Live or die (hard)

If you had to choose between #1 or #2, which would you choose?

1) Live a long life, but remain known only to a small group of people. (be an average Joe)

2) Or live large, die in your early twenties, but be insanely famous for the next 1,000 years?

"Logan: It's your choice, Ace. People can live a hundred years without really living for a minute. You climb up here with me, it's one less minute you haven't lived." (Gilmore Girls)

I guess the way most people will answer the question will be to tell their life goals and what's important to them. The problem with me is that I can't get the best of both worlds.

Life is pointless without goals and challenges. I'm not going to live twice so I might as well shoot for the moon. If I become insanely famous and die at 21, I can say my life had purpose. I shouldn't settle for less than the best I can achieve. Of course, I would essentially be trading longevity for fame and glory. I guess this would be all right if achieving fame was for the right reason. I wouldn't want to be known as some serial killer after I die.

On the other side of the coin, I would die if I had to live such a short life. I measure my life in each day, and hundreds of days off my life would be a waste for some glory I couldn't grasp in my lifetime. Of course, if I lived long enough to find out thatfame over life is the better choice, I would be living with many years of regret. I would be able to confide in myself that I made the wrong choice instead of dying before I could judge if glory is better than life. My curiosity might even be the one to kill me early if I chose fame. Long life without purpose is not really living though. I would rather live twenty years doing something that motivates me than sit myself on a backburner for 60 years. If I lived long, my friends give my life meaning. Everybody in the world doesn't matter to me, so I can be fine with my core group of friends. I care more about what I think of myself than what the world thinks of myself.

The question I'm struggling with is "is there a correct answer?" Both choices are double-edged swords, and neither situation is win-win for me. If a stranger (or a teacher) gave me the two choices, I would probably choose long life. I would rather take the time to learn about myself than for everyone else to know about me for a thousand years. Usually fame and glory are the reasons people die early, not the other way around. I just want to be happy with myself with school, work, and my friends.

Back in the day

My favorite books from when I was young were the abstract stories my mom and dad would read to me. Dr. Seuss's "fox in socks" was my favorite book. Whenever I saw my grandparents I would make them read it to me. They would get so tongue twisted they couldn't even talk. It made perfect sense that fox was in socks in a box with clocks. Another favorite book of mine was "Wacky Wednesday." I always had fun looking for the hidden oddities in each picture. It reminded me of a Richard Scary story or an Ispy. I guess I had a Freudian curiosity in my subconscious world of craziness. Shel Silverstein always wrote poems which inspired my imagination. There was always something mythic about a little girl who piled pounds of food into her. I always wished I could fly away on a gigantic shoe.

The Western World

"The world, friend Govinda, is not perfect or on a slow journey toward perfection; no, it is perfect every moment; all sin already bears its forgiveness within itself; every little boy already bears the old man within himself, every infant bears death, every dying man bears eternal life. No one is able to look at someone else and know how far along on his journey he is; in the highwayman and dice player lurks a Buddha, in the Brahman lurks the highwayman." p. 77 Siddhartha


In life everyone tries to define us. My parents tell me how to act, but they can't change me. I'm like a crumpled up piece of paper that must unfold. I already have everything: my personality and individuality. People shouldn't be judgmental towards me because I dress a certain way or talk funny, but people are always trying to change what they don't like and not accept it. Everyone feels the need to shape the world with their opinions, but some are more aggressive in conforming others. People that listen to others don't think for themselves, and like Govinda, they cannot be truly happy with their self.

Western thinking dose not agree with this thinking. People in school are supposed to have their friends. Everyone must act as part of a greater group or risk being excommunicated. That thinking is contradictory to being an individual, which is another Western value. Can anyone really be unique and part of a group, and can they live on not being uniquely part of the world? Western thinking tries to promote the individual and suppress it at the same time. The paragraph, however, says that there is no similarity or difference in anyone; we are all the Buddha, the highwayman, the old man, and everything else at some point in our lives. We all encounter each other in ourselves at some time in our lives.

Coca-Cola

Everyone's favorite drink. Over 400 brands under the Coca-Cola company. Sold in over 200 countries...

American culture has had a profound effect on the world today. Symbols such as Coke and McDonalds are seen throughout the globe. Why is everyone so eager to envelop these products and what they represent? Coke is not a drink anymore; it's a symbol of America. The American way has spread throughout the world. Coke is now the "most recognizable brand". We relate to Coke as part of our history. People in China might see Coke as a new fad or just an American necessity. Either way, Coke is in the minds of everyone everywhere.