Life, Philosphically

Follow me through this land
We will soar the sky and then we'll land
Ill hold you close, you hold me near
Between us both, we'll have no fear
Close your eyes and trust the One
He'll guide our paths until it's done

Be enlightened, don't be afraid
Don't wander into plato's cave
See the forest, forget the trees
Don't waste your time on countless leaves
In reality, truth is intrinsic
Don't be deceived, it's metaphysics

We will find the truth, it's never lost
It lived a life and bore a cross
We'll always wander, we'll always Rome
Until we find that great shalom
Forget the pain, forget the strife
Only through love, we live this life

Let's Get Real for a Sec...

God has given you one face, and you make yourself another. ~William Shakespeare



What exactly does it mean to be real? It may seem difficult to put that into an actual definition, but i think that it is worth a shot. My definition of being real would be to know who you are and then unapologetically being that person. This may sound relatively simple, but we all know people who could use a lesson or two in this area.
We all know that person right? That one guy or girl just tries so hard being someone that they're not. Maybe it's the girl who has been a cheerleader all her life who gets so caught up in all of the drama that cheering has to offer and loses sight of her own identity because for some reason she thinks being a part of one social group is more important than actually being your her person.
Maybe it's this person: The old me. I'm a baseball player and I always have been. Being a baseball player brings a lot to the table. Are we the most skilled athletes in sports? Probably.. Are girls genuinely more attracted to baseball players ..? Probably.. Can you see why being a baseball player can suck someone into a full blown "baseball" lifestyle? Well it's not too hard to figure out.
It wasn't until about a year ago i finally started to see baseball in a better light. It was something that had defined me for so long, but I finally was able to let that go. Does that mean I don't want to play baseball anymore? Absolutely not! This just means that my life is no longer of service to the baseball world. I can still be a part of a group, but it no longer sustains me.
I've found that it is a lot more worthwhile to look at yourself very objectively and find out who you really are. That's what i did. Hopefully, if you know me, you know that I love intelligent conversations, music, politics, literature, theology, giving advice, and a plethora of other things. I would hope that people don't look at me and automatically think, "one dimentional baseball player". There is a lot more to me than that. Here's the thing though, I believe that there a lot more people who can take this as a lesson. For me, it was overcoming baseball as a crutch to be "who i was". What is it for you? Is it your grades, or your job, your religion(another story for another time), your girlfriend/boyfriend, or even just your full-blown pride?
Find out who you are and what it makes you happy to be. If people don't like it, then that might actually mean that you're doing something right. Whether you know it or not, the person that everyone likes probably isn't too likable on the inside if they think they have to please everyone. I've always heard that the best decisions piss off about half of the people at first, so that might be some encouragement on how to live. Whoever it is that you really are is trying to get out, let him or her live. They will appreciate it more than the people that are used to you just trying to please them. :)

Confidence- Not Cocky

“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.” -Zig Ziglar



Let me start off by apologizing for not being very faithful with my blog. I don't blog as much as I'd like to, but I do plan on making it more of a habit in the future. It's a pretty soothing thing. If you don't do it, you should try it. Anyways, this summer has been a pretty interesting one in more ways than one. It's had some pretty highs, and some pretty lows, but all the while, lessons are being learned.

Let's be completely honest. How do successful people get successful? You're probably thinking, " a lot of hard work", or " a lot of luck involved", or whatever.. but the key is confidence. When your first thought when looking at a test is "oh shit".. what is usually the outcome? When you're up to bat in a baseball game and you have the same thought when you see the first pitch come your way, what will be the outcome? I think you catch the drift.

The same thing applies for life situations: careers, relationships, family matters, on and on and on.. Without confidence, where would you be? And maybe you're the kind of person that doesn't have much confidence. I would dare to say that even the most confident of people have struggles with this from time to time, but it doesn't have to be a daily habit. Everyone should have plenty of confidence, we live in a time where opportunities are endless, when you get down in many areas of life, there are so many methods to get back on top. There should be no excuses.

Let's take a moment to analyze the consequences of being a confidence person:
First of all, people would want to be around you. People are naturally attracted to others that have a higher level of confidence. That goes without saying. Secondly, Confident people have an easier time getting through tough situations. A lot of situations can take us by surprise and bring us down, but the confident person looks at themselves and thinks that they can make it through any situation because there is nothing new under the sun. There is no situation you can come to that someone hasn't gone through before.

What if you have no confidence? Well first off, it's a repellent. No one wants to be around a person who is always down on themselves. This applies to friends or romantic relationships. It is not an attractive way to be. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that people with no confidence almost look at confident people as if they're acting out of line. And lastly, when the person with no self confidence gets in a difficult situation, it's oragami. They fold under pressure.

Basically what I'm getting at is that there is no need for a lack of self confidence, we are all made in God's image and He wants nothing more than for us to live life to the fullest and to make every moment count. If you get broken up with, who cares? It's that person's loss because if someone doesn't want -YOU-, then they aren't worth your time. Trust me. You can aaaaalways do better. Relationships can blind you.. But with self-confidence, you can say that you're the prize and you're the one that is worth being sought after. If school isn't going well, try to wake up everyday and think that you're going to make it a good one, no class can conquer a person. You have the capability of tearing down a classroom with your mind. Make it happen.

Above all, negativity can get us down. But when you have self-confidence, you can do anything. Dress up for class, talk about yourself sometimes, let people know you're worth it.. because you are. ALWAYS. Confidence is key. It'll get you places.

The Special Day of Valentines

"If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question?" ~Lily Tomlin

It is that time of the year again. Not the day when we celebrate Jesus' birth, not the day that we commemorate those who fought for our country, not the day that we give thanks for family and friends, not even the day where we all pretend we're Irish (I don't have to pretend), wear green, pinch the shit out'a people and drink a whole lot of alcohol. I'm talking about another holiday. A holiday where dreams are made true and inspiration is at its peak: A glorious day where teenage couples who have known each other for 2 weeks go and spend their parents money on something that will eventually be given back to the giver after a brutal breakup. This is the all-to-real scene of Valentine's Day.

Now let's analyze the origins of this stand-out holiday. The name "Valentine's Day" originates from "Saint Valentine's Day." Established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496, the day is supposed to be set apart for intimate couples to express love towards one another. Another thing, who was Saint Valentine? Answer: Saint Valentine was a Christian Martyr. Hey! My name is Saint Valentine and i was martyred for the Christian faith, and my last wish is to have couples act like they like each other for one day out of the year and for Wal Mart to show their cheesiest commercials.


We are honoring him so well..
Valentine's Day is a day where you hear, "every kiss begins with K" in every other commercial, or watching some giddy chick talking about how he went to Jared. If you're single, you probably aren't much of a fan of Valentine's Day. If you are part of a couple, you probably... aren't much of a fan of Valentine's Day either. I think that the only people who like Valentine's Day are the people who enjoy watching people choke on the gamble chocolate. I don't know why it is, but I always get the one filled with what tastes like sensodyne, ugh.

With all due respect to the day, it's still good for something.. and that is keeping Hallmark from going out of business..

McDonalds : A Sanctuary of Heavenly foods

You know, there are a lot of fast food places out there. Anywhere you go, there is sign after sign of cheesy logos trying to promote a mediocre fast food along the highway. One fast food place in particular is different from the others. There is no cheesy, over-spiced up logo, or ridiculous names for specials and foods, just the Golden Arches and the dollar menu.

Now there is just something about those Golden Arches that when i see them, something in me just starts turning. Basically like a light being turned on in the midst of darkness. Just the taste of a small bite of a McDouble is enough to make my taste buds want to evolve into something greater.

My point is this: I think that there is something supernatural involved with this unique franchise. I mean, billions have been served. You can get McDonalds anywhere in the world. I've heard that they even have a mind-based McDonalds coming out in 2014 where you can place your order in your mind and it is delivered to you on the spot. But this is my conjecture: I think that somewhere beyond the grills and workers, there is actually the hand of God working in the back of McDonalds. It's gotta be... There's no other way in the world that something so fantastic could come from mere mortals.

Either way, you could get a $5 foot-long sub from Subway, which is very tasty... or you could pay $6 for a angus burger from Burger King... But maybe, just maybe.. you could work up the inspiration to grace your body with food that was sculpted by the Great Architect of the Universe and drink it all down with sweet tea that is rumored to be the nector of the Angels. I know which route I'll take.

Coming to Crossroads

"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well"- Voltaire

as a kid, there aren't many "crossroads" that you come to. That's one of the best things about being a kid. We were carefree for the most part, and also didn't really care that much about what others thought of us. We did what we wanted, and basically said screw what others think. I'm a kid and it doesn't matter.


But things change. You get older, and things start happening. We come to "crossroads". This usually is something big happening in your life, for the good or for the bad. Something like a relationship ending, or getting into college, or not getting into college, etc. I have came to many crossroads within the last few years and I've responded well to some, and no so great to others. The main thing that I'm getting at is to think of these crossroads as something that has to happen. No one can go into the past and change things. The crossroad isn't what defines a person. The way him or her reacts to it means the world.


I've learned a few things about how to deal with a few different situations. For instance, when it comes to a girl.. if you really like her, do all you can to help that relationship move along. Let her know exactly how you feel, and if she shuns it, walk away. There is NEVER any use in worrying over someone who doesn't want to be with you. EVER.

Another thing is always forgive. No matter how much wrong someone has done to you, you have to forgive. It's easy to think that the best way to deal with someone who has done you wrong is to stay pissed at them. But guess what? You hold in anger, and it hurts you, but guess what they're doing? Not a thing. They sleep well at night, so you're only hurting yourself by not forgiving.

Above all, wisdom is the spice of life. Guard your heart and your mind. Wisdom is the only thing that makes this possible. Learn about the world around you and the life that you live will be so much better.

Be yourself, make others happy without compromising your own happiness and make sure no one ever tries to get in the way of this.

If you find yourself at the lowest of lows: Lose your job, your girl, money, a friend, a loved one, etc. The only thing left to do is get back on your feet and don't give up. Just like Jimmy Valvano said before he died. Don't give up. Don't EVER give up.