A new beginning

I didn't sleep 'til 6 AM today.

From about 3-6, or I think it was 4-6 (I was too tired to remember), me and my brother were discussing everything from consumerism to the higher power. I think the higher power part started by him discussing how his friend Raffi has this Atheist cousin who likes to go online and find bad things about Christianity just to point it out to him. Why he'd bring up that story to me, I don't know. I don't recall researching the 'net to find information about Christianity in order to use it against my brother. Hell, I don't even recall mocking Christianity to begin with - I'll mock most Christians though, in addition to most other religious followers.

He brought up the incident about where I made fun of the pope (see "Mortal Kombat, Vatican style"), and doing that is supposedly "offending the Christian faith." I had to explain numerous times before he fully understood that there's a difference between mocking the Christian faith and mocking Christian leaders or Christians. Also, I recall poking fun at followers of all faiths, so there's no discrimination involved. Don't you hate it when the majority falsely believes that they're being discriminated against, or even stranger, opressed? I mean, I love my brother, don't get me wrong. Some of the most valuable times in my life have been spent with him, and it may have been that he was as tired during that time in the morning as I was (in fact, at one point he said, "believe, don't you"), but there's shit that he says that does not make any sense at all or doesn't have connections to what he said previously.

Onto another topic of discussion with him, we talked about the year ending, and if we actually got some things done this year. I'll admit, I was a bit defensive after I said, "Shit, I got nothing done," and so I immediately switched over from that to, "Well, at least I got most of my plans for my nation-to-nation violence group started." He looked at me with a hint of disappointment. "Flora, you can say you'll do everything in the world, but to get that shit done is something else entirely. What are plans without action? There are 3 steps to getting things done: plan, action, goal. You have the plan, but until you get the action done, it's not really an accomplishment to me."

He's definitely right. What's a plan without action? He also proceeded to tell me about my blogging, and how it's a waste of time since he thinks I'm not doing anything (in his opinion). I've actually gotten plenty done, my plans have been finished for a long while, and the action was already in process. I feel I've accomplished something important, but yet, I can't help but feel a bit empty. I can't figure it out, but it's a new year, and a new beginning.

I have a new year's tip for everyone: don't make the mistake of getting nothing done, folks. Don't wind up feeling empty. But even if that does happen, remember this: the end of something old is the beginning of something new. Make 2008 the year of you, and don't give up without a fight.