Remember To Turn On The Light

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as an “adult”, it’s that bad news is everywhere.

Humans are horrible. Everywhere we look there are people murdering, robbing, assaulting, and raping other people.  Innocent children are being abducted. Elderly are battling identify theft from the young.

We can’t even buy gifts online without fear of our credit card numbers being stolen.

I have plans to see a concert in Atlanta, Georgia this summer but my parents were so worried about the evils that I would face down there that I’m being forced to have another adult with me, even though I’m going to be 21.

It’s depressing.

This week alone we have faced bombs, shootings, factory explosions and that’s not including the ongoing problems in the Middle East, or the flooding in the Midwest United States.

It’s been roughly four months since the Newtown tragedy. CISPA has passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and gun laws are still out of reach. With all of this going on, it’s like the apocalypse has come early.

It’s hard to find hope, but it’s there.

and if praying isn't your thing, send thoughts and good vibes

Think of the men and women who responded instantly. Instead of running away when those two bombs went off in Boston, first responders (even regular civilians) ran towards them to help and start aiding. Marathon runners ran straight on to the hospital to donate blood.

Hopeless Records is auctioning items to raise money for the Boston victims.

Numerous people are trying to change laws to stop another tragedy like Newtown.

Then there are your everyday acts of kindness. There’s the kid who held the door for me today, even though it was pouring out. The husband and wife team I met who are battling deforestation in the Congo. Even the bands who give away free songs, just to make their fans happy.

There’s even a nonprofit organization dedicated to acts of kindness. Fittingly, it’s called The Random Acts Organization, and it is headed by actor Misha Collins.

There’s also a news organization dedicated to happy news, to show that there really is some good out there. 

The important thing is to remember that the good far outweighs the bad. For every human who does something unforgivable, there are 100 more who are bringing hope and happiness. We, the good guys, will always win. Always.  

Here are the links to the happiest news you'll find and the organization dedicated to being kind.

The Good News Network

The Random Act

School and Society

I don’t want to sit in an office. I don’t want to do research. I don’t want another job just because I have to have one.

I am going to graduate in two years, with nearly 20,000 dollars of debt. Some people have it a lot worse, and I am beyond thankful for the financial help I have received. But let’s face the truth: a degree in psychology and a degree in religion is not going to get me very far without going back to school for an eternity and gaining another 150,000+ dollars of debt.

I don’t want that. I thought about law school for quite a while. I’m good at research, I’m good at persuading people and in mock trials I’ve always come out with a win. In fact, all the mock-trials I’ve done have given me an adrenaline rush. Nerves build before going in, constantly reviewing flashcards to make sure I have my facts straight, and the heat rises to my cheeks when I get excited because I know I’m winning. But that was high school, that wasn’t real. The fact that I’ve only been in a public university for two years and I feel like my soul has been eaten, sucked away like a Dementor* makes me shudder at the thought of continuing.

For law school, another three years in a stuffy law program.

For a clinical psychologist, it’s another four years for a PhD.

For whatever-the-fuck I can do with a master’s in religion, it’s another two to three years.

All so I can build up debt, to get a job I hate, to pay off the debt, to maybe get a job I can put up with until death comes knocking.

No thanks.

So, I’ve decided I won’t plan on what I want to do. At the end of my four years here, I will take the GRE just in case I change my mind. Then I have about five years before the scores go bad. If by then I’m not doing something I love, I might go back to school.

I’m tired. I’m tired of paying people to force me into writing long, laborious papers that teach me nothing because if I don’t agree with this stranger’s opinion, I fail the class and have wasted my time for nothing.

 I will not fall into that trap. I will not reduce myself to sitting at a desk because society told me that I have to.

If the white picket fence, Craftsman-style house, and adorable little family is what you want, then absolutely go after it. If that’s your dream, do whatever it takes to make that happen.

It’s not what I want and I’m not going to let society tell me that I have to. If that’s the path I follow, it will be of my own accord and no one else’s. I don’t want the mundane job, the 9-5. If I work twelve hours a day, it will be because I’m working at something I love, something that matters to me. 

*Dementor- a creature from the Harry Potter series that survives by sucking all of your happiness away until it finally has reached your soul. Then, it sucks your soul out too. 

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A solemn note:

     My heart is extremely heavy for those injured, killed, and affected by the bombs at the Boston Marathon today. I cannot begin to comprehend why or how such things continue to be a part of a world that was meant to be so glorious. A post honoring all those affected will be posted later this week, after I am able to process everything and am able to properly honor everyone. Continue to pray for Boston.