Do Short-Lived Celebrity Marriages Give Holy Matrimony A Bad Look?

             We all know that no one is perfect and even the people that are idolized in our society for their appearance or special talents are sure as heck not perfect, having all of their most vulnerable moments strewn into the public eye day after day. How many embarrassing celebrity moments have we seen on television and the web....the public breakdowns....the legal drama... the list never ends! Still, with all of this being realized, we as human beings idolize each other all the more when fame is involved...no matter what we hear or see about each other. Take celebrities for example. We still listen to their music, flaunt their fashion line, sell-out their movies on the big screen and tune in to their reality shows faithfully. Could this be creating a responsibility on celebrities subconsciously? Being in the public eye means you definitely have a responsibility to the public in what you do and how you portray yourself. The slightest misunderstanding can cause a on-sleight of unwanted trends. Celebrity looks aren't the only thing beings copied or made apart of the life of the average population of their viewers. Even personalities, motives, and alarmingly so, many beliefs are adopted as well due to the words and actions of many of the rich and famous. Like marriage! Being married in the celebrity world surely doesn't mean "til death do us part". In fact, marriages in the public eye could begin and end as fast 24 hours! Could this atrocious fact slowly be giving marriage a bad look?

                              To many people around the globe, marriage is not a casual union, neither is it a mere shallow agreement. In some countries, religions, and cultures, marriage is a most sacred act and is done not out of selfish ambition or with the intent to end it in 72 days. These beliefs have held up and esteemed marriage in the eyes of people everywhere, so much so that as children we are taught that marriage is an honor, an achievement, and a lifelong commitment to look forward to with someone that you love. Many religions consecrate marriages in the presence of a minister, priest, or holy clergy signifying the holiness of the act, meaning that it is a commitment made in the acknowledgement of both God and man. For marriage in the public eye to be taken so casually could even be found as blasphemous  but because money and fame are two of the most valued things in our society, this idea is overlooked and swept under the carpet.

                             Lets slow down here! You may be thinking that celebrities aren't the only people on earth who get married with false intentions and impure motives and they certainly aren't the only people getting married and divorced within the same year. You are correct! However there is a major difference between what I do and what someone else does with the fame and fortune of Kim Kardashian. You have never met me in your life and you probably never knew me before you came across this blog. Kim Kardashian is a well known figure and even though you probably never met her, you'd bet your bottom dollar that you knew about her and so does the rest of the world for Pete's sake! When I go out to eat people don't take pictures of what I'm wearing and post them in everyday fashion magazines around the world for women to idolize and try to mimic. Do you see what I'm saying? What the average citizen does is non-existent to some extent compared to what a celebrity does and how it effects people. A simple outing for me does not change fashion history or cause a media frenzy. So for a celebrity to partake in a sacred union and break it in 72 days is like giving the okay to their fans and the general public to denounce marriage and all that it stands for....after all, marriages come and go! This the wrong idea to have about a life-long relationship and commitment! Marriage is a commitment and commitments are born out of convenience or someone having too much to drink and suddenly feeling loved. When its portrayed as such by people who are highly respected in some way, the morals and values of such a decision begins to die. People begin to form unwise similarities in society between dating and getting married. Dating is not the same a marriage. Dating someone for 72 days is different from marrying them for 72 days but our minds have become so numb to the fact that such short and unthought-out decisions are made in the eye of the media that we say, "Oh, well", instead of saying " This is horrible". Our reactions have become so passive to the promotion of what is wrong and the demotion of what is right. This is extremely dangerous because who is going to hold up our beliefs if we don't. No one. They disappear like "the gentlemen", or "the virgin". Such things don't hold value anymore and are forgotten, seen as ancient characteristics. The sad part is that ancient characteristics almost always belong to a once great civilization that now belongs to history.

                    

                          

How Smiling Is Physically Healthy For You!

Smiling is one of the easiest things we can do everyday that not only makes us better but makes us feel better too! Everyone is attracted to a smile, even people you don't know! It's a common language that everyone can speak and understand. This is the reason why many people smile when they are trying to persuade, convince, or relate information to other people! Let's take a look at how smiling is not only mentally healthy for you, but also physically healthy as well!

Smiling Changes Your Mood
Smiling has a way of tricking the mind and body into changing its mood and believing you are actually happy physically as well as mentally. Even if you still remember things that make you unhappy or feel physically bad, by smiling you trick the body into going along with your outer appearance! Smiling on the outside can make you smile on the inside!

Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure
If you have a blood pressure monitor at home with you, try monitoring your blood rate while smiling and you will see the significant decrease in your blood pressure rate!

Smiling Boosts Your Immune System
Smiling boosts your immune system by helping you to relax and therefore allowing the immune functions to work properly. You can easily prevent flu and colds by smiling!

Smiling Releases Endorphins and Serotonin
Endorphins are chemicals released into the brain that helps us feel better mentally and physically. Serotonin is also. These chemicals when released can serve as natural pain killers and help heal bodily ailments faster.

Smiling Lifts The Face
All across the country cosmetic surgeons would be mortified if all of their patients began smiling more! Smiling acts as a natural face lifter, giving you the appearance of being younger than you really are!

Smiling Brings Monetary Benefits
Smiling has the effect of making you appear extremely confident! People who have affectious smiles are often hired and/or promoted by their appearance of extreme confidence which helps them to attract business, people, and important relationships which can all be converted into monetary benefits if preferred.                                                   

                                          So when you think about it, smiling has 100% profit because its absolutely free and you have both mental and physical benefits from doing so! Smiling is a whole lot cheaper than doctor visits, make up and cosmetics, therapist visits, and all the other things people make crazy amounts of money on. Just think of how much your really getting when you smile and it will help you to do so even when outer circumstances are contrary :)

Why Have So Many Celebrities Died At Young Ages? What is The Real Price of Fame?

                                     Is anyone else alarmed at the rate of deaths among celebrities who are under or at only 50 yrs of age? This has been happening for a long time now (actually since the 1970s). Apparently, there exists a club, "The 27 Club", which is a group of artists and many other celebrities who have all passed away at age 27. Isn't that alarming? Why do so many celebrities die so young? Is the celebrity life such a hard one that celebrities actually lose their live behind it? What is the real cost of fame and is it worth paying?

      
          We must realize that in order to attempt at finding the mysterious culprit for so many young celebrity deaths we have to look at the vulnerabilities of being in the public eye, for unlike us, a "regular" or "normal" life is a luxury that many celebrities had to give up as just one of the costs of the fame they sought. They are now exposed and made more vulnerable to criticism and exploitation and even hated and adored by people who don't really know them. This type of vulnerability is not normal to endure on regular basis and can cause extreme amounts of depression and poor mental health even to the best. It can also cause the destruction of their belief system (not knowing whats real or fake).

With these things being said, usually drugs and alcohol is the only solace in the constant struggles of fame and stardom, drugs and alcohol being the number one killer of young celebrities across the country. You may be thinking that stress and depression  is not enough to outweigh the perks of being a celebrity. With mansions, condos, millions in cash, and people waiting on you hand and foot (not to mention tons of fans), what more can a person ask for? Stress and depression, loneliness and longing for stability reaches an entirely new level when stardom and the public eye is involved. Fame increases everything it touches....and some may feel this is a good thing....but what about vulnerability and insecurities? While the cash keeps rolling in, these problems roll in with it! Fame is not free and for some celebrities who are no longer with us, the price for fame was just too high.

                              A second point we must look at is the rate which life moves for a celebrity and how much faster life seems to be for them. As a young star, many celebrities have not had the chance of experiencing and going through life at a steady and normal rate , with highs and lows, good times, bad times, first times, last times, and generally a balance of all life experiences. In the life of a celebrity who has acquired a high amount of game, everything is fast paced, accelerated as if they are in another dimension almost. Becoming a celebrity  at the young age of 17, for example, can really take a toll on someone, seeing as though life is really just beginning for them and at the faster rate of living (due to the high amounts of cash) a celebrity can live right past his life! This is why many celebrities take to hiding the real them and putting on a show for others because they too do not know the real them and this is painful to realize. Sometimes a person can get caught up in "living" until they lose their lives. To the public, a celebrity is the epitome of "living the good life", yet they are seeing only a tenth of what this person is actually experiencing. Most of their life is seen on camera or on stage and in the "media-perfect" lens created by their producers and publicists. A fast paced life may seem exciting but I ask this question: If the celebrity life is so great then why do many celebrities try to revert back to normality or harp on and on about celebrity life being such a challenge?

What is the real cost of fame? Lets read what some celebrities say about their experiences in fame:


" I.....I like it at times but you know, I like it when I'm on the stage, but honestly I would be very happy if I could cut it off....and just enjoy my life when I wasn't performing."        -Beyonce Knowles (CNN Official Interview)


"I don't have friends in this industry. I have my circle and I have my people who've been with me through the bad times and the good times. Everybody else is just wallpaper."              -Chris Brown (Angie Martinez's Hot 97 Radio Show)

"I no longer know who's my friend or my enemy. I'm always second guessing everyone, trying to figure out, 'who is this person and what do they want from me?' "                        -Nicki Minaj (Black Book Magazine Interview)

" 'Oh, he's so arrogant, he's so this, he's so that!' People don't even f---ing know me and have so much to say. Paparazzi, anybody who comes close enough to me, if I ask you not to take a picture of me or not to ask me something: just realize I am a real person. I'm not a celebrity. I'm just famous and stuff, and I make good music."                    -Kanye West (MTV Europe Music Awards Interview 2008) 

Why You Shouldn't Get Angry When She Forgets The Napkins

                         "How hard is it to put some f***ing napkins in a bag, you stupid b****!" This is just some of the gross things that come out of the mouth of customers who have a rough day and don't feel like being nice anymore. Problems at work, problems at home....all this frustration turns into anger and guess who gets it? The guy or girl working behind the counter at a fast food restaurant near you. Many times the tables are reversed and all throughout any given day a fast food restaurant worker could be talked to inappropriately by customers and even managers, so much so that they end up taking their anger out on the next customer in line who takes to long to order or the next customer in the drive-thru window who wishes to change his entire order. In a society that is constantly in a hurry day after day, it is not uncommon for everyone to feel a little stress or pressure because of the numerous economical and social changes that occur. Its pretty tough to say whose at fault for the way people act when we all at some point are rude or impolite intentionally or unintentionally.

One thing is certain! Understanding each other is not enough to eliminate the negative effects our society has on us which happens to show up in the most minuit situations like taking or giving a simple fast food order. The truth is that no matter who we are or where we are everyone deserves respect and sadly our society is only producing more and more disrespect with things like layoffs, downsizing, unemployment, rising gas prices, and the reliance on a government that is so good at lying to its citizens that its not even funny.

The only answer to the symbolic chaos between a fast food worker whose overworked and underpaid and a customer who realizes he might be late to a job he hates while waiting in line for coffee is not the increase in pay. Neither is it a less amount of work. Its Jesus Christ!

If you are reading this article you may be thinking that the above answer is  a highly impractical one, for not everyone believes in God and that he sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins and redeem us from death, hell, and the grave. You are right. Not everyone believes and thus is the setting for a world who does not believe.....bitterness, anger, toil, insecurity, fear, and rage. Believing in Jesus Christ and that he died as God's only son sent down from heaven to earth to show us that he too was once flesh and was able to conquer death....believing that he sent his son to redeem us by his blood on the cross of Calvary and show us how much God truly loves us, his people, his greatest creation....believing this will help us to see our world the true way...God's way!

Believing in God means trusting that his promises in The Bible are true, that he will take care of us and that he is always with us! This eliminates fear of what man can do to the body for we know that our soul lives forever in Christ. Though you may be surrounded by the burdens and stress of everyday living you will not be moved by it, neither will it come near you! How is this, you ask? Well, believing in God is not like the systems created by the world. You will never be forgotten or overlooked and He is swift to reward those who believe and trust in him. You will never be underpaid or overworked for God is all-knowing and all-powerful! He lacks nothing and everything is in his hands, even the heart of the manager who treats you rudely or the boss who just informed you that the company may be downsizing. You have nothing to fear for wherever life takes you God is forever with you and he promises that he will always deliver you and cause you to flourish, even when all is uncertain.

                                     The next time you look into your bag and theirs no ketchup or napkins just remember that a fast food restaurant is an establishment full of overworked and underpaid individuals who have bills to pay and children to feed just like we do. Believe that the God in you is bigger and smarter than the god of this society we live in. To believe in God is to truly live for then we have a higher purpose, then we represent and become the light in a dark world that's searching for desperately for something more.

Is Capital Punishment Practical?

                                             Religious communities across the globe all have their beliefs on capital punishment and where it lies within the brackets of morality but lets be honest, apart from it being moral or immoral, is the death penalty even a practical solution to crime? Morals can be judged however practicality is not up for question seeing as though no one wants to wast time and money doing something that has no real benefit and is highly ineffective towards the it main goal. Does killing someone who may have killed someone else actually benefit the victims, their families, or our society? How much money is being wasted on capital punishment verses rehabilitation? What happens when our justice system as made a mistake (which is not uncommon)? Will people continue to die because they have no money to prove their innocence while other individuals who are imprisoned had only to prove they are not guilty?

                       Inmates who receive the death penalty do so for the following crimes in the U.S.: murder, sabotage, treason, perjury, aircraft hijacking, kidnapping, or even robbery, arson, and resisting arrest in some states (Wyoming). What is the benefit of death in the case of any crime? A family who suffers a major loss by the hands of a felon will not see their precious loved one ever again, neither will it reverse the pain they feel simply because this particular felon has been executed. Feelings of revenge soon die away once their is no other outlets of justification, death being the last attempt at a sort of "reimbursement" for their loss. The pain of the victim's absence remains with the victims family for years to come while execution of the convict provides but a temporary satisfaction or relief that will never heal their hurt. Is it really worth it then? What is common for us as human beings is to think of the present moment as the only relying factors in making decisions. How we feel today or at the moment is often the basis for many actions however this is a shallow and unfulfilled resort to any type of control over a situation and ultimately a reckless one! An eye for an eye leaves both blind. A death for a death leaves two grieving families while the rest of the world moves on with their lives! This is where the question of practicality comes in.What are we really benefiting from? Vengeance? Rage?....or a sick form of justice that holds the stench of human emotion? Practical? I think not.

                     Lets first realize that the death penalty is not like other forms of punishment created by justice system. Financial wise the death penalty is the most expensive form of justice and definitely too expensive to be ineffective in society. The reason costs are so high for this type of sentencing is because the U.S Constitution demands a long and intricate judicial process for capital cases. With the millions spent on the death penalty our communities could open better schools, quality public facilities, safer roads, improve hospital care, and many other interventions to help improve the life of the average citizen instead of killing them when they become victims of the society we live in. How can we kill criminals when we're constantly creating them? A change must be made and killing the criminal won't kill the crime. Why not save money by rehabilitating or creating more education these individuals? Are they not born of our own corrupt society? The cost of the death penalty is significantly higher than the cost of changing our communities and this is another area where the question of practicality comes in. Is it practical to spend time, effort, and extensive funding on the death of a man than spending less money on his rehabilitation? The state of California alone can save 1 billion dollars in over 5 years by replacing the death penalty with life without parole. Incarceration estimates 11.5 million dollars per year whereas the death penalty estimates 137 million per year.

                      It is no question that our justice system in the United States has imprisoned or capitally punished innocent people due to the faulty evidence and loopy accounts of witnesses. One would be surprised to know that most capital sentences are ordered without adequate legal representation due to the fact that almost all defendants in capital case cannot afford their own attorney! This means if you're not wealthy enough you could die an innocent death! Is this the way justice should be served in country that prides itself on having "liberty and justice for all"? Being given a state appointed attorney, these defendants who face capital punishment place their very lives in the hands of overworked, underpaid, and unprepared attorneys. These attorneys are given to them by states who already believe they are guilty judging by the fact that the defendant must prove his innocence, not the fact that he is not guilty.

We should all think that the death penalty keeps capital crimes at a lower rate. It does not! Scientific studies on capital punishment show that each year murder rates increase in states using the death penalty! How is it that such an expensive and irreversible punishment is so ineffective at lowering crime rate. Probably because death is not the answer to death.

You can find more info on the death penalty at:
www.deathpenalty.org
www.deathpenaltyinfo.org