Tonight I had the pleasure of seeing MxPx live. For those of you who don't know, they are a long running pop-punk band from 1992. Starting out as a Christian punk band, they decided to keep their beliefs to themselves and continue into the secular music circuit. They kept their Christian values and positive messages in songs though... (Just an interesting fact I wanted to throw in). Tonight at the show, I got to witness some of the most passionate fans I have ever seen.
The majority demographic of the audience was adult males age 25-35...probably with a wife and kids at home. I have never seen so many grown men cut loose and sing their heart out as much as I did tonight. It was an incredible sight. At first I was extremely judgmental and chuckled at how ridiculous they all looked, but then I looked deeper. I have never seen so much passion from that demographic, and it turned into an honor to see. These grown men had no boundaries. They would stage dive, sing into the microphone, and dance around. No matter what age they were, they were going to have the best night they could ever have. How admirable. In the outside world, they may have grown up into the suit and tie world. But tonight they were taken back 10 years ago and got to cut loose. I want to do that in 10 years. These adult men had no boundaries and they were not at all embarrassed to be singing cheesy love songs by their favorite band. They were passionate. That is all that matters.
I think that most humans, as we grow up, we start to focus on a career and money. Moving forward in our job and paying the bills. It is our passion that we leave behind. It is a part of us that needs to be released and it can't be forgotten. We are consumed by "the right path" and we forget about what we love. Do what you love. Do it for fun. Cut loose and go all out. There is no shame. If you love it, then show it and be it. No matter how old you are, passion is one thing that stays with everyone for their whole life.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
The Power of a Best Friend.
There is a moment in your life when you just know. You know that you have found your soul mate. Your best friend. After the initial nerves and flirts, the barrier is broken. You have never gone that far before. The deep conversation, the understanding of each other, the shared emotions. You would lay your life down for that person. They mean everything to you.
In the past, when a problem arises, you quit. You throw in the towel, move on to the next, get over it. But with her, you don't. You can't. She is worth fighting for. Every second of the day matters, and you never want to give up. Having that best friend is the best feeling on the planet. Who else do you want to tell about every detail of your day? Who else would care to listen? Never let them go. Of course anything can happen...But you only want one thing to happen. You fight for that.
When you are with her, you are who you are. There is no filter. There is no embarrassment. When you smack that wall or trip up the stairs. You look at each other and laugh. (At each other). They make the hardest parts of life easy. They amplify every emotion for better or for worse. They are there for you in the dark times and the light times.
You love them the most. You hate them the most. You care about them the most. You think about them the most. They are your soul mate. They are your best friend.
When you find them. You know.
In the past, when a problem arises, you quit. You throw in the towel, move on to the next, get over it. But with her, you don't. You can't. She is worth fighting for. Every second of the day matters, and you never want to give up. Having that best friend is the best feeling on the planet. Who else do you want to tell about every detail of your day? Who else would care to listen? Never let them go. Of course anything can happen...But you only want one thing to happen. You fight for that.
When you are with her, you are who you are. There is no filter. There is no embarrassment. When you smack that wall or trip up the stairs. You look at each other and laugh. (At each other). They make the hardest parts of life easy. They amplify every emotion for better or for worse. They are there for you in the dark times and the light times.
You love them the most. You hate them the most. You care about them the most. You think about them the most. They are your soul mate. They are your best friend.
When you find them. You know.
A Culture Run By Sex.
Every step I take I can see a sexual image out of the corner of my eye. Being a 19 year old male in 2014, I am fairly desensitized to all of the sex in the world. For a while it seemed like no big deal because it is just the world I live in, but then I took a step back and saw it in another light. 20 years ago there were no advertisements with 3/4 naked women, there were no movie covers showing only scantily clad women, and there was not near as much explicit material in the media.
I would like to start with a simple store like...Target. I walk down the clothing aisles and pass the lingerie section. Just like any other day, I keep walking and I don't sit there and gawk at the bras, I don't giggle at the underwear, and I certainly don't stare at the giant 50 foot picture of a woman in lingerie that is plastered on the wall. Imagine a 9 year old boy walking by that section and being able to see the blatant soft-core porn that a department store is displaying. In today's society it is no big deal, but it is a huge deal to that little boy, he may remember that forever. At such a young age, the more he sees images similar to that, the more desensitized he becomes and it will only get worse. Our society is at the point where a family-friendly store like Target can freely display soft-core porn for anyone to see, and that is really sad. What will our children be seeing on the streets in 20 years?
The next point I would like to hit is the film industry, even though I love movies a ton, they have DESTROYED the sanctity of sex and a the human body. 10 years ago it was rare to see a penis on screen and now it is looked on as "normal" in any R-rated movie. Why is it necessary? Think about all of the great movies in the past that didn't show anything like that. A woman's breasts are the most common nudity feature in film nowadays. How messed up is that? Any scene that has breasts in a movie is completely unnecessary. Maybe the dialogue was crucial, but she could have worn a shirt too. There is no more conscious for the film industry; they show whatever they want. Young kids that are able to see these movies that are filled with sex. Sex is usually the main purpose for movies today. It is what our culture desires the most, and filmmakers deliver that. The young kids that see it are viewing sex as just simple casual encounters and not something that is intended for love. Most movies portray women as objects that men desire, it's all about "getting with the chick." What a horrible message to send. The majority of people viewing those movies are so desensitized to the naked women and casual sex that it could render acceptable in the real world. I can't even imagine what will be admissible in movies in 10 years.
Sex is everywhere in the media. Commercials, TV shows, billboards, radio, books, music, movies, and video games. Our culture is getting more and more desensitized everyday. Pornography can be found by anyone on the internet. There is no control. What allowed this theme of sexuality to take over our society?
Satan is taking advantage of our greatest weakness. By nature, humans are sexually driven. By the media, humans forget what sex was intended for. Satan has taken the sanctity of sex and manipulated it into a spreading plague of sin in our society. The sad fact is that is only going to get worse.
I would like to start with a simple store like...Target. I walk down the clothing aisles and pass the lingerie section. Just like any other day, I keep walking and I don't sit there and gawk at the bras, I don't giggle at the underwear, and I certainly don't stare at the giant 50 foot picture of a woman in lingerie that is plastered on the wall. Imagine a 9 year old boy walking by that section and being able to see the blatant soft-core porn that a department store is displaying. In today's society it is no big deal, but it is a huge deal to that little boy, he may remember that forever. At such a young age, the more he sees images similar to that, the more desensitized he becomes and it will only get worse. Our society is at the point where a family-friendly store like Target can freely display soft-core porn for anyone to see, and that is really sad. What will our children be seeing on the streets in 20 years?
The next point I would like to hit is the film industry, even though I love movies a ton, they have DESTROYED the sanctity of sex and a the human body. 10 years ago it was rare to see a penis on screen and now it is looked on as "normal" in any R-rated movie. Why is it necessary? Think about all of the great movies in the past that didn't show anything like that. A woman's breasts are the most common nudity feature in film nowadays. How messed up is that? Any scene that has breasts in a movie is completely unnecessary. Maybe the dialogue was crucial, but she could have worn a shirt too. There is no more conscious for the film industry; they show whatever they want. Young kids that are able to see these movies that are filled with sex. Sex is usually the main purpose for movies today. It is what our culture desires the most, and filmmakers deliver that. The young kids that see it are viewing sex as just simple casual encounters and not something that is intended for love. Most movies portray women as objects that men desire, it's all about "getting with the chick." What a horrible message to send. The majority of people viewing those movies are so desensitized to the naked women and casual sex that it could render acceptable in the real world. I can't even imagine what will be admissible in movies in 10 years.
Sex is everywhere in the media. Commercials, TV shows, billboards, radio, books, music, movies, and video games. Our culture is getting more and more desensitized everyday. Pornography can be found by anyone on the internet. There is no control. What allowed this theme of sexuality to take over our society?
Satan is taking advantage of our greatest weakness. By nature, humans are sexually driven. By the media, humans forget what sex was intended for. Satan has taken the sanctity of sex and manipulated it into a spreading plague of sin in our society. The sad fact is that is only going to get worse.
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