Virtual-Doug

Viet Nam Today - Gettin' in the Groove

Its difficult. Its very difficult to concentrate and focus at work. My head is far more filled with thoughts of Viet Nam than with work.

But I have been seduced by the idea of living in Viet Nam, and learning more about it. As I wrote in the previous post, this is a God thing, and a trust thing - and an exciting thing. I will keep you posted as to the progress of buying and moving into a mobile home (so as to be mortgage free), retiring, and all that "stuff."

In the meantime, I have been reading. Vietnam: Journeys of Body, Mind and Spirit, edited by Laurel Kendall and Van Huy Nguyen is different from the usual tourist books of places to see, or the "how-to-get-along-in-another-country" book, such as Culture Shock! Vietnam by Claire Ellis. Chapters were contributed by anthropologists and observers from both sides of the Pacific.

But another piece has fascinated me more. It is part of a dissertation (still undefended) by Nguyen Kim Dung, a doctoral candidate at the University of Melbourne. Chapter 2 is titled "Vietnamese Culture and Education." (By the way - pronounce the name as "Dzoong", and almost drop the d.)

Miscellaneous Ramblings: Viet Nam, Retirement, and Callings of the Holy Spirit

What a whacky title for this post. If it doesn’t pique your interest . . . . .

Much has been happening lately, and its time I wrote it down so I can begin to understand it myself.

I have become more and more bored at work. I have a good job (actually, it’s a great job), and I work with wonderful people. They are creative, dedicated, and hard workers. I am blessed. When I took the job two years ago, I told my boss my unwritten rule was to take web-based learning from cutting edge to mainstream. Whether because of me, or simply because web-based learning has come of age, the Center for Distance Learning has moved from “bleeding edge” to being part of daily life at the university. But, I like to start things, not run things. The fun of a start-up is disappearing.

As I said way back in October, I did not handle my sixtieth birthday well. My mortality became all too obvious. Yes - - I’m in good health now, and the mind still works, but I also know that if I am to do anything adventuresome, I need to do it within the next ten years. In July, I can retire. That means I get healthcare provided, and I can begin to tap those retirement accounts we’ve worked so hard at building.

But mostly, I’ve just had a restless spirit lately. Not unhappy – not anxious or worried - - just restless. C and I would both think about Viet Nam, or doing more in mission work, getting more “real” in our relationship with God. We talked about it a lot during our drive home from Angel Fire last month.

Christianity - NPR Does "Relgion" and "Relationship with God"

Leave it to National Public Radio's All Things Considered to put two stories back to back that could not do a better job of contrasting religion and a true relationship with God.

The Monday, February 9th show first did a story about the current financial state of the American Episcopal Church (known in the rest of the world as the Anglican Church) after the consecration of an openly gay bishop last November. The story was well done - fair, unbiased, and let both sides speak their case. The national church says their finances are just fine, and the conservatives say that's just a spin and that people and parishes are withholding money in large amounts. The story was not meant to denigrate mainline denominational religion. It didn't need to. The two sides did it all.

Then, immediatlely following the story was a commentary by Debra Jarvis, a minister in Seattle, Washington. She told of the death of a close friend, and of the funeral, at which she was asked to celebrate Communion. Her friend had eschewed the phrase "courageous battle with cancer", and preferred "dancing with cancer."

Miscellaneous Ramblings - A Viet Nam Vet in the White House?

Being a product of the time when I came of age in the 60s and 70s, I don't put a lot of emphasis on politics - I vote, I research candidates, I read - - but nobody can accuse me of being a "political activist." That's becuase, like many of my boomer friends, I think government is given too much credit for things when events go well, and too much blame when things go wrong. I eschew labels for myself, mostly because my views often diverge from the labels. I'm often "conservative", but have views on some topics that are commonly held as being "liberal."

But I got an email from my sister-in-law a few days ago. Knowing I am a veteran of the Viet Nam war, she wondered how I felt about John Kerry as he had served honorably in Viet Nam, yet protested the war upon his return home. Below is an edited version of my reply.

Oh, my goodness!!! You are gonna sucker me into politics now! (grin) I am up to my ear lobes in work, but I just *gotta* answer this.

Funny, I have actually thought about this topic. I belong to a number of online Viet Nam vets groups. In one posting lately, a man calling himself a registered Republican said it was about time we had a Viet Nam vet as president, and then went into a long dissertation about Kerry. My only response was to ask why he had not included Wesley Clark if being a VN vet was his primary criteria. Clark too served with distinction, and like Kerry, was highly decorated. I am sure military records will come to the fore in the election if either Clark or Kerry win the Democratic nomination.

Transforming Church - Give Me That Online Religion

One of my current reads is "Give Me That Online Religion" by Dr. Brenda Brasher. Fascinating book - anyone interested in the impact of technology on society should read it.

Yesterday afternoon, while driving hime from work, I was listening to National Public Radio's All Things Considered - as usual. One of the stories was about the Turkish holiday of Kurban Bayram. The holiday celebrates an event well known in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Its about the story told in Genesis of Abraham and his son Isaac. God had told Abraham to sacrifice his son - pretty tough test, eh? Abraham did as told, but at the very last minute, God stayed Abraham's hand. At that moment, a ram was found nearby with his horns tangled in the bushes, and the ram was sacrificed instead of Isaac.