This explains why, when we get older, like from being a teenager to young adult, the years tend to go faster, the holidays go by faster, and the seasons just come and go.  It is simply because when we get older, we have more responsibilities, more worries, and more regrets about life. Therefore, our minds increasingly start racing faster and faster, and we are more preoccupied with things in our new adult lives, and we are distracted with all the worries and memories of our adult lives.  As children, we don’t have as many responsibilities, therefore we spend more time playing, watching TV, sleeping, and simply enjoying our childhood, which makes time seem slower.  As children, we live the presence more, and appreciate the here and now.  As adults, we forget more about the here and now and tend to focus more on the past and the future, missing what is right in front of us: the presence.  So as an adult, I am planning to try to “slow down” time by focusing on the present.  I am not going to simply forget about my responsibilities, but will focus more on what is in front of me: the present life.  Thinking about the past and the future is good, so that I can learn from the past and plan for the future.  But I will make the effort to concentrate more on what I have now so that I can live life the fullest.

First I tried to renew my license on the internet before the next morning, but could not because it was already expired.  Once I arrived at the license place, I was told they have a new policy that stipulates that I need my birth certificate.  My poor wife, who just had major knee surgery three month ago (the time that I should have renewed my license), drove me back home so that I can get the stupid birth certificate.  Once I returned to the driver’s license place, I was told that my birth certificate was invalid because I was born in Puerto Rico, and all puertoricans were mandated to renew their birth certificates two years ago because of some ridiculous acts of corruption.  Of course, I have not renewed my birth certificate either, so I did not have a valid drivers license nor a birth certificate.  My beautiful wife then drove me to work and I had to go  through the embarrassing moment of having to explain to my subordinates ( I am a  manager) that I could not drive at work (which is one of the requirement at work) because I let my driver’s license expire last November.  My wife (the greatest in the world) continued to research more about how to obtain a birth certificate in an expeditious way, and found out that I need a valid driver’s license to be able to obtain a new birth certificate.

Now I don’t have a birth certificate because I don’t have a valid driver’s license, and I can’t get a driver’s license because I don’t have a valid birth certificate.  It is an unfortunate cycle. What a mess!  I spoke with my brother who lives in Puerto Rico who will try to help me obtain the birth certificate with my father’s help or a lawyer.  Then he jokingly said “I guess you don’t exist anymore….!”   Maybe he is right.   In the eyes of the civilized world, if I don’t have a birth certificate or a valid picture identification card, I am nobody.  How ridiculous this society is!  I can almost relate to the thousands of undocumented people who are not worth of recognition because they lack the necessary paperwork to be accepted in this society.  Being “nobody” or “nonexistent” is definitely not a good feeling.  Now I have to depend on my wife to drive me everywhere, and swallow my pride as well.  Oh, well, I guess I have to suck it up until I am able to renew my license and then I will be somebody again.

Update:  I still don’t have an ID, because I don’t have a damn Birth Certificate, because it just takes too much time to obtain one. Since I don’t have an ID, my parent has to get in the middle of this and help.   I am still a nobody in this society.  Can’t drive to work, and neither during work (which is required).  I feel embarrassed, helpless, and invisible.   This is truly getting ridiculous.

Update: I finally got my ID.. I am somebody now.  If I would not have asked my dad to obtain my Birth Certificate, I would not be driving at this time, and would still be living this trap.  But those days are over.  I exist…. again (I guess)

When I was a child, playing outside with my friends, meeting them at the local park, and calling them on the phone were typical things to do.  Now what our children do is go into Facebook, Twitter, Skype, or whatever social digital network they use.  Using the house phone is almost obsolete, since our children perceive texting as the way to communicate through the distance.  What happened to talking face to face with your friends?  What happened to “let’s meet a the park, or the basketball court, or the beach?  What happened to “Hey, wanna play at the playground?”

Today’s children usually perceive the Wii and other video game system as the best way to have fun and do exercise.  What happened to riding the bike, the skateboard, playing “tag you’re it”, and other fun and active games we used to play decades ago?  And when traveling long distances with parents, children used to simply listen to the car radio, maybe play some small board games like cards or Uno, or simply look outside the window.  Today’s children bring their DSI or watch a movie that their parents bought for them in the car so that they be quiet and don’t bother them with “are we there yet?” or “I am hungry/tired/thirsty/etc?”.

If you have children and are worried like I am, I guess what we are to do is turn off the computer

, put away the DSI, the Wii, Playstation, or whatever they have as electronic entertainment, and make the effort to spend some one-on-one time with our children.  Don’t you think?  Or are we too busy with our own cyber friends in Facebook and Twitter?  Are we too worried about the news at CNN.com or Newsweek.com.?  Maybe we are too preoccupied with who is going to be the next American Idol, or American President, instead of who our children are turning into?  Are we spending too much time on the cell phones talking to our adults friends or doing some extra work on the computer before tomorrow’s big meeting at our jobs?  Are we too enmeshed in our own cyber worlds  that we don’t realize that our children are fading away into cyber space themselves?

Silverware – it is not even made of silver, unless you live in a mansion,  it is actually aluminum or plastic.

Heart burn – not part of the heart, but the stomach, unless your heart lowered itself down your torso

Dry mouth- your mouth will never be dry, unless you are dead

Buffalo wings- since when do buffalos fly?

Dirty rice- if  this were the case, I would not eat it

Pretty ugly- which one is it?

Black coffee/white milk – unless you add something, their color is obvious

Slow down- what would be slowing up?

Stand up- as opposed to stand down?

Soft drink- it is liquid, period.

Dragon fly/ cat fish/ spider monkey- which one is it?

pair of pants- this is really just one

TV set – what else does this set have besides the TV itself?

hot fever – it would not be fever if it weren’t hot

hard water – again, it is liquid

Do you have any additional phrases that simply make no sense?

These are the reasons why Christmas is no longer my favorite holiday.
1. It’s all about marketing, commercialism  and convincing us to buy, buy , and buy some more.
2. It is also about the big, fat, beared man with elves and reindeers (fantasy)
3. It is making Thanksgiving disappear from our communities as people start decorating right after Halloween.
4. All children want are the presents under the tree, forget the tree!
5. The weather is too darn cold and depressing.
6. Christmas songs are also depressing.
7. Red and green do not match, never did, never will.
8. No matter what your religious faith is, Christians are adamant about convincing everyone that Christmas is all about God saving the world from eternal damnation through the birth of a Jewish baby (even though it truly has pagan roots).
9. People can’t make up their minds about saying “Merry Christmas”, or “Happy Holidays”
10. True love, care, and giving should be celebrated every day, not just on December 25th.

Got any other reasons why Christmas is not so great?

It is almost as if we need to get out of our comfort zones, and be brave enough to spend time with others that are different from us.  But wait, can we simply do this when we already have preconceptions about each other?  I guess not. But it is not only the difference of religions, but also the difference of ethnicity, social status, and personalities.  I walk down the road and try to look at people’s eyes, and they are looking away.  We are together, but lonely at the same time.  We see each other, but not at each other.  We hear each other, but don’t listen to each other.  We simply avoid each other.  What exactly are we afraid of?  Being ridiculed?  Being singled out?  Being “contaminated” by others’ traditions and customs?  What do we tend to think that we are better than others?  Or that others are dangerous and therefore should be avoided?

 But, you know who does not act this way?  Children.  They come to this world with a fresh set of mind.  Actually, they come to this world with an empty mind, ready to be filled up with whatever we put inside of them.  We fill their minds with whatever we choose to believe in: hatred, religion, tolerance, racism, segregation, etc.  They are vulnerable to whatever we teach them.  In actuality, children should be the ones who teach us how to be “empty” as they are.  We can learn from children to be respectful and tolerant in spite of differences of opinion.  We can learn from children to be accepting and to reach out to others in spite of difference of race and religion.

Tagged: communication, human, inspiration, life, people, random, social ]]> http://letusbefrank.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/afraid-of-each-other-2/feed/ 1 Noel http://letusbefrank.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/which-came-first-the-critic-or-the-show-off/ http://letusbefrank.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/which-came-first-the-critic-or-the-show-off/#comments Sun, 25 Sep 2011 02:17:35 +0000 Noel http://letusbefrank.wordpress.com/?p=237 Continue reading →]]>  

This question came up in a conversation I had today.  If someone is showing off, and someone criticizes the person that is showing off, which one came first?  The critic would not exist if there is no one to criticize, right?  Well, there would be no show-off if there is no critic to make the criticized person  be considered a show-off. Make sense?

Have you looked at how ants operate? Have you stopped and observe the way that ants live and survive? They are complicated yet simple beings that work arduously to accomplish the task of surviving. They have a queen and workers. They carry leaves, pieces of food, and soil, heavier than themselves. They create monumental ant hills. Its almost as if they can create colonies and whole communities wherever they have the place and the opportunity. And if we happen to step on one of their ant hills and destroy it, they can rebuild it. How do ants compare to us, humans? Well, we also build colonies, we work to survive, we have a “queen” and the workers, and we can rebuild.  We also create systems that keep us alive such as governments and economy.  Wherever we can get a good spot, we build neighborhoods, cities, nations, and empires. We can do so much, but at the same time anything can simply destroy all of that, by an earthquake or tsunami, just like when we step on an ant hill.  Although we are great beings, we are also vulnerable. It might be a good idea to recognize that we are minute beings, just like our friends the ants.  We need to humble ourselves and be nicer to each other.   Looking at the big picture, we can realize that we are complicated beings, in the middle of an endless universe. Yet we fight over little things like the person who cut us off on the road, the noisy upstairs neighbor, the waiter who did not give us the right food, the boss who acts like a jerk, or the spouse that won’t lower the toilet seat.  Maybe we need to learn from the ants.

Is it right to forgive others when they hurt us? This blog is about being frank and honest with each other. But if I feel hurt by others, I would rather feel I sincerely forgive them before claiming it. What would be the exact procedure of forgiving? Is it forgetting? Is it excusing the other person’s wrongdoing? When people repeatedly hurt us, how can we possibly not feel hurt and lose faith of the person who hurts us? I have learned that to forgive is a powerful way of liberating ourselves from emotional bonds. Holding resentments and grudges can really damage our emotional wellbeing. It is like a thorn in our hands, a pebble in our shoes. Being able to forgive would be getting free from this pain. But how can this be done when the pain is too great? How can a victim forgive the rapist? How can a family forgive the murderer of a child? How can a child forgive the abuse of a drunken parent? I guess it requires some time for forgiveness to take place. I imagine it is like still remembering the painful experience, without the emotional pain. It is like no longer feeling the trauma that the experience caused.  And if I forgive, does this make me vulnerable again?  Or is it healing myself? Can we be honest with each other and truly forgive?  And when we say we forgive, is it really true, or are we saying it just to feel good about ourselves?  Is it ever OK not to forgive?  Sorry that this post has a lot of questions, but I think these are questions we must ask ourselves when it comes to being honest with ourselves and forgiveness.  Any thoughts about this subject?