These last few weeks have been filled with so many global hardships and disasters! It makes one really take stock of what we have, and perhaps what we take for granted. The following is a blog entry from a friend of mine and a friend of many here at Fanshawe. Lee Mashinter is a long-standing employee of Fanshawe working as a technician on the Mac support team. Lee was recently diagnosed with stage four liver cancer. He created a blog to track these changes and the new trials in his life. With Lee's approval, I would like to share his latest blog entry with you.

All the bitching that I do, all the blind eyes that are turned in our society, it is words like the following that really have impact.

Another dog in the house — Lee Mashinter March 16, 2011

Reality check - my hair has started to fall out. It's like having another dog in the house ... it's everywhere! The vain male in me wonders how creepy I'll look bald, but my wife has assured me that I'll be sexier than Vin Diesel.

With so much time on my hands, this chemo/cancer bullshit certainly makes you think about life, death, the universe, luck, fate, science, faith and everything else. I've pondered all of these over the years, but when you're faced with a crisis it challenges you to examine everything that you have been, everything that you are, and everything that you will be.

First of all, I don't believe that when we die we go to a shiny happy place with pearly gates and fluffy clouds. I just don't see any logic or reason for such things. How nice could it be with billions of people hanging around? And if it's so amazing and idyllic, why did we waste our time on boring old Earth, why not just skip to heaven, where there's no cancer or car accidents? If I'm wrong I'll be delighted and shrug sheepishly when a big cartoony God with a big beard shakes his massive head and says, "See, you were wrong!"

That said, I do believe in a creator. I have no idea if it's a human-like being or a gaseous cloud or something so weird that my puny human mind can't comprehend it, but the remarkably complex structures of the tiniest protozoa on our planet tells me that this just didn't "happen." Unfortunately, we hostile humans have killed many of our brothers and sisters fighting over this big question ... stop it, will ya? Just have a slice of cake together and respect the fact that no one (not even the Pope) has the slightest clue what's on the "other side" (if anything).

On the other hand, I have no patience for blind faith. Oh, you belong to the same religion as your parents, and you haven't done the slightest research into your own belief system and the alternatives? That's not faith, that's sheer laziness. Is your so-called religion not even worthy of your time to look behind its curtain? Ironically, you'll defend this belief system with nothing but a tissuethin explanation, and you'll likely put far more effort into choosing your next car. Wow, that was a quite a tangent, but I can't believe how many "smart" people I know that make unbelievably stupid decisions with so many resources to help them make smarter ones ... unfortunately, far too many are far too engrossed in watching American Idol to spend any time learning anything about themselves or the issues that they allegedly care about.

So what would you do if you were me? Would you write your "bucket list?" Would you want to meet a celebrity, or maybe climb a mountain or drive a racing car? I've already filled my bucket list so I'm at peace. I've built a happy life for myself, and I can't imagine it being any better.

Gift or curse, we fragile humans seem be the only creatures on the planet that know we're going to die (although we're all in denial about it), so do you party hard, knowing that you can't take it with you, or do you squirrel away your nuts for winter, presuming a long, healthy life? I think the smart money is somewhere in between. Feed your soul, remember that most people care far more about themselves than they care about you (so stop wasting so much energy on hairstyles and "who's hot"), and just live! Be realistic about the world you exist in, and stop listening to the "you can be anything you want to be if you just try really hard!" nonsense that we've all been fed since childhood. I think the star system and our North American "who's number one at the box office" mentality has driven us insane. Our self-esteem (especially among young women) has been so damaged by the "perfect skin, skinny is good, glossy hair" mantra that it's no wonder that we're so freaking unhappy.

And most importantly ... stop going to the mall so much! It offers you nothing but debt and hollow temporary pleasure. To consume as recreation is as much a dangerous path as illicit drugs and slot machines.

Enjoy the ice cream, enjoy the music that your ears like, help others when you can and just ... love each other. Please. It's all we have.

To check out his blog, visit yurbo.com/leescancer.

B.A.L.L.S. is Bitching About Life in London and Society
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