The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

It was a tad surreal seeing the final episode of The Colbert Report . I remember turning on Comedy Central the following Monday night at 11 pm, and when 11:30 rolled around, expecting to see Stephen Colbert at the desk, poking fun of anything from the president to Fox News to campaign ads to the entertainment world and everything in between. As the clock struck 11:30, I came to realize the show really was over and the next time I'd see Colbert in such a setting would be on CBS' The Late Show . It was then that reality struck me on the matter and I felt a certain degree of sadness that one of my biggest influences had called it quits on his show to strive for something even bigger and better. While Larry Wilmore has filled in quite well with The Nightly Show , I still miss Colbert's silly demeanor, crazy antics, and comedic wit. Then, just last night, Jon Stewart closed The Daily Show  by telling viewers that this was going to be the last year for him on the show. To be perf...

I recently got into a discussion regarding the phrase, "Everything happens for a reason." While I've written about this phrase before, and how much it irks me when another utters it, it's mainly due to 95% of the people using it in reference to a higher power and predestination. When I recently discussed this with another, she referred to its accuracy due to causality (everything does literally happen for a reason, due to cause and effect). While I don't think I can dispute that claim, again, the reason why this phrase gets under my skin so much (not literally) is because, most times, it's used in reference to predestination and not in reference to causality. While the causality route may appear to be insensitive when it's used with regard to a tragedy of some kind, it's at least accurate. The predestination route, to me anyway, comes across as both insensitive and likely inaccurate. Here is an example of each: Causality Route (rarely, if ever used) ...

While I'm by no means a fan of confrontation, especially in relationships (dating, friendships, or otherwise), it is essential at times to either check the status of a relationship or to move it forward in one manner or another. However, I've noticed two common problems with these confrontations: 1) Some people refuse to engage in such discussions, and 2) When confronted on an issue, many refuse to completely own up to their mistakes. While I understand the mindset of those in group 1, as I've come to learn, the longer people ignore problems in a relationship, the more likely it is that said problems will come back to bite them somewhere down the line. As the saying goes, the first step to solving a problem is admitting one exists. If one doesn't admit this problem, how will he or she know one is present, and how will they then tackle and defeat said problem? It would be strange to hear someone say they enjoy confrontation, but whether or not we enjoy it, it's nec...