† Kenny †

A lot of things interest me

These are my thoughts on life and how I usually tend to live mine.

I

I begin by saying that by being able to read this, you are a very fortunate person; You are one of the small percentage of people in this world who can read. You have a computer, which probably means you have money to afford something other than the food that keeps you alive. If you've gotten this far and are still reading, you look into things before judging.
Humans are spiruital beings, By this I don't mean we all believe in god, but rather, humans have a soul, and with which, long to seek our place in the universe. Throughout the ages Humans have developed ways of explaining why they are here, and how. The way that I enjoy discussing is Christianity. I believe that Jesus is an amazing human being, and he has very wise teaching that all of us would do well to follow. I follow much of the sma views, but with small changes, for modern times.

II

I enjoy meditation, it helps me clear my head. But for a long time before I would meditate, I was confused as to who I really was, and why I did the things I did. Im sure that a lot of you have also felt this way also. I looked into many different belief systems, of who's moral foundation I would set to my own life. I looked through Buhddism, the teachings of Antony Lavey, Christianity, Judiaism, and Islam. What I gathered from this is an outlook on life, that I find invaluable. One that allows me to live my life, with an absolute joy for everything I do, and without any stress what so ever.

III

My highest belief is that people need to have a system of values to which they stick by, but more so, live their lives by. My personal values that I try very hard to live by are this:

1. Do unto others, as you would have done unto you.

I took this straight from Christianity, I think that the only way to really reduce the amount of hate is to treat people the way you want them to treat you, Because im sure most of you know, that it's really difficult to dislike someone, who has no bad feelings towards you.

2. Take care of yourself first.

I dont mean to put someone infront of you to take the bullet for you. What I mean is, before you commit to something where someone elses life is involved, such as a serious relationship, or a buisness partership, ect... to make sure you have yourself straigthened out, and a clear sense of identity. My belief is that if you dont know yourself, you can never begin to know anyone else. In regards to this, I also think that people inherit the best traits of the people they are around, but can also pick up negative habits. This is why its important to make sure you have high values, so that those are passed on to the people you come in contact with.

3. Respect others, and their beliefs.
We live in a world with diverse people with extreamly different cultures, and we can't even get people to stop fighting, and killing over differences in the same religion, much less get everyone to respect everyone's belief. Thats why it's important to accept people and the things they believe, even though it might not be exactly what you think is right. Way I see it. In there hearts, All people have good intetnions, but might have misguided actions. From this, I get that All people are good at heart. In which case if we stopped causing conflict because of belief, then we would'nt have much to worry about. For example. I've never seen a sober person, walk up to another person, unprovoked in any way, or driven by necessity, and start a conflict. Unless they are completly insecure with themselfs. Which is why people also need to take care of themselfs first.

4. Be as honest with other people as you are with yourself.

More often than not people could benefit from hearing the truth about their flaws. The only way to correct something is to know that it's wrong first! If you feel that something bothers you, don't stay quiet about it, be honest to that person and ask them to stop. If you feel a certain way about someone, AND YOU ARE ASKED what your feelings are towards them, and state why they are as such. Also being honest with yourself, and accepting mistakes is incredibly important. Mistakes should be celebrated, becuase without mistakes, there would be no improvement.

IV

This life that we live, is a jumble of many things, but when it comes down to it we are who we choose to surround our self with. You can be the Greatest person in this world, and choose to hang out with scum. What this would cause is a drastic change in your behavior over time, around a few months. We are who we surround ourselfs with. The way I choose to live my life, is surround myself with a few outstanding individuals, who will influence me in the right direction in life. Friends are sacred. I think, besides family, friendship is the strongeset bond between humans. It's a bond that should never be foresaken, but loved and held dear, never taken advantage of, and never betrayed. Although sometimes friendships fail. It's the strong ones, the ones that last, that Define who you are, despite what you might think.

V

I walk around in life, and look at the people around me. And I see one thing, that they do not realise. That the Secret to life is so very simple. Before I realised it, I would go through life, unhappy, Discontent, and lonley. Always seeking the next thrill. Then something happened, and the result of which is what I would like to share with you. The secret of life, is to Focus on what you have, and to keep both feet off of the ground. To never stop dreaming. I've had a lot of friends who have been really down, and by simply having them list all the things that they have in thier lives, even the simplest of things. Like fresh water to drink. The hard times they were having, all of the sudden, have seemed to be a lot more managable. The first time I had tried it, I just started looking around my room, I noticed that I had walls, to keep me warm, fresh air, a loving family, most everything that i had ever asked to have, food, education, the ability to go anywhere in life, and do anything. I just let all the things come at me, and suddenly felt this feeling of being spiralled out of control. When I opened my eyes again, I felt amazing. And since then, I've never looked at anything the same ever again. In my humble opinion, I think that people look to much into the future, at what they want, and what they do not have. What they can obtain. But loose sight of what they already have in there possestion, there by, leaving their real lives behind. Living a misdirected life, never having the slightest glimmer of hope, of ever being truly happy. Or atleast as happy as we are capibale of being.

VI

Gratitude. Its the secret to happiness, but it comes in more forms than saying in your head that your thankful for something. When another human goes out of thier way to show a sign of gratitude, its is one of the highest compliments you can get. Also by doing it yourself, to show you are grateful, you further strenghten your bonds, and bring a smile to another persons face. In my eyes one of the most valuable things you can do. By simply saying, Hey mom, Hey dad, Thanks for really taking the time to care for me, and raise me. Or hey sally, i really appreciate you being a great friend to me, it really means the world that you care. This can improve somebodys day, even week. And theres nothing better than spreading love around.

VII

I sit here on Monday the 15th of January, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Reflecting on the Amazing, almost Miraculous, contributions to this wonderful nation. He did'nt only speak out for Africain Americains, but for all People. White or black. Sent a Peaceful reminder from god, that humans are humans. And all men are our brothers. He used peace, unstead of violence, and struck with more force than almost anyone else could. He lived in a time where Blacks were 2nd class citizens, and were put apart, and deemed unfit for life with the "white man" He tore down those walls of hate, with love. During his lifetime the Civil rights act was signed, But his life tragically cut short. But the message he spread could not be killed, instead it rings in the ears of this new generation. I reflect on how we as a generation can embody his dream. How we can fight, not for equality of blacks, or whites. But equality for humans, and not acceptance of one seperate race, but acceptance of every race. Every human on earth is Decendant from no more than 10,000 Individuals. We all share the same DNA. We are all brothers and cousins. We need to learn to love, and accept our differences, but learn to look past the surface, and see eachother as people. I challange you, if you decide to read this. To for one day, look past the surface, and see people for who they are, not who you think they are. To smile at everyone, and walk with your head high. Because you can make a difference on the world.

IIX

Trust nobody. It would be nice if everyone in this world were out to better it. But sadly, this isnt the case. I find that nomatter how sincere and genuine the person appears they, in the longrun, are out to better thier own lives. It's a sad reality that people will step on others to climb the ladder of happiness. But this does not bode true for everyone. C'est Faux. There are some people who genuinly care, people who understand. Those people are very much like yourself. These people will be differnt for everyone. But nomatter how much they care; they are still human, and with that comes the natural ability to keep thier intrests in mind. Moral of the story, never trust anyone. even the people you think you can.

IX

Self respect. Everyone says they have it, but in reality very few people do. I say this simply becuase people do things that are harmful to themselfs emotionally and physically, Setting themselfs up for failure. But on the brighter side there are people i have met who are self motivated enough to do something with themselfs and not waste thier lives; and that in my mind is self respect.

X

Dont sweat the small shit, or any shit for that matter. I've come to see that people worry about life to much and make themselfs believe that thier problems are a lot larger than they really are. One thing I do is just relax, and not care. When shit happens, just take it. Deal with it best you can, let it slide off of you. An analogy i like to use is if you spill Jell-o on your lap, let it slide off, don't freak out and try to smear it off, it'll only get worse and make a bigger mess. People who are overtly dramatic piss the fuck out of me.