G. on the PMA.

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about something I've been thinking about recently. The PMA. It stands for "Positive Mental Attitude". Surprisingly, the first place I saw this was in a article I was reading about the art of survival. You know, getting lost in a foggy forest or being stranded in the middle of a desert, and somehow staying alive. But no matter what I read about this, the PMA was something that seemed to be held in especially high esteem. Something worth more than knowing what plants are edible, or how to gather safe drinking water. Because without the positive outlook, all this would be for naught. And the more I ponder it, the more I think that having a PMA is universally useful, not just something for keeping sane while your trapped in a rainforest.

Why are we negative? Because its incredibly, mind bogglingly easy. And really, who doesn't like easy? Me, I love easy gosh darn it. Why didn't I do my homework? Because the prof gave too much of it, duh. Why am I always broke? Because the economy sucks... nothing to do with me gambling it away at the Horseshoe casino, oh no. Hey, don't you look at me like that. Let's just blame it on Bush; it seems like everyone loves to do that. But once we get past the wonder of the easiness, negativity brings absolutely no results. In anything. When a kid misbehaves and his mom starts yelling at him, does the kid just magically behave? No. And if he does, it's out of a fear of a punishment, nothing more. When people get mad at each other, they love to argue, but naturally no one wins until they decide to make peace and resolve their differences. So basically, negativity sucks. But we always love to do the easiest thing; negativity takes little effort. The easy button might be evil; beware. So, what do we do?

At this point, a heavenly choir starts to sing, and the letters "PMA" float down from the sky and miraculously land on a perfect lotus flower. Where negativity fails, the positive mental attitude will take you far. If you do end up in a Bear Grylls- like situation one day and just walk around saying your life sucks... well good luck with that. Having the positive mental attitude does takes a good amount of effort. Scary, I know. You'll have to develop such things as self-control, appreciation for others, and even respect. What is this madness? It's the fact that with a little effort, developing a PMA brings an actual result; you deal with life better, you deal with people better, and you have a better chance of surviving in the wild than that guy in the corner there cutting his wrists.

Being positive all the time is difficult, but the rewards are much greater than negativity, which is only enabling our laziness and inaction. So yeah, times are hard, life likes to kick us all in that place from time to time. So if you want to taste the power of the sun, drink Sunny D; I recommend it. But if you want to taste a little bit of victory, stay positive. Go run outside and start dancing like a lunatic. Take a risk. Do something you've always wanted to do. When you have the PMA, that easy button isn't needed anymore. I know this all seems obvious, but sometimes we need a reminder... and occasionally a little smack on the head, like in that V8 commerical.

Alright! Another rant in the bag. Thanks for reading.

"Role Models" by G.

You know, people that you look up to. Maybe you admire a certain trait of their character. Maybe you like their sense of style. Maybe you just marvel at a certain person's accomplishments in life. But what I'm going to discuss today is what the idea of a Role Model really means. Note that I don't say it's bad, but follow me for a little while here; I'll make my case.

I think that we all have role models; much of the time it's a unconscious process. It definitly begins as a kid. Usually it's some kind of famous person, athlete, T.V dude; or if you happen to be in kingergarten, your mommy and daddy. I wouldn't call these full on role models yet though, because it's more of a like than an actual ideal that you try to emulate. As we grow up, and our spectrum of thought begins to widen, we are open to more ideas and people. But what exactly is the difference between a "role model" and simply admiring someone?

Let's look at the phrase for a minute: Role Model. A role is like your part in the drama of life; a position that someone carries out the duties for. The quarterback of a football team, the tellers at a bank, the mechanics at a garage. As for models...they demonstrate and show off something. So when you pick a role model, you are choosing to have this person as your ideal for whatever role he/she plays. That's my idea of a role model... a guy who obeys the law is a good role model for being a good citizen, or a guy who handles his finances well is a good role model for being responsible. But I think that most people understand the phrase "role model" in a different way. When we call someone our role model, it seems that he/she simply demonstrates good traits in general. Isn't this simply admiration?

So which one is it? Is a role model supposed to be simply a good person in general? Or is the role model an actual "model" for whatever role they play in life? I really do think it's the latter. I don't think I have a role model, but I view certain people as role models. I would view the pilot that recently had the emergency landing in the Hudson river as a role model for the ideal pilot; brave, skilled, and calm under pressure. But a person would argue, don't we learn much of what is right and wrong through observation? Well yeah, but why do we need a role model for that? We should take the good things we observe from everyone, and toss the bad as we see fit.

Well, there's another rambling courtesy of my headache battered brain. Leave a comment with your thoughts if you like. Til next time.

"The Loss Of A Loved One" by Sir

Hello there.

This is a very delicate subject to most people. However, it must be discussed with the people that are concerned.

When someone dies, there are many perspectives from which you can see the fact.
I'm not going to use white lies here, when someone dies, he's definitely gone... from the physical plane. Of course you may not believe in that "mental stuff", but this is just a way to see things. If you do not like these perspectives, please do find something that suits you, because that just might help you a little bit more on the journey of your life.

Anyways, as I was saying, when someone dies, he does not entirely disappear. So what if the person is not represented by their mortal coil anymore? As long as even one person remembers that person, he still exists. If you try to deny it, it will do no good to anybody. People do not just disappear like that. You do not even have to love the deceased person for him to still exist. As long as you remember him and pay him his due respects, and honor him, you do a bit of the only thing you can do : Remember the person.

"I haven't told that person I loved him/her enough, the last thing I told that person was this/that." Of course you never tell someone you love him/her enough! It is impossible to do so. You can only tell that person as much as you did, and if you really loved that person, he knows it, trust me. People know when you say stuff only because you are frustrated.

Another thing : Cry. Cry as much as you can. Fill rivers with your tears if you have to, in the first moments, it helps to evacuate the bad feelings. Cry it all out, then wash your face with fresh water. Clean the slate, as they say. From then on, you'll be strong for the departed one. I'm not saying you have to never ever cry again. Just remember the person and honor him/her as you must. The person died, and if it happened, it is because you could not have changed it. So you have to remember, do not take on the heavy weight of responsibility if it is not yours to bear! Think of it this way : The person is not suffering anymore.

And to finish with a note. If you think the person has abandoned you, then you are horribly wrong. I'm not going to tell you he's anywhere or anything, because you are free to think what you want to think. However, you loved that person and that person loved you too. So if the person loved you, would he/she really abandon you? Think about it. Maybe the person was just as helpless as you? A person that loves you never means to abandon you.

Be strong for the people you love, it is how their memories are carried on.
If not for you, do it for them.

"An Observation" by G.

How vague is that? "An Observation." Well, you can blame the imagination waterhole; it seems to have dried up... kinda like the potato wedges I got from a Wal-Mart the other day. It was rather horrific. But enough yabba dabba do, lets hear this observation.

I'm a commuter student; so I, you know, commute. The drive seems to relax me, and most of the time you just zone out as the vehicle handles the curves of the road. But on some days, when you somehow are able to be alert without a injection of coffee, other things seem to jump out at you. I suppose we don't think about it much, but the quantity of cars on the road astounds me. Different makes, models, colors, and of course, occupants. The diversity of people in their Fords or Toyotas or the occasional sanitation truck. Some are paying attention to the road, some yapping on their headsets or nom nom noming a burger. Some look angry, depressed, elated, or the ever popular "blank stare".

But as further proof that I think way too much, I start to delve deeper into this. I wonder what dreams, deadlines and due dates are swimming around people's minds as they drive like they are being pursued or navigating a minefield. I have my worries, I complain about stuff, and I think I have my flaws like everyone else. But when we step out of our egocentric world for just a minute, consider this. The roads, the highways, the skies; they buzz with people in their planes, trains, and cars. You might like to think that some people seem to come off an assembly line, but I doubt it. Everyone has something about them that you would probably never guess. We complain and bicker about many things, but you know the people that drive past you everyday? The strangers around you when your in a crowd? Your profs, the mailman, the cashier, the guy working tech support? One of them is bound to have much bigger problems than you and I do. So lets count to three, take a deep breath, and let that soak into our noggins.

We all have our troubles, and if you say your worry free then your obviously living on a mountain with an endless supply of food, water, and a broadband connection. But while the human brain will hear some things and remember them for a lifetime, there are some important lessons that we need to constantly remind ourselves of. We are egocentric by nature, I freely admit it. But to project yourself outside of your own domain, and attempt to understand the experiences of others... its a real eye-opener. So remember, for all the bad luck that you feel life has thrown our way, there is without a doubt another person who is suffering even more. While assuming things about people is incredibly easy, there is always more to the story.

Fin. Got an opinion on this? Lets hear it.

"The Stars" by G.

Once in awhile, I like to go on the news website Reuters, just to see what's happening out there. I find it interesting; a hub of information on major events that span the entire planet. Sometimes the news is glum, sometimes its hopeful. But it gets rather tedious. The constant conflicts, corruption, and mistakes that we humans make. I would like to think that we are all explorers by heart; naturally curious. You know what I wish I could do? Leave the finances, the heartbreak, the stress and worry, leave them all behind; jump on a rocket ship and fly into the dark void that encompasses our planetary home. They say there are two things that never change; death and taxes. True. But I think the unknown should also never change; that it should never cease to amaze us. I still look up at the stars sometimes with the same awe and wonderment as I did as a little kid. The sky above promises knowledge, adventure, and a peek into the secrets of the universe. All the news on Reuters pales in comparison to the blazing hot Sun or the cold black blanket that's lined with far-away stars. Maybe most of us will never get to go up there for ourselves, but just seeing the night sky is a comforting constant that I constantly draw inspiration from. Change is inevitable; the news is different with each day. But exploring, searching, learning; these are things that ought to always stay the same. A toast to all the explorers, inventors, and those who chose to go beyond; they hold the Olympic flame of humanity.

"The Butterfly Effect" by G.

So I'm sure you've had it with the "Happy New Year's", so I'll spare you the overdone pleasantry, and get right into it. There seems to be a pretty big list of resolutions that people create at the start of a fresh year. Half the people who make these resolutions either try them and just let them go, or never start them at all. There is definitely a part of us that craves instant gratification, me included. But if you could get something that quickly, it probably isn't worth much in itself. So maybe we need a different perspective on all this. To accomplish that, lets briefly explain "The Butterfly Effect".

The Butterfly Effect is a notion that if a butterfly flapped its wings, it could cause tiny changes in the atmosphere that could change or prevent the occurrence of a tornado. But I'm not trying to bore you with theory. What I want you to take is that something very small could cause something very big. When we make our resolutions or goals, sometimes its tempting to make big leaps. These big leaps are more than often impossible or hard to stick to. To affect change in anything takes time, patience, and work. But if a butterfly can alter the path of a tornado, why can't your hard work now pay off with even greater rewards at the end?

Some people scoff at the idea of starting small. But starting small and enduring is ultimately better than going off like a rocket and fizzling a short time later. If the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare ever held water, it's with the process of achieving goals and making changes. You just have to believe that your small but strong actions today will eventually lead you to what you want. It's just one step at a time.

Good Luck.

G.