Wednesday, March 15, 2006

The Impact of Attitude on Life

The longer I live the, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.

The remarkable thing is - we have a choice every day of our lives regarding the attitud
e we embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

I’m convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you.

We are in charge of our attitudes.

-Charles R. Swindoll


I don't think he could have put it better.

I usually tend to be pessimistic, but lately I've started realizing it's not worth it. If I'm stuck on this earth, I might as well make the best of it and have a fun time on the journey. Actually, since I'm blessed enough to be on this earth, not if I'm stuck on it. The optimism is already kicking in.

Remember people:

Life is short. Live it to the fullest.

-Kyle

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

New Title, Layout, and Graphics

I was just sitting here pondering my previous post. For starters, I think I need to make small changes to improve my blog. Most importantly, I need to start posting weekly. Daily would be optimal, but probably not realistic. I'm thinking about three or four posts a week sounds like a legitimate goal.

Next, I need to make my site somewhat more original. The title is lame, although I like it somewhat. The layout is the basic default and I want some unique, originals graphics. For example, a title and set of buttons that would have the same design concept. I just want more of a professional feel, so to speak, rather than the default, non-computer savvy default setup that I currently use. I haven't put much effort into it and one can tell. Who would want to read my material if I look lazy? That will be my next point of attack.

After that, I'm clueless. I'll try and make improvements as I come along them.

Oh, and I want to have a creative way that I end all my posts, but signing them with Kyle will have to suffice for now.

-Kyle

Revitalization of this blog

I know that I've never posted regularly on here. Consequently, I have never attained an audience. All of which I expected.

Honestly, though, I have logged on to this blog everyday this week. I get on and think I'm going to make a post. So everything is going great, right?

Wrong.

I don't know what to post about. Furthermore, when I decide what I'm going to post about I'm not confident enough in my writing skills to know how I want to present it. I don't know if I should just summarize articles I read. Or should I offer my opinion on political/personal/etc... things? I've thought about doing a mix of both, but I'm not sure how to attain this whilst having a successful blog. I would define successful as having at least 3-5 readers weekly. The more the merrier, but I'm trying to set legitimate goals. I don't want to give myself false hopes only for them to be crushed.

So, please, non-existent audience, offer me your non-existent ideas on how I can trick myself into believing that I can make a better blog.

If you happened to read this,

Thanks sooo much!

-Kyle

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Questions of Life: .... Purpose of our existence?

What's the purpose of our existence on earth? What is the meaning of us being here? Is there any meaning? Why are we here? What's the point of our lives?

Are we here to live and die and to be forgotten? Do our lives have a purpose? What's the point of waking up tomorrow?

Why live until tomorrow if it will have the same meaning as living 30 years? Or will it have more of a meaning? If there is a meaning, then what is this meaning? Surely we won't be remembered forever. We will just be a breath of the past. Someday after our existence, surely, we will be forgotten. So then what is the point of our existence?

Why are we us?

And even if you say the point of our current life is for an after life, then I want to know what's the point of an after life? What's the point of living forever? Isn’t it selfish and conceited of us to dream of living forever? What's the point of a super happy after life? I thought there is no pleasure without pain. Let’s go with Christianity. So supposedly in heaven it would be a constant feeling of happiness so what would it be more pleasurable than? What would it be better than? You would know that your just going to be happy forever, what's the point in that? Why exist if knowing your just going to be happy and live forever? I see less point in that after life that the current life I’m living now?

At least this life has the goal of an after life. This goal gives us reason to live. It gives us hope and faith that there is better to come. But once we arrive in an after life, then what?

Being human it seems impossible for me to comprehend living an eternity. We, human beings, can't comprehend this seeing as we are only human. We live by time, we live knowing our time is going to run out. So how are supposed to be able to relate to how great an eternity would be? We’re just supposed to hope that it will be great?

Should I even try to comprehend things like this, think of the point of life, or am I just wasting my time? All I want is to find an inner peace, some contentment, to know what’s going to happen when I’m gone, when I die.

So if god really exists, why put us through this earth to then only live forever? Why not just skip earth and put us on heaven? What's the purpose of earth? If Jesus really is our god, then why did god allow us to think? Why didn't he just make us all Christians right off the bat without the ability to reason otherwise? Why does he let other religions such as Islam and Judaism thrive, when he could just make Christianity the only one?

An unthinkable amount of people have died over religious issues. How is a suicide bomber terrorist any worse than a Christian bombing an abortion clinic? Both were driven from their religious views. What's to say a Christian is better than a Muslim. Or should I say who's to say Christians are better than Muslims, not what’s to say. We're all people. No one is better than anyone else. We are not perfect. So why should one go to heaven and the other not, when neither are perfect? So why do Christians act like they deserve heaven more than anyone else? They aren’t perfect, and, surely, Jesus would understand the other religious people aren’t perfect, so shouldn’t Jesus take anyone to heaven?

I'm just a little confused with life at the moment. This post was more of a vent and, although I am looking for answers, I'm not expecting that anyone would actually read through all my ramblings, but, please, try and explain your feelings on this whole issue if you can.

All this got me to thinking….

Ok, well now I think, maybe I'm not supposed to think this much. Maybe I'm just supposed to go with the flow of life. It'd be a lot easier and I’d be a lot happier just to avoid thinking about things like this. I don't know why I do, but I do.

And lately it seems to be on my mind all the time. I here it come up places, I think about it.

It's just killing me hearing things like we all know we're going to die. The unknown is scary. No one knows what is going to happen when we die.

Some people have faith and hopes, and think there is an afterlife. Some think nothing will happen.

NO ONE KNOWS. And that fact is frightening. Everyone has their own views/ideas of what happens when we die, but it's impossible for us to know. It's scary.

Let's say Christianity is right. It's hard for me to imagine that millions upon millions of people (especially in Asia) can be wrong and are going to hell because they aren't Christians. It would be hard for me to imagine if my mom became an atheist that she would go to hell. What a great person she is and yet because she didn't declare her Christianity she can't go to heaven. And yet some murderer, ex convicted rapist, smoking, alcoholic guy will ask for forgiveness and go to heaven? And my dear mother won't?

I would think that if Jesus was so forgiving that anyone could go to heaven? Why exclude people, excluding them for not asking for forgiveness is just as bad as excluding them for sinning, in my opinion. I thought he was supposed to be perfect, and perfect to me would be for everyone to go to heaven.

No human is perfect so we're going to make mistakes. If my mistake is not having Christ in my life, why should I have to pay with eternal damnation? Why won't he forgive me? The best person in the world could go to hell, but yet the worst person in the world could go to heaven, just for asking a few words?

Honestly, I want to be a Christian, I want to believe, I want to find some answers. I want to live a long happy life and believe in god and heaven. The troubling thing is that I don't know if there is an answer set in stone, but I’m looking. I'm just having a lot of trouble putting faith into anything. I wish, more than anything else, that I could put faith in god, and become a Christian, and live a happy life.

Maybe it's because I'm young, cynical, and pessimistic. I hate that I am cynical and pessimistic, and I'm trying to fight it. But it’s so hard to change and I'm trying, but sometimes I don’t know if I’m trying hard enough.

All of this makes me realize that one thing I have to look forward to is the future, because the future has time, and time is what I need to find these answers in my life. I recently got a girlfriend and she is Christian. She has pretty strong faith, but even she said she has questions. She wants me to be Christian, and I want to be Christian. For the both of us it would be the best thing that could happen if I did. It would bring us that much closer, make our relationship that much stronger. And more than anything I want to make that relationship stronger.

This is the longest post I've ever written, and if you've read this whole thing, which I would be surprised if anyone took the time to do, bless you.

-Kyle

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Life....

Life has become busy recently. Therefore, I won't be able to post very often, if I'm able to post at all.

Hopefully, this summer or sooner I will be able to post again.

-Kyle

Monday, January 02, 2006

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

It's late right now and I was up until 3:00 a.m. last night watching Happy Gilmore. If you like Adam Sandler you should definitely watch this if you haven't. In my opinion, it's one of his funnier movies.

Good night!

-Kyle

Friday, December 30, 2005

Customize Your Desktop

I found the coolest new tool to customize my desktop. Go to www.konfabulator.com and download the version for your computer. Then go to www.widgetgallery.com and select widgets that fit your style from over 1500 different widgets. It comes with about twenty standard widgets, but you will have to look online for more personal/custmomized widgets.

I read about this in one of my Maximum PC issues. It is awsome! Currently, I have a digital clock, calendar, yahoo search, and stock index (constantly updated). There are so many useful tools from showing the weather forecast to having a dictionrary -- all on your desktop.

Personally, my favorite is the digital clock. It's colored and it is larger than the toolbar clock in Windows XP. (It also has an old fashioned clock

Check it out!

Here is an example of some of the standard widgets that come with the download:


My New Website

Over Christmas breakI got a domain name and webhosting as one of my gifts. For the moment, I have put toghter a website about my sports card collection. The URL is:

www.kylespages.com

It's all coded in outdated HTML, but now that I have hosting I want to make a new site. First, I need to learn PHP, MySQL, and XHTML.

Hope to post more in the near future!

-Kyle

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Posting Downtime in the Future

With my increased homework in the recents weeks I haven't been able to post much at all. In the freetime I have, I've been choosing to allot it to other activities. I don't think I'll be able to post much at all in the near future until school is out which is seven months from now, but I'll keep trying.

Don't get me wrong! I still plan on posting every week whenever time is sparse, but I can't gurantee anything such as daily posting. I will try my best, but the most I'll guarantee is one or two posts a week. I have no regular readers. Therefore, I don't forsee this being a problem.

Just letting anyone (or should I say no one) who cares about my worthless know what's going on.

Halo2 and Thanksgiving

I have been really busy with school the past week, and the previous week I was on vacation. Consequently, I haven't been able to post in here. I don't intend to have gaps of no posting, but I'm trying my best to post as much as possible.

I have had some free time as of late and I have been using it to play Halo2. It all started when I played with my brother for fun and he was better than me. He's never been better than me! He started smack talking me by saying stuff such as I wasn't good enough to play with him. I’ve been playing as much as I can over the past four days. I recommend this game if you have tons of time to kill.

Thanksgiving vacation was fun. The day after Thanksgiving I went to the Pistons game with my Dad and family. It was an awesome game of basketball, but unfortunately the Pistons lost in overtime. I still can't believe Ben Wallace missed a game winning free throw!

Hopefully I'll actually get meaningful posts up in the next few days. That’s enough about my life.

-Kyle