Self-help for Geeks

Your Purpose in Life (or are you just roleplaying?)

2006-04-12T09:32:00.000-04:00

Do you know what your purpose is?

No? Then you're not alone. Wait. Let me rephrase that. You are alone.

You are alone because you are an individual. This means that, within the confines of the law and if you aren't hurting anyone, you can do anything you want, and damn the rest of society. In reality, you are alone to do what feels right for you. It doesn't matter what others think. That part I'm sure you're mosty aware of.

What I mean about roleplaying is this: are you being yourself, or just playing a role? You may be just playing a role you think society, or your friends and family, or your significant other, expects of you.

In Dungeons and Dragons, for those of you who are unaware, you play a character (a role) and you act as that character would within the confines of the rules, the setting of the game, and the strict guidelines of personality behavior written on your character sheet. If you act in ways that your character shouldn't, you are penalized. There are also things your character just can't do, for example, a fighter cannot act as a wizard can. A fighter uses a weapon as their primary combat skill, while a wizard uses magic.

Life is not like Dungeons and Dragons and other such games. There are no penalties for acting different from your usual personality. There are no rules that restrict you from being skilled or interested in more than one thing. A carpenter can be a musician as well, for example. You don't have to run your life within a set of rigid guidelines.

Fear is the biggest culprit in this. Fear of what others would think, what your family might think, or your boss, or society. Just because you don't know exactly what you want to be doesn't mean you can't try out a number of different things until you find the right one. In some cases, more than one thing can the be the 'right thing'.

You can be a warrior, a wizard, a truck driver, a politician, all of these things or none of the above. Go with your gut instinct. More often than not, its the right thing to do.

Are You a Geek?

2006-03-28T08:56:00.000-05:00

As the title of this blog states, this site is targeted towards geeks. But what is a geek, anyways? The words means a lot of things to many people. I can tell you what I consider a geek.

A geek is a person of above average intelligence, and thats universally accepted. A geek likes intellectual pursuits, meaning things such as chess, science, philosophy, programming computer code, or even playing those multiplayer online games like World of Warcraft or Evercrack (whoops, I mean Everquest). A geek is often thought of to be socially inept, and while its true in some cases, geeks are definitely more social thanks to the internet.

A geek also is rabid about one or more of the following: Dungeons and Dragons, RPG games, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Babylon 5 (shudder), excessive blogging, computer programming, electronic remixes of movie soundtracks. Did I miss anything?

Perhaps this is a somewhat lame attempt at describing a geek, but if you are one, you already know it.
Dictionary.com has offered the following definition:
1.A person regarded as foolish, inept, or clumsy.
2.A person who is single-minded or accomplished in scientific or technical pursuits but is felt to be socially inept.
3.A carnival performer whose show consists of bizarre acts, such as biting the head off a live chicken.

Entries 1 and 2 are obvious conflicting definitions. I dont think #3 has any relevance anymore (I hope not)! I prefer my definition.

In the past, the word geek has been associated with a negative image. In recent years, its been become more widely accepted as a label for those proud to be what they are. After all, if it wasn't for geeks, you wouldn't be looking at this online blog and browsing the worldwide web. We'd still be using messenger pigeons.

Why I want to save the world...

2006-03-15T14:19:00.000-05:00

As my first official “self-help” post, I want to explain to you fine people why I am publishing this blog. Is it out of sheer arrogance? Is it out of a desire to good? Is it just folly to think that one person can begin to shape the world into a better place, one reader at a time? Well yes, its all these things. But the real truth is that it came to me out of something that I’ve been noticing about the people around me as of late.

Most people are asleep. Not literally, as in the sense of lying in bed catching some zzz’s (though that may be true as well), but even when people seem to be awake, their consciousness is only barely registering the world around them. Let me explain this further.

The people around me, I’ve noticed, are drifting through their lives in a dull, meaningless fashion, born out of everyday habit and societal expectations that have been forcefed to them since they were children. Why do they go to school? Because they’re made to by their parents. Why do they go to college? Because they’re expected to after high school. Why do they go to a long, tiring, and unfulfilling job for forty-plus hours a week, only to get paid a modest salary while making everyone above them rich? Because its the only way to survive. Is it, really?

While I’m certainly not saying the above things are bad, because if you didn’t go to school or work, you’d be broke and uneducated. Not that a third of the population isn’t already. But most people don’t even know why they are doing it, or for what, other than that is what is expected of them and its the only way to make a living. While that is partly true, we as human beings, risen beyond lower primates, need a reason. And we need a better reason than just “because thats what everyone else is doing“.

Reason is what drives us. Its more powerful than money, more powerful than love, and it fuels everything we do, from brushing our teeth every day to getting married (you do brush your teeth, don’t you?) Humans need a higher purpose, something to guide us, otherwise we’re completely lost and resort to losing consciousness.

What I’m getting at is, people seem to be doing the same thing over and over again, and they don’t even realize it. They think they’re stuck in a rut, and there is nothing they can do. But we all have choices. We do what we choose to do, even if we don’t realize it. It takes a lot of work to change your situation, and most people are too lazy or too afraid of losing everything to try. Or worse, they actually think that they don’t have a choice.

Why do you get up in the morning? Is it because you have to? Whatever your reason, you choose to. Why? I’m telling you right now, you don’t have to. You don’t have to do anything at all. Everything you do is your choice. Naturally, you’ll have to face the consequences if you blow off work to sleep all day, or if you choose to get drunk and streak across the town. But regardless of consequences, its your choice. Yours. Your life up to this point is a product of every choice you made in your entire life. So why can’t you change it to make it better? Is everything you have so important, is your life so great right now that any change might take it all away? Are you happy with your life as it stands? If the answer is yes, navigate away from this page right now. You’re still asleep.

Still here? Great. Remember, your life could always be better. It is that strive that keeps us going. We all know this, whether we realize it consciously or not. You just need a wake-up call. Not many people ever get this. Its a moment when we realize that we are in charge of our lives, not the society around us, not the government or the soul-less corporations telling us we’re fine except we need to buy their product or service. Its all up to you. But we all need help, from many sources, which is why I’m here. I can be a source.

I need help as well, just like everyone else. I realize this, so I look to many sources. There are so many great sources that will open your eyes and help you develop your conscious life further, but you have to see them. You have to accept the fact that you need help, that you need to change your life right now and continue growing to realize your dreams. You do remember your dreams, don’t you? I’m sure you have goals, desires, and needs, like the rest of us.

Its your choice. Make the right ones, make the wrong ones, it doesn’t matter, the point is to keep trying. The first step to living consciously and developing a higher purpose you can be happy with is to realize that you are in control.

Thank you. Keep coming back.