Preoccupation

During my morning devotional I read this:

 1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

3 Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.

5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6 Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. – Esther 3: 1-6 (NIV)

Notice how distracted Haman is with Mordecai. Instead of focusing on what he had been given, Haman became preoccupied with a single man. This preoccupation with Mordecai and the annihilation of the Jews would eventually lead to Haman’s downfall.

In the age of social media and instant/constant communication, I find it easy to get preoccupied with other peoples lives. I end up wondering why I can’t:

  • Buy a new house, car, toy, etc.
  • Travel with all expenses paid by parents or relatives
  • Eat out five times a week (not that I’d want to)
In looking at everyone else, I fail to realize that God created something special in me. I am not like everyone else nor meant to be.
—————-
Interesting thought: The word preoccupation has the word “occupation” in it. Now, we all work different occupations, there is certainly that definition of the word. But the use of occupation related to Haman’s preoccupation makes me think of this dictionary definition:
possession, settlement, or use of land or property.

When we become preoccupied with something not of God (like lust or greed), we are giving up pieces of our very hearts and souls to things that shouldn’t be entrenched in our lives. We end up becoming occupied territory; slaves to our conquerors.

Affirmative Action

Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including “race, color, religion, gender , or national origin”[1] into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination. The focus of such policies ranges from employment and education to public contracting and health programs. – Wikipedia

Pulling out of my driveway this morning, I turned on the radio for some company. I’m not sure what station I was listening to but the topic of affirmative action was being discussed. Living in the South, I frequently see newspaper articles that talk about wanting to up the “insert race here” quotient in the local police or fire departments. Incentive programs are often offered to entice those of the desired race.

As I was passing by the park, down the street from my house, the two DJ’s on the program began talking about a recent poll they conducted. Seems they had sent someone to interview local college students on their thoughts on affirmative action in regards to sports. The students where asked:

“Do you believe that players should be recruited based on talent or race?”

Almost all of the students replied, “talent”. They were then asked:

“Why then is there a double standard in the business world where business owners have to hire based upon race and not those who are the most talented?”

Why indeed huh. Freedom and equality for all, even the stupid. Reminds me of this quote from the movie The Incredibles (swap the word “powers” for “talented”):

Helen: Dash… this is the third time this year you’ve been sent to the office. We need to find a better outlet. A more… constructive outlet.
Dash: Maybe I could, if you’d let me go out for sports.
Helen: Honey, you know why we can’t do that.
Dash: But I promise I’ll slow up. I’ll only be the best by a tiny bit.
Helen: Dashiell Robert Parr, you are an incredibly competitive boy, and a bit of a show-off. The last thing you need is temptation.
Dash: You always say ‘Do your best’, but you don’t really mean it. Why can’t I do the best that I can do?
Helen: Right now, honey, the world just wants us to fit in, and to fit in, we gotta be like everyone else.
Dash: But Dad always said our powers were nothing to be ashamed of, our powers made us special.
Helen: Everyone’s special, Dash.
Dash: [muttering] Which is another way of saying no one is.

Wii U: The Next Step?

There is nothing more epic than music from the Zelda series being playing by a live orchestra.

Video games and me have a relationship that is much like the ebb and flow of the tides. There are times where I am gung-ho and play video games every evening; other times where my interest wanes and I will occasionally pick up a game. No matter what season I am in with my hobby, I do find one constant, I continue to read video game news.

Yesterday, Nintendo took the stage at E3 and announced:

  • Multiple Zelda titles across all Nintendo platforms
  • A 25th Anniversary Zelda Concert Series (TBA)
  • Assured continued support for the 3DS
  • and…the Wii U?
On the surface, the Wii U controller looks like a mash-up of a Classic Controller and an iPad. I love how clean and futuristic the white casing looks! After watching the Nintendo Press Conference, due to the limited information presented, I found myself swimming in a pool of questions:
  • How many Wii U controllers can be used at the same time?
  • Will the controller be sold separately?
  • Can I take the controller and use it on the go (since the system was not designed to be portable)?
  • What does the physical media look like?
  • Will my Virtual Console purchases transfer over to the Wii U system?
  • Can the Wii U play Gamecube games like the Wii?

Living in the innovative shadow of the Wii, the Wii U certainly looks like the next evolutionary step forward for Nintendo. I look forward to hearing more about the system and finding out if I need to sell one kidney or two to obtain one. My interest is certainly piqued for the moment, the tide is rising.

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