Fifty

***When this was written, it was the 50th post, but after additions it got bumped up***

When I think of 50, I think of half way. Two quarters. Ten minutes until the hour's up. Is the glass 50% full or 50% empty? (either way, if you're selling the liquid you can sell the glass while you're at it, so you might as well be grateful for that. If you're not selling it, well looks like you've got nothing better to do than try to answer quixotic questions that are supposed to reveal the subconscous state of your mind). I think of a 50 Watt light bulb, shining forth like the truth, burning away the darkness. I think of the 1950s and I think of the Korean War and Eisenhower... I'm not sure if those are in the right time period but I also don't care. I think of 50 tacos on a silver platter, 50 stars on the US flag which stand for 50 states of union. I think of 50 miles until the road ends and I don't know where. I think of the atomic number of Tin and wonder if I'm like the tinman... no heart... I think of 50 people that I love and I struggle to finish the list, but I finish it anyway. Of 50 wrongs I've committed and 50 ways to fix them. Of 50 things to do before I die, and 50 years I've yet to live.

I think of 50 messages I've left for you and the 50 different ways you've taken them...

And as I sit here I'm thinking of 50 more.

Authority

Authority is granted solely by consent. You have to have people willing to listen, willing to believe in order to hold authority over them.

I wonder if I have any authority among my peers. Do people listen to me? I would hope that they do, because I generally want to help more often than not. But truth is based on perspective, yeah? So any one person holds the power to deny my authority. And, as we live in a society of rebellion, we must make the most of what time we have where we are able to shape the world around us. If you truly want to see a message through, if you truly want to make a change you must be strong. Eventually, someone will follow, and once that happens you are no longer one man. You become two.

And from there your authority grows. It's when you say "because I say so" and others listen. It's a function of trust, of respect, and it can be taken away. Therefore a position of authority is a temporary state of being, and as such we must take hold of it while we have it.

Do not listen to those who scorn success. You have to be ready to go, ready to lead. And you must also be ready to follow, because in those intermittant times where we do not lead we should make use of those who are strong.

Authority is granted solely by consent. I am afraid to subject myself to that authority.

So don't listen to those who will not listen - trust to those who will.

Will you trust me?

Comedy or Tragedy?

The world is a comedy to those who think and a tragedy to those who feel.
— Horace Walpole

I couldn't disagree more. I think Mr. Walpole got it backwards. Why, if this is true, then what about ignorance is bliss? These two are in direct contradiction, because if ignorance is bliss it can be assumed that knowledge brings grief. And if knowledge brings grief, then how can the world be a comedy to those who think?

And on another note - what about all of the statements about following your bliss? (The correlation between this quote and the last is a complete and utter coincidcence and bears no scientific importance) Do what your heart tells you. It seems that in our world the pursuit of knowledge is discouraged. Do what makes you happy. These are all feeling things, and now they're supposed to make life a tragedy? I don't think so.

But maybe Mr. Walpole's on to something here. See, I've been generalizing, assuming that he meant this quote for the masses... but what if he intended to reach a minority of the people. The ones who will take the time to think about it. To think about it... which, when you think about it, is pretty funny. It's like he put a secret message inside of his own quotation. Whether or not he meant it, it's there now. And now I've got to figure out what it means.

So I'll start by applying this quote to my own life instead of to life in general.

To think is to find humor, and to feel is to feel pain? Yeah, that pretty much applies to my life. Of course, to feel in spite of pain is the idea, and another story entirely, but this is completely logical now.

To feel you place yourself in a position to be harmed. To care for something whether it's your family, your friends, or the feel of cool air in your face... All of these things have the potential to dissapear, and that's why they open the world to tragedy.

But to think is eternal. To think is to analyze, and the best jokes are the ones you have to think about, right? This is a kickback to anti-life. Where things get so bad that it's funny. It's an idea I made up with some of my friends, and very few people understand it. But it was our way of moving on, of getting along. We'd laugh it off, and it felt so good. High on anti-life. And it wasn't depressing, or sad, or TRAGIC at all. It was just our momentary state of being. It was how we felt in spite of pain.

Life is funny, but I guess that's just because I think about it too much... I've changed my mind. This quote is now full of win. Maybe I just like it because it flys in the face of other famous quotes. New Year's Resolution has made me kinda rebellious like that.

Power and Value

I met a man
In a coffee house last night.
The room was full, so nervously I
Asked with shaky voice to stay a while in his company.

I must admit,
Had the weather been kinder
I would just as soon have passed him by,
But sharing that table I learning of things, things of life.

A master poet
He said he was,
Though by his clothes, I can't deny,
He looked unsavory. Weak and frail, windswept if you will.

I don't know
What he meant when he spoke
But trusting that he would not lie
I listened, feeling his words grip my throat. Then I knew

Something new
He was, and now I too.
With sharpened wit I loosed my cry
Of the power of words and the value of life.

Summation Nation

We're the new summation nation
And we like balloon inflation
Start to see the congflagration
To avoid humiliation

Can't you see them gravitating
Hear the stories they're relating
Fight the power by debating
What to give a five star rating

And they'll know the things we're hearing
Know their end is ever nearing
Armies all around them leering
Got no time to be endearing

We control the situation
Write it down with this notation
We're the new summation nation
And we've got no limitation

A Letter from Us

Hey. It's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm not sure we've met... in fact I know for a fact that we haven't. You see, I'm one of your characters. You made me. In fact, I'm all of your characters at once. In a sense, I am you. You know, you always give me such great advice about where to go and what to do. I figure it's about time I returned the favor.

I know you pretty well. I mean, look at all of the thoughts you put into me! Ideas of nobility, of heroism, but also there is a decided sense of being above authority. I am, after all, a noble thief. I am a hero, I am a captain. I'm a paranoid Irish recluse, a soldier from ages past. I'm a stowaway child looking for work, a misanthropic genius of 19 years.

But I've never done anything great that hasn't resulted in my death. You keep killing me off. Granted, my story isn't done by a long shot, but there are happy endings if you look in the right places. I think you're forgetting that.

You know, I want the same things you do. I want to be loved, I want to be cared about. And you know that if I've got even an ounce of the determination which you have I'll make that happen. I guess my question for you is, why do you think you're doomed to suffer sometimes when you make us perform such great feats?

If you made us, then how is it that we can exceed you in our accomplishments? Okay, okay. Maybe you can't break into a maximum security government compound, or create a psuedoelectrolose dimensional travel machine, but you can help people. You can inspire them. You've already begun.

So don't give up. Keep going, even when it seems like nobody cares. Because we care. Because we're trapped in a world that will never exist, and you're the only one of us that can make a difference.

Because you're real and we're not. And no matter how good we are in here, we'll never matter as much as you.

So fight on for us.

A Golden Wake

Golden are the days that pass me by
Fluttering like leaves on an undying wind
They wrap themselves around me, unescapable
And I feel at home in their breadth

And though days are subject to change I know
I know that I am the puppeteer
I make the change, I make the days great
I alone am the master of my fate

And some that come and some that go
Are darker here and there
But always are they golden here
Inviting me to never fear

For although these days must cease to be
I know that eventually they will begin anew
A new home, a new world
A new banner to be unfurled

Though storms may threaten passers by
Against that wind we'll raise our flag
You and I and those who'll dare
To fight injustice everywhere

And all the golden days abroad
Will follow in our wake
The first we'll be to lead the way
Into the light and through the fray

Anti-School Song

Liberty is fleeting
and Calculus will fade
And all the knowledge in the world
Will leave you at your grave.

Physics can be fun I guess
But never fun enough
There's nothing I would rather do
than spend time with the one's I love.

To hell with English, that's no good
I'd rather write this song
Our duty - if it ever was -
I'd have to say it's gone!

In Government they teach us things
We'll never have to know
And now I hear we must make up
For days we lost to snow!

Riddiculous! I've never seen
such insolence at heart
Despite the things you try to teach
How lonely learning art.

So let's all have a barbeque
Come join in my parade
Cuz we don't give a damn about
our schooling or our grades!





That was out of character... but it's kinda catchy.

Time

It's a strange feeling, not knowing what to write. Even now as I sit in my math class I'm struggling to find the words to describe it. It's a sense of inevitability. Like there's a voice in the back of your head saying "I told you so...

You knew it would only last a short while. Who did you think you were? Going against the flow as if you've got something to prove, something to say. You're a nobody in You think that because you've got enough insight to last you a month that you're all of a sudden someone special? Ha. I've watched men like you. I've sheltered their dreams and watched them climb mountains of aspiration only to fail when it at last seems there is some rest. Are you not like these men? What do you have that they did not?

But I shatter these thoughts. I shatter this voice because no good can ever come of it.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter to us."

-Martin Luther King Jr.

I'm different becasue I've got in in my head to say so. I'm special because I know that voice. I've been there before. Look at victory. Victory is not about winning. Victory is about destroying that urge to destroy. Victory is about changing the world.

And I am special. And that's not to say that any of you couldn't be the same. That's not to say that I'm any better than. I've made a choice is all.

We choose to be important, we choose to be in control. We choose to be.

And once that choice is behind us, we find that there are all manner of doors unlocked before us. No roads blocked, no paths too difficult, because deep down we know we've only got so much time.

So I think I'm going to go ahead and use this time, even though it seems as if I've nothing to say. Even if it seems like I've hit the end. I'm going to use this time because for all I know it could be the last piece of time I get. And I suggest you do the same.

Thanks for bearing with.

-Matt Lund

Sometimes

Sometimes I feel like I've got no fight left in me. Like no matter how much I feel like making a difference, I'm held back because it's too hard. Because maybe there's somebody saying no. Somebody with friends in high places.

Sometimes I feel lonely, even though I know there are people there. People to trust, people who trust me. People who accept me in spite of my flaws. People who love me.

Sometimes I just get down.

Sometimes I worry that there isn't enough time.

But sometimes I change the world.

Sometimes I get inspired. A fleeting idea maybe, or someone urging me on. I look at the people around me and I see their perseverance, and I see that they're just like me. I see that like them, I can do anything I want. I can dare to dream, I can dare to feel. I can live and love and leave knowing that I've done my part.

And sometimes I get scared. Scared that I can do anything I want. Because we are directed by what we cannot do.

Sometimes I forget. I forget about the only true thing I have in my life. I forget about my hero, my savior, my ultimate sacrifice. I forget and I cry. I cry for myself because I'm not worthy. I'm not perfect enough for him. I cry because I can't even think of him every day.

But sometimes he lifts me up. He puts the wind behind me and helps me soar, and he too forgets. He forgets my bad, my good. He forgets that I often forget him.

Sometimes I'm thankful. For all that I have and all that I might get.

So all the time I try to love. To love my friends, my neighbors, to love inanimate objects because they themselves were created with love. To love reading, writing, speaking. Learning, teaching, feeling. Winning and losing, caring and sharing. I love to fight, to think. I love to be.

And everything is alright.

America

It's one of those "us" things. "Because I say we and not they..." It's the same mentality that drives a ship. A crew. The unity in an ideal.

I love America, not because of the unity, but because of that ideal. There is no unity here. There is no camraderie. There is only a broken flag which stands for men long dead. Our unity is not one which inspires fellowship. It is a business agreement. I'll stay out of your business if you stay out of mine, until yours becomes mine. That's all we are. And I have to admit, I like it. It's why I can write this blog and not worry about what people think about it. It's why I can stand up for John Kerry even though that election was his to lose. It's why I can make my own country. "Because countries are in our blood, and we bleed them..." But I do not bleed for America. I bleed for my ship, and my ship bleeds for America. Because my brothers on other ships bleed for America and America bleeds for me.

I love America becasue we are a fleet of ideas, a fleet of soldiers, of men. Becasue we don't have to love America, but do so by choice. Because America gave me my ship.

To Form a Coalition

I've got this idea to revolutionize the world. The kind of idea you get as a child and quickly abandon as you reach maturity. When that very world you wanted to save comes crashing down on your hopes and dreams. Because every kid wants to be a hero, every kid wants to be renowned and celebrated as a "savior" in one way or another. But there's always something or someone standing in the way, saying no. No, you cannot change the world. No, you cannot make a difference.

Well, they're right. You can't. Not alone you can't. But what they conveniently omit is that with the right number of people, anything is possible. Friends, peers, comrades, companions. These people serve to verify the value of an ideal. They also serve to provide a means to the revolution.

I propose that we form a coalition. A group of people united under one ideal. To what end? Does it really matter where we go from here? It's been said that the journey is the worthier part. But if it must be said, we're here to change the world. We're here to decide the right from wrong, the fair from the unfair. To destroy what we don't like and to become victorious in our own particular idiom.

A crew, a name, a flag, a ship. In that order. Then comes the destination.

Ambiguosity

Is that even a word? Well, it doesn't matter one way or the other. I'm sure we all know that whenever something hits this blog it becomes the law of the land.

=/

Anyway, some of my readers think I'm too "vague." As if they can't tell whether I'm musing or being completely true to myself.

Well I must say, ambiguity is the goal! I'm not writing these to tell you how to live your lives, to tell you how to think. I may come of as an arrogant elitist at times, but I simply have a profoud respect for the opinion. And I like mine more than yours.

>_>

At any rate, my new years resolution seems to be going as planned... haha.

See, ambiguity is about me putting forth ideas. That's all they are (to you at the very least). Now to me, each entry has decided importance, because they usually have some form of inspiration. I could go through and point out a few if you really wanted me to, but in my opinion that would detract from the majik (which we all know is how to spell magic correctly now... after all, it is in my blog).

:)

Where was I... ah! Ideas. IDEAS MAN! That's what it's all about. Conclusions drawn by the recipient are of no consequence to me, unless of course it happens to concern me directly... but I'm always open to questions and discussions. As you can see this entire entry was inspired by the one and only Gavi*tron.

So use my intentionally vague passages however you'd like. Maybe they help you somehow in your life, maybe they cause you to think about things that will never really matter. Without regard, I have fun doing it and I know some of you have fun reading it (a giant thank you by the way).

So once again, this is yours to use, or share, or withold. I am, after all, a hopeless romantic, and I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do in this situation.

We are the most who we fear others to know...

Cold

The air, so cold. The kind of air where it hurts to breathe, unexpectedly. Like it burns every fiber of your body, from the inside out and the outside in. But it's relieving in a sense. Cleansing. Like it melts away all of the bad, all of the twisted maligned filth that encircles you.

It's so cold I want to feel, I want to hunt, I want to love. I can't explain it because I'm not allowed to go, and I haven't been. I feel confined by the limited understanding of society. I want to go in the middle of the night and run. I want to feel it, I want to share it with someone special. Cloudless climes and starry skies... pale moonlight illuminating winding trails upon which no fate is certain.

But they've got fences, they've got guns. They've got curfews, and I can't run
Far enough away to be free.

I want to feel as if I don't have to, but do so by choice. Because to feel the cold is to feel pain, and we feel it in our blood! Because to bleed is to feel the need... the need for the warmth of another in both body and mind.

Because to know cold is to know warmth, and to know warmth is to know love.

Equality

Equality does not exist.

Everybody's looking for a formula. A universal way to make everything right, evertyhing fair. And we always find ourselves in the same situation - debating back and forth about deserving... and as for deserving I will speak no more. Some people get hit by buses. Is that fair? Did they not have lives to life, loves to feel? Why then, if there is no fairness in who lives and who dies, do so many of us expect it when it comes down to money? Respect? You're looking for a formula that doesn't exist. A formula that will never exist. Don't you think that you yourself could be better spending your time by helping those people? Yet nobody calls you out for your frivolous semantics.

IS THAT FAIR?

Fear

Much like my study on what people thought the purpose of life was, I conducted one based on what people feared. Luckily I got a much better response this time (27 responses compared to my earlier 14) and a better looking graph.



Know that the categories the answers are broken down into were done by myself, so if I misinterpreted your answer... well, you'll never know. But anyway, there were far more detailed categories which I generalized to get the shiny ones you see now.

Being Alone - 20.4%

Not surprisingly the top answer with 5.5 out of 28 responses (I had to cut yours in two Tiggy).

As people we all need companionship. We all need validation in our own mental process. See, if someone loves us, then we're not alone. If we don't have anybody, it could be for two reasons. Either 1) We've just got bad luck or 2) There's something wrong with us. Therefore, the two are tied together in our subconscious process. In addition, having someone just feels good. It's nice to have someone who cares.

Expectations - 14.8%

This result tied with that of death. However, many of the other categories could be lumped together with this one as well. So as far as this study is concerned, a lot of us fear being held up to the expectations of others. We fear what other people think about us. We care what they think.

I know I myself, like many others, have said "I don't care what people think about me," but I really do. I REALLY do. Once I find out what they think, and if I think they're full of BS, I won't care. But it's the possibility of what they might think that scares me. Like if someone says "Matt Lund thinks he's better than everyone" I won't care. Because I don't think I'm better than anyone else. Or I think I'm a lot better than everyone else. It depends on the type of day you catch me in.

I think it's a shame that we have to fear dissapointing others, or not being good enough for them. It's a shame, because everybody deserves to be loved and cared for. No matter how sappy that sounds, you can't deny it's validity.

Death - 14.8%

In the words of someone who spoke it already, and very well at that (which he has now posted on his own blog):

Honestly, I believe that in some shape or form, everyone is scared of death. They might not realize it, it might be purely subconscious, it might even be stared right in the face, but no human being can share a dance with death and not feel even the smallest tinge of fear. Humans do everything in their myriad [of] powers to evade and even stall death. The Philosopher's Stone, the Fountain of Youth... they're even thinking they can prolong the life of our cells with the Human Genome Project.

If you're life is about to be ended, especially prematurely, you will be afraid. At the very least, afraid that you might not have been virtuous enough to escape eternal damnation.

~Will

In short, death is terrifying because nobody knows what's on the other side. Now, a strongly religious person will disagree with me because they "know" that God is waiting for them on the other side of life. But let's be honest here, NOBODY knows. NOBODY. Now, I believe in God and the bible and that Jesus died for my sins, but I think when people get so adamant about their faith they tend to miss out on other points of view that might actually end up strengthening their faith.

Being Forgotten - 11.1%

The people who answered this made it very clear to me that they had no desire to be famous, so that's not really what this category is about. It's more about a fear of passing and not leaving any impact on the world. Like if you never inspired anyone to do anything or left your mark in any way, to the point where your life would just be another meaningless drop in a raging ocean... (yeah, I know, the ocean is made out of billions of those tiny drops. Stop trying to ruin my metaphors)

Being Trapped - 9.3%

This was an odd category... the feeling conveyed was a sort of paralysis. Like there was nowhere to go. One answer was actually the fear of the void -- no sound or sight. But with a little prodding I got the person to agree it was a type of fear of being incapacitated. Trapped. Whether that's metaphorical or physical, as people we don't like to be contained. We don't like to be caged. Look at us, look at America. We're all about freedom. In that respect it's a very valid fear which reminds me of 1984, Equillibrium, or V for Vendetta. And it is really scary, when you have to become subject to the will of conditions outside of your control, whether that be a government, a group of individuals, or a metaphorical barrier inside your own mind.

The Future - 7.4%

So things must be pretty good in order to answer this... I mean, to fear what the future holds is to fear change, isn't it? If I were you I wouldn't worry about the future. I think we've got enough to worry about right here.

Nothing -7.4%

I don't believe you. Straight up don't believe you.

Trauma -3.7%

Trauma is something that you witness or experience that alters your mind forever. You hear about people going to war and coming back completely altered, not really themselves any more. That's scary. To be affected to the point where you're no longer yourself? That's frightening.

Loss - 3.7%

In hindsight, this probably should have been grouped with the future... but it wasn't. So yeah...

Nothingness - 3.7%

Nothingness. The fear that at the end of all things there will be nothing but consciousness, our own consciousness of nothing. Mind-numbing monotony... it's enought to drive anyone insane.

That This Is All Just A Dream - 3.7%

I don't find this to be very scary, unless the world we woke up in was a terrible place to live... but honestly I wouldn't mourn over the loss of the dream, I'd try to never forget what I've learned from it and how much fun it was, despite the bad times. And I think that's a good way to live life, too.

Good Guys Finish Last

Only because they let it happen.

A couple years ago, hell, a couple weeks ago I would have agreed with this age old saying. And you know why? Because the evidence is stacked that way. But good guys finish last because they're told that they do. It's all mental games.

Empty words, I know. Anybody can stand before you and say "It's all in your head." The true leaders are the ones who give you reason, who lead by example. So let me show you now, as I am one such leader, an example of what I mean. Where is this infamous phrase heard the most? Relationships.

I don't know the workings of the female mind, so I can only guess as to their motivations, but I think I won't be too far off the mark. This story starts as all of these stories do...

First, there's a girl. This girl is attractive by the very nature of her character and personality. She's involved in the community, she loves people in general, and she's got a great sense of humor.

Secondly, there is a guy. This guy is, by all means of the word, nice. He respects women, he stays away from drugs, from alcohol, from sexual intercourse. He's responsible to the point where he could love a woman to the greatest extent possible, and provide as well. It is made known to the girl that he is intrested in her. Unfortunately, our story doesn't end there.

Because there's always another guy. This guy is, by all means of the word, cool. He has lots of friends, he has lots of fun, he goes to parties and doesn't seem to think about his future. Now, he's not a drug addict or an alcoholic by any means, but he can't seem to take much seriously. He doesn't realize that he's not the kind of guy who could provide for a woman, and even if he did he probably wouldn't care. Did I mention he wears brand name clothes and drives a nice car? (Oops, I just stereotyped. Sorry.)

And, dissapointingly, the story (in reality, not in movies) always concludes with some form of the girl choosing the fun guy over the nice guy, maybe because she wants to live up her youth, maybe because she's afraid of being stuck with a good guy and never experiencing anything else. The reasons don't matter.

And after such a long introduction I've finally reached the point of my story. If the girl chooses the party guy, if she chooses to look at the outside instead of the inside, did the good guy really finish last? Or did he come in first?

We never lose if we always resovle ourselves to victory.

Not Lost

Quite a statement for me, for anyone.

To admit that one isn't adrift in the whirlwind of life, tumbling ever onward and having no direction. Ships lost in the mist, windswept...

But no longer. Men are only lost by choice, because they refuse to change. They refuse to alter the situations based on what suits their agenda best. Reality? Who needs it? Reality is an idea agreed upon by the masses, no more a central part of life than the invention of chairs. Convenient, but unnecessary nonetheless. What one can do with their own mind is of far greater consequence.

And so we're not lost. We're not lost because we're at home in the mists. We've made them our own, taken inventory of all that we have and we can move forward without doubt or hinderance.

Home is where the heart is, huh? Makes a lot of sense doesn't it?

I live in the mists, I live in my heart, in my head. I live in yours. And when the day comes that these things are taken from me I'll move along to a new home. Maybe the forests. I've always liked climbing trees.

Identity

Identity.

Identity is what defines us. It's what unites and separates us. It's a list of traits, preferences, and ideals which determine the way in which we interact with the world around us.

So what do you do when who you are isn't good enough for the rest of the world? When a society converges to decide that those of a certain identity are somewhat less? What about the losers, the loners, the nerds? The jocks, the druggies. Goths, preps, posers? Religious fanatics, anarchists? Do you stand up for your beliefs or do you shrink before the task of making your voice heard? Do you stand up for what you believe? Right and wrong. Fair and unfair. Equality.

Every now and then, a situation may arise to test this voice of the people, and it is at these times that our heroes arise. And today, we are gathered to honor in particular Civil Rights advocates. You know their names. Ever heard of Martin Luther King Jr? How about Rosa Parks? Malcom X? Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Sanger. Cesar Chavez, Al Sharpton. It's people like these that stand up before the world to say "This is not right." They stand up for the belief that all people are equal. African Americans, Latinos, women. The poor, the uneducated. All equal. All deserving of respect and recognition.

And this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we honor especially the achievements of the man behind the day. His vision, his dream. Doubtless you know his story, you've heard his speech. So instead of relaying those facts to you once more, we want to show you what he stood for. What he believed in. What he died believing in. The right for any person to be treated as any other. The voice of a nation. And the identity of all people.

See, you don't have to be a "King" to make a difference. You can make a difference at any time you choose. Twenty years from now, thirty years from now, when you look back on these days, will you be proud of how you lived your life? You know, there's a word that we all have heard. We can hardly go a day without hearing it, to the point where the word itself seems to lose all value. Respect. We hear it from teachers, singers, moviestars. We hear it from our friends, from our families.

But how many of us actually take the time to consider what respect actually means? Respect isn't about empathy for the situations of others. It's not about understanding where they're coming from. It's about admitting when you don't understand. It's about giving them the benefit of the doubt.

You have to take hold of what you believe in. You have to make your voice heard, against all oppresion.

This isn't about getting along in High School. It's not about getting along at your first job, or maybe college. This is about getting along. Period.

So respect the voices, respect the identities, respect the people around you. That's our message to you. Today, tomorrow. It's our message until the day comes that we fade away. It's our message as a school. As a community. It's our message as people of a nation.

Identity.

Professional

"Yeah, you're pro..."

Sarcasm.

Here's what I think.

Pro? You don't know pro. I'm pro like prose. I stand on the promontory prophetically professing my ineveitalbe promotion. I'm a protoform for all you know, prolifically profound, a prodigy. I'm a project of the program, the projectile sent to pronounce my promise to you. I'm propelled by my inward desire, a proponent of retalliation. It's proper to be prosaic? I protest. So let me protect my property and prove to you, I'm a professional.

Destruction

Among all the powers known to man there are few which rival the power to destroy. To destroy is to assert one's self. One's vision. Destruction is a natural part of creation. To shape the world around you is to declare right from wrong, fair from unfair.

But the truest form of destruction is to destroy that very need to assert one's self before the surrounding world. True identity comes from within, and the knowledge of "I can" can greatly outweigh any form of assertion, which by it's very nature is temporary at best.

I suppose in the end everything is temporary. Nevertheless, to be reduced to a destructive state is to have lost. But through it, there can yet be victory. The decision is what defines it as either.

Victory

It is a word used by the victorious. The tried and true, fighters to the end. Against insurmountable odds they are the people that come through the other side. But you must understand that victory does not imply a winner. Some of the greatest warriors of all time have found themselves at sword's end. At the end of the road, beaten and broken. Defiant to the last, and not by any means yet understood by man. Will power. The strength to decide. The strength to continue. To push forward after defeat. No giving up. Ever.

But sometimes it's not from within that this power stems. Outside influence is the single greatest factor in affecting the thoughts and ideas of the individual. For without companionship, without camaraderie, what are we but animals? In such cases it is only self righteousness which guides us. But self righteousness like will power is shaped from the outside before it takes form on the inside. Sometimes that's impossible. Sometimes it's not.

And all we wanted was somebody to care.

Invincible - OK Go

When they finally come to destroy the earth, they'll have to go through you first. I bet they won't be
expecting that. When they finally come to destroy the earth, they'll have to deal with you first,and now
my money says they won't know about the thousand Fahrenheit hot metal lights behind your eyes. Invincible.
You're invincible. That crushing, crashing, atom-smashing, white-hot thing... It's invincible. When they
finally come, what'll you do to them? Gonna decimate them like you did to me? Will you leave them stunned
and stuttering? When they finally come, how will you handle them? Will you devastate them deliberately?
'Cause I'm gonna guess they won't be prepared for thousand Fahrenheit hot metal lights behind your eyes.
Invincible. You're invincible. That crushing, crashing, atom-smashing, white-hot thing... It's invincible.
So, please use your powers for good. You're invincible.

That's how you get the drop on them. Secretive, unexpected. Even I can fall victim to this type of attack. But please use your powers for good.

Anonymnity. We'll see how long you can play that out.

You're taking me seriously, that I appreciate. I must commend you on dumbfounding me, but not for long. You see, I'm on the hunt. And Sherlock Holmes always gets his man.

Invincible? Yeah, the both of us.

Prepare Yourself

Prepare yourself. Pull on the trousers, get the jacket. Grab the gloves and step into the boots. Grab your automatic rifle, your night vision goggles, your psychoanalysis books. Get in your tank and roll down the street. Don't forget the kevlar and your helmet, or else you'll be in a world of hurt. Say your prayers, 2007. You'll need them.

I'm coming with a vengence, the type unprecedented by men. I swear before God I won't let you have me, so bring all the troops you can.

Rasha. Let's rock and roll kids. There's fighting to be done, victories to be had, friends to save, lives to live.

Prepare yourself, 2007.