Inspiration

The Most Fascinating Man in the World

Perhaps last week, or even last night, we met a guy or a girl, at a coffee house, or a pub, or perhaps even after class, who:

• backpacked through Malaysia and/or
• spent two years learning martial arts in Cambodia and/or
• teaches handicapped children how to swim and/or
• started a company at age 10 and/or
• speaks ten languages and/or
• is a traveling poet and/or
• made a a great scientific discovery and/or
• is intimidatingly smart and/or
• dances like a fantasy and/or
• is foreign royalty and/or
• wrote a book and/or
• …is just exceptionally attractive

And soon we find that they were the last thought you had the night before you went to bed, you have shared your encounter with them with all of your best friends, and you have spent one too many minutes creating a thorough analysis of their identity merely through what they have managed to place on any of their social media platforms. 

After, by chance, our secondary research for our case study hasn’t yet invalidated them as being, perhaps, the most interesting person in the tri-state area, we go out and continue our primary research until we find that they are:

• void of any goals in life
• employed at McDonalds
• mental
• a drug dealer
• a meth addic
• a chain smoker
• not educated
• obnoxiously promiscuous  
• just an exceptionally good liar
• …pure evil

And perhaps none of the preceding is true and we just meet a genuinely good or interesting person. And perhaps we manage to form an adequate friendship or relationship that is mutually fulfilling. Eventually they become just your friend who happens to speak a few languages, and by chance is a talented poet, who may have written a book…and thats it. Attraction to novelty is present in humans since we were toddlers when our new toys were the most fascinating things in our existence for those first few weeks before we moved on with our lives. This Culture of Novelty is best summed up by a quote from one of my best friends:

“People are so interesting when you don’t know them.” 

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1 year ago  /  10 notes

Give Me Something to Believe In…Other than Myself

In this short period of time we call a life span, we spend our times preoccupied with death and what happens next. Our human hearts are so fickle we are in an incessant  search to look for something to praise to make sense of things, but our idolatry expands more than beyond just the religious context.

We make temporary idols every day.We ask the Geek Squad which computers to buy, consult advertisements for what to eat, and run to Oprah to figure out what to read. We get preoccupied with grades, status, and perhaps even a desired response from a crush to validate our existence. However, in this fast paced independent minded country of America, we are taught to believe in ourselves so much that even our self-esteem borders on idolatry.

I write this post more like a journal entry rather than a distant analysis of the world. I can’t remember when or what was the last tribulation or accomplishment  I had, or overcame, that gave me my deep rooted feelings of entitlement. But alas, I will never be prescribed a pill for an illness I don’t have or win a trophy for a contest that I am not a part of. As ironic as it sounds, perhaps sometimes we have to move from questioning the world to just accepting things for how they are. Only in doing this can potentially free ourselves from our false sense of entitlement, or our self idolatry.

Many of us have the tendency to still revert back to being egocentric babies and perhaps the key to having less temper tantrums is just having a better understanding of ourselves, and our culture of idolatry.

1 year ago  /  2 notes

Standardization Cont’d

So after over a month of studying and a 3.5, turned 5, hour exam because the computers kept restarting I got exactly what I needed on the GRE’s to apply to the program I desired.

…A few days later

“Dear Mr. Miller:

I am writing in regard to your February 7, 2011, Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).

Due to a recent discovery of a transmitting problem involving your test session, your scores were unable to be processed from this administration. This error was not caused by any action on your part. You successfully completed the testing session.  The technical problem occurred during the transmitting of the exam to our office. Therefore you will need to test again.  If you wish to do so, please use the following voucher number to schedule a new appointment at your earliest convenience.  You cannot register online with this voucher. You must contact Prometric at 800-473-2255. The voucher number is valid for one year from the date of this notification.”

My Thoughts: 

2 years ago  /  0 notes