Couple things:
I saw that movie Into the Wild. It was an awesome two and a half hours spent. I remember somebody once posted a comment on my blog about this story, where a smart guy with unlimited potential graduates from Emory and then decides to cut all ties with society and live the rest of his days as a nomad. He even burns his social security card. I saw the movie hoping it would give me an idea about what I should do next year. I decided I'm going to do what this guy was too scared to do: exist with other people. This guy was smart; he could defend his views by quoting whoever you wanted him to. He had the great ability of connecting with people and bringing them into 'a moment of truth.' Despite all of that I think this guy was nutz. He was the perfect example of what happens when a genius' ego goes unchecked. (See my favorite example of this: Raleigh ) I suppose I can understand his beef. He was a bastard child. His dad had another family when he was born, and more children with that family afterward. These family issues made him feel like his life had no purpose. He finally escaped after college and embarked on this grand suicide mission. Some of his arguments were persuasive. He's right that when compared society has more evil in it than nature. The problem is it took him too long to learn his 'wisdom' - that "happiness only exists when shared" and that "when you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines upon you." He survived for about three years as a 'super-tramp,' but only lived one hundred days in the wild. I doubt it was worth it.
More significantly, I saw the Dalai Lama speak today. The event took place in my school's gym and was called "Emory Summit on Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding." The discussion involved XIV Lama and a number of other prominent religious figures, including Mahatma Ghandi's grandson. *A mini side note is that I haven't been able to write a single meaningful word for a good five months or so. I felt like I couldn't justify that sort of expression until I matured. I needed a much better understanding of what I was doing, what I should be doing, and how I should do it. I've always been interested in love, but I needed to forget about fleeting, romantic stuff and focus on the practicality of love, which involves serious long term responsibility and action toward mutual growth. With the help of friends I am learning this stuff bit by bit, in real life and in real time. I knew I had to break my creative freeze today. I wanted to share the heart of the Lama.* The Lama said our first instance of love came from our mother's nipple. The nipple provided full security and created the potential for happiness. I think this means everyone should strive to exist as large, juicy nipples. Apart from his words, the presence of this goofy old man just made everyone laugh. He showed love to all three thousand people in the auditorium. When the summit concluded and I walked outside I was overwhelmed by the brightest sun I have ever seen. I want to thank God for shining on me today.