...and I thought they had called a truce.
December 24, 2008
December 18, 2008
Jealous Lover
I heard these two words used together recently and I was immediately struck by the irony of such a pairing. When you think about it, the two words can’t exist together in harmony. True love does not exhibit jealousy, so how can one truly be a jealous lover (assuming “lover” is defined as one who loves another, rather than someone you just sleep with)?
Jealousy is one of the ultimate expressions of selfishness. Jealousy is not taking into consideration what is best for the other person; it is only concerned with self-interest. When we love someone, we will always put his or her best interests above our own. Jealousy is like a roadblock in the expression and experience of true love. Can jealousy and love truly coexist? In their truest forms…I don’t think they can.
Jealousy is one of the ultimate expressions of selfishness. Jealousy is not taking into consideration what is best for the other person; it is only concerned with self-interest. When we love someone, we will always put his or her best interests above our own. Jealousy is like a roadblock in the expression and experience of true love. Can jealousy and love truly coexist? In their truest forms…I don’t think they can.
December 11, 2008
The Gay Marriage Debate
While I know that this debate is largely over in Canada, it is very much alive and well in the United States. The reason I was thinking about this today was because of an interview Jon Stewart did the other night on the Daily Show.
This issue really stirs up a lot of emotions in me and I get very frustrated when I see what often amounts to ignorance. It seems to me that the main issue in this debate is about how people view homosexuality. What I mean by this is, whether or not people believe that being gay is a choice or not. I can understand the argument against gay marriage if being gay is a choice, but the reality is that there is not a choice…at least not in ones sexual orientation. Being gay is no more of a choice than, say, the colour of your skin or your sex. We would not tolerate the idea of banning interracial marriage, so how is this really that different when you look at it in light of human rights.
In the States, the religious have been the largest opponents to the legalization of gay marriage. Their biggest arguments come from the Bible, but there some problems with their arguments. First, not all Christians agree on what the Bible actually says about homosexuality. Second, there is suppose to be separation of church and state and therefore religious views should not dictate public policy. Third, as Jon Stewart mentions in the interview, they don’t want the biblical definition of marriage changed, but the definition of marriage has not been static and definitely has not always been a sacred union between one man and one woman.
I will leave this topic at that for now, but I definitely have more to say on this topic. So, I will leave that for another post.
This issue really stirs up a lot of emotions in me and I get very frustrated when I see what often amounts to ignorance. It seems to me that the main issue in this debate is about how people view homosexuality. What I mean by this is, whether or not people believe that being gay is a choice or not. I can understand the argument against gay marriage if being gay is a choice, but the reality is that there is not a choice…at least not in ones sexual orientation. Being gay is no more of a choice than, say, the colour of your skin or your sex. We would not tolerate the idea of banning interracial marriage, so how is this really that different when you look at it in light of human rights.
In the States, the religious have been the largest opponents to the legalization of gay marriage. Their biggest arguments come from the Bible, but there some problems with their arguments. First, not all Christians agree on what the Bible actually says about homosexuality. Second, there is suppose to be separation of church and state and therefore religious views should not dictate public policy. Third, as Jon Stewart mentions in the interview, they don’t want the biblical definition of marriage changed, but the definition of marriage has not been static and definitely has not always been a sacred union between one man and one woman.
I will leave this topic at that for now, but I definitely have more to say on this topic. So, I will leave that for another post.
December 10, 2008
Thoughts on Turning 30
Now that my 30th birthday has come and passed, I have had some time to reflect back on the last 30 years of my life. To be honest, I was not looking forward to the big 3-0. It wasn’t that I thought my life was going to change radically the day I turned 30. Rather, I think it was more of the psychological aspect of not being able to say I was in my twenties and therefore being “old.” As I think about it now, we don’t have to grow old. Yes, our bodies will age, but we can always stay young at heart. We can choose to dwell on the aging of our bodies or we can choose enjoy everything this life has to offer. We can choose to always stop and smell the roses (or even roll in the roses for that matter) along the journey of life or we can trample blindly through them in our self-pity and bitterness. I hope I will always choose to roll through the roses.
As I think back on the last 30 years of my life, I realize I really have no regrets. Yes, there are things I haven’t accomplished and I am not really in a place I thought I would be at this age, but I have learned so much and I have been so blessed. While the journey thus far has had its fair share of ups and downs, overall it has been good. I did think that I would be married, maybe have children, and be finished my schooling by this time, but that isn’t what was meant for me in my first 30 years. I know there are great things to come and I am honestly looking forward to what the future holds. So to all of you who have not yet reached the big 3-0, it isn’t so bad. It is just the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in this great journey we call life.
As I think back on the last 30 years of my life, I realize I really have no regrets. Yes, there are things I haven’t accomplished and I am not really in a place I thought I would be at this age, but I have learned so much and I have been so blessed. While the journey thus far has had its fair share of ups and downs, overall it has been good. I did think that I would be married, maybe have children, and be finished my schooling by this time, but that isn’t what was meant for me in my first 30 years. I know there are great things to come and I am honestly looking forward to what the future holds. So to all of you who have not yet reached the big 3-0, it isn’t so bad. It is just the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in this great journey we call life.
Koala Bears, Dolphins, Jizz, and More.
These are some interesting, if not amusing, facts, followed by an SNL short.
- Did you know that female koala bears have two vaginas and male koala bears have a forked penis?
- Did you know that if the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction?
- Did you know that China has more English speakers than the United States?
- Did you know that when you lick a stamp you consume 1/10th of a calorie?
- Did you know that a ducks quack doesn’t echo?
- Did you know that men leave their hotel rooms cleaner than women do?
- Did you know that 35% of people who use personal ads for dating are already married?
- Did you know that dolphins might not be as nice as we think? There is evidence that they are mass-murdering psycho’s who often kidnap and gang rape female dolphins. I guess I won’t be swimming with dolphins anytime soon.
- Finally, an SNL short that I thought was pretty funny.
- Did you know that female koala bears have two vaginas and male koala bears have a forked penis?
- Did you know that if the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction?
- Did you know that China has more English speakers than the United States?
- Did you know that when you lick a stamp you consume 1/10th of a calorie?
- Did you know that a ducks quack doesn’t echo?
- Did you know that men leave their hotel rooms cleaner than women do?
- Did you know that 35% of people who use personal ads for dating are already married?
- Did you know that dolphins might not be as nice as we think? There is evidence that they are mass-murdering psycho’s who often kidnap and gang rape female dolphins. I guess I won’t be swimming with dolphins anytime soon.
- Finally, an SNL short that I thought was pretty funny.
"Say It's Possible" by Jay Brannan
I enjoy a number of his songs, but this is a cover he does that is one of my favourites.
December 9, 2008
Good Day/Bad Day...Really?
I was thinking today about how often we refer to our days as good or bad. The question that came to my mind was, “what makes a day good or bad.” If you really take a moment to think about it, a day is neither good nor bad…it just is. Events that happen or the circumstances that surround us during a day are really neither good nor bad. What really defines how we view a day is the way we respond to events and circumstances. While we may not always choose the initial emotional response to a situation, we do control how we respond in the longer term. We can choose to dwell on the negative aspects of a situation or we can choose to learn from it and see the positive side. I do realize that, depending on the situation, this can be very difficult at times, but it is still within our power to change how we will let things affect us.
This is also true for life in general. While we may not have control over a lot of the events and circumstances in our lives, we do have control over how we let them affect us. These are, of course, those things that are outside of our control. What about circumstances that we can control? So many choose to remain unhappy in their circumstances and these circumstances are often changeable. If they are not changeable, then how we let them affect us is. A friend of mine, who is a counselor, loves the words from a Trooper song “Raise A Little Hell” (yeah I know, that dates me) and she thinks they offer great wisdom:
If you don’t like what you got, why don’t you change it.
If your world is all screwed up, rearrange it…
If you don’t like what you see, why don’t you fight it.
If you know there’s something wrong, why don’t you right it…
Going back to the good day/bad day question…maybe we should not be asking whether someone had a good day or a bad day. Rather, we should ask, “How did you choose to respond to your day?” Just a thought…
This is also true for life in general. While we may not have control over a lot of the events and circumstances in our lives, we do have control over how we let them affect us. These are, of course, those things that are outside of our control. What about circumstances that we can control? So many choose to remain unhappy in their circumstances and these circumstances are often changeable. If they are not changeable, then how we let them affect us is. A friend of mine, who is a counselor, loves the words from a Trooper song “Raise A Little Hell” (yeah I know, that dates me) and she thinks they offer great wisdom:
If you don’t like what you got, why don’t you change it.
If your world is all screwed up, rearrange it…
If you don’t like what you see, why don’t you fight it.
If you know there’s something wrong, why don’t you right it…
Going back to the good day/bad day question…maybe we should not be asking whether someone had a good day or a bad day. Rather, we should ask, “How did you choose to respond to your day?” Just a thought…
Questionable Content
I was having a conversation with a friend the other day and out of the blue he asked me whether or not I thought that conjoined twins should be allowed to remain connected, even if it means sacrificing one of their lives. To be honest, it wasn’t a topic I had put a lot of thought into. His argument against letting them remain conjoined was the issue surrounding quality of life. What if they want to experience independence, an intimate relationship, child bearing, etc.
My response was, who are we to make that decision? We should not play God. If they both have a better chance of surviving while conjoined, then leave them together. We cannot judge what constitutes a good or bad life for someone else. The definition of a good life is different for everyone. Also, I thought it was a little bit of a slippery slope in regards to people with disabilities.
My response was, who are we to make that decision? We should not play God. If they both have a better chance of surviving while conjoined, then leave them together. We cannot judge what constitutes a good or bad life for someone else. The definition of a good life is different for everyone. Also, I thought it was a little bit of a slippery slope in regards to people with disabilities.
Holiday Sneer
What is it about the holidays that bring the best (by “best” I mean “worst”) out in people? It seems that people seem to be angrier this time of year. The other day I was in a local store buying some Christmas gifts and I don’t think I saw one person with a smile on their face. I observed three, not so cheerful, incidents during the 20 minutes I spent in that store.
The first involved a mother and her child. The child was screaming while the mother was dragging him across the floor because she wanted to leave. There was definitely no holiday cheer on her face. Many different things were crossing my mind as to how I would deal with that child, but that is a whole different topic.
The second observation I made was of a lady swearing at her significant other because she was angry that he wasn’t willing to spend more money on the gifts they would exchange this Christmas. Seriously, is this what Christmas has come too?
My last observation came at the cash register. Wow, were those cashiers unhappy… I understand that their jobs might not be fun, but a fake smile would be better than barely acknowledging the customers presence.
While I am sure that there are many people that enjoy the holidays, it seems that I see more and more angry people each successive holiday season. Maybe this current economic downturn will help people focus on what’s important about the holidays rather than reluctantly spending hours waiting in store lines with other reluctant/unhappy shoppers. If only people would share some holiday cheer rather than a sneer.
The first involved a mother and her child. The child was screaming while the mother was dragging him across the floor because she wanted to leave. There was definitely no holiday cheer on her face. Many different things were crossing my mind as to how I would deal with that child, but that is a whole different topic.
The second observation I made was of a lady swearing at her significant other because she was angry that he wasn’t willing to spend more money on the gifts they would exchange this Christmas. Seriously, is this what Christmas has come too?
My last observation came at the cash register. Wow, were those cashiers unhappy… I understand that their jobs might not be fun, but a fake smile would be better than barely acknowledging the customers presence.
While I am sure that there are many people that enjoy the holidays, it seems that I see more and more angry people each successive holiday season. Maybe this current economic downturn will help people focus on what’s important about the holidays rather than reluctantly spending hours waiting in store lines with other reluctant/unhappy shoppers. If only people would share some holiday cheer rather than a sneer.
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