It's pretty shameful to see some people in the world who have nothing but make a difference in other people's lives whereas those who have everything can only think of themselves.
I only mention this because last night while relaxing I stumbled across this show called "Daddy's Spoiled Little Girl." When I saw the title, I rolled my eyes. It was so painful to watch I hardly saw five minutes worth. What I saw in those five minutes though was disgracefully decadent, self-centered and wasteful.
A 15 year old Cali-Girl is throwing a birthday party. With her dad being a surgeon, cash was not a problem. Upon party supplies only, she spent over 800 dollars. 800 dollars? I couldn't believe it. Party supplies that will just be thrown away once they are used. 800 dollars. Wasted, gone, and for what? For a brats 15th birthday?
I turned the T.V. off. How sickening it is to see people so absorbed in themselves. That 800 dollars could have gone towards cancer research, diabetes funds, the Anti-AIDS movement in Africa, Humane Society, church funds, school donations. But no, the parents indulged into their daughters wants.
Afterwards, I thought of all the struggling people in the world. Even though they can barely support themselves, they always give when opportunities present themselves.
If I forge a good life for myself, I hope I don't turn into someone like that. If one does not help the world, one has no purpose. Living without a purpose is the same as being dead.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
***Insight*** Secrets and Lies
One of the things that makes this would so dark and dangerous are secrets and lies. Lies, I think, are what gave the birth to the old saying "Silence is Golden."
With secrets and lies I don't think one can live without the other. That is why I think I shall talk about birth.
Lies. They distort not only the truth but can truly set of a volatile chain of events that we are both ignorant of and indifferent to. One should never have to lie. I have discovered absolutely no good can come of it. It may not always hurt other people, but it will always hurt the wielder. Lies come about, methinks, for two reasons: revenge/cruelty, and to cover up the trails of a mistake.
Assessing the first reason, I see that lies are tools to be used to hurt other people. Causing pain to others, even just a little, in both a social and spiritual sense, is a serious offense. One of the Truths I have uncovered as I have gotten older is that there is balance in the universe; you reap what you sow. Plant seeds of unrest and you shall reap a hurricane. Lies will come back to haunt you, guaranteed. And on top of that, the person you wronged will probably succumb to human nature and pay you back just as hard. So, in effect, you will be struck back twice as hard.
Concerning the second, if you tell lies to cover your tracks and keep hidden your secrets, you will simply end up digging yourself farther in your hole. Eventually, while weaving your trail of lies, you will slip up. All the bricks of your fortress of lies will be shaken to the ground by an earthquake of truth, you will be buried amongst the ruins.
If you strive to be the best you can be and not do stupid things that you need to keep secret, you won't be "crushed" by the lies you weave to keep you from getting caught.
When you do something stupid, and you are asked to explain yourself, just be truthful. The consequences will be far less severe and the world will respect you more for walking the path of Truth.
One of the things that makes this would so dark and dangerous are secrets and lies. Lies, I think, are what gave the birth to the old saying "Silence is Golden."
With secrets and lies I don't think one can live without the other. That is why I think I shall talk about birth.
Lies. They distort not only the truth but can truly set of a volatile chain of events that we are both ignorant of and indifferent to. One should never have to lie. I have discovered absolutely no good can come of it. It may not always hurt other people, but it will always hurt the wielder. Lies come about, methinks, for two reasons: revenge/cruelty, and to cover up the trails of a mistake.
Assessing the first reason, I see that lies are tools to be used to hurt other people. Causing pain to others, even just a little, in both a social and spiritual sense, is a serious offense. One of the Truths I have uncovered as I have gotten older is that there is balance in the universe; you reap what you sow. Plant seeds of unrest and you shall reap a hurricane. Lies will come back to haunt you, guaranteed. And on top of that, the person you wronged will probably succumb to human nature and pay you back just as hard. So, in effect, you will be struck back twice as hard.
Concerning the second, if you tell lies to cover your tracks and keep hidden your secrets, you will simply end up digging yourself farther in your hole. Eventually, while weaving your trail of lies, you will slip up. All the bricks of your fortress of lies will be shaken to the ground by an earthquake of truth, you will be buried amongst the ruins.
If you strive to be the best you can be and not do stupid things that you need to keep secret, you won't be "crushed" by the lies you weave to keep you from getting caught.
When you do something stupid, and you are asked to explain yourself, just be truthful. The consequences will be far less severe and the world will respect you more for walking the path of Truth.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
***Insight*** Getting Up
My life is going by pretty fast. I think I fully realized this when I started to read my license manual. I realized that my childhood had been pretty "quite", on the whole and that recently I have been pretty lazy. My priorities had shifted since the last time I decided to look at them. Homework, family time, recreation, exercise,video-games, art... all of these have been rearranged themselves and the new order that they're in, isn't helping me grow or making me happy.
Recently, I saw a visual lesson in one of my classes that just stuck with me. Up on a table there was a jar, a bowl of sugar, and a bowl of rocks; each rock had something written upon it such as "Family", "Friends," "Homework," "Videogames" ect. and their size was dependant upon what was written on them.
The object of the excersise was too put all of the sugar and all of the rocks in the jar. One volunteer stepped up and put his favorite things in there ("Friends," "Vidoegames," "Movies,") and then he started to put in the important ones ("Family," "Homework," "Reading"), but he couldn't fit those in because they were too big and there was not enough room; he tried to stack them. And when he tried to put the sugar in, it spilled everywhere and overflowed.
Then the teacher took everything out and showed us the right way to do it. She put the big rocks in first, then the smaller ones, which fit snuggly into place, and then poured in the sugar which went completely to the rim and filled all the empty spaces.
Afterwards the teacher said that the jar represented our lives, the rocks our priorites, and the sugar "the Sweet Stuff" like t.v. or going to Lagoon, taking naps, stuff like that.
That gave me a nice slap in the face. I need to wake up! I'm wasting time!
As of late, I have been going home and taking a nap, then playing videogames ("only and hour" I tell myselft but it is usually a lot more) then I eat dinner. After that its homework (that I know I can't put off until tommorrow morning like I usually do) and then once it's nice and late I read my scriptures. In one evening I have unknowingly, and yet purposely, elimanted family-time, excersise (which just KILLS me to know I haven't done), and some of my homework which I choose to do at the eleventh hour. Why do I take the naps? Because I'm tired because I put my homework off! Why do I play my videogames for so long? Because if offers me an escape because I feel miserable because I put my homework off!
It's a vicous cycle and there is ONE person to blame...me. This isn't healthy! This isn't fun; and as of now I choose to stop this once and for all.
I wasn't stacking my jar right but I fully intend to now! And I might as well admit it, I was one of those people who has been putting off their Honors English reading.
It's time for a change, I'm ready to go back to the person I used to be. That me was happy, and a full 4.0 student. This one is lazy, ill, and puts a half-hearted effort into things. 1st term I got a 3.95 and the one after that I got a 4.0. That is still WAY short of what I want, but it is fully what I deserve for what I put out.
**In closing I say this: You can't gain ANYTHING without giving up something else in return, including time and effort. Take care of your priorites first. All the "sweet stuff" will fall into place. You just have to trust yourself and learn to seize the day.**
My life is going by pretty fast. I think I fully realized this when I started to read my license manual. I realized that my childhood had been pretty "quite", on the whole and that recently I have been pretty lazy. My priorities had shifted since the last time I decided to look at them. Homework, family time, recreation, exercise,video-games, art... all of these have been rearranged themselves and the new order that they're in, isn't helping me grow or making me happy.
Recently, I saw a visual lesson in one of my classes that just stuck with me. Up on a table there was a jar, a bowl of sugar, and a bowl of rocks; each rock had something written upon it such as "Family", "Friends," "Homework," "Videogames" ect. and their size was dependant upon what was written on them.
The object of the excersise was too put all of the sugar and all of the rocks in the jar. One volunteer stepped up and put his favorite things in there ("Friends," "Vidoegames," "Movies,") and then he started to put in the important ones ("Family," "Homework," "Reading"), but he couldn't fit those in because they were too big and there was not enough room; he tried to stack them. And when he tried to put the sugar in, it spilled everywhere and overflowed.
Then the teacher took everything out and showed us the right way to do it. She put the big rocks in first, then the smaller ones, which fit snuggly into place, and then poured in the sugar which went completely to the rim and filled all the empty spaces.
Afterwards the teacher said that the jar represented our lives, the rocks our priorites, and the sugar "the Sweet Stuff" like t.v. or going to Lagoon, taking naps, stuff like that.
That gave me a nice slap in the face. I need to wake up! I'm wasting time!
As of late, I have been going home and taking a nap, then playing videogames ("only and hour" I tell myselft but it is usually a lot more) then I eat dinner. After that its homework (that I know I can't put off until tommorrow morning like I usually do) and then once it's nice and late I read my scriptures. In one evening I have unknowingly, and yet purposely, elimanted family-time, excersise (which just KILLS me to know I haven't done), and some of my homework which I choose to do at the eleventh hour. Why do I take the naps? Because I'm tired because I put my homework off! Why do I play my videogames for so long? Because if offers me an escape because I feel miserable because I put my homework off!
It's a vicous cycle and there is ONE person to blame...me. This isn't healthy! This isn't fun; and as of now I choose to stop this once and for all.
I wasn't stacking my jar right but I fully intend to now! And I might as well admit it, I was one of those people who has been putting off their Honors English reading.
It's time for a change, I'm ready to go back to the person I used to be. That me was happy, and a full 4.0 student. This one is lazy, ill, and puts a half-hearted effort into things. 1st term I got a 3.95 and the one after that I got a 4.0. That is still WAY short of what I want, but it is fully what I deserve for what I put out.
**In closing I say this: You can't gain ANYTHING without giving up something else in return, including time and effort. Take care of your priorites first. All the "sweet stuff" will fall into place. You just have to trust yourself and learn to seize the day.**
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