Statistics and Prayer...
Today we had quite an interesting lecture about ecological economics and the lecturer was telling us about how economics is basically the cycle of wealth which is spent on things that apparently make us happy. He then deviated abit and showed us some happiness indices. Sex was rated the highest happiness giver, with a happiness index of 4.7, while prayer was further down the list with a happiness index of 3.8. A little puzzled, I was chewing my pencil and thinking about it and absentmindedly highlighted "sex" and "prayer" before I realised what I'd done, then thinking what a weirdo I'd probably seem to the people beside me I quickly highlighted everything else (exercise, dinner, relaxing, socialising after work, etc).
Apparently, the second highest happiness giving activity is "socialising after work", and the third highest happiness giving activity is "dinner". I found it so funny. After doing statistics in my first year and having to work on our project for school attachment last year where we investigated the factors behind the motivations of schoolchildren and how to make them more motivated, I now know that statistics can barely be trusted at all. To put it simply, in layman's terms, there are just so many things that can go wrong.
One of the survey questions on our project last year was, "What motivates you most?" and the kids were given different options to tick, like "parents", "competition", "religion", "goals", etc. As a joke, we decided to put "motivational posters" in as an option because there were so many of them all over the school (this was a school where kids weren't that good academically). We took these options, and using some mathematical methods *blur old me* came up with, corrrelated these factors to their results. In the end, we found the strongest positive correlation between motivational posters and results! We were dumbfounded and disguised that in our report; I think we skipped over it quickly in the presentation or made up some statistics!
That's why I don't quite trust statistics, among many other reasons.
So the lecture today seemed really funny. Prayer ranked high on the list, but below dinner, relaxing, and lunch, (but still way above work and the morning commute)!
I guess this shows that prayer is really something we don't do naturally. But this means that all the more we have to put in effort until we cannot tear ourselves away from Him. For "Abide in Me" was a command, not an option. And to obey it requires discipline.
We were made spiritual beings, but we're more sensitive to the physical now because of sin. That's why we're so conscious of physical things - we are enslaved to our bodies and controlled by physical needs and desires.
But the spiritual awakened when you were born again. To allow it to continue to grow the spiritual has to be fed with spiritual things. And when the spirit man has been fed, again and again, he will know that His love "is better than wine", that he would "not be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit", and to set his heart on heavenly things. For the things that are seen will pass away, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Apparently, the second highest happiness giving activity is "socialising after work", and the third highest happiness giving activity is "dinner". I found it so funny. After doing statistics in my first year and having to work on our project for school attachment last year where we investigated the factors behind the motivations of schoolchildren and how to make them more motivated, I now know that statistics can barely be trusted at all. To put it simply, in layman's terms, there are just so many things that can go wrong.
One of the survey questions on our project last year was, "What motivates you most?" and the kids were given different options to tick, like "parents", "competition", "religion", "goals", etc. As a joke, we decided to put "motivational posters" in as an option because there were so many of them all over the school (this was a school where kids weren't that good academically). We took these options, and using some mathematical methods *blur old me* came up with, corrrelated these factors to their results. In the end, we found the strongest positive correlation between motivational posters and results! We were dumbfounded and disguised that in our report; I think we skipped over it quickly in the presentation or made up some statistics!
That's why I don't quite trust statistics, among many other reasons.
So the lecture today seemed really funny. Prayer ranked high on the list, but below dinner, relaxing, and lunch, (but still way above work and the morning commute)!
I guess this shows that prayer is really something we don't do naturally. But this means that all the more we have to put in effort until we cannot tear ourselves away from Him. For "Abide in Me" was a command, not an option. And to obey it requires discipline.
We were made spiritual beings, but we're more sensitive to the physical now because of sin. That's why we're so conscious of physical things - we are enslaved to our bodies and controlled by physical needs and desires.
But the spiritual awakened when you were born again. To allow it to continue to grow the spiritual has to be fed with spiritual things. And when the spirit man has been fed, again and again, he will know that His love "is better than wine", that he would "not be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit", and to set his heart on heavenly things. For the things that are seen will pass away, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
