Art depicts life? Maybe for some

Now, back to the poem I posted before...

It in fact serves a purpose. I look at poetry and feel that it has many and any interpretations. It is written for a purpose and has a significant reading to the author, but a good poet should assume the same meaning will not be begot by all individuals who read it. That's the thing about art, it is made for any number of reasons and should be received in any number of ways for any number of people. Art is an expression and people should be able to find their own expression within it.

That aside, there is a point. The whole idea behind the poem is something I remember and something that is applicable to many people you probably know. Maybe it's applicable to many people you don't in fact know. But the poem suggests that you should know your limits, be confident, but not proud, and if you listen to those around you and heed advice now and then you might save your own life.

I think in politics you don't find this often. Politicians don't know their limits or the limits of the jurisdictions over which they preside. They often are overconfident in their procedures and ways and the pride that washes off of them in waves deters people from them. They too often, far too often, do not heed advice that is critical to saving lives. There are times you get away with this, but more often there are casualties of some proportion involved. It's just something to think about as the election (actual election, not early election) draws nearer. I don't claim to understand the early voting, but the point is that the deadline is approaching. So whether or not you vote early, do vote. Vote for someone who will not create fallen men and women through their ignorance. And vote based on whoever you think that might be. I am remaining neutral in that advice.

Be Careful What You're Sure Of

I actually am into writing a bit of poetry so I thought I would take up a blog on here to post a little snippet of my poetry.

This was written for a class my junior year of high school about a short story we were reading. I can't recall what story it was, but anyway this was the product of that assignment:

"What do you have to lose?" She asks.
"Nothing," he says, "I know I'll win."
"Everyone pays their dues," she says.
"Not me," he arrogantly whispers under the din.

But do you know what you're doing?
Have you any idea what you're pursuing?
I've seen it all done before.
Trust me; I've never been more sure.
Your confidence seems misleading,
There is no way you will end up succeeding.
Just draw your sword, and I'll draw mine,
I possess the skills, I have the tool, I'll be fine.

So they fought the fight,
And at the end of the night,
All that was left in sight,
Lay in the dirt:
The confident man's ignorant head.

Pleasing other people, why sometimes you can't

I read a book by Max Lucado called He Still Moves Stones while I was taking the weekend off in Philadelphia and New York (which, of course, is why I haven't blogged in quite a while, sorry about that), and in it Lucado mentions things regarding the expectations of others and how we are perceived by others, especially relatives. He goes on to say that you can be the best daughter a father has and he will still never treat you like he should, you could disappoint your aunt with a career and change it a million times and still never get her support or approval. He then parallels our struggles with pleasing others to that of Jesus' struggle in pleasing his own family. His family didn't fully accept him either while he was of the flesh. And the thing is, if Jesus can't please his family or friends, then maybe we expect too much in pleasing everyone in our own life.

That being said, I have some further comments. College, has always been a big dream of mine, top three things I've strived to do well in, get to, and claim victory and success over. I was excited to be going and then terrified. And now I've had change of heart in the place that I want to be. And I am not pleasing very many people, let me tell you. It is not easy to change your mind when others liked your original plan so much. But here's what I'm stuck on, these people also always told me I should follow my heart, and so I am. And in doing so I may be disappointing some, maybe many, but when they see the joy I find maybe they will feel better about my decision, and then maybe not. But people, you have to do what you need. You have to find your own path and sometimes it veers from what others imagined for you. But it doesn't veer from what God imagined. So I just challenge you to do what you feel is right for you. You will make mistakes, but they are yours to make.

It goes back, I think, to a previous blog of mine about leaving. In it I said, "It's like people expect you to always stay and sometimes you just can't. Sometimes it's just time to go. Because if you don't leave it will never be your life, it will be theirs...and then maybe...one day...you will stay because it will be your life...because you've already done all your leaving." If you change the words a bit you can come up with this, therefore creating a sort of formula for why you can't always please people: "It's like people expect you to always do what they have planned and sometimes you just can't. Sometimes it's just time to change plans. Because if you don't change plans it will never be your life, it will be theirs...and then maybe...one day...you will stick to a plan because it will be your plan...because you've already done all your path carving."

Relativity, Truth and "Being Right"

After talking on the phone with my best friend, a whirlwind of thoughts (which is pretty constant for me) became a furious wind of ideas with a serious force behind them. So, that being said, I'm going to try to put down all those winds of thought and still make some sort of sense. Fair?

Words are absolutely relative. Yes. I agree one hundred percent with this. Of course they all have specific denotations with universal definitions in most cases, but when it comes down to it every word has a different effect, different connotation, or interpretation for every single person. Unless someone is misinterpreting a word or thinking of a different word, we all can come to some sort of accord on what each word means in definition, but the impact each word has or doesn't have is a very different thing. Now, these definitions we reach an accord on...why are those correct? Because once upon a time the root of that word meant the same thing to everyone in ancient Greece or Rome and we took that root made a word in a different language based on that root and so everyone just goes along with it. Now and then there are changes and retractions made on definitions, yes that is the one thing we can expect from this world, some sort of change. People in this world are material and they make the material what they want. If it doesn't fit, they make it fit.

So these "truths" are reached because majority rules in most cases and in other cases power rules and so the rest submit accordingly. But can we ever be right about anything at all? I've never thought we could. We can't KNOW anything. Two plus two is four only because that's what we've been told and that's what everyone agrees on. Water is made of oxygen and hydrogen and not iron and sodium because it was decided that that's what those things are called. "Being right," is a learned thing. It's a majority's rule, a power's might, or a shock's unexpected-ness that tells us what we "should" know and "how" we should know it. We agree to "knowing" it based on the faith we place in this "knowledge."

By this I mean, it is all about faith. Life is. We believe and therefore things are. Belief and faith create our knowledge, but then it becomes our own personal knowledge. It becomes a knowledge unexplainable to anyone else on the planet. The only One who can see your beliefs and faith for what you "know" it to be, is God. God is what we believe, He is our faith and if the most important person in our lives is entirely based on faith, how can anything as trivial as two plus two being four, water being oxygen and hydrogen, or definitions of words be "knowledge." The faith we place in God and Christ and Christianity is the most important faith we can have, so the belief in words and numbers can't be said to be knowledge. That then is why it is relative. Full circle.

Branching a little further I just want to mention this, my belief in words may be different than yours, but in my appliance of words there is only truth. The words I say are meant with intensity, passion, and scrutiny. That doesn't make the impact any stronger for others though, because words are so relative in interpretation. They vary too much in meaning and impact. However, they aren't just used as space filler for me. So I hope that if you can't find a truth or impact in all words, that you can at least find impact and meaning and truth in my words.

Challenging Yourself and Others

I'm going to try this new thing, it could only last as long as this post, but maybe it will come up now and then. The idea is to centralize the blog on one word. And the word I'm starting with is challenge, which seems like a good jumping off point because the whole idea to use one word as a centralization to the blog is a bit of a challenge, true?

So...challenge. Challenge is something that goes hand in hand with change. Change is a challenging things, but then life itself is rather challenging and trying itself. Something that people need to maybe do more often is challenge each other. I say this because more fulfillment comes from emerging on top from a challenge. When people are challenged outside of work or school to think critically about faith, religion, relationships, government, politics, entertainment or just life in general you learn and grow so much better and in a bigger way.

Surrounding yourself with challenging people is in it of itself a challenge. A lot of people can be fun to hang out with and a friend, but it's great friends who challenge you. Those who care enough about you to question you and your thoughts are the ones that are thinking way deeper than at a surface level. Deep and thoughtful conversation is a very fulfilling thing in life.

So I challenge you to challenge others and learn and grow with great people. A concept that I discussed with my very best friend who challenges me everyday to think.

Moving in a Different Direction

Now, let me just move to something other than politics for a moment, since the big news is about the debates and I haven't watched them yet because I have them recorded...I know, bad.

Maybe some of you will feel a little strange about the topic shift. Maybe you won't like the change...but that's what life is...a series of changes. Therein is a series of movements, leaving and moving on and those are always the same thing. Leaving and moving on are not the same. True, they can go hand in hand, but they aren't necessarily that way. I think this is an issue people sometimes don't understand. It's like people expect you to always stay and sometimes you just can't. Sometimes it's just time to go. Because if you don't leave it will never be your life, it will be theirs...and then maybe...one day...you will stay because it will be your life...because you've already done all your leaving. And maybe one day you'll find someone to move with from place to place...someone to take along and journey with. That's something to really be thankful for. To find the person that is your very best friend. An unfailing force in your life.

Change is scary, most people are averse to it. I, myself, am not a huge fan of change myself. Struggle is something that generally follows in the face of change because with change comes the unknown and of course people are afraid of the unknown. It's something completely apart from what is already in a person's life. So it makes sense.

You just have to learn to change and grow and even if you are afraid. Hopefully you'll have people to back you up in life.

It's Your Right

"The great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter a chance to do something stupid," said by Art Spander, award winning American sports writer, this quote is a good place to start on this blog.

I know this has been somewhat political lately, but how can it not be? The election is something like four weeks away the vice presidential debate is on tomorrow and it's one of the most, if not the most, controversial presidential elections in United States history. So maybe we'll hit some other issues soon enough.

Anyway...voting. It's a right that is paid for by you for living in this country, don't waste your money and more importantly vote so the government won't waste your money. You also don't want the government to waste your resources, time, energy, or life in general. If you'd like to see more good from this country, go out and make a decision for the country.

And yes democracy provides the opportunity for you to vote in a manner than could screw things up and maybe that's what Spander meant...or maybe he meant the thing that would be stupid for a voter to do is to not use the right to vote. So I urge people to go out and vote. Do something for the country and for yourself.

So now that I've become an ad for voter promoters all over the country, I leave you. Perhaps more blogging will result tonight, if not then tomorrow.