My Life Outside of Photography Thoughts and findings that don't always relate to Photography

12Jul/101

What I’ve learned from Church Sport Activities

This is over years and years of experience of church and stretching far beyond church events.

This does not include organized sporting events and leagues but "just for fun" events.
Yes I just got back from an activity... but I've actually wanted to write this post for YEARS.
So this is hardly a reflection of simply the last event

  • Everything is permissible in the name of having fun.
  • It's alright not to try your best.
  • Every failure, lack of effort, time of goofing off, rule breaking can be excused by saying "It's just a game"
  • Goals and objectives are so very over rated in life... why do them in activities.
  • The way to learn how to deal with loosing is to never put yourself in a position where anyone can loose.
  • Working as a team is way over rated.
  • Working as a team for one united effort is too hard to even attempt.
  • When you try to work at a team it means sometimes someone has to tell someone when they're doing something wrong and that makes someone into a bad guy.
  • It's best to let someone just keep doing something wrong.
  • Let people do whatever they want because it avoids any chance of contention.
  • Trying your hardest is over rated.
  • Keeping score just leads to people having an objective and putting in their best effort... which as we all know leads to problems stated above because we're not mature enough to deal with those sorts of things.
  • Rules don't solve anything... the best lesson is to learn how to exist with eachother in chaos.
  • The most vocal person gets to decide the rules because no one else should stand up for what's right.
  • It's best to just make up the rules as you go along instead of stating them at the beginning.
  • It's too much to ask to have someone come prepared to know the rules to begin with.
  • Knowing your order or your position is for dictators... it's better to let people stress each time about where they're supposed to be. Even if it's wrong.
  • When someone gets hurt the bigger the crowd around the person doing nothing... the better the person is going to feel.
  • "Next point wins" is the way for everyone to feel good about the ending because no one really wins because we all know it really means nothing at all.
  • So above all the standard of "having fun" can only be achieved in chaos, lack of objectives and and a void of leadership.
  • Becoming better at what you do is for prudes and people that hate fun.

RECAP

  • Don't keep score.
  • Don't enforce rules.
  • Don't have an objective.
  • Finish the game when it just disolves into chaos.
  • Or finish the game when the popular person says he or she is done playing.
  • Allowing people to fail time and time again is much better than possibly coming off as the know it all.
  • Being organized is over rated.
  • Having fun is impossible if 1. You're trying to work as a team 2. Trying to get better 3. Organized 4. Have an objective and keep track.

Did I miss anything?

Be sure to take these points and apply them in your every day life such as at school, at work, personal goals, hobbies, spirituality.

Just have fun remember it's all just a game and if you're trying hard and doing your best you're overworking and you're obviously not having fun.

22Jun/101

When it subsides

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident.
- Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Thoughts?

22Jun/100

I’d like to be your senator… who am I?

Hi Utah I want to be your senator:

I believe in the constitution and small government that's why I would be your best bet for creating new government jobs and handing out confiscated wealth to you and my savvy friends.

I learned the hard way (went from rags to riches) and I know all about money as well as justifying my actions because I'm a small businessman-millionaire.

I'll get the job done no matter if I have to give up what's most important to me to get it done. Like principles. But i'd do it all for you.

You voted for a businessman the last 2-3 times you shouldn't have a problem voting for me. Cut from the same fabric i'd say.

PLEASE VOTE TODAY

17Jun/103

Bridgewater for Board games Mike Lee for Senate

So the Utah primary is coming up and I want to give my insight for what it's worth.

When I first listened to the candidates I thought Mike Lee and Bridgewater seemed to be good choices. Mike Lee went on to continue to impress me and Bridgewater has not done anything that has made me feel he'd be the right choice.

The way I see it... Bridgewater would be my choice for a partner on a strategy board game (We'd have fun, be friends and win the board game) and Mike Lee would be my choice for the next senator.

(My ramblings below)

3Jun/100

Almost Perfect

The almost-perfect game frought with human error and strife becomes a story of courage and inspiration... to me.http://ow.ly/1TL4L #mlb

(Read many of the other write-ups on the subject)

Achievement
Passion
Disappointment
Honesty
And above all ... Forgiveness

It really is an impressive story... better than the movies... and set to share a message to millions.

No it's not a happy story, it's not a comedy... but not all stories need a laugh to make us better people.

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22Mar/100

Oh say, What is truth?

In response to the post about being careful that schools teach you or your kids a bunch of false crap, you ask... what is truth?

I respond in a poem/song/hymn

Oh say, what is truth?

1. Oh say, what is truth? ’Tis the fairest gem
That the riches of worlds can produce,
And priceless the value of truth will be when
The proud monarch’s costliest diadem
Is counted but dross and refuse.

2. Yes, say, what is truth? ’Tis the brightest prize
To which mortals or Gods can aspire.
Go search in the depths where it glittering lies,
Or ascend in pursuit to the loftiest skies:
’Tis an aim for the noblest desire.

3. The sceptre may fall from the despot’s grasp
When with winds of stern justice he copes.
But the pillar of truth will endure to the last,
And its firm-rooted bulwarks outstand the rude blast
And the wreck of the fell tyrant’s hopes.

4. Then say, what is truth? ’Tis the last and the first,
For the limits of time it steps o’er.
Tho the heavens depart and the earth’s fountains burst,
Truth, the sum of existence, will weather the worst,
Eternal, unchanged, evermore.

Text: John Jaques, 1827–1900

Music: Ellen Knowles Melling, 1820–1905

Doctrine and Covenants 93:23–28

John 18:37–38

How do we obtain that truth can sometimes be the trickiest and yet most beneficial stuggle of our lives.
There are so many avenues, so many philosophies of men so many ideas that people skilled in rhetoric can seem to convince you of.
Any manipulator or false prophet or eager teacher seems to have a large following of disciples eager to proclaim THE TRUTH.

As for me and my house. I hold tight to the concept taught by Amos the prophet in Amos 3:7

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

This with the combination of the holy ghost will be the way we obtain the truth IMHO

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26

There are many other scriptures on how to help distinguish a truth from god from a philosophy of men or a philosophy sprinkled with truths of god. (Of which there are many of these mixings)

16Mar/100

Education is good… But be careful.

"I feel to warn you that one of the chief means of misleading our youth and destroying the family unit is our educational institutions. There is more than one reason why the Church is advising our youth to attend colleges close to their homes where institutes of religion are available. It gives the parents the opportunity to stay close to their children, and if they become alerted and informed, these parents can help expose the deceptions of men like Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, John Dewey, John Keynes and others. There are much worse things today that can happen to a child than not getting a full education. In fact, some of the worst things have happened to our children while attending colleges led by administrators who wink at subversion and amorality. Said Karl G. Maeser, 'I would rather have my child exposed to smallpox, typhus fever, cholera or other malignant and deadly diseases than to the degrading influence of a corrupt teacher.'" (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 307.)

Thoughts on that?
Personally I love it!

We should love and cherish and uphold and fight for truth, strive to be educated and seek desperately for true principles.
We should be excited for every opportunity to learn something uplifting and true.
But we should run from false corrupting ideas of men, like they were the plague coming to infect us and leave us a blody pulp of flesh rotting in the scorching desert.

30Jan/100

Make things better

How sad if we couldn't take a "situation" and turn it into something far better. Any situation, good or bad.

As Einstein said: to approach a problem at a different level of thinking.
To allow ourselves to be creative, to allow ourselves to be inspired.

Then we can avoid problems simply because we always know we can make them better.
We can work with people and their problems when they conflict with our expectations, because we can find the better way.
With this we "Let Go" and simply find a better way.

The will of the lord does not stop with what has happened, but continues in how we react.
Our sadnesses should be few when we really recognize we are capable, and we are supported, to make any situation better.

26Jan/100

A Faithful Hand

Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person;
having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
but to put them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together,
knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them,
keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.
-George Elliot

What I want

I want to always be strong.
I want to continue to be the one that helps and supports others.
I like giving, I like teaching.
I like sharing my talents, photography, humor and even principles.

Who wants other people to see them at their weakest?
Why would we want to let people know there are problems... to view us like we're damaged?
Why to cry and bemoan our fate, like the annoying people we know who are always complaining and bringing others down.

Why hide it?

18Jan/100

Finding Meekness : Letting Go

This is part of a talk given on Jan 17th
Parts in grey were notes that were taken out of the second draft, but I've left in the blog post.
The talk was cut in half even after that because of the time alloted after the first two speakers, I had to improvise.
It was created as a audio talk and probably works best that way... but in hope someone might like it I share it here. (For the couple of people at church that expressed interest in a copy of the talk)
May we all understand better what the meekness of christ means and be able to let go of the things preventing us from getting there.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

the objective I have is, to teach the following:

"Finding Meekness : Letting Go"

Letting go is part of Meekness and meekness is required to let go (put away childish things)

Let Go vs Grow Up