A Religious Manifesto

This evening I got into an argument with a very good friend of mine. She did not understand my perspective on my affiliation with the Catholic Church. Now, I consider myself a Catholic, someone who falls under the teachings of the Catholic Church; but I consider myself more a Christian than a Catholic. Anyways, the basic gist of the argument was that my friend did not understand why I associate myself with the specific Catholic branch of the Christian faith while I harbor specific beliefs that come in conflict with the Catholic institution.
I decided that this would be a good time to try to explain as well as I can what I feel to be the outline of my own personal faith. I am a Christian who believes in the central tenants of the teachings of Jesus Christ (which, in a basic form, include, love, peace, acceptance). I as a person want to connect myself with the message and the identity of Jesus and of my belief of the Christian perception of God. Now, as to what is apparently the contradiction between my personal religious beliefs and the religious teachings prescribed to me by the Catholic Church, I feel it necessary to reflect that, in my opinion, the Catholic church is a mortal institution that is dominated by mortal men. To Christians, the Word of God is supposed to be perfect truth, right? However, people are not perfect; they are affected by their experiences and their personal prejudices. I think people need to take the preaching of ministers and priests (admittedly of all religions) with a grain of salt because it will always reflect the ideas of the human (and thus inherently imperfect) preaching. For example, the Catholic Church declares that homosexuality is a sin. I don’t think so. I believe in Jesus’s message of acceptance of all people, of the Samaritan woman at the well. The Catholic Church may say one thing, but I can believe another in accordance with the teachings of Jesus. For this reason, I feel that specific denominations of Christianity, though having important differences in terms of ritual, should be vehicles to the message of Christ that cater to s specific style of worship. Though I disagree with some of its differentiating tenants, the Catholic Church’s style of mass is the style of worship I feel most comfortable with. This is why I am a Christian who belongs to the specific Catholic branch of Christianity.

Thank you for reading

Free Write

Today in English class, all of the students were instructed to do a freewrite. Apparently, this means that you must never pause when you are writing, and you must write everything down that comes to mind. This is exactly what I am doing right now. Please take this as some kind of disclaimer, should this exercise prove to be a failure.

Last term, my Spanish teacher recommended that I watch a PBS documentary named "Commanding Heights." I managed to find the entire program on the PBS website (which can be found at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/hi/index.html accessed April 14, 2008). I am now on a chapter within the first of three subdivisions, entitled "Chicago Against the Tide." So far, the documentary is discussing the intellectual battle between Kenyesian state-centralized economic planning versus Hayek's idea of the freedom and flexibility of the markets. I did not know that after World War 2, one-third of the population of the world lived under socialist governments, including notable countries such as China, Russia, Britain, and (to a degree) the United States of America. This socialist planning was endorsed by an economist named John Keynes, who the documentary explains as perceiving the economy as a "machine" that could be regulated instead of a financial circumstance as a result of the push of market "forces."

However, because I am someone who is looking into the past from the 21st century, I have the immutable advantage of watching the economic trend of history. The central planning of Soviet Russia has failed, the United States is beginning to feel the weight of an aging baby boom population that will (I think) cause for an eventual, drastic cut back on the medicare system, and along with many, many other examples that I can't look up enough specifics to post online because that would ruin the point of this free write, how could anyone ever sponsor socialism? In my mind, great, I guess they didn't get the message. I am not ignorant that poverty and maldistribution of wealth exists; trust me, I want to eliminate poverty and be as economically fair as much as the next person, but I feel that free market forces and economic growth (labor-intensive or capital-intensive, it doesn't matter because either way I think it will end up being put into the economy to generate more growth) can pull people out of poverty better than inefficient government planning. I worked as an intern on capital hill this summer. I had to go to many defense briefings explaining the defense department's spending. Isn't it a wonder that our government is so bloated with bureaucracy that, as a nation in war, we need to contract out a majority of our construction and security tasks because our government is simply so wasteful and slow? This is awesome. I'm being completely sarcastic. It sucks. I have a lot more that I would enjoy ranting about, but this seems to be a good place to end my freewrite.

Thank you for reading.

Potomac Fever

I have been afflicted with the "Potomac Fever"- the desire by an individual to return back to Washington DC, where I have worked the past two summers. Frankly, how could I not want to return? Washington DC is an incredibly unique city in many ways. The history of our young nation is scattered throughout the city in picturesque memorials, VIPs can be seen casually walking down the street, and there is a very peculiar atmosphere of a passive importance. However, I had an opportunity to explore the government in a way that not many people my age are able.

My first job on the Hill was working for Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney; this job was made all the more interesting because the week before the Congresswoman had gotten into a widely publicized scuffle with a member of the capital police. I was told that according to the news, she had become frustrated with the policeman because he asked for ID. In a meeting with her interns, Ms. McKinney explained that though people were focusing on this one event, she had been harassed by the capital police many times in the past, and this event was the boiling point for these kinds of confrontations. This was my first lesson in politics and Capital Hill: there are many sides to a story, and the most arousing perspective of the story is the one most often told.

To see two very different portrayals of Ms. McKinney look at http://static.flickr.com/73/193304042_282dcaa4af_o.jpg and http://www.tonyrogers.com/humor/images/cynthia_mckinney.jpg (accessed April 12th, 2008).

My second job was with the Office of the State of Nevada, a branch of the Nevada executive arm of the government under Governor Jim Gibbons. Our job was to collaborate with Nevada's members of Congress as well as other state offices ( we found ourselves working most often with North Carolina and California) in order to lobby for specific bills that were under scrutiny by Congress. One of the hot topics of debate at the time was the FY 2007 budget, which had shattered records in terms of the amount of money tucked away into different earmarks (pork), causing Republicans to filibuster the bill. I also found myself writing letters to various congressmen and women (most often Harry Reid D-NV and Senator John Warner R-VA). I attended hearings on different issues, including the affect of the Clean Water Act on Midwestern farmers, with the Governor of Montana (or as my co-worker often called it, "Montucky").

Though I did many things in my second job such as write letters, explore capital hill, and get yelled at by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) for being too close to the members-only elevator, I think my best experience was being able to write a speech for Governor Gibbons for an education conference. I gave being a politician a try for a day, and co-produced a speech that was delivered without any edits from the governor's speechwriter.

In the end, I have loved and learned from my experiences on Capital Hill. With my affliction of the Potomac Fever, I can only hope to return at some point and do my own little part to help our great mechanism of democracy operate as well as it can.

Thank you for reading.

Spring Dreamin'

I feel like a bear that has emerged from his cave at the end of winter, yawning and blinking the sunlight out of its eyes. The birds have begun to chirp outside the window of my bedroom, the ice on the lawn has started to melt, and thick winter jackets are giving way to cut-offs and short sleeves. It is truly a time of rebirth and revival, and, like the warm sun in the cloudless sky, I find myself rising to meet the new world. It is a time to try new things.

With this sentiment in mind, I will be trying a new activity tomorrow. Never before have I organized the staple activity of springtime bumminess: the barbeque. I will be assuming the time-honored roll of "grill master," complete with large, threatening tongs and an obnoxious "kiss the cook" apron. The excuse I am using to grill is the home opener for the local baseball team, for which many of my friends play. I am excited because, frankly, I have only benefited from instead of contributed to the noble pastime of cooking raw meat in totally random places.

However, this BBQ means much more to me than a (very) delicious meal. To me, it is the pistol shot that signifies the beginning of spring. I am a very weather-sensitive person; I have a sneaking suspicion that I have some form of seasonal depression. For the coming of the spring the barbaques, the relaxed atmosphere, and the loose clothing all signifies a turn of the page within my mind. I am no longer a person under a dark, oppressive veil of clouds that squashes all kinds of happiness. Now I am back to the person I was before I moved to the cold climate in which I now reside. This transition to spring reminds me of my younger years spent in a warm climate, happy. The warmth of the social and literal atmosphere around me represents a regression into ignorant happiness, a place of perfect content. With this, this barbeque is much more than me trying out something new; I am taking the initiative to become the happy individual that has been missing all winter.

Scholastic Schism

I was once in the company of some friends while walking back to my dormitory when the topic of conversation turned to whether we would donate money to our school when we were older. One of my friends declared that he would donate to the school as long as none of the money went to the athletic department. Now, I have nothing wrong with my friend's opinion because one should be able to use their money however one wishes. However, I was mildly irritated at my friend when he explained his reason for excluding the athletic department. According to my friend, a school is first and foremost an academic institution; athletics give some individuals academic opportunities that their intellectual facilities did not merit. Furthermore, my friend explained, athletics are a financial drain upon a school that could use the money spent on sports for academic purposes.

This opinion irked me. From my perspective as a student-athlete, I found this statement ironically narrow-minded. Academics are incredibly important aspects to an individual's intellectual development, and I feel that a school should wholeheartedly commit itself to the education of its students. That said, an individual's education should be much more than what is read from a book. Knowledge is incredibly important and its pursuit is a noble undertaking, but the experience of playing sports provides a mental, emotional, and physical stimulation that is unattainable through classroom learning.

I am a football player. Football is a sport that consists of two eleven-man units competing against each other. The unit must be elevated above the individual in order for a team to be successful. Every football practice I am taught a lesson in humility and comradierie; moreover, I feel that it is important for any individual to learn how to work in a group. As if this was not an important enough lesson, sports also help people build close relationships with others. From my perspective, my coach becomes a father figure, my teammates become brothers, and the school I represent becomes my home. While students in the academic arena build relationships with their peers and their teachers, in my experience as a student-athlete I have found the bonds forged in the athletic arena are far more intimate due to the competitive nature of sports. My most memorable experiences have been with my teammates while competiting in the sport that we love. Finally, while I respect my friend, I feel that he needs to re-examine his perception of the "jock" steriotype. Finally, I am not asking for donations to the athletic department; I am simply asking for a little bit of open-mindedness.

Thank you for reading

Addiction

My chest heaves as I throw the weight to the floor. The impact makes the floor shake, a tremor felt even by the freshman girls who are doing crunches in the padded corner of the gym. Everyone in the entire room is staring at me, that is, everyone but the men at my side who grunt and strain with their loads, beads of sweat creeping down their faces. We are strong. We are fit. We are constructing ourselves into the perfect male archetype, the physically powerful and dominant figure that controls a male-dominated world. It is an unfair world, and I and the men around me work to grab it, force it into a headlock, and throw it down to our feet. We strive to be gods above mere mortals. We are addicted to the feeling, pain, chemicals, and society's steadfast approval of people who fit into its assigned physical profile. It is an addiction that has changed the course of our lives.

However, is the addiction to fitness a negative impact on people's lives? Exercise relieves stress, conditions the body, and prevents many bone and heart diseases. Without question, exercise is good for your health. Which are more important though, the results or the factors that motivate one to achieve those results?

I completely support the idea that everyone should get plenty of exercise, not only for physical health benefits, but also for the psychological benefits to exercise, such as an improved self-image. I have also looked at people who are incredibly fit, the real head-turners, as examples of what people can achieve if they have the proper drive to work for it. I considered these individuals as near-flawless examples of the personal improvement of the individual. However, now I am not so sure.

The most prominent idea against the emphasis on over-working one's self is how pop culture affects a female's self-image. "Starve yourself, you can be pretty someday," is the recurring message. As a result of the combination of a figure-focused society and a fitness-oriented society, many female teens have turned to exercise bulimia to try to achieve the impossible form that is cast at them through popular media. This phenomenon is not limited to females, however. Pop culture has a deep impact on what is "male," especially in regards to physical strength and body image. Everywhere I look, I see images of large, "jacked" (muscular and lean) men who are portrayed in positions of wealth, power, and sexual prowess. In magazines such as Esquire and Men's Health, fit men wearing thousand-dollar suits are in exotic locals with stunning women by their side. These magazines seem to scream "work out, tan and buy expensive clothing; all of this can be yours."

When these are people's motives to hit the gym and get the exercise they need, it becomes hard to argue that working out is entirely positive. It can sometimes be a medium through which people can hurt themselves. Females may begin to slip into an eating disorder, and men face the temptation of using steroids to achieve results faster in exchange for their health. At this point, the quest for fitness has become perverted because exercise should be used to make one more healthy, not less healthy.

pictures from http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~power/franco.jpg

and http://www.dose.ca/photos/movies/061114_bondgirls.html

Exercise should be a tool to become healthy and happy, not a medium for self-destruction. My message is yes, you should go and work out, but think about why you are working out. Is it because some magazine told you that you aren't skinny enough, or "jacked" enough? It's your body; love it and nourish however you want.

Use fitness for fun things, like these guys (accessed April 5th, 2008): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEeqHj3Nj2c posted by youtube user sauloca.

Thank you for reading

One Chapter Ends, Another Chapter Begins

This is the beginning of the end. However, I do not mean in the common thought of the biblical notion of the apocalypse; I am reffering simply to the end of my high school education and the beginning of my college years.

Any teenager can tell you that the situation into which I find myself thrown can be a time of self-discovery and relaxation, a quick breather in the race of of life. It is High School Senior Spring. I find myself a person who is caught in an unusual zone where I no longer tackle five hours of homework a night to keep abreast of my academic pursuits. I am now doing the things I want to do, whether it is hanging out with friends, looking interesting videos up on youtube, or reading books that have collected dust on the bottom shelf of my bookcase. A new term has been introduced into my lexicon: "senioritis." A good definition of "senioritis" would be the nascent laziness of a college-bound senior This sickening disease of senioritis has taken hold, or at least that is what everyone keeps trying to convince me.


Frankly, I am not so sure. Is the behavior I am exhibiting really senioritis? For example, I am hanging out with my friends. Well, according to dictionary.com, the definition of an education is "the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills." I gain pieces of knowledge and nuggets of wisdom that I would have never come across without the pooled knowledge provided by my friend base wxposed to me through basic social interaction. I also enjoy reading books that are not included in the sillabi of my various classes. Now, I learn many things from my school classes; however, my perception of the world and the people in it are greatly influenced when I supplement my institutional learning with an auxilary source of knowledge. These are simply two examples of behaviors that teachers or administrators would consider the outward signs of seniors who simply don't care about their classes anymore.


I would strongly disagree with this popular notion of the "lazy" senior. Senoritis should not be a term used to describe high school seniors who are plagued by some "disease" of idleness. It is just an individual's re-evaluation of his or her own education. Slaving over homework and sitting through class are just two ways to learn; socializing and persuing independent interests are simply other methods of education that help one define him or herself. I hope that popular culture at some point can stop focusing on this aspect of our education and focus on the students' development as individuals.



On a side note, some blogs that I found interesting:



http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/blogspotting/

http://www.buzzmachine.com/

http://michaelgracie.com/

http://www.blogherald.com/

Thank you for reading.