Just Another Day in the Neighborhood

Well my friends, it is just another one of those days.  You know, the times like when the rain is pelting the ground millions of times per second and the wind rages like a rabid wolf and all you want to do is go outside and sit in the sun?  Well, that pretty much sums up my time right now, only that depiction of rain and sun was only an analogy for the depressing spirit that lingers inside of me.  You see, tomorrow morning I have a dynamics midterm.  If that isn't dire enough, I still have about twenty physics homework problems to do along with studying for four finals, working out for soccer tryouts on Sunday and of course, to top it all off, I get a call back interview for an internship this summer, which might sound exciting enough if it weren't for the fact that I am second guessing my major, ENGINEERING!  Don't get me wrong, I plan to see it through, only I am completely lost as to what I am going to do when I actually graduate! I have two more years, but so far, all the jobs I have heard of people doing so far are completely and utterly uninteresting or seemingly boring.  So what do you want to do, you might ask.  Well, it isn't a question of what I WANT to do, but rather what I CAN do.  I WANT to play soccer for a career, or be able to make movies of stories that I thought of or came up with, then ending my days with novel writing; however, those two things alone are, one step short of obviously(because anything is possible, right?), not going to happen.  So what is left?  Going back to my internship, if I were to get it, I would be collecting and inputting data, and possible moving onto project planning and scheduling.  Sound fun? Actually, it does, but not for what the project would be about.  Yes, it is important for all the utilities for buildings underground to go in, but in the end, what does that really matter?  Now I know what you are thinking.  How does soccer or filming matter?  For soccer, yes it would be about me playing, but once I reached a point of retirement, I could better use soccer as a means of helping kids around the country with starvation and hunger.  As far as filming goes, that one is easy.  To put it simply, movies move people.  They are a great way to inspire people to rise up and become the best they can be, to go to the next level, or face their responsibility instead of running from it.  Anyway, I digress, it is now 11:55 and I need to get up at 6/6:30 to review a couple things for my midterm before I have to go and hopefully pass...

In Him,
Karl Schmidt

December Boys

God has blessed me with such an amazing life full of friends and family and love.  It is sad to think I will perhaps never know the full depth of what I have.  My dream is only to give back the same thing to which God has given me.  The true meaning in life cannot really be expressed through words.  Sure, people say that God is the riddle and meaning to life, but they fail to really know or interpret this.  I find the meaning of life through my relationships, from adversity through troubled times, in the realization of what God has given, and most of all through love.  Love is more complicated than any problem life ever encountered.  It is shaped through time.  In order to realize what you have, it must first be taken away from you at which you then realize its full meaning.  Jesus, the perfect gift, was given to the world and He was taken away.  Why is it then we still do not recognize His amazing gift?  It is because we failed to love Him.  He is our Father, Savior, Guide, but for me, He is above all else, a friend.  He stays with you through all times of trouble and despair like a friend who has traveled to the world's end and back again by your side without falter.  You embrace the bond of brotherhood that ties you together like no other event can carry out.  All other friendships become menial and uninteresting.  You sit there, with your friend, by the fire reminiscing about the hard times in utter silence - to break it would be a curse upon your very soul. Not a word spoken, but a whisper in the air signifies the mutual feeling of the scares that left their mark upon your heart.  And no one can understand.  Only the two of them, sitting there completely still sharing the burden laid before you.  Though it is quite you grow deeper in relationship just from each others presence.  This is a true bond a friendship; it is a December Boy friendship.

For many people, life is often a concern of ourselves.  We care how we feel, what we think of ourselves, what others think of us, what we want.  All of these things are meaningless.  God does not wish for us to think of ourselves, but He also does not want us to forget out feelings.  The point is that we don't let ourselves get in the way of the meaning of life and the path that God lays before us.  Here in America, we are concerned with finding a "good job" so that we can earn money and live comfortable by our own security.  People tell us this is wise; however, does it keep us from really knowing and understanding and doing the things God calls us to?  God is worth so much more than we know or can understand or comprehend.  He is more complicated than the troubles of a relationship or as confusing as the unpredictable.  We don't know Him.  He is a mystery.  We will spend eternity working to know Him better only to find there is no end.  Who are we to question God?  Who are we to make decisions for our lives when we don't understand how God created the world? You could have all the wisdom in the world or be at the bottoms of despair, but I tell you, you will be the same as the man next to you under the face of God.  You will be judged by a perfect God.  You will not understand why.  If you enter through the gates of Heaven, you will only know.  You will cry and not be able to explain.  You will be full of joy, peace and happiness.  Even so, if you enter down into the gates of Hell you will not comprehend, but just know.  And you will rebuke God for it.  You will hate Him with your whole soul, and you will not wish to escape from all the physical and emotional pain that you will endure every second of everyday for eternity.  For God has left you and has turned His back on you and has denied you your existence.  And  it will be just.  It will be right and it will be real.
Remember, you are nothing without Him.  There is no meaning without Him.  And if you deny the Lord, you deny yourself the reason for living.

Fear

Fear is the only emotion which keeps uprisings, revolts, and ideas at bay. It drives people to despair before clinching its fists. It is nearly impossible to escape its grasp. It makes the feared chuckle with laughter and makes the frightened scream out in anguish. What can be said to keep those who frolic over it stop for a moment and realize there is hope, there is justice, and there is love. For it is these things that uphold a prosperous nation.

Stories

What is a story? Stories are comprised of ideas. These ideas come directly from the writer who puts into words that which he has conjured. Most stories traditionally start with some sort of conflict and then progress to a solution – this maybe either good or bad – and conclude the tale. Some or most people might consider this to be the bases for all stories, and anything that falls outside this is something else; however, literature writing is an informal style where people are free to be creative and explore their minds without the limitations of grammar or specific audiences. The format and style used by most stories today are just a result of what attracts people the most – struggle, pain, perseverance, victory – and can eventually change over time just like clothing and musical trends. The story, “Girl”, presents the idea that someone is speaking to another about things that person should or should not do. Regardless of how much or little or how developed a story is does not depict its qualification. If the story presents an idea, then it is, in fact, a story.

Or you can just agree with Elizabeth Bowen who said, "A story is the moment after which a character's life is changed forever."

Humans

God has shaped life into four, arguably three categories. The first being the soul, which is of the most importance. God created the soul for himself, the one thing of a human that can last forever. The second is the mind. The mind is what gives life creativity; it compels us to think artistically and creatively without which we would be nothing but logs only useful for kindling. It needs to be soothed, soothed with music. The third is the brain. This is what helps us survive in the world. Knowing information gives us the tools to keep warm, bring food to eat, or keep yourself from living on the streets. The last is the body which must be maintained through exercise to keep the mind and brain in better working condition. These are what I believe to be the principal parts of the function of life which I have not yet configured a mathmatical formula.

Intro:

There are many things that I could say right now, for many things are running through my mind which need to be organized and placed on a shelf for safe keeping. This blog is about collecting those ideas and sorting them to an idol position that can be called upon by myself and also those who care to read what goes on in my head. The following ideas will potentially be controversial, perhaps to some of you, if in fact anyone reads this, and are not meant to sway or stir emotion of anger or sadness to your feelings, but rather to create something in which you can internally, or externally, debate and contradict or agree with. One of my favorite quotes is this "Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning." ~ C. S. Lewis.