A Life well-wasted

NOTE: I started writing this blog around Easter time. So a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't seem to get past it. I had hit the dreaded writer's block. Then I spent an amazing weekend (this past weekend) with God at a Church Encounter and while it changed my life, it also gave me the insight I needed to finish this blog, because it was a very tough, yet common subject.

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It's a tough subject to address tonight for my Random Topic Challenge. I almost clicked the generate button twice to skip this subject, but not only is that cheating, but as a woman, I know too much about this topic to pass it up, brutal as it may be.

Tonight's Topic: Anorexia


Thin. It's a nicer word than "skinny." It has positive connotations therefore we use the word thin in marketing to make products more desirable. (Wheat Thins anyone? They're healthy right?) Cell phones are considered newer and therefore better the thinner they are. Feminine products are advertised as thinner, with less bulk (but just as effective.)
But it's a different world for those with eating disorders. Thin is both the enemy and the goal. It's a love-hate relationship, and for some, Thin is the killer.

Anorexia Nervosa, 'affectionately ' referred to as "Ana" amongst it's sufferers, is an eating disorder in which those affected purposefully put off eating until their bodies are literally in starvation, causing severe malnourishment and eventually, death. Anorexia is not to be confused with Bulimia, which involves the "binging and purging" behavior. Often, Anorexia is a "gateway" to Bulimia, where one starts off going on an extreme 'diet' by not eating, and then realizing that it's easier to eat, and then purge the food afterward.

Most people know the basic facts about Anorexia. We know its usually associated with women, and body image issues, although a fair populous of men also suffer from it. One little-known group is high school boys, who drop copious amounts of weight using dangerous methods like laxatives and water pills, all so they "make" a certain weight class for the wrestling team; often reaching low weights that are unhealthy for their body type; then the following semester, they pack on the pounds for football. These practices can be a gateway to future eating disorders.

It's fairly common knowledge that the media puts a great deal of pressure on society to have a certain body type, or follow a certain aesthetic. This certain aesthetic is heavily promoted by 90% of the media, and that is to be excessively thin. Fashion magazines, TV Shows, Movies, Internet ads and even children's dolls, promote nearly-unattainable physiques. Every single day we are bombarded with "You aren't good enough" advertising.

You are fat. You are hairy. Your breath stinks. Your body stinks. You have Yellow Teeth. You have Yellow Toenails. Your boobs are too small. Your Biceps are too small. You need contacts, your hair is not the right color/length/straightness/curliness.... your pores are too visible. ZOMGosh my PORES? Heaven FORBID you can see my pores. My skin doesn't need to BREATHE, so lets cover those up too.

And the list goes on and on.

And I understand the desire to feel good about yourself. To HAVE those straight, white teeth, to HAVE that tan, toned, healthy body, too look GOOD in your clothes. Nobody wants to look like Brunhilda from Bratwurst with tufts of body hair cascading from places that NO man wants to boldy go. *Shudder*

But EVEN Brunhilda deserves to be happy in her own skin. To feel alive. To feel human. And if she is happy in her current state, then nobody but her self and God should have the authority to tell her otherwise.

So why do women torture themselves? WHY is every day a constant struggle of self confidence for so many?

Well there is no simple answer. We all have our own story. Kids are cruel. BOYS are cruel. GIRLS are cruel. Family and parents can damage us. Sometimes one negative word is enough to cut so deeply, we don't even realize there's a cut, but our actions speak otherwise.

So let's look at this from a Christian standpoint:


I believe the root of the problem is Women forget that they are a Creation of God, and that God made them just as they should be.

They let the Media tell them who they should be what they should look like, and forget that beauty starts with a healthy Spirit. Some don't even know that when their main focus is on God, everything else in their lives will fall into place. Now that might sound completely cheesy and canned, because you hear it a lot, but that's because it's the truth.

And they let negativity and depravity into their lives and they don't even realize its happening. Negative music with misogynistic or overly sexual lyrics, ads for clothing that objectify women instead of making them feel respectable, powerful and beautiful. TV shows like Real Housewives and The Girls Next door, portray fake, over-sexed, over-tan women living sinful, secular lives and making it look like fun. Like a desirable lifestyle. Lots of fancy cars and diamond rings.

So for some of us, we spend thousands of dollars to try to look like these women because we want to "have" that lifestyle: -- weird diets, every lotion, potion and goo imaginable; plastic surgery, botox injections, collegen injections, clothes that lift, cinch and pull us into shape, seemingly effortless exercise contraptions that will magically give us the body of Angelina Jolie simply by taking it out of the box! (WOW!)

OR.... we turn to eating disorders. It seems so easy. Just skip a few meals and lose a few pounds. (Remember that time you had the flu and lost 10 lbs because you couldn't keep anything down. And you looked SooOOOoo thin? Yeah, that worked! Lets try it again.... )

......And slowly, you become an enemy to yourself, trying to fill a void in your life by chasing after a lie. Wake up ladies! Television shows, the media, the fashion world, etc.... they are LIARS. They lie to you because they want your MONEY. They underhandedly make you feel bad about yourself so that you will buy their product.

And even if you DO obtain the life of a supermodel, it's fleeting happiness. When you are used up, spit out and your body is gone (because you can't take it with you) What will you have left? When the Cadillac breaks down, when your cell phone is outdated and your fake tan fades, and your friends run out because your money is all gone, you are back to square one.

There's an expiration date on life here on earth, but Eternity is forever. A Life spent obsessing over body image is a life well-wasted. God made you perfect, you just have to walk with Him to see it. :-)

Random Topic Challenge #1

Ok. So here we go. As promised, a Blog using the topic randomizer. I procrastinated this for two days due to my moping about being unemployed. More on that later.

The topic: Cyborgs

(Oh man. Ok, so this should be interesting.)

I am a self-proclaimed geek. So my knowledge of Cybernetics extends to the fantastical side of things. Superhuman strength, futuristic people selectively rebuilding themselves or parts of themselves. I think this concept started with the Bionic Woman back in the 70s, or maybe before that, I don't know. In the fantasy role-playing world, you can have Cybernetic anything. And I do mean anything. Go-go-gadget.... *ahem*


According to Dictionary.com a Cyborg is defined as "a person whose physiological functioning is aided by or dependent upon a mechanical or electronic device." So technically, anyone with a pacemaker is a Cyborg.

But let's just think about this for a minute here. Imagine, that if in the very near future breakthroughs in Cybernetic technology would allow people to ELECTIVELY change parts of their bodies? Amputees are currently benefiting from new arms and legs, even cybernetic hands built specifically to trigger off nerve synapses and work like a real hand.

But what if one could undergo elective surgery to have say, an arm amputated and replaced with a cybernetic arm for the purpose of being stronger, lifting more, or punching harder. If this became commonplace, what kinds of benefits would there be for those in the military? How about replaceable arms, terminator style, with different guns for attachments.

Sounds ... manly.

Perhaps Cybernetics could have their place on the domestic side of things. The common housewife could have 'bionic ears' installed so as to better hear their children from across the house, or even across the street. Or the private phone conversations of her husband. (Possible crisis averted.) It certainly brings a new meaning to the term "eyes in the back of her head."

After a slight bit of research (thank you Google) I stumbled across a man named Stelios Arcadiou, or better known as Stelarc, He is a performance artist from Australia who's entire show is based on cyborg additions to the human body.

His website for your viewing pleasure: http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/arcx.html

Stelarc's opinion is that our bodies are obsolete and that they should be modified to fit these modern times. (I'm sure Cher would agree.) is quoted in an interview as saying:

"I'm speculating on ways that individuals are not forced to, but may want to, redesign their bodies - given that the body has become profoundly obsolete in the intense information environment it has created… We shouldn't have a Frankensteinian fear of incorporating technology into the body, and we shouldn't consider our relationship to technology in a Faustian way - that we're somehow selling our soul because we're using these forbidden energies. My attitude is that technology is, and always has been, an appendage of the body."

Something tells me this Stelarc fellow might also be an atheist. That might be passing a harsh judgement on him, but in my experience, most people are taught to be happy with what God created for you. Like the many times Mom has said "If God intended you to have holes in your head, he'd have put them there!" when you asked to have your ears pierced. This outlook is especially true for those following Christian ideology, so to call God's greatest creation obsolete is bordering on blasphemy.

But we, as humans have been modifying our bodies for centuries. Tattoos, piercings, various contraptions that cinch our waists, lift our breasts and make us taller. It's as if we, as a species have some sort of deep-seated self loathing and we can't leave well enough alone. Granted, all creatures naturally gravitate toward the bigger, taller, stronger, smarter, more symmetrical; thus the need for mating and courtship rituals. It ensures survival of the fittest, good breeding and continuation of the species.

Humans however, are the only living things on the planet to actually modify themselves using external means and devices. So it's a bit like false advertising isn't it? When those that were not born with natural health strength and ability are made to have such through fabrication, it only ensures that their lives will be easier and more pleasant. The perfection they paid to obtain will not carry in through their genetics, thus the flaws that they fought so hard to rid themselves of endure through their lineage.

But that doesn't mean Cybernetics don't have their place. We've made wonderful advancements in technology and it's helped many live fuller more rewarding lives. But some might argue that we, as a society have grown too dependent on technology (that may be true) it is, nonetheless our nature to continue to invent, and move forward. Should we ever come to the point where elective cybernetics is commonplace, it will just have to be a personal decision every person will need to make for themselves.

In the beginning...

I originally made this blogger.com account back in November of 2007, in attempt to chronicle my experiences as a first-time mom. BUT, what I didn't know is first-time moms who also work, have little time for a shower, let alone gathering their thoughts in a blog.

I'm now a 'second-time mom', (Welcome Ava Michelle, born February 18, 2010.) but at this point have no intention of centering a regular blog around either of my children, or my parenting experiences. Although, some posts may include some of the more interesting anecdotes from my child-raising adventures.

The inspiration behind this new blog is the film Julie & Julia. If you haven't seen the movie, or know what it's about, it's actually the first movie to ever be based off a blog. But it's more than that. This movie chronicles the life of one Blogger, Julie Powell, who decided to start a project called "Julie/Julia" where she cooks her way through all 526 recipes in Julia Child's famous book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in the course of one year, documenting her experiences along the way. The movie also follows the early life of Julia Child, juxtaposed with the life of young Julie Powell, as they share the same frustrations and experiences. Of course Meryl Streep delivers a powerful performance as Mrs. Child.

But I digress. I certainly am not out to have a movie created from my blog, or even gain much of a readership. My purpose is to grow as a writer. Julie Powell chose to write her blog because she enjoyed cooking and to learn more about it, as well as to give her life a sense of purpose. I enjoy writing and want to learn how to be better at it. Thus the challenge:

I have severe writer's block. I've been told by many: "Desiree, you have a natural aptitude for writing, you are missing your calling." I've dreamed of becoming a writer, but shrink from the idea of being a BAD writer, thus the writer's block. I'm ready to confront this head on and move past.

So, for the next year, and beyond that if I deem it so, I will be writing about a randomized topic, using this online random topic generator:

http://www.blogtap.net/blogtopicgenerator/

- I will not cycle through the topics by hitting the button more than once, unless I run across something I don't think should be discussed in public.

- If I know nothing about the topic, I will research it slightly before beginning to write.

- Not all of my posts will be from the random topic generator, as I may throw in a few poems, movie reviews and other odds and ends I find interesting.

- I will strive to do this at least three times a week, but I may do more, and I may do less, depending on what is going on in my life. The point is to have fun with this not have it be a chore.

- The title of my blog, merely describes my general outlook on life. I am an optimistic misanthrope. I expect the worst and hope for the best. I have a love/hate relationship with mankind, for I view it with both awe and disgust.

So with that being said, the rules are laid out before us, so let the games begin. :-)