Is It Time To Have a Baby?

     There is a certain societal pressure to have children when you are "of age". This meaning, once you are into your career and are in a stable environment it is time to start having children. 'Everyone must have children', that is what the expectation is.

     Okay, so that makes a lot of sense. The only real reason we are born is to reproduce and keep the human race going. But, not everyone has to have children. Not everyone -wants- to have children. It is just what we see as the life goal of everyone. When you are younger you dream of getting married and having kids; well I did at least.

     Sometimes things get in the way of this. Some people just cannot have children, due to health problems. What then? Or what if you are gay? You and your life partner can't exactly have children of your own, so what do you do then? You often hear people say, "You can always adopt!." Even though this is not the same as having your own children, people feel raising a child is an experience everyone is supposed to have.

     In a world as over populated as it is, I do not see the need for everyone to go out and have children. We have, what, seven billion people on this planet? Why does everyone need to go out and increase this population? There are so many people dying of starvation, and in third world countries, there isn't much more room for people. So why are we still telling people to have big families? I think the population should find a way to go down to a more reasonable number.

     Also, not everyone wants to have children. Some people are okay with having a successful career and a loving husband, maybe even a cat; you do not always need to have a bunch of children running around to be happy.


Pictures:
www.bubblews.com
www.mamamia.com.au

The Twist of Commandments

     I will start off by saying, I am not religious. That doesn't change how society has bent the "rules" of religion throughout the years. Now, like I said I am not religious, and I had to do research to be able to talk about this. Please feel free to correct me if you believe I am wrong.

     What I have come to understand is, there are these ten commandments that are supposed to be followed, but society in this day and age have kind of flipped them to their benefit. I will go through each and explain.

     1. You shall have no other gods before me.

     How I interrupt this is that there is only one god and you should only pray to one god. You should worship only one. Some would argue that they have not defied this rule. Yet people's need for material possession has erupted to an almost worship. Instead of praying before bed, people have started checking Facebook before bed. They put these possessions on a pedestal and cannot live a day without them. How many times have you heard, "I can't live a day without it" about people referring to their phones. This is my point.

     2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

     In our society you see many pictures of what people think God looks like. This is against this commandment. People imagine what heaven looks like; they even draw pictures and show them around. Everyone has this image now, of what they believe heavenly things look like. This is directly against this commandment. If you go on Google or Facebook, or a bunch of other sites, I bet you can find memes of this too. People just take it as a joke. 

     3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. 

     Do not use the Lord's name in vain; I think this is a clear one to understand. Do not use the Lord's name in a bad way. Like Oh My God, I can't believe people do that, right? Like Jesus Christ. I swear to God, I will kill the next person that I hear use the Lord's name in vain. I think that proves my point enough. 

     4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour  and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 

     I think a lot of people would argue that this one we keep true. On Sundays all government buildings are closed. All other stores close early. It is the day most people have off work. But this isn't all true. First of all, so many people still work on Sundays. Life does not break just because it is Sunday. In this society, we cannot take a day off. You also have to remember something. Sunday is not the seventh day. It is really Saturday. Society switched the days around in a way that seems more convenient. So in truth, not only do we not celebrate the Sabbath day any more, but most people do not know the actual day of Sabbath.

     5. Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
    This is something a lot of people do not follow. So many families remain broken and unfix-able. There is no true respect for parents any more  in a lot of cases at least. You can also look at a parent's betrayal to their children. A lot of parents will abandon their children and not give them a chance to be honour. 

     6. You shall not murder.

     This one we do keep, right? Murder is wrong. This we can agree on. And the people that -do- murder, get punished. So this one we definitely keep. Wrong. Let's think of mercy killing for a moment. Your grandmother is 97 years old, and your mother decides it is time for her to go to Heaven. The doctor gives her a shot in the arm, and she dies. Is this not murder? Society says that this type of murder is okay, but getting revenge on the guy that stole your heroin is wrong.

     7. You shall not commit adultery.      

     This is something you see so often. I hate people that cheat, as does almost everyone. Yet it happens every day. Society does not treat this as a horrible thing. They joke about it on television shows or movies, and they do not take it serious. I think it is a serious crime, and I'm sure a lot of people would agree. 

     8. You shall not steal.  

     I think everyone steals. In this society it is so easy to download movies and television shows online without getting caught. It is more than this though. People still ideas, concepts, almost everything. Plagiarism is a huge issue in intuitions now a day. Teachers and professors have to take extreme precautions to stop theft.

     9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. 

     The way I interrupt this is you are not to judge someone if you do not truly know them. We do this everyday. This first time you meet someone you instantly have an impression of them Even people you have never met before. You judge them by appearance. There are a lot of people that you have probably seen in passing and you think you know them. Yet, you have never spoken to them. They tell a story based on how they dress, and how they act. This can be unfair, and often untrue.

     Now a day you can walk into a corner store, and if you are a teenager, you will be watched. This is because adults judge all younger people to be bad, villainous. There is nothing you can do to stop the judging, it will just always happen. 

     10. You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour's   

     So, I see this as you should not want what other people have and you don't have. You should be happy with what you have and deal with that. This is not true in our society either. Society tells us we should always want the next step in technology. The next "toy" that comes out must be owned. You must always compete with the ones around you. You have to have the best car, the best phone, etc.  

Websites:
http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/Second.html 
http://msc.gutenberg.edu/2001/02/understanding-the-second-commandment/
http://www.godstenlaws.com/ten-commandments/#.UVXFpRxORn4
http://www.tencommandments.org/
http://yankeeroo.hubpages.com/hub/Does-society-follow-the-Ten-Commandments

Pictures:
s-giacomazzi.blogspot.com
www.sacredheartyouth.net
www.cartoonstock.com 
ivehadanepiphany.blogspot.com
fleasnobbery.blogspot.com

Get in the Kitchen

     Is it being sexist when you say men and women are different? I may not believe that all women "belong in the kitchen" but there are some clear differences between the two sexes. Society now expects us to say that men and women are equal, which is true, but we are equal in different ways.

     Some women get offended when men say that they are stronger than women, but it is, for the most part, true. I find women are too sensitive about this issue. I understand that you can argue some woman are very strong, and some men are very weak. But, being stronger is a manly feature. A women that is very strong can be described as masculine, and a weak man can be described as feminine.

    Now before you get insulted! There is nothing wrong with this! All men have some feminine features and all women have masculine features. This is normal. Even the most beautiful, elegant women will have features that can be described as manly. Just the same, every man will have features that can be described as girly.

     Even the most manly of men can cry at a sad movie, this is called "showing their feminine side". Men find it very insulting to be called this by other men. But most women actually find this an attractive feature. Just because men are expected to not have emotions, doesn't mean they don't. It just means society shows them as not having any. More and more now a day, you see romantic movies about men that are very feminine.

    But back to the point. There are features that are described as manly or girly. It doesn't mean you are always being sexist by saying that. I think people are becoming skid-ish now a day because they are afraid what they say will be offensive.

    Women are becoming hypocritical. They complain that "men don't do things for us any more. Chivalry is dead. blah blah blah." But then when a man actually tries to be nice, like carry something for you, women complain that they're strong enough to carry their own stuff and that men are being sexist by assuming that they need help. Get a grip, and make up your mind!

     I think that the social expectation to avoid sexism to women is almost impossible. Let's face it men, we are women, and there is no winning.

Pictures:
alphabetapie.com
www.zazzle.com
www.123rf.com

College Degree

          
     There is this social expectation about continuing on with school after you graduate from high school. Most parents dream about their children going to college or university when they grow up. Sometimes they even picture them at certain schools, like the ones they might have graduated from.

     Though I do agree, education is important, it is not right for everyone. There are many jobs that require no post secondary degrees, and jobs like that have to be filled as well. Not everyone can go to school to become Doctors because we will eventually run out of Doctor jobs. As well, not everyone is smart enough to become a Doctor.

     The point is, people put high expectations on what you are suppose to do with your life. Expectations that a lot of people cannot accomplish, no matter how hard they try. Parents, and other adults, need to understand that you can make a well enough life without school.

     In fact, a lot of jobs, like construction, make quiet a bit of money. Whereas a job as a school teacher does not make a lot of money. Sometimes you have to think, how much are you spending on a post secondary education? Is it worth the amount of money you would be making coming out of school?

     It is also not always about intelligence. Sometimes you can be really smart, and want to go to college or university, but you just cannot afford it. Yes, you can apply for OSAP or student loans, but not everyone is accepted for this.

     If your parents are making over a certain amount of money a year, you will not be accepted for a student loan. This is because they feel you can afford to pay for school and the money should go to someone who needs it more. But, just because your parents are making a certain amount a year, does not mean they are willing to pay for your education. So, this could be a problem.

     There is also a clear difference between college and university. If you are a university level high school student, chances are your parents are expecting you to be going to university. A lot of the time this is not true. Many university level students end up going to college not university.

     There could be a lot of reasons for this. A big reason would be grades. Some students just do not have high enough grades to be able to go to university versus college. This is not always their fault. If they try as hard as they can, but no universities will accept them, college is there best choice.

    So, what if you have good marks? Does this mean you have to go to university? No! A lot of students prefer to go to college even if their marks are good enough for university. This is because the chances of finding a job immediately after getting a college degree is much higher than coming out with a university degree. This is because college gives more hands on training. Whereas university is mostly a broader look at a subject.

    I think what I'm trying to get at is: Leave us alone. Schooling is our decision and it should be our decision alone whether we want to go to college or university or go straight into work, People need to trust that whatever we will do, we will be happy.


Pictures:

imaginesomethingdifferent.wordpress.com

studymagazine.com
villagelivingmagazine.ca
thisisalondonparticular.wordpress.com

1 Notification

     You have a computer I see. Is it yours? Are you using WiFi to connect to the internet? Do you even know what the internet is?

     I assume you read that sentence without checking your texts and notifications. Hopefully.

     There is this obsession with "stuff" in our society. This is something recent, that never use to be the problem. Look at the past; do you remember your parents being spoiled with things like iPhones? Probably not.

      So why is it that, we're expected to have all of this "stuff"? You can't really lie to yourself and say that we're not expected to have certain material possessions. For example, when you are a teenager, people just expect you to have a cell phone.

     I know one person my age that does not have a cell phone, and everyone thinks they are weird and should get one. How else would we communicate? Well there are a lot of other ways other than texting, so why is it we expect them to get a phone?

     This is a very technology based society, and without things like cell phones, it would not be the same. We are advancing so much, but is this really a good thing?

     We are leaving so much behind with technology. Soon we won't be able to think for ourselves. We will be walking drones, that follow without thought. Is that really what you want? I would sincerely hope not. But, is there anything we can actually do to stop this?

     Technology is the future, I can't really argue against that, you can't walk away from that. There should still be come social aspects of our lives though. We should be able to go out and talk to people. Have an actual conversation with someone you love. Do not get sucked in by technology.

    My biggest fear is that twenty years from now we will all be emotionless. We are turning into zombies with our cell phones, we can no longer think straight. What are we doing with ourselves? We are better than this ! Don't you agree ?

Pictures:

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bihar-13yearold-commits-suicide-after-his-parents-refused-to-give-him-a-mobile-phone/377604-3-232.html

http://strongmadesimple.com/2012/09/zombie-apocalypse-neck-training/

http://lookupusaphones.com

How are You?

     I really do not understand the idea of small talk. It is not true conversation. It is just a silence filler, and is often uncomfortable.

     When you see someone in the hallway you often say "How are you?", but do you really care? No, do you -truly- care? Probably not. You expect that person to give a quick "Good, you?" and nothing more. Even if they are having the worst day of their life, this is often what they will say too. This is because they know you do not care, and people have become so accustomed to saying this general sentence.

     What bugs me the most is, when people ask me how I am in the hallway, and don't even stop walking! Like, hello, I'm not going to talk to you as you're walking away. If you want to talk to me then come talk to me. Most of the time I do not have to time to respond, or when I do respond they are already halfway down the hallway. I am often left standing alone in the hallway answering someone that is no longer there.

     I think from now on I will just look down when I'm walking down the halls, that way nobody makes the mistake of trying to talk to me. I'm not anti-social! Really I am very social, but society does not want us to actually be friendly. It is just a social norm to start small talk when you really do not care.

     This is not the only form of small talk though. Can I ask you something? How many times do you find yourself talking about the weather without even realizing it? The weather really is not that interesting, yet we talk about it so often. This is because we know it is something that everyone has in common. So when there is suddenly some silence we spit out the sentence, "So... it's pretty cold out, eh?". Obviously it is cold. We do not need to mention this, we all know this. It is just another thing to fill the empty void of silence.

     We have something against silence in this society. I do not understand the expectation of maintaining noise. We find it less rude to talk instead of ignore each other. I don't see why; wouldn't ignoring each other be more honest? Therefore, it would be less rude. This is not how we see things in this society.

     I give you this challenge. Next time you are in an awkward situation, stop yourself from creating small talk. Stay silent. It is only awkward if you make it awkward.  


Pictures:
roshrulez.wordpress.com
twentytwowords.com

The Perfect Teenager

     Something many people just do not understand is: Being a teenager sucks. It really does. Adults do not understand or remember what it is like to be a teen. It is a lot harder than they think it is, that is for sure.


     Teenagers are expected to do so much, and all they want to do is have fun, and enjoy being young. If only they had the time. The pressure from both society and parents is overwhelming. Teens are expected to do have part-time jobs, while helping around the house, going to school for seven hours a day, doing homework; all while maintaining a 90 % grade average. Easy, right?

     To all the adults out there, slow down and listen for just a second. You go to work for what seven-eight hours a day? Teenagers go to school for seven hours a day. Okay, so this is about fair. Teenagers spend two hours (on average) a night doing homework, adults probably spend the same amount of time doing house work. What about everything else? Where does the part-time job come in? What about the chores around the house? When do we get time to ourselves?


     You are only young once, yet you have to waste your youth trying to grow up faster than you should be. If society, or parents, took some of this pressure off, it would make functioning daily less stressful. This would at least make teen-hood less repulsive.


     If you really take the time to look, you would see how busy us teens really are. Still, I must point out that society views us as lazy kids that will get nowhere in life. Are you serious? Just because of our age, we are viewed lower than adults. This is not fair.


     I can assure you, there are just as many dumb adults as there are dumb teenagers. So why are we seen to society as lazy, stealing, cheating, untrustworthy people?




Pictures Taken From:
www.guardian.co.uk
www.uthealthleader.org

The Perfect Size 2

     What makes a person beautiful? In my mind when I picture beauty I picture this size 2 supermodel with long elegant legs. Why do I do this? It is because of all the magazines with these women on the front, giving me unrealistic expectations of what women are supposed to look like.

    Society paints this picture of women being tall and very thin creatures, but this is not realistic to what women actually look like! It is unfair to be given these guidelines of how our bodies are supposed to look; especially when the models that are in these magazines don't even look like that themselves. The amount of make-up and Photoshop that is done to these women is unimaginable.

     So why does society want us to try and look like something that does not exist? Well the simple answer is: It sells. Many companies are making money off our insecurities, like the make-up companies and the clothing companies.

     I'm not saying being "skinny" is a bad thing, because it's not. But there should be more than one type of beauty. People should not be let to think they are not attractive just because they are not as skinny as a supermodel. Size has nothing to do with beauty, and this is what society likes to hide from us.

     Though society expects us to desire thinness, this is not the secret to beauty. The true secret to being beautiful is: truly loving yourself. This sounds corny I know, but this is completely true. There is no way you will ever think you are beautiful unless you keep an open mind, and throw away your idea of societal beauty. This does not exist.

   
   

I Do...

      Is it truly your decision when you say "I do" ? Have you ever thought about marriage ? I would I assume the answer is yes. Many people have a thought about marriage, whether they would like to get married one day or not. But what is the actual point in marriage? And why do you have to get married at a certain age?

    If you want to be with someone, then great, be with them. But why do you need it written on a piece of paper? This is because society believes you need proof that you actually love someone. Society likes to make you think you are alone until you are married.

    In religion, you are not suppose to intimately be with someone until after marriage, and this is how some people justify marriage. But in this day and age, this is not practiced as often. Yet people are still getting married.

   A lot of people want to get married to show their love to their friends and family. And this is fine. But when you get married you should be thinking: "Who am I really doing this for? Me? Or because society tells me you should be married to the one you love?".

    Now that you've decided you want to get married, you just need to find someone. But hurry, you're running out of time.

    Let's talk about Friends for a moment. Not the person you go shopping with, but the show. Have you ever seen the episode of Rachel's thirtieth birthday? She realizes she's already thirty and she's not married, and she has no kids. She feels she needs to get her life in order and get married.

    Society does this to us. If you are not married by a certain age, you are declared strange. It is common for people to get married in their twenties or mid-thirties. By why would you do that if you're not with someone you love?

    You should not be forced into something like marriage if you are not ready, regardless of age.If you are older, you should not rush into meeting someone. Just wait, the person of your dreams will come in time. You will find them when the time is right.

    There are also negative expectations on younger people who want to get married. If you are eighteen and you are with someone that you love, why can't you marry them? Well, you can, but what do you think your friends would think of you?

    Not good things I'm guessing. This is because they feel you do not know enough about life to know whether you want to be with one person yet. Even if you love them. I'm not saying this is always wrong, but it's not always right either. It all depends on the person.

    This is what I disagree with. Everyone is different, and every couple is different. Society expects and believes marriage is right. But this is a personal opinion. What is yours'?