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My first survey of the meme, from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
foreverdirt!
1) Have you read Neverwhere yet? Huh? Huh? If so, what did you think of it? If not, why not?
I've *started* to read Neverwhere. I keep having to read chapters twice, though; I generally read just before sleeping and stuff, so a few paragraphs after something I'll remember 'hey, there was that really neat phrase there I practically skipped over, what was that again' and go back and read it again. So far, so good. (It's a lot creepier than *my* Other London.)
2) If all the maths could magically be taken out of your chosen university subject and career plan (including forthcoming exams), while the value of the course and everything else remained the same, would you take that option? Why?
No, I wouldn't. Y'see, I do like maths; I just dislike STEP papers. Maths-I-can-do is good; revising for P6 and M3 reminded me of that. In fact, I think the answer should be 'if I'm going to end up at York, then no. If I'm going to end up at Cam, then yes.' but as I have no way of knowing which it's going to be, I would say no. I'd also say no because then I wouldn't have to take STEP papers, and however much I moan about the uncertainty about where I'm going and how much I hate STEP papers, secretly I'm glad of the uncertainty. Because the uncertainty means that I don't have to choose; the choice is made for me, by all the random factors involved in taking an exam, so I won't be able to recriminate with myself quite so much if the uni I go to appears to be The Wrong Choice.
3) Do you believe in a literal Hell for non-Christians, or something closer to an absence of God/oblivion? How does this affect your relationships with us non-Christians?
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find much support for a non-literal Hell. Y'know, if it was up to me, Hell would just be the whole 'absence of God' thing; yes, it's bad because you get to see God and know how much better it could be, and then have to go live out your eternities in the kind of imperfect mess humans dream up, but I can't see any reason to punish everyone eternally beyond that. (I now accept that you have to have some kind of separation, simply because people who wouldn't accept God on Earth aren't going to suddenly accept Him in Heaven, and hence they would unbalance things. But I still don't see the rationale behind the actual punishment bit, more than people inflict upon themselves. I've been informed that I don't understand it because I've never really been hurt by anyone and wanted justice for it, but I always thought revenge was a bad thing.)
As for the second part of the question, it doesn't affect them much; you see, I also realised that as long as I make it perfectly clear to y'all where I stand and think you stand, there isn't anything particularly else I can do. I can't *force* you to be Christians - the whole point is that it is a *choice*, not something you can be forced into. And not being friends with people who aren't Christians (which is a choice some make, to save themselves the heartache of knowing they'll never get to spend eternity with them) is pretty much counter-productive, as well as daft and mean. So I occasionally reserve the right to wave the Christian flag at them if they seem to not mind hearing, but other than that I think my main duty is to let you enjoy the life you have, if you're not coming to Heaven.
4) You write, but do you think of yourself as a writer? Why?
Occasionally I have delusions of being a writer; mostly I realise that I'm not really disciplined enough to consider myself one. (I haven't done much more than mess around with the NaNoNovel and make starts of no more than 3,000 words on other random projects since then; I've been 'writing' through playing too many RPGs on Rondak's Portal, rather than writing 'properly'.)
5) What do you like best about growing up? What do you like worst? Why?
I dislike pretty much everything about the *process* of growing up; the endless procession of screwing things up, of being expected to do just that one more little thing, that every time you manage one of those major victories like being able to wash your own hair or remembering to change your clothes or learning to cook it's just taken for granted because you Should Be Able To. I think I'll like *being* grown up, though, because then I can wear what I like and travel to see people and take lifts from people and go for long walks on my own without everyone worrying about me. As for worst, having to look after yourself / your place of residence / everybody around you does occasionally suck, although the last one can be rewarding.
foreverdirt!1) Have you read Neverwhere yet? Huh? Huh? If so, what did you think of it? If not, why not?
I've *started* to read Neverwhere. I keep having to read chapters twice, though; I generally read just before sleeping and stuff, so a few paragraphs after something I'll remember 'hey, there was that really neat phrase there I practically skipped over, what was that again' and go back and read it again. So far, so good. (It's a lot creepier than *my* Other London.)
2) If all the maths could magically be taken out of your chosen university subject and career plan (including forthcoming exams), while the value of the course and everything else remained the same, would you take that option? Why?
No, I wouldn't. Y'see, I do like maths; I just dislike STEP papers. Maths-I-can-do is good; revising for P6 and M3 reminded me of that. In fact, I think the answer should be 'if I'm going to end up at York, then no. If I'm going to end up at Cam, then yes.' but as I have no way of knowing which it's going to be, I would say no. I'd also say no because then I wouldn't have to take STEP papers, and however much I moan about the uncertainty about where I'm going and how much I hate STEP papers, secretly I'm glad of the uncertainty. Because the uncertainty means that I don't have to choose; the choice is made for me, by all the random factors involved in taking an exam, so I won't be able to recriminate with myself quite so much if the uni I go to appears to be The Wrong Choice.
3) Do you believe in a literal Hell for non-Christians, or something closer to an absence of God/oblivion? How does this affect your relationships with us non-Christians?
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find much support for a non-literal Hell. Y'know, if it was up to me, Hell would just be the whole 'absence of God' thing; yes, it's bad because you get to see God and know how much better it could be, and then have to go live out your eternities in the kind of imperfect mess humans dream up, but I can't see any reason to punish everyone eternally beyond that. (I now accept that you have to have some kind of separation, simply because people who wouldn't accept God on Earth aren't going to suddenly accept Him in Heaven, and hence they would unbalance things. But I still don't see the rationale behind the actual punishment bit, more than people inflict upon themselves. I've been informed that I don't understand it because I've never really been hurt by anyone and wanted justice for it, but I always thought revenge was a bad thing.)
As for the second part of the question, it doesn't affect them much; you see, I also realised that as long as I make it perfectly clear to y'all where I stand and think you stand, there isn't anything particularly else I can do. I can't *force* you to be Christians - the whole point is that it is a *choice*, not something you can be forced into. And not being friends with people who aren't Christians (which is a choice some make, to save themselves the heartache of knowing they'll never get to spend eternity with them) is pretty much counter-productive, as well as daft and mean. So I occasionally reserve the right to wave the Christian flag at them if they seem to not mind hearing, but other than that I think my main duty is to let you enjoy the life you have, if you're not coming to Heaven.
4) You write, but do you think of yourself as a writer? Why?
Occasionally I have delusions of being a writer; mostly I realise that I'm not really disciplined enough to consider myself one. (I haven't done much more than mess around with the NaNoNovel and make starts of no more than 3,000 words on other random projects since then; I've been 'writing' through playing too many RPGs on Rondak's Portal, rather than writing 'properly'.)
5) What do you like best about growing up? What do you like worst? Why?
I dislike pretty much everything about the *process* of growing up; the endless procession of screwing things up, of being expected to do just that one more little thing, that every time you manage one of those major victories like being able to wash your own hair or remembering to change your clothes or learning to cook it's just taken for granted because you Should Be Able To. I think I'll like *being* grown up, though, because then I can wear what I like and travel to see people and take lifts from people and go for long walks on my own without everyone worrying about me. As for worst, having to look after yourself / your place of residence / everybody around you does occasionally suck, although the last one can be rewarding.
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Date: 2003-06-11 08:14 am (UTC)From: