Utopian Society

I watched AeonFlux yesterday. I'm a sucker for science fiction movies and books with strong female leads: Matrix, Serenity, Star Doc (book)...

Aeon Flux's world is a utopian society which, in the movie, seems cold and controlled. It seems that most of the utopian societies in books and movies exist in a calm, cool world where clothes fit perfectly, hair works perfectly (and is gelled into place), and relationships never have serious problems.

Where's the love? Where's the emotion?

I think we live in utopia now. What makes our world not utopic is us, our emotions, and our treatment of each other. If we lose the ability to choose to love, our lives become cold and sterile, even if there's no more outward anger.

In an effort to perfect our lives and ourselves, often as a defense against pain, we create a "utopia" in our hearts where no one can hurt us, because we're no longer vulnerable. We appear outwardly calm and happy, but there's no joy or happiness inside. It's a living hell.

Hat Update

The hat thing's not working for me. I do a lot of "little" prayers throughout the prayer - some people call them ejaculatory prayers. I like to spontaneously talk to the Lord about things as the day goes along. I've found myself holding off on my prayers because I'm not wearing the head covering.

I talked to my husband, and he said, "I'm glad you're honest." I'll keep wearing it at church as a sign of obedience (I've never been good at obedience because I'm so obstinate), so this is growth for me.

A lot of the women aren't wearing head coverings at church, but they are at home, which I find interesting.

Anyway, the head covering's turning into a bunch of hoopla over nothing. It'll be done and gone and out of my life in a few weeks. The only benefit to me is that I'll have done something stupid, without complaining (too much), just because someone who's a spiritual authority asked me to. That there's a sign of growth.

Win a Christian Romantic Suspense Novel

"In the Enemy's Sites" - Marta Perry

This book is from the April 2006 Love Inspired Suspense series. From the back cover: "US Air Force captain Kenneth Vance is back in Colorado Springs on medical leave, and currently working for his old friend Quinn Montgomer's vandalism-plagued construction company. Sources say both families are being targeted for their roles in taking down that South American drug cartel a year ago." Ken is working with Julianna Red Feather, who had a crush on him in high school, but was laughed at by Ken's friends. She never got over that crush, but no longer wants to like him because of the painful rejection. Ken was injured in a plane crash and hope to leave Colorado Springs and return to the skies. He doesn't have time for a relationship.

A fun read! Leave a comment here, and it could be yours!

Undercover

My priest's sermon on Sunday was a bit of a shocker. He spoke on the verse in I Corinthians 11:2-16, which talks about "For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels."

No one else in my communion (the Charismatic Episcopal Church) is doing this, but he asked us women to consider wearing head coverings of some sort from now until Pentecost. That's about the next two months. I have a thing against being a "doily head", because the legalistic church I grew up in in the late 70's early 80's required women to pin doily-like things to their heads. I tend to equate doily heads with legalism.

But, since there's no specific covering mentioned (doily, veil, etc...) and I can choose want I want to wear, since it was a request and not a mandate, and since it was for a specific time period, I think I'll do it.

A few of my friends at church have been doing it while praying in private and say it's blessed their time with the Lord. I'm willing to give it a shot. I'd hate to not do something that would bring me closer to the Lord just because of one bad church and cultural feminist tendencies. (Head coverings for women in church started going out with the influx of the feminist movement in the 50's and 60's, although a few denominations still encourage it.)

I'm thinking of it as an experience in humility. I prayed about it and asked myself what St. Teresa de Avila would do. (I'm currently reading her book "The Interior Castle".) She would do whatever her priest asked, as long as it wasn't against God.

I've been wearing a scarf during my prayer times this week, and I don't think the scarf itself has improved my relationship with the Lord. I think that my willingness to submit to my spiritual authority has increased my humility, and the humility has improved my openness to hearing the voice of Christ during my prayer times. So far I haven't observed any benefit to the scarf other than the secondary humility.

I'll give you my final decision on Pentecost.