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.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
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.
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