It seems like this time in our lives is characterized by a desperate quest for relevance. This quest comes in the form of self-justification, which comes through the means of questioning and challenging. We tend to question and challenge what we believe in so to reaffirm and justify it, that these things are in fact good and true.

This is perhaps why we have so much trouble asserting cause in our lives. So we question and second-guess everything, and challenge it to see if there really is something worthwhile there. I think this questioning comes in one form of being especially prone to possibility. Possibility inherently implies relevance. Seeking possibility outside of a circumstance challenges that initial circumstance by presenting alternatives to it. But the only way we can claim relevance to ourselves or a given situation is to commit oneself to those ideals. Reality is relative and contains endless possibilities, so the only way to acquire meaning and expunge confusion is to commit to one's personal truth.

Well that's all I got for now. Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday (to me!) and Happy New Year. And go friggin' Longhorns aka Vince Young. Woo. 

So I'm sitting here with my friend Katie, and I realize, I have met so many girls lately. Like seriously (not so unlike not like seriously), more in the past month than in the past year! This is very cool. Katie agrees.

Yes, Petah is tha coolest!!! You know who is also tha coolest!? Jesus, yeah thats right. I am actually dating him right now, isn't that cuhrazy??? God is awesome and faithful, which is why God put Petah in my sociology classs. He just knew that we would have fun conversatoin instead of  writing. Seriously (as Petah would say, "like seriously") I think we spend MAYBE 40% of our study sessions actually talking about sociology...so we should go now and do that. Peace Playas!!!

No doubt. You heard the words of two geniuses procastinating for good cause. 8-) Whats the good cause? Well, what is good, and what is our cause? We must address this before we can come to a conclusion. Now Katie is starting to hit me. Or maybe hit on me. I can't tell the difference. Yeah right.

For what it's worth:

I have grown weary of the inconsistencies prevalent in many and the numerous resulting conflicts. An inability to abide by any sort of reasonable code has seemingly commanded entirely too much force as of late. Expectations, lack thereof, agreements made, broken, each its own form of a failure to adhere to its own form. I tried to analyze why it is that such inconsistencies frustrate me so greatly. While the specific terms of a given situation may be deemed insignificant and unworthy of serious consideration, it is of my personal nature to seek such inconsistencies and expose them as I see fit. A contradiction of my personal code requires reconciliation. It does not matter what anyone else thinks; these are my thoughts, by which I govern myself and by which I live by. Without an ethical system we are lost. Inconsistent actions, no matter how trivial they may seem, are a direct violation of my rational system; I must resolve them despite any prevailing circumstances. I know that those who know me may understand this and can thus understand my concurring resentment. It isn't about the money, or the thrill of conflict, or whatever other material excuse could be derived; it is about my principles and my daily struggle to uphold them.

Alright. Enough. It is time to wake up. I feel that I've somewhat snapped out of my daze; be it through enlightenment, experience, or whatever, I have somehow formed a new outlook and attitude on things. Perhaps seeing myself as a cause rather than an effect. More on that to come...for now, I've decided to answer a question from a friend. The question was left as:

At what point do acquaintances become friends?
At what point, and why, do some friends become acquaintances?
And at what point do some acquaintances and friends choose to fade away?
I think it happens more or less intentionally. But why do some people behave like it naturally evolves or play it off like they are "upset" it has happened?
I don't understand why some people would find comfort in faking such emotion.
Wouldn't one be glad that certain people have come into their lives-- for whatever reason?
Aren't those the people we are happy to have had certain relations with?
It also makes me wonder of the role and strength of loyalty in friendships.

To this I respond:

We can deduce that friendship/acquaintanceship comes from consistent familiarity with the subject. In order for the two to act on their relationship qualitatively, a second factor of external consistency with internal/personal dogma must be present in the relationship. So from this, we have acquaintanceship as the quantitative component, and congruency as the qualitative aspect. If you contradict my values, act inconsistently or irrationally, our relationship will qualitatively diminish, perhaps to the extent of dying off. Of course this diminishing may be intentional, but may also seem natural because, in a sense, it is both. We logically and intentionally stray from pain, from inconsistency, from incompetence, so it is thus natural that this distancing is intentional. Since our intent is presumed natural, we can now look at why some people are in our lives that we desire out. This is a result of our other factor of friendship: quantitative familiarity. Such is that if the order of society and day to day happenings are consistent with my unintentional coincidence with you, familiarity is uncontrolled and thus the only factor present in our relationship, resulting in it being qualitatively void. The more you contradict my personal code, the less consistency we share and the less familiarity I desire. So thus, friendship is dependent upon familiarity/coincidence of circumstance and equivalence of compatible ethical and behavioral structure.

I'd be happy to address any interesting topics left open for discussion under 'comments'. Could get a nice forum going on here... -Peter