As a teenager, I am a sponge surrounded by a lot of liquid political views that I pay attention to. I don’t know how much I’m influenced by people other than my dad, but I’ll express how I truely feel about government in general.

First of all, politics are very corrupt as always because sometimes people are born into it without having to form a very high moral character. What happens (and I’m not saying all the time) is they find how to accept views that will get them into higher power. If they’re born into politics, it’s hard not to develop these views. It’s sad that so many people just naturally search for power under their fingers. It frightens me that some, if not most, of the people that control my country are power thirsty. I don’t understand it, so it’s hard to develop a full concept of it. All I can do is criticize it relative to my views.

My problem with democratic economic views is just that money should not be taken from us to help others that don’t have it. There’s not doubt in my mind that some have it harder than me. Harder than I will ever understand. The message we need to get out is not that the ones that have it harder than us need to be helped by the same institution that governs our country.

The most beneficial thing to our country would be to do studies on what activates moral, compassionate character in a person. It shouldn’t be a law to help people that are at the bottom financially. It should be a personal decision or more of a realization. People will not make any progress if they know that if they vote for a certain person, they have more of a chance of getting help by law. They need to know that there are plenty of people out there that are willing to help them. Non-governmental charities should be more common. It’s just a shame that such a small portion of people realize how important it is.

The second thing that needs to be done with this is studies on how to get people to realize that in America, even if you are born at the bottom, you have a much easier chance to make yourself than in any other country in the world. Studies should be done on how to get people to appreciate this, so that they find motivation. Teachers (especially and particularly English teachers) will tell you that there are huge problems today getting kids motivated to do work. I think if we study into it more, we can find how to easily activate that motivation… don’t push the rocket off of Earth… find a more efficient fuel.

Last night, I read about Einstein’s first impressions of America. Surprisingly, he found that we are far more compassionate than most countries. He found that people are more friendly on average here, when on the other hand, Europeans were usually cooped up in their studies and more inolved in personal pleasures (art, music, etc.). He also said the appreciation for visual arts and music here is far weaker than in Europe. He said, finally, and most importantly, America has an uncalculable influence on how the world will form together in the future. He said that World War I showed that “the destinies of all countries are closely interwoven” and that America’s attention is very limited towards great international problems. “The people of this country must realize that they have a great responsibility in the sphere of international politics. The part of passive spectator is unworthy of this country and is bound in the end to lead to disaster all round.”

Einstein was not American. He saw that our problem here is that most of us have that attitude you’ll see today that we have no business in the oversea affairs. We are very influential. We are the ones that developed nuclear weapons and now we’re worrying about whether or not Iran is developing them. This is our responsibility. We’re not taking over the world. Yes, there are some wackos in our government, but we can’t let that define the American. We can’t be passive about it because that warps an outsider’s view of America. That’s what causes the problems. The only people that want to make a difference are radical politicians and usually those views can be pretty unbalanced. Everyone else just goes along their jolly western life. We’re not taking over the world by spreading America… America is simply a name being taken over by the power hungry politicians. We are responsible for making sure that it’s understood that Spreading the American dream is letting all men be free.

We need to learn about U.S. history to remember why we’re here. Let’s not get ahead of our forefathers, guys. They were trying to spread this freedom. This organized peace that could be found almost nowhere. They started something that in their eyes couldn’t die. It is everlasting. Don’t let the crazies crawl ontop with their money, loud voices, and political heritage. It’s going to happen if nothing is done about it. That’s truely killing the American dream.

Dramatic things are happening between a lot of the people that¬†I know and fingers are pointed at me for being the center of all the problems. I don’t take this personally. When people say things like that, I just¬†look at what they might be doing wrong and say to myself, “don’t get upset, for they know not what they do.” First of all, there is a circle of lies. People are gossiping and blowing things out of proportion. This essentially makes everthing worse. Also, sex is involved or sex-related things. Hopefully, people just realize what they’re doing. I’ll be glad to be the one to help them realize it. Don’t think that I know what they’re doing wrong- I can see some big things, but I’m sure there’s a lot more. I’m not going to judge them. I just want them to realize what their mistakes are.

If you’re a teenager and you feel like everything is falling apart, don’t be angry at yourself for your problems.¬†Look at what you’re doing. Be open minded. My best advice is to link back the reasons for all of your major problems to whether you’re following the ten commandments or not.

If you are dishonoring one of the ten commandments heavily, then, you could probably link back your biggest problems to that one. If you want to talk about any one of them, I’d be more than happy to do so with you. I bolded the things that¬†I feel most teenagers have problems focusing on…

1. The first Commandment forbids us to put anything before God. It applied to the Jewish people then as the gods of their neighbors often tempted them: The Baals and the Asherah poles. It applied to Germany sixty years ago where god was a god of racial purity. It can apply to us in our modern world where acquisition is the god of the day. God is demanding that first of all, we give Him prominence.

(Bill’s say in it: When we are prominent to what “He” asks for out of us: to help others and drop our own lustful and greedy desires we will be infinitely happier… that is why God wants us to be prominent towards him. Nothing else is better for us.)

2. Commandment number two includes an explanation in the expanded version found in Exodus 20. It describes the types of images that might be made and…“you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.” No image of God will ever be found in a Synagogue and the Romans were astonished to find no statues in the Holy of Holies when they destroyed the temple in 70AD. “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” The wholeness of God cannot be captured in a picture or statue. God will not tolerate images, which might replace Him as an object of worship.

3. What does it mean to take God’s name in vain? It’s an attitude problem. Many use God’s name daily because they have a poor vocabulary. God’s concern here is with respect for “the name”. God’s very name represents who he is; His power, nature and character. It is a powerful name and should be spoken with respect. To take God’s name in vain is to discount His position and authority.

4. Some of the Commandments can be turned into positive statements: Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. There are whole denominations that have been created over interpretations of this command. What is its purpose? In the circumstances where it was given, to a nomadic agricultural society, one could work every day. 24/7 is expected of the ambitious today. Maybe there is a natural rhythm to life where we need one day out of seven to recuperate and rest for the next six days. This commandment has protected workers from unscrupulous masters for centuries. The day of rest was originally Saturday. The early Christians decided to use Sunday. St. Paul said that we shouldn’t judge each other over Sabbaths. We need to take one day off per week. It’s good for us.

5. Honor your father and mother. This commandment has a promise attached. “…that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” Family is important. If we continue honoring our parents through our life, our children will see us and hopefully get the message. It is one key to an orderly society.

(Bill’s say in it: If your parents have serious issues, it could probably lead back to them not following this one. NEWS TO YOU: you’re not going to help if you continue what they did. This doesn’t necessarily¬†mean do what they say. Our parents don’t even make the best decisions sometimes and I think we all know that but, honoring them is a completely different thing. Don’t blow up on them if they make mistakes. Honor that they’re the reason why you’re here and they probably have sacrificed a lot to better your life. And also! You need to honor your teachers. Your parents should be your biggest¬†teachers but, unfortunately, our society¬†today isn’t always like that.¬†Your school teachers could have a lot to teach you besides academics.)

6. Do not murder. Did God have to say it? Murder must refer to people taking the law into their own hands and killing. It cannot refer to war or capital punishment. These are dealt with elsewhere in the Bible. The Children of Israel waged great wars in God’s name. This commandment refers to our personal responsibility for the death of others. It is a rule for the individual.

7. What does adultery mean? It means what it always meant; cheating on your spouse. Jesus carried it one step further when commenting on this commandment. He said, ‚Äúwhoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt.5: 28) In our age of easy access to sex, the commandment applies to much that goes for entertainment in the year 2000.

(Bill’s say in it: Our (teenagers) lust for sex is a distraction from what is truly important. The more lustful sex you have and let take control of you, the more problems you are going to have ultimately because sex is going to be more important. Sex is for adults. Let’s keep it that way.)

8. Do not steal. We all know what that means and we don’t rob the bank or the supermarket. Where most of us need help is in the “gray” areas like income tax returns, lotteries and expense accounts.

9. Perjury is usually translated as “false witness”. When we’re called to testify in court we are asked to swear on a Bible that we will be honest. What is the value when so many today do not even believe that the Bible is God’s word? To be caught lying in court is perjury. The ancient Hebrews answered to judges and I expect that this injunction meant more then and helped the judges to administer justice. Gossip and slander must fall under this heading.

(Bill’s say in it: Naturally you are no communicator of gossip. Don’t say more than you know. Keep it simple and unbiased. Don’t add to things because it will backfire in some way or another.)

10. Do not covet anything that is your neighbors’. This is greed and envy, focusing on what others have and what we don’t have. This is the one commandment that is hardest to obey. We see things every day that we want. It’s the basis of our commercial society. “Create a need then fill it.” is the lesson taught to new salespeople.

(Bill’s say in it: Wanting what others have is disobeying the first commandment, as well. You’re putting your wants before God’s wants. And the things that god asks for will help you. Remember that. Once you find ultimate truth, you’ll give prominence to God. Don’t say that¬†men know what God wants out of you. No one can communicate correctly. It’s up to you to do your research into what it means to be here and to learn what being prominent to “him” is.)

I think I hit the teenage ones right on the dot. I know that others would be the reason for some adults’ problems, but we have different lives than them. Adolescence is searching for an identity. If you have problems or arguments against anything I just said, I’ll talk to you about it, but I warn you! Think it through.

The play last night ran VERY smoothly. The actors were flawless. I did my job perfectly. All of the scene changes were really quick. Tonight, I went to see the guys’ version. They did a really nice job. Riley and Brad were awesome together but, I wouldn’t say they’re more of a dynamic duo than Sierra and Mackenzie. I’m really proud of our production. I’m pretty much the new sound guy of the school. Mr. Jackson likes me so much that he asked me if I’d like to start running sound for all of the choir concerts and he even told me that he’d like me to lead sound for the musical, which is going to be very tough. So yeah! That stuff has been going great.

Classes are going great. As I mentioned in the last entry, I got a couple books. I also rented from the library, so I have just about as much about Einstein as any human could possibly hold in their hands at once. I’m reading Relativity. I understand all of it thus far and it’s pretty interesting. I’ve also just been reading about his life in general. He was quite an interesting fellow. Definitely, my hero.