Knowledge As We Know It.

I’m at the library. To me, the library is strangely hard to understand. It’s just a building stocked with books for all ages, and interests. A house of knowledge, told on paper. I can still remember the wonderful feeling of excitement I found when entering the library as a young child. Not only was it an adventure into a million worlds at once, but also it was quite overwhelming. It still can confuse me. I think of the extent of human knowledge, and realize that this relatively large library I am sitting in doesn’t even break the ice. For example, The Library of Congress’s collection simply blows me away. According to their website, over 32 million documents are stored there. The items there include most everything you’d find at a public library, and more, in many different languages. What I cant understand though, is how all of these physical documents take up room in libraries allover the world, when every single book on the face of the earth could undoubtedly be backed up digitally to take up a millionth of the space. This is truly unbelievable to me, but what does it mean? If we look at history, the past has been filled with the destruction of human knowledge. The Nazis conducted a book burning in Berlin on 1933, which was one of the largest modern examples of how physical paper copies of books can be destroyed. Yes, they burned books, but look at the technologically advanced modern world we now live in. We are connected more easily then ever before, and in some cases-- we are too connected. If the Nazis tried to destroy knowledge and censor the masses today, they would be faced with an even more daunting task. We have reached a point where information can spread to every country on the planet in a matter of hours. Digitized data will eventually help immortalize the past. Information may be kept from certain people, by their governments, but no matter what, it is there. It exists, in one of mankind’s millions of libraries- or it’s single most accessible database, the Internet. History and information of all types will forever be kept in our grasp. Everything will surely be stored away, so that it could survive the end of the world. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault has done it for plants, and contains 400,000 seeds and counting. If organic matter can be stashed away to evade nuclear fallout, digital data could be too. It’s just strange to think about how much information there is in this world, and how much we can now do to store it. Digital backups are obviously in no way foolproof, but will they be someday? With the countless advances I've already witnessed in my short fifteen years of life, I sure think so. Human knowledge may be ever expanding, but our mediums of storing our knowledge will continue to get smaller and smaller.

A Note To Santa.

That’s it, Santa. I just need to know why you are so appealing. Yes, we all love you, but why? You are an elderly, bearded obese man dressed in a white trimmed velvety red suit. Yet, you get boys and girls to dream of you all year round, and sit on your lap to spill their greatest desires in the world. You can be everywhere at once, I’ve seen you at multiple stores in one day—it’s quite impressive. Tell the people working for you to be less pushy though, they can be sort of a letdown. Bring some elves down south instead, if they’re not too busy. Anyhow, how did you know I liked philosophy and photojournalism? Those books are going to be great reads, thanks! Speaking of great reads, did you like the notes my family left you? It’s really nice of you to take the time to read them, and leave a note for us. You have much better things to do, like bringing joy to billions of other children and tending to your reindeer. That is another thing. You have reindeer. I mean seriously-- you could make a Lamborghini fly, and yet you choose to go green and ride reindeer. That’s pretty awesome, Santa. Also, I know you like to enter houses through chimneys, but unfortunately I don’t have one. Nonetheless, you manage to get inside my house without having to break a thing. You’re like some sort of professional. Oh speaking of breaking things—how do you NOT break things after drinking all the Tuaca in our fridge? That was you, right? You can drink to excess, eat millions of cookies to excess, and yet I haven’t heard of any major health problems of yours in any grocery store tabloids. And I would have seen them, I keep up with that stuff. It's fascinating! Did you hear about Martha’s darkest secrets in the National Inquirer? Great stuff, I'm serious! Anyhow, I’m jealous of your good health; I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stay healthy with a lifestyle like yours. Another thing I’ll never be able to do is live forever- how old are you again? You have sure been around for a while. If I’m not mistaken, you have been a major endorsement for Coca-Cola for a long time, too. I love Coke! Do you get paid for that? I know you’re a non-profit of sorts, but it’s alright to take a modest salary, you know? If it all goes into your North-Pole empire, I understand. It must cost a lot to keep up; especially with the economy and all. You’ve got your movies to invest in as well! I see your new films on ABC Family and in theaters every year. Who runs your film department? They sure have got a lot on their hands, yet they get it done. You know how to allocate jobs to your elves. Elves, you have elves! Little people with big ears that sure know how to use a bow in the Lord of The Rings—I wish I had some of those little guys. Come to think of it, is that where the elves went after The Battle for Middle Earth? To The North Pole? Interesting. Alright, I sort of understand your attraction to kiddos, now that I think about it. The list of why you are awesome is bottomless! Like your sack! Of toys! You can do a whole lot, man. Your “Ho’s” don’t get you in trouble like Tiger’s did; they only spread tons of joy. So, I suppose you deserve a thank you. Merry Christmas, Big Guy!

We'll Remember You, Emmett.

Today, in my High School English class, I was introduced to an atrocity that seems to have a strong clutch on my mind. It is a story I have to share, because I feel hate's potential should be known to all. Currently, we are in the middle of reading "To Kill a Mockingbird", Harper Lee's one-hit-wonder. Because the book is associated with racism, we are discussing some major prejudicial incidents. Our teacher shed light on an act of not only prejudice, but pure hatred. The incident took place in Money, Mississippi in the summer of 1955. Emmett Till, a 14 year old African American boy from Chicago, IL, was visiting his uncle for the summer. Unaware of the presence of Jim Crow Laws, due to his Northern residence, he did not realize that he would be more subjected by whites in the South. Reportedly, Emmett whistled at a white woman in a general store. This simple boyish act, which may or may not have even taken place, would cost Emmett his life. The woman whom he whistled at reported the incident to her husband, who would not let it go unanswered. Her husband, along with his half-brother, took Emmett from his uncle's house where he was boarding for the summer, and drove him to a shed where he was beaten to death. Emmett was just a boy, but was stripped of his life simply because of the color of his skin. It is disturbing how this could have taken place. To look at the photographs of Emmett's beautiful, photogenic smile, and compare them to the truly grim photos of his brutalized body made me sick. Who would do such a thing to a young boy? What hurts me even more is the fact that the men who killed Emmett were never sentenced to any punishment for their actions. Their Southern jury was rigged in their favor. It is unbelievable, truly unbelievable to think that such a trial-- to decide the fate of people evil beyond comprehension was ended in their favor. In a country which supposedly encompasses freedom, and the pursuit of happiness, there sure is a whole lot of hatred. Bob Dylan's song, "The Death of Emmett Till", explains Emmett's story musically, and is included in the wonderful video which summarizes Emmett's story below. If you watch the video, you are waking yourself up to a story that should be known by all. Emmett Till may have gone, but until the end of time, his story will serve the purpose of waking up our country to how hatred can dehumanize even the most innocent. You will live on, Emmett, in the minds of many and in the influential changes that your example has helped to bring to our country.

* SOME OF THE IMAGES IN THE VIDEO ARE DISTURBING

Inspirational Sounds.

When an album, or a song for that matter, can take someone to a different place or memory every time they hear it- it is something rare, and special. According to iTunes, I have listened to each of the Kings of Convenience's songs ten times over each. I can't get enough, which may actually be an inconvenience. But hey, they help me think, dream, write, focus, and feel good about life. Their sound is unlike any other. Each one of their songs is original and unique in its own way, and their lyrics are beautiful. Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, the two musicians that make up this phenomenal duo, have created something special. Their four albums thus far, Quiet is the New Loud, Versus, Riot On an Empty Street, and Declaration of Dependence are all arguably some of the best albums I've ever heard. Yes, Brittany Spears, Lady "Ga-Ga", and The Jonas Brothers might be having a good year, but trust me on this one: these two deserve more fame and fortune than all of the biggest pop-stars around. I'm not trying to promote them or anything, I'm just trying to share one of my biggest musical inspirations. Check them out at Skreemr. I can't suggest any one song, you'll have to discover what you like the most. Here's one of their best videos in my opinion, it's a taste of what they're like. By taste, I mean a tiny bite of their thousand- flavored slice of musical beauty.

The Widow.

Yesterday, in the bitter cold evening weather of southern New Hampshire, I participated in a bell ringing for the Salvation Army. I was assigned a partner for the job, but ended up having to go solo. A bell in each hand, I had the power to attract lots of ears. Honestly, I wasn't expecting Walgreen's to be so packed. For the first five minutes, I felt cold and numb. All I wanted was for my shift to end, so that I could go inside and warm myself. But, then something strange happened to me. An elderly woman- with a black jacket, hat, purse, gloves, you name it- came out of no where, and approached me. Her first words were "You know son, I just have to tell you a story". She proceeded to tell me the story of how her husband, who passed away some years ago, fought in World War One. Chemical warfare nearly took his life when he was gassed and made unconscious in the front-line trenches. When down, he was trampled by horses. Every Christmas, he would tell her the story of how the only thing that kept him going in the days after his incident was the hot chocolate provided by the Salvation Army. Bell ringings and donations could have saved that man's life for all I know. She finished her story with a quick "God bless you son, you've got it right," and walked away, smiling. I will never see this woman again, but her story is something I will not forget. What are the chances that this elderly woman would end up at a Keene, NH Walgreen's at 2:30, and run into me? Immediately after hearing her story, my mind was sent into a state of wonder- I felt like I could stand out there in the cold all day. I spent my remaining time thinking about how the world works. How connections are made between us across the ocean by such simple things as ringing a bell for change. During this Christmas season, everyone should realize, or make an effort to realize, we need change. Not pocket change, of course, but change in the form of changing lives. Americans have spent FIFTEEN BILLION dollars on Christmas gifts this weekend alone (Maybe a little less due to the East coast being rocked by blizzard weather, but a lot nonetheless). Fifteen billion into gifts for those who are already content, and yet those 3.5 million homeless in our country are starving and without gifts. I just can't understand. Yes, I receive gifts, but do I need them? No. I'm not even close to needing them. But, I am thankful I can receive them. I'm not trying to say we need to change our culture of gifting each other, but I think if we are going to keep our traditions, everyone should try to contribute to those who really need it. A tradition of helping others, maybe? Ringing a bell wasn't much on my part, but if I did that and more every year, I am bound to be providing hot chocolate somewhere. So thank you, lonely widow- you have inspired me. Merry Christmas to you.