From War Books to Reality.

The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien is an unbelievably written novel. I say this even though I am not a fan of war books. Evidently, The Things They Carried is a war book. So if even I, a person who does not read war books, actually likes this novel, it must be an interesting piece of work. The best reason I like this story is because it's real. It is written by someone who actually played a part in the story. Most war books I've heard of are usually just stories that only relate to war. But I've never come across one that actually tells the lives of real people, real fallen soldiers, real battles. That is why this book makes me worry about the real world, today.

War has been around for God knows how long. War is vicious, war is inhumane, war is merely a battle that no one can win. War usually starts between different groups of people. But then, without hesitation, those groups get larger, and larger, and larger until almost everyone is involved. It's almost like a game of chess: certain pieces are moved for certain strategies. But no matter what, the pawns always go first. Usually the pawns are looked at as less important pieces. This is because pawns can't do that much in comparison to the other pieces like the knights, the bishops, the king and the queen. But what if those pawns had lives? What if they had families? Are they more important now? Or are they still just pieces we as the players use as sacrifices for a better strategies?

Why am I comparing chess to war? Simple, because in my opinion, ever soldier out on the field in war is just a pawn that is being used so the king stays safe. I find it funny how the ones who start the war are usually observing in the back and waiting until the battle of the day is over. Oh sure, some of the pawns may not come back, but that's okay as long as they took out some of the other player's pawns. Another reason I'm comparing chess to war is how the pieces/soldiers have no say in where they go. Being drafted is just like being the pawn in the game of chess. Think about it, you're in the front line of the battle, you are most likely going to get killed/taken off the board by another piece, you have no control of where you are going because someone else is guiding you, and you have no choice but to move because you are in the front line of duty. This is just like when soldiers get drafted into war. The only difference between soldiers and chess pieces are that the chess pieces aren't alive and when the game is over they are capable of getting right back on the board. When soldiers get knocked out of the game, they stay out, and they can never come back.

Chess may be a game of fun and intellect, but war is only violent and nearsighted. When a player wins a game of chess, all the opposing side has to do is put their pieces back on the board. But in war, no matter if you win or lose, the pieces you lost can never come back. So please, don't make our men become our pawns. Because they will always get killed off first.

Legalizing Marijuana

It took me a while, but I finally gathered enough energy to blog about my choice essay.

I know the essay wasn't written by the Grammar King, but I still found it to be quite interesting. True, not only did he lack proper sentence structure, but he also failed to cite his sources. It wouldn't surprise me if the young man was actually on marijuana when he wrote that essay. Still, the essay was informative and interesting nonetheless.

Personally, I think marijuana should be legalized. But don't think I'm a pot head just because I think that. A question I wasn't able to ask because we ran out of time was would only people who actually smoke marijuana want it legalized? I say no, because there are people in this country who actually think people have the right to do whatever they want to their own bodies. They may think whatever it is the people are doing may be wrong, but they still have the right to commit the act.

When we go into all the facts and statistics about marijuana, they really aren't as bad as other stuff like cigarettes and alcohol. The difference between cigarettes and marijuana is marijuana messes with your brain cells and make you all loopy. Cigarettes do nothing but harm you. At least they people who are high actually feel good. That may not be the greatest defense, but it is the most simple one.

Alcohol is, in my opinion, the most dangerous of the three. Alcohol messes with you mind, your body, and your emotions. Alcohol can cause a person to lose total control of their surroundings. At least a person on marijuana is aware of what they are doing. True, their judgment may not be the greatest, but at least they don't lose total control. The side effects of both marijuana and alcohol are very different. Marijuana makes you tired and lazy. It only screws up your memory when you are under the influence of the drug. So people who say marijuana makes you stupid, they are only right when people abuse the drug. Of course, alcohol is just the same. When you become an alcoholic, you are putting yourself in way more danger than just becoming lazy and slow. When a person drinks too much, they typically experience a hangover. They puke, they have the headache from hell, and their body basically goes to crap. Once again, after marijuana wears off, the worst is they are extremely tired.

I could go on with more information about why marijuana should be legalized, however I only wanted to explain my basic ideas. Why should it be illegal when there are some things out in the world that are considered much worse? So tell me, would you want cigarettes illegal? How about alcohol? Or do you think they should all be legal? Personally I think they should all be legal because people have the right to screw up their own bodies and lives. However, if they abuse the stuff then I have a problem because they could potentially be putting others in danger. So please, if you drink or smoke, be safe and try to use your best judgment. Because there is such a thing as having enough.

Bad to the Bone!

Ah bullies, whenever I think of the cliched image of bullies I think of the big thugs with the leather jackets, torn jeans, red bandanas, stupid facial expressions, and the ever-so-popular quote "Gimme your lunch money, nerd!"

Was that a bit over the top? Well, that paper sure was. I understand where the writer was coming from. However, I found it to be a bit biased. I kept getting the vibe that this person was/is a constant target of bullies back in middle school or high school.

The paper would have been more effective if they spent more time talking about something other then WHY bullies are bullies. Because even the statements they were making weren't that great. They made it sound like all bullies face the same problems: they get bad grades, they have bad families, yah-de-yah-de-yah-da.

The paper was weak and a bit pointless, but it was interesting in its own way. It made me reminisce about middle school. Yah know, when everyone was dramatic? God, you couldn't pay me to go back to those days...

Do I Need A Halo or Horns For Saying This?

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Mahatma Gandhi.

I am 100% with Gandhi on that quote.

It took me a while, but I finally have time to talk about the religious discussion we had. However, I'm going to be talking about my own personal beliefs. So if you don't want to read the thoughts of an inquisitive teenager, then by all means fly...fly far away from here.

Both my parents were raised Catholic. They were born in the 50's (don't let them know I told you) which some of us know was a time where going to church was just an ordinary thing. Both my parents say they are still Catholics/Christians. They believe in God, Jesus, Heaven, etc. However, I have never seen them go to church. Which tells you that I have never gone to church. We don't mainly because of schedules and other reasons.

I was the only one in my family who was not baptized (my brother had a joke saying that's why I'm so evil). I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ, I even believe there is something beyond this life that awaits all of us. However, I do not believe in a lot of things the church, Christians, catholics, and even the bible preaches.

The bible was made by men. So many men wrote in that book it's ridiculous. But did anyone ever think about what kind of men wrote that book. They all say they wrote through the voice of God. But anyone can say that. Is it possible some writers of the bible used their power to write corrupted stories just to secretly spread their prejudice/discriminatory beliefs?

When it comes to mentioning hell (which neither I or my parents believe in) I stay very true to my beliefs. I would like to say that I think hell and the devil were only written about to scare people. Back then, the world was a very destructive place. So people wrote about a very dark and painful world that awaits anyone who sins against God. This was just a tactic for people to start being more humane. Unfortunately, that plan backfired because nowadays people are accusing others of being evil and devil-worshippers. Anyone remember witch trials?

I'm not going to get too into this topic, because I could go on forever. All I'm saying is, I believe we (some, not all) want to believe in a heavenly being that is watching over us because we are always seeking for comfort. For me, believing in God and Jesus Christ is something I do to feel safe and hope that the world will someday become a better place. I believe in the God that is all loving and forgiving, not the God that spends his entire time destroying people. I mean, lets be honest, who wants to believe in an angry God? (Rhetorical question)