Seems rather dignified, right? Not so for an artist and musician such as I.

You see, I come from a poor Haitian family who migrated to the United States with nothing but dreams of a better future for their son. After years of hard work, they have accumulated a solid educational and moral foundation for my siblings and I, and have raised their expectations beyond the norm.

Since my childhood, I have been an artist and musician. I remember throwing away the toys from my toy box, flipping it upside down, and beating it with pencils like a drum. I’m a self-taught pianist and composer, and I have written a few pieces for jazz bands and the like. I guess I secretly have always wanted to become a composer.

Naturally, one would suppose that with a child like this, a parent would support their child’s dream fully. However, in my case, the opposite is true. My family have agreed that I do hold some talent, however, to enter into a higher institution with music in mind is an unhealthy gamble.

In addition to this, it seems rather selfish to chase a pipe dream when my family, in Haiti and abroad, is in poor condition. The sensible thing to do is to simply sacrifice my dream for the sake of the family, who so needs me.

In an attempt to be selfless, I have told my future college and family that I will be devoting my life as a lawyer, especially in civil-rights and immigration law, in behalf of minorities. Do I want to become a lawyer? Not really, but the life doesn’t seem too bad (regardless of the fact that I have heard countless stories from lawyers who absolutely abhor their profession).

Perhaps I could blend the two and come out as a music lawyer…

Trying to cram two different worlds together.

I guess my ultimate question is this:

Is it better to chase your life’s dream with high chances of shunning and failure, or accept a rather unpleasant occupation shrouded with financial security?

These guys have some serious balls.

I haven’t written in a while.

Hm.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were engaged in a civilized online discussion (barely a debate), only to be interrupted by an obnoxious Keyboard Warrior?

Have you ever found yourself arguing over superficial (or sometimes not so) points online with someone completely biased, void of logic, and downright annoying?  Well, I have got something to tell you.  Tip your hats to the Internet and to these Keyboard Warriors (or Flame Warriors, as they’re called), because life would be an intolerable bore sans them.  What they, in fact,  have inadvertently done is opened yet another door to the true nature of man.

Our Masks

We all wear masks.  Whether we like it or not, we’re all wearing multiple masks that constantly hide our true nature, trying to act sophisticated when our illusion of intellect is a mere bluff.  We try to act “hip” when we are merely following the crowd. We claim to be nonconformists, but only conform to other people’s views–people who also claim to be nonconformists, that is.

The list goes on, but what it all boils down to is insecurity.  We are ultimately insecure about our position in life, our social and economic statuses, and other aspects of life.  Thus, we unknowingly put ourselves in a pathetic, downwards spiral.

This insecurity has been somewhat well hidden (perhaps to some extent), until innovative creation of the Internet.  Then it all went downhill from there.  Is there privacy? No.  Just ask Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg what he thinks of privacy.  We like to think that we’ve got privacy, but the truth is, everything that is done on this Web of ours is saved and archived for future reference.  But it’s this illusion of privacy that has given us this falsified feeling of invincibility and stealth, thus creating a whole new breed of warriors: the Keyboard Warriors.

I’ve been on forums and seen the most moronic arguments that make me sit back and wonder, What were they thinking? The most heated debates ensue over the most trivial of issues, and better yet, are riddled with ad hominem fallacies.  Here’s an argument that I stumbled upon (about gay marriage-not so trivial) on YouTube:

Not one of these people have actually attempted to give a rational, thought-out response.

The Effect

We’re all guilty of doing it.  I myself have done it many times.  However, what really disturbs me (yet fascinates and amuses me simultaneosly) is the amount of energy the attackers are willing to spend on faceless enemies, most likely far from their location.  Does it really bother you so much that somebody far away someplace in China or Australia disagrees with your position on gay marriage that you are willing to passionately condemn them to a life forever in hell, or threatening them with a biblical “judgement?”

Eventually some people see that the arguments have gone out of hand and try to show the online entities that their actions are void of rationality.  What happens is the adverse effect; they add more fuel to the fire.  What ensues is a volley of name calling, condemning, threats with Bible/Qur’an/Talmud/[insert holy book here] scripture, and downright nastiness online.

However, the people I admire/hate the most are the trolls.  The Urban Dictionary defines a troll as:

One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup ormessage board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument (Alien Entry)

There’s nothing better than provoking anger for the sheer fun of it, knowing that nothing will happen to you in return except a feeling of sick, twisted satisfaction, knowing that you have successfully ruined someone’s day.

Trolls aside, I guess my question here (since I don’t claim to have the full complete answer to all of this madness) is, “Why use so much energy in screaming at someone else online in an argument?  If you win, is there a trophy? If not, what is lost?”

“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.”–Stuart Chase

The birthers

Take a look at this Tea Party rally photo.  The sign reads: “Obama, my forefathers were Christian, yours were from Kenya. That explains a lot about you.”

I believe it’s safe to say that the sign wielder is either hopelessly bigoted, helplessly stupid, or a good bit of both.  

First dealing with the stupid signs

First of all, Christian and White/European/(whatever he considers himself) are two different things; this person obviously doesn’t understand that there is an inimitable difference between nationality and/or race and religion.  If this person seriously agrees with the message on his sign, he probably can’t tell the difference between an Arab and a Muslim as well.  Just as there are Christians in every race, there are Muslims in every race; Malcolm X learned that the hard way.

Secondly, this person assumed that because Obama’s forefathers were from Kenya, they weren’t Christian.  Granted, they were Muslims and subscribers of regional Kenyan beliefs, but does this automatically mean that all people in Kenya are devout Muslims?   Are there no Christians in Kenya?  And his forefathers actually may actually not have been Christian; the sign wielder is white, and the Europeans were actually pagan prior to their indoctrination of Christianity.

A wise old Republican once told me, “Assume makes an ASS out of U and ME.”

Thirdly, Obama draws his roots from not only Kenyans, but from Americans as well.  He’s biracial.  As a matter of fact, he’s related to Dick Cheney and George Bush. To top it all, he was raised by his white mother and grandparents, so his actions have absolutely nothing to do with his Kenyan roots.

White Slavery...yeah, ok.

Obama’s Plan: White Slavery

*Sigh.* This is stupid beyond words. This is odd when his half of his family is white, a majority of his staff is white, and he’s picked a white vice president, and the list goes on… What really makes me laugh is that while they’re so hung up on proof of Obama’s birth certificate, they have no proof that he’s going to systematically enslave the white race.

Seriously, just shut up.

...Seriously?

The Camel?

“Impeach Owebama & the camel he rode in on.”

Every time I see a black Tea Party member, I wince.  I don’t know exactly how to react.  The Tea Party Movement supposedly wasn’t based upon racism and intolerance, but a revolt against excessive government taxation and spending.  Fair enough.  If it had been restrained to that, I would have actually considered joining.  But on contrary, it has spread so much false information, radical principles that defy logic (such as cutting government spending but retaining services, complete privatization of social security, etc.), and has been doused with blatant intolerance.

If by white slavery, they meant that their taxes will be heavier due to Obama’s lenience towards social services, such as welfare, food stamps, and the such (I’ve heard this argument before), I’d like to remind them that there are: black taxpayers as well (believe it or not), there are white people on welfare (believe it or not), and that all of these social services were actually created by mostly white people, such as Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty.

I mean, seriously.  A Camel? Need I say more?

Now to the actual point of this post

Like many people endowed with common sense, Hawaii’s new governor Neil Abercrombie is sick and tired of this Obama birth dilemma and wants to put an end to it all. Quite frankly, he claims it is a personal insult; he personally knew Barack’s parents, Barack Obama Sr. and Stanley Ann Dunham and saying that questioning the location of his birth is “an insult to his mother and to his father.”

And if you really think about it, it is.  When in the past 100 years have we had so much controversy about the birthplace of a president? Never.  Accuse me of whipping out the race card, but when along comes a president that has a funny sounding name and looks a bit different then what “we’re used to,” we have a load of feces on our hands.

Hawaii’s health director, Dr. Chiyome Fukino, actually said this when questioned about the validity of Mr. Obama’s birth in Hawaii:

“I, Dr. Chiyome Fukino, director of the Hawaii State Department of Health, have seen the original vital records maintained on file by the Hawaii State Department of Health verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen. I have nothing further to add to this statement or my original statement issued in October 2008 over eight months ago….”

Funny thing is, no matter what proof you provide a birther (name appointed to the people who continue to deny that Barack was born in Kapiolani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu on Aug. 4, 1961), he will continue do deny it.  Why?  Because he does not want to believe.  So Stuart Chase was right. For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.

To make my point clear, here’s an argument reasonable person and a birther, condensed by blogger kstreet607 :

Condensed Version Of Birther Dialogue With A Reasonable Person:

RP: “OK, so to recap, you wanted Obama to release a birth certificate, but when he did, you accused it of being a forgery? Right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “And you say that if he simply shared his long-form birth certificate with the public, that could be forged too? Right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “So you want him to release his long-form birth certificate and to have that birth certificate reviewed by a judge, to satisfy his critics and answer the questions they’re asking? Right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “And if the judge affirms that the birth certificate is legitimate and it says his place of birth was Hawaii, you say it might be falsified, right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “And even if he proves he was born in Hawaii, you claim he’s still not a natural-born citizen because of his mother’s first marriage, right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “And if he then proves that the marriage isn’t an issue, you claim he’s still not a natural-born citizen because of his father’s citizenship, right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “And if he then proves that his father’s citizenship isn’t an issue, you claim he’s still not a natural-born citizen because of his mother’s second marriage, right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “And if he then proves that his mother’s second marriage isn’t an issue, you claim he’s still not a natural-born citizen because of his supposed adoption, right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “And if he then proves that he didn’t give up his citizenship via adoption, you claim that he’s still not a natural-born citizen because of his 1981 travel to Pakistan, right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “And if he then proves that he didn’t give up his citizenship via passport, and even when you run out of citizenship arguments completely, you then claim his election is illegitimate because his legal surname is Soetoro, right?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “So you want to know why Obama won’t take the simple measure of releasing his birth certificate, when you already have at least eight consecutive fall-back arguments you’ll make if he does so, whereby you’ll continue to insist that he’s ineligible for the Presidency even after he proves that he was born in Hawaii?”

Birther: “Right.”

RP: “Y’know, if I were Obama, I think I’d save my ten dollars too.”

Found at: http://barackryphal.blogspot.com/2009/01/for-inauguration-day-birther-platonic.html

So, Birthers, you believe that Obama was born in Kenya?  How about asking for his Kenyan birth certificate instead?

C’mon, prove it!

"Shadow of Death" by artist William Holman Hunt

Blogger Alamanach commented on my last blog about how it only consisted of my rant about the Pagan half of Christmas and not the Christian half.  I don’t know much about the Christian Christian half, but here’s my take:

The whole religion of Christianity, from my prospective, is based upon the death of Jesus Christ, not the birth of Jesus.  Why would Christians be so wrapped around Jesus’ birth?

If Jesus was never born

If Jesus was never born, the whole message of Christianity would be rather null and pointless.  An excellent blogging peer of mine explained a bit more about this here.

After all, a religion claiming that the death of a person has forgiven all of one’s sins would make no logical sense without exaltation of that person’s birth.  How would Christians know for sure he existed?  Or better yet, how would Christians know for sure that even if he existed, that he was the son of God?

Which is exactly why the Roman Catholic Church has so glorified the story of Jesus’ birth.

Think about it.

In order to constantly remind Christians of the sacrifice that God had to make to relieve them of their sins, the Church must do so in a way that is as subliminal as is influential.  That way, no one begins to wonder and go astray.

Quite frankly, I can’t really see any other relevance, even from the Christian point of view.  This explains the Archangel Gabriel (the same exact angel who told Prophet Mohammed the messages from Allah) foretelling of Jesus’ birth, of the Three Wise Men of Orient who came to Mary, bearing gifts for Jesus, etc.  It’s a way for the Church to capture the minds of the Christians and sequentially keeping everyone in line.

Christ-Mass

Like I said earlier, the whole religion of Christianity is based upon the death of Jesus, not his birth.  In the Christian’s point of view, had Jesus not been born, there would be no Notre Dame College, no Boston College, no Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal, no missions in third-world countries, no missions in places void of Jesus, etc.  All would be lost, our sins would never be forgiven, and our ultimate fate would be eternal damnation to the fiery pits of Hell.

The etymology of the word Christmas still stands out to me.  The Online Etymology Dictionary‘s search results of the word ‘Christmas’ is a mixture between the word Christ and Mass.  After searching the word Mass, only two definitions appear:

mass (1): lump, quantity, size,” c.1400, from O.Fr. masse ”lump” (11c.), from L. massa ”kneaded dough, lump, that which adheres together like dough,” from Gk. maza ”barley cake, lump, mass, ball,” related to massein ”to knead,” from PIE base *mag-/*meg- ”to knead” (cf. Lith. minkyti ”to knead,” see macerate). Sense extended 1580s to “a large quantity, amount, or number.” Strict sense in physics is from 1704. Mass meeting is first attested 1733 in Amer.Eng. mass culture is from 1939; mass hysteria is from 1934;mass media is from 1923; mass movement is from 1897; mass production is from 1920. Verb meaning “to gather in a mass” is attested from 1560s. Related: Massed.

mass (2): “Eucharistic service,” O.E. mæsse, from V.L. *messa ”eucharistic service,” lit. “dismissal,” from L.L. missa ”dismissal,” fem. pp. ofmittere ”to let go, send,” from concluding words of the service, Ite, missa est, ”Go, (the prayer) has been sent,” or “Go, it is the dismissal.”

Alas, I was puzzled.  Christ’s Eucharistic Service?  Christ’s Dismissal Service? Huh?

Well, I searched Eucharist and found the Holy Communion…one of the main practices of the Catholic Church (practically their main service).  Another source, David J. Meyer, boldly suggested that Christ-Mass means the celebration of Christ’s Death, and that celebrating it is a symbol of blasphemy:

In essence, the Mass is the ceremonial slaying of Jesus Christ over and over again, followed by the eating of his flesh and the drinking of his blood.  The Mass is the death sacrifice, and the “Host” is the victim.  This is official Roman Catholic doctrine, and “Christmas” is a word that they invented.  Again, I ask, what is so merry about the pain, bleeding, suffering and death of Jesus Christ? Satan has done quite a job of getting millions of so-called “Christians” to blaspheme.  What a deceiver he is.

Of course I don’t necessarily agree with the “Satan getting millions of ‘Christians’ to blaspheme” part, but in a way it has reinforced my initial views on Christmas and Christianity.

Connections to modern Christmas

So, should we be alarmed?  I don’t really know; I think one’s level of alarm is dependent on one’s level of faith and devotion to Christianity.  As far as we can see, there isn’t much connection with the actual account of Jesus’ birth and the present-day celebrations of his birth, (other than the pagan rituals explained in my previous blog).

But really, if one’s not Christian, what say does he/she have on that matter?

Image courtesy of Petr Kratochvil

This is not a Christian propaganda post.  Nor is this a pagan propaganda post. This is only an attempt to delve into the mysteries that have so boldly expressed themselves, yet have managed to keep their nature.

Is Christmas Pagan?  I have never wondered such until I reached the age of ten.  My family and I have never really celebrated Christmas (they’re strict SDA’s) When I shared this bit of information with my peers, the ghastly look of awe spread across their face as if to say, “Blasphemy!”

They asked, “Are you like, not Christian? Are you in a cult?”

Years before this ordeal I’ve had whimsical conspiracies including changing Santa Claus’s name to Satan Claus with a few repositioning of letters.  But it was more than Santa Claus’s name that popped out at me.  Here are some others:

Santa Claus Himself and his minions

When did Santa Claus enter the story of Christ’s birth?

When did he?  I don’t know a passage in the Bible that includes sinister old man who impossibly manages to pushes his grossly obese body down a thin chimney, bearing gifts for all who behave themselves properly and coal for those who choose to do otherwise.

It simply has no correlation whatsoever with the Biblical account of the birth of the Christian Messiah.  Au contraire, St. Nick was perhaps more of a shadowy figure who was known as the Patron Saint of Sailors rather than of Children, sailors (who usually aren’t known for either piety nor morality) who claimed that he was a figure of “good luck” against storms.  He’s almost like a Christ-like figure himself, supposedly saving children, feeding the poor and the usual.  Strangely enough, the Catholic church pounced on his legacy as a supposedly lover of Children, and somehow this found its way to relate to the birth of Christ.  And to your wallet, so you can convince your children that Santa has given them their gifts while losing sleep and hundreds of dollars on the little brats.

The Time

So Jesus was born in December?

I know of no source that can accurately state the time of Jesus’ birth, if he even ever existed to begin with.  But logically, if we take the story according to its context, who would send their sheep grazing in the cold nights of December?  I’m no farmer, but I can guess that the sheep would not be in the mood for roaming in the cold at night.

So why December 25th?

The answer lies within European pagan roots.  Remember, prior to the introduction of Christianity, Europeans (the Barbarians, Greeks and such) were widely polytheistic.  There’s no way all of Europe would suddenly submit to the will of Christianity without attempting to preserve their culture.  It’s human nature.  What we are, we refuse to surrender.  Normally, the best way around this is just that–work around it.

During this time, the Romans would celebrate Saturnalia, in homage to Saturn, god of Agriculture.  Dubbed Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, or the “Birthday of the Unconquered Sun,” the whole month was dedicated to the power of the sun, and its victory over the harsh winter.  Other pagan sects would worship the sons of the Gods, (such as Hercules, son of Zeus); it sounds eerily close to the Christian Son of God.

The people would drink large amounts of wine and other alcoholic drink, eat beyond their fill, and party.  When not partying, a group of people (of Roman origin) would sing and dance from house to house, entertaining their neighbors.  Sound familiar?

The funny thing about this is that the pagans, most of them having never been to Israel, assumed that winter in Israel is similar to winter in Europe.  It snows in Israel, but not as much as it would in Europe.

Gift Giving

This has got to be all-Christian!

Image courtesy of Petr Kratochvil

Many devout Christians may argue that this tradition originated with the Three Wise Men of the Orient giving gifts to Mary and the baby Jesus.

False again.

While this may be partially true, the true origin of the tradition lies in Pagan culture.  The fact that the Three Wise Men gave the Virgin Mary gifts has no relevance to the modern tradition, but is rather a mere coincidence.  Gift-giving, along with partying and drinking, was simply just another tradition among the celebrators of Dies Natalis Invicti Solis and other European Pagan celebrations.

The Christmas Tree

Tell me it’s just a tree.

The Evergreen tree’s a beautiful tree. Honestly, it is.  And this is why the Pagans, including the Barbaric ones who believed in Norse gods, would never cut them down and put them in their houses.  Many believed that the trees had some sort of religious significance, some holiness.

But it didn’t stop them from putting branches of evergreen inside their houses. Remember, Saturnalia’s basic message is that they (the European pagans) would survive another harsh winter through the power of the god of Saturn.  The Evergreen tree is named so because of its ability preserve its green color despite the chilly, hellish weather around it.  Understandably, they would also decorate the branches with statues of their gods.  This was obviously a symbol of hope for the Pagans.

People of this same descent also incorporated that tradition into Christianity, as with the other traditions previously mentioned.

Kissing under the Mistletoe?

Completely Pagan.

This one’s obvious.  Kissing under mistletoe is absolutely void of biblical reference.

This was taken from the Norse myth of Frigga:

A naughty, mischievous god named Loki kills another god named Baldur (god of peace).  All the gods get depressed about Baldur’s death so Baldur’s mommy, Frigga, hangs up a mistletoe and promises to kiss all who pass under it, thus giving the mistletoe the symbol of peace and love.

The pagans refused to give this one up.  And why would they?  After all, it was not destructive, but peaceful.  Consequently, this tradition has stayed with us to this day.

What should we do about this?

Nothing, really.

Nothing but celebrate Christmas for the heck of it, without the religious clutter. Having said all above, Christmas time is still a time to have fun, and to show one another that we love them.  Though the media and market have exploited the traditions to make money, that shouldn’t be an obstacle blocking the joy of the time.

Want my sources? Click Here

I’m cynophobic.

I guess I’m not as bad as the definition above (thank GOD, I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself), but I can say I’m pretty bad.

I’m not afraid of any thug who approaches me at night, unless he has a dog.  As a matter of fact, I’m pretty much fearless of anything that roams the night, from drag queens to winos, except dogs.  Dogs are scary. End of story.

As a child (I was around nine years old), I remember being chased by a large white dog.  My dad clocked me running around sixteen miles per hour from his work van as he laughed at me. I ran like an Olympian that day.  That day I realized that without a doubt, if it came down to life or death between me and a dog, it would have to be the dog.

Why?

Psychologically, the fear of dogs is natural; by nature, dogs are dangerous.  Maybe not chihuahuas, but I can say that a fear of pit bulls is a legitimate fear.

Evolution

A small level of cynophobia is naturally ingrained into our brain, “hardwired” even, if you want to use that term.  Yet paradoxically, “dogs are man’s best friend.”  Not my best friend.

Evolutionary theories state that this small level of cynophobia is encoded into human genetics to keep us safe in the days of the saber-tooth tiger- eat-man world.  This fear was intended to keep us safe when most dogs resembled more like rabid wolves. Gradually they evolve into smaller species, and likewise we slowly lose our fear.

Except people who had a bad experience at a young age like me of course.

Culture

In my opinion, I don’t think my fear of dogs has anything to do with me being Haitian or black.  Honestly, who would think of such a thing?

Photo by Al-Jazeera

I’m usually a cold, calculating person.  If I have anything to say, usually, I will say it according to the best logic I can muster, with as little emotional envelopment as I can. On contrary, what I hear about in Haiti just about transcends all my ability to analyze, leaving me with nothing but pure emotion.

If the universally believed “God” is compassionate, it’s sure as hell hard to see in Haiti.

If he’s got a sick sense of humor, I can certainly see it in Haiti.  As if we weren’t the poorest people in the Western Hemisphere.  As if we weren’t already plagued with a largely uneducated populous.  As if we didn’t just have an earthquake.  To add on to the misery, an outbreak of cholera now spreads across the country.

I am sad and pissed, but my mind keeps returning to an ever-present thought: why do Haitians always seem to act in such ways that are usually counterproductive in distraught situations?  What I came up with:

We are a people who’ve seen hate.

And so?  We aren’t the first to feel hate.  After all, the Jews have, for thousands of years.

But one thing goes unnoticed.  There is a Haitian saying that goes like this:

“Menm tounen nan Guinea, nèg rayi nèg“

This translates to: “Even back in Guinea, black people have hated black people.”

The Haitian people are consisted of people who were of warring tribes back in Africa, all sold into the same boat.  They have hated each other before, and every once in a while, this surfaces.  What makes this even worse is that short after the Haitians gained their independence, they were faced with a large problem: most of the people not only had problems with each other; they were unskilled.

I’ve heard people say that the Haitians are warmongers.  This can’t be farther from the truth.  We aren’t warmongers.

We are a people who’ve seen pain

After years of oppression, the average Haitian looses hope.  What usually ensues is anger, which is why after the notion that the cholera outbreak was caused not by a Haitian, but by a U.N. soldier, the protests began.  And understandably so, given the fact that prior to the earthquake, there were little cases of cholera documented in Haiti.

My biggest question now is “how long?”  How long will this country lay in ruins, eye-deep in debt, and torn by hate and poverty?

So how long?

I hate math.

That’s right. I said it.  I hate the very thought of it.  It has ruined my test scores. It’s made me 0.2 points away from a 4.0 GPA.  It’s also threatened to batter my self esteem.  But after contemplating on the issue for a bit, I’ve realized that it is impossible to escape it.  It’s there.  It’s always there.  Always behind you, stalking you.

I reminisce of my younger days, when I was around five years old, of when I was eating mashed potatoes.  My grandmother told me to hurry up so I can finish my math homework.  I told her where to put it.

She replies calmly, “How much mashed potatoes is in your plate?”‘

My response: “A lot.”

Her response: “With math we can know exactly how much mashed potatoes is in your plate.  Everything is math. When you’re older you’ll understand.  Now hurry up and finish.”

And so here I am, struggling with Calc and Trig, tripping on SigFigs, (wish me the utmost luck!), on the verge of utter hysteria, and all I can think of is my grandmother’s wise words: “Everything is math.”  Everything. And inevitably, mathematics has taken its position: It will not go.

It didn’t help much once I discovered that logic and general intelligence are measured by math.  Just my luck. The I.Q. tests I took weren’t satisfactory; even if I got slightly above average (I got 115; my weight and I.Q. were the same at the time!), I was aiming for far superior intelligence (around 125-130).  Math seemed to be out get me.

It took a leaf to change my mind.

Image courtesy of Rhea Begazo

A leaf’s intricate patterns, the growth patterns of my backyard trees, it all has some order to it that, with enough staring, can be somehow deciphered.

The more I noticed and studied it, the more I realized that Grandma was right: everything is math.  There is not a single iota of existence in our universe that is not bound to the realm of mathematics.  Nature and music follows the Fibonacci Sequence.  Emotions and life aren’t exempt either (as explained by the hilarious Garth Sundem in Greek Logik).

My epiphany: everything is math, so instead of hating it, embrace it!

Image courtesy of Anna Cervova

U.S. has just unveiled the plan for upgrading the pitifully ineffective general surgeon’s warning found on every cigarette box.

Instead of just saying that “Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy,” the FDA plans, like many other countries, to show that smoking is a bad habit by putting pictures of cancer patients, corpses after autopsy, and pictures of horrendously damaged lungs.  The proposed effect?  That smoking will drop down substantially, right along with the cases of cigarette-related cancer.

Well if that isn’t the most idealistic proposal I have ever heard of…

After years of D.A.R.E, teenagers still smoke.  And drink.  After narc-cops come in and show presentations at the high schools  about the dangers of using meth, cocaine, and other drugs, what do some do?  Those same drugs anyway.  And once they try it, they become hooked.

My point?  The smoking trend is not going to end simply because a picture of some lady on her deathbed is on it.  We’ve seen the pictures of the pitch-black lungs already.   It hasn’t stopped anyone from lighting up a fatty.  I’m sure it might discourage a small percentage of people who haven’t tried it from ever experimenting, but let’s face it: people will eventually get used to the pictures. It’s already ingrained into our minds.

Think of it.  We are fed images of people smoking in movies and billboards.  Stores all have it.  No matter what the educational system tries to do, smoking is still considered “cool” among kids.  Some poor deluded teens try it, get hooked, and spend their midlife crises regretting every minute of it.

To take it out, it’s quite simply, really; take it out from the roots: our culture.  Stop the ads.  Stop supporting the image.  Slowly and surely, the rage for smoking will diminish.

Oh yeah, this is sooooo cool!

Everything except baseball.  I sleep through most of the games.  Sorry.

A number of my European friends accuse me of being an ignorant, arrogant American, despite my mixed culture.  I’ve retaliated many times, but one point got to me.

“L, why do Americans call their baseball championship games “World” Series? Don’t you think it’s a bit weird that an American club wins the game every year?  You don’t think that’s a bit arrogant?”

I couldn’t argue.  I fumbled on my words, saying that Japan plays in it too.  He retorted, “Yeah, in the Little League.  If you want something really World, try the World Cup.”

So, are we Americans arrogant for naming the championship of an American favorite pastime ”World Series”?