Friday, October 29, 2010

Community

Apologies for not posting in a while, I guess had nothing to share my semi philosophical perceptions of society etc to share with anyone. Until now. Allow me to share a quote
     
“As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.”

Said quote is provided by a certain George Washington. What I believe Mr Washington is trying to say is if you conduct yourselves in a way deemed by the government, you reap the rewards. True my perception may seem quite cynical, however I've think I mentioned before how society is nothing more than a collaborations of opinions.

I'm sure if you asked certain residents of the ol' USA if they felt a sense of community, some may disagree. Then again ask people of our country more may disagree, the general consensus being that people don't talk anymore. And thus when you pass someone in the street you are more likely to be scared of them then talk to them. The reason for this?

It'd be unwise for me to say my reason as the alpha and omega, but i can't but think and believe it's truth. The reason I think there is a lack of community is the size of everything. Supermarkets are getting bigger and bigger, populations are getting bigger, and media is getting bigger. And in my Jerry McGuire style of thinking the only way to build community is to build friendships, and I'm afraid friendships aren't built with everybody being told their the same.

Business profits hugely on bigger things, bigger stocks, bigger sales, bigger profits, however in this fast sale, fast lifestyle mode of living is their ever any time for people to care about every individual person they pass? And to a degree why should they? However the only way i see that we can establish community again is in small circumstances and groups. And however nieve as this may sound, but to actually start caring again on human levels to each and every person. Why again some may ask?

Why not I argue, however if that is truly your view that there is no need to view each and every person on a human level, and not a statistic, then I would argue you wouldn't care about community at all.

Stay Golden.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Selflessness

I am pretty sure I've stated before my believe in cause and reaction and how everything is intwined in some way, however obscure it may be. And recently I've been wondering if there really is such a thing as a truly selfless act.

Now what is meant by a selfless act. According to wikipedia it is the sacrifice of ones own interests for the greater good.

But surely the greater good is in everyone interest. As a race we are genetically programmed to preserve the race at any cost, therefore any act we do is purely for our own interest however subconscious it be.

Lets take an extreme example, you want to buy a cake but on your way you see a child about to get hit by a car, you know the cake will be sold out if you help the child. Of course the child would be anyones top priority. But is that only because we are told that is right.

Basic animal kingdom rule of survival of the fittest, a young can't fed for themselves of course you are going to leave them be and get food.

Where does selflessness come into play with our race that has clearly been distinctively growing in attribute to situations, eg determination to strive for better things to always be the better thing. Are such attributes such things just part of us that wish to carry on and a grit to succeed. Are they purely from our animal ancestors, it may seem so.

But if so where does selflessness come from unless it isn't selfless but an act which along with compassion somewhat flaws the rule. Which means we have gone through an emotional evolution, and if so how did this happen. Or selflessness has some sort of survival trick behind it.

Is there such thing as being nice for the sake of being nice or do again the unknown chemicals that make us do everyday things passing messages that we, along with the world take to mean something however our animal brains behind us have darker more selfish intentions.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Beef

I've renamed this essay several times, and it is rather ranty, oh dear i've broken the first rule of blogging "always stay on topic". Why do people say that anyways, the "first rule" of something, the amount of "first rules" there are for dating, surely there must be a second?

Saying that, there is.

Always carry protection.

Rather safe than sorry.

I re-edited this to put a joke in there, yes i purposely went for a joke, because as i said this does get rather ranty. All three of you readers can enjoy what follows.

Not going to lie, shit happens, frequently. However as with all things it's how you react to it, for example if someone is hitting you on the head with a plastic bottle repeatedly you could chose to ignore them, or let your id, in freudian terms (not going to lie learnt it yesterday so thought i'd use my new knowledge for something), loose and turn around and headbutt the guy in the face.

One will grant you respect from your peers, or alas your own conscience, for putting up with an immature boy. The other a detention.

No matter who you are there are going to be situations that you can't avoid, however the way that we react to them defines us, our reactions are somewhat based on our personal traits, but I personally feel are built up on prior circumstances. It's basic evolution if i'm honest, those berries are good, we can eat those berries, those berries are bad, never eat those berries.

However applying it to modern day, these "situations" can quite often lead to drama, especcially at the time of my life in which i am writing this, the teenage years. We are pretty much the Facebook generation and i'm pretty sure 99% of my year at school have it, as well as 99% of most other schools in the county. Also 54% of percentages are made up on the spot. I know cheap laugh there. Facebook is pretty much where most socializing and arranging events happen, for example i'm meeting with some friends tomorrow, we organised this via Facebook. In that sense it is extremely beneficial.

However there is a darker side, as often portrayed by the media, i'm not quite talking about more talking to people on facebook than real life, because that is somewhat of an inevitibilty, i'm more talking about the genuine bitchiness on there, if people are "going out" persé they often put it on Facebook, for the whole world to see, that's how people tend to find out nowadays if i'm honest.

Although it's easy to react to things very quickly and then outlet them, for example see something you don't like, you can tell most of your friends in seconds. And usually when seeing something you don't like and being angry you tell a couple of the nearest people you vaguely know as well. Just for good measure. And then in turn this goes on and thus "beef" emerges.

For those unfamiliar with the term "beef" it's basically when you're angry at someone and thus have beef with them. However with Facebook and the rapidness of it, it ends up with more beef than a Toby Carvery. And that is rather unpleasant, it's been said again and again people do nasty things over the internet because that can't see the person on the other side. And that is pretty much true. Beef sometimes leads into splits within groups, for the taking of sides, and that in turn makes more beef etc. etc.

I've realised that this blog has turned into a bit of a rant about beef in general, and thus I will try and get to my train of thought regarding such matters.

I think people nowadays jump to situations too easily, use their id too often and don't think before they do things, it is purely natural as we are only human, but surely as we are human, and so's the guy next to us we should treat him/her the same. I'm pretty sure their will be people who don't actually follow through with this, but nonetheless don't we have a moral obligation as people to not to are utmost to make the other guy, who may have "beef" with us, feel like total crap. Isn't it just simpler to let things lie and realise that's the things are, and nothing will be better if you smite the over person (a thought very much realised at the end of the film Mean Girls).

I guess i just can't understand people's reactions, I can understand most actions by people, however some people's reactions, whilst not unexpected, are a tad out of proportion. By showing your dominance over someone else is really only a way one street of boosting your own ego.

Beef isn't totally bad, it is purely natural to have someone you dislike. However the way you deal with them can be quite bad, don't nut them in the face so to speak. Because then you end up in deeper shit.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Honesty

My family usually goes on holidays to Jersey, it's a channel island off the coast of france. When I was 7 and my brother was 4 we went to this indoor play centre, not going to lie. I loved them, just running around diving in the ball pit, pushing my brother over/down slides whilst he cried. Absolute great times.

My brother wasn't the greatest toilet trained 4 year old in the world, i distinctly remember one time when we were round a friends house and Daniel urinated on my neighbours potted plant, my mother was furious, his explanation "Daddy said when you didn't know where the toilet was you should wee behind a bush." This was in reference to the time he urinated himself whilst camping. Yes readers this is a extremely sophisticated blog.

Anyway, in this indoor play centre 4 year old Daniel was having a ball of a time... especcially over the netted runway on the higher level. Unfortunately the people bellow didn't have a great time as they thought it was raining inside. Oh dear Daniel.

The point i'm getting too was later on i was with another 8 year old who was said, and i remember it rather distinctly "Do you know there was a weird kid who wee'd himself in the play centre and was taken out," i sighed and thought i could always deny this and the other 8 year old who by being 1 and a half years older than me (younger children tend to be beasts with fractions with ages) made him supremely cooler in my eyes, jesus i was playing with an 8 and three quarter year old boy, i thought i was a pimp, i thought i was the godfather of the indoor play centre cos i knew an 8 and three quarter year old. My reply?

"Yeah that was my brother..."

Much "oh my god he's so weird "etc etc "oh my god your his brother" etc etc, i laughed it off cos i remembered i was still the pimp of the indoor play centre and the 8 and three quarter year old would wake up with a horses head in his bed. And then be in hell (smiley face here).

And the reason i bring this up, despite it being an odd story is i think i would've been more embarassed if i renounced my brother, just like you can't renounce who you are or where you come from.

On the same token you can't attribute what you do to being the fault of such heritage, it may explain what situations you get into, but not how you deal with those situations.

I dislike myself for saying things and mucking up sometimes, but i know that i feel a million times worse if i'm holding something back for some obscure reason that makes perfect sense at the time. By being your complete self all the time only then you can be fully happy, i'm not attesting that i can do so. Self-respect is the single most important lesson in life. And one i'm still learning.

Stay Golden

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Summer

This isn't really a summing up of my summer, despite how i may talk about it. People tend to think about summer being a magical time of ponies and rainbows because somehow problems go away overnight, suffice to say they haven't and i think thats why those people are summer being "rubbish". As i said in my post about celebrities, people look for ideals but the truth is there is nothing thats ideal. Except a toothpick for when you get meat stuck in your teeth, that's really handy.

My summer has been good, well i think i should say, the past 1 and a half months have been good, i've met some cool people, one in particular is rather intrigued and enjoys me teaching her history. Which is rather unique and i think they told me to start a blog. Well i feel i can be completely myself, which is rather warming i think, showing all my sides to someone and them still talking to me. If i put emoticons in a blog post there'd be a smiley face after that sentence.

I went to a local gig tonight, a couple from groups of people i knew played, and it was a rather good night. I moshed with people, and headbanged. Again met some rather cool people. Tried showing my Harry Potter insult:

"Girl do you play quidditch, because you're sucha seeker!"

It didn't really work (frowney face there).

All in all my summer has been good, and i really appreciate this time i've had, family holidays have been less boresome despite me doing them and being to the said location for the past 7 years.

Stay Golden

Friday, August 27, 2010

Fitting

I spose i'd call myself a music fan, then again everyone is, i do play bass though, not amazingly, but i find it rather cool. I lie i don't play it i just wear it around town in hope a girl will dig bass players. I lied again, i do play it a bit.

Anyhow i basically really enjoy music, well most music, my first experience of playing it was in year 3, i played recorder along with the whole class, and i thought i'd be cool and get a neon green one, i thought i was the shit. However there was this other kid who totally murked the recorder, he went to recorder club to be fair, and i wasn't gonna do that because everyone knew breaktimes was all about football. And i wasn't jealous of him, i just was a tad sad, cos i was like that kid is now the recorder kid and that won't be my thing.

I never have really found "my thing" on the same token i don't think i ever will. But if i were to it'd be something i wouldn't be ashamed of sharing and it'd feel right etc.

I doubt i really care about my thing, say if i was good at DJ'ing, which i am not by the way. Although my old IT teacher was in his spare time, being the cool kid he is. He once added music to hurricane katrina fotage as a demonstration. No REM everyone hurts here, he chose House of Fun, by Madness. Dick. It was twisted.

I also have no idea i fit in, then again the kids who "feel they don't belong" could make their own group which might work. It worked in Harry Potter... with Hufflepuff, yeah i make Harry Potter jokes. I know it's normal for people to feel that way, it's not a "no one" likes me how i fit in, more a "do i have a group" then again i would say groups an americanisation and just to be friends with the people you would call your friends, which seem to be everyone as a teenager/the social situation i'm in, which is cool on some levels i'd guess.

But i could end this with some disney thing with like "everybody fits in somewhere" but to be fair if you want to do things, you need to be yourself but also really make an effort and try hard to be a genuinelly nice person.

Stay Golden

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Reminisince

I'm not going to lie.

I'm annoyed right now. I have already written this although my browser messed up and i'm writing this again.

Anyhow basically me and a friend wanted to buy Bionicles, which are basically huge lego robot things that are rather immense and i had when i was about 8. Although the Lego shop being the capatilist bastards they are, have ditched the brand. Cocks. They were beautiful, although the younger generation will no doubt reject them cos it seems like 10 year olds prefer playing with fucking ben 10, which is rather lame i must say. Let's be serious a kid who can turn into various aliens is messed up, he must have no self confidence

Whats the matter Ben?

"Oh my god... i just don't know who i am anymore, am i beautiful the way i am? I just feel no one likes me for me, they like XLR8 or Four Arms... I wish i was accepted"

Brownie points for knowing some Ben 10 alien names.

Anyhow so we eventually did find some Bionicles which was cool, in the back of a shop and we were yeah i even think we high fived cos we are that cool. Then another great idea sprang to my mind, we could make them somewhere no one ever went. Waterstones. And thus we did, after much regret from my friend, and then we used the laptops in the apple store like 99% of everyone else in there to take pictures and to put them on facebook.

And we didn't put the pictures up there of our Bionicles fighting cos we knew it'd be immensly cool. Really. And we didn't do it to attract attention. We did it as a declaration of who we are, and what we were, and now what we are.

Because in a day and age where people forget themselves and reinvent themselves every other week, it's good to cherish the experiences you had in your past.

Stay Golden

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Celebrities

Me and my brother were in the car, him ranting about how much he hates Justin Bieber and how we doesn't understand why all the girls love him. Aside from his obvious jealously for said girls he cannot get, i made him apparent of his hypocracy, how can you hate/love anyone you don't know. Justin Bieber is someone on the TV who gets a computer to sing his songs for him, i joke he is quite talented. For a robot.

We live in a society which is dominated by celebrities and the media, and i for one and somewhat ok with that. Although the idea of celebrities being "just like us" is lost somewhat on younger people, i heard someone say that before your 10 your parents are gods to you. They are these huge figures which are invincible and can do anything. And the reason parenting is apparently so hard isn't because teenagers are angry, know it all sods, who have mood swings all the time.

I SAID WE AREN'T ANGRY, EURGH STOP JUDGING ME!

It's more to do with the realisation that parents too are just other people. I personally believe the fact we are rather obssessed with celebrities/gods/leaders/"insert power role here" is because we are flawed, and believing there is someone out there who isn't flawed gives us hope, to be better people, which is good isn't it? Is it?

I'm still indecisive if it is or not, whether telling a kid santa isn't real is wrong... or just plain funny, the amount of children i've told that too, ah it brings a tear to my eye. Well more to their own eyes, but you get me.

I am being rather cynical today, i suppose it's because i have been watching Friends and laugh at Chandler alot, he is rather funny. Anyhow, enough deep rambling, celebrities are people too, and so are you.

Stay Golden

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

TV

Again, I personally am not one for a really cool opening line, delving straight to my point will suffice. Children's TV is rather strange, i was watching Cbeebies with my younger brother... I love it how everyone has a younger sibling/cousin when they are watching something "not appropriate for their age range", no idea why i quoted that. I genuinely do have a younger brother. He's 12.

Anyhow, i was watching a said TV programme called "In the Night Garden" which is strange... to say the least. The introduction involves a mutated person it seem covered in a blanket, i'll tell you what it reminded me of. In greek mythology when you die you're carried over a river by a ferry owner towards the afterlife. Rather deep for a kids show. How do these shows even come about?

Do the board when having a meeting suddenly decide to pursue alternative options, i can imagine it goes down like this

Boss: Welcome to the new Cbeebies programme ideas meeting anybody got any ideas?
Lackey 1: We could do something musical?
Boss: I like it, bring in Carey Grant and David Grant and stick them on a show so we can ruin their reputations and thus they will never bother the BBC again... Muhaha
Lackey 2: We could do some science?
Boss: Cool, i'm thinking Scottish chick with crazy hair and CGI.
Lackey 2: Got it
Boss: Alright guys, i want to mind fuck young children so they are like what the hell is this?
BRING IN THE WEED!
*everyone smokes except one guy*
Lackey 1: How about men... but but but, listen, you need to listen, they have TV's in their stomach's.
All else: YEAHHH!
Lackey 2: But the things is don't TV's need aerials? Stick them on their heads, cos that is like the best place to pick up signal in a world we've designed with no real man made objects..
All else: SUREEEE!
New Guy: *hasn't taken the weed* Erm may i interject, TV's in stomach's are cool and all, but how about placing mini documentries starring other kids their age and how they lead their own lives, it could provide great insight at an early age,
All else: Erm yeah... that could work maybe, perhaps
Boss: AND THEN THEY COULD ALL SCREAM AGAIN AGAIN WHEN THE GREAT BABY IN THE SUN DEMANDS IT!!!!
All else: Greatest. Idea. Ever
*New Guy Sigh's*
Boss: That concludes today's meeting, great idea's came out of this

And thus Teletubbies was born, i hope i have provided insight into the magical world of children's TV

Stay Golden

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Introduction

I genuinelly cannot think of any way to start my blog, my name will suffice, names are unusual. It's an identity that's given to you although you seem to grow into it, you always link say the name Melissa (not a real person i've met) with a girl you've met in your childhood, and your experiences thus so with that person, say if i were to meet another Melissa my mind would of been drawn to certain incidents involving glue and hijacking my ballon egyptian mask i made, and the vandalism of it. Bitch.

See thats the point though, even when i meet a Melissa my mind will immediatly me put at an immediate grudge purely based on other girls named Melissa i've met, anyhow.

My name's Benedict, so that's kinda unique i spose, aside from the pope, but i swear thats not his real name, so i had it before. HA!


My full name is Benedict Manser Churchus, i think my parents hated me, they were like hey Ben your born in east london how can we shit upon you? Give me a hugely posh name, that'll be great, downsides of my name is a can't really be a Muslin, i'm kinda stuck being a christian, the only way i can get more christian is stick Reverend at the front of it. If i walk into a Mosque and there like sorry mate didn't catch your name, they'll probably think i'm taking the piss...

Let me break my name down for you after much googling, and why i was given it:

Benedict: Parents liked the name Ben, disliked Benjamin, thus they gave  Latin for Blessed (Pronounced like the Brian Blessed, Blessed, not the normal i blessed you)

 Manser: Its a family name, mums side of the family from a couple of generations back, dunno why they gave that to me, whereas my brothers middle name is James. It's Hebrew for one who forgets, it's Hebrew for one who forgets, it's Hebrew for.... I'll stop now, i tried to be funny.

Churchus: No idea what language it's from but my last name really doesnt need no explanation to how i accquired it, it apparently is an abbrivation of Church House or something like that, apparently to dude who looks after the church or something.


So my full name translated means the blessed, forgetful, caretaker of the church.

That makes me feel like a someone whose been patted on the head and been told to "Go on clean the church" from an elderly lady with a smile on her face.


That kinda concludes this introduction i'd say, hopefully i'll post again sometime.

This really makes me feel like i'm talking to myself....