Stars.

"Through violence you may murder the liar,
but you cannot murder the lie, 
nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: 
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior

April showers.

I figure I need at least one post every month, and as today is the last day of April, I figure I better crank one out.

I've had a hard month. The three AP tests I'm taking in the next two weeks have been the cause of most of my distress. Passing the French one is going to take a literal miracle.

The weather hasn't been helping me out either. The snow has continued all month. I even woke up to a fresh snowfall today. It's sickening.

I've had a lot of time to think this month, maybe even too much. With college looming over my head, and the time living at home winding down, it's really made me wonder where life is going to take me, who is going there with me, and what I want from both of those things. It's a strange feeling. I haven't really figured it out yet. Who has more influence on your future? People you knew, the ones you know, or who you will know in the future? Or are there a few that cross into all three that will really make the most difference? Only time can tell, I guess.

MZ.

I just got back from a speech by Mark Zuckerburg, the creator of Facebook! I have not seen the movie about him, but I was still surprised to see him be a cool, down to earth guy. It was in a Q&A interview type format with Orrin Hatch, the Utah senator, but Mark showed up in jeans and a hoodie, which I thought was great.

I wouldn't say it was a very inspirational speech or anything like that, but he did have a few points which I think are worthy of mentioning:

It's as much about psychology as it is about technology.
In order to create a great company, it is necessary to hire people that are passionate about what they do, and instead of seeking to fill a position, they create it for themselves.
The biggest qualification one needs is passion. With that, anyone can change the world.

Consequences.

"Our freedom to choose our course of conduct does not provide personal freedom from the consequences of our performances."

Marvin J. Ashton

Whistleblower.

I bought a whistle yesterday to become a Whistleblower for Peace.

If you haven't heard of this, Falling Whistles is a non-profit organization fighting to end war in Congo. It all started with a journal entry and the newfound knowledge that children are abducted and forced to fight. And not only that: the ones too young and small to carry and operate a gun are given only a whistle and sent to the front lines of battle. Their sole responsibility is to use that whistle to make enough noise to scare away the enemy. If they don't succeed, they are the ones hit with the first round of bullets. They are the sacrifice for the rest of the army.

Basically, blow this whistle until you die.

So, from this the idea was born that "Their weapon could be our voice." Whistles are sold online or at retail stores including Lolabella and JMR. 100% of the proceeds go to help rehabilitate and educate the children that have escaped from the war. The question is, can this little whistle be the symbol that helps end war in Congo? Buy a whistle and spread the word.

Click on the picture to see the Falling Whistles website and find out more.

The Circus.

Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn't have a lot of money. Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by- two behind their parents, holding hands. 

They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, elephants and other acts they would see that night. One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be a highlight of their young lives.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "You're my knight in shining armor." He was smiling and basking in pride, looking at her as if to reply, "You got that right."

The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, "Please let me buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus."

The ticket lady quoted the price.

The man's wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man's lip began to quiver. The father leaned a little closer and asked, "How much did you say?"

The ticket lady again quoted the price.

The man didn't have enough money.

How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn't have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."

The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn't go to the circus that night, but we didn't go without.

Dan Clark

A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Halfway.

I'm halfway through my senior year. Halfway! Only about four more months.

This week I went up to Sundance with a group of students from Grenobles, France. It taught me how little French I have learned in the last six years, but also that you don't always have to understand each other perfectly to make new friends. And also that it's not cool to say "C'est chouette!" Apparently it's the French version of "It's groovy!" Way outdated. Embarrassing.

I always thought a good way to deal with problems was to go out and dance and party and do crazy stuff and forget about everything else. But it turns out that one of the best things is laying on the couch for 3 hours on a Friday night and talking. Talking about the past, the present, the future, and the way things change. Sometimes that is better than getting lost in people and loud music.