Here is an index of this quarter's postings (March '08 to May '08). Clicking on the titles will take you to that post.
 
This quarter featured a series of posts on Confucianism (April 03, 09, 28 and May 05). This has mostly been research for an essay I've been writing for an Master of Arts in Theology subject I've been doing this semester. There may be a few more to come in this series, so stay tuned!
 
Also popular was a short series of two posts on pornography (May 14, 20), described by some as the biggest hidden problem in the church.

March 2008


April 2008


May 2008


[ PS: during this period which was your favourite post? which ones did you feel most strongly about? ]

In a previous post there was a graph showing you where the Chinese population of Greater Sydney were distributed at a certain point in time - namely, the 2006 ABS census (see previous post). That's useful to know - but what's also good to know is the dynamics of the Chinese population. Yes, there may be many here right now - but is the Chinese population actually growing in this area? or is it in fact declining?

To work this out, we can compare the data from the 2006 ABS census from the 2001 ABS census to see how things have changed over a five year period.

Now, the Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) used in the 2001 census are a little bit different from the ones used in the 2006 census. Some of the larger SLAs from the 2001 census were split up into several smaller ones for the 2006 census (eg. Bankstown, Parramatta, Hornsby). However you can easily put them together to get a picture of what's been happening in Greater Sydney.

The following stacked bar graph shows you the population increase in Statistical Local Areas between the 2001 and 2006 census, of people in Sydney who were born in Hong Kong or China.

In contrast to the graph in the previous post that told you where the large Chinese populations are, this graph shows you where the growth areas are. These are the places that Chinese people are moving into (or away from).

You'll notice that in some cases the Chinese population for an SLA has decreased (eg. Fairfield, Leichhardt). And when you compare it to the graph from the previous post, some areas that have large amounts of Chinese people haven't actually grown a lot since 2001 (eg. Canterbury), while others have grown tremendously. And across the board, it's largely those born in China who are moving into new areas!

[ PS: in case you're wondering, ND is in the "Hornsby - South" Statistical Local Area for the 2006 census, and "Hornsby" for the 2001 census... ]

The previous post told you, in broad terms, where Chinese people live in Greater Sydney (see previous post).

But what if you really want to zoom down into one of those suburbs? What level of detail can you get? Surprisingly, you can get quite a lot of information - down to the collection area of individual census collectors!

The ABS also presents data in a hotmap format, called MapStats. The following is a map of Epping and the surrounding areas. Each of those coloured areas represents one "Census Collection District" - basically this is the smallest geographic area used by the ABS, and represents the area that one census collector walks around to collect forms on census night. This particular map shows the percentage of people in the Epping area who were born in North-East Asia (that includes China and Hong Kong).



As you can see there is a strong cluster of North-East Asians living close to Epping train station, and opposite Macquarie University. You may have already guessed that would have been the case - but now you really know.

Clearly this sort of information is particularly useful if you want to doorknock an area or do a letterbox drop to reach as many Chinese people as you can.

Want to find information for your own area? Here is what you need to do:

1. Go to www.abs.gov.au and click on "Census data" on the left.
2. Click on "2006 MapStats" on the right.
3. In the search box, type in the suburb you want and hit "Search".
4. This will bring up a list of areas that match your suburb. Select one of them, and the page will refresh, showing you a map of that area. If you're happy, click "Select topic >" at the bottom.
   
5. In the drop-down box, select "Birthplace".
6. This will bring up a list of data that relate to birthplace. Unfortunately, you can't get it to tell you "people born in China" - the closest you can get is "Proportion of people born in North-East Asia". So select that and click "Select sub-location >" at the bottom.
7. Click "View MapStats".
8. This will show you your map! Copy that if it's good enough for you. Or, if you want a nicer version, click on the "Details" tab. This will give you a link to download a slightly more detailed map, either as a PDF file or PNG image.
   

[ PS: what did you learn about the area around your church? ]

Where in Sydney do people born in Hong Kong or China live nowadays? An important question, if your church is looking for strategic places to do ministry. And the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) census data has lots of useful information!

In the following stacked bar graph, Greater Sydney is divided up into what is known as "Statistical Local Areas" (SLAs). These are not necessarily the same as a suburb or a council area, but is the ABS' own geographic division. If you really need to know what the boundary divisions for an SLA is, you can look at maps on the ABS website. But this graph will give you a pretty good idea of the lie of the land.

 

How then do you break the pornography cycle (see previous post)?

Most people will suggest a few strategies to prevent yourself from viewing pornography - like putting your computer in a public place, or installing filter software. And these have a useful place - but because it is a pornography cycle we are talking about here, those suggestions only deal with one part of the cycle and not the whole of it! And because the pornography cycle has the force of addiction behind it, when the temptation becomes strong again people tend to find some creative way to get around those strategies they had put in place. And there goes their plan of beating pornography!

It's like trying to stop a runaway truck that is screaming down the road towards you. Take off one of its wheels - and it'll just keep on screaming towards you. But take of all of its wheels all at once, and that truck will come to a screeching halt!

And so you beat pornography not by doing one thing (like putting your computer in a family area). Instead you beat pornography addiction by doing something for every stage of the pornography cycle. This way, you completely de-wheel that truck, and you break every part of the pornography cycle!
 

Addiction to pornography is just that - an addiction. Because it's effect on the person is stronger than just being a habit.

This diagram illustrates the vicious cycle of pornography that leads to addiction.

In stage 1 a person views pornography. In stage 2, this person masturbates to orgasm. In stage 3, the person experiences feelings of guilt. And in stage 4, the person has a need to feel good again - leading back to stage 1.

Pornography becomes an addiction because masturbation and orgasm physiologically provides reward to the viewing of pornography and comfort for the feelings of guilt - but at the same time also creates the need for a new cycle of pornography viewing, because of the feelings of guilt that come afterward.

It is similar to being addicted to a drug - in stage 1 you take the drug, in stage 2 you experience feelings of euphoria, in stage 3 you experience withdrawal, and in stage 4 you desire to feel good again - and since that drug offers the promise of euphoria, you are drawn into the cycle of addiction.

This means that it's harder to stop a pornography habit than we might think - it's akin to coming off a drug addiction! Because you are not merely trying to stop an activity - but trying to break an established cycle of addiction. And because the chemicals you have have become addicted to are not purchased from a dealer - but are created in your very own body in masturbation and orgasm (adrenaline, endorphins and something called phenylethylalanine)!

[ PS: how then do you beat a pornography addiction? ]

Parenting is like holding a strong spring in the palm of your hand. You want to keep the spring in the same place for as long as possible - but how do you do this?

One way is to squeeze the spring very tightly, to make sure it doesn't escape anywhere. And so you squeeze and you squeeze, trying to control it - but sooner or later, one of two things will happen. Either you will get tired and your hands will weaken, or the spring will slip out from between your fingers and escape. And when either of those two things happen, what we discover to our dismay is that the spring doesn't stay where you want it to! Instead, it suddenly jumps out of our reach and rolls far away!

Parents do have the responsibility of raising children into adults who love and fear the Lord. But some parents approach that task by trying to control their young-adult children very tightly - what they study, how they spend their time, what friends they shall have. And their aim is to keep their young-adult children right where they want them - in the right career path, under their roof, and in the same church!

But what often happens is that once their young-adult children find their freedom - perhaps by getting their own car, or by buying a flat and moving out of home - they sometimes go very far away from their parents. Conflicts in the home can sometimes lead to young-adult children springing very far away from us. And it's almost as though the effort that the parents have spent in trying to keep their children in the one place, corresponds to how far the children go when they finally attain the means of independence.

This can be very hurtful for the parents, who really do love their children. And it can also be damaging for the children, who now feel a distrust of parents whom they could otherwise have turned to for advice and support.

But there is another way of holding a spring - and another way of parenting young-adult children.

Instead of squeezing a spring as tight as you can and for as long as you can, hoping it will stay in the one place when we eventually have to let go, we should instead gradually let go of the spring. When we let go gradually, it is more likely to stay here, than if it escapes from our tightly clenched fist. And then when we can finally relax - or we have no other choice but to let go - we can know we have done our part to make sure the spring stays in the right place into the future.

In the same way, parents of young children do start off having to hold on tightly to their children - young children don't automatically know that a boiling pot is hot, or that doing homework is wise! But when children grow into adulthood, we must not keep squeezing our children. Instead we have to learn to gradually - and then finally - let go.

As we gradually let go, we are giving young-adult children increasingly more and more responsibility. More and more opportunities to exercise wisdom in decision making in the reality of life. It even includes giving them the opportunity to make and learn from mistakes, and to live with the consequences of their decisions.

This does not mean we let go of the spring all at once - this is also a recipe for disaster! But while they are under our care, we intentionally give them more and more scope for exercising wisdom, while protecting them from too great a cost. Sometimes their mistakes might even be financially costly ones for us! But this is merely the cost of growing the capacity for wisdom in our children.

[ PS: I shared this analogy with our pastoral team a few weeks ago... ]

The aim of Confucianism is to develop oneself into a cultured, virtuous person (ren). A key part of this is performing the required rites in the five key relationships of life. But as I flagged in an earlier post (see previous post), filial piety was the cornerstone of these rites.

The important place of filial piety comes out very clearly in the Analects of Confucius:



In these two quotes, notice that there is a differentiation in age: first you are a 'son', and then you become a 'young man'. However observe that what is required of sons is that they are 'good', and of young men that they are 'obedient'. We will also see later on that a son's obedience is even expected to continue beyond the death of the father. In Confucianism, there is no point at which a virtuous man might cease being obedient to his parents!

Not only does filial piety secure virtuous conduct in the individual, it was also seen as vital in securing virtue in the nation as a whole:



Remember that through this, Confucius sought to bring about stability and harmony in a land divided by warring states.

The filial son should not think for himself, but almost live vicariously for his parents. Here are some quotes showing that the filial son should worry about his parents. That the filial son should not go too far away from his parents (should his parents require something of him). And even if his parents are doing wrong, the filial son should remain reverent and wear himself out in obedience of them!




That last quote mentions the key word, 'reverence'. Because throughout the life of the parents, filial piety involves more than mere obedience and looking after the physical needs of parents - that would make your parents no different from pets! A filial son should also show reverence for his parents:



What you think under the expression of your face is irrelevant. Crucially, the test of whether you are filial (and therefore a virtuous man) is not whether you think you are doing a good job of looking after your parents or in showing them reverence - but in what your parents think of you:


This is because his own illness is the only thing that the filial son cannot do anything about! Everything else - including the expression on his face, or how he responds to his parent's wishes, or even his travel plans - must be turned to please his parents.

Not only does the duty of a filial son extends throughout all of life, it even extends beyond the grave. The filial son is expected to continue in obedience to the ways of their father for at least three years, and must continue to show reverence for his parents in performing the rites.



While Confucianism has not been officially taught since the cultural revolution in China (and your parents probably haven't been officially instructed in it), the Confucian value of filial piety continues to be passed down from generation to generation - and has even influenced Chinese growing up in the Western world!

What are some indications of being influenced by filial piety? Here are some ways it can show itself today:

• You feel you have a life-long duty to please your parents.
• You feel a strong obligation to fulfill your parents’ expectations about your studies and career.
• You are not truly successful unless your achievements are appreciated by your parents.
• Your parents' expectations, and your desire for their approval motivate your pursuit for success.
• If you failed a subject, you would be more worried about your parents being disappointed than your own pride.
• If your father committed a crime, you would not not feel guilty concealing it from the police.
• It means more to you than anything else that your parents think of you as a good son or daughter.

Do things on that list describe your experience? Now you know where it all comes from!

[ PS: how do you think this should relate to the Bible's command to obey/honour/care for one's parents? ]