Punch Packing Tea

Above you see me and two sons of mine planting a tree. We inherited a satellite dish along with the house and should probably dig it up to get it out of the picture. We do not need such things and have heard there is no secondary market for them. Just another eyesore.

Idolatry:
In our move from South Korea to Wake Forest, North Carolina, we lost a lot of possessions, and I find that I am happy to be rid of some possessions where were somewhat dear to me. They were not essential, and their pull on my affection was not what I wanted. I liked them too much. One was a bas relief sculpture of Da Vinci's "Last Supper." I had used it for more than a decade in the teaching room of my home. It was good for my students to see, hanging centered above our study table. I gave it to a friend here, and felt fine with that.

Our Debt to Christian Culture:

I felt the sculpture, a wood carving from Indonesia or Thailand, imbued the room with a strong and abiding awareness of the Christian nature of the fundament of our culture; South Korea's existence depends intimately upon two colossal military interventions by the U.S. There is no reason to believe the U.S. would be recognizable today if it were not a Christian culture from the get go, let alone any compelling reason to believe such a large, powerful nation would set us free from Japan in WWII and then save us from the enslavement of North Korean Communism in the Korean War, and subsequently encourage us to self-governance and autonomy.

Sacrifice & Enemy Love:

Historically, large powers just do not invest such military effort and then not take control of the land and peoples they have conquered. This is strange, kind of like "Love they enemy" was a powerful operating principle underlying the mentality of the leaders and populace of the intervening nation. And so it was, with their deeply embedded Christian influence. For what principles is Christianity more widely known than sacrifice and love of one's enemy? The list should be short indeed.


Home Life at the Long Abode:

Incrementally, the interior design of our home is improving. Each day it seems, my wife has made some addition to the design, hanging a few more photos or paintings, building a bookshelf, arranging furniture, putting away children's clothing, and thus and such. She is a good wife. I would not trade her for a 2-year-old mule.

Memorable Tea:

I am relishing a mug of hot tea. I make this tea from a couple of chunks of unsweetened baking chocolate, Great Value brand decaf coffee, and blackstrap molasses(당밀(糖蜜) ((원료에서 설탕을 추출한 후의 잔액))). It not only packs a fabulous punch and is loaded with beneficent nutrients, but this concoction leaves a lingering taste worth its salt. Normally, I include brewer's yeast, but I am out of that at the present.

I played a game of padook with my daughter this morning. She is better than I at 사활(life and death) considerations, but needs help with her 초반 (beginning board) understanding. We need to study 포석(opening configurations) together, and we will. She does not want to, but I require it as a part of her education. I intend for her to be able to beat her old daddy with ease when she is a teenager. She cannot do that without better study of opening theory.

Intuition and Creativity:

She is full of delight when she kills a group of mine by her superior life/death analysis ability, but this is restricted to use in a local area and of little utility in whole board analysis. The right brain is intimately and thoroughly involved in whole board consideration, particularly the middle of the board. I aim for her to gain cognitive development in her intuitive and creative faculties in this pursuit of excellence in padook. One could do a lot worse, like watching Bugs Bunny all day, eating twinkies and drinking cola. We don't do that.

Here is a trusty link to an article in The Economist Magazine describing the game of padook. My three older children got ample exposure to this game in their childhood in Daejeon, South Korea, Land of the Morning Calm.

Love, Nathaniel