I started out in life content, even happy. I believed that people were generally good, kind, and generous with their love and their time. Somewhere along the way, I became disillusioned and jaded, believing most people are short-sighted, selfish, and hurtful. It took a long time, but slowly I realized that good, kind, generous people … Continue reading You’re the Average of the People You Associate with Most
A lot of people say that drug addicts (nicotine being a very, very powerful drug) need to “quit for themselves.” This, I have come to find, is nonsense. Telling a self destructive person to stop doing self destructive things “for yourself” is just plain silly because self destructive behavior is the pinnacle of selfishness — … Continue reading How I Quit Smoking (for good)
I started smoking cigarettes with a friend of mine in high school, when I was about 15 years old. Looking back, it’s difficult to say why, but I do remember when and where. We were not the “cool kids” and we didn’t think smoking would make us cool. We weren’t really all that rebellious — … Continue reading How I Quit Smoking (the first time)
I always enjoyed Sunday morning hapkido class led by John Gregg. As an adult, I’ve never really been a church-going man. I have nothing against church or those who attend services, but it simply has never resonated with me. The closest I’ve come to having a deep and moving spiritual-religious experience at church was when … Continue reading A Dark Cloud (I am the problem)
When I first walked into Joe Sheya’s dojang, I was a depressed, angry young man with long hair, a full beard, and all black clothing. I imagined myself a “dark soul,” but I was really just a self-absorbed geek who wore “misunderstood and angsty” like a hair shirt. There I was all gothic and brooding, … Continue reading Your Nickname Was Rasputin
