Lunch break

I've been thinking a lot today about what we do out of comfort, and all the things I do because it's easier to do them than to change that part of my life. We all have those things, we don't exercise when we have other things to do. We don't clean the house for what ever reason, but sometimes we don't do big things because we think it will be difficult. We stay in an abusive marriage because we don't know where we would go, or stick with a dead end job because we are scared to change.
It's amazing how the little changes we make today will change our lives in huge ways tomorrow. I think it's slightly true that we are like mice in a maze looking for the cheese, every turn puts us on a different path. some may take longer to get to the end and some might be huge shortcuts, but we never know which are which. I think that's what makes life an adventure, but the problem is when we decide to sit and wait in the maze instead of making a decision to go right or left.
I just hope in the future that I will be willing to make a decision faster and not just sit in the maze waiting for a decision to come to me.

My favorite poem

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me
Black as the Pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul
In the fell of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud
Under the bludgeoning of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed
And yet menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid
It matters not how strait the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul

-William E. Henley

What has blogging become?

I enjoy blogs about politics, religion, food, money, personal stories or anything that can be read by an individual and inspire some kind of feeling. I just pushed the "next blog" button on blogger.com for a straight hour, and every single one was the "so and so family blog" I swear to god not one blog about anything other than peoples kids. I get that people love their kids, kids are cute, but they are not worth 500 pages of blog! I beg people to do more than post pictures of your ugly child. Sorry but of the hundreds of pictures I just looked at maybe 20 of the kids were cute. Please for heavens sake, write something other people will care about.

The universe

I've been thinking about space a lot in regards to my own origin and how I came to be. It's awe inspiring to look up at the night sky and know that I am some small part of that universe. The universe is massive, to the point were we can not comprehend how large and vast it is. Our planet is a speck in the Galaxy and we are a speck on that speck.
With that large of a scale it's funny to think about things on this planet as if they some how matter. The universe doesn't care about how wonderful a rose garden looks, or if the sun rise is breath taking. We could be destroyed, our whole planet gone tomorrow and the cosmos would never notice.
As Neil deGrasse Tyson said In an amazing speech "We are star dust." What he means is that when a star dies and explodes it spreads it's chemicals and elements out in to space, and after billions of years it ends up in us. The chemicals that make up our bodies are traceable to phenomenon in the cosmos. Our basic composition is traceable to stars! How amazing is that?
so why then does it matter if we exist? If we could all be gone tomorrow and not even be missed, why do we exist? Simple, we are how the universe can know it's self. dogs don't marvel at the stars, horses don't contemplate the meaning of life. we are how the cosmos knows it exists. with out creative thought and scientific understanding, the universe couldn't understand it's own existence. I'm not saying we are the only creatures in the universe that look at the night sky and ponder about space, but we are the only ones on this planet that do.
Now this may make you feel small but it shouldn't! How amazing is it that we feel so much? Forget parting the Red Sea, I get to know joy and love, sorrow and pain, now that is a miracle! we get to feel anger over a flat tire, we get to laugh at a stupid joke, we get to love! To me, that is the meaning to life, experiences, knowledge, loving people and accepting one day it will be over and that that's OK. The universe is grand and marvelous, but so are we. I hope one day every one will understand how beautiful every person is.

Money and God.

I was board at work today and decided to look at some religious stuff, when I stumbled upon a wikipedia page for the finances for the Church of Jesus Christ of later day saints, you know the Mormons. I read the page and was stunned with how much money the LDS church has! Now exact numbers cant be found because the church isn't required by law to report their finances because they are a "non profit" church despite the fact how much money they have.
In 1996 Time magazine reported on the finances of the church, this is back when membership was 4.9 million (now 12 million) and they only had 50 temples (now there are more than 135).

"TIME has been able to quantify the church's extraordinary financial vibrancy. Its current assets total a minimum of $30 billion. If it were a corporation, its estimated $5.9 billion in annual gross income would place it midway through the FORTUNE 500, a little below Union Carbide and the Paine Webber Group but bigger than Nike and the Gap."

now this was 13 YEARS AGO! the church has more than doubled it's membership and gained BILLIONS of dollars since this estimate. This article did not take into account the many of the company's the LDS church owns including television stations, radio stations, news papers, restaurants and business parks and movie production companies, although they did include the biggest.

"The top beef ranch in the world is not the King Ranch in Texas. It is the Deseret Cattle & Citrus Ranch outside Orlando, Fla. It covers 312,000 acres; its value as real estate alone is estimated at $858 million. It is owned entirely by the Mormons. The largest producer of nuts in America, AgReserves, Inc., in Salt Lake City, is Mormon-owned. So are the Bonneville International Corp."



So where does the money come from that is "non profit" related? Tithing! To be in good standing with the church you MUST give them 10% of your income. So where did this number come from? well of course Joseph Smith, but like many things he taught it wasn't in forced in the church until it after he died, (like drinking alcohol, LIKE JOSEPH SMITH DRANK).

"After the U.S. government confiscated church property under the Edmunds-Tucker Act in 1887, the church fell into severe debt. The government had seized most church assets, including tithing money donated by members. As a result, by the time Lorenzo Snow became church president in 1898, the church was $2.3 million in debt.[8]
Snow reiterated the principal of tithing (giving 10% of one's income to the church) and by 1907 the church was completely out of debt." - www.wikipedia.com




In 1996 the church had 30 billion in assets and 5.9 billion in cash. since then the church has doubled in size and in property. No church is required to pay taxes and are not required to disclose their finances for public record. The church has more money that 95% of businesses in America. To quote the bible,

Mark 10:25 "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."



I'm not a religious man, in fact I despise the things that have been done to people in the name of "God", I loath the fact that because something is "sacred" it is considered untouchable and above the law and above dispute. I have never made an attempt to hide my feelings about this. On the other hand I deeply believe in individual spirituality and finding "the meaning of life" for yourself. Jesus never had grand temples when he was on this earth, he loved the poor and detested the hardened hearts of the rich. He dressed in humble garments and preached a life of meagerness. So how does a multi billion dollar empire reflect the principals of the man who's name is on the front of your buildings.

Self confidence

This Friday we were at Keys On Main, we were having a good time listening to the music having a few drinks. My wife out of no where pointed out a group of older men with their wives, she singled out one man who had a very young girl sitting next to him. It was obvious that this 40+ year old man was trying to impress this woman. He was dressed in nice cloths, ordering lots of drinks and doing everything possible to close the deal with this 24 year old bomb shell.
I watched this guy intently for about 20 minutes, on the surface he looked like the modern playboy party boy, but when you watched him for a few moments you started to pick up on little things. The way he looked around when he laughed, the way he make over the top sexual jokes to be funny but the topper of them all was the way he constantly had his hands on her making it public that she was with him. It made me laugh to watch him, and see how insecure he was. The funniest part is that I, an overweight, middle class 24 year old has more self confidence that a well off (or tried to make him self appear so) good looking 40+ year old. Happiness in not about money, good looks or having a good looking girl on your arm, it’s about being happy with who you are and loving your self. The most important thing we can learn in life is to be confident in who we are or we will never be truly happy.

Moral values

What are the core values you hold dear to? I’m not asking how you think you should live, but what are the moral principals you are willing to fight and die for, the basic values that shape your every decision and action in your day. I was talking to a friend last night that made me ponder my moral center and what guides me if not an omnipotent, omnipresent, sinless God. In my pondering I figure out the following core moral values.

1. I realize that every person is someone’s son, daughter, wife, husband, grandma, grandpa or best friend. On the surface of this argument it’s simple and a “duh” statement but think about it deeper. If some one yelled at my wife over nothing I am going to defend my wife and ensure she is treated fairly. So why would I yell at some one for making a small fixable mistake? Why would I treat someone in a way I wouldn’t want someone to treat my family? I know this is simply a branch off of the “golden rule,” but it’s more than that. I don’t care if people yell at me or talk trash because it doesn’t bother me that much, but I will never stand idly by as someone disrespects my family. So as I expect you to treat my family I will treat you.
2. Everyone should be allowed to do what makes them happy, unless it harms another person. Now that being said, I do not accept some activity’s and will not allow them in my home and furthermore will not stay in a place where those things are taking place. It is not my job to regulate what people do, nor should anyone else or government entity. It is our job to teach our children what will harm them and why and then hope they make good decisions. Logic is a beautiful thing that should be embraced and taught to our children, FEAR IS NOT A TEACHING TOOL FOR CHILDREN!!! If your child is scared you have not helped them you have hindered them and have decreased their cognitive reasoning skills! Teach them, explain until your blue in the face, but it is immoral to press your beliefs onto other people, especially if it’s not even your child! Remember that more people have been killed in the name of “God” than for any other reason, and that is also immoral.
3.It is our moral obligation to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. Children would be the most important group of people in this section, although not the only group. Children are special people; they are our future and are one of the most important things on this earth. Children must be protected from the many people in this world who are, for lack of a better word, evil. They prey on children because they are trusting and loving. These are the same people who prey on the old, the weak and the sick. These people are the lowest form of life in my opinion if you are one of these people you should be shot without mercy, because you have none yourself. So it is our job to help and protect those who cannot do it themselves. If we see a child being abused in anyway and we do nothing we are as guilty as the person who is committing the act.

Now this list is just the morals that guide MY life you may have more, you may have less but they are principals I’m willing to fight and die for. There are many more things that help me guide my life and those are important to me as well, but with out these 3 principals I am lost.