A Week without Water

So I just experienced what no American should ever have to experience: a week without water.  It was absolutely terrible, it was so terrible in fact I thought I would chronicle my journey for you.  It is a gut wrenching tale of water gallons and stinky, greasy bodies.  This is not for the faint of heart.  Do not read this if you cannot stomach the idea of perverse odors secreting from our toilets, or dirty dishes stacked sky high.  Only read this if you can stomach the atrocities i logged in the upcoming paragraphs.

I will always remember how it happened.  My brother and sister walked into the house.  Their faces expressed bewilderment.  I did not react in any particular fashion because they always acted this way.  However once I heard the vile words slip out of their mouths, the world collapsed around me.  They said, "water is gushing out of a pipe outside." That was our water supply! And it was broken! That meant only one thing, we would have to cut it off.  We would be stranded on a lonely island with little water, until some courageous lads could fix it.

Thus the week of horrors began.  We now had to buy gallons of water from the store to use for everything, from washing our hands, to showers, etc.  Going to the bathroom took on a much uglier countenance.  The 5 senses were offended every time one went to the restroom.  Refuse piled high in the toilet, and the only way to avoid the stench was to murder the scent with Febreze.  We had no choice but to leave the refuse, for the toilets could not flush.  Then while holding your breath you had to wash your hands.  However doing it by yourself was quite a chore, for you had to multitask between pouring water on your hands with a water bottle, to soaping up with a soap bar.  The worst part was rinsing off the soap suds afterward.  Then you had no choice but to grasp the water bottle with a soapy hand, forever leaving the bottle uncomfortable sudsy.  Nevertheless this whole process was much easier with two people.  Then, one simply poured water while the other washed.  It simulated a sink quite well.  I was quite happy.

Sort of what washing our hair looked like.

Showers were impossible.  They simply did not happen.  However you could wash your hair and face.  It took teamwork.  One poured water on your head while the other applied shampoo and thoroughly washed his head and face.  It was good fun dumping water on your partner's head and watching them yelp from the sharp cold sensation they felt when the cascading waterfall enveloped their head.  Then of course it was my turn.  Their heads were then avenged.

We would occasionally turn on the water, but only temporarily.  This would allow us to take showers and flush the vile refuse down the toilets.  Both of which we were eternally grateful.  Nevertheless there was a catch.  The showers could only be 5 minutes max.  Our dad said so.  I had never taken quicker showers in my life.  I literally applied shampoo and washed my body and rinsed off in two minutes.  They were not very enjoyable showers, but they were showers nonetheless.  

The odd thing about it all was as the week progressed, I became acutely aware of how much less water we were using as opposed to before.  Not only that, I realized how little water you actually need for most things.  When I had water I probably wasted endless amounts of water just washing my hair.  When we did not have running water, I used maybe half a gallon.  Every activity that required water, I noticed this.  I realized that I used way more water than I needed.  I realized that I easily could have used less.  Not only that, I realized that I waste a lot of water simply because I absentmindedly leave the sink on.  

In Texas we had a drought last summer.  If everyone had used the amount of water my family had used over the last week every week, there would have been no water shortage.  If was not even that hard to adjust honestly.  It would be great if we could flush the toilets regularly, but besides that it became easy to get along with less water rather quickly.  Indeed, I found it hard going back to using water willy nilly once we regained access to running water.  

I am not saying people should be water Nazis and judge everyone for using too much water (whatever "too much water" is anyway).  Rather, I am just saying that try to be a bit more conscious how you use water.  We use far more water than we need to in America.  I know how many of you feel.  You hate others telling you how to use your water.  I know I did.  I always asked, "Well we have plenty of water.  Who cares."  Often we do have plenty of water, however that does not make it any more okay to waste.  You might have plenty of food, but that does not mean you just throw away food whenever.  So why do we have that attitude with water?  One thinks twice before throwing away a jar of peanut butter, but we never think twice before throwing away a gallon of water.  We have been blessed with both, lets take neither for granted.

The Misplaced Debate Between Communism and Capitalism

Since the economy has transformed into a dying duck, everyone has found it necessary to bash Capitalism.  The entire system must be at fault for the disruption in our economy.  Since our economy is "Capitalist," that must mean that anytime our economy fails that proves the failure of Capitalism.  Then, of course, those critics of Capitalism admirably look on any other economic system that is not Capitalist.  Communism becomes the best thing ever.  Capitalism becomes the worst thing ever.  In this whole quagmire, I want to point out a dire inconsistency that always occurs whenever people debate over what economic system is better.  The comparison is never, as it should be, between how both systems play out in reality.  Instead, the comparison is always made between the ideal of one versus the reality of the other.

The ideal will always look better than the reality.  That is because an idea is always free of the variables we did not consider.  There are always infinitely more variables that we did not consider than we did.  You probably have had a moment in which you thought your idea was perfect.  You then wondered why no one else has thought of your marvelous idea and implemented it.  I know I have.  See, your idea is perfect, given the variables that you have considered.  However, once you start to load it down with the variables you did not consider, it quickly becomes imperfect.  There is simply no perfect human idea, because no human idea can take account of all the variables.  

This is what people compare the Communist
ideal to.  No wonder Communism wins.

Therefore, when any ideal is implemented, it becomes fair game to the brutal rules of reality.  Every idea must pass the reality test to be even worth considering.  If it fails in reality, it is not a good idea, given the variables.  Now, this does not mean that the idea is always bad.  The idea may indeed work if implemented in the right setting, but if it fails in one setting, then it is certainly bad in that setting.  

Comparing an ideal to reality is like comparing apples to oranges.  There is no comparison.  Yet people stupidly argue this way all the time.  They will say, "Communism is better than Capitalism because it cares for the poor."  Hmmmm, true, Communism in its ideal form cares for the poor, but what about in reality? Communism's record in reality has been atrocious.  Millions upon millions have died by the hands of Communist dictators.  The system has failed to deliver its people a better way of life.  Inequality is rampant, just manifested in a different way.  Instead of money being the determinant of inequality, its power.  The elite got what it wanted, and the poor suffered.  People make all sorts of arguments that Communism would be great if it was implemented right.  True, but so would Capitalism.

Now you can argue that the ideal of Communism is better than the ideal of Capitalism.  That indeed may be true.  However any utopian dream I make would be better than both.  I do not believe arguing over the ideal outcomes of both systems makes any more sense than arguing over what dream I think is better.  If one is to argue over these, the only logical thing to argue over is the reality of both.

The reality of Capitalism is far from perfect.  Monetary inequality is rampant, materialism is praised, and greed is fine.  Many people get left behind in its wake.  Its relentless, and does not stop for anyone, rolling over those that are not good at the game.  There is a strong element of Social Darwinism to it as well.  The strongest win, coming out on top while the weakest lose.  

Yet, it has produced great benefits to society.  People are much better off now, even the poorest, than people were in the past.  Capitalism has created incentive for people to work hard and try to be the best they can be.  Capitalism has unleashed a storm of human creativity and productivity.  Its benefits have been enormous, can you say the same about Communism?

No! Communism has utterly failed anyone that has experimented with it.  Many in an ideal world with ideal people it would work, but the world we live in is not ideal.  It is fallen.  A fallen world will never be suitable for a perfect system.  I am not saying that we must accept all the negatives of Capitalism.  We can try to tweak it through legislation.  We do not have to accept it the way it plays out.  However, it must nonetheless be recognized that all ideals are subject to reality.  Capitalism works in our fallen world, more or less, while Communism fails, every time.  Therefore, next time you get in a debate on this, at least debate it from the perspective of reality, not from the perspective of your dreams.

Memorial Day: Selflessness and Sacrifice

Well you all know what day it is! Its Memorial Day! Therefore I have decided to dedicate this post to all the brave men and women who have laid down their lives for the rest of us wimps.  I don't know if I could have done what they have done, which only makes what they have done all the more remarkable for us.  Whenever I hear stories of people that have hurled their bodies on top of grenades to save their fellow soldiers, it challenges me.  I wonder, "can I have done that?" I really do not think I could have.  How do people become so entirely selfless? I wish I knew. Anyways, I know that many soldiers died doing just that.  They knew what it meant to be selfless.

History has proven time and time again that in the worst of times, men step up to defend what they hold most dear.  Men do things they never thought they were capable of before.  In every war from the War of Independence, to the Civil War, to WW II, to Vietnam, and finally to Iraq, Americans have sacrificed their lives for something they thought worth dying for.  After all, there were ways out.  Running away was an easy option during the Civil War.  One can always wait, and cower in the moment when all your buddies are pinned down, and unless you do something, they can very well die.  But they didn't.  They stood up and fought, and laid down their lives for their buddies. Every single one of those men is 10 times the man I am, and forever will be.

Ask yourself, "Could I have done what they done?" and seriously ponder on that.  We need men that will stand up for good and against evil.  We need men that will sacrifice themselves for others, even if it meant laying down their life.  Luckily for us, we rarely have to make such dramatic choices, but nonetheless we should live out our daily lives to be intentionally selfless.  Make sure that every day you stand up for good and against evil.  No matter how minor the incident, do not simply look out for your own skin, your reputation, your popularity, your career, or whatever else it may be.  Stand up for what is right, no matter the cost.

That is what Memorial Day is about.  We get to enjoy all we do today because of ordinary people that stood up for what is right in the past.  If we wish to continue to enjoy what we have, then we must be ready to stand up and sacrifice.  Tomorrow's society is shaped by today's sacrifice, let us never forget that.

Professional Friends Inc.!

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What We Crave and Why We Crave It

Life goes on.  Its disturbing how true this statement is.  I mean really, no matter what happens, life goes on.  The most joyous events drift away.  We look forward to or quake in fear at the thought that something good or bad may happen, but at the end of the day, they are extremely short events.  Given the doldrum of routine we usually are stuck in, these highlights of our existence literally are like the blink of an eye.  The rest of life, the other 99% we never talk about, is the daily routines we glaze over in our minds and in our conversation.  Yet that is the majority of our life, but we rather focus on the 1%.

It is easy to see why.  The 1% is far more exciting than the 99%.  That 1% of life is what we crave.  Why? those moments of life are an escape.  They let us escape from normal life.  It actually does not matter what the moment is that leads to our escape.  Yes, we do not want it to contain any threat to our existence, but besides that, as long as it differs from our norm, we will be happy.  Its quite strange, for I guarantee that if what we did became flipped, then we would crave what used to be the 99%.  In the HBO series Band of Brothers, in one scene Lieutenant Dick Winters is looking on into all the destruction and death that had just been inflicted on France.  He concludes that after all that, all he wanted was to settle down on a farm and live in peace.  When America had entered WW2, everyone craved escape from their normal lives, and many joined the military as a result.  However, once they joined the military, and that life became normal, they soon desired what they had left behind.  It truly is a ruthless cycle, for we will always desire what we do the least.

Think about it, do we like diamonds
because they are shiny? Or because
they are rare?

Nevertheless, any good event that we do not do very often, we look on fondly.  We love vacations, but I do not believe we love vacations just because we love traveling to other places.  We love vacations because they are an escape from the norm.  Many businessmen get to travel all the time, yet because it becomes normalized, it loses the flair it once had.  Now, they probably look forward to just being at home with their family more than anything.  So a vacation would be a joyous event burned into our memories, but the businessman's routinized excursions to other countries would not create the same memories we hold onto.

Our most joyous events are the rarest events, and we hold onto them fleetingly because they are rare.  If whatever it was became routinized, the happiness we receive from the activity would soon drift away over time.  Thus the paradox of happiness.  We gain happiness from doing things we rarely do, yet if that activity ever becomes normal, we would not care for it much anymore.  Therefore, joyous events are fleeting because only fleeting rare events bring joy.  It cannot be any other way.

Oh yeah that's me, no big deal.

I know this personally from my experience as a swimmer.  The experience I would most crave in swimming was winning a race, placing high, and dropping time.  When I finally dropped time my senior year from my 100 breaststroke and broke a minute, going 58.88 seconds, I was ecstatic.  I was on the high I lived for in swimming.  There is nothing like the feeling you get when you have worked your butt off all four years of your college swimming career, and you finally had achieved the goal you always wanted, which was breaking a minute for me.  The moment lasted a few days, but eventually normalcy set back in.  Indeed, After such a high I was down about a week, because it was all over.  I had looked forward to the event so long, and now it was over.

Yet what if I always dropped time?  Then it would not have been such a big deal.  If I dropped time every time I swam a race, it would not be as big of a deal.  Indeed, when I was younger, I took time drops for granted.  I just assumed it was normal to drop time every time you swam.  However, as I got older, dropping time became more difficult, and the longer it took to drop time, the more ecstatic I was when I finally did.  The happiness associated with an event is directly associated, in my view to its rarity (though of course, a bad event would not make us happy).

This is not a bad or good thing, its just the way things are.  There is nothing wrong that we humans crave the rare things in life, but I believe it we recognized this it would make us realize why we actually crave what we crave.  Perhaps then it would help us to appreciate everything more.  Think about it, some day the things you take for granted, like hanging out with your kids or parents, could be a rare thing.  Some day, some things you take for granted that you do not appreciate may go away forever.  Its okay to desire the rare things in life, but do not neglect what you have right in front of you as a result, for it may be rare some day as well.

Segregation: by Kids for Kids

Youth culture, or should I say, youth cultures, are an interesting phenomenon.  Kids enter these youth cultures, which are tied together with their cliques.  Your identity is wrapped up in what you wear and what music you listen to, and your friendships are determined by this identity.  I will describe how kids fall into such a ridiculous arrangement in the first place, and why its asinine that its accepted as normal. Its segregation, intentionally fostered by kids for kids.  Individually, kids have good reason to play the game, find a clique, and adopt one of the myriad of pre-manufactured identities, but collectively it harms everyone involved.

 Kids go into cliches because they want to be accepted by their friends.  In addition, being part of a clique gives you much common ground with other members of that clique.  Say you are Emo (or scene or whatever its called now), then you will certainly find it easier to "click" (see what I did there) with another Emo person because you share much in common. You listen to the same music, like the same movies, watch the same shows, wear the same clothes, shop at the same stores, etc. etc. etc.  The list of commonalities goes on and on. 

Meanwhile, if you do not join a clique, life will be difficult for you.  Even if you have friends in a clique, until you conform, you will not feel at home.  You must adopt their fashion tastes and music otherwise the friendship will inevitably be weak.  Just as cliques give lots of common ground to those in them, they widen the chasm between those that are part of different cliches.  Cliques often share open animosity toward each other.  After all, their music, their clothes, and their activities are obviously inferior to your own. 

It sounds absurd when you point it out, but then why do so many actively engage in such ritualistic tribalism?  The dirty secret is that they do not feel confident enough as themselves.  They will pretend they are, because its cool to not care what anyone else thinks, but they actually do.  They care what their group thinks.  Its primitive, but its true.  What their groups thinks matters more than anything else.  Do whatever it takes to stay in, because acceptance is all that matters.  I mean, if a group rejects me, I will have to find other friends.  Not only will I have to find other friends, I will then have to conform to their standards.

"The Breakfast Club": a stupid
but hilarious 80's movie about cliques.

However, when you really get to the bottom of it, there is little difference between the different "youth cultures." They are all formed to satisfy that inner need for community in a savage world.  Your "gang" will always have your back.  Every clique hates every other clique because they are different.  Cliques perform active intentional segregation.  They intentionally separate themselves from each other.  It is ironic that America prides itself on ending segregation in the schools 40 years ago when students still actively segregate, without any legal prompting.  It is all the more ironic when one sees that all these groups are actually little different.  They are all composed of confused younglings trying to find their place in this world.  Besides their differences in fashion and music, they are basically the same.  They share the same frustrations, problems, and desires, yet they can't get past the shallow fads of the day for 2 seconds to realize it.

It is funny to think where all these cliques came from in the first place.  They never start with your average kid in high school.  That is a myth.  They are started by the collective fashion and music elite.  The cultural elites carve out niche markets and prey on the kids of this nation and their habitual stupidity for their sales.  No market is more exploited than teenagers, and the reason why? because they let themselves be exploited!  Kids will do anything to fit in, and all your favorite music labels and clothing stores know that.  They know they can get away with charging $100 dollars for a pair of jeans and kids will still buy it.  They know that all they have to do, is make what they sell fixed to an identity that kids identify with (or desire to identify with) and they will buy it.  See, these stores are not selling clothes or music, they are selling an identity.  

Kids have a high demand for these identities.  Its truly pathetic how easily manipulated they are.  Even worse, its pathetic that they think that they are acting on their own will.  That they are being "rebellious" or "doin their own thing" whenever they choose to buy the same clothes or listen to the same music as 30 million other Americans.  They are actively buying into the big money making machine.  They are actually on the side of big fashion and music, while their poor parents have to fight an uphill battle to knock reason into their kids.  We can only hope that one day kids will see the light that excluding people simply because they dress differently from you is just about the stupidest thing they have ever heard, and that buying jeans for $100 is idiotic.

Opinion and Elitism: the Bad Couple

Why do credentials matter? They certainly do matter, but why? If I was a writer, what difference does it make what I have done, if what I write is true? The fact is that the audience indeed does think it matters, and they will reward or judge an argument not by its clarity or effectiveness, but by the character, experience, and prestige of the author.  If you are well known, you must have something worth listening too.  It is an interesting phenomenon I wish to explore more.  It is best that we look at what exactly the pros and cons of this practice are, and to reconsider our assumption that credentials outweigh the actual substance of someone's opinion.

First, what are the positives.  They do indeed exist.  You got to consider why the person is well known in the first place.  Obviously, you have to do something remarkable in this society to be well-known.  A politician had to rise through the ranks of his party and beat out everyone else that competed with him for his position, as a representative, senator, or President.  A military commander had to rise through the ranks, which requires a very talented and determined individual.  A business executive had to likewise climb through the ranks of a corporation and log in countless hours, sacrificing all to beat out the competition for the top spot.  All of these "great" people have had to accomplish a lot, and experience a lot.  They have tons of experiences to draw from when making their opinions.  In addition, perhaps the person is well-known simply on the strength of their ideas or opinions.  In that case, knowing that the opinion is theirs signals to you that a really smart intelligent man made it.  In either case, being well-known does send signals that the person's opinion is potentially more valid than someone less well-known.

The opinion formers such as the media and
academia would prefer it this way

This is a convincing argument in some cases.  If General Petraeus gives his opinion on how winnable the current war in Afghanistan is, there is good reason to believe him over a radio commentator or some random guy (like myself).  However, that does not mean, that his opinion is undeniable.  People can still make valid arguments against his opinion, and if their arguments are more persuasive than his, then people should accept that indeed, General Petraeus may be wrong.  Nevertheless, he may still be right even if their argument sounds more persuasive.  That is the tricky thing about opinions, a better argument does not necessarily make it true.  Indeed, since he is a general, not a debater, he may not have the acumen some have for making witty arguments.  That does not mean he is wrong.  However, being a general does not make him automatically right either.  Many generals have been wrong before, no reason he could not mess up as well.  

This brings us to the big negative, there is a certain elitist flavor to favoring an opinion simply because it is made by a higher up.  Obviously the credentials a professor has makes it clear that an opinion he has in his field is more probably valid than not.  However, if an amateur comes along that has an equal passion for the subject, and makes an argument in opposition to that the professor made, his opinion should not be dismissed outright.  It is ridiculous to deny him the right to have an opinion and to take his opinion seriously simply because he does not have the experience, or level of education of another person.  While those are important, I do not deny, they are not the end all of truth.  

As a Christian, I believe this is self-evident in the Christian faith.  Christians should keep in mind that the founder of Christianity, Jesus, was a carpenter, and that his disciples were fishermen and other commoners.  None were Pharisees.  Yes, Paul was educated, but the opinion of Peter, a fisherman, is given equal footing with him.  Both are in the Bible, and Peter's opinion is not seen as any less valid.  Before dismissing someone's opinion because of their lack of "credentials," keep in mind who the founders of our faith were.

Credentials do give us signals that an opinion is likely more valid than not, but not necessarily.  Someone less well-known and "qualified" may indeed have a better opinion, or not, it depends.  Nevertheless, what I am arguing for is that people's arguments should be judged at face-value.  Arguments should be determined by how persuasive they are in themselves.  Yes, the better arguments do not necessarily equate with the right opinions, yet it is better I believe, to consider everyone's opinion as equally valid from the start, rather than force someone to prove himself first before even considering what he has to say.  The elitist control of opinion must be stopped.  Lets consider what everyone has to say.  I guarantee that all the "experts" would be surprised what brilliance average people can possess.