Where Life and Faith Meet
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4Ü #299

Scotosis

25 October 2007

WASSUP - News from Myanmar

This just came through

"Thank you for your mail which shows you concern and worry about our welfare here in Myanmar amidst political crisis. Not only you, but we too here without contact with friends aboard. I am very happy to see your mail again, I worry that when this blockage of internet will finish. Now internet is normal, but sometimes it is very slow that the user spend lot of time and money for few message.

In ... life is normal, but the price of things are higher than when you come. As we are minority and tribal, we have no politic, no religion, no economic, i.e, we are very passive that we dare not raise neither our heads nor voice on what we want. As you say, the crack down are always here indirectly, especially at night time. I am happy that your country is taking the leading part in the process of the democracy of our country and your concern and care on us."

Names and places have been removed to protect the writer

Andrew

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INSIGHT OUT - Speed bumps

Inconvenient truth placed in the way
Lying in wait for victims prey
For those in a hurry
a physical jolt
Sleeping stones
Seed awakenings
An external conscience
when the internal fails Speed bumps
Friend or foe?

And the speed bumps placed in your life?
To frustrate or protect you
Slow down
Be still ...

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OUTSIGHT IN - Scotosis

While we promote learning to truly learn we must first overcome our fear of learning. Let's be honest with one another, some things we would rather not learn. Darkness at times is preferable to light.

There is a word for this - Scotosis.

Scotosis means an aberration which prevents the emergence into consciousness of perspectives that which would give rise to unwanted insights

Lonergan 1957

"Scotosis", which refers to a kind of cultivated collective blind spot that we develop to ward off knowledge that might upset our customary way of viewing the world.

Walker 2001

It's not that they/we don't get it, they/we don't want to get it!

I'd rather not know.

I would rather talk about it, read about it and discuss it, anything but learning about it. Learning takes place at a far deeper level. Learning takes place when you are truly available to learn.

It that you?

Is your fear of learning keeping you in the dark?

Are you protecting yourself from unwanted insights?

Playing it safe in conversation while untouched by it's implication?

If you want to really learn you must first overcome your fear of learning.

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SEE YA SUNDAY - "This was their finest hour"

The words of Winston Churchill "this was their finest hour" challenge us to ask, "when was our finest hour?" This Sunday we'll explore together what it means to live "our finest hour now!" What does that mean for us as individuals and as a church? If you come dragging your feet to church this Sunday be warned, you just may catch some passion and never again be the same.

8.30 & 10.30 - "This was their finest hour"

NO CANVAS this Sunday evening.

Can't wait ... see ya Sunday

Thanks for this time to chat.

Andrew
St Columba
Where Life and Faith Meet
andrew.norton@stcolumba.org.nz

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It's free but don't steal

If this is of help to others, you are welcome to forward it. This e-mail letter is 97% original - 3% cut and paste & 100% fat free. 4U is copyright to Andrew Norton. That means you can't cut and paste it and call it your own (that's stealing). I'm happy for it to be used but please refer to the author.

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LAST WORD - Tell it like it can be

We have enough people who tell it like it is - now we could use a few who tell it like it can be.

Robert Orben


© 2008, St Columba Presbyterian Church, Auckland