Clearing some things up

So, I thought a little about my post last week. I think I ought to explain a few things. First, I know exactly where my friend's head is at. I know exactly what he is thinking (well, not exactly, but yes, I do understand why he is where he is). So, here goes nothing (or rather, everything). I'll start with what I'm not sure about, and move onto what I do know. First, I don't know that the best way to serve "the cause" is to immediately lead by example. I think that, given our societal bounds and limitations, one doesn't have to abandon society altogether to advocate for a change. Rather, I think that it is important to manipulate and take advantage of these silly bounds/limitations, so that, once you have, you can, from a (according to the masses) more "respected" position be advocating for whatever. This is my friend's and mine only disagreement. While he's ready to lead by example, I think it's important to take advantage of society (no matter how absurd it is) in order to affect change. Of course, there's the difference really, regardless of whatever else I say. I think he's looking for his own individual spiritual growth (undeterred by society), while I'm looking to advocate and affect societal growth, simultaneously growing as a spiritual individual (at least, hopefully). This doesn't mean that I will never live my life in a way that is by example, in fact, I've started, I'll continue, and I'm sure one day, both of us will be on the same page. However, he's fully pushing himself towards this, without trying to take advantage of society, rather, he's abandoning it. I understand this. I relish it, actually. I can't wait to visit and spend some time in the same fashion.
But here's what everyone reading this is probably wondering, what the hell am I talking about? Here's what I'm talking about: We all come from this Earth. No matter what you believe, I find it pretty hard to deny that everything is in some way interconnected. Every atom, every molecule, every cell, every organ, every organ system, every organism, every ecosystem, EVERYTHING is interconnected.  So, knowing this, we really should look out at the world as ourselves.  I'm not saying there isn't a God. What I'm saying is that there is God, but that we are seriously denying ourselves spiritual opportunity by living the way that we are. We seperate ourselves entirely from our mother, and consequently, from ourselves as well.  So here's what he's doing, and why: Simple living and high thinking. Simply put, live off of the land, more or less sustainably, and live civilized. I don't mean civilized as in usual terms; in fact, I'd say usual terms deem civilized man as one of the most uncivilized creatures. Here's what I mean by this, we're given, by nature, so many different and delicious (and nutritious) things to eat. We don't need to kill animals in order to get food. We need to live peacefully in a symbiotic nature. Think of the cow, he eats grass all day, and supplies us with milk. Now, unless you're a vegan, I'm pretty sure you've enjoyed milk before, let alone the countless number of foods you can make from it.  So, while I know this has gone all over the place (my apologies), what I'm trying to say is that my friend is living life the way it is, in essence, supposed to be lived. This is not counting out charitable actions or any kind of existence that promotes wellbeing, etc. This is to say that our current way of living typically, is conducive on so many levels. It hurts us as spiritual beings, which we are (account for your own existence if you disagree). It hurts us with concerns to health; look at our diseases! Now, before you say I'm crazy, did you know the animals that carry the most diseases per population are those that have the most interaction with humans? Not surprising, at all really. Finally, it hurts us individually. Look at the travesties that occur on other continents that we turn our backs to. How can we be proud of our country when there are others that need assistance? Be proud of individuals, be proud of good doers, be proud of those who really try, but be quick to recognize and discourage actions that are founded for selfish reasons, and you'll soon understand why our world is the way it is today. If you read all of that, sorry it was so all over the place, ask me about what I left out and I'll gladly share. Don't worry, though, I won't be waiting for a response.

Blog Post 2

I bet by now I've weeded out any non-sports enthusiasts. Too bad too, I was just about to get to music. In addition to playing soccer and coaching, I'm a huge music freak. I only say freak because I go through way too much trouble (never too much- just more than most people) to find music I really enjoy, as well as figure out how I can see it. For example, this past summer a friend and I trucked as far as Maine and back for the sole purpose of seeing music and whatever else we came across.  It was an incredible experience for both of us, and, unfortunately, I haven't seen this friend recently. He left for Tennessee to work on a farm (I would suspect an organic one), and hasn't really had a phone since. What you might find interesting is that, in the eyes of many, in fact most, my friend "went crazy." This is because he decided to be a vegetarian, drop out of school, and work on a farm.  I heard plenty of things, mostly the brief but broad "he went crazy" or "he just lost it," but all of this really only pointed one generalized thing out to me, which is this: People's perceptions are solely based  upon their own experiences, and once something either challenges, or worse, confuses those perceptions, then people (usually) combat these notions (the ones that challenge or confuse their perceptions). One way of combattance is to dismiss the notion as "crazy," implying that anyone "in their right mind" would not consider such a thing (this is regardless of what the notion truly is); this is what I witnessed most in this scenario. Also common, another form of combattance would be to oppose the notion, we see this in many other similar scenarios. Unfortunately, what seems to be the least common approach, is to identify with the notions, seperating ourselves from our own perceptions.

Let's Start with Soccer

To start with, I'm not really sure what I'd like my blog to be about, nor do I know what would be most beneficial (not just to me, but to you as well) for me to write.  So, with that in mind, I'll use this first post to briefly introduce you to myself, let you know how I keep myself busy, what my interests are (if we get that far), and I'll make sure to leave a disclaimer at the bottom to remind you all not to take me entirely seriously.
That last part, we might not go that far, but if we do, just remember I told you so. Anyways, who am I? Right now, I just finished my first season of coaching the JV team at Magnet High. It's not the most prestigious coaching position, but I'm working with my old coach, which has been an incredible experience. My first two years of college I spent playing soccer at Centenary, and honestly, it was miserable.  I won't go into too much detail about that, but the coach hardly knew soccer from football, and I felt as if I was losing "soccer intelligence" (which was the sole reason I wanted to play college soccer). Anyways, Radi, my old coach at Magnet, called me up and offered me the job, and I've enjoyed every minute of it (by the way, if anyone wants their child or whoever to do well in soccer, they need to work with Radi, he's by far the most knowledgeable individual in the state when it comes to soccer).  So, now that the season's over, my last obligation comes in the form of the banquet. This will be my seventh Magnet Soccer banquet in a row (4 as a player, 2 as a brother, this one as a brother and a coach), and I've got another four left at least, because my brother will be at Magnet next year.  Wow, this kind of became about coaching, but that's alright; honestly, it would have come out sooner or later. I guess that just goes to show how significant a part of my life that became. Anyway, aside from coaching, I've been trying to get back in shape for soccer at LSUS. I haven't played a whole lot (by my standards) since at Centenary, so I'd really like to get back into the swing of things; I wouldn't want my last couple years of playing soccer to go wasted. Well, here's the first thing to learn about me, I have an idea in mind when I start, but when it comes down to it, I like to really think these things out, and, as a consequence, we might have to go over things one at a time. See you next time.