Month: September 2008

No good deed goes unpunished…

~ Nelima

Today morning, I read an article in a free press newspaper that had me perplexed and intrigued all at once. I’ll start with the perplexed part. The story goes like this:

A guy is driving along a road in Marino, a town some 30 minutes from Rome when he happens on a sorry-looking black Sharpei dog. He does the right thing. Next day, he takes it to a dog pound in Rome. However, since the dog was found outside Rome, and therefore outside their jurisdiction, they couldn’t take it in. (The dog was unable to comment on where it came from and hence clarify whether or not it was actually eligible to enter the rather exclusive establishment). He then goes to another pound in Pomezia, also about 30 minutes out of Rome. That pound wasn’t taking in any animals– it had just been closed due to the inhuman conditions the animals were living in. Probably more than a little flustered, he goes to the big guns at  ENPA, the national agency for the protection of animals. They can’t take in the dog either. ENPA has no pounds of its own. They are kind enough to inform him that if he can’t find a home for the dog, he’ll have to keep it himself, or else risk a fine of up to 10,000 euro for abandoning an animal…

For crying out loud, the young man rescued the canine, and yet the law says he could be fined for his good deed? If he’d just left it out there, he’s okay. Whoever originally abandoned it goes free, but not him? Ludicrous!

Now for the intriguing bit. I thought of the parallels between this law and the Old Testament Law. There’s some sense of futility in both. However, I’m sure I don’t have the knowledge to avoid putting my theological foot in my theological mouth. All I can do is thank God for His grace. And hope someone helps that poor dog and its rescuer…

The end is (not yet) nigh

~ Nelima

Some people somewhere in the world are eating their words. “Who?” you ask. Well, those who said that the experiment with the Large Hadron Collider would create a black hole that would swallow the earth. Personally, I wouldn’t have minded the end of the earth coming today—I’m living through the exquisite pain of a tooth infection that has most likely gone down to the root. An end to that would have been most welcome.

I was recently among a group of people who were asked, “How many of you are sure you’re going to heaven?” It is my humble opinion, however, that this question needed to be followed up by another: “Why?” (those whom I’m familiar with know I’m a big fan of questions). Many, Christians included, believe you get to heaven by being good. Don’t commit any huge wrongs and/or keep a set of rules and you’ll earn your way to paradise. Therefore, someone may honestly and sincerely raise their hand in response to the first question, not knowing they’re honestly and sincerely wrong.

Being good and doing good aren’t bad. It’s the motivation that counts. For me, it is about pleasing my Lord and Saviour (I fail spectacularly at times, but that’s part of life in a fallen world). In addition, it is only because I have entrusted my life to Christ that I’m not afraid of the end of the world. Whenever it will come.

Had I been there…

~ Nelima

I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation in which I have doubted my sanity. I do occasionally think it is precarious, considering my main companions are felines. However, if I’d been present at some of Improveverywhere’s stunts (or missions as they prefer to call them), I would have certainly wondered about someone’s mental state. Here are my faves:

Human Mirror: A New York subway car full of identical twins

Frozen Grand Central: Over 200 people freeze on cue at New York’s Grand Central Station

Food Court Musical: A spontaneous musical in an LA mall’s food court

Mobile Desktop: They went to a Starbucks- with their desktop PC, complete with a CRT monitor (and one comp ran on Windows 95!)

Look Up More: 70 people take over the windows of a retail building in Manhattan

Other than being there, I guess I’d also like to participate—as long as the mission doesn’t offend my sensitivites, of course. There is a Rome group, but like many things Italian, they’re all talk and no action. Oh, too bad…