Sale (May 31)

It seems that store are very eager to get you to come inside and spend your money. Society tells you that you need to keep up with your firends and buy the latest and greatest things. And yet it seems that we find ourselves as a society less pleased than ever and in the midst of a recession that is only fuled by commercialism and the desire to have stuff. A sale is an easy way to make a dollar and stores often tell you how much money you are going to save because you bought something on sale. The reality is that a sale is an easy way to steal money from the unsuspecting. See, you will have more money in your pocket if you never buy the item on sale to begin with. There are many interesting tricks of the trade that also factor into the idea of a sale. See a product is made for a certain amount of product and labor. The item is then shipped to a distributor and then to the stores, each step along the way adding a bit of cost. Then the store puts a price on the item, usually around the manufacturers suggested retail price. This price is often inflated well above the total cost of the item. This way people will buy things where the store can make money as well. Then when things are not moving off the shelves the store can have a sale and that sale price is still above what the store actually paid to put the item ont he shelf. It makes no sense for a store to sell something below the price that they paid for it and they won't unless they do a large enough volume to have already recouped what they paid in the first place. The sale as you can see is all a trick based on the price that was paid by the store for the product.

Pay (May 30)

When one does a particular job they usually expect that they are going to get paid for their work. Sometimes that pay is good and much appreciated and sometimes it is that money that becomes dangerous. See the world we live in today does not value what they are paid and we have created several laws which theoretically make pay something fair. While these laws are not in and of themselves a bad thing it seems that they have put more moeny in the hands of people who honestly do not know how to use their money wisely. Since one's credit and ability to buy big things on credit is a result of how much they make, the reality is that people who are getting paid more than they potentially should are being told that they can afford things that in reality they cannot afford at all. One of the more interesting laws goes on to say that different people should be paid the same for equal work. The reality of what pay is, however, is that is it something to be agreed upon by employer and employee on an individual basis. I am reminded of a story where an employer needed help and hired a first group of people at an agreed upon pay. Later, realizing that he needed more people to complete the task on time, he hired more people and agreed with the second group of people to pay them the exact same amount of money that he agreed to with the first group. Still later there was a third group of people that he brought in and agreed to pay them the same amount of money for their work. At the end of the day when all the employees were paid and dismissed everyone, despite the differing amounts of time that they had worked were paid the money that they agreed to work for, the exact same amount for everyone in all three groups. Those in the first group complained and yet they had no arguement since they were paid what they originally agreed to. Be glad that you are paid for the word that you do and be sure to spend that money wisely.

Woods (May 29)

All the wood that we use to build things comes from trees that were once part of a forest. For those that spend time in the forest you will know that you have been back in the woods. Wood itself is a very interesting thing. It takes years and years to grow to a nice enough size to be cut down to use for something else. However, the wood itself, before it is cut down is something of a majestic nature. It is alive and grows. Very few places that can be considered woods are made up of thousands of trees that all coexist in harmony with one another. They become so think in spots that it might seem like one must be impeding on the other and yet it is not the case. They stand there, all nice and tall with their branches spread out as if to say look at me. Then, in the back woods, when the wind comes it is almost as if the trees begin to talk. They whisper things in your ear that you never thought you could hear and yet there it is. It isn't like they are saying go away or this is my space. It is something much greater than that, something of a welcoming nature that also says thank you for protecting me. When the woods are cut down the trees stop talking and something becomes amiss. The wise will take what they need and leave the rest, planting more to grow in place of what they have taken. Then the woods will talk forever.

Movies (May 28)

One of the greatest forms of art, and certainly the most appreciated form of art, in todays culture is that of movies. Sure you haven't really thought about movies as art before but when you think about how a movie is made on film in much the same way that a photographer takes a picture it is really hard to deny movies as art. While they are similar to something such as the theater only with a lack of live actors performing their artful skill, the movie is greater for many reasons. See the world in which we live has made the movies a cultural phenomenon whereby we will gladly spend $7 to $15 to see the latest movie on a regular basis. Movies have become much like television where you are not a part of the conversation unless you have seen the latest movie. Movies have also taken the idea of escapism to an extreme unmatched by any other art form or other form of entertainment. We have swaped out reading for the movies when it comes to taking ourselves to far off worlds and situations far beyond what we deal with in everyday life. We look at movies to tell us how to act and how to discover who we are and who we want to become. We use movies to pass the time and dream of what could be, either right now in our own lives or in the much distant time from now, past or present. No other art form has sought to maximize technology to create something truly unique where the experience if truly something that has never been done before yet feels so familiar. The power that movies have is also a very dangerous edge on which we will always walk as long as the population in which we live continues to go to the movies.

Noise (May 27)

It really doesn't take much to make a noise. And it is nearly impossible to find yourself in a place without any noise. Some of us like to live in a world that is full of noise and others love to simply be in a place where the noise is as minimal as possible. Unless we are talking to another person there are really very few instances when we pay much attention to the noise that is out there. Sure, if you are really into music you could simply sit and attempt to enjoy the music that you are listening too. Concerts seem like they might be a good place where one is observing the noise that they hear but it seems that the experience itself is about more than just the noise and typically, since the songs are not usually new we allow ourselves to fall back into habit, so to speak, without really appreciating the music that we are listening to. See noise is one of the things that are always there but one of the things that we typically do not spend a great deal of time attempting to honestly appreciate. We are so used to what we hear on a daily basis that it is only when things are different that one might even notice the fact that there is noise. Noise is really a simple pleasure in life but one that can also become something unpleasent as there are certain sounds that we do not enjoy.

Games (May 26)

There are various forms of games to be found in this world from the super simple children's board games to the highly active games that we call sports. There is something about games in general that we really enjoy. There is usually some emotional connection and a way to release energy or focus our minds on something. Games give us something to strive for as we seek to accomplish a task either on our own or as part of a team. Some games are all about the strategy and some are all about playing by the rules and yet others are all about ones athletic ability. While the games mentioned previously in this blog post are all about the fun, it seems that we like games so much that we have taken that idea of a game and transitioned it into just about every other area of our lives. Shopping for instance is no longer shopping when it becomes a game to either have the latest and greatest thing or when it becomes about finding the best deal possible. Then we have taken games and even applied them to the process to find that special someone in our lives. Your friends tell you to act a certain way so as to cause someone else to want you more or so that you yourself do not sound so desperate. When games flow out of the bounds of the games themselves and into other areas of our lives it becomes a very dangerous thing that needs to be closely watched. The attitude of games causes one to spend more money than they have so as to impress that other person who seems to be able to buy anything and everything. In relationships it causes hurt feelings and a lack of trust. Keep games fun and in the realm they are supposed to be in and the rest of life will be so much more what it is supposed to be.

Realization (May 25)

When one talks about a given situation there are a few things that tend to happen, much like one would expect from seeing a counselor. At some point in the conversation, the person talking about the situation will come to some kind of realization that they have not really figured out before. That, or all the evidence that one should come to a realization and the lack of that realization coming to fruition. It may be obvious to the person who is listening to the person describing their situation but it may not be obvious to the person speaking. One has to work hard to train their mind to see things, to fish for patterns in all the chatter. It helps if one has good processing skills and proper thinking capabilities. That will help the realization. The one listening may come to some realization, but it is really not their realization to be had. They could give advice, but that will not help the other party come to a realization. They could ask questions in order to help the other person process in an attempt to lead them to the realization. This second option does more good than simple advice. So, you may have someone you go to who can give you wise counsel, but can this persaon ask you the right questions when you need a realization?

Cling (May 24)

The world is not meant to be a place where clinging happens for an extended period of time. There are certain moments when the cling is a good thing, but face the facts, kids will eventually grow old enough and give up carrying their blanky around with them in the feircest death grip you have ever seen. There are of course instances in life where we have seen the cling happen. Sure you could have too much static in your clothes but the reality is that the cling is not a healthy thing over and extended period of time. It is not good for a 30 year old to continue to cling to their parents. It is unhealthy in relationships in general for there to bee too much clinging. This is not to say that commitment is bad as there does need to be a cleaving that takes place in marriage. There is a difference between the cleave and the cling. The cleave is a good thing and is one where even when the two parties are separated by space and distance they are still committed to eachother. The cling is such that there could be no space or distance without there being a catastrophic disaster. You leave the clinging to your parents to cleave to your spouse. The cling is meant to end and the cleave is meant to last unto death do you part. The cling is unhealthy and the cleave is what was intended for man.

Team (May 23)

Sports provide us with a great example for the way life seems like it should work. Not just any sports, but team sports specifically. A team is made up of several individuals that realize that they cannot accomplish the given task without the help of the other around them. For a team to win a game there needs to be several different things happening. First the individual members need to know what they are good at. There are certain points in a game when you will be asked to do something that you are not the best at, but if you know what you are good at you will not attempt to do too much in the other situations and hopefully you will find yourself in situations where you are able to step up and do what you are best at to the best of your ability. Second, each player needs to find themselves in the role that they have been asked to play. It is kind of like the body in general, where we do not ask our own eyes to also smell in addition to seeing. Third, and potentially most important, each part of the team needs to be able to communicate so each member can do their job in conjunction with the rest of the team within the established system. Without communication the parts will not work together as well as they were designed to do. In a world today where we see individuals in professional sports seeking bigger contracts and focusing more and more on the self it becomes more and more apparent how important it is for the individual to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. Now if only the world would have fewer of those individuals who only look out for themselves and more of those who realize that we as the human race are here as a team, in conjunction with everything else that lives on this planet.

Fence (May 22)

There are many decisions that you will make in life where you have two really good options and it is hard to choose just one. One who takes their time to make a decision on something with two very distinct options may be called someone who is sitting on the fence prior to making the decision. The fence, as it is called, seems to be considered a bad place to be from the standpoint of those who are not sitting on the fence and they will use every bit of persuasion in order to get you off the fence. It seems like everyone in the world is one one side or the other except for that person who is sitting on the fence. But is the fence really a bad place to be? It seems that the person who sits on the fence on some issues is the person who wants to keep an open mind. This of course is not necessarily a good thing should you be a doctor in a life or death situation. However, if you are in a situation where there is less at risk then is seems perfectly alright to sit on the fence. Know that if you sit on the fence long enough you will fall off as one side of the fence may no longer be an option. It also seems that when one steps off a fence on a less critical issue they tend to put themselves into a box which they may have to work their way out of. This may not be true but because you are sitting on one particular side of the fence you are then always associated with that side of the fence. Be wise about how you use the fence in your life and be there at the right times for as long as seems prudent.

Hindsight (May 21)

There is a common phrase that states, "Hindsight is 20/20." The theory being that you can look back at what has happened based on some decision that you made and could say one way or the other if you should have made a different decision. The positive of this is that if you do look back at the decisions that you have made you are at least attempting to learn what you can from those decisions. The dangerous part of this is that you could spend all day wallowing in the pitty that you create by saying what you should or should not have done. Hindsight should never be about the pitty party and should be all about the need to learn and grow. You should allow hindsight to influence the decisions that you make in the future but you should not let hindsight run your life in the future. The reality is that no two situations will ever be the same so if you allow hindsight to run your life the decisions that you make in the present, even if those decisions would have been best in the past, may not be the best now. There are certainly situations that seem the same and some decisions will overlap in their affectiveness but it is not always true. Take time to process your hindsight and life will be good. Do nothing with your hindsight but look at it and the world becomes a dangerous place.

Questions (May 20)

There comes a day in school when you ask your teacher, "Can I go to the bathroom?" And the response back is, "I don't know, can you?" After looking at her with a confused look on your face she tell you that you have not asked the right question and that instead, and from now on, you need to ask, "May I go to the bathroom?" It may seem like a simple rephrasing of the question, but it makes a big difference. At many points in our lives we are left to ask questions. Much of the time it is simply finding the right question to ask that is most important. In the remake of the movie I-Robot with Will Smith, the doctor who is murdered has left a holographic message for Smith's character. It is really his only chance to solve the mystery. The funny thing about that message is the only response that is really helpful, and appears not to be helpful at the time is the response, "That is the right question." While life may not always be a mystery to solve as it was in this film, the reality is that the process through life does require us to ask the right questions. To be able to have something or someone telling us that we are asking the right questions is extremely valuable. If you are simply asking the questions without that you could lead yourself in many wrong directions.

Confession (May 19)

As the sports world continues to deal with the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, there is a unique phenomenon revealing itself. It is the desire to confess the truth after hiding it for a long time. No one likes to be wrong. It makes perfect sense why someone would want to hide what they have done for the simple reason that everything you have done comes into question. The reality is that it eats away at who you are to continuously tell a lie. The longer that you hold the truth inside and tell lies on the outside the more it will eat away at you and the more the sense of growing guilt will become. To finally tell the truth, either to someone close to you or to the entire world, allows one to finally release and move past the wrong that they have done. In a sense, the whole idea of confession should remind one of confession in the catholic church. You may not agree with the catholic church in general but the reality is their concept of confession is a very valuable one. Perhaps it is something that we should take more seriously and perhaps confession is something that we should learn to do as quickly as possible. Ones life will be much greater and experience a lack of guilt if one is allowed to confess. It is also highly likely that if one were to know that they will have to confess they will be less likely to do anything that they would then need to confess later. The habit of confession is good and could make the world a better place.

Whereabouts (May 18)

It is generally considered a safe habit amongst outdoors people to let someone know what your plans are and where you are going in the event that something should happen. In this instance should something go wrong there is someone who can alert authorities giving survival a much better chance. In life in general this is also a good habit to get into in everyday life. With the way the world is headed and with all the desperate people out there, it seems to only be a matter of time before one finds themselves in a precarious position. To have someone that knows where you are going and when you are going to return it is quite clear that authroities can begin working within the same day that something happens rather than several days or months later. The funny part about it all is that it seems that the government wants to take more and more control over your life and knowing exactly what you are doing. You ahve to have some form of identification on you at all times as a mater of legality. Then if you own any property such as land or some kind of vehicle, the government wants to knwo the whereabouts of those items as well. Then every year you get to pay taxes tell the government where you spend your time from the simple standpoint of where your income is coming from. It should not be hard for someone to figure out the whereabouts of any person in this country as long as they were able to have access to enough government information. Sure it may be a safe practice amongst friends and family but it is hard to call the government your friend.

Arguement (May 17)

It seems that the world is becoming a place where people just do not care to make sense. Too many arguements made in political debates and in commentaries in the paper and in many other arenas lack basic composition elements to make a good arguement. Let us take a second to watch all the great Greek philosophers roll in their graves. The art of the arguement is something that we have taken and perverted to be something we use in order to gain power and prestige. We will often skew facts in order to say something that sounds so good that other people will follow without even taking the time to think. You can really say anything with charisma (not that you really know what that even means) and people will follow much like the lemmings that we have become. The sad reality is that the real thinkers are getting pushed out of society because they lack the charisma. To be able to make an arguement that is able to be tested and approved as both logical and where the conclusion is a necessity from the propositions is truly a lost art. I am not saying that one cannot make good arguements on both sides of an issue only that we have failed to really make a good arguement in a long time.

Gone (May 16)

Have you ever tried so hard to hang on to something and not let it go? Have you ever put something in a protective case or even gone through the effort to get a safety deposit box at a bank so as to keep something valuable in? Have you ever held on so tight that in the end the tighter you held on to something the more it seemed to slip right through your fingers. The bottom line is that things in this world are not meant to last forever. Even the physical body that you enjoy now will deteriorate and eventually you will die. Any money you make in this life and any money you save will eventually either be gone because you spend it or it will be gone because you are gone and in effect that money is gone to you. So why do we hold on so tightly to the things that we own in this world? There is something to be said for taking care fo the things you have been blessed with but at the same time there is something to be said for not holding on too tightly to the things that you do have since they will be gone at some point. This is a fine balance that takes a long time to master. It seems that few people actually think about this balance and that is what inevitably gets them in trouble or overly emotional about something or someone. Take time to think about the fact that things will eventually be gone and appreciate the time that you do have with them. Take care of them but learn not to be surprised when they are gone.

Innocence (May 15)

In the judicial system that is set up in this wonderful country and across most of the world the phrase innocent until proven guilty is what is thought to be believed to be true. The sad reality is that our culture thinks otherwise. See, we tend to make assumptions based on a limited number of facts. Our brains draw conclusions and fill in the blanks. Even with testimony of people who may be the most truthful people or expert people in the world their own brains will still fill in the gaps. It is this reality that leads to people being wrongly convicted. Or perhaps they are even found to be innocent, but their re-entry into the world makes them feel like they are in prison. Innocence is not something generally granted to people today and is really a statement of the condition of people in general. It seems that no matter who you are you are going to make some kind of mistake in your life. If there is someone that speaks out against that mistake, or any mistake, we generally assume that it must be true because people are not completely good. No matter how hard one tries the reality is that it is impossible to be perfect and perhaps it comes down to a matter of degree in our legal system. Perhaps your mistake is driving too fast from time to time or perhaps it is something that most people would say you need to go to jail for. The reality is that innocence is not something one could possibly attain to today.

Spending (May 14)

We spend our money how we see fit to do so. Yet, at the same time we get upset when others are spending their money in a way that we do not see fit, especially when it comes to big business and entertainment. The reality is that a majority of the people in this world maintain some kind of debt and yet continue to spend. Not that their example in the United States government is any different than themselves. Should we be surprised that the financial crisis that we find ourselves in is here? Should we not expect that whatever band-aids are put on this financial crisis will last only until the next meltdown that promises to be bigger and more difficult? If the world wants to change the issues that it faces the thing that needs to change is the way that we spend money. That is not just big governement which has a huge hole to dig itself out of but it also comes down to the individual and the way that they spend money. There should be exactly two things that anyone including the government should go into debt for. First is education and the second is housing. Of course the banks need to learn how to structure loans so that it is actually possible for the average American to actually be able to pay those loans off. Spend the money that you have and nothing more. Save your money for those days that will be difficult and live a more simple life.

Quick (May 13)

It seems to be a general trend that people in this world like to get things done quickly with the rare exception of taking breaks or vacations. We are drawn to sports where the quick excel or at least those that can make something happen quickly excel. When driving we want to get from point A to point B as fast as we can, even to the point of disregarding the limits placed upon us by the law. While there is some relation to speed and quickness it is not necessarily the same thing. Quickness though is the sudden burst of speed over a small period of time where speed is a prolonged occasion of quickness. The Cheetah is said to be one of the fastest animals on the planet but it is merely one of the quickest as they cannot prolong their speed over time. While there is no real detriment to quickness in the world, one should ask themselves if it is really the best way to go. The Cheetah does not always catch the food that it hunts. The moments mentioned earlier where we as a world seem to slow down and not retain the quickness are the moments that we treasure and look fondly back upon. Perhaps we do not wish to look fondly back at certain things and that is why we strive for quickness or perhaps we simply haven't seen the value in doing things well without the quickness. Unfortunately in a world that loves to be quick changing away from anything that currently works on quickness is nearly impossible.

Moving (May 12)

You will never realize how much stuff you have until you are moving and have to find a way to get all of your stuff from one place of residence to the next and then find a spot for all your stuff at the next residence. When everything that you own is put in boxes as much as is possible you might even be able to build your own little residence out of the boxes and surely enough all your stuff would provide solid insulation. And then to think that when you do move, there is an untold amount of things that you are likely to give away or throw out. Things that you no longer need and things that you might want but perhaps there just isn't a place for those things and a sacrifice must be made. Perhaps moving is one of the best things that one can do from the simple standpoint of coming to a realization of how much stuff you do have. There are only so many things that one needs in life and then there is an untold amount of things that one could want but how much of that stuff that one wants is actually going to be used enough to justify having that stuff? Sure there are things that you will want in case of an emergency and then there are things that you will want just so that you can have fun. At what point does the collection of things become a waste of money that could be saved and invested to spend at a later time on something more important, like your health. Moving is a great way to show you the amount of stuff that you do have and even if it is as simple as moving things from one place to another within the same residence the practice of moving could be a healthy solution to the problem of all that stuff.

Issues (May 11)

When looking at the political scene it is very easy to see people that have issues with each other. See when people cannot think alike they take issue, either with what is said or with the person themselves. One of these two senarios is very dangerous while the other can be a jumping point into something greater. Because we live and have different minds we are going to think differently. Scientists have proven that the formation of male and female minds draws a very distinction by what happens to the brain when testosterone is introduced to the fetus in the mother womb. The outcome for the male mind is a loss of the number of synapses between certain parts of the brain where the female mind maintains a larger number of synapses causing them to think in a very different way. Everyone seems to think that everyone else should think in the exact same way that they do, but this is not the case and personal experience further distinguishes the possibility of differences. The important thing to realize is that we are all living in the same world and even if we think differently and take issue with others, we can still live with other people without hating the person. It is important to take issue with what is said and not the person themselves. It is possible to draw this distinction and it should be done. Fully realize that the way one thinks may cause you not to be best friends with someone but it does not have to perpetuate the hate of someone.

Calm (May 10)

There is a well known phrase that makes light of the conditions right before a storm. And there really is nothing quite like the calm before a storm. But there are times when that calm isn't so much what one thinks it is going to be. See there is also the reality that a storm must blow in and the preceeding wind isn't necessarily part of the storm itself. In life there are often storms and they can hit at times when things seem to be calm and steady. There are also storms in life where the wind blows before the storm and you think gee, this is tough and all of the sudden the storm comes in and makes you realize what is really tough. This wind while it seems difficult is really still a calm before the storm and should be treated as such. Also, the calm isn't a time to sit back and relax, but rather it is a time to prepare to make sure that you are ready for that storm to come. When you prepare in advance for the storm ahead, the storm that is going to come will seem like the calm in and of itself. There are times when sitting and listening to the rain on your roof is extremely relaxing and to some extent helps provide a calm in life. No matter what life is bringing your way look at it as a calm and use it to prepare for what is next.

Mom (May 9)

Perhaps the greeting card industry has created a day for mothers in a selfish attempt to boost revenue and perhaps the reality is that our mother's honestly deserve credit no matter how one feels they actually did as a parent. Your mom, no matter how well you know her is the person that put up with you from the time you were but a simple one cell being made up of a joined sperm and egg. She gave birth to you. Perhaps you were adopted and perhaps you do not know your real mother. But she at least went through that for you. And more than likely now there was another person in your life that you could call mom. And she put up with your crying in the middle of the night, your breaking her valuables because you were playing where you shouldn't have been and all the arguements that you decided to have with her when you decided to be a rebel. It amazes me to think that no matter how good of a child anyone was, mom still had to put up with you and did so willingly for the still small moments. So on a day that may be now forced upon our society, take some time to think back on your mother and what she did for you. It may be something more special than you ever thought the day could be.

Correctness (May 8)

There are certain things that you will absolutely not talk about in specific circumstances. Perhaps there is someone in the room that you know will not take kindly to what you are about to say or perhaps it is something greater that society or your particular small society thinks to be taboo to address. Is it really correct to let the circumstances change who you are and what you decide to talk about? This is not an issue of simply you would not like to talk about this with this person at this time but rather this is something that you simply never want to talk about. There are several problems with this from a general perspective. The first is that you choose to become someone guarded and thus not your true self in this instance. You simply put on a mask and become the person that you think the others around you want you to be. This is a similar situation to doing and saying things that you would not normally do because of the company you are around and the difference between these two is for the individual to decide. The second problem is simply that big issues simply will not be talked about because the culture, for whatever reason, has decided that the topic is off limits. This then leaves how one learns about this topic to the greater culture that is talking about it and perhaps talking about it in a manner that honestly isn't correct. The larger or outside influence is in the very least being genuine and thus more correct than those who are not talking aobut it in an open and honest way.

Dependent (May 7)

Humans are creatures that desire to be independent but are sadly forced into dependence. At times we will rationalize our dependence on something to the reality that it grants us freedom, as is the case with oil and other fuels. There are certain dependencies that are helthy to have and actually help us become better people, such as our dependence on food and water. At the same time there are certain dependencies that are very damaging, the most obvious is the need we have to be in relationship. Clearly it is not good for one to live a completely solitary life. We all seem to have friends of some kind and desire to spend time with those people. However, there are certain people who take relationships such as a friendship or even a romantic relationship and place ones entire life on that relationship. This becomes dangerous and can be seen in the signs of being overly clingy and jelous. In a sense, it seems that the natural dependence that seems to be built into who everyone is as a human has been perverted into something that lacks the true nature of the design. Sure there is a healthy way to have a relationship but the dependence is then driven by the lonliness that we feel as humans and pushes relationships that are not helthy to maintain. Take a step back and become confortable in yourself so that you can then properly place that dependency in someone else.

Conclusions (May 6)

Recently in the news there was a story about a group of scientists who had taken some bone from the skull of what was apparently a neandrathal. They were able to extract some DNA from the crushed up bone scrappings that they had taken and compared it to that of present day human DNA finding a gene that matches some humans. Of course the conclusion in the field of science must be that evolution is true and present day humans evolved from these neandrathals. Unfortunately this conclusion is completely based on speculation and not at all on the facts that were actually discovered. There are several other possibilities like the real possibility that there was another species related to humans and monkeys that is now extinct. This conclusion has a much higher possibility of being true as it is a much simpler explination that requires less proof. This proof of course is missing in the evolutionary theory. The reality is that msot of the conclusions made today by any party is made through a particular worldview that shades the truth to ones own particular beliefs. It is not just a phenomenon found in science, though it is vividly apparent in the field of science. The wise are the ones who may come to conclusions, by means of occam's razor or otherwise, but allow for the possibility of being wrong. It is not to say that one should question everything that they do believe but simply that they seek out good data and good philosophical understanding of what they actually believe and allow for other truth, data or even opinion to be shared within the realm of potentially being the real conclusion. It is being willing to take the responsibility to provide reasons for what they believe in relation to other beliefs expecting the same in return. When we allow conclusions to be in the realm of theory rather than fact, we do a great service to the world in which we live.

Party (May 5)

On a day when Mexico celebrates, Cinqo De Mayo, one should stop and think of how little it takes to have a reason for a party. See, in college there are parties galore and reasons range from the important to the complete lack of a reason. It is not wrong that one celebrates with a party and generally there is a good occasion to celebrate when one puts on a party. Do you know the reason that you are throwing a party? Does it really matter that you know why you are going or putting on a party? Does there really need to be a reason? One of the best aspects of a party is that you are able to gather a large number of friends in one location and then to be able to connect with them. It is this fellowship that is really important even through there may be other aspects of the party including drinking and dancing or whatever else might suite ones fancy. Still the large upsides to the party itself is the people. While special occasions are great to have a party on it seems that these moments come along few and far between when one considers how important the social aspects of a party really are. Perhaps the real reason for any party to happen shouldn't be the day or occasion but rather that as a group of friends you simply need to spend time together.

Shine (May 4)

There are certain things that seem to catch the attention. For instance things that shine seem draw the eye. If you are looking to buy a car your eye is not going to want to look at a car that is not shining. New electronic LED billboards are garnering a lot of attention, mostly becuase they have a tendancy to distract drivers and cause accidents with the way that they shine. Las Vegas is known for its lights and it seems that the more lights a casino has shining the more attention it garners to perspective customers. You have all seen the giant spotlights that you would imagine to be common in Hollywood that shine into the night sky and can be seen from all over the city, they attract your eye. The way the human eye is built allows it to pay special attention to things that shine and the changing of those things that shine. As the sun shines down and light is reflected the eye takes notice. So, if you are looking to garner attention you will need to find something that shines. If you want to keep attention directed away then be sure not to use anything that shines. Of course the one thing that we notice most for the way that it shines is the sun. Perhaps there is some reason in that and we are to pay more attention to the sun than we do for some unknown reason.

Sink (May 3)

If you put something in water, one of two things will happen. The option that most humans are glad to discover is that an object can float. The other option that puts fear into humans is that something can sink. Now we know that density determines if an object will float or sink in relationship to the density of water, at least the particular water at hand should it have minerals in it thus increasing its density from the regular density of pure water. Still, even though a density may be less than that of water, currents in the water could cause something to sink as well. The bottom line is that it comes down to knowledge. If you have a rock that you do not want to loose, you do not throw it into the deep point of one of the great lakes. If you have a piece of wood that you don't want to loose make sure you don't put it in water with a current that will pull it under. It seems to me that the tendancy of humans in general is to test the water. This philosophy is like throwing rocks into water expecting them to float. Surely there is enough information out there that one should be able to weigh the facts and then make a decision not to watch the rock sink in the water. Still there are other people out there that make arguements on political or moral instances in particular that have the same effect as throwing rocks into water expecting them not to sink. If you do not want to sink make sure you check the density and currents first.

Sing (May 2)

A movie has a soundtrack because the music they use can greatly affect the way one thinks during the movie. A musical in particular is evidence of how this works as during a happy time in the film a joyful song will be sung and the audience feels that same emotion. Life itself has a soundtrack of sorts in the music that you listen to everyday. Perhaps the right song is not always playing as it seems to be doing in the movies but the songs that we sing will often strike a chord in our lives. We sing in our cars, in the shower and untold other places where we feel free to just belt out a song at the top of our lungs. We like songs not simply because of the beat or melody but because the message speaks to our inner being. You may be super white and love gangsta rap, but deep down there is some part of you that connects with that genre of music, either the difficulties of life or the desires in what they seek. For some reason is seems that musicians are able to say things in songs that they sing that one might not be able to say otherwise. To be able to sing something is to be able to reach deep down in the soul and say something that may be true but where the mind may not be able to come up with the right words. To sing is something great and truly unique in the way it can go so deep.

Off (May 1)

There are days in life when you are just off your game. You stub your toe because you are inches off of your normal path from the bed to the bathroom in the morning. You spill some of your breakfast down your shirt because your mouth somehow moved a fraction of an inch in either direction from where it normally is. Then of course driving is an interesting task where you likely miss your turn, and hopefully you don't drive through a fence or something much worse. It is near impossible to me on your game, thinking clearly and acting exactly as you would like every day of your life and there will be some days that are just off. In the moment it is frustrating but the sooner you learn to laugh at it and shrug it off the better that off day will be and the more fun it will be as well. To dwell on what is off is to take your mind off of what is coming next or what you are doing in the moment thus causing the drift between where you should be and where you are to grow increasingly larger. If you were to throw a ball and the ball could roll forever, it would be important to throw the ball at the exact angle you wanted everytime. So you decide to throw a ball from Los Angeles to New York City. Well if this ball started off on a course that was just one degree off, the further the ball traveled the further off course it would look. But if you were to stop the ball when you noticed that it was off and were able to throw it from there on a new and correct angle you would then get to your intended target. That is the effect that laughing at yourself on an off day can have.