California Driving
One of the interesting things about my life is, I never imagined high school at all. In elementary school I looked to middle school, and in middle school I looked towards college. I guess it’s because I knew where I would go to middle school and where I would like to go to college, but I never even had an idea of where I would go to high school. I honestly don’t even know how I wound up in FV like I did. And because I never thought about high school, I never thought about driving really. But now, it’s all I like to think about, well that and girls but I’m a teen so what it’s more than expected.
So the question is, why am I so entranced by driving? And it’s simple, we as humans love being in charge of something much greater than ourselves. I love being able to push my foot to the floor and start running 100 mph, with my windows down and the music blasting (of course I would never do that), it makes me feel Godly. But think bigger than one car, think of a million cars, or even a million TANKS. With one word, a general can command all those tanks to fire, or retreat, talk about power.
One Word, Big Meaning
We are an ever evolving species, becoming smarter and smarter every second. We are now more capable than at any time in our past because our brains are developing faster and we are living longer to allow for more use of our intellect. As we evolve, so do our means of communication. Just last year, text messaging was unheard of. Please note the hyperbole, but realize that the way the written message is sent and received has vastly improved in a short amount of time. With this new type of communication came shorthand to further increase the speed at which ideas can travel. Whole sentences are cut down into mere letters and more and more acronyms are being made every day. Now we can think of these as a breakdown in society where all the children who talk like dis r social degenerates, or we can realize what they are really doing to the English language: improving it. I have never written a paper and had my teacher say, “You must write ‘t is’ instead of ‘it’s’ because it’s proper.” That would be silly since “it’s” is perfectly proper.
So, logically thinking, since “OMG” is the same sort of contraction as “it’s”, shouldn’t it be accepted in writing? Also, if you can convey a complete idea in one word, why do we need a whole sentence? We are so caught up in believing that the contractions and shortcuts that kids engineered are harmful, but we forget that we grew up with the same type of thing. We also forget these contractions are more advanced intellectually than their constituent words since they have combined meaning and came after the original words. Perhaps English teachers need to wake up and realize that this new shorthand is some of the most advanced writing there’s been since Shakespeare.
Inner Beauty
As men, we say that inner beauty is what matters but no one believes us, sometimes we don’t even believe ourselves. But perhaps we aren’t taking things literally enough. I judge girls on their inner beauty because anyone can be beautiful when they are painted like a doll. But hear me out, this doesn’t mean that appearance isn’t important. You see, I am able to say “it’s what’s on the inside that counts” because I understand biology. Genes, the things that give us the appearance we have, are on the inside. Perhaps it’s trickery, but that’s just good literature my good gentlemen.
The World’s Funny
I was in the car with my mom, and she kept asking me this question. I told her, “Mom I’m not a dictionary, I don’t know.” She said yes you do and this went on for a matter of turns until I got pissed of and shouted, “I DON’T KNOW!” The whole time, I was playing 4 Pics 1 Word. This was the level I was on when I lost it.
Winning or for the Fun?
Does winning matter?
If you said yes you are SO WRONG. If you said no you are SO WRONG. How can you answer a question like this without more information? Are you seriously going to sit there and say that winning matters when you’re 25 and playing your five year old cousin at a thumb war? Are you really going to sit there and tell me your life is so changed because you DIDN’T win the lottery. Give me a break. But you know what? Winning does matter sometimes, like in war, or your battle with cancer. If you said “it depends” I would really like to thank you because recently our world is full of people who just want to say the first thing that comes to their mind no matter what. And if that keeps happening, then I’m going to open up a flower shop because so many “I’m sorry” bouquets will be sold I’ll be able to retire at 30.
As ideas are gas and words their container, any amount of thought will take up all of a word and anyone can easily see that. However it takes a trained eye to realize that it is not the volume of the gas, but rather the density that constitutes how much substance is actually being conveyed. Ideas are tricky like that.
The Saddest Time of the Year
I remember when I was very young, and my family would always have a Christmas Eve party, and all my cousins would come and it ht me. I would tip toe down the stairs as quietly as I could, have on my feet, and half on the rail because the rail didn’t creak as loud as the actual stairs. I would go downstairs and see new boxes, but then get nervous and go back up stairs to would be so fun to see them and life was good. They brought me a present, and we played hide-n-seek. It was so great, family all around, delicious food, and tons of present under the tree with my name on them. It made me so happy, and everything was perfect. And knowing that Santa would come down my chimney and drink some milk and cookies in exchange for more presents made it all the better. In fact, I was so excited for Santa’s arrival that I would wake up at 5 AM and go downstairs just to see what he brougbed to try to sleep for a minute longer. At 7, I would finally drag my parents out of bed and my mom would put some cinnamon roles in the oven so we could have breakfast. We would open our presents, and I would play with them. Christmas was so perfect when I was little because I had a million things I wanted and I truly believed that having those things would make me happy. But now I realize that the only thing that can make me truly happy is being with the people I love and making memories. Corporate America has RUINED Christmas. I mean, really, they put Black Friday the day after THANKSGIVING. Good job America.
I beseech you, revolt like the French in 1787, and rise up against the corporate tyranny. CLAIM THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT BACK. We cannot allow ourselves to give up the our holidays that come once a year for a sale that comes around every weekend.
We Talk
Let’s imagine the universe mathematically. If we believe in the Big Bang, then wouldn’t that mean that this universe isn’t necesarilly the first universe? If that’s true, consider how probable it was that there was a planet just like earth. Especially considering how many galaxies and nebulas and solar systems there are. Now think about the life forms that inhabit and have inhabited all those planets. Odds are they were capable of thought just like you, and every thought you have, has already been thought of in the same way by someone(thing) else and that there is no originality at all in life. So maybe instead of “innovation” we should call it absent-minded plagerism since we are just stealing some alien’s ideas from millions of years ago.
A Just World
We give rulers the right to rule, and thus we have the right to take that back. But do we give rulers life? No, and thus how can we justify taking their lives? Overthrowing is one thing, but throwing under is another.
How I Feel
****http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI Watch this interview of Allen Iverson to know how to read this article.***
Sometimes I go to school you know, and I did my homework the night but I just went through the motions because you know, it practice. It ain’t a game So, the night before, I got myself a basic understanding of the material so that my teacher could enrich my understanding the next day. Well, I go to class and you know what happened? He asked the class a question and no one knew the answer, and then you know what. He told us “It’s right there in your books.” And I’m like “Oh really, I didn’t know. But thanks for telling me. I mean I guess when I go to the library and I ask the librarian “Hey where is the Shakespearian section at” and the librarian would say in the library I’m gonna be grateful for the answer because I didn’t know that. But because that answer was so on point, I know exactly where to look. When I take the AP test and they ask me how the setting contributed to the conflict I should say, Well it was in the universe so it had an effect on something and had some real characteristics, I’m gonna get a 5, GUARENTEED. I mean I just answered the question so well it would be impossible not to.” And you know what pissed me off more, when after a minute, no one knew the answer still and my teacher said, “I can’t do it all for you.” And I say, my brother, you haven’t done none of it for us. Like damn, you give us some bull homework and tell us the answers are in the book. Man, you are my hero.
You know what else. It pisses me off when everyone tries to give me their two cents. Like have you ever thought about that. A penny is the dirtiest coin there is. Finding one that looks copper instead of black is impossible. So I go to school, and all my teachers like to give me their two cents about college. They say, “Oh well in college, your professor this and in college your professor that.” Well EXCUSEEEEE ME. How many colleges have you been to? How many professors have you talked to? Oh wait, you’re a high school teacher, all of them I guess. And teachers seem to forget that there is life outside of traditional schooling. Like honestly, if everyone went to college, what was the value of college? None. It may as well be “SecondaryHigh School.” There is culinary school, automotive school, welding school, nursing school, all these careers that don’t need a traditional college degree but when does a teacher ever talk about that?
Idea vs. Procedure
Which is more valuable, the idea, or knowing how to turn that idea into reality? I would argue that the idea is more valuable than the procedure because sooner or later, you will find someone who is smarter than you. They will be able to do all the work you do in a day, in an hour, they will remember everything that has happened, they will mentally destroy you. But they will never have an idea in the same way as you, and that is what makes humans unique. Even though ideas can be so similar that they can barely be told apart, the motivations, the background information, and the purpose will vary in some way. So this leads to the question, is there a such thing as a bad idea, or are there only good ideas that can’t be carried out properly? For example, not ever going to school seems like a bad idea, but then when you start to think about, people did that for thousands of years and were fine. And if you ask an adult what they learned in school, they won’t remember 99% of it. So, if you take out the learning part since the things learned could be negligible depending on the person, then what are you left with? You’re left with more time in which you could pursue something you like such as art, music, television. You may not be “successful” but who has the right to determine your level of success other than you? Another bad idea would be to burn down your neighbors house. Well, what better way is there to make your house nicer, than to start all over? And since you’re burning it, your neighbor could get insurance to cover it (possibly) and then what is the real harm? Just try to imagine all of the great ideas that are lost because people worried about the procedure to make their dreams realities. If they just asked someone smarter than them and more well connected, their idea could have changed the world. But the problem is, people are selfish and they refuse to share their idea with the world because of that. They would rather not see progress than to let someone else have the credit.
So the next time you have an idea, no matter how good or bad, write it down. If you can make it happen, and want to, then do it. If not, ask for help. The world will be thankful, even if your name isn’t infront of the idea.
The Idea of Sport
Here’s a little quiz for you
- What is it that makes sport so appealing to man?
- What is it that makes us spend hundreds of dollars on courtside seats to a game but we don’t go to the park and play for free?
To answer Number 1, I think that sport is appealing to man because it takes us back to the days of animal life where we were judged for who we were and what we could do. And by this I mean, survival of the fittest. And we, as the children of the fittest, should naturally feel pleased in a setting where our dominance could be expressed and where we are challenged and rise to the occasion. If I have lost you thus far, then I am the one who has failed the test. But if not…
To answer Number 2, I think that this can only apply to certain individuals as all things only apply to certain individuals. I think that the reason we would rather watch a game than play it is because we weren’t all meant to survive nature. Simply put, our ancestors got lucky. They were supposed to die since they didn’t have the skills they needed, but nature gives a fat screw you to the expected and raises its glass to the unexpected. Well thank you nature, I’m glad you let me live even though I am most likely from the unfit survivors.
Written, but not to be Read
*Sigh* I don’t write to be read, I write to be heard. I share this trait with my good Friends William Shakespeare and Sophocles. Their work was not to created to numb students while in class, nor was it created to be read by the ignorant so that their plots may be misconstrued by an incompetent audience. Neigh, their work was meant to be performed by a trained cast so that it may be enjoyed to its utmost.
We must remember that taking species outside of their natural environment and forcing them to live in another alters their very DNA, and over time, the species evolves into something completely different. Perhaps that’s what has happened with literature in school; we took a once beautiful swan and made it evolve into a vulture. It’s not the vultures fault that it is now a vile creature, but rather our fault for forcing it to change.
Talking to myself
Sometimes we completely overvalue ourselves and our places in the bottom of society. I mean, I’m not a king, or world renowned in ANY area. Google doesn’t even know my last name. Yet despite this, I think that getting a B is the end of the world. But this isn’t just my problem, it’s my generations problem. We think that everything we do matters to someone. But honestly, it doesn’t. Try to be honest with yourself, and ask does anyone really CARE. Will anyone REALLY care if I get an F on this test? How much sleep is the teacher going to lose? Is your dog going to start avoiding you? How about your friends? The truth, is no one really cares about what you do, but they do care about how you make them feel. I have absolutely no idea what my first crush did to make me like her. I guess she was just a cute little blonde girl, but I remember how she made me feel. She gave me butterflies when we talked, a grin when I looked at her, and a reason to look forward to going to school. And that’s pretty much all I remember about her. That isn’t a bad thing, it’s human. And this “human” trait has been around for thousands of years. Oedipus for example saved Thebes from the Sphinx, yet due to events completely out of his control, his people ran him out of the city. How could they run their beloved king out of the town he single-handedly saved, for simply carrying out what the Fates had fated him to do? Simply because people don’t remember or care about what you’ve done, but they remember and care about how they feel. With Oedipus still in the city, the Thebans felt endangered and scared. So for the rest of Oedipus’ life, he was pushed from place to place because people around him felt fear which was far easier for them to remember than the deeds he had long ago accomplished. Even before Oedipus and Sophocles, there was the Bible. And in the Bible, there is Heaven and Hell. Everyone knows that God is in Heaven and Satan is in Hell, and everyone knows that God stands for everything good and righteous, and Satan stands for evil. But does anyone remember WHY Satan is where he is, or do they just remember him as an evil figure?
The Savant Generation
There’s a stage in life where one is filled with the knowledge of the world. No it’s not old age, but teenage. This is a special time in life because we (myself included), as teenagers are oppressed by the lesser species known as adults. I do not know why adults are so inferior but I believe that there are two likely reasons. The first reason is the word “NO”. And the second reason (the one I will discuss in this post) is that adults are already mired in their ways. Now teenagers believe that they stand for things, but what do they really stand for? NOTHING. Not because teenagers aren’t moral creatures, but because we haven’t had long enough to develop a set of morals and establish our point of view on society yet. This is easily seen in parents. For example, kids so often talk about “Oh when I’m a parent I’m going to let my kid eat ice cream for dinner,” when in fact, they will most likely end up being just like their parents and everything they fantasized about will be just that, a fantasy. But it’s not a bad thing that teenagers change their opinion so often, in fact, it’s very beneficial. Teenagers have the opportunity to change for the better so that they can improve their lives. Parents , however, are stuck to suffer with whatever opinions and skills they had when they made the transition for adolescence to adulthood. In this evolving generation, parents just don’t fit. It’s like no mom, I don’t want to show you how to send a text message, and why can’t you set up your own Facebook account. But we do owe a lot to our parents, like life, and food, but they need to understand that the world is changing too fast for them to understand. Adults reject progress, change, anything different. This makes perfect sense though, why would they want to risk their family’s security and go off the beaten path? Surely no good father would allow their baby girl to grow up in foster care by going for his dream that only has the slimmest margin for success. But this internal safety device is really the downfall of parents. Because of it they are biologically unable to keep up with today’s youth. They must recognize their place as platforms for the next generations success rather than the main attraction.
As of now, I’m unlike Pope Leo X and I would actually welcome your criticisms against me. I understand that I’m not perfect and I want to be the best I can before I am mired in my opinions and it is too late to change them for the better.
High School LEGOS
The Education System in a Nutshell
LEGOS are used by children all over to build their dreams, and inspire them to use bigger, better media. Likewise, school uses all sorts of “LEGOS” to try inspire us to do… well the same boring jobs that everyone else in society wants to do. I have never had a teacher who told me that I could do something fun in my life, like build treehouses, or become a food critic for fine cuisine around the world. Instead the idea of doctors, and chemists, and engineers have been placed in my head which is disgusting and makes the term “job” accurate. Instead of a “job” wouldn’t we all rather do something that is “fun”. Maybe if instead of putting on a fake smile while we go to the job we HATE, we could go to the lower paying ones and enjoy life and let our old position be filled by someone who would genuinely enjoy that line of work. But why do we find it necessary to do this “job” that we HATE so much? I think it’s because the teachers only have one set of LEGOS in their classroom and they give the same thing to all the students. But every student is unique and different. Some want LEGO Princess, and some want Starwars. Some want the big blocks, and some want those tiny ones I never found a need for. But maybe I’m being too critical, and maybe everyone should get the same blocks. That might not be so bad if the teachers just let us make what we wanted out of the limited supply of blocks we’re given, but instead, they give us vague instruction booklets, and have the AUDACITY to grade STUDENTS on their ability to follow the booklet. But that’s a great skill to teach kids isn’t it. To copy things as much as they can without really thinking about what they’re doing? Yes, I’ve taken page after page of biology notes not reading anything that I was writing. Sorry Mrs. Brown. But why is it that teachers think that their building blocks are one size fits all? TEACHERS, EDUCATION IS NOT A SNUGGIE!!! IT IS NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL. I would like my education to be tailored to me. You know why? Because I don’t care at all about history really. I don’t think we should have it. But am I still going to take APUSH and dominate in it? Yes I am. But would I rather have an environmental engineering class instead? YES! But going back to the teachers, yes, they will say they understand that all students are different, and yes, they will say that they are doing their best to help everyone, but they really aren’t doing that at all. Never before have I seen a teacher hand out 30 different projects to students where they each got to choose a topic and go for it. My current English teacher, Mr. Montreal, might turn out to be a slight exception, but he is still forcing us to do blogs instead of any type of media. Perhaps I’m into tangible print Mr. Montreal.
Now I ask you, how are we as teenagers supposed to create something new and different, when our population is overdosed with the same generic building blocks? How are we as a society going to progress when we are addicted to copying what has already been done? I could copy the alphabet a million times but it would still only have 26 letters. On the contrary, I could draw one random shape a million times, and I would have just made the 27th letter to the alphabet.
The Teenage Overdose 