(no subject)
Another year drawing to a close. So many people standing up and telling you to do better next year. There's pressure to keep resolutions, to achieve, to make up for past mistakes, all that jazz, and more.
Now, I'm not big on holidays. And the main reason that is, is because I don't like to live one day differently than another. If I should give a dime to someone, I'll give it to them because they need it, and I have the dime to give, not because it's Christmas, and I should be in the Christmas spirit. The only reasonable explanation would be that it's getting cold out, and they'll need more money for blankets and such. That I would accept. But then they'd have started ringing their bells when the temperature started dropping.
I'm not big on people acting differently inside "holy" places than they would elsewhere. I can understand being more formal, and perhaps even more polite, inside a place of worship. On the other hand, I'm perfectly willing to swear inside of a place of worship, because I'm perfectly willing to swear outside of one. I'll still accommodate those I know would dislike swearing outside of one, but when with my friends, I have absolutely no problem with cursing. Granted I don't make a point to do it, except perhaps for emphasis, but it doesn't bother me to do it, either.
I think that new year's resolutions often times are good, to start with. But when you give it the scope of a year, things tend to fall apart. When do you start these resolutions? How do you plan them out? I am all for reviewing past actions, and deciding what needs to be changed. In fact, I do it on a monthly basis, at the very least. But when I review my actions, I implement the changes immediately. It's not a new month's resolution. It's a new day's course of action. It's what I am going to do the next day. And if I fail, I fail. And I learn from my mistake, pick myself back up, and try it again the next day.
I often find people's opinions on failing to be...interesting. Failing is a part of life. You are going to do it. Or you're not going to live. In which case some might say that you're failing at life. So...you're going to do it. A lot of people I know have a hard time coping with some types of failure. Granted some failures have larger consequences than others. But that's exactly the point. When you screw up badly, and you fail magnificently, you have a larger, more lasting reminder of how you shouldn't do that again. My sixth grade band teacher told me "It's alright if you fail. You can fail a test with me and still be just fine. Just don't fail it twice, in the exact same way. Make new mistakes. Learn from them." He even acted it out by beating his head against a wall. His point was that you shouldn't beat just your head against the wall and wonder if it would still hurt every time you did it. Instead, beat various other parts of your body until you're satisfied that hitting a wall will hurt you.
And there's the thing. Failure is the very, very best teacher. You can look at that wall, and think "It'll hurt to hit that.", but you won't really know with every fiber of your being until you've hit it. It won't be as lasting in your mind. And you might forget, in your speed, in a temporary lapse of mind, and you might hit that wall. And you'll realize that it did hurt. And that pain, that is the lesson. And such a wonderful teacher pain is.
The ability to learn from pain, and from hardship, is what makes people really...rich. It builds character, so to speak.
Every year we go through, we have joy, and we have pain. We have good times, and bad. I encourage you to learn from them both. Each day is a new chance. Each hour is another possibility. Use them wisely.
~PyroTechGod~
Now, I'm not big on holidays. And the main reason that is, is because I don't like to live one day differently than another. If I should give a dime to someone, I'll give it to them because they need it, and I have the dime to give, not because it's Christmas, and I should be in the Christmas spirit. The only reasonable explanation would be that it's getting cold out, and they'll need more money for blankets and such. That I would accept. But then they'd have started ringing their bells when the temperature started dropping.
I'm not big on people acting differently inside "holy" places than they would elsewhere. I can understand being more formal, and perhaps even more polite, inside a place of worship. On the other hand, I'm perfectly willing to swear inside of a place of worship, because I'm perfectly willing to swear outside of one. I'll still accommodate those I know would dislike swearing outside of one, but when with my friends, I have absolutely no problem with cursing. Granted I don't make a point to do it, except perhaps for emphasis, but it doesn't bother me to do it, either.
I think that new year's resolutions often times are good, to start with. But when you give it the scope of a year, things tend to fall apart. When do you start these resolutions? How do you plan them out? I am all for reviewing past actions, and deciding what needs to be changed. In fact, I do it on a monthly basis, at the very least. But when I review my actions, I implement the changes immediately. It's not a new month's resolution. It's a new day's course of action. It's what I am going to do the next day. And if I fail, I fail. And I learn from my mistake, pick myself back up, and try it again the next day.
I often find people's opinions on failing to be...interesting. Failing is a part of life. You are going to do it. Or you're not going to live. In which case some might say that you're failing at life. So...you're going to do it. A lot of people I know have a hard time coping with some types of failure. Granted some failures have larger consequences than others. But that's exactly the point. When you screw up badly, and you fail magnificently, you have a larger, more lasting reminder of how you shouldn't do that again. My sixth grade band teacher told me "It's alright if you fail. You can fail a test with me and still be just fine. Just don't fail it twice, in the exact same way. Make new mistakes. Learn from them." He even acted it out by beating his head against a wall. His point was that you shouldn't beat just your head against the wall and wonder if it would still hurt every time you did it. Instead, beat various other parts of your body until you're satisfied that hitting a wall will hurt you.
And there's the thing. Failure is the very, very best teacher. You can look at that wall, and think "It'll hurt to hit that.", but you won't really know with every fiber of your being until you've hit it. It won't be as lasting in your mind. And you might forget, in your speed, in a temporary lapse of mind, and you might hit that wall. And you'll realize that it did hurt. And that pain, that is the lesson. And such a wonderful teacher pain is.
The ability to learn from pain, and from hardship, is what makes people really...rich. It builds character, so to speak.
Every year we go through, we have joy, and we have pain. We have good times, and bad. I encourage you to learn from them both. Each day is a new chance. Each hour is another possibility. Use them wisely.
~PyroTechGod~