First off before I begin the post, I'm sorry, but my account for blogger is being really weird, so I can't comment on my own or anybody else's blog. It's REALLY annoying, and I hope you can forgive me. Sorry people. I'm going to respond to questions in the next post. In response to Alex's: Yes, I believe both. As I said, it's truth. I just wrote it keeping in mind that some of the audience isn't going to be religious.
I find it sort of funny. I mean, when you think about it, what are we really? Bags of bones and organs and flesh and blood, with a wispy spirit attached. Yet look at all the drama and and wonder around us? We're just little bits of carbon and nitrogen, dwarfed by a planet it would take countless of us to fill. Yet everything around us in our small patch of earth we traverse is so vivid, and means so much to our minds.
We're little bits of star stuff, yet we seem to dream and worship about the same stars we came from. Small things like food and water, things of such small mass, of such small meaning to the universe means the universe to us. We're so small, yet so big at the same time. Our minds are incredible things, concentrated on the here and now. They are so flawed, though. So vulnerable to weapons and even our own body. Yet each mind is so strong at the same time, a thing that lets us move mountains, level forests, grow millions of acres of food, give so much, and take so much away. A thing that is more of a danger to the world than the millions of years of risk and danger from both forces on Earth and from the night sky.
I think that it is a blessing, being so priviledged to be able to have a mind. It comes with great responsibility, though. Each mind can create, can free, can do so much good. Yet each mind can do so much evil, so much killing, so much enslaving, and so much destruction. I pray we can keep that in mind as we go about in the world. It may be the undoing, or the preserving of the race, the planet, and maybe someday the Universe.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Persuit Of Truth
By definition, there can only be one version of truth, because there are many lies, but there are only a handful of truths. Truth doesn't change, because then it would be lie. Truth has very strict limits, as you can see here. So, when confronted with two seemingly opposing ideas, who have both been proven as truth, there can only be ONE truth that they share. So the truth has to be the same, even if the ideas seem opposite.
I'm going to talk to you today about a contriversial topic that has been here since the dawn of time. Religion vs. Science. One who studies religion cannot deny its truthfulness, nor can one who studies science deny its truthfulness. If a person is open-minded, both of these things become truth and right. So if they both contain truth, and can only have one truth shared between them, both are true.
Does that mean that evolution fits in there? Yes, it does. What about the creation of the universe? That fits there, too. What about neanderthals and Cro-magnons. Definately. You can find a way to bridge ANY scientific topic to any religious topic. There is a way to explain everything.
The goal of the scientist and the pastor alike is the obtaining and applying of truth. Both strive to gain knowledge and use it in daily life. Their methods are the place where they are different. One relies on past knowledge, tools, etc., while the other relies on enlightenment. This explains why scientists discover more worldly things, while pastors and prophets discover spiritual matters.
So when you are concerned that although what you study in school and such has evidence to back it up, it may not be true, just remember that if you can prove something, it is truth. And truth is an important thing to obtain.
I'm going to talk to you today about a contriversial topic that has been here since the dawn of time. Religion vs. Science. One who studies religion cannot deny its truthfulness, nor can one who studies science deny its truthfulness. If a person is open-minded, both of these things become truth and right. So if they both contain truth, and can only have one truth shared between them, both are true.
Does that mean that evolution fits in there? Yes, it does. What about the creation of the universe? That fits there, too. What about neanderthals and Cro-magnons. Definately. You can find a way to bridge ANY scientific topic to any religious topic. There is a way to explain everything.
The goal of the scientist and the pastor alike is the obtaining and applying of truth. Both strive to gain knowledge and use it in daily life. Their methods are the place where they are different. One relies on past knowledge, tools, etc., while the other relies on enlightenment. This explains why scientists discover more worldly things, while pastors and prophets discover spiritual matters.
So when you are concerned that although what you study in school and such has evidence to back it up, it may not be true, just remember that if you can prove something, it is truth. And truth is an important thing to obtain.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Happy
First off, I'm sorry that I haven't been posting comments on your blogs. My google account isn't working quite right, so I can't post any comments. I'm going to try and fix it, but it looks doubtful.
If you would have told me 6 weeks ago that I would feel like I do now, I would have laughed at you, and then shipped you to the looney bin. It would have been quite the joke! But now, there is no joke.
I don't know exactly what happened, or how it happened, but for some reason I'm happier now than I ever have been before. I feel... free. Unburdened. Grateful. It is a very strange soaring sensation that takes me above the clouds. I have so much that is going for me, so many people who are willing to be friends with me. It's an incredible feeling.
Sorry for this seemingly pointless post, but I would like to thank all of you (one in particular) for helping me to feel this way. You are all incredible!
If you would have told me 6 weeks ago that I would feel like I do now, I would have laughed at you, and then shipped you to the looney bin. It would have been quite the joke! But now, there is no joke.
I don't know exactly what happened, or how it happened, but for some reason I'm happier now than I ever have been before. I feel... free. Unburdened. Grateful. It is a very strange soaring sensation that takes me above the clouds. I have so much that is going for me, so many people who are willing to be friends with me. It's an incredible feeling.
Sorry for this seemingly pointless post, but I would like to thank all of you (one in particular) for helping me to feel this way. You are all incredible!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The End...
It's been quite a year! Not only in my life, but on this blog too. I feel like I got my wish, and though few voices actually had the patience to read my writing, I got what I believe out there. I've talked about so many things that otherwise nobody would probably would even think about in their lifetimes, and it's been satisfying to know that perhaps I might have helped the country be a little better through the minds of a few Young Adults.
From my blogs about Politics, to the Environment, and then to the very things that make us human. Not only have I shared ideas on the most basic things of humanity, I have also gained ideas. Ideas from people such as Ghandi, Stephen Biko, my Geography teacher, my English teacher, and my friends. I have learned much, and I still have much to learn.
I have loved writing this blog all year. It has improved my writing skills, and allowed me to interact with my classmates on level I have never before experienced. I have grown incredibly, and have connected myself with the world better.
I would like to thank all of those who made this blog possible: Mr. T, my dedicated Honors English teacher, who introduced me into this world. The Music Man, who's comments have often sent my mind reeling for hours at a time. The Ruler Of The World, who's critisism has helped me to take a hard look at myself and what I write. Mystique, who's comments have helped to increase my sense of being in the world. Fermata, who always has something intriguing to say that gives me a sense of wonder.
And finally The Girl From Cedar City, who has cheered me up on many a sad day.
This is not the END end, of course. I will continue to write this blog and stay up to date with the rest of the people who will continue to write theirs. This is simply the end of honors english and ninth grade.
I hope you guys still have some patience left in you, because it isn't over till it's over!
Adrian.
From my blogs about Politics, to the Environment, and then to the very things that make us human. Not only have I shared ideas on the most basic things of humanity, I have also gained ideas. Ideas from people such as Ghandi, Stephen Biko, my Geography teacher, my English teacher, and my friends. I have learned much, and I still have much to learn.
I have loved writing this blog all year. It has improved my writing skills, and allowed me to interact with my classmates on level I have never before experienced. I have grown incredibly, and have connected myself with the world better.
I would like to thank all of those who made this blog possible: Mr. T, my dedicated Honors English teacher, who introduced me into this world. The Music Man, who's comments have often sent my mind reeling for hours at a time. The Ruler Of The World, who's critisism has helped me to take a hard look at myself and what I write. Mystique, who's comments have helped to increase my sense of being in the world. Fermata, who always has something intriguing to say that gives me a sense of wonder.
And finally The Girl From Cedar City, who has cheered me up on many a sad day.
This is not the END end, of course. I will continue to write this blog and stay up to date with the rest of the people who will continue to write theirs. This is simply the end of honors english and ninth grade.
I hope you guys still have some patience left in you, because it isn't over till it's over!
Adrian.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Masquerade
Masks. Hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds. All lined up in neat little rows, ready to go on in a moment's notice. The alarm clock rings. The Masquerade begins. Who knows what masks I will need today? What I do know is that I need them. Every single one of them. Anything could happen.
I know this is a ominous start to my post, but this second to last post is a thing that I have considered for many years, and I want the mood to feel a little dark. Of course, the masquerade is symbolic. Symbolic of Life. Each mask is a symbol of how you interact and act like around each person or circumstance.
Imagine a masquerade with hundreds of people in it. Now imagine that for each one you put on a different mask. This is very similar to life. We interact with people, places, and things constantly, and our attitude and outlook changes. For example if you are playing video games, you are happier and brighter than when you are doing your math homework.
A person interacts with other persons around him/her in different ways. The way you talk to Johnny is different from how you talk to Suzie. Every single person you know has a mask in your mind. When you meet that person and interact with them, you slip your mask on and dance your dance.
Of course, this is because of human nature, and because everybody is different and unique, but while this is true there is a very real danger of losing the self. You can be caught up so much in being popular that you don't ever take your mask off. All you can think about is the next mask, the next person, the next social event. Masks can also lead to an opposite effect, where the person remains silent inside a special quiet mask that prevents them from dancing with others.
Being yourself is a very hard thing to do. Showing your real face, and being proud to do it is an immense accomplishment that nobody fully accomplishes in this life. It is a striving which requires effort from all fronts, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or any other aspect of humanity. There are certain times of peace for everybody, though, when they slip off the mask for a bit. When you decide to do something strange, or thy something new, you step out of the comfort of the mask.
Doing such things requires great courage. Courage that does not come easily to any one human. I often do not acquire the courage to be myself, which always hurts me in the long run. We must be willing to get burned. Being yourself is like cooking over a fire. You may get burned, but in the long run it's worth it.
I hope to be myself more than I have before. I want to be more accepting and open to those who really need help, and most especially accepting and open to myself. We all need to gain self-esteem. Life without a mask is much better for everyone. It is worth it to try.
I know this is a ominous start to my post, but this second to last post is a thing that I have considered for many years, and I want the mood to feel a little dark. Of course, the masquerade is symbolic. Symbolic of Life. Each mask is a symbol of how you interact and act like around each person or circumstance.
Imagine a masquerade with hundreds of people in it. Now imagine that for each one you put on a different mask. This is very similar to life. We interact with people, places, and things constantly, and our attitude and outlook changes. For example if you are playing video games, you are happier and brighter than when you are doing your math homework.
A person interacts with other persons around him/her in different ways. The way you talk to Johnny is different from how you talk to Suzie. Every single person you know has a mask in your mind. When you meet that person and interact with them, you slip your mask on and dance your dance.
Of course, this is because of human nature, and because everybody is different and unique, but while this is true there is a very real danger of losing the self. You can be caught up so much in being popular that you don't ever take your mask off. All you can think about is the next mask, the next person, the next social event. Masks can also lead to an opposite effect, where the person remains silent inside a special quiet mask that prevents them from dancing with others.
Being yourself is a very hard thing to do. Showing your real face, and being proud to do it is an immense accomplishment that nobody fully accomplishes in this life. It is a striving which requires effort from all fronts, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or any other aspect of humanity. There are certain times of peace for everybody, though, when they slip off the mask for a bit. When you decide to do something strange, or thy something new, you step out of the comfort of the mask.
Doing such things requires great courage. Courage that does not come easily to any one human. I often do not acquire the courage to be myself, which always hurts me in the long run. We must be willing to get burned. Being yourself is like cooking over a fire. You may get burned, but in the long run it's worth it.
I hope to be myself more than I have before. I want to be more accepting and open to those who really need help, and most especially accepting and open to myself. We all need to gain self-esteem. Life without a mask is much better for everyone. It is worth it to try.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Past and Present
I have thought about the idea of forgetting or learning from the past and applying it to the present, but there is a point where you are obsessed with your past. I just want to explore some of the balance that is neccesary to live in the best way.
First off, I would like to recognize how useful our pasts can be. Memories are a compostition of past failures and succeses that we can draw from when we need to. People most often refer to this view of the past as experience. If someone has a lot of experience, they have learned the most effective ways to do or act in a certain way through trial and error.
Now I would like to point out that memories can also hinder a person's ability to do something. Memories can cause fear, discomfort, or a whole range of distracting emotions. It could make someone hesitant to do something good, like going to the Dentist, or getting a haircut. This is very evident in little children, who don't understand what is good for them, or what was an extreme example of something that normally doesn't happen.
So in light of these two things, we can go to two extremes. One is where we blow off the past and just keep living without thinking about mistakes or successes. Another is where we cling to the past, constantly moping and whining and being frightened of everything. The trick is to find the balance.
The balance is different from person to person. Some people only listen to their pasts if they blow them a little out of proportion, while others are very sensititve to past mistakes. There are also individual cases, because all memories affect us differently, where a single memory is difficult to either feel or contain.
There really isn't one correct solution, or probably even ANY correct solution to help us take advantage of the valuable resource. It is just one of those human things that will never be perfect no matter how we try right now. I hope to find the best balance I can, and I wish others luck in their search for balance.
First off, I would like to recognize how useful our pasts can be. Memories are a compostition of past failures and succeses that we can draw from when we need to. People most often refer to this view of the past as experience. If someone has a lot of experience, they have learned the most effective ways to do or act in a certain way through trial and error.
Now I would like to point out that memories can also hinder a person's ability to do something. Memories can cause fear, discomfort, or a whole range of distracting emotions. It could make someone hesitant to do something good, like going to the Dentist, or getting a haircut. This is very evident in little children, who don't understand what is good for them, or what was an extreme example of something that normally doesn't happen.
So in light of these two things, we can go to two extremes. One is where we blow off the past and just keep living without thinking about mistakes or successes. Another is where we cling to the past, constantly moping and whining and being frightened of everything. The trick is to find the balance.
The balance is different from person to person. Some people only listen to their pasts if they blow them a little out of proportion, while others are very sensititve to past mistakes. There are also individual cases, because all memories affect us differently, where a single memory is difficult to either feel or contain.
There really isn't one correct solution, or probably even ANY correct solution to help us take advantage of the valuable resource. It is just one of those human things that will never be perfect no matter how we try right now. I hope to find the best balance I can, and I wish others luck in their search for balance.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
A Prologue to a Story
Since I've sort of digressed from the organization intended to have in my blog, I decided to throw a prologue to a story I am considering writing into the whole disorganized mix. I hope you enjoy it!
"HOW COULD YOU?" shrieked the girl dangling beside me. "HOW COULD YOU?" She thrashed from side to side, trying to loosen herself from the shackles that held her aloft. She would soon give up, much like the boy to my left had, with a slump of the shoulders and an empty, resigned stare.
I use my own resigned energy to force myself to concentrate on small things instead of listening to the shrieking, like the smell of rotting plants the cold stone dungeon has, or the taste of blood which still lingers in my mouth. It's not that the shrieking itself is driving me insane, but the fact I know that I caused it.
It IS my fault that we're all here, hanging from iron shackles that lift us three feet off of the ground. It was because of my that these people who were my friends are suffering. I did do the right thing, but is it really the right thing if it causes so much pain. I look down, feeling an urge to cry, but I haven't cried for hours. It's surprising how short of a time it takes you to become inhuman in a prison.
I find myself wanting to console the girl, but what can I say? "Sorry for betraying and imprisoning you for all eternity, will you forgive me?" No, I'll just have to suffer here in the dark until they finally decide to kill me off.
I suppose that I had best start at the beginning, when I first met the pair of people who now hang beside me. I'll prove to you that I did the right thing. Maybe I can even convince myself...
"HOW COULD YOU?" shrieked the girl dangling beside me. "HOW COULD YOU?" She thrashed from side to side, trying to loosen herself from the shackles that held her aloft. She would soon give up, much like the boy to my left had, with a slump of the shoulders and an empty, resigned stare.
I use my own resigned energy to force myself to concentrate on small things instead of listening to the shrieking, like the smell of rotting plants the cold stone dungeon has, or the taste of blood which still lingers in my mouth. It's not that the shrieking itself is driving me insane, but the fact I know that I caused it.
It IS my fault that we're all here, hanging from iron shackles that lift us three feet off of the ground. It was because of my that these people who were my friends are suffering. I did do the right thing, but is it really the right thing if it causes so much pain. I look down, feeling an urge to cry, but I haven't cried for hours. It's surprising how short of a time it takes you to become inhuman in a prison.
I find myself wanting to console the girl, but what can I say? "Sorry for betraying and imprisoning you for all eternity, will you forgive me?" No, I'll just have to suffer here in the dark until they finally decide to kill me off.
I suppose that I had best start at the beginning, when I first met the pair of people who now hang beside me. I'll prove to you that I did the right thing. Maybe I can even convince myself...
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The Bright Side
We've all heard the phrase "Look on the Bright Side" before. In fact, we've probably heard it so much that it has lost a lot of meaning in our brains. Today in this post, I will explore some of the deeper meanings this phrase could possibly have.
The phrase "Look on the Bright Side" is usually used to console or reassure someone who has had a particularly bad day or experience. It is used to show that although the situation seems bad (has a "dark" side), there is also goodness, learning, and hope (the "bright" side). For example, when someone loses a family member, a friend my try and comfort the person by saying, "Look on the bright side, he's in a better place than you are."
Does it mean more than this, though. Does it only refer to the specific good effects of situations or happenings, or does it refer to a much more universal thing?
I believe it does. I mean, think about it. The world in general can often be thought of as a "bad" place to live in. It has a lot of bad things in it. Murder, rape, greed, and other nightmares plague a lot of places. However, what happens when you apply "Look on the Bright Side" to the entire world? It suddenly becomes brighter. You remember all of the beautiful, kind things that have happened to you. Every flower, ever person that was willing to make you feel welcome, every bright ray of sunshine. Then you find yourself thinking, "It's not perfect by a long shot, but it's not too bad at all."
It is often the little things like this in life that makes life worth living. It is these small things that brighten up our days, and make them feel happier and more complete. It is so sad how often everyone misses out on a lot of that stuff because they are so concentrated on the bad. I think that the phrase "When walking upon the path of life, stop and smell the roses" expresses this idea nicely. We should all take a little time out of our busy lives to realize that the world is a wonderful, beautiful place.
The phrase "Look on the Bright Side" is usually used to console or reassure someone who has had a particularly bad day or experience. It is used to show that although the situation seems bad (has a "dark" side), there is also goodness, learning, and hope (the "bright" side). For example, when someone loses a family member, a friend my try and comfort the person by saying, "Look on the bright side, he's in a better place than you are."
Does it mean more than this, though. Does it only refer to the specific good effects of situations or happenings, or does it refer to a much more universal thing?
I believe it does. I mean, think about it. The world in general can often be thought of as a "bad" place to live in. It has a lot of bad things in it. Murder, rape, greed, and other nightmares plague a lot of places. However, what happens when you apply "Look on the Bright Side" to the entire world? It suddenly becomes brighter. You remember all of the beautiful, kind things that have happened to you. Every flower, ever person that was willing to make you feel welcome, every bright ray of sunshine. Then you find yourself thinking, "It's not perfect by a long shot, but it's not too bad at all."
It is often the little things like this in life that makes life worth living. It is these small things that brighten up our days, and make them feel happier and more complete. It is so sad how often everyone misses out on a lot of that stuff because they are so concentrated on the bad. I think that the phrase "When walking upon the path of life, stop and smell the roses" expresses this idea nicely. We should all take a little time out of our busy lives to realize that the world is a wonderful, beautiful place.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Hunger Games: What is it really trying to teach?
I've been reading and talking about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and have been pondering on its meaning and themes. I will not give a background or a plot summary, because this post is meant to specifically target those individuals who have already read the book and pondered its inner meaning. So, this post has a major spoiler alert.
Suzanne Collins to me is very brave person. She writes literature for kids that broaches on subjects and actions that parents try to shield children from. Whats more, she writes her books to get people to think, which is a hard and, well, dangerous thing to do.
I think that Suzanne Collins wrote those books the way she did as a sort of warning to our generation. It is full of mini-themes and messages about nature and censorship and such, but I think that the main themes of the book have to do with the humanity and how violence affects who we are and what we become.
Katniss at the beginning is used to having to fend and survive for herself, and doing things out of necessity. She has never had anything provided for her in her life, and has developed a system of "owing" people, where anytime someone does something for her, she must pay them back equally. This quality comes back to haunt her in the arena, where she hates owing people for saving her life, which is hard to pay back.
Now, in the first book, the Hunger Games sort of humanizes her. She is animal and automatic and kills because of necessity, but once she kills her first human, she realizes what it actually means to take a life. She realizes that every single person in that games is, in fact, a person. She finds that every thing has a right to live, and that the games are pure evil.
After that, though, her experiences start to overcome her. She becomes more and more monstrous in her automatic killing response when confronted with a threat. She stops thinking about those who she kills, and becomes more focused on her own survival and the survival of others around her. She stops caring about them. She becomes more and more removed from not only the people she kills, but the people she is close to as well.
If you compare the pre-Games Katniss to the Mockingjay Katniss, you think that maybe Katniss's disturbed twin came and killed her and replaced her. I mean, at the beginning, she is dark, automatic, and kind of isolated, but after, she is still those things, but they are blown way out of proportion. She is disturbed, insane, broken, and intensely isolated from the rest of the world. She hates everything, especially herself. She is in a crazed, horrid state.
So what does this show about our world? I think it clearly shows the effect of violence upon humanity in general. It shows that violence warps people and hurts them internally. This is a clear warning to us. We don't want to end up like Katniss. Cold, isolated, unresponsive. We need to make sure we make choices and perform actions that will bring peace and not violence. Sort of like Ghandi, who believed in non-violent protest.
I fear for the world today. Desensitization to violence is happening all around us through video games and the movies. We put off the idea of violence in other parts of the world. It has become a silly thing now that isn't real except in T.V. and on the PS3. What would happen, if we ended up in a situation that caused violence? Would we easily give in to violence ourselves because it has always been a "silly thing"? I hope that our world today will recognize Collins and her attempt to warn them about violence and its effects.
Suzanne Collins to me is very brave person. She writes literature for kids that broaches on subjects and actions that parents try to shield children from. Whats more, she writes her books to get people to think, which is a hard and, well, dangerous thing to do.
I think that Suzanne Collins wrote those books the way she did as a sort of warning to our generation. It is full of mini-themes and messages about nature and censorship and such, but I think that the main themes of the book have to do with the humanity and how violence affects who we are and what we become.
Katniss at the beginning is used to having to fend and survive for herself, and doing things out of necessity. She has never had anything provided for her in her life, and has developed a system of "owing" people, where anytime someone does something for her, she must pay them back equally. This quality comes back to haunt her in the arena, where she hates owing people for saving her life, which is hard to pay back.
Now, in the first book, the Hunger Games sort of humanizes her. She is animal and automatic and kills because of necessity, but once she kills her first human, she realizes what it actually means to take a life. She realizes that every single person in that games is, in fact, a person. She finds that every thing has a right to live, and that the games are pure evil.
After that, though, her experiences start to overcome her. She becomes more and more monstrous in her automatic killing response when confronted with a threat. She stops thinking about those who she kills, and becomes more focused on her own survival and the survival of others around her. She stops caring about them. She becomes more and more removed from not only the people she kills, but the people she is close to as well.
If you compare the pre-Games Katniss to the Mockingjay Katniss, you think that maybe Katniss's disturbed twin came and killed her and replaced her. I mean, at the beginning, she is dark, automatic, and kind of isolated, but after, she is still those things, but they are blown way out of proportion. She is disturbed, insane, broken, and intensely isolated from the rest of the world. She hates everything, especially herself. She is in a crazed, horrid state.
So what does this show about our world? I think it clearly shows the effect of violence upon humanity in general. It shows that violence warps people and hurts them internally. This is a clear warning to us. We don't want to end up like Katniss. Cold, isolated, unresponsive. We need to make sure we make choices and perform actions that will bring peace and not violence. Sort of like Ghandi, who believed in non-violent protest.
I fear for the world today. Desensitization to violence is happening all around us through video games and the movies. We put off the idea of violence in other parts of the world. It has become a silly thing now that isn't real except in T.V. and on the PS3. What would happen, if we ended up in a situation that caused violence? Would we easily give in to violence ourselves because it has always been a "silly thing"? I hope that our world today will recognize Collins and her attempt to warn them about violence and its effects.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
day, April 8, 2011 My Very Very Very Late April Fools Post!!!!! The Story Behind the Mouse-clicks: Blizzard Entertainment!!!! Part 2
First off I am horribly, horribly sorry for being this late on my blog. I haven't had the best week, and I have been really busy. So today I am going to present a long post yet again, with the threat of crushing math homework over my head.
Today we will continue with my exploration of the awesomeness of Blizzard. To recap, we have seen two amazing Warcraft games and the incredible Starcraft. Now we jump up to the time when 3-D really hit a new peak. The old look of a sort of 2-D cube changed into something that look of a 3-D cube. This is around the time when Nintendo really hit its final stride to the top, and the computer game industry charged into full force. The game Blizzard created at that time was the third installment of the Warcraft series: Warcraft 3 Reign of Chaos. The example of this 3-D is shown in the following pictures (of course the graphics are a bit dulled by the fact that they are pictures):
As you can obviously see, this game was well-developed visually. It was a pioneer of this technology, and used it so well that it played in a significant part in gaining Game of the Year, and gathering players for World of Warcraft in later years.
Part of the appeal and greatness that this game had had nothing to do with technology or hardware or advanced creating techniques. You see, every one of Blizzard's Warcraft games had been rather standard and stereotypical. Evil Orcs versus Valliant Humans. Blizzard looked at its games, and saw that it hadn't really added something to the world of fantasy. So it decided to do something different. It created a one-of-a-kind story.
When you first come into the game, you notice several things. First, the cutscene displaying that evil is coming. Second, there are no longer only two races. We'll get to that later. Third, you notice that there is a small Orc prologue to the rest of the campaign. Here is where the ultimate beauty comes in that has made Blizzard famous. The Orcs have been imprisoned for a long time. They have become calm, quiet, and a lot less disruptive. It is odd, since they were once so bloodthirsty and violent. Up rose a leader by the name of Thrall, who was raised by humans. He saw that his people were not violent naturally, but only because they had been under the curse of demons. He turned to the shamanistic ways, and liberated the orcs from their camp. He became their Warchief. Then, when they were in hiding, trying to make lives for themselves, a mysterious prophet appears, and tells Thrall to travel across the sea to the unknown land of Kalimdor to face the evil demons that will return. Here is part of it in the second cutscene.
As you can see, Blizzard has taken something, and turned it into a beautiful story, free from regular cliche. The Orcs are only a fourth of the story, however. Humans have been changed as well, but is it for the better, or will it cause their dooms?
The Human campaign tells the story of Arthas, son of the king and a noble Paladin. At first, he serves the cause by driving out the still demon-corrupted Black Rock Orcs, and protects the people. While this is going on, the government is corrupt, and word of a mysterious plague in the north reaches their ears. Finally, after ignoring it for so long, they decide to send Arthas and a wizardess named Jaina to investigate. What they find out is horrifying. There is a strange plague in the grains that turns all who eat it into undead. Not only that, but a mysterious force of undead has begun to take the land. As Arthas fights to save what he can of the people, a major city falls into plague. He purges the whole city, and act that defies the order of Paladins, and goes against what his father wishes. He lets the rage get the better of him, and embarks on a quest to find a sword which shall turn him into a being of darkness, a Death Knight. A servant of an evil master. He then returns, kills his father, and takes his place with the Undead Scourge, a new race which I shall explain in the next paragraph.
The Scourge is a group of Undead that are under control of the evil Lich King. They are armies of rotting flesh, bones, and destruction. They have been given a charge to destroy all of the strong races of the world, and to prepare for the coming of the Burning Legion, the group of demons who corrupted the Orcs. As they began their rampage across the Human lands, they destroy the wood elves, and take away much of their power. But, the plan of the Undead did not succeed fully. First off, the Orcs had fled to Kalimdor. Second, the Prophet had been trying to convince a human leader to flee to Kalimdor, and had succeeded in Jaina, who had fled with a large part of the population.
Next is the real Orc Campaign. As the Orcs arrive, they begin to search for a place to settle. They meet the Tauren, giant bull-men who follow shamanistic ways, and befriend them by driving away the Centaurs that plagued them. The chief of the Tauren tells Thrall to travel to a nearby cave to consult a mysterious Oracle. When Thrall ventures in, he is surprised to find humans, the same humans Jaina had fled with. Then he meets the Oracle, who convinces him and Jaina (who is also present) to work together. Unfortunately, Thrall had sent a leader of part of the horde Grom Hellscream to the northern forests to collect wood. Angered, Grom quickly calms down as he meets mysterious warrior women in the forest, who turn out to be the Night Elves (see next paragraph). Then a Demon named Mannaroth finds Grom, and re-enslaves him and his group he had with him. Thrall then works with the humans to catch and release him from the Demon influence. He and Grom then travel together, and kill Mannaroth, forever ending the Demon curse.
The last chapter of the story is of the Night Elves. The Night Elves are dark wood elves, who fight to protect their forests. When a strange force of green-skinned and white-skinned people move in and settle, they drive them out, only to be attacked and almost captured by the Burning Legion. Tyrande Whisperwind, the Priestess of the Moon, then escapes and gathers all of the Night Elf Forces. Unfortunately, it will not be enough, but soon Tyrande and her leader Malfurion Stormrage meet the Prophet, and join with the Humans and Orcs to make a final stand against the Demons. They win, and live to see another day. But at what cost? The entire world is in Chaos, the Scourge is still ever-present, and there is little left. That is the point where this story leaves off, and World of Warcraft comes in.
World of Warcraft took the story, and created a world where you could play a single person, and fight for your side. Although there was an agreement between all races, they once again split up into the Alliance and the Horde, and went to war with each other. Now you fight for your side, and for the very survival of your people. It is pretty fun, I played it for a while. You could be one of several races, and several classes. When they made the game, the producers at Blizzard joked about making the 1 Million player mark. Well, they hit the 10 Million player mark instead.
Starcraft 2 came out recently. There is a whole website full of info, and plenty of Youtube videos. All I need to say is that Raynor wants to overthrow the government, but when a sudden unexpected attack from the Zerg happens, Raynor is forced to choose to save lives, even if that means he must side with his hated Dominion.
Thanks for reading all those you did. I will be going back to my observances once again after this. Sorry for the late post! For the HORDE!!!
Today we will continue with my exploration of the awesomeness of Blizzard. To recap, we have seen two amazing Warcraft games and the incredible Starcraft. Now we jump up to the time when 3-D really hit a new peak. The old look of a sort of 2-D cube changed into something that look of a 3-D cube. This is around the time when Nintendo really hit its final stride to the top, and the computer game industry charged into full force. The game Blizzard created at that time was the third installment of the Warcraft series: Warcraft 3 Reign of Chaos. The example of this 3-D is shown in the following pictures (of course the graphics are a bit dulled by the fact that they are pictures):
As you can obviously see, this game was well-developed visually. It was a pioneer of this technology, and used it so well that it played in a significant part in gaining Game of the Year, and gathering players for World of Warcraft in later years.
Part of the appeal and greatness that this game had had nothing to do with technology or hardware or advanced creating techniques. You see, every one of Blizzard's Warcraft games had been rather standard and stereotypical. Evil Orcs versus Valliant Humans. Blizzard looked at its games, and saw that it hadn't really added something to the world of fantasy. So it decided to do something different. It created a one-of-a-kind story.
When you first come into the game, you notice several things. First, the cutscene displaying that evil is coming. Second, there are no longer only two races. We'll get to that later. Third, you notice that there is a small Orc prologue to the rest of the campaign. Here is where the ultimate beauty comes in that has made Blizzard famous. The Orcs have been imprisoned for a long time. They have become calm, quiet, and a lot less disruptive. It is odd, since they were once so bloodthirsty and violent. Up rose a leader by the name of Thrall, who was raised by humans. He saw that his people were not violent naturally, but only because they had been under the curse of demons. He turned to the shamanistic ways, and liberated the orcs from their camp. He became their Warchief. Then, when they were in hiding, trying to make lives for themselves, a mysterious prophet appears, and tells Thrall to travel across the sea to the unknown land of Kalimdor to face the evil demons that will return. Here is part of it in the second cutscene.
As you can see, Blizzard has taken something, and turned it into a beautiful story, free from regular cliche. The Orcs are only a fourth of the story, however. Humans have been changed as well, but is it for the better, or will it cause their dooms?
The Human campaign tells the story of Arthas, son of the king and a noble Paladin. At first, he serves the cause by driving out the still demon-corrupted Black Rock Orcs, and protects the people. While this is going on, the government is corrupt, and word of a mysterious plague in the north reaches their ears. Finally, after ignoring it for so long, they decide to send Arthas and a wizardess named Jaina to investigate. What they find out is horrifying. There is a strange plague in the grains that turns all who eat it into undead. Not only that, but a mysterious force of undead has begun to take the land. As Arthas fights to save what he can of the people, a major city falls into plague. He purges the whole city, and act that defies the order of Paladins, and goes against what his father wishes. He lets the rage get the better of him, and embarks on a quest to find a sword which shall turn him into a being of darkness, a Death Knight. A servant of an evil master. He then returns, kills his father, and takes his place with the Undead Scourge, a new race which I shall explain in the next paragraph.
The Scourge is a group of Undead that are under control of the evil Lich King. They are armies of rotting flesh, bones, and destruction. They have been given a charge to destroy all of the strong races of the world, and to prepare for the coming of the Burning Legion, the group of demons who corrupted the Orcs. As they began their rampage across the Human lands, they destroy the wood elves, and take away much of their power. But, the plan of the Undead did not succeed fully. First off, the Orcs had fled to Kalimdor. Second, the Prophet had been trying to convince a human leader to flee to Kalimdor, and had succeeded in Jaina, who had fled with a large part of the population.
Next is the real Orc Campaign. As the Orcs arrive, they begin to search for a place to settle. They meet the Tauren, giant bull-men who follow shamanistic ways, and befriend them by driving away the Centaurs that plagued them. The chief of the Tauren tells Thrall to travel to a nearby cave to consult a mysterious Oracle. When Thrall ventures in, he is surprised to find humans, the same humans Jaina had fled with. Then he meets the Oracle, who convinces him and Jaina (who is also present) to work together. Unfortunately, Thrall had sent a leader of part of the horde Grom Hellscream to the northern forests to collect wood. Angered, Grom quickly calms down as he meets mysterious warrior women in the forest, who turn out to be the Night Elves (see next paragraph). Then a Demon named Mannaroth finds Grom, and re-enslaves him and his group he had with him. Thrall then works with the humans to catch and release him from the Demon influence. He and Grom then travel together, and kill Mannaroth, forever ending the Demon curse.
The last chapter of the story is of the Night Elves. The Night Elves are dark wood elves, who fight to protect their forests. When a strange force of green-skinned and white-skinned people move in and settle, they drive them out, only to be attacked and almost captured by the Burning Legion. Tyrande Whisperwind, the Priestess of the Moon, then escapes and gathers all of the Night Elf Forces. Unfortunately, it will not be enough, but soon Tyrande and her leader Malfurion Stormrage meet the Prophet, and join with the Humans and Orcs to make a final stand against the Demons. They win, and live to see another day. But at what cost? The entire world is in Chaos, the Scourge is still ever-present, and there is little left. That is the point where this story leaves off, and World of Warcraft comes in.
World of Warcraft took the story, and created a world where you could play a single person, and fight for your side. Although there was an agreement between all races, they once again split up into the Alliance and the Horde, and went to war with each other. Now you fight for your side, and for the very survival of your people. It is pretty fun, I played it for a while. You could be one of several races, and several classes. When they made the game, the producers at Blizzard joked about making the 1 Million player mark. Well, they hit the 10 Million player mark instead.
Starcraft 2 came out recently. There is a whole website full of info, and plenty of Youtube videos. All I need to say is that Raynor wants to overthrow the government, but when a sudden unexpected attack from the Zerg happens, Raynor is forced to choose to save lives, even if that means he must side with his hated Dominion.
Thanks for reading all those you did. I will be going back to my observances once again after this. Sorry for the late post! For the HORDE!!!
Friday, April 8, 2011
My Very Very Very Late April Fools Post!!!!! The Story Behind the Mouse-clicks: Blizzard Entertainment!!!! Part 1
Now we as Honors English members and general public have been talking and hearing a lot about the messages and stories behind music. All those inspiring sounds and such. So this week, for my very, very, very, very late April Fools Post, I am going to be talking about the inspirational video games produced by America's very own Blizzard Entertainment.
Blizzard Entertainment, now celebrating their 20 anniversary, had humble beginnings with a trio of inspired people. With a bit of funding from their parents, these people started a spark that has become the global fire it is today. Over 10 million people play World of Warcraft, with millions more raving over Starcraft 2. I didn't even think that there were that many computers in the world. What is the secret to their success? These people, these inspired three men that started it all are and are still driven by a single goal: To make videogames that are quality and that are worth playing.
Blizzard's first major success (although they had already earned several Game of the Year Awards for the console games they had made) was found in Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. It was the second game ever to be introduced as real-time strategy. Real-time strategy is when you control a base, build it up, build an army, and direct them in combat (I'll show some examples later).
What made this first game #1 was the fact that not only was it fun and imaginative, it had a story that was worth following. It tells the tale of a demon-gate and the defenders trying to stop the orcs summoned through it from destroying the world. There are heroes, such as Lothar, and the Warchief. It's like a book you could interact with.
Next came Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness. Although the graphics are still medieval (no pun intended), this hit #1 again.
This time, new elements were added such as ships and flying creatures, and the story was expanded again. The Orcish Horde (which I shall refer to from now on as just the Horde) returned to fight against the Humans. The term human, however, does not fit in this case. There are now elves and dwarves and other mythical creatures. So we shall call the humans the Alliance. So the Horde returns, and the heroes are again summoned to help defend the world of Azeroth. So they fight, and the Horde is defeated and scattered.
Now their next and perhaps most incredible game they created Starcraft. Every nerd has always dreamed of working on Star Wars, and so this was Blizzard's attempt at a space trilogy. More than an attempt, a complete success! Starcraft hit the top immediately, but unlike its mythological companions, it stayed there for years. Korea especially advocated this game, and still hosts tournaments worth millions of dollars at times.
Now in this game there are three races, the Terrans (survivors of a space exploration attempt who have created a successful yet corrupt Confederacy), the Protoss (ancient inhabitants of the sector with advanced weaponry and technology), and the Zerg (hideous mutations that seek to kill and devour all). In this game, instead of Lumber and Gold, there are minerals and Vespene Gas. This game is an incredible improvement in graphics and combat, and has a perfectly balanced list of units. I present a video that will hopefully give you a taste of this game. (If you want to hear turn your volume up a bit).
So as you could see he collected resources, and built more troopers and workers. Next I will show you a short battle scene. If you can't stand violence, do not watch the next segment.
So what you saw there was a bit of Protoss versus Zerg action, with a look at both types of bases. As you could see, this was a fast-paced, incredible strategy game. But the strategy and fighting is only half of the game. The other half, of course, was the story.
This was an incredible story about strange aliens bent on destroying the sector, and the brave forces that stood up to fight against it. It is also a story of rebellion, deceit, and cruelty. One that is exciting and touches the humanity in all of us. I suppose it all starts on a strange waste-land world, in the tiny settlement of Backwater station. The government has lost contact with the station, and Marshall Jim Raynor is set to the task of finding out what's wrong. Now Raynor is one of the most critical characters in all of the Starcraft Universe. He will help to shape the entire future. Raynor finds that the strange Zerg are the cause of the disturbance, and fights them. Unfortunately, he is wrongly accused by the military, and is sent to jail. Not long after that, he is sprung by the Sons of Korhal, a group set upon bringing down the corrupt government. Raynor is given an assignment, along with ghost Sarah Kerrigan to help bring down the government. Raynor is immediately attracted to Sarah from the start. Then, the leader of the Sons of Korhal, Arcturus Mengsk, abandons Sarah to the Zerg, and makes a fatal mistake. Raynor abandons him, when Mengsk creates a new government, it is as corrupt as the first. Raynor swears to bring him down.
The Zerg take Kerrigan, and turn her into the Queen of Blades, a horrid unfeeling terror. They spread their horridness across the galaxy, and destroy many worlds. Then Raynor finds out what happened to Kerrigan, and he swears to kill her.
Far away on the distant Protoss homeworld of Aiur, the Zerg have begun an assault on it. After being forced back, they are forced to side with their ancient enemies and alter-egoes, the Dark Templar, who are also Protoss, but use the powers of darkness instead of the powers of light. Soon, the Zerg Overmind which controls all of the zerg itself comes to Aiur, and a Protoss named Tassadar Destroys this Overmind with a sacrifice.
Blizzard also is an excellent maker of cinematics. It has always created breath-taking, incredible scenes of video. They work hard and long with difficult, advanced methods to create seamless, real environments. Here is an example of a cinematic, which shows Tassadar's final sacrifice.
I hope you enjoyed this show of some of the most incredible games in the world. I will be back next week for the even better ones (well, except maybe Starcraft 1). Thanks for reading and, well, watching!
Blizzard Entertainment, now celebrating their 20 anniversary, had humble beginnings with a trio of inspired people. With a bit of funding from their parents, these people started a spark that has become the global fire it is today. Over 10 million people play World of Warcraft, with millions more raving over Starcraft 2. I didn't even think that there were that many computers in the world. What is the secret to their success? These people, these inspired three men that started it all are and are still driven by a single goal: To make videogames that are quality and that are worth playing.
Blizzard's first major success (although they had already earned several Game of the Year Awards for the console games they had made) was found in Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. It was the second game ever to be introduced as real-time strategy. Real-time strategy is when you control a base, build it up, build an army, and direct them in combat (I'll show some examples later).
In this game (displayed in the screenshot above) set in a medieval environment, you could take control of either orcs or humans, two races with different buildings and units, but evenly balanced to make the whole outcome depend on skill. In real-time stategy (RTS), units and buildings cost resources, which must be accumulated through mining and other forms of gathering. In this case, lumber and gold. Although the game obviously doesn't look like much graphics-wise, it was actually the #1 game in the U.S. and other countries.
Next came Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness. Although the graphics are still medieval (no pun intended), this hit #1 again.
This time, new elements were added such as ships and flying creatures, and the story was expanded again. The Orcish Horde (which I shall refer to from now on as just the Horde) returned to fight against the Humans. The term human, however, does not fit in this case. There are now elves and dwarves and other mythical creatures. So we shall call the humans the Alliance. So the Horde returns, and the heroes are again summoned to help defend the world of Azeroth. So they fight, and the Horde is defeated and scattered.
Now their next and perhaps most incredible game they created Starcraft. Every nerd has always dreamed of working on Star Wars, and so this was Blizzard's attempt at a space trilogy. More than an attempt, a complete success! Starcraft hit the top immediately, but unlike its mythological companions, it stayed there for years. Korea especially advocated this game, and still hosts tournaments worth millions of dollars at times.
Now in this game there are three races, the Terrans (survivors of a space exploration attempt who have created a successful yet corrupt Confederacy), the Protoss (ancient inhabitants of the sector with advanced weaponry and technology), and the Zerg (hideous mutations that seek to kill and devour all). In this game, instead of Lumber and Gold, there are minerals and Vespene Gas. This game is an incredible improvement in graphics and combat, and has a perfectly balanced list of units. I present a video that will hopefully give you a taste of this game. (If you want to hear turn your volume up a bit).
So as you could see he collected resources, and built more troopers and workers. Next I will show you a short battle scene. If you can't stand violence, do not watch the next segment.
So what you saw there was a bit of Protoss versus Zerg action, with a look at both types of bases. As you could see, this was a fast-paced, incredible strategy game. But the strategy and fighting is only half of the game. The other half, of course, was the story.
This was an incredible story about strange aliens bent on destroying the sector, and the brave forces that stood up to fight against it. It is also a story of rebellion, deceit, and cruelty. One that is exciting and touches the humanity in all of us. I suppose it all starts on a strange waste-land world, in the tiny settlement of Backwater station. The government has lost contact with the station, and Marshall Jim Raynor is set to the task of finding out what's wrong. Now Raynor is one of the most critical characters in all of the Starcraft Universe. He will help to shape the entire future. Raynor finds that the strange Zerg are the cause of the disturbance, and fights them. Unfortunately, he is wrongly accused by the military, and is sent to jail. Not long after that, he is sprung by the Sons of Korhal, a group set upon bringing down the corrupt government. Raynor is given an assignment, along with ghost Sarah Kerrigan to help bring down the government. Raynor is immediately attracted to Sarah from the start. Then, the leader of the Sons of Korhal, Arcturus Mengsk, abandons Sarah to the Zerg, and makes a fatal mistake. Raynor abandons him, when Mengsk creates a new government, it is as corrupt as the first. Raynor swears to bring him down.
The Zerg take Kerrigan, and turn her into the Queen of Blades, a horrid unfeeling terror. They spread their horridness across the galaxy, and destroy many worlds. Then Raynor finds out what happened to Kerrigan, and he swears to kill her.
Far away on the distant Protoss homeworld of Aiur, the Zerg have begun an assault on it. After being forced back, they are forced to side with their ancient enemies and alter-egoes, the Dark Templar, who are also Protoss, but use the powers of darkness instead of the powers of light. Soon, the Zerg Overmind which controls all of the zerg itself comes to Aiur, and a Protoss named Tassadar Destroys this Overmind with a sacrifice.
Blizzard also is an excellent maker of cinematics. It has always created breath-taking, incredible scenes of video. They work hard and long with difficult, advanced methods to create seamless, real environments. Here is an example of a cinematic, which shows Tassadar's final sacrifice.
I hope you enjoyed this show of some of the most incredible games in the world. I will be back next week for the even better ones (well, except maybe Starcraft 1). Thanks for reading and, well, watching!
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Most Important Thing... What Is It? -Choice
Every day you are faced with this question, subconsciously or consciously. What is the most important thing? Should I do this first, or that? I only have time for one thing, but which one do I do? For some questions, it is easy. Do your homework first, then watch TV. Get dressed before you eat breakfast, or vice versa. Other questions, though, are not so easily answered...
I will start with a simple example: One question I am often faced with is whether I should do my homework first, or my chores first? Both help and gratify people, but I only have time for one. I always pick homework, but is that the best choice? Isn't the family the most important part of our lives and my gospel?
Now with a more complex example. I have thought often about my future. I have dreamed about becoming a great scientist or a great actor or a great writer. I have made plans to go to great and glorious colleges and universities. But then I realized, what would become of my future family? If I am away all the time at a job that pays no money, then how can I raise my kids the way that I am obligated to. I have drawn the conclusion, through a long thinking process, that the best thing to do would be to work at a job I don't like so much, but pays money, and lets me raise my kids. I mean, the choice would be different for everybody, because everybody is different.
That's what makes choosing the "right" path so hard in many cases. Everything is unique, and everybody is different. Of course, there are a lot of no-brainers out there, but there are a lot of subjective ones too. For example, my Uncle Jerry had cancer, and once he had gotten through treatments, the doctors gave him a strict diet outline. My Uncle Jerry love fast-food, though, and loved his hamburgers. They helped him enjoy the little pleasures of life, but this new meal plan said "No" to junk food. He had a choice: Live healthily, or refuse to give up a simple pleasure. In the end, he chose the simple pleasure. My choice though, would have been to live healthily, for I value health and good living.
Everybody's lives are full of choices. It is just a thing that makes us all human. If we didn't have to make choices, there would be no learning and growing. There would be no humanity. We have to make our choices every day whether or not we like it.
I try to live every day within my own standards of decisions. I would encourage all of you to do so as well.
I will start with a simple example: One question I am often faced with is whether I should do my homework first, or my chores first? Both help and gratify people, but I only have time for one. I always pick homework, but is that the best choice? Isn't the family the most important part of our lives and my gospel?
Now with a more complex example. I have thought often about my future. I have dreamed about becoming a great scientist or a great actor or a great writer. I have made plans to go to great and glorious colleges and universities. But then I realized, what would become of my future family? If I am away all the time at a job that pays no money, then how can I raise my kids the way that I am obligated to. I have drawn the conclusion, through a long thinking process, that the best thing to do would be to work at a job I don't like so much, but pays money, and lets me raise my kids. I mean, the choice would be different for everybody, because everybody is different.
That's what makes choosing the "right" path so hard in many cases. Everything is unique, and everybody is different. Of course, there are a lot of no-brainers out there, but there are a lot of subjective ones too. For example, my Uncle Jerry had cancer, and once he had gotten through treatments, the doctors gave him a strict diet outline. My Uncle Jerry love fast-food, though, and loved his hamburgers. They helped him enjoy the little pleasures of life, but this new meal plan said "No" to junk food. He had a choice: Live healthily, or refuse to give up a simple pleasure. In the end, he chose the simple pleasure. My choice though, would have been to live healthily, for I value health and good living.
Everybody's lives are full of choices. It is just a thing that makes us all human. If we didn't have to make choices, there would be no learning and growing. There would be no humanity. We have to make our choices every day whether or not we like it.
I try to live every day within my own standards of decisions. I would encourage all of you to do so as well.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Civil War- Brotherhood and Sisterhood
"A house divided against itself cannot stand," Abraham Lincoln.
True, so very true were those inspired words by one of the greatest presidents we have ever and probably will ever be privileged to have run our country. Abraham Lincoln didn't fight for other countries, for oil, for coal, or for independence from another place. He fought for his own.
The Civil War had been fought. Hundreds of thousands lay dead. More Americans died in a single battle than in Iraq. And why did this horrid, horrid carnage happen? What would drive this slaughter of brothers and sisters, of ones own family? It was forgetting this one principal: A house divided against itself cannot stand. It all started with a disagreement. Were slaves worthy to be their own masters, to control their own fate? Were black men and women really ready to be allowed in the world as themselves?
When the North pointed to the Constitution, where it claims that "All men are created equal," the South decided that their own "house" didn't know the right of it. They were convinced that their "founding 'fathers'" were incorrect, much like we think our parents today are often wrong. So they went to war and killed many of their brothers and sisters just to defend their own misguided judgment.
It is just like what happens at home. When you have a disagreement with your brothers and sisters, and your parents take their side, don't you feel a little cheated? And don't you feel like you know better? Now of course I'm not saying that everyone feels this way on purpose, it is just a thing that is human, but do you see the pattern that is unfolding? Soon, you may be in outright "war" with your brothers and sisters and parents. Things like this happen all the time. They split apart families, and bring misery to many, many parents and siblings. Fortunately, in this example, the outcome is almost never death and killing.
When we have feelings of hate, or a spirit (yes, I am going to use the term) of unrest in a place or person, it only creates misery inside ourselves, and pity inside others. We need to shake off the burden of negative feelings, and start to embrace love, friendship, and brotherhood and sisterhood.
Another interesting thing in word breakdown (much like the "ship" in friendship) is the use of "hood." The use of that word implies that it is not something that just happens, nor is it something we become, but rather, it is something we take upon ourselves. It is a constant, unchanging commitment to stand united with our brothers and sisters, and take our stand together, following our parents, whether you want to look at leaders, teachers, parents, or even heavenly parentage, it becomes a duty to stand together, firm and strong.
How often have we heard the phrase "Divided we fall, but united we stand?" Is it a coincidence that such phrases crop up all over the place? Since the dawn of man, where a single man could spear a gazelle and feed himself, or take a company of men to spear a mammoth, and feed and entire village, we could always rely on the strength of others to gain much more. Today it has changed little. Sure we have great oceans and great religions in our way, but the mantle of brotherhood and sisterhood defies all boundaries. Just think how many wars we could stop, how many lives we could save if we just realized that we need each other. I think that that would be the one step that would lead to an incredible world.
P.S. Sorry for being late this week, but I was horribly sick yesterday.
True, so very true were those inspired words by one of the greatest presidents we have ever and probably will ever be privileged to have run our country. Abraham Lincoln didn't fight for other countries, for oil, for coal, or for independence from another place. He fought for his own.
The Civil War had been fought. Hundreds of thousands lay dead. More Americans died in a single battle than in Iraq. And why did this horrid, horrid carnage happen? What would drive this slaughter of brothers and sisters, of ones own family? It was forgetting this one principal: A house divided against itself cannot stand. It all started with a disagreement. Were slaves worthy to be their own masters, to control their own fate? Were black men and women really ready to be allowed in the world as themselves?
When the North pointed to the Constitution, where it claims that "All men are created equal," the South decided that their own "house" didn't know the right of it. They were convinced that their "founding 'fathers'" were incorrect, much like we think our parents today are often wrong. So they went to war and killed many of their brothers and sisters just to defend their own misguided judgment.
It is just like what happens at home. When you have a disagreement with your brothers and sisters, and your parents take their side, don't you feel a little cheated? And don't you feel like you know better? Now of course I'm not saying that everyone feels this way on purpose, it is just a thing that is human, but do you see the pattern that is unfolding? Soon, you may be in outright "war" with your brothers and sisters and parents. Things like this happen all the time. They split apart families, and bring misery to many, many parents and siblings. Fortunately, in this example, the outcome is almost never death and killing.
When we have feelings of hate, or a spirit (yes, I am going to use the term) of unrest in a place or person, it only creates misery inside ourselves, and pity inside others. We need to shake off the burden of negative feelings, and start to embrace love, friendship, and brotherhood and sisterhood.
Another interesting thing in word breakdown (much like the "ship" in friendship) is the use of "hood." The use of that word implies that it is not something that just happens, nor is it something we become, but rather, it is something we take upon ourselves. It is a constant, unchanging commitment to stand united with our brothers and sisters, and take our stand together, following our parents, whether you want to look at leaders, teachers, parents, or even heavenly parentage, it becomes a duty to stand together, firm and strong.
How often have we heard the phrase "Divided we fall, but united we stand?" Is it a coincidence that such phrases crop up all over the place? Since the dawn of man, where a single man could spear a gazelle and feed himself, or take a company of men to spear a mammoth, and feed and entire village, we could always rely on the strength of others to gain much more. Today it has changed little. Sure we have great oceans and great religions in our way, but the mantle of brotherhood and sisterhood defies all boundaries. Just think how many wars we could stop, how many lives we could save if we just realized that we need each other. I think that that would be the one step that would lead to an incredible world.
P.S. Sorry for being late this week, but I was horribly sick yesterday.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Strength of Friendship
Friendship. It is funny to me, because friendship has the same suffix as partnership, hardship, and a lot of other "ship" words. The suffix -ship is the quality, condition, or state of being of something. So the word friendship doesn't refer to any specific interaction or feeling between two people, it refers to a "state of being a friend." It implies that friendship is something we become, not something we do or have.
For isn't being a friend the way to get a friend? That's one of the reasons why some people are silent, or included. They don't try and participate. A true friendship is something that we work to become, and just doesn't fall into our laps overnight. Friendship requires commitment, trust, and selflessness. Often greedy and self-righteous people don't have friends, because they don't realize that Greed and friendship are opposites of each other. Although friendship takes effort, it is worth it.
A happy man is never a lonely man. A lonely man is never a happy man. In almost every story of heroism in the world today, the hero or heroin has a companion, whether it be another person, or an animal, or an object. A thing they can talk to. Something they can interact with. We can draw strength from friends. Friends are always kind. Friends are the people you go to on a down day and say "I really need help." You can always count on friends. There is no coincidence in the statement: "The #1 way that people avoid suicide is through a good friend."
I have felt the good influence of good friends in my life. Each friend I have had has become part of myself, and has affected me. Friendship is a noble aspiration, an endeavor with more worth than grades and other distractions in life. Not that there can't be bad friends. Friends that have low standards, or who are interesting in immoral and bad things will only leave bad parts of themselves behind. We need to make sure we surround ourselves with friends who build us up, not friends that tear us down.
Everybody can be a friend to someone else. Someone in need, someone who doesn't have anyone to turn to. Being a friend can lead to greater things, like conversion to church, business partners, and even marriage. Almost everyone who becomes spouses with each other befriends their partner before they are married. Friendship creates bonds and seals that are unbreakable. It creates a people who are indivisible. It gives spirit to the fire of humanity, and moves us forward. Nothing would ever get done without humans who are willing to stand together for all time.
I would encourage all of you to find friends. It will bless you, no matter how many you have. You don't have to be popular, or have the newest cell phone, or wear the best clothes. All it takes is a little reaching and a little trying. And just remember, to get a friend, you have to be a friend.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Where Hitler Failed- Greed
It is late in World War 2. Germany controlled much of Europe. London was in flames, France was crushed. Concentration camps could be found in more than a dozen different countries. The coasts were covered with defensive cannons. The Nazi army was immense. So what made Hitler fail? He had all of those things, yet why did he lose in the end.
First, lets look at the forces opposing Germany. America, England, and the rest of the UN were trying to keep the Nazis from invading the rest of Europe. The Soviet Union was defending the area of Russia from Hitler. Some of the citizenry of various countries were rebelling. Even with all this opposition, Germany was still advancing on the rest of Europe.
The place where Hitler went wrong was in his prioritizing. Instead of focusing on one area at a time, he had his forces spread. Part of his army was in Russia, part in southeastern Europe, and part defending the whole coast of France and other shore countries. Hitler wanted all of the land of Europe at the SAME TIME!!!! Kind of foolish when you think about it, right?
So what drove Hitler to be so foolish in his actions? Simple, it was greed. He wanted it all really fast and without much effort. It made him rather miserable at times. We can relate this to ourselves. We all want things in life. That desire to have things is how humanity has survived in the past. But Greed is carrying that too far. The difference is that greed is the willingness to get things while hurting others.
Such a heartless endeavor always ends in sadness, misery, or defeat. Humanity has to work together to accomplish things now that there are so many of us in the world today. We can't afford to be greedy. Unfortunately, a lot of people today are greedy. Companies and Politicians are excellent examples for the greediness of humanity. Because of the greed of many, the future looks bleak. In order for humanity to survive, we need to give and not get, and be willing to share necessities with others.
First, lets look at the forces opposing Germany. America, England, and the rest of the UN were trying to keep the Nazis from invading the rest of Europe. The Soviet Union was defending the area of Russia from Hitler. Some of the citizenry of various countries were rebelling. Even with all this opposition, Germany was still advancing on the rest of Europe.
The place where Hitler went wrong was in his prioritizing. Instead of focusing on one area at a time, he had his forces spread. Part of his army was in Russia, part in southeastern Europe, and part defending the whole coast of France and other shore countries. Hitler wanted all of the land of Europe at the SAME TIME!!!! Kind of foolish when you think about it, right?
So what drove Hitler to be so foolish in his actions? Simple, it was greed. He wanted it all really fast and without much effort. It made him rather miserable at times. We can relate this to ourselves. We all want things in life. That desire to have things is how humanity has survived in the past. But Greed is carrying that too far. The difference is that greed is the willingness to get things while hurting others.
Such a heartless endeavor always ends in sadness, misery, or defeat. Humanity has to work together to accomplish things now that there are so many of us in the world today. We can't afford to be greedy. Unfortunately, a lot of people today are greedy. Companies and Politicians are excellent examples for the greediness of humanity. Because of the greed of many, the future looks bleak. In order for humanity to survive, we need to give and not get, and be willing to share necessities with others.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
European Witch Hunts- Paranoia
Paranoia is the unreasonable fear of something that possibly might happen. It can occur when you take a test, or when a family member takes a trip. It occurs a lot in parents and guardians of children. Paranoia is not a bad thing. It inspires us to do our best, and to defend and protect others. It helps us to love more dearly, and to make life better. But like a lot of other emotions, it can go to far and be unreasonable. A good example of that are the European Witch Hunts.
European Witch Hunts started in the early 14th century among common folk in Switzerland and Croatia. Women were accused of starting disease, cursing and enchanting people, and being in league with the devil. No one knew about disease or bacteria. There was no explanation for strange behavior (brain damage, illness, etc.). So, they blamed it on these women.
The women were condemned by the law, and then lynched, burned, or hung. Very rarely were women saved from this fate once they were accused. Everyone was paranoid, and they watched all of the local women very carefully. It was a time of fear and unreasonable blame.
They took this matter very seriously. So seriously, in fact, the French even burned the savior of their country, Joan of Arc, once she was accused of witchcraft. This behavior went on until the 1800's, when a law was passed banning accusing people of witchcraft. Even now, countries such as Saudi Arabia and Camaroon still allow women accused of witchcraft to be condemned.
See, a few sick cattle get sick around a milk maid, and the farmer gets paranoid of witchcraft. Europe harmed them self a lot more than they helped, because they killed between 40,000 and 100,000 condemned women alone, not to mention those accused of sorcery and being possessed by devils.
People get very Paranoid today. Some children are kept locked up in the house because they "might" do something, and become socially unaccepted. War after War has started because of suspicion of the other side. Paranoia is a good thing, but it is often over-used and abused.
European Witch Hunts started in the early 14th century among common folk in Switzerland and Croatia. Women were accused of starting disease, cursing and enchanting people, and being in league with the devil. No one knew about disease or bacteria. There was no explanation for strange behavior (brain damage, illness, etc.). So, they blamed it on these women.
The women were condemned by the law, and then lynched, burned, or hung. Very rarely were women saved from this fate once they were accused. Everyone was paranoid, and they watched all of the local women very carefully. It was a time of fear and unreasonable blame.
They took this matter very seriously. So seriously, in fact, the French even burned the savior of their country, Joan of Arc, once she was accused of witchcraft. This behavior went on until the 1800's, when a law was passed banning accusing people of witchcraft. Even now, countries such as Saudi Arabia and Camaroon still allow women accused of witchcraft to be condemned.
See, a few sick cattle get sick around a milk maid, and the farmer gets paranoid of witchcraft. Europe harmed them self a lot more than they helped, because they killed between 40,000 and 100,000 condemned women alone, not to mention those accused of sorcery and being possessed by devils.
People get very Paranoid today. Some children are kept locked up in the house because they "might" do something, and become socially unaccepted. War after War has started because of suspicion of the other side. Paranoia is a good thing, but it is often over-used and abused.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships- Love
Are you familiar with the start of the Trojan War according to Greek Mythology? The one about Paris and the Golden Apple? Well, I am going to tell you it to start out this post.
It all begins at a party. A party that celebrated the marriage of the Sea Goddess Thetis, and the mortal Peleus. A party of the Gods is great thing, and every god was invited except Eris, the Goddess of Discord. She was obviously not happy. So, she crashed the party, and threw an apple of Gold into the goddesses that was inscribed with "For the Fairest." Obviously, there was some severe argument between the goddesses, especially Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
Zeus, annoyed at all of this bickering, told Hermes to take the women to Paris, a prince of Troy, who was supposedly the most handsome man in the world, to settle the argument. Each of the women promised something in return for his vote. Hera promised dominion over all of Europe (which was the entire world back then). Athena promised victory in every battle. Aphrodite promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world. Of course, Paris chose the girl.
The girl was Helen, and she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The only problem was that she was already married to the king of Sparta. So Aphrodite helped Paris kidnap Helen (although she may have gone willingly) while the king was away. Upon returning, the king was infuriated. He decided to retaliate, and immediately joined forces with the other Greek kingdoms. They gathered forces, and launched over a thousand ships, thus the name often given to Helen: The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships.
This whole thing resulted in the Trojan War, in which hundreds of thousands were killed. All of this because of one man and love.
There are really two kinds of love: Infatuation and True Love. Infatuation is love of looks, or love of shallow personality. It is when, though the feelings feel deep, they truly aren't. That is the kind of love that Paris displayed, and what Aphrodite usually endorses. True love is commitment and willingness to be with that person forever. It is something that runs very, very deep. That is the love we should aspire to achieve so that we may be happy.
It all begins at a party. A party that celebrated the marriage of the Sea Goddess Thetis, and the mortal Peleus. A party of the Gods is great thing, and every god was invited except Eris, the Goddess of Discord. She was obviously not happy. So, she crashed the party, and threw an apple of Gold into the goddesses that was inscribed with "For the Fairest." Obviously, there was some severe argument between the goddesses, especially Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
Zeus, annoyed at all of this bickering, told Hermes to take the women to Paris, a prince of Troy, who was supposedly the most handsome man in the world, to settle the argument. Each of the women promised something in return for his vote. Hera promised dominion over all of Europe (which was the entire world back then). Athena promised victory in every battle. Aphrodite promised Paris the most beautiful woman in the world. Of course, Paris chose the girl.
The girl was Helen, and she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The only problem was that she was already married to the king of Sparta. So Aphrodite helped Paris kidnap Helen (although she may have gone willingly) while the king was away. Upon returning, the king was infuriated. He decided to retaliate, and immediately joined forces with the other Greek kingdoms. They gathered forces, and launched over a thousand ships, thus the name often given to Helen: The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships.
This whole thing resulted in the Trojan War, in which hundreds of thousands were killed. All of this because of one man and love.
There are really two kinds of love: Infatuation and True Love. Infatuation is love of looks, or love of shallow personality. It is when, though the feelings feel deep, they truly aren't. That is the kind of love that Paris displayed, and what Aphrodite usually endorses. True love is commitment and willingness to be with that person forever. It is something that runs very, very deep. That is the love we should aspire to achieve so that we may be happy.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The Mountain Meadows Massacre- Hate
This one act is probably the most horrendous act committed by the Church. It is also the one that the Church is most sorrowful about. Before I get into the anger that surrounds this event in history, I will tell you the story.
The year was 1857. The Pioneers had arrived years before, and the state was full of small towns and cities. It was hard to get through Utah without running into some sort of settlement, making Utah a good way to travel to California, because there were several Mormons willing to trade with travelers. Many companies chose to head through Utah. One of them was the Francher-Baker company.
The majority of the Francher-Baker company was made up of mostly families from Arkansas, a place not very friendly with Mormons in general. There are several recordings of protesting and antagonizing settlements (most of them while they were drunk), and even one circumstance where men rode on horses down the street, waving a gun, and saying "THIS IS THE GUN THAT KILLED JOSEPH SMITH." Not so nice actions, eh. It doesn't excuse what happened next.
Several leaders of local militia in the area disliked the company, and once they heard of the antagonizings, they formulated a horrible plan to kill every single one of the Arkansasans. The first step in the plan was that they poisoned (not fatally poisoned, just sick poisoned) several Piute Indian Wells, their main source of water. They then blamed it on the company, and promised the Indians that they would help them.
So they next armed the Indians, and led them to Mountain Meadows, the place the Francher-Baker company had set up camp. The Indians sieged the camp for five days, while the Mormon militia leaders sat aside and watched. After five days, the Indians bailed on the Mormons, because they had lost too many braves. So, the Mormons pretended to have driven the Indians off. They separated the men from the women, put the children in a cart, and told them to follow them back to the settlement.
They didn't make it far. When they had only gone a short way, the Mormon soldiers turned, and fired upon the men and women. Some of the braves also returned to help. They killed every single one of them. They also fired upon all of the children who might remember the incident. The only survivors were 17 small children.
Do you know what is ironic about the whole thing. It happened on September 11. 9/11. The same day of the Terrorist Attack. Both of them came down to the same things: Hate.
Obviously, Terrorists hate us and want to kill us, but why would Mormons go so far as to murder a few hundred people in cold blood? I suppose we will never know the motivations behind it, but a lot of it was hate. Hate of Mormons, hate of non-mormons, hate of the killers of Joseph Smith, hate of the people of Arkansas. Hate leads to very rash and violent actions, even ones as extreme as the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
I think we need to avoid hate at all costs. Contention is never the answer. Forgiveness should be a major part of our life, and being forgiving is opposite of being hateful.
The year was 1857. The Pioneers had arrived years before, and the state was full of small towns and cities. It was hard to get through Utah without running into some sort of settlement, making Utah a good way to travel to California, because there were several Mormons willing to trade with travelers. Many companies chose to head through Utah. One of them was the Francher-Baker company.
The majority of the Francher-Baker company was made up of mostly families from Arkansas, a place not very friendly with Mormons in general. There are several recordings of protesting and antagonizing settlements (most of them while they were drunk), and even one circumstance where men rode on horses down the street, waving a gun, and saying "THIS IS THE GUN THAT KILLED JOSEPH SMITH." Not so nice actions, eh. It doesn't excuse what happened next.
Several leaders of local militia in the area disliked the company, and once they heard of the antagonizings, they formulated a horrible plan to kill every single one of the Arkansasans. The first step in the plan was that they poisoned (not fatally poisoned, just sick poisoned) several Piute Indian Wells, their main source of water. They then blamed it on the company, and promised the Indians that they would help them.
So they next armed the Indians, and led them to Mountain Meadows, the place the Francher-Baker company had set up camp. The Indians sieged the camp for five days, while the Mormon militia leaders sat aside and watched. After five days, the Indians bailed on the Mormons, because they had lost too many braves. So, the Mormons pretended to have driven the Indians off. They separated the men from the women, put the children in a cart, and told them to follow them back to the settlement.
They didn't make it far. When they had only gone a short way, the Mormon soldiers turned, and fired upon the men and women. Some of the braves also returned to help. They killed every single one of them. They also fired upon all of the children who might remember the incident. The only survivors were 17 small children.
Do you know what is ironic about the whole thing. It happened on September 11. 9/11. The same day of the Terrorist Attack. Both of them came down to the same things: Hate.
Obviously, Terrorists hate us and want to kill us, but why would Mormons go so far as to murder a few hundred people in cold blood? I suppose we will never know the motivations behind it, but a lot of it was hate. Hate of Mormons, hate of non-mormons, hate of the killers of Joseph Smith, hate of the people of Arkansas. Hate leads to very rash and violent actions, even ones as extreme as the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
I think we need to avoid hate at all costs. Contention is never the answer. Forgiveness should be a major part of our life, and being forgiving is opposite of being hateful.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The Fall of an Republic- Pride
The Roman Republic, based on the Greek idea of Democracy. It is the same style of government that we in the United States use. The Roman Republic had a leader (Caesar), and a Senate. It operated just like ours did. Unfortunately, the Senate was small, and knew each other very well.
Often did Caesar meet with his Senate to discuss the state of the empire, and its finances. Caesar was very popular among the people, and was favored by them over all of the rest of the government. The senate, predictably, was jealous. They wanted to gain control, so they formulated a plan to murder Caesar and to gain complete control of the country.
They planned to kill Caesar at the senate meeting on March 15, three days before he left to survey part of his empire. They intended to each stab him once, so that if they were ever caught they could share the blame. They were sure that their plan would succeed.
Their plan almost failed when Caesar stayed home to comfort his nightmare-stricken wife. He sent a message that the meeting was to be canceled. When the Senate received his message, they were concerned, because Caesar was soon leaving. So, they sent Caesar's personal friend, Decimus Brutus, to convince him to come anyways.
Brutus was very deceiving. He questioned Caesar's judgment, and his ability to rule. He called Caesar weak, and someone who is cowardly in the face of insignificant things like the nightmares of his wife. Caesar had great pride, and was very offended by the remarks. He grudgingly agreed, and went against his better judgment. And so Caesar ended up dead.
Pride can often end in misery, pain, and even death. Every single person is guilty of this at times in their lives. People with many things (like money, possessions, friends, etc.) are often more susceptible to this principle and common sin. To help the world become a better place, we need to stop pride from entering into our lives.
Often did Caesar meet with his Senate to discuss the state of the empire, and its finances. Caesar was very popular among the people, and was favored by them over all of the rest of the government. The senate, predictably, was jealous. They wanted to gain control, so they formulated a plan to murder Caesar and to gain complete control of the country.
They planned to kill Caesar at the senate meeting on March 15, three days before he left to survey part of his empire. They intended to each stab him once, so that if they were ever caught they could share the blame. They were sure that their plan would succeed.
Their plan almost failed when Caesar stayed home to comfort his nightmare-stricken wife. He sent a message that the meeting was to be canceled. When the Senate received his message, they were concerned, because Caesar was soon leaving. So, they sent Caesar's personal friend, Decimus Brutus, to convince him to come anyways.
Brutus was very deceiving. He questioned Caesar's judgment, and his ability to rule. He called Caesar weak, and someone who is cowardly in the face of insignificant things like the nightmares of his wife. Caesar had great pride, and was very offended by the remarks. He grudgingly agreed, and went against his better judgment. And so Caesar ended up dead.
Pride can often end in misery, pain, and even death. Every single person is guilty of this at times in their lives. People with many things (like money, possessions, friends, etc.) are often more susceptible to this principle and common sin. To help the world become a better place, we need to stop pride from entering into our lives.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Enslavement of African Americans- Hope
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
By: Emily Dickinson
I have always thought that that is an amazing poems. It tells us that hope is eternal and can be found anywhere, not matter what the situation or location. You might even say that it gives us hope about hope. I think that the thought that hope is eternal is true. It is always present, we just need to realize it and recognize it.
Every generation and civilization has recognized this, because it is simply human. What was the only thing caught in Pandora's box? HOPE! What does the bible say? He will bring HOPE unto the world. I think that this idea of hope can be described well when put into the context of the enslavement of African Americans.
Have you ever heard the song Free At Last? It was an inspirational soul song created by African cotton farmers during when they were not being watched.
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
By: Emily Dickinson
I have always thought that that is an amazing poems. It tells us that hope is eternal and can be found anywhere, not matter what the situation or location. You might even say that it gives us hope about hope. I think that the thought that hope is eternal is true. It is always present, we just need to realize it and recognize it.
Every generation and civilization has recognized this, because it is simply human. What was the only thing caught in Pandora's box? HOPE! What does the bible say? He will bring HOPE unto the world. I think that this idea of hope can be described well when put into the context of the enslavement of African Americans.
Have you ever heard the song Free At Last? It was an inspirational soul song created by African cotton farmers during when they were not being watched.
Free at last, free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Free at last, free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Free at last, free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Way down yonder in the graveyard walk
I thank God I'm free at last
Me and my Jesus going to meet and talk
I thank God I'm free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Me and my Jesus going to meet and talk
I thank God I'm free at last
On my knees when the light pass'd by
I thank God I'm free at last
Tho't my soul would rise and fly
I thank God I'm free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Tho't my soul would rise and fly
I thank God I'm free at last
Some of these mornings, bright and fair
I thank God I'm free at last
Goin' meet King Jesus in the air
I thank God I'm free at last
I thank God I'm free at last
Goin' meet King Jesus in the air
I thank God I'm free at last
I love that song. It reflects the hope that African Americans had for a better future. A future where they could. The lyrics are a little wrong though. The chorus is "Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty I'm free at last"! Also, the lines between every different line should be "Thank God Almighty I'm free at last"!, and it is actually a background song for the rest of the song.
African Americans never gave up the hope that some day, they may be able to walk free, talk free, and live free. And they achieved that and more.
Martin Luther King Junior Quoted this song in his "I have a Dream" speech. The speech was a huge victory, and definitely helped the civil rights movement to happen.
All of these examples could never have happened without hope. Hope for a better tomorrow. I think that hope being eternal is a good thing. It can lead to the saving of the self, and those around you.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
The Triumphs of the British Empire- Courage
The British Empire once controlled almost all of Europe. No country could defeat them, and only a few strong countries like France, Spain, and Portugal could fend off the British. The British Isles is a very, very small place. It is only about 3/4 the size of France, and only a little more heavily populated. Very few people can claim that they defeated the British. Joan of Arc was one, and even George Washington was an example of that. Britain being so small, it is surprising how it could even take over a single country. It wasn't the diversity of the army, as France had the most advanced technology. It wasn't the population, because Britain was such a small place.
There is really only two reasons that historians and scholars have been able to reason could be the explanation of the huge expansion of the British Empire. The first and probably less great one was that Britain certainly was lucky. A fair few battles were won on chance mostly. The second was the true way that Britain was able to win all of those wars. It was the soldiers they had. They had some of the most die-hard courage in the entire world. They would fling themselves right into enemy lines and fire, and though many of them were killed, they killed more of the enemy. The sheer bravery of the people shattered carefully laid battle plans, and won all of the wars they faced. There was, however, a downside to such courage.
This wasn't regular courage that the army is always advertising. It was cold, heartless courage. It caused much unnecessarily death among the enemies of Britain. The cold courage would make you kill your own family if the king or the government so commanded it.
So thus, Britain was the ultimate power of the world, at least until the discovery of America. I am not going to lie to you. The American Revolution was won 90% on sheer dumb luck. Lucky reactions that stopped the British, and ultimately spelled their demise. Luck aside, there is something to be said about the courage of the American people. They didn't fight for a country, but for a cause. There is no greater force than that of a man with a cause. That courage, along with luck and the introduction of Guerrilla warfare, was what won us that war, and gave the British their first real defeat for generations.
There is really only two reasons that historians and scholars have been able to reason could be the explanation of the huge expansion of the British Empire. The first and probably less great one was that Britain certainly was lucky. A fair few battles were won on chance mostly. The second was the true way that Britain was able to win all of those wars. It was the soldiers they had. They had some of the most die-hard courage in the entire world. They would fling themselves right into enemy lines and fire, and though many of them were killed, they killed more of the enemy. The sheer bravery of the people shattered carefully laid battle plans, and won all of the wars they faced. There was, however, a downside to such courage.
This wasn't regular courage that the army is always advertising. It was cold, heartless courage. It caused much unnecessarily death among the enemies of Britain. The cold courage would make you kill your own family if the king or the government so commanded it.
So thus, Britain was the ultimate power of the world, at least until the discovery of America. I am not going to lie to you. The American Revolution was won 90% on sheer dumb luck. Lucky reactions that stopped the British, and ultimately spelled their demise. Luck aside, there is something to be said about the courage of the American people. They didn't fight for a country, but for a cause. There is no greater force than that of a man with a cause. That courage, along with luck and the introduction of Guerrilla warfare, was what won us that war, and gave the British their first real defeat for generations.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The Imprisonment of Japanese Americans- Fear
Fear is a major emotion. Technically, it is the response your body has to something that will possibly hurt or damage you in any way, both physically and mentally. It helps us to avoid harmful and irritating things. It can also hurt you (ever been afraid to do a project or speak publicly, because fear makes it harder). It can be fear of a bear, or fear of embarrassment, or even fear of fear. No one likes to be afraid, but it is just a part of life.
I will now show the fear in the event of The Imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. There are two sides of the issue. I will start with the side against the Japanese Americans. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the people and the government began to be suspicious of Japanese products and people. In fact, the government was afraid that citizens of Japanese heritage would be disloyal to America, and favor Japan in the war. They were afraid that they would become spies or conspirators or vigilantes. A pointless fear, but a fear nonetheless.
So the government forced the Japanese Americans people to give everything they owned to them for resale, and shipped the people out to what are often referred to as Japanese Concentration Camps. They were forced to live in sloppily made, unpainted, uninsulated, unsealed bunkers that a rat wouldn't choose to sleep in. They were forced to eat low-grade rations that the army provided for them. They had little freedom, and they suffered greatly. All of this because of an unreasonable fear. This shows that fear can make people do very terrible things. But, it can also inspire greatness, which is what I will explain with the other side of the story.
When the Japanese Americans were forced into the camps, they were confused, and they feared the government. It was a fear of destruction, and a fear that their lives may never be returned. This fear which bound their hearts, also opened them. They aided each other, helping everyone in the community finish bunkers, plant flowers, care for children, and lived as best as they could. It unified them against a common enemy: The Government. Traces of these feelings remain, but today they do not unify, they only agitate. Fear can be a good or bad thing, but it should never remain in your heart after it is needed.
People are always saying that love comes from the heart. Where does fear come from? I always imagine fear coming from the back of my eyes to the back of my throat. That is what it feels like at first. Then it numbs the mind. Where do you think fear comes from?
I will now show the fear in the event of The Imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War 2. There are two sides of the issue. I will start with the side against the Japanese Americans. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the people and the government began to be suspicious of Japanese products and people. In fact, the government was afraid that citizens of Japanese heritage would be disloyal to America, and favor Japan in the war. They were afraid that they would become spies or conspirators or vigilantes. A pointless fear, but a fear nonetheless.
So the government forced the Japanese Americans people to give everything they owned to them for resale, and shipped the people out to what are often referred to as Japanese Concentration Camps. They were forced to live in sloppily made, unpainted, uninsulated, unsealed bunkers that a rat wouldn't choose to sleep in. They were forced to eat low-grade rations that the army provided for them. They had little freedom, and they suffered greatly. All of this because of an unreasonable fear. This shows that fear can make people do very terrible things. But, it can also inspire greatness, which is what I will explain with the other side of the story.
When the Japanese Americans were forced into the camps, they were confused, and they feared the government. It was a fear of destruction, and a fear that their lives may never be returned. This fear which bound their hearts, also opened them. They aided each other, helping everyone in the community finish bunkers, plant flowers, care for children, and lived as best as they could. It unified them against a common enemy: The Government. Traces of these feelings remain, but today they do not unify, they only agitate. Fear can be a good or bad thing, but it should never remain in your heart after it is needed.
People are always saying that love comes from the heart. Where does fear come from? I always imagine fear coming from the back of my eyes to the back of my throat. That is what it feels like at first. Then it numbs the mind. Where do you think fear comes from?
Sunday, January 16, 2011
What Is The Human Spirit
Simply put, it is the way that human beings feel about and interact with other humans. In reality, it is a huge, complex subject you can't put into one sentence. How do you describe joy? Hate? Sorrow? You can't do anything but say vague statements like "It feels good." Although you can't explain it, you can show it. That is a major part of the Human Spirit.
There are three main parts to the Human Spirit. Emotion, Conscience, and Interaction. Emotion, like mentioned above, is not explainable, but it is show-able. It is our instinctive reaction to change, whether it be good, bad, or somewhere in the middle. It is the way to relieve stress, to communicate, and to clear our minds and spark conscious thought.
Conscience is the way we actively and manually think, and also the way we tell right from wrong. We make decisions with our conscience, using both facts and the bias from emotions and the interactions we have had. It allows us to create, plan, and discover new ways to do things and facts to help us make decisions.
Interaction combines both of the others into a way to communicate ideas and feelings. Whether it be physically (fighting, donating, imprisoning, etc...) or mentally/emotionally. It allows humans to work together happily and harmoniously, as well as working against each other and spreading discord and suffering. In these few posts, I will go through various events in human history, and will identify the Human Spirit in all of them.
I would like to thank Mr. Gant for this whole part of my blog. He gave me the term Human Spirit, and the understanding I have of it. Thank you Mr. Gant!!!
There are three main parts to the Human Spirit. Emotion, Conscience, and Interaction. Emotion, like mentioned above, is not explainable, but it is show-able. It is our instinctive reaction to change, whether it be good, bad, or somewhere in the middle. It is the way to relieve stress, to communicate, and to clear our minds and spark conscious thought.
Conscience is the way we actively and manually think, and also the way we tell right from wrong. We make decisions with our conscience, using both facts and the bias from emotions and the interactions we have had. It allows us to create, plan, and discover new ways to do things and facts to help us make decisions.
Interaction combines both of the others into a way to communicate ideas and feelings. Whether it be physically (fighting, donating, imprisoning, etc...) or mentally/emotionally. It allows humans to work together happily and harmoniously, as well as working against each other and spreading discord and suffering. In these few posts, I will go through various events in human history, and will identify the Human Spirit in all of them.
I would like to thank Mr. Gant for this whole part of my blog. He gave me the term Human Spirit, and the understanding I have of it. Thank you Mr. Gant!!!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Environment:The Final Post
I know that Environment was only a few posts long, but like in politics, there are too many problems to count. So, I addressed the overall theme, gave you some warnings, and a few examples to give you a glimpse of the world around you. I will leave you all to research and record findings relevant to this topic, and spread the word of the actions that need to be taken to save the precious resources that support us so well today.
What a fragile world we live in. Millions of years of creating coal, oil, and all of the creatures we know, love, eat, and kill today, and finally, with one species of super-brainy human beings, we wipe out most of the resources in only about a thousand. What an immense step in Earth's history, the creation of humans, but also the most weathering and changing. Soon, our world will break, unable to support all of the human lives that we have a high chance of generating.
And how deceiving and petty many humans are, willing to take advantage of the concern and the compassion of others, not caring who or what they hurt, just for their own personal gain. Whether it be for money, fame, power, or other shallow desires, they do not care for the future of humanity as a whole, but just for them.
In the next section of this blog, I will address the cruel and wonderful aspects of the lives of humans. I hope to to help others to understand who we are and what we do. Many things I will bring up. The incarceration of the Japanese and the Slavery of the African Americans. The various emotions and motives we have for doing things, and their effects on other. I am proud to present my next section: "The Human Spirit."
What a fragile world we live in. Millions of years of creating coal, oil, and all of the creatures we know, love, eat, and kill today, and finally, with one species of super-brainy human beings, we wipe out most of the resources in only about a thousand. What an immense step in Earth's history, the creation of humans, but also the most weathering and changing. Soon, our world will break, unable to support all of the human lives that we have a high chance of generating.
And how deceiving and petty many humans are, willing to take advantage of the concern and the compassion of others, not caring who or what they hurt, just for their own personal gain. Whether it be for money, fame, power, or other shallow desires, they do not care for the future of humanity as a whole, but just for them.
In the next section of this blog, I will address the cruel and wonderful aspects of the lives of humans. I hope to to help others to understand who we are and what we do. Many things I will bring up. The incarceration of the Japanese and the Slavery of the African Americans. The various emotions and motives we have for doing things, and their effects on other. I am proud to present my next section: "The Human Spirit."
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Ice Age or Global Warming?
Which one would you want? Many of those that hate the hot will say Ice Age, while the majority would be Global Warming. But why does it even matter? Since the closest you will ever be to an Ice Age or an extreme Global Warming is your science textbook, why would anyone think like this?
Well, the answer would be that we need to be prepared. Even if we never face it or if our children never face it or if our childrens' children never face it, preparations for either would have to be made very early, which requires planning, thinking, and reasoning with this thought pattern.
In our preparations, we need to consider what is the most dangerous occurrence. Many would say Global Warming because of all of the years of hearing how terrible it is etc. from people like Al Gore. That is not true. Think about it. Can a harvest of tomatoes and peas survive an extra extra hot day? Obviously, they may be a little damaged, but nothing more than that. Now consider the opposite. Can a crop survive a frost? What if it came in the middle of the growing season? That would kill all of your crops, and leave you hungry.
Prolonged cold causes more damage to plants and animals, and may even kill much of them. With our huge projected population in 2050, and in hundreds of years, if we lost our crops, we would have a terrible starvation. Just because glaciers melt an a few Arctic species suffer doesn't mean that Global Warming is the worst thing that can happen to the planet.
So how would we be prepared for any one of these occurrences? By creating weather-resistant strains of plants. By making things available to the poor that will allow them to work and prosper in colder or warmer temperatures. By making things like Eco-friendly pesticides available to areas that have insect surges due to rising temperatures. It is all common sense.
We need to realize and start to plan a preparation for such occurrences so that we do not get caught with our hands tied behind our backs. And who knows? Maybe there is a way for humanity to cause Global Warming or other climate change. We need to be ready and willing.
Well, the answer would be that we need to be prepared. Even if we never face it or if our children never face it or if our childrens' children never face it, preparations for either would have to be made very early, which requires planning, thinking, and reasoning with this thought pattern.
In our preparations, we need to consider what is the most dangerous occurrence. Many would say Global Warming because of all of the years of hearing how terrible it is etc. from people like Al Gore. That is not true. Think about it. Can a harvest of tomatoes and peas survive an extra extra hot day? Obviously, they may be a little damaged, but nothing more than that. Now consider the opposite. Can a crop survive a frost? What if it came in the middle of the growing season? That would kill all of your crops, and leave you hungry.
Prolonged cold causes more damage to plants and animals, and may even kill much of them. With our huge projected population in 2050, and in hundreds of years, if we lost our crops, we would have a terrible starvation. Just because glaciers melt an a few Arctic species suffer doesn't mean that Global Warming is the worst thing that can happen to the planet.
So how would we be prepared for any one of these occurrences? By creating weather-resistant strains of plants. By making things available to the poor that will allow them to work and prosper in colder or warmer temperatures. By making things like Eco-friendly pesticides available to areas that have insect surges due to rising temperatures. It is all common sense.
We need to realize and start to plan a preparation for such occurrences so that we do not get caught with our hands tied behind our backs. And who knows? Maybe there is a way for humanity to cause Global Warming or other climate change. We need to be ready and willing.
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