The Weatherman is not God

I have a bone to pick with humanity. Well, maybe not humanity, but certainly the humanity that surrounds me in the SUU world. I realize that there are individuals in the world who choose to pursue careers in meteorology. I also recognize that those individuals spend years in college learning all about the atmosphere, clouds, and other such weather sciences. However, I don't care how many years you have studied such subjects...when you graduate as a meteorologist you are not endowed with an infallible and omniscient knowledge of the winds and rains. Nor do you acquire a mystical power over the sun and clouds. I am sure most meteorologists recognize this. What concerns me is that no one else seems to grasp this concept. All yesterday, I easily heard ten times in the space of an hour, (no, I am not exaggerating) "It's supposed to snow today." "It's going to snow today." "It will snow today." Has anyone ever heard the idea that perception becomes reality? Have we ever stopped to consider that maybe if we didn't so readily accept what we hear on the 6:00 news it may not actually happen? But of course, with everyone already assuming that the weatherman is a magical being with superhuman powers and cannot be wrong, it did snow. Why shouldn't it? Only maybe a handful of people refused to accept it (myself included). What is infuriating is that in any other field of science we are willing to admit a level of uncertainty. For instance, how many tear-jerking stories have we heard of the person told he will never walk again...yet he does? No one could predict the next disastrous earthquake the way we do the next rainfall. I'm sure the most intelligent people on Earth are willing to admit that they can't possibly guarantee what the future holds. History itself shows that meteorologists are as prone to error as anyone. I apologize to those not of a Christian background, but I'm sure the weatherman of Galilee did not predict that the violent storm on the sea would abruptly halt without explanation. Nor did the meteorologist of Sodom and Gomorrah predict heavy showers of fire and brimstone. Yet, nearly everyone seems to accept the pronouncements of weathermen like prophetic visions of the apocalypse. Even worse, by admitting that what they say is an inevitable future, it almost gives the impression that meteorologists control the weather. I for one refuse to believe so. First of all, no one is perfect, even a weatherman. Moreover, I am a big believer in the power of belief. Speaking of imperfect science, there are those that are even uncertain about all the capacities of the human mind. There's even a field of science that researches if the human mind is capable of controlling its environment through mental exertion. I could totally accept the idea that hidden in the other 90 percent of my brain that I don't use there's the power to alter the world around me. So, the next time the weatherman predicts a huge snowstorm or whatnot, instead of allowing him and nature to dictate what is reality, why not refuse to obey them and force them to obey you? Instead of saying, "It's going to snow today and that is for certain because the weatherman said so and everyone knows that he is an infallible deity and there is nothing that I can do to change the circumstance if I wanted to, so I choose to submit my life to a man with a masters in meteorology," why not say, "the weatherman said there's a chance of snow today, but I think he could be wrong. In fact, I hope he's wrong, I want him to be wrong, he is wrong!" Refuse to let the weatherman rule your environment! Defy the learned and wise with the power of human perception! Above all else, remember this: THE WEATHERMAN IS NOT GOD!!!

The Right Words (At the Right Time)

I imagine everyone at some point in life has experienced what I am about to describe. I hope so, at least. There are moments in life, or days, or weeks, or months, or even years (Friends theme cue please) that just don't seem right. "Right," I realize, is a very vague term, but I'm not sure how else to describe it. You're not necessarily sad, or angry, or depressed, though those things may all be part of it. The true feeling though is that there's a hole somewhere that you need to fill. It's an anxiety that something is missing. I suppose we could liken it to that frustration when you can't find your keys at 5:00 in the morning and you have the distinct impression that someone, somewhere in the world is laughing at you. Or like the one day you come to class unprepared and it's the one day of the whole semester that your professor decides to check your notebooks. You sit in stewing rage as the slacker next to you whips out his notebook full of notes that he hastily threw together in the three minutes before class on the off-chance they'd be called for today. Whereas you, who possesses a notebook full of meticulous and detailed notes of every word that has fallen from the professor's mouth including his hometown and family history, will receive a failing grade on the notebook check because your notebook is on the floor of your room, open to where you fell asleep writing in it the night before after accomplishing the fifty other things you had to do that day. Do you know that feeling? Have you ever felt that way about life in general? It's maybe not as urgent, but it is more unnerving than any forgotten notes. What experience has told me is that most of us reach this point. However, that is not what I wanted to write about, (though it's taken me a good deal of lines to get to my point) nor is that the experience I hope everyone has had. Rather, I wish to delve into the most common antidote I have seen for this emptiness. It can come from anywhere; in fact, in my life it usually comes from the most unlikely of sources. Though its effects may not be permanent, it is enough for one to temporarily fill that gaping hole, whatever it may be. I'm talking about the right words at the right time. Now, what those words are, and when that time is depends completely on you. But I think you know what I mean when I tell of those moments when someone in our lives, or even a complete stranger, says that one thing - that beautifully simple and yet perfect scrap of human wisdom - at the time when our ears are most tuned to hear it. That moment seems to cure that empty, hollow feeling. It is as if the giver of such words has been granted to be the possessor of the secret of life for that one moment, the sole purpose being to pass that secret in a way that is shaped, drawn, and packaged especially for us. The words would mean nothing to anyone else; outside of that perfect moment, they'd probably mean nothing to us. Yet, the words come, the hunger is fed, and we can carry on with life until we become again famished for want of this human food. Not only do I think we all have moments to be fed by the words of others, but each of us has our moments when we are the givers of those right words. What's funny is that we probably do not even recognize that we have done so. Who knows how many hungry people we have fed with the words we have said? When have we held the secret to another's life in our lips without our knowledge? Whose life is better because of a few simple and costless words? Why am I an English major? Because I believe that words can change the world...they already have. And if we want to change the world, for better or worse, we have few other means to do so than in the words we choose to pass on.

The Importance of the Gardener

Two days ago I sat watching what I believe to be one of the finest movies of our age: The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. As is normal for me when watching the film, my sympathies always are drawn to probably one of the most lovable characters in all of literature: the faithful gardener, Samwise Gamgee. The sad reality of it is that in today's society, a relationship like Sam and Frodo's could never exist. First of all, any two men who would choose to display such fraternal affection to each other would instantly be seen as homosexual Moreover, two men would never allow themselves to show that kind of affection for fear of being seen as homosexual, unless of course they are. Yet, it is in this that I feel the world is lacking. What is it that has determined that men cannot express love to each other? Why is it that men cannot embrace, communicate, and truly connect emotionally? I'm so happy that I have friends (male) to whom I can say, "I love you" and not be ashamed to do so. Because I do, they are important to me, and I want them to know that. In short, we all need a little of Samwise in our life: that loyalty, that tenacity, that compassion for those most important to us. Indeed, we all need to understand more the importance of the gardener.

Disturbances - Of Tuners and High School Students

Most times in life, our universe remains as it is...the only shifts being the expected ones, that may be of minor inconvenience, but ultimately do nothing to disrupt our proverbial groove. Yet, at times one may find a day, week, month or perhaps entire year holds an unforeseen disturbance; an anomaly that we never before encountered. Though such disturbance may be a trivial matter, their unexpected and unpredicted presence rocks us to our nervous core. Two such disturbances are interrupting my day. One is the onslaught of high school students that have descended upon SUU for the annual Shakespeare competition. Granted, I knew perfectly well this was coming, but the disturbance is not their presence, but rather my reaction to them. Did I look that young when I was in high school? Moreover, I see in their hopeful little eyes the same dreams and aspirations that I once had. Not to say my dreams have been shattered, but they certainly have been weighed and measured (ahhh...the cliche I feel I must use!!!) against the ruthless judge that is reality. The other disturbance would be at the SUU library, normally a quiet place, with only the gentle roar of quiet conversation or clicking keyboards. Today, pounding in our ears and at our nerves are the repeated notes of a piano, out of rhythm, out of harmony, by a tuner preparing the instrument for a celebration gala that will be at the library tonight. With each note, he drives each of us at our computers closer and closer and closer to insanity...I fear at any moment someone will break their composure and attack the defenseless man.