So, I was watching a TV show today that really struck a chord with me. It was about a woman named Connie Culp who, five years ago, managed to survive being shot in the face with a shotgun by her husband. Being that her face was completely destroyed, she recently became the first US citizen to recieve a face transplant (the fourth in the world). Before her transplant however, Connie spent years without a nose, nearly blind, and without the ability to taste or eat solid foods. She also needed a tube in order to breathe. On the show, an interview with Connie before her transplant surgery was aired where she tells how, before the incident, she always "used to be worried about her weight and everything" and how she now realizes how foolish that really was.
It all got me thinking about how so many people always seem to be so worried about their appearance. I've heard so many people, including myself, complain about themselves- about how bad their hair looks, how they think they're fat, how they think they're so ugly, how they think their legs are too stubby, how they think their butt looks too big in the jeans they like, etc. And then there are people out there like Connie Culp, who have suffered some of the most disfiguring injuries imaginable and somehow still get up every morning and face a new day with an optimistic outlook. Personally, I think we can all take example from an incredible person such as Connie. I mean, if you ever feel slightly self-consicous about your hair being messy, then maybe take a second and think about how self-concious people like Connie must have felt about walking around with practically no face. I think we all need to take a minute and appreciate everything we do have, everything that is good about us, instead of walking around and focusing on the negative aspects of our physical appearances, because, as Connie quotes, "One day it might all be taken away" and you could be left with far worse things to worry about than how weird your nose looks, or something like that. So instead of complaining and constantly obsessing over the little things that we all might find bothersome about ourselves, I say we should take a good hard look at all the positive in us and stop taking simple things, like the ability to smell and taste, for granted, because Connie is correct in saying that someday it could be all taken away. Let's start to appreciate what we do have now.
"It's 2009. Everything's gonna be great from here on out."- Connie Culp, the true face of courage.
(If you'd like to know more about Connie's story, go here: http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9TWpkSy1oYXRGZEEmYW1wO2ZlYXR1cmU9Y2hhbm5lbF9wYWdl
I HIGHLY suggest you watch it.)
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Equal rights.
So just the other day I was watching watching Remember the Titans in history class and there was a scene where an unsegregated football team got off their bus and there was a huge crowd of angry people waiting for them with signs saying derogatory things about black people. The were all yelling and screaming hateful things and protesting the idea of black and white individuals playing on the same football team.
Well not too long ago, something similar happened where I lived. An essay written by a girl in the 4th or 5th grade about Ellen Degeneres and why she was this girl's idol won a rather large scale writing contest. Somehow, though, a group of individuals from Kansas or something found out about her winning this rather big contest and protested her winning because her essay was about Ellen Degeneres. Sound ridiculous? It was. Why would someone care if this girl from a completely different state won an essay which happened to be about a comedian? Well, the answer to that was because Ellen Degerenes is a lesbian, and apparently these people thought it was wrong that a lesbian should be idolized by a middle school girl.
So, when I watching this scene from Remember the Titans, I couldn't help but think about the protest that these people from Kansas put on outside the middle school, and how they had big signs about how "God hates Fags" and how they were screaming derogatory things about homosexuals and whatnot- and it all got me thinking. It got me thinking about gay rights, the role the government plays in marriage, history repeating itself, and how hate truly can consume people's lives.
I first started pondering the idea of gay rights. Personally, I have been a supporter of gay marriage and happen to have a few good friends who happen to be gay. I sometimes look at these friends of mine and wonder about if someone just saw them walking down the street, or buying a bag of chips at the store, or sitting in a movie theatre watching a movie, how they probably wouldn't have any idea that they were homosexual. I even have a good feeling, knowing my friends as well as I do, that if anyone began talking to them they would probably consider them a pretty nice people and still probably wouldnt suspect their homosexuality. I'm willing to bet though, that a few of those people would have an immediate problem with any one of my friend's homosexality. One of the things I really dont understand is how someone can immediately turn their cordiality toward another person into hatred all because of their orientation. I don't understand why it makes a difference what sexual preference someone has, especially when it's possible that the people who have a problem with it usually have no idea whether someone is straight or not until said otherwise. Plus, even if they do have an idea, I dont understand why certain people can't look at a person as they are- a shopper at a store, someone at the movies, another person walking alongside the sidewalk, simply a human being- and respect that everyone leads different lifestyles.
Another thing I don't particularly understand is when people say that being gay or bisexual is a choice. I bet if you asked any one of the people who claim this if they just woke up one day and said "I'm deciding here and now to be straight for the rest of my life", they'd say no. So why is it any different with being gay or bisexual? I'd ponder that question.
Now, as far as the government denying gay's the right to get married...well, since when did marriage become a privilege? It has always been to my understanding that marriage is a union between two people who love each other. So, considering that a man and a man or a woman and a woman are more than capable of loving each other, why is it that the government should be able to put restrictions on them getting married? I've heard individuals say that gay marriage is destroying the sanctity of marriage and that this is why the government and churches ban it. Well, I'm sorry, but I didnt get the memo that said two people who deeply care about each other joined in matrimony was destroying the sanctity of marriage. And, who is the government to say what does and what does not hold sanctitude? I'd say that they're not really in that position. To me, love is love.
The last thing I wanted to touch upon here was people who say things like "God hates homosexuals," etc like those people that I mentioned in the beginning of this blog. I think it's honestly a sad day when people are using God to promote the word of hate. Even if you are a religious person who believe's that being gay is wrong for some reason, do you really think Jesus, who was supposedly persecuted for being different and for being who he was, would want you to hate others? Would he truly want you to go around with your signs, and your words, and your self-righteousness and carry the message of abhorrence? Think about that.
I think it's honestly important that we all start accepting people for who they are. It seems that as a society we're always trying to pick out a specific group to try to bring down, just like African Americans in the time that Remember the Titans was supposed to take place. Have we not learned from our past experiences as a culture that everyone is different and that hatred never gets us anywhere? Have we not yet learned to accept people for who they are? Or do we still want to hold on to the belief that love is cannot be applied to certain types of unions and to the hatred that so many harbor towards those of mere indifference? I really hope at least one person reads this blog and can think about that.
Well not too long ago, something similar happened where I lived. An essay written by a girl in the 4th or 5th grade about Ellen Degeneres and why she was this girl's idol won a rather large scale writing contest. Somehow, though, a group of individuals from Kansas or something found out about her winning this rather big contest and protested her winning because her essay was about Ellen Degeneres. Sound ridiculous? It was. Why would someone care if this girl from a completely different state won an essay which happened to be about a comedian? Well, the answer to that was because Ellen Degerenes is a lesbian, and apparently these people thought it was wrong that a lesbian should be idolized by a middle school girl.
So, when I watching this scene from Remember the Titans, I couldn't help but think about the protest that these people from Kansas put on outside the middle school, and how they had big signs about how "God hates Fags" and how they were screaming derogatory things about homosexuals and whatnot- and it all got me thinking. It got me thinking about gay rights, the role the government plays in marriage, history repeating itself, and how hate truly can consume people's lives.
I first started pondering the idea of gay rights. Personally, I have been a supporter of gay marriage and happen to have a few good friends who happen to be gay. I sometimes look at these friends of mine and wonder about if someone just saw them walking down the street, or buying a bag of chips at the store, or sitting in a movie theatre watching a movie, how they probably wouldn't have any idea that they were homosexual. I even have a good feeling, knowing my friends as well as I do, that if anyone began talking to them they would probably consider them a pretty nice people and still probably wouldnt suspect their homosexuality. I'm willing to bet though, that a few of those people would have an immediate problem with any one of my friend's homosexality. One of the things I really dont understand is how someone can immediately turn their cordiality toward another person into hatred all because of their orientation. I don't understand why it makes a difference what sexual preference someone has, especially when it's possible that the people who have a problem with it usually have no idea whether someone is straight or not until said otherwise. Plus, even if they do have an idea, I dont understand why certain people can't look at a person as they are- a shopper at a store, someone at the movies, another person walking alongside the sidewalk, simply a human being- and respect that everyone leads different lifestyles.
Another thing I don't particularly understand is when people say that being gay or bisexual is a choice. I bet if you asked any one of the people who claim this if they just woke up one day and said "I'm deciding here and now to be straight for the rest of my life", they'd say no. So why is it any different with being gay or bisexual? I'd ponder that question.
Now, as far as the government denying gay's the right to get married...well, since when did marriage become a privilege? It has always been to my understanding that marriage is a union between two people who love each other. So, considering that a man and a man or a woman and a woman are more than capable of loving each other, why is it that the government should be able to put restrictions on them getting married? I've heard individuals say that gay marriage is destroying the sanctity of marriage and that this is why the government and churches ban it. Well, I'm sorry, but I didnt get the memo that said two people who deeply care about each other joined in matrimony was destroying the sanctity of marriage. And, who is the government to say what does and what does not hold sanctitude? I'd say that they're not really in that position. To me, love is love.
The last thing I wanted to touch upon here was people who say things like "God hates homosexuals," etc like those people that I mentioned in the beginning of this blog. I think it's honestly a sad day when people are using God to promote the word of hate. Even if you are a religious person who believe's that being gay is wrong for some reason, do you really think Jesus, who was supposedly persecuted for being different and for being who he was, would want you to hate others? Would he truly want you to go around with your signs, and your words, and your self-righteousness and carry the message of abhorrence? Think about that.
I think it's honestly important that we all start accepting people for who they are. It seems that as a society we're always trying to pick out a specific group to try to bring down, just like African Americans in the time that Remember the Titans was supposed to take place. Have we not learned from our past experiences as a culture that everyone is different and that hatred never gets us anywhere? Have we not yet learned to accept people for who they are? Or do we still want to hold on to the belief that love is cannot be applied to certain types of unions and to the hatred that so many harbor towards those of mere indifference? I really hope at least one person reads this blog and can think about that.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Life IS short
This is a blog I recently posted on my music myspace page at www.myspace.com/leewalczak:
So I've tried to stay away from writing blogs that contain my personal opinions on my music myspace, solely for the reason that I think I forget to have some seperation between my personal life and music. But I think this blog is necessary and I want to be able to share it with all my amazing fans and supporters.
About a year ago, my dad decided to ask people to sponsor him in a 50 mile marathon run in order to help his friend's daughter, Melissa, pay for her medical bills. Personally, I had never met Melissa but I had met my dad's friend, her mother, a few times and she was a very friendly person. This is how I soon came to learn that Melissa was swamped with medical bills because not only was she raising her three year old son Paxton but she was also suffering terribly from bone cancer and breast cancer at the mere age of 29. Well, just last week, I found out that Melissa sadly passed away, leaving behind her three year old son, mother, and family. Her funeral was held today, and despite the fact that I only know her mother, her death really made me think about how short life truly is. This woman was only 29 years old and somehow developed both breast and bone cancer years before her death and then sadly passed away only a year after my father thought it would be nice to try to help her out with her medical bills. Needless to say this thought really made me question my own mortality and the mortality of those around me and I realized how much time I've let slip by in my life. I've wasted so much time getting started with my career and have been keeping myself at a stand-still, I spend most of my time online, have been falling behind in school, etc. and for the past few months I haven't seen too much wrong with this- and, despite the crictism, I think that's sort of normal for everyone at times. I've sort of become settled with letting my nerves get the best of me and staying away from live performance; with promoting my music on the computer a little; and not really worrying about school too much because its my Junior year...and I think it's easy for people to fall into the same habits because life sometimes gets monotonous and just sort of passes day to day. But then I took a minute to sit down and think about Melissa and others as well, such as my mother's friend Mary who was suddenly diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about two years ago and has been horribly crippled by the disease, and realized that life truly is a gift and definitely does not last forever. I mean, I understand no one really wants to think about the possibility of death or some crippling disease every day, and like I said, it's easy to fall into bad habits were you get used to having the same routine and get to be a little apathetic. The more you let your days pass you by though, the more time you're letting go to waste. I'm sure Melissa did not plan to leave her son and family at 29, but she did unfortunately...and I wonder if she had know that, would she have tried to accomplish things she never thought she could? Well, I'm guessing she might have...and even though we don't have any idea when our lives will end, we do know that at any second life could be taken from us and we should make every attempt to make the most of it while we can. I want to do so much before I die, but all of this has made me realize that I really don't have forever to do it. So I'd like everyone reading this to take a look at their lives right this moment and ask themselves if they've been really living. Have you sat down on the grass while the sun shined on your face and just taken everything in? Are you reaching for your goals with every ounce of dtermination you have? Do you sit down sometimes and realize all the love you have surrounding you? Are you thankful for that? Have you just sat down recently and listened to the sound of your own breathing and really just been content with the fact there is so much beauty in the world? Are you making the most of your life and not allowing yourself to get caught up in the simple, pety things? Well, if you havent, I hope this blog inspires you to start doing so, because you might not have a second chance.
Rest in peace Melissa. You will not be forgotten.
So I've tried to stay away from writing blogs that contain my personal opinions on my music myspace, solely for the reason that I think I forget to have some seperation between my personal life and music. But I think this blog is necessary and I want to be able to share it with all my amazing fans and supporters.
About a year ago, my dad decided to ask people to sponsor him in a 50 mile marathon run in order to help his friend's daughter, Melissa, pay for her medical bills. Personally, I had never met Melissa but I had met my dad's friend, her mother, a few times and she was a very friendly person. This is how I soon came to learn that Melissa was swamped with medical bills because not only was she raising her three year old son Paxton but she was also suffering terribly from bone cancer and breast cancer at the mere age of 29. Well, just last week, I found out that Melissa sadly passed away, leaving behind her three year old son, mother, and family. Her funeral was held today, and despite the fact that I only know her mother, her death really made me think about how short life truly is. This woman was only 29 years old and somehow developed both breast and bone cancer years before her death and then sadly passed away only a year after my father thought it would be nice to try to help her out with her medical bills. Needless to say this thought really made me question my own mortality and the mortality of those around me and I realized how much time I've let slip by in my life. I've wasted so much time getting started with my career and have been keeping myself at a stand-still, I spend most of my time online, have been falling behind in school, etc. and for the past few months I haven't seen too much wrong with this- and, despite the crictism, I think that's sort of normal for everyone at times. I've sort of become settled with letting my nerves get the best of me and staying away from live performance; with promoting my music on the computer a little; and not really worrying about school too much because its my Junior year...and I think it's easy for people to fall into the same habits because life sometimes gets monotonous and just sort of passes day to day. But then I took a minute to sit down and think about Melissa and others as well, such as my mother's friend Mary who was suddenly diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about two years ago and has been horribly crippled by the disease, and realized that life truly is a gift and definitely does not last forever. I mean, I understand no one really wants to think about the possibility of death or some crippling disease every day, and like I said, it's easy to fall into bad habits were you get used to having the same routine and get to be a little apathetic. The more you let your days pass you by though, the more time you're letting go to waste. I'm sure Melissa did not plan to leave her son and family at 29, but she did unfortunately...and I wonder if she had know that, would she have tried to accomplish things she never thought she could? Well, I'm guessing she might have...and even though we don't have any idea when our lives will end, we do know that at any second life could be taken from us and we should make every attempt to make the most of it while we can. I want to do so much before I die, but all of this has made me realize that I really don't have forever to do it. So I'd like everyone reading this to take a look at their lives right this moment and ask themselves if they've been really living. Have you sat down on the grass while the sun shined on your face and just taken everything in? Are you reaching for your goals with every ounce of dtermination you have? Do you sit down sometimes and realize all the love you have surrounding you? Are you thankful for that? Have you just sat down recently and listened to the sound of your own breathing and really just been content with the fact there is so much beauty in the world? Are you making the most of your life and not allowing yourself to get caught up in the simple, pety things? Well, if you havent, I hope this blog inspires you to start doing so, because you might not have a second chance.
Rest in peace Melissa. You will not be forgotten.
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