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Peter

Origins Ep. 3 – What Is Something Worth?

March 20, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

(photo credit: National Geographic)

In a world filled with technology, innovations, and services for nearly every conceivable situation, there is one thing uniting them all.  We place a value on each, and that value is manifest in the form of money. The more we think something is worth, the more we’re willing to spend to make it our own.  In the third episode of Origins (Nat Geo, Mondays 9 PM/8 CT), host Jason Silva discusses this subject and brings to light the importance of value over the centuries.

At first, when no money existed, there had to be a form of communication whereby groups of people could find common ground; otherwise, there would always be tension and bloodshed. Value was placed on certain goods and trades began to occur.  Eventually, the Greeks came up with a marketplace where people could trade goods with each other—smart idea, guys!  But corruption did occur, as people soon realized the concept of trading could also mean turning people into commodities via slavery.

(photo credit: National Geographic)

At some point (in this case, Turkey in 500 BC), the idea that coins of metal could be used in exchange for payment began to become a reality. Countries used different types of coins, but the purpose was the same: to impart physical value to something people desired.  It was in the 13th century that Kublai Khan made paper currency work—and it still exists today.  However, physical paper is quickly giving way to a cashless society where digital numbers representing money are stored on a plastic card or bank account.  We’re also beginning to get to the point where information in real life or online is being valued in the same way as goods (think of all those microtransactions for smartphone apps).
The biggest takeaway of the episode, for me, is that value is incredibly important in society.  The cost of something isn’t necessarily the price tag; it’s simply what a person believes it is. Just stop by an auction house to experience it for yourself. And yet there are some things in life that cannot be purchased (such as more time; we all get the same 24 hours each day).  In the Bible, Simon the sorcerer saw Peter place his hands on new followers of Jesus, whereby they received the Holy Spirit.  Simon saw this as extremely valuable and attempted to use money to buy the ability.  Peter’s response was swift and poignant: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart” (Acts 8:20-22 NIV). In the case of Jesus, the value of a person was worth dying on a cross for.  The gift he offers—forgiveness of sin and eternity with him—is one that cannot be purchased—it must simply be claimed.

The question of money is simply one of value.  As economist Adam Smith noted, “All money is a matter of belief.”  So where will your beliefs take you in the upcoming weeks and years?

Filed Under: Current Events, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Adam Smith, Agora, Greece, Jason Silva, Jesus, Kublai Khan, Money, National Geographic, Origins, Peter, Trade, Value

Origins Ep 1 — Fire is Life

March 6, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer Leave a Comment

If you try to play with fire, you get burned.  Or your city burns down, as London learned in 1666. (photo credit: National Geographic)

It’s quite difficult to imagine living life without fire.

Go on; give it a try.

Staying warm would be an issue on cold evenings.  Food would have to be consumed in its natural form—raw (okay; fruits and veggies might not be that bad, but carnivores would probably not like the idea). There wouldn’t be any steel for buildings or even weaponry to protect oneself. In a lot of ways, humankind would become primitive.  The saying on the show Survivor is true—fire is life.  Lose it, and the game is over.

But over the centuries, people have learned to harness the power of the red flower (quoting Kipling’s Jungle Book) for good. As a result, we are able to live the modern lives we so enjoy, with our towering skyscrapers, gleaming knives for cooking over stoves, and even the creation of the cell phones we use to communicate with others.  A new series on National Geographic Channel is set to explore the important innovations and moments that helped to bring modernity to our society. Called Origins: The Journey of Humankind, it will air on Monday nights at 9 PM (8 CT).  It’s hosted by Jason Silva (Brain Games) and is a fast-paced journey that is worth a look if you’re into science and how things came to be.

Guess what this led to. (photo credit: National Geographic)

The first episode is on the aforementioned fire and is fascinating in both its scope and context. John Boswell (known as Melodysheep) handled the audiovisual sequences, which are rapid-fire and bring immediate clarity to the topic at hand.  Silva’s narration is interspersed with various dramatic portions, such as when London learned the hard way that fire can be difficult to control—as a result, there was a huge fire in 1666 that destroyed much of the city.  But we learned to harness it (somewhat), when Robert Goddard created the first rocket.  Overall, the show is fairly well conceived and presents numerous opportunities to consider how we got to where we are today.  I think Silva repeats himself too much, but that may just be a matter of personal taste.

Just as Silva notes that fire plays a role in the modernization of mankind, we can see similar ‘moments’ in the Bible. Moses saw a burning bush where he first encountered God (see Exodus 3). The Israelites were led by a pillar of fire on their journey to the Promised Land (see Exodus 13:2-22).  The fire on the Temple altar was never to go out (see Leviticus 6:12-14). Peter began the process of denying he was a follower of Jesus while staying warm at a fire (see Luke 22:54-56). Jesus cooked a meal over fire, after his return to life, before he restored Peter after the above-mentioned denial (see John 21). The Spirit passed over the new believers in Jerusalem, granting them the ability to speak in other languages when tongues of flame landed on them (see Acts 2:1-12). James even likened the tongue to a fire—it can start forest fires of problems if not checked consistently (he also notes that no man can tame it, but we should certainly give it our best try—see James 3:5-7). And there are plenty more to consider.

Fire is life.  Without it, we cease to be what we are.  It would be wise to consider that as we go through our day—and as we think about God.

Filed Under: Current Events, Reviews, Television Tagged With: Acts, Bible, Burning Bush, Fire, Goddard, James, Jason Silva, Jesus, Jin Dynasty, Jungle Book, London, London Fire, Melodysheep, Moses, National Grographic, Origins, Pentecost, Peter, Pillar of Fire, Red Flower, Tongue

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