Marni's World

As I sit here writing this blog, I honestly do not know how I feel about this profound incident. I can say with the utmost certainty that the death of Osama Bin Laden was absolutely justified and I am glad the world is free of such a brutal murderer. I am, however, really sickened by the reaction of so-called "American patriots." The reaction to the news of his death that I saw in the streets of New York and Washington, where people were partying and shouting "USA, USA," is so puzzling to me.

I heard a news segment where a young man described the death of Osama Bin Laden as to how our grandparent's generation must have felt about the death of Adolf Hitler. I also see a connection. Hitler was a brutal dictator that murdered millions of Jewish people and non-Jewish people alike. Bin Laden was a brutal rebel leader who murdered thousands of Muslims as well as Americans. Neither man seemed to possess any regard for human life and they were both willing to kill anyone to further their own causes. So yes, I see a connection and perhaps history will continue to draw these parallels. While Americans may have expressed the same feelings and sentiments about the death of Hitler some 65 years ago, our media has changed so much that the images of Americans shouting in the streets like a bunch of drunken idiots, can only do us harm in the end.

I am so curious what the rest of the world thinks about the death of Bin Laden. The media has been saturated with stories and comments from people all over the world, but I want to know from young people what their thoughts are on this momentous event. As many Ebaby! members are from various countries in and around the Middle East, I ask you, what are your thoughts on Bin Laden's death and the reaction it has received around the world? Now let me state again that I fully support our President and military in making the decision to kill Bin Laden. I feel it was the right and just thing to do. I am just confused by the extreme reactions it has received from many Americans and from others around the world. I know I am not alone in my questioning amongst my friends and family here in Portland, but I want to know what the world has to say about this historic event.

I want to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt sorrow for the people of Japan. I am always struck by this horrible feeling of helplessness whenever a tragedy of this scale occurs. Of course, I can donate money to organizations that provide relief effort. Aside from that, how do we deal with tragedies such as these, which seem to be occurring more and more frequently?

There has been a lot of talk of the possible nuclear crisis in Japan. Aren’t all of these disasters serving as a wake up call that we can’t keep living our lives the way we do? I am naïve, perhaps, but I have to admit that I have been looking at my life closely. Life really is precious and fragile and I want to appreciate every day I am on this planet.  

I know that it sometimes takes a tragedy to make people come together and not be so self-involved, but it shouldn’t. I look at people like Sean Penn who has been living and working in Haiti since that country’s earthquake, and I think there is some good in humanity. He has given up the comforts of his very charmed life and has given of himself completely to help those in need. I am not saying that we should or even could all do that, but isn’t it important to give of yourself in some way? If you cannot do it on such a grand scale as Mr. Penn, you can at least volunteer some time in your local community. I try and live my life this way. It is my sincerest desire that something good will come out of  this horrible tragedy in Japan. Perhaps it will inspire someone reading this to get involved in humanitarian efforts and some good can come of this unspeakable event. Here's hoping!

We recently did a lesson about being frugal. Now, some might say that being frugal is really the same thing as being cheap, but I don't think so, and I will attempt to explain why in this blog. I have been frugal for most of my adult life, and I would venture to say it is hereditary, meaning it is in my blood. My grandmothers were both extremely generous with me but also pretty careful with their money, i.e. frugal. I grew up clipping coupons and organizing them for both my grandmother and my mother. It is a trait I still keep alive as I am an avid coupon user. Now if I could just figure out the organizational part I would really make my mother proud.

I have wrestled with the idea that I am too frugal or, in all honesty, that I am really cheap. Most of my friends are extremely generous with their money. Truth be told, I think that most of my friends make more money than I do. I have always been careful with my money and try to spend it wisely. I save as much as possible because you never know when an emergency might strike. This fear of emergencies of mine seems a little bit of paranoia at times. If I feel like I am spending too much, then I start to panic and make myself go on spending freezes.

Now, to get to the heart of what it means to be frugal. For me, it is a way of life because I don’t know any better. I have excluded myself from activities or events that I feel are too expensive because of my frugality. I have denied items that I feel are too expensive and have returned more than my fair share of items if I find the same item for a cheaper price. This is how I am frugal. Is it a bad thing?  I suppose in some ways, it prevents me from enjoying some things in life, but on the other hand, I am very good with my money and I never spend beyond my means. I always say if I win the lottery, then I will buy everyone I know fabulous things but until that day I am going to continue to save my money and spend wisely. Perhaps I am deluding myself and I am really just cheap, but I live a pretty good life. Maybe just maybe, I have my frugal ways to thank.