"Amurikans", This One is for You.

I was not going to write something political or unrelated to SL. I was not going to do it  but I cannot help but feel so passionate on this subject. Here I am, residing in one of the most richest and privileged countries in the world and I feel like I'm the only one who actually fucking appreciates it.

Now this is not all election based, you see for years and for a few elections I have seen Americans whine and cry over who wins as president. Fine, feel upset..I can sympathize. You believe in someone so it's natural to want them to come on top, but what is really getting my goat is the number of people who are wishing to secede. Yes, SECEDE. There are many Texans, and others in states signing petitions to remove themselves from America. Are you fucking kidding me? You want to give up your citizenship? Well fuck then hand it on over to me. Me, and other foreigners who have come here want nothing more than to take your place.

Many of these people need to realize one thing: they're spoiled. That's right, the average fucking American is spoiled rotten and not realizing it. We sit in our central air controlled homes, with our washers, dryers, cable, clean tap water and insulation and take it all for granted. We're also wasteful as hell. I'm from Japan, and we don't even use clothes dryers..and central air? HAH. We have room to room units for air conditioning. And in some of the older homes? Heating? Forget it. We have a room for a fire but otherwise we bundle the fuck up. I won't even go into the time I spent in China and how the average person over there lives. They're just grateful for a meal everyday and able to boil their water to drink. Even in the winter when many of them are cold and shivering, I never heard a complaint or a whine. All smiles, all family and friend. 

Yet here I see if someone's wireless go out for even an hour, they go on a bitch fit like it's the end of the world. It makes me sick, but for the most part I hold my tongue cause I realize most Americans don't know better. They assume everyone has the luxuries they have, so I'll forgive that ignorance, I guess. Yet stop and think before you say you wish to "leave" the United States. Think really hard on what you would be giving up and sacrificing before you think you want to leave or secede. Ready to give up your social security? Ready to give up the government that will come to your aide in a natural disaster? Ready to give up on equal rights? I could go on forever..but if you are still stuck on packing up..Well, don't let the door hit your ass on the way out. 

I may not be an American, yet, but I am proud to be here. Take some pride in your country. Especially to those who never left it, you honestly have no idea how blessed you are.

- Until next time,

Yu 

Karma

First off, I will say this post is very much in relation to my previous written post on friendship.

Karma. Is it real? Is it myth? Well if you want to put it in more common sense, karma is a more spiritual way of looking at the Newton's third law, "To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction." Fear not my few readers, I am not here to give you science lesson, I am here to exemplify the word of karma and how everything has a consequence....and it even applies to Second Life.

Consequences. We are all held accountable for our actions. For example, if we do not go to work without informing anyone, it is possible we will get fired. If we hit someone with our car, we will have to pay for the damages. Everything in this world is full of consequences for the things we do..but for some reason people on Second Life think they should not, nor cannot be held accountable for their actions. Yet I am here to say that this is very untrue.

Let me remind you all, even though SL is a virtual world and we are hidden behind our screens, we are still dealing with real people with real emotions..and believe it or not, these people also have brains. We are not mindless drones and therefore we think for ourselves. Therefore it is natural for people to say "enough is enough." Especially if a friend is proving to be someone other than that. And while we may wish to mend our friendships, there is a time when we realize there are people within Second Life who are not here to make friends, but to use, abuse and overall manipulate the people around them. Some people are lacking love, control or self confidence in RL, so they use SL as a tool to take back that control or that need for attention. Hell, I actually worry about the people who spend a little too much on SL, cause it means perhaps they are lacking that RL interaction every human being should have. Yet I won't get into that, I am going off-topic.

My main point is that karma still exists in Second Life. Everyone only gets so many chances until people begin to realize who they actually are. While it may be easy to sit there and blame everyone else around you, instead of being accountable for your own actions, you should really stop and look around. Perhaps there is a reason people around you are defriending you, ignoring you and overall stop caring about you. Can you honestly still sit there and play the victim game? Can you really just continue to call everyone a "betrayer" and "bad friend" while you remain guilt free?  Sorry to say, the world has not gone mad. There is no one turning people against you...karma has suddenly come to smack you in the face.

You see, treat people the way you want to be treated. Treasure your friends and loved ones..and lastly, take some goddamn responsibility for your actions and words. Pride. Ego. Self-Importance. All of these things are not worth being alone for. And while you may think you're the best thing that has happened to your friends and loved ones, you're really not. No one is lucky to be your friend, you should stop and count your blessing. I know I do, because I have learned from my mistakes and my karma.

I can only hope people learn from their own lessons as well, or they will never grow.

Until next time,

Yu

The Little Things

Normally I am not a morning person. Seeing me conscious before 9 am usually means something or someone woke me up and as a result all with suffer. Of course this time it was my alarm, but I also saw another thing on my phone that instantly put a smile on my face.



It's the little things that can change a person's perspective and day. Yesterday I pondered over the things that  bring me down and the things that uplift me. Overall happiness will never be reached because there will always be negative forces in your life. Perhaps the most important thing though is to focus on the things that make you smile instead of dwelling on things you cannot control. Therefore instead of revolving my day around the negative I took time to embrace the positive.



Now the positive can come from many things, and not just people around you. I find listening to music in the morning motivates me and uplifts my spirit. I also take time to sit down and give my dogs proper loving. Certain things I see or read on FB, restoring my faith in humanity. Again, it will always be the tiniest things that can change your whole day. While its the negative thoughts, negative people, or the fucking cold weather outside that try to drag you down, you have to remember the small things that get you through the day.

My nephew posted a LONG ass status appreciating all the people that make him smile. I'm sure it made a lot of people happy. Everything takes a bit nurturing, even the best of relationships. Even though you are already happy as can be, don't forget the details. A simple text, a smile or even a wave to a stranger can completely change the outcome of a day. Even though I feel cheesy writing this, I am slowly learning that being happy is more important than always being "right." That friends mean more than pride. Lastly, anyone who tries to get me down is not even worth a thought. There are many beautiful things going on around us, and if we stop to take in the good rather than the bad we can easily turn around the mood.

In a previous blog "Let it Go" I also talked about negativity. While we all have our weak moments and cannot help but feel depressed, sad or hopeless, this is normal. Usually when I feel this way I know it's time to just go to bed and wake up with a fresh start because staying awake and being self-destructive helps no one. Sadly I know plenty of people who thrive on the negative like it's their favorite meal of the day. It fuels them, not realizing that not only that it is destructive to themselves but also to the people around them. A negative thought is contagious in the brain...one thought gives birth to many and before you realize it you're stuck in a dark place and inconsolable.

That is why taking a breath and focusing on the positive is most important. While most upset people don't like to hear "think positive," it does hold true. Then again, I think those negative people have to realize it for themselves. Course I know I won't always be this mushy. Maybe I am just having a good day, or maybe someone slipped drugs in my coffee, either way, I want to try to keep this attitude for awhile.

Until next time,

- Yu

.Just Breath.