Lack of Ambition

Image credit: Gavin Mills

Recently, I read the book Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson. It was enjoyable, and the part that struck a chord with me was one of the conflicts that the main character Carter faces. She used to be a dancer, and we find out later in the book that the reason she stopped is because it stopped being fun for her.She felt so much pressure from others to excel, to accept a scholarship to a premier dancing school, and to seek a career as a dancer. After hearing about how competitive, rigorous, and stressful a professional dancer's life is, Carter decided that it wasn't for her and quit dancing altogether.

I can empathize with her. It seems like from the womb, there's so much pressure from home and school to "succeed," "reach for the stars," "get ahead," etc. What does success really mean? Is it the same for everyone? Why should we reach for the stars? What's wrong with the good ol' Earth? Who are we trying to get ahead of? Does this stuff really matter?

Impossible Dreams

Image credit: Cécile Graat

Last weekend, I watched the movie Frozen with my family to see what all the hype surrounding the film was about. Personally, I thought it was pretty good, but it didn’t live up to all the attention it’s been getting. I couldn’t help drawing comparisons to the movie Tangled, which I think is better overall. They’re both Disney CGI films with musical elements and goofy leading ladies. True, “Let It Go” from Frozen is a killer song, but as far as story and characters go, Tangled seems more solid.

Have Yourself a Material Little Christmas

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Odds are good that sometime this holiday season you’ll watch a Christmas movie in which the characters struggle to find “the true meaning of Christmas.” Of course, it’s unpopular for mainstream films to identify the real reason we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, so they spout off various “true meanings,” such as giving gifts or serving others, spending time with family and friends, or the idea that joy comes from people, not things. These are great aspects of the holiday, but they only represent how we celebrate Christ’s birth. One of my favorite themes in Christmas movies is anti-materialism , such as in A Charlie Brown Christmas. I’m embarrassed to say, however, that I was ignorant of the delicious irony of these films until recently. The creators of these movies are selling you something that tells you not to buy stuff. How can they pull this off? Because anti-materialism sells. Oh, man, this is the kind of irony that I just loooooove.

You might think that I’m bashing these movies, but I’m really not. Honestly, I’ll probably enjoy A Charlie Brown Christmas more now that I can appreciate the irony. You see, I’ve come to believe that there’s nothing wrong with buying things or with money. The problem comes when we “set [our] hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of the world” (Alma 4:8). I remember when I was younger, I used to think that the items I put on my Christmas list would change my life. One particular example I can think of is when I asked for a Game Boy Advance. I was so excited when I opened it up on Christmas morning, and I thought my life would be drastically improved, but as it turns out, my life was pretty much the same. Sure, it brought me some pleasure, but that was it. In time, I’ve come to view what I put on my Christmas list differently. I think the items will bring me some pleasure, entertainment, and possibly even enrichment, but overall, I’ve come to understand that joy in life comes from people, not things.

Obamacare, the Government Shutdown, and the Debt Crisis

Image credit: Randy mcwilson

Argh, I just have to write about the political situation in the United States right now. The health care exchange for Obamacare opened up a couple days ago despite Republicans' attempt to defund it, parts of the federal government are shut down, and, of course, the nation is still deeply in debt. What's frustrating me the most, however, is some of the discussions surrounding the issues.

One of my biggest pet peeves I've found is when people spread misinformation, whether intentionally or not, to further their argument. The big piece of information that is really bothering me right now is the idea that Congress is exempt from Obamacare. Conservatives against the law keep saying that's the case, but from what I understand, it's untrue. My understanding is that a provision created by a Republican senator forced Congress and its staff to obtain health care from the exchanges that Obamacare would create instead of being able to keep their current insurance, which most Americans from large companies would be able to do. I wish I could find the original article where I read about this, but this one will have to do. The original one said that the Republican Senator, Sen. Chuck Grassley, originally proposed the addition to the bill for partisan reasons. He thought that Democrats would oppose the provision, and then he would tell Americans that they wanted to be exempt from the law (which would've been utter nonsense). However, Democrats embraced Sen. Grassley's proposal, and now, in an ironic twist, Republicans are attacking the bill for an "exemption" that a Republican created!

Artistic Integrity

Image credit: Peter Mazurek

It's weird for me to write two blog posts in one day since I usually post seldom and sporadically, but receiving constructive criticism for The Newfangled World has got me thinking about the struggles artists have between being true to themselves and making a living. That sounds really cheesy to me, but let me explain what I'm talking about. The main reason I submitted my story to Leading Edge wasn't to get published, although that would've been great, of course. The main reason was because I'm not satisfied with the story, and I was hoping they could help me make it better. Oddly, even though it was intimidating for me to write the story in the first place, it's much, much more intimidating to me to figure out how to go back and make it better. Unfortunately, the criticism I received doesn't seem very helpful. Maybe I'm just too connected to more story, maybe it's too personal, but their suggestions seemed, for the most part, kind of out there. I'll have to read it over again, but the characterization of Malcolm Lee as an egoist seems so weird to me. The main criticism I understand is the scene with Malcolm's family. I'm very torn about that scene because it does seem out of place and break up the story, but overall, I feel like it's important to have a scene to establish Malcolm's love for his family. So I may end up changing it, but I do want to keep a scene with his family.

One of the big problems I run into is that I care more about how I feel about my creations than I care about how other people feel about them. Yeah, it's great when other people seem to like them, and I love that, but whether or not I like what I make is more important to me. That's a bad attitude for anyone who wants to share what they create.

Prejudice Vs. Understanding

Image credit: Nathaniel :: Tutvid.com

Watching 42 the other day, which I enjoyed, I couldn't help but draw parallels from the civil rights battles they fought in Jackie Robinson's time to the civil rights battles that are being fought today. Anyone might tell you that racism is alive in America, but I think we can all concede that the situations for racial minorities in America have gotten better and continue to improve. Therefore, the civil rights movement of today has shifted focus to the LGBT community.

Gay marriage is going to be legalized in the entire United States. It's just a matter of time. It's crazy that an idea that was so foreign to me just a few years ago now seems inevitable. I remember in junior high and high school that kids would use the term "gay" to refer to things or people they didn't like. Of course, I don't think they were thinking of the word in the homosexual sense, but it was still definitely a word that was meant in a derogatory sense. I never thought much about gays in high school, and now it seems like the gay movement is everywhere. The conversation is everywhere as well, and people are being forced to question their preconceptions and beliefs.

The Real Me

Image credit: Margan Zajdowicz

"For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom recieveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light . . ." - D&C 88:40.

I'm pretty sure I've only ever heard this scripture used in relationship to courtship and dating. The old adage that opposites attract is usually inaccurate. Most romantic couples have similar interests, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, education, religious views, political views, etc. I remember young men's leaders and seminary teachers interpreting this scripture as saying become who you want to marry.

When I develop romantic feelings for a woman, I become totally smitten. I begin to think she's totally amazing. It makes it hard because I feel like she's out of my league, and then I start to wonder about that scripture. Surely, if I'm so attracted to that woman, surely I have some of the same attributes as she does. But then I wonder, am I attracted to her because of the man I am or the man I want to be?