Choosing to Matter in an Uncaring Universe

Watching Andor alongside a recent article in The Atlantic helped something click for me about why I so strongly resonate with stories of rebellion. It isn’t the action or the aesthetics—it’s the moral logic underneath them.

Drawing on Rebecca Newberger Goldstein’s The Mattering Instinct, the idea is that life isn’t about happiness so much as meaning. Life is temporary, and every living being is an intricate, energy-driven project engaged in a ceaseless struggle against entropy (The Atlantic).

Andor captures this well: ordinary people sacrificing not just happiness, but relationships—and even their lives—in rebellion against an Empire a million times stronger, because making something matter is worth the cost.

From an LDS perspective, this resonates deeply. This life is a time to learn how to live like God. That ongoing project of becoming gives my life meaning. My lifelong project of Christian discipleship matters not only for the eternal destiny of me and my family, but also for the people I interact with here and now. I want to help everyone I come in contact with receive these same promised blessings.

Comments

Rummi-"CUB" vs. Rummi-"CUBE"

The "Rummikub" Pronunciation Debate Affirmative Constructive: "Cub" For years, I have been a firm advocate and defender of the pronunciation, Rummi-"CUB". The game box I grew up with spelled it, Rummicub on the box. However, other productions of the game have variant spellings: Rummykub , Rummy Kube , Rummy Tiles , etc. Based solely on box spelling, the game's true pronunciation is open to interpretation. Therefore, Rummi"cub" is equally acceptable to any other given pronunciation. Negative Constructive : "Cube" My opponents argue that since the game originated over seas, we ought to respect and maintain its original pronunciation. Affirmative Rebuttal: Americanization of the Term When the game was brought to America and given Americanized rules, its name was also Americanized. Pronunciation loyalists then counter my rebuttal with, "there are lots of adopted foreign words that have retained their original pron...

Who's Got The Funk?

I am an amateur guitarist, and I've got no funk. My musical skills seem to lacking that special something . Great musicians have it . Those fortunate enough to have gotten hold of it , create timeless hits. While musicians without it fade into oblivion. After spending hours searching through Blues history websites and 1970's band documentaries online, I discovered what that special something is thank to a (70% Man, 30% fish) character from the BBC show "The Mighty Boosh" named Old Gregg. He identified that thing as The Funk ! But what exactly is The Funk ? Here is some dialogue from the show to help explain its origin and purpose: Old Gregg: You're a musician, yeah? Howard: Yes I am. Old Gregg: Butchya ain't very good, are ya? Howard: I'm one of the best in town. Old Gregg: Come on, I read your reviews. Hmm? You know what your problem is? Howard: What? Old Gregg: Ya ain't got the funk. You're all rigid. Hmm? You're l...

Werewolves: Variation on Mafia, the Group Game

I was first introduced to Mafia in 1995 at a Family Home Evening activity. With only 6-players in our family, we selected one Narrator, two Mafia gangsters (murder one person/night), one Detective (ask the narrator about the identity of one person/round), and sometimes we played with a Guardian Angel (who can save one person/round); everyone else were innocent citizens. THE WEREWOLVES OF MILLERS HOLLOW Review and Detailed Explanation Werewolves is essentially the same game. I played it on Monday night for an FHE activity as well. We played 2 games with 10 and 11 players respectively. Each game lasted about 10-20 minutes. IT WAS SOOO MUCH FUN! I can totally see my immediate family enjoying some of the new rules associated with Werewolves . Here is a list of differences between my family's version of Mafia and the way we played it last night. Three main differences 1. New Characters 2. Voting is performed by pointing. (Much more efficient.) 3. The game is pla...

Tuesdays with Muerte

Search This Blog