Or, is that a completely outdated question? Because to call it immoral would hinge on us having an accepted set of moral standards. In some ways, we do. Obviously people do not normally accept, say, murder as a moral thing to do. In other ways though we project some of our religious beliefs on others and hold them to the same standards that we voluntarily (read: VOLUNTARILY) submit ourselves to. it seems to interfere a disturbing amount with American politics even though we’re now in the 21st century.
Yes, most Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin. Or at least giving into homosexual desires. And I’m completely willing to defend their right to believe that because I believe that we live in a free society and I value individuality and free thought. The problem arises when these Christian groups try to put their values into motion through legislation. A perfect example would be the proposed amendment that tried to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Why, if I do not accept a certain religion’s beliefs should I have to care or conform to them? This is AMERICA! Land of the FREE!! That is the beauty of the whole situation. If I want to tell you Satan created cats to be his spies and we should never keep them as pets because they would corrupt us, I can totally do that. But would it be appropriate to propose an amendment outlawing cats as pets? Does that really seem reasonable at all to you? So while I fully respect the view that homosexuality is a sin and immoral, I don’t personally believe that. And I refuse to follow any law that would condemn the biological process of love simply because a group would love to play ‘high and might, I’m right you’re wrong’ with America.
If we did evolve as Darwin hypothesized, there are always going to be little offshoots of a species that either survive or die off. I would not be the one to argue that being gay is normal. I think it’s just another human oddity such as depression, schizophrenia, genius level intelligence, or artistic ability. It’s just something you’re born with. The four aforementioned things can also be factors of life of course, just as being gay might be. Does a male become gay if he sees a vagina too early ala lactose intolarents having drank milk too young? I don’t honestly know and I think if the public is seeking an answer it’s a misguided waste of time. You can ponder and ponder and ponder how Stephen Hawking comes up with his theories, but he’s already published his thesises. Now it’s time to look at the information in front of you and try and make the best of it. I think I’m simply getting at the fact that I don’t understand why a religion would want to make someone feel even worse about their life if they can’t even help something. But, y’know, congrats anti-gays, we have the highest suicide rates. You must be doing something right. Show God’s love, huh?
We only get a limited amount of time on earth. Obviously. Because we are going to die. So what’s the point of wasting time judging each other when we could just spend more time making the quality of life better for each other? That is more imporant than making money. That is more important than making sure you have a cookie cutter American Dream family. Whatever you can do to make your life and the lives of those around you better is what you ought to be doing. Not condemning and literally wrecking lives. Religion is being abused and ruining lives. That’s what it comes down to. If you want to argue your point, look no further than the verses that explain how God gave us free will. He did not appoint anyone to rule the earth in his stead. In fact God made the very same point I’m making: make life better for those around you. That doesn’t mean appealing for legistlation that goes against your beliefs, but that definitely does not call for advocating legislation that ruins lives for millions of Americans.
I don’t think half the people who call themselves Christians in this country understand the religion they think they belong to. And you will be in no better boat if God does end up coming down from a cloud and smiting anyone who didn’t believe in him. God doesn’t want lukewarm Christians, remember?
So I got this envelope today with no return address and my name && address written in a male high school-esque script. And I opened it. And there was nothing in it.
Clues:
- Male writing (high school?)
- Post marked Feb 20, 2008 / Denver, Co
- Envelope type that is opaque (blue lining inside)
- No mistakes on my address, the person was looking at my address while they wrote it or had it memorized
Anyways, yeah, just pondering for kicks and giggles. I don’t know where or who was writing to me, but I’m going to count it as fan mail. The first physical fan mail I’ve gotten. Unless it was hate male. Oh well.
Second order of business is geeky. Does anyone here want me to run through the beta versions of Digsby (instant messaging program), A.viary (free online image editing suite), Microsoft’s Download Center beta, and Wordpress 1.4 beta? If no one tech-y actually reads my blog it wouldn’t do much good. So I have to ask. Comment or email me if you want me to…
Third order of business is TAKASHI SENSEI’S EMAIL. If you still read my blog (doubtful, but hey?) I want your 携帯電話のメール. It’d be really cool. Yay.
So I haven’t really mentioned my new job. I am now a salesfloor working at Target. Whoo! It’s near to my new school so pretty convenient for me. Orientation was last Saturday and I worked both Wednesday and Thursday. Weds was cashier training (everyone does it) and then Thursday I got to work in Electronics, which was fun.
Overall I think that I underestimated how much behind the scenes stuff goes on in retail. Like if you leave a product out in an aisle it doesn’t belong, someone has to go around and pick that up. Or if you ask for a gift receipt while you’re paying, it’s frusterating. On that last bit, it’s good to ask for a GR when the cashier scans the item. It’s pretty fun to see so many different people and help them. Didn’t take long to get the hang of the routine either. So yeah, I’m pretty happy to be working their and the rest of the staff seems to be very nice too.
Now I have more serious issues to discuss. Lenovo has a new ultraportable laptop to rival the Macbook AIR. Lenovo’s model has the much less interesting name X300 though. My only thought on this is “Do they even have a design team?”. The laptop fails to capture any aesthetic pleasure at all. It’s RIDICULOUS. I’m all for someone taking on Apple, but don’t you think if you’re fighting fire with fire you could at least look as stylish as the other guy. Ugh.
These days the way teenagers slave away for some stores is ridiculous. If you like A&F, Hollister, etc…fine. Buy their clothes. Wear their clothes. I completely and totally advocate personal freedoms and things that would satisfy people without compromising the rights of others.
However, it’s quite annoying to see people pick up clothes jut to fit in or think they’ve got great taste because of the brand name. Fashion is not about following the crowd and buying overpriced pieces of clothing. In fact it’s just about the exact opposite of that. You have to be on the edge of what’s acceptable and come up with new things to wear if you want to get ahead of the group.
Succeeding in the real world has never been about being firmly entrenched in the ‘crowd’. The people who do something different are the ones who fail or, hopefully, spring on to greater heights. Bill Gates revolutionized computers. Steve Jobs redefined the ‘cool’ factor for computers. Now the iPhone has revolutionized our ideas about what a mobile phone is, what it can do, and the user interface. They are not the proverbial wearers of A&F. They’ve moved on to better things and found stores where not everyone flocks to.
I’m just pretty sick of seeing kids think they’re hot stuff because they can buy the labels that everyone else does. Stay ahead of the curve, don’t get caught up in watching everyone else.
Tags: fashion, hollister, abercrombie, fitch, losers
First off, I want to thank EVERYONE who has given me support through what has been one of the most difficult points of my life. There have been some road bumps with people’s opinions, but I’m happy to say for the most part people have offered me their love and support. I don’t think any of you can really comprehend just how much that has meant to me. Whether that was an email, call, message, or a comment right here on my blog… they were all read and kept dear to me. So I just wanted to tell you all that yes, it really has meant that much to me. Lots of impact on my life (for the better).
Second, I want to ask you to support someone else. That person would be Barack Obama. He is offering us a chance to get away from what has failed us and offers a brand new alternative. This is the person that is challenging the stereotypes of our country. This is the face of the new America, a bright future for a country full of potential. I’m not sure if he can stop the recession, I don’t know if he can rectify what has been done in the Middle East. But I do know that it’s not guaranteed with anyone else either and his plans seem sound. It’s just this new vision that I think would be extremely healthy for our country. Sometimes change comes as a forced garment that bulges in all the wrong places and would rip if you bent over. Sometimes though, change is that thing that you’ve just got to grab when the moment comes. And if you’d like me to finish the clothing metaphor, it’s that outfit that you’ve been lusting over for MONTHS suddenly on sale. You just have to buy it and you know it’s going to look good.
Feb. 5. Support Barack Obama. For America.
When I grow up, I want to be (INSERT JOB). Isn’t that what kids tell each other? That when they grow up they have these great plans on what they want to spend the rest of their lives doing? Well, welcome to the real world. Welcome to the World. It keeps getting richer, keeps getting sadder, and suicide rates are still climbing. Apparently kids that have come before have grown up and discovered that being an adult does not give you unlimited freedom and they may not like what the future has in store for them.
Adolescents always seem to look up to adults as well. One day you’re a teenager drinking beer and smoking pot with a friend, the next day you’re the police officer arresting them. What is that magical transformation that seems to take place overnight? I’m not sure at what point kids become teenagers and then finally gain the right to adulthood. Is it really 18? Is there some scientific reasoning that it is a new stage in our life? Well, I sure wish I knew a hell of a lot more about life. Is there some point later in life when you feel like having kids that makes you an adult? Right now I know that I don’t have the patience to raise a new generation (if I adopted). So when is the book of knowledge going to integrate itself into my brain so that I can snag that dream career, answer all of my kids’ questions and live happily ever after??
Now I think I’m starting to realize that ‘adult’ is quite an arbitrary name. In fact the grownups we look up to are no different than us, they just have a different angle on life after more trial-and-error. I look at my peers working together on a science project, then I look at Israel and Palestine trying to compromise together and live in peace. So why can the latter not work for a common good when students can put their heads together to create something? Ok, ok, students are working for a grade and their teacher’s approval. But…wait…the other two countries would be working for world peace and the betterment of our planet. So which is the more important goal? And yet, is it countless grades that have been attained or a real solution in the Middle East that has been obtained?
There is no adulthood. It’s simply degrees of experience that people have and the will behind their want. People are selfish. If we’re willing to sacrifice ourselves it’s news because that’s not normal behavior. That’s why there’s no world peace right now. That’s why there’s a general lack of community across the globe. That’s why we’re worried about who has ‘weapons of mass destruction’. That’s why we have wars. That’s why we’ve effectively created Hell on earth.
If people started behaving like the ‘adults’ that children idolize, maybe the world would be a better place. Except that when you grow up you realize that the golden image you saw was only a brightened reflection of the real tarnished personalities of the people around you. Your eyesight and perspective on the world gets so much better, too much better possibly. You start seeing the cracks. And even after they’re pointed out, these ‘adults’ that we rely on can’t even manage to put their heads together and their problems down and solve something for the greater good.
Is anyone ready to be an adult nowadays? Anyone?
