I'm sick of people trying to impress other people. The emo kid from Little Miss Sunshine said it best, "Life is one beauty pageant after another. Fuck that!" One might not be aware that they're just blindly following fads and trends regardless if they make any sense or not, but really. Take a good look at yourself and how you carry yourself. Is it really you under there, or is it just a collaboration of all that is considered to be "cool"? Here's how most people make themselves look like jackasses.
-First and foremost, wearing sunglasses inside or at night. Sunglasses were created to stop the sun bothering your eyes. When a person wears sunglasses in inappropriate situations, it says "don't look me in the eyes, I don't want you to see who I really am; I don't like who I am". Liars wear sunglasses to prevent the detection of their dishonesty.
-Saying WTF, OMG or any of those abbreviations verbally. It just doesn't make sense. These abbreviations are used to decrease typing and increase communication. Besides, OMG has just as many syllables as "oh my god", so there's no abbreviation value there, and WTF has almost twice the amount of syllables as the actual phrase.
-Making fun of other people. It's sad, but people actually think that making fun of other people makes them look cool. Whenever they're out with their friends, they just have to point out everything that makes everybody around them imperfect. One might get a few cheap laughs out of oinking at the fat guy, or knocking the books out of a nerd's hands, but in so doing, they have revealed a deep dark personal truth. Insecurity. Cowardess. Hunt or be hunted. There is something deep within themself that they're working hard to cover up, so they draw attention to the flaws of others. It's parasitic, really.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
A Tree Falls in the Forest...
Is it possible for a question to be so deep that it's impossible to answer? Even the preceding interrogative sentence might seem unanswerable. Of course, "I don't know" isn't considered a legitimate answer. One can hypothesize or even guess, just as long as they don't say those three words which are prevalent in a teacher's worst nightmares. Here are a couple of examples of questions which are widely considered to be impossible to answer.
What came first; the chicken or the egg? This question is most often geared towards opinion. Obviously, we can't go back in time and document the appearance of the very first chicken, so answering this question is a matter of personal belief. A creationist might say that the chicken came first, because if the very first chicken was forced to fend for itself upon hatching, the species would have ended as soon as it began. Someone who believes in evolution, however, would say that the egg came first, since the chicken would have gradually evolved from its previous form a little bit more with each generation.
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? When I first heard this question, I thought to myself, "What a stupid question, of course it makes a sound!" But the more I thought about it, the more it made me think. This question, once again, is a solid "it depends". The question is quite vague, stating no unusual circumstances such as the absence of any life at all. Assuming that by "no one" it means "no humans", it is quite often that such a circumstance is presented. However, it seems far too obvious an answer. Since the question does say "no one", lets assume for hypothetical reasons, that there are no humans, and no woodland creatures. Sound is nothing more than vibrations set off by a disturbance in the area. However, vibrations don't become sound until they reach an ear. Sound is the ear's translation of these vibrations, so if the vibration doesn't reach an ear before dissipating, it never gets percieved as a sound. So the answer is no, assuming that by "no one" it means "nothing with ears".
What came first; the chicken or the egg? This question is most often geared towards opinion. Obviously, we can't go back in time and document the appearance of the very first chicken, so answering this question is a matter of personal belief. A creationist might say that the chicken came first, because if the very first chicken was forced to fend for itself upon hatching, the species would have ended as soon as it began. Someone who believes in evolution, however, would say that the egg came first, since the chicken would have gradually evolved from its previous form a little bit more with each generation.
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? When I first heard this question, I thought to myself, "What a stupid question, of course it makes a sound!" But the more I thought about it, the more it made me think. This question, once again, is a solid "it depends". The question is quite vague, stating no unusual circumstances such as the absence of any life at all. Assuming that by "no one" it means "no humans", it is quite often that such a circumstance is presented. However, it seems far too obvious an answer. Since the question does say "no one", lets assume for hypothetical reasons, that there are no humans, and no woodland creatures. Sound is nothing more than vibrations set off by a disturbance in the area. However, vibrations don't become sound until they reach an ear. Sound is the ear's translation of these vibrations, so if the vibration doesn't reach an ear before dissipating, it never gets percieved as a sound. So the answer is no, assuming that by "no one" it means "nothing with ears".
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Religion
I was raised Baptist. My parents would put me in a floral dress every Sunday and drag me to church, where I'd stare into space for two hours until we went home. I didn't mind at all when they decided to stop going to church, where most of the patrons were judgemental and uppity. Christians should know better than anyone that it isn't our place to judge each other, but God's alone. Still, every time I heard about God and Jesus and His many wonders, there was always a voice in the back of my mind trying to tell me that it was all nonsense. I was terrified of this voice, although not literally a disembodied voice saying "it's all a lie". I liked being sure of what would happen after death. Heaven or Hell, simple right? I knew I had always been a righteous little shit, and would SURELY go to Heaven. That's why I never feared death.
But the nagging questions in the back of my mind were too much. Christianity hasn't been around forever, what happened to the people who died before it was established? Did they all just go to Hell because they didn't know there was ever going to be a man named Jesus, let alone accept Him as their Lord and Savior? What about the times when there was nothing but Pagan polytheism? And I had been raised to believe that God was almighty and all knowing of everything, past present and future. If He knew that this world would be so full of pain and misery, why did He create us in the first place? Just to be able to say that he created something? Then I thought to myself, what if we're all just floating in a test tube or petri dish, some mad scientist's creation?
At the age of seventeen, I realized that the only reason I believed in God, and that the Bible was His word, was because I had been told that this is what I believed. And I knew that this was the wrong reason. I then vowed never to believe anything that didn't withstand the test of my own reason, and I renounced my faith. I was scared though. I went from being sure about everything, that I had this great and powerful entity watching over me and protecting me at all times, that I would be rewarded for a lifetime of good deeds after death, to not being sure about anything. But I knew that it had to be done. I wanted to be honest with myself, one hundred percent.
So, there I was. Agnostic. I felt exposed, like a sitting duck. The thought of Hell had never left my mind. I had always been taught that anyone who doesn't accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior goes straight to hell after death. The Lord is our shepherd, and we are His sheep, and Hell is the border collie, biting at our ankles. Hell is the electric fence that keeps us from straying. "What a tactic," I had always thought to myself. "A religion founded upon extortion!"
To this day, I can't be a hundred percent sure of what I truly believe in. I suppose that's why they call it a "faith" though. No one can be completely sure of what's true when it comes to religion. I do know that miracles happen every day, and moreso to those who deserve them. I suppose that's just Karma at work. No, I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual. I do know that there's good and there's evil, and I do have my own set of morals to which I do honestly try to adhere to the very best of my ability. And I do believe that I will be rewarded for doing so.
But the nagging questions in the back of my mind were too much. Christianity hasn't been around forever, what happened to the people who died before it was established? Did they all just go to Hell because they didn't know there was ever going to be a man named Jesus, let alone accept Him as their Lord and Savior? What about the times when there was nothing but Pagan polytheism? And I had been raised to believe that God was almighty and all knowing of everything, past present and future. If He knew that this world would be so full of pain and misery, why did He create us in the first place? Just to be able to say that he created something? Then I thought to myself, what if we're all just floating in a test tube or petri dish, some mad scientist's creation?
At the age of seventeen, I realized that the only reason I believed in God, and that the Bible was His word, was because I had been told that this is what I believed. And I knew that this was the wrong reason. I then vowed never to believe anything that didn't withstand the test of my own reason, and I renounced my faith. I was scared though. I went from being sure about everything, that I had this great and powerful entity watching over me and protecting me at all times, that I would be rewarded for a lifetime of good deeds after death, to not being sure about anything. But I knew that it had to be done. I wanted to be honest with myself, one hundred percent.
So, there I was. Agnostic. I felt exposed, like a sitting duck. The thought of Hell had never left my mind. I had always been taught that anyone who doesn't accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior goes straight to hell after death. The Lord is our shepherd, and we are His sheep, and Hell is the border collie, biting at our ankles. Hell is the electric fence that keeps us from straying. "What a tactic," I had always thought to myself. "A religion founded upon extortion!"
To this day, I can't be a hundred percent sure of what I truly believe in. I suppose that's why they call it a "faith" though. No one can be completely sure of what's true when it comes to religion. I do know that miracles happen every day, and moreso to those who deserve them. I suppose that's just Karma at work. No, I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual. I do know that there's good and there's evil, and I do have my own set of morals to which I do honestly try to adhere to the very best of my ability. And I do believe that I will be rewarded for doing so.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Growing Up With ADD
Growing up with Attention Deficit Disorder can be extremely frustrating. Your peers tend to think you're stupid, even though you're probably smarter than any of them. All of the other children in your classes seem to have been born with knowledge of how to carry out mathematical functions, because you don't remember the teacher ever having mentioned how to do these things. Your teachers might see you squinting at the blackboard and ask if you would like to move closer so you can see it more clearly, when the problem is not how you are seeing the information, but rather how you are processing it. Maybe the teachers noticed that you were quiet, and kept to yourself. Preoccupied, distracted, unresponsive to many teaching methods.
Yes, this is how Attention Deficit Disorder can go undiagnosed for years. A lot of times, teachers will associate ADD with hyperactivity, completely unaware that ADHD is a totally different disorder altogether. "This child doesn't run up and down the walls, so it can't be ADD." Others refuse to believe that it exists. "This is just another excuse parents and teachers use for the inadequacies of their children, and another reason doctors will find to shove pills down our throats!"
My parents always knew I had ADD, but it went without an official diagnosis for 17 years. My teachers believed it was everything BUT. At one point, I wore glasses because of my tendancy to squint at the blackboard, trying to make sense of what was on it. Years later, I went to a pediatrician to try and get diagnosed with the disorder so I could get on medication. She gave me an enormous packet with at least 500 questions on it (clearly not designed specifically for the Attention Deficit). The pediatrician insisted it was depression. She gave me a script for Prozac and referred me to a therapist. The Prozac did horrible things to my mind. I felt like a zombie on those pills. Like a slave to society, so I stopped taking them. I then brought up the subject of ADD to my therapist, and she agreed to administer the SNAP IV test. I filled out a quick questionnaire, and was diagnosed with morbid ADD.
This world is so afraid of ADD. It seems to be more feared than cancer. ANYTHING but ADD. It CAN'T be ADD. Part of the problem is that the medications used to treat the disorder are very highly controlled. They're the most controlled a medication can be without it being completely illegal. That, and they're risky. My brother (it runs in the family) takes ADD medication, and was hospitalized about a month ago because he drank a caffeinated beverage in conjunction with the medication.
I still suffer the effects of a childhood with ADD. To this day, I don't know how to multiply multi-digit numbers without using the Lattice Method. In high school, I had completely given up on homework, because every time I sat down to do it, I would trance out for 15 minutes at a time just watching the second hand of the clock go around. I ended up flunking out.
For god's sake, if you're a parent/teacher and you notice a child/student of yours exhibiting these symptoms, do something about it! Get the child to a psychiatrist (physicians are useless when it comes to mental health) and get them the help they need to succeed.
Yes, this is how Attention Deficit Disorder can go undiagnosed for years. A lot of times, teachers will associate ADD with hyperactivity, completely unaware that ADHD is a totally different disorder altogether. "This child doesn't run up and down the walls, so it can't be ADD." Others refuse to believe that it exists. "This is just another excuse parents and teachers use for the inadequacies of their children, and another reason doctors will find to shove pills down our throats!"
My parents always knew I had ADD, but it went without an official diagnosis for 17 years. My teachers believed it was everything BUT. At one point, I wore glasses because of my tendancy to squint at the blackboard, trying to make sense of what was on it. Years later, I went to a pediatrician to try and get diagnosed with the disorder so I could get on medication. She gave me an enormous packet with at least 500 questions on it (clearly not designed specifically for the Attention Deficit). The pediatrician insisted it was depression. She gave me a script for Prozac and referred me to a therapist. The Prozac did horrible things to my mind. I felt like a zombie on those pills. Like a slave to society, so I stopped taking them. I then brought up the subject of ADD to my therapist, and she agreed to administer the SNAP IV test. I filled out a quick questionnaire, and was diagnosed with morbid ADD.
This world is so afraid of ADD. It seems to be more feared than cancer. ANYTHING but ADD. It CAN'T be ADD. Part of the problem is that the medications used to treat the disorder are very highly controlled. They're the most controlled a medication can be without it being completely illegal. That, and they're risky. My brother (it runs in the family) takes ADD medication, and was hospitalized about a month ago because he drank a caffeinated beverage in conjunction with the medication.
I still suffer the effects of a childhood with ADD. To this day, I don't know how to multiply multi-digit numbers without using the Lattice Method. In high school, I had completely given up on homework, because every time I sat down to do it, I would trance out for 15 minutes at a time just watching the second hand of the clock go around. I ended up flunking out.
For god's sake, if you're a parent/teacher and you notice a child/student of yours exhibiting these symptoms, do something about it! Get the child to a psychiatrist (physicians are useless when it comes to mental health) and get them the help they need to succeed.
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