This I Believe

Simple days are something to be treasured, cherished, and held on to forever. Simplicities and the things that are not trivial in life are often put on the backburner of an individual’s mind, forgotten, and more often than not, lost. To me, it is truly a shame that so many people get caught up in the whirlwind which we call our lives, and forget the things that truly make us happy: family, love, friends, adventure. Not the things we deem important such as money, material goods, and social popularity.

Why can’t someone please take the initiative to change it all? Why can’t someone make all the hurt, pain, and negativity go away? Someone needs to make change, but before real change can be made, someone needs to change the way we go about making change, and this I believe. We need to stop making change just to be seen or heard or just to be given credit. Giving needs to come from the heart and every fiber of one’s soul, it cannot be commercialized or manufactured. We need to teach others that giving is good for the soul, not just the college application. Paying it forward truly does work.

I know that there are plenty of kids in school that do community service just for the requirement and never really get anything out of it. For myself, I like to serve others in all spectrums because it is an integral part of who I am. Giving to others makes me whole, and that is how it should be for others, but in truth, service cannot be forced. Imagine a world in which individuals put others before themselves. As impossible as this may seem to attain, it could truly make a world of difference. Helping one life could truly be helping the world.

Now let me tell you a little bit about service above self. It means as exactly as it says: putting others before yourself. This is actually the motto of a local rotary club. This, I know, is something that doesn’t seem to exactly fit into what I am talking about right now, but things do not always fall into place as we plan them to be. With spontaneity comes the greatest acts of kindness. Things that develop on their own and are unleashed subconsciously are the acts of kindness in which sustain longevity in the hears of all.

Pay it forward, and look out for your fellow man.

"My Modest Proposal"

A MODEST PROPOSAL
FOR PROTECTING THE CITIZENS OF AMERICA BY RIDDING THE EXISTENCE OF FIREARMS, AND REPLACING ARMS WITH MEANS OF PROTECTION IN A SAFER MEDIUM.
It is truly a tragedy to become subject to what is often the result of the existence of firearms within our society. Crimes: robbery, murder, theft, are often an element in the usage of firearms. Guns kill people, people most certainly do not kill other people. Of course, people who commit crimes should not be allowed to own a firearm, but, truthfully, hunters and recreation shooters shouldn’t be able to either. If violent people are not allowed to keep arms, then everyday men shouldn’t be allowed to either. They have just as much potential as anyone else to snap. Firearms and their availability are truly a hazard to society, in all aspects. Firearms do not only bring physical danger, but mental ones as well. There is always much political turmoil and dispute with firearms, and that is why firearms and other kinds of dangerous weaponry will be eliminated under my proposal.
I make a modest proposal, that all firearms are to be eliminated from all parameters of our society. Instead, the following is to be instilled for our people: in the case of criminals, no, we will not completely take away their weaponry, but bring them together that is. Rather than restricting the activity of criminals, we will encourage the usage of firearms, however, this encouragement will only be administered with two armed criminals in padded room. Who is to say that we cannot eliminate crime? As for hunters and recreational shooters, their firearms will indeed be confiscated in a peaceful manner, and they will be given a large fishing net; effective and safe. The only alteration that would need to be made to their lifestyle is possibly training in to increase personal speed. Now, it is understandable that there would probably be concern about these newly instilled methods, but the benefits most certainly outweigh what is bad about the changes. There will no longer be any possibility for death or destruction by way of flying bullets.
Lack of firearms will also greatly benefit society in many other ways besides ridding danger. An abundance of paper will be saved because there will be less legal documents that would need to be drawn up for the ownership, transportation, and purchase of a firearm. Pollution will be lessened because there would be less factories running, producing smog, then would have been running if firearm were being produced. This modest proposal will be having a positive impact on the environment as well.
There is no need to worry as to what the military will be using, as all wars will be eliminate with the passage of this modest proposal. If the military needs to stay in their area of conduct, then they will be readily supplied with water guns; not destructive but it still gets the point across. It would be completely illogical and irrational to think that possibly guns could exist in society without the application of probable laws. Laws are more often than not, broken, and that is why the temptation should become eliminated altogether.
Elimination of firearms is only for the best because it will solve all of the firearm’s potential problems and dangers. This is a revolutionary idea that is absolutely sure to be positive and interesting for all.

*Dislcaimer *I'm not very skilled in deerhunting with a fishing net :)

Ladies and Gentlemen, It's a Brave New World!

Both Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984 are worlds that are frightfully realistic, in that they both are something that can come true in today's society. Within their similarities, there are also plenty of other differences, in that 1984 is based on fear, hate, and turmoil, while Brave New World is based on bliss, utopia, and eternal happiness. All of these elements, both negative and positive, are things that are existent in today's society, but things such as obtaining happiness is what is most prominent in today's society. Despite the fact that both of these dystopias can happen in today's society, Postman's assertion of our society becoming closest to that of Brave New World, is entirely correct.

Today, we live in a trivial, material based society that sometime fails to acknowledge what is important in our everyday lives, such as family, friends, and favorite hobbies. Despite the currently failing economy, the mission of the American people still remains as follows: to obtain the American dream, to be rich and successful, and to have all that any individual could ever ask for. We base our happiness on what we have in life, and we base our measure of failure on what we don't have, or what we can't have. We as a society, wish to achieve universal happiness so that we all may live peacefully. In Brave New World, their society was based on the happiness of all, personal satisfaction, and the fun and enjoyment that they could have in their everyday lives. They did not want to be exposed to fear, hate, pain or true emotion: "In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure"(Postman). Our society, as well as Huxley's created society, are based on trivial things: "Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture[...]"(Postman). Believe it or not, Huxley's fears are closer than ever to becoming a reality. Our society rarely takes time to take a moment and to look at what is most important in our everyday lives.



In both of these societies, (BNW and today), some citizens created dependencies on certain items and substances in order to remain happy and to function in a way in which an individual finds suitable. Soma would be the equivalent to "happy pills" our society. Both of these substances are relied upon in order to change an individual's mood and habits. Alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, etc. are all substances in which inflict change upon an individual. The main reason why many people turn to the substances is because they feel that they cannot handle the pressures of everyday life on their own, therefore, they turn to these substances. Much like soma, which was used in times of unhappiness.



Overall, the most pressing issue that links these two worlds is scientific advancement. In Huxley's world, human beings are created in bottles, and their destiny is pre-determined. Our world is quickly encroaching upon the same borders. Our scientists are experimenting with genes, in order to change the outcome of some children, born both naturally, and intravenously. We are essentially becoming a society that is one within the same. We are discovering advancements everyday that have the potential to change our morals, belief, and the genetic makeup of our entire society. These things are not science fiction, they are real-life stepping stones that our country is quickly stepping on.



We are becoming a society that lives for what it can receive, neglects important elements of everyday life for personal gain, and eliminates difficulties in order to avoid pain and hardship. We are becoming Huxley's world, disconnected from the "nitty-gritty" of human life, forever evolving into a society of change from previous generations. If we, as a society, continue on a path of not taking the time of actually living life, and working the hardest that we can in order to obtain society, we will surely become corrupt with a misleading, inaccurate lifestyle.

Stake Your Claim - Cell Phones During Lunch

When it comes to cell phones, yes, there should be some rational restrictions for their usage in school, but during the student's time, such as during their lunch period, the usage of a cell phone should be allowed. Lunch period, essentially, is a student's only break during the day, and it gives them a chance to unwind and get "re-charged" to finish out the rest of the school day. Lunch is a time for personal enjoyment. Because lunch is indeed the time of the student and not of the teacher, no harm is being done. There is no distraction from learning during lunch, and there would not be any disrespect shown to a teacher because it is not during their time. Considering the day of any high school student, being allowed a small amenity such as this would make a world of difference.

Some may disagree with this, stating that the allowance of cell phones during lunch would lead to problems, but the positive sides need to be looked at as well. This may give many students the opportunity to catch up with family members, or sort out agendas for the rest of their day: making calls to work, transportation arrangements, etc. Overall, it would create much more peace of mind for students: they would not have to be burdened with the worry of contacting a parent of they needed them. A student would always be able to count on the fact that they would be given an opportunity to do so during the school day.

Cell phones can also be used as a practical learning resource as well. Students can carry out extensive scheduling and agenda making on their phone calendars, and create automatic reminders for certain assignments or school related events. Students can also access the Internet for assignment and project resources as well, and also make use of the ever so popular calculator.

If students are given this privilege during the school day, it is highly unlikely that they would abuse it because they would be aware of the fact that the usage of their cell phone would be very beneficial to them, and they would not want to risk losing it.

Small changes such a this can make our long school days all the more enjoyable when times of stress come around. This will promote overall morale of students, and therefore increase their productivity and eagerness. Without a privilege such as this, students may be able to view their school day differently, and therefore see it as more of a positive experience when things get stressful.

Twilight

Now, I find it very difficult to write a blog on anything, and narrow it down to one simple topic, but I have decided that I would like to talk about the new phenomenon film and book series by Stephenie Meyer: Twilight. As of right now, I have only read Twilight, and have not seen the movie: (of course I am dying to see it). Before I began reading the series, I can honestly say that I had never even heard about the books before, and apparently Twilight was published in 2005 (so it says on the copyright date). I had heard some talk of it, and I figured that it only would be a come-and-go fad like the Harry Potter series of films and books. Of course with Twilight's recent film release on the 21st, talk of the series became more common, and I decided to inquire. Two of my friends had already read the entire 4 book series and were anxiously awaiting the debut of the movie. After learning the storyline (a teenage girl falls in love with a "teenage" vampire) I must admit that I found it cliche, and yet again, something that will be forgotten by next year. However, I quickly learned that Twilight quickly creating a frenzy! My friends read it, my sister's friends read it, and therefore, I decided that I had to read it for myself. Before our long weekend, my friend lent me her copy of Twilight and as soon as I turned the first page, I was absolutely hooked. I finished the entire 500 page book in a matter of 3 days! (If only I could read my school novels that fast! :) Overnight, I became an utter fan...Today, I was already pestering my friend to see if I could come to her house to trade her book in for the sequel, part 2 of the 4 books, New Moon. When I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down...but that is what good books should do to you. This book engulfed me with its happenings, and as I was reading it, I was able to play out all of my scenes in my head...I was enthralled! This unconventional, but charming love story is a book that I would definitely recommend for others to read. I never thought that I would be interested in the book, and now I am an obsessed fan like the rest of them :) Hopefully I will get to see the movie tomorrow, as well as get the sequel. If you are looking for something very entertaining to read, I give Meyer's novel 5 stars. If anyone has any comments on the book or the film, feel free to post. The obsession that follows this book can easily be summed up by one of the main character's, Edward Cullen's, most memorable lines: "You are my life now".

Okay, so since I had originally created this post I had a chance to go see the "Twilight" movie. Of course it wasn't line per line verbatim to the book, otherwise it would have been a 5 hour movie, but I feel that it was pretty close the novel, and therefore, probably did not disappoint the die-hard fans. All aspects of the novel were included in the movie, as it should, but I felt it to be condensed, and much more fast paced than the happenings of the novel. Nonetheless, I thought it to be a very good movie, a charming love story, and a Gothic thriller. It was one of those movies that you could easily find yourself getting wrapped into, wishing that the romance of the story was something that was happening in real life for you....when the movie is over, there is almost a sense of disappointment when you realize that it would never be something that was a part of reality.

P.S.: I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving day!

Thoughts on Life's Changes

Life's Changes-The Things They Carried

It's now 1990. I'm forty-three years old, which would've seemed impossible to a fourth grader, and yet when I look at photographs of myself as I was in 1956, I realize that in the important ways I haven't changed at all. I was Timmy then; now I'm Tim. But the essence remains the same. I'm not fooled by the baggy pants or the crew cut or the happy smile—I know my own eyes—and there is no doubt that the Timmy smiling at the camera is the Tim I am now. Inside the body, or beyond the body, there is something absolute and unchanging. The human life is all one thing, like a blade tracing loops on ice: a little kid, a twenty-three-year-old infantry sergeant, a middle-aged writer knowing guilt and sorrow. (236)

As we can see by this passage, Tim O'Brien feels that the important qualities of a person usually remain constant throughout the years; these qualities are the true essence of a person, their soul, and how they live their life. "Inside the body, or beyond the body, there is something absolute and unchanging". What he means when he says this is that the spiritual, not the physical qualities of a person that usually remain constant as time goes on. The implications in this passage are ideas that I qualify with...I would find it very difficult to either agree/disagree with this statement. I believe it to all depend on different situations of different people. For example: a certain person may have a similar personality throughout their entire life, but it is possible to find a person that may have had a negative demeanor when young, and as they grew older, they matured and therefore became a better person. I also believe that a person's characteristics are based on how they want to act, and also on their morals, and what they value as important qualities.

If I was to look at my own growth as a person, it would be an easy task to pick out what has changed about me, but the essential thing to remember is to distinguish what changes are important, and what changes are trivial. I would like to think that as I grew older, my characteristics such as kindness, and dedication, stated constant, but of course, there were some things that did change, such as my level of thinking, and my understanding of societal morals. So as stated before, I feel that how you change in life is more of a result of where you want you life to head, rather than where you let your life lead.

"The human life is all one thing, like a blade tracing loops on ice..." I really like this image of eternity, as this is an accurate example of how life continues on in an infinite circle of occurrences. I feel that because human life goes on so constantly that there are so many opportunities for it to change in many ways, and that is why these changes cannot be predetermined...because there ares so many possibilities that lie ahead.

When talking about life's changes, I can easily think about myself as a child in elementary and myself as a high school student. I feel that throughout my entire life I have maintained relatively the same personality...however, one thing that I have noticed that has changed about myself is my appreciation for life. As a younger student, I often worried myself sick over grades and what "could-be" rather than what was happening at that moment. Now,I can take great pride in the fact that I have overcome his flaw, and I have now learned not to sweat the small stuff in life, and to enjoy it because it DOES go by so quickly.

Maybe I would not have been as fortunate, and would have never overcome this flaw...This again proves the reality that the same does not happen to all as their life goes on. I feel that the most important thing to remember as life goes on is the fact that life is what you make of it, and take out of it.

Why Frank McCourt Writes

I write because my words are true...as true as the pint that often slid through the lips of my father, as true as the permanence of death, as I watched small, white boxes enter the ground. I write because my thoughts are like the dying embers of the fire that we barely were able to stoke, containing a heat, light, delicate, and pure, but still remaining strong. My words wind around the raven ringlets of my sister Margaret's hair, dancing along the whispers of poverty, and then floating to heaven. I write because my mother's soul was not a tainted one, it was a frightened one...living each life of her day in worry, deceit, anger, and fear. I write because I want to say thank-you to the Angel on the Seventh Stair, and to send a reminder to God to take care of my siblings, and my family. I wish for my family's story to be told, and I promise you, in no way is this ego-ism. There is nothing to be egotistical about. When I was a child, the 'souls' on my shoes were a luxury. Because I have walked on so many paths, I have probably gained more I could think of. When I was a child, I definitely was not rich with money or material things, but undoubtedly, I was rich with the stars that shone every night, the dust of the roads I have traveled, the crumbs of the coal salvaged, and the dry ground in "Italy". But I have a confession to make: the words on my pages are not words at all, they are the eyes, the hands, the feet...the entire being of McCourt. I hope that you, my readers do not feel deceived in any way...but I thought that you deserved to know that my words are not words...they are an entity of a family, a soul, a loss, suffering, and a fight just to live. In my childhood, money was not an easy thing for us to come by, it was something as rare as a blue moon, but I feel that my ability to write has made me wealthier and any other man in the world. I write because I believe the past is a very important thing to remember. Whether a past has been negative, or positive, it is important that it remains and sustains. I tell my past, because I am sure that there are others in the world that have lived one like it. I hope that my past, that my story, could maybe, just maybe help others to heal the past they had once lived. I write not only just to help others heal, but it helps me to heal myself as well. I write so that the souls of children can be remembered, so that the hungry could possibly be fed, so that everyplace could always be Italy, so that the barefoot can be relieved, so that the harmed could be sheltered, so that the poor may be rich, so the sick could be healthy, and so the sad, could be happy again.
AMERICA is my PEN, and IRELAND is my PAPER.

I write because it is my life, it is my passion...I write because I want to be a teacher, so I can teach others what I have learned, inside, and outside of school, and I want to teach what people true factors of life, and the reality of a harsh past. I want to honor my mother, my family, even though, it may not have been perfect. I write because I want to shun every ounce of alcohol that was ever in my father's blood, but I want to rejoice every once of blood, every beat of the heart, that nevertheless, still remained.

Angela's Ashes -and- Oscar Wilde

"Through our sunless lanes creeps Poverty with her hungry eyes, and Sin with his sodden face follows close behind her. Misery wakes us in the morning and Shame sits with us at night." -Oscar Wilde

POVERTY: This quote of Oscar Wilde's explains the events explained in Angela's Ashes in every best way possible. When you read this quote, one can gain the sense of how a person, or many persons can be haunted by the misfortunes of life...with the most prominent one being poverty. This is most certainly the case for the meek McCourt family. Angela and Malachy...two people of simple roots are joined together in marriage, but who would ever have thought that problems would be such as they are. I feel, and I am sure that others would agree, that the McCourt family, mostly Angela, cannot seem to get a break! Angela has more mouths than she can feed...and she is so overwhelmed...there is essentially no way for her to escape! From America to Ireland, poverty consistently follows them...and there is now getting away. When they have to resort to hand-outs from thankfully gracious shopkeepers, you know that they have finally hit rock bottom. Not only must poverty follow the McCourt family every day, but they must also live with the death of their children, especially, the precious baby girl, Margaret.

SIN: Parents always want to teach their children good values, but as said in the quote, along with Poverty also comes SIN...Frank must resort to wrong-doings and sin, just so that he could obtain sustenance from his family. Frank, probably knowing that it was wrong, stole bananas from the street corner just so that he could provide sustenance for he and his brothers. Only desperate times of despair would cause a well-raised person to do something such as this. The father, Malachy McCourt takes part in his own moral sin as well because of his drinking problem. IT IS TRULY A SIN that he chooses to drink rather than putting food in the mouths of his children. In times of poverty comes sin, from sin then comes a sense of despair and...

MISERY: Every day poor Angela McCourt is a tortured soul. With the stress of caring for her children and the stress of losing some of her children, the like, really has made her into a person with a heart torn into pieces. She must move from NY to only be around members of her family that resent her because of the choices that she has made, such as having so many children. However, the truth is, she has a good heart despite her mistakes, and she loves all of her children...even though she may not be able to care for them properly. Every day, the focus of that day's happenings is "How are we going to get by?"... Picking stray coal from the streets and looking for charity and hand-outs, I am sure, is very miserable for Angela, knowing that her life has gone in such a harsh direction...and this is what brings her to ...

SHAME: Shame for the fact that she has let things get this way, shame from the fact that her husband is a lousy drunk that cannot provide for their family, shame that her children a dirty...DEAD...and uncared for. Shame is knowing that you cannot live your life in the way that you planned it.

Oscar Wilde knows perfectly the life of the McCourt family. Their days follow a strict schedule of pain and misery...their lives are haunted with poverty...and the truth is, that these things are a part of their everyday lives.

The Effect of "Heavy Boots"

Heavy boots. This is a term that we often seen used by Oskar, but what does is really mean in the story? Why does Oskar have heavy boots, and why does he always seem to be wearing them? The terms "heavy boots" signifies Oskar's emotional baggage and emotional state of mind throughout his journey to find the "Black" connection to his father. Whenever he is sad, worried, distressed, scared, etc...it seems that his heavy boots are put on. Now, we can think of heavy boots in the literal sense. When you wear them, your stride, and your ability to move forward is hindered. This is what exactly happens to Oskar in his journey. All of these questions, concerns, and fears are weighing him down, but because of his unique personality, he is often able to help himself propel forward and seek the answers to the questions that he has been looking for. By his use of the term, "heavy boots", we as readers can remember the fragile young age that Oskar is actually at, and it helps us to identify more with him. For myself personally, every time I saw Oskar talk about his heavy boots, it made me feel as if I was there with him, as if I was a part of his pain, and that I was traveling his journey with him. With this term being so abstract, and rarely used, it would make one think that it would have no effect on others, but in hindsight, it actually does. It simplifies something that we often make too complicated. We use words to portray ideas and feelings, and sometimes, our true thoughts and feelings are lost in translation because we try too hard to express them. With heavy boots, there is no interpretation to be done, it is the truth: plain and simple. Now it might seem as if I am contradicting myself: but heavy boots is abstract, and simplified at the same time. It is language rarely used, but it is forever telling.The effect that heavy boots has on the reader is something that should be appreciated. I believe that it makes Oskar and the reader, together as one. One may read "heavy boots" and think, "Hey, I have felt that way before, but I never thought of those words to express it". The reader can now realize that others may be going through similar things as them, and it gives them a sense of equality with the world around them. When Oskar wears his heavy boots, it seems that you are wearing a pair too. Despite the hindrance of heavy boots, Oskar is strong enough to continue forward, and seek to "avenge" the death of his father.

"THE FACT IS, THAT TO DO ANYTHING IN THE WORLD WORTH DOING, WE MUST NOT STAND BACK SHIVERING AND THINKING OF THE COLD AND DANGER, BUT JUMP IN AND SCRAMBLE THROUGH AS WELL AS WE CAN"----Robert Cushing

Oskar knows not to be afraid of the world around him, but to utilize it, appreciate it, and show others some things that they might have never seen before. Despite heavy boots, Oskar has the ability to befriend, and express affection for, perfect strangers.