People and Animals

Have you ever noticed the similarities between humans and animals? Let’s consider comparing an elephant to a person. Elephants have four limbs just like we do. Sure they may use there appendages differently but still the number is four. Elephants have a mouth, a nose, and eyes just like we do. Yes, I realize their noses are much larger than ours. Elephants eat food and drink water just like we do. And guess what… they poop just like us as well. Of the course the quantity that is produced by elephants is slightly more than humans. Now think about every animal that fits into this criteria: dogs, cats, tigers, cows, sheep, pigs, wolves, deer, turtles, etc. And yes I realize that you will be able to come up with animals that won’t fit into this category, say lobster and spiders which have more than four appendages or fish which have a single tail instead of two legs but essentially the animals are primarily very similar.  Earth is basically a closed loop; the environment is conducive to this kind of life.

Scientists have spent a very long time separating all of Earths organisms into groups. But you can see how ironically similar all the species are. Now if you can grasp the concept of all the animals being more similar than different, then is it possible to have other beings on foreign planets that are unlike anything imaginable? What if on other planets of hot methane gas and boiling magma, where we think it could never be possible for life, there is life but unlike anything we know. Let’s call it Efil. I mean if it doesn’t fit into the group of Earth life then I guess we should call it something different, right?

Excuses

When we don’t do something well, we make excuses for not doing it well. I can recall a quote from a girl I played pool with in Alaska. “When I was little, we played pool all the time. I haven’t played in years.” For some reason society forces us to come with excuses for not being good at something. For some reason we need to be good at everything we do. We make excuses for ourselves and make fun of ourselves so that others don’t. It doesn’t matter if you beat me because I’m horrible at pool. However, if you are winning, “Watch out now, I’ve been practicing,” and you feel like you are on top of the world. We either put ourselves down or bring ourselves up socially depending on how we do at the activity. Why do we need to give excuses for ourselves? Why can’t we just play and enjoy it whether we win or lose. Besides if you believe you are bad at something than you will be and the same goes for the opposite. Believe you are good and you will be.

Grad Speech 1999

…And excuse me, can I have the attention of the class, for just one second?

I must say it is a pleasure and an honor to speak to you all this evening. It has been a dream of mine for four years to speak on this night. Now, I know we have all heard advice from parents, teachers, and other adults for our future. But I’m going to take this opportunity to let you hear a little advice from a fellow classmate. I suggest you listen carefully. You might be able to use some piece of what I’m about to say. So without further ado.

Live everyday like it is your last. So many times we find that life is very short. At the end of everyday, ask yourself if you have any regrets. And be able to tell yourself, no. Experience life to the fullest but use precaution. Do what you think you can not do. Be unpredictable. Be spontaneous. Do something new that sparks your interest -everyday. Do not let opportunities pass you by. And always remember you are only young once.

Do not worry about things you cannot control. Things will happen whether you like it or not. Furthermore, the past is the past so there is no use worrying about it. Although we can definitely and should, learn from it. Do not over analyze your thoughts otherwise, you will find yourself not sleeping at night. If things are not going well for you now, do not worry. Happiness is just around the corner. If things are going well for you, Congratulations.

Love yourself, but do not love yourself too much otherwise, you will find the mirror being your best friend. The people that matter will like you for who you are no matter what you look like. In other words, if you’re a banana, be a banana, if you’re an orange, be an orange. Do not try and change yourself and your appearance just to please others. You are all uni-que. I mean you are all unique in your own way. Never forget that. Now, something very important, playing video games and watching television will not help you mentally or physically, although running a mile and reading a book will. Never stop educating yourself. Most importantly never stop educating others.

There are no boundaries. Venture into the outskirts of imagination. Be whatever you want to be and do not settle for anything less. A high paying job does not necessarily equal happiness. You are better off being happy with a job you love. Before you get married, if you get married at all, live your own life first. If you are already married, be sure to keep each other young by enjoying one another. Work hard everyday of your life. Work towards every goal in your mind. Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. In order to be successful in life it takes hard work.

Take care of your body. It is the most valuable thing you own as an individual and the only one you have got. Otherwise at our 25th class reunion we’ll end up over weight and unhappy. Exercise and I guarantee you will be healthier. Try to stay healthy for the rest of your life.

Love and freedom are priceless and also free for the taking. The heart is a delicate thing so do not be reckless with it. Always remember to communicate with loved ones because you cannot always tell what someone else is thinking.

Never let anyone put words into your mouth. Speak your mind. What we need in this world are more outgoing talkative people. A lot of people need to realize that. Say what you want as long as it is in your own words and you do not offend anyone. It is sad that sometimes we have to fit into a mold someone has already made for someone else. Break that mold. Do not just say what people want to hear. Stand up for what you believe in.

All of you must remember that over time people change and so will you. Five years from now, almost nothing will be the same as it is now. People grow apart and people come together. We will lose some friends but make new ones. Life is in constant rotation.

Do not be afraid to live in different places. Sometimes it seems as though all roads lead back to Bristol. I suggest taking a different road to seek out new lands to enjoy. Seek out new cultures and new ways of life. Sure it might be scary at first but challenge yourself. Explore the world. Then decide where you want to live.

Travel but do not travel just to escape your problems, you will just carry them with you or they will be waiting for you when you return.

Invest in an IRA or mutual fund now. Watch it grow. Finance wisely. You must be careful if you live a life of materialism because a fool and his money are soon parted. All of the money in the world does not amount to anything without family and friends. Donate to charity because you never know when you will need charity yourself. Credit cards, now I know we all have one or more, do not solve financial problems they usually cause them. Use them wisely.

Now to conclude my speech, I would like to give a few last suggestions and reminders. Eat chicken soup when you are sick. Respect the Earth, it is the only one we have. Take many pictures. Do not drive fast. Invent something. Tell your mother you love her. Tell your father you love him. Read to your children. It is the best thing you can do to parent your children. If you cannot have children, adopt.  Do not forget to call home. And always remember to zip your fly.

Airplanes

On my trip to Alaska, I was waiting in the terminal for the flight to board. I was there hours before the flight was going to take off. With all the security measures, I guess it’s important to get there early. As the plane was about to board, I noticed many of the passengers standing, waiting, and very eager to get on the plane. I noticed people getting more and more nervous waiting for their row to be called. I began to wonder why people were so eager to get onto a plane. Personally, I didn’t care if I was first or last on the plane. What did it matter? I wasn’t going to get to Alaska any faster. Why did those people need to be the first on the plane? Just imagine. You’re standing, waiting, eager to get on the plane. You made it.  You are the first person on the plane. You quickly find your seat, stow your belongings and buckle your seat belt. Now, you still have to wait for every single passenger to get on the plane before you can leave. What was the point of rushing and raising your blood pressure?

Well, I began to think about why they actually feel this way. I tried to put myself actually into their shoes. I can imagine that when they got on the plane and found their seat that they felt secure. Why? Well, most people are a little nervous about flying. Whether it be the plane crashing, a canceled flight, gate change, lay over, lost ticket, security check, claustrophobia, baby crying or whatever. Everyone is probably a little nervous whether they realize it or not, probably because flying is out of our control. When you travel somewhere by car you are generally in control of your vehicle, however, you aren’t in control of the drivers around you. The feeling of being in control of at least our own vehicle gives us satisfaction. The fact that people have no control over the other drivers actually makes it way more dangerous than flying. When flying, someone else is in control and I think that makes people nervous. I think we live in a society that teaches us to be in control, or at least attempt to be in control at all times. The passengers trying to get on the plane as fast as they can are attempting to be in control of the situation.

People are also nervous because they want to get where they are going. Of course getting on the plane doesn’t get them there any faster; however, their job is done. They have done all that they could do to get there. “I’m on the plane. There is nothing else I can do to get there any faster.” I think this comes from society’s rush, rush, rush mentality. People need to learn to enjoy the journey as well as the destination. If we can enjoy the time it takes to get somewhere and enjoy the place we traveling to then we can double our enjoyment. Many times we are just moving to the next destination to try and find happiness but we never get there. We end up in constant motion searching for the next place when in essence we can be happy in the here and now throughout our journey of life.

November Photo - Swirled

Swirled

November Photo - Godafoss

Godafoss

November Photo - Akureyri

Akureyri