I intended to maintain this blog by posting an entry each week as to document my journey through law school. However, week 4 of school is upon us and I have only made one entry so far as to pertain to law school. two days into my journey. I have failed. For the time being and only to the extent of failing myself.
But here we are, a second entry into this path and what do I have to show for it? A false impression of understanding that hardly could be explained without boring my audience and further confusing myself.
I will state that this beginning to a new found reasoning and perception excite me like opening a present on Christmas day. You have a pretty legitimate idea of what you're getting but having it in your possession makes it all the more exciting. I have an idea of what I got myself into but learning the way to think, analyze, read, and process law is exciting. Something I hope I will not lose sight of as we get deeper and deeper into the semester into finals. I hope I will be able to completely grasp the concepts and ideas presented before me which each class. Mainly, I must keep in mind the big picture goal I must obtain, at least for this year, this semester, which is to be able to think like an attorney, locate and identify the issue of the case, and the rule it must follow. I must not get caught up in the details of each case but acquire the ability to seek the significant facts and apply it to the law. FIRAC = my best friend. Facts, Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion. The right hand of all law students. Using this outline gives you an organized method in "briefing" a case.
I'm learning the tools in becoming an attorney. Still gettin Lawyer'ed.
While I continue this, I'll revert back to some older entries I made but not to this blog but to my 'notes' section of my fbk profile. Please enjoy as your next entry awaits...
Somebody Dropped Knowledge and I Gained Perspective.
I'm writing because I want to write, I'm writing here because I want to share.
I'm not tagging anyone because this is completely voluntary to read and not obligatory. You read it because you want to read it and not because I'm shoving it down your throat.
You're reading this because you've stumbled upon my profile and decided to read this note. You have a vested interest in what I have to say but fortunately for you, I won't bore you with opinions, no editorials here. Simply observations, thoughts that wander there way into my mind, that magically appear like key shapes that "magically" appear on Lucky Charms cereal when you add milk. However, I didn't add milk, I added water, a large mass and suddenly when you're head is submerged, you're left with your thoughts while your body is physically exerting energy, everything becomes "deep" in thoughts.
In the last month, I've had some very good conversations with people, people whom I called more acquaintances than friends prior to these conversations but have developed friendships with. The one topic I find most curious is their opinions. Everyone has their own opinion, often times opinions are influenced by your environment or whats trendy. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and everyone should have an opinion. The one question that has been a staple for my conversations is "In your opinion, what is the difference between Personality and Character?" I've had various answers thrown my way and every single one has been valid in their own right. When I asked that question, I wasn't necessarily looking for a right or wrong answer. Cause lets be honest here, there is not a definitive right or wrong answer to that question. I was looking for their sense of opinion, their perspective. You have a specific way you approach things, I do as well. We are products of our environment and also traits that could be argued as innate. Either way, the point is that we are all unique in our own way, we all have different perspectives of daily events, life, friends and family, culture, and etc.
Perspective is where I'm headed with this. Perspective has several definitions but the one I found that applies to what I'm talking about is: the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship. That's a raw definition that can be interpreted in several situations but I'll use the example that I found relevant.
For those of you who know me well and have been around me long enough must have noticed I wear a certain yellow bracelet around my left wrist. It's a LiveStrong Bracelet. I haven't taken it off, except for when I raced, in over 4+ years. Its not for following a trend, although I believe the trend ended a year ago or so, nor is it because I'm a fan of Lance Armstrong. Rather, I wear it because it reminds me that there are worst things I could go through in life and that no matter what it is I'm going through, whether it may be challenging and possibly life altering, it could always be worst and I need to believe in myself, stay strong and get through it like others have before me. In so many words, it gives me perspective.
Its so easy for all of us to get caught up in our lives but we fail to realize how privileged we are with the life that was given to us or provided for us. We complain about hardships and take things for granted because its what we know and see, but rarely do we realize how easy we have it.
What makes me so much better than someone who is homeless. Or someone who is struggling financially to keep a roof over their head and food in their stomach. What does it really mean to sacrifice what we have to survive. I'll admit it, I blow cash sometimes like it grows on trees or up from the ground. "Oh, its only 3 dollars." "Well, it was ONLY _____" What I considered petty cash, could be all a person has for that day or for that week.
I DON'T really know what its like to WORK. Work for what you have, work for things you need. There are people out there I believe are spoiled. Well I should look at myself and realize I am spoiled. I have a natural talent, that's swimming. I can use my knowledge of swimming to provide a service to others that want it and make a quick and significant amount of money doing it. I've never had to work at McDonald's, or any other fast food joint. I've never had to deal with minimum wage. Real, legitimate struggles have never been experienced by me and I do not truly understand such terms.
I don't have that fear, hunger, and drive the less fortunate have to survive. My life to this point, has been easy, privileged, and undeserving. I have no right to complain about my life and whatever difficult situations that present itself. Even my parents and brother have had to WORK to be where they are and to provide me with what I have now. I look around my room, there are countless things I see that I don't NEED, but got because I WANTED it.
Perspective. If it doesn't nothing more than give you just the knowledge or glimpse of a thought that life can be harder than it is, then that's a start. I've been humbled by perspective. I'm grateful for all that I have. Right, it's easy to put that into words and let it come out of my mouth but its another thing to show it, to put it into your everyday actions. I can't say I've done anything significant to show it but I can try and continue to try.
If you've read this and thought I wasted your time, please tell me and I'll gladly apologize for doing so. If by reading this I've given you something as simple as just a mere thought about reflecting on your life and its journey thus far. Great!
Be:
Bold,
Responsible,
Accountable,
Optimistic,
Respectful, and
YOU, with Integrity.
An Objective, An Observation, An Opinion.
Yup, its a new year, new beginnings, new adventures, and new opportunities. Or, you can look at it as just a continuation of life...if that's what makes you happy.
New Year's Resolutions. Defined as "a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is."
But we naturally stray from that definition. New Year's Resolutions tend to last on average, one to three months tops. So much for a lifestyle change huh?
Well, at the very least, these "resolutions" are attempted, better than not even bothering with any. Commendable.
I won't bore you with details of my New Year's Resolutions, but if you're interested, and I assume you are if you've read this far, they're very basic.
1. Finish Application and get into Law school,
2. Be open, honest, bold, but respectful,
3. Continue swimming. Live that once healthy lifestyle you had,
4. Eat better, eat less,
5. Smile. Sing. Dance. Laugh. At least once a day,
6. Have an intellectual conversation with anyone at least once a week,
7. Challenge your mind. Have people challenge your opinions, thoughts, and feelings,
8. Stay current with World News,
9. Be you, and
10. Love.
If you've reached here, I'll extend this invitation for you to share with me your New Year's Resolution(s), I'd love to hear them, and I'll be sure to keep you on them, ask you from time to time if you've kept up with them.
But now, I must digress.
We have all observed varying degrees of fear. Have we not? Physical fear, i.e. dying, falling, injuring a body part, and so on so forth. Mental fear, i.e. eating something foreign, paranormal activity, phobias, and etc. Mental fear is obviously more complicated than physical fear. But hey, we all have fears, whether they're legitimate fears or simply creations of our imaginations, nevertheless, we have fears. They can be short term fears or long term fears, although long term fears are usually subjective to events or actions leading up to that essential fear.
The dictionary defines fear as "a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid."
What are your fears? And you can't tell me you don't have any because that is a flat out lie. I dislike liars. We all lie from time to time, white lies. But chronic, compulsive liars. No Bueno.
I have fears. I fear many things. Things that mean nothing and things that may mean everything. I fear my imagination, for the mere fact that it conjures up ideas and images that frighten me. I fear my bad habits will be the complete destruction of, well, me. I fear failing. Not necessarily failing a class, but more like failing at life, failing my parents, later on, failing my wife, kids, family. Of course you're thinking I shouldn't worry about those things right now, that's later. Well, at some point it will present itself, and I will have to address it, but why not now? So that I can build myself so that I can find ways to eliminate that from happening.
Fear is a necessary evil, is it not? Its what reminds us and makes us human. Humans have one thing robots, machines, etc, etc don't have, emotions, right? Same theme for all those space age futuristic movies.
How you approach those fears and how you face them is what separates you from others. Its almost a never ending cycle. You conquer one fear, another presents itself, you face a fear and it backfires in your face. Sure, it sounds promising right? ha. Correct me if I'm wrong, but never facing your fears or even bothering with it makes you a coward. How will you learn from anything if you don't attempt it at all.
Our journey we call "growing up" and having responsibilities, comes from gathering all the information from our experiences, processing it and applying it to our own lives from that point on. So when you don't face your fears, you don't learn whether or not you're capable of succeeding. And if you don't happen to succeed the first time, at the very least you now know or are able to identify why you didn't succeed.
You're probably wondering at this point why I'm babbling and what my point is. Besides the fact that I want to write to express the thoughts that have floated its way into my mind, the point of all this is that we shouldn't be afraid to do the things we want to do, say the things we want to say, and be who we are.
Reach for the stars, we were always taught that at a young age, but somewhere along the way, we got lost with the what's cool and trendy, who's cool, who's opinion(s) we should give a damn about. Who we really need to listen to. Instead of listening to who we are ourselves, what opinions we've developed, what we want to do. period.
Thus, I'm writing because I want to write, I voice my opinion because I want to, I am who I am, It is what it is, and I don't give a shit, pardon my french, that there are people who don't like me or care for what I have to say. Go try and shit on someone else's parade.
However, if you as little as introduce yourself, show interest in being friends or anything of that sort, I will guarantee you without hesitation or doubt, that I will be one of the better friends you will have. I'm not selling myself because lets face it, I don't need to. Am I being arrogant, vain? No, I'm being bold and confident. I will show you the utmost respect, loyalty and trust.
So please, voice your opinions, let me hear your thoughts, on anything. If you have hate to distribute, do it, I'll listen to it, I'll think about it, but take it to heart, hardly.
So there you go, Ta-da!
Yeah I said it, Ta-da. Now do work.
Good Morning, I'm fine thank you for asking.
To write something profound would be nothing more than cliche. To speak of life, its lessons and experiences would be nothing new to a person who merely breathes. I write nothing more than words that suffice my desires to express whatever it is writing expresses.
However, no typing, writing, or speaking could do justice to the words that scatter my mind as I could never do such to keep up with my mind.
I lay here in my bed awake at an hour where most people of my age have gone to bed but only a few hours ago. My body aching and fighting a fight against a virus known as the common cold. It feels weak, my energy drained as my blood cells attempt to dormant the virus.
While my body wages a war, I watch minutes tick away as the sunrise quickly approaches, a new day to my part of the world. Others are ending their day, what holds our day is to be found, however, my day will be nothing more than rest as my body desperately needs every resource it can aquire to be victorious in the battle that has ensued.
But of course, where are my manners, how are you?
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