Just Fix It

As the years go by it is increasingly apparent that more and more problems are creeping into individuals habits as well as society in general. I do not pretend to be exempt from this, for it was reflection upon my own life that caused me to analyze this in the first place. So, my question: Why is it that people fail to fix many bad habits that occur in their life.

A recurring cause of this, that I have noticed, is that many people take the easy way out and simply cease to care about the problem. They will tell you quite frankly that since they think that they are happy then there is obviously nothing wrong. This follows closely behind the apathetic social trend of "no consequences" where consequences are either eliminated entirely or shrugged off and forgotten without learning anything. The fact that this happens is a bad and dangerous habit in itself because you never improve and never even care to.

Another factor that plays into it is ignorance. All about us are people that just don't know, or remember, that the things that they do, or fail to do, is damaging their performance in life and other ventures. This ignorance is most often partial. With all the information that we have at our fingertips, pure ignorance is rare and is often the result of laziness. Failure to understand or realize our own flaws is also repeatedly used as an excuse.

Similar to not caring is being stubborn or lazy and consciously making the choice not to improve. This is were I am one of the biggest culprits. Muley behavior and pigheadedness never solved a problem. Many will refuse reformation only because the person presenting it has offended them in doing so. Procrastination also plays a big role. "I will do it tomorrow" or "I don't have time right now" can be signs of this.

In short, we are all fools most of our lives, it is unavoidable. What makes the difference is how we confront our problems. Not with apathy or excuses but head on with constant, little by little improvement.

Sincerely,
The Composed Cucumber

Awkward Situations: Terrible Experiences but Hilarious Memorys

Isn't it great that we live in such a diverse world? With such a variety in belief, (..maybe not in Utah), culture and personality, it is hard to get bored. With this diversity comes many ups and, unfortunately, downs. One thing, however, fits into both of these categories. The untimely silence, embarrassing date, or, in other words, just an awkward situation. Everyone has these. They are unavoidable. So, my question is, why are so many of these experiences so uncomfortable to go through, but, upon reflection, are some of the funniest times of ones life?

Admittedly some "interesting" incidents are definitely things that are better just tucked away into the corners of the mind. Most, however, turn out to be excruciatingly amusing memories. The first main factor in this is the passage of time. Time allows someone to mature to the point that they have come to grips with the fact that what they did, or what someone else did, was just a silly mistake that no one in their right mind would do. Thus turning a bad experience into a good story. People can also be alarmingly hard on themselves right after the incident because all they can remember at that time is the initial embarrassment. As time passes, however, they begin to see a wider spectrum and realize that they had nothing to worry about.

Another component to this change in attitude is that people often take themselves too seriously. They will believe that every one's attention is on them and that everyone is judging them. Like spilling a drink on someone or asking when the baby is due. Again, it takes time to get over that first realization that, "I can't believe I messed up like that", or "Why did I just say that to her".

Awkward situations happen to everyone. From the inevitable silence during a fast and testimony meeting to just stepping in on the wrong part of a conversation, it happens. The different ways that people get over these things are what makes the difference. Just think, in twenty years you will sit back and say, "Remember that time..."

Sincerely,
The Composed Cucumber

Why Blog?

I suppose everyone has written about this at least once so I figure it is my turn. Maybe I will give some interesting insight, maybe all this will be is a total copy of what has already been written on the subject, let's see. So the question, why do we blog?

I, for one, have never blogged until this class and I think that I am justified in saying that that holds true for most of my peers. So does that mean that the only reason that we all blog is for a grade? After reading some of the others blogs I find this is apparent in some of them, but for the most part it seems to be a way for people to to either vent frustration at a problem in society or have fun expressing some of their ideas. This is extremely visible in the blogs that have been posted on Mr. Rich's wall. This leads one to believe that the blogs were not written solely for a grade. It shows that many of the students have found a place were they can submit some of their strongest or more whimsical ideas to the public without the risk of being ridiculed or otherwise persecuted. Some would say that this is putting too much of yourself in a place for too many people to see. This concern is valid, but only if the person posting is unwise in their use. It is obvious that, for the most part, the assignment to blog is a healthy way to get people to think about how they perceive the world and its inhabitants.

This has been short but hopefully a little different then what has been previously said.

Sincerely,
The Composed Cucumber

Aren't we supposed to dance to... music?

It becomes increasingly apparent that many radio stations are lowering their standards in regards to the kinds of music that they let on to their station. But do these decaying morals really have to extend to school dances? The DJs obviously feel so. I have yet to attend a school dance that played only the sort of music that I feel comfortable listening to. Another fad that has developed in the realm of dance music, is to blast the music into every one's ears. This makes it so that having a conversation, even while slow-dancing, is impossible without yelling to your date, who is scarcely one foot away. So, my question is, why do the DJs feel like they have to play the selection of music that they do and at such a high decibel?

The first reason I have found is that the songs that are getting higher ratings are getting worse and worse and far as lyrics and actual musicality. The companies that supply the DJs see the kinds of songs that are doing well on the charts and they include those songs on the playlist for school dances. They assume that if those songs made to the top of the charts then all kids must want to listen to them. However, the fact of the matter is is that with the society falling into the trend of "No Consequences," the music that takes the top ratings are the ones encouraging this concept of no morals and ethics. This leads to dances that are filled with songs with explicit lyrics and pounding beats. And the administrators wonder why there is so much scandalous behavior at dances.

One would also come to wonder why the music is so loud. The cause of this comes hand in hand with the kind of music being played. The fact of the matter is is that the music wouldn't be as affective if it where quieter. The pounding beat leads to a mood of excitement. This, coupled with the suggestive lyrics, provokes an unnatural feeling of elation. For those consciously trying to uphold their values this can lead to quite an unenjoyable experience.

School dances are an integral part of high school that people from all walks of life participate in. It is rather ironic that the music provided for these dances is excruciatingly difficult to actually dance to. With the exception of the rare swing tune or line dance nothing can be done beyond moving back and forth to the beat and trying not to pay attention to the lyrics.

Sincerely,
The Composed Cucumber

Why did I get sick?

Well, here it is, Sunday, and I am sick. I have been coughing since Friday and yesterday I could barely get out of bed. This further increases my belief in the law of Just Because, for I had many plans for this weekend. I don' t know how but I will have to get over it. Anyway, enough of my whining my question is, why did I get sick?
People get sick and stay sick for different reasons. I believe that the causes of my sickness came from several different factors.

1) The game. On Friday was a boys basketball home game, and as all home games are, the pep-band was there. If you were there you might have seen me up at the top of the band playing sousaphone. Well, aside from the fact that a pep-band game isn't exactly the most ideal place to relax and get better, for I was already showing signs of getting sick, there was another problem. My sousaphone hasn't been cleaned in years. With every breath came a mouthful.... something.

2) The season. With spring at our doorstep there is another more insidious season already here. The flu season plagues many and even takes several lives every year. Luckily it looks like I will still be around.

3) Me. Though I complain and whine, when it comes down to it there is nobody to blame but myself. I felt sick Friday morning so I probably should have taken the hint and not gone to the game, but like I said I'll get over it.

Sincerely,
The Composed Cucumber

Just Because...

There are many laws, both secular and spiritual, that govern our universe and the way we live in it. Many widely accepted laws include pesky laws, like gravity and arithmetic, and important laws, such as action and consequence. There is one law in particular, however, that proves so elusive that even though it is apparent ever day of our lives it is not so much as mentioned in our schools or any other place of learning. In fact, this topic is so avoided that it has not even been named or properly documented. Due to this fact, I can only discuss my own experiences with this law. I have come to label this law as the Law of Just Because.
This law embodies all that is unintentionally spiteful in the universe, and can prove to be the leading causes of stress in most people 14 and up. Just because you forgot to study there was a pop-quiz, or traffic chooses to be heavy just because you are running late. In both these incidences and in most cases of this law the main cause for stress comes from an innocent mistake that is amplified by the law. A slightly more pessimistic view of the law comes from when a desire is not fulfilled just because you wanted it to be. This is, however, a common misconception, though it does allow for something to put blame on when disappointed.
Another manifestation of the law is that of a circumstance that is completely out of one's control. These are the most serious of situations oftentimes resulting in hard decisions and sticky occurrences. Examples for these often have to do with complex relationships and the potential for unintentionally hurting others. Things such as being asked to the same dance by several people or having to make tough decisions between school and family.
Sadly, there is no altering of this everlasting law and it would be useless to even try. I find that it is best to submit to it's rule when there is no other option, but don't give it any window of opportunity to ensnare you or it will.


Sincerely,
The Composed Cucumber

Listening is better done with your ears.

When in my discourses with others I find that it is difficult to answer a question or reply to a comment because the other person has a response formulated before I can scarce begin to speak. This is especially apparent when the subject under discussion is one that the other has particularly strong feelings or views on. On occasion this evolves into such a one-sided conversation that I don't need to say anything more then the periodical acquisition or grunt, because the views and ideas preceding one of my comments have nothing to do with the opinion that I have just put forth. In society this has evolved to such an extent that people are no longer listening with their ears but rather with there mouths. I do not believe that this shift in the amount of respect given to an audience is intentional, but it exists nonetheless. I have thought for quite some time on this issue and have come up with several key factors that contribute to why many people do not truly listen to what others are saying.
The first and most prevalent is that people put more of their thinking into judging what you are saying then just listening to the perspective that you have to put forth. The affect is that instead of being able to carry on a smooth connected conversation the flow becomes choppy and often jumps in many different directions. For example I could be looking at someone and hearing what they are saying but instead of trying to understand the concerns they are expressing I am coming up with a rebuttal to argue my point rather then discuss it. Another element is that sometimes they just don't care what you have to say. This is when they don't think that anything you could possibly say matters or they are just so wrapped up in their own opinion that there hearing becomes clouded. The last cause to consider is that people are often not interested in talking to someone at all. You see this in conversations when the other person is constantly trying to avoid anything that might commit them to continue the discussion because they are preoccupied or they couldn't care less about the topic under consideration.
I hope that we can depart from this style of conversing because it is quite counter-productive and it is the source of almost all of the miscommunications in the everyday relationships that people have. Obviously fixing this problem won't solve the worlds many problems but it would drastically improve the quality of communication that we have.
You have two ears and one mouth, use them accordingly.


Sincerely,
The Composed Cucumber