Characteristics I Search For In Music

Here are the examples mentioned in the video for each characteristic: 

Percussion/Drums 

Rap Segments 

Rhythms

Background Vocals 

Guitar

Story Telling 

Kinda Important Blog Update

Just a quick announcement about a very significant change being made to my blog. Everything is explained in the video.
Annnnnnnd I fixed it. Had to re-upload the entire thing but it's done.

Lincoln: Man of Integrity

Abraham Lincoln was a noble leader because he was a man of integrity. He became President on March 4, 1861. Tragically , at this time the nation was divided on the issue of slavery. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book, that was written ten years earlier, had galvanized the Northern States against slavery. Abraham Lincoln took up the cause of freedom and war eventually ensued. During the conflict, Lincoln was not afraid to use new technology to turn the tide of the war, as was displayed in the Monitor Merrimac battle of March 8-9, 1862. Later in his presidency, he showed great courage in initiating, the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.  Eleven months later , he convincingly delivered the Gettysburg Address which helped to heal  a war torn country and laid the responsibility of the defense of freedom upon the shoulders of every U.S. citizen. Abraham Lincoln became known as one of the most influential leaders in history because he possessed certain rare  qualities not found in the common man.  He was firm and resolute when undergoing unjust criticism and never retaliated when provoked , was honest and trustworthy even in the most trivial affairs , and was educated in the Bible, always abiding by its principles.

Abraham Lincoln will forever be known as a man who was honest. He was fiercely  devoted to truth and had the moral strength to be honest with friend and foe, in public and in private. James Russell Lowe in his poem about Lincoln described his character by saying “And loyalty to Truth be sealed; As bravely in the closet as the field.” Wholeheartedly , Lincoln believed in the laws governing truth and that man is accountable to God for the life they choose to live. In this way , his public declarations were consistently straightforward, truthful in every point, and conveyed the actuality of the current state of affairs, thus communicating a timeless message that still clearly rings in the ears of people today. Abraham Lincoln’s honesty is his most enduring  trait and by it, continues to inspire countless people throughout the ages.

He had the courage to endure unjust criticism and never lashed out when provoked. Constantly , Lincoln struggled against unfair blame and vicious  attacks by those around him, but never let discouragement deter him from the righteous cause for which he so valiantly  fought. Instead of retaliating foolishly , he used truth to battle the endless flow of slander and bring about amelioration. Lincoln understood the importance of knowing when to respond to false charges against him, and when to leave them be. Lincolns Second Inaugural Address beckoned to all willing to listen, “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan--to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.” Lincoln’s moral strength in responding and knowing when not to respond to criticism is a significant model for all human behavior.


Lincoln was schooled in the Bible and abided by its teachings. Unquestionably , he was a student of Gods words, knowing and applying the compelling principles of the Bible which gave him the power and strength to conquer adversity of any shape or form. Lincoln deeply understood the Bible and was familiar with the passage in Luke 11:17 that said “…Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.” When Lincoln said “A house divided against itself cannot stand”, he knew that as long as the United States remained separated, the nation would be powerless to stop the inevitable  and long foreseen consequences lying  in wait. On one occasion, when Lincoln called together a small group of friends and councilors to review and critique the final draft of his first speech for the Lincoln Douglas debates. His close friends counseled him to remove a selection from his speech that referred to a scripture in the Bible. They said it would drive away voters. Lincoln said “The Time has come when this truth should be uttered and I am determined neither to change nor modify my assertion. I am willing if necessary to perish with it. If it is decreed that I should go down because of this speech, then let me go down linked to the truth. Let me die in the advocacy of what is just and right.” Without a doubt , Lincoln’s life proves that the ancient teachings of the Bible are as relevant and powerful now, as they were thousands of years ago.

Abraham Lincoln is known and respected not for his looks, smooth words, or popularity among the people. Above all , he was looked upon as a legendary leader because of his honesty in private and public situations , his long suffering of undeserved slander and slowness to anger , and his undivided allegiance to the Bible and its teachings . Abraham Lincoln had a foundational knowledge of truth in which he had internalized within his heart giving him a singular  power that no one else possessed. Lincoln was always expanding his character by application of these tried and true principles. These principles he lived by propelled  him through all circumstances. Fiercely , he held onto that truth in the face of adversity until the bitter end because he knew that by remaining firm in the truth he would prevail.

Becoming The Person You Have Always Dreamt Of Being.

Suddenly I'm awake.  Cruelly thrown from a pleasant dream back into reality.  I listen for moment, greeted by the peaceful silence broken only by my best friends quite breathing.  I wonder what woke me, but I quickly dismiss the thought and try to sleep.  Given a few more seconds. I would have fallen back into a wonderful dream but am interrupted by a small cry.  I smile, now understanding what woke me.  A second cry echos through the house.  There is movement behind me, and I glance back at Autumn who is beginning to sit up.  She smiles and mouths that she will take it this time.  Gratefully I collapse back on the bed and listen to Autumn's footsteps as she leaves the room to take care of our young child.  Sleep is impossible now.  As I lye in bed, my thoughts wander back to my teenage years when I believed this day would never come.  It's a little frightening.  They say a few years is such a long time, but it really isn't.  I think about everything that has happened since I left my parents home.  Going to college, getting a job, serving an LDS mission, having a family.  None of this I expected to happen so quickly.  But it did.  

Lately I feel like my age has really caught up with me.  I am beginning to realize the person I want to become in the next five or six years.  This is exciting and slightly scary. For my Personal Leadership Class we are writing snapshots of our lives in the near future.  What I have written here is a short excerpt from that snapshot.
Currently, I feel like I have been surviving, focusing specifically on the the now.  When I grow older I want to go to college, serve an LDS mission, and have a family with  my best friend.  All of this is defiantly possible, but accomplishing it will require me to shift my focus from the now, and begin making an effective plan for the future.
Abraham Lincoln said: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Planning is like sharpening our axe.  You can have the strongest arm, and the perfect swing, but nothing will be accomplished with a dull hatchet.
We all have dreams to become someone great, and we all have hopes to achieve them.  But few of us actually have a sharp axe.  People say, "I'm going to become like Steve Jobs when I grow older" but make no efforts or plans to accomplish that dream. Ask yourself, do I know the how part of the equation or am I vainly dreaming?    

Courage | The Absence of Fear?

Courage: "The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear"
-Dictionary.com
In our society courage means facing opposition "without fear."  This mindset is seen everywhere, but is it correct?  Courage in my mind is being afraid but controlling that fear and using to balance fearlessness.
If you contrast having no fear, to having fear, there is a very distinct difference in the way it causes a person to act.  Fearlessness gives a person the strength to overcome fear, but usually results overconfidence.  When someone has fear it holds overconfidence at bay, but causes them to be excessively cautious.  Both can be hurtful on their own, but the chemistry of true courage is a combination of fearlessness and fear.  True courage comes from an equal balance between these two opposite, but equally important forces.
My conclusion is that courage is incomplete without fear.  Without it, courage would evolve into overconfidence, that would subdue caution, inevitably ending in foolish behavior.  I'm not sure if its possible to be courageous without fear acting as a protection from making rash decisions.      
Our society has put an incorrect label on fear and fails to recognize it as an important part of courage.  They think that fear shows weakness, but rather the absence of fear is weakness.

Overcoming The Greatest Trials Through Writing | Extended Thoughts

A couple days ago I made a post about writing and how it has helped me so much in the past weeks.  I'm not sure if I gave a complete explanation of how I did it, so this post is meant to be my extended explanation of the subject.
I began with a blank document and wrote as fast as I could about what I felt.  I didn't worry about spelling, grammar, nothing. When I finished I had a very messy document loaded with my emotions.  I read through it a few times and fixed any grammatical errors while being careful not to change the core meaning.  Then, I opened a separate document and began copying and pasting bits from the first document, to the second.  These small pieces I arranged together into a paragraph that flowed and made sense.  After I was finished I had a paragraph describing my problem written strait from my heart.
Writing the paragraph allowed me to explain my problem in a way that made me think about things like, why is this happening and why do I feel this way?  Most of the time you don't think about that sort of stuff in the heat of the moment.  I find myself saying "that's just the way it is".  But no, there is reason behind it.  Nothing happens by coincidence and through writing, I was able to find the reasons why.
It also changed my perspective.  No longer was I looking at it from my point of view, but from a new perspective that allowed me to see in ways that I was blind.  All the time I fall into the trap of believing that I can already see everything from my standpoint, but in reality all I can see is one dimension of the three dimensional object.
My words have only given you a tiny drop of what can be discovered through writing.  It may seem much too simple to be effective, but believe me when I say it works.  Few things in my life have been more helpful than writing in finding meaning during moments of uncertainty 

Overcoming The Greatest Trials Through Writing

Recently I began my first attempt to write a poem of my own.  It's been something I've been dying to do for the past few years but I've never felt comfortable doing it.  So about I week ago I finally got over my fear and forced myself to do it.
The topic I decided upon was one that had been troubling me for quite some time.  The gist of the problem was that every day I felt like I was being consumed by myself (figuratively speaking).  Every time I looked in the mirror I would have voices in my head criticize, my hopes, dreams, who I was etc.  My mind would bring back the voices and words of people who had mocked me in the past.  The torment became so unbearable that I began having trouble sleeping.  I knew this had to stop, but I had no idea how.

One night as I was getting ready for bed my thoughts turned to something my Mother had told me.  She said that the greatest problems can be broken down through writing.  I already knew what I needed to write about.  Here is what I came up with.

I hear their voices,

Soundless in my mind.

I feel their presence,

The demons inside my head.

They, mock, tease, torment.

I feel their laughing eyes,

Penetrating my heart.

They know me better than I know myself.

My hopes, dreams, fears.

They feed on what I hold dear,

Consuming me.

I try to hide.

I cannot hide from myself.

The other day I was watching a video on lds.org; the one I had seen so many times I had practically memorized the entire film.  Usually my mind wanders, but this time it didn't.  As I watched I noticed the part where Jesus casts the devil out of the young boy.  This may seem like a little bit of a stretch, but I felt like he could do the same for me.  Of course, the breed of demons I'm experiencing are slightly different but the principle remains the same.  

By writing I was able to see my problem in a new light.  It allowed me to make connections that helped me identify a solution.  My solution was Christ.  Although I was left empty and desolate, I knew that I could become whole again through his everlasting love.
In summary, whenever you have something going on in your life that is troubling you, write about it.  It may seem like a stupid thing to do, and I certainly thought so at first; but when you do it will make all the difference.  Writing is a tool, or a key rather, to overcoming the greatest trials you will ever face.