earth and not eating its inhabitants

You might not want to read this. I was reading my environmental science book, and these are my thoughts.

When I became vegetarian a couple years ago, I was really only thinking about the animals. But, I have been learning a lot recently, and I am surprised by the environmental impact it could
have.
For one, if plants are consumed by animals, which are consumed by humans, twice as many plants are used than if humans just ate the plants. So, this saves a ton of energy throughout earth. (Obviously animals would still eat plants but there are considerable fewer animals if the animals are not farmed.)I'm not talking about one person not eating meat, but whole countries or groups of people. That would make an impact.

Also huge amounts of land are completely destroyed by cattle grazing. Land that has been set aside by the government for preservation can be used by farms for grazing. And these cows don't just eat a bit of grass...they eat every living thing in these areas. When they wear out the land, the farmers just move the cows to another area to destroy it. I don't want to starve the cows, but if we didn't make so many of them to eat, that wouldn't be a problem.

When I stopped eating fish a while back, I didn't realize the significance as much as I do now. Many species are overfished, big fish are becoming scarce, smaller fish are next, we throw away 30% of the fish we catch, and we needlessly kill sea mammals and birds.

So, these fishing boats are the size of a football field and then they throw their gigantic nets ( or trawl bag, or drift-net or aquaculture cage or hook line or cage) into the sea and whatever is in the net is then taken out of the water. The fishermen then throw all the bycatch (non-target species) back into the ocean which are all already dead or dying. In addition to wasting potential sources of food, this can deplete the populations of bycatch species that play important ecological roles in oceanic food webs.

This is difficult to explain fully on here. I'll stop. But if you are interested in making less of an impact on our planet, think about being vegetarian...Or don't.

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word
And then that word grew louder and louder
'Til it was a battle cry

I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never been this way before
All you can do is try to know who your friends are
As you head off to the war
Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light

You'll come back when it's over
No need to say goodbye
You'll come back when it's over
No need to say goodbye

Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget
Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
'Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say goodbye
You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say goodbye

-Regina Spektor

Sometimes (unfortunately, not always) I fall in love with music that I play in band and orchestra. Music that is beautiful. Music that makes your soul feel different. Music that you can feel in your whole body. It is strange to play one piece of music every day. to love playing every note, to savor every chord. it is so good.
Then, performing it is such a fantastic experience. I don't know why. Being in a hall. To be in a room with a ton of people who all are feeling the same things at the same time because of the music.

There is this one song. It is called "O Magnum Mysterium", and it is about the birth of Jesus. We played it in the fall and performed it. Then we got to play it again at the Palmer Hose on Thursday. I felt so sad thinking about possibly never playing that piece again.

It made me think about how often I will get to play my flute with a band or orchestra again. What if I decided to play music as a career? What if I auditioned for major orchestras all over the world? What if I could play music everyday with other people who love it? haha. I have never seriously given that thought. hmmm.

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So now that I mentioned playing at the Palmer House, I feel like talking about it more. Feel free not to listen.

Frankly, the band I play in is very talented. We were invited to play at the Midwest Band Conference. This means nothing to most of you. It is an honor to be invited. Many great composers would be there as well as musicians and music instructors from all over the world.

I spent the day with friends listening to other amazing bands play, meeting composers of music that I have played, but after all that, the only thing I wanted to do was make music. We ate some lunch together, and then we went to the room we were supposed to perform in.

It was heavenly. It was a huge ballroom, with ornate decorations and beautiful lights and chandeliers , and it seated 2500 people. yikes! So we warmed up for an hour, then people started to come. I think a little over 1000 of the seats were filled. It was a clinic called "The Art of Expressive Conducting: Conducting from the Inside Out". It was stunning. While playing, I would look up at the faces of people listening and watching. Their expressions mirrored how I was feeling. People came up to us afterward and asked if we could just play it all again... and I truly wanted to.

It was one of those memories where I will remember just being truly happy.

Redemptive Violence....what a myth.

I don't understand.
I don't understand how Christians can be okay with war, okay with killing, and desensitized to violence. How does it not hurt your soul? How do you not think about Egypt, the exodus?

Since Cain, essentially the beginning of humanity, evil has always taken the form of violence. More violence isn't going to solve anything.

War and Violence do not bring peace.

"Jesus was a Middle Eastern man who lived in an occupied country and was killed by the superpower of his day. The Roman Empire, which put Jesus on an execution stake, insisted that it was bringing peace to the world through its massive military mights, and anybody who didn't see it this way just might be put on a cross." (Rob Bell)

We have to resist ever using power in the form of violence against another human being...regardless of the consequences for your own security.

God says,

"Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-falling stream!...

you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land,...

buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals."

Amos 5:23; 8:4,6

I know a man who lives with his heart on his sleeve. And, for a while I saw that as a bad thing. But, now I see that it is something I don't do well enough. I don't let people know me, don't let them really understand me, but I want to now. And, I think I am getting better.

And I don't take the chances I want to. I don't do the small things I desire to do. I don't know why. But it is stupid that I don't. I should.

i could be less vague, but i don't feel like it.

interesting day today.

school. lock down for 5 hours. sat and slept. woke up once by cops to be searched. left as soon as possible. walked home. slept for 3 hours. back to school. sat for 3 hours and occasionally played some music.... and danced. went to bed.



p.s. i hate guns. no... i hate weapons.
p.s.2. i never sleep this much. i don't understand.