seanbig

I've never smoked marijuana (or cigarettes) in my entire life... hell, i was even straight edge (ie. no drinking and whatnot either) for quite a few years. I have a rare, occasional drink now but am certainly not into "drinking". That said, I have always been all for the legalization of marijuana. As has been said here prior, should I have the choice between alcohol and marijuana in terms of legalization, it's a no brainer. The number of violence cases, death, drunk driving, abuse, and the list goes on... that have all come as a result of alcohol is undeniable. Not to mention the ridiculous/laughable programs that have come about to combat such issues and the addictions sometimes associated (*cough cough* alcoholics anonymous). I've not met anyone in my entire life that smokes a joint and suddenly wants to knock out a person just because they looked at them the wrong way... and I played in touring bands for years (a stronghold for deviant behavior). But I assure you, I've certainly seen my fair share of alcohol fueled brawls.I could go on and on about the vast number of benefits regarding legalization... it goes without saying that they certainly outnumber the negatives (Fear mongering and "the war on drugs"/gateway drug crap does not count as a valid argument... that's like saying that seeing your older brother's nudie mag under his bed when you were 13 will automatically lead to sexually deviant behavior in later years, it's ridiculous). For now, I'll stick with the fact that it appears as though society is loosening up on the matter as of late... and with good reason.

This is one topic on which there is no grey area to me. Those who tend to speak out strongly against homosexuality tend to be those which it affects the least. The argument is made by religious groups time and again that "end times" is on the horizon based on our choices as human beings... this is something on which we can agree. However, those choices have much more to do with our disinterest in our fellow man (yes this includes you, guilt free Christians), depletion and destruction of the environment, and overall carelessness with the world in which we live... than it does, who your neighbor beds down with behind closed doors at the end of the night.You want a better world? Start by doing more than just bringing cupcakes to your church bake sale or tossing ten bucks in the collection plate. Spend more time loving and caring for your fellow man than condemning those around you. If you don't want to partake in homosexuality, fine... that's called being hetero, I share the same lifestyle. However, the minute you feel that you have some sort of "God given" right to judge another based on something that you could not possibly understand... then you will see me right there before you, ready and willing to challenge your every word. No man/woman in their right mind would "choose" to be gay. Do you remember what it was like to attend public school? You would get your head kicked in for simply wearing the wrong kind of shoes, let alone being interested in another man. Who on earth would choose that life? I don't know anyone that hates him/herself enough to desire beatings and being outcast every day of their life.Oh and by the way, look in the mirror. I can say with a very, very high level of assurance that you are far from infallible. Every blind eye you turn to the woes of this world makes you no better. Every time you fall back on the words of a book to justify your hatred, rather than helping your fellow man makes you no better. You might not agree with them... but their lives are not up to you... period.

Having grown up around skinhead culture (of the non-racist persuasion) to some degree, I've certainly had to deal with this subject on occasion... be it having to handle white power clowns along the way, or having to explain to members of the general public that having a shaved head doesn't make you a racist. Trust me, it's tough for many people to wrap their heads around the fact that skinheads came from predominantly black working class culture. In any case, I'd like to think I've always made a stand and have been very clear about my values. Do I believe that everyone has to think as I do on that front? Well, no... as nice as it would be to have everyone be a lot more open-minded, I have to accept the fact that I sure as hell can't change everything. However, I do not tolerate anyone's beliefs that they feel gives them the right to harm or hinder anyone else. If you want to believe in separate society for the purpose of your own personal life... fine. I wish you wouldn't and I'll even try to talk with you about it... but I can't force you to change. However, if you in turn take that belief and strike out against those who have every right to their own place in this world... you will hear from me about it, end of story. Be it by verbal or physical means if absolutely necessary. I'm not one to preach "eye for an eye" but there are situations in which all that one truly understands is physical confrontation.The same could be said of religious beliefs and the like. I'm an atheist who grew up in a strong Christian household, but my parents always preached tolerance and accepted whatever path I chose. I will take any opportunity to speak of my outlook, but I'm not about to force it down someone's throat. Education is the key to opening eyes and doors... not condemnation.

I don't think this is something once could ever predetermine. I'd only assume that once in that position, some sense of internal instinct would kick in and one would act in whatever way that comes about thereafter. I suppose a lot of it does have to do with one's moral positioning on life as you've come to know it. Some people do tend to obviously be more compassionate than others... and some find it much more difficult to make those kind of tough decisions. I think it's a matter of circumstance. You'd need to think and act quickly and weigh your options accordingly. For me... I trust my judgement, I always have. If I've got a gut instinct to save one group over another (or as mentioned above, sacrifice myself to save both), then so be it. If it's my time, it's my time.

I don't think I'd have any interest in using such a service to say my final piece. Truth be told, I would hope that those I love would know enough about how I feel for them, to obtain some sense of closure once I'm gone. It's not so much a matter of finding the perfect words to say goodbye when the time comes, it's more a matter of sharing those words of insight, caring, and compassion while I'm still here. Being that I personally don't believe in any sort of afterlife... I need to make all of this count while I still can. Everything else is up to chance and circumstance and I find some strange sense of comfort in that. Life is progression and growth, death is inevitable and something I don't wish to focus on until it's right before my eyes. Until then, it's live, love, and keep fighting the good fight. I'll deal with death when it's my time.

I'm not really one for message boards generally... but I do appreciate the broad nature of this one. It's a pretty open forum for just about anything I could possibly want to talk about which is definitely great for killing time on occasion. Unfortunately, time isn't something I have a lot of these days.But, I do certainly appreciate the Mycents aspect as well. I think it's a pretty interesting take on methods used to garner attention for sites and such. Kudos to those involved.

Not sure that there is anyone here really interesting in skateboarding, but Element just dropped chapter three of their new bio video. Whether or not you have any background in skating, it's a great look into what really drives those involved. Definitely worth a look if you've got a moment... http://www.elementbrand.com/makeitcount/film/

i've been working on this adorno piece on and off for a month or so now. needless to say, it's an incredibly heavy read... as is just about anything from him. "life does not live" being one of the books opening statements, you can really only imagine where it goes from there. from specifics to broad assertions of an inhuman society, adorno really digs deep on this one.if nothing else, it is certainly a social philosophy book worth taking a look at. just one warning, don't even bother attempting to read it while tired in any way... this requires a certain level of focus.

i would further these remarks... but i really couldn't have said it better. instead, i'll leave a quote: "The world holds two classes of men intelligent men without religion, and religious men without intelligence." Abul‐Ala al Maarri

i would concur with much of what you said in the last sentence, despite the fact that i tend to identify with a much more atheist approach to life. having grown up in a very tolerant christian home, i was lucky enough to have parents who were able to distinguish religion from spirituality. they were also very open and accepting of whatever decisions i made in my own life which allowed me to develop the opinion that i now have. for awhile i leaned more toward the spiritual side of things, simply avoiding the religious doctrine but as time wore on... i found myself being interested more within the little things in life, life's beauty as it is. i suppose this quote really formed much of who i became in time:

everything is working just fine now. thanks folks and thinks to Xisto/Xisto - Web Hosting staff.cheers.

still no email at either my actual email address or the address via my billing account at Xisto - Support. as for the domain issue that someone had mentioned prior, i had previously purchased a domain using another service so i don't believe that should be an issue. i would like to get working on my site soon being that i paid for the service... i just have no idea what's going on. it still shows that the service is "pending". i don't get it.

So, I'm going to keep posting here (truth be told, it's the only set of forums I really pay any attention to)... but I got rather impatient and decided to pay for hosting services by way of the Logic PRO set up. I do have a couple questions though and I apologize if they have been covered in previous posts. I attempted to read through the Knowledgebase but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.1) I made the purchase/payment last night (roughly 8 hours ago), I received an email with the payment invoice but nothing further. I'm curious as to when I will receive information regarding the set up and such (I already have a domain which I will be changing the DNS entries for) or if there is anything further I have to do before things get rolling?2) With regard to billing, when I am continually posting here... are my accrued funds from Xisto still applied to my hosting services despite the fact that I initially ran a paid set-up? In other words, since I didn't initially go with the free hosting services, am I still able to take advantage of the funds I gain by using these forums, putting it towards my account payments?Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the great work folks... I'm really loving it around here thus far.

i will copy and paste one of a few little pieces i had written in an old journal that reflect the underlying purpose of this topic..."I suppose I should preface this entry by saying that I have no idea where I'm going with this. I simply felt the need to write, to express, to weave some sort of thought provoking tapestry. Time has a tendency to bring about change, I'm sure we all know this... but today I'm interested in the subtlety of it all. Those days in which we wake up knowing that today is drastically different than yesterday but in truth, we have no idea how, when, or why it came to be that way. Somewhere along the line we lost the focus that we all fight so hard to hang onto. We spend each day in a constant struggle, attempting portray to others (and ourselves) that we truly know what we're doing or where we're going. The fact is, every day that passes only proves to show just how futile such attempts are.Could it be misplaced faith?Could it be that our attempts to lock down all that lies ahead and even that which surrounds us right this very moment, has left us devoid of this world's most precious gift... the spontaneity of life. Desperation has been left in such a negative light but by nature, it is that very desperation that has brought about any great change in this world. How could it be that such a "negative" sentiment can be of such worth? I suppose it's all a matter of perspective. William S. Burroughs said it best when he said, "Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape." When it all comes crashing down... we learn to rebuild, we learn to live. What's funny is that we spend our entire lives waiting for great events to create change, and yet we are all missing the point. Great events occur every day, slowly, consistently. It is that very concept that leaves us in silence, wondering how the hell we got to where we are today. While waiting for something life changing, life never stopped changing. She's a sneaky mistress but a dependable one.Rest assured that tomorrow you will be different than you are today and each day beyond that... the possibilities are endless. Never doubt the urgency of life, but please don't forget that as the years wear on there is infinite promise. Find worth within those times that you're at your worst. Take them as a gift, a starting point. It is the one time in your life when you can honestly smile knowing that things couldn't possibly get any worse. Again, keep it in perspective. Keep your eyes not on what you've lost, but on the vast world of possibilities that can be seen from that very moment. It's a big world out there, and this is only the beginning."

i believe i'd rather not know. i do see how it could have its advantages... however, what makes life worth living is its unpredictable nature. if i knew how it was all going to pan out, it wouldn't be worth living. you would never take true risks because you would already know whether or not you were going to survive based on when you knew you would die. the sense of true adventure in life would immediately be diminished once you knew just how long you could remain essentially invincible (if you were given a finite death date, you would have no cause for concern regarding events leading up to that date).all in all... i feel that life would lose its sense of adventure and as much as it can be a massive pain in the *bottom* at times, i'm quite certain that life without that adventure would not be worth the effort.