Confucius said: "Don't be a tool"

We've all heard the term "tool" to describe people in a derogatory way. I've never really understood what that meant exactly until class yesterday. I am in a Chinese Philosophy class and we are studying the Analects of Confucius. Yesterday in class we discussed

Inspire

It's a rainy day in Tianjin, China and I need to express some thoughts. I recently finished a book called ASPIRE by Kevin Hall. In this book Hall describes the power of words and in each chapter he introduces a new word and explains the meaning as well as gives examples of people who exemplify the characteristics described by this new word.
My favorite part about the book is that at the end of each chapter Hall invites the reader to think about someone in their life that exemplifies the word and teach them the meaning of the word and tell them why they exemplify it. This has given me a chance to

Limitations

It's been an incredible couple weeks. With the change in the weather has come new life and ambitious goals. I've known for a while now that I'd be running in a 5K on May 14 and I've been pretty nervous about it. I've never really been a runner. I have come up with many reasons why this is. I once convinced myself that my body was simply not built for running or that my lungs couldn't handle the air. I recently listened to a talk on TED.com called LOOKING PAST LIMITS. This speech was given by a woman

An Unexpected Lunch Date

I had a final exam this morning in my Classical Chinese class and I busted my way up to the U to take it. I got 9/10 of the ancient Chinese texts translated and had no idea how to do the last one. I accepted my 90% and left. While unlocking my bike

Moving Forward

I'm reading MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Victor Frankl. This is easily one of the most profound, life-changing books I've ever read. And I'm not even finished with it!!! I've been thinking a lot about life and the role that the Gospel of Jesus Christ plays in my life and in the lives of all of us. I've had a really difficult time accepting

I'm not a terrorist, I'm an environmentalist.

This last weekend I went camping overnight with my good friend Paul Carter. We left pretty late from my house but we only went up Farmington Canyon so it wasn't a far drive. I'm glad we arrived in the dark because if I had seen what I saw in the morning

Integrity

First of all, this post is not directed at anyone. This is simply an observation of the behavior of a number of people. If this post seems vague, it is on purpose because I don't want to give specific examples for fear of offending anyone. That is not my intent. I simply wish to draw attention to a phenomenon which seems to be growing exponentially recently. How often do we make plans with someone and bail?

Impressions

I've been reading MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor Frankl. In this book he wrote briefly about an idea that I'd like to expand on. Sometimes when we are watching a moving film, reading an inspiring book or listening to a powerful sermon we receive certain impressions that motivate

Why Not Today?

When the weather is good I ride my bike to the Frontrunner station in Farmington and take my bike with me on the train to SLC. I transfer to Trax and ride it up to the U. After class I ride my bike down the hill to the Frontrunner station and ride it home. Ever since I started doing this

Feel Strong

One of my favorite movies is Into The Wild. A story about a kid that graduates from university and runs away from life, leaving everything and everyone behind. He journeys for two years around the lower 48 and eventually ends up in Alaska, alone and in the wild. This movie inspired me to

My Escape

Everybody needs an escape now and then. The stresses of life build up and then it's time to get away from it. Lots of people turn to drugs and alcohol or video games and movies to get away. As for me and my crew, we go backpacking. The last few weeks haven't exactly been ideal.

Work In Progress...

I decided I would like to spread some of my ideas through this blog. I've had a lot of time to think and ponder about life while traveling the world and exploring new places. Along with having these ideas I've also had the desire to share them with others. I plan to use this blog as a place to get these ideas out there and hopefully inspire some discussion. You may agree with me or you may not agree with me. I'd like you to post responses either way. This blog is also going to be a place where I can throw out some new philosophy I've come across, post a photo that I enjoyed taking or just get some ideas off my chest. I feel like I'm really opening up my mind to the virtual world here but there is power in vulnerability and I intend to bask in that vulnerability.