Time Doesn't Exist

I feel like this should be common knowledge, so if this blows your mind a little bit then sorry about that.

Time is a concept that humans invented to organize themselves. Every day, our planet is moving. The Earth is spinning while simultaneously rotating magically around the sun. Now, I did some research on this, and there is no specific person who ever invented time. I suppose, long long ago, someone with a hairy face and clothes made out of animal skin pointed at a stick and said, "George, once this stick's shadow touches this rock, I want you to come over to my cave." Eventually everyone just subconsciously created "time" as a way to understand the universe's cycle of events.

There's a bunch of movies about people who can "stop time," which is super ridiculous when you think about it. If someone were to pause time, as if it's a physical thing, nothing would happen. The Earth would still move and the wind would still blow and everyone would carry on as if nothing is different. Nothing would be different.

If people stopped measuring time, however, we'd have a huge issue. Clocks would disappear from walls and watches and phones. Everyone would do everything with leisure. No deadlines, no stress, no organization. The Earth would spin and spin and spin and no one would care. People would probably celebrate Christmas on different days, if it even existed. There would be no way to log significant events in your life. Everything would just blend together.

There's also this haunting feeling that "time" did exist. Like, maybe up until 2012 (the end of the world) there was a giant clock in outer space somewhere that was counting something down. Maybe on the 21st of December, we all got stuck in time. Maybe it's still technically December of 2012 and we've all just continued along our lives ignorantly.

I think it's important that people understand this abstraction: time does not exist. Clocks exist, yes, but clocks are a human invention. The world is moving, but time is not.

Another unnecessary picture I've added simply because it's required
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What's Wrong With Technology?

How many times have you been scolded for being on your phone? Personally, I'm been reprimanded constantly from my mother, as I'm sure most teenagers have been. I've discovered that often the people criticizing the use of technology are the same people who are incapable of utilizing it.

I don't understand why so many adults are convinced technology has a negative influence on our lives. Like all things, of course, there are adverse traits, but the amount of technological advances we've experienced over the years is incredible. 

There are cars being sold now that run without gasoline. People can search for cancer with only a simple blood test. Printers exist that can develop 3D objects – scientists are even trying to print live organs for donation. The technology in our world today is absolutely amazing.

I understand that most adults aren't complaining about this. Majority of the people who whine about technology are directing their issue toward teenagers, a group of kids who are known for being completely obsessed with their screens. But why is this so bad? Sure, it's not easy for most of us to go a day without utilizing technology, but that is the world we live in. We are the generation that is going to grow up and invent the flying cars and mechanical surgeons that save lives. We are the generation that is going to use our knowledge and our technically-savvy minds to fix holes in our planet. Technology is not a bad thing, so stop treating it like it is.

Look how many positive things come from technology!!!!
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And if you're the type of person that scolds others for being on their phones in public, shame on you. You don't know what they're looking at. Maybe they're reading a letter from their Grandma who just passed away, studying for a geography test or looking at pictures of their old friends that don't live near them anymore. Maybe they had a shit day and all they want to do is sit peacefully on the bus and play a cat game. Good for them.

If you think that a teenager (or any person, really) should look up from their cellphones and absorb the world around them, please shut up. Technology is not ruining our lives, and seeing a person on their phone in public is not "sad." It's common. It's useful. It's necessary. We live in a world surrounded by technology, so if you're against that then I'm pretty sure it's your own fault. 

A/N: This is kind of harsh. It started out as a rant toward my mother concerning her constant lectures for being on my phone… I got a bit carried away.

Nothing Special

When I was younger, for whatever reason, I created a very stupid game. To play, you're supposed to try to formulate the strangest sentence possible. As a child, the sentences were often senseless and completely confusing, like "Chickens bounce small from skinny weasels and evaporate onto the gum balls." The object of the game was to say something that no one has EVER said before.

Obviously, there is no distinct way to determine whether or not a sentence has already been said in all of human history. That was sort of the point, really – your sentence had to be such nonsense that nobody could've possibly uttered it.

Now that I'm older, the concept is a bit more meaningful.

Have you ever wondered if all your words have been said? Maybe every sentence you've ever spoken has already come out of someone else's mouth. Perhaps there's even one specific person who has said everything you've ever said, just in a different order.

Furthermore, maybe everything you've ever done has collectively been done by other people. Maybe you've never performed an act that hasn't already been performed. They say that no two snowflakes are the same, but how are they supposed to know if the same snowflake that fell outside my bedroom window today fell 1,000 years ago in Portugal?

I've lived in three houses before the one I'm currently sitting in. What if tomorrow a new family moves into my first house – the one I lived in until I was 6? What if that family has a daughter just like me? What if the family then goes on to live in my second house? Then my third one? By the time I go off to college and get an apartment of my own, what if that little girl lives here? What if she ends up sitting where I sit to do my homework after school? I would never know. I could be following someone right now and I wouldn't know it; there could be someone ten years older than me who has lived my exact life. I wouldn't have a clue.

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A/N: I'm not really sure why I wrote this. I was standing around a pool table with one of my friends a few months ago, listening to loud music through the ceiling-speakers. It was past midnight, and for some reason we were talking about this. I thought it was interesting.

Read more of my theories here.

Inertia Is A Property Of Matter

To Bill Nye,

My English teacher recently required that I complete this assignment, wherein I am supposed to write a blogpost in dedication to someone I admire. So I've chosen you, the man whose name all children praise: Bill Nye, The Science Guy.

Though Science was never my absolute favorite, I've chosen you for many reasons other than your amazing theme song. I grew up with my classmates howling giddily every time the teacher rolled in one of those old televisions, knowing that your face would soon flood our vision. Your show made me not hate science. You were able to entertain and educate children simultaneously, which is a very challenging task. You taught me how to tie creativity into my schoolwork, you taught me that it's possible to enjoy something I thought I disliked, and you taught me that science RULES. You're a huge part of the reason that I am curious about the world around me. I question things because of your influence, so I'm dedicating this blog post to you, Bill Nye.

You started your career by acting on a local sketch comedy TV show in Seattle, then managed to build your way up into writing a New York Times best selling book. After participating in an animated series, you began your career as Bill Nye the Science Guy, creating exactly 100 episodes of a beautiful devised show. You then went on to do amazing things, including making friends with Ellen Degeneres (read Elise's blogpost about Ellen here) and having a portion of the Walt Disneyland theme park honor your excellence.

Bill Nye on Dancing With the Stars
Source

You also participated as a contestant in Dancing With The Stars. I find this extremely awesome considering that I attend dance classes 5 hours every day after school. And for you, Bill Nye, to do something so spectacular at age 57…that's amazing.

William Nye, you have achieved more than I even dream to do in the future. And now that you're old and retired, you've written a legendary book about evolution, the first sentence of which is, "I think it started with the bees."

You are humorous and educated, and though I've never met you you are one of my favorite people. Because of you, I have written this blog.

So to you, one of my personal heroes: Thank you for everything you have taught me about the world, about science, and about myself.

– Abbi

My New Year's Resolution

Photo courtesy here

Today is the second day of year 2016, and I feel sort of grossly cliché for writing a blog post about this.

I spent New Year's Eve with a small group of my close friends, most of it laying on the carpet and making awful jokes about 2015's trends. When the clock struck midnight we set off those annoying popper things and made a mess that we later had to clean up. Emma and I shared a large blanket when we went outside to light sparkles in the snow. We played good music and drank effervescent champagne.

The second we entered 2016, social media was instantly blown up with posts and cheesy quotes like "New Year, New Me!!" This entire concept is sort of amusing. People use a measurement of time to excuse their lack of work ethic or accomplishments; they use this absurd holiday to make themselves feel better about not fulfilling their goals, because now they can create new resolutions that they will again fail to achieve.

I've decided only to develop one resolution this year, considering I believe them to be stupid.

My New Year's resolution is to never have New Year's resolutions again.

According to this website, only 8% of people are successful in achieving their resolutions. So I honestly don't see the point in my making them.

Plus, if you want to change something about yourself, you are perfectly capable of doing this at any moment throughout the year. You don't have to wait until January 1st in order to fix your life. People often grow oblivious to this, but as humans we are very capable of fixing things – especially things about ourselves. You may see yourself as indecisive or boisterous, but you can change your own traits. If you're sick of being too loud or too shy then stop. Your personality is not set in stone. If you don't want to act the way you do, don't. If you don't want to do the things you do, don't.

You're allowed to alter your own characteristics. Dye your hair orange. Take on a new sport. Learn how to cook Indian food. If you're not satisfied with the way your life is, change it. You don't have to keep waiting until a new year rolls around in order to get things done.

A/N: I'm aware that it's not the 2nd of January anymore, but that's when I started formulating this post. I originally wrote an entire blog post about my actual New Year's resolutions, but then I realized how pointless they were so I rewrote this. I hope this is still a valid topic to discuss even though we've been in 2016 for 5 days now.

How To Survive High School

Perhaps the title of this post sounds overdramatic and childish, but it's not supposed to be like that. When people hear the words "How to Survive High School" it often sounds like a chapter book that you'd see in a middle school library – one with pathetic advice and explanations for your first crush.

The thing is, there are people who actually don't survive high school.

I'm only a freshman and I already understand this. I'm in all honors/AP classes this year, and it gets extremely overwhelming sometimes. I will write/have written countless posts about the reasons the education system should change, but for now:

I'm making this list. And throughout the year, in developing blogposts, I might add to it. Here are some things you should do to help you survive high school:

1. Befriend your teachers. Though this seems pointless at first, it can come in handy. Maybe it seems cool to be the offhand rebel student that talks back and makes jokes, but this is such a bad idea. I've gotten A's on projects that others in my group have failed simply because the teacher likes me.

2. Make a list of your homework and add to it throughout the day. It's SO EASY to forget about things you have to do, and then you're failing a class because you've neglected a few assignments.

3. Keep a single homework folder. I used to have multiple binders to lug home every day, which is a very terrible thing. Hold on to one folder. That way you can flip through pages and everything is right there and it's all handy and neat.

4. Have a pair of headphones with you at all times. For those of you that take extra curricular classes like art or CTE, music is a lifesaver. Along with tuning out teachers that talk for too long, it's also a very non-controversial way to tell someone you don't want to engage in conversation.

5. Pretend to pay attention. This is helpful for accomplishing #1. If you want to actually pay attention, that would be a better option, but if you hate a teacher too much or can't handle listening anymore, play games in your head. Count the amount of times they say "uh" or "um" or "mkay?" (I've done this so many times. It looks like you're taking notes or deep in thought.)

6. Schedule time for your homework. When you're on the bus or in a nonproductive environment, take 10 seconds to consider when you're going to do your homework.

7. Eat breakfast. This sounds so stupid, I know, but I have so many friends that don't eat breakfast and it really confuses me how they manage to function. Force feed yourself some Cheerios. You need food to churn your brain gears.

A portrait of me at school
Photo courtesy here

I normally hate blogposts like this. I don't blame you if you scoffed the entire time while reading this, because what would I know? A fifteen year old freshman telling you how to get through high school seems a bit inapposite. It's not like I know how anything works in high school – hell, I'm still in a building with a bunch of 8th graders.

Also, I've always thought advice blogs/columns were disturbingly stupid. Receiving guidance from a person who doesn't know who you are is and doesn't know what you need to hear…it seems unnecessary.

Still, I feel like everyone can agree that high school is not easy. Everything is sometimes hard to manage, and often it feels stressful and tiring and useless. It's not, though; education is actually a really great thing to have. You just have to learn how to survive it.

Settle For Less

A student comes home with their final report card, disappointed in some aspects but somewhat proud. They've received mostly A's and B's, along with a single D but that doesn't really bother them. They worked hard this semester and are fairly pleased with their good grades.

The second they enter the kitchen their mom/dad asks to see their report card. As a parent, their eyes go directly to the D. Their first response is immediately "You got a D in History?" because that's what they see. That's what doesn't fulfill their expectations.

As a student, their parent's retaliation seems heart crushing. The student didn't think it was that bad. One D, they thought. My other grades were all good, they thought.

It's disturbing that most adults focus on kids' failures as opposed to their successes.

This is true in all situations. This is the reason that adults constantly ridicule the younger generation for everything; technology, for example, is not appreciated for being impressive and revitalizing – it's scoffed upon for being distracting. This is the reason that kids don't feel appreciated for their hard work.

This comes up on Google Images if you search "parents clipart"
Photo Courtesy

It's not just parents, either. Everyone does this. All people subconsciously focus in on the substandard things rather than admiring what they have achieved. All people work a harder to become something more; all people strive to be good enough.

So, is it ever going to be good enough? Or does everyone keep reaching for a report card…an approving smile…a lifestyle…that's unachievable? If the student works hard enough, will their parents ever look at them and say they're perfect? And if they say it, are they lying? Of course it could be better; it could always be better. No matter what it is, you could achieve more.

For some people this is inspirational. If you can always improve, then there's always something to reach for. This is a form of motivation.

For others, however, this reality is immensely defeating. No matter how hard you work, how fast you climb, or how hard you try, you'll never reach the absolute maximum of human accomplishment.

So settle for less. Do everything to your best ability, and be proud of yourself for it. Look at your report card and think, hey, I worked really hard on this. Don't ever deride yourself for not being good enough, and don't let anyone degrade you for your pride.