The "Miracle" of Drugs

    I’ve been told by many people throughout my life to stay away from quick fixes; they are very rarely legitimate, those that are legitimate require much time and effort to glean your rewards, and though they may seem perfect for you at first, they lead to destruction in the end. The only road  to true success is perseverance, commitment, and - you guessed it - toil. Now, what do I mean by these ‘quick fixes?’ They appear in many different forms, and come from many different places, like flashing ‘Free Laptop’ ads on your computer, a daily lottery ticket for you to scratch with hidden hope for luck, or - in Eddie’s case, from the movie Limitless - a dose of MDT.

    Limitless takes us into the world of Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), who can take pride in only two things: a laptop and a book contract. Eddie seems to have hit rock bottom in life - he owes rent, he looks in dire need of freshening up his looks, his relationship with Lindy (Abbie Cornish) is dying, and to top it all off, he has an approaching deadline to finish a science fiction novel, and there is not a word on his manuscript due to writer‘s block. That is, until he runs into ex-brother-in-law Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) and allows the man to introduce a miracle pill called MDT into his life.

    The clear little drug that Eddie takes stimulates his brain beyond anything that a human can imagine. It is said that we as humans can only use a small percent of our brains. With MDT, however, Eddie is able to use 100% of it as long as the drug is in his system, making him utterly focused and utterly aware of every detail happening around him. With the gears in his head turning in overdrive, he is able to finish his book in no time, rebuild his love life, learn a language or two, and move up in society as his job interests shift from novels to the stock market.

    A small pill that can rapidly change your life for the better - a quick fix, wouldn’t you say? Unfortunately, as what comes with all ‘quick fixes’, the pill does have side effects. These side effects may include vomiting, dizziness, constipation, or any other side effect you can name, but there are worse side effects as well - side effects that quickly bring Eddie into a world of chaos and of danger.

    Frankly, I haven’t seen Bradley Cooper since I first watched The Hangover, and I’ve forgotten what I good actor I think he is, especially for a movie like Limitless. Not every actor can portray both of the personas in Eddie Morra as he goes from a street rat to top dog in the world, but Cooper seemed to fit the part well.

    The movie also features Robert De Niro, who plays the character Carl Van Loon, a very authoritative man in the financial world who sees Eddie rise in recognition and hires him. I’ve seen a lot from this actor, and I’ll be honest, I was quite surprised to see him in this film, but enjoyed his appearance in it, nonetheless.

    I loved watching Limitless, especially in the cool darkness of a movie theatre, but I will say one thing: there seemed to be a few holes that were left gaping in the movie. What I mean by this is that I was unable to connect all the dots. I was able to connect most of the dots, but not all of them. Some aspects of the plot seemed overlooked, to me. Regardless of this, I was still left with furrowed brows, intently engaged with the screen as I watched the length of the movie. If you are one of those movie-watchers who enjoys picking out the plot’s predictability, then you may have to pay a bit more attention to Limitless, as there were times where I was taken aback by sudden plot twists, which I thoroughly enjoy.

    Neil Burger has done a wonderful job in directed Limitless, and has given me a wake-up call to the world once more. There are indeed no quick fixes in life, even if they come in the form of a clear pill. However, if you enjoy modern movie twists, Bradley Cooper, progressive screen effects or writers with writer’s block, then you’ll enjoy Limitless.

Haters Indeed Gonna Hate

So. this week I discovered that I'm slightly intolerant.
...No, maybe I should back up and explain a tad more.
I discovered this week that regardless of how people may know me, I have an opinion of everything that I like to stand by. Is this normal? I would say so, but no, really - is it normal? Would you honestly say that because I have an opinion of something, that because I am passionate enough about something that I state a claim toward it, that it is okay?
You still think so? Okay, let us now take my statement into a different lens.

Yesterday I was looking through the local news online, as I am required to in Journalism class, and found another typical burglary case with a man who is not shown in the article. During the reading of online news articles, I enjoy scrolling down past the article and reading what comments the public have to made in regard to the article. I usually find the 'thoughtful' and rhetorical comments that people make, like "Oh heavens, what has this world come to?", comments that I usually think are meant to sound smart, but are obscured in the frustrating forest of SMS Textese, and of course, the troll comments.
I hate to bring discrimination into this, but this particular article that I read had the comments of "I'll be he was black/Hispanic" or whatever ethnicity have you. And, of course, when discrimination is involved in anything, people are there to basically whack the commenter repeated with virtual hammers. I often roll my eyes at this point and continue to scroll down to other more meaningful comments.

This particular time, however, something in me clicked. I began to think. Okay, what if the burglar WAS black? Was if he was white? What if he was Hispanic? What if he were a blue, mutated man with green hair and three eyes? Would either of those people's appearance have made it less of a crime? A burglary is a burglary, in my opinion, regardless of who did it, or what they looked like.

Now, let me try again.
Is it wrong for me to have an opinion? To some people, yes.
For example (and I repeat, example), I believe that all puppies under the height of 2 feet should be kicked repeatedly until dead.
This is my opinion. Is it wrong? Yes. Why? Because it is morally unacceptable.
Does this mean that I no longer can have this opinion that puppies should be kicked? Not necessarily, but because of it, my life will be a living hell of consistent nagging of how I 'shouldn't be so cruel to puppies' and how I 'should think of others before myself.'

Alright, now let's go back to reality. I do not believe that puppies should be kicked. Only a madman would believe that. I do, however, have other beliefs. To some people, my beliefs would be considered as 'intolerant.'
Let me give an example (and this one is real). I am not a fan at all of reality television, nor am I a fan at all of television in general. These popular TV shows such as Jersey Shore, The Bachelor...they're pointless to me. They have no values, they have no wit. They're simply shows of cameramen invading the lives of once-meager people. When I express these thoughts to other people, however, red flags go up. I apparently 'just don't get the point behind the television show' or 'don't understand how entertaining it is.'
Let me clear something up. I don't form an opinion of something until I've had a taste of it. I don't say that I dislike asparagus until I've tried it. I don't say that I dislike rock music until I've listened to it. This should tell people that I have tried to join the little fad of Jersey Shore by watching a few episodes. I read the first book of Twilight before I claimed that I strongly disliked the series.

Let's look at reality.
I think certain things have no value. I have no use for them. If you find any value in these people, milk it. If you simply enjoy following the popular crowd, be my guest. It's no skin off of my nose. Just don't try to sway me.
If you have a valid argument to make against my opinions, I will listen and consider. I'm not a rebel. But if you're simply going to bash me for my views with no reason but to bring me down to size, then every word shall go in one ear and out the other.
Opinions are not wrong. They're misunderstood.

-Cheryl-Buddy

A new Lent Resolution

My parents have always told me to stay away from Philosophy. Heaven knows why. They've told me that the world has no use for philosophers, and that I would not benefit at all from being a philosopher. Though I do not feel that this is my calling, I cannot help but wonder what causes my parents to be so uptight about such a topic. Is it wrong for a man to sit and philosophy by himself, or with a companion? My parents are frankly not the only people who have advised that I keep away from the topic of Philosophy. These people have not only been teachers and other adults, but even people who are my age, very young. So why, I ask you, should I keep away from philosophical topics? Are there any hidden dangers that lie beneath the finding of deep answers to deep questions? I'm sure that there are circumstances under which being philosophical could prove dangerous, but before I specify those factors, I must clear one question (for my own sake).

What is Philosophy?

Wikipedia (as of right now) calls it "the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language."

Merriam-Webster calls it many things, including the "pursuit of wisdom", or "a search for a general understanding of values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means."

I personally consider it the combing out of the tangled mess that humans like to call reality.

With this provided information, I gather that I am being philosophical when I am in highway traffic each morning, debating over whether or not I should allow my mild road rage to kick in when a lunatic driver decides to pull in front of me in a dangerous fashion. I am being philosophical when I am choosing between celery sticks and toast for an afternoon snack, based on which would benefit me more. I am also being philosophical when the accidental topic of abortion comes up in everyday conversation, and I am offered to speak my mind against a friend's views.
Is there anything wrong with these factors? I personally think not.

But what if I am consistently trying to find the right and wrong in things?

I suppose this where I come to realize something about myself. The world is made of balance. There is no good unless there is evil to accompany it. There is no health unless there is sickness to fight off. There is no light without darkness to push against it. There is no true peace without letting things go. If a man is constantly thinking about what his next action will be 5 minutes after he has made another action-based decision, not only will his life pass quickly before his eyes, but he will wear his brain to the core in the process.

Lately, I've been worried about my actions. I've been worried about my actions a bit too much, it seems. Perhaps it's time to to let things be.
This does not mean that I'll stop being philosophical. But I think I understand now that there are just some things that need to be let go.
Hopefully with some discipline, I won't have to worry about thought to bring me true peace. Wish me luck.

Out,
Cheryl-Buddy

Pickets and Political News - Usually Not My Thing...

Today in Journalism class my classmates and I were each handed a copy of an article printed from FoxNews.com. I mentally rolled my eyes right then. Why? Because I don't particularly like Fox News. No offense to fans out there, but they can to be a bit more subjective in their reporting than other news providers. I don't mind this at all - it's simply that when a topic reported to me in such a subjective tone isn't relatable, my mind tends to automatically shut down. Bad habit? Yes, I suppose. Understandable? I certainly hope so, because I know I'm not the only one out there who does it.

But I digress. As I was saying, I picked up the paper and without much thought, scanned the Ads by AdBlade off to the right hand corner about E-Cigs, demolishing wrinkles, and how professionals hate moms for coming up with these incredible remedies for stuff that I as a teenager don't really care about. Then the teacher began to read, so I followed along. The article was entitled "Westboro Funeral Pickets Are Protected Speech, High Court Rules."

Well, there are now two things that I don't like about this article: it's from Fox News, and it's about picket protesters. Regardless, I continue to read along, for fear of being called on to read. I gather enough info whilst reading the first few paragraphs to know that a church from Topeka, Kansas called Westboro Baptist has been picketing at military funerals, pretty much as the title said.
You can read the article that I draw reference from here.

What caught my eye, however, is not the article itself; there have been protests since the dawn of time, and since our 1st Amendment - freedom of speech - was brought into play here in the US, it's normal for the government to brush them off of their shoulders. Can't be violating our precious Bill of Rights now, can we? So yes, this shouldn't be a big deal at all to America. What caught my eye is their quite offensive signs. Yes, picket signs have offensive sayings on them, but...well, let me give this analogy. I often refer to picket protesters as little Internet trolls. They say these really stupid things in comments, and wait for someone to bite their bait - then they have what they want. They have a reaction (usually an angry reaction) from someone else. These protesters are practically the same. They wave their signs, the signs have crudely-drawn and mildly amusing little hatred phrases on them, and they wait for someone to retort. These people went a little over the top, I think. Just a little.

So this is a church, eh? Heh...that's kind of funny. Last time I went to church, they didn't protest - especially not in this fashion. And they're Baptist? I'm not a Baptist, I'm a Methodist, but I know enough about the stereotypical Baptist to realize that these people missed the mark by a long shot. These people aren't Baptist. I'm pretty sure they're not even a church. I think they're a cult. Come now, they have small children on the streets during their protests, who probably have no idea what's going on, with leaning "God Hates Fags" signs on their chests. What is this? Children don't protest. They're too young. They protest against nap time, short recesses, and putrid cafeteria food. That's not to compare to a military funeral. You could look the church up on Wikipedia and won't have to read a single word. The pictures provide more than enough information, and Wikipedia has plenty of them.

I'll admit - I'm utterly confused with this church. Not only do I feel that they contradict themselves in their signs, along with my powerful belief that they are an anarchist cult, but they seem to be surprisingly serious about what they're doing. Look at these signs.

These are not cardboard signs with white spray paint hastily scribbled to make words. Though I'm not sure, I think these were professionally made, or printed (God forgive the knucklehead who printed these...). These protests could easily have been planned, deeply and thoughtfully. The Internet also makes it pretty clear that this isn't their first strike. And then I read over the colorful backgrounds at the bold, black letters, and I raise an eyebrow. "Thank God for 9/11?" "Pray For More Dead Soldiers?" "God is Your Enemy?"

Please, be clear with me. Is God your Creator or your Destroyer? Do you love Him or not? They even try to be religious about their words with stupid signs like "You Will Eat Your Babies - Lev. 26:27-29." Quoting Bible scripture is not going to make you more religious, especially if your context is off. Just briefly, the story behind the Leviticus scripture is basically God chewing out the people who worship idols. The part about eating babies comes where God tells them not to rebel, or He'll punish them so severely that survival mode will engage within them from starvation, therefore making them want to each their children. You don't mess with God. Just saying. He'll make you eat your babies.

So now comes my response to this utter nonsense. Though I would be glad and willing to send each member of that church to a spiritual therapist, I have nothing bad to say, really. They may be extremely misled, and may prove to be a gnat in people's ears, but they do, unfortunately, have their rights, just like you and I do. If I were a victim of their protests, I'll admit, I might go to jail as a result. But it's not like trying to stop them is going to do any good. It's like the illegal industry of marijuana. Though it might not be smiled upon, people are still going to smoke it. The best thing that people can do is to take their anger out on these people in a non-violent manner, and let them do what they will. They're just a gnat...or a bumblebee...or a hungry parrot on your shoulder. Regardless, the end of the article includes the Supreme Court allowing them to do their thing instead of trying to suppress them. I'm glad the government decided to be rational instead of just. Don't worry, silly people - these hooligans will get their just desserts when they all die to face the Big Man Upstairs. I personally would like a video copy of how He deals with them then.

Don't worry, not all of my blogs will be like this. This article just really caught my attention today, and I felt the need to mentally express how I felt.
As always, I enjoy feedback on how I'm doing as a newbie.
Thanks!
- Cheryl-Buddy