Separation of Church and State - Opposing View

Redefining the Wall of Separation between Church and State

A Rebuttal to “The wall of Separation between Church and State Defined”

What we call The United States originally started as colonies in 1607, created by those who wanted to escape religious intolerance and persecution. Although the Constitution has never explicitly said that it was a country under God, it has been held as such for centuries. Unfortunately there has always been those who, intolerant of beliefs of any kind, have attempted to separate religion from the country that empowers it. And if this country becomes a secular nation in comparison to the religiously based government it is currently, the morale of its citizens will become darkened and the Democracy will be derailed.

I would like to start by pointing out that churches are not excluded from taxes in order to have a “free pass”. Churches and other religious gatherings alike are considered sovereigns – not controlled or owned by the government, but rather residing inside the country. Just as the United states does not tax property owned by foreign governments, the United States cannot interfere with religious gatherings as well. The “Wall of Separation between Church and State” mentioned by Jefferson is not a one-way wall – the government needs to be held in check as well. Just as they cannot be affiliated with a religious groups or having taxes benefit them, they cannot have taxes hamper either. Therefore attempting to tax the church would be wrong to do, and would be considered breaking the 1st amendment. Aside from the law aspect, wherein by itself shows that it would be unjust to tax, churches are non-profit organizations, and in many cases would be unable to pay the taxes. Between keeping the congregation operational, keeping its workers paid, and raising funds for charity, money would be unreasonably tight – in smaller towns across America, churches would become near extinct.
In defense against the accusations of church effecting the outcome in politics, the two are near inseparable. “It is impossible to separate them (religion and politics), and anyone who claims it can and should be done is either lying or hasn’t thought it through”, says Bishop Pierre Whalon. There have been many national elections happening within the past few years, and religion has been one of the most important aspects – it is impossible to name one election that religion hasn’t been a significant factor. Many people say that it’s best to “stay out of politics”, but in the end it’s impossible for a Christian – or any other religious affiliated person for that matter. Even Jesus of Nazareth was blatantly political, up to the point of his execution.

I would like for there to be a reconsideration of the Bill to “Define the Wall of Separation between Church and State”, and leave the wall alone, just as it has been for centuries. In accordance to Bert Lance, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in Jimmy Carter’s 1977 administration, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s the trouble with the government: Fixing things that aren’t broken and not fixing things that are broken.” Don’t try to fix the system we’ve had working for years – instead focus on something that will be of more use.

Separation of Church and State Continued!

Since my research, I have worked on another document to get this started. So, here it is!

The Wall of Separation between Church and State Defined

            Few people realize how far the tentacles from religious gatherings can intrude on our society. In the United States, the first record of definition for “separation of church and state” lies in Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. It states: “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions … should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.” Yet even though we are not to make laws to help or hinder any religious gathering, some of the definitions of help have been warped to different meanings. For a few simple examples, churches are exempt from paying taxes (which if they were to pay, it would solve many matters of debt and poverty alone), those who attend a church and pay tithe (money to the “work of God”) receive a tax benefit, and some religious gathering end up poisoning politics, bringing in emotion rather than intellect.

            With Churches and gatherings receiving many “free passes” from the government, it’s hard to see where the wall of separation stands. In fact, the wall that is meant to separate religion from power has become more of a bridge. And to make matters worse, laws that the churches approve of are passed with ease, whereas the laws that are not in agreement with how they teach are challenged profusely. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is some form of bias between this wall, where the power that was meant to be withheld from church is now being held against government. I would like to state that I am a Christian, and worship my God. However through my short amount of experience, I have already found that religion can cause more harm than it claims to help.

            In order to fix this dilemma and even out the scales, I propose for there to be a strict law in what can and cannot be done. By having this law passed, there would be little to no room for confusion or persuasion in what the government and church can or cannot do. Within this law, I propose for churches to be stripped from all their tax benefits, and instead have to pay tax as any organization would, and its members would pay tithe out of kindness, rather than expecting to get a tax cut through “giving to their God”. I would also like to enforce a clear boundary between politics and religious power, although this may be the hardest aspect of the proposal. By setting a boundary, politics could then stick to fact and reason, rather than emotion and religious belief (which in all sense, could be complete fiction).

I believe that religion has its place, and government is not it. I also believe that government has its place, and religion is not it. Therefore I propose to finalize and strengthen this wall between Church and State, not for personal reasoning, but to ensure the survival of free speech, uniqueness, and law.

My Exploratory Essay

For my English class, my latest project is to write something as if for a senate (or something along those lines). My latest assignment? An exploratory essay going through some of my research process for that project. So that's what I'm going to share with you today. My Exploratory Essay on the Separation of Church and State.

Day 1

I begin my research on Spring Break, in my own room, sitting on a rather comfy blue chair. Why am I doing this research? Because I have to – there is a grade that I need to get, being worth 20% of my overall assignment. So I took advantage of this time to start my research. My dad is at work because of a problem that was just called in and my mom and brother are down in the barn. It’s about 8:00pm, and all is dark outside – only sounds to be heard are the barking of our dogs who are at the moment chasing coyote’s off our property. And thus, it starts.

Before leaving on Spring Break, I picked up two books from the library: “The Separation of Church and State” by Forrest Church, and “Church and State”, a book from the Opposing Viewpoints Series. This is what I will be sifting through tonight. I will not be looking online – I will be lazy and save that part for later.

Turns out that my first choice (the one by Forrest Church) was a loss – nothing of interest, and nothing important to my argument. What am I arguing exactly? Simple – the separation of church and state. I want church to be church, and state to stay state. No slimy tentacles attaching from one to the other. I prefer my country tentacle free. So yes, nothing in this book besides the (rather uninteresting) history of how religious freedom came to be in the United States – the freedom to worship whatever/whoever you want. That is good, but does not aid in separating. Round 2?

“The establishment of religion clause means at least this:

·        Neither a state nor the federal government may set up a church.

·        Neither can pass laws that aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another.

·        Neither can force a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion…

·        Neither a state nor the federal government may, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa”

- “Church and State”, pg. 20

Aha! There is the information I want and need – right away! I have now found the original meaning of the separation of church and state. It means this:

So that means…

1.      There cannot government funded church or any church in any relation to the government (besides residing within the government rules of course).

2.      There cannot be any laws that would give benefit to one religion or another.

3.      There cannot be any enforcement of church attendance or no church attendance. That choice is within the people alone.

4.      The government cannot work or participate with any church or religious organizations (visa-versa).

Awesome – that alone helps already. The rest of this chapter goes along 8 different viewpoints:

1.      Historically there has been a wall Between Church and State

2.      There is No Historical Basis for a Separation Between Church and State

3.      America is a Christian Nation

4.      America is a Secular Nation

5.      Religious Expression in the United States Is Too Public and Political

6.      The Separation of Church and State in the United States Has Gone Too Far

7.      There Should Be a Separation of Church and State to Protect Religious Liberty

8.      The Post-1947 Concept of Church and State Has Led to Intolerance of Religious Expression

These are all very good topics, however there are some (stupid) people who have written some. By this, I mean that they write, speak, and think religiously besides standing back and thinking secularly for a moment. To push it out there, I am a Christian (non-denominational), and one of my main beliefs I stand true to is that even if there was no such thing as religion, what we do would work just fine. Obviously in worshipping to God, in which Christianity is centered around, would prove useless in those terms that is an exception – because it is a core mechanic of religion. But take everything else in life that many do for cases of religion:

a.      Be Kind to people around you, and treat them with respect: This holds true for religion and secularity. While being kind is promoted by God and Biblical scriptures, it makes sense to be kind in a secular environment as well. You are pleasant to be around, and therefore people like you. You could even go as far as to say that in being kind you make allies, and being an ass, you make enemies. And to even back this belief up more, Christianity isn’t the only religion to promote kindness. There is, to name a few: Buddhism, Confucius, and Islam. Religions who have no connection with Christianity, seem to come up with the same core beliefs – obviously there is something to it. I call it common sense.

b.      Be a vegetarian – I see this as a guideline, not a rule. In Christianity, the scriptures glorify those who eat as a vegetarian (such as Daniel in Babylon) – though they don’t glorify because of vegetarianism. However there are those who take things too far. Worse off, there are “prophets” that claim that vegetarianism is the holier choice (see: Ellen White, Seventh Day Adventist) and majorities follow. Vegetarianism is a choice: one that should not be altered or effected by a religion. If it makes sense to you, or you are for some reason unable to digest meat, go for it. If you do it because a religion says so, you’re not thinking.

The second chapter to this book explains about how religious affiliation influences the political system. Oddly, this falls right into my above examples. The preface for the chapter gives the scenario of immigration laws around the Mexican border. Those who were thinking just about the law saw the need to make stronger laws for immigration; those who were using religious thinking were against the laws because, “It’s not what Jesus would do.”

Actually, we can’t know what Jesus would or wouldn’t do. But we do have laws, and if someone breaks the laws (such as entering the country illegally), they should be held accountable for those transgressions. The law is generally clear and simple, except when religion tries to inject it’s viewpoints.

Chapter 2, as it turns out, is a smaller chapter. Titled “How Does the Wall Between Church and State Affect Political Issues”, it’s viewpoints are titled:

1.      Religious Leaders Should Not Get Involved in Politics

2.      Religious Leaders Have the Right to Get Involved in Politics

3.      Politicians Should Be Allowed to Let Their Religious Beliefs Influence Policy Decisions

4.      The Introduction of Religious Beliefs into Policy Decisions Must Be Opposed

5.      Political Candidates Should Be Free to Talk About Religious Beliefs

6.      Political Candidates Rely Too Much on Religion

These articles are all very well written and hold plenty of information, however what is to be used is yet to be decided. But my view on it? I should expand on what I’ve written before:

Above, I called those who think solely (or majorly) on religion are “stupid”. This chapter seems to strengthen that view wherein it talks about religion intermingled with politics. When there are candidates for some sort of election running, religion ends up mucking up a lot of the real information.

For example, one man running would be a great contributor to civilization and exactly what the country needs, but he’s an atheist running against a “good” (albeit secretly corrupt) Lutheran (just an example) that will pull the country down. Because he’s atheist, he has just lost a large amount of votes from the public because they would rather have the country in control by a religious president compared to a secular one. Even though one is better than the other, the religious prejudices override many facts that could just make sense to go with. This is what I mean by “religious thinking is stupid”.

So there you have it: I’ve spent an hour and a half working on this research so far, and I am tired. Still dark outside, I’m ready to call it a night for homework.

Day 2/Finale

I found out that Spring Break got in the way fast. So here I am, like a normal college student, finishing this last minute. I’ve decided I will definitely use the book I studied through earlier, but the make this a more wholesome summary of my resources/exploration of the topic, I will use some online sourcing.

First off, I will be using a site called infidels.org, in which they have U.S. Supreme Court Decisions regarding the Separation of Church and State. Here they are, all lined up and ready for me to use for my project. Dating all the way back to 1879, I have 15 important court cases to work with to mold to my needs.

My next source will be citing from “Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Letter”, written in October of 1801. The website hosting this information is www.usconstitution.net, where they have any/everything regarding constitution up for grabs.

As a final sourcing for my information, I have decided to dig into www.free2pray.info, where many anti Separation of Church and State people have information against my goal. Having this VERY alternate siding to my other two sources will help in writing my rebuttal, as this site is dedicated mainly to the freedom of having religion in everything.

So that’s it – I have many of my sources down on paper (in ink really, but though the printer) and I plan to get this project started soon enough. I will probably find more sourcing, but for now I believe this sets a fine tuned example of my ideas and plans. 

Presenting... The Omni-Pie!

Hey all - I am completely checked out mentally from everything at the moment, especially school. But I do want my English points, and why not give you guys something to read!

Below is the script for a Commercial project we had for English a few weeks ago - amazing stuff. I will see what I can do about getting the commercial up on youtube and link it to this blog soon! But until then...

PRESENTING The Omni-Pie (yeah, we just put it there to sound cool)

What it does

-          Homework

-          Gets us to class

-          Pays off loans

-          Feeds you!

Cost

-          Six installments of $15.99 +S&H +Tax +Royalties +Annual Fees for Network access

-          Call now and get a second for 20% off!

-          Requires an active data connection with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint. (An extra fee of $20 per month)

Description: This pie is not intended for children under 13 years old, or women who are pregnant or intending to become pregnant. Contents of this pie cannot be disclosed due to international regulations for fear of lawsuit by the CDC for missing rare and dangerous viruses. These comments have not been approved by the FDA, the USA, the UK, the CIA, the FBI, the UAE, ICPO, KGB,  and other international organizations and terrorist groups.

Side effects

-          Itchy Skin

-          Dry Mouth

-          Nose Bleeds

-          Blood Clots

-          High Cholesterol

-          Schizophrenia

-          Empty Bank Accounts

-          Sticky Toes

-          Trouble Sleeping

-          Itchy Eyes

-          Allergies

-          Sneezing

-          Blood loss

-          Vomiting

-          Missing Organs

-          Dry skin

-          Blurry vision

-          Laziness

-          Diarrhea

-          Internal Bleeding

-          Incineration

-          Diabetes

-          Stage 4 Cancer

-          Strange Attraction to Lightning

-          Hives

-          Strange Romantic Attractions to the Pie itself

-          An erection that lasts for more than four hours

-          Erectile Dysfunction

-          World War III

-          Radiation

-          Alcohol Poisoning

-          Mercury Blood Contaminations

-          AND Rigged Elections

Call now to secure your Omni-Pie today! Call a minute ago and get your second Pie free!

(Audio Voiceover) I’m Barrack Obama and I approve this message.

Super Cheesy Grilled Cheese with Extra Cheese

And bacon. That was my dinner last night. NEVER - EVER - again. Albeit, it was absolutely delicious. But the side effects were not pretty. I could practically taste a heart attack, and my blood flow seemed to slow to the speed of a sloth. Ever heard of cholesterol? I think I developed it for last night alone. This is what happens when you get:

- A third of a french loaf (sliced in half) (and I only ate one half!)
- Cream cheese (instead of butter)
- Provolone, Swiss, and Muenster
- Bacon
- Tomato soup (with bacon!)

Yeah - a whole lot of delicious. And a whole lot of regret. Never again.

Weather and Timeshift

So today, a very important event has taken place in the United States - the damn timeshift that messes with everyone's internal clocks. Yep - daylight savings time. I remembered this because I aimed to go to bed at 2:00 this morning, only to realize that a whole hour went away in a matter of seconds. Thus, I fell asleep at 3:00.

But on the bright side (no pun intended), the weather is looking better. Albeit, it is rainy - but the temperatures are feeling nice! A cool 50-60 degrees feels heavenly! If only it didn't get much warmer and stayed like this (without the rain) for the summer, I would be super happy!

Gah - Homework

I make no attempt to cloak this, and I make no attempt to lie about what this blog post is. I have been working with homework for nearly 12 hours today, with two small breaks. Math is not cool at the moment, and I have no idea what to write. Not a good day.

So this post is exactly what it looks like - bullshit to fill up my post quota. Although my wordcount usually makes up for my lack of posts whenever, I still like to post when possible in order to keep the daily thing going. Just some days one is meant to post blog stuff. Especially when it's a busy day.

But hey - do you like music? Music is amazing and it helps get me through the day. And talking to certain people*, but that's a whole other thing! Anyways (I WILL make it a word btw), have a GREAT weekend and get some rest - we all need it! 

The Domino Effect Conundrum

The day just sucks - nothing gets better, and things just keep getting worse. This is what I call the Domino Effect Conundrum - everything adds up. And this would perfectly explain my morning.

I woke up this morning with an hour and a half before class to get ready, eat, and read! Then I realized I had an assignment due at 10:30 that morning - there goes my reading opportunity. I finish my work and food and start walking to class and hit pouring rain, so I quickly run back to my room and get an umbrella. My way to class (coffee in one hand, umbrella in the other), my shoes become soaked halfway there. Awesome - soaked shoes today! The day continued, lack of concentration because I was somehow tired, and then English class hit for my group presentation. Guess what? The flash drive that had our commercial was corrupted. Awesome.

So yeah, things build up unfortunately. And life can suck. At least it was only the morning!

Hate Groups

There are people who don't like others, and continue on just fine. There are others who hate people, and continue to hate them to extreme amounts. This second group of people are in what is called "Hate Groups". And there are many out there, but according to the National list, there are only 9 for Idaho. I know there are more, but nine is already too many.

Ever hear of "Gospel Ministries", "Aryan Nations", or the "Underground Skinhead Action"? Yeah - lots of people out there. A saddenning fact? About half the hate groups on just the national list are religious organizations - churches. Now, I don’t know much about Hate Groups, and I’m not sure I’d want to be in any. However, I may end up making my own just for the hell of it: “The Anti Hate Group, Hate Group”. Sounds cool, right?

Stupid People

So I've talked a lot about people who are stupid on this blog - like a lot. I thought it's time that I talk about THEM as a topic as well! So here it goes - and if it offends you, I'm sorry. But that's your fault and not mine.

So there are people who do stupid things, and there are those who, although inherent and may/may not be able to fix it, are stupid. I don't mean the people who are just dumb or uninformed - sure, there are those - but I mean people who are well informed and don't use their brains. For example, there is one guy in my class (whom I shall not name) who is nice... and weird. See, he tries too hard to be different and comes off very annoying. And he's smart, but he doesn't know how to use it to figure out that because of the way he acts, it drives people the opposite direction intended.

THIS is one form of stupid. The inability (or maybe the lack of desire to) understand your surroundings to adapt. Thus, the answer leads directly to the consequences. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Then there's another form of stupid that I've noticed. And this applies to when what is said is true: He ended up reading my paper that I wrote about him (for a writing exercise) and said he was offended.

Well. I'm sorry, but it is not my problem you are offended. In that, my friend, it is your fault to be offended. In fact, you choose to be offended. And as it's true, there's not much I can say without lying either.

So yeah, people can be super stupid, and the world spins on. It's okay though, because there are those people who are right, and you can listen to them. Hell - you can listen to me: I'm ALWAYS right :D

'Cept when I'm not.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Review

Over this weekend, I was given a beta key for the New Elder Scrolls game by Zenimax (this is the first online game made, and it is not associated to the direct video game series). This is my review of what I thought, and maybe it will help in aiding you of your decision of to buy or not to buy.

Performance
First things first, how well does it perform - how will it look, and how good does my computer need to be to run it? Simple. You can easily run this game with mediocre computer and get very high graphics settings. My GPU (GTX 760) was not even close to overworked with max settings, so any computer should do pretty decently. And for an online game, this is beautiful.

Plot

Like many MMO games, there is some sort of plot, but not very important. You can easily skip past all the dialogue and still play the game. In fact, I ended up skipping most all the voice overs because they just got boring and in the way. But an MMO isn't there for the plot, it's for the gameplay, leveling, and community. 

Gameplay
This is actually relatively interesting game concepts - the battle system reminded me of the First Person view fighting mixed with hotkeys from Torchlight II. You can walk around in a free-roam environment, but the jumping lacks a bit in comparison to the other Elder Scrolls titles. Overall, the game is very quick and to the point - fight through monsters to continue through quests, explore to find more quests. Get better armor, upgrade your weapons, etc. It's really a common MMO game with some Elder Scroll lore and themes.

My Take
I'm glad I had the chance to give TESO a go before putting any actual money toward it. For me, I probably wouldn't pay the $14 a month to play it as I find many MMO's monotonous and boring. But that doesn't mean that others won't like it. If you like Runescape or World of Warcraft, you'd probably enjoy this game tremendously. And for those who have never played an Elder Scrolls game, think of this as a different game entirely, where they just share the same lore.

Original Buddhism

Today's Philosophy lecture was about Buddhism, and it was actually pretty amazing. When most people think Buddhism and Buddha, they think another religion. What they don't know, is they are thinking of the (somewhat) modernized religion made from the original belief system of Buddhism.You see, Buddhism was originally a belief system (not religion really) pushing against Hinduism. In fact, according to Buddha, religion (prayer, gods, and everything involved with it) got in the way and was therefore found as a hindrance.

One of the really cool parts of Buddhism though, is the Four Noble Truths:

1. This is Suffering - The Knowledge of Suffering 
(And guess what - there are three types of suffering!)

a. Suffering of suffering: this refers to the most obvious aspects like pain, fear and mental distress. 
b. Suffering of change: refers to the problems that change brings, like joy disappears, nothing stays, decay and death. 
c. All-pervasive suffering: this is the most difficult to understand aspect, it refers to the fact that we always have the potential to suffer or can get into problematic situations. Even death is not a solution in Buddhist philosophy, as we will simply find ourselves being reborn in a different body, which will also experience problems.

2. The Causes of Suffering - Why we have it

The reason that we experience suffering comes ultimately from our mind. According to Buddhism, our main mental problems or root delusions are: attachment, anger and ignorance. Because of these delusions, we engage in actions that cause problems to ourselves and others. With every negative action (karma) we do, we create a potential for negative experiences.

3. Suffering Can End - Nirvana is Peace

This is the most positive message of Buddhism: although suffering is always present in cyclic existence, we can end this cycle of problems and pain, and enter Nirvana, which is a state beyond all suffering.

The reasoning behind this Third Noble Truth is the fact that suffering and the causes of suffering are dependent on the state of our own mind, so if we can change our own mind, we can also eliminate suffering. The reasons we do actions that cause ourselves and others harm come from our delusions. When we possess the proper wisdom (conventional and ultimate), we can rid ourselves of delusions, and thus of all our problems and suffering. When this process is complete, we can leave cyclic existence and enjoy the state of Nirvana, free of problems.

4. The True Path or The Eight-Fold Noble Path

The Buddha summarized the correct attitude and actions in the Eight-fold Noble Path:

(The first 3 are avoiding the 10 non-virtues of mind, speech and body:)

1. Correct thought: avoiding covetousness, the wish to harm others and wrong views (like thinking: actions have no consequences, I never have any problems, there are no ways to end suffering etc.)
2. Correct speech: avoid lying, divisive and harsh speech and idle gossip.
3. Correct actions: avoid killing, stealing and sexual misconduct
4. Correct livelihood: try to make a living with the above attitude of thought, speech and actions.
5. Correct understanding: developing genuine wisdom.
   (The last three aspects refer mainly to the practice of meditation)
6. Correct effort: after the first real step we need joyful perseverance to continue.
7. Correct mindfulness: try to be aware of the "here and now", instead of dreaming in the "there and then".
8. Correct concentration: to keep a steady, calm and attentive state of mind.

So yeah - HEAVY STUFF :D But if you think about it, it's pretty cool! (at least to me it is) Another cool part? If you have found your inner peace and enlightenment, you too are considered a Buddha! There is not just one, anyone can be if they do it right! The power lies in ourselves!

Enter: Dactylic

Hello! Busy times this week, tests and classes and all... BUT! I would like to give a short advertisement (the non-annoying kind!). I have been lucky enough to be given the amazing task to manage my friend's music publications, and we have just released his first album. For those of you who like electronic/dubstep, I urge you to check out his free album on Bandcamp. He has some skill (and growing, mind you) for the electronic side of the spectrum!

I also got lucky enough to throw together a pretty awesome album cover for him (midnight, yeah!). So seriously, please check him out and send over some cool feedback to dactylicred@gmail.com! And if you really like him, consider sending him over a donation to help him further his music career!

Insomnia and Music

My roommate has mono... And for some reason, I'm having trouble getting him to LEAVE (he lives 2 hours away) so I can stay healthy(er?) and get some sleep. Actually the part that gets me the worst is his snores - not necessarily the loudness (although the lack of volume control does make it hard to block out), but it's the rhythm. 

Falling asleep to someone snoring? Pretty easy. Falling asleep to someone snoring off and on, faster and slower? Extremely hard... at least for me. But hey - maybe this is a good thing, because Insomnia is a good condition for thinking. That's how Owl City made his hit song "Fireflies", and it's where I think as well. 

Speaking of music, I just bought Magix Samplitude Music Studio 2013 for $20 (the normal price is $225!!). For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, it's a music mixing/making/recording program, covered in rainbows and unicorn sauce. Pretty amazing. Wanna check out the deal if you're interested? Here!

Coffee

I like coffee - hey, actually a lot of people do. Well, to be honest, the coffee that many people like (middle school - college) is really some coffee flavor with their sugar and caffeine. No, I mean I like coffee (the rich, unsweetened, black coffee).

I used to drink a lot of the sugary impostor because I enjoyed it's taste - I didn't enjoy the unhealthy aspect of it though, so I limited to how much I drank. Then one day I started paying attention to my friends who were ordering coffee, and it was mainly sugar. That can't be healthy. I mean, sure: I like mocha and caramel macchiato, but only once in a while. It's a desert.

After watching the ungodly sight of sugar consumption (daily, might I add) before me, I started searching the health benefits of coffee. And hey, there's a lot:

- Coffee can lower your risk for many common illnesses, such as heart attacks, endometrial (a cancer), prostate cancer, and breast cancer (BOY! I sure have to worry about this one...)

- Coffee lower's your risk of diabetes. This is cool, and apparently it's remarkably consistent.

- Coffee can help lower our chances of depression - actually by about 15%!

If you want to read the whole article I'm quoting this from, go ahead and read this.

Now, yes. I have done my research, this is just the most pleasant one to read. So go ahead and drink coffee! It's yummy!

Nostalgia

This weekend I've been enjoying older stuff - like the kind of thing I used to play when I was in elementary school. Ranging from Halo (yes, the original), to emulating Runescape in the good old days of 2006, to watching the original episodes from One Piece. All good stuff, and all good memories. But there are times when nostalgia hits, and hits hard enough to make you sad - just a bit. Sad because you miss what used to be, and it can't ever be completely the same.

I guess in the end to this short and simple post is: don't let go of your memories, but embrace them. Even more important? Embrace what you love now, because years from now you may wish you did so and will never have a chance to do so again.

Life as a Telephone Operator

At one of my workplaces, I used to be a Telephone Operator before being promoted to Server Administrator.  I was very grateful for that job, but I didn't like it one bit: answering phones for a living is NOT my idea of fun. Every now and again, when a few of our clients open the flood gates from hell, I get called in to help ease the intense call answering from my co-worker's shoulders. I grab my headset (rather the radio to the mosh pit), and march my way through the glass doors to the gates of hell. And it seems that it's only hell when I'm answering. 

This is the standard process I tend to go through when answering a call:

Good Morning - Thank you for calling ABC company! How can I assist you today? 

Now see, this is the part where you place your impossibly cheerful smile against your next victim. It's kind of like the devil, inviting people in for a seat with chocolate cake!

<Um... Yes - I would like to speak to Bob.>

Of course you do. I don't really care who - I will find the name that looks like the person you think I know, and then enter the screen.

Of course - one moment please!

I now automatically expect to take a message - because that's what you do 90% of the time.

I'm sorry, it appears they are not available at the moment. Can I take a message?

Again - think of the devil handing you cake with a wicked smile... It can be great to deny the customer when you are in a bad mood. This oddly reminds me of Garfield...

<Well, could you please send me to their voice mail?>

No, I'm sorry - they don't give me the authority to do that. But I can take a message!

I am now face-palming. PLEASE leave a message and let me continue on with my death sentence. You have no idea how many times I've done this just today. The repetitiveness is killing me slowly, from the inside out.

<Fine. Tell them to call me back ASAP!>

Sure thing! Call back as soon as possible. Alright - and can I get your name and callback number?

<*click*>

Awesome. I get left without a name or number because they were too impatient to give me it in the first place. So I get to attempt caller ID for the phone number, and I will give them Carl A' for the name. NEXT?

Of course this is an exaggeration, but at times it can sure feel like this. But my favorite calls are the ones where as soon as you pick up you get a screaming banshee because they were put on hold for a minute. Loverly. Learn some patience please.

So yeah, Telephone Operator is not my desired job. I don't mind helping out too much, but preferably for a short period of time. I believe one can learn the standard intelligence level of the average human being by answering phones for 8 hours. By then you end up realizing that you probably spoke to a handful of smart people, and the other few hundred were dumber than dirt. Oh well - that's life.

Night

I lay in bed at night, the slight evening breeze flying past me in a tornado until going through the crack at the bottom of the door. It's dark except for my room mate's Scentcy, which melts quietly under his dusty, god-forsaken desk that who knows what inhabits. There's the ambiance of cars outside driving by the building, mixed with my room mate's snore that he stole from a giant (no joke - luckily not on weekends!). This is when I can think the best - when I can come up with what to write, or what I will end up doing on my minecraft project. Hell, I think about anything and everything before I go to sleep, because I'm a night bird, erm, owl.

Actually when it's not too cold out (and there's enough light from the moon to see where I'm going) I'll take a midnight walk. It's calming, the sort of calm that you get when you're in an empty house or you've just finished all your work for the day. You get the let go and enjoy, and eventually just think. You don't need to concentrate where you're heading or what you should do when you get there - your body knows what to do and lets you think about what you need to.

I'm not sure if this is what night was intended for, as there are those who seem to be against the night that claim it helps you grow... I don't know about that! But I do know that the night is my friend, and it's one of the only times I can completely be me - selfishly (but unselfishly, as there is only me), responsibly, mentally, and physically. It's like a moment of acceptance, where I don't have to approve to anyone's standards or expectations, because I'm fine just how I am and I could care less what others think.

The only downside of night? Day comes back to bite you in the ass, and when you see the sunrise on the horizon you feel a feeling of dread, because all this time that you should have been sleeping, you weren't.

Kids These Days

My boss and I talk a lot when the work is slow, so we get plenty of subjects covered. From the topic of guns and gun control to the stupid people who operate on campus, I get a pretty view on things! One of the things we talked about lately is how different things have been in the past compared to now, and how everything has changed during that process.

One of the points made was that most children and teens don't go outside during their free time, and instead they (should I say we?) stay inside on the internet or playing video games. Back in the 50's and 60's, kids would just run outside to their neighbors to go swimming in the local lake. Now you can't (or shouldn't) touch the water in the lake because there might be bad chemicals, or sharps, or god forbid something that might accidentally cut you. The world today has become too safe for our own good. Want to ride a bike? Instead of being able to hop right on and learn to ride the "old fashioned way", we have to go through hundreds of safety precautions before even putting petal to the medal (pun not intended...maybe). We now have the curse of helmets for everything, protection eye wear to prevent that 0.0000001% accident, and round edges on our phones to prevent us from slicing our technology developed, silky smooth hands.

But there's more to this change - this generation's attention span sucks. Simply stated, well said. Just to use TV as an example, many of us can't seem to watch TV from week to week - instead we watch the entire season in one or two sittings. And there's the "Reality TV"... I may sit and watch a season in a sitting, but you will never catch me (even dead, might I add) watching a Reality TV show on purpose. TV should have news or stories - not fake people leading fake lives to keep those who are too lazy to get off their ass entertained. But what can you do?

I'm not sure. I love today, with all it's technology and advances in Science and Culture, but there are some things I wish didn't change - or at least they could have waited until I was older. I think the mid to late 1900's did a lot of things right, and now sometimes we have the need to "fix what doesn't need to be fixed".

Family

Hope everyone had a great (extended in many cases due to President's Day) weekend! In fact, I just realized (as in 10 minutes ago) that I even forgot to post yesterday. What a weekend.

It seems that the majority of the people on my campus went out of town for the weekend (to visit family or friends), where I was stuck here because of the roads. But that's not a bad thing, and instead I enjoyed myself because I build my own family. I know I'm not alone: I have the family I was born into, and then there's the family I make through close friendships and relationships. And it's a close knit community - something I would definitely label as a family.

Over this weekend, I've been thinking a lot how lucky I am to have found such a great group to call my friends. I've seen many people make interesting choices on who their friends should be (because they're "cool" or "have money"), and it can negatively (or positively for that matter) effect who you are. And then there's the situations where people don't have much of a choice anyways, where the field of work or their area of living has them fall into a rut. And based from owning a car, 4x4, and dirt bike, I know that ruts can be a pain in the ass to be in.

So I recommend to thing about your friends, and who you associate yourself with. What kind of person are you, and are they beneficial to you? But most importantly - appreciate your friends. More than half the time, they are the ones who can help the most in a hard spot.

Happy Singles Awareness Day

Yep - it's February 13th, the day before Valentines Day. My college likes to celebrate Singles Awareness Week (the day before National "Wear a condom day") during Safe Sex Week. Awesome. For couples, it's fine getting bombarded by condoms and lube that could very well be used. For us single people, it's like the walk of shame. Free condom? Too bad it won't be used anytime soon :D

ANYWAYS, being serious again, it is Singles Awareness Day. I wouldn't say it royally sucks, because you are still you and in (generally) 100% control of yourself. You own you, and today's the day to show it! And if you're not wanting to be single, today is also a great day to see who's in the same boat as you.

So yeah, short and sweet. Thanks U of I for making me remember I'm single.

The Theory of Realms

Theories: They come and go, where some hold and others crumble as soon as spoken. But they are all there, and all made sense at some point. Plato is an interesting guy who developed the theory of realms - an interesting concept of how our world works today. In his theory, there are two realms: The Realm of the Forms (Being), and The Realm of the Physical (Becoming). 

In the Realm of the Forms, everything is perfect - this is not on earth, but rather a celestial plane (like a heaven like existence). In that Realm, there is the perfect form of everything: the perfect book, phone, chair, tree, and even drop of water. You can think of it as the perfect Google Image search - whatever you type in to the search engine, you will get the perfect (ideal) image of that item.

The Realm of the Physical is our earth, and the things that reside on/in it. Nothing is perfect on this Earth, and everything ranges in many different appearances (a redwood and an oak are both trees, but they don't look the same). And here's where the realms connect - we know what something is (what a tree is for example) because there is a perfect copy in the Realm of the Forms. We can see that, and therefore we know what it is.

I'm not saying this Theory makes a ton of sense (well, back then it did), but it is an interesting concept at the least - we know what something is because there is the "perfect" or "ideal thing" out there for everything. It would be interesting to be able to go back to when this Theory was proposed, see the way people reacted, and understand the different eras easier. Unfortunately, we don't have the Time Machine yet - however there are some good Deloreans out there!

A Poem

I have absolutely nothing going on in my head today that should be written about - I can't even decide on a good topic to explore. So today will be short and simple, and I apologize if some people are a tad disappointed.

In order for there to be content, I am pulling a poem I wrote a while back from my archives. I wrote this for a class project my Sophomore year of high school for my Advanced English Class.

Travels

The blue aurora shines from the sky,

The hum of modern days complies.

Yellow lights blink from in front,

Red compliments away if you want.

Signals blur past gates to other world’s wreath

And the crusty surface reverberates beneath.

The soft murmur of voices flows around me -

My world that I control is protecting me.

I hope you liked it - I did, but again, I wrote it a few years ago. I'll be back tomorrow with something more of substance.

Music and Memories

Memories are pieces of life you remember that were exciting, fun, sad, or anything that is really of importance. I tend to associate many songs with memories, specifically what I was listening to during the event or what I listened to the most while I was in that space and time. The mix CD's of somewhat obscure, funky, and amazing artists that my Sister in Law and Brother made for me when I was young? Makes me remember them, and Seattle - before I moved out to Idaho. 

I attended Monterey Bay Academy for my Junior and Senior years of High School - the experience was wonderful. However glad I am to get out of there and into the real world, the environment was great and relaxed. During my senior year there (my favorite year, and where I have the most memories) I listened to a lot of music, and Imagine Dragons happened to be what I really liked. Ever since I've left that school, Imagine Dragons gives me great memories of the place I used to be at - specifically the song "Demons"(not sure if it's some dark coincidence either ;) ).

You see, MBA wasn't just a boarding academy. It was a school, full of people from around the world on the most peaceful piece of beach right off of the Monterey Bay. Not only the students were nice, but the teachers were too (well, some I didn't get along with, but they weren't bad...). It wasn't just a school where you go and get your assignments and participate in classes, but it was a home for you to experience your remainders of pre-college life with your friends (many of whom you would continue to keep in contact with). It was a deep school - not shallow like any other school I've been to. You built your life there.

Let me explain more: MBA was where I'd wake up in the morning with Big Zach (who really wasn't supposed to be in my room, as we are different hall RAs), but we wanted to hang out a lot. And there would be little Zack (in which the nickname "Squirrel" was later assigned by a mutual friend) who would be one of absolute best friends, and we'd nearly always be together when possible. There would be Bacon who would be the muscle guy of the group - the definitive jock, who was in love with a girl from the other dorm until he FINALLY decided to do something. Monita would be fun to be around, but there were times she annoyed the hell out of me - still miss her none the less. Asia - the big orange character who could make anyone happy just by being around. PJ - the best youth councellor/pastor in the world, and one of my favorite friends - definitely like a second dad. And there's more - Dean Nate, Dean Matt, Dean Ronny, Pastor Gregory, Philpot, William, Coby, Bell, Jeremy (redhead - you know who you are), Asa, E... everyone. They were great.

So when I hear Demons come on, I can close my eyes and be back at the campus that I spent two year of my life investing in. I can say hi to everyone I miss and hug and laugh with them. With that less than 3 minute window, I can revisit the past and remember so much, and look back at it and say, "Yeah - I don't regret ANY of it." The only downside of some memories like that? My face tends to conjure strange streaks of wet - like now. 

Horror

I'm not an overly huge fan of the horror genre of movies or TV, as I generally tend to find them stupid. I mean, more than half of them are beyond fake or completely unrealistic, and usually have some really bad story line that makes you want to hit your head over and over wondering why you just wasted an hour and a half of your life. Few actual (meaning real people) movies can capture true horror, but luckily the Walking Dead is one of them - I love it, and it's mainly suspense... not too scary.

The two things I enjoy, and find that can be truly horrifying are books, and anime. Not sure why anime - they just tend to suck me in with good story, and then the horror hits, and it's pretty amazing. But there are two things that I find "truly" horrifying: the unknown and people.

When it comes to the unknown, I'm talking about mysterious happenings and curses. Recently I watched a twelve show series called "Another", where there's a curse that happens every year, and once it starts, at least one person (of the class, or blood relation) dies each month for the remainder of the year. This is caused by a new person added - there's never enough desks for that other person, but they are on the roster. That extra person is someone who's dead, and no one knows who they are - not even themselves. And the catch? The only way to stop the happenings once they start is to kill the extra person. That's what I call fear - you have the unknown pitted against you.

But I think people are scarier because of the way they react to things. If you tell people that the only way to guarantee their survival is to kill the intruder, expect bloodshed. Insanity. When people are scared, thinking tends to be one of the last things on their list - they generally do what they want or have to do without thought in order to survive. It's natural to want to survive, no matter what the cost. And what's worse? Even though the mysterious might not be realistic, when you factor in people to the equation, it tends to become the perfect blend for horror.

More things you've learned about me:
- I enjoy horror that shows ^ true horror.
- I recommend watching Another if you are an anime fan. It was truly amazing.

Cold Snap

It's freezing outside here - like 1 degree (with windchill of -100, give or take) when I wake up, and doesn't seem to get above 10 during mid day. I'm actually surprised that school hasn't been closed - by the time you walk from one building to another, you are nearly frozen and have the potential for frostbite. In fact, several schools both north and south of us are closed too - because they have to wait for their bus. We have to WALK. 

The funny part though, is I like the cold. Just preferably not this cold. But I abhor heat. With low temperatures, you can at least put on more clothing until you are comfortably warm. With warm temperatures, there's only so much you can legally take off. In fact, my ideal climate would be one that gets the highs of 76 in the summer, and lows of 24 in the winter - perfect temperatures! I could easily ski during the winter without freezing my face off, and walk during the summer without being turned into a puddle (an no, I'm not a witch - I'm a pinball wizard!).

More you know about me:

- I don't like overly cold.

- I abhor heat (mainly over 78 degrees).

Note: Even though I can generally come up with some decent topic for my posts, I am ALWAYS open to suggestions. Feel free to leave a topic or idea via email, g+ chat, or comment on my post!

Definition

Before English class was started today, we had a short discussion regarding how a purge would benefit/hinder society. One of the people in the class suggested that it would be good to take all the people who weigh down on society (ie: those who intentionally live off the system), and remove them from the plane of existence - annihilation. After explaining how the plan would form and execute, the end result was a dystopia, entering into the realm of 1984, A Brave New World, and The Island.

One of my issues with the overall annihilation of laziness from society is that laziness helps to define parts of society, and feats therein. We, as the human race, generally define virtue and meaning based off of the opposite: cowardice vs bravery, war vs peace, and dull vs intelligence - just to name a few. The same stands for laziness, where the opposite tends to be hard working and prosperous. Just as there is no true meaning to good without evil, there is no work without laziness.

My feeling is that the end result would lie in a cold, bland, monochromatic world, where the only true escape from reality would be death - the only real freedom. There would be little difference between people, as errors in development would be fixed or eradicated during a child's early growth. The end result would be a product with very little variation from the rest of the line, living a life with similar interests and dislikes as the rest of it's world. Each person has some form of laziness, and it's what defines who they are.

What you learned about me:
- Laziness is good: a little.

Locked Out

6:50 - Roommate being noisy, and I still have 10 minutes until I have to wake up!
7:00 - Alarm rings, I grab my phone, and I read my emails.
7:05 - Roommate leaves, I get ready for shower.
7:06-7:15 - Ah, shower. And the wonders of life.
7:16 - LOCKED OUT.

Needless to say, I had an interesting morning. Not once before this school year have I been locked out of my own room, and worse off, nearly nude. I know my roommate isn't the smartest person in the world, but really? I think some people should pay attention - my pants, wallet, phone, and KEYS were in plain sight, yet he still locked the door. Only question being asked besides the keys in the room part: "Why would I leave my pants in my room?"

But that was only the beginning of my troubles. I stand there thinking for a minute or two of what to do (as I now realize my phone - means of contact - is in there too), and decide to walk to an open door and ask for help. He runs down to the help desk only to find that I have to talk to the building supervisor (surprise, is unavailable). I then call the 24 hour help desk to see what I can do, where they say that they are unable to help - only the RA can. I eventually find my RA, who is sleeping due to his messed up schedule, where he tells that he cannot help and only the 24 hour help desk can.

The 24 Hour Help Desk is in another building. It's below freezing outside and snowing a little. I only have a tower and my sandals.

But being a nice guy, my RA lets me borrow some of his clothes.

While I am not exactly the "perfect" image for fitness, I am not fat (with exception to the little on my stomach). My RA on the other hand, is a twig. The clothes were VERY tight.

I assume the super hero pose walking out the door, in sandals (with snow!!!), tight sweatpants, a s/m shirt (I like XL, because I have broad shoulders), and my towel. Eventually making it to the help desk, I ask for help to get back into my room, where the lady behind the desk asks for my ID. *facepalm*

My ID was in my room - something she apparently didn't think about. So then she had me guess around for my ID number, eventually caving in and just asking if the number was mine. I told her yes, signed some papers, got back into my room, and started preparing for my day with nearly frozen hair - at 8:00.

I find it astounding how little help people can be at times, and then there's those who just don't think. My roommate is one, but I don't dislike him - he just doesn't think. Sein Gehirn ist nicht da. It's okay, I can pretend his face is those of my enemies in video games if I need to relieve stress. And hey - if it wasn't illegal, I would probably walk over to the help desk almost nude with exception to my towel. It would be a nice breeze at least!

Something new you know:
- I'm comfortable with mehself.
- People can be stupid.

Note: I recommend never getting locked out of your room - even though it can prosper into great stories, the experience at the time can set you back. Hence, I was late to work.

Dark Humor

Today in my English class, we were discussing dark humor - a rather heavy subject. It's amazing to me how serious people are today, and how little they can let themselves go and just enjoy life. I've noticed that there are those who must follow the rules, and if rules are stripped away, they are lost and destroyed. Then there's others, like me, who prefer to use rules as a guideline.

Dark humor definitely has it's place and time, but there remain those who cannot laugh at something. I'm not saying something's wrong with them because they're not like me (actually... yeah I am!), but I think some people need to learn to lighten up a bit. Sure, most anyone can tell a poorly timed "dead baby" joke and completely ruin the mood, but other times it can add a bit of flavor. Ever joked about strangling somebody because they're annoying? Yeah - that's dark humor.

Now I'm not sure why, but whenever I think of dark humor offending someone (which those who cannot laugh are normally offended - sorry), I imagine talking about playing video games on Saturday in my parent's church (that'd be SDA). It would be instant crucifixion. And am I scared? No - I will tell people what I think, though I do know that timing and strategy is good. That's why I like Game of Thrones: politics.

So in the end, my recommendation to everyone who can't laugh? Lighten up :D

More things you know about me:
- I'm light-hearted
- "Why so serious?"

Note: I do not apologize to anyone whom I have offended - this is a message to you. If you cannot laugh, or do not enjoy my writing, then please - by all means, bugger off. For those of you who do like to read my writing and I have offended, I apologize - I will try to offend better next time!

Scholarships

One of the most pressing parts of college is scholarships - everyone "wants you to apply", "few people apply", and "you need to apply to pay". Well there are a reason why few apply, and why they "want to give money". Have you ever tried to find any good scholarships? It is far from easy to find them, and even those you find you don't end up qualifying for.

I wish people made scholarships more accessible - write essays for money? Sure! One of my biggest problems though seems to be that I'm white. Apparently, there are plenty of scholarships - for races that I am not. That? I find it unfair. I don't choose to be white, and I like who I am. But because you're Native Amerian, African American, or Hispanic, you get tons of money! In a country that seems to be so obsessed with racism and the like, we sure are being racist against whites.

I mean, sure - if you want to be fair, either get rid of the race only scholarships, or have white only scholarships. But why? I'm still at a loss to why for a lot of things, and this is one of the bigger ones at my attention.

More that you have learned about me:
- Finding Scholarships suck

Note: I apologize for not posting over this weekend, but I have decided that six posts a week is just too much. I officially change posts for Sunday-Thursday.

Idiocracy

I don't understand much about why some people are just... idiots! Not even so much as in the things they say (which can be really stupid), but in the things they do. The floor I live on in my dorm - I'm surrounded... Unfortunately it has many names: the "General Floor", "Party Floor", (my personal nickname for it) "The Weekend Brothel"... It's an interesting place where a few people (such as myself) are stranded on an island of madness and stupidity. And I don't know if they mean to be stupid, but they seem to do a pretty damn good job of it.

As for one of my hall's latest endeavors... Wall Frisbee, in which you try to bounce a Frisbee (or of the like) off the walls down to the other end of the hall. Talk about noise. Then of course, there's the constant blasting of music (generally redneck or backstreet Chicago) which can get obnoxious after a few hours, and the partying on weekends. I don't mind parties, sex, music... or even Frisbee - but I am a staunch believer in "a time and place for everything - but not now" (okay Professor Oak!). Unfortunately, as I have stated before, my roommate is one of these people, and last night I was on the verge of murder.

My roommate went off to party with friends at 10:00, and I went to bed at 10:45 - plenty of time to get enough sleep to wake up at 6:45. Unfortunately, my hand hurt a lot, so it took a while to get to sleep. Then he decided to come back at 12:00 - noisily. From the darkness my eyes were acquainted to (as I was asleep), his light was obscenely bright... and stayed on for 20 minutes as he decided to take a shower. I can stand a light for a bit - fine. But he left the door open too, leaking in more light and providing a great cross-breeze for the 20 degree air from the window (it gets really warm at night, so leaving it open a bit can help).

He eventually got back and ended both the devilish white light and the ungodly arctic storm, only to decide to watch a movie - at 12:30 at night! So with the mix of more (this time colorful) bright light from the TV and lovely mix of 80's music (movie) and Native American music (his phone), my mind attempted to rest yet again. Eventually (1:15-30), he decided to turn off the TV and sleep. Thank god!

So now I'm tired, had to sit through a Philosophy class, and at work! Yay for lack of sleep. Yet, thanks to the food court, I have a Jamba Juice with an Energy shot!

More things you know about me:
- There is a time and place for everything!
- I don't like my hall. But the fact that I have the room to myself every weekend makes up for it.