How to Not end up in an Apartment that Sucks

So, you’re moving out. You’ve decided that living with your parents isn’t for you anymore, and it’s high time you graduated from stupid university housing. You pull open your computer and begin searching for apartments near where you want to live, and your screen fills with host sites full of listings with everything from swimming pools to scenic vistas. The more you search, though, the more you realize that finding your first apartment can be a daunting task. Should you go full utilities? Garage? W/D hookups? Pets okay? Patio, one bedroom, studio, 2 ½ bath? Well, take it from someone who has experience searching for not one, not two, but more than three apartments in the past few years to help you avoid some common problems when you first rent!

The first step is to decide what kind of apartment you want. Studio apartments are one room plus a bathroom. This is fine if you live alone or don’t mind sharing all your living space all the time, but if you plan on having much company, it can get cramped. The fewer bedrooms a place has, the cheaper it usually is, so unless you’re looking on getting a roommate, you’ll probably want to stick to one bedroom places at largest. These models will generally come with a full kitchen, living room, and of course, a bathroom. Sizes and configurations may vary.

Your standard apartment will come with garbage and water fees already calculated into the bill, since these are generally set fees. Other utility costs, such as electricity, heat, cable, or WiFi can either fluctuate or are deemed unnecessary, so are sometimes not included. If all utilities are included, keep in mind that you’ll probably be overpaying some months, but underpaying other months, so the convenience of a consistent fee will most likely be equitable. Garages are nice, but usually add a significant cost. On site washer dryer (W/D) is probably one of the most important things to look for at an apartment, since Laundromats, while functional, are not really fun places to hang out. If a place comes with W/D hookups, you’ll have to bring in your own appliances, but the electrical circuitry is already there. Nothing worse than toting a washing machine up 3 flights of stairs only to find there’s no place to plug it in. Speaking of appliances, it’s pretty standard for an apartment to come with a stove and refrigerator. Some will come equipped with other appliances, but if one isn’t included, the listing should specify. Some come with almost every piece of furniture you could need, at a cost, but you’ll have to be careful to not get them dirty or your security deposit will rapidly disappear.

Speaking of security deposits, you’ll most likely have to put a full month’s rent down in addition to the first month’s rent (translation, move in costs rent x2) as insurance in case you trash the place. I generally advise not trashing anything that doesn’t belong to you, but if you have the money and don’t care that you won’t be able to use this place as a reference as you search for future apartments, you’re free to do as you will. Most landlords will find some way to weasel you out of at least half your deposit whether by cleaning, small repairs, or miscellaneous fees, but if you leave the apartment in reasonably good condition, you should walk away with at least some of the deposit when you move out. To avoid maintenance fees upon move out, be sure to alert your landlord immediately when something breaks, since they’re legally obligated to fix it without charging you while you’re under lease. Unless it’s ridiculous. Most of them will charge you if you’re unreasonably clumsy or destructive.

Now that you know how to read the listings and how much it‘ll cost you to move in, it’s time to pick out a few that meet your high expectations. You don’t want to pay a ton for this place, but you don’t want to end up with garbage either, right? High price doesn’t guarantee high quality, but be wary of too good to be true prices. Never commit to a place without thoroughly investigating it first. While you’ll never know all the pitfalls of a place until you’ve actually lived there for a month or so, there are some basic things that you should be entitled to wherever you are living. Test to see if all the faucets work, and how long it takes for the hot water to actually get hot. Make sure all the light switches work. Note if the doors stick or the windows don’t open easily, or if the windows don’t lock airtight. Make note of any chores such as lawn mowing or show shoveling you’ll be responsible for (usually standard in a free-standing unit).

If you’re having trouble sorting through online listings such as Craigslist (which doesn’t have a standard format, so you never know what kind of information will be available) or Apartments.com, you can always call a real-estate agency. They’ll take a fee, of course, but such places are generally organized and specific, even while they try to swindle you. If you’ve looked at several places and still can’t make a decision, try testing it against Sirah’s spectacular Pro tips, seen below!

Pro tip #1. If the apartment looks like a dump when you visit it, it’s probably because the landlord is really slow about fixing things. Since you’re renting, you have only minimal responsibility for fixing the place up, so the landlord should be checking in regularly to make sure everything is in working order. If he/she can’t even spruce things up for an open house, you should probably look elsewhere. Admittedly, some places are just old, so they might not look haut fashion or modern, but if paint is peeling, wiring is exposed, flooring is cracked, or windows are broken (common problems that would require minimal effort to repair), go with your gut and pass on that place. Never take a landlord’s word that the place will be fixed up by the time you move in. If you want a second opinion, try asking some neighbours, as they’ll usually be able to point out some common problems.

Pro tip #2. It’s common knowledge that heat rises. If you like being warm all year around without paying a ton in heating costs, move into a place above an old lady. Not to stereotype or anything, but the heat she puts into her apartment will rise into yours which will help defer heating costs. Just make sure to thank her sometimes. Upstairs apartments have the wonderful benefit of reduced chances of peeping toms, fewer people tromping around above you late at night, and provide exercise as you walk up that flight of stairs every day. Of course, carrying furniture up and down stairs can be difficult unless you get one of those high-end pre-furnished apartments, and your escape routes in an emergency are significantly more time consuming.

Pro tip #3. Having roommates can be a great way to offset the costs of your apartment and utilities. Sometimes you even become friends with your roommates and live happily with only the occasional argument. Make sure you set up regular times to talk as roommates, though, and don’t be surprised if you learn more about your roommate than
you ever wanted to know. Fred doesn’t like wearing pants after he comes home from work? Julie is scared of cleaning her hair out of the shower drain? Bill doesn’t get the concept of rinsing his dishes before leaving them in the sink for a week? Ah well, you’ll figure it out. If you’re lucky, you won’t end up hating each other by the time your lease expires. If you skip out on rent, though, there is no pit of hell deep enough… Don’t be that guy.

Pro tip #4. You can often live with a lot less than you thought you could. If the idea of moving all your stuff, buying tons of furniture, and paying for all utilities seems daunting, make a list of what you’d absolutely need if you were to live in a specific place. Then go back through the list and make a list of the stuff you’d actually need. Theoretically, this second list should be shorter ;) Personally, I find it necessary to have on-site parking, a bathtub, and a large countertop, but you certainly have other needs, so don’t be afraid to figure out what you couldn’t live without; there’s no shame in wanting a south-facing window or a living room with three outlets.

All in all, there’s no such thing as a perfect apartment. You can find places that qualify as pretty good or good enough, but there will always be downsides to every place, even if they’re not apparent at move-in. That said, there are some things you shouldn’t have to put up with. If things are broken or living conditions are hazardous, you can get help via city ordinances and lease agreements to help make your living situation better. However, hopefully you can just avoid these kinds of situations in the first place. Spend some time thinking over a place before you agree to any sort of lease, pre-lease or contract. Make sure the place is somewhere you can feel comfortable coming home to because why pay for something you don’t want?

Two Steps From Hell

"What do you weigh? Like 110? Yeah, there's no way. They're gonna beat you up. The kids in Secure beat up the guards. You don't stand a chance."
"I'm gonna just stay in my cell. Not even come out for meals and stuff. They can stick my cake through the little flap in the door."
"Damn, they have cake at Secure?"
"Yeah, every day. Sometimes twice a day."
"How do I get in?"
Said the fourteen year old to the twelve year old on the day he got convicted for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. In a way I guess he had it coming. When your friend says, "let's go rob a house," riding along in the getaway car will probably get you convicted even if you don't steal anything. Having a rap sheet for drug possession, fistfights, and petty theft doesn't help your case either. I can't help wonder where he'll go after his 8 months of prison are over. There isn't much future for a twelve year old with several felonies.

That's not how I grew up, you know. I lived in a town where it was shocking if someone had sex when they were 17, and if a kid had drugs, it was probably because their parents were trying to stash their goods during a police search. It's not like children never committed crimes, but no one ever knew about it, and most of the kids were good.

I was sitting in a courthouse one day taking notes on legal procedure, when this fifteen year old was escorted in. He was there on charges of posting, "I've got a bomb" on an anonymous social media page, which lead to the evacuation of his school. He was also sent to juvie and assigned quite a bit of community service. I don't know where this one came from; whether he was serious, or just playing a joke, whether he had a history of shaky decisions, or if he had just made one mistake.

I think that's always been the scary part of law: you never know if your future will be thrown in jail over one mistake.

I don't have fond memories of police officers. I've never been in a real jail. I've never been accused of a serious crime. But I've been stopped too many times. "Have you been drinking? You seem high. Another suicide attempt? You almost ran me into the median. How fast were you going when your car rolled off the road? What were you doing at the site of the vandalism?"

I don't think a cop has ever treated me as human. I don't think I've ever met a cop who doesn't suspect me of something I should be fined for. Even my friend who used to be fun became suspicious and accusatory after a few years as a cop. I don't like it.

But my point isn't to rag on cops. The stupidity and slime they deal with doesn't come with a handbook. There's no official book of right words to say when you see a kid sitting naked on a street corner smoking. There's no right way to tell a child that they're making stupid decisions and you want them to stop endangering themselves and people around them. There's no good way to break it to a mother that her child will begin his adult life with thousands of dollars in debt for spending a week at a detention center.

Sometimes you wanna just slap these guys who make their kid's lives so hard that they'd go to jail just to get cake twice a day. It seems like a hopeless situation; these kids didn't ask to be born, didn't ask to have the whole world against them. While they're allowed to make their own choices, what twelve year old admits, "smoking is gross, but I've got an addiction; deal with it"?

I wonder how any of us make it. Why do any of us have dreams and futures? Why wasn't I the one born in the middle of a civil war, or to a homeless person as a result of rape, or to a rich lifeless politician who ODs within a few years of my birth?

I also want to know if there's a way to actually help these kids.

Disabled Dreams

I met a boy named Logan. Logan is 10. He is about 3 and a half feet tall and weighs less than 50 pounds because he lacks the mental capacity to eat food and must therefore receive all his nutrients through a tube in his stomach. Logan is severely disabled. He can walk, but not far. He can make sounds, but none of them recognizable as speech. He understands simple instructions, but doesn't always follow them. He is often upset, which he expresses by crying, rocking, or curling up into a ball and humming to himself. He needs active help to maintain daily existence, and because his family is poor, he's often left in the care of poorly paid government employees. This isn't to say that Logan isn't cared for or loved, but I wonder if he can tell how unwanted he is.

Of the thousands of children born every day, most have the physical and mental capacity to grow into independent functioning adults. A few need help to overcome some disabling feature, but only a few are born with such a situation as Logan, wherein they will never be able to live independently.

Some have said that every child is a gift, and every ability is special. The truth that we all know somewhere, though, is that disabilities are not something "special" about a certain child. Disabilities are problems, imperfections, brokenness, that can at times give us enlightening perspectives, but are most often burdensome. No one wants to have a disability; no parent is thrilled to receive a diagnosis of autism or cerebral palsy. No matter how sunny an outlook on the topic, a disability is always a setback, not a blessing.

The differentiation must be made, then, that the person with the disability is not the disability. It is the autism, not the autistic person, which is the burden. But how can we separate the two when the disability is only present when the disabled person is present? How can we include someone, but not their disability? In some cases it is possible, but Logan will never be seen as a person rather than a person with a disability.

There is a common feeling that the world would be a better place without people like Logan. That we should be able to do away with disability forever. Life is hard enough when one is able to live and be successful at basic life skills, but to be totally reliant upon others for daily existence is counter to survival of the fittest philosophy. We of course dream of the day when modern medicine will advance to the extent that we won't have disease or disability anymore. So many advances have been made that we've neatly doubled the predictable lifespan of most first world citizens, but we have not escaped death and pain altogether. We can take endless bottles of Tylenol, but the pain still comes back; sometimes it had only faded dully. And while we can say that at the end of the day, at least I'm not like Logan, the pain of living in a broken body is difficult to bear.

I had a dream last night. I dreamed that I was hanging out at an incredibly well-lit school filled with cheerful Christmas crafts and letters to Santa. I walked outside on one of the last warm days of autumn before the rain and the snow hit, and I dreamed that Logan was on the playground healthy and playing kickball with the other third graders on a huge grassy lawn. No one was sick; no one was crying; no one was unwanted. It's an impossible dream, really. But I hope that that is what heaven looks like, because I'd love to play kickball with Logan there.

The Lever Dilemma

I suppose it could happen to anyone. It’s unlikely, but not impossible. Anyone could happen by a lever by chance. Some people are more likely to than others, naturally, but it could happen.

In natural existence, I generally recommend not pulling the lever. If you don’t know what it does, at least. Even if you do know, there might be repercussions if you are not in ownership of the lever, or if you haven’t obtained permission to change the geotemporal location of most of the lever.

If it is your lever and you know what it does and you intend for it to do what it is meant to do, by all means, pull it whenever you wish.

But that’s not the sort of lever that I happened upon in this tale. I don’t really know who the rightful owner of the Lever was. I might be able to research the name, but I don’t think it really matters. The important factor regarding this lever is not its owner or even really its purpose. The important bit about this lever is whether or not I should have pulled it. I still don’t know.

It was the sort of lever that one doesn’t normally have access to. It was located in the middle of a crowded boulevard, but surrounded by a chunky iron and wire fence and elevated above the average person’s eye level by a set of 8 steep metal stairs. The stairs were the sort with little spikes surrounding gaping holes in the mesh so as to prevent slipping of a utility worker in inclement weather. I’d walked past it many times, but had never been tempted to ascend the stairs and so much as touch the handle. That day was different, of course.

It was the first really fair day in spring, and the streets were stuffed on that Sunday afternoon with cheerful running children, peppy horses pulling carriages, dapper fellows tossing melting slush balls, and grinning ladies testing out their spring jackets. I suppose there were other people too, but the sort that I remember best were the grim police officers, some on foot, and some on staunch horses, all shouting gruffly to make way as somewhere there had been a bit of tomfoolery and suspicious activity. I can’t really blame them though for my curiosity and hesitance to be crushed by the throng of prospective spectators. Besides, I wasn’t the only one to climb those crusty steps that day to get a view of the new trolley car. I was simply the only one there at the wrong time. Or perhaps it was the right time, depending on how you look at it.

Perhaps one could say that I actually saved a life rather than that I killed those people. It doesn’t really matter though. One way or the other, someone most likely would have died at the expense of someone else. And no matter which it was, I would have felt at fault.

Helpful Language Links

I've decided to go out of my way to publish something actually useful here. Unless you have no intention of ever speaking French. Moi, je parle français. I'm sometimes a French teacher. So I've compiled a list of the sites that I use the most when teaching and practicing my own French.

Tex's French Grammar
If you find yourself wanting to study French grammar, or if you're struggling to figure out how to conjugate, or if you're not really sure what conjugate even means, the best site in the world is Tex's French Grammar. There are awesome explanations of all those confusing grammar concepts and a helpful practice tool for conjugating verbs. Plus you get to read all about le conte epique romantique of Tex and Tami and their scheming amis.

Conjuguemos
Another helpful tool for French conjugation is conjuguemos, which is stuffed full of interactive games, graded verb drills, and of course, helpful hints on how to conjugate French verbs. Recent updates require learners to create an admin account with limited activities for free, but it's still a fun way to enjoy practicing conjugation.

Word Reference
Who doesn't know about Word reference? If you don't, you should! This is basically the ultimate online French dictionary with millions of references for words and phrases. I constantly use word reference while doing translations because it has great examples of word usage and everything a French student could want.

Alt Codes
First, for writing, you'll need some accent marks. You can write them with either 4-key alt-codes, or 3-key alt codes. Or another way that I never use because I have most of the 3-key memorized.The following website lists all the Alt Key Codes you could possibly want :)

Pronunciation
If you're ever struggling to remember how to pronounce a French word or phrase, try typing it into Oddcast's free text to speech. Native French speaker approved! If this link fails, you can also search for words at forvo.com. Forvo is like a dictionary, so you might not be able to listen to whole sentences, but there is a vast collection of words with pronunciation and definitions.

Polly Lingual

Games and vocabulary are put together in Polly Lingual, which includes a number of free beginner activities and reasonably priced lessons for more advanced learners. The activities give you a short lesson on how to use various vocabulary words and you can pick from several activities including hangman, whack-a-word, and others.

Lawless French
The Subjunctivisor is probably one of the best tools available for testing to see if you need to use the subjunctive tense or not. Cuz let's face it, subjunctive tense is hard, mostly because it isn't noticeable in English.

Free Rice
For a fun vocabulary tool, check out Free rice. This quiz tool is set up to test your knowledge while offering humanitarian aid to hungry people. Check out their about section for more information, or just keep testing your French vocabulary skills.

Duolingo
I suppose no list of language websites would be complete without duolingo. This free site (and ap) has taken most paid language programs hostage partly due to its fun games and helpful feedback. Personally, I do not endorse this as a language-learning app because it doesn't have the breadth to teach full fluency skills, but it's great as a supplementary app or to refresh your memory on a few French concepts you may have forgotten because it's been 3 years since you spoke any serious French to anyone besides your dog.

Nouvelles en francais facile
A helpful tool for listening and discerning French words is Nouvelles en francais facile. The hosts of this podcast talk about real news stories in French slow enough for a learner to understand most of what they're saying. The interview natural French people and discuss important topics. While there are many French podcasts out there, this one is my favorite so far. The site that hosts this podcast is not in French or English, so unfortunately, I haven't been able to make use of the "quiz" tool, but there are PDF files of the quizes and transcriptions of all the podcasts available on the site, which are very useful.

News in Slow French
Similarly, there exists News in Slow French, which is a regularly broadcast French news program that listeners can subscribe to for all the latest French news. It is leveled beginner, intermediate, and advanced, with French transcripts, including hidden translation tips, and varying pace depending on which level you choose. For the full audio, you have to purchase a subscription, but there is still a lot of great content on the site for free.

Karaoké FLE
This is a fun site where you can listen to French songs and test your listening skills by typing in the French word after they've sung it in the song. In my experience, the program is confused by apostrophes, so it's difficult to get a good score since you have to skip any words which would have included them, but it's still a great listening exercise. There are several difficulty levels and a variety of songs to choose from Karaoké FLE. This is a system brought to you by http://www.bonjourdefrance.com/ which is a cool site with many helpful French language activities.

NRJ
If you like to know what music French people are listening to, check out NRJ Radio. You can get news in French as well as music. French people listen to quite a bit of American music, but if you pick the right station, you can get mostly French music. This link will take you to the "made in France" station, but there are dozens of others.

Il était une histoire
For a bit of a fresh take on learning vocabulary and grammar, check out these fairy tales and legends. The site is full of short stories in various genres that are free to read. If you create a free account, you get access to audio for most of the books, games, research links, and sometimes videos. The stories are from many cultures, European, African, and Asian, so there's a diverse mix of stories to read and interact with.

The French Experiment
For a bit of extra practice in listening and pronouncing French, the French Experiment has a number of lessons and stories that you can read along with. While there isn't much content on this site, if you subscribe to the newsletter, you'll receive weekly website recommendations for great sites in a variety of topics. What content is available on the site is clear and helpful, and definitely a resource for listening practice. The stories available are also pronounced slowly and clearly, and include hidden translations just a click away in the transcript.

French Together
French together offers a friendly course you can pay to participate in, but I'm always after the free stuff, which is what you'll get in their extensive French Vocabulary section. While the vocabulary available focuses pretty heavily on travel French, the format is easy to follow and includes great explanations and cultural hints on how to use various phrases and terms. This is a great resource for augmenting your pronunciation skills.

Memrise
I honestly don't use flashcards much, but if you're a fan of them, Memrise might be the app for you. With beginning and advanced options, this app will help you review reading, listening, and spelling of a set of classically problematic French words and phrases. It also has fun leaderboards and daily goals to help motivate you. Also available as a mobile app.

Talk in French
For some fun entertainment options, check out Talk in French blog. The blogger has some great suggestions for practicing your French. If you're feeling like dropping $10, Frederic also offers a number of audiobooks to help you learn the French language. I personally preferred the free stories available from Il était une histoire. This article has some great film suggestions.

Last FM
Also, search for fantastic French music at Last FM. You can search by artist or style.

Courrier Picard 
Or maybe you'd like to check out this selection of French comics

Poems
Perhaps you'd like to read some classic Quebecoise poetry Or these Children's Poems

Discord
While not strictly educational, I've been able to meet and chat with a number of native French speakers and French language learners on discord. You can join the Franglish server or French Discord Server to get in touch with a random assortment of French-inclined people. There are text and vocal channels in each server. The conversations can get adult-themed, silly, or may be found to have trolls, but are pretty well moderated. If you don't already have a discord account, you will need one to access these chatrooms.

Well, that's all for today. I'd be happy to add more, so let me know if there are any great French sites you've used as a French student or teacher. Thanks for reading!

Three Simple Syllables (Another Asexual Rant)

Am I a relationship nightmare?

They tell me that men hate commitment but love sex.

What do I want? I want your soul, but you can keep your pants on.

“You know you’ll never get a date if you keep up with this whole ‘asexual’ thing.” Yeah, I know, that’s kinda the point.

It’s strange, though, letting go of the idea that I’ll fall in love, get married, buy a home, have 2.5 kids, raise them, and retire with the man of my dreams. I’m not the first one who has done it, and I won’t be the last, but somewhere it feels like letting go of a piece of my soul every time I say, “no, I don’t really care if I get married or not.”

I don’t think I’m sad about losing this bit of me though. It seems like a superfluous bit. Something that I never asked to be a part of me, but somehow it found its way in there; an expectation that I would eventually get married. Little girls in grandma’s attic, playing dress-up with her old veils and hoop skirts: “aww, what a beautiful bride,” they told me as I clattered down the stairs wearing curtains and lace and shoes too large for a girl of 5. I wanted to be beautiful too. Being beautiful was a good thing then.

I walk past wedding shops and craft stores still and think, “If I ever had a wedding, that would be at the reception.” I try on dresses, but no one tells me “aww;” they just nod knowingly as if a prince might sweep through the doors and carry me off then and there. As if a dress could make me beautiful enough for him to forget that carrying off girls is socially awkward these days.

I stare at myself in the mirror sometimes and think, “damn, that girl is gorgeous. Too bad I’m the only one who has the courage to say so out loud.” Later at the club, though, they whistle at me and call me hot and sexy. Congratulations on coming up with two syllables to sum up my appearance. Somehow, hearing it out loud doesn’t make me feel cherished. It makes me feel exposed and accosted. Too bad I can’t be gorgeous without being sexually objectified.

It’s not that I don’t want to be wanted. I know some people don’t find themselves in need of relationships, but I don’t mind romance. I think it’s stupid, but I still like it. But it’s weird to think that people wouldn’t want me because I don’t want sex. I get it; sex is a big deal, but I’m a lot better at conversation, massages, eating, and cuddling than I am at sex. Can’t you appreciate what I am?

“No one will want you because you won’t have sex. They’ll dump you eventually. You’re not good enough unless you’re willing to have sex.”

No one says it. But it hides in the depths of my brain waiting for my lonely days and my depression to forget how absurd it is. Because it could be true.

“You could just stop. You could just give up on this asexual thing. Why keep labeling yourself if it hurts this much? I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

It’s not about the label. I could have no label, but I still wouldn’t want sex. So I wonder. I think that is my biggest fear (here, exposed in my blog for everyone to see. Classy). I’ve lost friends before because I’ve told them I’m not interested in them romantically. I’ve even lost friends because even though they knew I wasn’t interested in sex, they couldn’t stay “just friends.” Power to you, man, but just because I have a female body doesn’t mean I’m just a potential sexual partner/girlfriend. I’ve lost friends because they’re sexual and I’m not. Could I lose a partner for the same reason?

No. I’m not going to be like that. I’ll tell you right away. I’ll make sure you know. I won’t even start something. I can’t deal with being rejected before you even know me. I’m amazing. I just don’t like sex. If you like sex more than you like me, then let’s not date. I can deal with that. But I also don’t want to be alone. So, now what?

Man-Eating Vegetarians

I already wrote a piece about yoga. Hopefully I’ll publish it before I post this so no one is confused, but I’m going to write this bit anyway.

I found a photo of a clipping from a book today that said, “Beloved, do not take part in any of these components of Satan’s Spiritual Structure! They are doorways to demonic possession.” What followed was a list of classic satanic activities such as Astrology, Wicca, Necromancy, and Marijuana, as well as a few items that might not normally be on such a list. These included cyberpunk culture, vegetarianism, heavy metal, Lord of the Rings, and Twilight films.

Let me start by saying I’m not surprised that these items made it onto the list. If nothing else, I’m surprised Star Wars isn’t on the list as well. There is so much in this world that we have reason to be afraid of. Let’s face it, enough heavy metal can kill a person. Take lead or mercury for example.

Oh, Christians. How is it that the same group of people can contain some of the most caring, grounded, sensible people in the world as well as some of the rudest, most superstitious nuts in modern times? I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure that I’m not going to go to face eternal condemnation for failing to share that “like if you love Jesus, ignore for hell” post.

Well, I don’t think you really worry about going to hell for not sharing a facebook post either. Not when you think about it. All those good luck charms? You might have them hanging around just in case, but you know they don’t actually mean much. When you hit the cold floor, all the luck in the world deserts you and means nothing. Then where can you turn? Suddenly the religion you held to for comfort seems less feasible than anything else. Suddenly it doesn’t matter if you follow tribalism, Catholicism, Pastafarianism, Rastafarianism, Judaism, or vegetarianism.

Here we are at the end of all things (gratuitous LOTR quote). Where can we turn? There is evil in this world. There are things that will attack us and steal our hope. What can we hold onto? There is despair and brokenness and evil. But there’s also good, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.

See, I’m less afraid of bad luck, demons, or unknown things than I am of what I know exists: depression, illness, heartbreak, loneliness, failure, or poverty. What’s the point of fearing the unknown? There’s enough within the known to be afraid of (according to that one fellow who vanished into the crowd in Beyond the Deepwoods).

As Mme Ba indicates, why should we strive for the impossible; to achieve the possible is already a victory. This isn’t to say there isn’t anything beyond what we can physically see and feel. This isn’t to say we mustn’t have dreams. This isn’t to say we can’t seek comfort when we can’t understand what’s going on. It is to say, though, that we can find hope in the fact that there is One who is greater than demonic possession. Avoiding Yoga and punk culture can never guarantee that we’ll be safe. Why are we so afraid?