June 6, 1986

We all have to do something! We can’t be bums all our lives and mope around. We even have to have responsibility for life which is something we definitely work up to. And being productive with our lives is one responsibility. For we cannot be lazy. The Bible even says this, too. It says if we’re lazy, we won’t use the talents God gives to all of us. I would look at it basically that I first work for my needs, and then after I take care of it, the rest I do is optional. But the thing is, everything we do has some sort of responsibility we have to live up to. Now it’s our choice to how we want to live our lives, just as long as we pull our own weight.

May 14, 1986

What a day!!!

Fine way the day started off in school, today! This morning, I overslept and didn’t wake up ‘til 7:24. Now can anyone imagine that? I was late to school. I didn’t leave ‘til 7:55. When I got to school and reported to the attendance aide, she said I had so many tardies that I had to see the assistant principal. Because of my half hour wait for him, I ended up missing most of math class. I managed to make it there the last few minutes.

Last night, I didn’t get to bed ‘til midnight, and I reckon I didn’t get to sleep ‘til 1AM. Dad is to blame since he slept in ‘til 7:30. Mom woke me up.

I tell you, man, this is the latest I’ve been for school. I’ve never been so stinking tardy in my whole life for school. School started at 7:40 and I didn’t get there ‘til 8:05, man.

May 13, 1986

Instead of sitting in the rest of my classes, I got to go on a field trip with my business class to 3M. Over there, we saw what an AGM was like. It’s a yearly grouping of people to discuss business goals for the company and other relevant information.

We were offered breakfast and lunch there, too. The breakfast was good; a can of pop and a couple donuts. However, I didn’t really care for the lunch. There was a turkey sandwich, potato salad, fruit cup and cake. Except for the cake, fruit cup, and pop, the lunch didn’t taste very good.

There were other kids from other schools who also came. I mostly hung around the kids from my own school.

We got here by a charter bus and city bus. We rode down to the St. Paul Civic Center where the meeting took place. This makes the second time I rode on a city bus. I enjoyed riding the buses.

We were suppose to be dressed up for that meeting. We couldn’t wear any jeans! The evening before the day of this trip, I got the clothes I wanted to wear washed and all ready. I wore my black slacks for pants and my loafers for shoes. I didn’t wear a suit or formal dress shirt and tie. I wore a regular everyday school shirt, but it looked nice since it was collared polyester button top and nothing like a jersey or t-shirt. So I was plenty dressed up. I did better than some of the other kids. Some boys wore jeans anyway and lots of them wore tennis shoes.

Saturday, May 10, 1986

Great morning!

Went to the Anoka County Job Training Center to sign up for a summer job. The place was out at Spring Lake Park High School, where my Mom drove me. We took off a little late. We left at 8AM and arrived around twenty after. We discovered I forgot my social security card and Mom went back home to get it. She returned by 9AM and then I went in line to register. At least I wasn’t too late. After I filled out the required forms, I went into a room with some other kids and a counselor. In there, we filled out a couple info sheets and were each handed a couple pamphlets informing us about the interviews and job requirements.

After we were done in the room, we went into the cafetorium with the colored card that has been given to us and looked at all the jobs there were posted on the wall. I chose to be a custodial aide at Hoover School as my first choice and recreational aide for my second. Recreational aide is where I work with other kids, and if I get this job, this could be a positive experience for my relationship with smaller kids and could help nurture how I handle kids. This could be of help in the future for when I raise kids of my own. I picked the custodial job because I’m good at cleaning and this job is thought of dirty man’s work. Something nice about this job is when go to work everyday, I don’t have to worry about dressing up spiffy when I come. I could come dressed like a bum if I wanted to, ‘cause I know I’ll get dirty on the job anyway.

After I got all signed up, I stood around for a while and then I headed for the car. When Mom saw me coming out, she started the car and we left. She had to wait for quite a while.

Sunday, May 4, 1986

Good evening!

Went to youth group tonight. Mom or Dad weren’t home to drive me there, so I took my bike. And I had a nice ride, too.

Tonight, we discussed a topic about a cult called The Moonies. It’s a religious group that brainwashed people into doing weird things as though it’s God’s will. The leader brainwashed his followers not to eat meat and think of others instead of themselves. I also learned that these bad religious fanatics conducted these religious services only to get money. These group of people are also liars. They lie to get other people to join. They even reject modern style living of the 20th century. The brainwashing the leader does even violates the religious freedom of America. This is the info I got from the discussion at most, but at least I have a good background about the cult.

The youth room meeting lasted until 25 min. past 9 at the latest, but I left early at 10 after 9, because I wanted to get home in plenty of time to get my shower taken. It was dusk when I rode home, but I was cautious not to run into anything dangerous. When I got home, I was glad I made it back okay, and my Mom was glad to see me. I enjoyed taking my bike to youth room and coming back all by myself and then Mom is glad to see me when I get back. I feel I really did something for myself the way I got to youth room without depending on Mom or Dad to take me. I’m sure my parents could trust me doing this. Also before I left, I told my brother Eric to tell Mom & Dad I’ll be away at youth room. That way, they wouldn’t be worried about me. When I got home, I had a couple nice pieces of pizza. They were cold, so I had to heat them up in the microwave. They were good, though. I told Mom about the discussion we had at youth room.

April 26, 1986

When I’m with other people, I cannot behave like a nuisance, or there will be consequences. It’s only when I’m by myself in private that I don’t have to worry about nuisance behavior.

This is true with encountering people I never knew. My behavior would become a real nuisance if I go around the town up and visiting them for the heck of it; such as around other neighborhoods, places of business, unfamiliar places, etc. But what if I wasn’t satisfied with the people I know as friends? Suppose that’s not good enough? Then there’s a solution to this problem, whereas I meet people I don’t know, but not in the way that I just mentioned. Instead, I do something like join up for team sports, get a summer job where I work with other people, go to church, join after-school activities, and so forth. That way, I can meet new people and find ones I like. This is more successful through social capacities than at random.

Another thing I want to discuss is being in society and congregating with my friends. Now there are codes of behavior for me to follow if I want to join society; that is, join what’s going on in the nation and the lifestyles Americans live. Now when I interact with my friends, I care less about codes of behavior, although it’s for our own good. Just imagine what the consequences of violating the codes of behavior might be if this were to be the era before this nation won her independence from England, when we submitted to authority out of fear and the social policies were relentlessly harsh. Today, we’re not quite so harshly judged for disputing authority as back in colonial times. Back then, people were forced to attend church together, as religion was important. If anyone pulled the sin of gossip, the leaders gathered the public around and not only ridiculed him/her, but also dunked that person in the lake, which is public harassment. Now the city park is public and the neighborhood is a unit of society. If this were colonial times and I was dunked for gossiping, I wonder what stance would be taken by those who know me? Sure thing this doesn’t go on in society today, as I want to get in with the society of the people ecstatic over all my interactions. How would I ever take it if societal standards were the same as back in colonial times? And I don’t want legal trouble! That’s why I believe in the safety umbrella of mutual relations. Of course, the laws apply to each and every way of dealing with people. Now I see why my Mom & Dad discipline and condition me socially; so there will be no legal trouble. They emphasize good public behavior for I have to learn to fit in appropriately with society. That stern discipline is for the sake of society, but I find space under the safety umbrella. However, my parents also have the responsibility to see that I deal with each and every person the proper way. They won’t let me be a nuisance! Many places have dress codes for the sake of social mores.

April 19, 1986

The main reason why we’re required to have schooling is for when we get a job to make money. We’re required by law to go to school so we can be graded for how we do. Later on in our adulthood, employers look at our grades.

I know we’re required to get good grades in order to run for public office. Now the purpose of public office is to promote the government which helps people live.

February 22, 1986

There are different lights that our behavior can be judged in. We can either be judged in light of society or in light of mutual relations. There’s like a safety umbrella in mutual relations which lays outside the sphere of authority; on the condition that those individuals don’t succumb to the attitudes of the militant world. We aren’t quite so severely judged for wronging those in mutual relations as when we wrong numerous people out in society. Now public offenses will hurt everyone concerned, but we’re always pardoned in mutual relations. There’s also that same difference between individual relations and congregating with certain groups of people. There’s far more discipline involved in associating with the public than with limited individuals. What’s between certain individuals is of no concern for public behavior.

February 20, 1986

One benefit of living a Christian life is that we have totally preserved and guaranteed rights. There are several benefits, too. Another benefit is that we’re not judged in God’s Kingdom the same way we are according to the standards of the world. Also, we’re free to engage in any activity we want without regard to our rank in school. When we gather with others who we share the Kingdom with to play games, we can do it without regard to grades in physical education. That’s the same with literature. We’re always able to read the Bible even though we don’t excel at literature in English class. Where the case is according to school standards, it takes ample training to be good readers. Although an exaggeration, this expresses my impression of living with or without the Kingdom of God. We get additional benefits when living with the Kingdom, which is hard to get when living without it. And we’re perfectly provided with love always. And stuff like struggles and limitations are taken care of. For example, if we have something to talk to God about, but can’t put it in words because of complicity, we’re able to pray a whole unique way. In this method, we imagine our spirits rising outside our bodies and they go up in search of God. That is, we come out of our bodies to look for Christ and converse with Him. We use a cloud to convey what the feeling or impression is; we move the cloud around with our spiritual bodies in correspondence with the feeling or impression. Can also use abstract color patterns. Therefore, Jesus can translate from reading the pattern and know exactly how to deal with it. When we come to times when there’s something we want to say and talk about with whoever will listen, but can’t put it in words, this would be a good time to pray this unique prayer to God in Christ. God is someone who will listen. This is a really abundant benefit to have when living with God’s Kingdom to be able to pray in a unique way. We’re unable to have benefits like this when living without the Kingdom because all our sources for living come out of material good. There’s one perceived drawback on my view of Christianity, however. This drawback is that this faith is family oriented. Actually, the prime motive of this faith is love and care for fellow beings. And this is not limited to life in the family. Even though family comes first, I care less about attention to my family, except for raising one of my own. We can have equal love for all, but in different ways.

February 16, 1986

I can classify the greatness of God’s presence through Christ. It’s the expression of my divine potential to enhance my character and human quality. I also go through this process in order that I might come to care for others with Christ’s compassion (sharing and caring). Being an individual external expression of God is like an incredible theory of life.