Pursue.

Well, I have a date Saturday night. The only thing is, I haven't found a girl to go with me. My sister got me a ticket for a play she's doing makeup for, even though I didn't ask her to. It was really nice of her, right? Right. Well, too bad I wanted to go see a movie that night. I'm just not mean enough to tell her I can't go now that she's gotten me a ticket. So, I reserved another one.

Now, I have two tickets to see a play Saturday night, but no one to fill the space of the empty seat that will be beside me. The thing is, I'm a big guy. I've got a good bit of weight. But I've also got a big heart. Once a female notices that, it's on. But until they notice that, I'm just another big guy. Some girls like that I guess?

Makes for good cuddling, so I've been told.

Oh well.

Monday I watched as a girl I'm good friends with/kind of crushing on walked around campus with two smokers. Not that I have anything against smokers, it's just...I'm jealous, I suppose. She should be walking with me. Actually, considering I have this lack of courage to ask her out, she shouldn't be with me. That's the thing about these tough guys. They're so confident. I get nervous every time I think about going out with a beautiful girl. It's always awkward until the first kiss, you know?

It's like...I realize that I was extremely blessed to be going out with this girl, and that weighs down on me, because I got lucky. And that's all it seems to be, is me getting lucky. But then you kiss that girl and everything opens up perfectly. I just have to get to that first kiss.

I once waited two whole months to kiss a girl. It was well worth the wait, but up until that kiss, everything was awkward. She made me chase so hard after her, and afterwards, I realized that I really liked that chase. It made everything so much better.

Get me to chase you?

Out of the Wild.

A good friend of mine was telling me about his roommate, whom I happen to know, and about his roommate's theory on religion and other such things. He was telling me about how John(so we'll call him), his roommate, had been reading Thoreau's Walden, and about how he had become obsessed with the story of "Alexander Supertramp" from Into the Wild. John is a very bright young man, but his common sense probably wouldn't get him too far. I say that from personal experiences with him, not from his philosophy on God and the wilderness, as I'm about to discuss.

John is a student at Mississippi College, and lives in the dorms. However, he is hardly ever there. He rides his bike for at least three hours a day, and when he is in the dorm, he cannot sit down for more than ten minutes without feeling the need to be doing something. Most of the time John will just make up some activity, such as running, that he is going to do, and then he does it. He doesn't shower very often, and feels the need for underwear is simply ridiculous.

The thing that really gets me about John, is how he feels about God and the Great Outdoors. He feels that if one is in solitude, it is less likely that that person will sin. I suppose to an extent, that is true. Living in the woods would be the dream life for John. But my friend, John's roommate, brought up a very good point. He said that John is basically throwing away the blessings that God has given him.

It's true. God has placed him in a position that will leave him with nothing short of success, if he plays his cards right. Yet, John feels as if the woods would do him more good. I just cannot find it in me to believe that God would rather have someone live in the woods, than experience people, and the wonderful relationships they bring.

Living in solitude could possibly harm your belief in God. It would leave only the beauty of His creations, and they are beautiful, to keep you believing. You wouldn't be able to experience the love other people have to give. Watching the animals in their relationships would be the only proof you have that love even exists, and who is to be so sure that animals love anyway? I'd think that their relationships are instinctive.

The thing is, God put other people on this planet so that we wouldn't be lonely. Yes, they may be sinful, corrupt people, but who isn't? We are no better than they. Living in solitude also cannot fulfill the body's biological needs. There is a "sex drive" in every human being. It's what makes us attracted to other people. In solitude, there is no other person to act out your attraction with, and thus, one turns to self-pleasure. Is that not sin also?

We have to be around people so that we can experience an infinitesimal amount of the love that God shows. We cannot simply place ourselves in the woods until we die, and not show love to other people. It just isn't possible.

Take into great consideration the people around you and the gifts God has given you. The more you begin to appreciate what you have, the less you'll want to abandon everything and live in the woods. Find good in the world. Don't just wait for it to pop out at you, because it won't.