People

Some advice I got the other day (concerning this blog) is that I don't have to write everyday. That's true, and as of right now, I know I will not have the time to write everyday EVEN IF I wanted to.

So, today let's discuss something that has recently been on my mind.

People.

Have you ever sat back and thought about all the different people in your life and how they have affected you, where you are now, and where you will be going?

I've often wanted to write a list of every person I've met, those whose name I know, and discuss how they've influenced or affected the path my life has taken. The frustrating thing about that project would be knowing that I've allowed some to influence me negatively, and others haven't been enough of an influence. Of course, there will be those people who have been a big part of my life (even if only for a limited amount of time), who seem to serve no purpose rather than confuse me.

The most frustrating people are those who confuse me. I'm not particularly fond of not knowing why a person was or is in my life, especially if their presence makes me doubt or second guess everything I know.  I can only think that maybe these people come and go so you stop to think for a minute. Maybe we need people who "confuse" us only so we will take some time to slow down and think about what we really want or need in our life.

So, my question to you is this: who is in your life that makes you think? Is there a person who is serving (or has served) a "big" role but has no foreseeable purpose? Has their presence caused you to think about where you are, where you've been, and where you will be going (even if they may or may not be a part of your past or future)?

I'm in a place (for the summer) where I will be meeting new people constantly. There will not be a single week (from now until August) when I don't meet someone new. I'm looking forward to this, but I'm still trying to figure out how this experience and these people will affect my future. For now, though, I'll just live in the present and enjoy the moment.

Outline (sort of)

I read today that if one is going to blog and be successful, they should be sure to write about topics they are truly interested in and really love. I've been thinking about this all day, because it's only day 4 of my blogging adventure, and I'm already running out of ideas to write about.

First, how is it possible that I have nothing to say/write? I think it is because this isn't a two way conversation, it's just me rambling. That being said, I'm pretty good at rambling on without replies...so this is a bit of a quandary. Maybe it's that I'm trying to maintain some kind of privacy, so I'm finding it hard to talk too much about me or my daily activities.

But, anyway, I've decided to list some topics I love, and start writing about them over the next few weeks.

1. Music
2. Welfare, and (my) ideas on how to improve the system
3. Rights vs. Privileges (i.e. free cell phones in LA)
4. Career options (for me, of course)
5. Education (both foreign and domestic)
6. Foreign affairs (mainly Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq)
7. The upcoming presidential race
8. Congress (there are a whole lot of subtopics to this one that I'll have to list later)

Okay, enough listing for the night. Be back Monday, if not before!

Making an Effort

In an effort to write daily (though I'm sure I won't stick to this), I'm going to do a quick note about me. Why? I've been way too busy to think about anything important to write, so I'll go ahead and grace you with some information about me that you may or may not already know.

I'm horrible at arguing. I get too flustered  to make any sense, then, when faced with a better "argue-er" than myself, I begin to doubt my own argument. I communicate much better in writing (hello, blog!). 

I like new things. I like change. I LOVE meeting new people. I adore travel (but don't do it enough).

I like to talk.  I'm working on becoming a better listener, but I know I'm better at talking than listening, and it's probably one of my (many) faults.

My bedroom is always messy. It's like a scrapbook- filled with pictures, artwork, books, jewelry, stuffed animals, clocks, mirrors, clothes, hats, shoes, papers, instruments...

I'm a musician. Sort of. I've got degrees in music, but don't currently work in the music field.

I like organization, but am MUCH better at organizing other people's lives than my own.

I'm tired. So, that's all for now, folks.

Just Take the Job

Funny thing: I recently read an article about citizens of Afghanistan who were upset that people from Pakistan were being hired to work. Why? Because they are cheap labor, they work hard and are willing to work any hours.

Sound familiar?

When did people in Afghanistan get too good to work cheap, hard labor jobs? When did people in America get too good to work hard labor jobs or blue collar jobs? 

I was thinking about previous generations today, as I passed a group of day laborers laying fiber optics cable for my community who couldn't speak English (I know this because we actually stopped the car on the side of the road to ask what they were doing, and they had to find the foreman to talk since we couldn't communicate). My grandparents and great-grandparents were willing to work any job necessary to put food on their tables. They started from the bottom and worked their way up. I know from their stories it was hard, hard work.

However, more recent generations seem to think they (we) are too good for hard labor jobs. It's also not just "hard labor" jobs we are too good for. We are too proud to take any job we consider "beneath" us or our education. Then, we get upset when someone with less education passes us by.  I'm guilty of this. I have yet to consider doing anything I think will "discredit" my degrees. I don't want to blame anyone for this train of thought. But, our grandparents and great-grandparents worked hard, real hard, with the hopes that their children wouldn't have to deal with the struggles they faced. I'm thankful for that, but maybe these struggles will always exist. Maybe we should just accept the fact that we will have to step down from our high podiums and struggle for a little while. Maybe we will have to work jobs we don't like to get to the one we want. Maybe we should stop waiting for the perfect job, and get out there and take whatever is available until the next best thing comes along.

And maybe we should stop complaining about others having a job, when we aren't willing to put forth effort to get the job.

It's just a thought...

Question 1

So, to start things off, I should ask my first question:

Why is it so important for the U.S. to pay for problems in every other country, when we have HUGE financial problems of our own? I feel like this is similar to a family who struggles to support their children, but when another family comes along and needs money, they readily hand it over, leaving their own children to suffer.

Granted, not every person in this country is suffering, but there are a lot: child hunger (in our OWN country), homeless who need help getting on their feet, people on welfare who abuse the system (yes, this is another topic on its own), elderly who can't pay their medical bills, the middle class suffering drastically (I know, I'm one of them and I live in a community full of middle class people STRUGGLING to survive), and the natural disasters that have recently hit our country (tornadoes in Alabama and the Midwest, flooding along the Mississippi, fires in the east, snow storms in the northeast, and the list goes on)

I'm not asking for government handouts. Not at all. But, it seems the government could consider spending money on programs to benefit and assist some of our issues rather than handing it out to other countries, some of which have NEVER been successful at maintaining a stable economy or government infrastructure.

Oh, and speaking of natural disasters, where is everyone else when we get hit? Does the news in the rest of the world not mention us? Where are donations from people and other governments to help us?

I understand we've been a superpower for quite some time. I'm not saying we shouldn't be. But, it just seems that at this point in time we should consider taking at look at ourselves before trying to solve the rest of the world's problems. And, I don't think that would be selfish. In fact, it seems rather pompous of us to assume we can be there to assist everyone else when we aren't managing our own business.

Am I wrong? Can someone please give me a point of view that will make sense?