Western women vs Traditional men

Day after day it is becoming more and more apparent that western women of today seriously knock heads with the traditional men of yesterday! The values and superstitions that these men base their lives on are things that western women will never understand or appreciate. For example women who weave or perm their hair or women who actually want to be "bread winners"within their families ...it seems that in choosing these lifestyles they are compromising their capability to commit to the traditional men who want cultured women that are willing to submit themselves to their men and their "power". It seems that in accepting western culture, we as women are relinquishing our chances with the men of today who are like our fathers, which according to Freud are the kind of men we are attracted to. Traditional men though can be some of the best men...their morals and their attitude in life are of a superior standard to that of the men we see emerging today. Things like sunday dinners, protecting their women or paying their way are things that are guaranteed by a traditional man and are things that are particularly endearing for any women...It seems that as long as we accept western culture and thoughts we are surrendering the men who we are culturally tied to..Just a thought I'm having on the train ride home..

The Animal Kingdom

On my coach journey from Manchester to London the weather was “unusually” grim for English summers…I had the misfortune of driving past several farms and private land alongside the motorway. A certain sight has stuck with me and has led me to the thoughts that follow. As I listened to music, I saw a group of horses who had unfortunately been left out in the rain but they nevertheless were congregating under a tree. The fact that these horses were in fact standing freely beneath a tree and not unconsciously standing out in the rain must be taken as evidence that horses do in fact have some kind of rational thought process. They are not brain dead and completely incapable of making decisions they are in fact the opposite and seem to possess a certain level of intelligence. An infant for example wouldn’t have the “sense” to find a tree and stand beneath it to shield themselves from the rain if left abandoned in a farm (do not try this at home). So why then do we think it is justified to treat animals the way we do? Why do we expect so little from them? I mean I’m not a vegetarian and nor am I one of those people go around preaching that “The power is in the animals”...but I do think that they are a lot smarter than people think. They evidently are conscious and do have basic minds of their own which they can make simple decisions with. So maybe it IS wrong to kill them, use them for transport and subject them to all of the other things that we as humanity have deemed them “useful” for. It would be wrong to treat a baby or a person who is in a vegetive state in these ways so why is it acceptable to treat animals in this way? Just because of the simple fact that they are animals? Are we not animals too?  Humanity is obviously a superior faction of the animal kingdom but we should not doubt the intelligence of the other factions despite of whether they can make the same impact on the world that we can.  Animals not only have a purpose to aid humanity throughout it’s existence but are also have a purpose in themselves I'm sure and therefore are here to be appreciated like trees which ought to be respected due to their role of replenishing oxygen as an example. We should never feel that we are above nature or not a part of it and we should do what we can to keep it going because without it our lives would be unimaginably hindered....just a quick thought.

Embrace

To me, life is all a matter of what you are choosing to embrace. Whenever recounting on the word "embrace" I start to see that there are more and more things that I should work at doing and urge other people to do also. Life, after all, is so important and learning how to truly embrace things wholeheartedly, I find, can do nothing but aid your life and your experiences. I personally feel that the word "embrace" can be used to prescribe one of the following actions..1) embracing life's experiences 2) embracing changes or differences and 3) embracing yourself. All three of these are of an equal importance but nevertheless I will attack them systematically. In embracing life's experiences I mean taking full advantage of your opportunities and accepting that things are good in themselves. We should never feel like we aren't getting enough out of life or not enjoying it, because we should all make a conscious effort to take chances and at times let go of the reigns and just enjoy life's freestyle. We should never feel scared or attempt to squash a desire we have to experience something else, because we are all running a different race and you've got to do what you can to enjoy yours and achieve YOUR heart's desires. Embracing changes or differences is something incredibly important. There are so many cultures in this world..so many countries and amazing sights to see..so many people, so many streets, restaurants, nightclubs.. I mean the world is literally an array of 'differences'.  We are so fortunate that we are growing up in a time where being different is what people pride themselves on and change is definitely happening (well..gradually). People, though, can be so ignorant at times, and ignore chances or opportunities just because they are different or out of their comfort zone. People should embrace whatever makes them smile (within reason) and appreciate whatever they are passionate about for what it is. Finally...the idea of "embracing yourself" may seem strange, initially, but it is nevertheless something we should all strive to achieve. We should all accept who we are and should at least all aim to like ourselves! At the same time though we should definitely stay open to new things and remain indifferent but curious towards things that we have not yet experienced. I feel like I've just written a page in a "self-help" book which, I assure you, is not my usual style at all...I just felt like I needed to say this.

Materialistic much?

You lose a phone and it's gone. It's just gone. You don't get a second chance, you don't get to do things over and avoid the situation ever happening again. I mean after all of the bonding, after all of the wonderful times you've shared.. it's all just lost. Think about it, your phone is always there, to entertain you, to provide you with good music and good conversations..(well if you've got good people to converse with)..but nevertheless it's such a sad occurrence...losing your mobile phone that is. After writing all of that I actually feel a bit silly...clearly the attention I pay to things that can so easily be lost or stolen is ridiculous. But I'm not #foreveralone in this materialistic world..you're all a part of it too. Whenever I am out with friends or just chilling out indoors I notice from time to time just how many people are gazing into the eyes of social networking sights, playing games or "draw[ing] something". The epidemic is huge...I mean it's even reached lecture halls, the cab journey home and supermarket queues. What ever happened to reading books, newspapers and having meaningful conversations over lunch? Are we all losing ourselves in this world where the technological possibilities seem endless? I mean we created a "kindle" so we can read books without paper, we can get degrees without actually having to leave our homes through online schooling, we can have conversations, meet friends or even find our "soul mates" all online too, without actually having to physically see anyone face to face. Natural life has become too electronic. Too virtual, too intangible. With cyber friends, cyber classes, cyber jobs and even cyber love are we living a real reality? Are we drifting away from the things that matter the most?

You only live once...duhh

This YOLO thing has really got me feeling very unsure about whether our generation will go on to achieve anything remotely successful. Thanks to one rapper, Drake, an obscene amount of young people have literally gone mad and blame this "YOLO" motto for their outlandish behaviour. I mean we were definitely considered the "YOLO" generation prior to Drake's announcing it, so why everyone is suddenly just noticing and quoting it is beyond me. The Student Protests, The London Riots.. these are two examples of the "You only live once" attitude being adopted by our UK young people but there are plenty of other societies experiencing the same thing. Our generation already messed up by seriously compromising their individuality with everybody talking and dressing the same.. (Nike Blazers, Leopard print Creepers..even down to the uniform eyebrows every girl seems to have)..But nowww things seem to have taken a turn for the worse as this generation are now attempting to excuse all of their bad behaviour by saying.."ahhh you only live once ay"? Why can't people use this YOLO thing to their advantage? Why can't teenagers think, "You only live once, hey I better work harder on this piece of coursework" or I better start attending all my classes at Uni or College so I can eventually get good grades, a good job and have a wealthy later life? Why has YOLO got to be an excuse for serious unpleasantries? Like "Yolo I just slept with my best friend's boyfriend"...It's unacceptable. People need to get a grip. Sooner rather than later preferably. Let me try and be softer..that felt a bit harsh.. We have so many great things at our disposal young people... Sooo many opportunities and chances to take control of our lives and make them a success, so why don't we focus on that instead...

Rant About Tesco

I am so confused...for those of you who are not aware of the antics that Tesco are currently up to, I will briefly enlighten you. Tesco have decided to get rid of our beloved "Tesco value" range. Instead they are going to spend loads of money re-branding the range and making it healthier at the same time! I do not understand why Tesco are trying to "re vamp" their basic budget range. It makes absolutely nooo sense to spend thousands of pounds in production and advertising for products as basic as a pack of 3p cream crackers! Clearly Tesco have got too much money at their disposal...I mean who wants to spend money when you don't need to. The BBC reported that Tesco rake in a staggering £1billion a year just from their "Tesco value" range alone, which proves that there is no real reason for them to go changing the range as it is evidently selling very well just the way it is! See this is when greed starts to triumph common sense! Why change something that is already selling really well? Is the hope of it maybe doing slightly better next year of a greater interest then the possibility of the sales falling because of the unnecessary changes made to the brand. Clearly customers like the simplicity, the blandness and the "everyday-ness" of the "Tesco value" range which is why they continue to buy it. If people wanted to buy products of a higher quality, don't worry Tesco, they would. It is also like Tesco and all of these companies in fact are attempting to force health down my throat..like I can't even buy a cheap fat-drenched ready meal from Tesco anymore nor can I by a burger from Mac Donalds that's not 100% beef..Look if I want healthy, good quality food I'll spend the extra to get it but if I'm going somewhere cheap I expect to get the fat and the poor quality that I'm essentially paying for! Sometimes I just want a basic chicken korma, that costs like 2p in production and tastes like cardboard!!! I don't always want the frills!!!! Excuse the rant...

The "Kony" thing...

I am finding it more and more worrying that teenagers are being mocked for following the KONY 2012 campaign. There have been loads of strong arguments against the aims and the actions of the actual KONY 2012 campaign, with talk about the obscene amounts of money that the charity are spending on advertising and videos and also the huge threat Uganda could possibly be under with U.S.A intervention. However, this being said I still do not see why it is acceptable to patronise people who are sharing the video as they clearly only want to help. Teenagers can be so idle and lack any real grip on the world and the serious issues that countries are constantly faced with, but now something of substance has finally captured the attention of this generation and they are still being mocked. What do you want from people? Teenagers are self-centered and materialistic when they don't care about political issues, but then they are patronised and made to feel guilty when they do start to take an interest...it's like they can't win. I'm not saying that the KONY 2012 charity is infallible and that we should all blindly follow it but IF it is successful in saving the lives of these Ugandan children and their families, would this not be a good thing? American intervention is something feared by all less economically developed countries and campaigners are right for being concerned in this case for the Ugandan people if America do back this mission..however, as much as this is true it is also true that children are dying in Uganda, children are being raped in Uganda...and unless another charity is promising that they can stop all of this as quickly as the KONY campaign says they can, I don't see why we should dismiss the KONY campaign or why we should be ridiculed for supporting it.

The female endeavour for a man

Those who are unfortunately raised without a father figure within their household seem to inevitably grow to have "man issues". This isn't me just attempting to diagnose every women without a father figure as being seriously messed up... but I'm asserting they are merely hindered in the social department. The first way that a woman under these circumstances is at a social disadvantage is seen through their attitude towards men who want to date them. They are either too optimistic and feel totally capable of loving every single man who they are confronted with..almost like a walking love machine..relentless! OR they are the incredibly bitter women, who are so scarred by the actions of their father that they convince themselves that all men are the same and that they shouldn't trust a word that comes out of their perfectly poised mouths. NOW it is not just possible suitors that the absent-father syndrome effects..it is also able to effect friendships. When a women is without a positive male role model, like a father, they are forced to make their own in the male friends....in fact they can be said to make male friends purposely.. They "grow up with" a number of males or even just one male friend who they are ridiculously close to and expect to be there for them and advise them in every possible way.. just like a father would. They look at the mere possibility of dating one of these "fabricated fathers" almost as incest...even though these men would surely be perfect for them. Well that's if you want a boyfriend who you don't mind knowing everything about you..anyway these women need to stop making every man pay for the sins of their fathers (sounding real biblical there but it's true). Life is way too short for grudges as significant as those....

ADOLESENCE

Life as an adolescent has its perks (free accommodation, not much being expected of you, the drunken wild parties) but I’m pretty sure that the bad definitely outweighs the good of being a young and spicy teen! I mean let's look at the facts here…you live at home so really your parents are Hitler-style-dictators in your house. “That mean no boys upstairs”…. what ever happened to democracy!  You can’t party all weekend because you’ve got to be up bright and early on a Sunday for two tiresome hours at church.grrrrrr. THENN during the week you’ve got the hardest job of all which is forcing yourself to get up and out of the warmest bed in the world to endure the most mundane lessons at college ever, and you'll probably be practising for the most difficult examinations to date!..I mean how can teenagers be expected to pass exams when they can’t even keep their eyes open through the prep! It’s a crazy world!... Teenagers should not be trusted with the “key to their future”..The majority of teens are a wild and leery bunch of bursting indecency that could sleep for hours on end if given the chance. Interesting fact, the number of minutes per week that parents spend having a meaningful conversation with their children is: 38.5 minutes. That was taken from (American Family Research Council, "Parents Fight ‘Time Famine' as Economic Pressures Increase," 1990.) I mean that’s evidence enough isn’t it? Teenagers are strange human beings that are all remarkably idle and lack any real grip on reality. Harsh?  Hardly.

My "multi-cultural" society

When recounting on the society that we live in today, people like to think of things like diversity, culture, liberty and many other things of a simular calibre. BUT in actual fact these things are not things which should be associated with our society..especially not the society that we are a part of right here in the UK. Segregation, racism and sexism are still very prominent and I guess it's weird that I'm only noticing this now. People are just as reluctant to enter into inter-racial dating or have an array of multi-cultured friends as they were 20 years ago...there seems to actually have been no development in people's accepting such things into society which seems ludicrous. Everyone seems to somehow feel indebted to their culture and feel that they are obliged to cohere with the rules of that particular faction, which means things like inter-racial dating or even inter-religious dating are ruled out and these acts are casted off as misdemeanors which should not be copied. To think that two people who are extremely compatible but belong to two different stations within society must, as a result, fight their desires to be together all for the benefit of others (like the reputations of their family or friends for example) is not liberal at all. What happened to relationships being based on companionship and love? It seems like now everyone is going out into the world armed with a criterion of what it is they're looking for in a person...which undeniably takes the passion and the fun out of finding real love or meaningful friendships. The underlying problem with our society is not that we're conservative and unwilling to accept change, it's the fact that we try to ACT like we're liberal and ACT like we're spontaneous, grabbing the bull by the horns and living life to the absolute fullest but we're not. We're simultaneously stuck in these little boxes which all have rules that we follow religiously and when a person dares to violate one of these rules they are cast out of society and made to feel like an outsider. In actual fact you should idolise that person. The person who finally broke the mould.