Violence

Well still in Seattle but I guess now I'll try my hand at some societal commentary.

            Heidi and I have been sitting at a coffee shop called Bauhaus in Seattle. (Great place by the way) Anyways the people sitting behind us spent a fairly long time talking about various automatic weapons. They weren’t talking about hunting rifles or anything like that. They are talking about full on automatic implements of death.

It makes me wonder.

I understand the rational behind the ownership of such weapons. Many many people that won these kinds of weapons are just average people. They would never use these weapons to hurt much less kill another human being.

But still.

Later. I was reading Google news. Grand Theft Auto IV comes out on April 29^th. Here is a game that exemplifies the violence that is inherent in weapons of all kind. I don’t subscribe to the belief that video games are solely responsible for violence in young adults. But I believe it is related.

I’ve played GTA. I don’t know which one I played. But it is addictive no doubt about it. When I was younger I would spend literally hours playing that game, often late into the night. While I would like to think that I have matured past that puerile level of violence I don’t think that is the case. I’m just not in situations where that game is present. If I was I would probably play it.

Why is this? I’m a civilized dude. Right? I hate violence. I’ve been in only one fight my whole life and that was mostly just a joke. But there’s something about violence that attracts us humans. Maybe more specifically us human males. It’s in our genetics. Or maybe it’s just in our society. I don’t know.

Anyways just going to bed now. Seattle has been great. Very glad I’m here hope to come back soon.

In Seattle/My first time blogging

Well this is my first blog ever. Don't really have a whole lot to say, but I figured I should get used to this now as it would be nice to continue blogging while traveling.

Currently I'm in Seattle with North Idaho College's (NIC) journalism program. We arrived around 2 p.m. Went immediately to Safeco field to get our tickets to the Mariners game. Never been there before quite the experience. Huge and lost of money/time invested in it. Went to our Hotel. The Quality Inn near Aurora Avenue. Then we went on a tour of the Seattle Times. Guy giving us the tour had been working in journalism for almost 40 years. For the majority of that time he had been doing shitty work (that's how he made it sound). Finally he landed the job at the Times but it still seems like and awful lot of nothing for not all that much.

There were 40,000 people at the game tonight. I really enjoyed the game, don't get me wrong. But it seemed kind of wrong that all that attention and energy was being focused on a sporting event. Wouldn't it be better to invest that money and time in doing service for others? (Nah that's stupid)

That reminds me of an idea my father introduced me to known as servant leadership. The best leaders (according to this philosophy) are those that are willing to serve others wholeheartedly and unashamedly. Which, needless to say, is hard to do.

But it that does seem fundamentally true to me. The times that I am happiest are when I'm serving others. Not when I'm just lookin' out for maself. I wonder what it's like for other people?

Well it is late and I hope to wake up in time for the complimentary breakfast that this hotel provides its paying guests. 

Eli