The Dreaded Essay

Question

Write something. No winners. But no fiction or, if it is, make a point. Write an essay. Say something!

Answer 1

It's frightening how easy procrastination is. One thought toward the "unstructured study break" and you're off browsing the interwebs, waking up to the unfinished work hours later after seeing some cat with bad grammar laughing at you. Hey, even this website could be used for procrastinating...not that I am, or anything...

One of the most focused, studious people I know went off to college recently, and, I am sad to say, she caught the disease. The stress, the shame, the due dates drawing closer, it's all wearing her down. Looking at this case, I am rather pessimistic about my chances. After all, I've been infected for years with no permanent cure.

For some of us, it's the only way to really get things done. Think of journalists and reporters, always thinking of the next deadline as if it's the second coming of Christ. When there's a deadline, no matter how much you goof off, you have to get it done or face the consequences. And while you may have a few get-out-of-jail-free cards to play, they don't work forever.

I guess it's fair to say that the only way to get ahead in this world with respect is to work for it. What will happen when the next generation of internet procrastinators takes the wheel? Will that aforementioned "fair" statement change? And is that a good thing, or not?

Without pressure, procrastination never ends. It's like falling (or jumping) into a hole with a loose rope, unattatched to anything. Without the tension, who's going to stop you from looking at those kitties with bad grammar for the rest of your life? And seriously, WHO would actually want to do that? It's funny for a few seconds, and we move on.

But for those addicted to procrastination, there may be no end in sight. Just picture after picture and jokes that don't actually make you laugh out loud. If you are caught in the Web, please subscribe to my 12 step program of how to have a life beyond your computer:

Step One: Turn off the computer and hide it.

Steps Two thru Twelve: Go outside and do stuff. If it's cold, wear a jacket.

It's that easy! (Please don't sue me.)

Comments

Ummm... Wait. I have the tv on in the background. I think I like this but can I decide tomorrow?

No seriously - I like the Essay form. I remember hating these assignments in High School and now that I actually read magazines I find it to be a great way to write and actually say something. This piece took me a while but in the end - thumbs up. Nice.

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Okay - I reread it. I procrastinated but finally got it done. Again. nice.

Answer 2

Is it wierd how people across the world have no snow? I think it is. They think it is never cold here. They think its nonsense that we have snow. They have never even heard of santa! We all feel that this is a bad thing. I think people across the world will never know the true meaning of snow. People singing jinglebells and listening to music. I must admit that this is not my best writting. But i am best at writting fiction. So i must end this amuzing writting. Best for all!

Comments

Gummy: I have no clue what you are talking about. Sorry.

Answer 3

Okay okay. I want to write this idea I have about Star Trek, But I actually have two ideas - one is that the world is entirely divided into two parts - Star Wars vs. Star Trek; and that everything about a person can be known by that simple premise.

But I also want to write bout the latest Star Trek movie - the one actually called "Star Trek" but I don't know if I can do an actual critical essay. Dang, I'm a fan.

Plus I've been writing fiction again. I have no idea why I started this 'challenge' if I cannot contribute.

I suck!

Sorry.

Comments

Ya you do. But, hey, at least you tried. =P

Answer 4

Okay, so when I think of an essay I think of something educational.  Something you have do some research to write which should enlighten the reader to a topic they may not have known about before.  So in that vein, here's my essay.

 

Deir El Bahri, Temple of the King Herself

On the west bank of the Nile river, just across from the famous city of Luxor, lies one of Egypt’s most impressive temples.  Not as well known as the pyramids of Giza, or as publicized as the Valley of the Kings, Djeser-Djeseru or Holy of Holies still stands as a masterpiece of ancient architecture despite the fact that many of its statues were pulled down and destroyed.   This is Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple and while she ruled Egypt well, bringing great wealth to its coffers, she was controversial.

Hatshepsut was the wife of a Pharaoh and step-mother to his son Thutmose III who was meant to succeed him, but strangely Hatshepsut herself became Pharaoh after her husbands death perhaps owing to the fact that she was daughter of a Pharaoh herself.  She may have deemed her bloodline stronger than her step-son who was born of a minor wife.  She began as Thutmose’ regent, carefully observing the tradition of ruling in her ward’s name but before long they were co-rulers, with her as holding the lion’s share of the power and her step-son being relegated to stand in her shadow.  

King Hatshepsut was a great builder and a consummate politician who understood well the benefits of propaganda.  Her greatest work was, arguably, her mortuary temple at Deir el Bahri.  It rises out of the desert rock a beautiful three tiered structure with a long, perfect ramp leading into the building.  The sandy cliffs behind it should dwarf the structure but instead seem to frame its magnificence for all to see.  In its younger days the temple had an avenue lined with sphinxes leading to the great ramp.  The ramp itself was surrounded by gardens and trees.  Throughout the temple stood statues of King Hatshepsut and stone reliefs speaking of her rule which was portrayed as being predestined by the god Amun.   These statues were unfortunately destroyed in Thutmose the third’s systematic campaign to erase any evidence of her rule as a Pharaoh, though the fact that he waited twenty years after her death speaks of a respect he held for her.  He also left any carving or statue that portrayed her as queen intact.  Thutmose’ effort to wipe her rule from the history books seems more like an attempt to solidify his own rule than the wrath of a vengeful step-son.  Her obelisks at Karnak still stand to this day despite his attempts to erase her kingship from history, ironically the stone used to cover Hatshepsut’s inscriptions on those obelisks preserved them perfectly for future historians.

Today the temple is not what is once was but can still inspire wonder.   Hatshepsut’s statues have been recovered from the pit they were flung into and have been replaced in the temple as accurately as historians can figure.  The temple once again bustles with human activity, though not the nature of the activity that would have occurred during Hatshepsut’s time.  Rather than solemn priests worshipping Amun, the halls now contain tourists with cameras and guidebooks.  One wonders what Hatshepsut would think of this change?  She may have welcomed it, after all, her name now lives again, her legacy once more intact.

Comments

Nice Dragon. I had not heard of this woman. I like your take on it but would love to read more about the dynamic of their co-ruling years. And her death and his taking ultimate power. I did not actually realize there was more than one femal Pharao (Cleopatra) but I don't do a lot of Egyptian reading. So again - Well done.

I'm not sure I agree completely about research being necessary. I think the essay can also be "opinion". Wikipedia defines it as "An essay is a short piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view."

I think it's the personal point of view which attracts me. Research is always valuable. But critiquing a piece of music or a film, I think, is an essay requiring no more research than having an opinion and supporting it.

Again - nice piece.

Answer 5

Boredom

Anyone who's ever been bored knows full well that it's not about having nothing to do. In fact, usually there's more than enough to choose from. No, boredom is something else entirely; a state of mind, of sorts. It means that nothing you do will give you any sort of pleasure or end the feeling of boredom.

When you are bored, you are pretty much doomed to stay that way, until you are forced into doing something for a long enough time that you forget how bored you were. Should you reach that point, do not make the mistake of recognizing it consciously, because you will fall right back into the initial state. Instead, try to remain completely oblivious of the immense luck that struck you and just keep doing what you were doing. After a while, it is safe to stop doing the activity and just enjoy the rest of your day.

I would write more, but I'm bored.

Comments

Funny. Nice.

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Boredom is an excuse for procrastination and laziness.  I should know, I get bored a lot. :)

Answer 6

“Star Wars vs. Star Trek and the Human Condition” by Ron

 Let me begin by saying that I am not really prepared to write this essay. I have no data to support my argument. But I feel like writing. And I have no story ideas at the moment. And I feel strongly about this.

I don’t like people. I really don’t. That’s not said in mean-spiritedness – it’s just a fact.

But I cannot avoid people. They’re everywhere. Heck – you can’t go into a grocery store without running into them. They’re in restaurants, bars and even pumpkin patches. People are everywhere.

There are times when I am forced to interact with them. God – I hate those times.

But oftentimes, for fun, if I’m at a party or picnic or whatever and I am forced to actually have a conversation I’ll ask them a simple question: Are you Star Wars or Star Trek?

Many times I receive a blank stare as an answer.

But surprisingly often I do not.

It seems most people are in one camp or another. I’ve met exactly two people in my life that are in both. I consider them conflicted and leave their orbit immediately.

Most people, it seems, are actually engaged by the question and spout support for one or the other without hesitation.

The game I am playing is simple.

I want to know something about you. If I ask you to tell me something about yourself you will, in all likelihood, tell of your childhood or some mundane boring thing I could care less about.

But when I ask this simple question – and you answer it honestly - you reveal something really telling about your personality; at least to me anyways.

I remember when I watched Star Wars. It was 1976 and I was ten. I hated it from the bar scene with all the ridiculous puppets and the horrible music.

But in school I was surrounded by kids who loved it and thought it was the best thing ever. I agreed with them on many counts. “Oh my God: The effects are amazing. The Force is cool too. And Yoda is cool as all get out.”

I did not yet know about Star Trek. I was only ten. The series had premiered in my birth year but we only had so many channels then and reruns weren’t what they are today.

It was four years later when I discovered Science Fiction. I spent the next five years of my life reading everything, and I do mean everything, I could get my hands on.

And then the reruns began – at least for me.

And I discovered Star Trek. Holy God, what a stupid show it was. How was I involved with this group of geeks and nerds who worshipped this series?

But the second and third Star Wars were out and about and of course I flocked to the theaters to watch them with everyone else on the planet.

But all I could think about was “Ewoks? Ewoks? Really?”

And I formed this idea in my head. I looked at this group of friends and at that group of kids. I realized they were different; fundamentally different; mentally different.

The Star Wars kids were really, really into the special effects. They loved the movies. They dreamed of having and using the Force. They connected somehow with a mystical power of the universe and wished deeply that it were real.

Then there were the Star Trek kids. They were almost all geeks. But they were a strange set of geeks. They weren’t nerds. It’s a fine line to walk but there is a difference between a geek and a nerd.

Most of these Star Trek kids were in band; many in marching band. They were practical kids. They knew what their GPA was. They did drugs but it was almost experimental. They drank but never played quarters unless they were good enough to actually know they would win.

They wore condoms when wearing condoms was not cool. But they fucked each other like rabbits. We had a reunion recently and we’ve all pretty much concluded that each and every one of us did have sex with each and every one of us at some point before high school ended; I include girl-on-girl and boy-on-boy for your own titillation. It was, by God, the eighties.

But the Star Wars kids were a mess. Some of them were bright. A lot weren’t.

As life went on I began to notice certain traits about each group.

The Star Trek kids were graduating college and getting jobs on newspapers.

The Star Wars kids were living at home and going to jail.

It was a basic way of looking at life. One group was the warrior, the other, medicine man. One group was the politician, the other the activist. One group believed. One group hoped. One group worked towards their own personal goals. One group despised the other group for their success and called it luck. One group had children. One group did not. One group built a future. One group wished for a future.

Star Wars is based on The Force – something granted one by the universe.

Star Trek is based on diplomacy and personal interaction and, often, battle – as necessity dictates.

I think those two viewpoints sum it up nicely.

It’s a simple game. Try it sometimes.

Ask even yourself: Star Wars or Star Trek?

Comments

Nice writing. I wonder how much of it is true.

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I definitely must agree with you on there being a difference between a Nerd and a Geek (I most certainly fall under the Geek category) but the rest I must, respectfully, disagree on.  Both my sweetie and I are very much fans of both Star Wars and Star Trek.  Many of my friends are too.  I've been to a Star Trek convention, I've dressed as a Jedi, I have a Bajoran earring and a Rebel Alliance hat.  Also, despite being die hard Star Trek fans I haven't slept with any of my friends nor have they (to my knowledge) slept with each other, excepting, of course, the ones who got into long term relationships with each other and ended up married.  I will say though, I got a great deal of enjoyment out of reading this and seeing your point of view on it.

(BTW, did you notice my picture is a Death Star pumpkin?)

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Dragon - I beg to diifer - I think, maybe, you're a nerd. No offense. You say you have a Bajoran earring? That's, well, nerdy. And you did, in fact, use the word "sweetie" which is also nerdspeak. Sorry - I feel like a doctor telling someone their case is terminal. I'm not certain if you're male or female but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're probably about thrity years old. Is that close? If so it puts your birth after both of these events and you arrived on earth to meet a systemic set of preconceived notions about both SW and ST. You probably also saw more ST-TNG than actual ST. Or, God-forbid, some of the other ST crap.

I'm talking about fundamental opinions at the time the stuff was first viewed. I do think it applies to everyone. But I also think it's like the ink-blot tests and psychology tests and personailty tests and even IQ tests they give people. If they allow the answers and analytics to leak into the popular knowledge then the tests themselves become uselss.

Anyone can say they're "both". But I've really, truly only ever met two people that say that. And like I said in the peice - I left their orbit (NOT! I should say - because of these answers but because they both turned out to be really scary and creepy people. Heck - I might have a story idea here.)

I said at the beginning that I wasn't really prepared to write this one. But I was bored and wanted to write. But I stick by this theory. But keep in mind when I say that that I've had a long-standing theory about how a good a movie is is based inversely on the size of it's title. Big title - bad movie - small title - good movie. (Seriously - there are exceptions but it's almost always true. [I grin to myself because I know this - you'll always notice now. {Dang, how deep can I go? <Deep!>}])

Ron

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You see, in regards to the Nerd vs Geek argument, I've always thought of Nerds as computer freaks who could just as happily have a conversation in C++ as they could in english and possibly might wear big glasses and have a pocket protector.  On the otherhand I think of Geeks as being the type of people who do in fact know what the trouble with tribbles is and can quote extensively from Monty Python and happily dress up as their favorite Sci-Fi character but can't necessarily build a computer from the ground up.  I have friends in either category.  One couple I know used to have a program that used a super-computer in Texas to choose which restaraunt they would go out to on any given night, that falls squarely under Nerd from my standpoint.  

As for seeing more of ST-TNG than oldies ST that's kind of a given as ST had only 2 seasons but TNG had 7 (though I will admit to owning all 7 seasons).  Yes I was born after original ST came out though I did watch it faithfully with my father from a very young age.  I must (proving my geekness) correct you on one point in your essay where you say Star Wars came out in 1976, it actually came out in '77, which means I was alive at the time, but you are right, only just.  So I would say you are right about the whole thing of only being able to truly like one if you were there for their release except for the fact that my dad is a big fan of both and always has been (though I will also say that if you spent a lot of time getting to know him and he you I'm quite certain you would both choose not to spend any more time with each other than you had to, that's not an insult to either of you, I just don't think you would mesh).

Oh, and just for clarity I am a woman (thought you already knew that from TD) and I usually refer to my boyfriend as my sweetie or my fella online because I don't really think everyone with internet access needs to know his name and I despise the text speak 'BF'.

I would be interested in reading an essay on the whole Big Title- bad movie argument though.

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Ok,  Star Wars was cool,  but Rambo was better.  Now compute that!

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Well doug, it does have a very short name which bodes well for it in Ron's Big title-bad movie theory.  I suspect he must have found "The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain" the worst movie ever, it certainly has the longest name (I don't think it actually was the worst movie ever but it definitly gets into the compition)

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Dragon - I think I wasn't clear. It's not the length of the title I'm referring to but it's font-size. It seems when an editor/director team make a bad movie they over-compensate with HUGE letters for the title. But really, really good films almost always seem to have Medium to Tiny fonts for their titles. This is just something I've noticed over time. There have been numerous exceptions but it really does seem to be true most times.

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Oh and I liked "The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain." I actually almost always like ensemble pieces where the townsfolk are, as a group, a character unto themselves. There is a word for this type of movie. It's escaping me.

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I guess I'm just not a big fan of Hugh Grant.  I think the word for movies like that (where the whole town is a character itself) is British, or often Irish.  I'm remembering Waking Ned Devine and The Matchmaker, both great movies which featured the whole town as being integral to the plot.

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I'd like to weigh in on the nerd/geek discussion. Only nerds and geeks ever classify their group differences, people who fall outside of the nerd/geek spectrum categorize us all the same.

To me geeks are the computer people. They're the science fiction people. They're the comic book people. Geeks center around pop culture outside the mainstream. Geeks are video game people. Geeks are people who go to the conventions.

Nerds, on the other hand, are book people. Nerds are math people. They're science people and history people. Nerds tend to be intellectuals more in the area of subjects you study in school rather than in technology and pop culture like geeks.

Where do I fall? I am, proudly, a nerd.

Oh, and Ron, forget Star Trek vs. Star Wars, I'll take Babylon 5, thanks :-)

Answer 7

Black or white? Left or right? Gay or straight? West or East?

Conservative or Democrat? Madonna or Gaga? Am I an ally or an enemy, mr Bush?

And don't get confused with Obama! The colour changed (seemingly)

but the binary distinctions are all here: always absolute, always inescapable,

always ready to determine for you and to control your whole being.

And what exactly are you, right now? Employed or unemployed, married or single?

The one and only ruling system needs to know...

Comments

Interesting. This isn't a criticism, just a comment. I have a friend who thinks he is above all of this. He was once babbling about demographics and I asked him if he thought he was immune. "Do you think you're not a demographic yourself." He looked appalled. He said "Of course not."

So I then pointed out that that would put him squarely in the demographic of people who think they're not in one.

He did not like my answer. LOL

Answer 8

 

Thelema is a spiritual path, and a religion only in the broadest sense of the word. The central document is Liber AL vel Legis, or the Book of the Law. This book was narrated to Aleister Crowley on three consecutive days, April 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th, 1904, by a supernatural being. This marked the ending of the old Aeon and the beginning of the new one.

The universe runs in Aeons, and the changing from one to the other is known as the Equinox of the Gods. First was the age of Isis, the mother. During this time, society and religion was matriarchal. The moon was worshiped, because humanity saw correlation between the lunar cycle and childbirth, and that women bore the children. Next came the age of Osiris, the father, and religion became patriarchal and sun-based, as people began to recognize the male's role in creating a child, and the sun's role in growing crops. In 1904, we entered the age of Horus, the child. As society and technology advance, we as humans become more and more child-like. This can be observed in wars, greed, and people's need for entertainment.

The central teaching of Thelema is “Do what thou Wilt shall be the Whole of the Law”, and second is “Love is the Law, Love under Will”. Thelema literally means 'Will'. The Law of Thelema telling us “do what thou Wilt” is not saying to do whatever you want. The Great Work of Thelema is to discover one's True Will, and then do nothing else. In every moment, we make choices, and only one of them is our Will. The rituals and practices in Thelemic training help us recognize our Will and do it.

Religion for many people is passive belief. Thelema is an active practice. The first word of the Law is DO. It is not enough to simply believe. In order to accomplish the Great Work, Thelemites must actually work for it.

Another thing many religions have in common, is that the beliefs focus on an end result, like going to heaven. With Thelema, the important aspect is the journey, not the destination. The path itself is the destination, and once you're on it, you never leave it.

Thelema is philosophical, spiritual, Magickal, and practical. While some look at it and view it as evil or satanic, that is their beliefs. For me, I've found my truth, and I would never force it on anyone. I hope I haven't offended anyone for sharing my beliefs.  

Comments

Hmmm, very thought provoking.  I had never heard of Thelema before.  It sounds like an interesting religion (or perhaps way of life is a better way to put it.)  At first I thought the whole "Do what thou Wilt" was a recipe for choas but once you explained in more detail it seems much more like a way to try to get in touch with our inner selves, to know ourselves better and in so doing become better people for it.  I definitly found this enlightening, thank you for sharing it.

(Oh, on a technical note I think the second to last paragraph has a typo, I suspect it should read "focus on an end result")

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In almost everything I write I end up typing and when I mean an at least once. I normally don't even notice it. Thank you for pointing it out.

As far as Thelema, it is a pretty obscure spiritual path. I went on a spiritual soul-searching quest for a while, trying to figure out what religion was right for me. Then I met a new friend, and he introduced me to it, and it clicked. There's so much to it, and it would have been impossible to cover it all.

A lot of people, like you, misunderstand the "Do what thou Wilt" at first. There's so much to that one little sentence. At the beginning of the Book of the Law it also says "every man and every woman is a star". Stars all travel in their own paths, and they don't interfere with each other. Like wise, if every man and every woman each do their Will, then there's no conflict. When conflict arises it's because one or both parties are not doing their Will. Every conscious act is a Magickal act, and Thelemites want to learn to consciously do their Will in every moment.

And now I think I'm writing a whole new essay. I'm sorry. I'm glad you found it enlightening and thought provoking. I was hoping for that reaction rather than making anyone angry.

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When an essay is both informative and enjoyable to read, you know you have it right. And there's absolutely nothing wrong in sharing your beliefs. You're harming no one and you may give someone just what they need, like your friend did for you.
On a side note, I have no idea what the first sentence of your comment means.

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The first sentence of my comment is to Dragon, she pointed out a typo and I fixed it.

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Oh, "and" and "an" were words that you changed. It makes sense now. I was reading them as part of that first sentence of the comment.

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Stellar essay Midnight, informative., thought provoking philosophy........I agree with many of the practices I agree especially pro active .....passive religion and waiting for the destination to arrive is not one of my beliefs either...jehovahs tend to say put up with hell on earth just dont participate in any evil....hmmmmm.... and know when judgement day has arrrived all good works will be rewarded with paradise on earth.....i tend to believe the earth will be one pile of ozone related death by then...not inhabitable.........i dont have a couple of centuries to wait for paradise to occur.....or the artist formally known as god to fix things up so we can pat cobras and feed lions hay..........smilin....so thelemic has a part base in egyptian lore "isis" horus" a little bit of intuition maybe with the horus thing being the eye of horus.....all knowing all seeing.....will and with  the added intuition to know what you want to do and go for it .......the nike rule as the slogan goes......just do it......i am so glad you posted it I will do some research of my own on this philosophy we are but learner drivers with knowledge our whole entire lives so i enjoy learning.....I have a passion for egypt .....there is a site i know.....will try and post the addy for you where you fill out a questionnaire on birth date etc and they tell you what you might have been in a past life......if you would liek me too....maybe it relates to your will or yoru journey....its interesting anyway....if not a laugh....so let me know if you would like it....and i am voting for the pure enjoyment of reading your phisophical plethora of information which is your essay in the section I have avoided.....;0)ps drinking cafe noir mmmmmmm.cheers...lol.......deb

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Yes, Thelema is based in Egyptian lore, as well as many other spiritual paths. There's so much to it it's impossible to include in one essay, and I've barely scratched the surface. If you want to know more, feel free to email me at sgtmaldemer@gmail.com