From the Mouths of Babes

Last night my 17 year old step-son wrote a blog on his myspace that thoroughly impressed me. It makes me proud as a father. This is a young man that gives me hope for the future. So without further ado or gilding the lily I bring you my guest blogger and his views of the world.
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Almost intellectual sounding blog about life, lol.
Today at 9:35pm

Well, I'm pretty much draining my brain here, so don't expect too much form or any semblance of control in this blog.

I have spent a while now thinking about how, for all of the world that I have seen, for the three states I have been in, that is a fraction of a fraction of a planet. This planet is also a fraction of a solar system. Which is in a galaxy consisting of millions of other solar systems. Which is merely one of millions of galaxies. For all these planets, all these solar systems, all of these anythings, how can any race be so ignorant and self-important to believe that they are completely alone in the infinity that is the universe? And for those that don't adamantly believe we are alone, how could any race possibly believe we are the most intelligent and advanced? I believe that the phrase "ignorance is bliss" fits perfectly here. The human race as a whole has done everything we possibly can to trick ourselves into shutting out the constellations and other stars as pretty twinkling things to look at at night. We find anything we can to distract us from the daunting realization that the universe is so unimaginably large that our lives and actions in comparison are meaningless. And it's easy to do that, it's easy to just pretend there is nothing past our atmosphere. But I've come to realize that maybe doing so isn't the best way to progress as a species. Maybe, in creating our own little realities, we're actually pushing back the intelligence and enlightenment we could possibly attain.

I believe that people go through a few phases in their lives, not invariably, as some people are different than others, but as a whole. First, as a baby, they go through a phase of not knowing any language or symbols of any sort. Their thoughts are completely their own, and are altogether uninfluenced. Then, after learning language and being taught basic human being characteristics, their minds begin the process of blocking all things unknown out. They look at their lives as any child would. But then, after being educated and after fully comprehending the idea of things outside earth, things unknown, they block it out more. Eventually, some people go through a phase where they heavily practice religion. While this is not entirely bad or anything, some pledge that they have complete faith in their religion and believe it entirely, while most are merely afraid of what comes after life, so they find comfort in being told what happens. My thought is, you won't know after life until your life ceases, and it's pointless dwelling on what might happen while you're alive. In the end, whatever happens, happens. There's no stopping it, there's no predicting it. Getting back to the point at hand, later in life, they go through a phase where they accept death's grim reality. They accept the fact that their lives are coming to an end. And later on, they pass away, into whatever lies after death. While this is a very large fear and obsession of many people, there's no avoiding it, and there's no point in worrying about it.

People crave comfort. They seek endlessly to find anything they can to make their lives happy. They find ways to block out the infinity and eternity that is around us, and they look exclusively at their own lives. The thing is, who's to say that someday, in any amount of time, we won't finally find contact with another race of intelligent beings? And who's to say that we won't then discover that there is actually a whole galactic civilization that we didn't even know about? If this happens, then how will we block the infinity? How will we find our comfort that we so desperately crave? How will we explain religions and any education?

My belief is simple. I believe that we are all actually put here for a purpose, whatever it may be, and that there is an afterlife of some sort, but one that we cannot know of, being alive. I believe that it's important to block out the everything and find comfort, yet at the same time accept that the universe is an infinite thing, and that there are bound to be millions of billions of things that we don't know about. And lastly, I believe that life is too valuable of a thing to spend waging hatred and anger over petty and pointless things such as the unknown, religion, and material things. I think that the people of earth should actually work together to be the best we can be, rather than destroying ourselves over virtually nothing.
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I Thougt we were Adults

Recently the writing community has gotten a bit of a stir. The basic issue is this.

An agent recently received a submission from writer looking for representation that didn't follow the agent's "guidelines fr submission" and was greeted with a standard form rejection. This is a normal occurrence in the writing world. Where things started to turn south is when the writer responded with a nasty-gram to the agent which again is kinda common in this circle. The icing on the cake is when the agent then proceeds to attempt to defame the writer to the general public by inciting a hate haiku thread on Twitter (which seems be the meeting place for agents and writers).

Now normally this wouldn't be such a big deal but it has placed a spotlight on what I feel is a huge issue with the publication process for aspiring authors.

*note: There are still some that don't fall in this description and writers thank you for it.*

Agents are getting too powerful in the industry. They are the gatekeepers between the writer and publishers. Because of this many agents have adopted a high and mighty attitude. Many have said that if your book contains certain characters or character flaws that writers shouldn't even bother submitting or even go as far as attempting to blacklist writers that don't treat them with the respect they feel they are due.

This saddens me as an avid reader and and one that loves and supports an aspiring author. As a reader I think of all the wondrous stories that I will never have the chance to read because the right asses weren't kissed. I think of all of the Mark Twains and R. A. Salvatories that will never be published because they allowed the stress of constant rejection to get to them for just a moment.

Because of this incident there are 2 factions forming in this community. On one side we find the brave and honorable souls that have risked their own dreams and careers to speak out against this issue. The other faction are those that feel they need to kiss an agent's ass so the hop on the agent's bandwagon and bully a writer without pity in hopes of some favor in the future.

In my opinion I would say that those stepping up to defend this deplorable and unprofessional behavior are worse that the original offenders in what should have been a private conversation. They are the ones that cow to the inflated egos of the disreputable agents that help to further inflate them and reinforce their idea that they have some right to decide what is worthy and what is not.

So in short this is a salute to those that have the guts to stand up to bullies. Please take the time to read through their blogs.
A Roller Coaster Kinda Day
Can't Let It Go
This Makes Me Sad and Sick
Bullying is Bullying Period

Sick of Being Sick

So here I sit having an asthma attack with no inhaler and no way to get one. Many may think "why not just call the doctor and get a refill". If you are thinking that then you are one of the ones that has no clue what is REALLY happening with our health care system.

So let me lay this out for you. I have medical through the state because I have been a student and cannot find a job in Spokane that provides enough hours to grant me the opportunity to get my own medical. So yes I am on state medical. Not by choice but by circumstance. I have also had the same doctor for the last 7 years.

Well actually it was only 6 years because last Fall I was informed by Dr. Mark Hart (his receptionist really) of the Hart Family Medical Center that he had dis-enrolled from state medical. In short he dumped all of his patients that had state medical because he didn't think he was making enough money off of each of us.

Because of this I have been managing mt asthma with a Primatene inhaler (it burns life fire but it works) and Pepto for my acid reflux. Again many of you are asking, "Why doesn't he just get a new doctor?" and again those people have no clue about the reality of US health care. I have tried for the last 6 months to find doctor that accepts state medical but because Chris Gregoire has allowed doctors to opt out of medical plans of their choosing there is no one that accepts my medical insurance.

So here I sit with insurance but no doctor so I am left with one place to go to seek minor medical treatment. THIS is why so many people are using emergency rooms as their primary care and why it takes people with REAL emergencies 3 hours to get a bleeding head wound stitched up.

All of this is caused by one thing. GREED. Insurance companies want to make more money so they cut what they are willing to pay doctors. Pharmaceutical companies want to increase profits so it costs $60 to refill an inhaler that only costs $0.05 to refill in Cuba (watch "Sicko") and over the counter drugs cost 10 times what hey should. Then you have the doctors that need to make tat payment on their new BMW so if they aren't making a big enough profit on you as a patient then you get dropped.

We have a "for profit" health care system that is actually killing us and we all seem to think it is a good thing. What in the 9 hells is wrong with us that we vote against our own best interests? We need Universal Health Care NOW!!!!!!!!!!!