My Obituary

This year at leadership retreat us band kids participated in a little goal making activity, in which we wrote our own obituary. It was a strange idea at first, but if you think about it, it really helps you understand what you want out of life. So without further ado, here's mine.

Tanner Holm, age 75, was assassinated yesterday, on April the 9th, in his favorite restaurant, while conversing with his friends and colleagues. His assassination was based on prejuidices concerning his radical philosophical views, his landmark advances in international peace, and his hair color.
Mr. Holm began one of his many careers in his college years, as he became at an early age the best surgeon in the west coast, saving many lives and improving countless surgical techniques. However, his greatest medical feat was marked in history as the day he reversed paralysis, giving hope to millions with his new surgery. Tanner retired from the medical field at the age of 54, to take a shot at his real passion as a writer.
Having written many books describing his faith and its perfect reconciliation with science and reason, and after dominating the best seller list for over 6 years with his philisophical views, Tanner took a risky dive into politics, but not necessarily in the way you would expect. Without holding any office of any sort, Tanner became one of the most influential men in the world, by giving council to national leaders from several different countries discerning peace and foreign policy, all the while calling it his "good turn daily" because his council came completely free of charge. This great display of charity led to his winning the Nobel prize, on the account of his great peacemaking.
He was shot in the chest, after seeing his killer approach with the weapon. However, as his colleagues report, "there wasn't an ounce of fear in that man, and he died with a smile on his face." His wife had only one thing to say, "He did it, he made into the history books, that's all he wanted." His closest friend also mentioned that "his last words to us were, good luck." And with that, he was gone.
He is surpassed by his wife and children, and all of those who benefited from his monumental and historical feats. His funeral is to be held on April 16th, and is to be an informal gathering, based upon his request.

And that's how I go. You should try it, it's quite the paradigm shift.

Fortress

You know what it means, it's been used in every fairytale and every story of old at one time or another. It's the fabeled Fortress, a word which immediately sends an image to your mind, an image of unshaken solitude, which stands tall and resolute against the most devastating of attacks. Now as times passes, this symbol of unrelenting resistance has slowly changed, changed from once defining that castle of realistic protection and pride to another kind of fortress. The only fortresses to be found today are the ones surrounding you and I, our own fortresses of values, which will always be on the defense.
It's shocking, it truly is, to see person after person fall under the pressure of moral attack, no longer able to stand for what they believe in. They're crumbling, like the walls of the Edinburgh itself, some faster than others, but the fact still remains so. One after another they fumble over themselves, questioning the very beliefs that have taken root in their earliest childhood memories. How could this happen? How could a fortress of upstanding values be crushed, devasted by mere words from another? It is a sad day when the question on everyone's mind is not "if" but "when." When will you fall to the world? When will you forsake everything you've known to know nothing? You better not answer that question.
There is still hope. Still strong, in the dark mists of the world there are few, few people who stand strong for themselves, and no other. They know why they choose to face adversity, They know what they stand for. Their example blazes through the fog, like a lighthouse at work, leading those woebegone through the dangerous seas. They are your friends of the past, the hope of the present, and the leaders of the future.
You know who they are, and it's about time you joined them.
Light up the darkness.

Junior Essay Contest

This is the essay I turned in for the Junior class essay contest, and hopefully it wins something. I only took about five minutes on it, and I'm really too lazy to change anything, so here it is.


This day in our age is a day of cold uncertainty. A harsh barrier of indifference and contemporary conflict separate us from each other in a world where a friendly hello from a stranger and other such courtesies are seen as mythical, rather than practical. As I look around at our community, our society, even our world, this plague of doubt and distrust has reached the four corners of the earth, casting everyone into its darkening shadow. How can one combat such an opponent as apathy and doubt? The answer may be simpler than you think. I can make a difference, I can contribute to the world close around me as well as the world encompassing us all by propagating education, extending a friendly hand to those who are struggling to stand, and by blazing my own path in this world, maintaining a fortress of upstanding values and using this example as a guiding light for those lost in the tide of today’s world.
Service, in all of its forms, sustains phenomenal results. However, the highest form of service and the greatest gift one can give is that of education. By tutoring, or supporting those who teach, I can change the very lives of those whom I have assisted. Education is the key to opportunity and by propelling forth the work of education we are advancing onto an age of enlightenment wherein ignorance is nonexistent, and along with it prejudice, for those two are one and the same.
The greatest counter against apathy is without a doubt appreciation. Extending a hand to those who need it is not enough, one must have compassion. Compassion and appreciation for those people around you is more than enough to change the world surrounding us. If I were to show unbounded love and tolerance for those I interact with on a daily basis, the positive results of these actions would be astronomical. It is possible to be friends with everybody, but sadly to find such a person is an extremely difficult thing to discover nowadays as this type of person is slowly fading into legend. Kindness works in that of a ripple effect, one kind deed will trigger another, until ripples form into waves, and we’ve covered the entire earth with this newfound harmony. It only takes one person to start such a wave.
When we look for role models and personal heroes today we all picture someone of great significance, some great person. All great people have led outstanding examples, and through this have affected thousands upon thousands of lives. Such great people are Mahatma Gandhi, who dedicated his life to the pursuit of justice through peaceful terms, and Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who gave hope and comfort to the poor and troubled of mind. Both of these men led impeccable lives, maintaining a fortress of upstanding values and standards that remain unshaken to this day, preserved in history books and in the hearts of their admirers. This is my goal, to lead an example that will remain unshaken in history, to stand as a lighthouse of truth, shining a beacon of light into the foggy mists of confusion and distrust, giving those who need a hero someone to lean on. Doing this will take astronomical effort, but I believe that the results it will bear are more than worth it.
Although we live in troubled times, there is always hope for a better future. Through these actions mentioned previously I intend to strengthen that hope, to feed it. One day this world will become a utopia of harmonious living and acceptance, and I surely do hope I have something to do with it. Through support of education, kind deeds, and outstanding examples, I believe we can change the world.

Drum Major Application Essay

This is the essay I turned in with my drum major application. I thought it was pretty good myself, so go ahead. Indulge.


For years and years, the tradition of excellence has been carried in the arms of our band’s drum majors. As our school rises to that of epitomizing glory, only the best should be placed at the forefront of our band. Those who hold the standards of greatness and compassion, and have the makings of a great leader, should be the ones marching at the head of the Davis High Marching Band. Those qualities previously mentioned, coincidentally, parallel my own traits in many ways. Strong leadership skills, compassion, understanding and experience are just a few of the reasons I could make a great drum major.
Ever since childhood, the mantel of leadership has been placed upon my shoulders. Throughout my life my family and friends, have rallied behind me looking for direction. Even today, family members both younger and older than myself have looked to me for guidance and support. With outstanding determination and a fortress of upstanding values, I have successfully led myself and those around me to a better place in life. These personality traits are extremely difficult to find in a sea of followers that engulf us today.
I also have the great gift of compassion and understanding, which has been one of the most powerful tools of friendship and communication I have ever had the opportunity to use. I have never met a person that I have not been able to relate to and find common ground with. With this gift of tolerance and the ability to put forth a basic feeling of warmth all around, I feel that this is a great quality of a drum major.
Even in my religious experience I have been placed at a leadership position, as deacon’s president, and teacher’s president, and as a District leader at the soon to come Aaronic Priesthood Training Camp. I also have experience in marching band, as last year I aided the trumpet section with my leadership skills as a Squadron leader. My experience as a leader has grown exponentionally throughout my life, as I use my past positions to learn how to greater benefit those I influence now and later in my career.

What is wrong, and what separates us from radical Islam?

It was a sad day that morning, when two jumbo jets veered off course and slammed into the sides of the Twin towers and the Pentagon. Thousands of lives were destroyed that day, and millions of lives affected. Who could have orchestrated such a disgusting display of perverted zeal? None other than Osama Bin Laden, the Islamic radical from the east, is to blame for this horrific deed. In the entire composition of this generation, the worse possible thing that one person could do was done by bin Laden, and his actions of hate and cowardice stained the history books with the blood he spilled that day.
Why were his actions wrong? Technically, it’s a matter of majority to decide what is wrong and what is right, and in this situation, a majority of the world agrees with America that what bin Laden did that day was indeed wrong, compared to the small group of Islamic radicals who praise bin Laden for his “achievements.” His actions are wrong because he is pursuing his beliefs to a limit where the safety of those he has targeted have come at risk, where is encroaching our rights, and that is where we draw the line. Attacking a nation solely for the purpose of destroying as many people as you can in that nation is universally viewed as horrifically wrong. Another term for prejudice based crimes, or hate crimes, increases the precision of the accusations against bin Laden.
Now for infiltrating a country illegally and abusing the privileges found in this country to fly its own jets into the trophy buildings of the western hemisphere is truly wrong. The Twin Towers were a symbol of patriotism, pride and success, which is why they were the main target of Osama bin Laden, whose sole purpose was to tear down such a successful nation, by any means possible. Terrorism is not only wrong; it is the lowest form of cowardly destruction ever to have disgraced this planet.
While fighting this war on terror, our nation has participated at what you could call a “proper” level of war-like manner. Needless to say, we’ve followed the rules defining a just war and how to fight one, in stark contrast to the stratagems produced by bin Laden and his Al Quaiada. Never have we stooped so low as to use suicide bombers, or religious zealots to infiltrate the opponent’s nation in an effort to turn it inside out. No, we came into this war too late for that, for Iraq was already tearing itself apart, as can be seen by the gross amount of inhumane actions against the peoples of Iraq constructed by the Iraqi regime, which only further justifies the intervention of America and the war on terror. Last time I checked, we were flying our own planes towards the small hideouts of Islamic radicals, not hijacking the Iraqi’s planes. No, we are right in our actions, defending democracy and fighting for its stability in the middle east, there can be no wrong when fighting for an ideal such as that, no matter how long the war or how incompetent the president directing it is.
All in all, to even suggest that our military, and our nation along with it, has adopted a way of terroristic fighting style to accompany our terroristic views on war is to openly expose your blind ignorance to the world. Never has anything been further from the truth as we see our boys from home being constantly attacked by suicide bombers and religious zealots, only to retaliate in the appropriate, humane, matter. At least as Americans we can say that we have fought a “fair war” in Iraq, even if many didn’t even want to fight it in the first place.

Utilitarianism Vs. The Golden Rule

“The question is, does Utilitarianism and the Golden rule have the same outcome. Why or why not.”

As little children, we were all taught vehemently the golden rule and the possibilities of positive effects on society. Once childish rhetoric, it has been only until recently that our eyes have been opened to the true and vast possibilities of what the golden rule could actually do for our society, as a community, a state, or even a nation. On the other hand, as grown adults and being introduced to other philosophical outcomes, such as utilitarianism, we see an ever growing divide in opinions as we measure out what is practical and what is merely wishful thinking.

Utilitarianism, in a nutshell, would be the greatest good for the greatest amount of people. A great example of this would be the United States government, a type of democracy based off of utilitarian values. However, this still leaves room for minorities, more importantly disgruntled minorities, for what may seem to be the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people will almost assuredly place the remaining minorities at a disadvantage. Although this country has made astronomical advances in equality as a nation, there will always be those disadvantaged by the governmental system; it is inherent in utilitarianistic beliefs, as well as democracy. For such a thing as a perfect democracy cannot exist, there will never be a time where everyone is satisfied. Winston Churchill once said, “If it was perfect, it wouldn’t be called a democracy.” Even though harsh it may seem, utilitarianistic views is the most practical of two choices previously mentioned, as the Golden rule is merely an idealistic wish for those helpless hopefuls.

The golden rule states “do unto others as you would have done unto yourself,” would a wonderful way to live life, but is frankly impossible. If it were possible, the world would have already achieved it by now, but there is one thing standing in the way. Us. Such philosophers as Thomas Hobbes and many others have agreed on the idea that man is born evil, constantly striving to fulfill his own needs and willing to disregard others whilst striving for personal gain. While taking this into consideration, and factoring this world’s historical record for destruction as well as the modern day criminal rates, plainly you can see that there is no chance for the Golden rule. To impose this as the only law would be to ask for someone to take advantage of your blind trust, and, dare I say, stupidity, for that is what happens so often these days, trust is so often mistaken for stupidity it is quite a shame. The only way for the golden rule to be used without total destruction ensuing would be to follow the ideals of those such as St. Thomas Aquinas, or John Locke, who both to a degree agree that man is born inherently good, but is shaped by the community he is raised in, which could result in both a good or horrible outcome. A good example of this would be the propagation of poverty, seeing as those who are born into poverty stricken homes with decimated family relations often further this cycle once they come off age, reciprocating only more poverty. Seeing as this is the case and a major part of our reality today, the only way the golden rule could be effective and result in a positive outcome in anyway we would have to take drastic measures and “jumpstart” our society, totally starting anew. This, of course, will not happen anytime soon.

Both completely different things, such as utilitarianism and the beliefs of the golden rule could not possibly sustain the same outcome. The fact of the matter is, utilitarianism is the most practical, and most successful, theory of governmental discipline wherein the standards of the golden rule are so impractical that it results in a form of idealistic rather than practical viewpoint and would have such devastating effect on today’s society that it will be forever the wishful thinking of childish hopefuls, and nothing else.

Why Teens Shouldn't Vote

Wars, disease, political chaos, moral ambiguity and overall confusion; these are just some of the key phrases used to describe this generation. However, after reading an article heralding teens and demanding the ability for teens to vote, I was compelled to speak out against what could be a disastrous misconception.
There are a couple reasons teens aren’t allowed to vote until they are old enough to have been given the opportunity to graduate from High School. Firstly because they, we, just don’t know enough to make a major decision. We don’t have the knowledge, the experience as a whole to change the world for better just yet, and frankly, many of us don’t gain that knowledge or experience until quite a while down the road. That’s why we go to high school, to educate ourselves so we can make knowledgeable, decisive choices that will turn out well for everyone affected. Just picture this, you have a young child anxiously standing in front of you, his eyes shifting from the gum drop machine to the quarter in your hand. You give him the option of either using the quarter to buy a gumball, or he can invest it in a savings account to use later in life when he really needs it. Without a doubt, the young child would instantly snatch that quarter out of your hand and mere seconds later be chewing that gum, and why, do you ask? Because he doesn’t know any better! He doesn’t have the foresight to see the impact of his decision, nor does he have the long-term endurance to choose what is best for him. He just doesn’t get it. But with a little education, say a high school diploma’s worth, could change all of that. In fact, it could change the world.
Another reason that teen voting is just plain unconstitutional is that we have not made an impact or definitively contributed to society. We have done nothing but take, take from our parents, take from our schools, take from our government. It is not until the age of eighteen that we become true citizens of our country, because that is the time when people begin to reciprocate the investment made in them as children and teenagers and contribute to our society, propelling us ever forward. That is the time when we become a member of society, so that is the time when our voice is granted unto us. The laws we abide by are made for adults, by adults. And face it, one of these days we’ll all be adults. Enjoy teenage-hood while it lasts.

Capital Punishment? A Capital Idea!

I strongly agree with Capital punishment, in fact, it’s the best idea I’ve heard in a long time. Those who commit inexplicable crimes or irreparable damage, such as mass murders, should ultimately be put to death as a result of their heinous crimes. Why kill them? Because, my friends, they deserve it. If they are to abuse the right to live, they should lose the right to live. Once they have encroached on another’s rights and take the lives of innocent people, these criminals should be tried in court, and then sentenced to death. A perfect example of the effectiveness of Capital punishment would be that of Saudi Arabia and other Asian countries where Capital Punishment is used as a deterrent for crime, and guess what? It works. Here’s an example—if you were to cut a hand off of every thief, I assure you the rate of theft in that given area would drop dramatically. Now, I’m not saying we should do that here, that’s just an example of how punishment can deter crime. And, of course, many of you will read this and shake your fists at me stating statistics and blasphemous garbage about the “Brutalization effect.” Sadly I have never heard such a disappointing theory in my lifetime, besides that of the Big Bang. The “Brutalization effect” perverts statistics to correlate the rate of Capital punishment use to the crime rate of the American state capital punishment is being used. According to this effect, the more we put people to death, the more people want to go and commit crime. The first time I heard this I laughed at what I thought was a well planned joke. To make such a correlation is to openly display your desperation for a good argument and your gluttony for humiliation.
I’d like to allude to a historical philosopher if I may. He’s not that influential I guess, I mean, his ideas are only the basis of the very foundation of our constitution. John Locke, the most influential mind to reach America since colonial times once stated that we give the control the amount of power given to our government, and if they should abuse it, we have the right to overthrow that government and start anew. This idea alone leaves many of those fighting against capital punishment without words, as it very well should be.
Of course, there are some parameters that need to be set in order for capital punishment to be the best option. First of all, we need to readjust our judicial system, it’s blown so far out of proportion through appeals and such that nothing through that system is efficient. If we were to revamp the judicial system and refit it for optimal efficiency, then justice could be dealt much faster, and cheaper as well. Along with this, as long as we use Capital Punishment sparingly, we should feel the betterment of society quickly as those who are unchangeable in their disastrous ways are removed from society altogether, creating a safer environment in which justice and freedom can flourish.