Sociology

I planned on posting sooner than this, but work has kept me sufficiently worn out. I literally sat down in front of the computer several times to start writing when I realized I couldn't keep my eyes open for more than a few seconds, let alone form a coherent thought. Also, I have been busy doing things like putting up a Christmas tree with Mike.

Isn't it gorgeous? It is a real one, so it smells fabulous as well. I think I am in love with it. Anyway, on to the next topic.

Sociology. What is that, you ask? Well let me give you a few definitions.

1. The study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society.
2. The study of social problems.
3. The study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of human society.
4. Analysis of a social institution or societal segment as a self-contained entity or in relation to society as a whole.

I took a class in this subject in college, and before that time I had never even heard of sociology. I only took it because it was required for one of my credits, but the more I learned about it, the more fascinated I was by it. It was one of the few classes where I actually enjoyed reading the text book. Crazy, huh? I don't remember most of the specifics from the class because it was 11 years ago that I took it. (Whew, I can't believe it has been that long since I started college.) All I remember is that is was really interesting to me, and for some reason I am suddenly thinking about it again 11 years later. Strange.

One idea that I got from studying sociology is that the way a person turns out is a combination of two things - 1. Biology, and 2. The environment in which that person was raised. Sociology deals mostly with the environment part, and I am interested in that because the idea that the environment (such as society) can change who you are is so fascinating to me. For example, if I grew up in China, would I like the same foods, or the same music, or have the same beliefs about life? Maybe to some extent, but I doubt I would be the exact same person I am now. So it follows that we all, at least partially, are products of our environment. Our environment changes us! Just think about that. You may think you are in control of your environment, but did you ever think that your environment may control you?

So that is just a little sociology food for thought for you. What I described is more the micro side of sociology, however, I find the macro side of it just as interesting. I know I haven't done the subject justice in this post, but maybe I sparked a little curiosity so you will go out and learn more about sociology.

Life In A Bubble

I dislike when people think they can hide from the bad things in life. They think they can do this by not watching rated "R" movies, or only listening to music without swear words, or only dressing in a way that doesn't show too much skin, or by not drinking alcohol. While this behavior is commendable in general, I don't think there is any point in NEVER doing these things. Yes, you may very well save yourself some heartache by staying away from these things, but you will also never learn about the true scope of human existence. In other words, you can't know how good life can be unless you experience how bad life can be. Hiding from the negative parts of life doesn't make you a better person. It just makes you ignorant.

Also, think about the people who had no choice but to experience the worst in life. People who where abused as children. People who have starved. People who are mentally or physically ill. People who have experienced any sort of trauma. You can't 'un-live' or forget those kinds of things, so if I lived through something horrible I would be almost offended that there are people who want to live their lives as if those horrible things don't exist. If you lived through something like being sexually abused, would you want to go to a therapist who has never seen anyone act sexually inappropriate, or never even seen a movie with a nude scene? Of course not! You want to go to someone who has been through what you have been through, or at the very least knows a lot about it.

I'm not saying you have to go out and experience as many bad things as you can just so you can relate to those who have experienced them. Just don't avoid them at all cost just so you can sleep a little easier at night. Ignorance may be bliss, but is ignorance good?

I Can Do Anything You Can Do

I hate when people assume I can't do something because I am a woman, or they think I'm not strong enough or smart enough. These stereotypes aren't as prevalent as they used to be, but they still exist, and I see them from time to time. I see it when people think I can't lift something heavy, or I can't fix something, or I know nothing about cars. Granted, I am not an expert at any of those things, but I can do a lot more than what you might think, and if you tell me I can't do something, it only makes me want to try harder to do it to prove you wrong. I don't like stereotypes, and I don't want anyone to feel like they have to live their life by them. Heck, I would probably be a contractor if I thought I had the energy it takes to do a job like that. Everyone thinks of that as a "male" job, but stereotypes wouldn't keep me away if I decided that was what I wanted to do. I like to surprise people with what I know and what I am capable of, and I think if more people stay determined, they might even surprise themselves at what they can do.

Taking Control

I think it's strange how people create institutions and then complain that the institution is controlling THEM, and they can't do anything to stop it. If you don't understand, I will give you some examples. Government, the judicial system, laws, big businesses. They all have something in common - they were created by PEOPLE. Yet when a person doesn't like something about one of these institutions, they complain that they 'Can't fight it' or 'Can't change it' or 'It's too big and corrupt to control'. These may be valid concerns, but it is a crazy idea to me that we create things we can not control. If a law is unjust or the government is corrupt, why can't we change it? Do these things have a life of their own? It's like Frankenstein's monster. He created it, but then he couldn't control it.

People seem to think things like businesses and government are their own entity - like a living being that can think, and dominate, and control. The truth is, these institutions are made up of people like you and me. They only gain power if WE give it to them. Think of it like a drop of water. A drop of water is pretty harmless. It can't do much damage. But when a whole bunch of drops of water get together, they can cause a flood and do tons of damage. People are like individual drops of water. If they team up together they can do wonderful......and horrible things. But if you don't want a horrible thing, like a flood, to happen, don't join the other drops of water to create the flood. No drops of water, no flood. No people behind a bad institution, no institution.

I know it's all more complicated than that. We need order and institution, and it is hard to get people to agree on how these things should be. But I think we all have more power than we give ourselves credit for. We don't have to sit back and be controlled by our creations, especially since our creations are made up of all of us.

Heater Blues

So yesterday the heater went out. Not only did it go out, but it couldn't seem to stop blowing cold air. That's always fun. The landlord sent her son to take a look at it. He poked around a little and admitted that he "has no idea how to fix a furnace". So he called in his sister and her husband, who supposedly knows more about heaters. But by the time they got there, the furnace seemed to work, and we had six people (including me, Mike, and the landlord) standing in our tiny kitchen, looking like idiots. Then, not 30 minutes after we herded everyone out of our house, the heater started blowing cold air again. WTF HEATER?!

Mike called the landlord again today and she scheduled a real furnace technician to come take a look at it. But before he got here, the heater decided it was JUST FINE. So we told the landlord to cancel that appointment, but she still sent her son over again. He thought that she was mistaken about the heater not working again because it was working when he got there. I tried to explain to him the many moods of the furnace, but he just looked confused. If you are not confused at this point, you are the only one. I'm not even sure anymore if the furnace is working or not. All I know is that I can not contact the landlord one more time about the furnace unless I am frozen solid. I can't explain one more time that "the heater was broken a minute ago, but now it seems to have miraculously come back to life!" The furnace must love chaos, because it is causing an awful lot of it. I can just imagine it snickering to itself in it's closet while we run around flipping switches and holding our hands over the heat vents to see if any warm air is coming out.

The Big 3-0

I know I have been slacking a bit on the whole blogging thing, but give me a break, it was my 30th birthday! I know so many people will say 30 is not old, and I don't feel older than I did at 29. But if you ask a 20-year-old, 30 is practically elderly. So there seems to be some sort of stigma with turning 30, and even though you don't feel OLD, it totally messes with your mind. You start to think, "Should I be different now that I'm 30? Should I start to 'act my age'?" I don't think so. I want to tell 30 to mind it's own business because I'm going to live my life how I want to. Besides, I just bought skinny jeans for the first time this week, and I don't want to go my whole life without trying them just because I didn't get to them before I was 30. (By the way, they totally rock!)

For my birthday, Mike and I went to Wendover because that is the only place near where we live where you can gamble. However, we forgot one little thing when we decided to go there - We don't like to gamble. Oopsie! Well we went anyway, but we probably should have waited to do that for my 90th birthday, because everyone there was decidedly older than 30. (Either that or they let the whole 30 thing mess with them to the point where they looked 70.) Being there was like being in a retirement home on the moon, because we quickly found out Wendover is a barren wasteland with nothing to do but gamble. Still, we made the best of it by going to the spa, eating out, and soaking in our psychedelic, 70s-style jacuzzi tub that was located right next to the king-size bed in our suit. The hotel had just been remodeled, but it still looked like a blast from the past to me. (See, I'm not old! I wasn't even born in the 70s!) So, all-in-all, my birthday was pretty good, and it got even better once we left Wendover and did what I really love to do - SHOP!

Education On Happiness

These days post-high school education is sold like candy. By saying that I don't mean it is cheap. (Far from it.) I mean it is being marketed EVERYWHERE, to EVERYONE, using all kinds of gimmicks and come-ons. I'm sure we can all agree that education is important, but it's not the cure-all that it is marketed to be. Having a formal education doesn't guarantee you will be successful in life and vice versa. Life itself can be a great teacher. Sometimes you can learn more by going out and experiencing things than you could ever learn in a classroom.

Of course schooling is necessary for many career fields and if you are absolutely positive about the career path you wish to take then a formal education is probably a good idea. But for those less sure about their life path, schooling can be very costly and even worthless in the end. That's because school does not teach you what makes you happy. It doesn't tell you how to enjoy life. You don't learn what challenges you will face in the future. They can't tell you how your ambitions and desires will change over time. It doesn't guarantee you a stable job for the rest of your life.

So while I believe it is always best to learn as much as you can throughout your life, I do not believe it is always best to do that learning in a formal school. Learn from people you know. Learn from trial and failure. Learn from reading and pondering. Learn from experiences in your life and other's lives. One thing I have learned - There are no guarantees in life, so don't waste years of your life in formal schooling if it doesn't lead to your happiness.