Ive been asked my thoughts on religion. Which is not normally something I would speculate on because its a very personal issue to some people, and something people hold dear to them. However it has been asked for my specfic beliefs, so Ill humour it with a go.
I am of catholic baptisim, raised by my father who is catholic, and of my mother whom I believe is christian of some election. Religion was not pressed upon me in the home, and to this day I thank my parents for allowing me to choose my own path without influence.
Prior to my deployment to Afghanistan, I was a christian. I believed in god and Jesus, and the holy spirit. As I worked with the Afghan people and persons from other countries from around the globe, I was fascinated by each society's beliefs and was marveled how much, or how little they changed between faiths. Everyone's faith, made sense in a method, when I put myself into their shoes.
I remember when I was sitting on the back of my armoured vehicle, in the Afghan town of sarobi, on a crisp March evening looking up at the stars and having a conversation with our interpreter as I wanted to know more about his faith. His words changed me forever.
"We cannot prove that we are right, and we cannot prove that we are wrong. I have a feeling that we are not alone in the universe, and we simply haven't reached the point in the path where we confirm this, and carry on the search for the truth to our beliefs."
2 years have passed since my deployment, and after my marridge, I found myself spending more time to think of the subject. Can we indeed be alone in the universe?
Thinking of it, less then 100 years ago, my ancestors had landed on the new frontier known as north america, to settle. 50 years after that, society had left the earths surface, and launched ourselves into space. Shortly after, mankind made it to the moon.
SETI radio systems had been created specifically for the hunt to see if we were indeed, alone. The space telescope had began to bring images of far away galaxies to indicate to us, that we are not the only solar system out there. Far from it. In our galaxy alone, there are millions of suns, which we know as stars, and most likely, other planets, and the possibility of them holding some kind of life form quickly becomes infinte.
I believe the question will be answered within my lifetime. In the past century, we have almost mastered our own planet, and have taken baby steps in leaving this planet behind.
I believe that we may have been discovered already by another race of peoples who are more advanced then our own. They may be studying us from above, but have technologies that allow us to not know that they do so. They may have decided we are not ready for such an advancement yet.
To think that the human race may be only 1 species in a galaxy that could hold millions of different races, puts back into perspective that we are small in comparison to what has been made.
I believe there is a supreme being, that caused all of this, but I believe it to be in a scale which we have not yet been able to accept. We as a race cannot seem to accept our own beliefs that we have based on earth, leave alone, the rest of the galaxy.
Someday the signal shall come. That we are not alone in the universe, and this is what I believe.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
FAIL
see more pwn and owned pictures
see more pwn and owned pictures
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see more pwn and owned pictures
see more pwn and owned pictures
Friday, September 12, 2008
Who Supports The Troops?
Who really supports the troops. Everyone has the little magnet on the back of their car. But who stands by it?
I happened to be in uniform yesterday at Pearson International Airport in Toronto for 3 or 4 hours. And in that time, my had was shaken once, I was called a baby killer twice, and a murderer once.
We were there to pick up a person coming home from Afghanistan so we parked out front of the doors. The commissionaires there working the airport demanded that we move the van so that another taxi may park there. We refused. The commisionaires got irate, and downright rude until we shut them up, by smiling as the nice Metro Toronto Police officer slipped parking tickets under the comminsionaires wipers, then proceded to tell them to have a little respect. I tip my hat to that officer.
Who else supports the troops? The wives? Most of them will send a monthly care package from home to boost the boys spirits. Most of the parents do too. Some of the guys get one from their wife the whole tour. Some dont get any. Its very depressing to walk away empty handed from a mail call when your overseas, let me tell ya. Heartbreaking really. Got lots from my parents tho.
Living on the base, I see the bar every time we go down the street. When the tours start, some of the less dedicated wives are there, religiously dragging home the first peice of meat they can find. Sad really.
Even away from the bar, in my old row house, the neighbour was having her way with the fellas 'best' freind before he even was gone for 2 weeks! 3 doors down, she was having house parties with 17 year olds.
Support the troops.. I support the troops. I'm combat service support. I wear red for them on fridays when I'm not in uniform.. Supporting the troops goes beyond a little magnet people.
I happened to be in uniform yesterday at Pearson International Airport in Toronto for 3 or 4 hours. And in that time, my had was shaken once, I was called a baby killer twice, and a murderer once.
We were there to pick up a person coming home from Afghanistan so we parked out front of the doors. The commissionaires there working the airport demanded that we move the van so that another taxi may park there. We refused. The commisionaires got irate, and downright rude until we shut them up, by smiling as the nice Metro Toronto Police officer slipped parking tickets under the comminsionaires wipers, then proceded to tell them to have a little respect. I tip my hat to that officer.
Who else supports the troops? The wives? Most of them will send a monthly care package from home to boost the boys spirits. Most of the parents do too. Some of the guys get one from their wife the whole tour. Some dont get any. Its very depressing to walk away empty handed from a mail call when your overseas, let me tell ya. Heartbreaking really. Got lots from my parents tho.
Living on the base, I see the bar every time we go down the street. When the tours start, some of the less dedicated wives are there, religiously dragging home the first peice of meat they can find. Sad really.
Even away from the bar, in my old row house, the neighbour was having her way with the fellas 'best' freind before he even was gone for 2 weeks! 3 doors down, she was having house parties with 17 year olds.
Support the troops.. I support the troops. I'm combat service support. I wear red for them on fridays when I'm not in uniform.. Supporting the troops goes beyond a little magnet people.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Dreams
Ive been looking around the blogs and Ive found a lot of different opinions of what a dream is.
Now were not talking about the nighttime dream you have while you sleep. Im talking about the day ones. The ones that usually start with "I wish...." Or "That would be really nice..."
Well I think a dream is good. Without a dream, there would be little inspiration. No motivation to perform.
So I think a dream can be a "want" or a "goal". Some things are material in nature, and some are spritual.
So here are some of my wants.
On this blog, you will often see me blog about one of my dreams, riding a bike. I want another one. I find it hard to open the garage each day, and look at two of them and watch them leave under some one else' power. This is a want.
Someday I will get another bike, perhaps as a goal for quitting smoking for a certain period of time. This is setting a goal.
I'd like to visit Mexico with my parents once my kids are moved out. This is a goal as I have already recognised what prevents it from happening right now, and have an Idea of when it most likely will happen.
I'd really like to retire from my current job and retrain for another job that will let me put less strain on my damaged spine. But I have to get the ball rolling with my doctors and Veterans affairs. Nobody else will do it for me. This is a goal, as I have control over it.
I wish my job paid more. This is a dream, as I have no control over it. I want more money, but don't have any chance of getting more. The goal perhaps is to get a higher paying job then!
I wish I had a Ferrari Enzo. A dream. Just about any man's dream too. But the chances of it happening are nil for me, and probably slim for a handful of people.
One set of people Ive seen put many of their goals on hold, or on the back burner is my parents. On many occasions, they have had to send money, or organize things for me so that I may maintain the high quality of life I have had. I appriciate it every time they do it. I also feel kind of lousy about it. Embarrased even, because I know the money they send was probably going towards something they wanted.
In fact it happens so often, it has to be at least $90,000 by now that they have sent, as its been going on for a long time. They have been paying a lot of my poor choices out for me. And even now, they are paying for my sons daycare, which is quite expensive, and my daughters dance lessons, which aren't as expensive, but a nicety.
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So I guess with the back pay coming in. Im going to pay off my credit cards, the bunk bed set for the kids, the little annoying debts off.
Income tax will arrive, and Ill pay off my wife's debit to Child Tax Benefit, and see if we can get that baby bonus back, (which will probably be wiped out anyway from the pay increase... lol)
Now its time to gather the evidence and go visit veterans affairs to get paid for my work-related injuries. The monthly payments, if any will be going into the bank account for spending, the lump sums into another account. Perhaps for investing, or maybe even on a house.
Then with VAC, Ill see what my options are for retraining to another career. Perhaps something with a bit more pay, and something that I'll like better then what I do now. Im thinking the computer or radio telecommunications industry. Its always what I have been good at, and I enjoy it.
Ball is in my court. What do I do with it?
Now were not talking about the nighttime dream you have while you sleep. Im talking about the day ones. The ones that usually start with "I wish...." Or "That would be really nice..."
Well I think a dream is good. Without a dream, there would be little inspiration. No motivation to perform.
So I think a dream can be a "want" or a "goal". Some things are material in nature, and some are spritual.
So here are some of my wants.
On this blog, you will often see me blog about one of my dreams, riding a bike. I want another one. I find it hard to open the garage each day, and look at two of them and watch them leave under some one else' power. This is a want.
Someday I will get another bike, perhaps as a goal for quitting smoking for a certain period of time. This is setting a goal.
I'd like to visit Mexico with my parents once my kids are moved out. This is a goal as I have already recognised what prevents it from happening right now, and have an Idea of when it most likely will happen.
I'd really like to retire from my current job and retrain for another job that will let me put less strain on my damaged spine. But I have to get the ball rolling with my doctors and Veterans affairs. Nobody else will do it for me. This is a goal, as I have control over it.
I wish my job paid more. This is a dream, as I have no control over it. I want more money, but don't have any chance of getting more. The goal perhaps is to get a higher paying job then!
I wish I had a Ferrari Enzo. A dream. Just about any man's dream too. But the chances of it happening are nil for me, and probably slim for a handful of people.
One set of people Ive seen put many of their goals on hold, or on the back burner is my parents. On many occasions, they have had to send money, or organize things for me so that I may maintain the high quality of life I have had. I appriciate it every time they do it. I also feel kind of lousy about it. Embarrased even, because I know the money they send was probably going towards something they wanted.
In fact it happens so often, it has to be at least $90,000 by now that they have sent, as its been going on for a long time. They have been paying a lot of my poor choices out for me. And even now, they are paying for my sons daycare, which is quite expensive, and my daughters dance lessons, which aren't as expensive, but a nicety.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So I guess with the back pay coming in. Im going to pay off my credit cards, the bunk bed set for the kids, the little annoying debts off.
Income tax will arrive, and Ill pay off my wife's debit to Child Tax Benefit, and see if we can get that baby bonus back, (which will probably be wiped out anyway from the pay increase... lol)
Now its time to gather the evidence and go visit veterans affairs to get paid for my work-related injuries. The monthly payments, if any will be going into the bank account for spending, the lump sums into another account. Perhaps for investing, or maybe even on a house.
Then with VAC, Ill see what my options are for retraining to another career. Perhaps something with a bit more pay, and something that I'll like better then what I do now. Im thinking the computer or radio telecommunications industry. Its always what I have been good at, and I enjoy it.
Ball is in my court. What do I do with it?
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