Are we ever ready?

You never know what will happen the very next moment. How do you know that the next time you blink your eyes will open? We don’t… that’s why people always say the saying live life like it’s your last. This semester, I really learned the meaning of life and how we should not take everything for granted. Unfortunately, I had to experience this twice this semester. I lost a dear cousin and my youngest uncle on my mother’s side within two months. I was not even over how my cousin passed away when I heard about my uncle. I was just wondering how life can just change in a flash. You can never expect what comes next. It’s been almost three weeks since my uncle passed away and I still can’t believe I will never see him again. Are we ever prepared to hear the news of a loved one passing away? Even if we know they are going to die... answer is no. I had a really close family friend whose father passed away from cancer. They knew he was going to go soon but when the time did come it wasn’t easy. Death is something we all have to accept in life even if deep down we can’t.

"Life looks for life"

House

I don’t usually post stuff on here that’s too complicated. I like to keep what I think to myself usually. But stuff has happened that’s forcing me to reflect more than I usually do. This is a good thing.

I don’t really understand the concept of moving out of your parents’ house. I used to think that it was a logical step, with the whole bit about asserting your independence. But now that i’ve matured a little (debatable) I’ve come to think that it’s a pretty ridiculous idea. My parents, like many others sacrificed a very large portion of their life to make sure that I was happy in every conceivable way.

Leaving them seems like a form of betrayal. I’ve had this conversation with my friends and a lot of them see living with their parents as a burden when they’re older. How is that a burden in any possible way? If anything I feel privileged that i’ll have the opportunity to serve my parents in their old age. That will genuinely make me happy. Not only is it a privilege, but it’s a responsibility that I will gladly take. When I was born into my family, I took on the responsibility of being a son. This isn’t just a label that you’re born with. It’s something you earn. A son has the responsibility of maintaining respect for your parents, learning from and with your parents, understanding your parents, and preparing for eventual servitude of your parents.

And since when did asserting your independence mean you had to “move out”? Affirmation of independence isn’t achieved through the process of moving out, it’s achieved by reaching a state of mind where you no longer depend on your parents to make every decision in your life. If you can take care of yourself, whoever you’re with, your children AND your parents, then you’ve effectively affirmed your independence.

A lot of people complain that you don’t necessarily have the same level of privacy if you’re living with your parents as opposed to living on your own. I’m sorry, but my parents never complained when I crapped my pants and they had to clean it, when they moved through 3 countries when they were looking out for me, cook meals for me every single day without missing a beat, making sure I had the best education, paying for my education, counseling me through my relatively insignificant problems, adoring me, and basically making me the focus of their life. If you can’t handle losing a bit of privacy to care for someone who’s devoted so much of their life to you, then you don’t deserve them. The meaning of life is to make a difference in somebody else’s life. That includes your parents.

If you haven’t met my mom. She is cute as hell.

Caitlin Richards 36

I haven't been talking to my best friend. We're not fighting or anything, I just haven't been keeping her updated with everything. She deserves more from me, she has been with me through everything. I feel like I am cheating on her when I tell the two other people here I talk to most. At the same time though, she doesn't ask anymore. Usually we always check in with one another, but lately we haven't. I miss her, we are still hetero life partners, don't get me wrong. I feel like care more than her, so I havent been caring as much recently. That I guess is the problem. We still talk all the freakin time, but mostly about stupid things, or inane subjects. She did ask me if I was okay recently, but I just said "NO" and that I "didn't want to talk about it."

I guess I shouldn't be complaining then. Sometimes though I don't want to talk about my life sucking all the time.

Butterflies & Hurricanes

Earlier today I sat atop the Staller Steps as I munched on a sandwich, watching a large group of students play a friendly albeit competitive game of football. The weather was particularly nice, although the grey sky cast down across the buildings and landscape, leaving no trace of direct sunlight shining down.
I then started to think about all those personal problems, thoughts and memories we all ponder over in our private free time. But I also looked about my surroundings and couldn't help but listen to the passing conversations of other students.
Against my better judgement I began to think about the sad things that accompany life, the sky doing well in fueling those emotions; society in general, social predicaments, attitudes towards one another, becoming old, etc.
As I thought about how sad and depressing life can be, I also thought about how happy and joyful it can get; music, the green, vibrant plants, the sun, laughter.
I put those thoughts together, and was surprised to see that, at least in my mind, things seemed to balance out.
It was actually a pretty interesting thought process, and I discovered how life is filled with both butterflies and hurricanes.

Dear Socrates

So I was on my way to class the other day, when I discovered this rather provocative existential conversation happening on a chalkboard in the hallway of the physics building. The next day I came back to find additional responses to the statements from yesterday. I have uploaded the pictures I took of them, and i would like to respond to them in a few ways. First I want to respond to the from that this conversation took: anonymous contributions on a public space. It's almost like a physical version of the "cloud". It speaks to me that technology doesn't shape human behavior more than behavior shapes technology. Next I want to respond to the initial statement that sparked this conversation: "The unexamined life is not worth living." It's my oppinion that unexamined life does have it's merits. There is value in learing to act naturally, not accorinding to the standars that are imposed by anayzing behavior. The second statement takes a fatalist stance, claiming that even the examined life is not worth living due to its lack of permanance. Rather than obsess of what meaning ones life has in the world as a whole, one must find meaning in his own life as an individual, and then work to make a difference in the world. The response to this on the board: "The examined life is worth living. Don't hang out in Plato's cave too long. You might forget where you are." suguests a balance analyzing life and living it. I think this sentiment is summed nicely by Mark Twain's quote: "The unexamined life may not be worth living, but the life too closely examined may not be lived at all." Live the overexamined life, and you won't see the forest for the trees, live the uneximined life, and you'll run blindly into a tree.

I like to walk slow

I know I'm the person you hate, I like to walk as slow as possible when going to class. Yes I cause those traffic jams when going up stairs and walking through narrow paths. I force people to go around me and look back at me with an expression that says "WTF move!!!". I don't enjoy making people feel this way I just like to take my time to walk anywhere I go. I enjoy walking slow to take in the sights, I know a lot of people think "what sights? are you an idiot?". I just like to take it slow maybe see someone I know. I live in Medelsohn Quad so I usually leave 20 mins before my class starts so I can enjoy my walks.
I feel that people are in too much of a hurry these days. Everyone's rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off. People need to slow down especially when its really nice out and just take it in. This is life, don't rush past it, enjoy every moment you got left in this fucked up world. Be grateful that we live in America where we can do these kind of things, where we don't have to be afraid, at least in most places in America. So all I'm asking is take a little time out of your busy schedule, leave for class a little early, blast some walking music on your headphones, and walk really really really slow to class and enjoy the sights for a change.