The amount of negativity in this country is nauseating. We have everything literally handed to us on a silver (and sometimes golden) platter, yet, we always find something to complain about. I am going to let everyone in on something right here and now: most of our problems are small, minuscule, and not even on the radar compared to the issues much of the world faces on a daily basis. We are a spoiled group of people, and America is hated because of its imperialistic and often arrogant attitude. Here, in the United States, we complain about the price of our $300 iPods, whereas people in other countries are ravaged by crippling disease, and poverty-stricken hunger; the rationale does not add up.
Furthermore, the amount people make fun of each other in this day and age is mind boggling . . . and it only gets worse from there. As a population, we are busy people; most of our time is either spent at work, school, with the family, or out with our friends. Mix in all of that with a healthy social life and we are spreading ourselves pretty thin, however, we still mange to make time to shoot barbs at the innocent passerby. Often, we have no idea who these people are, where they come from, or what they could be going through at the time. All we care about is a good laugh, a simplistic, yet, ignorant chuckle to suppress the flawed imperfections that exist within our own lives. Regardless if the person can hear the insults or not, this practice still enables certain sense of negativity that needs to start being avoided by everyone. Negativity is like a disease that breeds contempt, and eats away at the very foundation at which humanity was created.
Life is hard; it has many challenges and pitfalls. No one person can make the world a better place; it has to be a collective effort amongst those who want to make a change, and those who have the "know-how" to do so. The time has come for personal growth . . . and the "day to day" gossip has to stop now! We are capable of so much more, yet, we do so little to create a better situation for ourselves and the people around us. Take value in true friendship, the benefits can and will be truly rewarding. Lose the second face, even if it means standing up for whom or what you believe in the face of persecution and self doubt.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wrekonition: 101
Since we are talking about publishing in class, I figured I would share the idea I once had for a book in the memoir genre that I wanted to write. I thought of the idea when I was 20--but I never really got started on it. I sent the idea out to a few different publishing housing with a couple of positive responses. I've recently thought about starting the project, but I'm having trouble finding a good starting spot. I just wanted to quickly share the idea and maybe get some thoughts on it.
The title of Wrekonition: 101 means that I now recognize the respect I have for life after living through these experiences.
The meaning of the book is to showcase my journey through young life, highlighting the positive/negative experiences and how they help mature me from the vicious person I once was, to the kind hearted and respectful person I am today.
The topic that will be touch on in the book will be:
-peer pressure
-being kicked out of school for allegedly making "terrorist" threats
-being let back into school and my eventual graduation
-drug and alcohol use
-thoughts on 9-11-01
-finding/losing my first love
-losing touch with God at an early age, only find my way back to faith later on
-the differences between high school and college life
-living on my own for the first time, only to move back home three months later
-spitting in the face of a beautiful young girl and how that changed my outlook on life
-picking on the death of a classmates mother and how that change my outlook on life
-dealing with the death of family early in my life
-dealing with the death of fellow classmates
-venturing into hip-hop music despite not having any talent or flow
-venting into the wrestling business and losing almost $8,000
-commentary on being skinny vs. being fat
-threatening to throw my sixth grade English teacher out the window
-and many more
The title of Wrekonition: 101 means that I now recognize the respect I have for life after living through these experiences.
The meaning of the book is to showcase my journey through young life, highlighting the positive/negative experiences and how they help mature me from the vicious person I once was, to the kind hearted and respectful person I am today.
The topic that will be touch on in the book will be:
-peer pressure
-being kicked out of school for allegedly making "terrorist" threats
-being let back into school and my eventual graduation
-drug and alcohol use
-thoughts on 9-11-01
-finding/losing my first love
-losing touch with God at an early age, only find my way back to faith later on
-the differences between high school and college life
-living on my own for the first time, only to move back home three months later
-spitting in the face of a beautiful young girl and how that changed my outlook on life
-picking on the death of a classmates mother and how that change my outlook on life
-dealing with the death of family early in my life
-dealing with the death of fellow classmates
-venturing into hip-hop music despite not having any talent or flow
-venting into the wrestling business and losing almost $8,000
-commentary on being skinny vs. being fat
-threatening to throw my sixth grade English teacher out the window
-and many more
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Quick Blog
I have a test tommorow, and the paper for this class due on Thursday, so this one is going to be short.
The Red Sox are back in the World Series, in short, I feel bad for the Colorado Rockies. Boston has such experienced players on that club. They know how to win, and it showed in the ALCS. The Rockies have the disadvantage of being cold, as they have not played in eight days. The Red Sox are riding high on emotion, and that gives the definitive edge going into the World Series. Boston has the experience, pitching, and a potent offense; the Rockies aren't out of it by any stretch--but they need to be careful because Boston is playing like a team with something to prove.
Notre Dame lost again this weekend. SURPRISE, SURPRISE. That is total sarcasm, as I know ND is going to be fine in the long run, but losing week after week is a bitter pill to swallow, especially when it comes against our biggest rival USC who has looked weak in recent games. The last four games (against Navy, Duke, Air Force, and Stanford) should help ND gain confidence going into next season, but even those are far from gimme games this season.
Basketball season is starting soon, thank God for March Madness, but the NBA . . . not so much. I never have to worry about my Duke Blue Devils, Coach K always brings a talented and competitive team that usually holds my attention throughout the year.
The Lakers, my NBA team on the other hand, are in big trouble, and I do not see this season being any better than the last couple. I love Kobe Bryant, but if he wants to be traded, trade him!!! His presence may hurt in the short term--but in the long run, it will help the franchise immensly. Possible suitors are the Chicago Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks, two teams with good young talent that could really help address some of the positions problems the Lakers have all over their depth chart. Kobe has some baggage, but he is hands down one of the best players EVER, any time would be lucky to have him!!! His scoring titles speak for themselves, put him on a good team, with decent talent around him, and he is like Michael Jordan all over again.
Ok, that's enough, it's time to hit the books . . .
The Red Sox are back in the World Series, in short, I feel bad for the Colorado Rockies. Boston has such experienced players on that club. They know how to win, and it showed in the ALCS. The Rockies have the disadvantage of being cold, as they have not played in eight days. The Red Sox are riding high on emotion, and that gives the definitive edge going into the World Series. Boston has the experience, pitching, and a potent offense; the Rockies aren't out of it by any stretch--but they need to be careful because Boston is playing like a team with something to prove.
Notre Dame lost again this weekend. SURPRISE, SURPRISE. That is total sarcasm, as I know ND is going to be fine in the long run, but losing week after week is a bitter pill to swallow, especially when it comes against our biggest rival USC who has looked weak in recent games. The last four games (against Navy, Duke, Air Force, and Stanford) should help ND gain confidence going into next season, but even those are far from gimme games this season.
Basketball season is starting soon, thank God for March Madness, but the NBA . . . not so much. I never have to worry about my Duke Blue Devils, Coach K always brings a talented and competitive team that usually holds my attention throughout the year.
The Lakers, my NBA team on the other hand, are in big trouble, and I do not see this season being any better than the last couple. I love Kobe Bryant, but if he wants to be traded, trade him!!! His presence may hurt in the short term--but in the long run, it will help the franchise immensly. Possible suitors are the Chicago Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks, two teams with good young talent that could really help address some of the positions problems the Lakers have all over their depth chart. Kobe has some baggage, but he is hands down one of the best players EVER, any time would be lucky to have him!!! His scoring titles speak for themselves, put him on a good team, with decent talent around him, and he is like Michael Jordan all over again.
Ok, that's enough, it's time to hit the books . . .
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Who Shot Mohammed?
When I first sat down to read "Who Shot Mohammed Al-Dura?" I really had no expectations for it, and I really did not care to read it at all. As I got into the first page or so, it drew my interest closer and closer as it went on. I do not remember the incident as it happened, because I've barely paid attention to politics until the last year or so. I guess the part that caught my attention was how the Palestinian world martyred Mohammed so quickly, and actually martyred him at all. I guess in the Palestinian world a martyr is perceived differently then what I am accustomed to. The other interesting part is the amount of evidence that is stacked up to rebuttal the claim that the Israeli's shot Mohammed Al-Dura. I think James Fallows does a good job of showing the sides of the incident, and then focuses on the hard evidence a lot towards the middle and the end.
When Fallows shows the evidence that rebuttals the Palestinian version of the incident, he talks about a teacher at the Israel Military Academy, Gabriel Weimann, and when his class was assigned a project a student stood up and said "I was there, we didn't do it" and then Weimann just says "prove it." The kids went on to do a project that proves to them, that the Israeli's did not do it. Fallows also introduced Nahum Shahaf, a physicist and engineer who became obsessed about the shooting. He would keep tapes of the shootings running at all times, just to see if he could spot something he hadn't seen before. Now, Shahaf did some investigating of the physical evident of the shooting. The physical evident showed that the Israeli's could not of shot Mohammed based on physical evidence. This part wasn't a huge shock to me, but the obviousness of the science of it was, and how the Israeli's went out and said that they did it, and apologized, without investigation. Because if they did investigate it, with ease they would've found that it would be near impossible. In the article, Fallows mention a website ( http://www.masada2000.org/al-dura.html) and I went to it when I was done reading it, that's how I know that the article had me interested and hooked on this incident. That website showed pictures, and a video clip of the shooting, and I am convinced that the Israeli's did not shoot Mohammed. It's interesting how the movie clip that it zooms off of Mohammed and his father when shots from a Palestinian post that had a direct shot fired, and how Mohammed's father's first words at the hospital were "They shot my boy in the back" when the only people to the back of them we're Palestinians. The end of the essay had a nice message to it, Fallows ends it with "The case of Mohammed al-Dura suggests the need for much more modest assumptions about the way other cultures-in particular today's embattled Islam-will perceive our truths." This caught my attention because I've always wondered how other cultures perceived things in America that happen, and obvious a lot of the Islam nations do not perceive American too well. I think it's something to think about when Americans ridicule or jump to conclusions about other countries problems.
When Fallows shows the evidence that rebuttals the Palestinian version of the incident, he talks about a teacher at the Israel Military Academy, Gabriel Weimann, and when his class was assigned a project a student stood up and said "I was there, we didn't do it" and then Weimann just says "prove it." The kids went on to do a project that proves to them, that the Israeli's did not do it. Fallows also introduced Nahum Shahaf, a physicist and engineer who became obsessed about the shooting. He would keep tapes of the shootings running at all times, just to see if he could spot something he hadn't seen before. Now, Shahaf did some investigating of the physical evident of the shooting. The physical evident showed that the Israeli's could not of shot Mohammed based on physical evidence. This part wasn't a huge shock to me, but the obviousness of the science of it was, and how the Israeli's went out and said that they did it, and apologized, without investigation. Because if they did investigate it, with ease they would've found that it would be near impossible. In the article, Fallows mention a website ( http://www.masada2000.org/al-dura.html) and I went to it when I was done reading it, that's how I know that the article had me interested and hooked on this incident. That website showed pictures, and a video clip of the shooting, and I am convinced that the Israeli's did not shoot Mohammed. It's interesting how the movie clip that it zooms off of Mohammed and his father when shots from a Palestinian post that had a direct shot fired, and how Mohammed's father's first words at the hospital were "They shot my boy in the back" when the only people to the back of them we're Palestinians. The end of the essay had a nice message to it, Fallows ends it with "The case of Mohammed al-Dura suggests the need for much more modest assumptions about the way other cultures-in particular today's embattled Islam-will perceive our truths." This caught my attention because I've always wondered how other cultures perceived things in America that happen, and obvious a lot of the Islam nations do not perceive American too well. I think it's something to think about when Americans ridicule or jump to conclusions about other countries problems.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Sports Most Important Events
The five most significant events in the history of sports are:
5. In 1966, Ohio University established the first sport management program in the country. The sport industry is a 600 billion dollar industry, and it only seems right to have a college level program to prepare students for that business. Now there are over 200 sport management programs in America, and they're growing at about the pace of the sport industry.
4. In 1919, some Chicago Black Sox players got involved with gambling on the World Series that they played in, and they ended up throwing the World Series. In response to this, Major League Baseball created a ruling authority in baseball, which was to be one person, who has complete control, and the man they named was Kennesaw Mountain Landis. The name they gave him was commission of Major League Baseball. This event created the commission in sports, now commissioners in sports are the most important people in that sport and have played major roles throughout the history of sport.
3. On September 7th, 1979 the first 24-hour a day sports broadcast channel was launch, it was called ESPN, or Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. ESPN has become a staple in the American society, it hosts many sporting events over a variety of sports ranging from bowling to football, it has also been in several movies. What ESPN did was show broadcast channels that America wants sports, and a lot of sports and they want to watch sports on television. This has led to many other 24-hour sport networks and even 24-hour networks devoted to a certain league or sport, for example racing is on the speed channel and the NFL Network.
2. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first all-paid professional sport team. The team was ten players on salary for eight months. This was the spark of the professionalism in sport. Now there are plenty of professional teams over many leagues. You can find multiple leagues for specific sports, all with paid sports teams. And of course, it can't be called professional sports and sports wouldn't be as big as they are today without the first paid professional sports team.
1. It should only make sense that the most influential person in the history of sport be apart of the most important event. In 1945, baseball was reintegrated when Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers. This opened the door for Negro athletes to play professional sports and to compete with the rest of the professionals. And now, all of the sports are integrated and Negro's are getting important positions high up in the management of teams and the leagues. The one event, signing Jacking Robinson has sparked a change in sport that will forever be realized.
5. In 1966, Ohio University established the first sport management program in the country. The sport industry is a 600 billion dollar industry, and it only seems right to have a college level program to prepare students for that business. Now there are over 200 sport management programs in America, and they're growing at about the pace of the sport industry.
4. In 1919, some Chicago Black Sox players got involved with gambling on the World Series that they played in, and they ended up throwing the World Series. In response to this, Major League Baseball created a ruling authority in baseball, which was to be one person, who has complete control, and the man they named was Kennesaw Mountain Landis. The name they gave him was commission of Major League Baseball. This event created the commission in sports, now commissioners in sports are the most important people in that sport and have played major roles throughout the history of sport.
3. On September 7th, 1979 the first 24-hour a day sports broadcast channel was launch, it was called ESPN, or Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. ESPN has become a staple in the American society, it hosts many sporting events over a variety of sports ranging from bowling to football, it has also been in several movies. What ESPN did was show broadcast channels that America wants sports, and a lot of sports and they want to watch sports on television. This has led to many other 24-hour sport networks and even 24-hour networks devoted to a certain league or sport, for example racing is on the speed channel and the NFL Network.
2. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first all-paid professional sport team. The team was ten players on salary for eight months. This was the spark of the professionalism in sport. Now there are plenty of professional teams over many leagues. You can find multiple leagues for specific sports, all with paid sports teams. And of course, it can't be called professional sports and sports wouldn't be as big as they are today without the first paid professional sports team.
1. It should only make sense that the most influential person in the history of sport be apart of the most important event. In 1945, baseball was reintegrated when Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers. This opened the door for Negro athletes to play professional sports and to compete with the rest of the professionals. And now, all of the sports are integrated and Negro's are getting important positions high up in the management of teams and the leagues. The one event, signing Jacking Robinson has sparked a change in sport that will forever be realized.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Sports Most Important People
Throughout the history of sports, there have been important people and events that have had a major impact on the sport industry that can never or maybe have not been felt to their fullest yet. The list of people who have had an impact on the sport industry ranges from Billy Beane to Branch Rickey. And the important events that have impacted the sport industry range from sports illustrated being launch in 1954 to the re-integration of sport in 1945.
In my opinion, the top five most influential people in sport industry at as follows:
5. Robert Bowman. Robert Bowman is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Bowman's impact may not be felt for a long time, but right now he is leading the sport industry, specifically baseball into the future of television, which is Internet Protocol Television. In 2001, MLB planned live video streaming, which began the next year. This live video streaming was the first step into taking MLB into the future of television and the internet. Now, season packages can be bought and you can watch out of market games online through your computer, in the future you could watch them online on your television. But, the impact made is that Bob Bowman paved the way for MLB to head into the future, and it has spread on to other sports, CBS puts the march madness basketball games online through live video streaming, CSTV had pay per view football games through live video streaming and the World Cup plans on having live video streaming soccer games.
4. Curt Flood. On October 7th, 1969 the St. Louis Cardinals traded Curt Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies, but Flood did not want to play there due to their poor standings and their stadium. So, he forfeited a lucrative $100,000 contract by refusing the trade. Flood demanded to the commissioner that he become a free agent and challenged the old reserve clause that MLB had in place. On January 16th, 1970 Flood filed a $4.1 million dollar lawsuit against the then MLB Commissioner, Bowie Kuhn, saying that the reserve clause violated federal anti-trust laws. He would later on lose the case in the Supreme Court by a 5-3 count. By his case raised awareness about the reserve clause and gave the players an opportunity to become on unity. In 1970 the MLBPA was able to collective bargain for impartial arbitration which led to the Messersmith/McNally arbitration, and when the arbitrator, Peter Seitz ruled in favor of the players it created free agency in baseball. Flood took the ultimate sacrifice, his career, for something that he believed in, which gave future players a chance at a better way of life.
3. Roone Arledge. Roone Arledge was a television product for ABC during its rise in the 1960's, 70's and 80's. Arledge helped bring international sports to America; he also produced games to make the viewers closer to the action. He used things like unusual camera angles, hand held cameras and microphones on the field of play, these kinds of things are now a fixture in every game shown on television. In 1970, he and then NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, convinced ABC to showing sports in primetime with Monday Night Football. Now, Monday Night Football has its on spot in American society, a fixture on Monday night, watched by many each week it is on. Roone Arledge's vision led to sporting events being shown in ways never imagined, and now it is his vision that helps connect fans to the team, players and organizations through the way a game is shown on television.
2. Pete Rozelle. Pete Rozelle was an NFL Commission for 29 years during 1960 and 1989. He obtained and antitrust exemption so that NFL teams could sell their broadcast rights at a collective unit, he introduced revenue sharing among teams and in 1963 he introduced NFL Properties, which was the first league-wide licensing effort. He worked with Roone Arledge to get Monday Night Football and he turned the Super Bowl into the greatest single event in sport. The latest Super Bowl drew a rating of 57.1, which means roughly 63 million people watched the Super Bowl. Rozelle has turned the NFL into arguably the biggest sport in America, and he did that through innovations like NFL Properties and broadcast rights deals.
1. Brady Rickey. Branch Rickey has the greatest impact on the sport industry and sports as a whole, his impact will never be fully estimated. He introduced the farm system in baseball, which is probably one of my favorite parts of baseball, seeing ball players develop through the minor leagues and seeing how they develop is important to me, especially since I'm an Oakland A's fan and their farm system is very important in their organization. The main thing he did, and the one thing that should and hopefully will never be forgotten was that he reintegrated baseball with the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1945. Not only did he reintegrate baseball, but he also picked the right player to do so. Rickey's impact can never fully be understood as long as integration in sports is going on, which will never go away, so he will have the biggest, longest lasting impact on sports.
In my opinion, the top five most influential people in sport industry at as follows:
5. Robert Bowman. Robert Bowman is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Major League Baseball Advanced Media. Bowman's impact may not be felt for a long time, but right now he is leading the sport industry, specifically baseball into the future of television, which is Internet Protocol Television. In 2001, MLB planned live video streaming, which began the next year. This live video streaming was the first step into taking MLB into the future of television and the internet. Now, season packages can be bought and you can watch out of market games online through your computer, in the future you could watch them online on your television. But, the impact made is that Bob Bowman paved the way for MLB to head into the future, and it has spread on to other sports, CBS puts the march madness basketball games online through live video streaming, CSTV had pay per view football games through live video streaming and the World Cup plans on having live video streaming soccer games.
4. Curt Flood. On October 7th, 1969 the St. Louis Cardinals traded Curt Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies, but Flood did not want to play there due to their poor standings and their stadium. So, he forfeited a lucrative $100,000 contract by refusing the trade. Flood demanded to the commissioner that he become a free agent and challenged the old reserve clause that MLB had in place. On January 16th, 1970 Flood filed a $4.1 million dollar lawsuit against the then MLB Commissioner, Bowie Kuhn, saying that the reserve clause violated federal anti-trust laws. He would later on lose the case in the Supreme Court by a 5-3 count. By his case raised awareness about the reserve clause and gave the players an opportunity to become on unity. In 1970 the MLBPA was able to collective bargain for impartial arbitration which led to the Messersmith/McNally arbitration, and when the arbitrator, Peter Seitz ruled in favor of the players it created free agency in baseball. Flood took the ultimate sacrifice, his career, for something that he believed in, which gave future players a chance at a better way of life.
3. Roone Arledge. Roone Arledge was a television product for ABC during its rise in the 1960's, 70's and 80's. Arledge helped bring international sports to America; he also produced games to make the viewers closer to the action. He used things like unusual camera angles, hand held cameras and microphones on the field of play, these kinds of things are now a fixture in every game shown on television. In 1970, he and then NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, convinced ABC to showing sports in primetime with Monday Night Football. Now, Monday Night Football has its on spot in American society, a fixture on Monday night, watched by many each week it is on. Roone Arledge's vision led to sporting events being shown in ways never imagined, and now it is his vision that helps connect fans to the team, players and organizations through the way a game is shown on television.
2. Pete Rozelle. Pete Rozelle was an NFL Commission for 29 years during 1960 and 1989. He obtained and antitrust exemption so that NFL teams could sell their broadcast rights at a collective unit, he introduced revenue sharing among teams and in 1963 he introduced NFL Properties, which was the first league-wide licensing effort. He worked with Roone Arledge to get Monday Night Football and he turned the Super Bowl into the greatest single event in sport. The latest Super Bowl drew a rating of 57.1, which means roughly 63 million people watched the Super Bowl. Rozelle has turned the NFL into arguably the biggest sport in America, and he did that through innovations like NFL Properties and broadcast rights deals.
1. Brady Rickey. Branch Rickey has the greatest impact on the sport industry and sports as a whole, his impact will never be fully estimated. He introduced the farm system in baseball, which is probably one of my favorite parts of baseball, seeing ball players develop through the minor leagues and seeing how they develop is important to me, especially since I'm an Oakland A's fan and their farm system is very important in their organization. The main thing he did, and the one thing that should and hopefully will never be forgotten was that he reintegrated baseball with the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1945. Not only did he reintegrate baseball, but he also picked the right player to do so. Rickey's impact can never fully be understood as long as integration in sports is going on, which will never go away, so he will have the biggest, longest lasting impact on sports.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Honesty
The basis of friendship is supposed to entail a certain amount of trust, respect, and thought for the well-being of those you associate with. The special bond of friendship has been flawed, and mightily taken for granted. We, as people, need to get back to basics, relearn the meaning communal bonding, and the deep understand a true friendship requires. Personal one-on-one confrontation is often replaced with a "he said, she said" folklore that blurs the line between responsibility and accountability. What happened to the days when people would solve problems through verbal communication, understanding, and an eventually compromise?
The amount of negativity in this country is nauseating. We have everything literally handed to us on a silver (and sometimes golden) platter, yet, we always find something to complain about. I am going to let everyone in on something right here and now: most of our problems are small, minuscule, and not even on the radar compared to the issues much of the world faces on a daily basis. We are a spoiled group of people, and America is hated because of its imperialistic and often arrogant attitude. Here, in the United States, we complain about the price of our $300 iPods, whereas people in other countries are ravaged by crippling disease, and poverty-stricken hunger; the rationale does not add up.
Furthermore, the amount people make fun of each other in this day and age is mind boggling . . . and it only gets worse from there. As a population, we are busy people; most of our time is either spent at work, school, with the family, or out with our friends. Mix in all of that with a healthy social life and we are spreading ourselves pretty thin, however, we still mange to make time to shoot barbs at the innocent passerby. Often, we have no idea who these people are, where they come from, or what they could be going through at the time. All we care about is a good laugh, a simplistic, yet, ignorant chuckle to suppress the flawed imperfections that exist within our own lives. Regardless if the person can hear the insults or not, this practice still enables certain sense of negativity that needs to start being avoided by everyone. Negativity is like a disease that breeds contempt, and eats away at the very foundation at which humanity was created.
In closing, life is hard; it has many challenges and pitfalls. No one person can make the world a better place; it has to be a collective effort amongst those who want to make a change, and those who have the "know-how" to do so. The time has come for personal growth . . . and the "day to day" gossip has to stop now! We are capable of so much more, yet, we do so little to create a better situation for ourselves and the people around us. Take value in true friendship, the benefits can and will be truly rewarding. Lose the second face, and proudly display the one God gave you, even if it means standing up for whom or what you believe in the face of persecution and self doubt. This is your mission, should you choose to accept it the entire complexion of your life may just change, forever!
The amount of negativity in this country is nauseating. We have everything literally handed to us on a silver (and sometimes golden) platter, yet, we always find something to complain about. I am going to let everyone in on something right here and now: most of our problems are small, minuscule, and not even on the radar compared to the issues much of the world faces on a daily basis. We are a spoiled group of people, and America is hated because of its imperialistic and often arrogant attitude. Here, in the United States, we complain about the price of our $300 iPods, whereas people in other countries are ravaged by crippling disease, and poverty-stricken hunger; the rationale does not add up.
Furthermore, the amount people make fun of each other in this day and age is mind boggling . . . and it only gets worse from there. As a population, we are busy people; most of our time is either spent at work, school, with the family, or out with our friends. Mix in all of that with a healthy social life and we are spreading ourselves pretty thin, however, we still mange to make time to shoot barbs at the innocent passerby. Often, we have no idea who these people are, where they come from, or what they could be going through at the time. All we care about is a good laugh, a simplistic, yet, ignorant chuckle to suppress the flawed imperfections that exist within our own lives. Regardless if the person can hear the insults or not, this practice still enables certain sense of negativity that needs to start being avoided by everyone. Negativity is like a disease that breeds contempt, and eats away at the very foundation at which humanity was created.
In closing, life is hard; it has many challenges and pitfalls. No one person can make the world a better place; it has to be a collective effort amongst those who want to make a change, and those who have the "know-how" to do so. The time has come for personal growth . . . and the "day to day" gossip has to stop now! We are capable of so much more, yet, we do so little to create a better situation for ourselves and the people around us. Take value in true friendship, the benefits can and will be truly rewarding. Lose the second face, and proudly display the one God gave you, even if it means standing up for whom or what you believe in the face of persecution and self doubt. This is your mission, should you choose to accept it the entire complexion of your life may just change, forever!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Rant
A subject that has been frying my brain as of late, is when people go to these grimy downtown clubs/parties and then proceed to come to school and act like it is the greatest accomplishment of their lives that they got drunk there. I don't know how many times I have heard people at Cortland say, "Oh, man, I got so wasted last night, and then me and my boys almost got into a fight." This sounds like a great time – I couldn't think of anything better to do with my time (obvious sarcasm.)
First of all, I don't care how wasted people got because half the time these people don't even get wasted. They fake it to be apart of the crowd. I have been to parties where I have seen people get "wasted" after one drink, and then they brag about how they downed a whole bottle of vodka. Sound familiar, anyone? Plainly stated, the act is getting old.
I hate it when people talk about club/party fights that almost happened. Everything is "almost." No one ever "does." I'm not a big fan of fighting, but if you are going to talk about it, then why not do it? I can't begin to count how many times I have heard people say they almost got into a brawl, but didn't. It usually starts with two people that have an issue and then all of the sudden it's a 10 on 10 ramble because people cannot fight for themselves. I'm sure there are some instances when fights do happen, but usually it's just more club style BS that does nothing but give American society a bad name.
This column may catch me heat with some of my friends that live the "party scene" lifestyle. I have told them all on many occasions that I hate that scene. It's a terrible way to live and it causes nothing but problems. Many of you are probably saying that I am wrong in my thought process. That's fine, but at least prove it. I would be happy to hear the thoughts of anyone on this subject.
I am outspoken about the partying lifestyle because it almost destroyed people very close to me. People that I love deeply have almost been killed by abusing drugs and alcohol. It's difficult seeing friends that I care about, taking the same path as those I love. It's not about totally destroying the "partying" lifestyle, it's about enlightening people about the reverse side of their "good time," while helping them see a better path in life. In this situation, if trying to help out people is wrong, then I never want to be right.
First of all, I don't care how wasted people got because half the time these people don't even get wasted. They fake it to be apart of the crowd. I have been to parties where I have seen people get "wasted" after one drink, and then they brag about how they downed a whole bottle of vodka. Sound familiar, anyone? Plainly stated, the act is getting old.
I hate it when people talk about club/party fights that almost happened. Everything is "almost." No one ever "does." I'm not a big fan of fighting, but if you are going to talk about it, then why not do it? I can't begin to count how many times I have heard people say they almost got into a brawl, but didn't. It usually starts with two people that have an issue and then all of the sudden it's a 10 on 10 ramble because people cannot fight for themselves. I'm sure there are some instances when fights do happen, but usually it's just more club style BS that does nothing but give American society a bad name.
This column may catch me heat with some of my friends that live the "party scene" lifestyle. I have told them all on many occasions that I hate that scene. It's a terrible way to live and it causes nothing but problems. Many of you are probably saying that I am wrong in my thought process. That's fine, but at least prove it. I would be happy to hear the thoughts of anyone on this subject.
I am outspoken about the partying lifestyle because it almost destroyed people very close to me. People that I love deeply have almost been killed by abusing drugs and alcohol. It's difficult seeing friends that I care about, taking the same path as those I love. It's not about totally destroying the "partying" lifestyle, it's about enlightening people about the reverse side of their "good time," while helping them see a better path in life. In this situation, if trying to help out people is wrong, then I never want to be right.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Fear
I hate a certain four letter F-word - and no, it is not the one that you all are probably thinking (tsk, tsk, people). I hate anything and everything to do with the word fear. Fear can cause people to do crazy things. Think about to a time when you did something or did not do something solely based on fear for what the outcome could be.
I am tired of fear controlling not only my life but the lives of people I care about. It is time for me and others to start taking risks. Life is too short to live in fear! How many people continually look back on life and say "Wow, I wish I would have done that differently" or "I wish I would have taken that risk." Many people say that, in fact I hear it too much. Even I say it too much.
Don't get me wrong, fear is a scary emotion. Fear can over take your life and make you feel about pint sized. It is crippling. It is an emotion that I cannot stand. The sad part about fear is that it never fully goes away. Life wouldn't be life without fear. People are meant to be scared, it is just our human nature to be afraid of what we don't know or understand.
I have many fears - a few of them shape and mold the way I think or react to everyday life, they include:
The fear of death - something about dying (especially young) scares me to no end. I am not even sure why, I think it has to do with the fear of the unknown. Who knows what really happens after death; so many people believe in so many different "after life" scenarios that is becomes difficult to come to grips with one belief or idea on the subject. I think I write so much in order to counteract death. I always want to leave the world with a little part of me, even after I am gone. Writing helps me do that, similar to what Tupac Shakur did with his musical career.
The fear of getting into a deep relationship only to get crushed by the "love of your life." Who out there hasn't felt this fear? I don't think anyone can say that they haven't. This is currently a strong fear in my life. Love is a scary emotion as well. This is also fear of the unknown. I think some people need to forget the fear and follow their hearts. There is no reason why people have to miss out on a potentially great relationship just because they are afraid of how it might end. Again, life is too short not to take the risk!
The fear of failure - I believe that I have been put on this earth to do great things. What exactly? I don't know yet. I would like to think that I am going to write works that change the way people look at life. Will it happen? Who knows! But I do know that failure is not an option. It is my mission to prove that I should have been voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by my fellow class of 2004 classmates.
In closing, my question to all of you, is what are you afraid of? What scares you? What makes you emotional? I have been kind enough to share my feelings - why don't all of you do the same? What's holding you back - fear? Nah, couldn't be that, right?
I am tired of fear controlling not only my life but the lives of people I care about. It is time for me and others to start taking risks. Life is too short to live in fear! How many people continually look back on life and say "Wow, I wish I would have done that differently" or "I wish I would have taken that risk." Many people say that, in fact I hear it too much. Even I say it too much.
Don't get me wrong, fear is a scary emotion. Fear can over take your life and make you feel about pint sized. It is crippling. It is an emotion that I cannot stand. The sad part about fear is that it never fully goes away. Life wouldn't be life without fear. People are meant to be scared, it is just our human nature to be afraid of what we don't know or understand.
I have many fears - a few of them shape and mold the way I think or react to everyday life, they include:
The fear of death - something about dying (especially young) scares me to no end. I am not even sure why, I think it has to do with the fear of the unknown. Who knows what really happens after death; so many people believe in so many different "after life" scenarios that is becomes difficult to come to grips with one belief or idea on the subject. I think I write so much in order to counteract death. I always want to leave the world with a little part of me, even after I am gone. Writing helps me do that, similar to what Tupac Shakur did with his musical career.
The fear of getting into a deep relationship only to get crushed by the "love of your life." Who out there hasn't felt this fear? I don't think anyone can say that they haven't. This is currently a strong fear in my life. Love is a scary emotion as well. This is also fear of the unknown. I think some people need to forget the fear and follow their hearts. There is no reason why people have to miss out on a potentially great relationship just because they are afraid of how it might end. Again, life is too short not to take the risk!
The fear of failure - I believe that I have been put on this earth to do great things. What exactly? I don't know yet. I would like to think that I am going to write works that change the way people look at life. Will it happen? Who knows! But I do know that failure is not an option. It is my mission to prove that I should have been voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by my fellow class of 2004 classmates.
In closing, my question to all of you, is what are you afraid of? What scares you? What makes you emotional? I have been kind enough to share my feelings - why don't all of you do the same? What's holding you back - fear? Nah, couldn't be that, right?
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