Let the Kids Live.

Let the kids live, there will be plenty of time for this adult bullshit.  How many times have you wished for younger days?

We can teach, but not for anything other than to help our children.  Don't belittle them when they don't listen.

They just don't understand.  They have to learn it for themselves.

Be there with them as they learn these life lessons, instead of saying "I told you so."

There are the rare few that WANT to be 'taught' anything, most want to learn it for themselves.

Every Day

Every single day of life is an entire experience.  So many good things happens, so many bad things happen and so many, well... just things happen. 

Every single human on earth experiences life until they don't. Just like you. 

Every single living human on earth thinks, dreams, hopes, fears, loves, hates, tries, fails, succeeds, and dies.  Also just like you. 

Life isn't always easy, but that doesn't have to make you believe that it's impossible. 

I tell myself, every single day, that: 

"I am in complete control of how I feel. I decide what makes me happy. No one can affect my mood unless I allow them to."

Close your eyes and find yourself.  When you do, take your own hand and tell yourself, "It's going to be okay. This is our life. We cannot control what happens outside, but in here we are safe."

Then ask, "Where do you want to go from here?" 

Nothing is Real, Nor Does Anything That You See Actually Exist

You have never, nor will you ever, see anything that actually exists.

Lets start with this:  Every fraction of a second, all of the atoms that make up the things around you will not be in the same place, nor will they be in the exact same configuration.  They will have also decayed slightly and thus will be different.

Just like every sky that you look at will never be the same again (so slow down and enjoy every one of them), so too it is with everything around you.  Nothing is what it was a nanosecond ago.  It may be similar, and to your eyes and brain, the change may be so infinitesimally small that it is completely imperceptible, but it IS different.

Also, anything that you see is only the reflection of light bouncing off of that thing.  Light, as fast as it is, still takes time to travel; from the object being viewed, through the air, and to your eyes.  Additionally, your brain has to process that reflection of light into something recognizable.

You can only see the past.  What was, not what is.

 - The light that is being reflected into your eyes, is not the object at which you are looking.  It is simply a reflection of light.

• Side note: The colors that you see do not actually represent that object's color either.  The object is just a gray mass.  The colors that you see are merely the portion of the entire spectrum of light which is reflected by that object. (Your shoes aren't blue, they just reflect blue)

The object that you are looking at, cannot actually be seen.  The only thing that your eyes can see is light, and how it reflects off of everything around you.  

Without light, there is nothing.  Complete and utter darkness.

Sure, if you could somehow survive without light, you would still feel, taste, smell and touch.  But nothing would be visible.  You would be blind.  

The truth is that you are blind now. 

 - The light reflection which travels into your eyes must be processed by your brain into something recognizable. 

Imagine the frustration when you're a baby.  Everything you see is alien.  You recognize nothing at first.  Slowly, you build up an inventory of information which can be remembered as the things you know when you see them.  (It's like this with all of your senses)

But how do I know, that what I see is what you see?

Yes, we may agree that the shoes are blue, but what shade of blue do you see, and what shade of blue do I see?  Does your blue look like what orange does to me, or is it just a darker shade?  Could it be exactly the same?  Not likely.

 - It takes time for light to travel, as does it take time for even the fastest brain to process information.  

The farther you are from an object, the further in the past it is what you see.  If you were to look at me through a telescope, from across the galaxy (lets pretend that a telescope with this power exists) you would be looking at a memory of me.  

I would long be dead and gone and merely a memory for those that are still on my planet.  Depending on the distance, the planet on which you are watching me would be hundreds, if not thousands, of years further into its future. 

Because you are only seeing my reflection.  And again, as fast as light is, it is still not instantaneous.  

So if I lived on a planet 1,000 light years away, and you had a telescope capable of magnifying that distance, you would be seeing 1,000 years into the past of that planet.  You could never see it in "real time."  For all you know, that planet may not even be there anymore.  Swallowed by a supernova.

Now, as you get closer, you witness this on a much smaller scale, but it is similar nonetheless.  

From the Sun - Light from the sun takes approx. 8.3 minutes to reach us.  

From the Moon - Light reflected off of the moon takes approx. 1.3 seconds to reach us.

From 1 Mile Away - 1/186,000 of a second

From 10 Feet Away - 1/98,357,105.6 of a second

 - Finally, now that we know that everything that we see is in the past, remember that your brain has to process that information.

Now, we have things remembered.  What you remember blue looking like.  A recognized shape, pattern or collection of shapes and patterns.

But all that you see is simply a construction of your own mind.  Your brain turns what you see into a perceived reality.  

So even if you could "see" things real time, you'd still be creating your reality around you with your brain.  

Time

Time is not a thing that exists.  It is a thing that we experience.

But why do we experience time?  I have a theory...

If you move at the speed of light, time slows to a stop.  You can go any distance, and you will not experience any time.  If you go to Pluto at the speed of light, it would be like you blinked and you were there.  You would not experience the journey.
The closer you get to the speed of light, the slower time would seem to you, while moving at that speed.

Now time also stops when you are near an extremely dense object, like a black hole.
When you are near a star or planet time simply slows, as it does when you move near the speed of light.

When you combine an extremely dense object with near light speed travel, you can also have the same effect of slowing time to a stop.  If you have half the density of a black hole and travel at half the speed of light, time would again stop.

The reason for this is because nothing can move faster than the speed of light.  So nothing in your body can move, or it would be traveling at faster than the speed of light as it was being moved at the speed of light.

Now, for the theory of us experiencing time.

The speed of light is approximately 186,000 miles per second or 669,600,000 miles per hour.

The electrons in our bodies move at a speed of 1,367 miles per second, or 4,921,200 miles per hour.
The Earth spins at 1040 miles per hour.
The Earth moves around our Sun at 18 miles per second, or 64,800 miles per hour.
The Sun travels around the universe at approximately 143 miles per second, or 514,800 miles per hour.
The universe is expanding at a speed of 151,200 miles per hour.

Combining all of these brings us to 5,653,040 miles per hour or 0.008% the speed of light.

If we moved faster time would move more slowly.  If we slowed to a stop, time wouldn't be experienced at all.  It would all happen in an instant.

Remember that we are also on a planet that has mass, surrounded by more planets and a star that we are revolving around, that also have mass that will effect our experience of time.

If we were able to get to a point in space, all alone, nowhere near any celestial object and slow ourselves to a stop (relative to the speed of space) all time would fly by in an instant.

Now, if the "Big Bang Theory" is correct, then space is expanding from the explosion and there is another theory that it is collapsing.  What if it collapses back into a singularity after it expands to its maximum size?

Now, if we are just experiencing time because of the speed at which we are moving, does that mean that if we were to remove the idea of speed and gravity and time altogether, would we be changing from a singularity to a fully expanded universe, back to a singularity, over and over again, instantly, infinitely?

When you die, your electrical impulses in your brain leave your body.  Once they leave your body there is no longer any resistance.  They are free to travel at the speed of light.  Everything would stop, until you returned to the center with everything else.  The center of the universe, all things combined into a singularity, all knowledge and existence in something the size of an atom.

God.

Energy Usage

Energy Usage

There are many devices in your home that use energy.  Some more than others.  I have done the research for you and created a list of devices that use the most energy.  You can use the below list to help you save money in your home.

Single Use Devices

1. Electric Oven on Broil
2. Electric Clothes Dryer
3. Washing Machine (Clothes) w/Hot Water - Cold Weather
4. Electric Oven 450F
5. Washing Machine (Clothes) w/Hot Water - Warm Weather
6. Electric Oven 350F
7. Dishwasher
8. Hair Dryer
9. Electric Stove Top/Griddle
10. Space Heater High
11. Large Window Unit/Air Conditioner
12. Vacuum Cleaner
13. Toaster (2 Slice)
14. Microwave
15. Clothes Iron
16. Space Heater (Medium)
17. Medium Window Unit/Air Conditioner
18. Coffee Maker
19. Stereo Receiver
20. Xbox 1
21. Washing Machine (Clothes) w/Cold Water - Any Weather
22. PS3
23. Xbox 360
24. PS4
25. Desktop Computer
26. Floor/Box Fan
27. CRT Monitor
28. Xbox
29. Incandescent Light Bulb
30. Laptop
31. DVR
32. Cable/Satellite Box
33. Plasma TV
34. Printer
35. PS2
36. LCD/LED TV/Display
37. Wii
38. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb
39. Cell Phone/Tablet Charger
40. Cordless Phone (Home Phone)

Always Running Devices

1. Electric Furnace - Cold Weather
2. Electric Furnace - Warm Weather
3. Water Heater
4. Central Air Conditioner
5. Gas Furnace - Cold Weather
6. Gas Furnace - Warm Weather
7. Standalone Freezer/Deep Freezer
8. Refrigerator
9. Wi-Fi Router
10. Alarm Clock Radio

Civilization & Evolution

Evolution seems like such a strange idea for me, when it comes to humans. 

How and why would civilization begin?

At the same time, how would humans survive without it?

I can understand kings being thought of as gods. Everyone is dying from starvation and freezing cold temperatures, and there is a man that can gather all the people and provide enough for them to eat, shows them how to build homes and gives them a place to stay and work. 

But why would that happen? Humans had to be able to survive on their own at one point if they evolved from something else. 

So why would an early human, who is struggling to find food, who can't store it because he doesn't have a refrigerator or a freezer, who is trying to take care of himself and his family want to take on more people that aren't his? 

Is it war & assimilation with other tribes?  Fear of the surrounding environment and a desire to have safety in numbers? 

Why would anyone else that is already established want to take on someone who is weak and afraid?  Why would they support them?  Why would we evolve sympathy, or empathy, or morals?

If it IS survival of the fittest?

Humans just don't fit into the evolutionary  discussion. 

Animals fit perfectly. It makes perfect sense with them. 

We're not from this place. Nothing about us makes sense. 

How do you evolve consciousness?

Assigning meaning

It's funny how we assign meanings to things. 

Sometimes there's just no reason for things happening the way that they do. 

The world doesn't have an alterior motive. It just happens. 

Stop trying to assign meaning to it. 

It's just life. Do what you have to do and move on. 

Today, while driving to see my son's band competition a guy passed me, while I was driving 35 in a 35 mph zone. Up ahead it turns to 55, and he passed me doing 60. 

No big deal. I catch up to him later because traffic is slower ahead of him. When he makes his turn, I look over and he is giving me the finger. 

What???!!!

Why?  That doesn't even make sense. Why would he do that?  

Here's the point. There are literally an infinite number of things that can be going through that person's head at that time, and for me to spend time (or waste time) trying to figure it out, is pointless. 

I could assign a meaning to it, but I would just be trying to appease my own mind. So why waste any time thinking about it?  Unless I'm going to stop and talk to the guy to figure out what is going on with him (which none of us EVER does) then why worry about it?

So back to my son's band competition. His school finished 11th overall, out of 15 schools, but 2nd in their class. While the first number was "meh", the second made me happier. 

But why should it matter?  I know my son is amazing, whether he plays the trombone or not.  The school worked so hard, and did so well. 

I watched a lot of practices and they NEVER did better before, but they nailed it this time. I KNOW what they accomplished, just as every other parent, from every other school who witnessed the result from all of those practices and all of the time that is put into marching band. They were incredible. These kids are as young as 13-14 years old and they performed SO well.

THEY PLAYED THEIR HEARTS OUT AND TRIED SO HARD. 

Whether they nailed it or not doesn't matter. Do any of the parents love their children less?  If there any that do, they shouldn't have had children. 

Why do we need someone to judge what they did?  Or give out an award. Especially when it is just coming from someone who is seeing the final result for the first time. 

Mr. Petrucci, great job. I'm proud of you and all of our kids. 

Don't worry about the results of the world, or what other people say. 

You can't always be #1 in the world, or even your neighborhood. But the fact that you wanted to be for us, your parents, means that you're already a success in life. 

Good job guys.