Youthful Life: X

Truth - law and order, when administered fairly, prevent anarchy. Society needs boundaries, rules, and regulations to avoid chaos. If the natural order of the universe is to gravitate towards disorder then humanity is diametrically opposed to the way things are. We have to give up some of our freedoms to gain protection, parameters, and oversight. That sacrifice however is supposed to come with the insurance that more often than not what we have gained will outweigh the cost of what we have lost. In a time where civil unrest regularly is part of the national conversation, this is policing. "To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time." James A. Baldwin We need law enforcement. We need authority. We need police. We need policing. We need police to to think better, do better, and be better. Police play a critical role in ensuring that our society does not denigrate into dystopian catastrophe. They are charged with...

Truth - The American Dream is not attainable for everyone. It is an outdated, and unrealistic expectation for the majority of people. What do we mean when we use the phrase? It seems to be a nod to a time where a specific facet of society was able to be socially, fiscally, and psychologically sound due to their access to resources, education, and income. The American dream was not meant for all. More and more it has become out of reach to even those it was designed to be obtained by. What is our new American dream, who does it include, and what does freedom mean in our reimaged land of opportunity? "We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others." Will Rogers Ask people what they want for this world and they'll spout off a few meaningless ideals. Peace on Earth, ending hunger, human trafficking, eradicating disease, global literacy, etc. Rephrase the question and ask what they want for their world. Bring it down to Earth...

Being a teenager is all about facing your fears. Everyone, and I means literally everyone, and everybody is afraid of something. It's what makes us human, imperfect, and for teens it's what keep us grounded. Even if it's not a specifically ridiculous fear like some of mine, heights, ski-masked burglars, elevators, fish, spiders, snakes, and all insects especially bees & wasps (let's just say I'm not an animal person) - it's a broader fear like of failure, being hurt relationship-wise or death. It's normal, and natural - but when you learn to deal with it, or better yet conquer it, that's when you can make the most of your life. Superstition is not the way (Raven Symoné sit). Superstition is one of those things that can drive people up the wall crazy. This past Friday was Friday the 13th, the third one this year (the maximum possible in a calendar year) - each of the occurrences were exactly 13 weeks apart as well. People were going bloody mad (...

Being a teenager means that you're getting to get fired up. I watch the news, no it doesn't make it weird or put me in a mid-life crisis. It just means I like to know WTE is going on in this crazy world. If you really think about it, it seems like our world is absolutely falling apart, and that's just in our good old land of America. If we've got it bad, just think about all the less than fortunate people around the world suffering. This week the water heater in our house broken, and that entailed taking bathy/showers with a bucket after boiling some water on the stove. First of all, the amount of hot water burns I have all my body is unsightly but you get over it because at least you can take a shower. It's the little things that get me started, and then there's the big things like the horrendous mess that is the court system. I'm not a legal buff or anything, but yet again my extensive obsession with TV, which includes multiple lawyer serial dramas, gives ...