Much To Live Up To

In 2015, the whole world was exposed to the transgenders through Caitlyn Jenner. Although, people knew about them, the whole world was definitely very aware of them. Despite the media’s approval there was an interesting voice that spoke out about the situation, a woman, Michelle Smith Glass. Going against popular sentiment, she remarked that being a woman is not just a mere matter of just changing your sex, continuing that there is a lot more to it.

Her saying that hit a strong mark. The truth of the matter is, how can just changing your gender mean that you are a man or a woman, when being a man or woman is so much more. It is rather insulting to say the least.

You may be born a male or a female, but men and woman are not born, they are forged. Being a man or woman is not easy, they both have their own very different challenges, arguably one has it harder than the other, but in reality, they are both are just as hard.

To be a man, it is responsibility, duty, strength when you feel weak, and tough, but not rough. For a woman you have to be strong, but you have to have grace, and a lot of times you have to be something that you aren’t because men aren’t doing their part.

Nevertheless, this is just really scratching the surface of what it means to be a man or a woman. How can you describe how hard it is, you have to have courage in the morning and steel in your backbone for tomorrow. It is not little effort to be a man or a woman.

That having said, then you have transgender people, they come onto the scene. However, can you really just be called a man or a woman when you take a couple of pills or have some surgery? The answer would be no, whether you are for or against transgenders. The reason so is, even if transgenders could magically change their bodies, which is not possible, but if it was, they would only be either a female or a male. For as mentioned before, you are born a male or a female, but being a man or a woman is a choice.

Being born a man or woman and then making the decision to be an honorable and excellent one is hard. Becoming something that you weren’t born as changing your body to be a male or female is hard, all those drugs, all those surgeries, it is a long journey. However, despite as hard it is, it will never be as hard as becoming a man or a woman that is honorable and excellent. Pulling aside the drugs the surgeries and all the other betweens, a transgender male or female, have a lot to live up to. Joining the ranks of true men and women, who are responsible and gentle, is something that cannot happen as easily as one would think.

Merely A Feeling

Feelings do not define people, feelings are just feelings. How you feel does not make you who you are, because how you feel changes. On the other hand, you don’t change. The things you may do may change like feelings, but you don’t change. This is why we cannot be defined by how we feel.

If you ask someone how they felt, and they said, "I feel angry", you wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that they were an angry person. If however, they felt angry all the time, you might be able to say that they were an angry person, but just because they felt always angry doesn’t mean that feeling defined them as who they were.

When people are depressed, we say that they are depressed. However, just because they are depressed we do not say they are just depressed and that is what they will be forever and ever. One day, even though how hard life may be for them now, they will and can change how they feel. It may be hard, and they may have felt depressed for a very long time, but they can take control of their emotions. It might not be today or the next few tomorrows. However, they will one day not be what their feelings dictate. 

So if all these people feel this way, and though they may feel that way, they can change. How we feel is not how we will always feel forever. Furthermore, we can change how we feel, we always have a choice despite contrary belief. The only time you will never have a choice is when you give up that choice to something or someone, and even then you can still make the choice to regain your choice back.

So if people feel like a murderer, if they feel straight, if they feel gay, if they feel like a pedophile, just like that angry person or depressed person, the reason we say they are that is because of a feeling. However, as we know, feelings can change. So if you want to tell someone you are born a certain way because you feel that way you, you can, but it won’t be true. It will only be as true as how your emotions are in that moment that you allow to be so.

How you feel, and how you live is entirely up to you, and not your emotions. No one is a slave to their feelings. People are certainly how they are if they choose to go by how they feel in that moment. Yes, that feeling may be very strong, but ultimately, you are master or mistress of your own body, in what you feel and how you feel.

No one is simply just born something, and no one is forced to be something unless they decide to be so, and if they were forced or became something, they can always change. Never doubt that, less you believe a lie, told by yourself or others.

A Little Update

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to give a little update with my writing and my plans for the future of this blog. I thought it would be good to inform you guys as I'm thinking of doing some changes. Some things that I'm hoping for this blog is that I will be to categorize things in a more easier manner for people. However, another aspect that will be changing, is that I know that I will be busier next year, so I may write less, such as posting only maybe once a week. Nevertheless, hopefully that won't happen, but if it does, it does.

Some changes will be happening to this blog, however you'll just have to see them happen. And I'll have to see if I do them. I just want to thank everyone for their support and its been a pretty good year. I hope I hear more from you guys in 2017.

Thanks,

Jack Snider

The Government

The government is going to always to fail. With that said, one says that in the nicest sense possible. Governments have a very difficult job, they have a job that is supposed to please everyone or make their life: better, safer, happier, wealthier, and healthier. Just listing the things that the government is trying to do, you can understand that before they even start they are going to fail.

Our expectations of government is unreal, we expect the government to make us healthy when even doctors cannot do that. We expect the government to make us wealthy even when finances companies cannot. We expect the government to raise our kids when even parents who love them cannot. We expect the government to do the impossible and we are surprised that the government has a problem, when the problem really is that we have sought them to fix every problem. 

With that said, it is really no surprise that we are disappointed with our governments. However, the government is made out of people. Very real people. People with hopes, dreams, and naturally failures. Governments, despite the picture they paint are very fallible human beings, which is a danger. A danger not to just the people they serve but to themselves. 

However, this danger is not entirely their fault. When people vote or pick a voice that they like, they usually pick it for what they want to hear, not because it is right or wrong, but because they want it. 

This leads to the whole honest politician problem, the problem where they lie, and then lie some more. The problem though, is that they are lying not just because they are dishonest, but because that is the only way anyone can win an election. People only want to hear what they want. If politicians were honest, no one would vote for them. People want to hear that things can be done, even if it's untrue.

It just seems ridiculous though, lets say someone was voted in because they could build good transport. Roads are expensive or any transport method when building. Furthermore they take a lot of time and people. So for instance, if politician promised he/she would build this infrastructure, they probably can start something, but to see its end? Most unlikely, three or four years in power is just not long enough. Especially if you lose the next election because things didn't happen quick enough for the people.

Although, we may not like everything in the government or the government that was voted in, cut them a bit of slack and understand that a government has an impossible job. They have to fight against the people who they serve, and they have to fight against the people who are hired to be their enemies, by the very same people they serve.

The problem with the government is very much the problem of the people. Even people who claim it's their right to complain they are very much of the problem that they complain about. Complaining does nothing, but in the strictest sense, it causes unrest and actually stops any progress, because the people who could be changing the world for the better, are only complaining. 

While complaining about the government is a really fun past time, it is important to understand that the government is what it is because of us too. Meaning really, as the government needs change, we as a whole society need to change. So if the government is going to change, society and ourselves need to change first.

Dear Crazy Fanatics

Although fanatics such as suicide terrorist or the like, are sometimes brainwashed, and crazy. You have to admit, what is our country missing that we are not willing to be so focused on causing change? Looking at terrorists, while a lot can be thrown out to the garbage bin, we can learn a little bit from their dedication and realize how they are not that far behind us in certain things.

If people are hell bent on doing something, who can stop them? Terrorist have changed the whole world. They have brought fear, they have brought terror, and they have definitely caught the attention of the whole world.

While their methods are despicable, they believe in their cause. In our societies, we do not have a driving force that makes us want to cause change. Instead we have lives that focus on our own engenders.

If people are willing to die for something, usually nothing can stop them? All men and women are made equal to a certain extent. However, what separates them from us is education and technology. The reason terrorist do not win is not because they are stupid, it is because they have less knowledge and technology. That is the only reason they don’t win this war.

Besides that, they are better than us in the fact that they seem to have more heart. In society if we want to make change, we look around, asks for funds, and have a riot. However, we are not desperate to see things through; We lack luster.

While one does not condone the acts of terrorism, you have to admire what lengths they are willing to go, even unto death. Furthermore, this is not one of the popular, “I hate America and Western Culture.” Rather, it is acknowledge what terrorist are willing to do, and what today societies’ lack.

Nevertheless, one has to realize this, the reason they don’t win isn’t because we are superior or smarter. They are plenty smart how they use social media, play the news, and invent new ways of blowing up things. The reason we win is because of superior technology and training. Nothing more or less.

So when you see some terrorist blow themselves up, yes they are crazy and messed up. But remember this, the only reason you are alive and he or she is dead, is because we have superior technology and training. They have plenty heart if not more than us and plenty brains. Furthermore, if we see them stupid we will lose, if they catch up in technology or training they will win. The thing is, as backwards in many things that they do or say, if we could have just a fraction of some of the dedication that they have, we could wipe out terrorism of this globe for good.

Not Very Professional

Looking back at the elections, the up to date events on how things have played with Donald Trump and Barack Obama, one has to admit, it has been quite ridiculous. Ridiculous in the fact that in a room full of supposed grown adults and Trump, they are acting just as childish as him.

In the last election America had, it was a wild ride to say the least, scandal after scandal, and definitely a very surprising ending. However, through it all, Trump was a constant factor. He was himself, brutally honest, rude, and brash. While no saint or hero, at least he was constant. Which to a certain extent, while not the best if you have those qualities, at least it was constant.

On the other hand, it was strange that Clinton and Obama were condemning his actions yet acting like him. For the very people who claimed to be adults in a room with a blonde child, it seemed suddenly they were sinking to his level. They were condemning him yet they started following his strategies and trading insults.

It just seems wrong their behavior when they claimed to be so much more mature. However, when in reality they were just acting like him. It’s one thing to be rude and arrogant, and then there is hypocrisy being your campaign slogan.

In the aftermath of the election, Obama made some comments that the next government would be unstable unlike his government. For someone who is supposed to professional and a grown “adult”, making snide remarks about the next government, just seems lacking in good taste. Especially so when America is what America is right now.

However, even if America wasn’t undergoing civil unrest due to the election results, or if it wasn’t between the time of handing over power peacefully, such comments were not called for. Especially so, when Obama was very judging when he believed that Trump wouldn’t hand over the power peacefully if the elections didn’t work out for Trump.

You can say whatever you like about Trump, and it would be Trump. However, when it comes to his opponents, it is a bit disappointing that they, who are supposed to be “mature” adults, are acting, unprofessional, destabilizing, and stupid.

Obama or Clinton, take your pick, but the government in power hasn’t been strictly as honest with themselves or the public. Trump may be a child and be what he is, but if they start acting like him, and they believe him so horrible, just how horrible are they that they act like him when they say he is horrible. One can only criticize the hypocrisy of them claiming Trump being childish when they haven't been any better.

If this is their behavior, it presents two things to oneself. Either that, Trump will be just like them since they are acting like him, or that maybe things will just be fine. Either way, maybe it’s for the best we have a change of government. Furthermore, whether you like Trump or hate, it is really time that we made America great again, because love trumps hate, right?

Food For Thought

We live in world of thoughtless action, deed, and word. The world despairs at this. We constantly meet people who do stupid things and their words are, “I didn’t think about it.” And how could they, thinking is a lost art.

The popular actor, Jennifer Lawrence, mentioned something quite interesting in an interview. She didn’t mean in the way that one is referring to. However, in the scandal were a man hacked her personal computer and posted nude photos of her. When the man was questioned, he said, “He didn’t think about it.”

What that man said was spot on: He didn’t think about it. He probably does think now that he is in a prison receiving his just desserts. Nevertheless, society doesn’t think as a whole. And probably they don’t as a whole don’t think a whole lot either.

Why you might ask doesn’t society think anymore? It’s because we don't teach how to think. Society teaches people, opinions to memorize versus thinking about things. People chant, don’t offend people, and that is their religion. Don’t offend the great god, People.

However, the problem with memorizing opinions or ideas, is that they don’t provide actual learning on how to deal with life. It would be like teaching how to fix a car in an exam. You teach the class to memorize the right answers. They ace the test, but fail in real life, because real life isn’t going to be like that exam.

Thinking in all honesty is dangerous, it questions norms, it questions for a good answer. Sometimes to the thinker’s grief, but it is an honest question. People need to ask questions and people need to not shut them down even if it makes people uncomfortable.

Just the Same

How has the world changed? Not much really. Looking at the world you can’t see much of a difference. In a sense, yes things have changed, reasons, names or other such dressings and sides. But when you go to the heart of the matter. How different are we? It would seem that we are only fools to think that we have progressed so differently.

A hundred years ago, people treated gays and lesbians in a way that was wrong. They were humans, but they weren't always treated so. Now a days we don’t do that thankfully. We treat them like humans beings, that they are. However, instead what we do today is, people who support gays and lesbians treat people who don’t support them, whether it be asking honest questions, religious, or scientific, the same ways gays and lesbians were treated a hundred years ago.

A popular thing to do in the past was to sacrifice babies, whether to volcanoes, fires or different methods. Probably what made it so horrible, excluding the fact of sacrificing babies, was that it was pointless to a certain extent. Now a days, that doesn’t happen so openly. Nevertheless, we have abortion clinics. Clinics that kill babies up to nine months. Babies are born at six months. What this essentially means is this, the only difference is that a few inches of skin from being out of the womb versus in the womb mean the death of a baby. 

Nevertheless, as like in times in the past, it was pointless, for a lot of the deaths of babies, they are justified by saying that stem cells can be used to heal people. However, stem cell treatment remains largely over hyped and is still a very large unknown. Basically, the hype is almost like thinking radiation will make you spiderman or other famous comics figures formed by some microwave.

 

In times past, people use to burn to the stake witches or people with different doctrine from the norm. Horrible, but not that different with what people do now a days. We may not burn people to the stake or go for witch hunts, but we do so metaphorically when people chase after those who they believe “racist” or who don’t have accepted opinions. Social justice warriors, will go after those that they believe wrong. Often burning anyone who has a cat or is an old woman, so to speak.

This is the world we live in, those in the past lived in the same world that we do today too. How different are we really? Sure, those are just a few instances, but isn’t that the point? They are only a few observations out of the many more that can be made. It’s nothing to get down about. However, we cannot plateau and stay content, this world needs a lot more change. We have made a lot of progress in years past, but it is important to remember that sometimes progress is not always progress in the right direction.

A Historical Event

They say that history is written by the victor. In this point of time, history is just written by those that shout the loudest; we live in democracy. Nevertheless, history can be so easily lost in a moment. In a flash it can be rewritten from the actual truth and you wouldn’t believe so in this modern era of enlightenment.

Think of a historical point in time, and you have already have ten different opinions of what happened. While you might get the facts, you won’t always get the why or the how.

Today’s history writers are not notable people. They are not even honest people or even necessarily nice people. They are people who have selfish stake in what we hear about history. Is it not their fault that truth is not being told. It is not their fault, main stream media shouldn’t care what you know about truth.

The media or any entity that gives news, is not about what is right or wrong. It is not about truth. It is about their opinion going out to you. It is what they see. What you choose to listen is your choice. This is how history is being lost, because no one will look through a history book that was written while they were alive.

Take for instance invading the Middle East. Most people would say because of 9/11. However, a lot would say greed, and probably even some would say aliens. The point is that for such a recent event, so to speak, you can’t even seem to get to the bottom of what really happened.

It makes you think, how is history even accurate? Even till this day, we are learning about new things about history. Also every day people are revising history how they want it.

History just seems so impossible to record and be accurate. It just seems that having accurate history of yesterday is just as hard as having accurate historical facts of Genghis Khan or Alexander the Great.

Although, we have all these means to record history, you will have to sift through everything and find the truth of the matter. Yes, we have the information, but there is just so much information, that it makes you wonder, what if the information of history that I seek, is actually not here? What if history is all wrong, and filled with too many opinions.

There are many historical events that are happening around us in this moment, some are good, some are bad. Nevertheless, you may think you know how history is, because you were alive when history happened. However, if you look through the history books as you would for a time before you; you may just realize, history is being written from a different story that you believe happened or what you saw.

Are They Really Just Children?

People say children are a blessing and are precious. While it may be nice that people feel that way, there are deeper connotations. When you take the time to think about it actually, you realize maybe not how precious children are, but how important they are. While we may die or grow old, they will live on. Live on to either make war or make peace, cause trouble or solve trouble, destroy this world or rebuild this world. Children are infinitely important, yet society doesn’t seem to take great care in who makes or breaks these children.

All of the greatest history figures of this world where children once. In childhood, people are molded, and usually stay stuck in that mold. Although it may not always seem so, if you peel back the layers there is still much of the child there. Not necessarily a bad thing, but just something to be aware.

So if children are molded when they are young, it seems that we should set the standard higher, or people should be more aware, who is molding your children? The person who spends the most time with your children usually wins the child’s ideals and understanding of life. Yes, quality wins over quantity, but children are like sponges.

From birth to adulthood, we have a system that has children being away from their parents. While not a problem, it answers very clearly why we have people who act like grown children. How can you ensure a future to people who don’t necessarily care about your future. It just seems that more scrutiny is needs to be taken with child care, because what they teach, will be what society reaps.

On the other hand, it’s not so much what are they teaching, but what are they not teaching. Certain things in life are so crucial but they are not being taught in schools, for the simple reason, schools are not children’s parents. School's responsibility is not to teach them right and wrong, that is the job of parents. Schools teach education.

The scary thing is this, when we get old or when we need help, we are expecting the very children that we see running around your street to save you. They will be your doctors when you get old, they will be your presidents when you vote, they will be your carers later in life, and they will be the ones who dig your grave when you die.

It's not so much of who’s child is this when you see a child, but what harm or good can this child do if left alone? Although every child will only have one biological father or mother, they will have many fathers and mothers who will mentor them in life in how to be a grown adult. An adult who can stand for what’s right and sit down when necessary.

People say that children are wet cement when they are young. What one suggests is: children are great evil or great good waiting to be happened. It is just a matter of who will teach what to a child? If not that, what would a child learn by itself from our actions?

If we can get to our children first, we have won all future wars and future problems. Society is being raised by people who have different opinions from us. Children are learning every day, Tv, youtube, social media, and real life. And when children aren’t learning, it's what they aren’t learning that sometimes causes more trouble. I challenge you on this, children aren’t just precious, children are a something waiting to happen. They will either do much for good or much for evil. If you can impart a seed of justice and truth into a child, you have sown a forest for the future.