Even by their fairly hyperbolic standards, this is an entertainingly over-the-top headline from the Evening Standard. I wasn’t worried by it, perhaps because we live on a boat (though shortly after buying our boat, a relative asked me worriedly “but what if the Thames floods?”)
Posted in information, london
I found this in a discussion on the Times online about whether we need religion:
Socrates said “the unexamined life is not worth living”. Perhaps the unexamined faith is not worth having?
In the midst of a lot of hackneyed and poorly argued comments for and against religion, this seemed a really valuable thought. Something that Quakers aim for is an ‘examined faith’, both at an individual and corporate level (See Advice No.5 in Quaker Faith & Practice). It ties in with a well-worn Quaker phrase, ‘What canst thou say?’I try to do this from time to time in my blog, but perhaps not often enough. Aidan McCartney has this as his main purpose in his blog though- I look forward to reading more!
Posted in philosophy
[update] Now looking at using WordPress to bring it all together…Hopefully, I’ve now achieved two goals- the good looks of a custom-built site (johnfitzgeralddesign.com) along with an easily updatable blog.
Posted in web
On the Eurostar now, final leg back to London. Quite tired after another night in the sleepless seats of Deustche Bahn from Munich to Paris. Bizarrely, I slept better on the day train from Vienna to Munich- had to be shaken awake by an exasperated guard who had been shouting ‘fahrkaten bitte’ for a fruitless few minutes!
It was a very good weekend in Vienna, we really motored through the planning for the European Quaker conference which will be happening there next weekend. Local Quakers in Vienna were very hospitable and friendly, and we enjoyed some wonderful Viennese food- strudel and new wine being particular highlights. The only downside was we were so busy planning that I hardly got to see Vienna- a real shame as it looks very pretty. Next year though…
My few fumbled words of German made me want to learn some more for next time- felt a bit of a foolish pointing tourist at times. I find it reasonably easy to follow what is being said, but am hopeless at stringing words together myself.
Now just a quick day at work before I can catch up on missed sleep.
Posted in travel
Travelling by train from London to Vienna and back. All quite exciting, save for a few gripes: had to stomp round Gare de l’Est in search of a cash machine at 10pm last night (thought I’d get a good value exchange by waiting ’til I got to euro land…) The night train from Paris to Munich was pretty grim- no couchette on the cheap ticket! Slept in 5-minute snatches. Not feeling too shattered though.
On the train from Munich to Vienna, discover that Deustche Bahn have given me a ticket from Hanover to Brussels (odd since I go nowhere near those places!), and omitted to give me any tickets for the bit from Munich to Vienna and back. The German ticket inspector gives the closest he can come to a ‘bof!’, but the Austrian one demands that I buy a new ticket. A bit of a pickle as he can’t take cards and I’m 40 cents short- a good samaritan fellow passenger very kindly chips in. Swings and roundabouts- the ticket inspector’s zeal balanced by my fellow passenger’s kindness.
On balance, though, I’m really glad I’m traveling this way- a great chance to watch the world go by, and to get on with things- have had some very productive fettling with the HSC visual identity.
When I’m starting a design process (as I am at the moment), there’s a lot to be said for getting out a pencil and paper- a bit of time sketching means my ideas tend to be stronger- they evolve naturally, rather than the old ‘let’s try it with a drop shadow’ school of design. In a way, I almost want to put off the digital side of things as long as I reasonably can.
Posted in Uncategorized
After a fair bit of mucking around with code (HTML the hard way), I’ve used RapidWeaver to get my work online. It’s certainly a quick way of getting my portfolio together! It follows from Seth Godin’s advice, that small businesses shouldn’t spend too much time tweaking their code.
[14/07/07 Update: I’ve now brought my blog into the new site, it’s available at: www.blog.johnfitzgeralddesign.com]
Posted in web
This two-part post is what I had been planning to share with Quaker Quest tonight (I was prevented by a complicated and tiring train journey).Hopefully it’ll be of some use here…
How and when do I encounter God?
I have no doubt that I can experience God on a daily basis. I have many recollections of experiencing God in a direct way. That’s not to say I’m always open to God!
Many Quakers would say that God is universally accessible, and not confined to ‘holy’ places. I certainly agree with this- but not to the extent of pantheism or universalism, which I think go too far in reducing God to ‘part of life’. I feel that God is a real, distinct and living presence.
I often encounter God in a very direct way through other people- when they say challenging or inspirational things, for example. I sometimes see God shining through someone’s courage or generosity.
I encounter God when I worship God in a Quaker meeting- both in the quiet and through the ministry of others. Often, encountering God in the quiet happens only fleetingly, but even a few seconds of that ‘deep encounter’ can centre and transform me for the week. A bit hard to describe exactly what this encounter is like, but very clear when I’m having it. Much much more than feeling simply ‘tranquil’.
Some of my most profound encounters with God have come at moments of crisis or dilemma- where my human, finite faculties have been stretched or exhausted. At these times, God is a new source of energy and guidance.
(I’m currently encountering God in an unexpectedly complicated train journey to London, which may prevent me from sharing these thoughts at Quaker Quest).
It can be much harder to find God in suffering or injustice. Where is the loving and transforming power in these situations?I could fill an entire talk or blog post with this challenge to faith. For the moment, I’ll say that God can be and is alongside us when we suffer. It may be that He can’t wave a magic wand and alter our human-perceived physical world, but He can be a great source of spiritual strength and transformation.
In times of fear (such as living with the fear of an armed robbery while working at a 24 hour shop in Belfast), I have encountered God through a sense of being ‘held’ and looked after- not because of a physical sense of protection, but a sense of God being with me.
The corollary to this is occasions when I have felt fortunate and blessed by God. On my wedding day, the clear sense of a blessed direction and the blessing of those around me, for me were part of an encounter with God.
What does this mean for the way I live my life?
Because I encounter God in Quaker worship, I value that time and get to meeting when I can. I should say, however, that I’m not a faultless attender! This is something I need to work on.
Knowing that I can encounter God in Quaker worship encourages me to approach it with an open heart and mind. Looking for God in others’ ministry helps me avoid the problem of responding badly to ministry which doesn’t speak to my condition.
Times when I have encountered God in my daily life and through other people give me the hope that I’ll do so again. I try as much as I can to be open to God’s loving, teaching and transforming power in my life. As with worship, I’m sure that if I was more practised at this I’d find I encountered God more often!
I think the fact that I encounter God at both the ‘high’ and the ‘low’ points in life helps preserve me from the dangers of unmitigated triumph or despair. The thankfulness and faith I feel remind me that I’m not alone.
A key phrase for me is ‘deus volens’ (God willing). I don’t use this as a cop out, trying to evade responsibility for my life. It’s more about having a sense that I should be ready to be surprised by the gifts and challenges that God puts in my way.
I have the clear sense that more encounters with God would improve my life! I also have the sense that these encounters don’t need to happen in a special ‘holy’ place. (Though prayer and quiet waiting are very valuable).
I know that encounters with God can be challenging and life-changing. I pray for the courage to truly open myself to these encounters too.
Knowing that I have had personal encounters with a real and loving God helps me to relate to Him in a personal and loving way- not as an abstract ‘giver of laws’, or ‘life force’, but as a real and present spiritual guide and support.
Posted in ideas, philosophy
When I told someone how I felt about a recent exam (I enjoyed it), they said I was ‘sick’. Am I really that odd? Because I enjoy my courses a lot, I’ve been relishing the chance to put my knowledge into practice and finally sit the exams. Perhaps it’s just the novelty of first year? Maybe I’ll have a tough exam next Tuesday, and eat my words.
Posted in philosophy, studious
I’m a bit of a fan of the above maxim. I feel much better about getting on with things when I have a clear and reliable system for planning what I’ll be up to. However, this desire to plan, coupled with my general propensity for bits of stationery, has meant I’ve chopped and changed systems quite a few times.
For some time, I lugged around a fairly unwieldy A5 size filofax. I liked the way I could file papers of any size easily, but found to just too big! I also dabbled with electronic PDAs but never really got on with them.
Now working happily with a Personal size filofax- let’s hope it stays the course! Rachel is a bit sceptical and is convinced I might change again soon…
I’m hopeful that I can resist the urge to fiddle and just get on with it.
(For those of you who have been/are fettling with your planner, there’s a world of sites and blogs out there!)
Posted in information, work
things that might have been otherwise 