Heya!
This blog will be about the thoughts I've been having for some time now. It will also be a test to see if I can develop my writing skills, as I'm applying for an education in journalism this fall. The thoughts I'm speaking of began to form about a year ago when I left the rat race, so to speak. I'd been studying to become a programmer, with only six months and a thesis left to do until graduation when I started thinking if I was doing what I wanted. After some pondering I realized my thesis wasn't going anywhere precisely because I'd rather be doing something else. So with a bang, I quit school and announced my intention of going on an around the world trip.
Big mistake.
The first few months of my newfound freedom were a mix of optimism and frustration. I received no support from my friends and family, but I still wanted to leave. With so many people advicing against my ideas, I was drained of courage to change my life and decided to wait until I'd finished my civilian service. The civilian service, whose official english name I don't know, is an alternative way to fulfill your military service in Finland. Usually it's chosen by pacifists, hippie-like people and other folk who don't want to fight in a war someday, and in theory you do it by working for the state or some other benevolent organization like the church or a hospital. In practice, though, you get all the worst jobs and some people tend to express their opinions on how "real men" join the army. That's one of the commonly held opinions I wish to explore in this blog.
Since the beginning of April 2010 I have been "doing my duty to my country." I have had a lot of time to think about the world and the people who live in it, as my job mostly consists of making coffee for the office I "work" at. Several crises seem to have happened during this time: The Haiti earthquake, the Kirgisia riots, the gulf oil spill and the Iceland volcano to name a few. Also, the economic crisis, but that began earlier. So many disasters happening in such a short time made me wonder if something extraordinary was going on. During the summer tensions all over the world seemed to be on the rise. Politicians are claiming the economic crisis is over, but I wonder if there's more to come. Several reports indicate the USA is essentially bankrupt, with the states of Illinois and California in serious trouble already. The European Union was able to salvage Greece's economy, but with an economy as big as the USA, the fall would be much harder to prevent and the effects catastrophic. While it's unlikely such a scenario would ever play out, the idea itself is interesting. Even though millions of people would suffer for it, the change would be profound. Right now we're living in a world of cheap, mass-produced entertainment. Reality TV rules the media while music and even video games are made to appeal to the largest amount of people possible. This approach is very profitable indeed, but it has made entertainment hollow and lacking in depth. Disposable, even. A global change in attitudes would be like a breath of fresh air, changing the way we view entertainment, among other things.
So, these are the things I intend to explore in this blog. I will write more as events come to pass, and new information is found. Hopefully I won't come off as a raving lunatic, but anything is possible.
-Yondalor
