Life filters...What are yours?

Why do people react to the same stimuli differently? I've been thinking a lot about this lately. Randomly search various blogs and you can see how people react to issues. Why do I see an event one way and then someone else another?

The answer must be our filters. As we grow from birth, our life experiences creates filters that affect how we react to our environment. Some filters are "normal" or environmental influences that cause us to see things in a particular light and some are "anti-filters" that cause us to react in ways that we might not expect or even realize. So I wondered what my "normal" filters were. The following is a list of some of the life events that affect my filter. These events just "are" and should not be construed as arrogance.

1. I was born in America
2. I was born white
3. I wasn't born into poverty.
4. For the most part I was exposed to Judeo Christian philosophy
5. I was born male
6. I was born healthy
7. I never went hungry
8. I was not abused as a child

Okay, nothing out of the ordinary here. Events like these set some of your political and cultural views early in life. But then I thought what are the "anti"-filters that make me react and behave in some of the odd ways that I do. Here is a list of some of those events.

1. My parents were divorced before I was 4
2. My mother was a "hippie" that traveled around the West in a blue Chevy van
3. I lived in a commune that had no electricity or running water
4. I was a member of a religious cult
5. I was enrolled in a total of 14 different schools by the 7th grade
6. Both parents remarried some more than once causing step-parent issues

Okay, nothing earth shattering here either, but all of these events created the person that "is" now. Some more than others and some in ways I don't realize. I don't think its good to dwell on the past too much because you can't change any of it, but sometimes it's good to reflect on some of the events that influenced you and maybe even list them. Sometimes you have to take inventory of your past to understand your present.

What are some of the events that affect YOUR filters?

Should I worry the worlds about to end.

"The point is that we can already see the foreshadowing of political events that Bible prophecy indicate will take place at the conclusion of the Tribulation, after seven years of government under the world's ultimate dictator, the Antichrist. "
"And if we can already see signs of the Tribulation Period's conclusion in developing global politics, then surely its onset cannot be far away."-Hal Lindsey

Should I worry that the world is coming to an end? Is it coming to an end? For centuries commentators, scholars and would be prophets have been predicting the end of humans as a race. Either through cataclismic natural disaster, nuclear war or the fulfillment of scripture. The founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses even predicted the end of the world sometime early last century. Yet despite all these predictions, the world remains.

As a Christian, the Bible teaches me that at some unknown time, Jesus will return and rule a new world free of all the things that make life hard. The question is, is that time coming soon? The telebible preachers think so as well as the author above. I'm not going to debate Revelations here, but I'm wondering what the human fascination is with apocalyptic events.

We watch movies that show the half the world freezing, movies where a virus wipes out almost half the earth, we hear about bird flu or y2k and stockpile food and weapons.(Sidebar-I never stockpile anything, I just wait for the idiot that goes on the news to show what all he's stockpiled, get his address and when the disaster strikes I know just where to go.)

So we make entertainment about disaster, but then when it really happens the fun ends. Think 9-11 or Katrina. Before 9-11 Tom Clancy wrote a book where a 747 crashes into the Capital Building and how many natural disasters have been done where an entire city is wiped out.

This may go back to far for some of you but in the 70's there was a movie called the China Syndrome with Jane Fonda. In the movie there is a nuclear plant disaster. Some time later, 3 Mile Island happened, which was a real nuclear plant disaster. Some people, my mother included (of course she also thought Yoda's description of the Force was a direct result of the influence that membes of the cult we happened to be in at the time had over Hollywood), thought all the mental energy created by watching the movie caused the actual event. I would doubt it, but we are fascinated with our own demise. Maybe that's the curse that comes with the gift of imagination. Are you afraid of the "end times" ? I'm not, for a variety of reasons, but then I have better things to do then worry about the end of the world. I'm just trying to get through today.

Strange blog name?

Does the name of the blog seem odd to you? In retrospect, I wonder if could have made a better choice. Of course when you go by Death Warmed Over, odd things are bound to occur. I like the word death. Not to be morbid or bizarre but because there is a sense of mystery associated with the word. Death is an unexplored frontier and all of us, eventually, without exception will face death.

I'm not afraid of death. At least I don't think I am. I won't really know until that time comes. Since I believe that Jesus was God made human and he died so we could have eternal life, I've situated the religious portion of my life. That of course makes me Christian, although I must admit to being irreverent and I sometimes say things I shoudn't (God must have a sense of humor, if not...)

I remember years ago boarding a plane and thinking quite vividly that the plane was going to crash. I wasn't scared, in fact I was somewhat excited. When I was young, death seemed exciting, it even beckoned to me. The plane, of course, didn't crash and now in retrospect I'm glad. There's so much life to enjoy and I think making an uneasy peace with death helps increase an appreciation of life. I am no longer in any hurry to die, but when the time comes, well...I'm always up for a new adventure.