Sunday, January 30, 2011

Why Rocks on Top of Rocks Get Boring but are Good

A part of my conclusion about my trip to Greece and Italy is that Italy is better then Greece because the sites are not simply a bunch of rocks on top of each other. We visited many ruins in Greece and few in Italy. For instance, Corinth was neat to see but we had already seen quite a few standing and fallen pillars with traces of small buildings. On other hand, seeing St. Peters Cathedral, rocked my socks off!

I have wondered as to the value of protecting ruins. I understand that they bring in economic value to the surrounding community and country, but why take careful care of such uninteresting stuff? Who cares about a half broken arch sitting in a pile of rubble surrounded by grass?

Yet, it is impressive to be able to stand in Delphi and imagine all the statues, artwork and buildings there. The temple there would have been pretty sweet and because I was able to see the ruins, I now better appreciate the incredible ingenuity and complexity of the ancient Greeks. A lot of appreciation of ruins (which are just a pile of rubble) is acquired by being able to imagine what they used to be. One's mind is broadened and deepened by this experience.

So my mind is broader and deeper because I saw a pile of rocks and so you should see them to!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Back from Greece and Italy

I have arrived back in the United States from my trip to Greece, Italy, Germany and the Vatican. The amazing thing is that though I went to four different countries, the only one that I got my passport stamped was the one I spent the least amount of time in, Germany. I spent a couple hours in Frankfurt on my way to Greece about an hour and a half on my return flight in Munich.

The focus of my trips was to study Paul's letters. I have learned a lot about the Roman and Hellenistic world that Paul lived part of his life in. (He was Jewish.) The book of Acts was especially interesting since that book gives the most detailed of Paul's journey.

More details will come later. My travels have not ended. I am still in Chicago. :(

A quote from Kierkegaard regarding Paul's victory in life: "It is one thing to let ideas strive with ideas; it is one thing to battle and be victorious in a dispute; it is something else to be victorious over one's own mind when one battles in the reality of life." (Works of Love, pg. 88)

Friday, January 14, 2011

Greece

For those of you unaware, I am currently in Greece for a couple weeks. A couple things I like about the Greeks.

1. They like to talk really loud, passionately and almost in anger, even about the weather.
2. They look really mean, but once you talk to them you find that they are the nicest people in the world.
3. Their women are very pretty.