Talking vs. Action

You know, nowadays you here a lot of people, from what I've seen, mostly women and feminists, which are two different groups if you didn't know, have been pushing this narrative that men should use more, well, narration. That men should talk more. Talk about their feelings. What's bothering them, or just for talking's sake. They are forcing what works for them onto men when that's not necessarily what works for me. Men often, if not mostly, prefer, not to talk about their issues, but address them and fix them. I will use myself as an example.

From age ten to twenty I went in and out of a depressed state. I thought a lot of death and suicide and seriously contemplated it a few times. Often it was only fear that kept me from it. Now, I like to talk and hate keeping secrets, so naturally I could only keep this to myself for so long and about a year after first suicidal thought I talked to my mom. I spilled my guts and told her about my thoughts. She took it in stride and told me something along the lines of that I could come to her and that no one was worth killing myself over. When I was thirteen I went to a psychiatrist to talk about my feelings and problems. While I won't say the meetings were worthless, they didn't really get me out of my funk and between the age of fourteen to fifteen I thought about suicide, seriously or not, every day. In the end, all the talking didn't help, it just made me feel like I was complaining and forcing my problems onto others. They had their own problems and didn't need my bull.

Jump ahead to about a year ago. My confidence had been building over the years, due in large part due to me getting friends, and I start trying to fix myself. I began to meditate and exercise and enjoy life. I also began to spend a lot of time thinking. Just thinking about how to get out of the state of mind I was in. I worked to repair my mind and become whole again. Finally, a few months ago I was thinking and came to a realization. The reason for my depression and all the misery that came from it was because I was a gigantic pussy!

I know that must have seemed like quite the odd statement, so let me explain. My depression all originated from one moment that led to a domino effect that nearly killed me. You see, one day, one of my friends brought someone to our group. This person was a rather mean kid and me, being shy and timid, got scared, and separated myself from the group. In doing so I grew lonely, and from that loneliness sadness followed with rage coming in later for spice.

So what happened recently was the revelation that had this happened today, i.e. mean kid talking shit, I would have laughed it off, given him the finger, and walked away like nothing happened. Upon that realization, I was finally able to let go, almost entirely of all the angst that had been tearing me apart. This might sound ridiculous, but the whole thing was ridiculous. I let one moment in my life determine its course for a decade. When I finally realized that and let go, I gained my freedom. I am now happier than I've ever been and don't plan on going back to who I was and I like to think of myself as a good example of the saying, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

Now, what's my point? My point is, there's no one way for anything. No cure all or single way to fix something. Talking may work for some, including men. In fact I'm sure of that. But for me, it was addressing the issue, confronting the problem that allowed me to get better. That's what I want everyone, men, women, feminists, anti-feminists, and everyone else to understand. Everyone's different and while I most whole-heartedly encourage you to be there for those around you, allow the possibility of self-determination and the ability to fix things themselves. Often your mere presence is enough. Humans beings are amazing things and you'll often find yourself surprised at what we can do. Just a little food for thought.

Celebrity

I've been thinking a lot recently about something that really annoys me. That thing is celebrities giving their opinions as if what they have to say means anymore than anyone else's.

Now this is not to say their opinions mean any less than the average person, but they act as if, because they are famous, their opinions hold more weight. They do not. These people, from Emma Watson to Jim Carrey, are entertainers. Their job is to, well, entertain. These are not politicians, businessmen, or professionals in anything beyond their form of entertainment. Yet, time and time again, these entertainers use their popularity as a reason to spout whatever they wish. This is ridiculous. Why does Emma Watson, an actress, with little to no experience in government, whose employment and fame is based on entertaining people, get to stand up in front of the United Nations, and tell the world what to do? Why is this allowed? Why can Beyoncé and Jennifer Garner advocate for the limitation of free speech when they have no experience in the realms of real politics, i.e. governance, comprise, and dealing with the daily grind of keeping a country afloat?

Is this not all ludicrous? That people, who amount to little more than glorified clowns, get to thrust their opinions down the throat of society? By what right or qualification, defined here as having the capacity to do some form of work due to experience, education, or a mix of both; do these people have to dictate their beliefs on others? These generally aren't even the best people. What most would consider, morally upright. Should I value Mel Gibson's words because I liked Brave Heart? Nevermind the fact he's an anti-Semite. How about Charlie Sheen, who's off his rocker half the time? Or Lena Dunham, the confessed child-molestor? Bill Cosby? Justin Beiber? Or how about Donald Trump? Am I to take all their opinions seriously? What makes their opinions more valuable than yours or mine? Why do they get a stage to spout whatever they want, in spite of the fact they have often have little to no idea what they are talking about and are often some of the most morally lacking people in society? Isn't that, at least in part, what makes so many them entertaining after all? That they're such gigantic screw-ups?

It's time that people stop taking these opinions seriously, at least until they check up on them. Maybe some of them have a point. Hell, some of them may even have degrees in the things they're throwing out there, I'm not saying that they can't be educated simply because they are entertainers. What I am saying is just because they played psychiatrists, professors, or hell, even the President of the United States, that doesn't mean they are any of these things, that they are qualified to talk about these matters, i.e. politics, business, etc., and it sure as hell doesn't mean their opinions matter more than yours or mine.

Critical Thinking

There is something everyone, including myself needs to do a lot more of. You can probably guess by the title. Critical thinking.

People around the world do not think critically nearly as much as they need to. You see this with mass media, war propaganda, economic policy, feminism, and simple everyday life. We don't think enough. Humans like to act and get things done, especially Americans. I can respect that, but it's leading us down roads that really screw us over.

Now first you need to learn how to critically thinking. There is no one way of doing this. You can take a class on critical thinking, I did, and I was extremely fortunate with that class. You can also read books on the subject or that challenge you or your line of thinking, that's another thing that has helped me move along. You can talk with people or just look at a news story and think it over for a moment. Use whatever works for you. Websites, books, movies, socializing, classes, really whatever, just make sure you think about the information you're getting. Don't fall into dogma or bigotry. If the argument and evident is good, reasonable, or in any way valid, give it some thought. Ponder the issue than come up with a conclusion.

To help you along, here's a few things I suggest.

1.http://rhetoric.byu.edu/
This sight is all about rhetoric which is all about thinking and coming up with reasonable arguments (this is not a definition), and I highly suggest it. There's a lot of information and it can be thick at times, so take it slow if you need to.

2. Read Plato's Protagoras and Meno
These works are excellent. Reading Socrates's arguments is like seeing wisdom in physical form. They are exquisite to read, though they are very deep and even thicker than the website above. It takes time to get them and going back and rereading is a must. I myself need to reread them to see what I missed. But if nothing else, I highly suggest these books.

We are the only species we know of, that can think critically. That can come up with logic and advance ourselves beyond simple needs. We should not allow that potential to go to waste. So please, try a little everyday, to think critically. I will do likewise and if anyone wants to call me out when I don't, feel free. With that, I bid you all a fine day, and I eagerly await your responses. 

A Land Milk and Honey and Blood

I am currently reading the great epic, The Great War For Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East by Robert Fisk. It is a great, albeit horrifying book, and one I recommend to everyone, whether or not they care to learn anything about the Middle East because the knowledge within it is too important to overlook.

Now, why am I bringing it up today. Because today, there is something I read that I would finally like to cover. That is, the use of an ancient, oft quoted, and ridiculed book, to verify conquest. Anyone have any guesses to what I'm talking about? Well, the book is the Bible, the single most read book in history. And the justification I'm discussing is the use of the Bible by Israelis to say that the land of Palestine, yes Palestine, is theirs.

I'd like you to think a moment on that. Think on the history of those who argued that what was in the Bible was law. That whatever it says was to come to pass. Who comes to mind? Crusaders? Witch burners? Homophobes? Quite a few less savory groups right? Now think on this. If I were to use the Bible, Quran, or Tibetan Book of the Dead for all I care, to justify stealing land that the United Nations said wasn't mind, what do you think the reaction would be? I'd be told I was crazy, stupid, or something of the like. I'd be told to shut up, to quit wasting everyone's time. And they'd have every right to tell me such. Such a thing would make me beyond a colossal ass. Yet many Israelis like to say that the land they are currently occupying was promised to them by God. I've seen people on film and in books say this. Many truly do believe this. They believe that a book gives the jurisdiction over international law. That God promised them the land. No where is this a viable argument. No where does this give permission for anything. This is beyond religiousness, its fanaticism. It's why so many turn against religion because they view it as a tool for doing wrong. An ironic and terrible thing since so many religions teach what most would view as good or wholesome.

Israel is illegally occupying Palestinian territory. They are doing so with impunity and an arrogance unmatched by all sane nations. They use excuses of the most ridiculous nature to allow for their thievery, their occupation, and their terrorism. This has to stop. And to push my point, here's a little something from the Bible:

And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan, near Jericho, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it... But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land fro before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
The Bible, Numbers 33:50-53,55

And here we are again, watching this ancient genocide unfold again. Personally, I prefer a different Bible quote:

"You shall not steal." 
8th Commandment   

The Death Penalty

So I was looking through the news and I found what's a been a major topic for a while. The Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, being guilty of all 30 counts he was charged with.
From what little I know it does appear that he did this, so I'm not sad or upset in any shape or form that he was found as such, though again, I don't know very much about the trial. But there are two things that I have found over the last week or so that do both me.
1. One of the charges (if I'm not mistaken), was use of a weapon of mass destruction. Seriously? A homemade bomb now counts as equal among chemical weapons and nukes? Sounds a bit overboard to me. I know a lot of people were hurt, but I'm not sure something I can make with the stuff under my bathroom sink is on par with Fat Man or Little Boy.
2. He might be facing the death penalty. And here we go. Murder is wrong, the vast majority of the people on this planet would agree with that, so can someone tell me why it's allowed when someone is found guilty of murder? You killed someone, a terrible crime that will send you to Hell, so we, the State, are going to murder you. Where's the moral high ground in that? I despise in any way shape or form and no matter what it's name. It's why I am now anti-death penalty, along with anti-abortion, and most importantly and fervently anti-war. I'm consistent, a fact that most people cannot say (i.e. right wings are 'pro-life' but also like the death penalty, while left wings are anti-death penalty and 'pro-choice'. And both have been shown to like war).
Now, with that job out of the way, let's discuss the death penalty. It's been around for a while and more than a few people have faced it, one among them being Jesus of Nazareth, and he died in one of the worst executions styles ever, which was literally synonymous with torture. Over the years we have found out that many of those who have been executed were innocent of the crimes they were charged for. What's worse , they may have been alive to see themselves free if they had not been executed.
My main problem with this is the morality of it, as stated above, but that's only one argument. Death penalty cases mean an automatic appeal in our (US) courts and those can take years. In the most extreme cases, decades. They drain money and give little to nothing in return. The person's already going to rot in prison forever, why does it matter if we sentence them to death? They're effectively dead already.
Overall it all seems stupid. At one point I did support the death penalty, but the more time that goes on, the more I find it ridiculous, not only morally, but economically. We waste money on something that takes away moral superiority over the person we're sentencing. We don't get to say, "You did something horrible and I want to kill you, but I'm better than you, so I won't". Personally I'd like to be able to say that.
With that I bid you all good day. Hopefully I got you all to think on this matter and I eagerly await your replies.  

Napping

So I've never been much of one for napping, at least I try not to be. They generally just make me groggy and I feel like I'm wasting time when I do them. However, recently I've been having a problem. You see, my bed is sort of a safe place for me and really comfortable at the best of times. So what's happening is I lay down, thinking I'll get comfortable for a few minutes only to find myself an hour or so later, waking up from a nap. It's rather annoying and has actually put me in a bad place on more than one occasion. Anyway, there's little point to this story. It's mostly writing practice with the hope of a little advice on how to avoid this (besides the obvious, don't lay in your bed) or stories of other people having this problem. Anywho, I wish you all a fine day and I eagerly await to hear back from you.

It's Your Government Too

Hello everyone, this one should be pretty short and sweet so I'm just going to jump right into it.

Please contact the government. Spend a few minutes contacting your congressman(person?), the White House or really anyone in government to let them know what you think. It's your government too. This country, for all its problems, is a democratic, if not completely so, country. It's not only your right to get involved, it's your duty. You need to get involved, especially when so many of you have issues with how things are going. Don't like the high tuition of colleges, contact Congress. Despise that we use torture or 'enhanced interrogation techniques', get in touch with the President, tell him (or her if that's what the future holds), that you want that to stop. A country is nothing without its people. Power resides where you and I believe it to reside. If you think power is invested corporations, than it is. But if you realize that it is only such because you allow it to be as such, than the power begins to return to you. Contacting the government won't solve all the problems we face, but its a start and it's far better than nothing. So get involved. It doesn't take much time or effort and it could be the beginning of a huge change. Only today I contacted the President. This will be the three time I've done so, and I've actually gotten a response. So go ahead, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

With that, I bid you all a good day and wish you well until next time.