Love the monkey, and the monkey loves you...

Personally, I love wandering across things I haven't thought about in a while.  It's like discovering them again for the first time.  In this particular case, it's the amazing work of Daniel Packard.  This man has a way with words that I envy, and an amazing capacity to express ideas in a way that's funny, engaging, and enlightening.  I highly suggest checking it out if you haven't...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMex_FmvoF0


So, today, there are a pair of quotes that seem to have stuck in my mind quite well.


‎"I suggest you allow yourself to be comfortable with your discomfort."


The second, I can't seem to find word for word, but it goes something like...


"The exploration of the unknown is part of our existence."


Both of those quotes are actually from Star Trek, but as my mind is wont to do, it wandered off on it's own little track with them.


Let's begin with discomfort.  I, for one, thrive off of it.  To me, it's exciting.  That's why I push myself towards many of the things that are difficult or awkward for me.  A lot of you have seen me sing karaoke.  Anyone who has understands that I am by no means a singer.  Singing in front of a crowd, however, has been something that makes me nervous since I was a kid.  So now I push myself to do it.  The entire female half of our species generally makes me uncomfortable, so I force myself to open myself up to them more.


And then we have to ask ourselves this question.  What is the cause of the discomfort?  Why do the things that make us nervous or awkward make us feel that way?  That, my friends, I believe is the unknown.  When it comes right down to it, isn't that really the only thing we are really afraid of?  We don't fear death, we fear the change that comes with it, and the unknown of whatever is waiting for us after.  I know I don't actually fear singing in front of a crowd.  I fear what their reaction might or might not be.  I don't fear women, I fear what they may someday be to me.


So, for me at least, forcing myself to be comfortable with my discomfort is my way of dealing with the worst fears in my life.  I believe that it's made me a better person.  I know that by forcing myself into these situations has given me opportunities that I count myself lucky to have had.  It's also made me a tougher, more resilient person.  However, I think the biggest benefit that it has afforded me is still one of what I consider my best qualities: my capacity for knowing what exactly I am.  To quote Christopher Titus...


"He's an idiot, but he's amazingly self aware..."


For some reason, I can't seem to keep a straight train of thought to save my life right now.  So I suppose I shall wrap it up, and leave off with one final quote.  


"There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kill."

Buddha

Just sayin.  Think about it... 

Allow me to introduce myself...

On the off chance that you don't know, and haven't noticed yet, I enjoy quotes.  I'll even use a quote to tell you why I like quotes...

Someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. (American History X)

You'll be seeing a lot of them, as we go along.  Another thing you may want to keep in mind about me is that I don't like to take myself, or honestly anyone or anything else, too seriously.  It's my firm belief that the source of most trouble is simply people who don't know how to laugh it off.  

That being said, I do consider myself blessed.  I have many, many fantastic people in my life, who challenge me to be a better person.  I have a job that I love, with a company that I can honestly see myself working with for the rest of my life.  I have a niece who is the light of my life, and I'm sure will cause nothing but trouble for the rest of hers.  

I plan on this being a place where I can throw out all of my random thoughts and opinions, and possibly even receive some feedback on them.  So I believe I shall start a little habit right now...

I'm going to end each post with a musing about something in particular that has been making me think recently.  We might as well shoot high to begin with, so how about the ever-entertaining "Government Shutdown" we've been hearing so much about.

A "Government Shutdown" certainly sounds fairly ominous.  As best as I have been able to ascertain, it means that "non-essential" services of the government shut down, generally due to politicians not being able to agree on a budget.  The current debate, regardless of claims to the contrary, seem to be focused around the funding of Planned Parenthood.  Our Democratic friends insist that that is the main cause behind the issue, while our Republican friends insist that the issue is in fact budget cuts, and Planned Parenthood is just somehow getting caught in the middle.  

Here lies my personal problem...  If it's all about "budget cuts" then why not accept equal cuts in another area?  Ya'll were supposed to have this done on Sept 30th.  If I turned in an assignment to my boss over six months late, I'd been out of a job in a heartbeat.  Oh, wait, maybe that's a good idea...

However, let's let the Republican's reel for a moment, and take a look at the other side of things.  I hold no ill will towards Planned Parenthood; quite on the contrary.  I believe they provided much needed services.  But why in the bloody hell are we having this discussion... 3 hours, 1 minute and 55 seconds (I checked) before the bloody government SHUTS DOWN?  Quite simply, everybody needs to put on their big girl panties, buck the hell up, and deal with it.  We were just finally putting the fires of the recession out, and they think it's a good idea to roll a nice big powder keg into it, so they can keep their precious pride.  

Well, let me end with a quote I'm sure most of you will recognize.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16: 18)

It's a long fall, gentlemen, and something like 3 million people are not in the mood to join you.  I don't subscribe to the Bible as the truth to end all truths, but it does have the advantage of several thousand years of experience.  Tis an ugly road you're walking, and if you choose to continue, don't be surprised when the folks who you ride on decide to take a different route.