Homosexuality is WRONG!

The title, I hope, has evoked one of two emotions.  Either you are mad as hell with me and do not understand how I could say that homosexuality is wrong, or you completely agree and assume that this blog post is going to say how right you are.  Keep reading and find out.

As the vice president of the LGBT group on my campus, I have gotten to interact with both sides of this spectrum.  I've had great talks with people who wholeheartedly approve of same sex marriage and also with people who use the term 'fag' or 'faggot' like it's their job.  From these discussions, I've learned a lot about the current state of the people.

My overall advice is this: If you don't approve of gay marriage, don't marry someone who is gay.  That's it.  That's all the 'gay agenda' should be.  If you don't approve of the gay lifestyle, don't put yourself in one.  If I don't like people with red hair, I won't hang around people with red hair.  What I wouldn't even consider doing is going up to any red haired person I could find and tell them their lifestyle is wrong and should change immediately, because their genetic makeup can of course be changed.

Picture yourself.  Find one aspect of your life that is permanent and you were born with.  Maybe you have freckles, or are really short/tall, or even have a weird laugh.  Now picture a group of people telling you that one aspect of your life makes you a lesser person that should not be allowed the same rights as those of the 'correct' type.  Say anyone under 5,10'' cannot get married.  That's not something you can change, yet not you are unable to marry the person you love.

Seems stupid, doesn't it?  That's because it is.  No matter what your own beliefs are, they are your own.  You do not determine what is right or wrong for other people.  You can only speak for yourself.

I am not here saying that everybody should approve of gay marriage.  I know that is something that will most likely never happen.  I am just saying that we shouldn't judge people based on something that can't be changed.

The perk of being human is that we aren't the same.  We just haven't gotten to the point where we accept that everyone is different.  Once we realize that what I do does not affect you, nor vice versa, the world can become something great.

So far to go

I feel like so far I've been doing an okay-ish job with starting to become and adult.  I painted my bedroom at home, cleaned my college room from clutter that I won't need, and overall started taking better care of myself.  However, I've had one big hinderance; Facebook.

Thanks to the fabulous Facebook, I have become a grade A creeper.  With Facebook, people can look at their friends in the comfort of their own home... sometimes without pants on.  When you meet someone new, the first thing you do is attempt to find them on Facebook.  Want to see what you mortal enemy from high school is up to now?  Check Facebook.  Need some dirt on an ex's new significant others?  Check Facebook.

One of my greatest pastimes on Facebook is to find funny articles on Buzzfeed and post them on friends' (mainly my sister's) wall.  Usually the phrases "SO. TRUE." or "They know me so well" precedes the link.  My life can be summed up in 21 GIFS, according to the latest BUZZ.

This always leads to me spilling too much information on Facebook.  I am a proud ENTP, yet I don't need to share which HP/Star Wars/Disney characters I share my Myers Briggs test with.  My friends don't need to hear that I will be "Forever Single" or that I'm "Failing Life", thanks to all the quiz results.

Why do we live in a world where the preferred method of communication is "poking"?  We have all become addicts.  We are addicted to Facebook and social media.  No longer is there that face to face connection.  Now, all there is is a computer screen.  As a society, we have become desensitized to communication.  Instead of using the one-on-one interactions with others, all we need to do is creep on their page for about 5 minutes and there are all the answers.

My name is Julie and I am an addict.  The first step is admitting it.  I am one of those serial "like within one minute of posting" people.  On several occasions, a friend has posted something and within 60 seconds I have liked and most likely commented on their post.  What I need to do is, instead of liking a status, actually talking to the person and saying, "Hey, congrats on the job!" or "OMG your celeb partner in crime is Jennifer Lawrence, ME TOO!" But I don't. Instead I sit on my computer and type "OMG LOL" on my keyboard.  Why must people type LOL when in all reality, they barely even crack a smile.

I think we all need to take a breather and read a book.  Spend some time not over-analyzing your life based on what happens on Facebook.  Now please excuse me as I post this to all forms of social media and critique my writing skills based on how many views this blog gets.

10 things I've learned about life from video games

I love video games, and through my gaming I have seen a lot of parallels between the video games I'm playing and life lessons.  This is for those out there who love video games/ don't see the point in video games/ people who think video games stunt your growth.

1. If you just stand there, nothing is going to happen

When you are gaming, the purpose is to keep moving. Levels can only progress once the player has made it to the end.  Like life, one needs to keep moving forward.  Just standing there, someone isn't going to get to enjoy life.  The rest of the game is going on, but you will never know if you don't pick up the controller and move to the right.

2. Completing a whole game seems crazy. Start by just working on achievements

This comes from my non-futuristic way of thinking.  I like to just go with the flow, which means that my goals in life are not 30 year goals.  Yes, the purpose of playing a video game is to beat the entire game, but that seems like a daunting task.  I like to take the game level by level.  If I see the game as little stepping stones that will overall help me reach my goal, I enjoy the game a lot better.

3.You decided what games you want to play

Just because everybody is playing Call of Duty doesn't mean you have to.  If you want to play computer games or just random flash games online, that's totally fine.  In life, you get to decide what you do.  Nobody else is playing your video game but you, just like nobody else is living your life but you

4. Got stuck somewhere? Turn off your system and come back later

There have been so many times in which I have been stuck on the same level or same boss fight and not been able to beat it.  In those cases, I put my controller down and walk away for a little bit.  I get the chance to clear my head and then come back.  If you are stuck in life with a decision you don't know the answer to, take a step back, walk away to clear your head, then come back.  Most of the time the answer is right in front of your face, you just didn't see it before.

5. The most famous games are not always the most fun to play

Everybody was talking about how much fun the new __________ game was.  I tried it once and didn't like it.  That's perfectly fine.  Sometimes what everybody else thinks is great isn't worth your time.  There are times in life when everybody else is doing one thing, talking about how much fun it is, but it might not be what's right for you.  Don't just go with the flow and conform to what everyone else is doing.

6. Sometimes you need to blow off some steam

The main purpose of video games for me is a way for me to relax.  I love coming back to my room after a long day of classes and meetings and just be able to sit back, relax and kill zombies.  Everybody needs something to blow off steam once in a while.  Whether it is video games, music or hanging out with friends.  The key to a less stressful life is to find something that keeps you calm.

7. Game the way you want to

There are plenty of people who take gaming seriously.  You don't have to be one of those people.  If you are a recreational player who games for pure enjoyment, that's great! You do you.  Everybody games differently, just like everybody lives differently.  You need to discover how you game and not let anyone else tell you differently.

8. Nobody likes the gamers who showboat

I hate those gamers that constantly talk about how great they are.  They have beaten this many enemies or completed this many achievements.  Nobody likes those people.  Don't be one of them.  There are those people in life too.  These will be the people that say things like, "I don't want to tell you what to do, but if you want to do well you should..." Don't let those people throw you off your groove in life.  They suck, you're awesome.

9. Someone might be on a higher level than you, but that doesn't make them better

Just because someone has already completed the level you are on, doesn't mean they did a better job.  They might have missed something that you didn't.  They might have blown through the level, but you're taking your time and enjoying it more.  They might have started sooner than you.  All of these are reasons why someone would be further along than you in gaming and in life, but that doesn't mean they are better than you.  Never for a second think that's true.  Unless you are both going head to head in competition, then they might have beaten you. But in everyday gaming, just focus on your own game.

10. Save often

I take this to mean show appreciation.  In gaming, when you save, that means you have a baseline so if you mess up later, you can always come back to this point.  Everybody needs a support system in their lives so if stuff really starts to hit the fan, you have people you can go to for advice or support.  My friends and family are my save button.  I know that no matter what happens, I will have them and I can always go back to that point.

Lessons learned from ΦM

            Today marks the Founders Day of my sorority, Phi Mu.  162 years ago, three ingenious women named Martha Hardaway Redding, Mary Myrick Daniel and Mary Dupont Lines decided to create a society of like-minded women.  These women had no idea back then that Phi Mu would have grown exponentially over all this time.  I wanted to take the time to share my opinions about not only Phi Mu, but also sororities in general.

            I joined Phi Mu back in 2011.  I had no idea the impact joining a sorority would make on me.  I, like a lot of people, thought that Greek Life was a joke.  I believed that I was buying friends and I didn’t need that in my life.  I could not have been more wrong.  Through my other organizations, I had the opportunity to meet several current Phi Mu members.  I thought I was going to see a group of rude, vapid, girls just looking for their next party.  What I saw was a group of women grounded on the idea of supporting one another during every endeavor.  The Phi Mu members that I saw liked me for me.  I didn’t have to change myself to be accepted by Phi Mu.

            My first semester as a Phi Mu was like a dream.  Here I was in this loving environment with people that genuinely cared about me.  I had a big that I would have done anything to make proud.  I felt like I had found my niche.  I hope my Panhellenic sisters are reading this and nodding because everybody has this moment while in a sorority.  This is the moment of pure happiness.

            Obviously with being in a group of 70 women, the times will not always be happy.  You never truly know drama until you join a sorority.  No matter what sorority you are looking at, there will be more drama than you anticipated.  That’s life.  Whether in a sorority or not, drama is a part of life.  Phi Mu gave me the opportunity to learn how to confront this drama.

            Some friends, when I tell them about drama that’s going on in my sorority ask me, “If there’s so much drama, why do you stay?”  That’s a valid question.  With everything that happens in a sorority (drama, recruitment, negative stereotypes), why do you stay?  I stay in Phi Mu because this has become my hΦMe.  Phi Mu has taught me so much about others and myself.  I couldn’t picture myself without it. 

Being in a sorority is tough.  You constantly have to prove to others that you are not the stereotype.  However, life is also difficult.  You enter the work force constantly trying to prove to your boss or interviewer that you belong there.  Who will have the upper hand then? 

 I have a Phi Mu shirt that says “These letters don’t make me better than you, they make me better than who I used to be”.  I don’t think I’m better than other people because I’m Greek and you aren’t.  Because of Phi Mu, I have become a better version of myself.  I know who I want to be, thanks to lessons learned from Phi Mu.