The Things We Still Remember

The Things We Still Remember

We keep best friends in 5 places

1. Our mothers' costume jewelry boxes we used in elementary school

            a) plastic earrings

            b) halloween rings

2. Beneath pillows and blankets of summertime whispers

3. Across the lines of our diaries

            -the ones we like to go back to every once in a while

4. In our palms, painted over purple nail polish

5. In pictures, notes, colored pencils, strawberries, hair ties and lemonade

            ie: things we keep in the back of our mind until the next rainy day

"Where words kiss melodies so deeply."

Have you ever read, watched, or performed slam poetry? Because if you haven’t, then you should.

I first experienced it in high school for the first time and fell in love with it. It’s different than music. There’s a beat, and there’s words, but the words never get overpowered by any music. And the words aren’t just words; they’re stories and feelings and tragedies and dreams and all of these things that make you want to throw away your life and become an artist.

It’s an art what these people do. In high school I decided to take a poetry elective, and I was pretty good. I would write all these different things and the teacher would say he liked them and I was pretty proud. Then one year he asked me to join the competition team, so I went to the meeting and read a poem for everyone…and they just stared.

See it’s not about writing a poem and then reading it. You have to take all of the emotion in that poem and throw it out there, throw it at all of your listeners.

But slams poems, they’re so much more. They’re no Shakespeare or Emily Dickinson. They come in all shapes and sizes, all rhythms and languages, and they hit you like a brick wall. These writers make you understand them and understand you and sometimes I just wish that before college and before senior year, I had just dropped everything and become one of them.

After I read my poem for the group, the teacher told me I needed so much practice that I couldn’t read for him again until I was ready. So I practiced every day during my lunch period. But you see, I have this wall up. I hate showing emotion, and I hate being eccentric because I have a fear of judgment. So I took this friend I had, this girl who had no reservations and was nothing but theatrical on a daily basis, and made her turn me into her. So I read my pieces to her every day and she would yell at me and get the emotion to come out of me until I was no longer reading the poems, I was performing them.

Seriously, these people are great. And it’s not all just emotional crap, it’s fear and excitement and comedy and romance and everything in 3 and a half minutes. Listen to them. They speak wisdom and they speak the truth.

I swear.

“They say it takes twice as long to forget as it did to get to know. So now I’m sitting here talking about 6 days down, and six more years to go.” –Rafael Casal, First Week of a Breakup

“I am missing you most in the silence between songs on my favorite records. Sometimes it takes too long for the music to start.” –Andrea Gibson

“I can’t write my way through this bathroom door, so I raise my hand in class cuz I can’t stand it anymore.” –Rafael Casal, Barbie and Ken 101

“Rock out like you get paid to disturb the peace.” –Anis Mojgani, Rock Out

“I’m done being seized and I’m seizing my chances.” –George Watsky

“This was a very special place with very special stores that I had never seen before, where I could buy anything that I wanted to try: wings that make me fly, and Courage to make me try.” –Poetri, The Store

My Return to The Land of Stories

Just a few days ago, The Land of Stories 2, by my idol Chris Colfer, came out and so of course I immediately bought it. I published a few posts on how good the first one was and let me tell you, I didn't know how much more he could do after exposing all the secrets he created behind the fairy tales, but he surpassed my expectations. 

So to summarize the first book, Alex and Conner, the protagonists, wound up in TLOS (the land of stories) and had to complete the wishing spell to get out. In doing so, the crossed the paths of major fairy tale characters and found out the true stories behind them all. The biggest one that carried over into the 2nd book was the tale of Goldilocks, Jack the Giant Slayer, and Red Riding Hood. In the first TLOS, it was explained that Red was in love with Jack who was in love with Goldi, so Red played a prank on Goldi by getting her to go into the three bears house which led to Goldi's arrest and life as an outlaw. 

Anyways, the story picks up again with Alex and Conner sneaking into TLOS when they find out the Evil Enchantress, who happens to be the pupil of the Evil Queen (from Snow White) in the first book, and is also responsible for many of the curses in the fairy tale world including the prince being turned into a beast and the woman being turned into a magical harp, etc. 

Colfer revealed so much about the true nature of the fairy tale characters, that I didn't think there was anything left to expose, but boy was I wrong. One of my favorites comes from the tale of Cinderella; everyone's favorite princess. Alex and Conner visit the wicked stepmother who explains to them that she was so in love with Cinderella's father, whom Cinderella was the spitting image of, and when he died, the stepmother couldn't bear to look at Cinderella because it reminded her of her husband, so she gave Cinderella chores that would make her dirty and unrecognizable, and kept her in the basement so she wouldn't have to be reminded of her loss. 

I spoke in my previous posts about how humorous Colfer made the book. And of course he did it again. My favorite part was also in the tale of the stepmother. She explained how after the Cinderella ordeal, the people of the kingdom grew to hate she and her daughters and would make up stupid tales about them like saying that the girls had tried to cut their toes off to fit into the glass slippers in order to marry the prince. The irony in this is that, that was true. In the original Brothers Grimm tale, that is what happens. And I enjoyed how Colfer made it a joke in this present-day fairy tale. 

Another interesting revelation came with the introduction of Rumpelstiltskin who was not in the first book. It turns out that in TLOS 2, Rumpelstiltskin confronts his family members whom he betrayed when he went to work for the evil queen. Who are these family members? Well the seven dwarfs of course! Rumpelstiltskin is himself a dwarf and turns out he's the 8th brother (in TLOS anyway). 

In previous posts I spoke about how I loved that Colfer was able to relate all the Prince Charmings: four brothers, Chance, Chase, Charlie, and Chandler. In TLOS 2, he seemingly easily relates two of the most famous princesses: Sleeping Beauty and Belle. It is revealed that the evil Enchantress had been in love with a prince who did not love her back, so she turned him into the Beast. However when the 'beauty' fell in love with him, the curse wore off. Everyone told the tale of Beauty and the Beast and so the name Beauty became a family name, which stuck for later generations, including the second Queen Beauty, the granddaughter, Sleeping Beauty. Freaking brilliant. 

Finally, I point out how I love that Colfer takes old tales but makes them present day. I was secretly hoping that Peter Pan would make an appearance in the book despite the fact that he is not a Grimm Brother/ HC Anderson tale, and got excited that B and the B was in there because neither is that, but I only partially got my wish. In the end, Alex is met with her favorite and most easily relatable fairytale characters: Wendy Darling, Lucy Pevensie, Dorothy Gale, and Alice from Wonderland. These are the most recent fairytales of our time, but we don't often consider them fairytales because they are so young in comparison. 

Finally, I give all my admiration to Colfer who has done what others can't. In explaining why the Enchantress did what she did, she discusses how she was forced to leave the royal council because she was ridiculed by those who were jealous of her, and when they became threatened that she had more talent than them, they replaced her with someone who was most simply more popular and prettier. 
"The world always listens to a pretty face over an average one."
Amen. We all try to ignore this simple fact, but it stands true. Despite our efforts to say that looks don't matter as much as brains or heart, we know it's not true. I cannot tell you how many times I have been passed over for something because of someone else who was prettier than me, and I applaud Chris Colfer for using a fairy tale to point out a most obvious fact of our world today. Thanks Chris.

All in all, two thumbs up. Colfer again managed adventure, excitement, genius, mystery, and magic. Can't wait for more. 

Make It a Smash

Smash.
The TV Show.
I just wanted to share my opinion of this show because it got such bad reviews and was cancelled and I have no idea why. I guess it would be because the only people who appreciated it were those who appreciate Broadway itself.

For those of you who never heard of it, Smash was an NBC TV show all about Broadway. Season 1 focused on making a musical about Marilyn Monroe. The main characters included the producers, directors, actors, writers and everyone who takes part in the making of a musical. The second season followed these same people as they moved on to new shows and went through Broadway life.

What I loved about the show was that the actors weren't TV actors, they were all Broadway stars: Christian Borle of Legally Blonde the Musical, Megan Hilty of Wicked, Jeremy Jordan of Newsies, Krista Rodriguez of the Addams Family, and so many more, including big Hollywood names like Jack Davenport, Debra Messing, and Angelica Huston. I probably would have been disappointed if there weren't Broadway people in it.

There's nothing better than Broadway, but it's kind of hard to go to New York City to see a show whenever you're in the mood, not to mention how expensive the shows are, so it was kind of nice to get a weekly bit of Broadway. I think if people took the time to watch the show then they would grow to love the theater like I do.

So what makes the theater so spectacular? It's not like movies or TV or even books. When you watch a show, well you do just that, watch. But when you go to Broadway show, you are right there in the room with those people and as cliche as it sounds, it is almost as if you yourself are a part of the show. Also, Broadway performers have more talent than anyone else. They don't need autotuning, they don't need multiple takes, and they have so much passion and they just put it all out there on the stage.

You know when you watch a really good movie and it's just so inspirational and at the end you just feel so happy and want to go out and do good things? That's the feeling I get after EVERY Broadway show. That's what the theater does. For 3 hours you get to escape the world for a while and be a part of someone else's dream, and their dreams inspire your own.

It's great music, acting, drama: everything. So why was the show cancelled? As much as I hate conflict, I had to look up why people think it was cancelled.
The first reason I read was that it had too many plot lines: Karen and Ivy fighting for roles, Julia's dissolving marriage, Tom's first real relationship, Eileen's first time as a solo producer. So what? Isn't that life? No one ever has just one problem at a time. Every day we wake up with a whole day full of big changes. Maybe the viewers thought that the focus was on too many people, but it should have been. You can't throw all of these amazing Broadway people onto one show and expect the focus to be on one or two of them. They are all amazing and all should be seen.
Another reason I read was the changes in Season 2. The first season was all about Marilyn the musical and the songs were typical Broadway songs. In Season 2, the main character Karen starts working on a show that has a bit of a Pop vibe and viewers didn't like the change. THAT'S THEATER. It is constantly changing and that is what makes it so exciting. No show is the same, and if they were then they wouldn't be as good as they are. That's all there is to it.

In all honesty, I think the problem was that average TV watchers don't have the appreciation for the theater that it deserves. They complained about the constantly changing plots, the shifts in genre, and so on. But in doing so, they completely overlooked the magic behind the show itself: the music, the story, the love, the drama and the beauty that is Broadway musicals.

If you don't want to watch the show then fine, but go to Broadway. Go see it for yourself. It will change you, I promise that.

Not Like the Movies

I want to take a second to talk about movies. Pretty common topic right? I don't mean what specific movies I like or types of movies or anything. I want to talk about what movies do for me; the effect they have on me. I might be a little self-righteous for a bit but bear with me.

I spend so much of my time worrying and stressing about all the bad things in my life and don't get me wrong, it's something I need to do, but every time I watch a movie, it's like for five seconds I can just forget about all that negativity and bask in the positive influences of some really good film.

Now I'm a romantic comedy kind of girl. I mean, what girl isn't? And yes, I want my life to be like a movie. We all do. And every time I watch some really good movie it just makes me happy because the possibility is out there. And that's the thing- maybe it's not.

I may not have a true love or a longtime best friend or a spontaneous adventure. But that doesn't matter. Movies simply allow those things to exist as an idea. And so what if right now I don't have them? As long as those things exist in theory, it stands to reason that they have the potential to exist in reality.

I may still have no idea what to do with my life, but Sandra Bullock showed me that it's possible to be both Miss America and a Special Agent. And I may have yet to have a boyfriend, but Jennifer Garner showed me that some people don't find the one until they're 30. Yes those are movies, and I'm not so delusional that I believe they are the most realistic reality.

But so what? I'm not the only one who has seen these movies, and surely I am not the only one who takes them to heart. So doesn't it stand to reason that all of us can believe in these 'theories'?

I mean, Peter Pan taught us that fairies will be real so long as we believe in them. Can't it be the same for movies?
At least the rom-com's anyway.

Small Town USA

I've been wanting to rant about this topic for a long time. A month or so ago I came across a facebook page all about hating the city and the town that I live in.

For those of you who live in small, rural towns, you know what it's like. We have a lot of hicks, a lot of drug use, and lot of people who don't have a lot of money and don't show much respect for themselves. And yeah, a lot of people hate this aspect of our town...so why use the internet to publicize it?

This facebook page is a bunch of different memes that make fun of the people in my town and county and I hate it. Yes we have lots of problems, but doesn't every small town? Why stereotype the entire city but one group of people.

And you know what? I love where I live. We have lots of popular festivals, holiday parades, art shows, and even Gusmacker. All these events bring our town together...rich and poor, old and young, druggies and high class. My town is fun and friendly and pretty and I think that it is ridiculous that so many people are behind this facebook page.

Someone even wrote an article about it in the town paper about how upset it made them and what happened? The people on the page loved it. They put pictures of the article online and made fun of our newspaper for publishing it and continue to ridicule the county that I live in.

If you don't like it here then fine, move. Don't spend your time ridiculing where you live on the internet. If it upsets you that much, then try and change it. But don't make public all the negative aspects of a great town when there are so many positive ones.

I love my city, good and bad.

Farewell to The Land of Stories

I never did get to post after finishing TLOS so here it is.

It has previously been established that Chris Colfer is brilliant, so let me just confirm that.
Fairy tales exist to tell stories that teach us lessons about real life...that you must be courageous, that everyone has the ability to find love, etc. And even though Colfer already has these fairy tales that have morals, he is still able to create his own. One of these would be the story of Sleeping Beauty. We all know the story, she was put under a spell and fell asleep and was awoken by her prince. The fact of the matter is that she was asleep for one hundred years and she may have woken up a queen, but woke up a queen ruling over a kingdom that had fallen apart in those one hundred years. Colfer talks about her struggles as the new queen in bringing the kingdom together and having to work hard to assure her people that they would once again prosper. He presents here not as a damsel in distress, but as a hero.

Also, than you to Chris Colfer for explaining another confusing tale...Goldilocks. Why the heck was she snooping around the bears' house anyway? In TLOS, it is explained that as a young man, Jack (from the beanstalk) and Goldilocks were lovers and Red Riding Hood was jealous because she too loved Jack. So one day, Red wrote a letter to Goldilocks pretending to be Jack and telling her to meet him at this specific house, in hopes that the bears would get angry and eat her arm or something. However, it resulted in the bears pressing charges against Goldilocks who became a fugitive and couldn't be with Jack. The amazing thing about these tales is, who ever thought that they could all be related? It seems like too much for just one society to have so many crazy people in one, but that's what The Land of Stories is.

Now I thought everyone knew that the man in the evil queen's magic mirror was her lover, but apparently not. Anyway, the Evil Queen becomes a fugitive and Snow White's armies chase after her. She tells the protagonists of her story how she ripped out her heart so that she would never have to feel the pain of losing her lover inside the mirror, and that is why she poisoned Snow White, because her body physically couldn't feel emotions. Then what follows next is something I want you to think about...
"I've done many terrible things in my time but many terrible things have been done to me as well. So as far as I'm concerned, the world and I are even."
Makes sense right? I mean, I am a firm believer in doing good things and karma and all that, but I can't deny that it makes sense that if you've lived a horrible life, then you should be excused from doing certain horrible things.

Again, the humor. Even in the world of fairy tales, there is still a caste system; still cliques. When Red Riding Hood is getting chased by wolves and Snow White's knights aren't assisting, she yells "If I were Cinderella, none of this crap would be happening!" Because apparently Cinderella is the queen bee of princesses. Makes sense.

Again, adding to the brilliance, Chris Colfer explains the origin of the term fairy tale. It was pretty obvious from the beginning that the protagonist's dead father was from TLOS, but it wasn't explained until the end. It turns out that their Grandmother is the Fairy Godmother to Cinderella...the most powerful of fairies in TLOS. She explains to the kid how she made her way into the real world and saw all the sadness and heartache and it made her want to cheer everyone up. So she began telling stories from her world, and she started bringing other fairies with her so they could go around the world sharing these tales, cheering people up, teaching them life lessons, and also to believe in love and magic. Hence the term fairy tales.

Now I have some speculation. I know the kids are brother and sister in this book, but so many of these tales have been distorted that there are so many versions and they don't all fit perfectly. But anyway, I am convinced that the kids are Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. Now this partially because I am upset that Peter Pan wasn't in the story and I love him. But it makes sense. The kids are related to the Fairy Godmother, so obviously part fairy, and since the Fairy Godmother and most fairies are women, then maybe it is more prevalent in them which is why Tinkerbell is full fairy, but Peter Pan is just magical. Also, they travel between worlds just like in Peter Pan. And remember how Peter would always fly past the clock tower? Well at the end of TLOS when they meet up with their grandmother, they do it in the clock tower. Not a coincidence.

In the beginning of August, the new TLOS comes out. Until then, I suggest everyone pick up a copy and get reading!

The Land of Stories part 2

So I continued on in my adventure through the land of stories. And let me tell you, it has been quite the ride.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this book is the sarcasm in it. As I explained before, the author, Chris Colfer, takes two people from our world and drops them into the twisted fairy tale world and tells the tale of the way they view it. The two realistic-world characters have completely different personalities, so that two different viewpoints can be shown. One character, Conner, is fed up with the fairy tale world and just wants to leave. His reactions to various situations are humorous and sarcastic. Alex on the other hand has never fit in in the real world, and therefore wants to remain there. She takes every opportunity she can to learn about and embrace the Land of Stories.
The great thing about the character of Conner is that his reactions to the fairy tale world are very similar to what any of us would feel if we were to see a modern day fairy tale just strolling by. His sarcastic comments really make the book.
For example, when stumbling upon the candy house where Hansel and Gretel were kidnapped, they run into the evil witch who tries to eat Conner and Alex. Rather than running away, Conner makes a few comments to the witch in which he explains that her motives to eat fatter children because they are more filling is really not a good idea and that she should instead seek out those with more muscle because they will be healthier. He also suggests she build a candy gym. In another incident, he and Alex are trying to sneak into the royal palace and get stopped by the guards. His solution is a remark that makes a joke of the fairy tale world- something that most people would likely make in the situation. He tells the guards that there parents are already inside. When the guard asks who the parents are, Conner says "the inventors of the wishing well."

I also enjoy the twist that Colfer puts on the tales. In the Land of Stories, the fairy tale characters exist in times after their stories. Cinderella and the prince are married, Goldilocks is grown up, etc. It is almost like the magic of each tale is over, but still continues on in a magical world. Colfer is able to make the tales seem realistically carried out. Cinderella explains that when she took over the throne, many wealthy aristocrats were upset because the prince married a poor girl rather than one of their daughters. Despite the fact that this takes place within a fairy tale, this is a pretty realistic situation. When Prince William initially announced that he wanted to marry Kate Middleton, a lot of people were upset because they expected him to marry someone from a more powerful family.

By combining real life characters with old and new fairy tales, Chris Colfer really is able to break the fourth wall in an acceptable and enjoyable way.

To go off on a tangent, who has seen the show Say Yes to the Dress? It is a show about people picking out wedding dresses. All the time I see brides come in asking for 'Cinderella' dresses and I think, who would want that? On my wedding day I don't want a big poofy prom dress that makes me look like a princess. I want something long and simple that makes me look like a bride. However, when reading the children's encounter with Cinderella, I may have changed my mind. Cinderella in this book is somewhat of a combination of Michele Obama and Jennifer Lopez. She is gorgeous and extravagant, but everyone wants to meet her because of how great of a leader and speaker she is. But she's also humble and down to earth. I don't know about anyone else, but I would love to meet that Cinderella.

Colfer does an amazing job at making the Land of Stories seem like an actual world. They have a map, different kingdoms, different rulers, and even historical landmarks. On the steps of Cinderella's castle is a plaque reading "this marks the very place where Cinderella left her glass slipper behind on the night she met Prince Charming". The reader is so easily drawn into this world because despite all the magical excitement, it isn't all that different from ours.

Finally, I would just like to give a round of applause to Chris Colfer for finally explaining the mystery behind all the princesses. Did they all fall in love with the same man?
The story explains the the princes are all members of the 'Charming' family. Chad Charming, Chase Charming, and Chandler Charming. How come I never thought of that?!

The Land of Stories

We all have the classic childhood fairy tales drilled into our brains. Cinderella lost the glass slipper and it was returned by the prince. Snow White lived with seven dwarfs and ate the poisonous apple. Hansel and Gretel got lured into the candy house.
Some of us know the originals by Hans Christian Anderson and the Grimm Brothers. Ariel didn't lose her voice, she had her tongue removed. Sleeping Beauty wasn't awakened by a prince, but was molested by her step-father.

In the Land of Stories, Chris Colfer takes both versions of the stories, twists them, and brings them to life.

Now fantasy tales are really not my cup of tea. I enjoy mostly realistic fiction, Jodi Picoult-type novels. However, I could not turn down the opportunity to read something by my idol. Chris Colfer is my biggest inspiration. At 18 years old, he joined the Glee cast. Since then he has become a widely respected actor, singer, writer, speaker, and so on. He was one of the New York Times' top 100 influential people. So of course I just had to read the book, fairy tale or not.

Colfer's work is amazing. He takes the original, horror-like fairy tales, along with the Disney-ish tales, and brings them to life. He puts them side by side in a story, along with what can only be called the present day versions of the tales. For example, Goldilocks is wanted for burglary, which in realistic times, is exactly what would happen if you broke into someone's home. He takes the three version and blends them together in a world where fairy tales exist. Then drops a child, though mature for the age, into the story to reveal what exactly would go on in a land where fairy tales exist.

We all know what it felt like to read these tales as a child. Every young girl wanted to be Cinderella at the ball, and every young boy wanted to climb Jack's beanstalk and fight the giant. But as we get older, we see reality, and the stories lose their magic. The trouble is that they lose the lesson along with them.
Colfer begins the novel with a discussion of these lessons. He lets the world know that although these tales have been distorted in telling, that we must keep close the lessons that it provides. But my favorite part is that he brings to life the magic that comes with partaking in fairy tales. Even as an adult, I read this novel and find myself wishing to be in the Enchanted Forest, living in The Land of Stories. To be able to recreate that magic, even past the days of adolescence, is a true talent.

I have not finished the tale, but rest assured, more will come when I do.

Pascal's Wager

I know religion isn't for everyone, but religious or not, I think Pascal's Wager is extremely interesting and something worth studying.

I have no trouble admitting that I am a Christian. But don't judge because of that. Yes I believe in God and I believe in heaven and hell. But I am not a die-hard Christian or anything. I just think that Pascal's Wager makes a lot of sense.

The wager goes like this...
In terms of numbers, if God exists, then a person who believes in him is represented by an infinity, because they receive eternal salvation, and someone who doesn't believe in him is a negative infinity, because they are given eternal damnation. If God does not exists, then a person who believes in him is a negative 20 (or some other number) because that person is weighed down with the requirements of believing in God (going to church, praying, etc). Someone who does not believe in him is a 20 because they do not face any of those drawbacks.

Summary-
God is real-
Believer: Infinity
Non-believer: Negative Infinity

God is not real-
Believer: Negative 20
Non-believer: 20

We will never have a way of wholeheartedly proving that God is real. I believe it because I am one of those people who doesn't doubt faith.
Regardless, these numbers show that because we will never know, the best option to choose is to believe in God, because it reaps the greatest rewards. It is simple math and common sense. I don't want to be one of those people who pushes religion on others, because I respect people who choose not to believe in it. But if I were a non-Christian, then from a mathematical/logical/rational standpoint, it would make sense to believe in God simply because it has the potential to produce the best result.

Robert Nozick

Have you ever heard of Robert Nozick? He was a famous philosopher in the later 1900's who is most famous for his idea of the Experience Machine. This idea consists of a machine that would allow a person to have any experience that he or she wants. He proposes and experiment in which people may choose to be inside a tank for two years where they will be hooked up to this machine, and they may pre-choose what experiences to have. Every two years the person will be unplugged in order to choose the next two years of experiences. 

Despite the chance of getting to experience any possible thing, so many people say they would not choose to plug into the machine. Why? The first reason often given is because no one would actually be having the experiences, only psychologically believing that they were. Another common reason is because there is no way to undergo any type of character develop when receiving experiences from a machine. Third, because there is no interaction with other people, only the conversations that occur inside the mind. 

I guess I will be the first person to make an honest claim. I would plug-in. Sure, everyone thinks they are being noble by saying they would rather live a full life. Bullshit. You all know that if you had the opportunity to take out all the pain and defeat in your life, and replace it will excitement and happiness, that you would do so in a heartbeat. If I got to live a year of lying on beaches, drinking fruit smoothies, skydiving, riding roller coasters, making best friends, and falling in love...then hell yeah I would do so. Even if it wasn't my body doing these things, I would never know the difference. I would have the same experience regardless.

The only downside? No shower for two years. I guess that's the price you pay. 

Economics of Happiness

Did you know that there is an equation for happiness? It is as follows:

H=R/E

Happiness equals reality divided by expectation. Makes sense right? Happiness will be a positive number so long as your expectations are not too high. But what does this suggest? That if we want to have a happy life then we need to have consistently low expectations?

You may think, "well what about not having any expectations?" This of course is impossible. Mathematically, E is always a real number because you cannot divide by zero. Realistically, no one has zero expectations. Despite the fact that we may say we do, we always secretly have some expectation in the back of our mind.

So what about the flip side of the equation? If you divide reality with expectation, you get a happiness quotient. What about when you invert this?

H=E/R

Expectation over Reality equals not happiness, but hope. Assuming reality is a constant, expectation has to be greater than reality to create optimism. In other words, when we expectations higher than reality, this is called having hope. This I believe goes along with my belief in blind faith. We shouldn't be afraid to dream simply because reality tells us that such things are impossible.


So how do you stand? Low standards for happiness? Or high standards for hope?

Production of Happiness

I want a career in which my job is simply to make people happy. I know that this seems kind of far-fetched. I mean, how can one have a job that produces only positive results? Sure, they say become a teacher or a social worker, but I just can't see myself reaching out far enough.

If I could do anything that I wanted, no restrictions, I would like to host a TV show similar to Extreme Makeover. Except this show would involve participating in a different program every week to help some particular interest group. Say one week I would get together a group of people to read books to children with learning disabilities, another week I would teach poor, single mothers how to cook cheap but healthy meals for their children, and another week I would aid in building a new school in a poor neighborhood. I could call it the Service Project.

So you think hmm, why not just start a charity? It's not enough! I want to be able to help people in all areas of poverty: ailing school, sick patients, children with disabilities. But it's not just that. I want to make everyone happy. Even those who may not necessarily need the help. The problem is that there is just no awareness of these things. That's why I don't just want a charity, I want a show. I think that advertising these issues is the only way to get more support.

Thoughts?