Lost in Translation

I guess it's ironic that I'm writing this post online. You'll find out why soon enough...

A pen and paper; the greatest love story ever told? There's something that is way more personal about a pen gliding along the blue lines as opposed to fingers falling heavily upon a keyboard. I'm not old fashioned, in fact some would say I have no fashion at all (topic for a different time), I love technology as much as the next person, however, when it comes to writing, all I want is a pen and paper. All I need is a pen and paper. Oftentimes I'll be typing up an essay for school and be having the most difficult time getting started.

Computers come with so many distractions built right in and I fall victim to these traps almost 100% of the time. I can get lost looking through old photo albums, listening to music, or randomly find myself scrolling through a social media site for the third time in five minutes reading updates about topics I could care less about. However, if you give me a notebook it's mine to infect with ink. Sure sometimes I will still get distracted and end up doodling the strangest pictures but even then it's my own creation. It is a design that is all mine. I think that's what I appreciate the most about this whole pen and paper love affair.

In fact, I am currently writing this post to put off my research paper about Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury. Coincidentally I think the book has inspired much of this rant. The novel is all about a futuristic society where technology has alienated almost all of its citizens. If you've read it, you know that the book went to extremes because it had "firemen" intentionally set fires to homes that contained books. Bradbury had the right idea about the influence of technology deeply impacting everyone, however, he foresaw it differently than what is actually happening right before our eyes. Nonetheless I believe it's important to maintain intact with the non technological aspects of life as well.

This isn't me asking you to move to the middle of nowhere with no electricity or chuck all of your devices into the ocean, but to merely understand that we survived without all of this stuff. That's all it is. Stuff. I'll admit we need some of this stuff but what we really need are people. The anonymity that technology provides distances us from these personal relationships that are vital to our survival. More face-to-face conversations, less facetime. More  hands with pens, less fingers on keys, more sharing your humor, less sharing a link. When we lose ourselves so deeply in technology we miss out on real life opportunities to connect. It's kinda terrifying if you think about how often people text others who are sitting in the same room as them. Forget your phone at home once in a while, I promise it won't be the end of the world. Atleast not yet.

I mean my cousin even has the right idea and she's six here. 

Same Love

With all the recent news on Proposition 8 and what not I decided to put my opinion out there. That's what blogs are for... right? Well read on if you wish, however, I can't promise that you'll love what I have to say. Hopefully you won't hate it either.

The United States of America has what I like to call a "gay-ping hole in logic." Our country is supposedly all about freedom yet so many people are locked in their own closets shielding themselves from hate and unequal treatment. Macklemore had it right when he sang, "America the brave still fears what we don't know, and God loves all his children is somehow forgotten, but we paraphrase a book written thirty-five-hundred years ago." I consider myself a Christian. I am not overly religious but I believe in God and I believe He sent His only son to die for me because He loved me that much. How can a guy with that much love have any room for hate? Especially for one of His own? God won't love someone because they have feelings for someone of the same sex. I don't understand that and more importantly I don't buy it.

Listen to "Same Love" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Maybe that makes me a bad Christian and maybe some of you think I am not worthy of being considered one at all. How can you argue love AGAINST love when love IS love. Who are we to judge each other and tell one another "you can love him but DON'T YOU DARE LOVE HER." The same thing happens in heterosexual relationships... people always feel like they need to let you know their opinion: "don't date that guy, or him, or him, DEFINITELY not him, ew!"

The fantastic thing about love is that it picks you. You told yourself you'd never fall for him or her and then there you go tripping down the stairs again. Maybe not literally, but still. The fact that we do not allow gay marriage everywhere is simply ridiculous. Hey remember that time when we all read in our history books about slavery and how whites and blacks were segregated and interracial marriages were disgusting and the worst thing to ever happen? Then remember when we fast forwarded to now and look back feeling like idiots because there is nothing wrong with that union just like there is nothing wrong with gay marriage or relationships in general. 

When my kids read in their history books about how long this dumb argument took to reach the simplest solution I hope they realize how hilarious it is and how stupid we were being all along. If we keep making these same mistakes we will never learn. Grow up, America. Love is love no matter who it involves, embrace that or keep your hate filled mouth shut because it's people like you who are going to comment "wow what a gay post" on this blog. Is that supposed to be insulting? Really?

LOVE Y'ALL.