The Confusion

Life isn't really a story
It's a series of stories
All mixed up and intertwined

It never really ends
It has one ending
And their all the same, you'll find

Love is a riddle that can't be solved
Life will never resolve

An Advantage Gone Unnoticed

Frederick B Wilcox, who was an author once said, “Progress always involves risk. You can’t steal second base and still keep your foot on first.” I feel progress is necessary in this school, and I realize the risk, but I want to propose an idea. I feel we should allow smartphones to be used in a class setting. Being homeschooled for most of the day, I realize the benefits of having this tool at one’s disposal. If I find something interesting, or intriguing, I can easily look it up on the Internet, and it furthers my education. On the contrary, if the teacher says something in class that I might be interested in, I have no outlet for any ideas, and most often forget it by the end of the day, or misplace a piece of paper that I’ve written it on. The option of using smartphones in class can increase organization, give room for further learning, and provoke innovation in the younger generation.

The opportunity of using smartphones in class can increase organization and time management. I realize that the school equips students with student handbooks (which can be very expensive), but with smartphones, they are unnecessary. With smartphones, students can set reminders, put appointments on their calendars, and write notes to remind them of project due dates, homework assignments, and days to remember (e.g. basketball practices, sports games, concerts). I still think we should have these handbooks available and optional, but the exorbitant amount of them used is a strain on our natural resources. Also, a phone is much more unlikely to be misplaced or forgotten. I know I struggle with organization, and my smartphone has helped me tremendously.

Furthermore, the option to use a smartphone promotes further learning on a subject one might be interested in. If the teacher is talking on a subject that a student takes particular interest in, then that student may look up studies that have been done and questions the teacher may not be able to answer. Jim Rohn once said, “Formal education will make you a living, but self-education will make you a fortune.” Smartphones can not only be helpful, but it can actually begin to spark interest in knowledge. Instead of just going through the normal day, they are actually able to educate themselves. This interest motivates students to further their study and actually do something about things they have learned about, or unfold their ideas.

Also, having the usage of a smartphone can introduce what the American spirit and economy runs off of; innovation. The advantage of being allowed to use a smartphone can enable the students to have ideas, and further pursue them. For example, while I was homeschooling I learned a theory that in prehistoric times animals were larger because the oxygen levels were much higher with the amount of vegetation that was currently present the earth. Having the use of the internet, I was able to almost instantly look up cage prices, oxygen tanks, and gizmos that read oxygen levels, in order to conduct an experiment for myself, because I could not find any studies done on it. With the internet at my disposal, I did not have to delay to be able to further my idea. Having this type of thing available, and not exercising it is honestly, quite ridiculous.

Smartphones are helpful for organization, learning, and innovation. All qualities which schools hope to teach their students before they graduate. The point I’m trying to get at is that most likely, with the benefits of this technology, this type of change in schools is going to happen. The question is if we’re going to embrace this change early, or resist it. It can boost grades, interest in school, and knowledge, and make our school a place where kids think of learning as a positive thing. I hope to be a part of such a place.

The Beauty in the Basics

Me and my dad love to hike. If you asked me to explain why, I would have a hard time trying. Most of the time you’re either too cold or too hot, you might be walking with 30 pound packs, and you’re sleeping on the cold, hard ground in a tent. On this particular trip, I was feeling very happy to get on the trail. It was mid October, and I found myself very busy with work, being behind in school, and trying to juggle all my commitments. My head was filled with a lot of things. I set out to clean out the closet of my head, file everything away neat, and leave only the priorities. Hiking trips have always done that for me. Hiking brings life down to its simplest form; Eat, Sleep, Walk.   

We got up early in the morning, ate some breakfast, and packed a couple things we forgot to the night before. We through the packs in the back of the car, and were on our way. The sun was just rising, and the nighttime fog was just starting to burn off. The light streaming through the trees made for a brilliant sunrise. As I watched, I thought of how many times I miss this display, never waking up early enough to witness it.

An hour later we pull into a gravel parking area and see our trailhead. We park, sling our backpacks over our shoulders, and begin the hike. We hiked for about half the day, and then came to a spot with the most magnificent view. It looked beautiful, like a piece of landscape art you’d see in a museum. It reminds you of something once seen in a dream, and makes you reach out, almost expecting to touch a screen or a painter’s canvas. The hawks glide below you, and you finally get a taste of what it’s like to fly. You fill your lungs with crisp, cool, fall air. The smell reminds you of a time back when you were a child, innocent, laughing and jumping into a pile of freshly raked leaves. One can hear the wind as it smoothly caresses the leaves on the trees. There’s nothing to say to each other, nothing to do, just look. After awhile you stand up, breathe full and deep of mountain air, and move on.

Nature is my favorite place to retreat when life becomes confusing or foggy. I think man was created with a desire to explore, and sometimes, just be still. That is something often forgot in our success driven society.

            As we were walking back from camping out the night before, my dad asked me a question. He said, with a little chuckle “If someone asked you if hiking was fun, what would you tell them?” I replied, “I would say, ‘I don’t know, but it’s worth it.”

Hard Truths

 Romans 13:1-7, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves"…. "Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor."

Your Motivation

  Let me begin by telling you what your motivation isn't  It isn't a car, it isn't good grades, and it isn't to be more popular or to have more friends. Leave those shallow goals for beings with a narrow view of the world. You know there is so much more, you've seen it. You saw it that morning, looking at the view on top of the mountain, watching the sunrise and sipping your coffee. You've seen it in the teary eyes of the women and children who were able to own their first house, because of the group building it, that you were a part of. You've witnessed the change in a person’s life, from depression and thoughts of suicide, to life and life to the full. That’s where true happiness lies, in being a small part in God’s story, and always living a story. Don’t stop moving. Complacency is sleep, and sleep is death. Do, Live, Be. Jeremiah 29:11; “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”