History will judge us...

As we're sitting in front of our computers, using too much electricity with all the lights on in addition to the computer (which runs day and night) - the leaders of this world are gathered in one of my Scandinavian neighbouring countries, Denmark, to discuss a new climate deal. Do I think it will turn out amazing, no; I certainly don't. Do I think that's bad? Yeah, I do. We still have a chance to make amends, to fix what we've broken. Tests prove the ice is melting from the poles and glaciers all over the world faster than anyone could predict, and just last year, we got 20 millions new climate refugees in the world who are refugees because climatic changes have forced them to leave their homes behind.

So why don't we do something? Because, sadly, monetary interests are more important than common human interests, yes; evidently so important that they trumph even the human existence. Because we might kill ourselves this way, if we don't get off this ride before it is too late, there will be no way back, and we will have caused our own demise - in the end. And what do you think they'll say, those last humans standing on a planet which is ruined after our wars, pollution, hunger and the natural disasters we caused? Do you think they'll say that "Well, I certainly understand them, after all; they COULD make more money on selling oil than environmental fuel"? Because I rather doubt that. Instead, I think they'll think "WHY didn't they do something? Why didn't they think of us?" And if there is an afterlife, and if it's where we all meet after we're gone - we won't have an answer for them. All we can say at that moment is "we weren't thinking". Because evidently, we aren't thinking. We're doing the opposite of what the world needs because it might give us a few extra dollars in our pockets, or because it's more comfortable letting things remain the way they are.

My inner marxist is creeping out into the light here. Because, for me, at least; there's no way this issue can be understood without an economical perspective to it. We have to take the system into account. The system is capitalism. No matter how much it has failed, how many crises we've seen just the last decade, we still keep believing in it. Even when the head of the American central bank has admitted that the system he's believed in all his life is flawed, we still keep going in the same direction. Because it's a fact that the money control the people, instead of the people controlling the money. History shows we've started world wars to protect our colonial interests or our own country's power, because power gives money. We're making bombs and mines we know are intended for children because we'll make money of them, we ruin people's lives dealing drugs because it gives us personal gain, and we cut down as many trees as possible in the world so we can sell them and at the same time make room for more companies, more factories, more homes. What makes capitalism go around is expansion, and for some weird reason, a lot of people (the same people who calls it "naive" to believe in humanity, peace, or a greener future) are naive enough to believe that eternal expansion is possible. But the world won't grow, won't magically clone instelf so we can continue expanding - this can't continue forever. We might just aswell stop it now, do what's right instead of what it gives us. Ask not what the world can do for you, but what you can do for the world...

I've never understood why people do anything for personal gain, and that might explain why I can't understand these world leaders who forsake the future of this entire planet because of completely irrelevant factors such as economical gain or keeping good relations with another country. But what I think when I see them, trying to pretend like they care while all they can wrap their cynical heads around is how to make a deal that gives them what they want but makes it SEEM like they're doing the right thing, is - WHY can't they just say "Screw this, I'm doing what's right, I'm doing what makes me able to sleep at night!" I don't believe they're all psychopaths, that they're evil - which means, something in them must protest LOUDLY when they speak up for doing nothing. Something good, human and rational. In any case, WE'LL protest, to show them what they need to do if they want humanity to survive on this beautiful planet.

Why "2012" got to me

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not into that "end of the world"-crap, I don't think we will all die in 2012, and I certainly don't think that if we should, we would have the technology to build archs like the ones in "2012". So, yes, when I entered the cinema I was a true skeptic.

And it started off like any other movie with too many special effects and too little focus on the actual story: Some science guy was in a tunnel in India, in which an Indian scientist had discovered that the latest sun storm was so heavy that it had made a lot of neutrons, and now there were so many that the world was overheating - from within. Yeah right. And the American scientist who visited the Indian scientist went straight back to the US and before you know it, he's working for the president. YEAH RIGHT.

But it got better, it truly did. Before I really start off this review; I have to make one thing clear: I'm a sucker for cliches. White weddings, tearful goodbyes, selfless sacrifices - you name it, in a movie it always makes me cry. And "2012" were full of those moments (although no wedding). The hero of the story is the family father Jackson Curtis, who, when he's camping with his kids in Yellowstone national park, stumbles upon a secret federal operation - and a conspiracy nut telling him the world is going to end. The Mayans predicted it, the I-Ching, even the Bible hints about it. But, he also tells Curtis that the governments of the world have united to build archs to save humanity. But they can only take so few... And to prevent chaos, they're not informing the people. Charlie, which is the conspiracy nut's name, is the man who has taken upon himself the task to inform the public. Curtis believes the man is crazy, but the recent chaotic weather is a little suspicious. When Curtis and his children meet two spoiled, fat Russian children who say that "they're going on a big plane, and you can't come", Curtis realizes Charlie was right all along, and in the middle of a California in chaos (earthquakes, storms, tsunamis, everything) he somehow manages to get ahold of a plane, and gets his family inside. From there on ensues a wild ride over huge parts of the world - first back to Yellowstone, to get the map for where the government have hidden these archs, and then - to China. But of course there are complications...

We also follow the young scientist who's now working for the president, and the president itsef. All these fates are spun together, and it is really quite amazing to watch. I was sure it would just be special effects and action sequences through the entire film, and although there was a lot of that, the story was good and the actors were much better than I expected. The human drama, seeing the end to our civilization, to everything we know and everyone we love - THAT was the main focus of the movie all along. And human drama makes me cry. When the American president chooses to stay behind to die with his people, when the scientist craves that they let more people into the archs, when the fat, Russian businessman sacrificed himself to save his children - and, especially during the most intense scene of them all, the hydraulic scene - I sobbed like a baby.

So that's why it got to me. It was something about all the cliches, about all the sad moments - but also, the thought that one day, this WILL happen, civilization will cease to exist - and whatever comes after, we will be gone forever. The sun will swallow us. It is an impossible thought, a world without humans - so beautiful and terrifying all at once. I actually feel myself recommending this movie now, Charlie is so cool it's worth it, and it IS really intense and exciting - and there's some major crying possibilities. So go see it, enjoy it, and remember: You heard it from Charlie first!

Blogging is a way of life

They say blogging has replaced diaries, blogging has replaced letters and blogging is a phenomenon which isn't going away. There are fashion bloggers, news bloggers (some of them get ahold of news BEFORE the newspapers), sports bloggers, celebrity bloggers, travel bloggers, cooking bloggers, gossip bloggers, baby bloggers, pregnancy bloggers, music bloggers, political bloggers, and the list goes on.

I don't know what exactly it is that makes me WANT to blog, gives me the urge to publish news and tidbits from my life, my experiences, my opinions. Why I want to write about my trip to London and the latest book I'm reading, even though no one might be reading what I blog. I've had a blog in Norwegian for a while now, which is really just political and I wanted to do something else. Have a more "normal" blog, where I write about who I am, for people to read if they want to. I've always found it somewhat amazing, that you can get to know so much about a person by browsing the internet. I'm not talking age, race, gender, orientation - those things don't matter much to me. I'm talking about who we are inside. For instance, I love the website PostSecret. People mail in the secrets anonymously, and we can all read them and relate, and I feel that brings me closer to those people than reading info about them anywhere would ever do.

Well, I should proably introduce myself - with all those meaningless facts. My name is Jenny, I am an 18-year old girl from Norway who is enjoying life. I'm in the last year of high school, or upper secondary school if you wish (high school is from 15/16-18/19 here, depending on whether you're born in spring or autumn), so I'll be 19 when I graduate this june. (My birthday is april 6th.) I have always wanted to become a journalist, and I'm a quite spontaneous person, but there are some things I just don't "mess with", and education plans is one of them. But I really do want to travel too, I've considered going to Latin America for a year to volunteer somewhere, so I can learn Spanish properly, learn about their culture and their history and make lots of new friends.

This entry is pretty long now, so I'll be back later.