Over the Top

It is 1:20 am and I am still awake. I could give you at least ten reasons for this but really, what good would that do. I am awake because I am not a sleep.

I finally finished editing my blog after upgrading it to Beta.

I like it. I like it a lot. It is a lot easier this way, and much more concise. I feel like I have accomplished something, like my lack of sleep wasn't wasted and that I am now better equipped to express myself and to change the world, one post at a time.

While reading Jaron's blog today I realized what I am missing in my life. Now it wasn't necessarily anything that was said per say but the message was sent none the less. Since being out of High School I feel like I have made some major strides in my life but over the last two months I have seen a drop of productivity in almost every facet of my life, most especially in the development of ideas.

Now other people shouldn't be the reason you think but they can sure cause some powerful thoughts. I realized that I don't interact with people enough to get my mind going. I have no one to challenge my ideas or to offer their own, all I have is the same thoughts spinning around in a place that has been polished and shaped to fit them. There are not figurative stalactite or stalagmites that would change the course of my thought-breeze.

It lends credence to the theory that opposition strengthens us and makes us better. If we never had anything to oppose us or to challenge the validity of our thoughts or beliefs these same thoughts and beliefs would have no form or direction. Whatever we thought couldn't be right because there was no wrong. It couldn't be truth because there was no false.

My Point: I haven't had the blessing of someone to change the course of my thoughts so they have moved in endless circles and nothing remotely profound or worthwhile has been or could be produced.

The Solution: The only way to fix the staleness in my mind is to let a new breeze blow through. I need to be around people, and not just my family, even though they are exceedingly wonderful. I need to start spending time with the outside world and spend less time in front of screens of any type.

If everyone thought about time as an asset, as a commodity we wouldn't be so frivolous in how we spend it. I think I will address that in a different post. As for right now that is all.

In Summary: Opposition enables growth, embrace it! This beta set up it going to be pretty sweet, I am really excited. Time is precious, look for more on that in a future post. Last but not least, Bravo for friends and blogging.

Fulfilling the Founding

So I gotta admit, I'm a movie junky. I love movies! Anyone who has spent more than ten minutes with me or anyone in my family knows how much we quote movies. They are part of are lives. We not only get 43.2 percent of our vocabulary from them but I would say we draw a fair amount of inspiration from them as well.

The point is that I spent three hours today watching "Brave Heart." (don't worry, it was edited) It was a great movie. I don't want to ruin for anyone so essentially it is about the Scottish Rebellion and there war for independence with England. The main character is William Wallace, a commoner who believed enough in his people and in his homeland to fight for their collective freedom.

Now I am sure that sounds cheesy but it is a great movie. What i learned from it though is what I thought I would share. It made make reflect a little bit on our freedom. Now not to get all historical, or Red-white-and blue on you but it really is an item of serious concern.

I think that with all of the things that are going on and do go on in our current government we lose sight of what it is really about. We have had the opportunity to be born in a nation that guarantees us rights just for being human beings, and whether we choose to believe it or not, it was a government established from a Constitution that was written by men inspired of God.

The Lord obviously has some kind of vested interest in this land that he would take care of it so well and would inspire men write the governing document according to His dictates. So what am trying to get across through all of this?

We should be thankful for what we have. We should be grateful that we have rights as simple as our freedom to express our views on blogs.

We should show our thanks by being good citizens. It is the simple things that make the difference, voting, understanding who it is that you are voting for and what they stand for.

Obeying the laws and upholding truth, and then later in life, teaching your children to do the same by word and deed.

That was my thought. We have something precious, and we live in a land choice about all the lands in the world, the scriptures say so. So lets do something about it.

Re-Culture America

I am pulling out my soap box so everyone better buckle up tight. I have some things to say, some things that I have been thinking about today and I think are truths so I will share them with you all. I am really interested to see the comments on this one because it might go in a direction that I am not expecting. Enough digression, on to the meat of this post.

I wish I had some statistics on this but I guess they really aren't necessary. What creates culture? Are Americans a well cultured people? Now I'm not talking about diversity. We are all "cultured" if you are talking about exposure to diverse cultures. Now I wouldn't say diversity makes America great but I would say the fact that we are exposed to so many cultures is a plus. Here again, I digress.

Now are we really cultured? I was at the Taylorsville High School band and orchestra concert the other night and I thought, "This is of value. This exposure to classical type music is good for me. By spending time here I am becoming a cultured person." Funny how thoughts work sometimes. Then I thought about museums in Utah. When was the last time any one of has been to a museum not counting the ones on Temple Square?

I will be honest. The last time I went to a non-LDS museum was in 5th grade.

It is true.

I got thinking at this. Why haven't I gone to museums? Why don't I take those opportunities? Aside from the obvious reasons such as time restrictions from work and/or school, I could think of only one. I would rather do something else.

Now don't get me wrong, I love to learn in almost any situation. I even consider myself cultured. I know lots of things that I feel are important but then why would I be opposed to going to a museum?

Keep in mind, I'm not just talking about museums. I am talking about Opera, Symphonies, Musicals, Ballets, ect. I am not saying that I participate in these things because I am as guilty as the rest of the world, I simply don't make time to go to these "cultural" events.

So here in lies the problem, and I don't know that it should be remedied on a large scale, but with the advent of television and well technology in general we lose these things.

Now I don't want to come across as some weirdo that hates technology, and that if Thatcher saw he would say, "Look honey, a weirdo" to his imaginary gird friend. I don't think technology is bad in fact I like it, I am using it right now but I do that there is a problem in this world that we aren't willing to leave are houses and interact with the community around us because we are addicted to the stimulus that is coming, unfiltered through the cords in our walls.

This has probably been my most incoherent post yet but hey why fight that. I really should work on my organization of ideas but just wanted to get this idea out here. There are some things, and yes most of them have to do with music that should be apart of our lives. I know that they seem/are boring, but I wonder what that says about me that I think these activities are boring. A self-evaluation is in order and I am sure forth coming with all of this.

So in closing: Lets support the arts, bring back things like the Hansen Planetarium, and re-culture America. No more watching 1/4 dressed pop singers on TV. Lets get America away from that and focused on things that will help us become better.

The "Civil" War

Hello everyone! I apologize for my absence from the "game" for an extended period of time. I have been busy and well to tell the truth was lacking in deep thoughts to write about. Granted blogging should be about more than deep thoughts. It is about thinking in general and thus I digress.

I was reading one of my history textbooks today and basking in the unadulterated knowledge as it permeated my mind and I had a thought. Not shocking in this regard because I often have thoughts while studying History. I was reading about the Civil War and the anti-black sentiment in North. Many refused to fight once they heard the Emancipation proclamation, especially among the lower class who would have to compete with Blacks for low paying jobs.

We think, oh well how silly and unjust, we might even think how "un-American", But think about it. We understand racism is bad, but why? I will answer, because we were taught that it was. I will even go so far as to say that there is a drive within all of us to be just and good. We are sons and daughters of a God. A God who is just and right and we came out of his presence more or less with those attributes. Our personality is a shadow of that. So if what I am saying about God and about ourselves, why is there injustice, racism and bigotry in the world? Because we have been taught.

Those Men in the south thought that they were fighting for the right cause every bit as much as those in the North did. They both had mothers and unlike our day, the vast majority had fathers as well. They were taught honor, courage, and to serve God and Country. They also were taught the inferiority of the Black man. They were TAUGHT this. It wasn't something they were born with. At age 1 they didn't think themselves better than those different then them. They wouldn't have even know the difference!

In the musical "South Pacific" there is a song that Joe Cable sings called, "You Have to be Carefully Taught." This is what I want to get at. There are few in this day and age who would openly denounce those of a different race as inferior but what are the crisis' of today that are facing us? I believe the largest threat to our country, larger than Terrorism, larger than Drugs, larger than Pornography, and yes larger than the Extreme-Left, is that of moral disintegration in the Home.

For you that are LDS, prophets have been talking about this for more than half a century, and for those of you who are not, you can see the effects of this moral degradation all around you. The problem with the world today on the largest scale starts in the smallest and most personal places.

For starters one can look at the divorce rate. I have so many friends who have parents that have split up. As a child I didn't understand why everyone seemed to be engaging in this practice. It seemed silly to me. Why would you get married if you weren't sure they were the right one? My parents never once talked of splitting up as long as I can remember. It was never an option to them. They had made a commitment and they were aware even in the hardest times that there was more than the hard times. Now I don't say this to say how silly all of those parents are who have gotten divorced. It isn't my place to judge or correct, but I can see the effects of broken homes on the world.

Who was the mother of these terrorists? Where are there fathers? Where they taught to love their neighbor and to share with those around them? Or were they taught in the education of the world. An eye for and eye, a tooth for a tooth. We are "justified in committing a little sin; yea lie a little, take advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is not harm in this; and do all these things..." Doesn't that sound like our day? There is no harm is speaking ill of others; in dragging others to their knees. To quote the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "In a society in which 'anything goes' its member will learn too late that everything goes." (Deseret Book; Maxwell, Neal A., "The Smallest Part" 1973)

I would submit that the reason terrorism is in the world is because of a failure in a home. The reason drugs are everywhere, the reason there is so much murder and immorality, so much poverty and selfishness, is because not that parents aren't in the home, but that the proper principles aren't taught. Perhaps it isn't my place but if I can use my small voice to affect even one life it will be far more than worth it.

I will admit that I have a probably impractical idea that I can effect change, effect change for good. I want to have influence, I will admit it but I can see that it will do me no good to have even the slightest influence if I can't help the world by having it. Perhaps I have a complex that ties me to the world, that I have hope that humanity isn't completely lost. I do have influence in this world no matter how small in my home, in my community. I don't know why I feel this so acutely and so strongly at this moment but I know it is right.

I guess my challenge to all of you with in the circle of my influence (not that you will all or even most of you will listen to me) that you would make an effort to be honest, to be kind, and to strengthen, not demean those around you. The Civil War ended almost 142 years ago (it will be 142 years next April) but the a new "Civil" war is now raging. The war in our homes that will ultimately affect the future of our country as well as that of world.