Day: September 25, 2015

I will be the first to admit I am not perfect. I am stubborn, set in my ways, have a low tolerance for stupidity, dislike people with a lack of common sense, and liars. I try to live my life with dignity, and display a moral and ethical behavior I could look back on and feel good about when I die. However, I have let my pride get in my way of admitting when I am wrong or when I refuse to be challenged on a particular issue. How many times have you had a “discussion” with your significant other, co-worker, or boss, and you refused to give in, knowing there was a possibility you were in the wrong.

What is pride? I found a great definition from a Hofstra University student who was a key member of student engagement in and out of the classroom during their college career.

One of the worst traits anyone can have is to be labeled a liar. There is nothing more disgraceful or dishonest. Your word should be your bond. When you look someone in the eyes, and you give them your word, mean it. Liars are the lowest people on the earth in my opinion. They have no back bone, integrity, ethics, or morals. They are a disgrace to their family, their country, and they represent the lowest life forms in the universe. They are useless, and I do not have the time or tolerance for those people.

Why is lying acceptable? It could be our culture tolerates it. We have all lied to someone in our lives for a wide variety of reasons, and there is no excuse for it. However, it comes down to what we learned from that experience. I have made many mistakes, hurt many people, and there…

There are some things in life that are bigger than the individual. Sometimes we don’t understand the selflessness it takes to put others in front of oneself, and we question the way life has treated us. It takes a unique individual to keep going when things get tough. Look no further than the men and women of our all volunteer military force. They are making the ultimate sacrifice each day knowing there could be a time in their lives when they are faced with death.

There is honor in other facets of life as well. Look at the single mom or dad who works tirelessly to provide for their family, knowing they will miss some of the most important accomplishments in her child’s life because they are working to put food on the table and clothes on their children’s back. They are willing to go without eating if it means…

Today I thought I would discuss my thoughts about religion. This is in no way shape or form to say my views are right. I am not here to say any one person’s views are wrong, nor am I here to put down another person’s beliefs. However, I would like to cultivate a discussion, or at the very least, a different perspective. The following is based on my own experiences, so take what you want from it.

From a conflict analysis perspective, religion has been at the root of all the World Wars, conquests, and international conflicts. While religion talks about peace and harmony, it is without a doubt extremely violent. There is extremism in many forms, but religion tends to bring violence out the most. It is a strange phenomenon in my opinion because there are no concrete facts to back up the events of religion other than the…