Kirkwood
Cotton Balls and Cramps
I was never really good
at Chemistry. Better at it than at Biology, but still
not exceptional. Granted, I earned an A when I took
Chemistry in college, but this was from Kirkwood,
which doesn’t have the highest academic prestige, so
the A was easily achieved without completely
understanding the material ... The same goes for
Biology, which I also took there and received a B+.
That being said, I may not have the fullest
understanding of acids and bases and things breaking
down. (In fact, if the previous sentence really makes
no sense, that’s probably why ... I was just trying
to throw the words out to sound intelligent.)
I’m also the type of person that, if you tell me to do something (you don’t even have to dare me, really) and it’s not against my morals and doesn’t seem to have the potential to cause a fatality, I’ll probably do it. I’m always up for checking off experiences from my “Things To Do Before I Die” list. I guess that’s why I have black nails right now ...
Last night, we celebrated the Finnish holiday of Pyhäinpäivä (PUH-HAH-IN-PIE-VAH). The American equivalent would be All Saints’ Day, but while All Saints’ Day is always on November 1st, Pyhäinpäivä is on the first Saturday between October 31st and November 6th. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Last night wasn’t Saturday. That is very perceptive of you. We just realized this morning that Griffin actually gave us the wrong day to celebrated the beloved holiday of our ancestors, but we will try to forgive him. But since we didn’t get to celebrate Pyhäinpäivä last Saturday, we decided to celebrate it last night, the 6th, by watching The Office and performing several Finnish traditions with a large group of people.
It was a fantastic turnout. We had seventeen people show up to a celebration that they had never even heard of. During the commercial breaks of The Office, we muted the volume and partook together in the Finnish festivities we had planned just an hour before the party started. Such festivities include, but are not limited to ...
I offered Ryan a rolly-polly baby Panda for Christmas, Shannon performed the interpretive dance, we sang Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in memory of King Valdemar, and I happened to be the oldest male present. So I ate a cotton ball. Not just any cotton ball, mind you, but probably the largest one in the bag; it was dark and I just reached in and grabbed one, but it happened to be enormous. After mustering up all my gumption, I stuck the cotton ball in my mouth and started salivating to get it wet enough to slide down my throat. It took me quite a while, but finally I tried swallowing. It got stuck half way. I grabbed the nearest cup of Mountain Dew and forced the cotton ball the remainder of the way into my stomach. There was much rejoicing, and I took my seat again as The Office came back on.
Had I paid closer attention in my aforementioned Community College classes, I might have known that the acids in your stomach can’t actually break down cotton for some reason (which leaves me thoroughly unimpressed with my own stomach), and I may have been more wary of eating a cotton ball. As it was, I simply thought it would digest and there would be no problems.
This morning I woke up with horrendous cramps (on top of an already very upset stomach) and a terrible headache. I tried sitting up in bed, but that seemed to hurt too much, so I just laid there for a very long time, eventually skipping my first class.
So let this be a lesson to all of you! I know Buddy eats cotton balls in Elf, and it looks like fun and that he doesn’t suffer any consequences from his actions, but trust me ... He does! Your stomach, intestines, and basically any part of your digestive tract don’t get along well with cotton balls.
See what you missed out on last night, Jon McGill?
I’m also the type of person that, if you tell me to do something (you don’t even have to dare me, really) and it’s not against my morals and doesn’t seem to have the potential to cause a fatality, I’ll probably do it. I’m always up for checking off experiences from my “Things To Do Before I Die” list. I guess that’s why I have black nails right now ...
Last night, we celebrated the Finnish holiday of Pyhäinpäivä (PUH-HAH-IN-PIE-VAH). The American equivalent would be All Saints’ Day, but while All Saints’ Day is always on November 1st, Pyhäinpäivä is on the first Saturday between October 31st and November 6th. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Last night wasn’t Saturday. That is very perceptive of you. We just realized this morning that Griffin actually gave us the wrong day to celebrated the beloved holiday of our ancestors, but we will try to forgive him. But since we didn’t get to celebrate Pyhäinpäivä last Saturday, we decided to celebrate it last night, the 6th, by watching The Office and performing several Finnish traditions with a large group of people.
It was a fantastic turnout. We had seventeen people show up to a celebration that they had never even heard of. During the commercial breaks of The Office, we muted the volume and partook together in the Finnish festivities we had planned just an hour before the party started. Such festivities include, but are not limited to ...
- As is custom, the host must advise all invited guests to bring their own eggs. At the celebration of Pyhäinpäivä, all guests must laugh at anyone who actually brings their own eggs. This ceremony is in commemoration King Albert’s (of Mecklenburg) practice of sending out edicts via carrier chicken.
- The oldest male must eat a cotton ball in memory of our ancestors that, in the Finnish blight of 1728, had to ingest their bedding and pillows to survive.
- All guests must pass the flaming grease cup. This symbolizes the flame of unity and also reminds us of an old Finnish legend in which a crew of sailors were caught at sea during a long December. The crew was forced to burn their stores of bacon and butter for warmth to survive and was able to outlast the winter. The cup of grease must be passed counterclockwise, each person saying to the person to their right what they would give them for Christmas, if they could give them anything.
- One volunteer, or victim chosen at random if no one should volunteer, must perform the traditional Finnish dance to keep the spirits at bay for the coming year. Since the traditional Finnish dance has long since been forgotten, the volunteer must improvise interpretively. The person must volunteer without knowing what they are agreeing to do, thus symbolizing the stark bravery of Finnish dancers.
- A song must be sung to commemorate the coronation of King Valdemar of the house of Bjelbo. The original melody has long since been forgotten, so any song that is well known, radio-worthy, and at least nine years old may be sung. And, in light of King Valdemar’s decree regarding the Great Minstrel Hunt of 1264, the song must be sung a capella by all guests present.
- There was a chicken virus that went around in Finland in 1355. At that time, whenever someone ate anything made out of eggs, they weren’t sure if the egg had been infected or not. The chance taken in eating things made with eggs is represented by a game of chance referred to as “Never Have I Ever” or, in Finnish, “Koskaan Olen Koskaan.” All guests must form a circle, placing an egg on the group in front of them. One person says something that they have never done, and anyone in the circle who has done that thing must spin their egg. If the egg stops spinning while it is pointing at the person who spun it, they are officially out of the game. The last person remaining collects all the eggs at the end of the game.
- The Finnish are known especially for two things: Their love of unity and friendship, and their exception hip-grabbing ability. To celebrate, all members present must participate in an impromptu conga line from the party’s locale to the nearest seller of overpriced goods, through their place of business, and back to the party.
I offered Ryan a rolly-polly baby Panda for Christmas, Shannon performed the interpretive dance, we sang Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in memory of King Valdemar, and I happened to be the oldest male present. So I ate a cotton ball. Not just any cotton ball, mind you, but probably the largest one in the bag; it was dark and I just reached in and grabbed one, but it happened to be enormous. After mustering up all my gumption, I stuck the cotton ball in my mouth and started salivating to get it wet enough to slide down my throat. It took me quite a while, but finally I tried swallowing. It got stuck half way. I grabbed the nearest cup of Mountain Dew and forced the cotton ball the remainder of the way into my stomach. There was much rejoicing, and I took my seat again as The Office came back on.
Had I paid closer attention in my aforementioned Community College classes, I might have known that the acids in your stomach can’t actually break down cotton for some reason (which leaves me thoroughly unimpressed with my own stomach), and I may have been more wary of eating a cotton ball. As it was, I simply thought it would digest and there would be no problems.
This morning I woke up with horrendous cramps (on top of an already very upset stomach) and a terrible headache. I tried sitting up in bed, but that seemed to hurt too much, so I just laid there for a very long time, eventually skipping my first class.
So let this be a lesson to all of you! I know Buddy eats cotton balls in Elf, and it looks like fun and that he doesn’t suffer any consequences from his actions, but trust me ... He does! Your stomach, intestines, and basically any part of your digestive tract don’t get along well with cotton balls.
See what you missed out on last night, Jon McGill?
|
"So... What Do We Do Now?"
05/03/07 07:31 PM Filed in: Academia
Today, Thursday, May
3rd, was my last day of Lectures at Kirkwood.
Granted, I still have Finals left tomorrow and the
beginning of next week, but I generally consider
myself "done" as soon as the last lecture is over.
I was in Java class. It wasn't actually Lecture, it was Lab day, and we were all turning in our final assignments for the year. I turned mine in. After turning it in, I found five errors (none of which Jerry noticed while looking it over) and corrected them before the 50 minutes was up, then turned it in again without Jerry really noticing. (For the record, he wouldn't have really cared if he had noticed.)
Java class is always my most amusing class. And the most fun. Today, Jerry was checking over my program and set his keys down on my desk. After reveiwing my program he looked at me and goes, "Your average is wrong. Why is it 6?"
"Um... it's the average length of all the words. Why wouldn't it be 6?"
"It should be a decimal number."
"Why would it be a decimal? You can't have half a word!!"
"No, but say one document has 4.101 for it's average word count and another has 4.909. Both would look like 4 in your program, but there's a difference still. One is closer to 5."
"Ok, whatever... I don't agree with you though."
"Yah, well, it's your grade. And I'm the teacher, so I'm right."
"Fine, you're right, Jerry."
"Good, I won't dock you any points then. But don't let it happen again."
"What, like next semester?"
"Yah, like in Java 2."
"I'm going to a different college then, and I'll be learning from a better, higher paid teacher than you."
"Well then I might have to consider docking you points..."
He moved on to review the next persons program. He left his car keys on my desk. I heard from across the room, "How did you get 4.325 for an average word length?"
"I don't know. Isn't that right?"
"Well... technically no. Although, I guess it's more accurate than 6."
I shouted from across the room, "I heard that!"
"That was the point..."
"Yah, well, you left your car keys over here. You better watch yourself."
"Oh, no... my car keys?" Jerry said, trying to pull of a severely sarcastic tone. "Please don't steal my car." It worked. Jerry's never been one to have difficulty being sarcastic. He then stated, "I rigged my car for my Java 2 class, but none of them were stupid enough to go out there and try and steal it... Oops, I just gave it away! Now you won't either. Actually, knowing you, you still might."
It came about that 3:50, the end of class, came and went. It was a sad moment. But only a few people left the room. We were all having too much fun. At about 4:10, we decided it was probably time to leave the room. I removed my flash drive from the computer, grabbed my back pack, pushed my chair in, and slowly walked to the door. Sid was right behind me. I opened the door and held it for him, and we both walked out simultaneously, bumping into eachother on the way through the door. I arrived outside the classroom in the hallway. I stopped... I just stood there, staring ahead at the white wall. I slowly looked left, mind in a daze, everything starting to get dizzy. Empty hallway. I realized I had been standing their for quite a few seconds, possibly minutes, so I looked right. To my surprise, Sid was still standing their too, unmoving, staring ahead at the white wall. We both looked at eachother.
"So... What do we do now?" He asked.
"I'm not sure... I've never had this feeling before."
At this point, Michelle and Jennifer walked out of the classroom, nearly hitting Sid and I because we were still standing right in front of the door.
"What are you two idiots doing standing out here?" Michelle said in the most loving tone.
"Do you have an evening class?" Sid asked.
"Yah, so I can't go home." I replied. "Well, I mean, I could go home... but I shouldn't."
"Yah, you always have the option," Sid said.
"We're going out for supper to celebrate Java being over," said Michelle about her and Jennifer.
"Celebrate? We're not really sure what to do," Sid stated.
"About what?" Jennifer Asked.
"I don't know. I mean, I feel like my life has no more meaning," I said, blankly. The door opened behind us and Jerry walked out.
"Shouldn't you guys be gone? I thought I kicked you out minutes ago."
"Alex and Sid are having an emotional breakdown."
"Oh?" Jerry asked. "Why?"
"Usually when we leave Java class, we have projects that are due, so we go program more Java. But we just turned in all our projects. We don't know what to do now!" I blurted out to Jerry. He grunted and laughed.
"They need help," said Michelle.
"There is no help for those two. You guys are ridiculous. Get a life," he said as he walked down the hallway to his office, still laughing. Michelle and Jennifer started walking down the hall to the doors.
"Are we really that lame?" Sid asked, turning to me.
"I think so..." Sid and I attempted to follow Michelle and Jennifer, but at a significantly slower pace because we couldn't seem to find any motivation to move quicker. I could tell Sid was trying to hold back the tears with each step away from the classroom we got. I was too. We started talking about VisualBasic. We got to the doors and stood there for another ten minutes talking about programming, since we didn't actually have anything TO program. Sid finally left. I went to the bathroom.
So... what do I do now? Socialize?
I was in Java class. It wasn't actually Lecture, it was Lab day, and we were all turning in our final assignments for the year. I turned mine in. After turning it in, I found five errors (none of which Jerry noticed while looking it over) and corrected them before the 50 minutes was up, then turned it in again without Jerry really noticing. (For the record, he wouldn't have really cared if he had noticed.)
Java class is always my most amusing class. And the most fun. Today, Jerry was checking over my program and set his keys down on my desk. After reveiwing my program he looked at me and goes, "Your average is wrong. Why is it 6?"
"Um... it's the average length of all the words. Why wouldn't it be 6?"
"It should be a decimal number."
"Why would it be a decimal? You can't have half a word!!"
"No, but say one document has 4.101 for it's average word count and another has 4.909. Both would look like 4 in your program, but there's a difference still. One is closer to 5."
"Ok, whatever... I don't agree with you though."
"Yah, well, it's your grade. And I'm the teacher, so I'm right."
"Fine, you're right, Jerry."
"Good, I won't dock you any points then. But don't let it happen again."
"What, like next semester?"
"Yah, like in Java 2."
"I'm going to a different college then, and I'll be learning from a better, higher paid teacher than you."
"Well then I might have to consider docking you points..."
He moved on to review the next persons program. He left his car keys on my desk. I heard from across the room, "How did you get 4.325 for an average word length?"
"I don't know. Isn't that right?"
"Well... technically no. Although, I guess it's more accurate than 6."
I shouted from across the room, "I heard that!"
"That was the point..."
"Yah, well, you left your car keys over here. You better watch yourself."
"Oh, no... my car keys?" Jerry said, trying to pull of a severely sarcastic tone. "Please don't steal my car." It worked. Jerry's never been one to have difficulty being sarcastic. He then stated, "I rigged my car for my Java 2 class, but none of them were stupid enough to go out there and try and steal it... Oops, I just gave it away! Now you won't either. Actually, knowing you, you still might."
It came about that 3:50, the end of class, came and went. It was a sad moment. But only a few people left the room. We were all having too much fun. At about 4:10, we decided it was probably time to leave the room. I removed my flash drive from the computer, grabbed my back pack, pushed my chair in, and slowly walked to the door. Sid was right behind me. I opened the door and held it for him, and we both walked out simultaneously, bumping into eachother on the way through the door. I arrived outside the classroom in the hallway. I stopped... I just stood there, staring ahead at the white wall. I slowly looked left, mind in a daze, everything starting to get dizzy. Empty hallway. I realized I had been standing their for quite a few seconds, possibly minutes, so I looked right. To my surprise, Sid was still standing their too, unmoving, staring ahead at the white wall. We both looked at eachother.
"So... What do we do now?" He asked.
"I'm not sure... I've never had this feeling before."
At this point, Michelle and Jennifer walked out of the classroom, nearly hitting Sid and I because we were still standing right in front of the door.
"What are you two idiots doing standing out here?" Michelle said in the most loving tone.
"Do you have an evening class?" Sid asked.
"Yah, so I can't go home." I replied. "Well, I mean, I could go home... but I shouldn't."
"Yah, you always have the option," Sid said.
"We're going out for supper to celebrate Java being over," said Michelle about her and Jennifer.
"Celebrate? We're not really sure what to do," Sid stated.
"About what?" Jennifer Asked.
"I don't know. I mean, I feel like my life has no more meaning," I said, blankly. The door opened behind us and Jerry walked out.
"Shouldn't you guys be gone? I thought I kicked you out minutes ago."
"Alex and Sid are having an emotional breakdown."
"Oh?" Jerry asked. "Why?"
"Usually when we leave Java class, we have projects that are due, so we go program more Java. But we just turned in all our projects. We don't know what to do now!" I blurted out to Jerry. He grunted and laughed.
"They need help," said Michelle.
"There is no help for those two. You guys are ridiculous. Get a life," he said as he walked down the hallway to his office, still laughing. Michelle and Jennifer started walking down the hall to the doors.
"Are we really that lame?" Sid asked, turning to me.
"I think so..." Sid and I attempted to follow Michelle and Jennifer, but at a significantly slower pace because we couldn't seem to find any motivation to move quicker. I could tell Sid was trying to hold back the tears with each step away from the classroom we got. I was too. We started talking about VisualBasic. We got to the doors and stood there for another ten minutes talking about programming, since we didn't actually have anything TO program. Sid finally left. I went to the bathroom.
So... what do I do now? Socialize?
Entropy vs. Atheism
04/04/07 07:45 PM Filed in: Academia
| Indiscriminate
Let's start with a few
definitions to make things clear.
The Law of Conservation of Mass: Mass is neither created nor destroyed in any ordinary chemical reaction. The mass of substances produced (products) by a chemical reaction is always equal to the mass of the reacting substances (reactants).
The Law of Entropy: There is an inevitable tendency towards disorder within a closed system as potential energy gets "spent". "The physical Universe's macrocosmic proclivities of becoming locally ever more dissynchronous, asymmetric, diffuse, and multiplyingly expansive.
Entropy: A measure of the amount of disorder in a system.
_______________________
Let's Start With Entropy:
The Law of Conservation of Mass, put simply, (because let's face it, an actual definition is never put simply) basically says when you have a chemical reaction, you can't lose any atoms or molecules. If you start with carbon, you'll have carbon in the final product as well in some way, shape, or form. It may look different, and it may act different, but you can never just lose it.
The Law of Entropy simple says everything is constantly moving towards a state of disorder. Let's face it, if you leave your room for three weeks, the next time you go in there it's not going to look cleaner. In fact, it will be messier. It will be more disorganized until you put some energy back into it to reorganize it. Sadly, it's a law of nature and, thus, cannot be argued with. Just learn to deal with it.
With these two facts of life staring you in the face, keep in mind they are LAWS. There's no question about it. They've been proven millions of times. Any scientist you talk to will tell you, "Yes, those are laws. They cannot be disputed." So what does that mean for Evolution?
Evolution suggests that we're constantly evolving, becoming more developed and more complex. How does that work with the Law of Entropy? I usually define the evolution theory as, "Nothing exploded and created everything. Perfectly synced, perfectly built, perfectly organized. The everything that we know as the infinite(?) universe."
First of all, you're suggesting that in one instant things didn't become more disordered. No, in fact, everything came into perfect order, all at once. I can't get my mind to grasp that, and I've tried. That contradicts the Law of Entropy, and I don't think that the Law of Entropy was also "created" in the same instant the entire universe was.
Second of all, we're contradicting the Law of Conservation of Mass. According to that, I can't react two simple molecules together and gain or lose ANY of them. They must all stay intact. And you're saying, somehow, someway, absolutely NOTHING had a chemical reaction with NOTHING, exploded (because that's essentially what a chemical reaction is), and created all matter as we know it. Once again, you're contradicting yourself, and science says that if there's even a shred of evidence to contradict a law or theory, for instance, the Theory of Evolution, that theory is no longer acceptable. So why do we still accept Evolution and teach it in our schools when it's contradicted? Maybe I'm missing something... please point it out to me if I am. I'm open to opinions.
Sydney Harris, a popular, syndicated columnist once said, "There is a factor called 'entropy' in physics, indicating that the whole universe of matter is running down, and ultimately will reduce itself to uniform chaos. This follows from the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which seems about as basic and unquestionable to modem scientific minds as any truth can be. At the same time that this is happening on the physical level of existence, something quite different seems to be happening on the biological level: structure and species are becoming more complex, more sophisticated, more organized, with higher degrees of performance and consciousness."
I don't understand how you can say that. How can you say, "Well, yah, it is a law. But only here. Over there it's not really a law." It's like saying, "Well, officer, I'm from Montana, and we don't have speed limit laws there, so why do I have to follow your speed limit laws here?" You just do. It's a law. How much more obvious do I have to make it?!
I asked my Chemistry teacher, who introduced me to the Law of Entropy, "This is a law, right?"
"Yes."
"How does this work with the Theory of Evolution than?"
"Yah, the thing is, it really doesn't. Scientists will try and tell you it does, but it's bogus. They can't work together."
_______________________
And Then Move On To Atheism:
If you can convince me, and make me comfortable with the fact, that there is no God, couldn't be a God, and even shouldn't be a God, I will consider atheism.
Laws of science are great and all that, but they beg another question. Where does the law come from? What force makes that law a law? And how is it that the universe is infinite? How is it that something can't have an end? Everything has an end. This minute has an end. This hour, day, week, month. Life. Our minds are not built to grasp the concept of infinity, no matter how much Calculus tries to prove it. More importantly, that matter which we cannot gain or lose in a chemical reaction? Where did it come from in the first place?
Sure, a star is a burning ball of gas. And a gas is free flowing molecules that continuously circle around each other. And a molecule is a bundle of atoms. And atoms are built up of protons, neutrons, electrons, and a nucleus. So what? Where did the nucleus come from? What makes the nucleus? You can't even SEE the nucleus!! How do you even know it exists to hold the matter you're sitting on together?
How is it we have feelings? What are feelings? Where do they come from? From your emotions. What spawns emotion? Your brain waves, which are your thoughts. What are thoughts? Where do they come from? Are they molecules of some kind too? If so, how do they contain information?
Why am I not an atheist? After all, it would be so much more fun if I didn't have to believe in God, right? Life would be easier, and I could do whatever I wanted. No rules to bog me down... nothing. I'm not a Christian because my family are Christians. I'm not a Christian because anyone has made me a Christian. I'm not a Christian because I read my Bible, go to Church on Sundays, or pray before I eat a meal. I'm a Christian because science leaves too many question unanswered. There are too many open doors that scientists claim they can answer, but if you throw enough ten letter words that nobody knows the definition of into your explanation, of COURSE you sound like you know what you're talking about!! Among other things, I'm a Christian because, to me, it's the most sensible religion! Where did all these things come from? A supreme being, a being far beyond our comprehension, just like infinity, created them. That's why they don't make sense to us. Honestly, think as hard as you can. Give me another explanation that works as well as that one and I'll consider believing it. I'm a Christian because believing there is a supreme being, God, who created me and is watching over me and cares about me more than I could ever fathom seems a whole lot less scary to me than believing I'm alone and lost in this world. Just another nobody. Is that using God? I think so. But isn't that exactly what he wants?
When I think of atheism, I think of free falling without ground to ever be hit. You're falling, falling, falling... nothing to catch you, no reason to be falling, no reason to even exist, you just ARE. In the words of one of my good friends, "We're like rocks.... STUCK on the river." We don't serve a purpose, we just look kinda pretty. And some of us not even that.
I don't mind heights, but I hate falling. Especially when I don't know how far I'm falling. There's absolutely no point to do anything if you're an atheist. Sure, live for the moment, and do what feels good now. But the inevitable will happen someday. Just like everyone else you know, you too will die. What happens then? Do you believe in reincarnation? That's submitting to a higher being to reincarnate you, and then you're not a true atheist anymore. How do you KNOW you'll reincarnate? That's putting an awful lot of faith in a guess and hope! Are you just going to die and cease to exist? In a black nothingness? What does that mean? Where did that black nothingness come from? Are you going to have some sort of after life? What governs that after life? What made you die in the first place?! What makes you EXIST in the first place?!
Honestly, there are too many unanswered questions that no scientist will EVER, no matter how hard he or she tries, be able to convince me of an answer. I'm saving these questions for Heaven, because I'm convinced someONE must have had a say in the creation of me, everyone around me, and everything around me, and He'll know the answer to all of these questions.
Being an atheist would scare me. I, for one, hate being alone. Atheism seems lonely to me. I feel comfortable and safe knowing that I have a God who is watching over my life. I don't just think that, I can feel it. You can't know what I mean unless you experience it for yourself, because there's absolutely no way of describing it. It seems to me that believing in God is the only sensible solution. The only solution that works. And the only belief that doesn't scare me. So why is it that Christianity is the most targeted religion for persecution?
I can't understand why, if you are going to be an atheist, you would have morals. Seriously, if you're not believing in anything, and you're not living for anything but for yourself, others, and the moment, why have morals? Think of how much fun you could have. But what do you even try to base those morals on? A feeling in your heart that tells you, "Hey, maybe you should do this. That would be a good idea." OK... once again, where does that feeling come from? But basing a moral on a feeling is dangerous ground for yourself and those around you. I, for one, know how unstable feelings are. One minute you may say, "Hey, I am NOT going to touch that girl because... well, I don't know why, but it somehow just seems wrong is all." But what about when it's really late? And you're tired. What if she's wearing a really tight skirt, or a low cut shirt? What if she's just looking especially beautiful that day? What if she leans forward? Are your feelings changing now? Basing a so called "moral" on a feeling will most certainly hurt you, and will also those around you. My morals are based on convictions I have from the Bible, which is one of God's ways of communicating to me. Basing your morals on someone elses convictions doesn't work either, because either that persons convictions may change, or, like I stated earlier, you might get tired... you can't trust your own feelings.
Does all this make you uncomfortable? Does it scare you? It scares me. I don't think these are little questions. They're huge, life changing questions, and the answers, according to an atheist, are very vague, if not impossible. I could go on for quite a while, but I think the imagination is the most creative way to form any idea, so I'll leave the thoughts up to yourself. I don't have all the answers. I don't have hardly any of the answers.
Why am I not an atheist? Because I can't answer the question, "Why?"
The Law of Conservation of Mass: Mass is neither created nor destroyed in any ordinary chemical reaction. The mass of substances produced (products) by a chemical reaction is always equal to the mass of the reacting substances (reactants).
The Law of Entropy: There is an inevitable tendency towards disorder within a closed system as potential energy gets "spent". "The physical Universe's macrocosmic proclivities of becoming locally ever more dissynchronous, asymmetric, diffuse, and multiplyingly expansive.
Entropy: A measure of the amount of disorder in a system.
_______________________
Let's Start With Entropy:
The Law of Conservation of Mass, put simply, (because let's face it, an actual definition is never put simply) basically says when you have a chemical reaction, you can't lose any atoms or molecules. If you start with carbon, you'll have carbon in the final product as well in some way, shape, or form. It may look different, and it may act different, but you can never just lose it.
The Law of Entropy simple says everything is constantly moving towards a state of disorder. Let's face it, if you leave your room for three weeks, the next time you go in there it's not going to look cleaner. In fact, it will be messier. It will be more disorganized until you put some energy back into it to reorganize it. Sadly, it's a law of nature and, thus, cannot be argued with. Just learn to deal with it.
With these two facts of life staring you in the face, keep in mind they are LAWS. There's no question about it. They've been proven millions of times. Any scientist you talk to will tell you, "Yes, those are laws. They cannot be disputed." So what does that mean for Evolution?
Evolution suggests that we're constantly evolving, becoming more developed and more complex. How does that work with the Law of Entropy? I usually define the evolution theory as, "Nothing exploded and created everything. Perfectly synced, perfectly built, perfectly organized. The everything that we know as the infinite(?) universe."
First of all, you're suggesting that in one instant things didn't become more disordered. No, in fact, everything came into perfect order, all at once. I can't get my mind to grasp that, and I've tried. That contradicts the Law of Entropy, and I don't think that the Law of Entropy was also "created" in the same instant the entire universe was.
Second of all, we're contradicting the Law of Conservation of Mass. According to that, I can't react two simple molecules together and gain or lose ANY of them. They must all stay intact. And you're saying, somehow, someway, absolutely NOTHING had a chemical reaction with NOTHING, exploded (because that's essentially what a chemical reaction is), and created all matter as we know it. Once again, you're contradicting yourself, and science says that if there's even a shred of evidence to contradict a law or theory, for instance, the Theory of Evolution, that theory is no longer acceptable. So why do we still accept Evolution and teach it in our schools when it's contradicted? Maybe I'm missing something... please point it out to me if I am. I'm open to opinions.
Sydney Harris, a popular, syndicated columnist once said, "There is a factor called 'entropy' in physics, indicating that the whole universe of matter is running down, and ultimately will reduce itself to uniform chaos. This follows from the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which seems about as basic and unquestionable to modem scientific minds as any truth can be. At the same time that this is happening on the physical level of existence, something quite different seems to be happening on the biological level: structure and species are becoming more complex, more sophisticated, more organized, with higher degrees of performance and consciousness."
I don't understand how you can say that. How can you say, "Well, yah, it is a law. But only here. Over there it's not really a law." It's like saying, "Well, officer, I'm from Montana, and we don't have speed limit laws there, so why do I have to follow your speed limit laws here?" You just do. It's a law. How much more obvious do I have to make it?!
I asked my Chemistry teacher, who introduced me to the Law of Entropy, "This is a law, right?"
"Yes."
"How does this work with the Theory of Evolution than?"
"Yah, the thing is, it really doesn't. Scientists will try and tell you it does, but it's bogus. They can't work together."
_______________________
And Then Move On To Atheism:
If you can convince me, and make me comfortable with the fact, that there is no God, couldn't be a God, and even shouldn't be a God, I will consider atheism.
Laws of science are great and all that, but they beg another question. Where does the law come from? What force makes that law a law? And how is it that the universe is infinite? How is it that something can't have an end? Everything has an end. This minute has an end. This hour, day, week, month. Life. Our minds are not built to grasp the concept of infinity, no matter how much Calculus tries to prove it. More importantly, that matter which we cannot gain or lose in a chemical reaction? Where did it come from in the first place?
Sure, a star is a burning ball of gas. And a gas is free flowing molecules that continuously circle around each other. And a molecule is a bundle of atoms. And atoms are built up of protons, neutrons, electrons, and a nucleus. So what? Where did the nucleus come from? What makes the nucleus? You can't even SEE the nucleus!! How do you even know it exists to hold the matter you're sitting on together?
How is it we have feelings? What are feelings? Where do they come from? From your emotions. What spawns emotion? Your brain waves, which are your thoughts. What are thoughts? Where do they come from? Are they molecules of some kind too? If so, how do they contain information?
Why am I not an atheist? After all, it would be so much more fun if I didn't have to believe in God, right? Life would be easier, and I could do whatever I wanted. No rules to bog me down... nothing. I'm not a Christian because my family are Christians. I'm not a Christian because anyone has made me a Christian. I'm not a Christian because I read my Bible, go to Church on Sundays, or pray before I eat a meal. I'm a Christian because science leaves too many question unanswered. There are too many open doors that scientists claim they can answer, but if you throw enough ten letter words that nobody knows the definition of into your explanation, of COURSE you sound like you know what you're talking about!! Among other things, I'm a Christian because, to me, it's the most sensible religion! Where did all these things come from? A supreme being, a being far beyond our comprehension, just like infinity, created them. That's why they don't make sense to us. Honestly, think as hard as you can. Give me another explanation that works as well as that one and I'll consider believing it. I'm a Christian because believing there is a supreme being, God, who created me and is watching over me and cares about me more than I could ever fathom seems a whole lot less scary to me than believing I'm alone and lost in this world. Just another nobody. Is that using God? I think so. But isn't that exactly what he wants?
When I think of atheism, I think of free falling without ground to ever be hit. You're falling, falling, falling... nothing to catch you, no reason to be falling, no reason to even exist, you just ARE. In the words of one of my good friends, "We're like rocks.... STUCK on the river." We don't serve a purpose, we just look kinda pretty. And some of us not even that.
I don't mind heights, but I hate falling. Especially when I don't know how far I'm falling. There's absolutely no point to do anything if you're an atheist. Sure, live for the moment, and do what feels good now. But the inevitable will happen someday. Just like everyone else you know, you too will die. What happens then? Do you believe in reincarnation? That's submitting to a higher being to reincarnate you, and then you're not a true atheist anymore. How do you KNOW you'll reincarnate? That's putting an awful lot of faith in a guess and hope! Are you just going to die and cease to exist? In a black nothingness? What does that mean? Where did that black nothingness come from? Are you going to have some sort of after life? What governs that after life? What made you die in the first place?! What makes you EXIST in the first place?!
Honestly, there are too many unanswered questions that no scientist will EVER, no matter how hard he or she tries, be able to convince me of an answer. I'm saving these questions for Heaven, because I'm convinced someONE must have had a say in the creation of me, everyone around me, and everything around me, and He'll know the answer to all of these questions.
Being an atheist would scare me. I, for one, hate being alone. Atheism seems lonely to me. I feel comfortable and safe knowing that I have a God who is watching over my life. I don't just think that, I can feel it. You can't know what I mean unless you experience it for yourself, because there's absolutely no way of describing it. It seems to me that believing in God is the only sensible solution. The only solution that works. And the only belief that doesn't scare me. So why is it that Christianity is the most targeted religion for persecution?
I can't understand why, if you are going to be an atheist, you would have morals. Seriously, if you're not believing in anything, and you're not living for anything but for yourself, others, and the moment, why have morals? Think of how much fun you could have. But what do you even try to base those morals on? A feeling in your heart that tells you, "Hey, maybe you should do this. That would be a good idea." OK... once again, where does that feeling come from? But basing a moral on a feeling is dangerous ground for yourself and those around you. I, for one, know how unstable feelings are. One minute you may say, "Hey, I am NOT going to touch that girl because... well, I don't know why, but it somehow just seems wrong is all." But what about when it's really late? And you're tired. What if she's wearing a really tight skirt, or a low cut shirt? What if she's just looking especially beautiful that day? What if she leans forward? Are your feelings changing now? Basing a so called "moral" on a feeling will most certainly hurt you, and will also those around you. My morals are based on convictions I have from the Bible, which is one of God's ways of communicating to me. Basing your morals on someone elses convictions doesn't work either, because either that persons convictions may change, or, like I stated earlier, you might get tired... you can't trust your own feelings.
Does all this make you uncomfortable? Does it scare you? It scares me. I don't think these are little questions. They're huge, life changing questions, and the answers, according to an atheist, are very vague, if not impossible. I could go on for quite a while, but I think the imagination is the most creative way to form any idea, so I'll leave the thoughts up to yourself. I don't have all the answers. I don't have hardly any of the answers.
Why am I not an atheist? Because I can't answer the question, "Why?"
It's Not Already a Law, but It Should Be
01/23/07 12:47 PM Filed in: Stories
I was in a mostly
apathetic mood this morning. Nothing really phased
me. If you and I had been in a heated debate and you
punched me in the face, I probably would have given
you a blank look and kept right on talking without
getting angry in the least. Needless to say, I'm
tired. While I generally consider myself a more than
usually observant person, today I was just too tired
and worn out to really care. So it's no surprise I
didn't notice the sign... but seriously, why can't
every restaurant be consistent?
Arby's on Collins road; I go left, you go straight. Culver's on Center Point; I go left, you go straight. Wendy's on Blairs Ferry; I go left, you go straight. Every one at Kirkwood; I go left, you right... well, right. But I still go left. My point is, can we just make this a norm that guys go left and girls go straight or right? It would save an awful lot of people, myself included, a lot of embarrassment and sheer frustration.
I would mention that Kirkwood goes so far as to assume. Most of the bathrooms at Kirkwood aren't actually labeled at all. They're all at the end of a short "inlet" off of the main hallway, and the guys is always on the right while the girls is always on the left. I can think of a few occasions when it wasn't me who was mistaken, but the girl coming into the guys bathroom whilest I was hangin' out doing my business.
The Culver's off of Edgewood over by Wynnsong in Cedar Rapids? I go straight, you go left. I didn't... I think that old lady almost had a heart attack.
Enough said!
Arby's on Collins road; I go left, you go straight. Culver's on Center Point; I go left, you go straight. Wendy's on Blairs Ferry; I go left, you go straight. Every one at Kirkwood; I go left, you right... well, right. But I still go left. My point is, can we just make this a norm that guys go left and girls go straight or right? It would save an awful lot of people, myself included, a lot of embarrassment and sheer frustration.
I would mention that Kirkwood goes so far as to assume. Most of the bathrooms at Kirkwood aren't actually labeled at all. They're all at the end of a short "inlet" off of the main hallway, and the guys is always on the right while the girls is always on the left. I can think of a few occasions when it wasn't me who was mistaken, but the girl coming into the guys bathroom whilest I was hangin' out doing my business.
The Culver's off of Edgewood over by Wynnsong in Cedar Rapids? I go straight, you go left. I didn't... I think that old lady almost had a heart attack.
Enough said!
Doesn't That Contradict Itself?
10/18/06 11:27 AM Filed in: Academia
As I was walking the
halls of Kirkwood today, something interesting caught
my eye. I was heading from the library to Linn Hall
at a pretty quick pace, and I rounded the corner of a
hallway to the entryway of Benton Hall. I was booking
it towards the doors to head out into the rain when I
noticed a sign posted on the bulletin board in the
opening to the book store. It said:
FREE T-SHIRT WITH THE PURCHASE OF ANY SWEATSHIRT*
*Offer only applies to certain purchases
Wait, how does that work? First it says I get this free, sweet T-Shirt (sporting a fancy Kirkwood Community College logo, no doubt) with the purchase of ANY sweatshirt in the Kirkwood Bookstore. Then, directly below that, it contradict itself and says that I have to buy the right sweatshirt to get the T-Shirt. I pondered this all the way to my Comp II: Technical Writing class. I should have told my teacher about it. She would have been apalled.
FREE T-SHIRT WITH THE PURCHASE OF ANY SWEATSHIRT*
*Offer only applies to certain purchases
Wait, how does that work? First it says I get this free, sweet T-Shirt (sporting a fancy Kirkwood Community College logo, no doubt) with the purchase of ANY sweatshirt in the Kirkwood Bookstore. Then, directly below that, it contradict itself and says that I have to buy the right sweatshirt to get the T-Shirt. I pondered this all the way to my Comp II: Technical Writing class. I should have told my teacher about it. She would have been apalled.
Is That Relevant?
09/26/06 08:20 PM Filed in: Academia
I'm in a programming
class at Kirkwood. Every day I wake up sometime
between 7:00-7:20 a.m., get ready, and head to
Kirkwood for my 9 o-clock class. Pardon me for saying
this, but the class is filled entirely with nerds.
Now, I'm a big lover of computers--all types. I'm
down with a PC, Mac, Linux, whatever floats your
boat. Hey, if it works or if it stretches your
knowledge of computers, go for it! But why is it when
you enter into the classroom of a programming class,
EVERYONE is checking the system configuration of the
PC in front of them. You come in the first day and
you see 15 "Network Configuration" windows open on
various monitors. Of course, it being the first day,
everyone is twenty minutes early, and having nothing
else to do they pour over the configuration of the
computer, staring at it like there's a secret lying
deep within the numbers and letters. Occasionally
they nod and grunt, then click open a new window.
Excuse me...the network configuration does, in fact,
achieve a purpose. If perhaps the computers network
is not functioning properly, or you need to get the
IP address of the network you're on to set up a new
computer to get on the same network, then I
understand you opening the network configuration
window. If you don't need the information then what's
the point in looking at it? Do you really get
amusement out of a 12 digit number? Apparently these
people are trying to impress the people who happen by
with their vast knowledge of the
inner-system-workings of a computer. I'm not
impressed...I only question you!
In these same classes, these students who know "all too much" about computers ALWAYS seem to think they have the right answer. Chances are they don't. Friend, you're in this class to learn, so take advantage of that! What's with students constantly trying to correct the teacher. Does it every ACTUALLY happen? Apparently you're trying to show your superior knowledge to the teacher by correcting him, but you don't look any smarter when the teacher shuts you down. Worse yet, half of you KEEP arguing with the teacher after you have already been disproved by the teacher. Finally, you "submit" to the teacher by shrugging and saying something like "we must be talking about two different things," or "oh, right, that's not what I thought you were talking about." That's as good as saying, "I have no idea what you're saying, but I don't want to look like a moron, so I'll just duck out of this carefully." For some reason you keep correcting the teacher though. Want my opinion? If you are one of those who try's to correct the teacher, when he comes back with his defense, leave it alone! Look at it this way--it's what the teacher knows, so it's going to be on the test. You'd better submit and learn it his way, even if he is wrong (which is unlikely), because otherwise you're not going to do good on the test. Better yet, don't correct the teacher at all...just accept his lecture as fact. It probably is.
Questions--there's a whole other story. For that, I turn you over to this wonderful flow chart of "How to Properly Ask a Question." It's a wonderful thing. Please, take it to heart.
In these same classes, these students who know "all too much" about computers ALWAYS seem to think they have the right answer. Chances are they don't. Friend, you're in this class to learn, so take advantage of that! What's with students constantly trying to correct the teacher. Does it every ACTUALLY happen? Apparently you're trying to show your superior knowledge to the teacher by correcting him, but you don't look any smarter when the teacher shuts you down. Worse yet, half of you KEEP arguing with the teacher after you have already been disproved by the teacher. Finally, you "submit" to the teacher by shrugging and saying something like "we must be talking about two different things," or "oh, right, that's not what I thought you were talking about." That's as good as saying, "I have no idea what you're saying, but I don't want to look like a moron, so I'll just duck out of this carefully." For some reason you keep correcting the teacher though. Want my opinion? If you are one of those who try's to correct the teacher, when he comes back with his defense, leave it alone! Look at it this way--it's what the teacher knows, so it's going to be on the test. You'd better submit and learn it his way, even if he is wrong (which is unlikely), because otherwise you're not going to do good on the test. Better yet, don't correct the teacher at all...just accept his lecture as fact. It probably is.
Questions--there's a whole other story. For that, I turn you over to this wonderful flow chart of "How to Properly Ask a Question." It's a wonderful thing. Please, take it to heart.
