The Daily Honky Tonk 188th Edition

The Daily Honky Tonk
188th Edition
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Table of Contents
Going to the Edge of Ourselves
Immigration Continued
Discussion Question: On Mature Sexual Themes
Movie Reviews: Vantage Point and Inception

Going to the Edge of Ourselves- A travelogue about Randomly Hiking to the “Y”

“This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill, fifteen percent concentrated power of will, five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain”- Fort Minor- Remember the Name

As of this morning, I can leave Provo whenever I want to. No, I didn’t drop out of school . . . I climbed the “Y”. The “Y” is a classic freshman adventure, but if you come back from a mission as a freshman everyone your age has no interest in climbing the “Y” because its a boring hike that they already did five times. This morning, after biking up the mountain for a good twenty minutes I found myself next to the trail head and decided it was my turn to go.
Already exhausted from the climb up the mountain on my bike I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. I always had intended to hike it with somebody thinking it would be boring and I would feel a little sheepish climbing it alone. However, two minutes onto the path and I passed three or four people coming down the mountain alone.
Because I was in exercise mode I was pushing myself to walk up that mountain as fast as I could. As I was walking I discovered something about humanity. As humans we can get a high, an excitement from going to the edge of ourselves and our capabilities. There is something delightful about coming home from exercise exhausted with muscles trembling and sore. There is something delightful about having a schedule so full that you can’t breath. There is something rewarding about getting into a conversation knowing you might seriously hurt somebody, but that there is the potential that your words could change the course of their life. There is something exciting about reaching for something that we might not be able to get no matter how hard we try. Going to the edge of oneself is taking a risk. A person walks out onto the edge of what they think they know about themselves and have to push past the fear, the unknown. It is an exhilarating experience.
As I continued my journey a little girl stopped to sincerely warn me, as her mother smiled over her shoulder, to watch out for the baby rattlesnakes. I was hoping to see them, but I didn’t. I wanted the exhilaration that comes from the dangerous seen from a distance. On a similar note I want to sky dive someday. It would make me sick and nervous on the way up . . . But I want to “free fall out into nothing, to leave this world for a while”. I don’t think I would tell my parents before going. I don’t like making my mom nervous for my well being :). But I enjoy jumping into the unknown. Going to the edge of what I know. I think everyone does. We just all do it differently. When I was fourteen or fifteen I had never jumped from a high point into water. We were at a lake in Coeur d’Alene and the drop was only fifteen feet but I stood there for twenty minutes deciding to jump. And when I did I loved it. Like I enjoyed jumping my bike off ramps as a kid, or pushing myself to jump higher on the trampoline. Or as in high school as I enjoyed pushing myself to my physical limit in soccer, or stepping onto the stage as a lead singer for a mock boy band. Or as in college when I push myself to date and form meaningful relationships, to try all sorts of new things, and as I push myself to learn all that I can. It’s exciting.
Partway up the movie a grandfather stopped to say hi to me as he carried his granddaughter on his shoulders down the mountain. He encouragingly told me the top wasn’t that much further away. I didn’t care how much further the top was. But I realized he cared that I knew the rewards were coming and that they were worth it. And they were.
I sat down at the top of the big concrete “Y” and watched my hands tremble from the exhaustion. Then I sat back to just soak it all in. I enjoyed the squirrel that sat near me. We had a staring contest for about thirty seconds, the squirrel won :). And as I looked out I was astonished by the beauty of the clouds casting their shadow on the mountains, by cool air that brushed my face, and the enjoyment of looking down upon all of humanity (in that section of the Utah Valley).
As individuals, walking to the edge of our capabilities reveals new things. It gives us large sweeping vistas of the beautiful things in life. The journey may be hard, and require “concentrated power of will” and “fifty percent pain” when we are in the dark. But the rewards are so much more when we enter back into the light. Why face the pain and the effort? For me, when I graduated from the fifth grade, my friend Christine and I were given printed awards that designated us as “Most Likely to Succeed”. I’ve always remembered that. Because my elementary teachers believed in me, I believe in me. And I’ve come to know that my Heavenly Father believes in me. Furthermore, He believes in all His children and wants them to succeed in the long run. I hope you as my reader feel that. The Lord wants you to succeed. And if you let that one belief motivate you, you can do anything you want or at least learn trying. And ultimately, the reward will be further feelings of God’s love and his grandeur when you reach the tops of the mountains.

Immigration Continued
I received the following email from my dad:
“On Brock’s comment, I think it is well and good to talk about those coming through Ellis Island entering the country legally and contrasting that with the illegals, but part of the problem is that we have such tight controls on legal immigration that it is beyond most people’s capability to get into the country that way. During the Ellis Island years, remember, we had virtually no restrictions on immigration, no quotas, no nothing (well, there were some Chinese limits at one point). Now, it is nearly impossible to qualify. So, maybe part of the answer is to significantly liberalize the ability for people to enter legally so that they really do have a legal path to come to this country. The fact is, most Mexicans don’t.
--
Robert E. Tonkinson, Jr.”
I completely agreed with Brock as well about legally coming in through Ellis Island. My dad’s comment on making it easier to get into the country gave me some new ideas.
From my experience the Mexicans and South Americans who I knew in California came to the states for one of a few basic reasons. Most of them hoped to come for a few years and return to Mexico. They had no interest in learning the language because they wanted to come in, get some money, usually in a community where everyone speaks Spanish and go back home. Many leave behind family who they miss desperately and worry about continually. However, they get to the states and find out that in California they lose most of their salary and can only send a few dollars back. A plan that once involved a few months in the states turns into a year, and then several years, and people get stuck. They want to go back and visit, but can’t because they know they won’t be able to come back to make the money they had set out to get to provide for their family. But they still hope that day is coming. (And in truth some just get comfortable where they are at and lazy, like people living on welfare when they don’t have to)
Those who want to live in the states do not intend to live as strawberry pickers, or in the fields, or doing menial jobs. They come, they do everything legally after having waited ten years, and then they work their way up like most Americans do. They also learn the language and they are free to travel back and forth across the border as needed. But they waited for a significant portion of their lives for the minimal opportunity that they would get in.
There are others who sneak across with the intent to stay, they eventually learn English, get a lawyer and become a citizen. Their process is backwards but can be done much quicker than waiting in Mexico.
So, here would be what I propose. Make it easier for them to come in. I think the hate against illegal immigrants might be driving people to want laws to be stricter for those coming over honestly. However, if it was easier to come then those who just want to work shortly would be able to do it and might get a job legally allowing them to leave the country quicker. (I’ll make a note here that green cards are no easier to obtain than citizenship). And those who want to stay would be able to do so as well. All of these people entering the country would then be paying taxes and would not be stealing health care as they would have just as much right to it.
My only concern would be if they had all that freedom, who would work our fields?. ..I’m not trying to be racist but, I never met a white person who worked the fields- it would break your back and the whites would sue for workman’s comp. This is just one example in my mind where I see that part of the reason immigration laws aren’t enforced is how damaging it would be to the economy. California relies a lot on illegal immigrants for much of it’s agriculture. Agriculture provides a lot of money for California. Those companies would want to know that they would still have workers. Anyway, just some more things to consider.


Discussion Question: On Mature Sexual Themes
I saw a headline on Drudge Report that read: “Vaginal gel ‘slashes HIV risks’ ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10691353) and right under it “White House seeks to end criminalization of HIV transmission”( http://iowaindependent.com/39442/white-house-report-end-state-criminalization-of-hiv-transmission)
The first headline interested me as it was directed towards helping women forced into sex in Nigeria and other countries. I saw it as a hopeful message where education about abstinence for the past however many years still isn’t cutting it.
However, having this kind of protection does bring some fears to me about how it could be used in our country. What if people used the gel as an excuse for more freedom in sex. The idea saddens me. And the second headline stirs me to anger inside. How could you possibly say that HIV transmission is a good thing? Lets make people irresponsible. Lets take away the consequences by law. What comes next? You can have sex at whatever age with anyone of any age? Prostitution houses should be public and easily accessible? Pornography can line our streets and be seen on public tv as it is in Europe? In essence we should just become a Godless people who love ourselves more than others. Passing on HIV is an entirely selfish thing to do and should be considered a crime.
Its complicated once we have the knowledge of something to know what to do with it. I’m back to talking about the gel in case you are confused. In countries where alcohol is legal from an early age there is less abuse of it, but the use is more common (or at least that is what I’m told, I haven’t seen it for myself). Abortion has a couple good purposes, and if it was made legal for only those purposes then I think it should be. But if it is made legal to any woman it allows women and men to avoid the consequences of the life giving power they have been given from God. They can sell themselves into lust while avoiding most consequences. And the truth is, those who want to have an abortion find a way to do it. Just like when alcohol was banned people found more ways to abuse it and crime increased. And the White House seems to be arguing something similar about HIV. People who have it ignore the laws according to studies. The desire of the White House is the same as mine, reduce HIV infections. Yet I would not take away punishment from those who willingly hurt others. What do you think?
P.s. I’m starting to think I would like to political lobbying . . . Or at least serving on a city council in my future.

Movie Reviews
Yesterday was action movie Monday. Action movies are fun :).
Vantage Point- was a film I got from the library. Featuring Dennis Quaid, the film is about a murder of the President told from multiple points of view. Nothing spectacular but a fun film to watch.

Inception- on the other hand is brilliant. The commercials are confusing because there is too much in the film to really give anyone much of a grasp of what happens. The concept is brilliant, the action plenty, and the characters interesting. If you see any movie besides Toy Story 3 this summer go see this one, your mind will be blown. And if you want me to come see it with you . .I wouldn’t mind watching it again :).

The Editor,
MARK