By Aaris A. Schroeder
Editor-In-Chief
Nov 16, 2010
It is time to write another note. I once wrote a private, personal diary; now the need to share my personal feelings with others has overwhelmed me. So I have had my second epiphany in life. The first was when I realized that I was wrong to believe what I heard on TV as factual [and I don’t mean this in a realism way; more or less observant way] and that there was more out there in the world to learn than what was being broadcasted. I even learned that other countries, including our own only broadcast what they want or what the government tells them to so that they can save face or even not get arrested in some cases. I also learned that there are several paths to be made. It can be as simple as the path a butcher or an oil painter takes. It can also be as complex as faith, believing in certain life long rituals, leaders, ways of life or living by the law; or, in other words, the government.
It is unfortunate that we can’t just look at a flower in all of its majestic beauty and know that it belongs where it is because it is its time. “Its time” is related to fate, another thing that I always said I didn’t believe in because I felt that God gave us free will but now I really understand is our responsibility.
It is our responsibility to stay alive and function so that we can keep this planet we are on going. This is not so simple. It doesn’t mean just being a consumer or buying “green” or helping out at the local community center. It means more and this is where my second epiphany comes from.
Humans; just like any other animal or living organism, knows that we need to procreate. This helps us to continue our species past our lifetime. This is all good and well but there are a lot of problems that are caused because of this “idea,” and being the “responsible” humans that we are we can be the first to change it. Before criticism, please understand that I come with the observance that I wish to watch, learn and teach! This is the true basis to us being human and on this planet!
Watch, learn and teach. To watch, or observe is what a child does. Everyday a child will watch his or her parents, teachers, friends, people at the store, clerks, other drivers, people on the street, and business folks on their phones – they watch. While they do this, they contemplate ideas in their heads about what they want to do when they become an adult, hence the “when I grow up…” conversations. As adults we must continue this process. To “become an adult” and simply stop observing or watching causes a halt in our ability to reason, understand and grow as a human.
Learning can be easy or down right frustrating. Learning involves observing and once observed to try it out. So as a young teenager, you have watched your parents, friends of parents, family members, teachers and political and religious leaders. You feel safe yet you learn what it means to make a mistake or to gain composure and be offensive rather than defensive. This is true in the case of learning to drive, when it is your time, you are driven to the DMV where you show a person who is a “professional” how you can handle that wheel. If all your “observances” were right then you pass that test. Next you take the written test. Now you have to remember all those things your parents said or those crazy rules the bus driver had to abide by; plus you have your driver’s book that you read and talked about to your friends and parents.
Able to pass these tests mean that you learned something. Now it is your turn to teach your friends and younger family while showing off your new “driving skills.” Sharing is the best! Sharing information is the equivalent to charity and that it should be.
Charity is sharing, giving back, reimbursing. In all logic and nature, it is not to be done with a purpose other than that! Not for notoriety, not for a pat on the back or even to make even on a debt. Sharing is done for the pleasure of sharing, of giving simply because it helps someone else to grow! How often do you hear someone love talking about their day? Sharing with you all the ins and outs and wrongs and rights that went on during their busy day? Human brains desire to do this on a simple level but because of all of the complexities of religion, government, media, explosion of mass entertainment and crazy physical expectations, what is in or out and massive blasts of fast technology, it is hard just to sit down and share something so small with someone that they might possibly use in their future.
What is so interesting is that all of these things are human made and made to share, teach and then… prosper.
Trust me all, if I could sit down and write and share with you and not get paid and not have to worry that there was a roof over my head or food in my belly or even if it was somehow magically taken care of for me then, you know me, I’d be on it! But that is not the case. Now days, people just do not pay attention anymore unless you are directly in front of their face.
Someone has to put that face there. That is where marketing comes in. So if you are looking for a job, keep going back, market yourself! If you are trying to get that girl, you must keep up on her social networks, be at her cocktail hour spots, find out what she is into and manage your way into some skinny jeans.
Wait. No. This is where modern “social media” gets out of control. The once journalist, not trusted by a soul in his town, less they speak the truth is now on Twitter, FaceBook, at all the events, does not even tell you and does not work for the newspaper you thought they did… they are freelancing. Twittering their going-ons is the “thing to do” for journalists and the new “blogger” writer. The day of the career journalist is over, or at least needs to be remade. Yet in times such as these, websites like www.sacpress.com can assist in the breakdown and loose grounds AKA ethics in journalism as a whole.
These “media” sources are supposed to bring communities together but for those of us who are writers, photographers, etc that are part of the whole who keep things running and understand the ethics and standards of what is newsworthy, it weakens us into freelancing or writing a blog.
So my new epiphany the last few months and now more than ever is to remake myself as a writer and my public presence, online and in real life. It is key to my survival as a writer. If any one is to take me seriously, I have to really sacrifice my social habits, no more excessive happy hours or hitting all the hot music spots late at night. No more social networking my private business; complaints about men, girlfriends or family – we must all keep a firm understanding on our partners, close friends and family, employees and staff as well as affiliates and also, then my network, in order to gain respect and then my place as a writer in my community, on and offline.
