The celebrating is over in Sydney (above), but there’s plenty of time left on this side of the world.

SYDNEY knows how to turn on a shindig. And the city did not disappoint last night’s New Year’s Eve revellers, providing a fireworks display with an accent all its own - filled with splashes of magenta, lime and gold, and an excess of sound and light.

As many as 1 million Sydneysiders braved wind and (predicted) rain to welcome 2007. And, as usual, the Harbour Bridge was the hub of the extravaganza.

Someone even beats the Aussies to the new year, though, and it’s not just New Zealand. The Chatham Islands are the very first inhabited territory to see sunrise each day. This community of about 700 people observes time 45 minutes ahead of New Zealand. The London Sunday Times sent a reporter there recently, and his account is an adventure at the edge of the world (one where he still manages to lose his luggage on a flight with only 12 passengers):

Chatham Island is the ultimate frontier: if the earth were flat, this would be the edge of it. In fact, it lies beyond the edge: at 44°00’S, 176°30’W, it rests within a kink of the International Date Line…

The greatest draw of Chatham Island is, ultimately, its geographical position. On my last day there, I woke up at dawn. It was a glorious occasion of pinkish clouds and birdsong. There may be six billion people on our planet, but at that moment, I was one of the first to see dawn.

Here’s hoping that you and your loved ones have a memorable and rewarding 2007, even if it doesn’t start for another 12 hours or so. Happy New Year! [Image source: Sydney Morning Herald]

Wow! Can you imagine what it must have felt like to realize this mistake?

A 21-year-old German tourist who wanted to visit his girlfriend in the Australian metropolis Sydney landed 13,000 kilometers (8,077 miles) away near Sidney, Montana, after mistyping his destination on a flight booking Web site.

It must be weird to arrive on the wrong side of the other side of the world. I assume the language barrier had to play a part in this error as it developed. It wouldn’t be all that weird to land in America en route to Sydney from Europe. Sure, I’d notice something was wrong once I boarded a plane in Portland headed for Montana, but what about the German equivalent? If I were flying to a destination in Asia, I might not notice a problem (other than inconvenience) with stops in Frankfurt and Berlin. Like this traveler, I would know something was seriously wrong when boarding a prop plane for BFE, rural Germany, though.

As a side note, in my opinion this was a major missed public relations opportunity by the airline(s) in question. Carrying the traveler safely to Australia for free would have spawned some great goodwill and positive word of mouth. Whoops. The mayor of either Sidney or Sydney might have made a splash by granting him a key to the city, too. [Image source: sidneymt.com]

Are you happy? According to this article from Slate, that question is harder to answer than you might think.

[W]hen you ask people how happy they are, the answer you get will depend on whether the sun is shining or whether they have just found a dime on the floor. ([Psychologist Norbert] Schwarz used to plant coins where people would find them.)

That just shows how vulnerable people’s views of their own satisfaction with life are. Kahneman argues that measures of life satisfaction are based on heavily edited memories of actual experiences. People recall the peaks, gloss over the troughs, and are influenced by recent events, including sunshine and serendipitous dimes. The kind of person who says she is happy with her life, then, is the kind of person who is experiencing lots of intense, positive emotion, even if there is a lot of anxiety thrown in there, too. High-powered city types remember the excitement of the deal but forget the misery of the long commute.

This theory intrigues me. Is it a bad thing if it’s true? It sounds like people tend to focus on the joys in life and dismiss their hardships as momentary. That seems like an honorable and practical way to live. Considering the impact of the sunshine and the coins (both temporary circumstances) on the way people answer, it sounds like many of us gauge our happiness by living in the moment.

One thing the article doesn’t mention is what happens when people step in a mudpuddle or have their wallets stolen right before they’re asked whether they’re happy. If sunshine and coins lead to happiness, where to wet clothes and empty pockets lead?

While we’re on the subject of happiness, did you know that this fellow owns the smiley face?

[Image source: http://www.schwimmerlegal.com/2006/07/have_a_nice_day.html]

I think Jim Wallis is on the right track in this recent blog post. Arrogance isn’t a virtue, and it sure isn’t easily avoided. I agree with Wallis that it ought to be a high priority for anyone looking to follow Christ and that it is sorely lacking in all of us.

Jesus being the Son of God does NOT mean that Christians are better, more right, more righteous, more moral, more blessed, more destined to win battles, or more suited to govern and decide political matters than non-Christians. Instead, believing that Jesus was the Son of God would better mean that people who claim to believe it ought to then live the way Jesus did and taught. And on that one, many of us Christians (who believe the right way) are in serious trouble when it comes to the way we live. Those who believe that Jesus was the Son of God should be the most loving, compassionate, forgiving, welcoming, peaceful, and hungry for justice people around—just like Jesus, right? Well, it’s not always exactly so.

I’ll never forget hearing Billy Graham, the world’s greatest evangelist, the last time he spoke at Harvard. He preached at Harvard’s Memorial Church (to a huge crowd of students who had slept out all night just to get a seat), and then to the prestigious JFK Forum at the Kennedy School of Government the next night. After giving a statesmanlike address at the Kennedy School, he turned to the audience for questions. All the Christian triumphalists had shown up for their man and their night at Harvard.

One young believer stood up and asked Dr. Graham, “Since Jesus said ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, and no man cometh to the Father but by me,’ doesn’t that mean people from other religions—Jews and the rest- are going to hell?” Billy replied, “I’m sure glad that God is the judge of people’s hearts and not me! And I trust God to decide those questions justly and mercifully.” The student was disappointed and pressed further, “Well, what do you think God will decide?” Graham demurred, “Well, God doesn’t really ask my advice on those matters.” Another questioner started again, “Well, what about those who aren’t even monotheists—like the Buddhists?” Graham, replied, “You know, I’ve been to some Buddhist countries, and so many of the people I met seem to live more like Jesus than too many Christians I’ve seen.”

Regardless of the source, many religions and philosophies–including Christianity–support the wisdom that change should begin with the individual. In other words, when I get done removing the plank from my own eye, I’ll be back to remove the speck from yours. Don’t wait up. I’m bound to forget that promise on a regular basis, but here’s hoping for more effort toward righting our own wrongs–rather than everyone else’s–in the year ahead.

MIT student Ben Fry has developed a very cool ZIP code map that lets you view the area assigned to each number of your ZIP code (3-7-2-0-9, for example). It looks like a star-filled night sky shaped like the United States. Click once on the map and then type in your ZIP code one digit at a time and watch it zero in on your homebase. It won’t reveal your rooftop or anything, but it is interesting to see how ZIP codes fit together. If you’re looking for a little perspective, hit 372 (the Nashville area) and zoom in.

The sunset tonight is gorgeous. I would have missed it if not for a coworker letting me know. Check it out, quickly, if you can.

This alarm clock is a hilarious–and possibly sad–commentary on our society. Equipped with its own wheels, Clocky flees your presence if you continue to hit the snooze bar in the morning. Yes, it will literally roll off of the nightstand (as long as said nightstand is two feet tall or less) and move around the room. I may have to buy one of these for my wife.

The alarm clock that runs away and hides when you don’t wake up. Clocky gives you one chance to get up. But if you snooze, Clocky will jump off of your nightstand and wheel around your room looking for a place to hide. Clocky is kind of like a misbehaving pet, only he will get up at the right time.

When the alarm sounds, Clocky will start beeping. You can snooze once for your choosen (sic) number of snooze minutes and if you don’t get up, Clocky will start beeping again and run away. If 0 was choosen (sic) as the snooze time, Clocky will run away as soon as the alarm sounds. He always starts by moving forward off of your nightstand. Then he will move around for 30 seconds in different directions.

Remember kids, clocky is not a toy. At least that’s what its Web site says.

As I recently wrote, I think it’s important to take time to learn about every candidate who is campaigning to be Nashville’s next mayor.

Kenneth Eaton, a longtime Nashville businessman, is planning to officially announce his candidacy next month. Dave Pelton, a self-described energy and environmental policy expert, threw his hat in the ring earlier this fall. Both candidates’ Web sites have more details about their platforms.

I believe forgiveness and humility grant us the freedom to be who we really are. If we can authentically lower our defenses and acknowledge other points of view, we have the opportunity to learn from each other and to grow as individuals.

This is not about surrendering one’s beliefs in the face of another’s. It’s about peacefully engaging each other in dialogue instead of insisting that a single viewpoint is the only possible solution. It is an acknowledgment that no single person or organization has a stranglehold on wisdom.

I’m encouraged to see Lipscomb University exploring this path with their recently established Institute of Conflict Management. The organization discussed religious conflict earlier this fall and will focus on capital punishment in January. Here’s an excerpt from today’s Tennessean story about the institute:

Larry Bridgesmith [executive director for the institute] acknowledges that there is a risk that the conservative Christian university may alienate some members of its own community and others outside it by taking on such divisive issues. But, he said, if the institute is successful, it will be a good faith, respectful exploration of interests that all sides share and will help people deal better with conflict.

I think we could all benefit from an increased focus on “respectful exploration.” Best wishes to Mr. Bridgesmith and this effort.

My last post reminded me of words I read earlier today on Nashville Is Talking. Thanks, Brittney, for an abridged version of what I just wrote. A similar idea communicated much more simply, succinctly and successfully:

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

What the Dalai Lama said with these words, the Amish and Immaculée Ilibagiza have said with their lives.

Forgiveness and humility can change the world, if we let them. I’m grateful today to Tennessean reporter Anita Wadhwani, who pointed me to this Beliefnet article about radical forgiveness in a blog post. I am astonished by two acts of forgiveness listed there:

The Amish of Nickel Mines, Pa. — a pacifist religious community in rural Lancaster County who practice a simple farming life without modern conveniences much the same as their 17th century Swiss-German forbears — suffered a shocking intrusion into their world when a local milkman, Charles Roberts, invaded a one-room schoolhouse, shooting 10 young girls, leaving five of them dead. During the ordeal, one of the girls, 13-year-old Marian Fisher, offered to be killed first in hopes that the others would be spared. A Beliefnet member wrote of this event: “I cannot ignore this unbelievable act of love by a girl this young. In my mind, this little girl did no more or no less than Jesus did for us on the cross.” Within hours of the shooting, the families of the children not only expressed their forgiveness of the killer but reached out to his family, giving food and raising money for his wife and children.

In a Beliefnet video interview, Herman Bontrager, a spokesman for the Amish of Nickel Mines, explained, “The Amish believe that we must forgive because we ourselves need to be forgiven. [They're] trying to live the way Jesus lived. He turned the other cheek, he told us to love everybody, to love our enemies.” A Beliefnet member noted, “The message of forgiveness, rather than vengeance, goes to the heart of how we should behave toward each other. This is an extreme example of how true faith and true forgiveness can be awe-inspiring. If the Amish can forgive the man who killed their children, how much more should the rest of us be able to forgive the petty hurts and perceived insults we receive each day?”

I think this is an extraordinary act of compassion, and I am challenged by it. As I look back at an argument I had with my wife yesterday and a months-long disagreement with another friend earlier this year, I am awestruck by this act of kindness.

Considering recent events on the global stage, I wonder what life might look like if we as Americans had responded this way after 9-11 or if either the Israelis or Palestinians had the courage and the humility to respond this way. I wonder how Congress would look.

I cannot help but think that this is how God hopes that we will act toward each other. I believe that he knows that we will struggle–and frequently fail–in this effort, but to our own misfortune. I think maybe God wants us to act this way because of how it will make us feel, liberated by compassion, and because of how this kind of action transforms lives. I would love to know how the Amish and the Roberts family are doing months after this horrible crime, and I can only believe that both parties must be better off for the mercy and generosity extended by this small community of people. This is the path we are meant to follow.

The story of Rwandan holocaust survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza is equally astounding. I hope that all of us can learn to model even a fraction of this level of humility and humanity.

I hope all of you have an excellent holiday, and here’s my hope for every single one of us:

But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously — take God seriously. –Micah 6:8 (The Message)

God, thanks for everything. Please show mercy on all of us, no exceptions. Merry Christmas!!