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Toleration

When the good ole United States was initially settled, it was a place that countries would send people for religious toleration. They would say, we aren't going to tolerate your religion here, but if you go there, we will tolerate you. Now we don't have anywhere to send people that we don't want to tolerate (this is said in a joking tone) and we need to "buck up" accept others. This is probably going to be another "controversial" post but I feel like getting these ideas out there is a good thing. 

One thing I think that people have a hard time understanding is that the United States is NOT a Theocracy. For those of you that don't know what that is, the dictionary defines it as "government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided" Does this sound like the United States? I don't think so. Think of a divine right monarchy of the 17th or 18th centuries. Not everyone in the United States has to be christian, we don't have a head of government that is thought to be sent from God, acting on his behalf do we? Did some people not get that memo? What about separation of church and state? I don't like how on certain issues people always bring up the issue of religious morals or rules in relation to Christianity. Not everyone is Christian (I am, but I don't like those who find it to be the only religion. It's not.). 

Just because I believe something doesn't mean that it is the only thing to believe. I understand that statement is a bit contrary to what this entire post is about in a way, but it's true. I understand where people get their ideas from, and although I don't accept it I still entertain the thought in an Aristotelian sense. All I want people to do is be accepting of one another. How hard is that? I don't think that we should all push religion on each other, especially when others don't believe the same religion. I just don't think we should try to push our beliefs to others when it comes to religion. If I was Muslim, you wouldn't see me trying to force others into my beliefs so why do Christians seem to do it so strongly? 

Academic Advising

Today I was in my meeting with my good ole academic advisor to go over classes for next semester (I can't believe how fast this year has gone!) and boy was it an interesting time! I already registered without his help so the meeting was basically pointless, but I enjoy meeting with the guy any way the majority of the time although I swear he is crazy. I thought that some of the things he said or topics we discussed were so ridiculous that they were blog worthy so here they are.

1. He read me a poem about a dog, which I really enjoyed actually. One moment we're talking about Paradise Lost, then it's Walt Whitman and then we're on a dog poem from Martha Speaks.
2. You can't fix stupid. Some people are just dumb as a door and you can't teach them. Not everyone can learn. (His views, not mine) Education is full of ridiculous jargon (as I apparently will learn.)
     -On this topic, I do believe that all students can learn, just some learn in different ways. I also agree that you can't fix stupid. There's a difference.
3. Paradise Lost is NOT the Bible. (When I said this he said that I was a genius so I thought I would include it)
4. His mother is like a cat. Stubborn and won't give up on her position. If the world ended, she would be the last person alive yet is the nicest person he has ever met. (I feel like our conversations always go back to his mother...awkward...)
5. Dogs DO love. Although his girlfriend would tend to disagree with him. We then discussed different animals and how their personalities are reflective. He says that dolphins have reflective personalities...not even 100% sure what that means so I just smiled and nodded.
6. I'm a genius. (My absolute favorite part about my advisor is that he constantly tells me that I'm a genius and one of the brightest people he's met. He also tells me that I'm going far and all that fun stuff. I pretty much enjoy it.)
7. He was apparently in a LOGOS-esque class when he was in college and enjoyed it.
8. "How are you?" I'm good... "No. Really, how are you?" I'm pretty good actually...haha
9. Relationships and how when one ends/life gets confusing your mind mentally goes back to it's last set-point in which everything was fine... (fascinating stuff actually)
10. He printed out an 8 page article he said he thinks I will enjoy reading which discusses Rene Descartes, Plato and Aristotle and animals. I haven't read it yet...might not...it seems somewhat interesting, but 8 pages?
11. If he wasn't a psychologist what he would have decided to become in order: Psychology, Economics, History, Physics and what he would not become: Math or Chemistry. It was interesting to hear his reasons behind these.

All of these things took place in a span of about 20 minutes. It was quite the interesting meeting...I have to say I'm going to miss him as my advisor next year!

How is this even an issue?

Unless you live under a rock I'm sure you have noticed all of the = signs all over the internet/social media promoting equal marriage rights. This is going to be my little spiel about gay marriage because frankly I'm tired of it being an issue and I feel like this just needs to be out there.

Here we go!

So. To begin with, how is this even an issue? Really. America wasn't built to force others to conform to the religion of the majority, many of the first settlers/immigrants actually came here to practice their own religion because it wasn't tolerated in Europe. If the first settlers were trying to get toleration of their OWN RELIGION, why can't we just accept that homosexual people just want toleration too? Seriously. People seem to think that this is a new idea or something. It's not.

People also seem to think that being gay is something new. It didn't just happen overnight you know. In fact, in Ancient Greece, homosexual relationships were actually CELEBRATED and ENCOURAGED among young men and older men. I'm not going to go all Plato on you here, but these relationships were incredibly vital in ancient Greek society. If they were good enough for the Greeks, why aren't they good enough for us? Why do we condemn these relationships that the Greeks thought so highly of. I mean, of course there were different contexts in relation to the historical periods, but regardless they are still comparable.

Another issue I have with this idea of "anti gay marriage" is that people say that if gay people get married, they will produce gay children. Are. You. Freaking. Kidding. Me. Obviously, straight parents ONLY produce STRAIGHT children, right? This point really bothers me. I mean really, come on let's get real here.
Some people say that allowing gay people to get married will discredit the sanctity of marriage, but come on now, how great is marriage in the first place when we have people like Brittney Spears and Kim Kardashian getting married? People compare gay marriage to marrying their dog but that's just terrible. A person is a person no matter regardless of their sexuality. Don't compare them to dogs. How would you like me to compare you to a dog? I don't think so.

My final problem with this whole issue is that people bring up "well, haven't you read the bible? Marriage is between a man and a woman." but bringing religion into this whole fiasco isn't solving anything. I know some perfectly christian gay people and you know what, they are no different from the rest of us. The bible may say that, but when the government got involved in marriage, they should have left religion out of it completely.  Isn't that supposed to be separation of church and state? If two people love each other, there is no reason that they shouldn't be married. Who are they hurting, me, you? No. It is their life, their choice, not yours. I don't see why other people feel the need to intrude in other's lives. Some people believe that gay marriage is a sin, why others feel like cursing is a sin. Why don't we have debates whether cursing should be allowed in public? It's just as menial of an issue in the scheme of things.

In 50 years, those who oppose gay marriage are going to be looked on just as we look on those who supported segregation. Our country needs to accept the fact that this group of people who have been suppressed, as the Blacks were, are not stepping up to fight for their rights. Yes, it might be against your religion, but you know what? It comes down to the fact that it really doesn't impact you.

Yes. I am a Christian who supports gay marriage. I understand that God said that marriage is between a man and a woman, but I also strongly believe that the Bible was written thousands of years ago and by now it is somewhat out-dated. The ideas and stories hold true, but our society has evolved so much from the time that the book was written that a lot of it can be thought of as silly today. I feel like a lot of the ideas of the Bible are great but some of the things that it talks about become irrelevant in today's day and age. Jesus died for our sins and if you think that gay marriage is a sin, then great. That's a sin that Jesus died for. God loves you no matter what, it's an unconditional love and I believe that that love translates regardless of sexual orientation.

Well. There's my rant. Hope you enjoyed it! These are just my opinions and by no means are they 100% correct nor am I trying to change someone else's opinions, I just thought that I would throw mine out there. :)

Here We Go Again...

As I get ready to head back to the great city of Des Moines tomorrow I can't help but think of the fact that this same weekend last year was when it all ended, yet I can't help but think "here we go again..." as I get ready. I should clarify, last year I was heading to my last duty as an Iowa FCCLA State Officer. It was one of the most exciting things that happened last year. Now, as I pack to head back after a great, relaxing spring break I'm packing for yet another State Leadership Conference. It's crazy how everything seems to come full circle, isn't it? I remember attending my first SLC and being incredibly excited and wanting that red jacket (#redjacketswag!) and eventually running for office. Now, I'm heading back as a volunteer and it's crazy how much different it all seems. Who knew a couple of years would change everything? I think the hardest part of this entire conference is going to be the fact that I made the decision to change my education endorsement from Family and Consumer Science to Social Studies and as FCCLA is co-curricular with FCS it's going to be a tad awkward. Trying to figure out what to wear is also a difficulty. Do I wear my polo like the members? Do I even wear red at all? I want to distinguish myself from the members in that I am merely a freshman in college and chances are, there are going to be members that are Seniors in high school that are older than me. Crazy stuff, let me tell you. I can't help but worry about choosing the right outfit to wear...although I know I shouldn't worry about it. I'm SO excited to be able to meet back up with some of my best friends and help inspire members to become better leaders in their family, careers and communities but I'm also a bit nervous. Going from STAR event participant to First VP who deals with the logistics of STAR events and being a tallier to now a judge it's like my entire journey has come full circle and it's fantastic. 

I'm also rather excited at the prospect of a 2-day school week. Being at the conference on Monday and Tuesday and only having class then on Wednesday and Thursday! I love the fact that I'll be back home again in just 4 days! It makes packing much easier in relation to the fact that I don't have to take everything back with me since I'll be home again so soon! Talk about convenient! 

The Decision

Well. Here we are, I've made my decision. I've decided what I really want to do with the rest of my life. It's rather exciting actually. What is that decision you may ask? I've decided that I am  officially going to be a Social Studies teacher and also major in History. It's going to take an incredible amount of work to accomplish all of the things I need to so that I can get to where I want to be. The All Social Studies endorsement alone is 55 credits. Then you add the Secondary Education and History majors you've got yourself an adventure! I'm really excited for where I think this course will take me and the opportunities it will afford me in the future even with all of the work it is going to take. It amazes me that I would have even considered changing my endorsement from FCS to Social Studies but after changing it I feel like I've gotten really comfortable with what I want to do. :) 

The first month of second semester of my freshman year is now over. It's crazy how fast the time goes, but it befuddles me how slowly the days can seem at times. I can't believe how fast the first month seems to have gone looking it it now, but the days seemed so long at times. The homework load of this semester is over the top ridiculous and I can't believe how hard it has been at times to get everything done on time. I'm not the best when it comes to managing my time and I seriously need to work on it. I get incredibly stressed out but I choose to procrastinate way to often. I need to get my priorities straight and get things done. 

It amazes me how my classes don't seem to have gotten more challenging yet I feel much more overwhelmed this semester. My honors class is pushing me way harder than it did last semester although it isn't much more difficult, there is just more work to it. I have a love-hate relationship with the class the majority of the time. I love the material and the deep discussions and big ideas but I absolutely hate the amount of work it takes for me to even begin to understand some of the ideas. It bothers me the amount of effort I have put into the class so far this semester compared to last. I've probably put 3-4 times the amount of work into the class this semester ALREADY that I put into the entire last semester and yet my grades are lower. Coincidence? I'm not quite sure.

I love college overall. It's such an incredible experience and I couldn't think of my life without coming here. I'm seriously so excited to see how my life is going to turn out that sometimes I wish I could just fast forward through the next five years to see where I land. 

New Year

Well, 2012 has come to a close. It seems like just yesterday I was ringing in 2012 at Yuletide with new friends, yet so much has changed in the last year it seems like it drug on. I thought I would take this opportunity to review 2012 to see what has or hasn't changed or what events took place in the last year.

Let's start with last January- I brought in the new year in a new place with new friends. I think that was a precursor for the year to come. I celebrated 2012 at Guthrie Grove for the Yuletide Senior High Church Retreat, somewhere I had never been. I only knew three or four other people so it was an experience to make new friends. That set the tone for the majority of the year and made me look at my faith in a different light.

 February- If I remember right, February wasn't all that significant of a month for me. According to my calendar, literally nothing happened and I'm okay with that. The months following February went in a fast succession that they're mostly a blur so I'm so glad to remember the break I had in February. February included a lot of preparation for State Leadership Conference which was in March so it's a good thing I had this break.

March- Oh March. One of my favorite months of the past year. The conclusion of my term on the Iowa FCCLA State Executive Council came at the end of March. I still feel like it was yesterday that we were elected so to think that so long ago we gave up our positions is beyond me. This experience is one of my favorite of 2012 because I got to spend three-four days with seven of the greatest people I know. Many of us haven't seen each other since, but I can't wait for a reunion (hopefully soon!)

April- April was crazy. My last full month of high school, my first part-time job, my eighteenth birthday (my mom's 40th!). This was a long month of waiting and stress. I remember being so excited for graduation come May, but being completely freaked out about graduating and not wanting it to come so fast. Some of my favorite high school memories with my class come from this last month and the week before graduation. My first job was kind of a big deal. I still work there on occasional breaks but its not something I would ever want to do for the rest of my life. My birthday was somewhat exciting, but really wasn't a big deal because what can you do when you turn 18? There is nothing special about it. Just another birthday.

May- May was such a bittersweet month. Bitter because it marked the end of my high school career. Sweet because it marked the beginning of the rest of my life. Graduation was such a ridiculous time that I don't even remember a lot of it and it's a shame. I wish those days would have gone by slower so that I could remember more of them. A highlight of the month prior to graduation was a class bonfire we had where we reminisced about high school and had a great time. That bonfire was one of my favorite high school memories.

June- June was the first time in my life that I didn't have anything to do. I worked and prepared for a conference I attended in July, but I was completely on my own to decide what to do and when to do it. It was glorious. I helped teach at the Ecumenical Bible School that my hometown puts on each year which I really enjoyed.

July- My favorite part of July was attending the FCCLA National Leadership Conference. I had the opportunity to present a workshop on Positivity and I got to meet so many great leaders and watch some of my best friends become National Officers. A great experience overall. Plus, I got to go to Harry Potter World and nothing can really beat such an experience. Buying a wand at Olivander's, drinking Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, etc...was incredible.

August- This marked the beginning of my college career. I didn't like August when it was among us. I actually despised most of it. The beginning was terrible because my friends from high school were going to college and yet mine didn't start until the end of the month so the wait was terrible. When I got to college I was incredibly homesick until I was able to meet people and I didn't know many people in August. It was a hard month, but I'm glad I got through it as strongly as I did.

September- This is when college really got started. I met so many great people and had such a great time. Overall, an uneventful month, but was necessary obviously to get to where I am today...

October- In October I spent a week at home while my mom had surgery. During that time I was able to attend the District 13-South FCCLA Conference in my hometown which was great. It was also homecoming week which was an interesting experience in college versus high school.

November- November flew by. I spent the beginning of November incredibly ill, but as the month progressed it was a great month. A stressful month towards the end with the realization of only a few weeks left in the semester, but I loved November. I really got into my groove.

December- Well here we are. Ending 2012. The last two weeks of first semester were fantastic. I rocked my finals and overall it was just a great month. I'm so grateful for my first semester being as wonderful as it was. I absolutely loved each and every class and I learned much more than I ever would have expected. Christmas break has been incredible. I don't think I have ever needed a break as badly as I needed this one.

Overall 2012 was a roller coaster. I had a blast and I can't wait to see what 2013 brings. I learned a lot about myself over the course of the last year and I don't think I would change a thing about the year.

Happy 2013!