Books

There's a book for everyone. People who haven't found the joy of being lost in a book are seriously depriving themselves of a full life. No matter what your interests are you can stop into the local bookstore and most likely you'll be able to find a book for yourself.

I would like to share a story with all of you. The other week I was beginning to read a new book. It was an intensely good book. Soon I found myself completely and utterly taken over by the words on the page. I read and read until my eyes hurt and couldn't make out the words on the page anymore. I looked up at my clock. I knew it was late but what I saw was unbelievable. My clock read five thirty am!!! I had read the entire night. I looked out my window and I could already see the first rays of the sun showing over the trees. Not only had I read all night, but I had nearly finish the book I had been reading.

The whole experience scared me a little. I had absolutely no perception of the time ticking a away, and I don't really remember anything else but the pages turning. I wish everyone could have that same experience. I said that it scarred me, but really I was immensely satisfied with myself.

To all my fellow readers out there: Rock on!!!! And to all those who wouldn't be caught dead with a book (why would you be reading this blog), but seriously find a book and lose yourself in it. That's all for now. Rog out! ;)

War

My view on war was always that it was people I didn't know killing more people I didn't know. I believe that war is a cruel necessity of humanity. It's very unfortunate that we are what we are, but at our base we're all animals fighting to survive. That's getting off the subject though. The reason I believe that war is inevitable is that overpopulation causes a very old human survival instinct to kick in. Think about it. We've expanded to the point that there aren't anymore places to settle on the earth. But wait you might be saying to yourself, people back in ancient times warred among themselves, and they hadn't settled everywhere. Yes they did, because they felt claustrophobic, and the world that they knew had been settled to the brim. The wars were all over gaining territory so that the masses could expand, and the ones who died in the war just made for more breathing room.

When we go to war there is always some noble excuse behind it to make us all feel better. No one wants to believe that their son, daughter, siblings, or grandchildren are going to die just so they can live more comfortably.

As a modern society, we shun our animal side and we also disguise all of the animal things we do with pretty words and sugar. And I think that this sad fact will lead to our eventual, but not completely inevitable downfall. If we do not, as a whole accept and embrace who we truly are, we're all doomed to be wiped from the face of the earth.

Family Ties

I never really considered myself very family oriented. I always heard people talking about being a family man/ woman, but quite frankly family was always more of an object to me. They were always there. It's sort of like when you drive somewhere everyday for a couple of years, taking the same route every time until you're so familiar with all the things on the way you could drive it blindfolded.

I love my family, it's just when they're always there they fade into familiarity. Until recently I had what you might call an eye opening. My family and I were driving home from somewhere, when my brother told a joke that made us all burst into thunderous laughter. As I was trying to not pee my pants I realised that my family wasn't just my family, they had, somewhere along the way, become my friends. It was a weird revelation, because I never thought that my parents, whose job it was to reprimand me when I did something wrong, or to teach me the lessons I needed to know in order to succeed, could ever be my friends.

At the same time it was nice to realise that, the reason that we were friends was because they were starting to see us as adults and not just the kids they were meant to raise. Our time in the nest was up so to speak.

My immediate family was no exception either. When I visited my grandparents and cousins one week, I had a fairly long, substantial conversation with my grandpa, who, if I was being honest, always kind of intimidated me. My cousins, who are no older than ten, had become the focus of nurture within my family, and I realised that I was also expected to help shape these two children into adults. My actions were of less focus to everyone, because I was now supposed to be another responsible adult.

Even as I realised the joy of being considered an adult by other adults, I never thought that I would miss being a kid. No more peaceful ignorance of family issues. No more could I coast off of the "hand that fed me." But all that was overshadowed by the fact that I get to shape these two precious children into the adults I think they can become