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qosI'm sure you all remember this one: leave a comment telling me you want to be interviewed. I'll respond with five questions, which you answer in your own journal, along with these instructions.
The following questions are from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rocket_jockey. He handed me some pretty juicy ones, so my answers are behind cuts.
1. You stumble upon a time portal hidden in the corner of a disused lavatory in the basement of an old Vaudeville theater. The instructions say you can make precisely one round trip to any point in the Earth's past, and that's all. Where and when do you go, and why?
I’m surprising myself with this answer, but I think I would go back and witness the last few weeks of Jesus’ life and death, and be there in the garden on Sunday morning, to have the experience of actually seeing and hearing him, and witnessing what happened. It’s not an issue of testing my faith, but of wanting the experience of presence. Although I am curious about what actually happened on Sunday morning. Ultimately, my personal faith is not dependent on whether or not the individual named Jesus was physically resurrected on that day. The message he preached is still valid, with or without the resurrection. There is a God, and the Spirit of God, the Love of God, moves in humanity and the rest of the universe.
2. You've stated that you andraptures_shadow have had intense rivalries in the past: how do you believe those conflicts have affected each of you and your relationship to one another?
I would have to say that ultimately those rivalries prevented us from being as close as we might have been at various times. It’s not that we were ever really hostile to each other, more that it was a complex and sometimes strained relationship when we spent too much time in close proximity to each other, once we reached our late teen years. This really hasn’t happened all that often, because we have very rarely been in the same social circles.
3. Your religious practices have shifted in several directions over your life. How has Divinity manifested itself to you in the faith of your birth, your practice of paganism, and your current church?
This would require a major essay to treat properly, so my response is going to be extremely oversimplified.
In the faith of my birth: Divinity manifested itself to me primarily as the Heavenly Father, an image which I later came to realize had very much to do with my impressions of and relationship with my own father, who was very influential in our community. I had a very close and trusting relationship with both my Fathers.
During the summer after my freshman year of high school, I went on a service mission to Tijuana. While there, I had the experience of hearing God’s voice. What I carried away from that was the conviction that there is a God, and that God cares about us and is involved in our lives. After my existential crisis, it was the memory of that experience which moved me from atheism to agnosticism.
My experience of the Divine in Paganism was of the Divine Feminine, and a Divine who was far less “tame” than the God of my childhood. A Divine which reveled in nature and sexuality as well as ethics and morality and sacrifice. A Divine that had a shadow aspect as well as a bright one.
In my current church, the Divine is conceived of as having two primary attributes Love and Wisdom (or Truth), and who is constantly reaching out to – or in to – all individuals in all worlds. (Swedenborg believed in life on other planets, much of which was far closer to God than we are.) We are called to love our neighbors and to be “useful” to them, using our gifts in the service of others, motivated by love. Doctrine matters far less than love, and all people who love God or their neighbors more than themselves – and who demonstrate that by their actions – find themselves in heaven after death.
4. Tell about the one thing that you have done and are willing to admit that you have the most pride about, as well as the one thing you are willing to admit that you most regret.
I regret not taking more chances in my life, especially in the areas of my writing and my love of film. There’s a big “might have been” in my life if I had had the guts to actually take film classes and explore that area. I’ve always been afraid of failure. One of the biggest gifts of the rocket company was Bill finally getting it through my head that if I’m not failing once in a while I’m not taking enough risks and not growing. If you’re looking for a specific incident, I probably most regret marrying my Ex. Not because it was terrible, but because I look back on those years and largely consider them wasted, and some of the wounds I received from the experience are very deep and still unhealed. My first engagement, to the emotional abuser, was far more traumatic, but I came out of it with some profound lessons and growth. That was not the case with my marriage.
What am I most proud of? That’s hard, mostly because there is so much that I am proud of. I am proud that I have always tried to be true to myself. I’m proud of my two theses. I am proud of what I learned and accomplished as Director of Marketing at RV. I am proud of the plays I’ve directed, especially The Abdication and The Taming of the Shrew. I’m proud of my contribution to my daughter showing every sign of becoming a fine person.
5. You've been charged with the task of commissioning and producing a theatrical event - carte blanche, anything you want and anyone you want. What do you do, with whom, and why?
The stage project at the top of my list is Godspell with a woman playing Jesus. I would cast a wide range of people as the disciples, and would like to include an obviously gay couple and a woman with a daughter. I want to tweak peoples’ preconceptions, and make the point that the power of the message transcends gender – just like the Divine itself transcends gender. And I think there would be some interesting changes in dynamics if the part were played by a woman, particularly in the relationship with John/Judas and the women disciples. I also think that the sight of a woman being crucified, even in the relatively tame style that is appropriate for Godspell’s overall tone, is unfamiliar enough to most people to provide a jolt.
I also have some ideas about doing The Descent of Inanna, one of my favorite myths.
The following questions are from
rocket_jockey. He handed me some pretty juicy ones, so my answers are behind cuts. 1. You stumble upon a time portal hidden in the corner of a disused lavatory in the basement of an old Vaudeville theater. The instructions say you can make precisely one round trip to any point in the Earth's past, and that's all. Where and when do you go, and why?
I’m surprising myself with this answer, but I think I would go back and witness the last few weeks of Jesus’ life and death, and be there in the garden on Sunday morning, to have the experience of actually seeing and hearing him, and witnessing what happened. It’s not an issue of testing my faith, but of wanting the experience of presence. Although I am curious about what actually happened on Sunday morning. Ultimately, my personal faith is not dependent on whether or not the individual named Jesus was physically resurrected on that day. The message he preached is still valid, with or without the resurrection. There is a God, and the Spirit of God, the Love of God, moves in humanity and the rest of the universe.
2. You've stated that you and
raptures_shadow have had intense rivalries in the past: how do you believe those conflicts have affected each of you and your relationship to one another? I would have to say that ultimately those rivalries prevented us from being as close as we might have been at various times. It’s not that we were ever really hostile to each other, more that it was a complex and sometimes strained relationship when we spent too much time in close proximity to each other, once we reached our late teen years. This really hasn’t happened all that often, because we have very rarely been in the same social circles.
3. Your religious practices have shifted in several directions over your life. How has Divinity manifested itself to you in the faith of your birth, your practice of paganism, and your current church?
This would require a major essay to treat properly, so my response is going to be extremely oversimplified.
In the faith of my birth: Divinity manifested itself to me primarily as the Heavenly Father, an image which I later came to realize had very much to do with my impressions of and relationship with my own father, who was very influential in our community. I had a very close and trusting relationship with both my Fathers.
During the summer after my freshman year of high school, I went on a service mission to Tijuana. While there, I had the experience of hearing God’s voice. What I carried away from that was the conviction that there is a God, and that God cares about us and is involved in our lives. After my existential crisis, it was the memory of that experience which moved me from atheism to agnosticism.
My experience of the Divine in Paganism was of the Divine Feminine, and a Divine who was far less “tame” than the God of my childhood. A Divine which reveled in nature and sexuality as well as ethics and morality and sacrifice. A Divine that had a shadow aspect as well as a bright one.
In my current church, the Divine is conceived of as having two primary attributes Love and Wisdom (or Truth), and who is constantly reaching out to – or in to – all individuals in all worlds. (Swedenborg believed in life on other planets, much of which was far closer to God than we are.) We are called to love our neighbors and to be “useful” to them, using our gifts in the service of others, motivated by love. Doctrine matters far less than love, and all people who love God or their neighbors more than themselves – and who demonstrate that by their actions – find themselves in heaven after death.
4. Tell about the one thing that you have done and are willing to admit that you have the most pride about, as well as the one thing you are willing to admit that you most regret.
I regret not taking more chances in my life, especially in the areas of my writing and my love of film. There’s a big “might have been” in my life if I had had the guts to actually take film classes and explore that area. I’ve always been afraid of failure. One of the biggest gifts of the rocket company was Bill finally getting it through my head that if I’m not failing once in a while I’m not taking enough risks and not growing. If you’re looking for a specific incident, I probably most regret marrying my Ex. Not because it was terrible, but because I look back on those years and largely consider them wasted, and some of the wounds I received from the experience are very deep and still unhealed. My first engagement, to the emotional abuser, was far more traumatic, but I came out of it with some profound lessons and growth. That was not the case with my marriage.
What am I most proud of? That’s hard, mostly because there is so much that I am proud of. I am proud that I have always tried to be true to myself. I’m proud of my two theses. I am proud of what I learned and accomplished as Director of Marketing at RV. I am proud of the plays I’ve directed, especially The Abdication and The Taming of the Shrew. I’m proud of my contribution to my daughter showing every sign of becoming a fine person.
5. You've been charged with the task of commissioning and producing a theatrical event - carte blanche, anything you want and anyone you want. What do you do, with whom, and why?
The stage project at the top of my list is Godspell with a woman playing Jesus. I would cast a wide range of people as the disciples, and would like to include an obviously gay couple and a woman with a daughter. I want to tweak peoples’ preconceptions, and make the point that the power of the message transcends gender – just like the Divine itself transcends gender. And I think there would be some interesting changes in dynamics if the part were played by a woman, particularly in the relationship with John/Judas and the women disciples. I also think that the sight of a woman being crucified, even in the relatively tame style that is appropriate for Godspell’s overall tone, is unfamiliar enough to most people to provide a jolt.
I also have some ideas about doing The Descent of Inanna, one of my favorite myths.
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-22 08:38 pm (UTC)I think that sometimes it is our mutual faith in these pinciples (even though I had never heard of Swedenborg until I met you). That brings us very close. I never thought my ideas where original, I figured someone else had written them down before, but I am happy to know that most everything I personally beleive in is supported by a studied philosophy.
""Bill finally getting it through my head that if I’m not failing once in a while I’m not taking enough risks and not growing.""
Sometimes not taking risks is the same as failing.
Oh and interview me. *smile
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-31 08:00 pm (UTC)Let's see. . . .
1. Since the subject came up: what was the biggest risk you've ever taken, and how did it turn out?
2. What has been your greatest adventure so far?
3. In the best of all possible worlds, what would your life look like ten years from now? Where are you living? Who are you with? What are you doing for work and for play?
4. If you went through a magical door, into what realm of fiction or film would it take you, and what would you be/do in that world?
5. What is the most important but least obvious thing someone should know about you, if they want to really know you?
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-30 08:33 pm (UTC)If you get around to it, I'd be willing to answer questions, too.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-12-31 08:10 pm (UTC)Let's see. . .
1. What is your ultimate romantic fantasy. (Define "romantic" however you please.)
2. In the best of all possible worlds, what would your life look like ten years from now? Where are you living? Who are you with? What are you doing for work and for play?
3. If you went through a magical door, into what realm of fiction or film would it take you, and what would you be/do in that world?
4. What achievement are you most proud of?
5. Who is your hero?
(no subject)
Date: 2005-01-02 12:38 am (UTC)I'll work on your questions and see if I have anything new for you!