Life's Little Influances

I was at the hospital the other day, talking to a nurse about child birth, and she mentioned how the full moon has a tendency to make for a very busy night for the Labor and Delivery section of the hospital; especially among the "crazy people" as she put it. It reminded me of some friends I had a few years ago, and I had to agree with her that a full moon can certainly have an effect on certain people who are sensitive to those sorts of things. She conclude by saying she wouldn't have believed it herself if she hadn't done some research on it while she was in school.

Today, my wife and I were talking about how women tend to get in-sync with their monthly cycles, because a mutual friend of ours was thinking she might be expecting. I wondered if there was a reason why women do tend to do this; was there some purpose behind it? Did it somehow fit into God’s plan?

All this got me to thinking about all the influences we have in our lives from worldly pressures, pier pressures, natural phenomena, and other subtle things we rarely even notice; like the ones I saw in an animated movie about an unusual penguin that went on an adventure to save his fellow birds from the horrible humans taking all their sea food. The movie was rich with subtle innuendos about how our elderly and religious leaders shouldn't be trusted or believed, and how it was ok to be so different that you can get away with behaving irrationally and in socially destructive ways.

The few people I talked to about the movie thought I was reading things into it, but I believe those who are the most oblivious to these things are the most likely to be unconsciously influenced by them; instead of filtering them out and recognizing them for what they are. If we do nothing more than "go with the flow" these influence will surly end up controlling our lives, and taking us where ever they may.

All this makes me thankful that I have a belief system in my life to helps me stay in control of my decisions and my life; instead of losing my ability to choose for myself. It also reminded me of the importance of making decisions about whom and what you are before being faced with an otherwise difficult decision. If you already know your moral value system, these decisions are no longer difficult, but become increasingly black and white as your moral values and beliefs become more solidified.

I'm not talking about choices such as a career or what to eat for dinner, as these things become almost meaningless when viewed with an eternal perspective. Such a view is not easy to come by in this life, as it has a very finite beginning and end points for everyone, but when you realize that what is truly important to come away from this life with, are not the physical possessions we have (really, you can’t take them with you) but the spiritual progression and heavenly treasures we have obtained, you start to see how important it is to be in control of yourself and your life; while heading in the right directly.

Thanks to the Saviors Atonement, God allows for course corrections, and U-turns.

- Posted By Spaldam

Thanks to Microsoft, We all know how to play Solitaire

When Microsoft Windows first came out, and computers started to become a household item, we didn't always know how best to use our new toy. Some of us had modems and dialed up to on-line services like the one I use to run (the most popular of which was AOL).

The biggest problem with the on-line world at the time was that not everyone was connected to each other thru the Internet, so you had to establish a sperate connection to each on-line site you wanted to visit; using your phone line and their phone number. Of course us geeks didn't see this as an obstacle or problem that made it too un-user-friendly to use, but rather as a fun way to use our new computers.

Back then, most people got a new computer to serve a specific purpose. Perhaps they needed a word processor, or an accounting program, or maybe they just wanted the latest in trendy, expensive, big-boy toys. When they were done using their word processors and other programs, however, what did this big expensive piece of electrons have to offer? Well thanks to Microsoft, we all found ourselves playing Solitaire.

I first used Windows at version 3.11 in the mid 90’s, which came with some wonderful new networking tools. Of course I stuck with using my top of the line 28.8kbs modem for most of my amusement, but I also found some new fun games to play, including Solitaire and Minesweeper. The hours I wasted playing solitary could have been spent so much more productively, but there I was mindlessly addicted to playing this new game that seemed so amazing at the time.

Yesterday, I was sitting around in a waiting room, with my Palm Treo 700p, and what was I doing with it? You guessed it. Playing Solitaire. I stopped for a second and thought about it. Did I really like this game, or was I just so use to playing it that I was habitually drawn to it out of boredom? I started to realize how stupid this game really is. It was a boring, stupid, mindless game that even the most skilled players cannot possibly hope to win at it even half of the time.

I had gotten so use to playing it that it was almost like an addiction, a habit, or even a reflex. Was this Microsoft’s marketing strategy? Give them a small free something to make the computer seem fun? Make Windows seem like the best operation system out there despite it's inefficiencies and instabilities, by giving you a dinky little game that made you feel the need to use your Windows operated computer whenever you were board; to the point that being on the computer was a habit, or even a reflex.

Thanks Microsoft. Thanks for nothing.

Mac’s Rule!!

- Posted by Spaldam