What to do? The world is rife with anti-semites on ships bearing the Jolly Roger, while the Susan Boyles of the world train the scope to the temple of the child murderers and terrorists that make the world such a damn shame to live in. I say again, what to do?
Well, lets think on this. The world is mad at America for ruthlessly killing three teenage boys. Boys who were armed with assault rifles. Rifles that were pointed at the back of an American citizen. An American citizen who was the captain of a ship. A ship that was carrying food aid to Somalia.
I guess the world stopped reading after the first sentence. I have heard arguments that America should not have killed the pirates, because the pirates will now retaliate against other hostages. It was put to me in this way, "too bad others hostages thinks Americans are just selfish snobs who put their lives in danger to save 1 guy when their capturers had no other way but to surrender, but that’s just the rest of the world, Americans always know better of course." Of course, I couldn't leave this alone, so I replied, "ya, too bad those other hostages countries wont take responsibility for not rescuing their citizens, or try to save them. Too bad they sit back and let whatever happens happen instead of taking control of the situation away from deranged criminals...
They are morons if they retaliate by killing other hostages. What idiot kills their only bargaining chips? The act of piracy will not be discontinued by giving them what they want. You have to do something to change the situation or it will continue. If you keep giving them money, they will keep hijacking boats. If everyone sends in their SEALs, then pirating all of the sudden becomes much more dangerous and much less lucrative. They pirate to get money. They wont turn to pirating if they cant get any money out of it, and if there is a much higher mortality rate associated with it. Look at their motivation and the consequences for them if they retaliate.
I understand that people think Americans are selfish snobs. I think it's a mix of cultural differences and other underlying factors. But this all goes back to the concept of government. Governments responsibilities lie in protecting their citizens. That is the basic underlying purpose of any government. So the American governments responsibility is to its people, the British governments responsibility is to its people, etc, etc. While it is in everyones best interest for individual governments to not do things to intentionally harm other governments citizens, especially those of its allies, the governments first responsibility is to its own citizens. So in this case, it would have been better for the US government to rescue its citizen rather than not rescue him for the sake of the other governments citizens. They are the priority of their government, not ours, as they are loyal to and pay taxes to their government. It would be irresponsible for the US to put citizens of other countries AHEAD of citizens of our own, or else why do we pay taxes and remain loyal and give power to our own government, if their primary concern isnt for us."
His reply: "that was small example of "american cowboy" behavouir, if it was me i would have done the same, no doubt, but the whole mentality of an american is worth more than other humans is not right,
Pirates are criminals, no doubt, who made them that way is another issue, that does not justify their actions, but again the usa and other countries cant see the solution for a simple problem !
when you want a person to stop doing something worng, you dont hit him, or kill him, you remove the motive of this "wrong doing", then he will have no reason to do it ...
If soumali gov cant take any action, its casue its ppl are starving and those pirates are like robin hood to them !! so we kill the pirates and let ppl starve, or we help them get on their feet and make their foods ? first method will never work unless you kill them all..."
To which I said, "You think the solution to a complex situation is so simple, when in fact this is not so. The Somalian government (if you can call it that) has failed its people. It has failed to provide for its people. So now, you suggest that other governments come in and take care of Somalias citizens for them. But that goes against the point of government, which is to provide for its OWN people, not others. However, if a government can help out another country without sacrificing the security of its own citizens, then it’s ok for it to do so. So what has the US done to help?
Well, in 2008, the US government provided more than $270 million in humanitarian assistance to Somalia. So far in 2009, the US has given more than $157 million for humanitarian assistance programs in Somalia, including $17 million for food security and agriculture, health, nutrition, regional food procurement and distribution, and water, sanitization, and hygiene programs. Obviously, the Somalian government hasn’t been able to use this effectively. We aren’t stupid. We recognize the underlying problem, we just can’t fix it. Sure, we could go in and fix it for them, but then the world would get mad at us for supposedly invading Somalia. So when Somalian pirates kidnap an American captain, we will do whatever is necessary to protect our citizen. What a shame other countries wont stand up to the pirates and protect their citizens. What a shame the pirates keep getting money and are consequently encouraged to continue being criminals."
I know it's a bit hard to read, but it was SO much easier than typing and retyping all of the points intermingled in there. Please excuse the poor grammar as my opponent is Lebanese. So to recap:
Governments responsibility is to its own people, because it is the people who give it power, remain loyal, pay taxes, etc.
If a government repeatedly acts in the best interest of other countries citizens, then the motivation to pay taxes, remain loyal, and ultimately give the government power is negated, and the duty of the citizens, according to John Locke, is to overthrow that government in favor of a better one.
It is not Americas responsibility as a country to act in the interest of any other country. It is (arguably) Americas responsibility as a superpower to provide aid to qualifying countries, so it does.
Of note: The Somali pirates hijacked a ship laden with food aid bound for somalia. Robin Hood my left foot. That concept entails taking from the rich and giving to the poor, not taking from the rich who are giving to the poor. It must have gotten lost in translation.
So the takeaway points for this chapter in the history of the world are the following:
-Crime pays big, until you hijack the wrong ship. You know you have the wrong ship when you see SEALS falling from the sky.
-The UN is a joke, as it has no military power. Case and point: UN forces traced pirates to a so called "mother ship." They boarded their vessle, freed the hostages, and confiscated their weapons. They then proceeded to let the pirates go, because they had no jurisdiction. (kind of anti-climactic, I know)
-If you want pirates to stop pirating, sending food to their starving families doesn't work. They'll just hijack that ship as well.
-If you shoot someone, they die.
Alright kids. Todays lesson was brought to you by the letter P as in Pirate. Pirates are Gods way of saying, "stay in school." Remember to be a good neighbor, and just say NO! to toys from China =D.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Politics and you
Alright I've got a point to make. Anybody got a soap box? No matter, I'll start without it.
Some people are dumb. I'm not going to say it's democrats in general, because some do vote blue because they truly think after much deliberation that it will be the best vote to cast. I am also not going to deny that there are dumb republicans out there, too. Some people vote one way or the other because that's the way their daddy told them to vote, or because all their friends are doing it, not because they've actually sat down and deciphered the differences and came to a conclusion about the fate of their vote. Some people decided long ago, maybe based off of research, who to vote for, and carry that with them election to election and think that the party makes the person so that the person they voted for originally must necessarily have the same values and game plan as each subsequent party nominee. Well let me say this again: SOME PEOPLE ARE DUMB!
I know the theory is flawed and elitist, but there are just some people I don't want voting. Like dumb people. The people that the nation is trying to get to vote are people who have not voted before or have not voted very often. I say, if they don't want to vote, don't make them feel pressured into casting a vote they are not sure about. They will make their choice off of who they think will win, or rumors they've heard about either candidate, not based off of the platforms of either candidate. There are certain groups of people pushing for the ability for felons to vote. Why? Because they will bring more democrat votes to the table. Really? You want a convicted felon picking who will be your next commander in chief? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Someone without the common sense enough to know not to steal something, someone with the amount of moral decency that allows them to kill someone for their shoes, someone with the screw-you-I-only-care-about-myself, what-can-you-do-for-me kind of attitude that America is just SO in need of. WHY would you want them to vote? Now maybe you are of the opinion that regardless of how they come to their conclusion about which way to vote, they have rights just like the rest of us, and they have the right to vote for someone who will affect their lives in prison as a president theoretically does. Well you're stupid. Don't vote. People who are in prison have been tried and convicted by a panel of their peers and sent to prison. Once you break a law, a set of rules, a minimum standard, that people are required to live by in order to be free in this country, you are no longer entitled to all the things that the nation promises, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Because you broke the rules, you aren't covered anymore. Kind of like if you're an illegal immigrant, you don't subscribe to our rules, you broke a big one the first time you set foot in the country, and you aren't (or shouldn't be) protected under our laws. To go with a better analogy, if you torch your house, insurance wont pay you. You subscribe to their policy and are protected under it, but if you screw yourself over and break the rules of said policy, you aren't protected under it anymore. Yes, you've paid the bill all these years for the coverage, you've paid taxes for this coverage, but you torched your own house, you broke a rule, you broke the law and were convicted. They owe you NOTHING. And the government gets to charge you with insurance fraud or something of the like and you are entitled to even less. That's the way things work in this country. It's what's required to keep order, and safety is one thing that a nation is required to give it's people. A nation that can't protect it's people is not much of a country at all. So if you are still a proponent of felons voting, let me make this one last argument, and hopefully if you are even the slightest bit open minded, you will realize the validity of what I write. You might still think that voting is a right that shouldn't be taken away from anyone, regardless of what they've done in the past. That it is another of those inalienable rights. Well like I said before, once you break the law, you are no longer protected like a law abiding citizen, and some rights are taken away from you, among them voting and liberty. Now wait a minute here. Liberty....isn't that one of those inalienable rights? Why, yes it is. But you wouldn't want to give them that right back, would you? Do you really think that a serial killer should still have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Well no, I think that they should be put behind bars. They aren't entitled to the right of liberty anymore. I doubt you disagree. So if it is okay to take away that right, why is it so horribly wrong to take away his ability to have a say in the fate of all the law abiding citizens? Why should they have to operate under what the felons, with their screwed up sense of right and wrong, think is best? Sounds idiotic to me. This is also where the argument for the death penalty comes from, but we won't get into that right now, I still have some other points to make.
Ok so felons shouldn't vote. Where's she going with this next? Well I'll tell you where. Poor people. Black people. The like. WOW! She really didn't just say that, did she? Ah but I did, and this is where the weaker, but still, in my mind, viable argument comes in. And yes, part of it is elitist, and yes, I realize it's something I'll have to live with and be resigned to just bitching about it every four years or so. Poor people, in general, are poor for a reason. Now don't jump my ass here and angrily tell me that you just got laid off from your job and it's Bush's fault and you didn't mismanage your money, blah, blah, blah. I recognize there are exceptions here, and that's why I said in general. I'm talking about the poor people that are like 3rd and 4th generation welfare, that have to go to shelters for food but can afford expanded cable in their apartments. I'm talking about the people living in trailers with 7 kids and pregnant again because they should be able to have sex when they want and not have to wear a condom and make the taxpayers pay for them and their reproductive habit. People...don't have sex unless you can afford it. PLEASE. It's not fair to me to have to pay for your kid to have diapers when I have to pay for my own kid to have diapers as well. As far as black people, again, I'm not talking about every black person. There are alot out there, in fact, that I'm not talking about. I'm talking about the ones who still think they should get paid for their great great grandfathers having to pick cotton. Ya, it sucks and no, it definitely shouldn't have happened and I'm more than disappointed that slavery is a part of American history. But that's just it. It's history. You weren't hurt. You're just trying to get paid for doing nothing because your great great grandpa deserved to be paid out the wazoo. Get a job. It might seem harsh, but life can't all be sugar coated feel-good. Sometimes people need to be slapped upside the head and told that they are a drain on society and I'm not going to work my ass off and pay taxes so they can laze around watching tv and having sex and kids on Uncle Sam's dime. Seem messed up to you? So more so than poor people in general, or black people in general, which are just two examples of segments of the population (and there are the same types of people in EVERY segment of the population), I guess more specifically I mean people who believe they are entitled to something. People who vote only for the person who will give them the most, not who will be best for America. I say poor people and black people only because those are the major groups associated with democrats. Well of course they are. The democrat platform calls for more taxing and more giving and providing. The republicans calls for less taxing and less giving and providing. That is the nature of it, and there are good things and bad about both. Those that feel they are entitled to something will vote democrat because they get something for nothing. Those that believe in socialism tend to vote democrat. Those that believe in republicanism vote republican. We all agree with democracy, or that people should control the government, not the other way around. A republican government differs from a democracy by limiting governmental authority by law. For example, a constitutional republic specifies what authority the government has and the rights of citizens. Socialism is an organizational structure advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the creation of an egalitarian society, or one where everyone is equal.
So let's decipher this. In a republic (which America is), Government exists to protect its people from other countries with, say, a military, protect its people from other people by laws, and tax accordingly to fund such activities. I believe in this. Socialism (which America is not) is where they Robin Hood you. Take from the rich and give to the poor. Well actually, take from everyone, divvy it up equally, and give it back. Where is the incentive to work harder? Where is the incentive to be more efficient or innovative? The problem we have in this country with so many people and no one voting because as an individual their vote means next to nothing is exasperated. Yes, if everyone collectively works to improve, then everyone benefits, but lets face it, not everyone is a team player. Some people sit back and do little to nothing, mooching off the group. There's one in every group. So in theory, it works wonderfully. In practice, it doesn't work at all. For a little while, people are motivated to work, but then moral gets low and everything stagnates. The government ends up treating people like employees instead of employers. It's not a viable practice. The way it is in America, people stop earning as much money so that they can stay out of the next tax bracket, others do nothing because they know they can get a check every month and don't have to worry about it. The whole idea behind America was the American dream, where by hard work you could make it from nothing to everything in your lifetime. That scenario is occurring less and less because the government, which again, is a democratic republic, and not a socialist government, is overstepping it's bounds, trying to make everyone equal. The founding ideal was that everyone was created equal, and thus started at the exact same place as everyone else, not that everyone was to remain equal. As in people were not born into power, but if you worked harder than the next person you got to be better off. The government is overstepping the boundaries that are imposed upon it by virtue of being a republic and that is where America has gone wrong. Fix this and you fix America. Vote Republican and you are on your way, vote democrat and you only exacerbate the problem.
I hope I pissed a fair number of people off, but I also hope that I made everyone think. Then maybe people can stop being dumb.
Some people are dumb. I'm not going to say it's democrats in general, because some do vote blue because they truly think after much deliberation that it will be the best vote to cast. I am also not going to deny that there are dumb republicans out there, too. Some people vote one way or the other because that's the way their daddy told them to vote, or because all their friends are doing it, not because they've actually sat down and deciphered the differences and came to a conclusion about the fate of their vote. Some people decided long ago, maybe based off of research, who to vote for, and carry that with them election to election and think that the party makes the person so that the person they voted for originally must necessarily have the same values and game plan as each subsequent party nominee. Well let me say this again: SOME PEOPLE ARE DUMB!
I know the theory is flawed and elitist, but there are just some people I don't want voting. Like dumb people. The people that the nation is trying to get to vote are people who have not voted before or have not voted very often. I say, if they don't want to vote, don't make them feel pressured into casting a vote they are not sure about. They will make their choice off of who they think will win, or rumors they've heard about either candidate, not based off of the platforms of either candidate. There are certain groups of people pushing for the ability for felons to vote. Why? Because they will bring more democrat votes to the table. Really? You want a convicted felon picking who will be your next commander in chief? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Someone without the common sense enough to know not to steal something, someone with the amount of moral decency that allows them to kill someone for their shoes, someone with the screw-you-I-only-care-about-myself, what-can-you-do-for-me kind of attitude that America is just SO in need of. WHY would you want them to vote? Now maybe you are of the opinion that regardless of how they come to their conclusion about which way to vote, they have rights just like the rest of us, and they have the right to vote for someone who will affect their lives in prison as a president theoretically does. Well you're stupid. Don't vote. People who are in prison have been tried and convicted by a panel of their peers and sent to prison. Once you break a law, a set of rules, a minimum standard, that people are required to live by in order to be free in this country, you are no longer entitled to all the things that the nation promises, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Because you broke the rules, you aren't covered anymore. Kind of like if you're an illegal immigrant, you don't subscribe to our rules, you broke a big one the first time you set foot in the country, and you aren't (or shouldn't be) protected under our laws. To go with a better analogy, if you torch your house, insurance wont pay you. You subscribe to their policy and are protected under it, but if you screw yourself over and break the rules of said policy, you aren't protected under it anymore. Yes, you've paid the bill all these years for the coverage, you've paid taxes for this coverage, but you torched your own house, you broke a rule, you broke the law and were convicted. They owe you NOTHING. And the government gets to charge you with insurance fraud or something of the like and you are entitled to even less. That's the way things work in this country. It's what's required to keep order, and safety is one thing that a nation is required to give it's people. A nation that can't protect it's people is not much of a country at all. So if you are still a proponent of felons voting, let me make this one last argument, and hopefully if you are even the slightest bit open minded, you will realize the validity of what I write. You might still think that voting is a right that shouldn't be taken away from anyone, regardless of what they've done in the past. That it is another of those inalienable rights. Well like I said before, once you break the law, you are no longer protected like a law abiding citizen, and some rights are taken away from you, among them voting and liberty. Now wait a minute here. Liberty....isn't that one of those inalienable rights? Why, yes it is. But you wouldn't want to give them that right back, would you? Do you really think that a serial killer should still have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Well no, I think that they should be put behind bars. They aren't entitled to the right of liberty anymore. I doubt you disagree. So if it is okay to take away that right, why is it so horribly wrong to take away his ability to have a say in the fate of all the law abiding citizens? Why should they have to operate under what the felons, with their screwed up sense of right and wrong, think is best? Sounds idiotic to me. This is also where the argument for the death penalty comes from, but we won't get into that right now, I still have some other points to make.
Ok so felons shouldn't vote. Where's she going with this next? Well I'll tell you where. Poor people. Black people. The like. WOW! She really didn't just say that, did she? Ah but I did, and this is where the weaker, but still, in my mind, viable argument comes in. And yes, part of it is elitist, and yes, I realize it's something I'll have to live with and be resigned to just bitching about it every four years or so. Poor people, in general, are poor for a reason. Now don't jump my ass here and angrily tell me that you just got laid off from your job and it's Bush's fault and you didn't mismanage your money, blah, blah, blah. I recognize there are exceptions here, and that's why I said in general. I'm talking about the poor people that are like 3rd and 4th generation welfare, that have to go to shelters for food but can afford expanded cable in their apartments. I'm talking about the people living in trailers with 7 kids and pregnant again because they should be able to have sex when they want and not have to wear a condom and make the taxpayers pay for them and their reproductive habit. People...don't have sex unless you can afford it. PLEASE. It's not fair to me to have to pay for your kid to have diapers when I have to pay for my own kid to have diapers as well. As far as black people, again, I'm not talking about every black person. There are alot out there, in fact, that I'm not talking about. I'm talking about the ones who still think they should get paid for their great great grandfathers having to pick cotton. Ya, it sucks and no, it definitely shouldn't have happened and I'm more than disappointed that slavery is a part of American history. But that's just it. It's history. You weren't hurt. You're just trying to get paid for doing nothing because your great great grandpa deserved to be paid out the wazoo. Get a job. It might seem harsh, but life can't all be sugar coated feel-good. Sometimes people need to be slapped upside the head and told that they are a drain on society and I'm not going to work my ass off and pay taxes so they can laze around watching tv and having sex and kids on Uncle Sam's dime. Seem messed up to you? So more so than poor people in general, or black people in general, which are just two examples of segments of the population (and there are the same types of people in EVERY segment of the population), I guess more specifically I mean people who believe they are entitled to something. People who vote only for the person who will give them the most, not who will be best for America. I say poor people and black people only because those are the major groups associated with democrats. Well of course they are. The democrat platform calls for more taxing and more giving and providing. The republicans calls for less taxing and less giving and providing. That is the nature of it, and there are good things and bad about both. Those that feel they are entitled to something will vote democrat because they get something for nothing. Those that believe in socialism tend to vote democrat. Those that believe in republicanism vote republican. We all agree with democracy, or that people should control the government, not the other way around. A republican government differs from a democracy by limiting governmental authority by law. For example, a constitutional republic specifies what authority the government has and the rights of citizens. Socialism is an organizational structure advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the creation of an egalitarian society, or one where everyone is equal.
So let's decipher this. In a republic (which America is), Government exists to protect its people from other countries with, say, a military, protect its people from other people by laws, and tax accordingly to fund such activities. I believe in this. Socialism (which America is not) is where they Robin Hood you. Take from the rich and give to the poor. Well actually, take from everyone, divvy it up equally, and give it back. Where is the incentive to work harder? Where is the incentive to be more efficient or innovative? The problem we have in this country with so many people and no one voting because as an individual their vote means next to nothing is exasperated. Yes, if everyone collectively works to improve, then everyone benefits, but lets face it, not everyone is a team player. Some people sit back and do little to nothing, mooching off the group. There's one in every group. So in theory, it works wonderfully. In practice, it doesn't work at all. For a little while, people are motivated to work, but then moral gets low and everything stagnates. The government ends up treating people like employees instead of employers. It's not a viable practice. The way it is in America, people stop earning as much money so that they can stay out of the next tax bracket, others do nothing because they know they can get a check every month and don't have to worry about it. The whole idea behind America was the American dream, where by hard work you could make it from nothing to everything in your lifetime. That scenario is occurring less and less because the government, which again, is a democratic republic, and not a socialist government, is overstepping it's bounds, trying to make everyone equal. The founding ideal was that everyone was created equal, and thus started at the exact same place as everyone else, not that everyone was to remain equal. As in people were not born into power, but if you worked harder than the next person you got to be better off. The government is overstepping the boundaries that are imposed upon it by virtue of being a republic and that is where America has gone wrong. Fix this and you fix America. Vote Republican and you are on your way, vote democrat and you only exacerbate the problem.
I hope I pissed a fair number of people off, but I also hope that I made everyone think. Then maybe people can stop being dumb.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Live and Learn, and then get Love
I've decided to continue on my parade of Lori. It's a lucky thing too, because I had completely forgotten about this blog entirely, just as I had predicted, and it wasn't until my friend shared her blog with me that I remembered. I decided to update before any more time passed.
It's funny how people come in to your life like they own it, and then go out of it and take everything with them. It doesn't always end like that, and even when it does, that's not always the way it remains. People grow and change, and you realize that the same person you couldn't stand or couldn't live without a few years ago is actually pretty good at being a friend all of the sudden. I thought I had lost the world when my ex and I broke up a few years ago. Over time, however, I've come to realize you can't lose what you never had. He wasn't the world, and losing him should have never been so devastating. That kind of devastation should be reserved for Chernobyl or 9-11 type incidents, not short-lived, superficial, every day life. You know you are out of touch with reality when the loss of your unbetrothed lover would parallel the end of the world for you. Don't get me wrong, it should still hurt. It should feel bad to loose the time and effort and love that once was, but it shouldn't douse the fire of hope inside of you. It should be a pathway to new love, better love. I'm glad it was for me (eventually), and I hope it will be for him. Love shouldn't ruin people. It should help them grow. It is meant to make life sweeter, not more bitter. Make sure you take from each relationship the things that will help you grow and make you better. Otherwise, all the time and love spent, and all the effort and pain wasted, is all for naught. I'm glad I finally learned that lesson, even if it took me years to do it.
With that out of the way, I'm so thankful for my friends. I need new ones, because I don't have that many, and most of them aren't with me a lot, but I'm glad I have them none the less. I need friends. We all do. We need help going through life, and we need to help other people too. Otherwise you only get the one side of life. Selfish people and people who give everything up for charity are the same to me. Both types of people live life in 1 dimension. Neither get the benefits of the other side and neither are balanced as people. Every person struggles to find a balance of giving and taking, and both can be hard to do for some people. Personally, I'm more of a giver than a taker. I feel like I have a duty to give, like I am supposed to, but at the same time, I feel good when I do it. It feels good helping, giving, being nice. You form a bond with a person you give too, like you and (s)he now share this intimate detail of each others lives and are connected in a subtle but huge way. Only you two know the magnitude of the effect you had on that persons life, and it's a sweet secret, like being in the VIP club. I hate it when people expect me to give, because then it isn't fulfilling anymore. Then I'm doing it to fill a quota, or meet expectations. It's not a bonus anymore, just an inconvenience. At the same time, I often have to force myself to take. I don't like being an inconvenience to people, because in a perfect world, I would have everyone maintain an impeccable image of me. I don't want to expect anything, because then I would be taking away the bonus for them. It is good to feel like you were given something because someone wanted to give it to you rather than because you expected it of them and they felt obligated.
None of this really had a strong purpose, and it doesn't really transition well, but I'm not writing an English paper, and you're still reading it, so you can struggle through the rough parts. I'm done for now. Go away.
It's funny how people come in to your life like they own it, and then go out of it and take everything with them. It doesn't always end like that, and even when it does, that's not always the way it remains. People grow and change, and you realize that the same person you couldn't stand or couldn't live without a few years ago is actually pretty good at being a friend all of the sudden. I thought I had lost the world when my ex and I broke up a few years ago. Over time, however, I've come to realize you can't lose what you never had. He wasn't the world, and losing him should have never been so devastating. That kind of devastation should be reserved for Chernobyl or 9-11 type incidents, not short-lived, superficial, every day life. You know you are out of touch with reality when the loss of your unbetrothed lover would parallel the end of the world for you. Don't get me wrong, it should still hurt. It should feel bad to loose the time and effort and love that once was, but it shouldn't douse the fire of hope inside of you. It should be a pathway to new love, better love. I'm glad it was for me (eventually), and I hope it will be for him. Love shouldn't ruin people. It should help them grow. It is meant to make life sweeter, not more bitter. Make sure you take from each relationship the things that will help you grow and make you better. Otherwise, all the time and love spent, and all the effort and pain wasted, is all for naught. I'm glad I finally learned that lesson, even if it took me years to do it.
With that out of the way, I'm so thankful for my friends. I need new ones, because I don't have that many, and most of them aren't with me a lot, but I'm glad I have them none the less. I need friends. We all do. We need help going through life, and we need to help other people too. Otherwise you only get the one side of life. Selfish people and people who give everything up for charity are the same to me. Both types of people live life in 1 dimension. Neither get the benefits of the other side and neither are balanced as people. Every person struggles to find a balance of giving and taking, and both can be hard to do for some people. Personally, I'm more of a giver than a taker. I feel like I have a duty to give, like I am supposed to, but at the same time, I feel good when I do it. It feels good helping, giving, being nice. You form a bond with a person you give too, like you and (s)he now share this intimate detail of each others lives and are connected in a subtle but huge way. Only you two know the magnitude of the effect you had on that persons life, and it's a sweet secret, like being in the VIP club. I hate it when people expect me to give, because then it isn't fulfilling anymore. Then I'm doing it to fill a quota, or meet expectations. It's not a bonus anymore, just an inconvenience. At the same time, I often have to force myself to take. I don't like being an inconvenience to people, because in a perfect world, I would have everyone maintain an impeccable image of me. I don't want to expect anything, because then I would be taking away the bonus for them. It is good to feel like you were given something because someone wanted to give it to you rather than because you expected it of them and they felt obligated.
None of this really had a strong purpose, and it doesn't really transition well, but I'm not writing an English paper, and you're still reading it, so you can struggle through the rough parts. I'm done for now. Go away.
Monday, September 1, 2008
My first blog
Of course it's cliche, but it's a fitting title, and any attempt to make it more unique and just as telling would serve neither you nor me any purpose. To chip away at some ice here, I go by Lori. No, it's not my real name, but I guess in this world where the cool guy in the chat room is a sexual predator and every other email is a spammer/phisher trying to steal your identity, one can't be faulted for taking the simplistic approach. Ask for nothing, give less; at least when it comes to the virtual world sitting in a box on your desk.
So obviously, I've never blogged before in my life. In fact, my first, and lets face it, every subsequent attempt at journaling since I was younger fell by the wayside within days. I guess I'm just an efficient person, and have not yet seen any real point to talking (or typing) about yourself incessantly. I don't like reading other people's blogs, and I don't expect many to care much for mine. However, as I read more and more news articles citing blogs and bloggers, I figure there must be something I'm not getting. There is apparently something intriguing, for some at least, about putting their life into words and having it read and judged by anyone who happens by. Or maybe it's that it's read and NOT judged, at least knowingly, that prompts so many people to partake. Whatever the case, I figure I'll give it another go. I'm told I need to let out my emotions anyway, so barring any dastardly attempts to steal my identity or turn my computer into a zombie, nothing bad can come of it, right? I know the hundreds I (or my insurance) will save on psychologist visits doesn't hurt one bit.
So lets start. I am a pretty calm person unless there is a steering wheel in front of me. For some reason, a control device a foot in front of me and 15 inches in diameter in my hands triggers a whole nother level of emotion for me. I think the more modern term is "road rage." Then again, maybe it's not me. Maybe it's just that encasing yourself in metal, plastic, and tinted glass, riding on rubber at break-neck speeds blaring music loud enough to make not only the car, but your entire body rattle takes away the "personal" aspect of getting out of the house. This keeps you from talking to people when you're going from place to place, which in turn keeps people from talking to you. Then they don't care about you, you don't care about them, and nothing positive can come out of the "road relationship" without a fair amount of effort, all things considered, such as waiting while the other person backs out of their parking spot, or letting them in front of you when the highway goes down to two lanes. Unless by some upper-level workings you are put in a situation where that can occur, AND you take the opportunity, AND ditto for the other guy, all that's left are the neutrals and negatives. Trouble is, what's neutral to some is negative to everyone else, like when you are in the right hand lane of a four lane road, at a stop light, intend to go straight, and the person behind you wants to turn right. You didn't do anything, you're just driving. Not too fast, not too slow. Didn't run the red. You're pretty high on yourself right now. Then you look in your rear view and realize the person behind you is cussing up a storm and telling you you're "number 1" with the wrong finger. You should have run the red. Instead, you have an irate bumper buddy inching forward, trying to see how close he can get without hitting you, but hoping you'll get the message that you suck and he has to wait on the light like everyone else when, had you never been born, he would get to turn right at that red and be accelerating on the perpendicular road by now. Way. To. Go. Why don't you just die already. Obviously, there are no true neutrals on the road; only negatives and the occasional positive. Life sucks. So I bitch at everyone who gets in my way, because my mommy always told me to stand up for myself. If I didn't bitch, I would be standing by the way-side, letting everyone put me down undeservedly, and never going anywhere. It's a confidence booster at the very least. And my only decent chance to get all the cursing out of my system until I have to be around people again unaccompanied by my thousand-pound go-faster windbreaker mode of transportation. I've lived with sailors, so the cursing's not going away. The best I can do is hold it in until a more opportune time. It's like constipation, only it doesn't come out the other end. Ha. Pun.
I don't feel like typing anymore, so you're free to go.
So obviously, I've never blogged before in my life. In fact, my first, and lets face it, every subsequent attempt at journaling since I was younger fell by the wayside within days. I guess I'm just an efficient person, and have not yet seen any real point to talking (or typing) about yourself incessantly. I don't like reading other people's blogs, and I don't expect many to care much for mine. However, as I read more and more news articles citing blogs and bloggers, I figure there must be something I'm not getting. There is apparently something intriguing, for some at least, about putting their life into words and having it read and judged by anyone who happens by. Or maybe it's that it's read and NOT judged, at least knowingly, that prompts so many people to partake. Whatever the case, I figure I'll give it another go. I'm told I need to let out my emotions anyway, so barring any dastardly attempts to steal my identity or turn my computer into a zombie, nothing bad can come of it, right? I know the hundreds I (or my insurance) will save on psychologist visits doesn't hurt one bit.
So lets start. I am a pretty calm person unless there is a steering wheel in front of me. For some reason, a control device a foot in front of me and 15 inches in diameter in my hands triggers a whole nother level of emotion for me. I think the more modern term is "road rage." Then again, maybe it's not me. Maybe it's just that encasing yourself in metal, plastic, and tinted glass, riding on rubber at break-neck speeds blaring music loud enough to make not only the car, but your entire body rattle takes away the "personal" aspect of getting out of the house. This keeps you from talking to people when you're going from place to place, which in turn keeps people from talking to you. Then they don't care about you, you don't care about them, and nothing positive can come out of the "road relationship" without a fair amount of effort, all things considered, such as waiting while the other person backs out of their parking spot, or letting them in front of you when the highway goes down to two lanes. Unless by some upper-level workings you are put in a situation where that can occur, AND you take the opportunity, AND ditto for the other guy, all that's left are the neutrals and negatives. Trouble is, what's neutral to some is negative to everyone else, like when you are in the right hand lane of a four lane road, at a stop light, intend to go straight, and the person behind you wants to turn right. You didn't do anything, you're just driving. Not too fast, not too slow. Didn't run the red. You're pretty high on yourself right now. Then you look in your rear view and realize the person behind you is cussing up a storm and telling you you're "number 1" with the wrong finger. You should have run the red. Instead, you have an irate bumper buddy inching forward, trying to see how close he can get without hitting you, but hoping you'll get the message that you suck and he has to wait on the light like everyone else when, had you never been born, he would get to turn right at that red and be accelerating on the perpendicular road by now. Way. To. Go. Why don't you just die already. Obviously, there are no true neutrals on the road; only negatives and the occasional positive. Life sucks. So I bitch at everyone who gets in my way, because my mommy always told me to stand up for myself. If I didn't bitch, I would be standing by the way-side, letting everyone put me down undeservedly, and never going anywhere. It's a confidence booster at the very least. And my only decent chance to get all the cursing out of my system until I have to be around people again unaccompanied by my thousand-pound go-faster windbreaker mode of transportation. I've lived with sailors, so the cursing's not going away. The best I can do is hold it in until a more opportune time. It's like constipation, only it doesn't come out the other end. Ha. Pun.
I don't feel like typing anymore, so you're free to go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)