The world, through my fingertips
General thoughts, opinions, and observations
Make art
It’s free
And lasts forever
Write the story
Snap the photo
Paint the canvas
Sing the song
Dance the dance
Make the art
No matter the medium
Put your name on it
Shout as loudly as you can
Through your work
No matter how quiet you may be
If you’re lucky
You’ll pull a Vincent
And they’ll notice
Long after you’re gone
It cost you nothing
But has the capacity to be eternal
And you’ll never starve
If you make something that lasts forever
Because that’s the only sustenance
You’ll ever need
“I know I can talk a lot and have a shit ton of advice you’ll probably never listen to” I told him “but if there is one thing I can tell you that I hope you take away from me, it’s that the demand for a gentleman will never go away.” I was talking to my little cousin, who at the age of sixteen was one of the best dressed men at the wedding we were attending Saturday night. He looked the part, but is too young and shy to play it; little man wants to “be cool.” I had spent the hour or two prior to our conversation eating, drinking, mingling and whatever else you’re supposed do at a wedding but at the same time I was secretly observing everyone in the room; the women for obvious reasons and the men because I was curious to see how many of them were affected by this epidemic among us.
It seems that there is an inverse relationship between the passing of time and the presence of gentlemen in our culture, and their number is exponentially decreasing. I can only assume this has occurred slowly over a series of decades because there is no way all these assholes popped out of thin air.
I was nitpicking the room, taking note of every word and gesture I heard and saw come from these men and even though they couldn’t hear me, I was talking to all of them in my thoughts. If only I had the opportunity to take a few pictures to better exhibit my points of concern. I was at a wedding after all, shouldn’t people portray their best selves?
So nice of you to hold the door for your wife sir. It’s alright I guess, …she does seem used to it.”
Your face is way to close to your plate right now…it’s the main course and you’re bopping for apples; this is also exclusive of the fact that you’re right next to your girlfriend whom is not eating… I bet a certain someone is getting lucky tonight!!
I can see you across the room making a big boob gesture with your hands as you cup your imaginary double D’s in front of your friend…need I say more?
Your date is dancing in her chair, glancing at the dance floor every five seconds. Do you have any idea how much I am aching to offer her my hand to actually dance with her? It’s frolicking to Pitbull, not the waltz, get your ass up and show her a good time. You can do it, I have faith.
Did I just hear you say the word “pussy”? Did you just call someone a “pussy”? Why is that word even in your lexicon? The music is making my eardrums bleed and I just heard you say that. Do you have any idea the physiological resilience and fortitude that the female reproductive organs posses? I have a real urge to slap you in the mouth.
You fellas, at the bar…the name cards in the lobby when you walk in have table numbers on them. I understand your tendency to drink your social discomfort away but I would like a drink as would the line of people waiting behind me…
These thoughts didn’t stop for at least an hour, some resonated more than others, but overall I found myself sitting at my table with a sense of disappointment washing over me as I wondered “Where did all the gentlemen go?” And just as I thought myself immune to this epidemic, I caught myself licking the small amount of stray gravy that managed to latch itself onto my upper lip after I took a bite of my medium-rare filet only to realize that we all fall victim to some degree or another and that I should have discreetly used the napkin sitting on my lap…
There were a few gentlemen in the room, but none of them were in any proximity to my age group, so in my disappointment and exhaustion I decided to temporarily exit the room in an effort to go find an empty bridal suite to take a nap in; there was nothing to see there anyway. As I walked out into the lobby I overheard a group of young men talking about one of the guy’s immaculate tie knot and he was grateful for their compliment but proceeded to say “It’s not bad I guess, but I don’t have the right collar for it, I need the spread” as he pointed to one of the other men’s collars. I smiled to myself as I walked passed them because that was the affirmation that I was looking for; that gentlemen are out there but they are increasingly harder to find. I revert to what I told my little cousin; there will never be a loss in demand for a gentleman because their supply is slowly but surely decreasing. This wedding was not the first time I thought this but rather a testing ground for my theory and if you take some time to observe those around you, there is no limit to what you may hear or see, and let’s not pretend that the the modern-day lady is any easier to find.
One Friday, in early November, I was in eastern Long Island for the night, sitting beside some of my closest friends in front of a fire I had put together; simply enjoying the silence among us as we gazed at the dancing flames. Around two o’clock in the morning, after tending to the fire for a few hours, it dawned on me that despite my undying love for fire, I have never really written anything about it exclusively…unless you count Candlelight…
If you played a part in my childhood, you already know that I was a little bit of a “pyromaniac” and some of the most memorable and exciting moments in my life involve fire or variations of it. I still vividly remember the first time I saw gun powder in action – at the age of seven – as my older cousin blew up a bottle of Bubble Jug in my back yard. By the age of ten I had learned that there were a number of household chemicals that are highly combustive and when used in a certain manner could yield someone…a flamethrower.
My uncle always reminds me that I was the only child he’d ever met that used the word “accelerant” when he was looking for some assistance to start a fire. To this day, I remember the pride I felt as a twelve year old cub scout when my cousin and I were the only scouts in our “Firem’n Chit” class to conquer the challenge of building a fire using nothing more than two matches (the “instructors” probably used over thirty and a quarter bottle of lighter fluid). In my Junior year of high school, during English class, we took a written assessment that told us which jobs we would excel at most and among the fifty-plus results we each received, nothing was able to surpass the level of excitement I felt as I read the words “bomb technician” on the list. I was astonished; partially because I couldn’t believe it was actually a viable result on a high school career assessment and also in part because it was something I’d always “dabbled in” as an adolescent. By the age of twenty I was planning, organizing, and executing firework shows in Eastern Long Island for my family during 4th of July weekend and sometimes the weekends of Labor day and Memorial Day (permissible by budget).
Today, I don’t partake in any of the above activities, but still indulge in the occasional campfire when the opportunity presents itself, as it did on that warm Friday in November, when I built one of the most beautiful fires I had ever built in my life. It was a fire that stayed with me long after I left its presence; it’s heat still on my face hours later. I can feel it’s warmth on me now as I write this very note.
“Feeding a fire is a huge responsibility” my uncle told us as he sat in the row of people to the left of me in front of the fire (he was talking to the rest of the group). “I’ve seen a lot of fires in my lifetime and this might be one of the best ones in the past five years I’d say” he addressed to me. I agreed with him. Not only in the sense that this was a great fire, but the fact that tending to a fire is a great responsibility. A fire isn’t just a pile of hot burning wood, it is an entity that encompasses most of the characteristics of living things and is anything but lifeless. Fires, like humans, need oxygen and food in order to survive. They are hugely temperamental and can go from tamed domestic pet to wild ferocious animal in the blink of an eye. Fires can create energy for cities and promote life, but they can also burn everything down and reduce an entire population to ashes.
Shortly after we arrived I snuck out of the house while all the guys were busy catching up on things and setting up all the essentials (beers, burgers, and the like) and walked over to the fire pit to clean it out and make sure that it was ready for me to start building the foundation of my fire (1). I wanted to do it alone; setting up a fire is therapeutic for me. I forget about everything and simply focus on the task at hand. I put a lot of attention into it because it is a selfless task. A fire brings people together and provides warmth, it’s not something you do for yourself 99% of the time.
Then I proceeded to collect a variety of wood that consisted of tinder, kindling, and fuel (2). Tinder would be your smallest pieces of wood, think twigs, brush, and small branches. Much like the popular and superficial dating app, tinder burns hot and fast and is virtually incapable of building a sustainable fire; you use it only as a starter. Kindling consists of thicker branches usually one-to-two inches in diameter which can be used to support your fire and upon strategic placement can move burning fire to a neglected area. If fire was a relationship, kindling would be the flowers-for-no-reason, a home-cooked candlelit dinner, or a spontaneous weekend getaway; kindling feeds the fire and keeps it going. Finally, you need fuel. Fuel are the fat logs or split pieces of wood you think of when you imagine a fire. They are the foundation and structure of a fire, they will burn long after your kindling and tinder do. Fuel is added relatively infrequently compared to the other woods, but it burns the longest and provides the most sustainability. Fuel, in some ways, is a mile stone; your fire needs to be ready for it. Too much, too soon will only drown your fire and prevent oxygen from flowing through it. You need a combination of all three types of wood in order to create a good fire.
After gathering some wood myself, my friends discovered that I was outside and came to help, beers in hand. Despite my inital plan to do it alone, it is always nice when you have the support of a few of your best friends behind you. Two of the guys gathered more wood and neatly piled it off to the side; a safe distance from the fire (3). My uncle ran off to the garage on a quest for some…”accelerant” (4). Someone else set up the hose and a bucket of water for added safety precaution (5) and I started building my fire (6). Everyone has their own way of doing it and my uncle and I briefly debated the topic, but since I took the initiative on this, we were doing it my way. I took my time constructing it, all while hearing the guys complain about how long it was taking me (precisely why I do it alone), and my uncle anxiously waiting for me to finish so he could douse it in gasoline…..not quite the “accelerant” we were expecting but it worked….to each their own.
It is funny how much you can decipher about a person’s character by the way that they build a fire. Some people enjoy watching a fire blaze and roar so hot and high that it fills their eyes with light and blasts their bodies with heat; but those fires tend to be short lived and you’ll waste a ton of resources in an effort to sustain them. After the blaze is gone, you will feel even colder than you did before. Some people enjoy hovering around the embers of a dormant fire because it still provides all the heat one needs without the risk and uncertainty of dancing flames. You can get much closer to a cluster of embers than you can a blazing fire. Despite all the different preferences for forms of fire, a true master fire builder has one goal and it is neither blaze nor ember, it is longevity. Building a great fire that lasts is far more fulfilling than any hot blaze or sleeping ember. Anyone can throw leaves or gasoline into a fire and watch them burn, but it takes a lot of skill, persistence, patience, and responsibility to build and tend to a fire that provides lasting warmth.
Within a short few minutes we were all sitting in front of the fire, telling stories, drinking beers, listening to music, and forgetting about everything else in existence. It was an opportunity for all of us to bond and unwind after a long week. I frequently got up to feed the fire or move a few logs around in order to get more oxygen running through it so it could burn better and it almost felt like I was dancing with it. Winds change, wood crackles and falls, and fire is always moving; it can be very temperamental but as long as you understand the basic principles of managing a fire, it will never get out of control. I knew it was a great fire from the moment I caught myself staring directly into the center of it for twenty minutes in pure silence but that is not why I knew it was a great fire; it was because all of the other hadn’t said a word in twenty minutes either. We were all lost in our minds, staring at the dancing flames, dreaming our own dreams, and all I could think of as I stared deep into the heart of this fire was how many lessons fire has actually taught me. I looked down to see that it was a little past 2:00 AM and it was then that I decided my next blog post would be about the art of building a fire. I stood up to go and tend to the fire some more and the guys started talking again. As I turned to walk back to my seat and sit back down I heard my uncle say to me “I’ve seen a lot of fires in my lifetime and this might be one of the best ones in the past five years I’d say.” The man is a few years my senior, and I’m sure he’s seen some great fires, but this fire, on that November night, was my Olympic flame and Zeus himself couldn’t take it from me.
Maybe this isn’t all about building a fire and it is about sustaining passion in one’s life or nurturing relationships. Maybe playing with fire all my life wasn’t such a bad thing as it taught me many lessons despite the occasional burn or two. Maybe this has to do with everyone’s fire, whether it is intrinsic, extrinsic, or physically right in front of them. Maybe I didn’t just light one fire that day. Despite all of this hypothetical speculation, fire, no matter where it physically or metaphorically resides, can only be sustained for the long term using the simple principles above. Even if a fire has been reduced to its embers, it can still be reignited with a little bit of patience, persistence, and effort but if you wait too long and it burns out, you’ll be left with petrified wood that can never be reignited and the only hope is that you place it somewhere safe and a tree will someday grow in its place.
How we define strength varies from person to person. Some people measure it by how much weight an individual can push or pull on a barbell and others place more value on emotional fortitude and the ability to withstand life’s stresses without breaking down or falling apart. No one is wrong about their opinions, strength isn’t black and white, it’s a matter of perception – where one places certain critical values. There are one-hundred pound girls that can be stronger, tougher, and more emotionally resilient than a 225 pound man. The definition of strength might be different for each and every person but one thing holds true for all of them. Strength…is where a person conquers weakness.
When it comes to conquering our weaknesses we tend to take the wrong approach and focus too much on what makes us weak. When we dwell on our weaknesses they create a black cloud that hovers above us and rains feelings of self doubt that only weigh us down. Eventually all our doubts and concerns become self-fulfilling prophecies on our reality and thence weaknesses and insecurities will end up taking over and beating us.
While we’re trying to fix what’s “wrong” with us we tend to forget about all of our strengths and the things that make us who we are. Everyone has weaknesses and battles them differently but in the same light everyone has strengths and how they embrace those strengths is also exclusive to one’s self.
Everyone eventually falls victim to their weaknesses and gets burned in some way or another but it is our strengths that allow us to rise from the ashes, like newborn Phoenixes with breathes of new life burning within us. Our strengths are the fire that fuels us and cause us to awaken to our true potential and turn any of our dreams into a tangible reality.
Perseverance and persistence are excellent traits to have but what if you are persisting on your weakness and continuing to engage with whatever it is that may be “hurting” you? You’ll hear people tell you to “hold on” or to “keep at it” and it will “eventually get better.” It is almost as if some people believe that a willingness and ability to hold on to something directly correlates with it’s likelihood of improvement. If a stock you hold a position in is tanking, what is your best bet? To hold onto it and cross your fingers, hoping that it bounces back? Or to get the fuck out of there and settle with your losses before it manifests into something you can’t possibly recover from? “Pain [might be] weakness leaving the body”, but it’s not all forms of pain that build character and strength. Holding onto something that hurts you does not necessarily make you stronger, sometimes it just desensitizes you and even though it’s still hurting you, you just don’t “feel it” so you assume it’s okay. You either stop caring, or stop hurting, or stop crying, but it’s still there, holding you back from bigger and better things.
Anything and anyone can bring you down. It can be an unfulfilling job where you hopelessly wait for a big raise, bonus, or promotion. It can be a relationship that puts more emotional stress on you than it does happiness and you’re just holding onto what is was in the past and not what it is presently. It can be your tendency to beat yourself up over all the things that are “wrong” with you. It can even be the fact that you ignore your own needs in an effort to please others. It can be any external force or it can be self inflicted.
In the battle against weaknesses it is sometimes just best to let go of them and pretend that they do not exist so you may focus on what is more important…your strengths. Whether you’re curling five pound dumbbells or holding the weight of the world on your shoulders, you are stronger than you can ever imagine and if you constantly dwell on your weaknesses you will only make them worse. If you’re ever feeling weak or hurt, don’t panic, just get a a grip of yourself and realize that as much a virtue persistence can be, it can require more strength to let go of something than it does to hold on to it.
How we define strength varies from person to person. Some people measure it by how much weight an individual can push or pull on a barbell and others place more value on emotional fortitude and the ability to withstand life’s stresses without breaking down or falling apart. No one is wrong about their opinions, strength isn’t black and white, it’s a matter of perception – where one places certain critical values. There are one-hundred pound girls that can be stronger, tougher, and more emotionally resilient than a 225 pound man. The definition of strength might be different for each and every person but one thing holds true for all of them. Strength…is where a person conquers weakness.
When it comes to conquering our weaknesses we tend to take the wrong approach and focus too much on what makes us weak. When we perseverate on our weaknesses they create a black cloud that hovers above us and rains feelings of self doubt that only weigh us down. Eventually all your doubts and concerns become self-fulfilling prophecies on your reality and your weaknesses and insecurities will end up taking over and beating you.
While we’re trying to fix what’s “wrong” with us we tend to forget about all of our strengths and the things that make us who we are. Everyone has weaknesses and battles them differently but in the same light everyone has strengths and how they embrace those strengths is also exclusive to one’s self.
Everyone eventually falls victim to their weaknesses and gets burned in some way or another but it is our strengths that allow us to rise from the ashes, like newborn Phoenixes with breathes of new life burning within us. Our strengths are the fire that fuels us and cause us to awaken to our true potential and turn any of our dreams into a tangible reality.
Perseverance and persistence are excellent traits to have but what if you are persisting on your weakness and continuing to engage with whatever it is that may be “hurting” you? You’ll hear people tell you to “hold on” or to “keep at it” and it will “eventually get better.” It is almost as if some people believe that your willingness and ability to hold on to something directly correlates with it’s likelihood of improvement. If a stock you hold a position in is tanking, what is your best bet? To hold onto it and cross your fingers, hoping that it bounces back? Or to get the fuck out of there and settle with your losses before it manifests into something you can’t possibly recover from? “Pain [can be] weakness leaving the body”, but it’s not all forms of pain that build character and strength. Holding onto something that hurts you does not necessarily make you stronger, sometimes it just desensitizes you and even though it’s still hurting you, you just don’t “feel it” so you assume it’s okay. You either stop caring, or stop hurting, or stop crying, but it’s still there, holding you back from bigger and better things.
Anything and anyone can bring you down. It can be an unfulfilling job where you hopelessly wait for a big raise, bonus, or promotion. It can be a relationship that puts more emotional stress on you than it does happiness and you’re just holding onto what is was in the past and not what it is presently. It can be your tendency to beat yourself up over all the things that are “wrong” with you. It can even be the fact that you ignore your own needs in an effort to please others. It can be any external force or it can be self inflicted.
In the battle against weaknesses it is sometimes just best to let go of them and pretend that they do not exist so you may focus on what is more important…your strengths. Whether you’re curling five pound dumbbells or holding the weight of the world on your shoulders, you are stronger than you can ever imagine and if you constantly hover over your weaknesses you will only make them worse. If you’re ever feeling weak or hurt, don’t panic, just get a a grip of yourself and realize that as much a virtue persistence can be, it can require more strength to let go of something than it does to hold on to it.
The New Year is around the corner and it’s about that time everyone starts to think about their New Year’s resolutions. I hate New Year’s resolutions, but I guess they are derived from good intent.They get people on their feet and instill some new-found purpose in them. At the very least they are a great marketing scheme for gyms and fitness centers around the world. I hope your resolution lasts forever and not the standard three weeks. Either way, here is some juice for the ride into 2014.
1/2 mv^2
“He has potential”
“She’s going to be successful”
“He’s burnt out”
“You’re gonna go far kid”
Whether you hear it or not, everyday someone, somehow predicts our or someone else’s future. Is it that easy to see what we’re made of? Is it that easy to predict? Why don’t people just start placing bets if it’s so easy? Maybe someone should start a company that invests in people so everyone can put their money where their mouth is.
You can’t say that the Eagle Scout and valedictorian are going to be successful just as much as you can’t say that the high school dropout is going to work minimum wage for the rest of his life. Even if you could place bets, you probably wouldn’t because this is life and you can never be too sure about anything. Investing in companies is easy. Check the financial statements, read up on some news, have a hunch and you’re done. It’s easy to explain what went wrong with a company that dips 10% in a day but how do you explain a person with a full scholarship at a top business school and the brightest future giving it all up to a drug addiction? How do you explain multimillion dollar high school dropouts and billionaire college dropouts? What about CEOs of Fortune 500 companies that went to community college?
Go ahead. Explain. Give us your fundamental analysis on the matter. Please use your incredible gift of judgment and place a bet on someone’s future. I’ll gladly take the other side of that bet with the right odds because you can’t predict anyone’s future any better than can your own. You can’t make judgment because there is something that exists in people that can’t be measured, it can’t be charted or graphed, and it can’t be analyzed by any traditional means. It’s called heart, drive, ambition, motivation, juice… Whatever it is that you want to call it; it’s an energy that exists within us that can’t be quantified. It’s that “potential” they speak of. That energy that some people allegedly have and others don’t. I’m sorry to break the news but EVERYONE has potential. And potential is not necessarily a good thing.
By definition:
Potential energy (n.): The energy of a particle or system of particles derived from position, or condition, rather than motion. A raised weight, coiled spring, or charged battery has potential energy.
What use is something at rest? What interest do you have in a motorcycle that’s turned off? Do you picture yourself sitting on it and taking selfies for your super badass Instagram @MotoCyclfie? NO! You picture yourself riding it, going fast, blazing through traffic. You picture it in motion. You picture its kinetic energy. We’re all interested in movement, not rest. So why do we place so much value on someone that has “potential?” Everything and everyone has potential. It’s when they start moving that it matters; which direction they’re moving in and how they decide to expend that energy. Potential might mean something to some people, buts its “going kinetic” that matters.
We’re all balls of potential energy waiting to be expended. Some people have more potential than others and everyone uses their energy differently so there’s no predicting a path. Someone might have all of the potential in the world to be great but focuses on expending their energy on drugs and partying before they inevitably burn out (burning out is definitely possible – cars run out of fuel and so do humans). Some people go kinetic early on and give it everything they have (sprint, if you will). Others take it slow and then wait for the right time to go kinetic. Others keep a slow and steady flow of kinetic energy; not too much to avoid burning out and not too little to avoid never moving at all.
It all depends on your style. If you sprint, you risk getting tired too quickly. If you coast, you’re just balancing and you may never realize your full “potential”. If you’re a procrastinator by nature and you’re waiting for the “road ahead” to make your run for it, you risk never making it at all. Because there is no bigger sin in life than a ball of energy losing its glow of life before it ever had the opportunity to “go kinetic” and show the world what it was made of. And on the contrary, if you wait until later to “go kinetic” you may very well propel yourself past the finish line and make for a nice ending; knowing that you gave it your all and finally finding out what you’re capable of. Some people cross the finish line and live on with the satisfaction of knowing they finished the race, some people never stop moving forward, and some people never start moving at all. It’s your move, your “potential,” expel it how you want to. Just know that everyone has it and you’re not capable of accomplishing anything with it if you never start moving. Stop talking, start doing, and “go kinetic”.
Kinetic energy (n.): The energy of a body or a system with respect to the motion of the body. Kinetic energy is an expression of the fact that a moving object can do work on anything it hits; it quantifies the amount of work the object could do as a result of its motion.
Have a happy New Year 🙂
PS: The title of this post is the formula for kinetic energy….Mind = BLOWN!!!!
So I haven’t submitted a blog post all semester and it is probably because I was too busy making memories rather than trying to write about them. This was my last semester as a student at Penn State and I would like to do you one last honor and present to you one final blog post (as a student).
Now…this piece is very special to me simply because it was not created for the purpose of this blog. That’s right….I DID NOT write this with the intent to post it. What you are about to read is the very last assignment of my college career. It is reflective and it helped me tie everything together. This is word-for-word what I submitted to my teacher. The assignment was about cultural institutions and diversity. Oh yeah… I got an A. Enjoy.
“The Invisible Teacher”
Much like the “invisible hand” of laissez faire economics, our cultural institutions serve as a concealed pedagogical force in our culture. Most people do not know the definitions of ‘pedagogy’ or ‘cultural institution’, but that does not mean they don’t understand them on more basic level. Someone who does not know the definition of persistence can still understand and value the importance of hard work, just as knowledge of the definition doesn’t correlate to one’s ability to work hard (persist). This course allowed me to better identify and define the forces and influences of my surroundings even though I already knew their significance beforehand.
Cultural institutions surround many issues; diversity, pedagogy, visual culture, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, social difference, and religion being a select few of them. As a graduating college senior who has spent the last four and a half years of his life in a supreme example of cultural institution; I only thought it logical to use Penn State as the focus of this assignment. From what I noticed, the students in the class were primarily in their first/early semesters of their college career. Just to provide a sample; even though they may choose to use Penn State as their cultural institution…I’ve been “Around the [campus] block” eight times more than every other student that was in my group for the previous assignment. Since day one at Penn State I’ve grown as a person, learned as a student, and appreciated everything around me more.
College – especially Penn State – is one of the most diverse atmospheres one can place their self in. Even though academics plays a HUGE role in the acquisition of knowledge (and is in some ways the main purpose of attending a University), it is the least significant part in the development of an individual. The best lessons are the ones that professors do not teach us, but rather the one’s we discover ourselves. Penn State serves to teach valuable information that pertains to your area of study, but it also provides the environment that will facilitate your growth as a person. Penn State has a diverse student population, multiple clubs and organizations to become a part of, a grand museum, beautiful architecture, and multiple other entities for learning. Penn State is a cultural institution that can teach you way more than just definitions, mathematical formulas, and molecular breakdowns; it indeed has quite a lot to offer.
Walk around campus for a day and you will see many things and make many judgments. Everything will be new and exciting to you. You will be inviting to new ideas and will absorb everything around you (consciously and subconsciously) at a lightning fast rate. WARNING: on your first walk around campus, you will not be able to retain everything you see.
Walk around campus for a semester and you will begin to acclimate to your environment. You will act on judgments and decide which ideas were and were not for you.
Walk around campus for a year or two and you will begin to understand your surroundings. You will make friends, you will solidify beliefs, you will have tried new things, but most of all…. you will officially be comfortable.
Walk around campus for four years and you will be a seasoned veteran. Many friends will have come and gone, you will have made and witnessed many promises, you will have said goodbyes and you will be able to read people better. You will know who is stuck with you for the long haul and who (sadly) you probably will never see again. You will know what “Making an Impact” means precisely because of the fact that you will know who has made an impact on you. You will be more cultured because of all the new things you’ve tried (you don’t have to like it, just have to try it) and you will be ready to make your transition into your next cultural institution, “The Real World”.
Walk around campus ONE LAST TIME…..and you will wish it was your first day because as much as you accomplished during your stay on campus, there is so much more that you haven’t yet discovered. As much as you know about campus, there are things you failed to appreciate until this final moment. There will be people you never had the chance meet or even say goodbye to, places and things you wished you tried but never made the time to. On your final walk around campus… your regrets (even though you’ve sworn that you live a life without any) will finally settle in because it’s too late. It’s too late and it is time to appreciate everything it was, is, and will be when you decide to visit again “Soon”. WARNING: on your last walk around campus, you will not be able to retain everything you see….but you will sure as hell appreciate it all.
This is my very last college assignment. At the precise moment that I click ‘submit’, my college career will officially be over. A part of me almost never wants to submit this so the feeling of still being a Penn State student can linger within me just a little bit longer. But if I learned something worth retaining, it is that Penn State is but one of the many cultural institutions I will experience throughout my life. I am glad that I saved this class for my final semester, and I am glad that this is my final assignment because it allows me to tie everything together. Cultural institutions are plentiful, but the cultural institution of the world is infinite and the “invisible teacher” will always exist. We simply make transitions from one cultural institution to another. We will always learn; whether it is via visual stimuli like artwork and film or the grasp of a life-changing speaker or writer. Sadly, it’s past 5:00 pm and my assignment is officially late…. I apologize for the hold up, but I needed an extra ten minutes as a student.
Thank You,
Stamatis Kakleas
“What is the key to happiness?”
We tend to hear this question often and throughout our lives we search for the answer indefinitely. That is the purpose of life isn’t it…to be happy? Some people even claim that they’ve figured it out and have done us the indecent honor of writing a book on the matter. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just pick up some happiness in the self-help section at Barnes and Noble for $15 ($18.95 Canadian)? Why does there have to be a key; as if happiness is something that is locked away in the distance and it is our duty to find it. If happiness was indeed hidden behind a closed door, anyone who knew how to pick a lock would easily be able to find it. You can’t cheat your way to happiness; it doesn’t require a key because it is not locked away by any traditional means.
Many people set happiness as their goal in life but ‘to be happy’ is not a reasonable goal. Happiness is the result of achieving one’s goals. It’s not something material that can be purchased or a treasure to be found. Happiness is purely the result of achieving your goals; big & small, long-term & short-term. So the “key” to being happy is setting goals. Your list of goals should never end because every time you achieve a goal, you become happier in nature. A never ending list of goals leads to never ending happiness, as long as you don’t get lazy and give up. If you give up on something, you never deserved it in the first place.
Have you ever achieved a goal and not been happy about it? People suffer from depression and being unhappy because their lives become monotonous, tedious, and lackluster. You should never cease to move forward. If you ever find yourself in a state of unhappiness just set a few new goals. A constant need for progression is programmed within us; it is when our lives become stagnant that we suffer from discontent. Even something as small as completing a to-do list can help crack a smile. If you’re bored, inactive, or find yourself seeking excitement, just set a new goal to challenge yourself. Learn how to play guitar, read a new book, lose five pounds, or finish your assignment early and go drink yourself to oblivion with a group of close friends; who said they had to be productive goals? The possibilities are endless.
If there is one thing I learned, it’s that you won’t achieve every goal you set. But you shouldn’t let that deter you from setting new ones because you never know what the turnout might be in the long run. If you put in the work and something doesn’t work out immediately just let it marinade. If it works out then that’s GREAT, if it doesn’t just move on to the next goal on your to-do list. If you’re ever unhappy, just take a look at yourself from an observational standpoint. Many people have it worse and your problems aren’t all that bad. There is no need to overreact and there is always a bright side to every situation. Stop taking good things for granted, complaining about things that are completely irrelevant, and realize that whatever may be bothering you momentarily, won’t worry you next year. Stop searching for happiness and don’t seek it as a goal because sometimes the only thing you need to do to be happy is just shut up and smile.
A: “Insert stupid idea here ______”
B: “Yeah man, YOLO”
YOLO YOLO YOLO! That’s all I hear and see lately. People seem to use it as a means to justify some of their most questionable actions. That short acronym for “you only live once” is used more as an excuse for stupidity than it is a reason for greatness. It’s constantly being used incorrectly; you only live once so fuck it up right?
Personally, I don’t think ‘YOLO’ is a motivating enough term to inspire greatness. Aiming to live a life that you would live a thousand times over is a much more suitable standard. Think about where you stand right now; would you do it 999 more times? Would you be happy to relive your life again and again? It may sound boring and repetitive but just think about your favorite movie or book; you can watch/read it a hundred times and never get bored of it. What makes life any different?
Don’t think of it as a life that you only live once, MAKE IT a life you would want to live a thousand times! Make friends that you would spend thousands of years with instead of ones that bore you after a few hours. Find a love that grows stronger with time and one that you would cherish forever instead of one that starts out like fire and eventually reduces to nothing more than a handful of ash. Work somewhere that excites and captivates you, not a place that makes you lose your hair or drains you of your happiness. Do things because you are passionate about them, not to impress other people who don’t care about you.
If someone told you that you would have to repeat it 999 more times wouldn’t you change your attitude? Wouldn’t you fight harder for what you believe in? Wouldn’t you give your best efforts towards success? Wouldn’t you make it a point to live a great life? YES; we do only live once, but make it a life you would want to relive a thousand times. If you only live once, why waste your life doing useless things instead of doing something meaningful? Try new things, work hard, play smart, go on adventures, fall in love, and become successful! By the end of your movie/story you should be in a rush to hit the replay button and start all over again. You only live once; so make it worth it and live your dreams.
“You only live once” – An excuse for stupidity; a means of justifying any action that may not conform to the ethical principles of our society.
“A thousand times over” – A reason for greatness; a reminder that if you’re going to do something with your life you should make sure it’s good enough to do it 999 more times.
I have a simple question for you. What would you do if you had $20,000,000 in your bank account? But here is the catch; you are not allowed to spend any of it. That twenty million has to stay in the account untouched and the only money you are allowed to spend is the interest accumulated.
Now let’s assume a “hefty” 1% annual interest rate
That amounts to $200,000 in interest per year in your pocket. That is more than enough money to live comfortably without any risk of stress due to your lack of finances. For the majority of us, that’s a pretty decent amount of money. So think to yourself, what would you do with it?
First off you would probably quit your job, especially if it pays less than 200k. Now you have a ton of free time at your disposal and $200,000 to spend. Initially, EVERYONE says they would travel; you would be insane if you didn’t. Seeing the different cultures and beauties the world has to offer is something everyone should experience yet many people can only dream of. If you’re going to spend your money, you would be much happier if you spent it on an experience rather than something material and irrelevant like jewelry or a car.
Some time passes…
Now you’ve traveled the world and you’ve even picked out your favorite destinations that you’ll revisit. Even though traveling to new places can be exhilarating and eye-opening, eventually you would grow weary of airplane rides and the constant commute from city to city. So now, you’re back in your home town or city and you’re bored again. Now what are you going to do with all of your money?
Yeah, we all would party or satisfy our impulsive cravings for material goods, but the thrill in all those things eventually diminishes. What would you do every day to occupy yourself? Simply sitting and watching TV won’t make the cut. If we do not keep ourselves occupied we will just rot away.
You don’t have to worry about money, so what would you want your job to be? It can be anything from waiting tables and glass blowing to being a heart surgeon or sky-diving instructor. The point is that when money is taken out of the formula, the only option that makes sense to anyone is the one that follows the heart. If you have always dreamt of being a doctor then go be a doctor. If you have always wanted to dance then GO DANCE! If entrepreneurship is your lifelong dream and you fear that you may not succeed or make money take the risk! We let money influence our life decisions; but when the day comes that you’re making tons of money working at a place that makes you want to rip your hair out, you’ll wish you listened to your instincts in the first place.
The purpose of this question is not for me to figure out your spending habits, but rather to help you find where your heart is set. The process of making money is much more fun than actually having money, because once you have it you begin to realize that it is not all that it is built up to be. It won’t buy you happiness, it won’t find you love, and it sure as hell doesn’t make for lasting friendships.
And that ladies and gentlemen, is the $20,000,000 question
The Chronicles of Stam 