In Honor of The Fallen

Lately in history we have been studying wars. We just finished with Korea. I had respect for the men and women who served, but I never really understood how much they gave. I still do not fully, but I have a better idea. I came across a story on theblaze.com today that stilled my heart and made me think. It wasn't really even a story. It was just a series of pictures from Vietnam. I went from there and found some other pictures of those fallen. Sometimes the most powerful way to convey a message is silence.
Now is one of those times.

In honor of the fallen, I lift now my voice.

I know they can hear me, for they live on as heroes.

In the past, my freedom I've taken lightly.

I took for granted your fateful choice.

You chose the path taken by few.

And gave your lives for the birth of freedom anew.

I'm sorry things are this way, that you must die.

But I thank you now,

and with tears, say goodbye.

The Unseen Value of Failure

Many times, I think, people forget the great value of failure.
Let us first define failure. According to thefreedictionary.com, failure is this.
fail·ure  (flyr)

n.

1. The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends: the failure of an experiment.

2. One that fails: a failure at one's career.

3. The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short: a crop failure.

4. A cessation of proper functioning or performance: a power failure.

5. Nonperformance of what is requested or expected; omission: failure to report a change of address.

6. The act or fact of failing to pass a course, test, or assignment.

7. A decline in strength or effectiveness.

8. The act or fact of becoming bankrupt or insolvent.

Notice that the words finished or done or any of their synonyms are not in any of those definitions.
Failure is simply the opportunity to go try something else. Just because you fail at one thing doesn't mean you can't be excellent in another.
This reminds me of a song that my brothers and I sing on occasion. It is called, "A Barber's Tale."
It goes like this:
There once was a young lad named Jimmy Mcgiver.
Who longed with a passion to be a high diver.
The platform each day he would climb to the top.
But each time attempted, would just bellyflop.
So Jimmy decided this wasn't his flair,
and switched his ambition to cutting folks hair.
An odd change of interests that's certainly true.
But would you believe it - That boy sure came through.
Now people come from far and near.
To see the barber of the year.
He couldn't dive to save his hide -
But his talent with hair can't be denied.
(To the tune of "Jimmy Cracks Corn, But He Don't Care")
Jimmy lacks form, but he cuts hair!
Jimmy lacks form, but he cuts hair!
Jimmy lacks form, but he cuts hair like no one else can do.

And the song continues from there. But do you see the point? Even though it is a very silly song, there is something to learn from it. Jimmy absolutely failed at diving, but instead of simply quitting and saying I'll never be any good, he found what he was good at - No matter how odd it was.
Failure has been one of the many great driving forces in my life. In wrestling, hatred of failure has pushed me past where I ever thought I could go. It has made me great. And, the many times I have failed, I stood up again. Let us ponder for a moment where I would be if I had never failed. If I had never failed, I would have a perfect wrestling record. I would be a straight A's student. I would have won every music and art competition I have ever entered and my entries in the fair would have all gotten 1st prize. And none of it would mean anything to me.
Failure has taught me what success means. Without failure there can be no success.
I heard once that most millionaires go bankrupt 3 times before they finally get rich. I absolutely believe it. So next time I see an opportunity, I'm going to take it. And if I do fail, there are still 999,999 opportunities for me to find. I am no longer going to sit back and simply wait for an easier opportunity. Because if the work is not hard, the payment is taken lightly. And payment taken lightly is wasted. So I'm going to stop worrying about what could go wrong, and start focusing on what could go right. Because that's how success comes. And, if I do fail, I'll pick up the pieces and move on. There are a million opportunities in this world, I'm going to go find one. Hey, you should come too! :)

Rising Up

Last year while I was still in Middle School I had an undefeated wrestling season - until the last match.
This year I went into the Idaho State Championships seeded #1 and lost it in the end.
This is the story of success and failure in my life.
Last year, my 8th grade year, I went into the biggest tournament of my life at that point seeded almost dead last. I hadn't lost a match yet, but I was seeded almost dead last. And that was fine with me. It gave me the opportunity to prove myself. And I did. I knocked out the #1 seed in the quarter finals and #4 in the semis. In the end, I won. This was one of the greatest moments of my life. I was the best 80 pound middle school wrestler in probably the whole region.
I rose up. I was great. Pain pays off.
The next tournament was the last tournament of the year for me. I was on top of the world. I dominated all the way to the finals. In the finals I pinned my opponent. He was stuck for 30 seconds on his back. I have pictures to prove it. And the referee didn't call it. I was ahead 4-0 with 26 seconds remaining. With 10 seconds I made a mistake, and he pulled a 5 point move and won, 5-4.
I had failed. It was over. I wasn't undefeated.
This win meant so much to me. It meant so much to everyone around me. And I lost it.
This loss did more than break my heart and crush my dreams. It skinned them alive, made them roll in a pile of salt, and beat them with a club before cremating them. That day I decided that I wanted to be the best. Not just 2nd best. Because losing hurt. Bad.
I started this year's wrestling as a small freshmen with large hopes. I started this season with a bang. I tore it up, because I remembered losing. I did well at every tournament I went to, and in all except for one, found myself in the finals. I lost every finals match that I got into except for 2. District and one other. But that was ok because I just kept getting better. I walked into the State tournament seeded #1. I pinned my way through the 1st day without much trouble. The evening of that 1st day I was reading the Bible. I read 1st Corinthians 10:12. It says, "Wherefore he who thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." and I thought, "God is talking to me. He is telling me that I am overconfident and that I need to take this seriously." But I am foolish. I didn't listen to God. And it cost me my state title.
I walked into State the 2nd day once again, on top of the world. 
This was all of my dreams coming true. This was hours of practice and conditioning paying off. Days of eating little or nothing so that I could make weight and hours more of watching film when I was just too tired to practice anymore. 
There was no way I could lose. I had beat this guy 4 times this season.
I walked out onto the mat and started very well. I quickly got a takedown and gained control. But I stopped thinking about the match and started thinking about how good winning would feel. I started making mistakes, just little things that I would normally never do. Pretty soon I was down several points and wondering how I got there. In the end, I made a fatal mistake and got pinned.
After losing I walked about 20 feet off the mat and collapsed. I just couldn't take it. I had dreamed about this moment for years. Except in my dreams I wasn't the one who had lost. In my dreams I walked off the mat victorious. This did more than torture my dreams. All of those people who had hoped for me, supported me, even prayed for me. Those people who had spent time and money to see me succeed. Their hopes for me were shattered.
I cried and prayed for a long time after this. I just couldn't believe it. It took me a long time to figure out why God wanted this to happen, because I know everything happens for a reason.
I finally figured it out.
Once again, God wants me to rise up. He know that my character is more important than me winning. He knew that losing would be hard for me, but he also knew that it would teach me a lot more than winning ever could have. I guess what I'm trying to say is, 
God wants me to be great, therefore he makes life hard for me in order to teach me how to be great. He knows that the only way I will ever improve is if I step up and grit my teeth and move on even though all I want to do is lay there and cry. So I am going to do it. 
Today I am going to rise up. Will you join me?

My Dream

I seem to talk a lot about dreams, and particularly my dream. For those who are wondering, here is my dream.

My dream is a small house on a hill in the mountains of Idaho far away from all neighbors. I haven't decided between log or brick yet. Maybe one of the victorian style homes built in the south, but smaller than they build them in the south. I've always pictured it as being a white house. You start your tour by walking up the steps of the house onto the covered porch that spans the whole length of the front of the house. It has a porch swing, and a couple of chairs on it. You see a cat lounging in the shade, and another cat slipping away with it's latest catch. There is an old dog sleeping on the welcome mat, while a younger dog, barely graduated from being a puppy, chews and pulls on the older dog's ears in efforts to get him to play. As you walk up to the door, the older dog wakes up, moves for you, and falls asleep again. You walk in the door to an entryway and take your shoes off. You notice that there are many pairs of shoes. A large family lives here. From there you walk forward (West) into a living room. In this living room there are 2 couches, a rocking chair, and a reading chair. Many bookshelves and a piano. To your right (North) there is a bedroom/guest room. In this room there is a bunk bed. Queen size on the bottom, regular on the top. There is also a dresser. Going out of the guest room and going west again, there is another door to your right that leads to a set of stairs. You go up the stairs (The stairs face South, so you don't walk straight through the door into the stairs, you go forward until the wall, take a right, go forward until the next wall, and walk up the stairs.) and there is a very small room, more like a short hallway, with doors to the right and left. One side is the boys room, the other the girls room. The boy's room is messy and clothes strewn across the floor. The girls room is better, but not up to Mom's standards. It seems that Mom has given up on the boy's room. Back down the stairs, we turn right, and face west just like we were when we walked in the door. Go forward more and there is the kitchen. You walk into the kitchen and smell baking bread. This aroma is sweet and it surrounds you. There is a wood stove here for some cooking, but mostly heating during the winter. The majority of the cooking is done on the gas stove. In the kitchen there is a door to your left, (South) leading outside. To your right is a bathroom. If you go further forward, you hit another door going right, (North) that leads to the pantry and laundry room. If you hadn't gone right in the kitchen, but gone forward, you would have hit the parent's room. The parent's room has a nice king sized bed in it. There is a dresser at the base of the bed. In the corners of the room at the top of the bed there are several guns stacked. Going back into the pantry. In the pantry there is a trap door that leads to the root cellar. You go through this trap door and down into the root cellar. It smells musty here, and is very cool. There are many shelves of canned goods, as well as other food storage. You go back up to the pantry. There is a door of the opposite side of the pantry as where you came in. It leads outside. You peek your head out, and see a large wood pile on the back of the house.
That was the house. Now for the outside.
I imagine this house on 15 or 20 acres of land. The whole lot of the land is surrounded by a split rail fence. Two or three acres are planted with wheat, another two or three with alfalfa. It's harvest time, and the wheat is swaying in the wind, waves of gold flowing across those few acres, and the alfalfa is tall and green. Near to these small plots of grain and alfalfa, there is a shop. This shop is rather large. You notice that a very big door on the front is open. Inside this door there is a small tractor and you can see a man, presumably the father here, working on it. He stands up and you can see grease and oil on his face as he wipes his sweaty forehead with his sleeve. As you keep walking in the shop, you can see it is kind of disorganized. There are two sides to this shop. The side you have walked in on has many tools for fixing mostly engines and auto stuff. There are wrenches and other tools strewn across the workbench. As you walk into the other side of the shop you notice that it is a little bit more neat. There are many wood and metal working tools here as well as machining tools. This room is also larger than the other one. There is a wood stove in the corner for warmth during the winter. On the other side of the property, there is a barn. The barn is not overly large, just enough to house the animals, and store the grain and hay. There is a gate off of the barn leading to 5 or so acres of pasture for the animals to graze with a small creek running through it. There is a milk cow, or maybe not a cow, but a couple of goats. A few ewes, and a ram. Some horses. Preferably appaloosas. Possibly a couple of pigs. Off the side of the barn, there is a place for the birds. There is a large coop, and several roosting places scattered throughout the enclosure. There is netting over the top and a small pond in the middle for the ducks and geese. There are several types of birds. Chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese are the start. Looking over this scene, you can see the horses out in the pasture, tails flicking back and forth to ward off bugs while they graze, and manes flowing in the breeze. A colt follows it's mamma. The sheep aren't too far off, grazing as well. They have recently been sheared, because their wool isn't very long. There are two little sheep there. They are running with the small goat and playing like children. The older goats are a small distance from the sheep grazing. The pigs are in their own pen, also adjacent to the barn, wallowing in the mud. In the fowl enclosure, the majority of the ducks and geese are swimming in the pond. You see them duck their heads underwater every now and then in hopes to catch one of the small fish in the pond. Some of the chickens and turkeys are walking around pecking at the ground for food. The others are in the shade of their roosts. The rooster is strutting his stuff and his colorful feathers are quite flattering. He crows periodically. Going to another place on the property, there is the orchard. This orchard in on an acre or two and it has a variety of types of trees. There are apple trees on the first part that you walk into. As you walk in, you feel how cool the shade from the sun is provided by the trees. You feel the breeze lessen as the trees absorb it, and you can hear the rustle of the leaves and branches blowing in the wind. You can see the apples on the trees, but they are not quite ripe. They will be soon. As you keep walking you see cherry and plumb trees. Apricot, pear and peach as well. Going closer to the house, there is a garden and a small greenhouse. The whole garden is being watered by several sprinklers that are going at once. The garden is surrounded by fruit bearing bushes. Bushes with gooseberries and blueberries. Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries (I know strawberries don't grow on a bush, but they are there anyway) and currants too. The garden is getting ready for harvest, and many of the plants are ready. You see a section of the garden with melons. Watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Another part with carrots, beets, radishes, potatoes, and other vegetables with the root as the product. The next part with peppers of all kinds from extra hot to very mild. There is a section of pumpkin, squash, and cucumbers next. Another section with peas, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower. And the final section with corn. You walk into the greenhouse. It smells moist, and feels humid. It's very hot inside. You walk down the steps, because the greenhouse goes down about 10 feet into the ground with the cover on top. It gets cooler, as you descend, but is still humid. There are no plants in the greenhouse right now, but it will be filled when winter starts. As you walk out of the greenhouse, you begin to walk back in the direction of the house. The house is surrounded with tall shade trees, and flowers of all kinds. They too are being watered. You smell their wonderful aroma, and see the bees busy at their work pollinating. You are in awe at the beauty of the scene. A woman, presumably the mother here, stands from pulling weeds and walks into the house to check on her bread. She is very attractive. You walk past the house, and about 50 yards later, you run into the small creek that later runs into the pasture. You see that someone has dug a shallow, but very wide pond in the creek. Maybe 50 feet across. There are fish swimming in the pond, but they are hard to see because the sun is reflecting off of the pond into your eyes. There are children playing in the pond, and swinging off of a swing which hangs on a great tree next to the pond. The sounds of their laughter and the sight of one boy dunking another yet again makes you chuckle. From where you are standing, you see quite a ways off on the edge of the property there are a few small white boxes on stands. You realize that these are the bee hives where the honey is harvested. You sit on the green grass and ponder the beauty of the whole place. It is peaceful here. Everybody and everything seems content, even happy. This is a place where you would like to stay forever.

Questions

Something I was thinking about today.
We've all heard things like, "Would you do this if Christ was standing next to you?" or, "What would you do if your Mother were in the room?" Today a question that astounded me was asked. It was something that shocked me, it hit home.
"What would you do if your future spouse were standing in the room?" 
Woah. I don't know. What would I do different? I mean, this question is obviously mostly for the youth and young adults of the world, but really, what would change? The idea of Christ standing next to me is powerful, but I forget to ask myself this question. The same for the one about my Mom. But I'm not constantly thinking about them. Now, my future wife I think about quite often. Even though I have no clue who she is, she is quite a wonderful lady. She constantly takes a stroll through my mind in a different form with a different personality every day. And she's beautiful. All I want to do is be around her, because she makes me happy, whoever she is. That may sound a little bit odd, but don't you sometimes feel the same way, or remember having felt that way in the past? I must say though. I don't find me thinking about her constantly something that is odd. Whoever she is, she is a huge part of my dream. In fact, it couldn't live without her. And this dream is very important to me.

You Could be Great. Why Aren't You?

Yesterday I was in Salt Lake City and I felt kind of bad for the whole race of humanity. We went to a mall and there was so much immodesty. I mean, I know that immodesty is a social norm nowadays, and that some people don't even believe that there is anything wrong with it. But seriously ladies, (And some guys too) cover up. It's hard for a guy to keep his mind out of the gutter when you're flaunting parts of your body that are sacred. If you want respect, you can get it by dressing modestly.

This wasn't the only thing I saw at the mall that saddened me. There was a man holding a cardboard sign that read, "Need money. Too ugly to prostitute." and it said something else that I can't remember. But I thought, how sad. This man, this man who has worth. Who someone has loved. Who has loved other people. Who has had dreams just like you and I of being famous or powerful or even just being happy. Who probably has the potential to be a great employee or even entrepreneur. This man has the power to revolutionize the world. And yet he stands next to the mall asking for money because he can't prostitute. I tried not to judge him too harshly on this, because this man probably doesn't know about himself what I just told you. He probably doesn't realize exactly how much he could do. That is why I felt sorry for this man. 

There was other people too. People in wheelchairs that clearly were not faking not being able to stand. And everybody walked right past them. Nobody even bothered to stop and ask if any of these people could use help with anything at all. Now, I'm not going to say that I gave to every homeless person on the street, because I didn't. In fact, I didn't give to any of them. I should be ashamed of myself. But I was too busy thinking about my own problems. My trivial problems of how I looked and smelled for the dance that evening. What I was going to wear, and how long my companions were taking buying new clothing. I've decided that next time I'm going to buy a meal for every homeless person I see. Because that's what I'd want if it were me. 

It made me sad that, in one point during the dance, I stepped outside with one of my dear friends for a minute just to talk alone, and I couldn't see more than 100 stars in the sky. The air was too dirty. 

It made me sad that in such a magnificent place with so many good people and so many ideas and dreams that had been fulfilled, I could feel so lonely.

I want to change these things. I want the world to be a better place. I want people to love each other and care about each other. But I cannot do it alone. If you read this, give the next homeless person you see a meal. Politely tell a girl that she looks better in more modest clothing. Ask someone that you don't know about themselves. Get to know them. And really care about them.

What will you do? How will you be remembered? How can you change somebody else's life?

Help other people. Get your dream. Go be awesome. 

"Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men."

-Gandhi

The Discarded Hopes and Dreams of Society

I've always heard things like, "Follow your dreams" or, "Do what makes you happy."

The funny thing is that it is always old people that tell me this. So, I started to think. Why are these people who have lived life, have done great things, and influenced many people for good, why are they telling me this? Many of these people end up quite well off financially. Are they telling me this because they didn't follow their dreams themselves? I once heard a story about a man who lived in a town where everybody had a dream, but nobody acted on it. No one told anyone else about their dreams, because, come on, let's be real here. Chances are, you won't make a lot of money acting on a dream, and money is what's really important, right? That's what this whole society believed, and that's how they acted. They were born, they grew up, they worked for success, and they died. This young man got to thinking, he thought, "Well, this is dumb. I don't want to spend my life like this." He had a dream. He acted on this dream.

And he failed. 

He returned home in shambles. He thought that he could never live his dream. He and his Father had a discussion about this when he returned home. He learned in this discussion that his father had a dream once too, but in his mind there was no way he could follow it, so he didn't. This story prompted the young man to try again. And he did. He almost failed time and time again. He almost turned around many times. But he didn't.

Attaining his dream was the hardest thing he had ever done, but you know what? He did it. And it brought him more joy than anything else ever could have.

I wonder, did these old people make the same mistake as this young man's father? Did they have a dream that they pushed aside with the excuse that they could never do it, or that they may fail, or that it was too unrealistic? Then, and the end of their life, they maybe start to realize what they missed out on? They missed that pure joy, that sense of contentment and accomplishment that comes with living their dream and doing what they really wanted to. Instead they spent their lives, to quote Allan Watts, "Doing what they don't want to do in a place that they don't really want to be earning money they don't really care for." You can call me a hipster, you can call me a rebel, but do I really have to conform to these sociatial norms? I can tell you right now, that's not what I want to do with my life. Here is the difference. People tell me, "You would make a good lawyer or politician." Or, "You are really sharp. You would be a good engineer or scientist." Well, sorry. That's not what I want to do with my life. Do I really have to be good at what I want to do? I mean, the simple life that I desire will require me to be proficient in many things such as agriculture, horticulture, carpentry, machining, and just plain common sense.  Let me tell you right now. There are certain aspects of all of those subjects that I am not good at. Who cares? Do I have to be good at something to enjoy it? I enjoy wrestling. I'm also very good at wrestling. I also enjoy fencing. But do you know what? A person on their first day of fencing lessons could destroy me. I am not very good. 

I guess that the point that I'm trying to reach here is this.

 Living your dream, no matter how hard and uncomfortable it is, is better than doing something that you abhor in greater comfort.