I am finally getting around to making my own design for this blog. The Mars landscape was nice enough, but a few days ago I got an idea for a new design, so that’s what I’m working on now. Please pardon the messiness, and I am sure I will be finished smoothing out the wrinkles by the end of the week.
Category: miscellany
Of Luck
Following in the footsteps of such esteemed scholars as our friend Sir Francis Bacon, I have decided to write an essay upon a topic which has been present in my mind for some time now, though it has been shoved aside repeatedly by the pressing responsibilities of my university studies. Indeed, these still remain, but at this moment they are of such a nature that I feel I may neglect them for a few moments in order to write something that is neither required nor subject to grading, and I sincerely hope that these writings will make the reader think about something he may never have thought about before, and perhaps even challenge his usage of the English language.
We often speak of luck. “What is luck?” one may justly ask. Luck is an abstract thing that is apparently believed to work in the life of every person either for good or ill, depending on its whim at the time. It may also be observed from usage that luck itself is neutral, for we speak both of good and bad luck. A certain dictionary describes luck as a “force.” I believe many people would not describe it thus, such as they might the “force” of the Star Wars legendarium, but if I were to take a survey of English speakers I believe it would become evident that most agree that luck is more the manifestation of random chance. The adjective “lucky” is applied to such serendipitous situations such as walking through town and discovering that a new ice cream shop has been opened, and is offering a free ice cream cone to whosoever may desire one, in celebration of their grand opening. It may also be used to describe one who barely misses a dread accident, such as a man who, while telling of his recent visit to a swamp, says that it was lucky that he wasn’t bitten by the many unforeseen alligators that he encountered.
Another oft-encountered phrase involving luck is heard when one person encourages another with the words “Good luck!” Assuming “luck” is the action of random chance upon one’s life, is this phrase as uplifting semantically as the well-wisher intends? Probably not. If I am going out into a dangerous part of the world to teach the good news of Jesus Christ, would you rather tell me that you hope things will work out in a mysterious, random manner, or would it be more effective for you to express your wish for God to bless my endeavour? If I am about to take an exam upon a difficult subject, I would much rather you wish me a clear mind and Godspeed than for you to say “good luck.”
I do not know how God works. As the esteemed poet Mr. Cowper wrote, “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.” However, I most definitely believe that He does act in the lives of men through His providence, and with the knowledge that all good things come from God, credit should be given to our Creator when something we may call “lucky” happens in our lives. “God bless you” carries so much more semantic and spiritual weight than “good luck.”
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)
Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. (Psalm 68:19)
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength. (Isaiah 40:29)
Sean agus Nua
Yes, I have been busy lately, too busy, in fact, to blog. However, now that I’m taking a week off for Thanksgiving, I thought I’d just post to let those likely nonexistent loyal readers know that I am still alive and kicking. Then I remembered that I hadn’t made a formal announcement to the world about the album of music that I was frantically working to finish before college. The last track (plucked psaltery, by the way) was recorded a day or so before I left, and CD’s have been made as well. So here it is, everyone! Sean agus Nua’s début album is officially released!
I do not expect this music to be wildly popular. In fact the style itself–a simple, quiet, folkish sound for the most part–is just not what most people listen to nowdays. But we sure had fun putting it together, and I hope you’ll at least give it a listen.
Our website: http://musica.benjaminbruce.com
From amid the chaos
OK, perhaps my life is not so chaotic as that. But I have to give some excuse for my inactivity in the blogosphere. You see, I have only a few (!) weeks until I’ll be headed off in pursuit of a higher education, and preparing for that (as well as finishing things up around here) has been eating my time. So, while I may not be able to fulfill my promise of a weekly blog post at the moment, hopefully I will resume when I get into a routine.
¡Hasta pronto!
A History of the Numuh Nation
An experiment in alternate history…
The Numuhs originally roamed the plains of Northern Columbia, hunting buffalo and fighting neighboring tribes. However, once the Angles and Benjians arrived from Northern Evroop in 5636, their way of life was doomed.
The Angles from Angleland built a strong city on the Specific Coast, in eastern North Columbia in 5742. As more and more Angles immigrated to North Columbia, they forced the people who originally lived there to move farther west. These tribes had to move into the Numuhs’ territory. The Numuhs responded by fighting and raiding the displaced tribes.
In 5862, the Angles had taken over much more North Columbian land. The people who were displaced were moved to central North Columbia, where the Numuhs lived. The Angles had a very large establishment in North Columbia by this time, and had a large army. With this army, they drove the Numuhs south into Benjaland. Benjaland was very sparsely populated at that time, so the Numuhs were content to live there.
However, the Benjians, who had moved to North Columbia in 5797, began building cities in northern Benjaland, where the Numuhs then lived. Disturbed by the Numuhs’ raiding the new cities, the Angles and Benjians joined forces against the Numuhs. The Benjians did not have a large army, but they killed thousands of buffalo, which the Numuhs depended on. The Angles, in turn, drove the Numuhs north to Indian Territory, the area set aside for the native Columbians. Thousands had been forced to move there already.
The Numuhs fought back, but it was of no avail against the large armies of the Angles. The Numuhs were forced to leave their former way of life.
In Indian Territory, life was hard for the Numuhs, as for all the native Columbians who were forced to live there. The Angles divided the land and assigned a section to each tribe. The Numuhs were assigned a section with their old allies, the Koygwoos, and the Nadeens. Read More