Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Modern America


“All men are created equal.” –Declaration of Independence


“… No religion test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” –Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution


“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or publishing the free exercise thereof” –First Amendment of the U.S. Bill of Rights


To the American Citizen:


Do you agree with all of the quotes? If you really are an American then yes should be your only option. If you said no you just rejected important principles that founded our country.
Do you agree with the ideas of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and our Declaration as a whole? If you said yes then our Fathers would be proud to say the least; if you said no, I don’t know how you consider yourself an American.
So if you agreed to both, have you read any of them or know their ideas or applied them to your own life? Yes; then read the following questions. No; you are not an American.

If our nation isn’t supposed to favor then why is christianity the exception?
Why do our presidents swear to a bible on their inauguration?
Why does our currency state “In god We Trust”?
Why does our pledge state “One Nation Under god”?
Do any know that the change of the currency and pledge occurred during the Red Scare, a time of paranoia and fear of nuclear warfare and the end of days?

Because we are a christian nation, is this why religion is tax exempt?
Why do certain religions ask for money?
Isn’t religion a form of philosophy that aids in achieving true happiness and the only thing you should offer is your will?
Why is it that Pat Robertson, the richest evangelical christian, has donated very little or nothing and uses slave labor in Africa for his blood diamonds?
Doesn't the church's exemption from taxes and Robertson portray Greed-one of the seven deadly sins?

Because we are a christian nation, is god’s word state law whether you are religious or atheist?
What happened to separation of state and church?
Is this why there is hate and prejudice against the homosexual community?
But if everyone is made by god’s image, then those who hate homosexuals reject god’s work?
Since god’s word is state law, whether you are religious or atheist, does this remind you of a monarchy?

Because we are a christian nation, it’s okay for me to wear a rosary in public but I can’t dress like a muslim and read the qur’an? even if the First Amendment gives me the right?
Am I prohibited from doing as so because of the labels and stereotypes this culture has received ever since 9/11?
Will I have a high chance of physical and verbal harassment from ignorant, lower class people?
What happened to luke 6:31?
Do they even pray? read the bible? go to church?
Do you want the hypocritical and the sanctimonious having a say in our country?



Because we are a christian nation, is our Constitution becoming meaningless?

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Jack White

"Technology is a big destroyer of emotion and truth. Opportunity doesn't do anything for creativity. Yeah, it makes it easier, and you can get home sooner but it doesn't make you a more creative person. That's the disease you have to fight in any creative field. Ease of use" -Mr. White

Humans are curious by nature, seeking to understand the mysterious ways our world and universe works,  and finding ways to live easier. Through technology mankind has been able to reach astonishing achievements: the discovery of electricity, the light bulb, microscopes and the discovery of the atom, telescopes and the discovery of new galaxies and black holes and planets, improvement in transportation (cars and trains and  airplanes), computers, nuclear energy and the atomic bomb and so on. And the list will keep growing. Everyone (including me) uses technology and no one complains about it (only those who do probably lack it); I wish I could drive so I could go home right after school and not walk in the heat, waiting for my ride and getting home late. We seem somewhat forced to use technology in this modern world but in America there's a huge issue we are facing and it keeps growing: our failing educational system and obesity. Possible causes? Being truly dependent on technology and becoming a product of society, which equals a loss in creativity.

Being lazy on a Saturday, I was on YouTube looking at music videos until an ad popped up, promoting a document on obesity. I thought of the usual, they are going to attack fast food companies for being hazardous to American lives. As I was about to skip the ad a statistic appeared on the video and left me somewhat startled; nearly 70% of Americans are obese and nearly 20% of American children are obese. I was somewhat disturbed by the fact. Thinking about about it, it made sense. Fast food joints on every block. Our habit of over consuming -living in excess. Our passionate love for technology. The educational issue of America-the rate of dropouts for both high school and college students is 50%. Add them up and you get the beautiful and huge America we live in today.

But one can't simply throw the blame unto Ronald McDonald or the King or Carl's for fat Americans (though they are a major influence on our modern epidemic), or Zuckerburg, or Dorsey, or Karp, or Chen and Hurley and Karim for making people addicted to the Internet and being less interested in school ( yet studies suggest that Internet addicts may struggle with real-life human interaction and a lack of companionship which can lead to depression, another issue in the us that takes a significant toll on America's health and productivity). The ones to blame are ourselves for what has been happening to our country and our health, creating these habits that just promote the laziness, procrastination, average and low intelligence. I heard (if I remember correctly) through a secondary source, a friend or my brother, of a woman who sued McDonald for making her fat ( I forgot what happen in her case and whether it was real, but I bet if she did win her lawsuit the first thing she did was eat at Wendy's or B.K. One can simply picture it). But in the end she is the one losing, for only
"A wise man will carefully avoid excess" -Maimonides
Most of us, especially teenagers and the young adult population, simply ignore or don't care because nothing has happened yet. But it slowly gets worse and next thing you know many will regret what they have become. If this problem lasts and continues in the near future, the image of our country will be really a disgusting portrayal of obese men, and women, and children, living easy and dull cyclical lives, wondering "Where did I go wrong?" Remember that every action has a result, every cause has an effect.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Marcus Aurelius


“The best revenge is not to do as they do.” –Marcus Aurelius

One of the best quotes from the great Roman emperor and in just one sentence this piece of advice is powerful, timeless. Many wouldn’t agree by reading it and it is most likely many more would disagree if one has taken the path of revenge because many listen to their heart and ignore their mind. Emotions take over instead of logic. When someone is full of anger (or any emotion) one can’t be reasonable and when someone is harassed, hell can break loose. But if one stops—and thinks—and chooses not to imitate the offender’s actions the outcomes will be positive, not only for the moment but for one’s character and mentality.


It is common to hear now and then about verbal/physical harassment, especially in the teenage/young adult part of society. The most probable argument of those who claim Aurelius doesn’t make sense is “What if someone, out of nowhere, just physically attacks you?” (Though very improbable because everything has a reason) or “Someone calls you names, hates your guts and wants to start shit?” It is interesting how in modern society when one is placed as the victim of such event many tend to just stay silent and do nothing, or (the dumbest answer) fight back. Depending on one’s situation since it always varies, it might be acceptable to attack but in the case of high school students it is simply foolish. Why? Though they all say its self-defense, and it can be, you still get the same amount of punishment as your attacker. Security and officers won’t care about the stories you tell because they all blame the other one (obviously). In the end, the result will be negative because what security sees if all they believe.


What would be the proper, most effective reaction to any harmful act? Ignore it, report it, confront it. Anything without violence. In the case of men, if there is going to be a fight I am sure the phrase “be a man” is thrown out there. Many would think that being a man is being strong, tough, insensitive—a brute—because apparently brawn over brains will get you “far” in life. If you report, you are “snitching” or a “pussy.”An ignorant stereotype that is used to describe the male population (well, in Western culture most likely). Be intelligent. Think about it and visualize a situation where instead of fighting back you report your attacker. What is the outcome?


If I had to give an example of this ideal in real life and being successful, this can be easily related to Dr. King and Gandhi. Both faced difficulties in their countries and pursued for change yet they didn’t resort to violent means though because they knew if they did their movements would collapse and their troubles would continue. By being peaceful, they achieved what they wanted. Yeah, they are “cowards.” The problem with humans is we have adrenal glands that are too big and frontal lobes that are too small, fight or flight takes over. It isn’t wrong though; it’s human nature and we can’t help ourselves. But try to think and it will pay off in the future.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Epicurus


The Greek philosopher Epicurus created a recipe to leading the happiest life, the Tetrapharmakos, “the four-part cure,” which states: “Don’t fear god, don’t worry about death; what is good is easy to get, and what is terrible is easy to endure.” This recipe is well thought out and is an amazing concept to apply to one’s philosophy or perspective on life since, as humans, we wonder how to live and be satisfied.

To those who are religious or are agnostic, “Don’t fear god.” The main purpose of religion is on how to live a good life and achieve eternal happiness—a philosophy. But, as Christopher Hitchens believes, the case of religion creates an omnipotent being who followers must love and be scared of, portraying a dictator-like figure, creating fear for its followers; do as god says or suffer for the rest of eternity. The intent of each religion is good (sometimes) but when someone is threatened their mentally changes. But think about it, is it possible that there is a supreme being that can watch our every move and hear all our thoughts? Is it worth the time to worry and stress about the unknown? If one spends a good part of their life worrying about an invisible being stalking them and judging them when their time comes they lived to please the church and god but not themselves.

Probably the hardest of all the steps, “Don’t fear death.” From personal experience, I had a fear of dying. Why? Because one doesn’t know what happens exactly after we die: if there is an afterlife, one reincarnates, one is judged by god and hopefully get accepted to paradise—religious fears—or simply nothing. Now though, I started to overcome my phobia slowly due to Marcus Aurelius’ view on death in the Meditations which supports the Tetrapharmakos, death is natural and there is no point in fighting nature. From the time one is born to the day one dies, one must simply find the best way to use the time we have in between to live instead of rejecting death, fearing it, and trying to live forever.

“What is good is easy to get,” most who hear this without thinking about it would disagree and in modern society (especially the United States, land of materialism and consumption) it is hard to grasp the concept. We believe to live good one must work hard to get money to buy more and more. But the popular saying “money can’t buy happiness” supports the Tetrapharmakos. To have a great life one simply needs basic necessities—shelter, clothing and food—and the most powerful force in the world, love (sounds cheesy but it’s fact).  Everything else is a luxury and one can live with just the bare minimum and little wealth.

The final part of the recipe is “What is terrible is easy to endure.” Sounds like a lie or as if Epicurus didn’t experience enough. The matter of fact though is that he is right and it’s possible. Everyone goes through bad times: pain, stress, injury, illness, depression, heartbreaks, etc. Coping with negativity or moving on seems difficult but isn’t it temporary? Haven’t others gone through the same? Keep in mind that nothing lasts and time heals all wounds. Following or thinking about the Tetrapharmakos can lead to living better and worrying less. We live once and time flies, it’s never enough, so don’t fear the unknown, don’t fear nature. Don’t fear being human.