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Subject: 
Absolutely Nothing! :) (Was: Re: What's so Adult about it Anyway ?)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.general, lugnet.people, lugnet.fun.community
Date: 
Thu, 17 Apr 2003 05:41:41 GMT
Viewed: 
6544 times
  
I have one particular spin on lego building/playing/sculpting that strikes
me quite personally.  I had it in my splash page for a while at my bricklink
store but Ill give you the edited down version here: (Be forwarned, its
based upon my experience at being a Christian child of God. If your offended
by such theology, as I have found some people are, read no further.)

-- De-Storiefied version of my Lego theology. --

Matthew 18:3-5
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little
children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever
humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. "

Greetings!
Being that I havnt seen one elsewhere you might wonder why I have a
scripture at the top of this page and maybe more importantly why this one. I
am a child of God and I fully believe that being a child of God is the best
thing that anyone can be. When most people think of church and think of
Christ they think of boring old ricketty buildings with boring sermons and
drab repetative hymns. Though I do admit that there are many people who
enjoy that kind of a relationship with Christ I know in my heart that I was
meant to explore my relationship to him as a Father on a much more
simplistic view.

I believe that every person on earth, Christian or no, has the ability to
let go of their 'adult' vice grip control on reality and return to being a
simple child. A child where by everything was possible, where imagination
and reality blended evenly and you could enjoy the impossible without having
to prove it couldnt be done.

I also believe that Lego bricks (here foreward known as Legos. What child
called them Lego bricks? ) encourages that action. If you played with them
as a child returning to them in adulthood can be a release and a
rememberance of those fond times. They can respark that creativity. sooth
the cluttered mind that is full of apointments and requirements, datasheets
and invoices. They are so universally interesting and simple to understand
and use that the mind cant help but let go of its hardened view of reality
and return to times when life was so much simpler.

Well, whether you realize it or not, this is something that Christ taught
while here on earth and something that he encourages of his children. Christ
wants us to return to our inner child and be his brother and the child of
God the Father. Yes we will still have adult responsabilities and
requirements, jobs and so forth, but we can also have release from those
headaches and give those burdens over to him and play in his toy room with
him as a father does with his children.

Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my
burden is light."

If this is interesting you and you wish to know more or just wish to know
more about me, please check out my website at http://schwankeweb.net

-- End theology of Lego --

So thats where I stand with it. :)



"Hendo (John P. Henderson)" <hendo@valyance.com> wrote in message
news:HDELrM.1nwG@lugnet.com...
In lugnet.general, Stephen Wroble writes:
OK, I'd like to keep writing, but I have to at least LOOK like I'm • working
today. :)

Haha!  I love it.

Now, I really am enjoying this entire thread, but my line of thinking is
diverging a little (thus the change in subject line).  A question comes to
my mind about how we refer to ourselves within the "community".  Why do we
need to include the word "adult"?

Here in the online community and in those clubs connected to it, we tend • to
refer to ourselves as Adult Fans of Lego (AFOL), and there are a few • younger
members who call themselves Teen Fans of Lego (TFOL), or some variation.
But are these really the correct terms?

I personally do use the abbreviation AFOL in my posts, mostly because it • is
easy to type.  But whenever I read the words "adult Lego community" or • hear
the phrase "adult Lego hobby" or speak the terms "adult Lego fans online" • a
part of me always flinches just a little.  Somehow starting a phrase with
the word "adult" reminds me of other such phrases that have a totally
different connotation than what most[1] Lego fans would want.  Throw in • the
word "online" in the phrase somewhere, and you can imagine where my mind
goes...well, maybe you shouldn't...  My point is that I don't really like
the use of these terms sometimes.

In fact, prior to me becoming an active member of r.t.l. and then Lugnet, • I
never would have used such terms.  Not once in the previous 25 years did • it
ever really occur to me that a distinction had to be made as to what age
group I might be in while hobbying with Lego Toys.  I always compared it • in
my mind (and to curious outsiders) to people of all ages who hobby with
model trains.  Now, I have not been to any train hobbyist newsgroups, but • I
don't recall anyone ever using the term "Adult Train Fan" before.  Either
you're a fan, or you are not.  Does it matter whether you are adult or • not?
If it does, why?

I believe a similar question once came up before here, although if I • recall
correctly it was about the use of the term "Fan" versus "Hobbyist" or
"Enthusiast", etc.  But I thought I would bring up my thoughts on "Adult"
since the recent discussion about community made me think and question the
terms we are using and how I feel about them.

Like Tim did with the word community, I would love to hear ideas and
thoughts of what others think about the topic of "Adult"...

-Hendotron

[1] I say most because there are some people who use Lego for pornographic
art[2] and other such not-for-minors kind of items.

[2] I use the term art here even though not everyone sees it that way, but
also because I have never used numbered footnotes[3] in a post before, and
that gave me an excuse.

[3] Woo-hoo, I just did!



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Absolutely Nothing! :) (Was: Re: What's so Adult about it Anyway ?)
 
(...) Hi David! Although I am no longer among the faithful, I must agree with the sentiment that there is value in keeping young at heart! Religious or not, I love your explanation of how you have come to appreciate the importance of being a child. (...) (22 years ago, 17-Apr-03, to lugnet.general, lugnet.people, lugnet.fun.community)

Message is in Reply To:
  What's so Adult about it Anyway ? (was: Quantifying and Classifying the LEGO Community
 
(...) Haha! I love it. Now, I really am enjoying this entire thread, but my line of thinking is diverging a little (thus the change in subject line). A question comes to my mind about how we refer to ourselves within the "community". Why do we need (...) (22 years ago, 15-Apr-03, to lugnet.general, lugnet.people, lugnet.fun.community)

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