Which is the better superhero? Superman or Batman?
Superman is the obvious choice. He is nearly impossible to kill. He can fly. He is much stronger. He wears blue tights and a red cape....etc. However, I would argue that Batman is the man deserving of the recognition. Superman wakes up every morning and naturally has all these heroic abilities but Batman makes lemonade out of air. He has to figure out a way to creatively defeat the villains. Superman just does his thing. Batman is a human who makes himself into a superhero. Much more effort shown. Now for the moral comparison.....
I am reading a popular book called Purpose Diven Life by Rick Warren. Like most books, it has great points to it. The quote that I really have taken from it though is this: "Great opportunities come once in a lifetime, but small opportunities surround us everyday." I love that concept. Those small opportunities are just being a good human on a day to day basis.
Now the grocery store I go to has quite the ethnic background so I naturally stick out as the white guy. And I always see the cashiers going about their business counting the minutes and hating their task of scanning my wheat bread and green beans. So everytime I go to checkout, my goals are: 1. Make the cashier smile. 2. Pay a simple sincere compliment. 3. Pay for my groceries. I usually hit at least 1 of my goals.
So for all you conclusive readers... we all may not have a cape and tights living in Metropolis, but a simple compliment could mean the world to someone that has a case of the Mondays. Why be simply human when with a little effort you could be Batman? And while you may not normally be the type of person that compliments strangers, remember Batman isn't naturally a superhero. That compliment could make you someone's daily superhero (blog title eh?)
O and if you disagree with any of my view points, just post a comment and I will gracefully write a blog about how you make a valid point but are wrong. Yep.
New in my life: Contemplating the purpose and aim of blogs.
Keep smilin'
JM
Friday, December 18, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Living the Simple Life.
At my local grocery store I threw some change in a red bucket next to a lady ringing a bell. The lady kept saying "Happy Halloween!" instead of the scripted "Happy Holidays!" Thats not important. I started thinking about homeless people and how they came to exist.
I mentioned homeless life in my last blog. That type of life is interesting to me. If you think about it, the homeless lifestyle only came about when actually owning a home/land became so important. The United States was founded by homeless people, they just happened to have a boat. (I'm thinking of putting that on a cardboard sign and seeing how much money I can make in a day.) Were there homeless people around in Lewis and Clark's time? Absolutely. I think they've been around since they were building pyramids in the desert. But as the human race has evolved, so too has the homeless man (or woman).
Back in the day homeless people did what every other human did, they survived by living off the land. Sit on the street shaking a cup? No, Thomas Jefferson was too busy hunting for dinner and building his home out of trees. I feel the productivity of the homeless human has drastically declined over the years. So as I walked down the pasta aisle I wondered the real reason these people get to the point of living under a bridge.
It starts with a lack of finances which can be caused by several reasons but most importantly is from a lack of income (i.e. no job) Now here comes my questioning. For the last 23 years McDonald's has been hiring. Some companies are moving their factories to Mexico because they have jobs that Americans don't want to do. Thats where I see iriony in the man asking for change.
So where does homeless-ness come from? Laziness. Yup. Thats right. Where does laziness come from? Mostly our habits. So when I have kids I'm not going to say "If you sit that close to the TV you'll go blind." Instead I will say "If you sit in front of the TV enough, you'll go homeless." Don't get me wrong, I have compassion for those people who are forced into being homeless by uncontrollable factors, they're cool with me. But my change is saved for the Thomas Jeffersons of the 21st century.
My point being.... if I had no money, I wouldn't be digging through a garbage can. I would be eating a #7 with a coke at the end of my shift. Or I would be hunting and writing the constitution. I am not a homeless-ologist, this is just my theory. Let me know what you think.
O yea and support your local Salvation Army. They do good things.
Keep smilin ;)
JM
I mentioned homeless life in my last blog. That type of life is interesting to me. If you think about it, the homeless lifestyle only came about when actually owning a home/land became so important. The United States was founded by homeless people, they just happened to have a boat. (I'm thinking of putting that on a cardboard sign and seeing how much money I can make in a day.) Were there homeless people around in Lewis and Clark's time? Absolutely. I think they've been around since they were building pyramids in the desert. But as the human race has evolved, so too has the homeless man (or woman).
Back in the day homeless people did what every other human did, they survived by living off the land. Sit on the street shaking a cup? No, Thomas Jefferson was too busy hunting for dinner and building his home out of trees. I feel the productivity of the homeless human has drastically declined over the years. So as I walked down the pasta aisle I wondered the real reason these people get to the point of living under a bridge.
It starts with a lack of finances which can be caused by several reasons but most importantly is from a lack of income (i.e. no job) Now here comes my questioning. For the last 23 years McDonald's has been hiring. Some companies are moving their factories to Mexico because they have jobs that Americans don't want to do. Thats where I see iriony in the man asking for change.
So where does homeless-ness come from? Laziness. Yup. Thats right. Where does laziness come from? Mostly our habits. So when I have kids I'm not going to say "If you sit that close to the TV you'll go blind." Instead I will say "If you sit in front of the TV enough, you'll go homeless." Don't get me wrong, I have compassion for those people who are forced into being homeless by uncontrollable factors, they're cool with me. But my change is saved for the Thomas Jeffersons of the 21st century.
My point being.... if I had no money, I wouldn't be digging through a garbage can. I would be eating a #7 with a coke at the end of my shift. Or I would be hunting and writing the constitution. I am not a homeless-ologist, this is just my theory. Let me know what you think.
O yea and support your local Salvation Army. They do good things.
Keep smilin ;)
JM
Thursday, December 3, 2009
December 2009. I call this part of my life: Blogging.
First time blogger, long time anti-blogger. As I try to write letters, emails, facebook messages, texts, and attaching small notes to pigeons; I have found that as much as I would like to personally write everyone a letter it is not quite time efficient. So this new found blogging is a sincere attempt to keep in touch with family, friends and curious clicking people.
In all my life's adventures in stumbling down this narrow path we call life, it has landed me in Nashville, TN. What brought me here was one of my three passions: music. How does a guy from Missouri with an agriculture-business degree (Go Tigers!) end up in the music city?
I went to college. I learned alot about life. Then somewhere along the way I realized that tons of people hate going to work everyday. Mainly because they are not passionate about what they do but simply following that dollar that makes them happier when they look at their bank account every other Friday. Don't get me wrong, I love making money and I love the opportunities that money brings, but just as a plan B; I'm finding ways to be happy without it.
Now some would say "You don't appreciate money because you've never really had much of it." True. But there are two types of less endowed people: Those who complain of their misfortunes and debts, and those who happily make lemonade. I am the latter. Money will come and money will go, it is what you learn in the process that is of real value.
I sound like a homeless person who has no job. For all of you looking for an update on my life, I am not homeless. However, the tax-free life of a bum does have its simplicities. For all you bums reading this, my hat is off to you. I am working at Bass Pro Shop here in Nashville. It keeps me busy and it fufills my second passion: the outdoors. I also am looking into managing upcoming artists here around the city, and I am confabulating with a talent agency as a "talent in development." All is good in my neighborhood. I am a happy man. Good first blog.
In aiming to entertain me, feel free to leave your questions, comments, and especially opinions :)
Keep smilin'
In all my life's adventures in stumbling down this narrow path we call life, it has landed me in Nashville, TN. What brought me here was one of my three passions: music. How does a guy from Missouri with an agriculture-business degree (Go Tigers!) end up in the music city?
I went to college. I learned alot about life. Then somewhere along the way I realized that tons of people hate going to work everyday. Mainly because they are not passionate about what they do but simply following that dollar that makes them happier when they look at their bank account every other Friday. Don't get me wrong, I love making money and I love the opportunities that money brings, but just as a plan B; I'm finding ways to be happy without it.
Now some would say "You don't appreciate money because you've never really had much of it." True. But there are two types of less endowed people: Those who complain of their misfortunes and debts, and those who happily make lemonade. I am the latter. Money will come and money will go, it is what you learn in the process that is of real value.
I sound like a homeless person who has no job. For all of you looking for an update on my life, I am not homeless. However, the tax-free life of a bum does have its simplicities. For all you bums reading this, my hat is off to you. I am working at Bass Pro Shop here in Nashville. It keeps me busy and it fufills my second passion: the outdoors. I also am looking into managing upcoming artists here around the city, and I am confabulating with a talent agency as a "talent in development." All is good in my neighborhood. I am a happy man. Good first blog.
In aiming to entertain me, feel free to leave your questions, comments, and especially opinions :)
Keep smilin'
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