I can honestly say that I don't know if a God exists or not, but what I can honestly say is neither can anyone else.
Sure, you can have faith that there may be a God, but why believe so strongly in it if there's no way you can truly know?
Last night, I had quite an interesting debate with a Muslim friend of mine on the existence of an almighty omnipresent being. He argued that his religion is the most logical as its Holy Book (the Quaran) explained embryology and other sciences (believed to be unobservable until the late 1800's) over 1,500 years ago. He also believed that his God wrote it himself.
He also argued that his book didn't ask its believers to cling on to any sort of futile blind faith, but instead gave logic to what it explained (unlike the Bible or the Torah).
It's certainly the most believable and feasible of all the Holy Books, I'll give it that much, but to argue that some unseen, unproven omnipresent being literally wrote the book himself is more than simply far fetched.
He explained to me that the first thing he was taught about Islam is that 90% of it is logic, while another 10% is faith. The fact that you need to rely on any sort of blind faith in general seems like Islam had quite a logical way of seeing and dealing with things right until it ended up at the roadblock of how things came to be, where it had to pitch that it was all intelligently designed by a God.
He claimed everything was to perfect to have been created by coincidence; I agreed, but also pointed out that nothing in the world was perfect. Everything, both in the observable universe and in unobservable philosophy, has falls and flaws, most of which you would think would have been left out of the mix by any intelligent designer (especially one who's said to be perfect).
He seemed to notice that I brought up quite a valid argument, and as such seemed to be pointing his argument in the direction of credible sources as opposed to his own logic.
This is how I see the universe and, in general, everything in existence: there's no intelligent designer and there's no almighty being overlooking everything we do. Everything we perceive as 'to perfect to have been coincidence' would, in reality, look like nothing like an indecipherable scribble on a piece of paper to an alien or even a human baby. The reason it seems so 'perfect' to us is because it's all humanity has ever known, and as such we've gotten used to it.
Yes, it's quite amazing how certain things interact with other things to cause another thing, but I don't believe it was ever meant to be that way; everything slowly adapted to come together to become vital parts of the system we call life. Prior to a certain point in our evolutionary cycle, we were useless and contributed nothing to the Earth. We slowly developed and carved out a niche for ourselves in the entire cycle of life.
Here's an example of what I mean (it may not be the perfect example, but it's all I could think of): there are four dice in a sealed container. For arguments sake, lets pretend they're alive.
Each contributes nothing to the other, or to the area to which they've been sealed within, but over time, they slowly come together. Very slowly, each evolve to create a working system of existence.
True, I could be wrong, but as I see it that makes more logical sense then any intelligent designer.
The point is, there's no way anyone could have ever known if a God exists or not. You know how I know that? Because (like Bill Maher said) no one else has ever possessed any mental abilities (to which would tell/inform them of His existence) that I don't posses at this very moment.
So, as I see it, if I don't know, neither does anyone else.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Swine Influenza
In the past few days, the world has been under the tense grip of a new strain of the already infamous Swine Influenza. It's not the first time this very virus has caused quite a scare; back in 1976, President Gerald Ford was faced with the very real threat of a possible Swine Flu pandemic; lucky for us, it was contained and dealt with accordingly, and few died because of it.
The current fear, though, is effecting everyone both directly and indirectly, whether through the extra dent it adds to the whole economic crisis, or through the actual sickness itself, it's causing quite a commotion. I, myself, am a good example of this; earlier today in my English class, just as the bell rang, I began to feel extremely dizzy and lightheaded, and my head felt as if it were burning up. I began to panic to a slight extent as I felt like I was going to collapse; the teacher told me to sit down and just breath deeply while someone went to get the Vice Principal to assist me in walking to the Medical Room.
Having seen that the Swine Flu itself had reached British Columbia via some returning exchange students, I jumped to the conclusion that I may have caught it somehow. This increased my anxiety, and I'm sure it contributed to some of the extra dizziness. They called my mom, and she took me to Emergency to get checked out; it turned out I didn't have Swine Flu, and it didn't seem that I had a flu of any sort, but may have a slight cold instead.
This relieved me to quite an extent, but didn't seem to cease my feeling dizzy.
As a precautionary measure, I was brought home for the rest of the day and am writing to you directly from my mothers laptop.
I'm sure it was the best thing to stay home as to be sure I wouldn't faint while on the stairs or during class, but it still goes to show how something like the Swine Flu can act as quite a scare.
Right now, Mexico is getting the absolute brunt of the possible pandemic, with over 100 people dead, schools closed down until May, and people forced to wear medical masks as to protect themselves from exposure.
In fact, a Mexican friend of mine (that big sister I told you about in the post Six Days) school has closed down until the tentative date of May 6th, and her father isn't allowing her out of the house as a precautionary measure. Probably a good idea, but it doesn't change the fact that she's going to be quite bored for awhile.
Anyways, thats all I really have to say on the subject for the time being, and I wish only the best to those who have the flu, send my condolences to the families who have lost a son or daughter to this sickness, and hope that it won't get any worse then it is right now.
The current fear, though, is effecting everyone both directly and indirectly, whether through the extra dent it adds to the whole economic crisis, or through the actual sickness itself, it's causing quite a commotion. I, myself, am a good example of this; earlier today in my English class, just as the bell rang, I began to feel extremely dizzy and lightheaded, and my head felt as if it were burning up. I began to panic to a slight extent as I felt like I was going to collapse; the teacher told me to sit down and just breath deeply while someone went to get the Vice Principal to assist me in walking to the Medical Room.
Having seen that the Swine Flu itself had reached British Columbia via some returning exchange students, I jumped to the conclusion that I may have caught it somehow. This increased my anxiety, and I'm sure it contributed to some of the extra dizziness. They called my mom, and she took me to Emergency to get checked out; it turned out I didn't have Swine Flu, and it didn't seem that I had a flu of any sort, but may have a slight cold instead.
This relieved me to quite an extent, but didn't seem to cease my feeling dizzy.
As a precautionary measure, I was brought home for the rest of the day and am writing to you directly from my mothers laptop.
I'm sure it was the best thing to stay home as to be sure I wouldn't faint while on the stairs or during class, but it still goes to show how something like the Swine Flu can act as quite a scare.
Right now, Mexico is getting the absolute brunt of the possible pandemic, with over 100 people dead, schools closed down until May, and people forced to wear medical masks as to protect themselves from exposure.
In fact, a Mexican friend of mine (that big sister I told you about in the post Six Days) school has closed down until the tentative date of May 6th, and her father isn't allowing her out of the house as a precautionary measure. Probably a good idea, but it doesn't change the fact that she's going to be quite bored for awhile.
Anyways, thats all I really have to say on the subject for the time being, and I wish only the best to those who have the flu, send my condolences to the families who have lost a son or daughter to this sickness, and hope that it won't get any worse then it is right now.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Post Apocalyptic Europe
Yes, this is a carry on of my previous post; only this time, it showcases post apocalyptic Europe.The Nomadic Domain of Scotazzi is the only known Nomadic state in Europe. Forced to unify and create their own state to counter pressure from the neighbouring Domains of Katvai and Lekfasaida, the Five Tribes of Kizki cling to a false sense of mutualism between one another.
Founded by a Nomad Chieftain who later successfully unified each Tribe of Kizki, the Domain of Scotazzi became a noted state even in its infancy. Its capital city is the city of Arklu, which often trades livestock, slaves, and artwork with its neighbouring Domains. It's ruled by a Council of Five as a collective dictatorship.
The Domain of Katvai was the first Domain to be established on the Brittanian subcontinent. Founded by an Agnostic Beatus who was once said to be immortal over 300 years ago, it has become a key state on Britannia. It's also the only nonreligious state in the entirety of Europe, but is still respected quite fervently by Church of Britannian Saints. Its capital is the city of Brisbanos, which often trades artwork and knives with its neighbouring Domains. It's ruled by a King as an absolute monarchy.
The Holy Domain of Lekfasaida is the largest Domain on the Brittanian subcontinent. It was founded (only four years after the establishment of the Domain of Katvai) by a Saint of the Ancients, who is said to have lived for a thousand years until he died on the thrown of his new Domain after ruling for ten years. It's also been said that he was the last human alive to have seen the previous generation prior to the Great Catastrophe. Following his death, his heir established the Church of Britannian Saints and immediately declared his predecessor the first European Saint of the Ancients. Its capital is the city of Loxu, founded on the ruins of a once sprawling metropolis, which trades weapons and armour to its neighbours. It's ruled by a King and/or Queen as an absolute monarchy.
The Illuminadias Republic is the largest Empire in Western Europe, geographically speaking. Established by the Group of Nomadic Saviours as a haven for those fleeing the Nomadic lifestyle, it's the only state in Europe to have overthrown its monarchy and establish a Republic. Its capital is the city of Nova Atkavon which was originally established by a group of fugitive Nomads as an area to start industry. It trades mainly furs and other apparel with its neighbouring Empires. It's ruled by a Grand Head of State as a semi-deomcratic Republic.
The Republic of Papio Dominio is believed by many to be the final fracture of humanities distant and past history, with its capital of Roma rumored to be the oldest remaining city on the entire planet. The Republic is the smallest established state on the European mainland, yet is still the second most powerful after the Imperial Kingdom of Sichii. It was rumored to have been founded by the son of one of the greatest Saint of the Ancients, who was said to be the sole reason the city of Roma was maintained both during and after the Great Catastrophe. Roma's main source of income is pilgrims from across the continent wishing to see the last of historical human knowledge first hand, and willing to pay a handsome price. It's ruled by a Grand Head of State along with a Grand House of Parliament as a semi-democracy.
The Kingdom of Nuevo Greeciadis was founded by a former Statesman of the Republic of Papio Dominio following his being forced into exile after assassinating a Grand Head of State which he perceived as ambitious and ruthless. He also strongly believed that the Grand Head of State to which he murdered was preparing a coup d'etat as to declare himself an Emperor.
In his venture he gained many followers who, following his exile, followed him to the land that Papio Dominio dubbed Greeciadis, in which they established the Kingdom of Nuevo Greeciadis and raised a large army to assist in pushing the Nomad tribes out of the claimed area. Five years following, the capital city of Spaertii was founded on top of the ruins of a city rumored to have once been known as 'Sparta.' Spaertii's main trade commodity is grain, to which comes at a surprisingly high demand. It's ruled by a Lord of the Realm as an absolute monarchy.
The Imperial Kingdom of Sichii is, by far, the largest established state in the known world. Feared by both Nomads and Civil Empires alike, it's rumored to have been founded by a Nomad warlord who is said to have discovered his ancestral roots, and as such, decided to reclaim his ancestors lost territory. Using his tribal influence, he converted Nomads to his vision and slowly built a great empire. 7 years following his death, the small encampments that he once used to rule over his Empire was quickly developed into a small city which was dubbed with the name of Muscavov and turned into the Imperial Capital. Its main trade commodity is slaves, to which are traded continent-wide for other desperately needed items. It's ruled by a High King as an absolute monarchy.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Post Apocalyptic North America
Yes, I decided to take it upon myself to create a map of North America reviving itself after some large catastrophe that almost causes the extinction of human kind, but humanity, as much as it buckles under the weight of the catastrophe, clings to life, order, and existence even if it means the world must experience a neo Dark Age.Inspired by Walter M. Miller Jr.'s book, A Canticle for Leibowitz, I am now going to describe each established empire, domain, republic, and kingdom in this neo-Medieval North America.
The Kingdom of Baja is the quietest and least outspoken of the Four Great Empires, and was established by a group of survivors thought to be the Holy Messengers of the Lord over 500 years ago. In its infancy, it was constantly raided by mysterious Nomadic tribes that were said to roam the arid Central Plains of North America prior to the establishment of the Domain of Texovuma. Its capital, Nuevo Angelos, was founded on the ruins of a once great city built by the Ancients, and continues to be a vital part of the Kingdom as a large producer of knives and swords which are traded with both Nomadic tribes and the other Great Empires. It's ruled by a King and/or Queen as an absolute monarchy.
The Holy Domain of Texovuma is the smallest, yet most loudly outspoken of the Four Great Empires. It was founded by a former Nomad said to have found God after being taken prisinor by the Kingdom of Baja for several years following a failed raid on a small farming village. The Domain continues to preach the radical beliefs of their former Nomad founder, and find themselves constantly under threat from the other Great Empires and the surrounding Nomadic tribes. It's capital is the city of San Antony, named after a Saint of the Ancients. Its main export is silk, but always cuts the flow of its exclusive commodity to certain Empires when its demands are not met. It's ruled by a Holy Domain Chief as an absolute monarchy.
The Columbun Empire is, geographically speaking, the largest of the Four Great Empires. It was founded upon the ideologies and principles of a fabled creator of the Ancients way of life, known only as Columbus to the leader of the Seven Founders of the Great Columbun Empire. The Empire is constantly under attack by Nomad tribes from the North and South, but has found ways of coping with them appropriately using tactics of fear and intimidation.
Its capital is Columbus City, known most prominently for its trading of fish and lumber with its neighbours and counterparts. It's ruled by a Council of Seven elected by the Empires Noble Class as a republic and limited democracy.
The Vacith Republic is the oldest of the Four Great Empires, and is said to have been founded by a Saint of the Ancients who was abandoned by his Nomad parents in his infancy, and is said to have been raised by a pack of wolves in the urban ruins of a city once said to have been known as Victoria. After reaching adulthood he began to convert Nomads to his vision of life as it should be. Its capital, the city of Vancenii, was founded three years following the death of the founding Saint, on the decaying ruins of an ancient city, by his son who was the first of nine in a lineage of monarchs to come. The Vacith Civil War lead to the downfall of the monarchy and the establishment of the Vacith Republic by a group of religious revolutionaries. It's currently ruled by a Council of Twenty elected by the Republic's Noble and Middle classes as a limited democracy. Vancenii's largest trade commodity is stone chiseled directly from the face of great mountains.
The Nomad City State of Kazokankanus Ichi is the only known permanent Nomadic settlement located in the far Northern half of North America. It's ruled by a tribal Chieftain and is constantly invaded by rival Nomadic Tribes. Its origins are virtually unknown, but legend has it that it was founded by the first of the Nomadic Gazo Chief's shortly after the fall of the Ancients society. It's a continental hub for any diplomatic talks made between any of the Four Great Empires and whatever Nomad tribe is currently in possession of the City State. It's also a large hub for the trading of Nomadic artwork and slaves. It's ruled as tribal monarchy.
“From me to we! The concept of helping to create positive change from the individual to the collective.”
As much as I do agree with the ‘concept,’ I believe it would be quite hard to attempt to achieve; some (if not most) people are quite stubborn and nervous about joining a group of strangers. On the other hand, if it were a group of friends of any level, they may be less reluctant to join.
Unification, as history shows, has always been a concept that humanity has had an issue with; countries such as Serbia are a step backwards, a step towards international de-unification. Next thing you’ll know, each American state will be its own country if we’re not careful. (We’re looking at you in particular, Texas.)
Not until recently (well, recently if you’re looking at the big scheme of things) were African Americans almost entirely accepted and integrated into international society and given the full privilege to all human rights. That goes the same for women and other formerly discriminated groups (which are still discriminated to some extent, but the discriminators are light in number and are rarely ever taken seriously).
Yes, I assume attempting unification and a universal understanding is definitely worth the time and effort (even if it doesn’t work out, at least you’ll die knowing you tried to make a difference), but not very many people would actually take the time and effort to attempt something of that nature, or, more likely, they would in small doses and allow it to leak into the consciousness of others, as unnoticed as they would continue to be in their noble venture.
Again, unless the person is selfishly looking for fame, they’ll die happy knowing they did the right thing.
Chances are that, in my life, I’m not going to take any drastic steps towards change. Instead, I’ll assist the process along by being as good a person as I can be, and as I said before, allowing that attitude and initiative to seep into the consciousness of others around me. In my life, I do wish to inspire others to be as good a person as they can be, and I do wish to gain at least slight recognition for it, but fame is far too much to ask for.
Being a Good Samaritan and being good to others deserves recognition and respect, but should never be expected to come with fame. Thinking in those terms is the wrong way to think. A selfish way to think, and a mindset that will get you nowhere in life as you feel unrecognized and deserving of more for what you do, when in fact it was never about fame and what you ‘deserve.’ It was about being the best you could be and getting satisfaction out of that very fact.
That’s not to say I disagree with what those drastically Good Samaritans do to make the world a better place, its just to say that you don’t have to do those things in order to do recognizable good for the world.
Unification, as history shows, has always been a concept that humanity has had an issue with; countries such as Serbia are a step backwards, a step towards international de-unification. Next thing you’ll know, each American state will be its own country if we’re not careful. (We’re looking at you in particular, Texas.)
Not until recently (well, recently if you’re looking at the big scheme of things) were African Americans almost entirely accepted and integrated into international society and given the full privilege to all human rights. That goes the same for women and other formerly discriminated groups (which are still discriminated to some extent, but the discriminators are light in number and are rarely ever taken seriously).
Yes, I assume attempting unification and a universal understanding is definitely worth the time and effort (even if it doesn’t work out, at least you’ll die knowing you tried to make a difference), but not very many people would actually take the time and effort to attempt something of that nature, or, more likely, they would in small doses and allow it to leak into the consciousness of others, as unnoticed as they would continue to be in their noble venture.
Again, unless the person is selfishly looking for fame, they’ll die happy knowing they did the right thing.
Chances are that, in my life, I’m not going to take any drastic steps towards change. Instead, I’ll assist the process along by being as good a person as I can be, and as I said before, allowing that attitude and initiative to seep into the consciousness of others around me. In my life, I do wish to inspire others to be as good a person as they can be, and I do wish to gain at least slight recognition for it, but fame is far too much to ask for.
Being a Good Samaritan and being good to others deserves recognition and respect, but should never be expected to come with fame. Thinking in those terms is the wrong way to think. A selfish way to think, and a mindset that will get you nowhere in life as you feel unrecognized and deserving of more for what you do, when in fact it was never about fame and what you ‘deserve.’ It was about being the best you could be and getting satisfaction out of that very fact.
That’s not to say I disagree with what those drastically Good Samaritans do to make the world a better place, its just to say that you don’t have to do those things in order to do recognizable good for the world.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The Value of Friendship
Earlier today (a few minutes ago, actually) a friend of mine who is spending time with my ex (who's a friend of hers) was talking to me via Windows Live Messenger.
Now, in all honesty, I have no issue with either of them except my ex for the simple fact that she's my ex.
We were having an average conversation, despite the fact that I knew there had to be an ulterior motive as to why she was talking to me in the first place, especially considering the fact that she was spending time with my ex.
I discovered I was correct on this assumption when she asked me if I'd ever be friends with my ex again. I was caught off guard and a little annoyed due to the fact that this was uncalled for and it was obvious she was speaking for that ex of mine, and that was the only reason she was really speaking to me in the first place.
I told her that I knew she was going to ask something along those lines, and she apologized, but continued; I told her that I might be an occasional acquaintance and we would chat with each other sometimes, but I didn't think we would ever be friends again. She then proceeded to ask me if I thought that was a waste of a friendship, and made it obvious on her part that she did. I said I didn't think anything was being wasted if nothing was there anymore, and then, get this, she said this to me: "well w.e. if you don't see the value in a friendship, I'm not gonna bug u about it. each to their own."
This wasn't a rude or irrational comment, but it did still offend me as it seemed as if she was suggesting I found no value in friendships; no, I don't see any value in a friendship between ex's, but that doesn't mean I'm her enemy, it just means I won't be her friend.
I see strong value in friendship and believe friendship is one of the few main factors which hold society together. I, like most people, have a main best friend and then another few best friends who I often spend time with when I get the chance, and I also have good friends, ok friends, sort-of friends, and acquaintance's.
Some people don't seem to understand this structure (as is obvious), and I'll explain it:
Acquaintance's are people I know and know of, and will occasionally chat with and/or have met or been introduced to, but are not someone I see as a friend. In fact, these sort of people could easily swing either way; they could easily become a 'sort-of' friend or someone I dislike/ an enemy.
Sort-of friends are people I've met and have grown to like and will tend to chat with them time and again when I encounter them, but I don't consider them a direct part of my social group and rarely ever spend time with them in school, and never outside of school.
Ok friends are people I have grown to like to quite a thorough degree, and will occasionally spend time with them in school (such as during class projects, P.E. activities, or even occasionally at lunch break for different reasons).
Good friends are people to which I like alot, and spend time with quite often during school and on occasion outside of school, and I deeply appreciate their input in anything, and their opinion on any matter.
Best friends are people which I have grown to love and understand (in a much different context then it would be in a actual interpersonal relationship) and who I spend most of the time with in school, and very often outside of school. These are people who I believe will always be my friend in some form or another, and to whom I will never forget if for some reason we can't or don't continue our relationship.
Now, in all honesty, I have no issue with either of them except my ex for the simple fact that she's my ex.
We were having an average conversation, despite the fact that I knew there had to be an ulterior motive as to why she was talking to me in the first place, especially considering the fact that she was spending time with my ex.
I discovered I was correct on this assumption when she asked me if I'd ever be friends with my ex again. I was caught off guard and a little annoyed due to the fact that this was uncalled for and it was obvious she was speaking for that ex of mine, and that was the only reason she was really speaking to me in the first place.
I told her that I knew she was going to ask something along those lines, and she apologized, but continued; I told her that I might be an occasional acquaintance and we would chat with each other sometimes, but I didn't think we would ever be friends again. She then proceeded to ask me if I thought that was a waste of a friendship, and made it obvious on her part that she did. I said I didn't think anything was being wasted if nothing was there anymore, and then, get this, she said this to me: "well w.e. if you don't see the value in a friendship, I'm not gonna bug u about it. each to their own."
This wasn't a rude or irrational comment, but it did still offend me as it seemed as if she was suggesting I found no value in friendships; no, I don't see any value in a friendship between ex's, but that doesn't mean I'm her enemy, it just means I won't be her friend.
I see strong value in friendship and believe friendship is one of the few main factors which hold society together. I, like most people, have a main best friend and then another few best friends who I often spend time with when I get the chance, and I also have good friends, ok friends, sort-of friends, and acquaintance's.
Some people don't seem to understand this structure (as is obvious), and I'll explain it:
Acquaintance's are people I know and know of, and will occasionally chat with and/or have met or been introduced to, but are not someone I see as a friend. In fact, these sort of people could easily swing either way; they could easily become a 'sort-of' friend or someone I dislike/ an enemy.
Sort-of friends are people I've met and have grown to like and will tend to chat with them time and again when I encounter them, but I don't consider them a direct part of my social group and rarely ever spend time with them in school, and never outside of school.
Ok friends are people I have grown to like to quite a thorough degree, and will occasionally spend time with them in school (such as during class projects, P.E. activities, or even occasionally at lunch break for different reasons).
Good friends are people to which I like alot, and spend time with quite often during school and on occasion outside of school, and I deeply appreciate their input in anything, and their opinion on any matter.
Best friends are people which I have grown to love and understand (in a much different context then it would be in a actual interpersonal relationship) and who I spend most of the time with in school, and very often outside of school. These are people who I believe will always be my friend in some form or another, and to whom I will never forget if for some reason we can't or don't continue our relationship.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
I Think Someone Hotwired your Intellectual Property
I will admit, I download alot of files for free using the loop-holes presented by hackers and pirates via the internet, and to be completely honest I feel absolutely no guilt in doing so.
Yes, I've seen the occasional ad shown before a big Hollywood production telling me that I wouldn't steal a purse, a car, or a DVD, and then it asks me what makes downloading movies and music any different from stealing those materials?
Well, in all honesty, I can see their point, they just don't do as good a job as they could in presenting it to the people; as I see it, stealing a purse, a car, or a DVD is physically taking something from someone as so they can't have it back, when 'stealing' off of the Internet may not be beneficial to the creator, but its not taking from them in any way.
I do understand the concept to intellectual property as much as the next guy; I mean, I created this blog and everything in it is written by yours truly, and I would certainly be upset if someone copied and pasted one of my articles to their blog and took the credit, but it'd be quite easy to fight back and prove that it was I that created it.
Someone seeing my blogs and enjoying them for free? Well, that's the entire point of blogging in the first place; to write down your thoughts, spread it on the Internet, hope to get large exposure and maybe even be noticed as someone who could make good money in some field of writing.
I, myself, have considered becoming a journalist and/or author following graduation, and I have decided that being an author on the side may be interesting, but journalism just doesn't seem right for me.
I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of politics if all goes well.
Anyways, as I was saying, if I were to become a small-time musician I would intentionally be attempting to spread my music out there for people to download and enjoy for free, but it would be done as an attempt to get both national and international exposure.
In all honesty if I began writing and performing music, I wouldn't be doing it for money even in the slightest. I'd do it for free if I had the chance, but a little side money is certainly nothing to complain about.
I mean, to me, it wouldn't matter if I made 25 cents or 25 million from my songs, I certainly wouldn't complain either way, and would probably be pretty damn satisfied with 25 million.
If I was to become popular, I would continue my music career just as I started it; as a part-time, on the side sort of thing. Unless I made enough money to set myself for life, I would be sure to keep the music thing as nothing BUT a part time thing I'd do just for fun.
I do understand the concept of intellectual property and I can see how downloading someones music without the artist making any gain can insult some people, but come on, in all honesty, is it really that big of a deal? The creator gets notice and exposure, the downloader gets a cool new song to listen to, and a cool new artist to get interested in, the creator doesn't lose anything and in fact actually gains renown.
Sorry to the people who get into music for the money, but it was never meant to be for the money and for that you deserve to gain nothing. If you get into music for the money, it has to be justified; like, you want to make some extra side money to help save up for that new boat, in that case as long as you aren't expecting to become famous or make loads of money its alright to get into music mainly for the income on the side.
For these reasons I will fight back in court if I'm sued to illegally downloading intellectual property.
Yes, I've seen the occasional ad shown before a big Hollywood production telling me that I wouldn't steal a purse, a car, or a DVD, and then it asks me what makes downloading movies and music any different from stealing those materials?
Well, in all honesty, I can see their point, they just don't do as good a job as they could in presenting it to the people; as I see it, stealing a purse, a car, or a DVD is physically taking something from someone as so they can't have it back, when 'stealing' off of the Internet may not be beneficial to the creator, but its not taking from them in any way.
I do understand the concept to intellectual property as much as the next guy; I mean, I created this blog and everything in it is written by yours truly, and I would certainly be upset if someone copied and pasted one of my articles to their blog and took the credit, but it'd be quite easy to fight back and prove that it was I that created it.
Someone seeing my blogs and enjoying them for free? Well, that's the entire point of blogging in the first place; to write down your thoughts, spread it on the Internet, hope to get large exposure and maybe even be noticed as someone who could make good money in some field of writing.
I, myself, have considered becoming a journalist and/or author following graduation, and I have decided that being an author on the side may be interesting, but journalism just doesn't seem right for me.
I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of politics if all goes well.
Anyways, as I was saying, if I were to become a small-time musician I would intentionally be attempting to spread my music out there for people to download and enjoy for free, but it would be done as an attempt to get both national and international exposure.
In all honesty if I began writing and performing music, I wouldn't be doing it for money even in the slightest. I'd do it for free if I had the chance, but a little side money is certainly nothing to complain about.
I mean, to me, it wouldn't matter if I made 25 cents or 25 million from my songs, I certainly wouldn't complain either way, and would probably be pretty damn satisfied with 25 million.
If I was to become popular, I would continue my music career just as I started it; as a part-time, on the side sort of thing. Unless I made enough money to set myself for life, I would be sure to keep the music thing as nothing BUT a part time thing I'd do just for fun.
I do understand the concept of intellectual property and I can see how downloading someones music without the artist making any gain can insult some people, but come on, in all honesty, is it really that big of a deal? The creator gets notice and exposure, the downloader gets a cool new song to listen to, and a cool new artist to get interested in, the creator doesn't lose anything and in fact actually gains renown.
Sorry to the people who get into music for the money, but it was never meant to be for the money and for that you deserve to gain nothing. If you get into music for the money, it has to be justified; like, you want to make some extra side money to help save up for that new boat, in that case as long as you aren't expecting to become famous or make loads of money its alright to get into music mainly for the income on the side.
For these reasons I will fight back in court if I'm sued to illegally downloading intellectual property.
Friday, April 10, 2009
My Honest Views on Religion
I find myself constantly under the suspicion that I absolutely hate religion and religious people, when in reality, it's nothing even along those lines.
I don't hate religion, though I do disagree with alot of it, I find that it has helped to shape the human race into what it is today. Without religion, the order of the world would have taken much longer to develop into what we call modern society. Without religion, their would be much more despair in both the past and the present, as it's given those that found themselves pushed over and then stomped to the ground by the cruel boot of life something to believe in, something to assist them on picking themselves back up.
I will admit, back in the infancy of my atheism, I was very aggressive and in some cases completely off-the-hook rude. I do indeed regret that, but find it did assist me in understanding my atheism and others strength of belief.
The reason I was so aggressive is mainly due to the fact that I didn't completely understand atheism, let alone religion as much as I should have before actually going on these violently angry rants.
Anyways, as I was saying about religion, it's acted as a sort of frame-work for humanity and human beliefs, and for that it does indeed deserve respect, despite the fact that along with keeping humanity in tact, it also lead to some very discriminatory and cruel campaigns against people of other beliefs.
As I see it, the Bible is taken much to literally both historically and in contemporary times, as it's easy to see that most (if not all) of the content in the Bible is meant to be metaphoric and not actually literal; for example: Jesus being the son of God? Isn't it widely said that we are all God's children? What made Jesus so special? I mean, so what? He did some amazing things; so did Nelson Mandela and even George Clooney. What stops them from being the sons of God?
In all honestly, I have no problem with liberalized religion, as they don't reject the ideas of others and they accept the idea of evolution, or, at the least, give it some decent credit.
It's fundamentalist religion I have a problem with; not only do they completely reject the ideas of others when it comes to the creation of life, they plug their ears, start dancing around and begin to chant "Lalalala! I can't hear yoouuuu!!" and in some cases even kill people over the entire subject.
These people always tend to have a very narrow outlook on life, and rarely give themselves the chance to experience what lies beyond their doorstep.
Even these people I don't hate; I mean, in theory I do, but it's more that they frustrate me incredibly. Some of these people have reason that they retain that type of mind-set: they may have grew up surrounded by nothing but heavy fundamentalism, they may have gone through an incredible amount of trauma, and coincidentally happened to pray either before or after the trauma occurred and found things getting better, even if in reality the entire situation was in the same state it was half and hour ago.
I find it quite offensive when people tell me that I must hate religion and people of religious beliefs. In fact, my own mother and her side of the family is Christian, one of my best friends is Agnostic, another three are Catholic, another two are, again, Christian, another is Muslim, another Unitarian, and another Jewish. In fact, I only know one other person who directly identifies himself as an Atheist. My father and most (if not all) of my family on my fathers side don't say they believe in a God, but do not directly identify themselves as Atheists.
The biggest difference between the religious people I know and fundamentalists are that they take a liberal approach to the world around them, and if they don't, they at least listen to what others have to say, even if they may not take it as seriously as they could.
I don't hate religion, though I do disagree with alot of it, I find that it has helped to shape the human race into what it is today. Without religion, the order of the world would have taken much longer to develop into what we call modern society. Without religion, their would be much more despair in both the past and the present, as it's given those that found themselves pushed over and then stomped to the ground by the cruel boot of life something to believe in, something to assist them on picking themselves back up.
I will admit, back in the infancy of my atheism, I was very aggressive and in some cases completely off-the-hook rude. I do indeed regret that, but find it did assist me in understanding my atheism and others strength of belief.
The reason I was so aggressive is mainly due to the fact that I didn't completely understand atheism, let alone religion as much as I should have before actually going on these violently angry rants.
Anyways, as I was saying about religion, it's acted as a sort of frame-work for humanity and human beliefs, and for that it does indeed deserve respect, despite the fact that along with keeping humanity in tact, it also lead to some very discriminatory and cruel campaigns against people of other beliefs.
As I see it, the Bible is taken much to literally both historically and in contemporary times, as it's easy to see that most (if not all) of the content in the Bible is meant to be metaphoric and not actually literal; for example: Jesus being the son of God? Isn't it widely said that we are all God's children? What made Jesus so special? I mean, so what? He did some amazing things; so did Nelson Mandela and even George Clooney. What stops them from being the sons of God?
In all honestly, I have no problem with liberalized religion, as they don't reject the ideas of others and they accept the idea of evolution, or, at the least, give it some decent credit.
It's fundamentalist religion I have a problem with; not only do they completely reject the ideas of others when it comes to the creation of life, they plug their ears, start dancing around and begin to chant "Lalalala! I can't hear yoouuuu!!" and in some cases even kill people over the entire subject.
These people always tend to have a very narrow outlook on life, and rarely give themselves the chance to experience what lies beyond their doorstep.
Even these people I don't hate; I mean, in theory I do, but it's more that they frustrate me incredibly. Some of these people have reason that they retain that type of mind-set: they may have grew up surrounded by nothing but heavy fundamentalism, they may have gone through an incredible amount of trauma, and coincidentally happened to pray either before or after the trauma occurred and found things getting better, even if in reality the entire situation was in the same state it was half and hour ago.
I find it quite offensive when people tell me that I must hate religion and people of religious beliefs. In fact, my own mother and her side of the family is Christian, one of my best friends is Agnostic, another three are Catholic, another two are, again, Christian, another is Muslim, another Unitarian, and another Jewish. In fact, I only know one other person who directly identifies himself as an Atheist. My father and most (if not all) of my family on my fathers side don't say they believe in a God, but do not directly identify themselves as Atheists.
The biggest difference between the religious people I know and fundamentalists are that they take a liberal approach to the world around them, and if they don't, they at least listen to what others have to say, even if they may not take it as seriously as they could.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Six Days
Well, I've been waiting for a chance to finally do this blog for a few days now, and finally I've got my chance.
In the past 6 days, alot of events have occurred. Sadly, the most prominent and important of these events is devastatingly tragic; last Sunday my grandmother died.
Ok, lets start from the beginning, which, in reality, starts about a month or so back:
About a month and a half ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Unless I can find respected permission to actually use her name, I will not actually be implementing her name unless I decide to do a memorial poem for her.
As I was saying, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which is common among people of her age. It wasn't a large concern, but she did feel weak and tired alot of the time. About 2 or 3 weeks later, she was diagnosed with cancer. This was devastating news for everyone that knew her, especially including me as her grandson. She was no longer able to get into town to do things, so she remained at home under the watchful and caring eyes of my grandfather, who was very worried about her health.
The doctors tried radiation treatments, and I'm assuming other treatments as well, which didn't seem to be helping to any large enough extent. About 1 or 2 weeks later, she caught very bad pneumonia due to her weakening immune system. The combination of cancer, diabetes, and pneumonia eventually lead to her passing.
On the Friday, I went to visit her in hospital when the doctors said she was most likely not going to make it through the night. I was going to Vancouver Island the next day to get some new clothes and visit a former Mexican exchange student who was up in Victoria visiting for the week to show her mom around the city, visit with a love interest of hers, and, of course, see my mom and I. (:
Due to the fact that they didn't think she would make it through the night, I decided, despite my sadness, not to alter the plans already made as I believed they would act as an immediate positive impact after she passed.
The next day, I got ahold of my dad to see how everyone was doing and what had happened with my grandmother. She had survived the night, but still wasn't expected to make it much further. Again, I was upset about this, and by this time we had made it to the city of Nanaimo on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island. That same day, I was cheered up to an extent when we went clothes shopping. I got two new hoodies; one black (which coincidentally turned out to be the exact same hoody my brother has), and one white one with some sort of tribal pattern on the chest. I also got 4 or 5 new shirts, and 3 new pairs of pants.
That night we stayed in the Colonial Motel, a small, 9 roomed motel on the Island Highway located just at the Nanaimo city limits.
The next day, we got up and went to grab some breakfast and coffee at a small coffee shop across the street from our motel, which was some of the best coffee I've ever tasted. I believe it was called Coyote Coffee or something along those lines.
We then began the last leg of our journey to Victoria and along the road we stopped at the small village of Shawnigan Lake where my mom was looking to find a high school friend of hers she hadn't seen in 20 years. We ended up at an old couples home, who just so happened to have the same last name as my moms friend, although they knew nothing of her.
There home was quite a classy one; it seemed to bathe in the old fashioned glow of antiquity.
After checking the phone book which the man living in the house offered us to no avail, we got back on the road to Victoria. It was then that I got a text from the Mexican exchange student we came up to see (ok, we grew so close that shes like a sister to me, and I'm like a brother to her, and her name is Sofia, which I assume I can release due to the fact that she has a FaceBook and it shouldn't really matter if her name is revealed online. Just to be safe though, I won't give out her last name) saying that her mom and her were coming over on a slightly later ferry from Vancouver.
This was fine, due to the fact that we were going to be a little later considering that fact that we stopped a couple of times to ask for directions and stopped to attempt to find my moms old friend.
Not to long after that we finally made it to Victoria, where we checked in to our room at the WorldMark timeshare branch (which we were able to stay in due to the fact that my uncle owned a timeshare there). We then left and went to meet Sofia and her mom at their hotel, and the general jist of the rest of the day is that we hung out.
It's strange; for the duration of the time we spend together, it seems like a dizzy blur. I mean, I remember it, but shes so affectionate to me and genuinely loves me in a brotherly way, which I'm not at all used to. That causes me to be awkward on occasion when I'm around her, but not really to any embarrassing extent. I'm just not used to being loved so affectionately; maybe it's due to my low self-esteem, which can increase on occasion, but almost always seems to be temporary. She may love me, but I'm almost completely sure that she doesn't love me as much as I love her. (:
Ok, and I guess I'll be completely honest; when she went to visit her guy friend who was attending the University of Victoria, I was jealous; not because I disapproved of him, he seemed like a very nice guy, but more due to the fact that he always prevented her from spending more time with me, and that I did feel protective of her, even if I didn't seem to show it often. I know, that's selfish, but true. (:
I believe I'm getting a bit out of whack in terms of when certain things occured, but I'll attempt to steer myself back on track.
Anyways, the next day, the same Sunday my grandmother died, we hung out some more and I followed my mom, Sofia, and Sofia's mom around to alot of... you know... girly shops, when I got a phone call from my dad while we were in a shoe store at around 2:30 pm. He told me my grandmother had died painlessly and peacefully at around 12:20 pm. My high on happiness was quickly extinguished. I almost let a few tears reach my eyes while I was in the store, but managed to keep my cool.
I became happy once again just spending time with my big Mexican sister and both our moms, but still had an underlying layer of depression. I found that every moment I wasn't preoccupying myself, I felt an unbearable wave of hopelessness and sadness, and as such, I was compelled to spend as much time with Sofia as possible to keep my mind off the tragedy.
I was completely aware that this was a completely natural part of life, and that she had had a long and prosperous life, even if not without tragedy, and that she passed wrapped in the love of everyone around her.
The following day, a Monday, the day before I was supposed to return to my home town and face all my problems, we did the same thing we had done the previous day: hung out, with the exception that we went to check out some exhibits at the Royal British Columbia Museum.
The following day, my mom began to feel ill, so we decided to stay another night; my mom got ahold of my uncle to make the arrangements, and I got ahold of my dad to tell him what was going on. He told me that a memorial service was going to be held in honor of my grandma at about 2:30 the next day, so my mom and I decided we'd get up at around 5 AM and start driving back. I spent some brief time with Sofia that day, and then she went to spend some time with her... **ahem**... guy friend at about 2:30 PM. ;)
(Yes, I was jealous. I mean, what kind of brother would I be if I wasn't? A good one? Well, that's certainly not going to happen. Hahaha.)
Later that night at around 7 PM, we all met up to spend some time together and say goodbye. Sofia and I decided we'd stay up late again and hang out just as we had done the previous 2 night, despite the fact that I had to get up at 5 AM. (By the way, I had to catch a cab back to the place we were staying every time her and I hung out until late, and I met about 3 very interesting cab drivers to which I chatted with about different subjects including how much I disliked being trapped in my isolated hometown, and how I planned to probably move to Victoria with a friend of mine after graduation).
We walked around and I told her how I felt trapped deep in the dumps right then, and she did the sisterly thing and tried to convince me it wasn't as bad as I was making it seem. She did help, and I definitely appreciated the effort, but I still felt quite depressed.
We then walked back to her hotel and watched videos on YouTube until about 12:30 AM when we said our goodbyes and I caught a cab back to the place where we were staying.
And that brings us to today. As tired and upset as I was, we set off to go back to Powell River (which, for those of you who don't know, is that isolated hometown I was speaking about).
I was incredibly tired, but was kept awake by three cups of coffee we picked up along the way (one of which was a three-shot cappuccino which completely buzzed me right off the hook).
We then caught the ferry back to Powell River, where I helped my mom unload the car, showered, changed, and then got picked up by my dad at around 12:30ish.
We then went to the short memorial service being held up at a small funeral home by the Powell River airport, where my dad read my grandmothers eulogy. I, like others there, didn't hide my feelings and cried a bit.
After the memorial service, everyone who was in attendance went down to the small coffee shop/ bookstore known as Breakwater Books, where the owners treated us with incredible kindness and sympathy. After that, we went home, and that brings us to about now.
That's all I really have to write.
I just wanted my grandmother to know that I loved her, and will always love her, and that I hope, wherever she is, shes in a better place.
I also wanted to tell Sofia that I miss her incredibly because I really needed someone to comfort me, and that I love her so much. Hope you read this, big sis, it'd mean alot. :')
In the past 6 days, alot of events have occurred. Sadly, the most prominent and important of these events is devastatingly tragic; last Sunday my grandmother died.
Ok, lets start from the beginning, which, in reality, starts about a month or so back:
About a month and a half ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Unless I can find respected permission to actually use her name, I will not actually be implementing her name unless I decide to do a memorial poem for her.
As I was saying, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which is common among people of her age. It wasn't a large concern, but she did feel weak and tired alot of the time. About 2 or 3 weeks later, she was diagnosed with cancer. This was devastating news for everyone that knew her, especially including me as her grandson. She was no longer able to get into town to do things, so she remained at home under the watchful and caring eyes of my grandfather, who was very worried about her health.
The doctors tried radiation treatments, and I'm assuming other treatments as well, which didn't seem to be helping to any large enough extent. About 1 or 2 weeks later, she caught very bad pneumonia due to her weakening immune system. The combination of cancer, diabetes, and pneumonia eventually lead to her passing.
On the Friday, I went to visit her in hospital when the doctors said she was most likely not going to make it through the night. I was going to Vancouver Island the next day to get some new clothes and visit a former Mexican exchange student who was up in Victoria visiting for the week to show her mom around the city, visit with a love interest of hers, and, of course, see my mom and I. (:
Due to the fact that they didn't think she would make it through the night, I decided, despite my sadness, not to alter the plans already made as I believed they would act as an immediate positive impact after she passed.
The next day, I got ahold of my dad to see how everyone was doing and what had happened with my grandmother. She had survived the night, but still wasn't expected to make it much further. Again, I was upset about this, and by this time we had made it to the city of Nanaimo on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island. That same day, I was cheered up to an extent when we went clothes shopping. I got two new hoodies; one black (which coincidentally turned out to be the exact same hoody my brother has), and one white one with some sort of tribal pattern on the chest. I also got 4 or 5 new shirts, and 3 new pairs of pants.
That night we stayed in the Colonial Motel, a small, 9 roomed motel on the Island Highway located just at the Nanaimo city limits.
The next day, we got up and went to grab some breakfast and coffee at a small coffee shop across the street from our motel, which was some of the best coffee I've ever tasted. I believe it was called Coyote Coffee or something along those lines.
We then began the last leg of our journey to Victoria and along the road we stopped at the small village of Shawnigan Lake where my mom was looking to find a high school friend of hers she hadn't seen in 20 years. We ended up at an old couples home, who just so happened to have the same last name as my moms friend, although they knew nothing of her.
There home was quite a classy one; it seemed to bathe in the old fashioned glow of antiquity.
After checking the phone book which the man living in the house offered us to no avail, we got back on the road to Victoria. It was then that I got a text from the Mexican exchange student we came up to see (ok, we grew so close that shes like a sister to me, and I'm like a brother to her, and her name is Sofia, which I assume I can release due to the fact that she has a FaceBook and it shouldn't really matter if her name is revealed online. Just to be safe though, I won't give out her last name) saying that her mom and her were coming over on a slightly later ferry from Vancouver.
This was fine, due to the fact that we were going to be a little later considering that fact that we stopped a couple of times to ask for directions and stopped to attempt to find my moms old friend.
Not to long after that we finally made it to Victoria, where we checked in to our room at the WorldMark timeshare branch (which we were able to stay in due to the fact that my uncle owned a timeshare there). We then left and went to meet Sofia and her mom at their hotel, and the general jist of the rest of the day is that we hung out.
It's strange; for the duration of the time we spend together, it seems like a dizzy blur. I mean, I remember it, but shes so affectionate to me and genuinely loves me in a brotherly way, which I'm not at all used to. That causes me to be awkward on occasion when I'm around her, but not really to any embarrassing extent. I'm just not used to being loved so affectionately; maybe it's due to my low self-esteem, which can increase on occasion, but almost always seems to be temporary. She may love me, but I'm almost completely sure that she doesn't love me as much as I love her. (:
Ok, and I guess I'll be completely honest; when she went to visit her guy friend who was attending the University of Victoria, I was jealous; not because I disapproved of him, he seemed like a very nice guy, but more due to the fact that he always prevented her from spending more time with me, and that I did feel protective of her, even if I didn't seem to show it often. I know, that's selfish, but true. (:
I believe I'm getting a bit out of whack in terms of when certain things occured, but I'll attempt to steer myself back on track.
Anyways, the next day, the same Sunday my grandmother died, we hung out some more and I followed my mom, Sofia, and Sofia's mom around to alot of... you know... girly shops, when I got a phone call from my dad while we were in a shoe store at around 2:30 pm. He told me my grandmother had died painlessly and peacefully at around 12:20 pm. My high on happiness was quickly extinguished. I almost let a few tears reach my eyes while I was in the store, but managed to keep my cool.
I became happy once again just spending time with my big Mexican sister and both our moms, but still had an underlying layer of depression. I found that every moment I wasn't preoccupying myself, I felt an unbearable wave of hopelessness and sadness, and as such, I was compelled to spend as much time with Sofia as possible to keep my mind off the tragedy.
I was completely aware that this was a completely natural part of life, and that she had had a long and prosperous life, even if not without tragedy, and that she passed wrapped in the love of everyone around her.
The following day, a Monday, the day before I was supposed to return to my home town and face all my problems, we did the same thing we had done the previous day: hung out, with the exception that we went to check out some exhibits at the Royal British Columbia Museum.
The following day, my mom began to feel ill, so we decided to stay another night; my mom got ahold of my uncle to make the arrangements, and I got ahold of my dad to tell him what was going on. He told me that a memorial service was going to be held in honor of my grandma at about 2:30 the next day, so my mom and I decided we'd get up at around 5 AM and start driving back. I spent some brief time with Sofia that day, and then she went to spend some time with her... **ahem**... guy friend at about 2:30 PM. ;)
(Yes, I was jealous. I mean, what kind of brother would I be if I wasn't? A good one? Well, that's certainly not going to happen. Hahaha.)
Later that night at around 7 PM, we all met up to spend some time together and say goodbye. Sofia and I decided we'd stay up late again and hang out just as we had done the previous 2 night, despite the fact that I had to get up at 5 AM. (By the way, I had to catch a cab back to the place we were staying every time her and I hung out until late, and I met about 3 very interesting cab drivers to which I chatted with about different subjects including how much I disliked being trapped in my isolated hometown, and how I planned to probably move to Victoria with a friend of mine after graduation).
We walked around and I told her how I felt trapped deep in the dumps right then, and she did the sisterly thing and tried to convince me it wasn't as bad as I was making it seem. She did help, and I definitely appreciated the effort, but I still felt quite depressed.
We then walked back to her hotel and watched videos on YouTube until about 12:30 AM when we said our goodbyes and I caught a cab back to the place where we were staying.
And that brings us to today. As tired and upset as I was, we set off to go back to Powell River (which, for those of you who don't know, is that isolated hometown I was speaking about).
I was incredibly tired, but was kept awake by three cups of coffee we picked up along the way (one of which was a three-shot cappuccino which completely buzzed me right off the hook).
We then caught the ferry back to Powell River, where I helped my mom unload the car, showered, changed, and then got picked up by my dad at around 12:30ish.
We then went to the short memorial service being held up at a small funeral home by the Powell River airport, where my dad read my grandmothers eulogy. I, like others there, didn't hide my feelings and cried a bit.
After the memorial service, everyone who was in attendance went down to the small coffee shop/ bookstore known as Breakwater Books, where the owners treated us with incredible kindness and sympathy. After that, we went home, and that brings us to about now.
That's all I really have to write.
I just wanted my grandmother to know that I loved her, and will always love her, and that I hope, wherever she is, shes in a better place.
I also wanted to tell Sofia that I miss her incredibly because I really needed someone to comfort me, and that I love her so much. Hope you read this, big sis, it'd mean alot. :')
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Lost Radiance
Radiant shine from the window pane glass.
Fire burning, a heart which to tie,
He knows it won’t last.
Power from response, response from power,
Not to which matters to him,
As he stares at that tower.
Leaning against the sky which glows blue,
As if taking a bow as to start anew.
He feels trapped in the norm of the way he calls life,
As his heart it does burn,
With dark civil strife.
One moment hopes there,
The next it runs dry.
Little triggers to pull,
As to force him to cry.
He knows not why his sorrow,
Trapped deep in his bones,
Continues to pelt,
Just as hard hitting stones.
He is drowning,
Lost deep in the blue.
He remembers the voice saying,
“ Who knows?
The next one is you.”
His body does work,
In the dark of the night.
Just as a clandestine,
Preparing to fight.
When he does find deep sleep,
It finds him unwell.
His body does writhe,
His imagination swell.
That blurry dark dot,
You can’t see on the map,
Holds its figure in place,
Unready to snap.
It hides in the shadows,
Making his past but a ghost.
He maintains none but fragments,
To which he clings to the most.
Just as he writes this,
A loud screech does pierce the day,
As if a blind hobo grabs his shoulders,
To say, “Be afraid, for this future,
As much as is mine, may drip onto you,
In a dark, shaded line.
You will not see it, for you see none but black,
But it will grab you,
And hoist you off track.”
Later that night,
He does look in the mirror,
Reflecting the words,
Which should make him see clearer.
The dark will not pass,
With but one little light,
He must search very quickly,
For that one spoken sight.
Whether he finds it,
Is not mine to say.
He must look in himself,
If he desire the day.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Strange Dream- Just So it Doesn't Escape Me.
Last night I had a strange dream (it wasn't overly strange, just remembering it is), and I'd like to write everything I remember about it down before I forget, and share it with all those who read my blog.
Anyways, I dreamt that my family and I (well, my mom, my brother, and my moms boyfriend) had moved to a large apartment at the top of a skyscraper in what I assume is Vancouver.
The apartment, as I recall, was part of a very advanced looking tower, but once you got inside it, it looked like a house that had been built in the early 1900's. It had a deck, as I remember, and due to its height I was afraid to get near the railings. We had one of those swing-chairs on the deck, and every time I failed to get close enough to the railings due to fear of falling, I'd quickly move back to sit on the swing-chair.
I also recall waking up in the dream and standing up on my bed to look out and see a street crowded with traffic that oddly resembled a street on a slope that's viewable directly from the house I actually live in, not counting the fact that it had so much traffic.
I also recall having either breakfast, dinner, or lunch with my family with my moms boyfriend cracking jokes and then laughing quite hard at them.
Well, I thought I'd share before I forgot.
Thanks to anyone that read it, hope you found it interesting.
This will probably be the last blog of the day, so peace-out until the next time I decide to give the Internet a shout.
Anyways, I dreamt that my family and I (well, my mom, my brother, and my moms boyfriend) had moved to a large apartment at the top of a skyscraper in what I assume is Vancouver.
The apartment, as I recall, was part of a very advanced looking tower, but once you got inside it, it looked like a house that had been built in the early 1900's. It had a deck, as I remember, and due to its height I was afraid to get near the railings. We had one of those swing-chairs on the deck, and every time I failed to get close enough to the railings due to fear of falling, I'd quickly move back to sit on the swing-chair.
I also recall waking up in the dream and standing up on my bed to look out and see a street crowded with traffic that oddly resembled a street on a slope that's viewable directly from the house I actually live in, not counting the fact that it had so much traffic.
I also recall having either breakfast, dinner, or lunch with my family with my moms boyfriend cracking jokes and then laughing quite hard at them.
Well, I thought I'd share before I forgot.
Thanks to anyone that read it, hope you found it interesting.
This will probably be the last blog of the day, so peace-out until the next time I decide to give the Internet a shout.
World Government: Pros, Cons, and Compromises
When I actually think about it, a world government that unites all the current nation-states of the world seems like a completely good idea that has a few risks and minor downsides involved.
Due to the fact that I have nothing better to do, I'm going to list the pros and cons to a united world government:
PROS:
-No more wars between nations. That's not to say all war would be abolished, because there would still be an abundance of biker gangs and mafioso fighting over territory in the criminal underground, and that's not to say there wouldn't be regional armed revolts triggered for different reasons, but a majority of war would dissipate with no more independent nations to fight each other over trivial causes.
-There would be one currency and one connected economy under the world government, which would make it much harder for the worldwide economy to plunge into turmoil as it's been doing lately.
-Borders would be effectively abolished which would render things such as passports obsolete and useless. It would make travelling between continents and regions much easier.
-Hopefully, over time, extreme patriotism that could lead to hate and violence would dissipate, or would at least become united as so no one could really fight over the cause.
CONS:
-If the majority decided they didn't wish to be a part of the world government, then a large World War III sort of revolt would occur and would probably end in much of the same tragedy as the First and Second World Wars did.
-If a megalomaniac dictator was somehow able to weasel his way into office, then he would have complete control of the world from the very start, giving him the authority and power to do whatever he wished.
-Initially, their would be plenty of people angry that their national identity would be being taken away from them, and in places such as the United States and Islamic countries, it could lead to armed revolt and rioting. In Islamic countries, that revolting would probably carry on for decades.
-Conflict over religion would still occur internally, and could lead to alot of tragic, troubling, and dangerous situations.
-Racism wouldn't be abolished, and it would probably continue the same way it does today. Hopefully a world government would be able to quell racial tensions to some vague degree.
-From the get-go their would probably be alot of nations that would be more than simply stubborn to join. At some point, after all the countries that wished or didn't mind to be a part of the world unification movement had all been properly incorporated into the massive territory, we'd probably have to invade and occupy these territories until they'd be ready to be properly annexed into the world government.
COMPROMISES THAT COULD BE MADE AND EXCEPTIONS:
-One option to deal with the stubborn nations that would not wish to join without taking military action would be to attempt to bride them to join, or enter into long diplomatic debates until finally they decided they needed or wished to join.
-To maintain national identity and quell any hard feelings over the matter, each country could be made into large regions. For example: the United States could be made into the world region that would maintain the title of the United States of America, with every state acting as a sub-region to the area.
-If a megalomaniac dictator was to take control, chances are the world population wouldn't put up with it. They'd find a way to oust him or her from their position of power, and hopefully not end up creating different independent nations in the process.
Well, as much as I highly doubt that anyone that would actually look at this and consider attempting to bring it into effect, I thought I'd just write my thoughts down on the matter. Who knows? Maybe if I'd just left it in my head, I would have forgotten, and this way if I do forget, it'll be easy to refresh my memory by just checking my blog.
Anyways, I hope that entertained anyone that decided to take a peak at my blog, and I wish you all the best.
Due to the fact that I have nothing better to do, I'm going to list the pros and cons to a united world government:
PROS:
-No more wars between nations. That's not to say all war would be abolished, because there would still be an abundance of biker gangs and mafioso fighting over territory in the criminal underground, and that's not to say there wouldn't be regional armed revolts triggered for different reasons, but a majority of war would dissipate with no more independent nations to fight each other over trivial causes.
-There would be one currency and one connected economy under the world government, which would make it much harder for the worldwide economy to plunge into turmoil as it's been doing lately.
-Borders would be effectively abolished which would render things such as passports obsolete and useless. It would make travelling between continents and regions much easier.
-Hopefully, over time, extreme patriotism that could lead to hate and violence would dissipate, or would at least become united as so no one could really fight over the cause.
CONS:
-If the majority decided they didn't wish to be a part of the world government, then a large World War III sort of revolt would occur and would probably end in much of the same tragedy as the First and Second World Wars did.
-If a megalomaniac dictator was somehow able to weasel his way into office, then he would have complete control of the world from the very start, giving him the authority and power to do whatever he wished.
-Initially, their would be plenty of people angry that their national identity would be being taken away from them, and in places such as the United States and Islamic countries, it could lead to armed revolt and rioting. In Islamic countries, that revolting would probably carry on for decades.
-Conflict over religion would still occur internally, and could lead to alot of tragic, troubling, and dangerous situations.
-Racism wouldn't be abolished, and it would probably continue the same way it does today. Hopefully a world government would be able to quell racial tensions to some vague degree.
-From the get-go their would probably be alot of nations that would be more than simply stubborn to join. At some point, after all the countries that wished or didn't mind to be a part of the world unification movement had all been properly incorporated into the massive territory, we'd probably have to invade and occupy these territories until they'd be ready to be properly annexed into the world government.
COMPROMISES THAT COULD BE MADE AND EXCEPTIONS:
-One option to deal with the stubborn nations that would not wish to join without taking military action would be to attempt to bride them to join, or enter into long diplomatic debates until finally they decided they needed or wished to join.
-To maintain national identity and quell any hard feelings over the matter, each country could be made into large regions. For example: the United States could be made into the world region that would maintain the title of the United States of America, with every state acting as a sub-region to the area.
-If a megalomaniac dictator was to take control, chances are the world population wouldn't put up with it. They'd find a way to oust him or her from their position of power, and hopefully not end up creating different independent nations in the process.
Well, as much as I highly doubt that anyone that would actually look at this and consider attempting to bring it into effect, I thought I'd just write my thoughts down on the matter. Who knows? Maybe if I'd just left it in my head, I would have forgotten, and this way if I do forget, it'll be easy to refresh my memory by just checking my blog.
Anyways, I hope that entertained anyone that decided to take a peak at my blog, and I wish you all the best.
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