I'm 20 years old and hopefully won't be worrying about this issue for quite a few years. However when interacting with a number of my compatriots I have noticed a striking difference in certain outlooks and personality traits that i have to wonder about. What in a person's upbringing causes individuals to view certain things as they do?
My example is this: When i sit around in front of a t.v. or video game all day I feel unaccomplished and I have a sense of guilt about it. If I do not read, write or workout during the course of a day I feel as though I wasted that day. A good day for me incorporates all of those elements and then some more.
Recently I realized that many of my friends have no problem with all downtime spent watching t.v. or playing a video game. They see it as a viable option to pass the time with. They see no reason why that should not consume every unscheduled hour of their life.
I began to wonder, why do i view that as a poor way to spend time? Why am I compelled to read and write and to work out?
I feel it boils down to the way my dad in particular interacted with me. In his eyes there was always something more productive that could be done. Reading and sports and writing were things that should all be done before playing a game or watching t.v. I'd be sitting in the basement helping yoshi and baby mario work their way across the screen when my dad would call down 'Isn't there anything else you could be doing with your time right now?'
Things that were acceptable? playing sports, lifting weights, reading, writing, doing homework, playing chess or any board game, cards, etc etc.
So now i have this thing where i cannot allow myself to do too much veggeing, not that i do school work (as my grades will reflect) but i read and write and get to the gym and apparently i blog from time to time. I spend time reflecting and thinking. Someone who i used to be quite close with asked me why I'm always trying to change who I am. I was puzzled by this question but then I realized that they were talking about how I'm always doing something they see as unnecessary.
So let me pose this question. Is it important to do these things? or do they hold just as much value as video games and t.v.?
Does a book telling a story have more inherent value than a t.v. show? or a video game?
Your thoughts? Things?
Monday, November 17, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A few Talking Points.
Barack Obama Is our President elect. I could not be more proud of our country for breaking the mold of the Invisible 'no African Americans allowed' sign not the White house. I have not been alive for too many elections (this Is the 5th I've been alive for and probably the second I've really been cognizant of) and yet I've never seen or heard about an objection to a president-elect as I have seen from so many republicans as of late. Throughout the campaign and even now In the hours and ostensibly days since the election of Barack Obama Republican America (or 'Real America according to some Alaskan Governors) the republican supporters have not only been derisive and upset about Barack's election, but have also been whole heartedly offensive.
While cruising facebook in the hours after the election I saw some really Interesting status updates. Things such as 'Great, now we have a baby killer for president' or 'way to fuck up America!' Classics that crop up in any election can be seen such as this one: 'I'm moving to Canada!' or the more exotic 'I'm moving to Italia!' However those are rare and more common are the ones that read more like those I listed above and also ones like this: 'Sorry founding fathers...It was good while It lasted' (perhaps the one that makes me most angry...more on that In a bit).
Facebook was not the only place that held jeering and jabs. During McCain’s concession speech his audience again showed their colors (or perhaps lack thereof) by jeering and booing Obama whenever McCain mentioned him. And despite McCain’s Insistence that they calm their mob mentality they seemed to have a knee jerk reaction to his name.
As evidenced above, It would appear to me that there are some very strong feelings about tonight’s election and rightfully so. It is great to see that so many people felt so strongly about politics. It is rumored the Philadelphia had a 90% voter turn out and that this may have been one of the largest elections in history. Congratulations America for truly representing the Ideals of Democracy!
However, those strong feelings must be tempered with the cooling waters of Intellect. Firstly, to my dear friend who wants to move to Canada when Barack is in office I say this: Canada has been and always will be more socialist than America
Secondly: Socialism is not a dirty word in reality. Most of Europe works on that system and they seem to be doing quite fine.
Thirdly: Barack Obama is not Muslim. One of my favorite Incongruence in Republican slander to Obama can be summed up in these two statements: Barack Obama Is a Muslim terrorist! And soon after: Barack Obama has attended Reverend Wright’s church most of his life! Man...That’s one odd Muslim!
Fourthly (and this Is a pretty good segue): To anyone who thinks like my friend above ('sorry founding fathers, It was good while It lasted') or anything along those lines. Perhaps this is to those who think some fundamental value within America has been betrayed: America was founded on the concepts of acceptance both racial and religious. Our founding fathers were In America because of religious persecution In England and other nations. So If Barack were Muslim; to a true American, one who believes In America and all It stands for, that would not matter In the slightest. Furthermore the fact that he Is black (something I really did not even consider until this evening because It was brought up so much by pundits) should mean even less, except for the relatively remarkable turn around since the civil rights movement.
Fifthly: The demographic that Obama picked up the most votes in compared to his colleagues before him? The educated white male... That Is Information that, if I were so bold, I could make some stunning and inflammatory assumptions and logic lines about. I'll leave that to your own Imagination.
Sixth: America is a democracy, democracy does not mean that one side is right and the other is wrong it means that there are different solutions to every problem and each candidate has their own say. McCain realizes this and that is why he so eloquently urged all of his supporters to back their new president.
Seventh: Backing your president Is Patriotic. Oh...that’s funny...because Barack Obama Is President-elect and I don't hear much support from 'Real America'
on a separate note; I find that this election is a truly pivotal moment in our history. Never before have had two candidates represented opposing Ideologies as these two have. Never before has the nation rallied together for change as It has and then been opposed by the status quo as It was. Both candidates are great men and great leaders. However it truly was time for Barack Obama.
Why? Because the legal definition of Insanity is repeating the same action expecting different results.
Why? Because foreign nations are not only supportive of him, they support him with landslide figures. The country with the lowest support from its studied population? Russia with 53% other nations reach as high as 90%.
Why? Because he is an excellent orator with a diamond for a mind and a fresh new face.
And now I would like to take a moment and Introduce my first 'thing' I have posted a number of thoughts but no 'things'
My first thing, I think, will be the next great American Speech. I'm putting my money on it and I think you'll hear people saying it within the next week or so.
He is smooth, he is confidant. He touches on all of the elements of good speech making (Logos, Ethos, Pathos) he alludes to other great works such as MLK JR's I Have a Dream and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. He uses repetition, and other techniques.
All In all I am happy about tonight and really just hope that the Republican side of the equation realizes that this kind of change is what America Is all about. Btw if any KKK members even think about killing Obama...they should realize that in doing so they would send the entire nation on lock down. We would root them out and destroy them. Racism is not a part of America. It fits no where in our constitution and nowhere in our Ideologies.
Thoughts? Things?
While cruising facebook in the hours after the election I saw some really Interesting status updates. Things such as 'Great, now we have a baby killer for president' or 'way to fuck up America!' Classics that crop up in any election can be seen such as this one: 'I'm moving to Canada!' or the more exotic 'I'm moving to Italia!' However those are rare and more common are the ones that read more like those I listed above and also ones like this: 'Sorry founding fathers...It was good while It lasted' (perhaps the one that makes me most angry...more on that In a bit).
Facebook was not the only place that held jeering and jabs. During McCain’s concession speech his audience again showed their colors (or perhaps lack thereof) by jeering and booing Obama whenever McCain mentioned him. And despite McCain’s Insistence that they calm their mob mentality they seemed to have a knee jerk reaction to his name.
As evidenced above, It would appear to me that there are some very strong feelings about tonight’s election and rightfully so. It is great to see that so many people felt so strongly about politics. It is rumored the Philadelphia had a 90% voter turn out and that this may have been one of the largest elections in history. Congratulations America for truly representing the Ideals of Democracy!
However, those strong feelings must be tempered with the cooling waters of Intellect. Firstly, to my dear friend who wants to move to Canada when Barack is in office I say this: Canada has been and always will be more socialist than America
Secondly: Socialism is not a dirty word in reality. Most of Europe works on that system and they seem to be doing quite fine.
Thirdly: Barack Obama is not Muslim. One of my favorite Incongruence in Republican slander to Obama can be summed up in these two statements: Barack Obama Is a Muslim terrorist! And soon after: Barack Obama has attended Reverend Wright’s church most of his life! Man...That’s one odd Muslim!
Fourthly (and this Is a pretty good segue): To anyone who thinks like my friend above ('sorry founding fathers, It was good while It lasted') or anything along those lines. Perhaps this is to those who think some fundamental value within America has been betrayed: America was founded on the concepts of acceptance both racial and religious. Our founding fathers were In America because of religious persecution In England and other nations. So If Barack were Muslim; to a true American, one who believes In America and all It stands for, that would not matter In the slightest. Furthermore the fact that he Is black (something I really did not even consider until this evening because It was brought up so much by pundits) should mean even less, except for the relatively remarkable turn around since the civil rights movement.
Fifthly: The demographic that Obama picked up the most votes in compared to his colleagues before him? The educated white male... That Is Information that, if I were so bold, I could make some stunning and inflammatory assumptions and logic lines about. I'll leave that to your own Imagination.
Sixth: America is a democracy, democracy does not mean that one side is right and the other is wrong it means that there are different solutions to every problem and each candidate has their own say. McCain realizes this and that is why he so eloquently urged all of his supporters to back their new president.
Seventh: Backing your president Is Patriotic. Oh...that’s funny...because Barack Obama Is President-elect and I don't hear much support from 'Real America'
on a separate note; I find that this election is a truly pivotal moment in our history. Never before have had two candidates represented opposing Ideologies as these two have. Never before has the nation rallied together for change as It has and then been opposed by the status quo as It was. Both candidates are great men and great leaders. However it truly was time for Barack Obama.
Why? Because the legal definition of Insanity is repeating the same action expecting different results.
Why? Because foreign nations are not only supportive of him, they support him with landslide figures. The country with the lowest support from its studied population? Russia with 53% other nations reach as high as 90%.
Why? Because he is an excellent orator with a diamond for a mind and a fresh new face.
And now I would like to take a moment and Introduce my first 'thing' I have posted a number of thoughts but no 'things'
My first thing, I think, will be the next great American Speech. I'm putting my money on it and I think you'll hear people saying it within the next week or so.
He is smooth, he is confidant. He touches on all of the elements of good speech making (Logos, Ethos, Pathos) he alludes to other great works such as MLK JR's I Have a Dream and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. He uses repetition, and other techniques.
All In all I am happy about tonight and really just hope that the Republican side of the equation realizes that this kind of change is what America Is all about. Btw if any KKK members even think about killing Obama...they should realize that in doing so they would send the entire nation on lock down. We would root them out and destroy them. Racism is not a part of America. It fits no where in our constitution and nowhere in our Ideologies.
Thoughts? Things?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)