Youth’s Value

Being old is becoming increasingly underrated. How young you are does not determine how experienced you are, as there could be an elderly person that has faced little to no hardship in their life while there is a child that has undergone wars and family problems. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are wiser and more experienced, but they do know things that the elder doesn’t know. The elderly can sometimes be stubborn because of their seeming conception on life, but with the changing times, no knowledge is permanent. On the flip side, children are considered inexperienced and are not called upon for help, as their small body and little strength would not fare well in dangerous situations, but there are definitely time when a child can help. For example, an innocent problem that needs some silly resolutions would need the help of a child. Imagination and creativity blossom in the young years, but why is that considered silly? It’s not as if the most successful people think out of the box. Being old and being young are two opposites that both need some more respect. 

Countless of people consider their most beautiful time during their early 20s, as their skin is much nicer than it will progressively get. Youth drools out of people around that age, but why is it valued? Why do we feel the need to look younger and vibrant? Why aren’t wrinkled considered beautiful? It is most likely because of the problems that are associated with age that make this so. Age means creaking bones and lack of energy, but a more active mind and more potential energy. Though retirees have the easy life, it is still riddled with problems like aching bones and demolishing health. Everyone has problems that deal with age, but the ones elders face seem much harder and are less favorable than having emotional issues or family problems.

Children strive to grow older and more mature faster because it seems like there is a lot of freedom that is associated with age, but in reality, responsibility arrives and freedom seems like nothing. When you are responsible, rather than an outside source telling you what to do, you have an inward desire to please, qualify, or even survive. You are free from restraints that tell you to do something at a certain time, but you are not free when you are required to do something by yourself. Looking forward to this time is something many children do, but it would be better if they just enjoyed their childhood rather than look to the future.

The teenage years are often described as “the best years of my life”. This is most likely because there are not that many things required out of you, besides school, and you can still get away with a lot of things. Parents can clean and finance for you, and you are able to live life as an adolescent with more freedom. With these great things, some downfalls must come. Teens are just transitioning to the adult life and are starting to bear the weight of being held accountable for their own actions. With their own set of thoughts, you can no longer be considered cute when a mistake is made. Being liberated also means that when some serious things have to be done, it is not always done. Also known as the rebellious stage, teenagers often confront their parents as restricting, which is not true. All parents wish for their children to be happy but stay within their limits, which means some rules for these years. 

An adult is in the middle stage, no longer able to pass as a child or get senior discounts at museums. It is often the time of the most responsibility, with kids that need to be taken care of or parents that need to be pleased. Finances, social lives, and children worry these people the most, and they want to either be a child with no responsibilities or an elder with even less worries.

Each age has its turmoil, but really we should be grateful as each one passes us. The perks and downfalls of each age are not always apparent to us, but looking back, they are. Every year teaches us with new lessons, and every age provides new experiences, and regretting won’t help at all. Living for the future is much more pleasant than regretting the past. On that note, I remembered a little passage from who knows where, and it goes like this, “To have fun, you need three things. Energy, money, and time. When we are children, we have the energy and time, but we do not have the money. When we are adults, we have the money and the energy, but we do not have the time. When we are old, we have the money and the time, but we do not have the energy.” 

Appearance Shouldn’t Matter

How we look is something we worry about constantly, looking into windows to check if our hair is perfect or pulling out little mirrors in the subway to check our makeup. Of course, this applies to males too, checking to make sure they look physically appealing, but why? Does anything artificial and exterior really matter in the end? We all die and become skeletons, each and every one the same to an untrained eye. Even the next day, or in a few hours, we can totally change what society thinks about us by simply taking off makeup and changing some clothes. Nothing is permanent when it is exposed to the elements, so why should we treat it like so? Though it can form a lasting memory, more impressions of character and morality are formed after the initial meeting. So why are people attached to the concept of a perfect body and a perfect complexion?

Fashion is an especially major part of appearance. From shoes to dresses, major money can be spent over something that will disappear in a few decades. Every change in the industry is to provoke the desire to spend or plan on spending. Thrifting can lead to less spending, but cutting the care for appearance leads to even greater income. YouTube and the Internet is changing the way clothing is distributed and potentially leading to a more speedy delivery system, leading to more and more wants. In addition to clothing, there are accessories such as hats, jewelry, and shoes, anything other than items to cover the body. The changing varieties only added to the desires. Women seem to get the worse end of the deal, their fashion sections double the size of men’s, the temptation being twice as great. The men have sporting goods to worry about, however, their shoes ranging from $50-150 when the only difference can be the label. Of course, when men have to get fancy, their suits and ties can cost a lot of money as well. Both sexes have to worry about appeasing each other, though that’s not how it should be.

Other material things are also utilized to make others jealous of lives that are different from ours. Cars and mansions, video games and furniture, all to show everyone that they were fortunate and that they were better than someone else. The material things seem to be more important than proving that our personality is moral and that we are good people. Does impressing friends with video game high scores or lavish houses really mean that much to us that every spare coin we use is to those causes? How can toy guns or trophies help change the world or achieve any goal in life? As a pastime, they are great ways to pass time, but to use every moment of our existence on those petty standards is absurd and should be stopped, but how can it? The addictiveness is certainly beyond measure, and the qualities that make it so are never ending.

How can we help it if people judge us at interviews on how we look? Why does the ideal employee look as nice as they work? Dressing up for something does show it a certain degree of respect, but can a casual look be achieved without offending anyone? Though getting dolled up may provide a certain level of self esteem, it does mean that society should label the well dressed overachievers and the underdressed underachievers, when it may be the opposite. Albert Einstein’s crazy hair was his trademark, and it didn’t seem like he cared for it when presenting his theories of physics, which leads me to conclude that super achievers are the ones that earn respect through their work and not their appearance. If you can amaze someone beyond understanding and do so while looking sloppy, it doesn’t matter how looks contributed, because they didn’t. 

In conclusion, what we look like and what we see others as should never be used as a standard. The attractiveness of someone could mean that they do not understand this principle, and consider the more beautiful people the good people.  How we judge others should be based on a deeper understanding of their character, which would lead us to most likely admire them.

The Current Unimportance of Love

Finally, another essay.

Marriage is considered increasingly unimportant, divorce becoming a common part of life. Making wise choices in a love life is no longer considered valid, but rather trying every breed seems to be what is in fashion. For example, so many articles have been written about great sex positions or things of that sort, when really the process of reproduction is just that, and not to enjoy it as much as you can or to have pain. Marriage is generally considered a commitment, especially for life, but that isn’t always the case. Time as short as a month can determine the decision of marriage, and it frequently isn’t the correct choice. As many as seven times can example the unlucky lover to society. Divorce can be good in many cases, but some precaution should also be used when agreeing to marriage in the first place. Before marriage, how many times has someone made love? One night together seems much more important than proving that you might be a good match and worthy to live with for the rest of your life. People have started to have sex at a very young age, and it’s shortly after puberty hits so that the decisions are not correct.

The Greeks believed that there were four types of love. Philia is the most basic of love. This is the love between friends, also known as friendship. This love can be chosen from the billions of people on this earth, and can be shared with everyone as well. It is the most common type of love, and not one many admit to all the time. But friendship is a great love, and loyalty is a result of that. There is nothing wrong with this type of love, and can be forged in many ways. Storge is the love between family members, and nothing quite like it can be connected with anyone other than kin. This is probably the first type of love to be experienced, as when you are a child, a parent is someone you look to, a sibling to play with, and other extended family member to learn from. Storge can prove to be lifesaving, and bonds a strong feeling of belonging to your being. Agape is unconditional love, for family and friends alike. This is when you are willing to do anything, even die, for the love to last, and the other person feels the same. This type of love is rare, and devoutly spiritual people may believe that one who unconditionally loves everyone is enlightened. Eros is the last type of love, and the most superficial. This love is sensual and the false love that everyone adores. Many things can be achieved with Eros, but ultimately, it is misleading. The four types of love are what constitutes the filling feeling of warmth in this world.

The first stage of modern love is the dating, or meeting for the first time. This may be the one that has the most uncertainty, and the one with the most tries. People have started to have fun with how they meet people, either by blind date or online agreements. Desperation to conform or please someone erupts as these new methods are experimented with. Success has occurred to the minority of these dates, defined by true love or marriage. Couples at the first stage have even started at ages as young as kindergarten, when their parents value these relationships as cute and so adult-like. The value of a kiss really means nothing at this point, but only the first one matters. Romantic people are no longer frequent, and wild events erupt. The dating can be the most intriguing and wonderful part of a relationship, as it doesn’t require living with the person and seeing them all the time. The second stage, in my opinion, of modern love is actually falling in love, Eros or Agape. Once the couple has fallen in love with each other and they have determined it is lasting (for however brief it may be) they may move on to marriage. How marriage is viewed is only as a third stage of love, but it can be the most tumultuous. Once a couple starts to deal with problems that affect both of them together, arguments can start, but if it is Agape, they will work it out, themselves valuing their love the most.

Amorous love can transcend through genders, as LGBTQ people are becoming ever so frequent. Homophobic people do not understand that love is love, no matter the attraction. If two people truly love one another, they may be together as they like, if they happen to be the same gender or different genders. The absurd nature of homophobes exceeds all logic and enters stubbornness, each and every one “disgusted” by LGBTQ behavior. However, many have supported these people and protected them from the people that hate them. Marriage is for two people that love one another, and some straight couples seem to have less love between them than gay couples do.

Whatever the type of love, it should be cherished as a strong bond between two humans, linking two souls in ways unimaginable by human words. Love cannot be broken, smashed, or even faded, as long as both sides of the relationship are willing to work for their happiness and make it last.

The Sports MegaSociety

With the World Cup coming to an end, the mindless nature of sports fanatics can truly be displayed. Surely, the disappointment on the Argentinian faces were enough, no matter how happy they were when they even qualified for the finals. Sports are considered fun, competitive, and can offer long escapes from reality. Merchandise, games, and meetings with the players themselves can get anyone in the franchise a lot of money. The fans are many, and the majority consider sports as a ritual rather than a pastime. Generation after generation, the public dreams of making it to the Major Leagues, the NBA, the NFL, the Olympics, etc. Some of these dreams have come true, and major conformities in society have been destroyed because of those aspirations. However, for those that continually obsess without much perspiration themselves are bound for some sort of demise. Work can be compromised just to watch the finales of these year long excursions, and parades of massive sizes are found all over the world. A variety of memes are developed for the good, the bad, and the embarrassing moments in the history of all sorts of games. But sports can bring peace with a competition like no other- the Olympics. This unifying event is so massive and inspirational that thousands of qualifying athletes apply to represent their country every year. Athletes of all sorts gather to harmonize the world for 2 weeks, but this can also be the battlefield for political wars. In the Sochi Olympics of 2014, many have spoken out against Putin’s anti-gay policies, and have even laughed at the mistakes as somehow related to politics. Regardless as a adhering device, sports can also get people motivated to do things and exercise or act as a social event. Even so, there are two sides to getting involved in any type of sport.

Exercise is always a good activity, but sports take that to a different level. Competition can drive the human spirit to do things of incredible capacities, such as defying all previous confinements. Athletes that do this often end up inspiring others to play a sport and push their limits, which leads to events like the Special Olympics and other events for disabled people. Sports also give the public a person to follow, leading to more media opportunities and fame that can influence people to do good, or do bad. An athlete that abuses their popularity may end their career in a forced confinement. Like any celebrity, the fame comes to the true nature and desire of that individual. Many scandals involving major athletes have led to a ban from the sport they play. These occurrences are becoming much more frequent and revolting, leading to outrage among the fans. The anger is provoked even more so when a player clearly has done something wrong, but for the sake of publicity and success, they are not banned. The competitive nature of sports has driven people to do surprising things, but like all celebrities, the surprise must come to an eruptive end.

The merchandise of sports is also a very devastatingly opportunistic thing. To sell books, shoes, jerseys, and more with a name on it certainly is tempting, but doing so means that fans must spend money to truly support their idols. This is never true. In basketball, shoes are a major part of the sport, meaning that most of the major players have their own brand and shoes. This drives the fans to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of shoes that, sometimes, aren’t even practical. Books have been written by famous players in every sport, but they might not have even taken the time to write the book, but rather talk to someone who would. Jerseys, as an article of clothing, are breathable and practical for movement, but they can be expensive, and are a symbol of supportiveness for a certain player or team. Products of every sort are made for all sorts of purposes, including stickers, apps, and even pet clothes, all in an effort to make some money out of the game. Though these tactics seem bad and terrible, a good percentage of every team’s salary comes from manufactured products.

Though all seems terrible and wrong in the sports world, there are still good foundations. The principle of exercise is a good one, and dedication to a certain skill is always a character builder. Along with scandals and mischief, a healthy dose of movement is always a positive factor. The execution of the activities are not quite the right formula. Millions of sports fans exist around the globe, and that number is continually increasing as the population increases. The only question is whether to influence them for good, or for the worst?

Addiction to the Internet

The Internet is a place of wonder, mystics, and addiction. The members of this cult have acknowledged its nature, but have ignored it, like a satanist disregarding the taboo of the Devil, though they dress in dark colors and act with evil intentions. Of course, the Internet is also a heaven, with its knowledge of infinite abilities and communication skills superbly famed. The sharing abilities are what worries me. With all the friends on the web, teenagers everywhere are obliged to respond every two seconds. Time zones are worse- they can cause the deprived friend to lose sleep either by rising early or sleeping late, both to appease the more fortunate friend. The Internet is extraordinary and beautiful, but like all beautiful things, there is a price to pay that needs to be met immediately.

The hilariously Tumblr has many twists and turns, and rarely any URL’s, or blogs, are abandoned because of the attaching qualities of the website. The users can laugh at life together and enjoy their procrastination, which leads to addiction. Such a popular website has many victims, and most of which are aware of their visible demise. It is a beautifully designed site, with a quirky staff, and enthusiastic members that include the President of the United States. Many communities exist on this vast site, including porn, food, humor, grunge, hipster, and fandoms. The fandoms may be the worst of all because there seems to be no escape but enormous self control, which is hard to bear on the Internet. How it impacts the growth of the youngsters is simply that they have no respect for hardwork and laugh with self-pity at those who do. Slowly, the world’s potentially greatest achievers could be wasting their life away on the addiction they’ve developed towards social media sites. The site is not completely terrible- all users offer an Internet support group like no other. All members are determined to rid the world of suicidal thoughts and the image of perfect beauty. But their efforts may be fruitless as even if they do not kill themselves, the users may attach their self to Tumblr in order to receive some other fruit.

YouTube is another hard hitting site, with its fanciful design and popular users. The gaming community has grown so much on YouTube that the gamers themselves are paired with one another. The most subscribed person on YouTube is none other than Mr. Pewds himself, or PewDiePie. His hilarious commentaries have offered him 27 million subscribers, and that number is still growing, making himself and his girlfriend one of the most famous couples on the Internet. Gaming isn’t the only downfall- there are still many other types of users that have equally addictive qualities, such as the Tribute community. There, music can be ejected with the thoughts of certain characters in mind. One of my friends has made a home here, where she has hundreds of favorites on the site and continues to add on her list of favorite songs. Another community would be the beauty group. Fashion and Style is already favorable in realitiy, but add the Internet, and youve got a whole new set of problems. Jealousy, idolization, and extensive spending are all side effects of membership. On top of that, there are the humorous people, making people laugh and giggle about the most absurd of things. Many people have utilized this popularity to create a feeling in people that cannot exist anywhere else- the love for subscribers is immense. Inspiration and entire lifestyles have been influenced by this site that has many, many users.

Though these are only a select few, other giant websites such as Twitter and Facebook provide the same experience- a never ending period of forgetting all that is important in life for the sake of some obligations. I decided to report on these two only because I am familiar with them. As the users of these sites continually add new content, the addiction seems to be eternally increasing. The problem doesn’t end there- countless of new programs are being developed, and who knows when the next drug-like addiction is emerging?