Spicy Ramen, Twilight Imperium, and Overpopulation

Over the past year, we have developed a taste for Samyang spicy Korean ramen, after my sister-in-law Alysseh was generous in gifting to my boys and I a bag of various flavors of the stuff, so we also could, as so many others have, take part in the “Spicy Ramen Challenge,” which you may have noticed a substantial following for in some corners of the internet.

How spicy is the Samyang 2x Hot Chicken Ramen, exactly? About four times as spicy as the Carbonera variety I have ordered several times now after realizing how tasty it is, particularly with soft-boiled egg, green onion slices, and assorted veggies. But the 2x is also quite delicious when prepared right! And by “prepared right,” I mean just the way my wife Lauren made it for me last week, when I ran out of the tamer stuff, and decided to give it a try.

Speaking of giving spicy things a try, my eldest son Josiah and I played our first of the epic strategy and space opera board game ‘Twilight Imperium‘ this past Saturday, and we had a grand time. Also the first time of our friends the Pavliks, plus our other friend Taylor Cross, we set up at the church and took 15-hours to vote me the win in the 5th round, for being slightly ahead of Jude. For sure, it was a good decision to consign ourselves to 6 players, though we could have played up to 8 with the expansion pack Paul bought.

While we’re on the subject of the number of players at the table, Not the Bee recently brought to my attention a video of the Microsoft luminary talking about how many fewer people it would be preferable, in his estimation, to have being born and working to produce and consume, all so we can save the planet or some dumb thing. ‘Nothing to see here, just Bill Gates explaining how we need to lower the population of earth to save the planet.’ This seems just a tad anti-social, and unhospitable, whatever he wants to say about “healthcare” improvements yielding the happy little accident of family size shrinkage.

As Not the Bee has also highlighted, ‘the world is far less populated than you think. Take a look at these maps and then go make some babies.’ This is to say, to my way of thinking, both that the Almighty has not, as-yet, rescinded the Dominion Mandate, and that it is good that Lauren and I have 8 children.

By the way, regarding children, with this being almost Christmas, we are watching our favorite films that correspond with the season. One of these just happens to be A Charlie Brown Christmas, particularly the bit where Linus explains what it’s all about. But did you know that Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, encountered some push-back when he first proposed to his business partners including all our favorite part of this feature? Apparently, CBS executives back in the 1960’s were somewhat nervous about prime-time television getting Biblical. Schulz’s response was purportedly “If we don’t, who will?” So they did, and I’m glad they did.

And speaking of the 1960’s, Glenn Beck was recently wondering aloud about the yet-again delayed de-classification and publication of the JFK files, particularly for the stated reasons concerning our present national defense being potentially jeopardized, so they will wait another year at least, and keep on kicking the can down the road. But could the CIA have assassinated President John F. Kennedy back in 1963? If so, that would certainly expand the range of what most Americans believe our spies to be capable of, thereby making what they did, are doing, and might do to former President Donald J. Trump look either relatively mild by comparison, or else all the more plausible, where the most extreme speculations of his adherents have been arguing for several years now.

After all, sometimes the answer to the question of who watches the watchers is complex, and not readily apparent.

For instance, the mayor of Reno, Nevada just filed a lawsuit after a tracking device was discovered on her vehicle. And maybe when it all gets traced back, the culprit was just a private investigator working on behalf of some corporation, or mobsters. These days, however, my first thought is to be suspicious of the first official narrative. And that is rather unfortunate, to tell you the truth.

Yet this has probably been the way of things for most of human history, with the exception rather than the rule being that men of good character where power is concerned are calling the shots. And, either way, the God in Heaven who rules and reigns forevermore is never hoodwinked. The wool is never pulled over His eyes. Really, now, that must be a very enjoyable place to be.

So also, near as I can tell, the only way for us to even approach as close to that kind of peace which only God knows fully is to be found in Him ourselves.

As Peter says in the New Testament:

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

He’s got the whole world in His hands.

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