Relationships

    You sit down at the computer, you type in the Facebook URL. You go to your "about me" page, you search that one person's Facebook profile. And you send...A RELATIONSHIP REQUEST!!!

   That's right, you probably already guessed it by looking at the title, but this blog post is about relationships! Mainly the ones that take place before you are even old enough to take further action with them.

    And that leads me to my first question. Why do kids and teens even bother? I mean seriously, they won't be able to get married for another 10 years at least. So why have "relationships"? Why am I seeing all these posts on Facebook about, "so and so are now in a relationship". What in the world does that even mean? Well, apparently in this day and age, being in a relationship is a way of being intimate friends with someone of the opposite gender, and giving an excuse to act like a married couple. At least, that is the way it seems to me. I have seen people who are "in relationships" and frankly, it's gross. Seriously people, when I see an 8 year old (yes, 8 year old) boy and girl sitting together, and by together, I mean they must have been glued together, I don't think, "awww, that's so sweet!". I don't think it's cute when those two teens ALWAYS stand next to each other. No, I am usually crying on the inside because all hope for humanity is lost.

    "Wait, what did Ryan just say? All hope for humanity is lost? Wow Ryan, way to exaggerate." No, really, I mean that literally. All hope for humanity is lost, and here's why.

    You sit down at the computer, you type in the Facebook URL. You go to your "about me" page, you search that one person's Facebook profile. And you press... THE SINGLE BUTTON!!!

    Why does this happen not long after the first stage of a relationship does? Well, let me explain it this way. Listen carefully. Relationships are a way for teens to be "dating" even though their parents say not to date, so they work around it. And relationships are not a commitment in any way, shape, or form, so that gives you an easy way out when you get bored. Yes, most "relationships" end with the person you dumped being "just somebody that I used to know". So the reason all hope for humanity is lost, is because these 3 week long "relationships" are teaching the youth of today...what exactly? Is it teaching them how to "love and cherish someone until death do they part"? To "honor and keep them in sickness and in health"? NO! It is teaching them to "like one person for a few weeks" and, "honor them as long as there is something in it for you". No wonder there are so many divorces in today's society! All the 25 year old's that had tons of "relationships" when they were 16 are only using what they learned as kids. So the moment that they get a little bored with marriage, they are out. IT IS NO LONGER A COMMITMENT TO THEM! And that is what marriage is actually supposed to be. A commitment.

Now, there might be people who completely agree with me on this matter, but are teenagers and have a crush on that "special someone." They are probably thinking, "Yeah Ryan, I back you 100%, but is there ever an instance when I can be in a relationship as a teen? Because everyone else is and I feel alone and out of place."

Well, that brings me to this, how "relationships" are suddenly a part of our culture.

Basically, go to any school, any place where there are kids from about age 10 to 17, and you will find a lot of them "in relationships". I wonder what people who live in countries where you don't date until you are old enough, I wonder what those people would think if they came to the USA. Probably something like, "Wow, that couple is so cute! I mean, for two 20 year olds to be that small and both love each other, that's- wait. Those aren't 20 year olds! Those are kids!!!!! What crazy country is this?!?"

What I am trying to say here is that for some reason, it is weird to me alone when people talk about their relationships. But it is weird to absolutely EVERYONE ELSE (except a few of my homeschooler friends) when I say I have never been in one. I went to camp for the very first time about a year ago, and let me tell you, it was a bit uncomfortable. One boy found out I was homeschooled, and was giving me the old "interrogation".

"Do you like it? Do you do it in your PJs? Do you get to sleep in? Do you have hardly any schoolwork?"

Eventually, he asked if I had a girlfriend. I replied no, and he asked if I used to. I still said no. He asked if I ever kissed a girl. No. Here is what this unnamed boy said, "What? I have had 3 relationships, and kissed like 3 girls before!" I went on to say that I wouldn't kiss a girl until the pastor says, "You may now kiss the bride". He told me I would never get married, because no girl will ever like me.

Wow. I mean, I guess that is the end of the world. No really, if I never kiss a girl, then I won't get married. I guess I should just forsake all Biblical principles and go around kissing girls because apparently, THAT IS THE WAY THIS WORLD WORKS! Apparently I am guaranteed a girlfriend for life if I kiss her. Oh, wait. Let's take a step back. Didn't that guy say he has had like three girlfriends? Doesn't that mean the first 2 dumped him, or vice versa? Maybe this whole looking for a significant other thing has more to do with who you will be spending your life with and less to do with whether you kiss whoever your next "in a relationship" person is.

I guess to say it all in a short paragraph, relationships and dating are meant for getting to know the person who you are already 90% sure you want to marry anyway. And relationships do not give you permission to the other person's body. Boys, leave that girl alone, and keep your hands, lips, and anything else to yourself until you are married. Girls, wear clothes that keep you warm, not hot. It will make boys respect you for your personality alone. And remember, if you want to have someone who will love you for life, don't get used to relationships where you love someone for 3 weeks.

And to the people who back me 100%, but still have secret crushes that are killing them and they want to be in a relationship just so they can spill the beans and be happy, remember that even if you do tell this special someone that you like them, you still won't be able to marry for another 5 to 10 years! If you think waiting to tell the person you love them is hard, so will waiting to marry them.

And think, when you were 5, those McDonald's Happy Meal toys were the most important thing in the world to you. By now, you could probably care less about whether your meal came with a piece of cheap plastic. Same with girlfriends and boyfriends. You may think now that they are the best thing that ever happened to you, and that you will never love anyone else like you do this person, but that is true until the next awesome person comes along and steals your heart.

Now, I am not saying that the person you like right now is not the one you will marry, I am saying that relationships at this age are not the best way to ensure that the person you like will one day be your spouse. At the time when all your hormones are raging inside you, and trying to convert you and your brain into a mature human being, that is when things are the least clear and you are in no condition to make a decision about who you think you will live with for the rest of your life.

Until Next time! ~Ryan M.

Four more years...

Four more years...and then we will have a chance to really fix the country!

Okay everyone, today I will be speaking on the election, and how Obama shouldn't be president, and why Romney should have won, and why the voting was obviously rigged. HA! Just kidding. You don't want to hear that! I mean, that's what everyone else is talking about right now. You probably came to my blog looking for something BESIDES the current election topic! But who can blame you?

There is a video, which can be found at this link. In the video, a young girl is crying because she is tired of the election. To be honest, I am a bit tired of it too. But I believe I am justified in this annoyance. Why? Well here, I will give the three main reasons that I am agitated.

Politics...Social Media, and the Plain Media. Let me explain.

First, I will talk about Social Media, since pretty much everyone (including my brother, who now has a Facebook account, help me!) uses social media. Basically, this confuses me so much because EVERYONE says who they want to win the election, but almost NOBODY gives any reason. They are like, "Vote for Obama, unless you aren't, in that case, stay home. I don't have a reason you SHOULD vote for Obama, but just do what I say because I am always right!" And I am serious. I got up a couple of weeks ago, and my Facebook feed had 20 people just saying, "VOTE!", not giving me any real reason. Is there a good reason that anyone has to post on Facebook about something that is already pretty well known. I really doubt anyone is getting on the computer and saying, "Let's see....OH! The Facebook says it is time to vote. I am glad it said that, otherwise I would have COMPLETELY forgotten!". I go to Facebook to see what everyone is doing, anything interesting that has happened recently, and maybe a funny picture. But really, it doesn't interest me, or really anyone else to read 50 posts saying, "Vote, it's election day.".

Second, Plain media. We have all seen those pictures. The ones praising one candidate, while shooting down the other. One picture that comes to mind, talks about "Romney hating big bird". A bunch of people make this a big issue. "Oh no! Our future children might grow up without knowing the importance of cheesy television shows because Romney is going to KILL Big Bird!". Guess what? Romney said he was going to cut government spending, and gave PBS as an example. Big Bird will still live if Romney were to cut funding to PBS. Of course, Obama was elected, so Big Bird will obviously just become unemployed.

And last, politics. Basically, I can't keep up with it all. Romney says he has a plan to save the country, then Obama says he has already been trying for the last 4 years. Romney says it isn't working, so he is going to do [ blank ], Obama says his plan will eventually work, so Romney doesn't need to do [ blank ]. Some people are thinking, "Wow, Romney is so nice, and he is the best choice for this country!" And I am thinking, "Isn't that what everyone says about their candidate at EVERY election?!?" It is said that the definition of insanity is, "Doing the same thing repeatedly, expecting a different result.". Now I am not saying that you shouldn't vote, because it won't make a difference. I am saying that you shouldn't believe that one man can fix a country by himself. As Jordan Taylor from Messy Mondays once said, "Your candidate is not Jesus. Everyone assumes that their guy is the only hope to fix the country. Like we'll have some great moral leader that'll fix the country and make everything good again...How can one person possibly fix that many people? You want the country to be good again? Fix it yourself! Don't rely on somebody in Washington to do it for you." Now, the leader of a country might make some fixes, and he might be the wisest guy ever...next to Solomon. But EVERY 4 YEARS, people vote for a president. Let's use Obama as an example. A bunch of people thought Obama was "so awesome", and they voted accordingly. Then 4 years later, they had seen his faults, so they want a change. Except for people who were misinformed (a lot) and voted for Obama anyway. (Just my view on this). I predict this happening pretty much all the time for the rest of my life. Because frankly, I don't see one guy ending world hunger, I don't see one guy getting good jobs for everyone, I don't see one man creating Utopia. Only One is capable of that, and that is why I am voting for Jesus. He is the only one that will bring about a lasting change, so if you want lasting change, and by that, I mean change that won't last 4 years and then become some other guy's idea of change, if you want a change that last eternally, then make Jesus the one who governs your life. Then, do what everyone is doing on Facebook. They post about their political candidate. You go out and tell friends and neighbors about your candidate for life.

Until next time! ~Ryan M.