Today I learned...

[Dreyma]

This is a thread for sharing what you've learned from your reading.

Examples of things to share:
- New words
- Information / facts
- Perspectives you hadn't previously considered

I'll go first: Today, while reading A Separate Peace, I discovered the word "cupola." It refers to those decorative structures that sit on top of buildings.

Simple cupola:

Fancy cupola:

 

[Richard T]

Today I tasted my first banana "heart." Which basically is the flower of the banana that can be cooked and eaten. It was wrapped in a salad dressing that looked like shredded chicken from a catfood can. I tasted this mainly Asian food, and found it to be quite good.

"A banana heart is the fleshy, teardrop-shaped flower that hangs at the end of a banana cluster. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is a traditional food in many parts of Asia and India. The edible parts, which have a meaty texture similar to an artichoke heart, require preparation like peeling the outer layers and soaking in an acidulated water solution to reduce bitterness and browning before use in dishes like salads, curries, and soups"

Here is someone else who blogged about it (with photo) Hearts of Banana

 

[peaceful-forest]

I started a new book today. A memoir written by Brian Johnson, singer of AC/DC.

When the band was touring in 2015, Brian had developed an ear problem that would not go away. He finally saw the doctor. The doctor explained to him that the fever he had during the tour caused fluid build up in his ears. Then the untreated fluid had crystallized! The doctor told him he had to be operated on and that he had to use a chisel to get the crystals out!

 

[Dreyma]

Today I tasted my first banana "heart." Which basically is the flower of the banana that can be cooked and eaten. It was wrapped in a salad dressing that looked like shredded chicken from a catfood can. I tasted this mainly Asian food, and found it to be quite good.

"A banana heart is the fleshy, teardrop-shaped flower that hangs at the end of a banana cluster. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is a traditional food in many parts of Asia and India. The edible parts, which have a meaty texture similar to an artichoke heart, require preparation like peeling the outer layers and soaking in an acidulated water solution to reduce bitterness and browning before use in dishes like salads, curries, and soups"

Here is someone else who blogged about it (with photo) Hearts of Banana

Interesting! I think the most interesting food I've ever eaten was a century egg. My Developmental Psychology professor, a woman from Taiwan, offered century eggs to the whole class, but only a couple of us were willing to try them. I felt very proud of my bravery lol. But in defense of those who opted not to try, the stench was absolutely terrible.

I started a new book today. A memoir written by Brian Johnson, singer of AC/DC.

When the band was touring in 2015, Brian had developed an ear problem that would not go away. He finally saw the doctor. The doctor explained to him that the fever he had during the tour caused fluid build up in his ears. Then the untreated fluid had crystallized! The doctor told him he had to be operated on and that he had to use a chisel to get the crystals out!

My dad loves AC/DC. Back when he coached my travel basketball team, he always played "Thunderstruck" during practices. And oof, that does not sound pleasant. I had no idea that doctors using chisels to break crystallized earwax was a thing. Very bizarre. There are so many things that can go wrong with the human body; it's a miracle that it works as well as it does most of the time.

 

[Dreyma]

I finished reading A Separate Peace today. While reading it, I learned about something called a "Section Eight discharge." Here's what the character in the book says about it:

A Section Eight discharge is for the nuts in the service, the psychos, the Funny Farm candidates. Now do you know what I'm talking about? They give you a Section Eight discharge, like a dishonorable discharge only worse. You can't get a job after that. Everybody wants to see your discharge, and when they see a Section Eight they look at you kind of funny—the kind of expression you've got on your face, like you were looking at someone with their nose blown off but don't want them to know you're disgusted—they look at you that way and then they say, 'Well, there doesn't seem to be an opening here at present.' You're screwed for life, that's what a Section Eight discharge means.

Sounds awful. Thankfully, it's no longer used. Here's some information from Wikipedia:

Section 8 was a category of military discharge employed by the United States Armed Forces which was used for service members judged mentally unfit for service. The term "Section 8" eventually came to mean any service member given such a discharge, or behaving as if deserving such a discharge, as in the expression, "he's a Section 8".

This type of discharge could be granted for a wide variety of perceived problems, including low intelligence, incompatibility with core military expectations or responsibilities, alcoholism or other chronic addictions, pathological lying, psychopathy, personality disorders, enuresis (then believed to be a mental disorder), psychosis, or antisocial behavior. A variety of sexual conduct could result in a Section 8 discharge, including cross-dressing, homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism; along with necrophilia, bestiality and pederasty.

Discharge under Section 8 is no longer practiced, as medical discharges for psychological or psychiatric reasons are now covered by a number of regulations. In the Army, such discharges are handled under the provisions of AR 635–200, Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations. Chapter 5, paragraph 13 governs the separation of personnel medically diagnosed with a personality disorder.

The Wikipedia page even mentions the character from A Separate Peace in its pop culture section:

In the 1959 war novel A Separate Peace, the character Elwin "Leper" Lepellier gets a Section 8 discharge from the ski troops because he was hallucinating due to sleep deprivation.

 

[peaceful-forest]

I read this yesterday. There's a new blog post from Sheila Wray Gregoire about toxic women influencers in Christianity.

She had an interesting perspective that I didn't think of. She claims that these Christian women give very bad marriage advice because they themselves are in a bad marriage and they use social media and "helping others" as a form of control. It made me rethink about toxic Christian women on the Internet that I know about that are doing these things.

 

[Dreyma]

This is a great thread.
It's good to read books that offer knowledge or new insights or healing.

Contrary to what people think, stories are a great tool for spreading knowledge or insights or healing, much better than articles or essays.
Stories are more powerful than articles and essays, much more.
Didn't you hear pastors and priests often started each sermon with a story?
And 'The Da Vinci code' led some Christians to abandon their faith and changed people's perceptions of organised religion -- although it's only a FICTION. Yes, only a story.

I completely agree.

Funnily enough, a guy at work just yesterday told me, "I don't read fiction. I don't want to get what's story mixed up with what's reality." I think he's missing out! Stories always mirror reality in some way, either the world we live in or the nature of the human heart.

 

[Dreyma]

I'm currently teaching The Crucible to my eleventh graders. One of the characters, a slave named Tituba, is from Barbados. I didn't know where that was located, so I Googled it. Barbados is an island in the Caribbean Sea / West Indies:

 

[Tooti]

I'm currently teaching The Crucible to my eleventh graders. One of the characters, a slave named Tituba, is from Barbados. I didn't know where that was located, so I Googled it. Barbados is an island in the Caribbean Sea / West Indies

I studied The Crucible when I was in high school....

 

[Apple Sky]

I learned that ice melts at 33 degrees, I just hope that Antarctica doesn't have a heat wave

 

[Dreyma]

I studied The Crucible when I was in high school.

It's a great play. Though, I forgot that Arthur Miller was such a diehard atheist. Some of his commentary is highly critical of religion.

 

[peaceful-forest]

I was reading a website about the differences between what Christians believe and what Jews believe. It was well-written.

On the site, it said the Talmud was written 500 years after Christianity. I had thought it was written before Christianity, but I guess I was wrong.

 

[peaceful-forest]

I'm rereading Beth Allison Barr's book "The Making of Biblical Womanhood".

She made a statement how Christians are called to be different from the world, yet we look the same as everyone else. She was talking about how women are treated in some Christian places; men and women take certain Bible verses, do not keep them in context, then use them to control women.

It made me think about how I see the same behavior on Gab. Both a Pagan and a Patriarch Christian believe in domestic disciplining. God has never said man has authority to treat his wife like a child and spank her. It's something they've adopted from the world and try to pass it off as "Christian".

 

[bèlla]

It made me think about how I see the same behavior on Gab. Both a Pagan and a Patriarch Christian believe in domestic disciplining. God has never said man has authority to treat his wife like a child and spank her. It's something they've adopted from the world and try to pass it off as "Christian".

It isn't surprising and the correlation is understandable although it isn't biblical. Patriarchy is very prominent in bdsm connections between men and women and you're more likely to see traditional roles upheld and respected. Domestic discipline and taken in hand fall within that realm and were adopted by people who wanted a relationship based on a power exchange with less emphasis on the other acronyms -- bondage and discipline (the bd) and sadomasochism (sm). Their expression is primarily psychological and behavioral (ds -- domination and submission).

The spanking is less about behavioral modification than a mental workaround for a desire they're uncomfortable admitting. Attributing it to the bible or calling it by other names grants a modicum of distance they can cling to to justify their actions to others. If they're implementing the proverb they're not perverted. The problem with that way of thinking beyond the obvious is the line keeps moving and they're not confronting the reality of her condition.

She doesn't have autonomy because she's ceded her will to him. She's more like a slave in the bdsm context than a wife and there's no negotiation. She can't set the discipline aside or determine its length or severity. That's his alone. It isn't difficult to understand why some men would find it appealing. Christian or otherwise. She's pliant and agreeable and when she misbehaves he has the right to correct her.

What you're missing in your assessment is her agreement. The majority aren't victims. They've chosen to live that way and enjoy it. The bulk of the readers of The 50 Shades series were women including christians. To the degree a book was written to address their involvement with that and similar media. They were the first to admit that christian women were consuming erotica.

The Lord didn't tell anyone to spank their wife and the forbidden acts are spelled out. But the remainder isn't black or white. Your maturity, morality, experiences and weaknesses are better guidelines and interests weren't included on purpose. There are things that are snares for some and less so for others. You weigh your interests in light of that.

What you're referencing is more than bedroom fodder and you can't leave her out of it nor can you keep it up unless you like it.

~bella

 

[peaceful-forest]

Patriarchy is very prominent in bdsm connections between men and women and you're more likely to see traditional roles upheld and respected...

This explains other things I have observed on Gab among them.

I'm not sure if I can even list them here.

 

[bèlla]

This explains other things I have observed on Gab among them.

I'm not sure if I can even list them here.

It isn't necessary and I was candid for your edification and trusted you would fill in the gaps. I responded in that manner to dispel the notion of victimhood. While that can be the case at times for most part they've agreed to live as they do. The same applies to the trad movement you see today. The christian element is relatively recent. Others beat them to punch long ago.

If you were interested in the subject you were rubbing shoulders with people in the lifestyle, mormon wives and others I previously named. They were the lone ones having discussions along those lines and living that way as well. I used to converse with someone who had a "1950s relationship" that she documented in great detail and others followed suit.

While we went about it differently we were united on one principle related to surrender and that was our ethos. We were perfecting ourselves for our companions genuinely. We wanted to be eloquent, well spoken with a spirit of loveliness. We supported one another which included accountability. We were using christian materials including Fascinating Womanhood well before Daisy Andelin came online. We were Martha before she had competition and Proverbs 31 was a hero not a burden.

What you encounter today as tradition is out of order and cosplaying. They have the words but lack the presence and deportment that accompanies. That's why there's so much contention and debate because the foundation is flawed.

If you don't establish a standard and address challenges openly people will look for answers elsewhere. And everyone can't chew the fat and spit out the bones and are likely to be influenced or led astray. I've seen the christianized versions of such and such and the few times I bother to respond my answer is the same. Just admit you're perverted or like xyz. You don't have to reference God at all. Just tell the truth.

Underneath their adventurousness lies an element of shame that explains their confusion. They have to make it fit lest they find themselves convicted and forced to change. You can have a submissive wife and husband who leads without going to that extreme. The marriage bed can be wonderful without recreating xxx movies. There's a combination of male frustration and womanly longing.

He craves softness and agreeability. He doesn't want a tug-o-war or battle at all. When he sees depictions of adulation and compliance and a willingness to follow and looks elsewhere and finds the opposite what do you think goes through his head? When she sees order, boundaries and directives with consequences she interprets it as masculine. A lot of them believe christian men are too soft and want someone who puts their foot down.

The bulk of the confusion is the result of misapplied expectations and a lack of understanding of the garden. There are many forms of leadership and many ways to follow. If you examine yourself you'll know where you fall on the scale. We're tasked to find the complementary energy that requires our presence. Not mirror sinful practices.

The tipping point is many layered. What's influencing the desire. Does it hail from love or lust? What is the other's agreement on the subject. Are you aligned or twisting their arm? What's the purpose of engagement. Is it drawing you nearer to God or the other? And how do you feel afterward? What are you attracting spiritually through your involvement? And the latter is key. If things are appearing in your mind that have no relation to holiness there's a reason. Is the line moving or not? Oftentimes it does.

Don't ignore what you've seen and there's a lesson in that as well. Put everything on the table and don't allow anyone to tell you they don't know what they like. Make him comfortable and hold your tongue and don't interrupt him. Many will keep it to themselves out of shame or fear and you must know what he's entertaining and what appeals. No one is green today whether they admit it not. Everything is out in the open now.

A lot of people come to the internet to fill the void from both sexes. That was happening long before social media's existence and marriages have ended as a result. The majority were initiated by men while women played around online. Don't underestimate its appeal.

~bella