December, 21, 2012

December, 21, 2012, that is the date we will all die! Sure... Lets take a little look at the theories about 2012.

The Solar Flare

Lets see here, one of the most popular theories about 2012 is that there will be a giant solar flare that will destroy our atmosphere and kill us all! But wait a minuet... we've been hit by solar flares before... right? Correct, in 2003 we were hit by the sun's most powerful flare, the X class flare. What did it do? Did it leave some sort of destructive chemical in our planet that will kill us all in 2012? No, it did nothing. So if we were hit by the most powerful flare from the sun and it did nothing then how could we be killed by a solar flare? Because its gargantuan and huge and... It will kill us! Wrong. Next theory.

The Nuclear War

This is probably the only theory that is even plausible, a lot of people think that North Korea will launch nukes at America and kill us all. Ill show you a picture of what a bombing from North Korea would look like.

Wow! That is intense! That's actually just a pitiful firecracker, to show the likeliness of North Korea being able to destroy an entire country, that's about as likely as a firecracker destroying Portland. Now, other countries are a bit different, but if there is a nuclear war, why would it happen in 2012, America will still be too valuable to other countries for it to be nuked into a wasteland.

Planet X

Have you heard the news? There is a planet that is coming in and out of our solar system that is due to crash into the earth on... you guessed it! December, 21, 2012. All based on one mans book, the book is a warning to humanity to prepare for our demise. But how did this man get the information about Planet X? It is very interesting, he was abducted by aliens and became a contact on their ship, they told him about it! There you go, we are all going to die, no doubt about it! Isn't that terrible, darn aliens had to ruin all of our fun. And speaking of aliens...

Alien Invasion

This is certainly the most possible of all theories. Aliens will send a super bomb to destroy earth during the year 2012! But why would aliens travel millions of light years just to blow us up? Hmmm....

We Will Die!

This is the last resort of 2012 fanatics, their logic lies within the realm of "Because I said so." I would like to ask each and everyone of them to give me one shred of evidence to support their theories.

What birthed these theories?

Lets see, first off the Mayan Calendar, it ends in 2012. Even though there is no talk of the end of the world in Mayan history... ever, this must mean that the world will end. Wait a minuet, doesn't our calendar end on a certain date too? Maybe they wanted to make a new calendar after 2012. But that wouldn't make any sense, would it?

And also, some mystical Gandalf bearded man who supposedly predicted 911 (which was obviously planned by the aliens) said that the world would end in 2012. Come on people! Your theories are absolutely ridiculous, because one guy said something that means the world will end! Think! That is all I ask of you, just think about all of what I've said, google it if it makes you feel any better. Just think about things before you rant about the destruction of earth!

Rich or poor, how does it change you're life?

How does money change you're life? Or does it change you're life? I believe that it does change things very much. The more green you have the more opportunities you have, right? I think it makes sense, but look at it differently, its not about more, its about different circumstances. If you are rich you will have the opportunity to buy a nice Bentley, if you aren't you might not have that chance. If you are middle class or poor you will still have the opportunity to buy a car, just a different car. But what is better, a Bentley or a truck? A Lamborghini or a sedan? A viper or a minivan? The truth is you put the same gas into it and you push the little pedals and it goes to 80 miles per hour in 5-15 seconds depending on the car. My view on it is simple, if it can drive I'll take it. Its nice being able to drive some car that makes people turn their heads, but ultimately the main thing about sports cars is their speed and going at the speeds will most likely get you crashed into a truck, and viper vs. ford truck doesn't sound like a fair fight (kind of like rocky vs. that Russian on steroids,) the truck would tear right through you, or you would ram into the back because you are traveling at star trek hyperspace speeds.

Lets move onto houses, a mansion has a roof, same as a shack, isn't that what having a house is all about? If you can have a room and a bed its no different depending on how many there are. I like a nice four bedroom house, with heat and a.c. That isn't that hard to get is it? Sure it will probably still run you more than you could dream of making on any game show but people have handled the costs for decades before us. If you get a big house then you need to get big locks, then you need to get a security system, and then you will realize "Oh shoot, I have two kids, a wife and 45 bedrooms..." If you have a fortune of money and you want a fast car and a house that takes as much power as Manhattan in New York then more power to ya, but come on people, the rich lifestyle isn't what we fantasise about. Its great I'm sure but I believe that a man with 1 dollar and a man with a thousand dollars can both change the world in their own ways. "The goal is not to live forever, but instead to make something that will" Anyone can change the world, every day you get another opportunity, whether it be change the hearts of a nation or the heart of a man, you have still changed the world for the better.

There are two sides of being rich, the trust fund babies and those who earned it. Bill Gates deserves to be rich, he created windows which was incredible. But the trust fund babies don't usually deserve the money, it often spoils them. Not to be to general but that is in my opinion a truthful statement. Another thing I would like to talk about is privilege, for instance, taxing rich people more than middle class people. Taking money away from some of the best people on earth who created groundbreaking technology to help someone who got fired and never bothered to find another job and move out of their parents basement. No matter the circumstance you cannot tax due to privilege, sure rich people have money to spare but that money often goes into businesses, which drives the economy of a country, which lets people invest in those businesses and make money which furthers the economy of a country.

I won't tip toe around this subject like some others, the fact of the matter is rich people are like seeds. and their money is like rain that blooms a good economy. People often dislike the rich because they are jealous of them, but as I presented you can still live a fulfilling life, so why bog it down with envy and hate? You may not like their attitudes (if they have bad attitudes) but this is another issue that people simply do not think about. Just think, that is all I ask. The entire goal of this blog is to get people to think, sometimes about funny things or interesting things, but often about real world issues. God gave you that little round grey thing that looks like a wrinkly fat rat for a reason! It is for thinking, it is always good to take a moment to sit and think about the world, so many issues could be solved through thinking. I won't deny it, I often feel envy towards the rich, but please give them a break, they really do help the world for the better.

Regarding Suicide

This is a little post regarding a tough subject, suicide. The picture above depicts something that has nothing to do with suicide, but it does have something to do with greed. That will play into this in a little while, but for now let me spread my opinions about suicide. Because in an earlier post I discussed that suicide was a permanent solution to a temporary problem, this came from one of my father's sermons.

Suicide is a horrible thing, but I would like to talk about the big thing in suicide, teen suicide. It seems that more and more teens have been killing themselves, and thousands and thousands of teens have been threatening to kill themselves. The typical term used to describe suicidal people (at least among teens now a days) is "Emo." Meaning emotional, which doesn't quite make sense because if I'm angry I'm emotional... but people don't really think about, well anything anymore.

This term has lead rise to a popular trend among teens, the Gothic look. Some people believe that the kids who dye their hair black and wear dark clothing deserve pity and need to be loved. Don't get me wrong I'm all for love but the problem is people have realized that they can get attention through these means, through pretending to be suicidal. The problem is that these posers take the spotlight off of the people who truly need help.

Lets take a moment to talk about the posers, the people who made the term "Emo" and Suicidal mean someone who wears a big frown on their face and sits in a corner in schools all day. Ive heard many times that people who are really suicidal don't usually show it to the public. You can typically spot the real from fake. The point of this entire post is simply this, why are the kids with 64 inch plasma TVs and blue ray playing computers ranting about how their lives are terrible and how they have no friends. First off, if you stopped ranting about your life being terrible you would have friends, and if you had friends you wouldn't think your life was terrible. How is raving about how no one likes you going to make people like you? Once again, people don't seem to think about anything.

My heart goes out to all of the people who's lives are truly terrible and want to kill themselves, but I still stand by the truth that kids now a days don't realize that they are just going through high school and puberty like... everyone else! So what makes them so special that it is any worse for them? I'm sure that a lot of them are truly in bad places but I hate it that as I said before the spotlight is on the people who do it all for attention. And considering that many of them have such great lives I think that their pathetic cry for attention is purely because of greed. That is why the picture is there.

Don't get me wrong, as I said before my heart goes out to all who are truthfully considering suicide. But I encourage those who fake it for attention, and all those who give those people attention to think about what you are doing. Because as I said before, you complain about your life being bad and having no friends then you won't get any friends, but if you stop you will get friends, and when you have friends you will not think your life is so terrible. it is a cycle that is easily broken.

Our need to be Loved

As Humans, we have a need to be loved. No child would be the same without the love of a parent, no pet would be the same without the love of an owner. If someone who is important to you tells you that they don't love you it can affect you in a very negative way. If they were serious of course, sometimes its a joke and sometimes it is serious. One excellent example would be Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird. As explained to scout, Boo was locked in his house mentally, he wasn't chained to a bed but he was beaten down with words. My teacher and I discussed it and we decided that Boo must have been told many times by his parents, the ones who he needed love from the most, that nobody loved him and that he was hated by all. They would tell him about the rumours that he was a bloodthirsty monster, he thought the world hated him so why would he hurt others by going outside and being in their presence. All because he was physiologically abused by his parents.

Everyone needs loved, lack of it can destroy you. Many people commit suicide because they feel that they have no one, but as my dad said in one of his sermons, suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. There is someone on earth who loves you, no matter what society tells you. If you treat someone as a friend, spend an hour with them and give them your number, they will eventually call you up to spend another hour with them. Just as when someone leaves food out for a stray cat the cat will come back. Cats need food, we need love, being friendly to people is showing them love. A smile could save a life, showing someone who is seriously considering suicide love could change their entire life. All it takes is a smile, or a friendly gesture. We show each other love everyday, so please don't stop, it is as necessary to human life as water and shelter. Even Stalin, Hitler and Saddam Hussein need love, other things can factor in such as mental instability and other things, but maybe if someone would have shown Cho some love he wouldn't have killed so many in Virginia Tech. Maybe if someone would have shown Hitler some love he wouldn't have been inspired to gain power by killing. But then again people can be insane, it is very possible that Hitler would have done the same thing as he did if he had been shown more love. But the chance is always worth it, you could change a life and not even realize it.

Are we Human? Or are we Dancers? Are we Letting our Days go By?

Are we Human, or are we Dancers? What do they mean? The Killers are a great band but I can't credit them for meaningful lyrics, except for this song. At first listen you probably won't catch it, but listen to certain lines such as "Cut the Cord." What I gathered from the song was about falling into a routine life, doing the same thing over and over again. Like a dancer, but then I realized it was something more, "Cut the Cord," Refers to a puppet. That line can change the whole meaning of the song, but it isn't a universal change. The song is not about falling into a routine but instead not being yourself, or not being allowed to be yourself, to be "Human." And "Cut the Cord" means being freed. It means being freed from this forced lifestyle, some people don't even realize they are in it.

You wake up, you go to Starbucks, you work nine to five, you go home and relax, watch the days new episode of whatever cop show you watch. Go to sleep and repeat five times a week. That may sound nice, but the truth is you are getting two or three fun things in a day. Starbucks, maybe a good sale and C.S.I NY. Sure you have to work or go to school, but you need to live a little. Spend time with friends, Call a relative, Even go golfing! Anything to break away from the nine to five life that many people live. We all need to rest don't we? In the case this song portrays a boss, parent, or partner are making life hard. Not letting you be yourself.

"Let me be myself" I always found that term a little humorous. No one can let you be yourself, you are who you are and the truth is the puppet master in your life isn't that boss you are trying to impress by reading a, 1100 page book, its you making yourself read that book because you think you need to to be loved. All humans have a want for love, you do, I do, Hitler did! Everyone has a natural need for love, it is as important as food and water. But lets get back to the main point. You would impress that book worm boss of yours more if you said that you enjoyed a book with action rather than long scenes of talking leading to an unsatisfying end. He might not like you putting it in that light but he wants to see the real you. Great line from the movie Hitch with Kevin James and Will Smith, "Be you, she may not want to see it all at once but she does want to see it." What Will Smith means is being yourself will get you farther than putting on a fake face. This next song by The Talking Heads is called Once in a Lifetime.

In this song it deals more with what I though Human did. About falling into a Routine. Letting your days go by can ruin your life, but the worst part is you won't notice until you have already lost too much time. We are only on this little blue rock spinning around the big yellow light once, and if you don't live it to the fullest then what is the point of living it?

Hiking Trip

July 9-10 Garth, Ben, Brandon, Dean and I went on a hiking trip at a place called Eagle Creek, a trail about ten minutes away from Multenomah Falls. We hiked to the 7.5 mile camp, camped and walked back 7.5 miles to the car. Let me explain, we hiked 7.5 miles with about 45-75 pounds of weight (depending on pack) in our backpacks and then slept under the stars, we voted to not have a tent to save time. We ate some delicious spaghetti cooked by Garth's wife Kathy. We cooked it on the little propane camp cooker we packed and ate ourselves full. For desert we had the most delicious little watermelon balls that Kathy had made using a melon baller kitchen tool. Then we went to sleep, I apparently kept brushing against peoples feet and waking them up but I slept through the night. We ate omelets in the morning (again courtesy of Kathy) and we went up the trail back to the car. After a two hour ride and a bit of panic for Garth's poor Jeep being rained on without the top we made it back to town.

The scenery was incredible, we walked behind a waterfall, across a deeper-than-average puddles and trudged our way through fields of rocks next to cliffs of doom. But it wasn't really that rough. It was at least five times longer than the longest hike I had taken (Turkey run, a 3 mile trail, Eagle creek, a 15 mile hike) but I made it through like everyone else. Coming in took a while but on the way out we hiked like champions, four stops, 7.5 miles. We had lunch at Punchbowl Falls, (a place with a waterfall and a punchbowl, with a glacier water swimming hole)we ate peanut butter and jelly sand witches and drank our flasks down to the bottom (we didn't really have flasks, we had water bottles... it was a joke.) That's that, Keep checking my blog for future posts and have a great week!