All posts by Felicia Rupert

“My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?” ― David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

There will always be a moment in your life in which you feel obsolete, as if no matter how hard you work or how much you try you are merely one individual among millions and will have little impact on the world around you. Well in this moment, do yourself a favor, realize that you are so very wrong. After all, history shows us that it only takes one person with an idea worth fighting for to change the world as we know it.

A limitless ocean; billions of people around the world that all have their own thoughts and opinions, but become self censored to conform to the ways of everyone else. And in this multitude of individuals there are so many that have the intelligence and spirit to change the lives of people around them, yet don’t dare to risk a change in their secure lives.

Think of a historical movement, any at all. Were their any individuals that stood alone? doubtful. Because it takes one person to express an idea, but an army to make sure the change is carried out. And from that individual, the lives of his or her followers, and along with those of all of the others who are effected by a change will never be the same again. Martin Luther King, Ghandi, and Nelson Mandela: three men with a vision of change and the spirit to make sure it happens. drops living among  individuals who were sick of the ways in which a multitude of human beings were forced to live their lives.

No one is insignificant. Without every drop to do its part, an ocean would be nothing more than a barren dried up wasteland. Nothing would change and no one would truly prosper. Never allow the fear of rejection restrict your ability to represent something greater than yourself. Be a drop in an ocean, because there is nothing stronger than a body of water that refuses to be tamed.

“Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.” ― Robin Hobb

When you travel the world, to more countries than most people could name in a single sitting, where do you usually end up? Right back where you started for the majority of people I suppose. But why? I’m pretty sure that most of us don’t come from a life of luxury or live on our own tropical island, so why, why travel the world and see exotic places just to return to a boring little town where nothing has really changed since you left? Well, I’m sure that if you ask anyone who has done all of this, their first and probably only answer would be: I had to, it’s home.

So what, you go back to your “home” and sit in your house and feel all better? The answer is and well always should be, No. It is the people, not the place that makes a home. The people that know more about you than you do, the ones that make you feel lost without. Granted, you can meet a wide variety of individuals when traveling the world, many of whom would become your long distance friends, but they will never know about your 14th birthday party, or that time you fell on your butt trying to be cool, or how awful it felt to fail your history final. Those memories belong to your family and your life long friends, they are what makes home, home. “Where the heart is” blah blah blah.

So what happens when you all leave, say you all go to college and maybe only a few become townies and stay behind. Things are never really like they used to be. There is an empty spot in your life that just doesn’t seem to find a filler. Quite frankly, it’s not really home anymore. When you get older, say settled down in another state where you are currently making a living, hopefully a good one at that, and you travel back home for a holiday to visit the family. While you are driving around town and looking for an open food store and every spot you pass reminds you of a silly situation your friends got into when you were a teenager, you realize that this place isn’t really home anymore, because all you see is memories and in those memories, the people you consider “home” will always remain.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. –Pablo Picasso

When you are a child, the world is a canvas, after all, how many times did you decide paper just wasn’t the proper canvas to hold your masterpiece? A child’s drawing can tell you so much more than you are usually willing to see. Even the simplest piece can tell you the story of their thoughts, feelings, and aspirations. This is actually why psychologists study the drawings of children, but that is just an educational thought that kinda brings this quote down. Anyways, When is the last tie you told a kid that something they drew wasn’t very good? If you actually have an answer to this, I silently judge you. The correct answer is never, because children should never be discouraged to be creative. Creativity opens unimaginable doors, whether it stays in the form of physical art, moves on to music or even writing. Children just have to be confident enough to express themselves.

This expression, tends to fade as we get older, because of insecurity or the excuse of a busy lifestyle. Granted, there are many individuals in the world that make art their lives. However, many can’t make a living off of it, even if they love what they do. We become so caught up in needing to make money or a reputation for ourselves that we let the artist within fade away. This, is a pretty sad idea. Losing one’s creativity is like forgetting who he or she is. Many times, creativity is the outlet we use to keep our sanity in this crazy, strict world. It is because of this that we are intrigued with celebrities that make a living producing music, painting, and dancing. A hint of jealousy is created because we are envious of their ability to stay true to the artist withing, that which we have suppressed in order to  adjust to the lives we are required to lead.

So why let that little artist go? There is no logical reason to. When you get bored, stressed, or sad, draw a picture. When things get stressful, sing a song. As long as a hint of artistry can be found in your life, you might just be a little bit more content with it.

“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!” – Coach Taylor

So yeah, maybe I’ve been watching too much of Friday Night Lights for the past month, so hey, no spoil alerts, because I’m only in season 3. The funny thing is, I’ve actually learned a lot about football just by watching the show, having known little before because my high school football team was not only terrible, but terribly full of themselves. Plus I would say it’s in my best interest to learn a lot about football, since I’m going to a college with one of the largest football franchises in the county (WE ARE!).

To those who have watched the series, can you think of how many times this quote is said during the episodes? A lot! is the answer although I have never been so inclined to count them. As a tv drama, lives are continuously turned upside down, with people getting injured, arrested, heartbroken, and abandoned, yet through all of this, Friday night returns and it is time to “build champions.” This fact right here is what makes the quote, “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” so profound. It expresses that as long as you see things clearly and care/try as hard as you can, you will not lose (on the field or in life).

But this quote has been popular for years, years after the show was concluded. So what is so inspirational about the quote that makes everyday people think of it and would live by it. Well I would start with, when you get really mad or sad do you think straight? Do you see things clearly? Does that ever help or just make the situation worse? The answer is usually no, no, and no. Looking at a situation clearly is the first step to finding a solution that contributes positively to the greater good. Next I would ask, do you care? While this portion has the shortest variety of question, it is probably the most crucial, because if you don’t care and your heart isn’t full, why try? With clear eyes and a full heart, nothing is impossible, and even if the outcome isn’t what you had planned or expected, have you really lost in the greater scheme of things?

“I don’t suppose you have many friends. Neither do I. I don’t trust people who say they have a lot of friends. It’s a sure sign that they don’t really know anyone.” ― Carlos Ruiz Zafón

In today’s world, people seem to prioritize having a multitude of friendships. This can be seen from the number of people they are “friends” with on social networking cites for example. They think that by being associated with more people, they will be perceived in a way that will make even more people like them. After all, there must be something about the person that makes everyone like them so much. This however is not reality. Most of the time people don’t actually know the people they claim to be associated with.

Friendship is a big deal. Friends are the people that you look to no matter how well or horribly wrong life is going. They are the people you trust with your secrets and trust to put up with your personality. That is why having fewer friends shows that you have true friends. They are the few, very important people, that you share your life with. If someone claims that they have many friends, I guarantee they don’t know much about each one. In that case, the person would have a multitude of acquaintances, and most do, but not every acquaintance is meant to mean a lot to you.

Adjusting to college is hard. People are always under the assumption that the more people they meet, the better off they are as freshman. Some people even have a good number of acquaintances that come with them from high school, which is a pretty cool thing, unless you don’t like the people of course. But the point of meeting all those people is not to be the most popular person on campus, it is to allow people to find their niches and explore the type of person they want to be in college. So while you are meeting all of those new people, don’t be afraid to let some go, because it is the ones that are still there afterwards that will probably be the most important to you for the next 4 years.

 

“As cities grow and technology takes over the world belief and imagination fade away and so do we.” ― Julie Kagawa, The Iron King

Zombie. Defined as a person who is or appears lifeless, apathetic, or completely unresponsive to their surroundings. In movies they may run around trying to eat people and groan and growl, but in real life, they are just everyday human beings with a piece of technology in their hands. Technology is like a virus. It spreads across cultures and inhibits people’s ability to interact with others and think for themselves. You walk outside, you automatically put your headphones in, or you get bored during a class and cant resist the urge to start meme surfing under your desk, even though you know you’re not supposed to be doing so. When there is a category for “stealthiest texter” in my high school yearbook senior “for fun” elections, there is something wrong with that picture. 

The imagination is a vital part of who we are as individuals. It builds dreams, hopes, and goals, while other times it just keeps us sane during miserable situations. It thrives on creativity, like drawing or writing, but seems irrelevant in a world where CGI can take you “to places beyond your wildest dreams.” Now don’t get me wrong, computer graphics make things like cartoons look really cool and detailed, but there is nothing like a hand drawn cartoon to make you appreciate creative talent. When you make the Looney Tuns show CGI, that is where I draw the line.

But the actual use of technology is not where the problem starts, it starts with the individual choosing to sit in front of a screen instead of doing something productive. We always got mad when parents gave the “back when I was a kid” speech, but here’s one that seems to stand the test of time: When I was a kid, I had to go outside and create my own entertainment instead of sitting in front of a box all day.” Nowadays, a kid spends 5 minutes without a piece of technology in front of them and it is like the apocalypse has begun. The last decade of technological advances makes even an 18 year old such as myself feel ancient.

 

“Pop music often tells you everything is OK, while rock music tells you that it’s not OK, but you can change it.” ― Bono

Everyone has their opinion on what genre is better and many are too quick to criticize music that doesn’t appeal to their attitude or lifestyle. Then there are the people, like me, who try to respect the great variety of artists that fill the music scene.  It is not because we like them all, I can tell you right now there are many that shouldn’t be where they are today, but because we realize that they play to a particular crowd and inspire people in different ways.

“Pop music often tells you everything is OK…”

Pop music claims the majority of airtime these days with upbeat tunes about hanging out and “enjoying life”. There are high energy back beats and vocals that make you want to have a good time. This is the kind of music that people like to listen to to escape their busy or dramatic lives and dance around, but in the greater scheme of things, when the music goes off, life goes back to the way it was before.

“…rock music tells you that it’s not OK, but you can change it.”

There are a lot of stereotypes out there about rock music, my personal favorite being “rock is nothing but screaming and yelling and anyone who likes it must worship Satan to be listening to that.” Contrary to popular belief, not everyone who listens to rock music is a depressed, goth reject who wants to watch the world burn. Ultimately, rock music does talk about morenegatives and/or being reckless to have fun, but pop music does just about the same thing. The difference is usually just in the delivery.

Rock music talks about the things that people would find unacceptable in life and when something is not OK. So instead of masking it behind an auto tuned singer and electronic back beat, rock artists sing it, scream it, and release the negativity from their very beings.  There is a form of “suck it up or change it” advice in many songs. That if you are truly pissed at the way the world works, do something about it.

So in the end, you don’t have to like or listen to it, but don’t disrespect it, because at least rock artists have something real to say, something that no one else has the guts to say out loud.

 

If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. –Tony Robbins

It is pretty logical; you do this, you will get this result. Think of it like a generic action, you don’t drink water and you feel dehydrated or you work out on a daily basis and build muscle. But this quote isn’t really about a simple thing like that. It is about life in general; that if you act the same way you always have, you will live the same way too.                                                                      

Most people would claim that they are content with this idea and they just do what they have always known. And this is fine for “most people”, but what about the people that want to live life to its fullest and do something abnormal. It seems like the answer would be simple: change it up! Unfortunately, we as human beings don’t always know how to do that. That is why it is important to start small as to not overwhelm or discourage a change. It is much easier to go out of your way one step at a time than to go overboard, change everything, and lose the parts that were good to begin with.

Meeting people is really harder than one would think, unless someone is super social and can’t wait to put themselves out there. These people do exist, but they are not usually the majority of the population. But if you do what you have always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. If you don’t put yourself out there and make an effort to meet people, you will be just as lonely as ever. In the grand scheme of things, people are always going to reject others, it is a negative aspect in human nature, and people are always going to judge. It is the people that you can find that don’t do these things that are the keepers. But you will never find them unless you do the simple little things, the baby steps, and say hi or just smile at people once in a while.

The only way to change the outcome is to add a new variable to the equation.

 

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” ― Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss. Whether you are just a little kid who likes to look at pictures of goofy characters who say silly things or you are a middle aged adult looking though a box of old books, Dr. Seuss is a name that will never fade. When you are young, the words in a Dr. Seuss book tell a funny story about a character, like in Green Eggs and Ham, who has a lesson to learn and does so by going on an adventure lead by the imagination, yet when you get older and read them again, you realize that the lessons of Dr. Seuss weren’t all that silly after all.

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

Have you ever tried to hold on to a happy thought so tightly that it almost made you hurt? People try so hard throughout their lives to hold on to memories of a happier time, almost to the point that that memory becomes a weight on their shoulders. When things end people don’t just move on. Every time they go back to that memory, the feelings of happiness and amusement come back, if only for a moment, and then they go away, because life isn’t stuck in time. But of course this isn’t exactly the easiest thing to understand, so people get sad and yes, they probably shed a tear or two… or three, or a hundred.

But why? Why turn something that once brought you so much joy into something that makes your heart ache? Be happy when you think about a good memory. That’s as simple as it gets. So don’t over think those moments and certainly try not to compare your past to your future. Those memories of the past will always be there, but there are so many more yet to come that will make you just as happy and perhaps even happier than you have ever been before. When times get tough it is always nice to have something that will make you smile, but always seek out new things to make your day brighter, because they are out there, just waiting for you to discover them. After all, this is college.

So yes, the lessons of good old Dr. Seuss aren’t always the easiest to learn, but they are worth it. Whether you are 5 or 50, you are never done learning.

And…