Motion vs. Meaning

Because of a lack of creativity, I've deferred once again to a title that looks more fitting for Street Fighter II Turbo than for a blog entry. And once again I've deferred to inspiration by other authors/artists seeing as I can't muster enough independent thought to say something truly original (if such a thing even exists anymore...originality that is). As Google Scholar reminds me intermittently, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Tonight, Brittany Breidenbach and Dustin Kensrue are the shoulders of choice. Ms. Breidenbach wrote a nice little article on relevant.com called "Learning to Run in the Dark", mainly concerning the disillusionment and anxiety surrounding post-grad life. This is an excerpt from the end of her article:

"There is a point when staying in one place causes people to stagnate. Even though it would feel comfortable if I kept working for my college newspaper or stayed in school until something better came along, I would never learn to take a risk. Even worse, I would never learn to put my trust in God.

Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People states that change is necessary “where the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.” Walking blindly into an unknown phase of life is scary and dangerous. It requires perseverance in doubt and trust in the darkness.

I now see my unknown future as a time of opportunity, not regret."

I think there is a lot of truth in correlating a lack of movement, or inactivity, with stagnation. Paul's plea to the Philippians to "press on" does intrinsically suggest the necessity of motion and activity in a full, healthy life. However, I think some words by Dustin Kensrue also suggest a different, and more incomplete side to motion.

"What a beautiful way to fake it,
This sort of graceful defeat,
We found a pattern out on the pavement,
Sound the siren out through the streets,
Advance in perfect nonchalance,
Do it together with a rifle report,
Don’t marvel at our confidence,
It’s troubled, bottled, and above all...deformed,

Tell me that you wanna stop the war,
But baby you can't dance if there's no floor,
Motion isn't meaning,
It’s just another drug,
But it's all we've got...

What a way to keep it together,
A black box, a prescription for speed,
We found a freeway that goes on forever,
Drown the demon in the deep black sea..."

The song continues on, but the ideas I want to focus on are fairly represented in the first half. There is a sense in which motion is imperfect and really is a "beautiful way to fake it". Motion is a great way to purport confidence and fake happiness. It is so easy for me to get wrapped up in novelty and constantly look for the next new thing to get my by and keep me happy. Motion is a fantastic little drug in the sense that it keeps us from ever having to face ourselves and God and really figure out who we are and where we are now, who we're actually supposed to be, and where we're actually supposed to be. Despite the risks and the unknown, the black box with the Mario Bros.-esque question mark in the future can really be quite comforting. If we just keep moving down that road, we can completely avoid finding purpose in our lives and establishing confidence and esteem.

I do think motion is a great prescription at times, but it is absolutely essential that the mover has a foundation. In Dustin's words, I think you need a floor if you're gonna go dance. My parents have encouraged me (for the duration of my entire cognisant life) to be complete in myself and in the Lord, FIRST AND ABOVE ALL THINGS. If I am not completely sufficient and fulfilled in my relationship with the Lord alone, then I will never be fulfilled or gratified by my relationships with a girlfriend, a wife, my friends, my co-workers, my family, or really anyone for that matter. And in my short experience, this couldn't be more true. A change of pace will only ever be a quick fix unless it is accompanied by a deeply rooted sense of confidence and worth found in knowing that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. At this point, motion is no longer a means to temporary happiness, but becomes integral to a healthy, active, and ultimately more faithful life. I think that the greatest indicator of this are the fruits of the spirit: love for the Lord and for your fellow man; a deeply rooted joy that literally overflows and impacts others; peace with the past, present, and the future; patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is the kind of stuff I want to be exhibiting on a daily basis. I think it's also the key to successful relationships, if I can narrow it down to just one thing. I've been mulling this stuff over for quite some time now and this is really just grazing the tip of an enormous issue. So, let's dialogue anytime.


Because of a lack of creativity, I've deferred once again to a title that looks more fitting for Street Fighter II Turbo than for a blog entry. And once again I've deferred to inspiration by other authors/artists seeing as I can't muster enough independent thought to say something truly original (if such a thing even exists anymore...originality that is). As Google Scholar reminds me intermittently, we stand on the shoulders of giants. Tonight, Brittany Breidenbach and Dustin Kensrue are the shoulders of choice. Ms. Breidenbach wrote a nice little article on relevant.com called "Learning to Run in the Dark", mainly concerning the disillusionment and anxiety surrounding post-grad life. This is an excerpt from the end of her article:

"There is a point when staying in one place causes people to stagnate. Even though it would feel comfortable if I kept working for my college newspaper or stayed in school until something better came along, I would never learn to take a risk. Even worse, I would never learn to put my trust in God.

Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People states that change is necessary “where the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.” Walking blindly into an unknown phase of life is scary and dangerous. It requires perseverance in doubt and trust in the darkness.

I now see my unknown future as a time of opportunity, not regret."

I think there is a lot of truth in correlating a lack of movement, or inactivity, with stagnation. Paul's plea to the Philippians to "press on" does intrinsically suggest the necessity of motion and activity in a full, healthy life. However, I think some words by Dustin Kensrue also suggest a different, and more incomplete side to motion.

"What a beautiful way to fake it,
This sort of graceful defeat,
We found a pattern out on the pavement,
Sound the siren out through the streets,
Advance in perfect nonchalance,
Do it together with a rifle report,
Don’t marvel at our confidence,
It’s troubled, bottled, and above all...deformed,

Tell me that you wanna stop the war,
But baby you can't dance if there's no floor,
Motion isn't meaning,
It’s just another drug,
But it's all we've got...

What a way to keep it together,
A black box, a prescription for speed,
We found a freeway that goes on forever,
Drown the demon in the deep black sea..."

The song continues on, but the ideas I want to focus on are fairly represented in the first half. There is a sense in which motion is imperfect and really is a "beautiful way to fake it". Motion is a great way to purport confidence and fake happiness. It is so easy for me to get wrapped up in novelty and constantly look for the next new thing to get my by and keep me happy. Motion is a fantastic little drug in the sense that it keeps us from ever having to face ourselves and God and really figure out who we are and where we are now, who we're actually supposed to be, and where we're actually supposed to be. Despite the risks and the unknown, the black box with the Mario Bros.-esque question mark in the future can really be quite comforting. If we just keep moving down that road, we can completely avoid finding purpose in our lives and establishing confidence and esteem.

I do think motion is a great prescription at times, but it is absolutely essential that the mover has a foundation. In Dustin's words, I think you need a floor if you're gonna go dance. My parents have encouraged me (for the duration of my entire cognisant life) to be complete in myself and in the Lord, FIRST AND ABOVE ALL THINGS. If I am not completely sufficient and fulfilled in my relationship with the Lord alone, then I will never be fulfilled or gratified by my relationships with a girlfriend, a wife, my friends, my co-workers, my family, or really anyone for that matter. And in my short experience, this couldn't be more true. A change of pace will only ever be a quick fix unless it is accompanied by a deeply rooted sense of confidence and worth found in knowing that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. At this point, motion is no longer a means to temporary happiness, but becomes integral to a healthy, active, and ultimately more faithful life. I think that the greatest indicator of this are the fruits of the spirit: love for the Lord and for your fellow man; a deeply rooted joy that literally overflows and impacts others; peace with the past, present, and the future; patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is the kind of stuff I want to be exhibiting on a daily basis. I think it's also the key to successful relationships, if I can narrow it down to just one thing. I've been mulling this stuff over for quite some time now and this is really just grazing the tip of an enormous issue. So, let's dialogue anytime.