Internal Dialogues

"My gums hurt. I wonder what the cause is."
"What causes gums to hurt?"
"Scurvy!"
"Yeah, maybe it's scurvy."
"Wait, no, scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency, and I've been eating a lot of those vitamin C thingies that taste like candy."
"Hmm, I guess that isn't it."
"Should I be worried that the first thing that came to mind was scurvy?"

I Was Reading the News Today

I was reading the news today. Specifically, the comment sections.

This is what I read.

Regarding a 15-year old captured terrorist who was convicted solely on circumstantial evidence. (A slight oversimplification, but his story isn't significant to the point of this post.)

"I fervently pray that this product of conception is tortured and killed by another prisoners while incarcerated. The sooner the better. He and his family are dispicable creatures."

"This is why you don't take prisoners. Should have killed him on the spot."

"I won't be terribly surprised to hear of ACLU offices being bombed before long. In fact, I might just applaud such efforts."

"[He] should have been executed when he was first captured."

"They need to change the policy in the field regarding the taking of low-level operatives as prisoners. There's no benefit in capturing and prosecuting guys like this. Two shots center mass and one through the head should be the standard method of disposition in the field for enemy combatants."

"A firing squad is too good for him. He should be beheaded and dragged thru the streets. However, turning this POS to a pink mist by firing squad accomplishes the same thing: Justice."

The above is but one example of what can be read in the news every day.

Let's assume, for a moment, that he's actually guilty. Is hate the proper response? Does murder merit this?

Yes, he did bad things. But all I can feel is pity and compassion. I feel for him, because life led him to make bad choices. But anyone who's lived knows we've all made bad choices. No, they weren't bad to the extent of murder, but we all know how little it takes to end up on a bad path in life.

I feel awful for the family of the murder victim.

And finally, I feel awful for all the people out there, who allow a simple murder to spin themselves into a whirlwind of hatred.

Murder is bad. Hating the murderer changes nothing except the person who hates. It is not healthy to store up that much hate inside of yourself. Hate the crime, not the person.

But to take it further, I fear for the future of the world.

Forgiveness is a memento of the past. In politics, any one misstep is enough reason to force a resignation. The same philosophy is spreading out into workplaces and relationships. No forgiveness, no mending brokenness: just hatred.

So much hatred... my heart breaks at seeing it all. What a world will we be living in 20 years from now?

Why do people hate?

I Was Smarter As An 8th Grader

I was recently going through my old things, and I discovered a few mementos from my 8th Grade year.

Things I did in Grade 8:

- Wrote a perfect paper on a national math competition, something that got my name in the local paper.

- Drew political maps of the world, complete with capitals in their correct locations, from memory.

- Taught myself how to program in C+ out of a book, for fun.

- Joined the school's cross-country team.

- Arranged a number of pieces for small instrumental ensemble.

- Made up fake mutual funds and tracked them regularly from the paper's business section. Once again, for fun.

- Grew a garden. Also collected seeds and split old bulbs.

- For a class assignment, wrote a 60-page novella about two anti-globalization terrorists attempting to hi-jack a plane carrying a trade mission to china.

- Painted a replica landscape picture of a group of seven artist. (In acrylics instead of oils; but accurately sized.)

So, um, yeah, about that potential...

Life Lessons

Don't let your fears stop you from trying something daring.

But at the same time, don't do things you know you'll regret later.

We are blessed to be in a world of forgiving people who give us many, many second chances and opportunities to redeem ourselves. That said, the one thing that does not forgive is time. We will never live the 21st, or the 22nd, or the 23rd years of our lives again.

Too many people spend their lives waiting. Waiting for class to start, waiting for work to get out, waiting for the weekend, waiting to be asked out, waiting to graduation... and in the meantime while waiting they find various, usually pointless things to do, to "pass the time." Don't live your life passing time--do something with it.

Other people spend days, weeks, or months in a frantic rush constantly doing things, while never stopping to smell the roses. If you've spent a day or two inside, go outside, stand still, close your eyes, and feel the world around you. Feel the wind blowing around your arms and legs; feel the sun/moon beams on your face. Hear leaves rustling in the trees and the birds singing. See the world around you with your eyes closed and know that nothing you do will change any of that.

Have the courage to break routines you don't actually like but do anyways because it's habit and habit is comfortable. You'll be happier in the long run.

If we were supposed to live in the future or the past, we would have been created there. Instead, we were created in the present, so don't spend your time living in the future--you'll miss out on today.

Don't regret. Life is what it is. Every decision you make is a reflection of you. Every decision you make also permanently changes who you are for the rest of your life, making it more likely you'll make that same decision in the future, whether it's a decision to continue or a decision to stop.

Life is too short for regrets. The past is unchangable, and people are not perfect. Today is a new day--make things right by the way you act from now on, not by your apologies.

Random Acts of Kindness don't require a reason.

And the person who needs all of the above lessons the most is me.