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Steel Matt

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  1. Steel Matt
    Written for the one-year anniversary of MLP Forums!
     
     
    Life, Liberty, and the beauty of Love and Tolerance
     
    Before I begin this 800 word essay or post (an indirect challenge I took on from the Happy B-Day forum!), you may recognize the title taken from the Declaration of Independence. Of course, the last words were changed from “the pursuit of happiness” to “the beauty of Love and tolerance”. I am sure we have all had our Constitution and Declaration of Independence lectures, both in high school and college. Even if you are outside of the United States, chances are you have heard and read about America’s founding morals and values. However, it was always interesting to people: the fact that the founding fathers worded happiness as something you pursue. So, can happiness ever truly be obtained? Well, that’s what we are going to go into, and it all relates to love and tolerance, with the My Little Pony community as an example.
     
     
    The pursuit of happiness is sometimes confused with the American Dream. The traditional American Dream in short, is to work hard, obtain wealth by working hard, and pass this tradition onto the next generation. However, there are a lot more factors that play into this concept. But the basic idea is the fact that our society has gotten so caught up with big business, obtaining wealth and materialistic possessions…that we may have truly forgotten the things in our lives that make us truly happy. To explain this better, I will tell a short fictional story/hypothetical:
     
    -Congratulations! You’ve “made it” by the American Dream standards. You have wealth, you have power, and you can virtually afford many items with a 1 to 5 million dollar salary a year (before taxes). But wait! Now you are a part of the largest tax bracket in existence, sometimes paying more than half of your income on taxes. This upsets you, but you continue to build your own business and Entrepreneur Empire in the hopes of obtaining happiness. You love what you do and you give a lot to charity, but you are still unhappy. You feel like you’ve missed it, and you are not quite sure why. You have money, you have power, you have respect…what else is there? Well, there is love and tolerance. And finally by some miracle overcoming your busy schedule, you find your soul mate! You get married later in life, and have a few kids. However, you are so busy with work it’s hard to spend time with family. One day, you find yourself stopped at a stoplight in a $90,000 SUV and your family is arguing about cell phones, not being able to do what they want, and you are upset. You then notice the car in front of you: A beat up old station wagon that probably wouldn’t be able to sell for more than $800; and there is a full family in the car, windows down, laughing and having a great time after a fishing trip. Then it FINALLY hits you! You realize after chasing your dreams for so long, everything you needed was right in front of you.
     
    Now, instead of giving to charity because it “looks good”, you give freely and visit those children in need along with your family. Your family begins to learn what it truly means to be happy: money is nice, but if you let it rule you, it will consume you. Love and happiness is about random acts of kindness that go unnoticed. Happiness is about sharing, caring, and being joyful no matter what the circumstances. Because no matter what you’ve been through in life, and no matter what disability you may face, the only true disability in this life is a bad attitude. Also, with great power comes great responsibility. Lastly, with faith, hope, and love…you can finally find true happiness, no matter what your background, income, or upbringing. You can control your own destiny! And that is one of the messages I believe this show has to offer-
     
    So if we bring that story into the My Little Pony community, WHO KNEW! I mean, who knew a television show designed for little girls could bring together a community of boys, girls, men, and women of all ages? Well, that is what has happened and is happening! And we have the entire community, and places like MLPForums to thank for that! Now mind you, the internet is anything but a true human experience. But it’s a great start to real life meet ups, getting to know others, and just plain learning how to not follow the norm or the crowd!
     
     
    Now my quick background: I am not extremely active on the site, but I have gotten to know some amazing people here, and even though it’s online, I can tell by the quality of a lot of posts…that a lot of folks here care about being genuine, and care about helping the world. So to that I say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MLP FORUMS! Let the true pursuit of happiness start with love and tolerance. Although we may always pursue happiness, always remember: if we approach something with a humble heart and a genuine spirit, “with ordinary talents and extraordinary perseverance, ALL things are attainable!” –Sir Thomas Buxton
     
    -STEEL MATT (Matthew)
  2. Steel Matt

    The Tipping Point

    By Steel Matt,

    For this blog entry, I will speak/type in the quotes by others:
     
     
     
    “The Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” - Thomas Jefferson
     
     
    "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." = Abraham Lincoln
     
     
    "America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold:its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life.
    If we can undermine these three areas,
    America will collapse
    from within." = Josef Stalin (Communist)
     
     
    1. From bondage to spiritual faith
    2. From spiritual faith to great courage
    3. From great courage to liberty
    4. From liberty to abundance
    5. From abundance to selfishness
    6. From selfishness to complacency
    7. From complacency to Apathy
    8. From apathy to moral decay
    9. From moral decay to dependence
    10. From dependence back to bondage.
     

  3. Steel Matt

    Heartbeat

    By Steel Matt,

    Prayer is Powerful. Just as your heart pumps blood through your body to keep your body alive, so does prayer and worship pump the Holy Spirit's presence into your soul. For if the heart stops pumping, how can the body survive? The heart is pumping the blood 24/7. The heart never stops, it always continues on. If you let that heartbeat die, it is possible to jump start it again. But if it is out too long, the body becomes cold and vulnerable to the elements. Such vulnerability can blind our faith. So I ask, let us pray not just more frequently, but 24/7. We often focus so much on the physical body, we tend to neglect the spirit. Friends, get those hearts pumping again!!! God will hear you.


     
     
    7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:7-11
     

    Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20


     

    For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16


  4. Steel Matt
    Credit Cards: Some Important Life Advice from an Experienced Card Holder
     
    Hello friends, this is steelmatt6 here with another blog entry. This might seem like a boring topic to most of you, but before I began, I assure you it is very important. We have all heard about credit cards, regardless of what age you might be. Credit Cards are those amazing pieces of plastic you can buy almost anything with, and you just pay it off at the end of the month, right? Well, even to the most financially responsible individual, at some point in our lives the following phrase will apply: "If you use it, you'll abuse it...at some point or another". So I am going to take my own personal experience with credit cards (I am 22, but have owned them since I was 16) and share my experience with you, and hopefully it will give you a good starting foundation if you are not into the credit card game yet!
     
    _________________________________________________________________________________
     
    First lesson: USE CASH! (Also the same as DEBIT). My first impression when I was younger was that in order to build up my credit card history, I needed a credit card as soon as possible. First off, a little background information:
     
    "Building your credit" is another term for building your credit score. Your credit score (based off of your credit history) has a maximum score of 850. There are three companies that monitor and set your credit score. They are: Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax. Basically, a score above 700 is classified as "ok". If you are between 750-800 that is great, and anything above 800 is excellent. The score tells lenders how risky you are in managing your money. For example, if you don't have a good score (lets say it is 650) it doesn't really mean you are going to be denied loans, a mortgage, etc. but you will be subject to paying a higher interest rate. Most companies use APR (Annual Percentage Rate) as their calculation for interest rates. A person with a 650 score may have a 25% APR card (which is outrageous) because they see you as a greater risk, and they charge a higher fee to compensate for that risk. But, a person with a 750 may have a 13% APR on their card. The person with a 750 is seen as less risky, so they charge you lesser fees (interest) for borrowing money. However, if you obtain a credit card and pay off your FULL balance monthly, you will not build up any interest...but I assure you, the temptation to go beyond your financial means gets very high. Even if you tell yourself you will pay off your balance monthly, you need to do everything in your power to uphold that promise to yourself. It is VERY easy to get into a tough situation when you get too close to your credit line (or line of credit). That brings us to some more background information!
     
    Your credit line is the maximum borrowing limit a company sets on your account. For example, lets use a fake company called Quick Bits (see what I did there as our example. Lets say you are a student and you want to apply for your very first credit card. You get an application from Quick Bits. Quick Bits recognizes that you don't have a credit history, so they give you a student account and set your limit to $250 USD. If you make your monthly payments on time (and stay below 50% of your credit usage--so don't let your balance go over $125) they will most likely extend your credit to $500. If you pay off your balance on time the next year, and don't let your balance go over $250, they may extend your credit to $1000 and so on and so forth. So, now you have a basic understanding of a credit line. But please keep the following statement in mind:
     
    YOUR CREDIT SCORE IS THE SAME THING AS A DEBT SCORE
     
    Using credit can tell lenders you have to have some line of credit in order to afford your purchases, and it is essentially a debt score (they use the term "credit" to make it more appealing IMO). My best advice to you would be NOT to get a credit card. Use cash and your debit card, maybe a check every now and then (when are they going to phase those out! lol). But here is the problem:
     
    You can't get an auto loan or a mortgage, or any loan for that matter without a credit score. For the most part, you can't get a credit score without building up your history with a credit card. And believe me, it takes a good while to build up your history. Sooner or later, you need a credit card...it's just how the system works. I wish it were different. So, because most of you will need a credit card someday (even for those who already have one) here is some advice:
     
    1. DO YOUR RESEARCH! Also, ask your parents/co-workers/friends for advice.
    Just because a company claims to be the best for what you need, doesn't mean they are. You should do your own research on credit card companies.
     
    2. GET A GOOD APR
    Anything above a 15% APR (even for new students/young card holders) is absurd. Don't let them twist your thinking into thinking a 20% APR is normal...its, in fact, almost criminal! There are cards out there where you can get an APR for under 10%. 13.99% is pretty common.
     
    3. PAY OF YOUR FULL BALANCE MONTHLY!
    This is an exception to rule 2. If you pay off your balance monthly, you don't need to worry about being charged interest. But still, GET A GOOD APR! Trust me. Sometimes, there are points in life where you will incur some interest.
     
    4. DON'T ACCEPT ANNUAL FEES
    ALWAYS avoid companies that may not charge interest, but charge an annual fee. If you are older, then the annual fee (and no interest) will be better because you are constantly making larger purchasers. But no matter what age you are, if you find a company the charges an APR AND an annual fee, fire them or don't even consider it.
     
    5. WATCH OUT FOR THEIR TRICKS
    The single best tactic for companies to lure you in is to claim they have a great rewards program. If they do, you still want an APR below 15% (below 12% at best). Sometimes, they will try to "trick" you and tell you "0% introductory APR for 12 months!" That means you don't pay interest for one year, even if you keep a running balance. Most companies that say this have an APR of 20% or higher. (From what I have seen)
     
    6. WATCH FLUCTUATING INTEREST RATES
    APR's are variable. You want to make sure that, just because you get a good APR, make sure they don't state in the fine print "variable APR 11.99-23.99% based on your credit worthiness". Most likely, you are new to credit cards, and they may claim your worthiness to be risky, charging you a high interest rate. You want to make sure you get what you want. Not what they tell you you should have.
     
    7. DON'T GO OVER 50% of YOUR CREDIT LINE
    Going over 50% of your credit line on your balance tells lenders you are more likely to max out your card. Staying below 50% (ideally, 25% and under) not only protects you from debt, it raises your credit score and tells lenders you can be responsible with your money and discipline yourself financially.
     
    8. USE YOUR DEBIT CARD MOST OFTEN
    Use your debit card! You still want to use your credit card to build credit, but use your debit card for the majority of your transactions both in quantity and cash. If you need new tires that are $500, and you want to put it on your credit card...make sure you already have $500 on hand to pay at any time, and don't use if for anything else but to pay that $500 at the end of the month. Basically, anything you put on your credit card, you want to make sure you can already pay with Debit. This makes it kind of like using a hybrid debit card...because technically, you are not using "credit" or debt per-say, but you are still building your credit history by manipulating the system so to speak In conclusion to number 8, work smarter not harder.
     
    9. MAKE FREQUENT MONTHLY PAYMENTS
    Instead of paying off a monthly balance (and remember to pay it in full!) you might want to make 2-3 full payments each month. This will protect you from debt, keep your check book balanced, and tell lenders you make frequent payments on time. In the long run, this can raise your credit score.
     
    *****10. ***** The golden rule. DON'T GET ONE IF YOU DON'T NEED ONE!
    If you do not plan on getting a loan anytime soon (car loan, personal loan, etc., mortgage) then don't even get a credit card. Use cash and debit. Remember, all your credit score is, is a debt score. Sure, you can't get loans without a credit score...all I am saying is, if you don't need to build up your credit score anytime soon, don't get one.
     
    I hope this advice helps some of you. There is so much more to discuss, but I just wanted to cover the basics. All the information above came from my personal experience. I don't want you to be in debt like I have been!
     
    The Single BEST advice I can give each of you, is to start your 401K early, and keep building up your savings account. When you put money in your savings account, (especially if you start young) avoid the temptation of taking it back out again. Keep growing your savings! You will thank yourself in the future!
     
    **If you need me to elaborate on anything, send me a message!
     
    -Steelmatt6
  5. Steel Matt
    Hello Everypony!
     
    So it's nearing November 2012 already, and I have noticed an alarming trend within myself. With the demand at work and college, the amount of free time I have is diminishing. However, I also have a habit of procrastination and being unmotivated to exercise. I used to exercise a lot back in Highschool, but that has slowly dissipated. I have found my energy levels to be at a very low level, sleep doesn't really help, my metabolism is slowing down, and I get worn out faster overall.
     
    To get to the point, we all need some motivation when it comes to exercise. Exercise has been shown to increase energy, increase satisfaction of mood, and give you an overall happy state with a healthy body. So who wants to take the Rainbow Dash workout challenge? It only require basic exercise to get back into the routine, and no gym membership required!
     
    Post a comment if you would like to participate, and we can send weekly/monthly reminders and/or progress updates to each other. As for the workout, here is the image created by Deviant Art member scythain
     
    **Your age or any other demographic doesn't matter! This workout schedule is pretty basic, but it is a start!** Disclaimer: Always consult with a professional in you have a certain medical condition!* Lets start this off as a 3 month challenge and we can go from there! (November 2012-January 2013. Keeping your energy up in Winter can be very beneficial!*
     

  8. Steel Matt

    RED ALERT

    By Steel Matt,

    WARNING! CONDITION RED
     
     
    As many of you know, the state of the world economy (especially the condition of the United States) is in condition red. But that is not exactly what this short blog post is about. The condition red stands for two things: the state of our economy, and the state of our declining moral values. Especially when it comes to sex (another symbolic example of the condition "red").
     
    As a nation, we no longer seem to have any moral values when it comes to sex. In fact, America seems to be obsessed with sex. We no longer seem to worship a divine figure, but our worship lies with money, sex, and anything else that "feels goods".
     
    So, why is this a problem? Well, to put it simply (even regardless of ones spiritual beliefs) a nation that is not able to control itself morally, will never be able to find stability. In fact, a historian did a study on 83 to 87 past nations and societies that eventually became obsessed with sex, and refused to recognize a moral guideline for it (especially Rome). When compared to other nations that found revival and re-established their moral values, that scary part is...all 83 to 87 societies that became addicted to sex and other immoral acts...failed. And that brings me to the main topic! If we don't re-establish what morals we are going to live by as a nation, how are we going to be able to sustain ourselves!
     
    This is the path of the nation, if we do not make a change:
     
    1. From bondage to spiritual faith
    2. From spiritual faith to great courage
    3. From great courage to liberty
    4. From liberty to abundance
    5. From abundance to selfishness
    6. From selfishness to complacency
    7. From complacency to Apathy
    8. From apathy to moral decay
    9. From moral decay to dependence (RED ALERT!)
    10. From dependence back to bondage.
     
     
     
    Now folks, there is hope! Also, this blog is titled "Reflections of Passion" and I am very passionate at attempting to find others that agree...we need a moral revival!
     
    This is a very short entry and I hope to elaborate on it much further, but for now, we need to recognize the problem before we think of ways to fix it. And this is the basic idea of the problem. Everypony, we are in CONDITION RED! And it's time to act.
     

  9. Steel Matt
    Side note: I'm not going to lie. After hearing what happened on the news today, I almost, for the first time, just wanted to open a beer, or 2, or 3 when I got home from work. But thanks to a great co-worker and friend, I decided to open my Bible instead and stumbled across Psalm 37. Thank you Lord for helping me stand my ground. And thank you to my friend at work.
     
    Prayers going out to all the families who lost their babies yesterday.
     
    Psalm 37:
     
    Of David.

    1 Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
    2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.
    3 Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
    4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
    5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
    6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.
    7 Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
    do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.
    8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
    9 For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
    10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
    11 But the meek will inherit the land
    and enjoy peace and prosperity.
    12 The wicked plot against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth at them;
    13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming.
    14 The wicked draw the sword
    and bend the bow
    to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ways are upright.
    15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.
    16 Better the little that the righteous have
    than the wealth of many wicked;
    17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
    but the Lord upholds the righteous.
    18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
    and their inheritance will endure forever.
    19 In times of disaster they will not wither;
    in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
    20 But the wicked will perish:
    Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
    they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.
    21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
    but the righteous give generously;
    22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
    but those he curses will be destroyed.
    23 The Lord makes firm the steps
    of the one who delights in him;
    24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
    for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
    25 I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
    or their children begging bread.
    26 They are always generous and lend freely;
    their children will be a blessing.[b]
    27 Turn from evil and do good;
    then you will dwell in the land forever.
    28 For the Lord loves the just
    and will not forsake his faithful ones.
    Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed[c];
    the offspring of the wicked will perish.
    29 The righteous will inherit the land
    and dwell in it forever.
    30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
    and their tongues speak what is just.
    31 The law of their God is in their hearts;
    their feet do not slip.
    32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
    intent on putting them to death;
    33 but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
    or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
    34 Hope in the Lord
    and keep his way.
    He will exalt you to inherit the land;
    when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.
    35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
    flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
    36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
    though I looked for him, he could not be found.
    37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
    a future awaits those who seek peace.[d]
    38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
    there will be no future[e] for the wicked.
    39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
    40 The Lord helps them and delivers them;
    he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
    because they take refuge in him
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