Interview- Kinda sorta

My roommate works in the ER at New Hanover Regional Medical Center and man does he have some stories to tell. In a position like that you see a vast array of people. He also sees some very heart wrenching things. Many times he has to admit people who are too drunk or high to stand on their own two feet. He says he gets a lot of people coming in after fights many times the people are badly beaten and need serious surgeries. Other times people try for admission to get pain medication to continue their high. It got me thinking about how evil many people are. Why do so many people get in fights over stupid shit. I have never gotten in a fight even though I have difference of opinion from others. Why is violence so prevalent today, yesterday, and tomorrow? The worst case he has ever seen was a two year child who had been raped. That is so completely unexplainable to me. I mean what the fuck. How could someone possibly do that to a child. He said that was probably the thing that shook him up the most working up there. It proves that pure evil is out there and close to home. We talk about how to better ourselves, but can anyone with such hate in their heart become better? We both came to the agreement that the person responsible for doing such an act should have his dick chopped off and be raped in prison everyday for the rest of his life. But what does that say? That is evil. However I do believe the punishment should fit the crime and death would be too easy an option for some who does that to little children. I think a lot of us live in a fantasy world because we are never exposed to stuff like this even though I am sure it happens much more than any of us would like to think it does. Maybe I am too cynical but it re-affirmed to me that people are evil and mainly do good to help themselves. When someone does a good deed do they do it for the other person or for the self praise they get from helping. I don't think this a good outlook to have on life, but it just seems so true. I just don't understand what possesses people to act the way they do many times.

12 Steps to Success

I am doing my poster on a book entitled the Twelve Universal Laws of success. I saw it in the book store and the title spoke to me. I think it is a great book that covers very basic things one can do to lead a life that they want. It talks about how to make changes in your life to accomplish the goals that you want. It is pretty preachy but I like that because it doesn't beat around the bush about things. It gives the idea and then it is up the reader to go out and do it. If you follow the book it will lead you in the right direction. One of my favorite themes of the book is the fear of failure. I feel so often we never start anything because we think we will fail at it. I know it certainly new for me I get nervous when trying new things and constantly put them off because I think I won't succeed at doing it. The book points out that by simply trying you are succeeding at something you normally would never do - that is a success in its own right. It also talks about needing the desire for change and immersing yourself in that desire. You must desire change with every bit of your heart in order to make it a reality. There is no half-assing. I also like how the author, Herbert Harris, talks about taking each day one at a time. There is no reason to rush this life but rather enjoy it. He highlights that by doing this you can forget yesterday's failures and will not have to worry about making tomorrow's successes. If you take one day at a time you will be able to focus your energy in to making tomorrow exactly how you want it to be. He says that by taking care of today will normally resolve potential situations in the future. I thought it was a good read that also related to many of the same lessons we are learning in class.

Best Piece of Advice

There are so many great pieces of advice I can think of but probably the one I model myself after would have to be the doing unto others what you want done to you. It is basic and known in every religion, plus it works. Be good and good things will come, what goes around comes around, its the ying and the yang baby. I might not know to much but I do know that by living like this, one can achieve the personal success and satisfaction that he/she so desires. I think we would live in a much better world if that's how we all thought.

Vivid Memories

What I remember most about my childhood is the time I spent with my little sister. We stayed home everyday of the summer together because our parents had work. Before we were old enough to stay alone we spent the days at a babysitters. Blakely, my sister, has type 1 diabetes and was diagnosed so at the early age of 8 months. As you know diabetics can't eat sugar or they could jeopardize their health. At the time, and currently, diabetics have to take insulin shots to moderate glucose levels. It is very hard for a a little girl in kindergarden to not eat sweets, especially when everyone around her is eating sweets. Candy and cookies were not allowed at our house. We had cherrios and rice crispys and sugar free koolade. For a kid without diabetes it was not fun living with no sweets. I was allowed to eat cookies or candy when Blakely was not around, but never in front of her or in the house; that would have been mean. I never did get jeolous though because I vividly remember the peircing screams that would come from her room three times a day every day for nearly six years because of the shots she had to take. I understood that if my little sister can put up with the pain of three shots a day on top of the outcast feeling she may have had at school, then I would never do anything to diminish the strength she showed, and continues to show, throughout life. It sucked not being able to eat candy as a kid but it made me realize that many people have it a lot worse than I do and taking things for granted is unacceptable when considering the hardships many put up with on a daily baisis.

Advice for LIfe

My favorite advice for life that Epitectus wrote about begins before the book even starts. Before the title page there is a quote that says, "First, say to yourself what you would be; then do what you have to do." I think this really sums up the book quite nicely even before it begins. The purpose of his writing is to make on accepting and righteous to one's self; to understand and thrive in one's own personal way. Plus what great advice it is. Tell yourself exactly what you want to do and then do it. That is how one will fulfill life, accomplish all goals and reach true self understanding/awareness. It is also a very motivation quote that prompts all readers to do whatever they want upon their own terms. The simple sentence outlines the broad goal of the book while all the chapters relate more so to the subtle aspects of life. I think if you understand that quote you understand what it means to have a fulfilled life. Go out and get it, and rely solely on yourself to do so that creates accomplishment and success.

My Favorite Place

What is my favorite place? I don't really know if I have a favorite place. Is it a vacation spot or somewhere I always frequent. Is my favorite place a state of mind or is it a feeling I get when I am there. Is it a place at all? I'd have to say my favorite place to be is on Chancellor's Walk the first few days of school. The air is hot and the sun is shining down on all of the beautiful people who were able to grace this great campus. With a hectic work life during the summer I find a calming aura when coming back to school. In a way school has become my summer vacation, which is why I so frequently look forward to going back. When on campus those first few days it is always special to see the bright and shiny faces of the freshman who eyes are exploding with joy because they are finally in college. I like watching the long boarders skate around, but I much prefer when the inexperienced ones fall down, that's just really funny to me. I like to see everybody that I hadn't seen all summer long and talk about the wild summer nights we all had. And most importantly, I love seeing the most beautiful women in the world walking around the same school that I attend. Every girl that goes here is a beacon of beauty, each and everyone a Venus in her own right. Yeah UNCW those first couple of days back is certainly my favorite place.

Regrets

My biggest regret is having too many regrets due to not taking enough chances in life. I am a man of constant routine and change seems to come very hard for me. I have been stuck in the same routine of breakfast, school, lunch, school, work, dinner, work, study, sleep that I fear ever leaving it. The problem is I do not do anything productive with the free time I have. I usually just go to the bar with my friends and waste the day away. So I guess my biggest regret is not having too many regrets, but rather just wasting life away. I have a fun time, but I am really not doing anything, certainly not making a difference. The solution will just to be more productive with the free time I am given, shouldn't be that hard.