Member Interview #9 - Shadowmancer Returns

interview adam!

Who do you think you are?

What gives you the right?

ahahahahahahaha

yasminspired wrote:

ahahahahahahaha

i have one question, but don't wanna get into trouble.


my questions:

why do you think God put mankind on only one planet when there are
so many in our solar system? and what's more interesting to you...studying
the solar system or the infinitesimal?

do you think after we die our souls will have 100% of our brain's capability?

do you think 28 yrs...oops...sorry.... lol

is rain really wet? is dust really dry?

how many tears would it take to fill a small pond?

does love really go on forever???

you can ask, gail ><
so long as adam doesn't mind.

length or girth?

hot or cold?

fair trade or organic?

what are the primary catalysts for the changes in belief youve undergone in the past few years?

do you feel all the changes youve made in the past few years have been for the better? why or why not?

where do you feel most at peace?

too much sleep or too little?

what are the three most difficult challenges you face in your day to day life?

how many girlfriends have you had?


what would you do if you had a room mate that used all of your stuff all of the time?



if you could go to any university in the world, where wouldl you go?


have you ever been to a third world country?



what is your middle name?



do you think anarchy would work? or would society crumble to bits?

jazzy reminded me........ what's your real first name??

PS:
to yasmin...nope
i know my limits
girlfriend!

screams wrote:

Who do you think you are?

What gives you the right?

You don't get it. You just. Don't. Get it.

fairydust wrote:

why do you think God put mankind on only one planet when there are
so many in our solar system? and what's more interesting to you...studying
the solar system or the infinitesimal?

do you think after we die our souls will have 100% of our brain's capability?

do you think 28 yrs...oops...sorry.... lol

is rain really wet? is dust really dry?

how many tears would it take to fill a small pond?

does love really go on forever???

1.) The question is better put into context by the fact that even if you could find humankind in every last crevice of the entire universe, our greatness would still come no nearer to the greatness of God than it is now.

2.) According to the Bible, after we die we await the resurrection from the dead. My own understanding of this future event in which God will restore the entirety of creation is that we will retain many fundamental aspects of our being right now, except we will be completely renewed. So while I don't claim to know or understand at all just what it is God will do to us when this happens, I see no reason why we wouldn't retain our memories and brain function. Of course, that is all speculation.

3.) Yes, I'm sorry.

4.) Yes!

5.) The same as the number of roads a man must walk down before you can call him a man.

6.) It depends on the kind of love. The love of God, which I perceive to be the ultimate and truest form of love, does indeed last into eternity and never ceases. What about human love, though? It's hard to see. Maybe our own ideas of love never really die, they just change. But, wherever someone loves, God is present.

Or, I have no idea.

imza shmo wrote:

length or girth?

hot or cold?

fair trade or organic?

what are the primary catalysts for the changes in belief youve undergone in the past few years?

do you feel all the changes youve made in the past few years have been for the better? why or why not?

where do you feel most at peace?

too much sleep or too little?

what are the three most difficult challenges you face in your day to day life?

1.) I really don't know.

2.) Cold, because it's easier to warm up than it is to cool down.

3.) Wonderful question. I think the answer is complicated by whether produce is bought locally or not. If one is buying food produce internationally, I would personally prioritise Fair Trade because:

a.) While organic farming is a noble (and practical) concept, many third world farmers are simply unable to afford undertaking the procedures and regulations necessary to sustain organic conditions. Pesticides and modern methods can be cheaper for these communities, and so the question is complicated even further.

b.) Fair Trade standards tend to incorporate sustainability as among their conditions for certification, and while that may not necessarily mean organic standards, it will probably mean better standards than the norm.

c.) It's much better to support a system of sustainable wages than to buy organic where you have no way of knowing if the produce hasn't achieved an acceptable standard of living for the farmer/farming community.

All in all, I try to mix organic produce with Fair Trade. Even the reality of air miles adds to the murkiness of Fair Trade ethics, and in an ideal world, I imagine it would be far better for any farming community (whether in developing or developed nations) to be supported by their local residents above all else.

4.) Throughout all the changes in my ethics and worldview, I feel I have consistently remained centred in all things upon my faith in God as He has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. I have always, and will always, start from that primary understanding, and I don't consider that any of my "beliefs" (If one can call them that) falls outside of my Christianity. Nonetheless, I concede that not every Christian will reach precisely the same understandings that I have (although I have met many Christians who have, whether the same or similar notions), and so I could perhaps put it down mostly to experience. People evolve in their being through continued experience, whether this be through reading, personal interactions, relationships, prayer, or simply thinking through stuff a lot. These have all contributed to some degree or other throughout my growth both as a Christian and a human being, and I believe that God works through all of them.

5.) If I didn't perceive value to all of my beliefs, then I wouldn't hold to them. However, I do sometimes wonder if I would be "happier" without some of my views, in the purely selfish sense. I feel more of a sense of joy holding fast to the truths I perceive, then by simply perceiving them and then living in denial.

It is a little specious as well, I think, to comment on whether the changes I've made to my life have been "for the better" or not. I feel that my values are good, else I would not hold to them, but at the same time the values I held five years ago were somewhat different, and likewise will the values be that I shall hold in five years time. I don't have a scale of "better" or "worse," necessarily, but I do seek for the things that allow me to become more faithful to God, more of a servant to humanity, and more of a steward of creation. Those quests take me, as they take each of us, along roads which are more predictable at some points than others.

6.) I feel most at peace when I am walking outside, and especially so if this is among some kind of natural environment (trees, the shore, etc). In those places, I feel like I am walking and talking with God.

7.) Too much sleep, every time. I take no issue with ten hours' worth, whereas five hours leaves me groggy every time.

8.) The three most difficult challenges I face in everyday life:

a.) Being alone, in most respects of the word.
b.) The tension of living in community with others.
c.) Being faithful to God.

jazzyjunebug wrote:

how many girlfriends have you had?


what would you do if you had a room mate that used all of your stuff all of the time?



if you could go to any university in the world, where wouldl you go?


have you ever been to a third world country?



what is your middle name?



do you think anarchy would work? or would society crumble to bits?

1.) Only one.

2.) I have similar domestic problems that would probably leave me feeling very similar. I generally tend to express my grievance to the person, and if things continue, just try my best in learning to forgive and be forgiven in turn for the ways I know I annoy the hell out of people.

3.) I don't really know, because although I do wish to return to further education again sometime, I don't really have preferences as to where. This won't answer your question in its precise form, but wherever the theologian N.T. Wright was lecturing is where I would love to be.

4.) I haven't yet, but I plan to. I want to go and either spend some time in development work overseas, or else take part in a peace delegation to a conflict zone somewhere, most likely with Christian Peacemaker Teams.

5.) Anwar. It's an Arabic/Muslim name, meaning "Bright one."

6.) I consider myself a faith-based anarchist. To me, as a Christian, anarchy is less so the presence of man-made systems of coercion, and more so the Kingdom of God. Anarchism is more than just the removal of governing bodies, it's also about self-organisation. I do concede that if we removed governments, corporations, armies, and police agencies, either the world would collapse into chaos or else the world would simply set up new establishments in their place. However, as far as I am concerned, those systems are already destroying themselves simply by how they operate... we're seeing it even now... the peak oil crisis, economic recession, war, global debt, etc. If you set an empire in place for long enough then it will eventually destroy itself, and that is a pattern to which history itself has borne witness. Government and Capitalism may not disappear forever were they to be removed overnight, but they are nonetheless slowly disappearing and the true way of living that God desires is being established in their place. In that sense I am an anarchist, not because I feel the need to overthrow the systems of the world, but because God is already doing it Himself and all I have to do as a Christian is join in with the Kingdom He has been replacing them with for the last 2000 years and still continues to do so; the Kingdom whose citizens are peacemakers, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the forgiving, the persecuted, and the meek.

fairydust wrote:

jazzy reminded me........ what's your real first name??

Adam

Quote :

PS:
to yasmin...nope
i know my limits
girlfriend!

Was that a question? Because if it was: No.

I don't get it now, I was referring to The Office.

screams wrote:

I don't get it now, I was referring to The Office.

I don't watch the inferior, uh, I mean, American version.

we should have a conversation. true or false?

how are you?

what do you love about your life?

whatcha doin' for christmas?

remember when I always used to say I'd punch people? remember? why don't I say that anymore?

what was your first impression of me and how has that idea changed, if in fact it has?

what's the strangest thing you've ever experienced?

how often do you masturbate? how does that work out, living with all those people?

yasminspired wrote:

we should have a conversation. true or false?

Isn't context a factor?

Quote :

how are you?

Ambivalent. I had a good time during my four days in retreat, but there were some discomforts as well as comforts. Like, being in the presence of a good number of people brings you with the challenge of having to endure the presence of those who don't necessarily like you or get along well with you, and those situations demand a great deal of forgiveness and understanding from me, more than I thought necessary. Likewise, I also feel privy to ways in which I myself may need forgiveness for my own character flaws, so I guess right now I'm just feel the need to reflect on a lot of things in my own life. It's not necessarily pleasant, but it has to be done. I think being able to engage with how I'm feeling at any one particular time is helping a lot.

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what do you love about your life?

I love that Christ gives me purpose. I'm thankful for relative security. My income might emulate what the poor of society are on, but even that feels pretty manageable. I get to come home to a roof over my head, to food, and to people. I'm enjoying entertainment courtesy of the internet. Beyond all this, I'm thankful that I have a busy schedule, filled not only with work but also with church, friends, community, and my own activities. As far as my work goes, I love that I'm useful in some small way. I also love Manchester, the city in which I currently reside, and I love that even though I live in a big city I'm still able to enjoy myself without having to spend ridiculous amounts of money.

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whatcha doin' for christmas?

This will be the second Christmas I've spent without family. I'll most likely visit friends in the run up to Christmas itself, and then spend the actual holiday eating and watching movies with whoever else in my house is around. I'm still not entirely sure who will and won't be around, but I won't be completely alone. And even if I was, that might not necessarily be a bad thing. Plus, I'm hoping to be able to coordinate my days off in such a way that I get 16 straight days off work. Supersized Slushie, c'mon.

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remember when I always used to say I'd punch people? remember? why don't I say that anymore?

I actually don't remember you saying that at all. And if you did once say it and now don't, it could be because you're now three years older.

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what was your first impression of me and how has that idea changed, if in fact it has?

I don't know how to describe it. For some reason you seemed a little stoic to me at first, until I got to know you better. I think you've just really grown in and developed all of the positive traits and characteristics that you've had for as long as I've known you, plus you seem a lot more confident in yourself. I remember for a long time feeling pretty upset that, at 15 and 16, you seemed to have little to no friends or social life, and I'm really happy beyond belief that this all changed for you.

I don't know if that answers your question.

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what's the strangest thing you've ever experienced?

I really don't know how to answer this question. I've had a lot of "strange" experiences, if by strange you mean somewhat out of the ordinary which evoked some kind of confused response from me, whether for good or bad. But these all come to mind:

a.) Sleep paralysis where I hallucinated in the state between sleeping and waking, completely unable to move, convinced in sheer terror that the devil was in the same room as me and was going to attack at any moment.

b.) Being stranded alone in a motel room in the middle of nowhere for a week under the impression that I was going to spend time with a girl who wanted to meet me, only to find out that she couldn't even bear to see me.

c.) Putting marijuana in filter coffee with a friend of mine and then spending the night with the odd sensation of being simultaneously stoned and hyper (I don't touch the stuff anymore, for the record).

Quote :

how often do you masturbate? how does that work out, living with all those people?

It varies. I usually masturbate once a day on average, but sometimes it can be twice and then other times still I won't for several days. I put Last FM on.

Shadowmancer Returns wrote:

yasminspired wrote:

we should have a conversation. true or false?

Isn't context a factor?

not at all! =P

Quote :

Quote :

remember when I always used to say I'd punch people? remember? why don't I say that anymore?

I actually don't remember you saying that at all. And if you did once say it and now don't, it could be because you're now three years older.

you would say someone was bugging you or somethiiing and I'd say "I'll punch 'em in the face for you" hehe. or advise you in doing so. and then once you said I'd need a really long arm to punch them all the way in england and I insisted that it would happen. ah, good times.

good thread. you know i like messin w/you adam. all in fun, my friend. 28 years is a big difference.
actually, i was thinking alot about time in general. when you older like me, you can easily collapse
28 years into a year. when your young like you, you haven't lived those 28 years to collapse them,
so for you, it's quite different. that make sense? makes perfect senst to me. anyways...enough of that!

next question....

you masturbate once a day??? that would be either HOLY SHIT! or YOU GO DUDE!
perhaps you'd like to join in our masturbation thread on Firestream. hahaha

http://forums.firestream.net/showthread.php?t=21166

PS to adam:
that still makes me so sad for you...that week in that hotel room
where you felt so miserable. that girl is a fool to not see all the
wonderful qualities you possess. how dare she treat you like that!

views on abortion?

views on gay rights?

views on statutory rape? including such cases as a 17 year old with an 18 year old.

death penalty?

what's your biggest pet peeve?

do you like your penis?

are you circumcised?

have you ever done this >

have you ever done this >

have you ever done this >

but most importantly, have you ever done this >

does he like WHAT???????? your something else, girlfriend!!

Those weren't questions, Gail

yasminspired wrote:

views on abortion?

I am against it, but I also don't believe that the situation is always black and white. For example, I could understand if a woman has been raped, or she is destitute, that she would not want to bring a child into the world. I am against abortion in all cases where the mother's life itself is not in danger, but at the same time I appreciate that I cannot imagine what kind of trauma would be dealt with, either in giving birth or in having an abortion. My duty is to love the mother as much as to love the potential life of the unborn child. What I do believe is that protesting outside abortion clinics isn't an effective way to demonstrate your views. I feel that if someone is going to express their disgust at abortion, they had better be prepared to care for a single mother or adopt a child themselves.

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views on gay rights?

I'm all for them. Even if I believed that homosexuality is wrong in all instances (Which I do not), that would still not be grounds for me to impinge upon the legal and social standing of homosexual peoples. As a Christian, I oppose promiscuity and believe that there is a standard for sexual responsibility, but I have no issues at all with monagamous homosexual couples, nor do I see that there is anything wrong with them raising children if they wish.

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views on statutory rape? including such cases as a 17 year old with an 18 year old.

A lot of it is arbitrary. I mean, in the UK the age of consent is 16, so that example you mentioned wouldn't be a problem here. It might have a little murkiness in the States, but I think individual cases should be examined rather than a black-and-white ruling for all. An 18 year old going with a 17 year old is a little more kosher than, say, a 38 year old going with a 17 year old.

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death penalty?

I'm a Christian, so I affirm the preciousness of life, and I take Christ at His word when He calls upon us to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies. I do not believe it is ever acceptable for a Christian to kill. In a non-religious context, I find it absurd anyway that killing people for murder is supposed to set some kind of standard. I mean, we'll kill people who kill others to show that killing is wrong? What nonsense. The State demonstrates itself to be a law of its own in so many ways, and I personally find it abhorrent.

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what's your biggest pet peeve?

Human beings.

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do you like your penis?

Not really.

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are you circumcised?

No, and I have no desire to become so. I hear circumcision makes some things easier on the guy (and the girl, depending), but a lot of my own sensation comes from the foreskin, and I'm given to understand that this is the case in general. Perhaps guys who have gone for the chop at a very young age get along fine because they've never had a basis for comparison, but I'd hate to be able to sense less than I did before and actually know it.

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have you ever done this >

Sure.

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have you ever done this >

Every week and twice on Tuesdays.

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have you ever done this >

No. I am a cool guy who doesn't afraid of anything.

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but most importantly, have you ever done this >

oops...sorry adam.

do you believe in

would you like to meet the

are there any you have trouble comprehending?

what food makes you to think of eating it?

if you were gonna die in a week what would you regret not having done?

which ties in with........

how to you want your friends to remember you.

what abhors you the most in the world?

what thoughts make you the happiest?

fairydust wrote:

do you believe in

Believe in him? He'd better have a good reason not to believe in me if he doesn't bring the goods this year...

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would you like to meet the

Not really.

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are there any you have trouble comprehending?

Many. The Hebrew Bible, for one. I also don't get along very well with overtly philosophical or technical books.

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what food makes you to think of eating it?

Meat.

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if you were gonna die in a week what would you regret not having done?

Many things. Not having had the chance to properly fall in love (ie, with someone who would feel the same in return), not having made a sufficient impact on the world as I see it, not having written a book... I guess there are lots of things I wanna do.

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how to you want your friends to remember you.

As someone who inspired them.

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what abhors you the most in the world?

Apathy.

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what thoughts make you the happiest?

To know when people's lives are transformed by God in some way, whether it's by coming to know Him or having been blessed by Him (or both).

Shadowmancer Returns wrote:

Quote :

what abhors you the most in the world?

Apathy.

Why do you like me?

favorite book?

favorite musical artist?

do you smoke? if so, what and in what way? if not, WHY THE HELL NOT?

are you currently in a relationship? if yes, how's it? if no, do you want to be in one? why or why not?

hooray for questions. hooray indeed

[quote="franky"]

Shadowmancer Returns wrote:

fairydust wrote:

Quote :

what abhors you the most in the world?

Apathy.

Why do you like me?

There is love behind my sadness.