"The Infomation Filter" by G.

Today I'm going to take a little detour from my usual psychological ramblings and talk about something a tad bit different. Lets talk about information. More importantly, the truth of it. Where do we get the news from? The Newspaper? The Television? The Internet? You probably do. Now, how do you think this information affects your beliefs and viewpoints on the things in the world around you? What you see and hear has a profound influence on your thoughts and ideas. But we have to remember... the information we get from these sources doesn't always have to be completely factual. Cherry-picking, manipulation, taking only those bits that will stir up a response with the people. These things are here, and very real. So in a world with a vast quantity of information, how can you ever know what is truly valid, and what has some inkling of truth behind it?

Well...you really can't. This is when your judgment comes in. Your Judgment is something that should be finely tuned and sharp. But even having that, you might come across ideas that sound ridiculous to you, because they demean your own thoughts. Then you must possess the other element; a very open and flexible mind. Because really, we can never know anything for sure with 100% accuracy. Much of our information and science is still in the stages of educated guesses and theory. But used in the wrong hands, this preliminary information can be used to influence the beliefs of a mass quantity of people. Diseases, Cures, Religion, Climate; an average person only knows and is influenced by what they see on regular media sources for these things.

So I'm really saying something that is common sense already. But it's not enough just to be mistrustful of things. No matter what you see or hear, don't immediately mark it as true. We are bombarded with info, facts, and opinions everyday. But obviously we don't see everything. It is up to us to use our judgment and not take everything at face value.

As usual, I want to hear your thoughts on this, so comment away!

"Hobbies" by Sir

Hey there people. I bet most of you have occupations, right? However, do you know everything about it? Most occupations are practiced because we like them. But then again there's the people that practice something just because they're bored...

It's good to have something to keep you busy, but on the contrary, I think one should be careful about what he chooses to do, and to what extent... Most occupations are inoffensive (playing ping-pong or knitting are awesome examples), and if you think about it more occupations don't do you any harm... Most can even become fully developed passions without hurting you, but if your occupations take control of your whole life, you're riding the danger boat to trouble land.

For example people who spend their lives on their computer without ever going out would eventually end up having problems... mostly physical but also psychological as they're not always used to society. Some people can accomodate but others can't always take it...

So my point? It's pretty must just to tell you if you have occupations that you love, good call! Just don't let them overwhelm you.So what occupations do you have?

"Absolution" by Sir

We all sin... Well, ok, some of us don't, but hey, we all commit some bad action in our life at least once, no doubt. Even without noticing, if we don't mean it or are forced to do it. But that's not the point. My point is to talk about Absolution. Now, just to be sure you fully get my post, Absolution is when you are redeemed for your crimes and sins. It was used before by church mostly but now the term is more commonly used. But I digress.

Now, have you ever dreamt of having all your bad choices absolved? Everything just being back to normal, every problem solved, and having no stress left? You know that's possible. It really is if you put your mind to it and you do the good things. I mean hey, some stuff can't ever be repaired, and you have to pay for it some way... but in my opinion, one shouldn't always go full frontal and just bash in the first random idea he gets and think "Hey, people will think I'm good now that I helped that old lady cross the street or spent time in prison". No. That's our society's point of view. Some people would do ANYTHING to be "redeemed".

My point of view, however, is that we have to be careful. Most people think that if we do something bad, we can just do something good and be pardoned. Of course it could work that way, but not always.
The point of this post is, in the end, just one huge workaround to get you guys to think before doing something. And if you do something bad, don't just be selfish and do some little good actions just to be pardoned. You have to mean it. Absolution is possible, although it's not always the solution.

Now that you have this in mind, and that you're probably left with a gaping jaw from my awesome rhyme, take some time to think about it and if you have any contestation or ideas about this, leave a comment and maybe we can discuss?

By the way, I know this is kinda long, and spaced up, but hey, what can I say, I'm new here and I love the Enter key!

"So you wanna be somebody?" by G.

Well do you? Do you want to be important? Do you want everyone you see to recognize you as you pass by? Sometimes we feel like just a blip on the radar. A single crouton in the salad. Just a blade of grass in the field. Some people are happy with that; life is definitely more peaceful that way. But many others want something more. What do they want? Well, they don't really know. But they know that something, something, is missing from their lives. We want to think that we can do something more. That we are meant to do something more. But hey, what do we really mean by that? Do we want more money? Do you want to be head CEO of Acme Incorporated? Care to be ambassador to Bongofantasia? Maybe some people want these things. I think there is a deeper meaning to having the desire to be more than what you are. Many of our lives have become a dreadful routine. Day in and day out, its the same thing. I ask myself a lot; what is the meaning of life? If there has to be one, I doubt the definition includes becoming a mindless robot. So we dream. We dream about what we could have; what we might be. And sadly, thats how many people will live. Just work for many long years, content with just... dreaming. Well guess what? Maybe I wanna be somebody? Maybe I wanna stick it to the man? Maybe I will jump off an airplane and fly like a bird. Somewhere, in all of our minds, is a image of ourselves. Our ideal selves. When we say we wanna be "something more", we really crave to become that ideal self that we idolize so very much. So please. Don't let life just pass by. All you really know for certain is that you are living this one life, right now. One day, that ideal image just sitting in your head? Your going to become that. It will no longer be a image; it will be reality. If you work at it, and realize that we are all capable, it will happen. I know this has been said time and time again, but the truth of the thing is quite real. How to become that ideal person; that is up to you. But if you at least try, try to become better than you are, then you have something to be proud of.

"Smart" by G.

What does it mean to be smart? It's a tough question. It's tough, because "smartness" is measured in so many different ways in our society. Is a five-star general in a war more "smart" than a architect building a big bridge? The general probably knows military tactics; where to place his troops and when the right time is to advance. This makes him smart, right? The architect should be good with math, and is able to make complex calculations and blueprints to achieve the final result; a bridge that doesn't topple over at the slightest breeze. Obviously a candidate for any of these two roles would need to be very intelligent. So lets move along to our schools. What does it mean to be "smart" there? An average answer might be, whoever has a high grade point average, or who consistently scores high on standardized tests. But when you think about it; how can you make a little number symbolize someone's true intelligence? It's all kind of ridiculous to me. I don't believe making a high score means your smart; it means you know how to remember assigned material for a brief period. So here's my own simple definition of being smart: The ability to solve problems, learn and adapt from experiences, and deal with the unexpected very well. This kind of brings up a whole new debate. Some people say we all have varying levels of intelligence, while some say we have the power to change; to make ourselves smarter. If any of you have ever been curious and taken one of those IQ tests, it gives you a number that you can compare to a scale. Does this mean I'm going to be stuck at that "level" forever? Can people with the intelligence of Forrest Gump never change? I think, if your reading this right now, then you definitely "smart" enough to make yourself smarter. The motivation part is up to you though, sorry. But to wrap this up, being smart doesn't have much to do with scoring high on a SAT or becoming entangled in some 100 pound textbooks. It's if you learn from the world around you. It's if you just absolutely radiate creativity and imagination. It's if you choose to question your surroundings instead of just going with the flow. That's what smartness is about people. Don't put so much stock into standardized tests and IQ's and whatnot. Creativity and Imagination are the true indicators of that nice little thing called being smart.

"Following" by Scythe

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who lead and those who follow. We live in a world that has a surplus of people that follow. We also live in a world that has a surplus of leaders. How can there be a surplus of both if there are only two types? Simple. There are many that fall into both categories. What proportion of the people that you know actually have the initiative to do something worthy on their own? Better yet, what proportion of the people that you know that will voluntarily assume a leadership role for the sole purpose of reducing their workload? Those are the ones that fall into both categories. It is people like this that are the reason that socialism, while the most ideal type of society on paper, never works. Think about a colony of insects. Each individual has a duty which he or she is expected to fulfill and usually does so without question, and the civilization advances. There are just enough humans in this world that are only willing to do enough to get by that making easy for anyone to get by results in a large proportion of people who will do nothing and effectively destroy their own civilization by offloading too much work onto those who care. So what does this all mean? It means get out and do something while you still can; make a contribution to society and the contribution that society makes to you will be that much greater.

By the way, I'm new to this blog so I would like to introduce myself as Scythe and thank you all for taking the time to read this, for taking the time to think.

"Genorosity" by G.

You do a great service when you give to others in need. Generosity is something that represents our better side; showing kindness. But working at a shelter or dropping a few coins into a poor man's hand isn't the only way to show your generosity. Now I've seen this movie a few times, but it took me a while to realize that a damn good idea it is; that it really could work. Pay it Forward presents the idea that you help out three different people in a big way; the only thing you ask in return is for them to do the same thing; to Pay it Forward. There is actually a real foundation for the Pay it Forward idea; the link is on this blog, or you can click here. This is a amazing expression of generosity, but just imagine if everyone tried to do it. Kindness and Goodwill would be spread everywhere; ordinary people's lives can be changed for the better. So try it out. Help someone who fell down in the hall. Give that extra quarter if the guy in front of you doesn't have enough. That warm fuzzy feeling you get inside by showing kindness; it makes you more complete. Some people say that we start out evil or we start out good. I think we start out blank. By showing kindness, you make yourself, and the people you help, become just a bit better.

"Music" by G.

Music is a beautiful thing. It touches your mind and your soul. It can completely change your mood. And sometimes it has the power to inspire. Music has been part of the human culture for centuries; almost as if the sounds were built into us. A article at Psychology Today; a interview with a professor of neurobiology, suggests that music is actually part of our genes. It is noted that music has a definite influence on our brain. I know what when I'm feeling down or I just need some peace, music is always like a soothing balm for my mind. If there was something you wanted to do, but just couldn't make yourself get out of the slump, music can motivate you do that. I just think that everyone on this planet should have the opportunity to listen and create music. A Time Magazine article also states that people who suffer from Alzheimer's Disease respond better to music; it has a calming effect. Some Alzheimer's Patients can actually still play music even after they have forgotten many other things. Music truly does have a therapeutic effect. So hey, you just keep listening to that I-Pod of yours; careful though, don't blast out your eardrums by playing it too loud. I really wouldn't like to see anyone go deaf because of that. But enjoy your music, whatever kind it is. Music really does make the world and the people in it a bit saner and calmer, even if it is just for a little while.

"Anti-Semitism" by Shinji

So these days the thing everyone does to insult something, be it human, animal, or even an inanimate object, is call it a Jew. You don't call someone an idiot anymore, no, you call them a Jew. Your lawnmower break down? It's Jewish. This really gets me pissed off. Now first thing's first - what's wrong with Jews? Jewish people haven't done anything to you or anyone else; they're totally innocent people. So why do we say such anti-Semitic comments? There are more and more Jew hating jokes being made up daily, and there's no reason for it. It goes to show you that mini-Hitlers are popping up left and right these days. I'm not saying target another religion for insults, I'm saying cut out the insults that target a race, religion, gender, etc. General insults like calling someone an idiot is acceptable because it doesn't make fun of any race or religion or gender or (insert specific target here). So why don't we cut out the unnecessary anti-Semitism in our everyday speech and focus more on uniting religions, cultures, and the like instead of dividing them even more? To me it sounds like a good plan, and I'm gonna keep sticking with it.

"America's World Policeism" by Shinji

America, in a way, does act like a world police. They are always bringing Democracy to countries that do not have it. They are at a constant struggle with the Communists. A prime example of this was with Stalin. Stalin kept trying to convert all the countries in Europe to Communism and the USA kept on struggling to bring those countries to Democracy. If those countries wish to be Communist, let them. Personally, I do like my Democracy, but other countries can have Communism if they so wish. Each country should be able to have its own unique type of government. Each country’s culture(s) should also be able to be free instead of being influenced by America’s world policeism. Canada is on the right track. Its multiculturalistic approach enables each culture living in the country to practice their own religion, traditions, etc. The government is there, but it does not control the people in a way that restricts them. In conclusion, I think that America should lay off a little on the world policeism and allow other countries to do what they want to do. Not everyone has to be American.