Psh who needs a jetpack? I've got a Mac.

I believe that humans learn best from mistakes, wether from their own or from observing others. If no one ever made mistakes, we probably wouldn't learn much. A testament to that is technology. Thomas Edison is said to have invented the lightbulb along with numerous other patented technologies. He was not the first person to think of the lightbulb however, there were said to be around twenty inventors who tried to make an incandescent lamp before Thomas Edison. He did not suddenly wake up one day and say, "I have an idea for a ball of light run by electricity. No one in the world has ever thought of this before." I'd argue that thoughts and ideas are constantly being recycled and improved throughout time. Even when Edison finally created a successful lightbulb, he continued to improve on it, correcting his earlier mistakes. Mistakes are excellent for creating progress.

Think about the last hundred years. How much progress has technology made? Let me put this in perspective for you. In 1903 Ford Motor Company was open for business. Henry Ford did not invent the automobile (they had actually been in production since before 1900) but he created a car that was cheap and accessible to the masses, the Model T. This was all before electricity was a modern convenience. Cars and electricity have only been around for a hundred years. Can you imagine your life without cars? (I'm not even going to go into life without electricity, that's just unbelievable) A hundred years ago going some where meant walking to places close by, riding a horse to town, and taking a train if  you needed to go anywhere far away. In this day and age you can get anywhere in a matter of minutes and hours. Driving from coast to coast is about a weeks trip. If you think that's uncomfortable, imagine riding a horse. Cars completely changed America. This invention that originally meant to be a play thing for the rich became a necessity in a matter of decades. 

Ok next amazing invention that has revolutionized our world. Computers. Computer technology has actually been around for a while. It started with punch card technology (I really have no idea how that works) in the 1800's! It probably wasn't until the 1960's that computers started to get really advanced but even then they filled up the entire room and still used punch card technology. Now look at us! I'm typing this from my laptop which is connected to the internet which connects all of the computers of the world together!!! How awesome is that? I saw a MLIA or something about wanting a jet pack because we lived in the future, but honestly I think our cell phones with text, apps, cameras, calculators, calendars and what ever the heck else are just as good and futuristic. I don't think people in the 60's could even imagine something like an iPhone.

Mistakes have been made through time and companies have gone out of business because of it. But luckily companies continue to build on the mistakes of others and end up making things better, faster, stronger, whatever! Think about Mac's! They are so innovative. People are constantly complaining that a new Mac product comes out every month, but I find it exciting. They are always improving; making things more accessible to all, just like Henry Ford. While thinking about my life relative to computers I realized that I share my birth year with a very special invention, the internet. Me and the Internet are the same age! Happy 19th birthday world wide web! The technology for internet actually came out in the 70's but the world wide web wasn't made accessible to the public until the year I was born, 1992. I asked my dad and he said we got the internet in '96, when I was four years old. I honestly cannot remember a time in my life when we didn't own a computer. When I was maybe 5 or 6 I can remember getting on our old gray mac, starting it up, and opening paint. Then of course I'd scribble all kinds of pretty pictures and waste all of our colored ink by printing a hundred copies. I'd wait a few minutes for the ink to dry and then I'd give them to my Mom. I can't even explain to you how excited I was when I discovered floppy disks. That wasn't even fifteen years ago and since then our technology has practically exploded. Floppy disks are now a joke. Now my Mom can post my pretty pictures on facebook. My printer is wireless and it can print anything I want. I don't even have to be in the same room, or floor. I know this is a crazy tech girl rant, but my mind is seriously bLoWn at how far we've come. I can't wait to see what mistakes we're going to improve on next.

A Dangerous Thought

Here is my dangerous thought for the day: Teenagers are just as intelligent as adults and should be treated as such.

This thought has been on my mind for a while now especially after an experience I had a little while ago. In November I lost my license. I'm eighteen and I've been driving (legally) since I was sixteen. For my job I needed a license, so my father and I waltzed up to the DMV (i.e. Hell's reception area) to see if I could get a Virginia license. They were, of course, extremely busy (as hell probably is) and quickly told us that since I had done my driver's education in Utah, and since I was not nineteen, in order for me to get a license in Virginia I would need to go through drivers education AGAIN in Virginia because Utah's driver's education did not meet Virginia's standards (which makes no sense because both Utah and Virginia drivers are equally horrendous) Once again, I am eighteen and have been driving since I was sixteen. I've driven from Virginia to Utah and back. I've never been in a serious accident (one rear end that wasn't even reported because it didn't even leave a mark) and I'm a fairly responsible person. Legally, I am an adult, and yet I am still treated like a juvenile delinquent.

Recently I moved to Idaho and enrolled into Brigham Young University Idaho. I still did not have a license so I decided to try my luck with Idaho's DMV. Since I had the proof that I lived in my own apartment in Idaho and I was an enrolled college student, all I had to do was take a test (which I could've passed when I was thirteen) and I was officially a legal Idaho driver. Voila.

Besides the obvious difference in state's laws and all of that, I am still concerned with the fact that if I had waited until I was nineteen to get my Virginia license it would have been just as easy as getting my Idaho license was. What is the difference between one year? I am 100% sure I am going to be just as good (or bad) a driver when I'm nineteen, as I am now. The difference is, it's far easier for an institution to measure age, than maturity. Or Responsibility. Or even, (another dangerous thought) intelligence.

This entire post is just me procrastinating writing a research paper (just so you know, even though I'm eighteen and an "adult" I still procrastinate) on homeschooling. While looking for sources for my research paper, I came across a book. It's called "The Teenage Liberation Handbook: How to Quit School and Get a Real Life Education " by Grace Llewellyn. I began reading it (I haven't finished yet) and practically jumped into the air and slammed my fist into the ceiling (I'm tall) with excitement. Finally, finally someone gets it! Not only does she get that teenagers are people too, but she denounces the people who put us down! Why, I ask myself, have I not read this book before?! Let me warn you. This book is incredibly dangerous. I mean wickedly dangerous. It puts into words what teenagers have been thinking forever, but were too scared, or unsure to do. It encourages teenagers to drop out of school. I'm not kidding. And I totally agree with it. Teenagers, read this book. Even if you have never read a book that wasn't required for school in your life, READ THIS BOOK! You may find that there is more to life than study hall, and homework, and teachers, and cafeteria food. There is something called Freedom and it's available to all.

Now, a confession. The reason I love this book so much is because I dropped out of school. I am a 5th grade drop out. There I said it, and I'm proud I did. Dropping out of school was probably the number one best decision I ever made in my life. No, I'm not flipping burgers, no I don't sell crack, and no I'm not a prostitute. But I dropped out of school. What's even more interesting is that I am in fact a college student, with currently all A's and one B in my classes. I payed for college all by myself. I got a 28 on my ACT. Most people would say I'm intelligent. And I dropped out of school. So, if this isn't proof enough that teenagers can make their own decisions and succeed, please read Grace Llewellyn's book. It might change your life

Here's the link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/28712926/The-Teenage-Liberation-Handbook-How-to-Quit-School-and-Get-a-Real-Life-and-Education

Patrick

A quiet Sunday evening finds the Buttler family sitting at a table in a cozy starbucks. They sip their drinks and talk about their week, fondly recall past memories and joke about the funny things that have happened to them. The line at the counter start to diminish and the store slowly begins to empty, but Patrick Buttler and his family are still there enjoying their evening together.           

            Patrick Buttler, a senior from Virginia Beach, looks like your average teen. He has dark shaggy hair, and a charismatic smile. He goes to school, hangs out with his friends, drinks, and goes to parties. He is also really fond of his family. “We’re really close,” he says,” We eat dinner together almost every night.” If you listen closely you’ll notice that Patrick has a slight accent. That is because he grew up in Germany.

            Living in Germany has given Patrick some unique views. He says that he likes Germany better because, “Parents in Germany aren’t as overprotective as they are in America. The culture is a lot different. In Germany they trust kids with responsibility at a young age.“ That’s evident in Germany’s minimum drinking age, sixteen for beer and wine and eighteen for hard liquor. When asked about America’s minimum drinking age Patrick states, “It’s too old. Drinking in America is different than drinking in Europe. In America kids drink just to get wasted. In Europe since you aren’t limited to alcohol when you’re a teen, you’re more responsible. I appreciate alcohol more because I grew up with it.” On some nights after an enjoyable dinner with their family, Patrick and his father will sit down to a couple of shots of whisky. He’s a responsible drinker. He says, “If you get drunk too often it’s bad, but every once in a while it’s okay.” When asked if he would ever drink and drive he states, “Never. I’d just ride my bike home. Drinking and driving isn’t a problem in Germany because the public transportation is so good.”

At this point it’s pretty obvious that Patrick is not Mormon, but interestingly enough one of his best friends is. Laurra Sperry is a senior who goes to the same school as Patrick. She and her family are LDS and are very close to Patrick. “My favorite memory of us,” Laurra recounts,” is when we went to Barnes and Noble with my mom. We went to the picture book section and read picture books for a while. I probably liked it because it was nice spending time with him and I also liked hearing his accent when he said certain words.” When asked about Patrick’s general character Laurra says fondly, “He won't judge people for what he sees. He always gives them the benefit of the doubt and says, ‘Well maybe this…’ or ‘maybe they did that because…’ He always thinks situations through clearly before assuming anything about anyone.” Obviously Laurra is very fond of Patrick, but she can also get upset at him. Through the interview Laurra would often interrupt to chastise Patrick about his drinking habits. Patrick would just chuckle and shrug it off.

Although Patrick is not LDS he does have standards. When asked about moral standards he seemed a little confused, probably because “moral standards” is a common Mormon term but not a very common term to others not of our faith. Eventually he said, “Well, if there’s an older person that gets on a bus I’ll give up my chair to them, or if some one is carrying something heavy I’ll help them.” Laurra explains further, “He has very good public manners. He will always hold the door for a girl or give guests his bed. He never lets a woman pay for her own meal. He also takes the needs of other people before his. He is just a very considerate person all around.”

His exceptional manners are evident in the way he speaks. When speaking about God he was not disrespectful in any way, even though he is agnostic. He explains, “I can’t say there is a God because I’ve never had any physical proof of him.” He has read the Bible and assumes there is some truth to it, but is not entirely sold because of the many manuscripts that portray Christ differently. Not believing in God usually leads to concerns about the afterlife. Patrick states very seriously, “I think everything has to have a beginning and an end. Death is the end. There’s nothing after that.” He explains he came to this realization when a good friend of his died. He said, “After that I accepted that I would never see or talk to him again.”

Despite his youth, Patrick is a very mature young man. More than anything he enjoys being together with friends and family. His family always has an open place in their home for guests, and on many evenings you can find them gathered in the kitchen with Laurra, eating, chatting, and generally enjoying life.

Better than Nothing

 Unlike most teenagers’ transfer into adulthood, the days leading up to my eighteenth birthday were not filled with party plans and excitement. Instead I spent my last days as a seventeen-year-old vigorously studying for the GED and side stepping angry glances from my older sister, Cecilia. Two days before the test, Cecilia had a total melt down. I cannot even remember how the fighting began, but I know it ended with both of us consecutively slamming our doors and flinging our crying selves onto our beds.

For the past year I had been preparing to apply for college. My family started acting different around me back when I got my ACT. I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw my score. When I showed my mom, she started to cry. I thought it was because I had done a good job, but now I think it was because she realized I would be leaving her before long.

After I got my ACT I needed to get my GED because I had been home schooled. Unfortunately the only time I could take it was on my eighteenth birthday. I spent those last few days as a seventeen-year-old locked in my room, pouring over books and notes.

Every time I tiptoed down stairs to grab a snack I would find my house eerily silent. I knew my family was around but for some reason they were not really speaking to me. I shrugged, figuring they wanted me to get all the study time I could. Then I would stuff a piece of bread in my mouth and tiptoe back up to my lair.

After a little while, I started to wonder why no one was talking to me. I realized that whenever I brought up the subject of college they would go silent and look awkwardly off to the side. College was all I really talked about those days.

Although most of my family just ignored me when I shared my excitement about college, my sister, Cecilia, would get angry. More and more often she would stomp off in a fury when I would comment on the classes I wanted to take, or the apartments I might stay in. After one of these episodes I complained to my mom about how weird she was and how she had problems and my mom calmly explained, “Her boyfriend is on a mission and you’re her best friend. How would you feel if your two best friends left?”

I told her, “If I’m her best friend why is she treating me like crap?”

My mom told me I needed to confront the beast. The beast. Cecilia. My short, blonde, firecracker of an older sister. She was fun and outgoing until you got on her bad side. Than all hell broke loose and it would probably take you an arm, a leg and a lifetime supply of Swedish fish to get back on her good side. I decided to put it off until after the GED when I had my wits about me.            

            Obviously, that didn’t happen. Only two days before the test, and both of us were locked in our bedrooms sobbing our hearts out because we were so frustrated with each other. After I calmed my self down a bit I remembered what my mother had said, “Confront the beast.”

             Silent and brave, I slowly walked to her room and carefully curled up in bed beside her. She cried for a long time, long enough that I began to wonder if she knew I was there.  Finally she managed to squeak, “I don’t want you to go.”

I sighed. “Can’t you be happy for me? This is something I have to do.”

More crying, and then, “I know, but I need you.”

I was taken aback. She needed me? Wasn’t I always the one who needed her? When we were kids I always relied on her. When we went to parties together I would stick by her because I was too shy to talk to other people without her standing next to me. She was my lucky charm I always kept with me. I didn’t feel like a whole person without Cecilia. Without her I was just, “Cecilia’s sister”. Even when my confidence grew I was never far from her. I knew that the reason we had such a close relationship was because I needed her. Not the other way around. I could not do anything without her.  Then one-day tragedy struck and I had to do everything without her. My mom’s best friend, Wendy, died, leaving behind a broken hearted husband and five young daughters. Wendy’s husband explained to our family that he could not take care of the girls on his own, and asked if Cecilia would be willing to live with their family in Ohio and nanny for him. She accepted, and at sixteen Cecilia left home and became the surrogate mother for five girls all under the age of thirteen. I was left to fend for myself.

            At first I thought, How can I survive without Cecilia? Who am I without her? When she left, that is exactly what I found out: who I am. I realized I am my own person. I became Esther, not “Cecilia’s sister”. I still missed her more than anything, but with her gone I had an opportunity to become my own person, independent of my lucky charm. When she came back nearly eight months later, we had both changed. She had grown up, learned how to live on her own and take care of five children, but had some serious emotional problems because of it. I had gained an independence that I still have today. Without it I probably would not have had the guts to apply for college.

            And now, three years later, she needed me. Why did she need me? While we were lying in her bed, I asked her, “Why do you need me? I don’t do anything.”

She replied, “That’s why I need you.”

I did not have to do much for Cecilia, she just needed me to be there for her and lend a listening ear when she had problems. I guess I never understood how much that meant to her.

            She continued to cry for a while and I thought about how to continue.  Finally I said, “I’ll call you everyday, after every class. You can tell me all about your problems and I’ll tell you that you’re not crazy and that I miss you a bunch.”

She sobbed, “It won’t be the same.”

“No it won’t, but it’s better than nothing.”

            Four months later I moved to college and started calling Cecilia. I listened to her problems, told her she wasn’t crazy and that I missed her a bunch.  She listened to my problems, told me that I was crazy for leaving her and that she missed me a bunch. It’s not the same, but it’s better than nothing.