I decided to have someone change my password for my Tumblr and Facebook in order for me to focus on school, so if you want to contact me, email and phone is the best way to go.
Email: raisedfistrevolution@gmail.com OR ramosj145@student.mi.edu
Phone: Message me for it. Hahaha.
See you in two months!
—Mark Hart
This poem irritates me on so many levels.
1. Jesus came to abolish religion? Of course, that makes sense! That would explain why he said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” I’m pretty sure He says “do” as well. Or why he said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish them, but to fulfill them.”
2. As you may know, I get irritated when people put a negative connotation on the word “religion”. Why? Because that’s what Christianity is - a religion. “Religion” simply means a person’s beliefs in terms of transcendental matters, and how a person acts and what he/she does in order to follow those beliefs. What I don’t like is how many of these evangelical Christians go around saying this crap about how Christianity’s not a religion, but a relationship, in order to undermine bigger Churches. Many times, they aim it at MY beloved Church.
3. Yes, religion may be the cause of some conflict in the Middle Ages, a little bit even today. But I don’t see you complaining when your fellow Americans have killed millions of people, including your own, in the name of “freedom”. The Civil War, World War I and II, the American Revolution, the War in Iraq - those wars have been fought in the name of “freedom”. So, by your mentality, since it’s wrong to fight in the name of religion, it should be just as wrong to fight in the name of other people’s freedoms.
4. Many churches, including my own, do our best to feed the poor. In fact, the Catholic Church is known as the biggest charity in the entire world. Wrong again.
5. “Religion never gets to the core.” Your ignorance shows again. Well, I can at least speak for my Church - how many other churches you know have philosophers, thinkers, mystics, and scientists contemplating and thinking, to come to the same conclusion.
6. “It’s not a museum for good people, but a hospital for the broken.” That’s WHY religion, in the deepest sense, isn’t about getting to Heaven, but learning what it means to be human: our shortcomings, our triumphs, and our connections with one another.
7. You don’t like our “rules” or “rituals”? Take that up to the guy who established them - Jesus. These aren’t rules to control you, but guidelines that will set you free. Maybe you should study history and context before you go around complaining as to why the Church has so many doctrines. These “rules” you complain about don’t control you, but liberate you, because they let you know that anything against it is sin. And since you are “Christian”, you should know that the price for sin is death, right?
8. This kind of mentality makes me annoyed, because it makes the focus of Christianity feeling and moments of “love”, rather than intellectual understanding and unconditional love being acted upon. I could never understand it.
One of the sayings that gets thrown around in our generation is, “You can’t love someone else if you can’t love yourself.” Before any person, before your significant other, even before your family, people tell you that one of the trademarks of confidence and a fulfilled life is loving oneself. Well, I apologize for sounding borderline ignorant and stupid, but what does it mean to love yourself?
Does it mean that you are content with who you are, at the moment? The way you look, the color of your skin, where you work, where you go to school, your financial standing, and anything that pertains to your position in life? If that’s the case, then yes, I love myself. There are a lot of things I wish I could change about myself - maybe if I was taller, maybe if I was more good-looking, maybe if I was richer, life would be easier. But this is what God gave me, and I’ll take it, because anything God gives me is everything I deserve.
Does it mean that you embrace your past and present? The mistakes you made, the achievements you have, the regrets you live with, and the hopes of what may happen tomorrow in your life? In that case, I love myself. Everything happens for a reason and everything will happen for a reason. The mistakes I made are mine to learn from. The achievements I have, whether big or small, are victories I achieved. The hopes I have will be accomplished, in God’s time.
Does it mean that I have no problem being by myself? When the friends I want to hear from don’t call me, when I’m alone in public places, and when the girls I’m interested in is interested in anyone else but me? To be honest…I don’t know. Living alone in LA for a month made me realize that I need human interaction. It gets lonely being in a new town, and company was a lot more important than I thought. As far as the girl situation, I don’t know why I find myself wanting a girlfriend so bad. If I have everything else in my life lined up, why do I want something I’ve never had? Perhaps it’s because it’s something I’ve never had, and it feels like everyone else has experienced it but me, even though in my rational mind, I know it’s not true. It’s also a reflection of who I am as a person - I’m the kind of guy who wants to love, and be given the opportunity to love. But according to the purpose of this blog, if I truly want to love, what better way to express love than love myself?
My only problem is this: how do I love myself? What do I do to achieve this? I’m so confused as to how to go about this. Do I look at myself in the mirror every day and tell myself I am handsome? Do I keep some stupid list in my wallet that reminds me about the things I like about myself? Do I make love songs dedicated to myself? Schools teach you the history of the country you live in, advanced calculus, and the Western music scale, but has never taught me how to build up my self-esteem, when it’s been constantly shut down since birth, yet I’m foolish enough to think that a girlfriend can do that for me. How pretentious and selfish! But am I really being down on myself, or is this just healthy introspective contemplation? After all, I’ve affirmed, previously, that I do love myself in certain aspects. Maybe it’s just this particular area in my life where I’m struggling.
So if you ask me, “Do you love yourself, Joseph?”, I’m sorry to say this, but my answer would be this:
I’m still learning how to do that.
(But on the other hand, a confused and tortured soul makes for great music!)
[ ] Serve at a CFC/YFC/SFC Conference.
[ ] Walk @ Walk for Life.
[ ] Visit St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
[ ] Visit Jerusalem.
[ ] Visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France.
[ ] Visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.
[ ] Visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
[ ] Meet the Pope.
[ ] Build a Gawad Kalinga house.
[ ] Contribute to a charity.
[ ] Go to Simbang Gabi all the way through.
[ ] Learn to freestyle rap.
[ ] Go into a rap battle at least once.
[ ] Make a demo.
[ ] Record/produce an album I’m proud of.
[ ] Serenade a girl I like with an original song.
[ ] Perform at The Chain Reaction.
[ ] Go on a world tour.
[ ] Watch an orchestra perform.
[ ] Battle a veteran.
[ ] Make a krump choreography piece.
[ ] Join a choreography crew.[ ] Be a big homie.[ ] Teach a krump workshop.
[ ] Battle out of state.
[ ] Battle at an all-styles dance event, doing krumping and maybe popping.
[ ] Learn a partner dance.
[ ] Visit the UK.
[ ] Vist Italy.
[ ] Visit Greece.
[ ] Visit Japan.
[ ] Visit China.
[ ] Run a marathon.
[ ] Go sky-diving at least once.
[ ] Go scuba diving at least once.
[ ] Go rock climbing at least once.
[ ] Go bungee jumping.
[ ] Hike up a mountain and watch the view once I reach the top.
[ ] Jump off the top of a waterfall.
[ ] Have an epic road trip with close friends.
[ ] Celebrate New Years in New York.
[ ] Go camping.
[ ] Go kayaking.
[ ] Go canoeing.
[ ] Go water-skiing.
[ ] Go sailing.
[ ] Go windsurfing.
[ ] Go snowboarding.
[ ] Go skiing.
[ ] Go swimming in the ocean.
[ ] Be fluent in Tagalog.
[ ] Do a full workout program all the way through.
[ ] Learn to skate.
[ ] Learn to surf.
[ ] Learn to play basketball.
[ ] Learn to play football.
[ ] Learn muay thai.
[ ] Compete in an MMA match.
[ ] Learn to ice-skate.
[ ] Learn to play drums.
[ ] Learn to play piano.
[ ] Write a book of poetry.
[ ] Solve a Rubik’s cube.
I know that someday you’ll be sleeping, darling, likely dreaming off the pain. I hope you’ll hear me in the streetlight’s humming, softly breathing out your name. I know that even with the seams stitched tightly, darling, scars will remain. I say we scrape them from each other, darling, and let them wash off in the rain. And when they run into the river, oh no, let the water not complain. I swear that, even with the distance slowly wearing at your name, your hands still catch the light the right way, and our hearts still beat the same.
To every one of you making beats on their samplers and MIDI keyboards, to all you band members strumming guitars and beating drums, to all you singers belting out your heart, mind, and soul into your lyrics, love your music. To all my friends that are aspiring rappers, coming out with punchlines for days or heartfelt rhymes, love your music. To all my homies in the hardcore punk scene, making the most intense song you can make with that breakdown or two-step section, screaming your heart out for all of the Chain Reaction or Aladdin Jr.’s to see, love your music. To all the singer/songwriters out there, strumming on their guitar and showing up in every open mic night available, singing songs about your romantic life, or lack thereof, love your music.
Because at the end of those lonely nights, when you have your girl yelling at you, demanding that you pay your half of the rent…or when you don’t HAVE a girl to yell at you, or even share your well-earned money from your music grind with, your music’s the only thing that will love you back. When your parents annoy you and insult the pursuit of happiness that you chose for yourself and refuse to let you live in their house until you get a real job, your music’s the only thing that will love you back. When you have to tour for months without real food to eat except McDonalds, sleeping on nothing but your crappy van, and half the venue refuses to mosh for you, your music’s the only thing that will love you back.
Love your music, because sometimes, your music’s the only thing that will love you back.
NSYNC > Backstreet Boys
Justin Timberlake = NSYNC
Therefore, Justin Timberlake > Backstreet Boys
Slapshot + Pantera = The Mongoloids
(Metallica - guitar solos) + Madball = Cruel Hand
Project X’s douchebag mentality + Ten Yard Fight = Down To Nothing
Michael Jackson + MGMT + MDMA = The Weeknd
Prince falsettos + Chromeo = Bad Rabbits
(Aaron Carter + Usher) / Tegan & Sara haircut = Justin Bieber
(Biggie’s flow + Kottonmouth Kingz’ subject content) / Bro fans - actual rap-oriented fans = Wiz Khalifa
The Pack - non-swagged members - non-based members + memorable hooks = Lil B
Eminem’s flow + Necro’s disturbing content (without giving Necro any props) + a hint of 80s goth music = Tyler The Creator
