3 Best Kept Travel Secrets

I never am satisfied with the toned-down, manicured aesthetic of tourist attractions attempting to play the role of a sippy-cup lid to your glass of authentic foreign experience, filtering the chunks and making sure you don't swallow more than you can handle. I, along with many other I-am-not-a-tourist kinds of travelers, are in constant search for the "real" (insert travel destination here)-- going where the locals eat, getting around by public transportation, and keeping the lifestyle of the local population. We are not easily deceived by the overpriced trinkets, not easily amused by the planned tours, and not easily content with simply being comfortable. Travel becomes a challenge, a research investigation, a game. This propels our  sense of urgency to go, go, go, get lost in a new land where no guide book can get you out of. Get lost and get yourself out. All over the world. You will never be done. You can never beat the game. Finding the "real" for yourself is overwhelming, frightening and makes you feel alive. This just furthers the wanderlust. It's like a drug.


With that in mind, here are my 3 travel secrets:

1. Ask questions of those around you: Ask your waiter,taxi driver, hotel concierge, shop owner, and anyone you come in contact with in your new destination about themselves and their suggestions. People enjoy talking about their experiences and everyone's opinion will be different. Even if it is uncomfortable or you do not speak the local language, engaging in community with a local--however brief-- will provide useful insight and a perhaps memorable connection.
2. Take out the headphones: Listen to local radio stations, sidewalk conversations, street noise, and cafe murmur. By hearing the vibrations of the city's soundtrack, you will be able to better understand the local way of life.
3. Expect to be uncomfortable: Going to a new place can be a scary thing, and truly immersing yourself into a new place when traveling is not easy. However once you accept this, you will be free to push yourself to discover the best of what the new place has to offer, even if it requires conversing a language other than your first, getting lost along the way, or eating a food you have never tried.

Happy gallivanting! 

-KK (king.kait@gmail.com)

A Response to "My First Pilgrimage"

Doing any outwardly religious act requires an inward response. Or it should elicit an inward response, I should say. The sanctity of a religious ritual is not the action itself but the spiritual change, enlightenment, encouragement, etc. it brings about. It is a physical manifestation of a stirring within. 

What stirring occurred in me from the romería on Monday?  

I went with mostly a secular intention of being a part of a national tradition, but I also made an intention for the trip (yoga style). I dedicated the time I had to pray and think on a few particular special people. But I in no way was in constant prayer, and while I thought of their faces when the uphill trekking got painful, when I arrived at the Basilica I honestly completely forgot about them as my intention. Would this be considered a failed mission?

Someone made a comment to me about the point of the pilgrimage being a sacrifice. Sacrificing for God, (like fasting can be) or sacrificing in honor of someone else. He mentioned that my sacrifice of sleep, comfortability, and time was greater than those who took the holiday off the next day after walking. That made me think; the point of the sacrifice is sort of a double standard: the bigger  and more outward your personal sacrifice, the more worthy others see the sacrifice being. However, the sacrifice must be first and foremost of the self, giving the broken self to God by doing away with it. But by sacrificing in a highly public fashion-- not even to the extent of walking barefoot or going on knees but actually just being a part the procession in and of itself-- you are in a sense going in opposition of putting the self last. You are putting yourself in a showy place for others to see your sacrifice or hear about it after the fact. Even limping around the office the day after the romería felt showy to me personally, as if to remind others, look at me, I'm sore because I sacrificed my muscles for God while you just slept the night away. Jesus' commandment is that when we fast, we do so in secret. When we tithe, we do so in secret. But you cannot walk in a 12 mile long procession in secret, and when saying the Our Father aloud every 10 minutes, I think others take notice. 

On the complete opposite note, I do believe that many people participate in the romería out of pure intentions, and that those walking barefoot are not all like the Pharisee praying loudly on the street corner. I felt a strong union between the other romeros, especially when large groups of people joined in singing praise songs together, or when I heard others praying aloud to themselves. This was a spiritual solidarity, similar to that I felt with the other runners during my half marathon or at with my classmates at my USC graduation, plus Jesus. Going with a bunch of other people on a self-sacrificing mission keeps you accountable to your purpose, even just through the presence of others with similar intentions. It is encouraging to witness the faith of other brothers and sisters through their own sacrifices. 

My own spiritual stirring mostly came through conviction of my judgmental mind and (as usual), my pride. The romería offered the opportunity to entertain both and it forced me to deal with them in a direct and urgent way. It is possible to be public while being self-sacrificing but it takes a heart aligned with the Lord. I am still learning what this looks like for me.

23 Years

I feel really godo about 23 so far. I'm a blank slate for the new year, a white page. To honor having lived 23 years today, here is (of course) a list (!) of the top 10 things I"m thankful for since July 18, 1988:

1. 1.       The goodness, wholeness, messiness, silliness, craziness, beauty, loveliness of my entire King, Sering, Vaught, Theis, Tomlinson, Kirkland, Meyer family. I love you.
2. 2.       God being good, but not easy.
3. 3.       My many best friends throughout the ages who make this entire life worth living. I mean it really is incredible how many people have changed my life with their friendship.
4. 4.       The ability to experience life with all 5 (+!) healthy senses.
5. 5.       The fact that I have 17 years of diverse formal education under my belt and 23 years of learning the harder way.
6. 6.       Knowing what a sunset looks like over Antarctic & Alaskan glacial waters, Pacific & Atlantic coasts, Sonoran & Chilean desert sands, Midwestern & European planes, Rocky & Andean mountains, rainforest & pine trees, and knowing what it looks like to be flying over the sunset.
7. 7.       Shalom.
8. 8.       What my body has been capable of in years past and what it is capable of now.
9. 9.       The fact that I will never be _____ enough.
10. 10.  All of the little opportunities that have lead to big opportunities (example #1 being my current position).

Is this real-life?

I never am satisfied with the toned-down, manicured aesthetic of tourist attractions attempting to play the role of a sippy-cup lid to your glass of authentic foreign experience, filtering the chunks and making sure you don't swallow more than you can handle. I, along with many other I-am-not-a-tourist kinds of travelers, are in constant search for the "real" (insert travel destination here)-- going where the natives eat, getting around by public transportation, and keeping the lifestyle of the local population. We are not easily deceived by the overpriced trinkets, not easily amused by the planned tours, and not easily content with simply being comfortable. Travel becomes a challenge, a research investigation, a game. This propels our  sense of urgency to go, go, go, get lost in a new land where no Lonely Planet guide book can get you out of. Get lost and get yourself out. All over the world. You will never be done. You can never beat the game. Finding the "real" for yourself is overwhelming, frightening and makes you feel alive. This just furthers the wanderlust. It's like a drug.


With that in mind, I find myself in my new territory searching for the "authentic" Costa Rica ("authenticity" being among a group of extremely sensitive anthropological jargon that cannot be written without quotations lest you go down in flames with "primitive" and "Third World Country"). This has been confusing and difficult; on one hand, all is Pura Vida, palm-roofed fruit stands on the side of the road, and beautifully decorated ox-driven carts delivering goods, and on the other hand I don't believe that's the "real" Costa Rica. The first time I visited CR in high school, I believed that the locals said pura vida just for the appearance of everything being great for the sake of the tourists' blissful, pampered experience (pura vida is literally the national motto meaning "pure life," and is also the response to any question about well-being, life status, or food quality. Ex: "How are you? Pura vida!" "Do you like the chicken? Pura vida!" Any bumper sticker, shirt, magnet, or little chachky from Costa Rica will undoubtedly have this phrase marked someone next to the country name). I thought it was a fake saying, a too-good-to-be-true smiley response that was created and enforced by the government when Costa Rica decided to up their tourism industry on the gringos. But I have found, Costa Rican to Costa Rican, no tourist in sight, people actually using this phrase normally. Everything really is pura vida. That brings me to the palapa fruit stands selling fresh mangos and strawberries with handwritten signs off the side of the jungle road... is this really where the locals shop too? The stands feel forced-- although not without charm-- like receiving a welcome leigh when you land in Hawaii. It is again, just too good to be true. But yet again, it is true. The company driver (and my personal buddy) took us to his favorite road-side fruit stand where he likes to buy his strawberries. He bought his items and pura vida'd on his way out. And then a few moments later, we saw a legit campesino leading his two white oxen pulling a marvelously painted 2-wheeled cart. Maybe the guy was even delivering fruit to the stand. I was too overwhelmed by the staged-ness of the whole scene involving all 3 elements I most doubt the legitimacy of, so I stayed in the car while my friend jumped out to snap a photo. Is there some magic Costa Rican tourist fairy that is following foreigners around and planning out these postcard scenes and moments? I guess I was wrong about the gimmicks. But I still don't fully believe it.

Top 10 Barista's Secrets

I was recently inspired by an article in my Yahoo news feed (which is no CNN by the way), called "13 Things Baristas Won't Tell You." My coffee expertise is rather extensive if I do say so myself: I worked for Starbucks for 2 years, received their intensive and thorough training on coffee preparation and completed almost enough coffee seminars and tastings to qualify for Coffee Master. I then moved on to Ground Zero, an independent student-run café on campus where I learned the art of manually pulling espresso from an Italian machine and the real way to make a Macchiato. I also drink coffee (at times more than 1 cup) daily, prepared either in my own french press or from a cafe, but always dark and bold, preferably a Guatemalan or African blend. Not only this, but I have probably spent way more of life than is necessary complaining, sympathizing and sharing stories with fellow baristas all over the world, thus I have the general opinion of hundreds, even world-wide. This gives me enough street cred to write my own version, right? 

Top 10 Barista's Secrets 

1. Drip coffee has more caffeine in total than espresso. It's true that, "...the content of caffeine per milliliter are much higher than with a regular brew*," but let me tell you, you are not impressing me with your Quad-Venti Americano sir, because I just downed a 22 oz drip coffee in 10 minutes and will last all night. 
Drip 115-175 (7 oz cup)

Espresso        100         1 serving (1-2oz)
Brewed          80-135     (7 oz cup)*

*www.coffeefaq.com

2. For the most possible amount of caffeine, try combining a shot or two of espresso with your coffee (a "Black Eye" or "Red Eye" respectively). Even black tea has enough to give you a boost, so don't discredit teas as being weak sauce. Getting a chai tea latté (which is black tea base) with espresso will also do the trick (at Ground Zero, that's an "All Nighter"). And ordering a Cafe au Lait, which is brewed coffee with steamed milk instead of that small latté will do the trick more effectively!
Coffee           80                (5 oz. cup)
Black Tea        40                (one tea bag)
Green Tea        20                (one tea bag)
White Tea        15                (one tea bag)
Herbal Tea       2                 (one tea bag)*

*www.ehow.com

3. Even decaf coffee has some caffeine in it, it's just less than the regular. Again, thank you coffeefaq.com, "Decaf should range somewhere in the 2-4 milligrams of caffeine per cup range." So if you really don't want caffeine, try an herbal tea instead. By the way, "Currently used solvents for decaffeinating coffee include, H2O (water), CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), Meth, Chloride, and Ethyl Acetate." Questionable.

4.  A tea bag should brew in the water for at least 5 minutes to achieve its fullest flavor and strength potential. To ice a tea, the tea should be brewed double strength (twice the amount of bags, etc.) for at least 5 minutes and then poured directly over ice. No other water should be included.

5. At Starbucks, a Grande (16 oz) and Venti (20 oz) espresso drinks both get 2 shots of espresso, unless it's an iced Venti drink, which gets 3 shots. Both Grande and Venti teas get 2 tea bags. Thus the only difference is the greater amount of milk, water and sugar in the two sizes. This goes also for many other coffee places I have seen. Also the single shot of espresso you get in a Tall (12 oz) at Starbucks is almost worthless in comparison to the ratio of the other solvent (milk, water or ice).

6. Most places allow customers to use soy milk for free instead of the half-and-half or milk at the self-serve station. Just ask nicely and you shall receive.

7. If you tip you WILL get better service. Even if it's just a few coins. I know this seems ridiculous to tip on top of your over-priced bev, but a little bit goes a long way. If you order a complicated drink or many drinks, a tip is almost mandatory. 

8. What and how you order is crucial to the barista's resentment or appreciation of your drink.  And believe me, you don't want certain baristas annoyed at you while they're making your drink. Some pointers:

      -Wait until the barista looks at you and addresses you before speaking your order.

      -Beginning with "please" makes us feel less like we're your slave. 

     -If you are ordering anything but a drip coffee, do not begin your order with, "I'll just take a..." Just implies that is is simple and low-maintenance, but a double-tall, half-caff, 2%, no foam, with room latte is not simple.

     -It's ok to ask questions, but if you can try to look for the answers on your own first. This may be in the description of the drink on the posted menu or on a sign placed around you. Educated yourself with a pamphlet on the drink recipes or nutrition content found at Starbucks. After you have looked a little deeper and still have no answer, then ask. Asking unnecessary questions holds up the line and ignoring for-your-information signs frustrates those behind the bar. 

     -Say everything that you want in your drink right up front before the barista repeats it back to you. Do not wait until after he or she has rung you up to define your milk preference or desire for sugar-free syrup. Just put all your requests out there right in the beginning. Especially do not ask over the counter to the barista making your drink after the process has begun, unless you forgot something crucial. There is a specific order in which we prepare each drink, and even one little change might make the drink void and we'll have to start over which also costs you time. It is also extremely uncool to try to avoid the up-charge of certain add-ons.

Good: 

-You: "I would please like a carmel latte, with soy milk, decaf espresso, sugar-free   carmel and no foam on the top."

-Me: "Ok, that's a decaf, soy, sugar-free carmel no-foam latté. $4.50 please."

Bad:

-You: "Give me a latté."

-Me: "Ok carmel latté. $3.25 please."

-You: "Oh, can you also make it with soy milk? And no caffeine? And sugar-free syrup? And no foam?"

-Me: "Gr!!"

9. It's wonderful to try to order with health-consciously, but just because we put non-fat milk in your milkshake or sugar-free syrup in your mocha does not make it healthy. For an actual low-calorie drink, order a coffee or tea and exchange the sugar for honey. Or just enjoy the treat anyway. 

10. Always end your order and drink pick-up with a smile and thank you and we will do the same! Forming positive relationships with your baristas makes our day. We treat our kind regulars with special perks that no coupon can get you. My regulars are the reason why I have worked as a barista since I was 16, and I know that is the favorite part of the job for many others too! 

Happy 1 Year Anniversary Chile!

My various yoga poses throughout Chile in chronological order to commemorate: 1. Centro Cultural first week of my arrival, pre-earthquake; 2. In Patagonia in front a glacier; 3. On the beach of Viña del Mar; 4. On ancient Inca ruins in San Pedro de Atacama; 4. In the Museo Nacional in June when my friends Rachel and Benny visited.

Remember when I celebrated my monthaversaries when I was in Chile? Well now it's been 1 year since arriving and 1 year since the earthquake. Can you believe that? I cannot. You know what this means? Reflection time! 

-1 year since I doubted God's goodness, God's importance and God's plan in my life, I fully understand the chains that were holding me captive to my distrust and disbelief and I am pursuing freedom.

-1 year since I had never experienced even a small shaking of the earth, I now am prepared for the big LA quake that is coming... knock on wood!

-1 year since I searched made my identity into someone that I was not and looked for my identity in things that were not me, I am now more confident and unashamed in who God created me to be. 

-1 year since I first arrived an innocent and trusting young woman, I know when to be direct and stand up for myself with fuerza.

-1 year since I hadn't noticed the magical of everyday life, I am now painting the experiences that revealed this to me.

-1 year since I understood the feeling of entrapment in my own selfish pursuits, I want to put God first, others second and me third in everything I do. 

-1 year since I didn't comprehend the impact those surrounding me on my life, I value more the true fellowship, deep friendships, and genuine people that I love.

-1 year since I didn't realize how important maintaining open and close relationships with my family is on my own well-being, I value our relationships more and take better care to stay connected in distance.

Even thought I left 6 months ago and arrived now 1 year ago, I still have a special place for Chile and the Chilenos in my heart, and God is still teaching me about my experiences there...still! It looks like I'm still not over it ;)

Care of the Soul by Thomas Moore

I'll admit first off that I did not read the entirety of this book, but for 1 hour explored thoroughly the introduction, beginnings of several chapters and the close. Speed reading! While this is not a Christian book it was written by a former Catholic monk of 12 years with degrees in philosophy, psychology, musicology, and theology. He provides a secular philosophical perspective on cura animarum, the care or charge of the soul. Although not necessarily a novice topic or idea-- after all, it is a form of self-help-- I found some tidbits in the book poignant and would like to share a few lines:

"The great malady of the 20th century implicated in all of our troubles and affecting us individually and socially is loss of soul. When soul is neglected, it doesn't just go away; it appears symptomatically in obsessions, addictions, violence and loss of meaning." -p. i

Definition is an intellectual enterprise; the soul prefers to imagine." -p. i

"Humility in the artist in his frank acceptance to of all experiences, just as Love in the artist is simply that sense of Beauty that reveals to the worlds its body and soul." -Oscar Wilde, p. 266

"We care for the soul solely by honoring its expressions, by giving it time and opportunity to reveal itself, and by living life in a way that fosters the depth; interiority, and quality in which it flourishes. Soul is its own purpose and end." -p. 304

I think the author is missing that we ourselves cannot save our own souls, even though we might be able to take "charge" of them. While he speaks truth in Western society's loss of interest and recognition of soul, I do not believe true satisfaction can be attained merely through self expression and honoring self-truth.

Can I go ahead and put it out there that every single painting class I've attended this semester so far (6: 3 hour sessions twice a week for the past 3 weeks), I have cried during or after? My final class of painting, the highest level, the brightest artists, the intimidatingly knowledgeable professor, the blank canvas, the rough start, the critiques comin' in hot, the feelings of embarrassment, of shame, of disgust, the inability to convey, the inability to identify what it is I want to convey, the feeling that I know nothing after all these years of art instruction...


I came across this quote and I want to take the liberty to apply it also to my situation in Fine Arts 405_3323:

“We write (paint, create, express) to find out what we know and what we want to say.” 

 -William Zinsser, Writing to Learn 

Just keep swimming, just the swimming, swimming swimming...

Today I was telling my story of the Philippines and how I worked alone and independently most of my internship to a man also working in the Philippines right now. His response was unlike anything I have ever heard before, but really struck me. 
He said, "Well, working alone teaches us more about dependancy on one another."
It hit me because while I am running around trying to serve ourselves, I am missing the truly important concept of being in community or fellowship. 
Without a place to belong, self-gain is worthless. And it feels like it after awhile, too.
Which is why we need each other, no matter what the context.




(PS...This is my 100th post!)

To be honest...

It's disguised as a positive thing: 
"Making a difference, 
Changing the world,
Doing your part..."
But for me, I find myself searching for self-glorification in these catchphrases:
I am making the difference, so applaud me.
I am changing the world, so recognize me.
I am doing my part, so thank me.


My on going struggle is self-glorification.
I battle with comparing myself to the world's standards and yearning for wordly approval.
I need that Gold Star.
And when I don't get that Gold Star for making the world a better place, I feel empty.
But you know what I've learned?
If I do get that Gold Star, I still feel empty.
I have gotten these glittery rewards before, all in a row, perfect 10, tic-tac-toe.
But you know what?


It kinda means, well... nothing.


Where are the real relationships?
Where is the humility?
Where is the teachable spirit?
For me, they get lost somewhere between "I'd like to accept this award on behalf of..." and the thousand dollar celebration that follows.
My purpose does not come from Gold Stars.
My purpose isn't just even in relationships, humility, or learning.


My purpose is in glorifying God, the One who deserves it, not my own self.


God's plans for me might not be big by the world's standards. 
I might never receive a single nod from a single person for serving.
People might be confused at what I'm doing, they might think what I am doing is useless.
But the reward from doing what God wants me to do will not leave me feeling empty.
God does have big plans for our lives, but I have to accept that they most likely don't look like the kind of "big" the world says is important. 
And I have to be ok with that.
It's so hard for me to give that up, but I have to.


And only then will I find fulfilling how I serve, and only then will I be doing what I was made to do.

The Pusuit of Happiness Comfort

When we are hungry, we fill up.
When we are in pain, we pop a pill.
When we have to wait in line, we complain.
When we are being challenged, we question God.


I am guilty of relating my overall well-being and my relationship with God based on my comfort level. Or shall I say, I relate my well-being: relationship with God: comfort level. Or visa versa really, as they are all 3 intertwined but rest on the foundation of how comofortable I am in my life. If I am? My relationship with God is great and I am well! If I am uncomfortable, my relationship with God suffers and I then I am not well.


But why is the issue comfort, I ask? What is so wrong with a little discomfort? As Chilean author Isabel Allende-- a favorite of mine-- said in a talk I heard her give last year, "What is wrong with a little pain? [Comfort]... is overrated." I think she has a point in that really, what is so wrong about it? We label discomfort as bad, naturally, but now with the technology and wealth we have around us, we avoid this badness at all costs. And for what? Millions suffer daily and actually benefit from a certain level of discomfort. "...We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance; and endurance, character; and character, hope."  In many circumstances that arise in our modern daily lives, it is perhaps more unhealthy into obessively pursue comfort than to in fact be temporarily uncomfortable.


Of course I can't make a general "we" statement and tell the West to stop complaining. But this is a personal revelation for me. To be aware of when I am filling myself emptiliy to satisfy my comfort level, and when I should revel a bit more in what God could potentially be teaching me through the discomfort. Even if it's on the simplest level of being ok with being hungry. 


So I'll start now... right after I eat breakfast ;)

"God has tested us this year"

President Piñera of Chile said at the ceremonious rescue of the 33 trapped miners, "God has tested us this year." I can attest to that on Chile and my own behalf! I feel the pain and joy and relief and disbelief of the world over the amazing recovery of the men involved in the longest entrapment in history. I felt the same after the earthquake happened in Februrary. And I feel the very same about my own life this past year; God has indeed tested me, and perhaps I have also emerged, like the miners, a little malnourited, a little unaccustomed to the light, with plenty of stories to tell, but safe. I definitely didn't suffer as they did, but my life is changed. That's, in one dramatic metaphor, is how I feel. 

Fuerza Chile!!

Traveling well is not really fair.

You are suppossed to go in with an open heart and invest in relationships with the poeple there.

The best times are when are you with those new friends, exploring, learning what it is to be a local, just hanging out,

But then there is the inevitable good-bye, and you have to leave your new friends.

You tried so hard to make these friends, and then you just have to leave them.

Potentially forever, never to see them again.

This is terribly painful!

How can you return from anywhere away from home where you've made dear friends and not want to return? 

And not be sad to have them only in an isolated place in your history, in only a little box of time?

Time and relationships are often at odds in my life; there never seems to be enough time to spend time together. 

But then do I just "settle down" and never leave a fixed location to solve this?

And forskae the longing I have to constantly be moving? 

Or just stop caring as much about other people?

A beautiful friend told me that if you leave behind your new friends in your place away from home and are saddened, it means you understand what it is to love well. 

Well loving well is painful.

And thus traveling well is too.

And it takes a lot out of you!

I've been packing, moving, unpacking starting over, adjusting, loving, struggling, and saying good-bye every 6 months since I graduated from high school. 

I am tired! 

A Rant on False Feminism

Cosmopolitan is NOT a feminist publication. The popular woman’s magazine that supposedly encourages women’s liberation does not at all promote liberty for women, but rather enslavement evermore to pleasing him. “How to get him to like you,” “How to please him in bed,” “How to be a great catch for him…” The liberal sex for personal feminine pleasure is completely undercoated with the theme of making him happy so that the woman can be considered sexy, beautiful, different, etc., to him. While debaters might claim that copious and free sexual encounters feed women's independence and progression by making her equal to men, the fact that this “progress” is continually all about him and using him to satisfy reveals that fundamentally, while women may be behaving more like for men for sexual satisfaction, the him still manifests a subordinate relationship. Forming an identity around being attractive for men and, much more, changing oneself to be attractive to men is exactly contrary to advancing away from male domination.

            Thus, while Cosmo features articles boasting exerting sexual control over men, the fact that it is still about men proves that part of what Cosmo considers constitutes being a powerful woman is actually a woman that exists to please men sexually. For a woman to be “liberated,” identity, self-esteem and happiness cannot be based on the man but on being comfortable with the reality of who she truly is aside form how men—or even other women—perceive her. A woman should want to please a man because she likes him and wants to express her love in this way, not because she feels pleasing a man puts her in the dominant position and needs this ego boost to sustain her sense of worth. Feminism states that women do not need a man to tell them that she is beautiful for that to be true. And while often Cosmo does not endorse or believe this idea, I believe all women should. 

The Rise of the Ironic Class

Linked is an interesting article on the development of my generation, which I find thoroughly curious: 
The Rise of the Ironic Class

The young people of today operate (generally) with an ironic view of the world, not taking anything too seriously but rather poking fun at everything to maintain distance and superiority. Classic values, emotions, sayings, ideas, are all critisized to the fullest extent, because we know that underlying the façade of goodness is farce. Our parents have divorced, Lance Bass has come out of the closet, we figured out Power Rangers was racist, and Beanie Babies were just a hoax for our allowance money. So instead of actually embracing the cheesiness, we embrace it with pessimistic humor. 


The same attitude has transfered to Christianity, to the young people in (and out) of the Church. My favorite example of the ironic stance towards all things stereotypical to the church and all things Christian, is the blog Stuff Christians Like. Bellow are some of my favorites:

Stuff Christians Like:
#2. Saying “bless her heart” 
#11. Thomas Kinkade
#24. Church names that sound like clothing stores
#43. Metrosexual worship leaders 
#141. Getting freaky deeky with the Song of Solomon 
176. Giving open flames to kids on Christmas Eve 
#213. Not knowing how to baptize tall people 


The article ends with saying that while this ironic outlook on life is not entirely bad, it can be damaging when it causes us to be too prideful and elitist and thus too cool for change. I agree with one of the authors cited when he says that perhaps instead of just being critical we need to strive to change the past mistakes and make the future a place where irony for protection's sake isn't necessary. 


So I will keep reading StuffChristiansLike.net while singing along with my metrosexual worship leader at my church, Reality LA. However, I will also pursue God's truth above the façade of Thomas Kinkade perfection and saying, "Bless her heart" before gossiping about her. Oh the irony.