Kelsey

Kelsey asked (begged, really) for me to write a blog about her today. I really did not have much else that I wanted to write about, so why not?
(Kelsey's pretty awesome, I can't lie.)

Kelsey is one of those special few who keep me sane.
She possesses all of those rare traits that I look for in people:
honesty, open-mindedness, a mildly twisted sense of humor, and genuine kindness.
She has faced incredible tragedy, but every day she makes someone laugh. Oh, that's not even accurate. I bet every day she makes at least five people laugh.
I just hope that she is able to overcome her fear of birthdays and New Years and the general passing of time to fully enjoy every second she has because I enjoy every moment of my life that I spend with her.

Haha, so, most people reading this probably feel like I've wasted your time, but just think about all of the people you have in your life who are like my friend Kelsey. Be thankful for them because they are incredibly special and hard to find. I know I'll miss her when she goes off to college. She better get accepted to Oberlin so that we could (possibly) room together.

I am the girl anachronism.

Just 11 days ago we entered the year 2009. The start of the new year usually inspires resolutions and reflections on the year past, but for me, it leads me to ponder the state of humanity today.

What are we becoming? What have we turned the world into?
Yes, we have medical breakthroughs and advances in technology, but that is not the point. I want to know in a philosophical sense how we are progressing as humans. How are we bettering ourselves, thinking about the world, interacting with each other, etc? We are becoming more and more obsessed with leading fantasy lives with the help of virtual reality. Let's look at how technology has changed communication: Telephones made it so that we could communicate without seeing the recipient. E-mail made it so that we could communicate without seeing or hearing the recipient. Texting has made it so that you can communicate without seeing or hearing the recipient, and also limited the length of responses. All of these were meant to better communication. They made communication faster, easier. Texting is great for sending short messages that do not require a phone conversation. However, though there is a point to the madness, it is ruining communication. When I talk to a person now, I can almost see them texting the message to me. The responses I get are short and usually mindless. I want expanded thought. I want to share ideas. Instead I hear and see the same nonsense.

I honestly wonder if I belong in this day and age. I see far too much greed. I don't see enough people challenging themselves. Ha, and the sound of cell phones terrifies me to no end. It took at least 20 minutes for my heart to stop pounding after I received a text the other day.

Perhaps 2009 will bring about a positive change for the world.
Maybe, just maybe, people will look outside of their own lives.
Maybe there will be more kindness and generosity.
Maybe there will be amazing new music.
Maybe there will be a revolution.

Anything is possible.

Live it out.

A Happy Conclusion To A Happy Day

I promised not to make this a journal, but I think these thoughts can be relevant to all, so here goes nothing.

Firstly, might I say that those who go through their school careers without bonding with their teachers are missing so much. Three teachers absolutely made my day today. They do their best to help me succeed. They advise me and talk to me as an equal. They recommend books and colleges. One even reads all of the little bulletins I post on MySpace, just to hear what I have to say. How insane/grand is that?

Secondly, I'm realizing how lucky I am. At the beginning of the year, I was so caught up in reaching out to others, finding new people to with which to connect because, somehow, I felt lonely despite the amazing people who surrounded me, who have always surrounded and supported and loved me. I forgot what I had, and I was a fool. The winter break made me realize that, while I am here, I need nothing more than them. Somehow, we found each other early, and that is one of the biggest miracles in my life so far. (I also find it funny how three people in the past week have referred to us as collectively, as a "gang" or "group." I don't even know what we'd classify ourselves as. Perhaps black sheep?)

To be honest, only one person has been letting me down fairly consistently lately. I'm hoping it all plays out well, but if it doesn't, I'll live.
It's the way of things.


Hm, Smoke by Alkaline Trio is a good song.
I haven't paid it much attention before.
It just came on. Mmm.

Tragedies and Statistics

"A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic."
- Joseph Stalin

I was discussing this quote with my friends Shane and Brittney the other day. I forget how we got on the subject, but we all seemed to find a lot of truth in those words. Every day on the news there are in-depth stories on the victims of murder and rape. Mass groups of people feel pain for these people. It is because they know their story. Their lives become a part of the American public's.

However, when people hear of a bombing that killed 50 people or a genocide that's killing thousands, they do not seem to care as much. Certainly, they think and say something along the lines of, "Something must be done," but they do not feel as much concern for the victims because the tragedy has not been brought to a human level. It is hard for one, while watching a clip of a car in flames or bombs going off, to think about the lives of each person affected by the tragedy, to connect with them. And, in order to solve a lot of the world's problems, I think that is necessary: a little more empathy and caring.

While I'm on the subject of empathy, I might as well talk about how it should apply to our daily lives as well. I feel like people do not take enough time to stop and analyze why people act the way that they do. They do not try to understand. When someone is yelling at you, yes, half of the time you probably deserve it, but the other half might be due to other stresses in their life. If we just stopped to think about the reasons behind the negative actions of others, we could fix the problem instead of just judging them.

I don't know where exactly this blog is going,
it's merely some thoughts I've been having lately.
Just think about it. Form your own conclusions.

True Cowardice and Real Strength

Recently, I have been bombarded by attacks against my religion or, rather, my lack thereof. Let me start by clarifying what I believe: I am an agnostic, which is simply a person who does not claim to know the essential nature of things, such as God. I am also a Humanist. Humanism is a philosophy that endorses universal morality, the ability to determine right and wrong based on rationality. Basically, Kurt Vonnegut said it best when he stated that "being a Humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead."

In the past few weeks, I have been called a coward for my beliefs. I ponder how relying on myself, my own decisions, and my own morality makes me a coward. I do not gain my comfort from a higher power or a religious group. I gain it from myself, by doing the "right thing." Now, I'm not saying that all people of faith are cowards. However, if you only worship a God in fear of what you might face in the afterlife or because that was just how you were raised, then yes, that's cowardly. All I ask is that you question your beliefs and believe them because that is what you feel is right, not just because it was what you were told was correct and not because you fear eternal punishment.

I was also asked why I celebrate Christmas even though I am not a Christian. While it is true that I do not celebrate the birth of a savior on December 25th, I do celebrate love, hope, the spirit of giving, and the human spirit. Christ embodied all of those messages. You celebrate the man. I celebrate the message he stood for. Are we so different?

So, to recap:
True cowardice is doing as you are told,
fearing what you do not understand,
and judging anything different.

Real strength is questioning what you are told,
doing what you believe is right,
and trying to understand others.

To blog or not to blog?

I started this blog because my best friend, Kyle, urged me to after he created his own. (Apparently they are all the rage.) However, I had some reservations. In this blog, I'm going to put out my personal thoughts and opinions into the world, which I usually I save for intimate conversations with those that I trust and respect. It just seems like an invasion of my mind, honestly. Also, does anyone really care? I suppose that's the real question.
In any case, here I am, doing the deed. I will not be posting on a regular basis, just when I need to express a thought or opinion. This will not become a journal on my life. That is not the goal. (Personally, I don't really want the general public to know about my life.) I'm just typing what I think. Enjoy.