Greed

What do we live for? Asking oneself this question is very sobering and should be a huge wake up call. Do we live for ourselves? Money? God? Other people? Our jobs? It seems like our society has chosen to live for our own pleasures. Basically our American lifestyle can ultimately be summed up into the little word that sends shivers down my spine...GREED. Obviously this is a gigantic generalization and there are tons of generous, sharing, and kind people out there, but on a whole we have a mindset that says "me first." A few years back, I was walking through a shopping mall and I happened to notice a tatoo on a fellows arm. I was utterly shocked when I saw the marking that was covering most of his forearm. In big bold letters, the word GREED was inked in plain site for all to see. What would drive an individual to get this permanently stuck to his body??? The only way I could possibly react was laughing and shaking my head.

Honestly, we need a huge wake up call, myself included. We need to change our focus from GREED to GIVING. Philippians 2:4 "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

peace and love [life's good]

Beauty in Brandon, MB

Could there really be beauty in Brandon Manitoba? I mean it's pretty plain. Theres some trees, a pond, a starbucks, some geese, humans, concrete buildings, wind, etc... This probably sounds incredibly exciting! But as I was walking outside by a pond, with the geese bobbing around and the birds chirping, I couldn't help but see God in his creation. It was, by no means, out of the ordinary or spectacular, but it was beautiful. I so often neglect to see the beauty in my often ordinary surroundings. But looking beyond the ordinary, to notice the extreme intricacy and care that God put into his creation is truly mind blowing. Thats all I can say about it. Mind blowing! I know it's nothing profound or intelligent, but I have had these thoughts in my head a lot. Well I think I'm gonna mozy on somewhere else now...perhaps back to the starbucks.

Lately, I have been struggling to figure out how to be a socially conscious individual, while maintaining some level of a care-free and enjoyable lifestyle. It seems like every choice we make on this earth affects someone. For instance, buying jeans has meant that some human being on another continent has been exploited at the cost of my comfort and trendiness. Going to the local starbucks to get a cup of coffee, or hitting up a walmart to recieve roll-back prices means that someone somewhere is paying the price for it. Now that I am aware of this reality, how can I go on living like before? What do I do about it? Should I live in guilt for being a Canadian and living in luxury? Do I just pretend like my clothes are sewn by some magical happy elves who have a fettish for making jeans? I don't know right now...I hope that these questions turn into answers, and then the answers turn into action. My girlfriend recently wrote out a list of fair trade shops around winnipeg, consisting of restaurants, clothing shops, coffee shops, and much more. Perhaps it is through baby steps, such as supporting fair trade, that the global problem of human exploitation will cease to exist.

Wow, this is quite a surreal moment as I begin typing out my first blog ever in the history of my 21 year life. I feel like I'm being birthed (I can't believe I used this analogy) into another world, where I can say anything and it's likely not to be taken notice of. What a fun idea!

I feel like I have a million things jumping around in my head that I want to talk about, and complain about, and be joyful about, and rant about. Perhaps this outlet will help clear my brain of these millions of ideas in my brain. Just like a freeway keeps traffic organized and moving, blogging, I hope, will be a valuable tool in keeping my brain organized and un-cluttered.

Well that's pretty much all I have to say for now, without ranting about benny hinn or parking tickets, but fear not, that will come.

Peace out