After hanging out with a friend that I haven't seen for about a year and a half, I realized how my perceptions and introspective behavior at times can get the better of me. I have over and over and over again realized that the initial perceptions that people (including myself) have for one another tends to be skewed or narrow-minded in some way or another. People tend to be better than what I initially expect, yet I fall into a similar constant mindset.
Maybe it's because I'm judgmental at heart, despite my sometimes futile attempts to not be so, but it is always surprising to me when people and other situations turn out to be better than I anticipate them to be. By now, I should be able to trust God and His plan and His direction, yet there's still a struggle. A struggle to give in to what isn't what I think. A struggle to trust something or someone that I cannot physically see. A struggle to be able to humbly go against what might make sense and what is true. A former slave once wrote "The soul that trusts in God need never stumble nor fall, because God being wise and seeing and knowing all things, having looked down through time before time, foresaw every creeping thing and poured out His spirit on the earth...."
For a God that is so omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, it sure is hard at times for me to trust and go with what He has planned for me, especially in terms of personal relationships. Not being in constant contact with people can be troublesome for me and it can hurt inside when I don't talk to a good friend for a long period of time. It's hard sometimes, but that is when I constantly forget that the plan made for me will work its way out for the best. What is in store down the road and comes as a surprise to us is simply another curve along the constructed road. The planners of the road has every single hill and dip and twist and turn and intersection planned before any driver takes a ride on it.
Same logic applies here.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Exposing Myself and Becoming Vulnerable to the Unfamiliar: My Love-Hate Relationship with Politics.
Politics have never been my thing.
Whenever anything government or politics-related came on the news, I usually would turn the channel to something else or avoid reading anything related on the the internet. It wasn't that I didn't care about my country and what was going on. I guess, as a journalism major, I realized to an extent how skewed and biased the news and media tend to be nowadays.
As a journalism major, that's frustrating and a little bit annoying, especially when people have long, monotonous--and at times, demeaning and downright ugly--political "discussions" on Facebook or Twitter or any other means of communication.
Doesn't really shine government in a very positive light for those like me across the nation.
---
So, I admit it was kind of ironic for me when I received an electronic invitation to attend the 2013 Collegiate Presidential Inaugural Conference in Washington, D.C. Sure, I was extremely honored to be considered smart enough and accomplished enough to be even considered to have such a prestigious event handed to me.
But, it is politics.
Hesitant, I wasn't psyched about going. I'd have to miss school, I'd have to find a way to get to the airport and back. I'd have to network and open up in order to get to know a large, random group of people from all over the world for a few days with the expectations of the whole experience being fairly low/neutral.
I should know by now that if my expectations are one thing, then usually the opposite will happen. Or at least everything will work out for the very best.
Even if it is politics.
---
Actually, I really enjoyed not having a clue what was going on flying into Washington early in the morning. Not having any knowledge of who the speakers were outside of their names, or not knowing anyone there, or not knowing much (if anything) about our political system and why people liked or disliked Barack Obama. It's humbling not being the knowledgeable one in any given situation, but the unknown actually is quite enjoyable....at least I thought it was.
The conference schedule itself was intense and chock-full of activities, speakers and events all four days of the conference. From the very beginning, the conference put a number of us nervous, anxious scholars at ease. Our first group meeting and a separate networking event late at night helped lighten the mood a bit and allowed the scholars to get to know somebody to give the conference more of a comfortable and a more familiar feel.
Those group meetings also struck a chord during the long weekend. I've been to conferences just as large and what makes me anxious more than anything else is gaining a new group of great relationships and friends, especially in such a small window. Are we gonna connect? Will conversations be deep and inciteful? Will we want to be with each other and hang out with each other? Because of the six scheduled meetings in four days, this almost could set the tone for the conference. If I enjoyed the meetings, I would enjoy the conference as a whole a lot more. I hoped for a 'yes' to each of the above questions, but, looking back, I am still awestruck by the resounding 'YES!!!!!' that resulted as the answer to my questions.
At a conference like this, it is so easy to get lost within the enormity of the crowds and feel alone, especially when not knowing anyone. Blessed, encouraged, thankful don't really begin to cover how I still feel to this day weeks afterward. We have a Facebook group, we exchanged numbers and contact information, we had fantastically deep conversations, we hung out with each other and wanted to be with each other for the most part even when we didn't have to be.
.......This is me struggling for words because I am in just pure amazement.
---
The inauguration and conference itself was of course fantastic. It's the inauguration...it's really hard (even when one wakes up at 4:30 in the morning) to not have fun and enjoy the spectacle that is the Presidential Inauguration itself. The sunrise over the capitol building and the quiet before the big, climatic ceremony (and the early access to the Museum of Natural History) made waking up at such an absurd hour worth it all. Sure, we weren't right up close to the president, but we were close enough where we saw the building and the podium and were in a central location to fully enjoy the experience.
This country has its faults. That's a given....we have issues and we have problems that we as Americans are (and will be) dealing with. On a cool Monday morning on the National Mall, however, there was a rejuvenating feeling of hope and (more importantly?) of unity. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, Americans and non-Americans, gathered together, all with American flags waving back and forth, in one moment of celebration. Democrats were there. Republicans were there. Moderates were there. Many different races were there. Many different ethnic groups were there. For a short moment, pride and joy about being a citizen of the United States of America was displayed for miles and miles. Despite our problems, a sense of 'there's no other place I'd rather call home' swept across the crowd. At least I felt it...can't speak for the almost one million other people.
If Jesse Jackson, Jeb Bush, James Carville and Mary Matalin agreed on one general idea, it was that this generation is on the forefront of what is going to happen in the future. 2012 was an overall rough year for the USA, but 2013 could very well be a year that sets a tone for the future of the country. The prejudices which once defined our country are, over time and generations, wearing away and this is resulting in a generation which is tired of the negatives of the past and have a desire to make a change, make a difference, make a statement. When, and only when, people choose the direction of hope and band together, with all the differences and all the party divisions and all the stereotypes put aside, we have the power to salvage the world from the hate, the negatives, the violence, what's dominating the news nowadays.
When we expose ourselves and make ourselves vulnerable to the unfamiliar, walls are destroyed, minds are changed, people are humbled and the differences dissolve into nothingness. In a way, the conference was a microcosm of the world. A group of different cultures, races, ethnic groups, religions and mindsets together in one hotel recognizing that the world is set for a turn out of the past and is dead set for a future that looks encouraging and bright.
Do I still love politics? Not so much, but I definitely feel have obtained a keener interest in the state of the country and now, at least, I care about what's going on.
For pictures that I took during the event (there are a lot of them), go to this site or copy and paste the link into your browser:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200471517217233.2200318.1436136815&type=3
Whenever anything government or politics-related came on the news, I usually would turn the channel to something else or avoid reading anything related on the the internet. It wasn't that I didn't care about my country and what was going on. I guess, as a journalism major, I realized to an extent how skewed and biased the news and media tend to be nowadays.
As a journalism major, that's frustrating and a little bit annoying, especially when people have long, monotonous--and at times, demeaning and downright ugly--political "discussions" on Facebook or Twitter or any other means of communication.
Doesn't really shine government in a very positive light for those like me across the nation.
---
So, I admit it was kind of ironic for me when I received an electronic invitation to attend the 2013 Collegiate Presidential Inaugural Conference in Washington, D.C. Sure, I was extremely honored to be considered smart enough and accomplished enough to be even considered to have such a prestigious event handed to me.
But, it is politics.
Hesitant, I wasn't psyched about going. I'd have to miss school, I'd have to find a way to get to the airport and back. I'd have to network and open up in order to get to know a large, random group of people from all over the world for a few days with the expectations of the whole experience being fairly low/neutral.
I should know by now that if my expectations are one thing, then usually the opposite will happen. Or at least everything will work out for the very best.
Even if it is politics.
---
Actually, I really enjoyed not having a clue what was going on flying into Washington early in the morning. Not having any knowledge of who the speakers were outside of their names, or not knowing anyone there, or not knowing much (if anything) about our political system and why people liked or disliked Barack Obama. It's humbling not being the knowledgeable one in any given situation, but the unknown actually is quite enjoyable....at least I thought it was.
The conference schedule itself was intense and chock-full of activities, speakers and events all four days of the conference. From the very beginning, the conference put a number of us nervous, anxious scholars at ease. Our first group meeting and a separate networking event late at night helped lighten the mood a bit and allowed the scholars to get to know somebody to give the conference more of a comfortable and a more familiar feel.
Those group meetings also struck a chord during the long weekend. I've been to conferences just as large and what makes me anxious more than anything else is gaining a new group of great relationships and friends, especially in such a small window. Are we gonna connect? Will conversations be deep and inciteful? Will we want to be with each other and hang out with each other? Because of the six scheduled meetings in four days, this almost could set the tone for the conference. If I enjoyed the meetings, I would enjoy the conference as a whole a lot more. I hoped for a 'yes' to each of the above questions, but, looking back, I am still awestruck by the resounding 'YES!!!!!' that resulted as the answer to my questions.
At a conference like this, it is so easy to get lost within the enormity of the crowds and feel alone, especially when not knowing anyone. Blessed, encouraged, thankful don't really begin to cover how I still feel to this day weeks afterward. We have a Facebook group, we exchanged numbers and contact information, we had fantastically deep conversations, we hung out with each other and wanted to be with each other for the most part even when we didn't have to be.
.......This is me struggling for words because I am in just pure amazement.
---
The inauguration and conference itself was of course fantastic. It's the inauguration...it's really hard (even when one wakes up at 4:30 in the morning) to not have fun and enjoy the spectacle that is the Presidential Inauguration itself. The sunrise over the capitol building and the quiet before the big, climatic ceremony (and the early access to the Museum of Natural History) made waking up at such an absurd hour worth it all. Sure, we weren't right up close to the president, but we were close enough where we saw the building and the podium and were in a central location to fully enjoy the experience.
This country has its faults. That's a given....we have issues and we have problems that we as Americans are (and will be) dealing with. On a cool Monday morning on the National Mall, however, there was a rejuvenating feeling of hope and (more importantly?) of unity. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, Americans and non-Americans, gathered together, all with American flags waving back and forth, in one moment of celebration. Democrats were there. Republicans were there. Moderates were there. Many different races were there. Many different ethnic groups were there. For a short moment, pride and joy about being a citizen of the United States of America was displayed for miles and miles. Despite our problems, a sense of 'there's no other place I'd rather call home' swept across the crowd. At least I felt it...can't speak for the almost one million other people.
If Jesse Jackson, Jeb Bush, James Carville and Mary Matalin agreed on one general idea, it was that this generation is on the forefront of what is going to happen in the future. 2012 was an overall rough year for the USA, but 2013 could very well be a year that sets a tone for the future of the country. The prejudices which once defined our country are, over time and generations, wearing away and this is resulting in a generation which is tired of the negatives of the past and have a desire to make a change, make a difference, make a statement. When, and only when, people choose the direction of hope and band together, with all the differences and all the party divisions and all the stereotypes put aside, we have the power to salvage the world from the hate, the negatives, the violence, what's dominating the news nowadays.
When we expose ourselves and make ourselves vulnerable to the unfamiliar, walls are destroyed, minds are changed, people are humbled and the differences dissolve into nothingness. In a way, the conference was a microcosm of the world. A group of different cultures, races, ethnic groups, religions and mindsets together in one hotel recognizing that the world is set for a turn out of the past and is dead set for a future that looks encouraging and bright.
Do I still love politics? Not so much, but I definitely feel have obtained a keener interest in the state of the country and now, at least, I care about what's going on.
For pictures that I took during the event (there are a lot of them), go to this site or copy and paste the link into your browser:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200471517217233.2200318.1436136815&type=3
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