My oh my . . . today has certainly been exciting, eventful, and . . . let me explain.

I woke up today (obvious statement, used to lead you into a story) thinking happily to myself, "Bob, today's going to be a constructive day! You're going to make yourself the jolliest soldier of them all by getting the chess club several sponsors as well as buying them new boards, and most importantly, you'll go theatre hopping and go to see Gangs of New York! What fun!". The day went nothing as planned, but I can't say it went badly. Fate took a different roll of dice, as it was meant to I suppose. It would be a dreadful run-on if I was to explain everything in a sentence, so allow me to explain using a separate paragraph.

Over the last few months, both my father's mother and my mother's mother have detereorated rapidly. Their health has gotten much worse. We believe Grandma Nadine (Dad's mom), whom I adore immensely, to have taken a turn to either Dementia, Alzheimers, or something else of sorts. It is extremely painful for me to see her in a convalescent hospital, especially because I remember distinctly the Grandma in her that would say, "Come here you handsome young man and give me some sugar sugar." (Which of course meant kiss me). It's just those fond memories of mine that make it sad to see her going.

As for my mother's mother (Grandma Pally), she is far worse off than Nadine, and suffers from a string of horribly long medical words that I really don't feel like going into. To make a long story short, it progressed to the point where she could hardly breathe, and was getting only 60% oxygen, so she was taken to the hospital this morning. We arrived in the city after an hour and a half trip around 5:00 P.M., and enjoyed seeing her in her conditions there. I hope she knows how much I love her, and to be sure of it I'm going to tell her very soon, because she certainly means so much to me, and her time will most likely be short. Grandma, I know you will never read this, but I love you very much, and I will remember how kind you have been to me over the years for much time to come.

So, that was the afternoon, but I neglected to mention a few exciting things that happened to me this morning. Sometimes, as I recently have discovered, I get very carried away about things and write in no sort of chronological order, however at the same time I write according to my stream of conscious and do what's important to me in accordance of my mind. Anyway, to move on with my amazing tale. I got a call from my second boss, telling me that I'll be receiving my $50.00 for the last two weeks of church cleaning this Sunday, which means I'll be able to go shoe shopping tomorrow for some track shoes and normal shoes at Fleet Feet. Off topic, but also very exciting, I was accepted into the World Gaming Tour this morning, and have already played three matches. Of the three matches I played, I won two, placing me in the rating of C6 (which is the starting category), but I am nearly at the top of the C6 category, going into C5, and have only been in the tournament for a single day. It has been this way for weeks and there are people that are still in the C6 category, which tells me that I'll be progressing with flying colors.

I finished my freedom of speech essay, or at least the second rough draft of it. Here it is:

Freedom of Speech
Fact or Fallacy

Being citizens of the United States of America, we are given certain rights and privileges. One of these important privileges is provided to us by the first amendment of our constitution, the freedom of speech. Every person in our world is born with a distinct voice of his or her own. The essential question is whether or not a person is actually granted freedom to use his voice in all of its entirety, and whether or not such a thing actually exists.

French law student Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) once said, “I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Speech is fundamental to the existence of mankind, and for centuries man has communicated with his fellow man, which has allowed him to dominate over most natural obstacles that have been hurled at him. Man, being the brilliant creature that he is, implemented a set of rights and practices for his fellow man to follow, restricting certain accesses and priorities, and limiting certain functions. Most of the limitations in our country can be found in our Constitution; however, many of the other so-called laws have been brought to us simply by means of status quo. Supporting this idea, Danish philosopher and religious thinker Soren Kierkegaard once said, “People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.” This concept links the idea that a person is given or born with the ability to say anything, however he or she does not always have something of importance to say. Along with freedom of speech one should also remember the timeless Chinese proverb: speak slowly, but think quickly. This proverb reminds one that words are how one is judged, and therefore we must choose the words we use wisely and take time to think about the words we use before they are spoken.

The citizens of America have changed and influenced freedom of speech since its implementation. It can be traced back to the chivalry of the English knights in the Middle Ages, or seen in a more modern light with the death of Martin Luther King Jr., a man who was murdered as a revolutionary speaker and writer, struggling for true equality in our country. It is important for one to respect the right of people or individuals to express themselves in a responsible manner for civilized society to maintain itself.

As many things are in the world today, freedom of speech can be discussed from numerous viewpoints or perspectives. One of these viewpoints can be seen as very positive and entails an amazing realm of possibility, which includes the fundamental existence of democracy as well as human dignity. Speech has also allowed man to pass down knowledge from generation to generation, learning from both success and mistake to further progress the evolutionary cycle of mankind. Speech is directly linked with expression because one often expresses himself through his diction, be it oral, written on paper, or passed on through some other means.

Even though there are many positive aspects to speech, there are numerous frightening and dangerous aspects as well. Due to the fact that speech is directly linked with expression, one has full power to use that freedom to show his discontent with the status quo and the desire he has to change it. For example, the lyrics of several contemporary rap artists today are oftentimes profane or vulgar; however, they are able to use the solid argument that it is a gift granted to them by our very own government: the freedom of expression. The controversy that is often found in freedom of speech is simply over the word “freedom.” British novelist Salman Rushdie once said, “What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.”. Salman was communicating the same thing that is being communicated through countless pieces literature in contemporary society; if a person has been granted equal rights to another person, and one person chooses to talk about the weather and the other chooses to talk about sex, drugs, violence, and living the life of a rock and roll star, then both of those people are given the same equal right: freedom of speech.

What one should consider is that we do indeed have a freedom of speech, as mentioned in the example of rap artists expressing themselves. However, what one should also consider is that very same freedom of speech is also given certain limitations and boundaries both by the government and the populous which it supports, therefore not making it a true freedom of speech, but rather a constricted freedom, and a freedom which we do not fully have. No matter what decisions are made about our freedom to express ourselves freely, mankind must remember to value his precious words, and never constrict his most divine freedom: the freedom of thought.

Take care my friends. Speak freely, but think logically before you speak.

P.S. It's hard to watch someone you love cry.
P.S.S. Look! Today's date is 1/2/3. Har har har!