First Impression of Attack on Titan

          Attack on Titan, originally a manga written by Hajime Isayama became commercially successful recently thanks to its animated adaptation of season one reaching a conclusion. I heard about it from one of my friends on a recommendation, but refused beginning the series due to a weak stomach. My first impression is a show concerning humanity trapping themselves inside their own walls to keep away the outside world, where cannibals reside. To me, it sounds like we are narrating our own fear of the world and its uncertainties. I mean, building ourselves a fortress to keep the outside out, from encroaching on our comfort and peace of mind… it sounds like a taste of classic fear from the unknown.

           I eventually got the nerve to watch the first episode, and eight episodes later I was hooked. Attack on Titan truly captures the feel of someone diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. It is difficult to do a light analysis of the themes in the show because each character has complex relationships with each other, themselves, and the wider world. Overall, Eren the main protagonist faces extremely difficult choices for a teenager as he decides how his actions will ensure the survival or death of his friends and comrades. He struggles with the validity of his responsibility to aiding humanity with his shifting powers.

            The show asks the question of whose authority you are subscribing to, and do you fully understand how you have the things you have. There is political subterfuge, but it isn't revealed in the first season. The hidings of the government make me think about contemporary leaders making the calls on what information to make public versus remain private. These calls could be for the benefit of people, or the detriment. It also plays the importance of obedience to authority that many members of military struggle with when faced with death. The countless characters lost in the show are remembered and honored as “another step towards freedom” against the creatures.

            Trust as a value makes the cut for important themes in the anime too. Just because we have relationships with people and know who they are as they reveal themselves does not necessarily mean we know them and their intentions. Trust is very important in the military, which is tested during one cycle in the season. The intensity of feelings each character undergoes put their own humanity to the test as they make choices concerning war and ethics.

             In conclusion, I want to make a recommendation for Attack on Titan if you are a person who enjoys the goose bumps feeling scene after scene. It is a roller coaster of emotion as you see characters die endlessly. There are political and religious tones to the show as well. Watch this if you really like animation and epic music. The soundtrack is on Spotify, and I use it for pump-up music. Watch the show if you are curious. See the pilot here and make your decision after that… but be warned, it is chair gripping intense. 

An update 06082014

My intention of blogging stems from wanting to explore new ways of expressing myself. I don't write for the attention of readers, nor in the intent of somebody actually reading this. I write because I think that we can learn unique and sometimes hidden things in our personality after reflecting on it for a few moments.

Everyone that I know gets asked how they are doing on a daily basis. I have yet to form a coherent and appropriate response that is both truthful and real. I am in the group of people who smile and give a thumbs up. Even when Facebook asks me what I am up to, I never give a real response. this post is intended to be a real response, so strap yourself in future me, you'll remember this was a hard time.

I just graduated from Abilene Christian University one year early with a B.S. in Communications and  minor in Political Science, you didn't want to stay in school any longer than you had to because you were fed up with the education system in America, particularly the societal pressure of going off to university right after high school. You did your best to enjoy your experience at ACU, but you were hurt your freshmen year in Oxford by glass half empty people. This made you resentful for a couple years and it became very difficult to be vulnerable with others. Graduating from college one year early opens up different opportunities for you. You are currently discerning your vocation seriously. You have complicated relationships with several friends, especially your best friend. You feel ineffective in one-on-one conversations because technology has impaired your ability to relate with other people. You are spending one year in Abilene working with a halfway house, doing mission work with a group of people that your hear has become attached to during your time in college. You are looking for a job in either construction or using a CDL to drive trucks. You are a fitness freak addicted to CrossFit and it distracts you every hour of every day. You leave for Zambia tonight, which is why you are blogging thoughts and feelings now so that they can be fresh for your trip as you close this chapter of your life and begin a new one.

Most importantly though, your relationship with God has never been so Pharisee looking. This is what you are striving to fix every single day. You look clean on the outside, but dirty on the inside. You help others but can't help yourself. You are genuinely trying though, you just finished the Bible's audiobook. You lead praise and worship and encourage others to act. It is just the small moments, those tiny, insignificant at the time choices, that pile up and bury you. You hope that going to Zambia can help you get back on the right path, living a more simple life and being present with the people that you are in community with. It will only work if you remind yourself everyday that your life is not your own.

That is all I can say, and I hope that it is better than a thumbs up and a smile.

National Day of Service 2013

"The time is always right to do what is right"- Martin Luther King Jr.

On January 19, 2013, President Barack Obama urged the entire nation to take the day and serve their respective communities. I was in Washington D.C. for this event so I spent time by visiting the National Mall where a giant tent was built to spread awareness to hundreds of service organizations and non-profits from American Diabetes Association, to Afterschool Alliance; from United Way to Dress for Success; and from Roots & Shoots to Habitat for Humanity. For more information about the service opportunities they had in the tent, see this website (http://www.serve.gov). Each booth had information about the organization, free pens, free pins, and free stickers. Some booths even had candy! At every booth I visited, the workers for that organization were very helpful and knew exactly what their work was about.

National Day of Service 2013

One of the coolest things that I saw in the tent were laptops set up for everybody visiting to make a pledge and serve a certain amount of hours throughout 2013. I think it would be cool for everybody to make a pledge. I committed to doing 200 hours this year, and hopefully each hour will be spent making my community a better place for living. The service day help special events too, such as speakers Martin Luther King III, Beau Biden and Angela Bassett. There was a fabulous children's choir as well that sang patriotic songs.

Overall, the day was really great and as the week continues, we will learn how many hours America has committed to doing service for the year of 2013. The next big event is the Presidential Inauguration on January 21, and whether we have good or bad weather, it is going to be exciting!

"It's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential."- Barack Obama 

Blair at the National Day of Service 2013

My Vision

When it comes to thinking about the future of this blog and my own future as a member of Planet Earth and the Kingdom of Heaven, I realize that I am just a small piece of the grandiose puzzle that is Life. The other day while in one my classes at Abilene Christian University, I was having what some would describe as a teen’s life crisis; a desire to be important and popular.

            While thinking about my lack of importance and small part in Life’s Musical, revelation came to me that being in this time and place offers me a challenge. Born into this particular stage of America and culture of the world, with issues that are different than any other time in history, I have a call to action to do what I can to better this world, even if in a miniscule way that no historian will ever tell about, nor any author would ever write about. But I feel a vocation to something more, to be steward of innovation.

            That revelation inspires this blog. In fact, that revelation sets my life in a new direction, a path of a larger vision for my life and legacy; to leave something behind that says I did my part as a member of the universe to make it a better place for freedom and all people to live in. With this challenge to myself and all you who read this blog, we must first understand three crucial elements of taking responsibility of our creation in this specific time and place.

1. You cannot do it alone.
2. You must find your identity.
3. You cannot do it alone.

Community and Identity is core to the individual’s education. We cannot live in a way that exerts our own accomplishments over others unless we plan to be unpopular to the general public. Whoever liked a person that flaunted their winnings? What our world needs right now are meek individuals working together to solve the biggest problems such as world poverty, sex and labor trafficking, and water/food shortages. These issues can only be resolved with group work, team effort, and a positive mindset that community is the answer to sustainable progress.

            On the case of Personal Identity, individuals that do not yet know who they are, what they believe in, and what skills/talents they can contribute, are not yet ready to be in positions of global leadership. In all honesty, our world needs leaders that are rooted in their personal faith, convicted by the love of family and friends. For me this means more time spent in prayer discerning my own way to shape the future. I will continue to be informed about the world and my nation by reading news articles and watching videos. I will advocate for issues that I agree with or want fixed.

            Lastly, I don’t wish to discourage any involvement in Life’s Musical, but share with you that there is a time and place for each of us to sing. If you are ready, then sing, and if you are not yet ready, then keep practicing and finish the show with a standing applause.

Election Week@ACU

It’s that time of year at ACU again.

The time when students, new and old, are learning about the ways to get involved in student leadership organizations on campus.

There is one particular week at the beginning of every school year that receives particular attention. A week that students run from table to table in the Bean. A week of creative and thought-provoking posters and ads on the my.acu page. A week full of stress over lagging responsibilities and public popularity. A week that can only be best described as deadlocked combat amongst friends, but friendly competition.

This week is Election Week 2012 for Students’ Association.

Here is my quick spill Students’ Association:

The Students’ Association at ACU is the name of student government and every student is a part of it. Whether they want to or not, every student is part of SA because of the student-activity fee everyone attending must pay. Then you have a choice in whether or not to be involved. For example, I am running to represent our sophomore class in SA and to be involved with SA. My involvement is described as Congress. During our weekly Wednesday meetings, the Executive officers (Rebecca, Dylan, and Joseph) will call the meeting to order and lay out our agenda. Usually we will have some student organizations come and ask for money and we shall have debates within Congress about how much money to give them. There are other things that SA does besides hand out money to the student organizations and social clubs. We also plan events (like dodge ball or school dance), represent the student body to the faculty and staff (we have had Dr. Schubert, Jeff Arrington, Dr. Thompson, and Byron Martin come in and ask questions about the student body), and even do some really cool likes like changing the ACU dance policy (yeah that was SA).

You may have noticed my own little plug in about running for sophomore class president. I will take some time to tell you the real truth about what that position does.

My freshman year in SA, I was not the class president but my responsibilities and powers were the exact same as the other members of Congress. When it comes to the meetings, every student bears an equal weight in representing the student body (whether they are a dorm rep, academic rep, or class rep).

            So, it is basically a title, but with that title comes recognition. My ultimate role in SA is to one day be an executive officer. These roles are the really important ones. The three EO are the go-to students when faculty or staff has questions or when students want to know about more ways to get involved in the school. By having the experience and repetitive position of class president, my chances of being voted in as an EO are much better than another candidate that represented a dorm or academic building.

            Once election week comes to an end, the officers for Congress are all called via telephone and told the news. For the past eight years, I have anticipated a victory call from my EO’s, yet have still to receive one. Hopefully this is the year. Hopefully I can pull one out for the students who weren’t plugged the moment they walked onto campus. Hopefully I can bring about a change in the university that no other student has ever thought of.

Vote Blair Agan, Sophomore Class President

“Choose Agan, Choose a Team Leader”

What Greater Love

70 million people died during the years of World War II. This was a tough time for every country. The fight for freedom, justice, love, money, and power left no prisoners.

In the midst of so much pain, there were models of faith. One such model was born January 8^th, 1894. Raymond Kolbe grew up to be a Franciscan Friar and joyful lover of our Blessed Mother from of a vision he had as a child. In 1910 he took the name of Maximilian and built a friary near Warsaw, beginning his Immaculata Movement. This movement was furthered in Japan and India, bringing the love of Mary and Jesus wherever it went. Kolbe even published a pamphlet read by more than 800 friars around the world.

Soon after Kolbe returned home due to sickness, he became a prisoner of the German’s largest concentration network; Auschwitz. At this camp there was a very strict law in place for any people that escaped. If anyone ever found freedom then ten prisoners at random would be chosen to be put to death as an example in order to discourage other escapes. During Kolbe’s time in Auschwitz, he spent his time moving about the cells giving aid and reconciliation to anyone who wanted it. Kolbe was a true example of a servant-leader in the name of Jesus Christ.

In July of 1941 somebody escaped the Auschwitz camp, so as rules dictated; ten prisoners were chosen at random to be put to death in the starvation room. But in August of 1941, Franciszek Gajowniczek, prisoner of Auschwitz, was spared his life by a stranger.

“My poor wife! My poor children! What will they do?” cried Gajowniczek. At this time Kolbe stepped forward to the commandant giving orders and requested to replace Gajowniczek in the starvation bunkers. Since the concentration camps required the labor of young men, the commandant agreed to Kolbe’s request and threw him and nine others into the starvation bunkers for two weeks.

While in the starvation bunkers, Kolbe continued to encourage his fellow prisoners to keep faith in God and look forward to heaven. As the days came to an end, Kolbe was injected with a lethal shot because his strong faith in Jesus had kept him alive.

Let it be known that on August 14, 1941, Maximilian Kolbe died a martyr of charity. Forty one years later, Pope John Paul II declared Kolbe a saint, with Gajowniczek in attendance. As patron saint of drug addicts, political prisoners, and the pro-life movement, St. Maximilian Kolbe continues today to be an outstanding example to all young men in living a self-sacrificial life that Jesus calls us all to.

I personally kept a small image of Kolbe in my wallet to remind me daily what it takes to be a man of Christ. John 15:13 speaks, “Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Perseverance

            Do you think that it was easy for Mother Teresa to care and love for the people of the lowest, sickest, and weakest classes? Mahatmas Gandhi, the Indian freedom fighter of the 20^th century experienced terrible setbacks on his mission to achieve a British-free country. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in a tough time of racial inequality but he persevered and fought for the civil rights of all mankind. In this first blog of mine I want to express to everybody that no matter how impossible a dream may seem, achievements will be completed with perseverance.

            What is success? Success is known by most people as the attainment of an honor, grade, position, or wealth. Some people will say that Michael Phelps and Chris Hoy, the most decorated Olympians of the United States and Great Britain, have captured this popular definition of success. It is true that they have persevered through a myriad amount of training and captured unforgettable memories and fame for themselves and their respectful nation, but success doesn’t solely lay in athletics. Success, for them, is achieving their goals which were independently set by themselves, when the decision to attend the 2012 Olympics in London was made. This was their goal. This was their dream. They fought and they achieved their dream. That is success.

Others may call the rich CEOs of Apple, Forbes, GM, and other large organizations successful. Yes, they have worked to that position, but it is not holding that position that makes them successful. It is the hard work, the dream, and perseverance that have made them successful.

            Throughout my life I have been involved in many leadership organizations, attended leadership conferences, and had independent leadership training. From these experiences I have come to my own definition of the word success which I hope you all will understand by the end of this post.

In order to understand my own perception of the term success, I need to explain to you what our society defines as success. Unfortunately, success has become limited to those people who have millions of dollars, large mansions, and coverage in the news and movies. When a child is growing up surrounded by this limited and misleading term of the word success, it can really mess them up. Imagine how difficult it would be to achieve success in the society’s definition if you were not born into it. It is not fair.

What I have learned in my own time is that success can be anything you set your mind to. I do not want to discourage anybody that wants to achieve a rich and comfortable life because that is your goal, but I want to let everybody know that success is not limited to that one lifestyle.

The most important weapon in your arsenal to success is perseverance. Without it, the difficult challenges and adversity would quickly overcome your motivation. Perseverance is critical in continuing on the journey to achieve your goal. You can be successful and live a life worth remembering; and it is simple! All you have to do is remember your values, practice integrity, love others, and persevere! I cannot stress this enough; it happens so often that people will give up on their dreams to become astronauts, travel the world, set a record, or become a musician because a few people tell them that they aren’t strong enough to do it. This is where a strong level of maturity needs to be displayed. Individuals on this earth have the unique ability to believe in something greater than ourselves. Imagine the great things we are capable of when we persevere and never surrender!

Success does not have to be richness. Success does not have to be popularity. Success is the achievement of your individual goals.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”