Our society cannot accept aging. Everywhere I look I see recommendations on how to look younger, thinner, and whatever else. People are even willing to inject their faces with Botox to reduce wrinkles. Yeah, people willingly inject poison that paralyzes the muscle and gives their face a balloon-like appearance. What a wonderful culture we have.

In all the movies, high school theater people are portrayed as on the bottom of the social hierarchy. In my school, they don't really have a place. Many of them, though not all, are quite pretentious. They have a specific area in the school where they hang out and if you ever walk by, you feel like you're intruding. Bottom line is that they're not exactly welcoming.

When I was younger, my parents required that I take piano lessons. I did not enjoy piano. I practiced on this kind of cheap electric keyboard that was missing a few keys. Eventually I discovered that I could record what I was playing and then have it play back as many times as I wanted. From then on, I would play each song once and just hang out while the recorded sounds of my piano rang through the house.

Yep, I was a rebellious child.

I support same-sex marriage. I support it because I believe everyone has the right to marry who they love. However, I don't think that my support should matter. I don't think anyone's support should matter. Marriage equality should be similar to race equality or gender equality (although both of those still have a long way to come); it should be an inherent right of each and every individual.

Many people say that same-sex marriage is unnatural. Plastic surgery is unnatural. Love, whether between two people of opposite genders or of the same gender, is natural. Many people decide that their love for each other is so strong that they get married. Marriage should be an option for any two* people, regardless of their genders. And no, civil unions doesn't cut it. Does anyone else get a vibe of of Jim Crow laws**?

Even if someone is determined to believe that same-sex marriage is unnatural, that's okay. However, they must realize that they do not have sovereignty over how others choose to live. There is no public safety risk if homosexual people can marry. And no one is going to force you into a homosexual relationship with them. In other words, you are not in any danger if gay people are allowed to marry. You don't have to be affected by this legalization if you don't want to be. So don't keep others from gaining ultimate happiness solely based on your inability to be accepting.

Below is a pretty awesome music video called Same Love by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. I think it highlights some pretty big issues in our culture. In addition, I'd just like to say that I absolutely love how people are beginning to use social media and music to speak out about important issues. Yay for going beyond the conventional protesting and instead using a common and non-threatening medium!


     *I realize that limiting marriage to being between two people could even be considered unnecessary restricting. In other words, some might believe that polygamy should be legalized (and not limited to polygynous relationships).  That my friends is a topic for another day.
     **I hesitated to use this comparison because one could argue that racial inequality is very different from marriage inequality. However, there is still the ignorant idea of "separate but equal" in both cases.

When we're alone, my mom tells me how much she hates my dad. She tells me that she hates his sarcasm. That he is rude and overweight.

When we're alone, my dad tells me how he cannot understand my mom. He tells me that she doesn't get how things work and that she makes everything too complicated.

These are my parents. There is no love.