17 October 2009

School Spirit

All through high school, I never understood what school spirit truly was.  Our high school had no real rivals.  Sure we had Naples High and Gulf Coast High, but who cared, we didn't choose where we went to school.  Now I've gotten to college and I understand what it truly means to have school spirit.  I'm proud to be a Seminole.  I now know that it takes a bit of personal effort to become part of a college community, (i.e. applying, getting accepted, moving in, etc.) and once you've gone through all of that, most of us wouldn't change it for the world.  I know I wouldn't. 

Go Noles!!

16 October 2009

Prams on Platforms

In Australia, a mother had her child in the pram when they entered the train platform.  A pram is what they call a stroller in the UK and Australia.  Well it was a windy day, and the mother was fussing with the pram, and she turned her back for a split second and the pram fell onto the train tracks merely seconds before the train ran through the station. 



It truly is amazing that the child survived. 

Homophobia

I feel like I should start this blog off right. In doing so, we'll bring up a topic that's close to my heart and incredibly controversial to much of society for no apparent reason. I lost a friend because he found out that I like men. I've titled it "To lose a friend." Here goes:

To lose a friend. Earlier today I was talking to a friend and he decided, after he found out something about me that we could no longer be friends. Something that has no impact on his life whatsoever. Homosexuality. How does my homosexuality affect him? It holds no impact on his life in any way, shape or form. I beg of you to listen to me, you don't have to be gay for this note to affect you.

If someone you know is gay, please, they hold no grudge against the world. They are the same human being you are. There is no anatomical difference between them and you. If you are homophobic, then I beg you to look inside you and decide what it is about homosexuality that makes you hate it so. How can you honestly hate a person before you even really get to know them?

I breathe the same oxygen you do, I bleed the same color red you do. What makes us so different? You say its immoral... What about it makes it immoral? You bring in religion. My religion may be different than yours, so why do you try to make me believe your religion? It really hurts to find out that someone you thought cared about you as a friend, didn't all because of something so tiny. Some tiny little detail that has little to no impact on his life.

Yes. I am gay. No, that doesn't affect you in the slightest. You are still my friend, whether I am yours or not. You're walking away from me is your decision to make. I have no impact on that decision. All I can say is that you walked away from someone who is probably the most loyal person you will ever meet. If you are my friend, you can rest assured that no matter what my problems are, they will be set aside for you. I have the potential to be something great. I was the Battalion Executive Officer in my JROTC Battalion, and did it matter that I'm gay? NO, it didn't matter at all. Why should it have?

Me being gay makes no difference on you. Does the black girl that sits next to you in class hurt you at all? Then what is the difference between a black man and a gay man? Society has now shifted from attacking an exterior "difference" to an interior "difference". Are we not all human? Do we not all need the same things to survive? If it were you and me left, and no one else, would you leave me by my lonesome because I'm gay? I don't understand why you feel so strongly. Give me some kind of emotion, some kind of reason. You tell me that it is against your religion; well then it's a good thing you're not gay. It is not against my religion, so I can look past that reason. Otherwise, you have no other reasons.

Losing someone you thought you held in high respects, in a matter of minutes really annihilates your self esteem. I sat here, alone in my dorm room. No one to keep my company but those resounding words of hatred and my thoughts all ricocheting off the barren walls. My true friends will always love me no matter what. To lose a friend.