Facebook, Virtual Society, Virtual Insanity, Chaos, Order, George Carlin, the “Paradox of Our Time”, and Ecclesiastes

I am but one of the many who have noticed that Facebook is the host or platform for today’s virtual society. Much of the world interacts of Facebook. I myself am, out of necessity (unfortunately), within the confines of that bandwagon. Almost everyone I know is on Facebook although there are three friends who come to mind who are not on Facebook (a high school buddy and two physicians). As almost everybody is immersed on Facebook, almost all sorts of human activity is (dangerously) represented in it such as music, the arts, work and business, social interaction, leisure, etc. Coupled with the advent of tablet computers and smartphones, everybody has a photo album inside Facebook, making physical photo albums almost obsolete. Heck, I for one have digitized some photos from old collections myself. Since FB now appears to be the platform of global society, I also see things such as rumors, political agendas, and everything else in between. You can even say that it also has become a platform for anarchy: one could now easily express thoughts and ideas (through writing mostly) that people would be ashamed of proclaiming in setting where people have to physically meet other people. Apart from actual physical manifestations of people, animals, things, places, etc., it is as if almost everything is there on Facebook, very much like the town squares of cities worldwide, a virtual space where order and chaos are playing tug-of-war.

Much activity on Facebook operates on writing a post, commenting, “liking”, and sharing. Being mired with human imperfection, we often get too much unverified information out of it. Many of my Facebook “friends” have posted a lot of unverified rumors and statements ranging from the usual gossip and pseudoscience to urban legends. A notable one is the essay “Paradox of Our Time”. I’ve been hearing excerpts of this essay over at 98.7 DZFE for quite a few years when just this morning, It’s a very insightful piece regarding observations we see in society today (double income, less family time, the negative perception of marriage, more technology, less physical human interaction, etc.) I saw a friend of mine share the essay over Facebook, saying that the comedian George Carlin wrote it. My skepticism led to me to find out (outside of Facebook) that it was written by a pastor named Dr. Bob Moorehead. Another thing is that on the old George Carlin website, Mr. Carlin said that the essay is not his writing and he even goes on to call that essay as “bad prose”, “weak philosophy”, and a “sappy load of shit” that he doesn’t even care about. The sad thing is that, like in actual physical society, many of my FB “friends” would fall for it, believing that essay to be George Carlin’s writing. I also remember listening to Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity”, which is apparently Jay Kay’s rant about how messed up the world is.

Such observations have led me to thinking about a number of things. It’s already very obvious about how messed up this world is. Chaos has been increasing day by day. It can be easily observed from a number of things ranging from November 2013 supertyphoon in the Philippines to how relativism and situational ethics have become the primary guiding philosophy of this generation. It’s also odd that in this day and age where knowledge flourishes, a lot of people just choose to accept information rather than think about it. I remember that catch phrase from Ecclesiastes that says, “Meaningless. All of this is meaningless”, or “Vanity. All is vanity.” Most of the time, it does appear to be that way, unless you have some sense of purpose of an absolute guiding philosophy that directs how you conduct the way you live out your life.

If I choose to think of my life as nothing more than an accident, then I could just do whatever the hell I want without regard for consequences. After all, everything and everyone is either an accident or a part of something whole entwined in a complex process that is part of a singularity, that somehow, whatever it is that I choose to do, it will all work out towards becoming one. And so therefore chaos wouldn’t matter much. Why would I care then?

However, I don’t think of life that way. I’d rather believe that I have meaning and purpose in life. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 reads,

“Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.”

You can call me stupid or crazy but I’d rather believe in meaning than randomness. Let’s say that, for example, I die now and my existence ceases (as naturalists would believe), then I have lost nothing. But if for example I die now and there is something beyond this physical life (yes, I’m talking about God), then I would have gained more. What is there to lose when you believe in something greater than what your five senses can perceive.

Now, what has all of this got to do with the Paradox of Time, Facebook, etc.? Seems like there isn’t a lot but let’s face it. Facebook is now a reflection of what life is like in a messed-up world where everybody calls himself/herself an expert. If you have no solid philosophical framework as the backbone of your mind, then you would be easily led to believe everything you see and hear. We all need some semblance of morality and philosophy to help guide us how we think for ourselves and how we decide what to do with the things we perceive on a day-to-day basis. The philosopher of Ecclesiastes said, “Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.” This is especially evident in the age of information, and Facebook (unfortunately) represents that, a platform that is capable of bombarding us with information, much of which I believe to be useless, and this is why we need something in our minds to filter that.

It’s a Crapsack World…For Now

I was going through Facebook when I saw Kanye West’s proclamation that he will be greater than Nelson Mandela ever was. Cashing in on the dead: how honorable. Just to feed his narcissistic desires, he spews out filth just as much of the world mourns for the passing of one of the world’s most influential leaders. It bewilders me that such a person, who has made his fortune ripping off other artists by “sampling” them and having the audacity to label cut-and-paste jobs as his “music”, could make such a claim. I would also have the guts to say that today’s generation is exercising its stupidity in glorifying such talentless plagiarizers.

Related to this matter is the fact that greedy businessmen have made it a point to bleed true artists dry, a fact that Robert Fripp is very much troubled by. You can read all about it in this article.

In this article, Robert Fripp points out how “21st Century Schizoid Man” was heavily sampled in Kanye West’s track entitled “Power” without his consent. Here we witness one of the most important progressive rock songs of all time turned into rubbish by some rapper who doesn’t have the skill to write his own music, and then earn millions afterwards. If you want evidence of how unfair the world is, well here’s one example folks.

It’s one result of how broken our world is because of sin. It is easy to fall into the temptation of . While the wicked prosper in this day and age, it is something that should not be envied because it’s temporary. Reading Proverbs 3 and the entire book of Habakkuk assures us of God’s promises that such injustice is temporary as we look forward into a prosperous eternity. It’s a crapsack world for now, but it will pass.

Fourth Day at Grad School

As some of you may or may not know, I still have some knowledge gaps to fill hence my latest endeavor: going back to school. I attend school here:

This is the exterior of the Philippine Women’s University where I attend classes at the School of Music (a department which has been declared by CHED as a center of excellence for music) with the hopes of earning an M.A. in music education. It’s in Manila, not a pretty city by any stretch of the imagination.

The school building is pretty old, but I could imagine that it was a glorious place when it was built. It has this center, open-air courtyard, which I think is a good idea:

Anyway, enough talk about the school building. When I’m by my lonesome self, I tend to eat cheap, hence after my morning Intro to Grad. Studies and Ethnomusicology class I walked a few blocks to Pedro Gil St. and found myself at a street stall for my lunch which looked like this:

Filipinos call this thing “kwek kwek” or “hepalog” (as I’d like to call it). It could take the form of balut (duck embryo with yolk and albumin) or penoy (fertilized duck egg) deep fried in orange batter. With what seemed to be like an unlimited supply of chopped shallots and cucumbers, I topped it off with some chili flakes and some mystery sauce (vinegar based). It certainly looks ugly but I’ve always found this stuff to be delicious. I had three of these plus some water and a soya drink from the nearby convenience store.

Since I still had two hours before my piano class, I practiced in one of the practice rooms at school. Let’s say that the piano I got to use was less than satisfactory:

At the very least I am fortunate enough to be able to practice in one of these.

Anyway, 30 minutes before class, my piano teacher allowed me to practice at the school’s piano lab, which has an excellent upright piano. Too bad I was unable to take a picture of that. The thing that I am very grateful for in my piano class is that my teacher is very patient and I get to learn something new every meeting. I always receive tips on how to improve my technique and build precision. I still find the training to be difficult (having come from a background that relies heavily on improvisation), but I appreciate it very much. The kind of discipline you can get from classical piano training is something that I do think would help me take my skills to higher levels. I do think I am very much too old to become a concert pianist, but at the very least I know I can polish my technique as I attend these piano classes. It’s an effort to bring me closer to gaining the physical skills to bring my musical ideas to life in the best way possible.

Tomorrow is another day where I get to juggle homeschooling my son with schooling myself and working my ass off. I am very much grateful to The LORD for granting me such an opportunity.

Praying in Public: Does it Glorify God or the Self?

Just this afternoon, I saw this post by a pastor/apologist, one of the people I have tagged as a friend on Facebook. He was condemning this particular bit of news about a family praying for the success of a family member who was about to take the UPCAT. For the uninitiated, the UPCAT is the annual admission exam to the University of the Philippines. With all good intentions noted, it does look like a really good picture. They all look like they were deep in prayer with sincere intentions. This slice of life was even covered by GMA News as a featured post in their Facebook page. Many people responded well to such a public demonstration of faith.

If you read Matthew 6, however, The Lord doesn’t seem to have a good opinion about such a practice. Matthew 6:5-6 quotes Jesus as saying,

“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

This is pretty much self explanatory, an imperative that even a grade schooler would have no difficulty understanding. Pray in secret and perform your good deeds in secret, doing it all for the glory of God. I’m not surprised when my pastor/apologist friend at FB condemned that picture to which I had responded with a comment that it seemed like this family has either never read or have never been taught or have ignored this particular bible verse.

After a few hours, another person, most likely another pastor as well, retorted with the comment that we should have left them alone rather than post a comment. I believe the exact comment was, “Let them pray! They did not do that to impress you.”

Perhaps that the family was praying with all sincerity. The second pastor understood that, hence his condemnation of the comment I posted as well as pastor/apologist’s shouting rant that is so much against such public displays of faith. After all, I do think that many of those who pray in public settings have it in their hearts to communicate with God and surrender themselves to him. However, does sincerity make an act correct? I don’t think so. To be technical about it, I wasn’t really stopping anybody from praying in public, but that doesn’t change my opinion that it is a practice that is contrary to what is proper prayer according to the words of The Lord himself.

The problem with sincerity and intention is that it is mired by our imperfections as human beings. It is possible for me (and everybody else) to be convinced and be so sincere and true about what I believe when in fact what I believe could be wrong. If I base it on postmodern morality, it wouldn’t go anywhere since postmodern thought rests on a relativistic philosophy where my perspective could be right or wrong on a case to case basis. However, such philosophy is fundamentally flawed given the fact that it could not point to a standard of morality. If I base my conclusion on the Blble, I get something that is an absolute standard of morality. It would then go back to the skeptic regress of why believe in the Bible. To be brief about it, I would choose to believe what the Bible says because it has proven what it claims to be for ages, the Word of God (proving why it is so merits another long discussion that many apologists have settled over the years).

So what does that discourse have to do my comments about public prayer and the response to my comment about it? Well, it is true that I should perhaps leave such people alone out of respect for their free will. However. It doesn’t mean that I should change my mind about the fact that it is a practice that is condemned by Jesus himself. I may be mocked for seeming to look like a dilettante in a small theological discourse involving two pastors, both of which have graduated from prestigious seminaries. However, God’s word remains to be true. No matter how much you try to support public prayer as a valid expression of faith, the Bible says the opposite. I remember one led in our church remarking that you should just keep it between you and God rather than perform an outward display of it in a space outside of church (an essential definition of what public js). You may receive your reward of public adulation from man, but God himself said it was such a thing that he would not listen to. Even of you say I should shut it rather than voice out my opinion, it doesn’t change the fact that it is wrong to pray in public because more likely than not, it tends to glorify the self rather than God.

A Little Update to My Life’s Story – A Summer in Review

I haven’t written for so long that it feels like this blog has become “dusty” and “moldy”. Apparently, I do have a lot of things to write about. I was so entangled with a lot of things that it’s only at this moment of time that I was able to write.

To list them all down, here are some significant things that have happened since the last entry:

1. A trip to Anawangin Cove.
2. A surprise birthday bash from the UCCP-MCCD Ministry.
3. Conducting a private crash course in music theory, composition and songwriting for a musically inclined Court of Appeals associate justice and his sons.
4. My first time preaching a sermon.
5. The formation of a new band.

Of course, there are other things that are bound to happen over the next few weeks, and I do hope I get the time to write about the stuff I’ve mentioned along with others in a timely fashion. So, I guess it’s time for me to return to finishing sheet music for an upcoming GuitarZoom course. I feel as though Dan’s already breathing down my neck.

*UPDATE: As of 6/19/2013, transcriptions for “Essential Techniques for Guitar” by Steve Stine have been completed. The course will be available in the market really soon.

Body Spray Machismo and Superficiality

In the Philippines, one of the latest products being peddled on TV is the new Axe Apollo body spray. Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not reviewing the body spray. I could care less with all that machismo and chauvinism that is so appealing to many men in Filipino society. The reason why I’m talking about this is because of the fact that the said TV ad sums up the value system of contemporary society: image over substance.

The gist of the TV ad is this: Some hero-type fireman hunk rescues this pretty lady from a blazing inferno. Instead of the usual gratitude that such an act would merit, we then find out that the woman runs toward this guy wearing a space suit in the middle of the city.

Now, here’s some food for thought. What is it exactly that this silly astronaut suited guy (we don’t even know if he’s a real astronaut!) do to get that shallow woman running after him? Unless astronaut guy was married to that shallow girl, I can’t see any reason why this whore would run up to him. What he just did was perform that slow cliche walk and look “cool”. What a load of crap! Is that how you’re supposed to be thankful to the person who has saved your life? The shallowness of it all is sickening!

This TV ad teaches a fact in postmodern society: Image is more valuable than talent or character. They say, “To see is to believe,” even if it does not have any substance. This is what, unfortunately, TV is trying to teach children today: looking “good” or “hot” or “cool”, whatever it may be, is more important than your skills, talents and character. It is the complete opposite of what the Lord values. Once more, this TV ad reinforces the fact that man looks outward rather than inward.

The passage in 1 Samuel 16:7 reads, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” How I hope that people would keep such words to heart and reject man’s empty value system based on superficiality.

Close-Mindedness Can Be Very Irritating

I grew up as a fan of metal. I should be because I started out playing in a band that covered Metallica. Naturally, therefore, I would love thrash metal. Heck, I still do. Of all the Big Four thrash bands, Megadeth was up on my list simply because I think their musicianship was the most superb of them all. My favorite Megadeth album is “Rust in Peace”. Fast forward 2013, they released this:

Hmm, okay. I wouldn’t call this thrash metal. It’s some kind of hard rock that is more akin to a Mr. Big hit than a thrash metal anthem like Slayer’s “Angel of Death” (by the way, RIP Jeff Hannemann). I have seen how some fans have started to hate Megadeth because the band has the desire to expand its fanbase (and perhaps earn a lot of money in the process). Who could blame them? They got families to feed, bills to pay, etc. They do this for a living. This has to be respected rather than bash Megadeth for seemingly selling out.

I couldn’t really stand how narrow-minded or close-minded rabid thrash metal fans can be at times. Can’t we respect the band for trying out something else? I mean they’re artists. You can’t expect an artist to put out something like “Rust in Peace” every year or so. That’s the kind of thing that kills innovation.

So, for fans who are disappointed with Megadeth’s direction, please shut up. You’re not doing anything good. Hey, I would agree that this new Megadeth song isn’t really something that I’d be crazy about but you have to respect the fact that they’re living up to their name as ARTISTS and not mere parrots that repeat the same thing over time without meaning.

How to Win a Government Seat in the Philippines

1. Be a member of the oligarchy or a political dynasty. If you’re Filipino, you already know the names. Chances of winning with this method is very high. The Aquinos, the Marcoses, and the Estradas are some of the names that come to mind.

2. Make a name for yourself in showbiz and be involved in a lot of publicity (positive or negative doesn’t matter). In the Philippines, politics is the next step in the career path of has-been actors and actresses. The odds of winning range from about 50% to near 100% with this tactic. The most successful example is Joseph Estrada.

3. Attend the Philippine Military Academy, launch a coup d’etat, surrender to the government, obtain amnesty, and then campaign for a senate seat. You gain a good chance of winning with this tactic not because of perceived competence but of notoriety and the ability to pull people towards a “cause” of some sort. Classic example is Honasan but the latest example is Trillanes.

4. Be the leader of an activist group. Perhaps this provides about a 50/50 chance of winning. It doesn’t really matter what cause you are pushing as long as you are noisy and you complain a lot on national TV. The commies come to mind.

5. Have loads and loads of money to spare. This tactic is very useful for converting voters from opposing camps to your side. This tactic can greatly improve the odds of winning because of the greedy nature of the Pinoy voter. A common tactic amongst political aspirants, almost everybody running for office uses this tactic.

6. Have actual competence and a proven track record in public service. This tactic does not guarantee a win. Dick Gordon is one of those rare individuals who can win an election because of this.

So, as you can see, because of the damaged society that is the Philippines, the described tactics, with the exception of #6, can guarantee a seat in government. A government seat in the Philippines is considered to be a mountain of gold. No wonder why there are many Pinoys who groom themselves and their children for public office, despite the fact that competence is not amongst their list of “redeemable” qualities. I have to recognize the fact that these politicians have a degree of intelligence in that they exactly know how to manipulate the Filipino into getting them elected.

And so, you can expect to see another three years of mediocrity, nothingness, and chaos after May 13, where people follow the lives of politicians as if they were watching their mind-numbing soap operas.

Answering the Call

It’s was the first Saturday of the year that I had formally worked with both the choir and worship band of UCCP-Makati Church of Christ Disciples. It was tough and challenging yet at the same very fulfilling. I have seen the logistical challenges that I would face should I try to unite both choir and worship band. The task seems daunting but I hope for the best. I am really hoping that I’m being of any help to that rather small community of believers.

Just this morning was the time that I would call testing the waters. Although I had played with the worship band a couple of times, it was the first time I would be at my most active. I was directing the band while playing lead guitar. I played with the church’s regular pianist and choir conductor through a number of songs. I was trying very hard to demonstrate that there need not be a divide between a traditional piano-and-choir-group and a contemporary worship band. In my mind it should just be a single worship group that is engaged throughout the worship service. Next Saturday I will be hauling again a number of items from my home studio to the church, teach music theory and instrument technique in the afternoon, rehearse with both choir and worship band.

As things go at this time, it seems that the worship band isn’t ready yet for the rather technical aspects of playing the kind of music featured in the anthem section of the worship service. I aspire to be able to pass down whatever skills I have to the band and the choir so that every musical aspect of the service could be covered by both as a single unit. It doesn’t have to matter whether they are singing traditional hymns or covering the kind of stuff that Don Moen and Ron Kenoly would play. I am optimistic that this will happen given training and patience.

Like my studio persona, I am a teacher, equipment technician, musician, and music director rolled into one package. It’s tough work where I do not expect any remuneration of sort. What lies ahead of me are more challenges from both a personal and professional perspective. Why would I be crazy enough to put out such effort every week? It’s because I am answering the call of The Lord. I have no other justification for it. God has called me to use my skills for his purpose. I will abide by what I believe is my calling and purpose in life. So it has begun, my life as a volunteer music worker.

Tuning and Piano Maintenance

I own a number of keyboard instruments, one of these is a beloved old, locally made upright piano left to my care by my mom. She bought it for my sister around 1987 and it has been in a state of deterioration until 2012 when I had decided to have the piano reconditioned. After having it reconditioned, it became our keyboard practice instrument. From October to April, the piano’s tuning drifted to a about 50 cents lower than what it should be. My good friend, Kuya Cesar Wycoco, recommended that I call and hire master piano technician, Leonardo Wayan a.k.a. Kuya Nards, to get it into shape.

In contrast to the somewhat reserved and sophisticated Kuya Cesar, Kuya Nards had an air of flamboyance and an astounding level of confidence surrounding him. This is because he really knew his stuff well. He was loud but very entertaining while he worked. He had warned me that given the quality of the upright piano I have (which is somewhat mediocre given its built and post-flooded state), that it would be a challenge getting it to equal temperament at A = 440 Hz. However, he had managed to get it to that tuning, and so the piano sounded wonderful afterwards.

The good thing about hiring Mr. Wayan was that he really knew pianos. He did not mince his words when he said that he was surprised that the piano was already reconditioned when he first saw it. Believe me, it was far worse before he had touched the piano. At the very least, the money I spent last 2012 for piano repairs had at least turned the piano into something workable. Mr. Wayan, being seasoned piano technician for many hotels around the metro, claimed he could have done a much better job at reconditioning the piano than the people I had previously hired.

I got more than a bang for my buck by hiring Kuya Nards. He was a thousand pesos cheaper than the guys who worked on my piano before, he offered me amazing piano tips, was very honest in his dealings, and he even went on to provide a tuning wrench for free.

As part of a self-maintenance plan, he left me a 6-mm square socket wrench and some “Shoes Glue” so that I can perform tuning myself. This morning, I found myself tuning the piano because the upper register had drifted to a few cents lower. My suspicions were confirmed when I measured the tuning of A4 against a chromatic tuner and it registered around 432 Hz. I decided then to tune the piano to A = 442 Hz to solve the problem.

I used the socket wrench that Kuya Nards gave me to do most of the work. Because I didn’t have any rubber mutes, I used a thumb pick fixed to my right index finger to pluck each individual string as I tuned. I started out with A4 and then tuned A5 based on my 442-Hz A4, and then tuned an octave’s worth of keys based on the sound of 4ths and 5ths. Afterwards I tuned the rest of the keys.

I am quite happy with what I was able to accomplish. Maybe in a few more weeks of hammering away at the keys, it’s gonna drift lower again, so I expect to tune the piano again myself about two weeks from now. Maybe I might ask Kuya Nards to take me in as an apprentice. Hmm, now that’s a thought worth considering. Maybe afterwards I might offer a piano tuning service. But perhaps not at this time. If I gain more experience tuning pianos, then I might consider doing that professionally. Kuya Nards said that typically hotels would commission guys like him to get a piano tuned every week, so I’m not at all surprised that I had to tune the piano myself today.

If you’d like to get in touch with Kuya Nards to get your piano back into shape, leave a message in the comments section, and I’ll send you a private message regarding his contact details.