How I Got My Heart of Stone

September 24, 2008 by Ryan 

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How did I get my heart of stone?
Photo by ch1mp

No one quite knows the reason.
It could be perhaps that his shoes were too tight.
It could be his head wasn’t screwed on just right.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
- Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I have been indoctrinated.

I admit it. From the time that I was born, I have been raised with a specific worldview. Primarily, I believe what I believe because I was raised that way and I vote the way I vote because I was raised to vote that way.

Have my ideals been challenged? Definitely. Have I defended my views? Absolutely. But being challenged and defending a worldview when it has been so thoroughly ingrained doesn’t necessarily indicate that you have evaluated and internalized those values. After all, “talking points” are called “talking points” for a reason.

Why do I believe what I believe? Maybe it is because my shoes are too tight! Or worse! Maybe, because I have been raised in such a callous, greed-driven, privileged environment, I am actually heartless? Let’s look at the factors that contributed to my values. Which elements give credence to the criticism that I have been brainwashed, or at least, have a very limited perspective on the world?

Read more… 

Remnants of the Bash Bros.

July 15, 2008 by Ryan 

War at the Shore: Vai Sikahema vs. Jose Canseco

Down goes Canseco! War at the Shore: Vai Sikahema vs. Jose Canseco

It took all of a minute and a half for the 5′9″ BYU great, Vai Sikahema, to knock out the 6′4″ A’s great, Jose Canseco. The celebrity boxing match was put on for a good cause and Vai donated his $5,000 purse to the family of a Philadelphia police who was killed in the line of duty, according to Sikahema’s NBC affiliate where he works as a Philadelphia Eagles correspondent.

Here’s a video link to segments of the fight and here’s a great interview of Vai by a Utah radio station.