The Tree of Life

In preparation for this blog entry I spent ten minutes brainstorming any and all of the things I hope for. Here are a few items from the beginning of my list:

 

                I hope…

·         I finish all my homework tonight.

·         I get high grades on all the tests I have this week.

·         I find a job soon so I don’t go broke.  

·         the winners of the upcoming election are able to lead the country down path that conforms to the will of God.

·         my roommate’s senior voice recital goes well this Friday.

·         I’m not overloaded by my class schedule next semester.

·         I lower my mile times.

·         the Lord continues to reveal his truth to me.

·         I can visit New York City over winter break.  

·         my sister maintains her spiritual integrity as she goes through high school.

·         my nieces stay healthy and develop hearts for the Lord.

·         my best friend transfers to Olivet.

·         the golf team qualifies for Nationals.

As you can probably tell, most of these items are related to the near future. Indeed, my list started with my immediate hopes and gradually became more long-term oriented as I progressed through the brainstorming exercise. As I reflected on my list I realized that whether or not my hopes were short or long-term, whether or not my hopes were even attainable, they all had some connection to my overall lifetime objectives, my ultimate desires. For example, my hope that my roommate does well in her recital reflects my overall desire to see the people I care for be successful with their talents- that God may use them to bring glory to his name. And my hope of lowering my mile times reflects my overall desire to be a fit individual. Essentially what I am getting at is this: the pursuit of our short-term hopes is a means to achieving our most sought-after selves, surroundings, and relationships.  

In the spirit of tomorrow’s big election, I am choosing to study this concept further through various political campaign material and historical references. The following ads are from the 1984, 2008, and 2012 presidential elections, respectively. And just for fun, I’ve included a scene from the Hunger Games that may also prove insightful. 

In each of the three campaign videos above, the featured candidate is attempting to evoke positive emotion from the viewer by painting a future that looks exactly how we want it to. Inspiring themes of family, community, unity, strength, honor, and “the American dream” are woven throughout all three videos. These themes are the ultimate desires of most every American. Our short-term fulfillment of such desires is found in electing a president for four years, hoping he (or, one day, she) will make a lasting impact. Obviously, hope is the central emotion driving the above ads’ success. The more hope we feel watching one candidate’s utopia as opposed to another’s, the more likely we are to vote for them. Just look at how Reagan won in 1984: 525 electoral votes to 13. “It’s Morning Again in America” definitely influenced that result. And this is just one example of the power of hope. I mean, Obama won the last election thanks in (large) part to the slogan, “Hope and Change”. I would go so far as to argue that hope is more powerful than fear in determining our decisions, politically and beyond. In fact, hope “is the only thing stronger than fear,” according to President Snow. 

Furthermore, the Bible tells us that “three things will last forever- faith, hope, and love” (1 Corinthians 13:13) Fear is not a part of that list; it is escapable and defeatable, unlike hope. As I discovered through my little brainstorming activity, even my smallest hopes point to my greatest desires, and I hold on tight to each small hope because it could potentially lead me to the final gratification. Proverbs 13:12 says it perfectly: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” In other words, we may hope for something so strongly it pains our hearts, but life can be found when that hope is finally realized.

Tea with a Xing

I was reading Brandwashed and laughing at the ridiculous claims that I was reading. The acai berry cures everything, really? HA! I wouldn't fall for something as dumb as that. All those ridiculous homeopathic remedies, pfffft. There's no way I would fall for that. Who really buys stuff because it has the Himalayas on it. Crazy talk. Those were my thoughts while I was reading. Then I decided to take a break. I reached into my refrigerator and pulled out one of these:

That's when I realized that they got to me too. This is Xing Tea. It's one of my favorite beverages. It comes in 14 different flavors. Its a local Colorado thing, so its really hard (read: impossible) to find in Illinois, so my parents ship it to me in their care packages.

(This is the contents of one of the aforementioned care packages. If you click on this picture and like the picture on facebook, I might win a whole case and $100)

Anyway, the tea claims that it is made with pure cain sugar, and all natural ingredients. And aparently that means nothing. I was basing a lot on those claims. I like Xing better than Arizona because it uses pure cain sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Its even got the fruit hanging from a vine and the Chinese characters.

On their website, they have a section about health, and how green tea is healthy. It says:

Well, millions of people drinking it worldwide can’t be wrong! But yes, green tea is good for you. Green tea contains polyphenols, including epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). These powerful antioxidants have been shown to have many positive health effects.

Those are a lot of words that I don't really understand. But it makes it sound legit. But this chapter made me wonder if Xing is actually better than Arizona health wise at all.

Xing also claims:

• No Preservatives: By canning XINGtea hot, we can keep Mother Nature in!
• No Funny Stuff: You can pronounce and recognize every ingredient in every serving of XINGtea.
• All-Natural Sweeteners: If it takes a chemistry lab to make it, we don’t want to taste it. We exclusively use pure cane sugar and honey to add that little hint of sweet to XINGtea.
• Easy on the Calories: Green tea is naturally calorie-free. Our Just Plain Tea! Unsweetened Tea is calorie-free and our fruit-flavored varieties are only 60 calories per serving.
• Caffeine Content: Green Tea Energy 150 to 155 mgs, Unsweetened Tea-Just Plain Tea 70 to 75 mgs, all other flavors-Ginseng, Mango, Pomegranate, ½ & ½, Blueberry, Peach, Cherry, Raspberry, Lemon, Sweet Tea,& Mint… 30 to 35 mgs.
• Lactose & Gluten-free: Problems with gluten? Lactose intolerant? No worries! All of our delicious flavors are free of both gluten and lactose. Enjoy!

 This just makes me feel like a hippie. I'm wondering why an iced tea would have lactose or gluten in it, but if it helps them sell, I guess that works for them.

I guess this is really an ok thing. As Christians we do believe that our bodies are temples for the Lord and it is biblical to take care of ourselves. This aspect of advertising seems as if it is playing on our basic instinct to want to take care of ourselves. They got me, but I'm not sure if that is a bad thing.

 

Who is Watching Me?

            A few days ago, I was watching a television show on the internet, and an advertisement that caught my attention played before the video loaded. Usually, I tend to ignore the commercials that play while a video is loading, but this one intrigued me. The advertisement, a commercial for Lowe’s MyLowe’s program, depicted a scenario in which children had painted on a wall. The commercial claimed that MyLowe’s would tell you the exact color of the paint previously used on the wall. By signing up for the program, MyLowe’s  can provide you with information on the color of paint you previously used on your wall by tracking your purchase history, and allowing you to view it at any time.

            As I watched this commercial, several advertising techniques stood out to me. Fear was used, in the idea that you might not be able to remember the correct paint color to use if you ever need to repaint a section of wall. Peer pressure was also used when other people were shown acknowledging that MyLowe’s is a useful tool to have. However, the advertising method which stood out most clearly to me was the use of data mining portrayed in the commercial.

            At first, the possibility of being able to keep track of your previous purchases seems like a good idea, and there are many benefits to the program. However, there is also the potential for this information to be abused by others. For example, if someone were able to hack into the database, he would not only have access to your purchase history, but also to your first and last name, your email address, and your zip code, all required in order to sign up (https://www.lowes.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/MyLowesLanding?storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&krypto=w37ixU9mxd7iv8LlRPTKAA%3D%3D) . This would not only allow a potential thief to easily locate your address, but also, by looking at your purchase history, one would be able to determine the items you own and your approximate income.

            The idea of the MyLowe’s program shows how our culture is focused on convenience. By having all of our information gathered into one place, we are able to have access to it quickly, and whenever we need it. When things like this don’t work, we tend to become frustrated. We want to have a way to keep track of all the details of our lives, so that we don’t have to remember all of the small details. At the same time however, we are afraid of revealing too much information, and of who might have access to our information. We don’t like the feeling of being “watched,” but at the same time, our lives are so busy that it is difficult for us to remember everything without some form of assistance.

            At first glance, the Bible may not have much to say about data mining, but it does speak about having someone watch over us. Psalm 121:5-8 tells us, “The Lord watches over you-the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm-he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. (NIV)” As Christians, we still have to remember the details, but unlike the rest of the world, we don’t have to wonder who might be watching us. Instead we have the promise that the Lord will watch over us and protect us.

Ahhh They Got Me!!!

      So, today I went on my monthly trip to the store (which coincidentally has nothing to do with Amy's shopping trip). I only get to go once a month because I don't have a car and I hate to ask for a ride, so I go on rare occasions when I REALLY need something and have a huge list of items that I need. This time I was in desperate need of toothpaste (like to the point that I was using my roommate's toothpaste because I was determined to hold out on going to the store as long as possible).

     As my friends and I were walking around at the store, I noticed that every time I walked by the $5 movie bucket I would find myself frantically skimming the top layer of movies for something interesting (which I always manage to find). If I can't find anything that I like by the time I pass by, I don't get anything. However once I find the first movie, the thought of all of these awesome dvd's for $5 gets to me, and I attack. This causes my original $60 store bill to jump up to about $85 simply because I can't resist the deals (you see now why I don't go to the store often).

     Like Amy said in her blog post, this is a conniving trick to get people like me to buy more than they would have to begin with (I am definitely NOT a no-nonsense shopper). However, the bible says "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13. While the shop does a good job of marketing to us and tempting us with its deals, we need to use self-control to avoid situations like the ones that I put myself in.  But I digress from my main point.

    So I was in desperate need of toothpaste, and not just any toothpaste, Colgate whitening toothpaste with an extra stripe of cinnamon flavoring.
Approximately $2.50

 We finally made it to the toothpaste aisle after my friends dragged me away from the $5 movie bucket and I stared at the aisle for probably a good six or seven minutes. My beloved toothpaste brand was no where to be found! My friend Anna, seeing my dilemma, tried to help me:

Anna: The cheapest brand is AIM!

Me: AIM? I've never heard of that.

Anna: Oh, it works pretty good and its inexpensive.

Approximately $0.85

Me: Oh okay... (continues to look around)

Anna: What are you looking for?

Me: I really want something that whitens your teeth.

Anna: Oh, you can use peroxide for that!

Me: Peroxide??? As in, Hydrogen Peroxide? H2O2? The stuff you put on cuts?

Anna: Yeah! I saw it on Pinterest; you just use a cue-tip and rub it on your teeth! and its super cheap!

Me: Ooh Thats a good idea! (Proceeds to grab the Colgate "Whitens with Peroxide and Baking Soda" toothpaste) 
Approximately $2.00


............ *facepalm*................ They Got Me...

Hope Halfway to Nigeria

No one does hope in advertising better than our college’s cafeteria catering company: Sodexho. They advertise food that sounds delicious, exotic even. Cilantro chicken with creamy mashed potatoes. Stir fry with every possible veggie you could imagine.

But after I wait in that line lasting halfway to Nigeria, I finally get up to the counter and one of two things happens. They are either out of what I want, or, while they advertised corn, they’re actually serving carrots (ick).

It happens all the time. But see, hope is a funny thing. I see the sign telling me what today’s meal is and I think, “Maybe, maybe today lunch will be good.” Hope pervades for about 30 seconds until I found out we are having catfish mush instead of the promised chicken.

No matter how many times I’m disappointed, hope returns. It’s a powerful thing. Hope may possibly be even stronger than fear. Fear can paralyze when desperation kicks in. It only takes a drop of hope to kill despair and motivate again.

The problem with hope in advertising is that the companies really don’t have to fulfill whatever they have promised. Hope is not a promise—it’s the chance at something good. Hope isn’t a sure thing, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s simply the desire, the anticipation of something better.

In order to look at hope in advertising, I decided to look at the expert of advertising: Super Bowl commercials. My first commercial is a Chrysler commercial featuring Clint Eastwood. The ad focuses on the way America has returned from the recession, specifically emphasizing Detroit and the car industry. The ad is full of praise for American hard work, character, and determination. The message is, we have gotten through this recession, we can get through everything. Depend on America. Depend on Chrysler.

The second commercial takes a more humorous view on hope. In this commercial, a man is seen driving through a post-apocalyptic city in a Chevy. He reaches his group of friends, only to find out Dave died because Dave drove a Ford. The message of this commercial: The zombie apocalypse is coming… but have no fear. With a Chevy, you will be prepared for anything.

Hope makes us feel good. It lifts up our spirits and makes us believe again. But why is hope so powerful?

Ironically, one of the places hope is most deeply explored in the Bible is the book of Job. Job struggles for hope in the midst of devastation.

“What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?” (Job 6:11, NIV).

There seems to be no hope in Job’s situation. Check that, there is no hope in Job’s situation. But Job’s hope is not found in his situation; rather it is found in his understanding of the character of God.

It seems simple, hope in God. Yet when we say hope in God, do we really understand what we are saying? We seek God to work in our situation, yes. We seek God’s hope in our situation, yes. But what happens when there is no hope in the situation. Like a death—that person will not be raised from the dead and no matter how many other friends or family members you have, that loved one cannot be replaced.

There are circumstances in which hope cannot be found. What do you do with child prostitution? Or suicide? Genocide and child hunger? The pain and scarring from such atrocities cannot be made right by a simple replacement of past pain with the anticipation of something good in the future. There are too many questions, too much history, too much destruction that can never be made right in the situation at hand. There is no hope.

“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15, NIV).

That is why hoping in God is such a radical idea. Rather than hoping that a situation will become so much better, you are hoping in truth. You are hoping in the very character of God. He is sovereign. He is good. Therefore, my hope is in him.

What does hoping in advertising say about us as humans? That in our desperation we search for something bigger than our current lives. Whether that is a future zombie apocalypse or the recession.

Why does hope strike such a human cord in all of us? Hope simply says, my situation may never get better. I may experience these scars for the rest of my life.  But there is Someone bigger and better than my situation out there, and that Someone has died to save me.