Resent Ramblings

I did not spell check this blog so forgive me:

November 4th of this year was a stressful night for some. Anxiously awaiting the results of a "historic" election can take its toll on emotions (whether those emotions are driven by excitement or horror). I, personally, wasn't too caught up in the race because the past months had made me resent the news-media. I was "politically burned out".

Just around 7:30pm in the heat of the process a wonderful thing happened: the power went out in my house. At first, like any normal person, I thought that a serial killer had cut the power and now waited in the shadows to...well...kill my mom and myself. Once I regained my head and put down my Nerf gun I came up with a brilliant idea: poetry reading by candle light! After illuminating the living room with the haze of candle light I eagerly read aloud "A Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe to my mom. Following the reading was more reading, this time to myself.

The night was relaxing until 10:00pm when the electricity was restored. I was honestly disappointed. I was ready to live my life without electricity, television, and facebook and resort to the imaginative and beautiful world created by books. I was ready to rest in the arms of an unplugged lifestyle.

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Wouldn't that be nice? Living "unplugged"? Our society now requires us to be connected through technology. I want to say "Yes! I will live unplugged!" but the truth is, I could not make it. Although, what I can do is this: live in a way that does not require to me to lean on technology, but use it for what it is - a tool to connect, not lifestyle to live out.

I'm tired, are you?

Replacing Reality

My apologies to anyone who anxiously follows this blog. Recovering from a homecoming week and reuniting with the normal deluge of home work has no room for blogs. Except tonight.

A common theme I have seen in my life, and possibly the culture at large, is a replacement of reality. Taking what is real, genuine, or authentic and putting a legitimate fake in its place. An example could be an infomercial I saw today for a "Turbo" something or other. Mr. T was the guest manipulator so I was enthralled. It replaced grilling. No more must I slave over a fire or charcoal and cook hamburgers or hot dogs. No, all I had to do was place the uncooked meat in the Turbo...and be amazed. Get this, I could even take it outside and pretend like I am grilling.
Where is the fun in that? Think about it. If everyone got one of the contraptions, grilling would be vanquished. The sweat and tears over under cooked or charred meat would be no more. We would be released! The real grilling would be replaced by fake grilling.

Let me put in a more personal example. Conversing over the internet. Many-a-teenager has had a three hour conversation with one or more people in their life time. Maybe even adults if the "real-time conversing" was apart of their generation. It is so much easier to say "Oh, look person A is online, I will talk to them...because they are online." Then three hours later, and 567 mindless questions including "What's you favorite color bird?" and "How many steps are on your house's stair case?" later you say goodnight...or morning. That is a real conversation.

To quote one of my favorite television characters: "false".

Real has nothing between its components. Take away the computer screen or phone screen and replace it with the face of person then talk. I am guilty of the crime of replacing real conversation and connection with the fake. Seeing the person face-to-face was awkward, and I had nothing to say. Why? Because we never really connected. We spoke, not talked.

We are missing it if our best friends live inside a computer. I love talking to a person face-to-face now. I encourage you to do the same if you're guilty of what I have been set free from. You will find life in your conversations, and you will move forward. Gain a real friend and stretch your limits.

Let us replace was fake with what is real, and never stop the progression of real community.