Ben Harper Wants Me.

I smiled the whole time I read Mick Jagger Wants Me by Susan Jane Gilman. Every girl can relate to that story. We all have a celebrity that we just adore without even knowing. Me? I have several. Ben Harper. John Mayer. Ray LaMontagne. Damien Rice. The lead singer of Bon Iver. The bassist for Augustana. I love them all and they all love me in return. Every word in every song is about me. That is what makes it so great. You can listen to a song or watch a movie and, in your mind, every word and every action can be solely for you.

When Ben Harper sings "Forever" I know he wrote it for me. Just like John Mayer's "Tracing" is about me, as well as Damien Rice's "Cannonball". And deep down I know that when Ray LaMontagne says he's been saved by a woman, that woman is me. Everyone does it; interprets different things in pop culture in different ways. What it really all boils down to, in Mick Jagger Wants Me and in the real world is that sometimes fantasy is just better than reality. There are certain things we don't want to do or see in real life for fear that it will quash the perfect idea we had in our minds of how it should be. Usually, fantasy and reality don't coincide and some things are better off left to fester in your mind.

My Personality, Political Views, and Spritual Beliefs. :)

As I sit in my apartment, drinking my sixth (and definitely not last) cup of coffee, talking to my mother on the phone, it occurs to me than I have forgotten to do something, though I can't quite place what it is. Then it hits me, "Crap! I had homework!"

Since I took the personality test on Saturday everything I have done has reminded me of one of those traits. INFJ. Introverted. Intuitive. Feeling. Judgmental.

I never thought of myself as introverted, really. After taking the test, though, I re-evaluated myself and realized that I am. For instance, last night my boyfriend gave me a choice between going to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pig Roast or spending a quite night at my place. I chose a quite night in and it is a choice that I make almost everytime. I would rather be alone than in a large group of people. While being around people doesn't bother me , it just isn't a favorite. I am decent and getting to know people. While I find small talk annoying, I am relatively good at it. I am an introvert though, certainly not of the worst kind, but most definitely an introvert.

Intuitive. I suppose this means that I base my actions on feeling and gut instinct rather than cold, hard fact. This is definitely true. If I feel, in my soul, that I should dosomething, I will, even if all signs are pointing in the opposite direction.

Feeling. I am a very feeling person. This is something I've known all my life. I feel happiness, sadness, anger, frustration and every other feeling with all of my heart.

Judgment. This one isn't my best character trait. I am harshly critical of those around me,while still being accepting of those different than myself. I generally judge those close to me more than strangers because I want them to do well in every aspect of life and I seem to have this idea that I know what it takes to get them there. I am one of the most opinionated people you will ever meet.

The political compass test said that I am slightly left-wing libertarian.

I wasn't too surprised by this answer. I am pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, anti-death penalty (most days) and completely against a national healthcare system. I consider myself a democrat and I voted for Obama in the last election.

And here are all the answers tothe sprituality questionairre, I think they are all pretty self-explanatory.

Do you have a spiritual belief or practice?

- I was raised Catholic but in the past few years I have really questioned my belief in the whole religious system. I don’t think that any one church has got it all right and there are just quite a few holes in Christianity and I have yet to find someone that can answer them for me.

Is belief itself a problem?

- I’m not sure I understand the question. If you mean do the beliefs of others bother me, then absolutely not. I am very open to the ideas and beliefs of others.

How important is tolerance of differing beliefs in regard to this topic?

- I believe being tolerant of others beliefs is extremely important. Of course I don’t agree with people all the time, but I am generally very open to hear what others think.

Do you believe in a divine being or higher power?

- To a certain extent. As I said, in order to fully believe, I will need a few questions answered first.

How do you relate (or not) to this concept of a higher power?

- I just don’t like the idea that we are all only here by chance. The concept that there is a higher power is, to a certain degree, comforting.

What is the relationship between the physical and spiritual world?

- I’m not sure there is one at all.

How important (or not) is spirituality to your personal identity?

- It really doesn’t have a great affect on my personality. Most of my personal beliefs and feelings contradict the way I was raised and I haven’t formed a strong sense of spirituality on my own yet.

What is your attitude to people whose views on spiritual matters differ from
your own?

- I am pretty open to them. I usually find it interesting to hear what other people think about religion and spirituality/

Do you believe your spiritual beliefs (or lack thereof) continue to change
over time or generally stay the same? What is the importance of change or
its lack?

- Over the past few years they have changed quite a bit. I think change is always good because you are continuing to question things. I don’t think we should ever stop questioning things no matter how simple they may be. The day we do that will be the day we’ve lost the will to learn and I believe the will to learn is the most important thing for a person to maintain.

Us and Them

Upon reading Us and Them by David Sedaris, I began to wonder if I, in fact, am too judgmental of others. Everyone is guilty of making fun of another because he or she may dress differently than you, have religious views unsimilar to yours, or be from a different country. If one were to take a look back through history, one could see that bridging the gap betweens societies and religions is no easy task and is one that mankind may never accomplish.

Adults have a responsibility to teach the children of the world to be accepting of others no matter their beliefs or lifestyle. However, many parents today act just as the mother in Us and Them did, and do not teach their children acceptance, but rather prejudice. There is an old saying stating that "ignorance breeds ignorace." In this story, as well as in today's society, this proves to be all too true in most cases.

I have three younger siblings: two brothers, ages fifteen and thirteen, and a sister, age seven. I also have three nephews that are six, three, and seven months old. As someone they admire, I have always done my best to teach them to be accepting of those around them. While it is no easy task, especially with my younger sister, Scout, I believe it is most certainly worthwhile.

I Have A Writing History?

It had never occurred to me that we all have a history with writing. Whether or not it is something you enjoy, it is a task that we all must partake in on a daily basis.

The person to whom I am writing has a great impact on how casually or formally the note, letter, text, etc. is written. For instance, if I were writing a letter to my grandmother it certainly would not be as formal as a resume' I have submitted, nor would a text to my boyfriend be as formal as the letter to my grandmother. Each rhetorical situation requires a different style of writing.

While a text may be as simple as saying, "Hey, what are you up to today," a letter is generally more lengthy, in depth, and personable. A note to a roommate would also be considerably more casual than a letter to the manager or owner of my apartment complex. When writing a letter to my roomie, I could possibly say something as short and sweet as "Take out the trash!" I can assume that she knows where and how to take out the trash and where we keep the additional garbage bags. However, if I were writing the same note to a weekend visitor, it would behoove me to include.

So, in short, I we all have a writing history. Whether casual or formal, writing is something that most every person does everyday.