Monday, February 24, 2014

Pragmatic Speech

Writing in order to express all your thoughts, ideas, and feelings is easy. You have all the time you need to think and fluidly describe your topic. You are able to create the entire context, categorically organize your thoughts, and order them.  You have the ability to edit and adjust what you say as needed. In addition, you also have the floor. You possess the reader's full attention without interruption or distraction. This allows you to be as clear and concise as linguistically possible. Writing is the simplest way to communicate.

Sadly, I can't write all day. The reality is that I'm not able to write everything I want to say to people in my daily life. Speech is difficult for me. I have trouble thinking of what I want to say in a timely and contextual manner, and usually before I have time to say what I actually think, the subject is changed. People get bored or feel awkward. This leads to miscommunication. I am only partially able say what I really think, and usually feel too much pressure to think clearly at all anyways. What I say gets taken out of context, and understood differently from my truthful intention. I end up misunderstood, simply from being socially deficient.

I need to improve the way I communicate. I must learn how to speak more pragmatically. I have to teach myself how to gather my thoughts quicker, listen from the other point of view, and use the least amount of words possible to make myself known. I will have to pay attention to social que's and contexts, while also being aware of what the other person means, too. I usually shy away from speaking at all, but I am sick of just being a slab of meat with seemingly no opinions or thoughts, while in fact I have thousands. I am now at the point where I don't care what others think of my opinions, so now I just have to try and make my opinions known. Practice makes perfect. I can't wait!

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Drivers Ed

Yesterday, I attended a drivers education class that was taught by a cop. I enjoyed the class somewhat, aside from the unnecessarily gruesome videos that were aimed at deterring us from speeding and not wearing our seatbelts.

The cop talked about how the federal government has recently stopped funding state law enforcement agencies, and how they must now make their own money. He   told us that a key money making strategy for the police was by fining motorists who did not use their turn signal while making a turn. Yeah, he flat out stated that making money was the chief motivation for writing tickets to people who forgot to use their signal. Wow. He later attacked drug dealers, saying that their chief concern is making money at the expense of others. I sense a bit of a contradiction... The legal system needs a serious underhaul. Police should be concerned with the safety of citizens, not making a pretty penny off of them...

Craziness. But,
It was a beautiful day today, and I am very happy.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

The American Dream

"We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; ..."
- Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

The good ol' American Dream. What exactly are we referring to, when we talk about the American Dream? According to our founding fathers, the American Dream was "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" . They had longed for a land where these certain unalienable rights were protected for all men, who are created equal. That all seems pretty clear, but as for what constitutes this so called pursuit of happiness, is something that is not quite as clear.

So, how does one go about making use of these freedoms which are given them, inside of this United Nation? Well, it all depends on who you ask. I am sure that every American has his own unique perspective on the actual meaning of this American Dream. It seems, though, that most Americans would agree on the fact that the accumulation of wealth, as well as a general sense of financial security are some fairly significant staples to the pursuit of happiness.

Based on these financial goals, a way of categorizing people based on their level of accomplishment has arisen in the form of classes. Namely, "lower, middle, and upper class". Each class divides people based on income, job, and social status. Upper class is, of course, the most desirable of the three, since it consists of those with the highest financial security and the best social standing. In contrast, the lower class is the class that is to be avoided, because it is the lowest on the spectrum of happiness. The lower class is unable to properly afford what is needed to ensure comfort, therefore compromising happiness. Most Americans are part of the middle class, which is neither desired or avoided as much as the upper and lower classes.

The use of these classes effectively stereotypes and seperates people, those who are idolized from those who are looked down upon. In addition to wealth, there are other, often unspoken, conditions that should be met, to at the very least, increase social standing. College attendance, bank accounts, career status, physical appearance, social security, 401k, technological advancement, celebrity news, etc. are all necessary to ensure completeness.

Not very supportive to the idea that all men are created equal, huh? What we have is an unclear dream based upon consumerism, a societal fantasy that worships the ownership of paper, possessions, and politics. It's evolved into nothing more than an advertisement. In other words, the American Dream is the pursuit of happiness, and happiness is simply measured by ownership and appearance. It is an insatiable dream, a greedy dream.

When you hear the words "American Dream", what do you picture in your head? A person who grows up in a supportive, financially secure family? Who goes to a nice university and graduates to a high grade salary career? Who gets married and has a family, and goes to church, and attends family reunions and owns all the latest electronics and nice expensive cars? And works a 9 to 5 job, and comes home to sit down in front of the Television to eat dinner and relax? Who works everyday, filling the bank account, until one day, when they are old and tired, they retire so that they can support their children to live the exact same way? Who dies happily, surrounded by a rich family, and lots of money in the bank? If that's what you think of when you hear the word American Dream, then congratulations, you just watched an advertisement play out in your head.

I think it's time we admitted to this meaningless dream, and realize that money and power cannot buy happiness.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Melt

"Two hands clasped for an infinite time
and never have I ever felt this warm
with your hand melted into the palm of mine

You've tracked up the stretching white
two pairs, side by side, in the light
two mouths molded together
turned by smiles of snowdream delight

Well
that's what I dream in my mind

Southern snow snowmen rolled into view
I'll never forget the way the ice looked at you
while you packed each flake whichever way it would go

Yet,
whether or not at that time did I know:
that all of my dreams
would melt with the snow

But my love for you,
it will only grow."

For R.K.L.H.
With much Love.

Celestial Solitude

        We are all together, all part of this giant cosmos in the universe, called humanity. Each one of us radiates outwardly, some of us shining bright, others collapsing and burning out. We all have the power to make up something greater. Some higher purpose, aligning together to form the constellations of the heavens. We can see eachother, all the millions of us shining out, but we cannot touch one another. Actually, we can't even come close. We are all tragically separated by billions and trillions of miles of empty space. We may feel as though we are not alone. We may feel that we are all one massive cascading unit, which we are in a way, but the reality is that we are all suspended seperately in the sheer blackness of space, and all that we have is our own light. We are all distant and lonely. We are, every last one of us, stars of insurmountable solitude.