Have you ever heard the saying "No two are the same"? Odds are that you have, but it was about some stupid little subject like rocks, or snowflakes. However, this statement can be held true to life just the same. Nowhere in the world has exactly the same culture. Some might be close, but there will always be differences. These differences are vastly apparent between your own culture and cultures completely foreign to you. This is how I felt when listening to a monk from Tibet talk about art.
Upon listening to his "lecture," many things were going through my mind. First of all, "I wish I could understand him." (haha) But that's beside the point. I was completely baffled by the completely different view of life that he (and I'm sure the other monks do as well) has than mine. Everything in life can be related to simple things such as negative emotions (like greed) or elements (like earth, fire, water, and wind).
On top of that, I was astonished at how these monks were able to put their view of life into such beautiful works of art. The colors each represented different aspects, as well as the shapes and orientation. The fact that they think that much more in depth about life and the universe than I think about anything was amazing. I couldn't believe how much work these people put into these works of art or how much the art meant to them. And just think, it ends by being completed and thrown into the wind. That is one thing I'll never understand, how they can just throw their intense and insanely hard work away like that.
Sitting through that lecture, I wasn't just thinking about what he was saying, I was thinking about life, my own views, and where I stand. I think that is what is most important about diversity: having a differentiation to look at and experience. They call the United States a "cultural crockpot" because we have so many different cultures around us. I think it's time to start learning more and more about these cultures. In my opinion, it would probably make us all see life a little differently, probably for the better.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
All I Want
No matter what anyone says, they have a list of things they want to do before they die. This list can contain anything from starting a family to skydiving. Often times, this "bucket list" is a guidance to how to live life. My list is no different. From school, to family, to work, to fun, I've got a road-map to my future just like everyone else.
First of all, I obviously have to get through college. Within the first five days of class, I had already changed my major. Now, just a few weeks further in, I think I may want to change it again. Getting through college is definitely going to be a challenge if I can't find out how I want to do it, so it is obviously the first thing I'm focused on. And all this trouble is just so I can find the job I want.
My life at Iowa State is just a preparation for my future, for my profession, for the rest of my life. All I do here is to ensure that I get into the job I want and am able to make a decent amount of money. As soon as I have that secured, that's when I want to focus on having a family. Family has always been one of the most important parts of my life, as I'm sure it is for almost everyone else. So, naturally, starting a family of my own is something I am very much looking forward to.
Once I've come to settle down and am finally happy with the way my life is, I plan on focusing the majority of my free-time on my biggest hobbies, whether it be music, video games, or anything else, even spending time with my kids. Other than that, my list doesn't get much longer, and I'm totally okay with that.
So no, my "bucket list" isn't full of crazy, intense stuff like bungee jumping or robbing banks (haha), but it is what I want with my life, and what I know will make me happy. I'm okay with a "lame" lifestyle, when my lifestyle is making me happier than most other people out there. So whether your list is lame like mine, or crazy and thrilling, chase after it. Life is too short to not follow your dreams.
First of all, I obviously have to get through college. Within the first five days of class, I had already changed my major. Now, just a few weeks further in, I think I may want to change it again. Getting through college is definitely going to be a challenge if I can't find out how I want to do it, so it is obviously the first thing I'm focused on. And all this trouble is just so I can find the job I want.
My life at Iowa State is just a preparation for my future, for my profession, for the rest of my life. All I do here is to ensure that I get into the job I want and am able to make a decent amount of money. As soon as I have that secured, that's when I want to focus on having a family. Family has always been one of the most important parts of my life, as I'm sure it is for almost everyone else. So, naturally, starting a family of my own is something I am very much looking forward to.
Once I've come to settle down and am finally happy with the way my life is, I plan on focusing the majority of my free-time on my biggest hobbies, whether it be music, video games, or anything else, even spending time with my kids. Other than that, my list doesn't get much longer, and I'm totally okay with that.
So no, my "bucket list" isn't full of crazy, intense stuff like bungee jumping or robbing banks (haha), but it is what I want with my life, and what I know will make me happy. I'm okay with a "lame" lifestyle, when my lifestyle is making me happier than most other people out there. So whether your list is lame like mine, or crazy and thrilling, chase after it. Life is too short to not follow your dreams.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
That Day, 5 Years Ago
All of us have a defining moment that truly changes who we are, whether it be subtle changes or completely life altering. Some of us handle these changes better than others, some of us simply cannot cope. Often times, this even draws out the best in who we are and all we can be. For me, that happened when I lost my mother five years ago. Nothing stayed the same.
Growing up through a childhood without a father was hard enough, and the worst things could ever get, or so I thought. He was an abusive alcoholic, and was hardly ever home. As bad of a father he was, he was an even worse husband. Most of his time was spent with some other woman, and some other kid. So in a way, him leaving when I was six years old was a good thing, but the fact remained that I no longer had a father, that inspiring role every boy should have while growing up.
Then, when I was thirteen and finishing the last week of school, my life changed even more than I could have imagined before. I walked home from school that day because my mom never came to pick me up, nor would she answer the phone. I got more and more mad the closer I got to home, upset that I had to walk the not-actually-terrible distance from school back to my house. Then when I got closer, I came to the conclusion something worse might be going on. Sure enough, walking through the front door, I saw her in her chair, in front of the t.v., not moving or breathing. I was the first home, the first to find her, so I had the job of calling 9-1-1, followed by each of my brothers and sisters. As if that wasn't enough, I had to watch as each one walked through the front door, collapsing in tears and anguish, like it was a repeating movie I was being forced to watch. Each one tore me apart more and more, but I couldn't get away, I couldn't leave. I was the one who kept it together. I was the one who was strong, who talked, who kept things from being darker than they could have been.
That day changed my life more than everything else I've experienced put together. It is also when I had to be more than I knew I could be. I have never been as strong as I was that day. It taught me lessons I'll never forget and can apply to any situation in life, even college. I learned that you have to be resilient. If you aren't, life will eat you alive. You have to stay strong, you have to always look forward, and you have to do all you can to never let anything tear you down.
It may have been the most devastating day of my life, but it also taught me things I never knew before. It was the single day I was at my best. We all need to look at the worst things we've been through and take from them life's greatest lessons. Some of the most troubling times teach the most meaningful lessons we could ever learn. Whether we let them consume us, or learn from them, is our choice.
Growing up through a childhood without a father was hard enough, and the worst things could ever get, or so I thought. He was an abusive alcoholic, and was hardly ever home. As bad of a father he was, he was an even worse husband. Most of his time was spent with some other woman, and some other kid. So in a way, him leaving when I was six years old was a good thing, but the fact remained that I no longer had a father, that inspiring role every boy should have while growing up.
Then, when I was thirteen and finishing the last week of school, my life changed even more than I could have imagined before. I walked home from school that day because my mom never came to pick me up, nor would she answer the phone. I got more and more mad the closer I got to home, upset that I had to walk the not-actually-terrible distance from school back to my house. Then when I got closer, I came to the conclusion something worse might be going on. Sure enough, walking through the front door, I saw her in her chair, in front of the t.v., not moving or breathing. I was the first home, the first to find her, so I had the job of calling 9-1-1, followed by each of my brothers and sisters. As if that wasn't enough, I had to watch as each one walked through the front door, collapsing in tears and anguish, like it was a repeating movie I was being forced to watch. Each one tore me apart more and more, but I couldn't get away, I couldn't leave. I was the one who kept it together. I was the one who was strong, who talked, who kept things from being darker than they could have been.
That day changed my life more than everything else I've experienced put together. It is also when I had to be more than I knew I could be. I have never been as strong as I was that day. It taught me lessons I'll never forget and can apply to any situation in life, even college. I learned that you have to be resilient. If you aren't, life will eat you alive. You have to stay strong, you have to always look forward, and you have to do all you can to never let anything tear you down.
It may have been the most devastating day of my life, but it also taught me things I never knew before. It was the single day I was at my best. We all need to look at the worst things we've been through and take from them life's greatest lessons. Some of the most troubling times teach the most meaningful lessons we could ever learn. Whether we let them consume us, or learn from them, is our choice.
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