Everybody Gets Offended Sometimes

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

So it has been brought to my attention in recent days that I have posted things that people have found offensive.  This means that there are some of you out there who, like many of the members of my wives family, find me to be a bit bold and blunt in my words.  The list of people I have offended in my life, I would guess, is not a short one. 

To those I have offended specifically with this blog I would like to say....THANKS!  Thank you for taking the time out of  your busy day to read the worthless ramblings of this random person.  When I began writing this blog it was just a place for me to express myself.  If someone chose to read it, great.  If nobody chose to read it, great.  It didn't matter to me either way.  Yes I have posted links to it on Facebook, but that didn't mean I expected people to read it, I was just merely letting people know it was there.  

As my blog has now counted over 500 page views, I am amazed.  I was never expecting this many views at all.  So thank you all for giving it a read.  

Now to address more fully the people who I have offended.  I have looked over all of my posts and have come to the conclusion that you were probably offended by one or a few of the following: my speaking of hassling the teachers, not being allowed to fail, not following the dress code, or possibly using abrasive or vulgar language. Now the only way I can see these offending you is if you fit into these categories as usually those things that offend me are things that apply to me.  A wise man by the name of Nephi living about 2600 years ago said speaking of this "..the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center." (1 Nephi 16:2) Boy isn't that the truth.  I have been cut very deeply at times by the words of others, but usually only when I find what they say to be pointing out something I find to be a flaw in myself.  Please don't take this the wrong way.  My post was not meant to offend, it was merely stating my opinion. I do not think less of you as a person because you do any of the aforementioned things, I just don't agree with them, and yeah it might bug me a little that you do them.  But this doesn't mean I will act differently around you.  

I will say when writing these posts I made an effort to not state any names.  To not be specific, but to just state general times that peoples actions were ones I didn't agree with.  I could have been more specific, but I chose not to.  In fact the only post where the person being talked about can be easily distinguished by anybody is when I am talking about a fault with myself. And if you want to blog about me, the person who sits in class and falls asleep all the time, (or the person who has no real ability to write but does it anyway) by all means go ahead.  You can even mention me by name, I would love to hear another's perspective on having someone constantly fall asleep.  

I am so grateful that I live in a country where I have the freedom to speak the words that I want.  I can do this to myself, my family and friends, or (in this age of technology) the world.  I also have been given the freedom to NOT read.  I don't have to read anything that someone has put out there.  I don't have to pass it on.  I don't have to tell others about it.  After all most of the time if you don't agree with something and start telling people about it they will probably want to check it out for themselves and now you have just helped them get there voice out even further.

I am not trying to make enemies. I don't like it when people don't like me, but it is bound to happen.  However I will say I came to school not for the social aspect.  I have a wife, I have children, I have friends that I still keep in touch with from every stage in my life, including some from this latest adventure in my education that I would hope I remain lifelong friends with.  But this is not why I came to school.  I came for the education.  And if it so happens that I make some enemies, well it was probably bound to happen anyway.  

Please can you at least do one thing for me.  If you have a problem with something I said, talk to me about it.  There is a comment section at the bottom.  I am sure you can even find a way on this thing to message me directly.  Or talk to me in person.  But really there is a reason the comment section at the bottom exists, I would love comments.  I would much rather you say, "you are the biggest jerk I have ever seen" than to make someone else say it for you.