The Root Of It All

I'm at the point now where money just doesn't mean anything to me. There's nothing I really want to buy. I already have everything I need. Don't get me wrong, I will be keeping what little money I do have in the name of necessity. And sure, there are a few minor, unimportant items I'd like to add to my personal entertainment library at some point, but even these aren't enough to drive any sense of greed or personal accumulation that seem to infest the rest of this society. It's not like I'll lose any sleep if I never get around to picking up those items. It's not life or death.

Money just doesn't matter to me. It doesn't mean anything and yet our society continues to revolve around it. Lives are made. Lives are lost. Relationships are forged and shattered. People are born and killed... all because of money.

It just doesn't matter to me anymore. I see the bigger picture. It's not the picture of an immediate, unknown future where living paycheck-to-paycheck becomes a feared routine. It's not the picture of making friends and family envious of my possessions and status. It's not even a picture of the twisting path to retirement and beyond. The picture I see is a portrait of the known universe, with billions of galaxies, each with billions of stars... each star with multiple planets and billions of potential beings in its light. And I can see us, here on Earth - just seven billion primitive humans on one rock who all seem to have their priorities backwards. Each of whom has been brainwashed into thinking that money actually counts for something, as if somehow it's a reflection of a person's heart and spirit. It isn't. It never was. In my opinion, the best things a person can offer this world are benevolence... passion... affection... love. You have never needed a paycheck to afford these things.

But that's just me. I guess I'm weird like that. I don't fit in because I think about things like this while everyone else is out trying to "succeed in life". Sometimes it's hard to feel like a good American when I don't worship money like everyone else. Why am I so different? What made me feel this way? Why have I never felt like I belong? I often find myself beyond frustration over these things. Am I honestly losing my mind? Or am I actually beginning to find it? Am I falling into a nightmare or finally waking up?

It's funny really. I feel like I'm finding my true self more and more every day... and I've never felt more lost.

Houston, ...

So I've been going through a bunch of old, ultimately unimportant items from my past that are wasting precious storage space. Among these items: some of my school papers from ancient times. Among these old school papers, I found a short High School report I did on the Apollo missions. During a somewhat serious account of Jim Lovell and crew's Apollo 13 journey, I apparently decided it was a great idea to include the following lines:

"...what really caused the explosion was a leak in the oxygen tank that eventually gave way. That's why they had to store their turd chunks in little plastic bags."

After reading this - and after laughing out loud unexpectedly for a bit - a number of random thoughts filled my head: (A) Wow, that was really random. (B) Haha that's kinda funny. I kill me. (C) And what did the teacher think when they were trying to grade this mess? (D) Was I honestly even trying to get an "A"? (E) How do they let me walk around without a helmet on? (F) I'm so glad High School is over. It was such a nightmare. On to better and brighter things!

... Upon further reflection, I appreciate the fact that along this crazy life-journey thing we call...... life-journies, at least I seemed to keep my same sense of humor intact. It's a great feeling to know that my young self made my old self giggle like one of the very schoolgirls my young self went to school with. I like that thought. And it proves that I'm not alone in the way I think. Or does it? ... Oh well, at least it gave me a laugh. Laughing is the most important thing one can do. Even if we only laugh at ourselves. Wow, this entry is really long.

Symphony Of The Goddesses

Benaroya Hall, Seattle

The Legend Of Zelda: Symphony Of The Goddesses!! My first symphony experience: the greatest thing I've ever seen with my own ears. What an amazing night!

(And hats off to my great wife who put up with an hysterically excited geek-man-boy all night.)

Captain Shit Filter

Dear Life,

   Please feel free to keep throwing all of your bullshit at me. Every day I'm becoming more and more determined to take in that bullshit, break it down on a molecular level, absorb it into my system and transfer its energy into happy units. I will then take said happy units and blast them randomly back into the world. This is how I will conquer you. I suppose in that sense you can call me "Captain Shit Filter". That's what I do... I filter your shit and turn it into something better.

   The more bullshit you send my way, the happier the rest of the world will end up. So bring that shit on! I'm ready for some more!

Sincerely,
--- Captain Shit Filter

We Could Be Heroes

We spend our time complaining about everything that's wrong in the world and waiting for the next big hero to come along and change it for us. What we continue to overlook is the fact that each and every one of us has the capacity to be that hero; to change the world for the better. Only YOU can truly improve your life.

How badly do you want it?

Why I'm So Different

Ordinary

They say: Ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

I am obviously an ordinary person. Somehow, I feel like there's an extraordinary thing somewhere out there waiting to be done by someone like me. I've felt it my entire life. The problem is, I don't have a clue what it is or where to find it. What I do know is this: Our world is currently broken.

I see the world we should have clearly in my mind. It's one that has no place for things like homelessness or famine. In that world, nobody ever goes without water or food. There's no need for currency... everyone already has equal access to everything. When people get sick, they don't lose their life savings. And they don't feel the need to bring weapons everywhere, because they aren't afraid anymore. Kids don't get hurt at their schools... and teachers show up because they actually care. Religious leaders encourage their followers to embrace others and peacefully co-exist... I could go on and on, but what purpose does it serve? This world is merely a figment of my imagination.

I'm just hoping that someday we will wake up.