Charlie Sheen's Many Cups of Truth Have Some Major Issues

I just watched the "60 Minutes" expose on Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea. It felt like a punch in the gut, even if it's of the too familiar heroes-come-crashing-down variety.

It must have felt like a punch to many. None of us like to give our hard-earned pennies or dollars or peace prize money to someone who betrays our confidence.

I felt it in my gut, too, because Mortenson and I have a lot in common. We've both published two memoirs about our experiences and work for education in the developing world, he in Afghanistan and I in Haiti. We both travel to speak about our work -- albeit he on a much grander, best-selling-er scale than I. Once I stood for half an hour in a book line to talk with him for two minutes and he seemed touchingly humble and friendly.

But he's been accused of fabricating key stories in his books, lacking organizational/financial transparency and effectiveness, and receiving "excessive" personal benefits from his organization.

The accusers don't deny that he's done some worthwhile work. But right now, even with hisposted responses, too much is murky. I deeply hope the truth proves less damning than the accusations, but meanwhile, three thoughts:

First Cup -- Hero Worship Fails

Still a little bitter so many swigs later. We need inspiration to be better people. But someone told me once you should never be the hero of your own stories. By the same logic, it's wise to be wary of anyone else who is.

And while he was the hero, one of the things I liked about Mortenson was his self-deprecating posture in his book and speaking. I found his clumsiness inspiring since at times I feel clumsy myself in this work. But you can't make up dramatic, untrue stories. That's fiction. To me, it's in a nobler cause but a worse betrayal than James Frey's A Million Little Pieces. Frey had literary/personal ambition. Mortenson has made himself the centerpiece of education for tens of thousands of children and solicited money from people, while asking for a lot of trust in his story and work.

If he did what he's accused of, he undercut these children's education (though, of course, they likely wouldn't have received education at all otherwise). While doing a lot of good, he would also have been undercutting the way people engage with "true" stories and giving. Whether he's innocent, guilty, or somewhere in between, we do well to check our anointing of saints.

Second Cup -- Are We Partly To Blame?

No. That's the short and final answer. Whatever he did or didn't do, it's all on him. But I find the story more interesting if it leads to insight about our systems, lives, and culture.

The system rewards dramatic stories and cult of personality, which helps cut through the busy noise of so many stories, needs, tragedies, invitations to give.

As co-director of a nonprofit, seeing how generous people are is one of the great gifts of my life. I also see how important it is to care for the trust of these relationships. Those of us working in nonprofits get to be a bridge between people who are giving and people who have needs -- say, children who otherwise would have no chance for education (only about half of children in Haiti get to attend elementary school).

Knowing this, in our organization we keep a check on ourselves through: weekly progressvideos from Haiti, Google maps with locations of our seven schools, photos, reports, manyvisitors to our work, Haitian colleagues at our presentations in the U.S. whenever possible, annual audited financials, a board of directors of which neither my co-director nor I are part of, 100% of my book proceeds and honorariums going to our organization -- all these things are vital to what we're doing.

We're far from perfect, but if our work is important and committed to ongoing change, there better be checks and balances. That and a wariness of hero-worship are both unpleasant to swallow -- because we need inspiration and the heart is rewarded by being able to give generously. But there are better ways.

Third Cup -- Truth Must Be Marrried To Justice

Robin Hood is an archetype who breaks moral norms to achieve a greater justice. It's an appealing story, of course. You get to be the bad guy and the good guy all at once. And there are real life examples worth holding up of breaking laws to help others or to transform unjust society.

One good check on the Robin Hood archetype is to ask how much the bender-of-the-morals will personally benefit. Another check is to remember that, ultimately, for justice to work it has to be inseparably married to truth.

Mortenson needs to provide clearer answers, and he says they're coming. He also needs to increase transparency all around. As givers or as people leading a charity, our hearts constantly need to be in concert with our heads -- that is, with what is true. Transparency, accountability, and sharing power are crucial for making this happen.

And for all of us who are charitable givers, well, Mortenson's story is not an excuse for a lack of generosity to help, for example, educating girls in Afghanistan or Haiti or elsewhere. To use this as an excuse would be flimsy and cheats justice. But to blame the media or not to insist on clearer answers short-changes the need for truth.

The right position is to be in mutual service to justice and truth -- and to keep being humbled by this posture.

Rather than an excuse, this story should just be another reminder to stumble forwardhonestly to change the world for better. It's a lesson worth drinking over and over -- and most of us need far more than three cups. The measurement of success isn't the New York Times bestseller list or our salaries or outside praise, but the effectiveness of our service and the orientation of our souls as we continuously repent and strive toward justice, truth, and love.

Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards are in the middle of a heated custody battle. Denise recently filed some documents regarding Charlie’s behavior which Page Six got their hands on:

"Pictures of Sheen's "erect penis" that Richards says he used for his profile on sex sites are also included, which Richards claims he e-mailed to "approximately 30 women."

"I'd love to give it to you any time," Sheen wrote to one woman under the screen name "mrjonze55."

Richards says Sheen even visited gay pornography sites - "which I found even more disturbing because I felt that the boys looked underage.”

Charlie is also very adamant about breast-feeding:

Richards accuses Sheen of punching the headboard of their bed once in a rage, and telling her that by no longer breast-feeding, she was causing their daughter, Sam, to "become retarded."

"He took a large wedding photo off the wall. He had it placed in our garage. He sawed the picture in half and took spray paint and sprayed 'the dumbest day of my life."

Charlie Sheen tore his wedding picture in half and wrote “the dumbest day of my life” on it.

LOLOL

It’s getting really ugly between Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. More disturbing emails that Charlie has sent to her recently that will bolster her side of their raging custody battle.

“GO cry to your bald mom, you [bleeping] loser,”

“You are a pig. A sad, jobless pig who is sad and talentless and sad and jobless and evil and a bad mom, so go [bleep] yourself sad jobless pig,” reads another.

“You are an evil piece of [bleep]. I can’t wait to tell the world what a piece of [bleep] you are. You don’t get a [bleep,ing] dime till this is resolved,” says a third e-mail.

Denise says in her documents she was particularly hurt by the one about her mother who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cance
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In a recently published book, Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Kelly argue that the crisis of our current age stems from the indecision and resulting nihilism that come from our having lost the system of values provided by monotheism. In the Christian age our correct course of action in all matters was clearly set forth, but now, every decision becomes a crisis. Aggregate these crises and the result is a culture of nihilism. Dreyfus and Kelly argue that the way out of this state is by taking the stance of the Homeric age in which we marvel at the surfaces of things and revel in the mystery of our world. We need to get caught up in the whoosh of the moment.

Now, in a book entitled All Things Sheening: Reading Charlie Sheen to Find Meaning in a Secular Age, Peter Ludlow and his former graduate advisor Charles Parsons* challenge the Homeric solution offered up by Dreyfus and Kelly. While Ludlow and Parsons do not take issue with the Dreyfus/Kelly critique of our current situation, they reject the thesis that the way out is found in the Homeric age. Rather, the way out of our predicament is found in the tiger-blood fueled insights of Charlie Sheen. "Forget whooshing," they argue, "it's about winning."

Beginning with a nod to the Dreyfus/Kelly diagnosis of our current crisis, Ludlow and Parsons draw on the music of recent Internet phenomenon Rebecca Black. Ms. Black clearly illustrates the contemporary crisis of the secular age when, in her song "Friday," she is confronted with a daunting choice.

Kickin' in the front seat
Sittin' in the back seat
Gotta make my mind up
Which seat can I take?

Rebecca Black, in effect, is articulating a situation that is definitionally nihilistic on the Dreyfus/Kelly model: nihilism is "the idea that there is no reason to prefer any answer to any other." Indeed, should I kick it in the front seat or the back seat? As Ms. Black saw, the fragmented system of values of our current age sadly provides no guidance.

This is the sort of crisis that is now endemic in the contemporary world, but Sheen, Ludlow and Parsons contend, would never be paralyzed by a decision like this. As evidence they turn to a recent interview with Sheen:

I probably took more than anybody could survive. I was banging seven-gram rocks. Because that's how I roll. I have one speed. I have one gear: Go.

Indeed, one can scarcely imagine Sheen fretting over where to sit. See the seat, take the seat. Don't think, do. Go.

Sheen even resists the choices themselves when they are grounded in bad faith dichotomies. When a Good Morning America reporter asks him if he is bipolar he rejects the attempted entrapment engineered by the nihilist reporter: "I'm bi-winning," he responds.

Critical to living sheeny is that one infuse one's life with poetry and magic, and that confronted with obstacles one brings these powers to bear on those obstacles. Although capable of defeating enemies with brute force, Sheen shows us how to defeat them with a combination of this poetry, magic and a few well-chosen words:

I'm sorry, man, but I've got magic. I've got poetry in my fingertips. Most of the time -- and this includes naps -- I'm an F-18, bro. And I will destroy you in the air. I will deploy my ordinance to the ground. -Sheen

I have defeated this earthworm with my words. Imagine what I would have done with my fire-breathing fists. -Sheen

One might respond that Charlie Sheen just is a Homeric hero brought to life -- that by endorsing the Charlie Sheen path, Ludlow and Parsons have ipso facto endorsed the positive thesis being put forward by Dreyfus and Kelly. Indeed it is worth comparing the Dreyfus/Kelly paean to the whoosh-worthy Nureyev with Sheen's own self-assessment:

Nureyev's charisma was palpable; he stood taller, smelt better, walked prouder, and simply outshone all the others around him. -Dreyfus and Kelly

I am on a drug -- it's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available because if you try it, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body. -Sheen

I'm different. I have a different constitution, I have a different brain, I have a different heart. I got tiger blood, man. -Sheen

If you borrowed my brain for five seconds, you'd be like, 'Dude! Can't handle it, unplug this bastard!' It fires in a way that's maybe not from, uh... this terrestrial realm. -Sheen

Comparisons like this might lead one to argue that winning just is whooshing -- that the Ludlow/Parsons just is the Dreyfus/Kelly proposal, but this move is anticipated. Sheen is no mere Greek hero, according to Ludlow and Parsons. Greek heroes were (usually) deferential to their gods and previous heroes. Charlie Sheen shows us that winning means we must move beyond. We must destroy our idols by out-winning them.

The run I was on made Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger, Richards, all of them look like droopy-eyed, armless children. -Sheen

Indeed, Sheen may just as well have added the names Achilles, Theseus, Odysseus and Hercules to the list.

Finally Ludlow and Parsons take up the issue with the way that quantitative ways of measuring time have made us temporally uncentered agents no longer living in the moment. Here again they return to the music of Rebecca Black to illustrate their point. Ms. Black observes that though we may want to enjoy Dionysian revelry, we are inextricably thwarted by quantitative measures of time. Again, they turn to her poignant if nihilistic lyrics.

Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday
Today is Friday, Friday (Partyin')
We-we-we so excited
We so excited
We gonna have a ball today

Tomorrow is Saturday And Sunday comes afterwards I don't want this weekend to end

And then, as if to punctuate the end of revelry, the song immediately cuts to a rap break. The effect is heartbreaking. But, as Ludlow and Parsons observe, there is still hope. We can become temporally centered and live in the moment again. They close with a final quote from Charlie Sheen as their antidote to our temporal predicament: "Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them."

*Charles Parsons actually had nothing to do with this, but you knew that.

The controversy over the ‘Interlok’ rose several notches today when the eight-member independent panel to review and amend the novel saw all its ethnic Indian members pull out this afternoon.

Following a meeting held at Parliament building with Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today, all three ethnic Indian panellists declared they were withdrawing from the government-created body.

According to writer Uthaya Shankar SB, the decision was taken after it became apparent that the other members of the panel had changed their minds and rejected one-by-one the 100 modifications that had been recommended to render the book appropriate for consumption by Form 5 students.

“We feel we were betrayed,” said Uthaya Shankar.

He claims that earlier, all eight panellists had reached a consensus over the matter.

On Tuesday night’s “Late Show,” David Letterman welcomed Mindy Kaling to talk about “The Office” and Steve Carell’s departure from the show. But, like most conversations that have occurred over the last two weeks, the topic soon turned to Charlie Sheen.

In the clip below, Kaling offers her musings on 2011′s biggest trainwreck and reveals she’s actually a little jealous of Letterman for being on such an “exciting” network where every day feels like a reality show. Steve Carell, she noted, isn’t going to call you “a traitor or a troll,” on set, and said she thinks it might be kind of fun to be work with someone as erratic and verbose as Sheen.

The Interlok issue is still burning hot among the Indians but the amazing thing is that MIC has not voiced out their objections on this matter, accused Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarians.

DAP MP for Teluk Intan M Manogaran raised the Interlok issue for debate in the august House today, but it was rejected by the Speaker on the basis that although it was specific and of public interest, it was not urgent.

At a press conference in the Parliament lobby, Pakatan leaders Sim Tong Hin, Charles Santiago, M Manogaran and Nizar Jamaluddin expressed disappointment at the Speaker’s high-handedness.

They also slammed the MIC for remaining silent and not appealing to the Speaker for the subject to be raised.

Referring to the recent Kuala Kubu Baru incident where 3 students were questioned for 10 hours at a police station for returning the Interlok novel to the school principal, they accused the MIC of being under Umno’s thumb.

According to them, MIC MP for Hulu Selangor P Kamalanathan even instructed the students to apologise to the school principal instead of demanding an apology from the principal and the police.

“I am really surprised that the MIC MP could resort to such a move. Where is his voice in this matter?” Manogaran told Malaysia Chronicle.

Support undeserved

The novel, while telling a story of a past era in the 1920s, contains a reference to the Indians as “pariah”. It has riled the community but despite the animosity, Prime Minister Najib Razak has refused to order the book be dropped from schools’ reading lists.

Nizar, the PAS MP for Bukit Gantang, told Malaysia Chronicle that there are other more suitable books that could be used as Literature text and suggested ‘Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan’. According to him, this book was used in schools in the olden days right up to the late 1980s.

Nizar also questioned the motive of the Education Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in allowing this book to be used as Form 5 Literature text, when students’ minds were still impressionable.

“This issue has dragged on long enough. The government keeps saying that a panel has been set up to look into it each time this topic is being brought up and they have been giving that answer since the dawn of time, but till now, there has been no concrete solution. It is always the same old answer: ‘a panel has been set up to look into it’,” lambasted Nizar.

“It is amazing that MIC has allowed UMNO to bully them into silence, acquiescence and obscurity. MIC always proclaims that they are the only ones who can champion the cause of the Indians but their silence shows otherwise. Have MIC washed their hands off this matter? Is MIC so fearful and so subservient to UMNO that they let UMNO treat them in such a way?”

As the book also portrays the Chinese in a bad light, the Pakatan leaders also asked where was the MCA?

“It is forbidden in Islam to ridicule another race and PAS never does that,” added Nizar.

The Pakatan leaders also said it was poignant to note that the Indian vote started to return to BN at the point of the Hulu Selangor by-election when the community gave strong support to Kamalanathan, yet this was how he and the MIC repaid them.

“Being insulted by him would be painful, but you would have to be like, ‘that was an interesting experience.’”

And how does Kaling think Sheen’s wildness should be handled? If Kaling was in charge, she’d give him even more attention than he’s already getting.

“If I was the head of a network, I’d give him a reality show… That seems obvious,” she quipped.

The Christian community said today it is appalled by what it says is the Najib administration’s desecration of 5,100 holy books shipped in from Indonesia and has flat out refused to collect the Port Klang shipment.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), which represents over 90 per cent of churches in the country, insisted that Putrajaya immediately drop the conditions imposed for the release of two shipments of Malay Bibles totalling 35,000 copies seized from Port Klang and Kuching port.

Last night, the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) was told its shipment of 5,100 Alkitab — as the Malay Bibles are called — have been stamped with the Home Ministry’s official seal, as per the conditions imposed for the release issued two days ago, without its prior permission.

The first requires the importers to directly stamp on the cover of each of the 35,000 copies the following words: “Peringatan: ‘Al Kitab Berita Baik’ ini untuk kegunaan penganut agama Kristian sahaja. Dengan perintah Menteri Dalam Negeri.” [In English: “Reminder: This ‘Al Kitab Berita Baik’ is for the use of Christians only. By order of the Home Minister.”]

The cover of the Alkitab would be stamped with the department’s official seal and dated as well.

The second condition requires the importers to stamp a serial number on each copy as if to demarcate copies from the released shipment and to enable the book to be traced back to the port of import.

“This means that the Bahasa Malaysia Bible is now treated as a restricted item, and the Word of God has been made subject to the control of man. This is wholly offensive to Christians,” CFM said in a strongly-worded statement today signed by its chairman Bishop Ng Moon Hing.

The umbrella body refuted government claims it had reached a compromise, saying it had never agreed that its holy books should be endorsed to say “it is only for Christians”.

“Any person who respects the Holy Scriptures of any religion would be appalled by this action. We will never accede to any desecration of the Bible since the Word of God to us is sacred,” it said.

Pointing to a 1982 order issued under the Internal Security Act (ISA), the CFM said nowhere in law was it stated that any form of words had to be endorsed on any copy of the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia.

“Given that copies may already have been endorsed, we will NOT take delivery of those endorsed copies,” it added.

The CFM said it also wholly rejects the federal government’s argument that the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia is “prejudicial to the national interest and security of Malaysia”.

It condemned the government’s treatment of its holy books as “subversive publication”.

The CFM said Christian Malaysians have always acted in good faith and with great patience to reach a peaceful end to religious dispute that would not compromise their beliefs.

“But that good faith has not been reciprocated by the government,” it said.

It further accused Putrajaya of having moved the “goal posts” over the years “through a systematic imposition of unreasonable conditions and restrictions”.

“As Christians we wonder how our Holy Scriptures can become a national security threat where countless number of us find it helpful in bringing hope and healing to broken lives and homes which we can testify to,” it said.

The CFM called on all Malaysians to rally together and reject all attempts to control the freedom of religion in the country.

It also advised all Christians to remain calm and pray for a dignified and respectful resolution to the ongoing Alkitab row and noted that Sunday will mark the second year the holy books have been detained at Port Klang.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein defended today his ministry’s stamping of the 5,100 Malay-language bibles in Port Klang with its official seal, saying it was standard protocol and not done to “deface” the Alkitab.

The minister also said his men had no choice but to adhere to these procedures as the BSM had wanted the Bibles to be released quickly.

“We stamped the Bible based on amalan (practice) before… during Abdullah Badawi and even Tun Dr Mahathir’s time,” Hishammuddin told reporters today, referring to the two immediate past prime ministers.

Hishammuddin appeared to suggest that the Christian community’s uproar over what they considered a violation of their holy book to be manufactured.

“They wanted it to be released quickly… if they want to find fault they can find fault… you can even say the Bibles are smelly after being kept for so long, if you want to find fault (with everything),” the minister claimed.

He said his officials had no intention to deface the Bibles, stressing that the Christian community should engage his ministry directly if it had issues or complaints over the measures taken.

The Christian community said today it is appalled by what it says is the Najib administration’s desecration of 5,100 holy books shipped in from Indonesia and has flat out refused to collect the Port Klang shipment.

The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM), which represents over 90 per cent of churches in the country, insisted that Putrajaya immediately drop the conditions imposed for the release of two shipments of Malay Bibles totalling 35,000 copies seized from Port Klang and Kuching port.

Last night, the Bible Society of Malaysia (BSM) was told its shipment of 5,100 Alkitab — as the Malay Bibles are called — have been stamped with the Home Ministry’s official seal, as per the conditions imposed for the release issued two days ago, without its prior permission.

The first requires the importers to directly stamp on the cover of each of the 35,000 copies the following words: “Peringatan: ‘Al Kitab Berita Baik’ ini untuk kegunaan penganut agama Kristian sahaja. Dengan perintah Menteri Dalam Negeri.” [In English: “Reminder: This ‘Al Kitab Berita Baik’ is for the use of Christians only. By order of the Home Minister.”]

The cover of the Alkitab would be stamped with the department’s official seal and dated as well.

The second condition requires the importers to stamp a serial number on each copy as if to demarcate copies from the released shipment and to enable the book to be traced back to the port of import.

“This means that the Bahasa Malaysia Bible is now treated as a restricted item, and the Word of God has been made subject to the control of man. This is wholly offensive to Christians,” CFM said in a strongly-worded statement today signed by its chairman Bishop Ng Moon Hing.

The umbrella body refuted government claims it had reached a compromise, saying it had never agreed that its holy books should be endorsed to say “it is only for Christians”.

“Any person who respects the Holy Scriptures of any religion would be appalled by this action. We will never accede to any desecration of the Bible since the Word of God to us is sacred,” it said.

Pointing to a 1982 order issued under the Internal Security Act (ISA), the CFM said nowhere in law was it stated that any form of words had to be endorsed on any copy of the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia.

“Given that copies may already have been endorsed, we will NOT take delivery of those endorsed copies,” it added.

The CFM said it also wholly rejects the federal government’s argument that the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia is “prejudicial to the national interest and security of Malaysia”.

It condemned the government’s treatment of its holy books as “subversive publication”.

The CFM said Christian Malaysians have always acted in good faith and with great patience to reach a peaceful end to religious dispute that would not compromise their beliefs.

“But that good faith has not been reciprocated by the government,” it said.

It further accused Putrajaya of having moved the “goal posts” over the years “through a systematic imposition of unreasonable conditions and restrictions”.

“As Christians we wonder how our Holy Scriptures can become a national security threat where countless number of us find it helpful in bringing hope and healing to broken lives and homes which we can testify to,” it said.

The CFM called on all Malaysians to rally together and reject all attempts to control the freedom of religion in the country.

It also advised all Christians to remain calm and pray for a dignified and respectful resolution to the ongoing Alkitab row and noted that Sunday will mark the second year the holy books have been detained at Port Klang.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein defended today his ministry’s stamping of the 5,100 Malay-language bibles in Port Klang with its official seal, saying it was standard protocol and not done to “deface” the Alkitab.

The minister also said his men had no choice but to adhere to these procedures as the BSM had wanted the Bibles to be released quickly.

“We stamped the Bible based on amalan (practice) before… during Abdullah Badawi and even Tun Dr Mahathir’s time,” Hishammuddin told reporters today, referring to the two immediate past prime ministers.

Hishammuddin appeared to suggest that the Christian community’s uproar over what they considered a violation of their holy book to be manufactured.

“They wanted it to be released quickly… if they want to find fault they can find fault… you can even say the Bibles are smelly after being kept for so long, if you want to find fault (with everything),” the minister claimed.

He said his officials had no intention to deface the Bibles, stressing that the Christian community should engage his ministry directly if it had issues or complaints over the measures taken.

However, he also voiced frustration over the inability to bridge the now-widening chasm with the community over the issue.

WATCH:

http://www.cbs.com/e/qc70Lo4lqAwmo6QP40CWug1QwYXickoI/cbs/1/

Things You’re Actually Better At When You’re Drunk

This St. Patrick’s Day, we know many of you plan to imbibe a few Guinesses, lagers, Irish whiskeys or, more realistically, Jaeger shots. While there are plenty of things at which drinking makes you much worse (operating heavy machinery being number one!) there are actually a few activities where being tipsy can only help. Dancing, Karaoke, political discourse… Whether we’re actually better at these things after a few drinks is still up to debate, but there’s no denying that we thinkwe’re better at them. Hear what else we think you’ll all be doing with ease tonight in the slideshow