God), he explains why this aspiration actually find its fulfillment in Christ and the Gospels.  Since then, Areopagus has been seen as the 

field in which a Christian boldly engages in dialogue with the thinkers of the world, in defense of the truth and the Gospels.

St.Paul's speech happened some 2000 years ago. We are now in the digital age; new media has become the new Areopagus. It was no less than John Paul II who saw modern media as the new Areopagus "where Christian ideas needed to be explained and defended anew."

This is one of my motivation for putting up this blog.  And while I'm at it, I may as well try to do it as well as I could: getting new ideas, looking at things from different perspectives, learning by interacting with other bloggers.  These are the things that I hope to be able to do in attending Cebu Blog Camp 3, which happens on November 30 at the Cebu International Convention Center. Hope to meet many fellow bloggers there, as well as blog readers.

Complexity Analysis of Tolkien's Works

Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings are now household names thanks to the huge success of Jackson's film adaptation of the Trilogy.  The Hobbit will soon follow, as Jackson finishes another film trilogy adaptation for it. However The Silmarillion, the book which provides the backdrop for the stories of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit remains out of reach for many people, even among Tolkien fans. One of the main reasons given is that The Silmarillion is a difficult book to read. I think I agree with that claim, although I would also add that the enjoyment I got from The Silmarillion surpasses that which I got from The Lord of the Rings (LotR).

I read LotR before Silmarillion.  I almost gave up reading LotR...twice. But once I got to the Mines of Moria chapter, I couldn't let go of the book.  I am already a Tolkien fan when I started reading the Silmarillion, so perhaps that eased out a bit the effort of reading a "difficult book". But the question remains: What makes Silmarillion a difficult book?

A blogger tried to answer this question by a textual statistical analysis of the 3 books of Tolkien mentioned above. The post is entitled Visualizing Tolkien. I will only describe and comment on the first part of the blog, in which the blogger makes a statistical analysis of the texts of the books . Please read that portion first before continuing with this article (the blogger also made visual representations & word clouds, but I won't comment on those).

Now that you've read the first part of the blog (I hope),  I give my comments below.  

Looking back at my experience in reading Silmarillion, what really overwhelmed me was the number of new names, places and things that come out as you read the book, especially in the first chapters. On top of that, many of these are given in a non-familiar language (e.g. Quenya Elven, Sindarin Elven, Dwarvish, Black Speech). I think the key to textual complexity analysis should be centered on this.  Doing an ordinary textual analysis on all words will not mean much, since, as shown in the data he presented, only the most common English words and most frequently-appearing characters in the novels will figure in the statistics. This explains why even the blogger's invented "originality index" (number of unique words divided by total number of words) did not produce the results he expected. The Hobbit, which was supposed to be the easiest read, got the highest originality index value, meaning, it's supposed to be the more difficult read, something completely the reverse of what should be expected.

And so here I present a suggestion on how to go about the textual complexity analysis of the 3 books. 

1. Focus on Tolkien-specific words.
By these I mean words/terms that are only attributable to Tolkien's novels. Examples of these are Gandalf, Elrond, hobbit, orc, ent, lembas, Rivendell, Argonath. English-accepted words, but with nevertheless Tolkien-specific meaning, can also be included here, such as men, elf, goblin, Merry, Sam.

2. Establish an  ease of understanding index, a scale for measuring the complexity of each Tolkien-specific word.

The following factors could be taken into account:

a. The number of occurrences of the word.

b. The spacing of the occurrence between words

For example : 

The first occurrence of the word could be given a constant rating.
The rating of the second occurrence, could depend on the gap since its first occurrence.

The rating of the third occurrence,  could depend on the gap since its 2nd occurrence ;  or, on the average gap among the 3 occurrences.

3. Calculate this ease of understanding index for all Tolkien-specific words in each book.  

4. Get the average of this index for each book.

5. Compare the average index of the 3 books.

I think running a program with the above process will give Silmarillion the lowest average value, thus establishing it to be the more complex among the 3 novels.

Of course, this is still a speculation.  Hopefully someone will be able to validate it.

Related Posts :
The Realism of the Rings : A commentary on the Lord of the Rings
JRR Tolkien and the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Cuaresma y el significado de abnegación

Es curioso cómo nos parece heroica y admirable cuando uno se disciplina a su cuerpo con el fin de ser un buen atleta o un buen soldado, y sin embargo nos parece absurdo cuando se nos dice que tenemos que disciplinar a nuestro cuerpo con el fin de ser un buen cristiano.

Es curioso cómo nos parece justo y necesario que una persona pague por sus ofensas, y sin embargo nos parece una locura, cuando se nos dice que tenemos que expiar por nuestras ofensas contra Dios.

Es curioso cómo nos parece romántica y poética, cuando un amante humano sufre con y por el bien de su Bienamado, y sin embargo nos parece estúpido cuando se nos dice que tenemos que sufrir con Cristo. [1]

El sufrimiento es presente en los tres casos antes mencionados, pero no es lo que se busca, sino dominio,  expiación, union.

El dominio sobre las pasiones, la expiación por nuestros pecados, y unión con Cristo: estas son algunas motivos por las que la Iglesia prescribe el sacrificio y la abnegación, muy especialmente durante las temporadas de Cuaresma y Adviento.

---

NOTAS
 

 [1] Se muestra esto en las muertes trágicas sino "románticas"  de Romeo y Julieta, así como las de Nienor y Turín en Los Hijos de Hurin de JRR Tolkien. Se ilustra esto también en una película japonesa del 2006 titulada Amor y Honor. En la película, un samurai se quedó sin honor después de quedarse ciego. Desesperado, quería matarse. Exigió a su esposa: "¡Tráeme mi espada!" a la que la mujer respondió: "¡Mata a ti mismo si quieres, pero por la misma espada, voy a matarme!"


[2]  Este artículo es una traducción al español de esta original en Inglés: Lent and the Meaning Behind Self-denial.
Agradecería recibir correcciones y comentarios.

[3] Image credit : The Death of Túrin Turambar from aryundomiel.deviantart.com.

Does God Exist? Insights from Rabies, Lotto and Pascal

“Then I knelt, too, and prayed: 'O God, if there is a God, forgive him his sins, if there is such a thing as sin.' ”

- Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead Revisited

“I am assailed by the worst temptations of atheism.”

- St. Therese of Lisieux, written in her diary

“Even the very wise cannot see all ends.”

- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

First, a disclaimer. This essay will not directly tackle the question of whether or not God exists. The reader is referred to a more profound and entertaining discussion on this topic by Dr. Peter Kreeft, a popular contemporary philosopher and speaker. Instead, this essay will consider God’s existence from the point of view of chance and consequence.

I shall begin by relating a personal experience. A year ago, I received a series of anti-rabies shots for a cat bite. I was peacefully relaxing in a beach hut when I accidentally stepped on a cat which was sleeping just behind my chair. The animal took its revenge by planting its two incisors at my left ankle. It was a mild wound to which I did not give much importance. However, my friends started to call two doctors in order to ask how to administer first aid to me. It was decided that I had to receive an anti-tetanus shot on the same day, then, a series of anti-rabies shots over a couple of weeks. One of the doctors explained that rabies from cats is actually rarer than rabies from dogs. Still, I was advised to take the anti-rabies shots. The chance for getting rabies is low, but the consequence for not receiving the shots could be serious. In a case like this, one could not afford to take a chance.

The other incident that I would like to relate is one of national interest. I refer to the jackpot prize of the lottery in the Philippines reaching up to P 741 million (around US$ 16 million). Ever since the jackpot prize of the Grand Lotto reached P 300M, newspapers had been running stories related to lotto. While the jackpot prize has not yet been won, the number of bettors steadily increased. Almost everyone is placing his bet- from the rich to the poor, the regular lotto player to the casual one, and even to someone who has never played lotto before. They do this despite being reminded through newspaper articles that the chance of winning the jackpot is only 1 in 29 million. Still, this did not deter them from betting because the prize is so large, one can afford to take a chance. In fact, the reward is so large, that one should take a chance.

Now, how are rabies and lotto related to a discussion on the existence of God? The link lies in a hypothetical argument called Pascal’s Wager. Blaise Pascal, a famous French mathematician and philosopher, argued in his book Pensées, that based on chance, reward and punishment, it is more practical to believe in the existence of God.

Let us examine Pascal's arguments in detail. A person can either believe in God or not believe in God; and, God can, in reality, exist or not exist. From these possibilities, 4 cases arise. The first case is that a person believes in God, and God actually exist; the second case is that the person believes in God, and God, in fact, does not exist; the third case is that the person does not believe in God, and God exists; and, finally, the fourth case is that the person does not believe in God, and God does not actually exist.

The 4 Cases in Pascal's Wager

Case	Person believes in God	God Exists
I	Yes	Yes
II	Yes	No
III	No	Yes
IV	No	No

We now analyze these cases according to their consequences in the afterlife. In the first case, a person believing in God is lavishly rewarded by a God who does exist. In the second case, since there is no God to reward a faithful soul, and in fact, there is no afterlife to speak of, there is also no eternal consequence. In the third case, a person who does not believe in God will eternally be punished in the afterlife. Finally, in the fourth case, since there is no God to punish an unfaithful soul, and in fact, there is no afterlife to speak of, there is also no eternal consequence.

We see that if God exists, one can either merit eternal reward or eternal punishment : the two extremes of eternal happiness and eternal damnation. On the other hand, if God does not exist, there is no eternal consequence at all- a soul will neither be rewarded nor punished in the afterlife because there would be no afterlife.

Now if one were to place a bet, one would never place it on something which would have no consequence (neither reward nor punishment) because the essence of betting is to have a chance of obtaining a reward while taking the risk of receiving a penalty. Moreover, taking a risk for a great reward seems to be acceptable, logical, and at times, even advisable, while taking a risk against a great penalty is not. The stories on lotto and rabies which I have just mentioned earlier precisely illustrate these last two points. 

Reflecting again on the case of the existence of God, would you rather take a shot at obtaining a great reward or would you take the risk of receiving a great punishment? Or, put in another perspective, would you take a chance at winning the Grand Lotto jackpot or take the chance of getting rabies? Check the odds again and place your bet,  and "may the odds be ever in your favor" (Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games).

Eternal Consequences of the 4 Cases of Pacal's Wager

Case	Person believes in God	God Exists	Eternal Consequence	Temporal Consequence
I	Yes	Yes	Eternal happiness
II	Yes	No	None	Wasted time and opportunities?
III	No	Yes	Eternal punishment
IV	No	No	None	License to act without rules?

FOOTNOTES

Some notes have to be made here in order to have a greater picture of the discussions above.

[1] Actually, a mere belief in God does not automatically merit eternal reward; belief in God has to be supported by a life which precisely reflects this belief in order to merit reward. Similarly, one cannot make a blanket judgment that all who profess to be an atheist will merit eternal punishment. In the first place, conversion is always possible even at the very last moments of life. Many times these conversions are unnoticed. Moreover, the specific circumstances of the person has to be considered. Was the person sincerely seeking an answer to the question of God's existence? Was his belief a result of full reasoning and choice? The person's accountability could be diminished if his belief is overly affected by sorrow, despair or ignorance.

[2] It is not , by any means, suggested that one blindly believes in God just because the odds are in its favor. What is rather suggested is that one should first make a sincere and decisive effort in trying to justify God's existence before considering belief in God's non-existence, because the former has the greater consequence.  This requires a minimum of humility and sincerity similar to that of Charles Ryder, the main character in Evelyn Waugh's celebrated novel Brideshead Revisited.  Faced with the imminent death of the father of Julia, his beloved, Ryder knelt down and addressed a God whom he does not yet believe: 'O God, if there is a God, forgive him his sins, if there is such a thing as sin.' 

[3] While not believing in God does not actually have any eternal consequence, some could argue, that it has great temporal consequences (consequences on how we live our life on earth). In the Second Case of Pascal's Wager, a person who erroneously believes in a non-existent God, could be argued to have wasted time and opportunities while he was on earth. Those times spent in praying, sacrificing for the sake of doing what is good and right, could be considered as lost opportunities. That is an opinion, of course. Several studies have shown that those who are religious enjoy peace and serenity and happiness. For these people, they have never considered praying and sacrificing for the sake of doing good as time wasted. On the contrary, they have constantly drawn strength, serenity and joy in doing these things.

[4] For the Fourth Case, one could argue that, if only we knew that God does not really exist, then we could act without rules and not give ourselves a hard time trying to do what is right and good. We well know how difficult it is to do them.

But the reality is, no one can really act without any rules. All of us are governed by laws : first the laws of nature, then the laws of good behavior that people expect in community life, then the sovereign laws of the land. Moreover, we have that voice within us called conscience which makes us feel remorse whenever we have done something that we feel we should not have done. Thus, in reality, even if a person does not believe in God, he cannot just actually live in any harphazard way, without regard for those around him.

In my own experience, the atheists that I have come to know are persons who have high ideals – ideals of justice, care for environment and the common good of persons. For this reason, they act in a certain way that they think is good, and they expect other people to act in the same way. Thus, if God does not actually exist, a person who believes in him does not actually have a great disadvantage, and a person who correctly does not believe in him, does not actually have a great advantage.

For feedback, email newind27 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Related posts : 

Does God Want us to Suffer?

Has Stephen Hawking Killed God?

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