This doesn’t have anything to do with Costa Rica, but people like people who don’t complain. It is so easy to start a conversation by complaining about something; school, work, professors, employers, the weather, etc. It is easy to talk about because everyone can laugh a little and say “yeah, that stinks.” ...but then one of two things happen. Either the next person complains about something else and you get into a complaining-fest or there is the awkward silence as the people who want to think about more positive things try to decide whether it would be tactful to talk about something good that is happening when someone else seems to be having a bad day. It is so much more pleasant to be around people who have nothing but positive things to say about life. I need to be more positive. Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind should be my role model.
So, I’ve been reading a bit about Obama and Iran and all that. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what Obama should be doing or how he is doing awesome (generally opinions are divided by party lines...of course :-P). I actually read an article by John Kerry that made a lot of sense to me (I would have never expected that, but hey, it’s the argument and the warrants that are important, not how much you agree with the person in general). Democracy in Iran should absolutely be supported and human rights upheld, but if the United States takes the situation in Iran and uses it to start saying “hey, we told you so, you had better listen to your people” the mullahs will twist our words to warn their people of outside interference and unite the Iranian people against the US. The one thing Iranians hate more than their oppressive government is the violation of their national sovereignty and their pride of being Iranians. Before we step in and help a resistance movement we need to make sure it is there. If we move too early it becomes self-defeating as the domestic resistance movement dissolves to unite against the foreign “threat.” (What would have happened if the French landed troops in the colonies against the British BEFORE the Declaration of Independence?) Of course, I am open to changing my mind given better arguments. I welcome your thoughts on this.
PBR, for those of you who have been asking is “Principles of Biblical Reasoning.” My next year at PHC is full of indecision right now. The chorale is going to Europe in the spring. I know it will be an amazing trip...only I really, really, really can’t even imagine myself affording it. I have no real cash reserves (even the money I have in the stock market is not worth much right now), and earning/raising the amount of money I need in the amount of time I have would take a miracle...and we only have about two weeks to make a final yes/no decision. I might be able to earn half the money if I get a job at PHC and can work enough hours a week...and in that case I’d definitely have to drop a course this Fall...which would also kinda put a dent in my school plans. I have decided against trying to do the SI program. I just looked at all the classes I really want to take, all the concepts I really want to learn, and the SI program just wasn’t compatible with my priorities of what I want to learn about. I would LOVE to take every class PHC offers. But I only have a certain amount that I physically can take. The SI program is an amazing opportunity, but the courses it requires just aren’t as high on my priority list. I am thinking right now that I want to declare as a general Government major...we’ll see.
Anyway, you probably couldn’t tell from this note that I am in Costa Rica, miles (or kilometers) away from the nearest McDonalds, huh? ;-)
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