Marion, Ohio 43302

*Disclaimer: This blog is not a shot at anyone. Do not take anything I say here personally or offensively. It is the truth, and it needs to be spelled out. I fear many people are unable to see this truth I speak. This has come after I went on a couple of dates with some amazing girls from Marion, however, I realized how narrowed their view of the world was. It made me look into other people from Marion; my friends, my family and others that dwell in this once striving steel town.

I come from a place that I neither adore nor loath. I suppose neutrality is the best way to describe how I feel about good old Marion, Ohio. This place has a mysterious power. The gravitational pull has the ability to bring you in. The black hole effect won't allow you to escape. Allow me to enlighten you to this realism.

Everywhere I look I notice a common trend to "Marionaires." They stick together. The people run in packs like wolves and fly to their common destination like a flock of birds. This isn't necessarily a bad a attribute. This shows loyalty and strong companionship. However, one thing I have learned, if you aren't connecting with new people, you aren't really living. There are 35,000 or so people in Marion compared to the almost 7,000,000,000 people worldwide. How can one jump to the conclusion that those the people they grew up with are the only people worth their time?

There should be other groups of people, like those that experience college with you (the people that see you change from a teenager to an adolescent), or those that you work with (the people that see you change into an adult), or even that special someone you are supposed to grow old and have kids with. For those that reside in Marion, they grow up together, they go to OSU-Marion together, they transfer to OSU Main together, they return to Marion together. I want to ask, do you not realize there is a whole world out there?

There are experiences and adventures that your limited mind cannot even fathom.My advice is to leave this place, and don't look back immediately, especially not after the first glance of adversity. Go do things you've always wanted to do: backpack through Europe, road trip, spend time volunteering in a third world country, do something! If you fully decide that Marion is where your heart resides, then come back. I assure your friends will still be there for you.

The problem is that people are here. They see their friends and quickly reminisce about high school days where things were simple and safe. No fear of the real world. All you had to care about is who was cool, where the party was on Friday night, and who is hooking up with who. The place turned into high school cliches where athletes were kings and queens, their friends the upper class, and the "geeks/nerds" were people the former two would not acknowledge. The black hole effect sucks one in, without a chance for escape.

The people get stuck here, yet they always complain. Conversations are peppered with a bout of cynical dialog about something I can never figure out. I have been hearing about it for the 6 months I have been home since leaving Columbus. If people aren't complaining about how boring this place is, then its how their high school team did not win, or about their dead end job, the corruption of high school boards, the downfall of the community health system, the crime, the everlasting drug problem, etc. The community loves the high school they came from, yet no county school can pass a levy. It's a shame.

Interstate-23 forms a passageway for the drug dealers to have easy access from the metropolis of Indianapolis, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. Yes, Marion is a common place between these place with no more than 4 hours travel time to get there. Serves a a central hub of redistribution, it's a shame that the people allowed it to get that way.

Our pride resides on a restaurant that specializes in fried bologna (which actually tastes amazing). Pride extends into holding the title to being the home of arguably the nations worst president (Warren G. Harding). Moreover, our "World Famous" Popcorn festival is a gathering of drunks and their kids. A over-glorified destination to eat fried food and ride carnival rides. And finally, who can forget our Friday night lights (or basketball games). More pride is put in our sports teams than the knowledge or skills in life. Though less than 1% of these athletes go and play college sports, and even less go somewhere beyond that. (The ones that expand and go into coaching, I admire that you are giving back and using what you have learned to make a positive change in someone's life).  The problems is people do not realize how average these things are. (I suppose I would have never realized until I traveled through the past  2 years.)

Give the world a chance. Get out there and see the world. Open minds and open hearts will allow you to be less judgmental. You will learn, you will grow, you will be happier. I can admit I was close to being sucked back into Marion. I am about to break away to my next adventure of life. Even at Ohio State I was still under the bubble of protection from Marion. It is time to break away. I hope after my travels to England, the Caribbean islands, New York, and wherever my residency places me I will become a true man. After I have lived outside my comfort zone, I can always choose to come back to Marion.

Easily inspired

A certain aspect about me: I am easily inspired. It may be a fallacy, but it is important. It has helped me battle my depression. It has given me a purposeful life. It catalyzed my personal development. My entries will now be my my subconscious thought regurgitated onto this blog. Some would argue it is simply a journal entry, others will be thoroughly intrigued by the development of my mind, but most will not care. That is fine with me. I am doing this for me.

Mastering one's hidden self (your subconscious) is an important part of life. It is time to ignore it less, and communicate with it effectively. I carry a pocket notebook to jot down quotes and thoughts so I can redirect them here. I keep an open mind and open heart to allow myself to determine what I want. I hope this experiment will help me grow and further develop into the gentleman I strive to become.

Amazingly, today I realized something important. I have a major character flaw. I am unaccomplished. At least, that is how I feel. Sure, I graduated valedictorian of my high school, graduated from a great university (THE Ohio State University), and have been accepted into medical school. Yet, I still feel unaccomplished. I have not done ANYTHING yet. I suppose my life will never be satisfied. Don't take that the wrong way, I am happy and at peace. No matter what I do, the feeling of non-achievement lingers shortly behind. Anyways, I am gonna keep plugging away. Maybe one day I will find that happiness that is satisfaction.

Cheers to you.

In search of. . .

Uncertainity in life lingers over us endlessly. We can spend anywhere from seconds to years deciding if we are making the right choices. What is the right choice? To be socially accepted, it needs to be what society wants. To be loved, it needs to be what the people around you want. However, I found something out the tough way. To be happy, it should be what you want. Let's face it, that is what matters the most. However, that doesn't mean there isn't room for you to be socially accepted and to be loved. It is important to find the way for you to WANT to be socially accepted, loved, etc. Once you figure that out, you unraveled one of life's great mysteries. Nice work, only a billion or so more to go...enjoy