Accroches-Toi A Ton Reve

Let's talk committment.  Stay put guys, not that kind of committment.

If you're reading this, I assume that you have some dreams and some desires that guide you in life.  And I'd like to say to you that you should stick to your freaking guns*.

*So long as the dreams and desires are constructive to a healthy life.

I wonder how many great things could have been, but weren't, because someone flaked out and decided that their dreams came second to a chance to have a crappy internship at the bottom of a corporate ladder, but with promise to climb?  How about, how many people have missed out on their dream because their family didn't approve?  Or how many people's dreams fall through because of a relationship still in the early stages of wildfire romance?

You've got a dream, and you need to follow it.  Even though letting your dream die may let other people down, you'll ultimately be letting yourself down the most.  Because perhaps in 10 years, you'll see yourself locked into a situation you can't escape, and that dream that was once very real and within your grasp, decided only by when you chose to reach for it, is now gone.  It gets logged in the mental book you unshelve to read to yourself at night as your reminisce of the glory days. 

The thing about 'glory days' is that people rarely actually encounter them.  There is nothing glorious about the freedom and vigor of youth; or should I say, all people who are free, vigorous, and youthful are glorious, and thus the glory becomes the norm.  Once you decide to hand all of that over for a suit, tie, respectable sedan, and a nameplate on a desk, you realize just how glorious normal youthful enthusiasm is.  Youth and dreams are glorious, but once you have opted out of them, they don't become glory days.  You just become passed by.



This old man sees a picture of the town football team, because he's one of those creepy old guys with no grandkids on the team, but goes to every game anyway...and he remembers his dreams to be champion in the NFL.  Shut up, old man.  You gave up on your dream, and your dream didnt leave you with some sort of romantic, bittersweet farewell smooch.  Granted, you seem to be doing very well for yourself with that sweater and plush chair and fireplace and all...but still.  You gave up.



My friends have some awesome dreams. 

Blog shout-out time! 

One of my friends, Chelsea, who follows me (follow her!) wants to open a coffee shop because it encourages slowing down, something she says we don't do enough in life.  I wanted to put a picture here, but I spent ten minutes looking for a suitable relaxing coffee house photo and couldnt find a single befitting photo.  Goes to show you, she's right.  People don't chill out enough.  A good, accurate dream.

I have been overcome by an extreme case of laziness.  I have more friends, and they have dreams.  But I think you get the idea.  I have another post on the idea of following dreams.  Read it, and then do it.

He's Leaving Home, Bye-Bye

Since going to college, I have been experiencing an interesting feeling when I come home.

I'm still welcome here, but at the same time, I don't feel welcome.

In terms of my family, I feel welcome, but I don't feel very welcome by God.  Like He doesn't want me to be there, like my job is to be somewhere else.

I can't really tack a label on the feeling I get when I come home, but it's as if the town of Chesterton, Indiana just has nothing to offer me anymore, and I don't have a great deal to offer it right now.  I feel as though I'm not supposed to be here, and it isn't really home anymore, in terms of feeling at peace when I'm here.

I'd imagine this is kind of how Columbus felt while he frustratedly tried to find someone to fund his expedition to the New World.  He knew what was out there, calling for him, but at that moment he was stuck in the familiar.  I'm ready to go find what it is I'm looking for, and I'll be sure to know the map and not mistake North America for India. 

Why Christians Should Not Rejoice At The Death of Osama bin Laden

I am attempting to overpower the voice of many, many Christians celebrating the death of bin Laden.  I will fail.

Here's the bottom line:  bin Laden was indoctrinated to believe what he believed from the very start.  Just the same, we've been indoctrinated to love villifying the leaders of our enemies, and rejoicing in their deaths. Yes, he did things that damaged many people, but he was not an evil man.  Evil men do things to see people suffer because they want to see suffering, they want to feel power, they want to be the richest, and will do what they have to do to see it happen.  How many people have died at the hands of Christians in years past?  it happens everywhere.  They weren't evil either, they were just misguided in their beliefs.

When people say 'The world is now a better place, that bastard is going to burn in hell', I disagree.  The hatred that man had for those who didn't believe in his beliefs was great indeed...but the little hatred of millions of people is more powerful, in a different way.  This hatred we have all gladly reaccepted into our hearts will fuel our attitudes and actions when it comes to the next clash of Islam and Christian ideology.  Our hatred will push us to fight, fight, fight, ultimately killing more than the few dozen thousand (just an estimation, I have no clue) people bin Laden killed.

The Daily News I believe has said 'ROT IN HELL!" on their cover page.  A news reporter said he is going to be burning in hell for a long time.  Funny, because I thought Hell was an inhumane concept reserved for the most barbaric of religious fanatics, not forward-thinking and global-minded Americans of the new generation?  Oh wait, Hell exists when we hate someone alot, I forgot.

I'll leave you with these verses.

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?  -  Ezekiel 18:23

This is interesting because it is Old Testament, and OT typically has a harsher depiction of God.  Even then, He is clear.  He does not rejoice.

"You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, My decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with The Father, who sent Me." (John 8:15-16)
 

We are so quick to judge as if our opinions matter.  It's His call, and in the meantime, I think God wants us to focus on love.  I'll show you what I mean.

 

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22: 34-40

 

When Jesus makes big statements like that..."ALL the law hang on these two commandments", we should pay attention more.  Or how about this?

 

"As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. - John 12:47

 

Or how about the collection of these stories?

 

-Saving the adulteress in John chapter 7

- Healing the ear of a man who helped arrest Him in Luke chapter 22

- Eating with sinners in Matt 9, Mark 2, and Luke 5

- "forgive them father, they know not what they do" as He is dying at their hands in Luke 23:34

- General story of the whole gospel where he spends all of his time amongst cheaters, liars, adulterers, and more.

 

Am I glad that some things that cause pain won't happen anymore?  Yes, even though others will stand up to carry Osama's share of the work.  Am I glad that a man has died?  No, as a Christian, that is not my job.



Analog-y Kid

I just came up with this analogy and need to share it.

School work is a lot like taking a dump.  You can feel it coming, but often put it off when other things are going on that are more important to you.  Eventually though, time is out, and things get urgent.

School work also happens to be a lot like wiping your butt.  You can keep at it for hours and hours, but sadly, you'll never end up with a spotless paper.

You're An Idiot

Okay, boys and girls.

Quiet down, please.

I'd really appreciate if you would settle dow...OW!  REEAALLY?! REAAAALLY?!

STEVEN YOU ARE GOING TO DIE A PAINFUL AND HORRIBLE DEATH ONE DAY!

That's better.

Now, let's talk about why girls are stupid.

So, I have a group of friends here at school, and they're all girls.  Ninety-nine percent of ten percent of the time, all of them are cool at the same time.  Most other times, they're not though.  Recently, I've discovered that the 99% of 10% figure may be a bit too generous.

So here's the scoop daddy-o.  I'm not a big fan of vanity or anything like that, but I'll be straight up when I think that a girl is into me.  That being said, I think that a girl is into me.  She's super cool and honestly the most level-headed and dateable of any of those girls, but I'm really not too into the idea of dating right now.

I have in the past been slightly forward with another girl in that group, because I think she's pretty cute.  And now, I think that she thinks I still am interested, which I'm not.

This is kind of a lame blog post, but I'm getting to the point.  I'm always a talkative guy and so when I see that girl (the one I used to be into) or see that she's online or whatever, I'll say hey.  And in real life, she goes out of her way to be rude to me, and online, she says nothing to me, but remains online and doesn't go away (facebook chat puts your chat status to the little moon thing if you dont say anything to anyone for 20 minutes) long after I say hello.  So she's obviously talking to other people, yet doesn't say hey or anything to me.

Here's the point of this blog: Girl Herd Mentalities and Their Effect On Casual Relationships.

Here's what I think is going on:  Girl Who Avoids/Hates Me knows I once upon a time found her attractive.  Now, Girl Who Digs Me digs me, and they're good friends.  So Girl Who Avoids/Hates Me is trying to throw me off of liking her at all by being rude to me, ignoring me, etc., so that she isn't the girl I focus on instead of Girl Who Digs Me.

I don't know any of this for certain.  It's my incredibly intuitive senses tingling, and I'll just say that 99% of 99% of the time, my incredibly intuitive sense tinglings are correct. 

The shame in this is that one person is closing herself off from just being friends with another person because of stupid girl politics.

If you're a girl, don't do this.  If you're not a girl, still don't do this. If you're a girl who does do this, know that some guys see right through it.  If you're a guy who does do this, I heard the Payless Shoe Shource is having a BOGO deal.

If you're a guy who knows what a BOGO deal is, you should go lift weights, because your estrogen poureth over.

I'm going to go lift weights.

Remember, Momma said

You can't hurry love.

So stop trying!

I know, I'm not anyone to be giving pointers, as some of my blog posts have been rather indicative of.  Now, I agree with many things said in Diana Ross and The Supremes' song, "You Can't Hurry Love".  But, I do humbly disagree with one statement.  The following line is "You just have to wait."

Don't worry, I will explain.  Ha, as if you thought I wouldn't.

Well, being the fool of a hyperactive romantic guy that I am, I have found ways to ease my mind, other than love.  This post is like a pun convention for puns made only from the lyrics of "You Can't Hurry Love"...  But anyhow.

A lot of times I will hear people say things like "I've been sitting here waiting for so long" or "How long is it going to take before the right one for me comes along?"  I never say this, but do they consider the fact that the right one is also looking for them?  It isn't right to make the right person do all the work, and it is time again for a graphic extravaganza!

This is the attitude many people have about life. 

HERE is where they are, and THERE is where they want to be, but they're shackled to HERE.  THERE possesses some sort of perfect scenario or characteristic that is the key to unlocking them from their shackles.  Well, the problem is that you can't reach the key that is THERE if you're only focused on HERE, because you're only THERE if you have completely left HERE.  Following?

The real kicker is that no one realizes no key exists.  Further, take a look at a zoomed in view of that same image.

Would ya look at that?  We're so focused on needing some key because the shackle has a keyhole, that we don't even realize our leg is 1/3 the size of the shackle.  Just pull your foot out, dummy!  While I joke, it isn't a bad analogy.  People always make things more complicated than they are, looking for secrets or clue trails, when honestly the issue of escaping HERE is just pulling your leg, or whatever else is stuck in the HERE and now (most often the brain).

Now that you've got your leg out of that inefficiently constructed shackle, you can continue on the journey.  Now, this next chunk does not apply to everyone, so if it doesn't, take it with a grain of salt.

Many of the people who say things like "When is the right one going to show up?" or "I've been waiting so long!", will be the same people who believe that there is one and only one person for them, connected by a path that is slowly shortening as time goes on.  So, if the path only leads one place and there are only two people on it walking towards each other, why the heck are you sitting there waiting?  What if the other person is sitting too?  It will take that much longer for you to reach each other.

     As you can see, Handsome Dude and Foxey Lady are connected by a path, what many consider 'fate'.  And boy, are they lazy.  Both of them standing there bored, waiting for each other.

This is what it should be like! 

For personalization purposes, we'll say that I'm Handsome Dude, and that gal in the bottom corner is Foxey Lady. We'll also say that Foxey Lady is sitting around waiting, presumably because she's too busy being Foxey to focus on rappelling, biking, sledding, parachuting, swimming, and jetpacking.  And Handsome Dude is totally cool with that.

Now, as you might very well argue, the path to our loved ones, or fate, rarely resembles a futuristic and improbable obstacle course.  I mean, seriously, in what sort of parallel universe is a bike free, and a jetpack free, but a crappy little disc sled costs a dollar?

Anyways, the obstacle course is a metaphor for life.  Handsome Dude is a metaphor for you, whether or not you are a dude.  See, instead of sitting around, moping, and hating people on Valentine's Day, Handsome Dude is vivaciously pursuing life.  And even though his end goal is to find Foxey Lady, he got to run upside down, sled down and sweet hill, flip the sled into a parachute, dive off a cliff into some water, and use a flippin' jetpack!  The point is this:  Instead of waiting, go do things!

Whenever I get into a conversation with a friend about 'waiting' for the right person, I like to bring up this point:  Don't wait for the right one, prepare for them.  There is a difference.  You can either sit around and let time pass you, or you can pass the time by working on making yourself ready for when that person shows up. 

For example, if you feel you are not very outgoing...

take some of the time you have until Mr. or Mrs. Right shows up to work on branching out a little bit!

If you are dissatisfied with your body image...

 use some of this time to work on whatever it is you want to work on.

If you're like me, you're more easily motivated when you're doing something for someone you love.  Well, you will love Mr. or Mrs. Right someday, so use that thought as motivation to do things you don't want to do, but will make you a better person.  I think if I were to be told that I was the inspiration for years of hard work and self-reflection and improvement, it would be one of the most meaningful things I could be told.

So, all of this to say, "You can't hurry love," but you can do more than just wait!  Prepare!

They're Crying "Save Me, Save Me"

Sometimes the stupidity of humans is terrifying.

I have a friend at college whose uncle is an alchoholic, and he is drinking himself to death.  As a side note, to all of my high school fellow students (who were superior to me because of their socialite habits), I'm sure he DIDN'T start just like you, drinking for fun, so please, don't worry about changing ANYTHING.

Anyhow.  The doctors say he has a few months to live, and he keeps sprinting headlong to the grave.  I understand and have experienced quite closely the mystery of addiction.  I know that nothing matters to an addict except their addiction, not family, not friends, sometimes not even life.  When an addict says he wants to get better, you must make as much progress as you can, because that one hour is your only shot for awhile.  23 hours of the day, an addict denies that he's got a problem, or that he wants to fix it.  1 hour of the day, usually when they are alone and at their lowest point of the day, they want to change.

Well, my friend's uncle is being divorced from their aunt, and thus she can't try to organize anyone in the family..."How can I do that when there's already a tragedy going on in the family?"  I retorted that someone is going to die and she is going to let family drama stop her from -  She hangs up on me at this point.  Well darn, call someone who doesn't honestly care enough to try and fix something if you just want someone to cry to.

This blog post is addressed to every human on the planet.  You all know someone whose habits are killing them, perhaps physically, perhaps emotionally.  Maybe it's imminent, and maybe it's 30 years or more down the road.  Regardless, don't you dare keep your mouth shut because "it isn't your place, and you can't think of causing that much of a ruckus..."

Take the least motivated, least useful human being on the planet.  And if you have the chance, save their life, no matter the consequences.  I don't know for sure, but I have a theory that they will no longer be the least motivated, least useful person on the world after they realize that someone took the time to save them.