21–Adulthood on the Horizon

I just turned 21 on Sunday.

Despite the amazing dimensions of freedom, at the same time I feel a bit at a loss. With all of this freedom comes another slue of responsibilities–or so it seems.

But what bothers me about it is that I look at all of those and am scared, well, shit-less.

In particular, I do not recommend drinking a Green Monster or a Lemonade … or a Stoplight at a bar where the bartender has her dimples pierced with little diamond studs. Yuck.

My drivers’ license is horizontal, I can go to bars and a certain aura of respect has manifested around me. But really now, it is just another year, isn’t it? I do not recall any particular rites of passage into adulthood as a 21-year-old accept for drinking oneself under the table.

But with these new responsibilities, I suppose, I have to step up now and set up my own rules. Not to mention, buying alcohol is expensive. Setting these standards, how to start? Possibly, by first figuring out who one really is–not the characteristics, but limits and thresholds. Blacking out is not a good thing. Don’t you want to remember what happened the night before? (well, maybe in some cases, NOT)

Stop Whining About Gas.

It’s everywhere - the newspaper, TV and it’s apparent in that dent in your wallet. Gas prices have reached an all-time high. There are a few reasons why this could be. Maybe it’s because the oil hounds are wringing us dry. Or perhaps it’s because our president is using the profits to line his down-feather bed. It could be attached to the food price crisis and ethanol craze. But, most likely, they are high because they can be.

Environmentalists have made this issue a cornerstone for the “go green” campaign. I find some of the arguments pretentious, but most of them do have a good point - that gas is running out and we can’t replace it.

On May 15, motorists were encouraged via an e-mail not to buy gas as a protest against the big oil companies. Not many people followed through, as gas is a necessity in the world. The companies know this. Why else would they milk us for every cent they can?

In a recent Lantern survey, 12 percent of respondents claimed they “would buy gas no matter the cost.” I drive a gas guzzler - a 1993 Crown Victoria that struggles to get 22 miles per gallon. There is an argument for having no other option besides driving, but why not carpool?

There is too much arguing and complaining going on, and not enough doing. A few brave vigilantes have taken the big oil companies on their gambit and found an alternative route, but the rest of us whining is not going to change anything.

Lifestyle or otherwise, we can make a difference. Our economy is capitalist and our government is democratic. Without us and our money, these institutions are nothing.

But, as long as we listen to them, we’re no better off than the words they feed us or the prices they charge us. If a grocery store charged $6 for a gallon of milk, we would pay for it. So things are crappy. What are we going to do about it? I don’t expect anyone to change the world, but we do have a chance to give them a clear message.

Angry Christians

If someone is shouting, spitting in your face and gesturing wildly, I would expect one to become defensive. But there is a point when yelling back is not going to make the attacker listen.

Brother Jeb, Jed, whoever he is, decided to visit campus Monday.

In all fairness, Brother Whatever-His-Name-Was had a valid point. Yes, we are all born sinners in the eyes of the Christian religion. He had the Bible verses memorized to a T, his heart was in the right place, but the words he was using were doing more harm than good.

One student threw sticks at him. Another stood up and waved his arms back, shouting that sex before marriage was not a sin. A group of students ran by in hot dog costumes.

I felt like I was at the circus, watching the ringleader attempt to tame a bunch of lions. Amid all the chaos, what offended me most was that the true Biblical message of Christianity had been drug through the mud, beaten and hung up to dry. He never explained what the truth was. He never gave the gospel of Christianity. He only appeared as an angry bigot.

f one were to actually read Biblical scripture, they would find that the messages contained inside are focused primarily on love, faith and hope. Specifically in the first Corinthians chapter 13.

Maybe he keeps coming back because he gets a reaction. Maybe he feels this is his eternal mission (Paul always called himself a slave of Christ…) Either way, he’s not helping anyone. He needs to go back to Kansas or wherever he’s from and take a nice long nap.