Thursday, August 14, 2014

...for every picture in my meme archive, I'd have as much money as my last paycheck! (Meme Madness #1)

I love memes.

I love everything to do with them. I love finding new ones, rediscovering old ones, and even having entire conversations with my sister using them.

I actively collect my favorites, along with other random pictures I discover online that make me laugh.

Since It's been a while since my last post, and I don't really feel a serious post, I thought I'd start a regular series of posts called "Meme Madness". I'll share some of my personal collection, some of the best of the best (as far as I'm concerned).

So without further ado, Meme Madness: Installment No. 1

--

#1: Bad Advice Wine

Because we've all been there...



#2: Bad Luck Brian

He just fails at life sometimes. Wait, all the time. We all have a friend like him, and if you don't, then guess what???


#3: Breaking News!

This just in...


#4: Challenge Accepted

We all should challenge ourselves



#5: Charts

It's amazing how accurate some of these are



#6: Chuck Norris

Who doesn't love a good Chuck Norris joke??


#7: Conspiracy Keanu

He asks the questions we're all thinking



#8: Cyanide and Happiness

The comics that make us laugh for no apparent reason



#9: Demotivational Posters

They hit a wide range of subjects, and they always have something funny to say



#10: Engineering School

This one rings especially true for me. They're all surprisingly accurate


That's it for this installment. Until next time!!

#shoutout #AJW

Friday, April 18, 2014

...for every perfectly true thing I know, I wouldn't have a whole dollar

In my opinion, one of the most essential parts of the human experience is yourself. In fact, the idea of self is one of the most widely discussed topics in philosophy and psychology. What is the self? How is it defined? What makes it so important?

These aren't going to be questions I'll be exploring in this post. I've noticed that my last few have been fairly academic and long, so I'm going to (try to) keep this one shorter and informal (if that's the right word).

One of the toughest things to do is to really know yourself. We're all incredibly complex and nuanced beings, and we are constantly changing and developing as we acquire new information and have more experiences. We aren't the same person we were five years ago, none of us are. We aren't even the same person we were a year ago, a month ago, even yesterday! We change often, whether that change is large or small. This change is why it's so hard for us to truly know ourselves, and at the same time, why I think it's important for us to spend the time to truly get to know ourselves.

My encouragement to you is to spend some time and really take a good, hard look at yourself. Write down things that describe you, and experiences that you feel define you. Be entirely and brutally honest with yourself.

The only thing we can be absolutely sure of is that we, ourselves, exist in some way. I am the person I spend the most time with, so it should make sense to take the time to get to truly know myself. That way, I can be completely sure of everything I am, and everything I stand for. I can be confident that I stand alone, and that there is none other like me. In knowing myself too, I can know what things would compliment me. I can then surround myself with people who not only compliment me, thereby helping me to improve myself, but also with people I compliment, thereby improving them and society.

So I encourage you again: take some time this week and examine yourself. Get to know yourself!

If we know ourselves, we can master ourselves.
If we can master ourselves, we can master others.
If we can master others, there is nothing left that cannot be achieved.



Wednesday, February 26, 2014

...for every encouraging word I've heard, it wouldn't compare to the value of a single one of those words

My upstairs neighbors can be quite boisterous. They're usually not too bad, but on occasion, it gets a bit ridiculous. Today was one of those loud days.

It started around noon, with loud footsteps and door slams to shake the building. Soon, the voices raised to reveal a lovers' quarrel. It was awkward at first, but eventually I started to pay attention, and soon the true underlying theme of the argument came out: the young lady just didn't understand the needs of her man.

It got me to thinking of all the times that I've heard people lament that they simply don't understand the members of the opposite sex. That's when the idea to write this post came to me. Now obviously, I'm not an expert about what women need or understanding them, but I do know well what guys need and how to understand them. Hence, this post has come into existence. It is directed more towards my female readers, but hopefully the guys can take away the act that they aren't the only ones who are the way they are. I hope that this might give you a bit of insight into the working of the typical male's mind and his needs.

THINGS GUYS NEED:
The biggest thing you need to understand about what guys need is our longing for respect. This is one of the biggest needs that men have, and is often one of the most easily overlooked. Guys are wired to want to be the hero, the champion, the best of the best. Too often though we're denied that respect, intentionally or not. Be it through careless words said without consideration, or through seemingly innocuous actions that can seriously devalue us, it happens every day.

Explaining the nuance of all the ways we're denied respect would be impossible, but here's a list that may help.

THINGS NOT TO DO:
  • Don't compare us to other guys. This is particularly true if it highlights a feature of another guy that we don't have, or isn't on par with his
  • Don't refuse our help. Sometimes we want to open that door for you. Sometimes we'd love nothing more than to serve you. When you insist that you can do something yourself, that translates to us that we have no value, and nothing crushes a man's spirit more than feeling valueless or replaceable.
  • Don't hit us when we're down. Often, we're even more acutely aware of our shortcomings than you, so when you pile on to that self-disappointment by criticizing the failures we're already beating ourselves up over, you're truly doing us a disservice.
  • Avoid ridicule. Even if you're trying to be joking, the smallest attack on our ego is something that hits true to the mark as surely as if you meant it as a barbed arrow
THINGS YOU CAN DO INSTEAD:
  • Compliment us. Instead of highlighting our shortcomings compared to other guys, compliment us on the ways we exceed them. The smallest genuine compliment means so much more than you realize
  • Let us help you. We're hardwired to want to be servants, and we enjoy feeling like we have value. We know perfectly well that you can open your own doors, but we want to perform that service for you anyways. This ties back to my post about chivalry. Let us feel valued.
  • Encourage us. I'll talk about this more in a minute
I can't say enough how important this is. "I would much rather be respected than loved" is as accurate a description of how men feel as there is.


Another thing men need is encouragement. Society teaches us from the time we are little that showing emotions is a sign of femininity and isn't something that "real men" do. This means we internalize huge portions of our life. If you ever hear us talking about our problems, it often means we're almost at the end of our minds with worry or concern about the issue. This is us asking for reassurance. This is us asking for someone to tell us that we can handle everything thrown at us.

Men are under immense pressure every day. Things that weigh on us like school, work, money, and relationships are things we worry about and place immense pressure on ourselves to be excellent at. Surprisingly, men are often as insecure, or even more insecure than women are, yet we internalize this and try to cope by ourselves. This is why we need encouragement. A word of encouragement builds us up in ways women can't understand. Likewise, it's so easy to tear us down.

THINGS NOT TO DO:
  • Don't tear us down. Don't abandon us when we need you. Don't shove it in our faces when you think we're wrong. Don't nag us to be better, or highlight our shortcomings. It's so poisonous to our being when you do
  • Don't lose patience. When you get impatient with guys, it comes across as nagging. No matter how much we might be in the wrong, it still is one of the most surefire ways to make us less responsive.

THINGS YOU CAN DO:
  • Build us up. This applies to everyone who has a friend who's a guy. Tell us we're awesome. Tell us that you believe in us. Support us, even if you disagree with us. If we're wrong, we'll figure it out, but until then, your support is worth so much more than your criticism
  • Be patient with us. When we're having a rough day, we're not always the easiest people to deal with. We draw into ourselves and try to block everything out, including you. So please just bear with us until we work things out for ourselves

These are things that are applicable to everyone who knows a guy, not just those in a relationship with one. In fact, it can be harder on guys who aren't in a relationship, simply because they often don't have anyone who can build them up in the way they crave.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the nuances of what guys need, or a detailed manual for how to deal with them, but it's a good start for sure. So next time you're hanging out with that one guy you've been thinking about this whole article, keep these things in mind, and be a blessing to him!

Monday, February 10, 2014

...for every time I've worried, I'd have enough to pay my rent this month

Worrying is something each of us do. It's what we do when we are anxious or concerned about issues we face, whether real or imagined. Most of the time, we tend to worry about issues that are personal to us, such as our finances, our health, or relationships. This is usually more intense that what we experience when we worry about broader issues, like the state of our government or the environment.

In small amounts, this anxiety can be beneficial to us. For example, if nobody was anxious about getting into a car wreck, why would we bother to put on our seat belts? This toned-down version of anxiety and worry is what causes us to be cautious, leading us to take precautions and avoid risky behaviors.

However, when we amplify this and focus on it, we often over-correct and become intensely aware of it. Going back to the car accident example, someone might be so focused on their anxiety about getting into a car wreck, they may refuse to drive, or even ride in a car. This is the worry that becomes dangerous to us, and can severely affect us both mentally and, in some cases, physically.

For me personally, I tend to worry quite often. It can be about the smallest little things...things I have no business worrying about in the first place. For a long time, I had no real way to regulate that worry, and it would very often interfere with my daily life, and in some cases, even interfere with finding a solution to my worries.

Thankfully, I received some very wise advice about how to deal with worry. The trick for me was to try putting things in perspective, and then see if it's something I should really be fretting about.

Let's try an exercise, shall we? I want you to visualize something you're worried about right now.

Have you got it? Good!

Now, I want you to imagine yourself in six months. Is what you're worried about going to still be affecting you then?

What about a year from now?

Five years?

Ten?

Now, I want you to think back. What were you worrying about six months ago? Is it still a factor?

What about a year ago? Is that issue even on your radar?

Five years ago?

When someone went through this exercise with me, it reminded me that I used to write often in a personal journal back in middle school. As some of you may remember, middle school is filled with nothing but drama and worry about the inner workings of your school's social dynamics. Sure enough, when I turned back to see what I had written, it was filled with the cares and troubles of a kid who (thankfully) has matured enough to laugh. The things that I had spent so much time in a state of anxiety over were things that I had entirely forgotten even happened.

I honestly laughed when I realized how much energy I had wasted being anxious about things that, ultimately, have had very little effect on me. It showed me that as much as some issue may seem monumental to you, given time, it really is going to be just a drop in the pond.

An old Irish saying is I think the best way to end this post:




So what are you worrying about? Go out and relax! Enjoy your life! We only get the one...

Monday, January 20, 2014

...for every door I've held open, I could actually have made a career out of it

Chivalry.

The origin of the word comes from the French word "chevalier", which basically means a horseman or knight. It's original meaning was to signify the status of a military man who owned a war-horse, or was part of a group of mounted knights. However, the definition of the word evolved over time, until it became the word used to describe the ideal Christian warrior in the late 11th century. By the 12th century, the term chivalry was understood to mean the moral, religious, and social code associated with knightly conduct.

By examining the writings of the time, medieval chivalry can be described using three essential areas:

  1. Duties to countrymen and Christians: This is where many of the virtues associated with chivalry fall into place. Things such as courage, mercy, valor, fairness, protecting the weak, and so on were prized. This is also where the ideal of giving your life to save another came in to play.
  2. Duties to God: These duties would encompass things such as championing good, protecting the innocent, being faithful to God and to the church, being faithful to your feudal lord, and being generous
  3. Duties to women: Most people today are more familiar with this area of chivalry. Known better as the art of courtly love, the idea is that a chivalrous knight would serve his lady, then all others after her. This is where the idea of graciousness and gentleness towards all women comes from.
Chivalry from this time is most closely associated with the male portion of the nobility, upper class, and the most well-off of merchants. As much of the time, this social tier was something you were most often born into, it became tradition governing the behavior of the men in the upper class in Europe. As time went on, however, the term "gallantry" came to replace the term "chivalry" to describe the proper behavior of upper class males towards upper class females.

I really hope this isn't boring you. I promise, I have a point, and I'll get there.

Starting in recent memory, however, both the term and notion of chivalry have come under attack. Much of this began with the women's suffrage movements in the late 19th century. They claimed that men were keeping them from voting and running for office by using an "antiquated system" of chivalrous ideals. In particular, they attacked the "gender aspect" of chivalry.

In the 20th century discourse regarding gender equality, chivalry became reduced to a mere technical term describing the "phenomena" wherein men (and society as a whole) tended to be more attentive to the protection of women over men. Fueled further by the beginnings of the feminist movement in the 1960's, chivalry became lumped in with extremist masculinism and thoroughly denounced as an "unequal" and "sexist ideology".

Without going further into the rabbit hole that is the Feminist and Masculinist movements, Let me tell you about an experience I had the other day. But first, some background. I was raised in a deep Southern household. No, not the teeth-falling-out, tobacco-smoking-and-chewing, incestuous-family stereotypical redneck kind that is often portrayed as typical for Southerners. I'm talking about the old-South kind of family. The kind where manners and courtesy are hard-wired into you from birth. The kind where you spend your days copying George Washington's "Rules of Civility" by hand. The kind where you answer questions and requests with "Yes sir / No sir" or "Yes ma'am / No ma'am". Alright, back to the story.

It was one of those times during the day when most students are in the middle of classes. Not many people are out and about, and I was walking out of a lab to go grab some lunch before my next class was due to start. As I was walking out of the IT Building, I noticed a young lady walking towards it to go inside. Natural instinct took over, and as I headed out of the building, I paused to hold the door open for her to walk in after me.

Boy, would I regret that.

Almost immediately, this young lady became infuriated that I was holding the door open. "Does it look like I can't handle opening a door by myself? Because I'm perfectly capable of performing that menial task on my own" she fumed. A bit surprised, I replied "I'm a firm believer in your capability to open this door for yourself. I just thought I'd hold it to save you the trouble, since I've already opened it for myself."

After this she proceeded to lecture me about how gender-insensitive I was being by assuming she wasn't capable or qualified to open her own door. I don't know if she was having a bad day or what, but she was perfectly livid at the idea that I might be treating her as less than an equal. I tried in vain to explain that it was an action based on courtesy and respect, but she would hear none of it.

What stuck me most was when I tried to explain the concept of chivalry to her. She listened to me explain it, then said something that still unsettles me. She said "Chivalry sounds like a terrible, misogynistic system put in place to keep women in their place while men kept their own power. It's an ancient way of thinking, and it deserves to be forgotten."

Back to now...

When I hear women lament that "Chivalry is dead", I can't help but think of examples like this. Part of the reason chivalry is on the decline is because of women just like the one I encountered. These women are the reason why common courtesy from men is no longer common. They are just a small part of the larger problem, where men don't hold the same respect for women as they have in years gone by.

I hear young ladies every day bemoan the condition men are in today. They want their Prince Charming to sweep them off their feet. They cry out, "Where have all the good men gone?". They ask for men who would treat them right. They want their Disney Prince.

But sadly, those men are few and rare today. In the name of gender equality, the ideals of chivalry have fallen by the wayside. The men who would be some woman's "Prince Charming" are told that to become that prince is to disrespect the rights of women, and to insinuate their inferiority. Being a good man is now linked to treating women as if there were nothing special about them. From the time we are boys, males in today's world are taught that women are not special, they are just the same as everyone else.

This is something I disagree with in every sense of the word. I believe women are special. I believe they should be treated with respect. I don't consider them as inferior or weaker in any way, but I do believe there is something that sets them apart from men.

I'm starting to ramble now, so I'll make my final points.

WOMEN: If you want your Disney prince, then let it show! Value the young men in your life who exemplify the ideals you're searching for. Thank them for opening doors for you, thank them for showing you respect. Speaking to you as a young man, it's a rewarding experience to feel appreciated, even for the small things we do. So please, encourage us! If you want respect, encourage respect. If you want a gentleman, encourage gentlemanly behavior. Above all, don't settle for less.

MEN: Treat women with respect. We too often tend to objectify them, and it is indeed part of our nature to tend towards that very thing. But fight it! Treat women like people, not objects. Be polite, be courteous...be the man that the kind of woman you want will want! Practice the art of Chivalry. Prove to the women of the world that no, it is not dead. Prove that it is relevant today. Prove that practicing it has made you a better man and a better person. Again, I cannot emphasize this enough: be the kind of man that the kind of woman you want will want.

This took me a bit longer to put out there, but I really wanted to make sure I was saying all of this in the right way. As always, feel free to discuss in the comments, or shoot me a message if you want to hear my unabridged views (yeah, I cut a lot out to keep this piece to a reasonable length).

Until next time!


Saturday, December 21, 2013

...for every time I've laughed at stupidity this week, I'd be rolling in cash

I promise this is all I'll say regarding Phil. Most of it is directed towards my Christian friends, many of whose posts are laughably embarrassing to themselves and to the Christian community as a whole. However, I believe everyone can take something away from it (if nothing else but knowing my thoughts).

As I read through many of my friends' posts about the recent events concerning Phil and A&E, I can't help but notice a few common threads coming out that I would like to address.

First of all, "freedom of speech" is not the same as "freedom from criticism". Please keep that in mind, and review the text of the 1st Amendment and see if you really want to go that route with your posts (link here:http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment ). This is not a freedom of speech issue. If you truly think it is, please tell me why.

Another thing, I fail to see how this is religious persecution. He's not being attacked for sharing his religious views. He's being attacked for publicly insulting a very large portion of the population. The reaction would have been the same if he had made disparaging comments about the Jewish community, or network executives, or disabled veterans. Basically, anything that reflects poorly on the A&E brand.

And, just to be clear, A&E did not fire him. He's been suspended. Huge difference. And yes, they can do that legally. They can also choose to fire him...legally...provided that the contract they have with him includes a clause about comporting himself in a way that doesn't reflect badly on their brand. Due to his "celebrity" status and the nature of his relationship with A&E, I'm almost CERTAIN such a clause was included. In exchange for agreeing to those clauses and signing that contract, he's being paid something like $200k per episode.

Whether or not you agree with Phil's opinions on homosexuality is beside the point. In most of the discussions I see the topic of his views come up in with relation to this whole event, it has no business being included -- the exception being discussions purely revolving around whether or not you agree with his views. In all other cases, it doesn't meaningfully contribute to the discussion.

I found a few verses relevant to the main idea I'm trying to get across here, and I'd like to share them with you:

Proverbs 18:2
"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion"

Proverbs 17:28
"Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent"

Matthew 5:16
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

James 1:26
"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless."

John 3:17
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

If you want your words to make a difference, weigh them carefully. Inform yourself about the issue at hand.

To my Christian friends, is what you're saying going to convey the message of God's love? Are you preaching eternal damnation or eternal salvation? This incident is giving you an enormous platform to share your faith...will you use it?

Friday, November 15, 2013

...for every time I've read a book, I could buy more books!

I love to read. Seriously, it's one of my favorite pastimes. I started reading at a ridiculously early age, and I even taught myself how to do it. Apparently, one day my mom pulled out a book I'd never read before, and I just started reading it like a pro! I guess that's just a tribute to my (sometimes questionable) awesomeness.

Why do I enjoy reading so much? That's a question that's both simple and complicated at the same time. The short answer is the stories. I start reading and I immerse myself into whatever it is that happens to be in front of me. I particularly enjoy books written from a first person point of perspective, because it makes it easier to "become" the character.

For example, an excellent series that does this is the Pendragon series by DJ MacHale. It's about a boy named Bobby Pendragon, who is a Traveler. Travelers are beings who have been chosen from the territories (times and places around the universe) to stop an evil demon named Saint Dane from throwing them all into chaos. It's told through two perspectives: Bobby's journals to his two friends at home (written in first person form) and the "overworld" story as seen in third person which follows his two friends, Mark and Courtney.

As much as I love the series, it still doesn't contain my all-time favorite books. Those go to Stephen King with "The Stand" and Alexandre Dumas with "The Count of Monte Cristo". "The Stand" is one that I enjoy because of the masterful storytelling and character interaction, set in a post-apocalyptic Earth. I always love post-apocalyptic stories. I love "The Count of Monte Cristo" because it's by far the best revenge novel ever created. The intelligence, patience and creativeness that Dante/Monte Cristo uses to exact his revenge is splendid, and it touches on so many issues relevant to human nature.

An honorable mention as far as authors are concerned goes to G. A. Henty. Henty's books concern boys raised in different countries and time periods throughout history. His characters live through some of the great military campaigns and political upheavals of their times, and meet some of the biggest players in history. Henty uses the situations he places his characters in to demonstrate to his readers the way a proper gentleman acts and behaves, and Henty attempts to instill in his readers manly virtues and ways of thinking. Additionally, his description of military encounters are some of the most accurate and most precisely described accounts that exist in our historical record, due to his extensive research on all of them.Combine all of these factors, and you're left with an excellently written group of books that I highly recommend to anyone who can get their hands on them.

I could talk all day about books, but I won't take up anymore of your time for now. Stay tuned though! My next post will be about my senior cruise and all of the events associated with that!

Until then, stay thirsty my friends.