NPR, a.k.a National Public Radio, has a segement on once a week called "This I Believe." It's a really good show that began almost 50 years ago and was brought back because of overwhelming demand. Basically what it is is simply important and prolific people speaking for a brief time about their most deeply-held beliefs. I am going to post a link to it on the blog, and this month you are going to do an assignment related to one of the podcasts from the show. To that end, this week's blog question will prepare you to think about it. So, onward and upward.
Have you ever thought about what the guiding principles in your life are? By guiding principles I simply mean the things in life that you truly and fundamentally believe; the beliefs that shape your decisions when you find yourself in a position where you have to make one. Perhaps it is the notion that "everyone, no matter how seemingly insignificant, has something to teach us" or something as common as the idea that "all men are created equal and are endowed with certain inalienable rights...among them...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" or "treat others the way that you wish to be treated" or "blood is thicker than water."
Those are just some generic examples, but your challenge this week is explore some of your own core beliefs and choose one guiding principle that you would like to shape your journey into adulthood and throughout life. Don't get caught up in tired cliches or age-old aphorisms, be creative, be yourself. What I mean is, really think about the beliefs that you hold near and dear to your heart and try to capture them in your own words. Talk about why these beliefs are important to you and how you came to recognize them. (400-450 words/75pts)
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A few days ago I was having a conversation with a Ms. Uroosa Zeb about whether or not people are good. Simple? Cliché? Ultimately impossible to be certain about? Yes, but somehow we still ended up arguing about it. I let some of my passion get the best of me, and ranted about a theory I have. It goes a little something like this: good isn’t always in us in a neat pretty little package. In some people it’s more raw. If good is a wool sweater, than some people only have sheep. In others it was shattered into little pieces and hidden throughout them. There are people are in touch with the good in them, but a lot of people aren’t yet. However that does not make them bad. A lot of religions have similar ideas. Many Christians believe Jesus is in everyone. Hinduism says that souls are connected to Brahman. Whenever people talk about souls, there seems to be an unspoken rule, that they are not evil even if they are all different. I’ve never heard of anyone who believed some people don’t have souls. It would seem logical, then, that everyone has to have at least a little good in them. It might be hidden, scattered, or buried, but somewhere it’s there. I firmly believe that every single person is redeemable. You can quote me on that. I will never deny it. The rapist serial killer, who never struggles to sleep, has good in him, and could make up for all evil he has done. However just because everyone can redeem themselves does not mean everyone does.
ReplyDeleteWhen talking about beliefs, it’s very easy to sound like a hypocrite, or even be one. I try to love everyone, but it’s difficult and exhausting. I fail, more than I’d like to admit to myself. A lot of times I don’t see the good in everyone. Sometimes I question the good in myself. Ultimately I am always able to revitalize this belief, and I can see it’s mark on most of my interactions with others. My dad has a hard time controlling his anger, but he is one of the most loyal people I know. A good friend of mine is extremely unreliable, but she is caring and genuine. I try to help people and live my beliefs, but there are days when I become apathetic and fail. If I judged people for every fault, I would be alone, and wouldn’t even like myself.
I believe in pursuing fulfillment with all of your drive and passion. The path is different for everyone. For me now, I think it will be listening to anyone who needs it, and trying to help. It is also trying to find wisdom, and truth, then expressing or sharing them. More superficially, it’s getting into colleges I want. It will be the Peace Corps, and other volunteer work. On a larger scale, I feel most myself and most fulfilled through writing, and my goal is to someday be published. Some people will find purpose through teaching, the medical field, politics, or things I‘ve never even heard of. Most people go through slumps, where they feel like life is meaningless. They think they are insignificant, so they live as if they are insignificant. Therefore they become insignificant. We must be persistent and passionate. It might be fun to lounge around your house or mooch off of others. That happiness will not last. Finding fulfillment is the only way to happiness and true life. The path changes. After I publish one thing, I will set my sights on another. After a doctor saves their first patient, they don’t call it a day and run home to mom. You keep living.
I just realized that a major connection between these ideas is that they both require persistency. Doing them once isn’t enough. You have to keep trying forever, or for as long as you’re here.
This is gonna be hard :/
ReplyDeleteSarah L, I'm glad that you believe that everyone has some good in them: too often I am told that I am evil, or soulless, and I'm kinda tired of it. Men lead lives of quiet desperation. A little faith and hope makes a worthwhile difference.
ReplyDeleteSarah- I believe sort of the same thing as you- that everyone has good in them. I'm sure everyone has done some good things in their life that they are proud of, no matter how small of a deed it was. And what you said abotu everyone being redeemable is sooo true. I defiantely think the same way you do about this.
ReplyDeleteThe world is whatever I wish it to be; I have the power within me to change it.
ReplyDeleteThis bold statement, my friends, is what lies at the core of Kale Nagasaki. I firmly believe my entire soul is based off of this one sentence. This is where it all begins.
My next occasional paper will comprehensively explain, so I’ll try not to be too repetitive. To start, I first became aware of my existence around five years of age. I didn’t have a name for myself; I guess you could have just called me a giant smile, really. I don’t remember being truly upset. I was always tossing my hair around and laughing. Oh yes, laughing. I looked at the beautiful world around me and believed I was beautiful with it. I did what I felt was right and, most of the time, everyone loved me for it. Everything, literally, was Barney and love. Of course, things change. Not the world, just things.
A very dark period in my life quickly began after I fathomed my existence. No one knows this complete story. I’ve been too scared to tell anyone, verily. The sad thing is, this dark period still isn’t over. As Jourdan mentioned in her last occasional paper, I’m still in Hell. I haven’t passed it yet. But that ends with my next occasional paper. Because of this belief I have, I am going to move on. The point is, when faced with the ugly picture in front of me, I did what Kale Nagasaki has always done: turn in another direction. You see, I’m still five years old at heart. Like I said in my seven-point creed, I’ve matured, yes, but I’ve never grown up. That’s something I’m very proud of. So, imagine this five year old in a room of infinite canvas. The picture painted in front of her is too horrible, so she turns to another wall and draws her own picture. It’s beautiful. When things don’t necessarily go according to plan, she either erases it or draws a ladybug over it. Viola. The world is as she wants it.
That’s me. :] Hi. I’m Kale. When something or someone continually hurts me, I have the power within me (because I have God within me) to erase this thing or individual from personal importance. Now, the world’s a little brighter! I first became aware of this belief when thinking about what to write for my next occasional paper. I thought about all that is hurting me now, which made me think of what hurt me back then. I discovered that what used to tear my soul a year ago holds no significance to me now. I turned around and drew a better world. Yeah, I hate doing Calculus, but I just draw a ladybug over it and put it in the corner.
I really, really hope you can understand what I’m trying to express. Essentially, I’m trying to say that I believe I have the power to make my own world, since God resides within me. Because I’m such a sensitive, such a sensitive, soul, I think this is a defense mechanism I implement unknowingly. While most people get over their conflicts within reasonable time, I can’t move on unless a problem is resolved. My mind then, automatically, deletes what ever is bothering me. I paint the world white and start all over again. Yes, the old world is still under it, but can five year old Kale tell the difference? All she knows is how pretty the ladybug is, and how she can’t wait to add her cute, little stick figure in the picture. :]
Sarah:
ReplyDelete“Finding fulfillment is the only way to happiness and true life.”
I wholeheartedly agree. You could be the richest person, the most beautiful person, the most powerful person, whatever, but that does not mean you’re happy… at all. I think that this is something a lot of highschoolers struggle with; I know I do. That is, many highschoolers don’t know where they want to go with their lives—what career path they want to follow, what college they want to attend, et cetera—plus many of us struggle not only with course work but also with drama or personal obligations outside of the classroom, so that it’s difficult to find fulfillment in our lives now and to plan for the future. The important thing is finding small, everyday avenues for fulfillment, like for you “listening to anyone who needs it, and trying to help.”.
This might be a bit cliche and broad, but I'll try my best. I'm not sure how to approach this because to be to solely believe in something doesn't need to be justified or with a reason behind it. It's almost a faith to me. Faith is unexplainable, and it's not definable.
ReplyDeleteSomething I truly deeply believe.
Something I would believe even if I didn't have a specific religion.
Something that I believe effects on other people.
That something would be stealing.
Hold your horses! This is not the I stole a lollipop from Wawa <3 (btw the Wawa Higher Powers will go after you if you do steal from them...)
Nope. This is depriving someone, this is taking what is not yours ( even if it's yours, it effects others), this is abusing your power, this is everywhere colliding into place to please you yet hurt others. The kind of stealing I speak of is the stealing that every not so moralistic or wrong action falls under. This has nothing to do with what religion system you follow, this is about humans taking advantage.
Lies- You are stealing away the truth.
Killing- You are taking a soul, a future, and a body's being.
- You just took away someone's loved one.
Drugs- You stole away your health & mind & threw it away.
- You stole safety from the people around.
- You stole away opportunities by influencing and spreading.
Cruelty- You just took away someone's happiness, asylum, and confidence.
Rape- You stole innocence, security, & assurance.
Getting wasted- You stole away your awareness & safety of you and others.
Cheating- You stole someone's hard-work.
- You stole the person's next to you place in the ladder of competitive scholastic placement. When they worked hard for their part.
There are many things we do and not think twice about. Most of those things are chain reactions that effect other people around us. Stealing is a common thing. I'm not asking for us to take out the Halos and super glue those wings on. Nope. I ask that next time you call a girl something like "Fat" think about what you took away from her. Think about how this will sour her mood and probably provoke her to be insulting to someone else and it goes on. It doesn't justify her actions, but we're humans that are ever so sensitive. I believe, even those that claim "I don't care about what people say about me", we are affected by people's reactions and actions towards us. When all around me people are nasty to each other and compulsively rude then I most likely over time treat them as they act. Stealing actual physical items. I do not understand it. If you can't afford it then it is okay. We all have the same rights, but we are not all equal and that makes us more human. When you steal something and someone witnesses, someone that hasn't developed their own mindful opinions and personality, they might soon think it's not "thatttt bad". Another thing is Lieing, you lie once, not the white lies but unnecessary ones, you lie again and again. It becomes practicable, it becomes normal, it becomes a talent, and then second nature. You just took knowledge, and deprived someone from a fact. Then when the person you lied too finds out, they get hurt. Then you stole a piece of trust that person had in people.
The whole stealing idea I believe is only spread from the Social Learning Theory.
ReplyDeleteSocial Learning Theory can be positive because you can always observe and learn a productive useful action, but the negative is always more obvious. Not to sound cynical, but if you take ten people and two are doing some horrid thing like maybe shooting Cocaine? Who do you think will get news coverage? Who will be spoken about more? It's almost like they're to be honored. All we display and spread is the negative and soon it's normal. The biggest example is .......JERSEY SHORE..... words could not describe my disgust for that show, while others praise and look up to it. Seriously my blog would probably mostly be like this @(&@#$!&@!. It's the biggest show full of thieves!!! Young adults should not act that way. I understand we might watch and be amused, but to actually think in depth about it..woah...people actually live and act like this? Being unaware of your actions, lying, losing control, and degrading yourself is not cool. If someone doesn't respect themselves, then they stole away their own respect and the respect people had for them. If you know way more younger people are watching and probably will look up to you, then you just stole away innocence and probably years off of a normal teen life and exposed to them the unmentionable.
This is probably very not organized because I never had to actually write it, it's just some thing I deeply feel for. It almost has everything falls under my perspective of stealing... I hope it's understandable.
<3
“Live blindfolded and leap, just try not to fall too hard if you trip on the rug”
ReplyDeleteOk, I’m sure this makes absolutely no sense. Allow me to elaborate. I sat here for a little while thinking of decisions I’ve made recently. There was no connection. None whatsoever. I tried to think of morals, but oh wait I don’t have those. (Don’t reach so quickly for that inhaler Bunje, it’s an inside thing haha, I do have morals, I just…nevermind) I tried to think of advice, but I generally listen to people and then do whatever my heart desires. DING! My heart. There it is, how did it not occur to me in an instant? “Follow your heart.” It’s on a necklace that I where all of the time, I say it all of the time, it’s my go to advice…all of the time. It’s my principle inside and out. Except it’s cliché and unoriginal and I figured it’s probably not deep enough for the blog, so I wanted to make it my own and expand.
The only connection between the choices I make are that for that spur of the moment for whatever justification, I choose it swiftly, with little thought, and hope for the best. Recently, in a situation I never really foresaw myself in practically found coincidences everywhere I looked telling me to go for it. It’s a long story and I don’t want to bore…well actually it’s an adorable story, but it serves no relevance, so maybe another time…but the point is, I didn’t think; the world spoke, my heart listened and I jumped head first into what I thought would be a fiery pit of Death and destruction and happened to fall into a place I didn’t expect. Again, no relevance and I’m sorry I’m being confusing, so please disregard and forgive me on that.
But anyway, I mean hey, I’m not always so lucky, sometimes that fiery pit is exactly where I land. Burned from the licking flames because I dove in without inspecting. But I’m not inspector gadget, I’m Taylor Palm and I don’t have to inspect. I like my fixated blindfold. I like the thrill of not knowing exactly where I’ll walk, whether it be into a playground, serenely lit by the shimmering stars, or a solid brick wall, I don’t care. I’ll pick up the pieces if I have to and if not I’ll keep chugging along on my tracks. Sure, they may take a turn off course, but wouldn’t you want to know where that’ll take you? Every new experience be it good, bad or indifferent, can help you grow. So sue me for not thinking about my actions, I’m learning and I’m growing and I’m discovering who I am with them. You want to make a 20 year plan? More power to you, but this is who I am. So I will live by this principle. I will continue to live with a blindfold. I will continue to leap without looking and I will continue to hope each time I don’t scrape up my knees too bad if I happen to trip. And…so what if I do? I’ve got a stock pile of band aids in my cabinet and Neosporin to boot. So I’ll do some work… I’ll put on my blindfold, life can do the rest.
Btw mine was influenced by the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, who also wrote an amazing book A Thousand Splendid Suns.
ReplyDeleteI had always believed in this as it comes from a persian proverbs, but I think the book put it in a simpler form and had great demonstration :)
Sarah Lombardo: I agree with you completely. While we may not be able to see any good in one person, it doesn’t mean that the good doesn’t exist. I find your belief to be so you, for you always tend to see things in a brighter light than most. And I think I know, reasonably well, that you mean it when you say you will defend this. I can’t tell you how many times since freshmen year I’ve heard you defend Hitler!
ReplyDeleteManar H: Your point is soooo valid. At times, people are so selfish that they can’t see what their actions may cause in the long run. That’s why I think its so important for us to be our best selves. That way, the negative results that may come from our actions can be ones we can humbly and honestly defend. And your point about the Jersey Shore, I agree wholeheartedly. When I watch a show like that, I feel like I’ve lost a few IQ points when it’s over. We need to focus on the more positive, the more progressive parts of our personalities. Oh, and I have that book! A Thousand Splendid Suns! I'm going to read it this summer. :]
Taylor P: Aww! Your blog was so adorable c: You’ve always seemed to me that type of person, the type to just do what feels right and let the chips fall as they may. I admire that about you, because I know I could never do that. I feel like school and life has taken so much away from me, that I have to tread carefully in order to keep the things I have. But at least there’s you gamboling in the background with a blindfold, dancing. :]
Discussing my beliefs with other people is rather difficult for me. Not because I do not have them, I do, but I have a hard time putting them into words. I understand them myself because they drive me to be the person that everyone sees everyday. It is just hard to make them make sense to anyone but myself. So, bear with me please.
ReplyDeleteThere are two main beliefs that I hold near and dear. First, every living thing is created equal, not just humans but animals and insects as well. Second, every person has within them the power to be great and good, they just need to act on those abilities. Of course, I tried to make them sound so much cooler than they really are, so allow me to explain them for you.
My father has, whether I like it or not, shaped a lot of my beliefs. His philosophy, while still remaining a Catholic, is that of the Buddhist religion. He taught me, even since I was old enough to understand, that everything is created equal. However, my father was bite by a spider a few times and nearly died. I for sure thought that this would change his mind on everything being equal. I did not. Even walking out of the hospital, he waved the birds in the tree and stopped to look at a beautiful spider web that was constructed on the underside of a bench.
It really clicked that that my beliefs must be strong. My father was right, as much as I hate to admit it. Humans are a not more significant than the other animals and insects placed on this Earth because we all have job. Whether humans are doing their job or not are another story, but the other animals are doing the job they were given. It is because of this idea that was bestowed into my head as a child that I really grew up seeing the beauty of a spider web, even if I do not in any way like spiders. Bumble bees make honey, Spiders eat bugs, and the world revolves. Each piece of our world is important and each has its own job to complete.
Something that I just have never been able to stop; myself from believing, no matter how many times I am hurt and disappointed is that every human has good in them. I kind of believe that it is built it. Logically, I could not imagine why God would create a person for pure evil, it just makes no sense. However, as I grew up, I realized that my perfect world was only a dream and there were murderers and rapists. Yet, I still believed everyone has good in them, they have to somewhere. I guess, in the end, I settled that there is good in everyone but not everyone acts on that good or uses the good to do good things. This belief and this belief alone is the reason I always forgive people and the reason I always try and give a billion chances to people. It is like I want them to find the good in themselves and than I know they will turn into good people. I consider a shot that every person deserves others consider it a major stress factor of my life, but it is one I don’t mind carrying.
Sarah L- I liked how you admitted that sometimes, although your beliefs are important, that you cannot not always remain loyal to them. It kind of made me feel a little more normal knowing that sometimes I cannot remain on the side with my beliefs when I know I am going to get hurt by following them.
ReplyDeleteRobert- Your comment on Sarah's blog- I know how you feel when you have a bunch of people telling you how horrible you are. Maybe not to the extreme that you talked about but I have some glimpse of how you feel. I liked reading Sarah's blog because it gave me hope that there are nice people out there not about to judge you.
Kale- I loved how you created a picture to go along with your belief. You are a strong person at heart and very very bold. It is something I look up to you for a lot. The picture you created of the five year when she did not like what she saw, so she drew something else, really did sound like you. You are an adorable little five year old at heart and you live life just because you want to and you know that you have the power to change everything. Your blog, in a sense, gave me hope. Maybe I can change what I do not like too.
Responses:
ReplyDeleteStephanie W. -
Despite their "lack of coolness", your beliefs are still very true. Haha I remember when your father came in to talk to us at school about being a Buddhist. And, although I have yet to choose one real religious track, am glad to hear that you have that guidance. You're lucky that you have that influence, and it seems to have benefitted you instead of made you feel oppressed. Good for you. Also- don't be afraid to share your beliefs. You're a very intelligent person with intelligent thoughts. Feel confident in them. :)
Deanna N. -
Though I respect your beliefs, as always, I ask that this doesn't lead you to becoming ignoring. Ignoring the bad might lead you to ignore fixing it. Maybe I'm taking this the wrong way, but that's how I feel. You can't just look away from things because you don't like them. Well, obviously you can, but that'll only benefit you and you alone. Very well written, though. As always.
Taylor P. -
Some may think you simply don't have morals, or go off with no thought, but despite all of this, you really seem happy and you sound happy in this blog. I point that out because, that's a relief to see. A lot of people when caught up too much in, for lack of a better word, impulsive decisions, (that sounds very bad, but it's not!) end up just realizing that they're not happy with who they are. Though you may get into a bind, you do seem happy and still standing strong. I admire that, so much. :)
Sarah L-
ReplyDeleteI would like to compliment you on how well-written and insightful your blog was. Before I signed on to blog I was thinking about how people normally try and bring out the worst in people and forget about the best. By reading your blog I have seen that in all cases that is not what occurs. Most people do not have the forgiveness mindset that you acquire. That is a very unique trait that should be cherished. However, is there a time when you stop forgiving someone?
Either way, I felt deeply moved by what was written in your blog!
Deanna- Wow. I am very excited to hear your occasional paper this marking period. I think I understand what you are saying, but I have taken a different look on life. I have always tried to just paint that picture over, or start a new sheet after a problem I am dealing with occurs. In fact, it has always worked until this year. As I am maturing I am beginning to see things and past experiences on a new level. Since I have brushed everything off nothing has ever been solved, just ignored. I am glad you are solving the problem. It needs to come out and you need to start a new sheet of paper. Maybe I should do the same.
Taylor P.- The entire last paragraph was well “perfect.” Exactly how the typical person wants to live there life but does not always do so. Just go with the flow and you’re right things will just happen. Sometimes it will be good, others not so much but you are right, it is all about growing. Eventually we’ll all understand calculus without yelling at ms. baird, but until then we just have to go with the flow. Excellent blog :) I was wondering if I could borrow some band aids?
I’ve gone through my whole life not truly knowing who I am. In fact, to this day I am still puzzled. New thoughts and emotions are developing everyday, and it is truly astonishing how much knowledge I have gained in the past year. Yet, beyond my better judgement I have conformed to our opinions trying to be accepted by my peers. All too many times teenagers change for their peers, and the sad part is, they change to fit in with their friends. In last week’s blog, most of us wrote about how different and outgoing we are around out best friends, but the sad thing is most of us have to change who we are to have that “perfect” friend.
ReplyDeleteMost of us have picked out that outfit with a friend and bought it because they told you how amazing you look even though you do not really like the style. When friends hang around one another they begin to talk and act the same. Their lifestyles become similar and they begin to get involved in this that are not in their comfort zone. I believe trying new things are only beneficial if you want to try it. The pressures of drinking and partying do not come from inside, they come from outside influence.
“Change for no one, unless it is the person in the mirror"
I’ve come to the realization that I am biggest culprit of conforming to the opinions of others. I never speak my mind because I do not know what others will think nor do I wish to start drama. I shy away from a confrontation, (I may act big, but I am really not) because it is not worth fighting over. I forgive way too easily, which gets me in a lot of trouble, but I just think life is too short to fight. I’ve seen myself become someone that I do not even recognize because it is what others wanted from me.
On friday, I arrived at Oakcrest alone to watch Cabaret Night. I figured I would just meet up with people and decided where to sit later. As I arrived I saw different groups of people that I could have sat with, but something did not feel right. I felt that with every group, I could not just be myself. I was sitting with a group of seniors until I saw Ms. Rock walk in. I have not talked to Ms. Rock all year and proceeded to go say hi. We began talking and before I knew it, the show started. I ended up sitting with her the whole time and could not stop laughing. It was not what I expected at Cabaret night, but it was an excellent night nonetheless. Sitting there I realized that all of these high school “clicks” that occur only occur because we let it happen. Sometimes we all just need to change back to what we were to realize where we are going.
Freshman year I wanted to be “cool” and have senior friends. I changed myself for them, and that is never happening again. Sophomore year I wanted to have friends outside of Oakcrest, that failed miserably. Which leads me to junior year, I am just me. I hang out with different people each weekend, and I honestly do not care anymore. I’ve seen what it is like, and i’ve learned that only I can choose when I change.
Some of Bunje’s twelfth period may remember the day that I pinpointed what it is that I value most. But probably not, so I’ll refresh you. I was sitting on the side of the room closest to the windows and the class was discussing the blog about the seven-point creed. Since it was the day after Bunje issued the decree banning “I don’t knows,” I sat in pensive deliberation before finally answering “Progress.” I’m grateful that out of all the class’s students, Bunje’s happened to ask me that question because for once in my life I put real thought into me instead of goalkeeping technique or literary terms or ionic compounds or derivatives. I thought long and hard about me. I accomplished more in those twelve seconds than I have in the sixteen years I’ve been alive. In these twelve seconds, what I value most was revealed to me, and from that answer, I know that the principle that I try to follow and that I hope continues to guide me is “Make it better.”
ReplyDeleteExplaining where this comes from is a chicken-or-egg argument. Have my experiences in school and soccer molded me into a highly-motivated perfectionist (I know, I know, perfection is impossible)? Or did my drive to be the best motivate me to approach school and soccer in the manner by which I do? I generally lean towards the first one. I wasn’t always as motivated as I am now. I was a quick learner, so early academia, as in the alphabet, addition, and the whole works, came very easily to me, so I didn’t value it like I’ve since learned to. But soccer was that thing that I wanted but it seemed like I couldn’t have. I used to come in last in the sprints and sit the bench every game. I don’t recall ever starting. I’d go home crying, but not do anything about it.
Then I was incidentally introduced to goalkeeping. It was, to the deepest depths of my undeveloped ten-year-old vocabulary, really cool. I began playing more, but I didn’t do anything on my own to maintain that spot. I just started working a little harder at practice. But then something shook my world- the Hurricanes disbanded. I didn’t know what I would do, where I would go, or if I would ever play soccer again.
It was at that point that I realized that I could not, could never, give up soccer; it had become inextricably linked to me for some reason I couldn't quite put my finger on. I guess it was just really, really fun. I decided then that if I was going to take the time out to play, I was going to do it right, which is when I think the first sparks of that ruthless make-it-better drive lit. I spent my birthday money on a speed ladder and a jump rope and I got faster and quicker. I started running tree line at the Hickory Street fields until I had something that resembled endurance. And then I joined a fairly-high-level team. Since then, I have pushed and pushed and pushed and fought and fought and fought to make it better and end up where I am today, and I want it to be known that I will continue to push and fight and make it better until I feel that I’ve reached my best, whether in soccer, academics, my career, my future family, or life in general. I’m going to be the best I can be; I'll just keep making it better.
Cheekers:
ReplyDeleteI found myself nodding my head after reading each sentencec, and that's not because I'm falling asleep. You described me and probably 99.9% of people (that's not just limited to teenagers). I like that you mentioned sitting with Mrs. Rock at cabaret night because it just goes to show that the people whose company you'll enjoy most are the people who take you as you are, appreciate you for it, and don't expect you to change for anything.
And you were 100% right: you're not big; actually, you're rather small...
T-Palm:
ReplyDeleteI like it when you say stuff. I may not always comment on your post, but I always read it. You say very introspective things that my waste-deep (I'm not good at thinking "deeply," but I'm definitely not shallpw) mind can still grasp. You undoubtedly pulled through this week- as I knew you would- because I feel almost jealous, but not maliciously so. Maybe more along the lines of admiring? Anyways, I liked it. I wish that I had the courage to put on a blindfold and go (God knows I should probably get a second to tie over my mouth too). I don't take nearly enough risks and I think that doing so would add so much more to my life.
Deanna:
ReplyDeleteI like ladybugs, but not in October/November when they take over my house and overnight and fill in the entire ceiling starting at the corner at the end of my kitchen cabinet. But ladybugs, when in small quantities, are cute little buggers. But that doesn't mean that that is all that exists. I think everyone needs to be able to form their own little world where they can escape to and just relax. I wish I could master that art like you have.
However I also believe that while you're right about there being some white paint to cover the ugly picture, there is no eraser. It's still there and the only way to create true art is to take that bad picture and add a line here and a splash of color there and draw in a ladybug right here until it's all been combined tp make one beautiful picture. I also wish I could master that art.
I'm not sure if that makes any sense. Let me know if it doesn't and I'll wake another shot at it.
I believer we are all little children trying to impress our peers.
ReplyDeleteYes, this idea is very ambiguous but I think it’s the clearest explanation of all my beliefs put into one. We constantly put on shows that make ourselves seem better than we really are--and sometimes that fairytale becomes so real that it literally comes true. In the end, everything in the world resulted from someone striving to live a dream or their own fairytale. But in that show we put on to create that fairytale, there are so many flaws and faults and cracks that it makes you realize just how human everyone is.
As a child, I idolized and glorified a ton of things, from school-life to parents and teachers. I had so much trust in my parents that I deemed them near god-like who could correct almost every situation. In 6th grade, I magnify every aspect of middle school--from the supposed 'horror' of being late to class to the 'dreadful' use of lockers to even the 'amazing' social life we were expected to have. I did the same for high school. I still do it today. I dazzle at the thought of a mind-stimulating college experience. I dream of that fantasy, that picture perfect apotheosis of people, places, human systems, etc. We all enshrine something or another.
But my glorification of everything, throughout my life, have continually come crashing down to expose the true human side of every system of the world. Everything can be seen as the work of someone trying to impress you. Books, politicians, government policies, students attempting to dress a certain way--all of this involves a performance to manipulate the audience's opinion. For instance, I've had (and I'm sure most of us had these same teachers) who begin the year scaring us with how hard the schoolwork will be and how we must work ten times harder than we had before into order to get good grades. It's a show to build up our confidence in our teacher and work ethic in class. However, as the year goes by, we notice how human our teachers are: they can often teach something completely wrong, make a ton of mistakes, our classes become way more informal, some teachers even become lax when grading papers. But we’re all human, right?
But this brings me to one of my beliefs: Humans continually try to prove themselves, but they can often err. I see this optimistically in two ways. One, I see it as an advantage, an open door, for my life. If so and so can build up their fairy tale dream, why can't I? In fact, anybody can! Knowing this makes all the fantasies we dream of more realistic and able to be carried out. Two, this belief leads me to say that we are all equal. While that may sound corny, I see it more in the way of gender rather than race (even though I believe in both ways). Boys are girl and girls are boys. Strictly speaking, I can call myself gender-blind. There is essentially nothing different between the male and female internally. Externally and socially, that's another story. But inwardly, I am the same as the boy next to me.
While I'm aware that this may not make that much sense, I have to say that I have a lot of strong beliefs, and it's hard to choose just one. I hope this didn’t seem too discursive and incoherent. But the idea of glorifying guides me into a great deal of my beliefs: that we clumsily make mistakes, that I and any other person can live a fantasy, and that we are all equal (for example, gender-wise).
Jourdan:
ReplyDeleteI remember that day and I really liked how you valued progress more than anything. I personally value insight. But anyway, I loved your blog! It sounds so “you.” I think you’re such a smart person and with your drive and determination, you can succeed in anything. I also loved (I’m in TSTD mode) how your blog flowed very smoothly with very seem-less transitions. For instance, you said “in those twelve seconds than I have in the sixteen years I’ve been alive. In these twelve seconds” I think you’re going to do amazing on the AP test!
Kelsey:
First of all, I sort off chuckled to myself when reading your fourth paragraph at ‘may act big, but I am really not) because it is not worth fighting over. I forgive way too easily, which gets me in a lot of trouble, but I just think life is too short to fight.” I started to remember when during our 12th period Lang circle yesterday, Deanna said something like “These cookies are made for Kelsey…Shortbread.” Hahaha! Well, for your blog, I feel like everyone in high school changes for other people. It’s like a natural pathway. In the end, you learn more about yourself and, I guess, come closer to finding who are you (even though it’s not a destination).
Stephanie:
I was just thinking, as I read the part when you talked about all beings on Earth having a job, of how maybe you could take a bit further and say that we all are equal (inwardly). I mean, our ‘souls’ (if you could call it) are all the same. It’s just the fact that we have different body structures and brain plasticity that make us different. I guess that works well with the idea of reincarnation, too (Bunje and her dogs =)). Also, you said “Logically, I could not imagine why God would create a person for pure evil, it just makes no sense.” And I was confused on what you were talking about. Where did you hear this? I never heard of the idea that God created man for evil.
Taylor:
ReplyDelete“I like my fixated blindfold. I like the thrill of not knowing exactly where I’ll walk, whether it be into a playground, serenely lit by the shimmering stars, or a solid brick wall, I don’t care. I’ll pick up the pieces if I have to and if not I’ll keep chugging along on my tracks.”
Even though your guiding principle is far from the safest, I admire your willingness to boldly stride out into the world and discover yourself, through both the negative and the positive. I walk a fine line between risky (and growth-inducing) and familiar (and safe), often leaning heavily toward safe. Beside’s what’s “risky” for me is more just stepping out of my comfort zone, say, spending Saturday (willingly) giving a public presentation for 4H, than actually “risky”. I definitely shy away from spur of the moment. And if I do make a make an impulsive decision, I’ll promise you my eyes are wide open. But I really wish that, sometimes, I could borrow your blindfold and just take life as it comes.
Deanna:
ReplyDelete“Essentially, I’m trying to say that I believe I have the power to make my own world, since God resides within me.”
You always strike me as so powerful. Even when something is dragging you down, you always find a way to crush it. It could be by drawing a cute little ladybug or spending your free time putting extra effort into a particular school subject. I admire you ability to rise above whatever stands in your path. Just one question: Can I put a lady bug on my Chem test? ^_^
Taylor Palm -
ReplyDelete“Live blindfolded and leap, just try not to fall too hard if you trip on the rug”
I've always admired people who can do that. I've had it drilled into my skull to think. think. think. all. the. time. It sucks...most of the time. As you said about blindfolds, sometimes you fall into the fiery pit and sometimes you don't, which happens even when a choice is thought out. May as well have fun doing it.
sShirley - At first i was a bit lost at your point. As I continued to read I began to understand it more and it became MUCH more comprehensive. =] I never thought the fact that people are always trying to impress other people could be considered a good thing, but you have me convinced. I guess we never consider that those people fail, probably a lot more than we suspect, at their attempts, which can be a slight boost to ourselves. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Willman- I lloved your "Every animal is equal to every human" guideline. I'll admit I am guilty of squishing some spiders and other such insects, but I don't go hunting for them. One,hunting insects sounds like an uninteresting and unfullfiling hobby, and two they aren't attacking ME, so why should I disturb them. They help keep the earth cheerful! As for seeing the good in everyone, I'm going to disagree. I try to find the good in MOST people, but some folks do for themselves always. They might have the potential, but they'll never engage it. Thats not to say they are evil, i'm sure theres one underlying cause or another, but sometimes good just isn't there.
ReplyDeleteRight now, my guiding principles are fairly mute. I go to school, I come home, I do chores and homework, and I go to sleep to repeat it multiple times. It’s almost mindless. I don’t have the freedom to exercise my own beliefs, because they clash against the beliefs of my family, and in that field I’m outnumbered. I try…keyword try…to follow my guideline of “I know right and wrong. I am intelligent. I am capable. Never forget it”, which is challenged daily by my family who, for some reason, thinks I am not capable. Whatever. Shaping my life by this principle is going to lead me to success.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I do know whats right and what is wrong, and no matter what I cannot ignore that. By doing the right thing I’ll undoubtedly face some adversity, but I’ll be better off for it. Staying morally sound and out of major trouble can only help my arguments in the future, plus it honors my relationship with my God.
Second, I’m a smart cookie. I take AP classes, I understand logic, I can problem solve. Educationally speaking, I’m never really worried about succeeding because I KNOW I can do it. I just have to put in the effort. Never can I let up on my gaining of knowledge. Abasing my intellect would be like shooting myself in the foot, all I accomplish is giving myself a handicap, which I do NOT need. I can’t think of a reason why I’d deny my smarts, but if the situation ever comes around, I’ve got my bases covered.
Third, I can do nearly anything I want. I have that type of ridiculous perseverance that, when I have a passion, takes the wheel and drives me to the most insane ends. For now I am physically and mentally sound (unless I shoot myself in the foot as previously mentioned), so that means I can accomplish any and every goal I set. This skill WILL save my ass on multiple occasions, considering I tend to procrastinate a lot, but once I find my passion, game over. I win.
I never had “rules” like this in my life. Only recently have I developed my own plan for how I’ll live. Since I was young I accepted mommy and daddy’s guidelines for me and took their word as law. Unfortunately, as I’ve grown and I’ve seen the realities of my family, I know that my parents’ views are fairly skewed and relying on them will only limit my potential. Some of my rules stem from religion and certain moral values I have grown up with, but most of them are defiance against the folks. I figure its healthier to live my way in the future than go running head first into the brick wall of today.
“Go back, it’ll be all right.”
ReplyDeleteI met Steven when I was just a freshman, and as our friendship grew, I began to learn about a kid that has been through so much. His mother is constantly sick, his father constantly leaves to visit his girlfriend up in Canada, his grandmother, who he loved so very much, passed away his freshman year. Steven’s been through so much, but he’s still here today, standing stronger than ever, willing to withstand anything in order to reach his dream.
Maybe I give him too much credit, maybe he did hurt me so many times, but I cannot deny that he taught me so many things. I was always extremely hard on myself. My mother was always one to criticize me and hammer me about every single thing that I did, that I just didn’t feel good enough for her, and in return never good enough for anyone. But what I learned from Steven, and what I very much believe, is that everything will be all right.
When everything happened to me in December, people started dropping in and out of my life, I am confronted with temptations to cut, most recently been having stomach problems because of my diet (or lack of one, I suppose), possibilities of a real problem in the mind and I just haven’t been able to deal. It’s made me doubt almost everything I took so much care in believing- that everyone deserves second chances, that people are very good at heart, etc. But, after having a hard look at everything, I still believe that no matter how bad things get, everything will be all right.
I firmly believe that everything works out if you keep trying. If you’re not happy with the person you are, don’t give up, it’ll be okay. If someone you care about hasn’t quite been the same, don’t give up, it’ll be okay. Even if my beliefs fade in and out of my life, one always hold true, that if I keep trying, things will always be all right.
This particular belief has always held strong for me and was always extremely important to me, because faith is everything. Faith is what’s kept me alive all this time and what keeps people all around the world alive all the time. Seeing people so faithful, inspires me to have faith in trying to keep going. If people had faith, they wouldn’t be afraid to follow their heart, they wouldn’t be afraid to believe in what they believe in.
Kelsey: “Change for no one, unless it is the person in the mirror"
ReplyDeleteI really like how you phrased that. You shouldn't change for anyone, but that doesn't mean you should not change - that's how I take that, reading a bit more into it than is written. You know, you said you don't really know who you are yet, and that's okay. There's no reason for you to know who you are, and I think that if you did, it would probably mean that you have felt the weight of the heavens on your shoulders. Nobody our age should be ready for that kind of experience.
Manar: That was amazing input. I was shocked in gym when you explained this to me, because lying and cheating seem to be two entirely different things... but they're not. I'm glad you were able to entertain your thoughts into word.
ReplyDeleteTaylor: "It’s on a necklace that I where all of the time, I say it all of the time, it’s my go to advice…all of the time. "
That was my favorite part! repetition ;) You're carefree nature is beautiful, don't ever lose that. I can see you saying every single word of your blog.
Stephanie: I really do agree with how you think everything's connected. Ever since I was little, I admired Pocahontas for such beliefs. It's truly amazing how the world is so intricately entwined within itself, Avatar gives great examples of this!If you haven't seen it, you'd love it!
Jourdan, I feel the same way about chess as you do about soccer. There's something about it that I can't quite put my finger on: I'm not particularly good at it - at least it feels that way - and it seems like a ridiculous game when I think about it (which I do a lot). I think that the drive isn't in the game, it's in you, and the game triggers something in you that makes you happy.
ReplyDeleteI’m stuck. Trapped in the nightmare of giving up. Giving up efforts, giving up that extra mile, giving up somewhat of the authenticity to who I am. Venting has lost purpose, whenever I start, the person I’m trying to vent to, brings the conversation into their problems, revolving it around them. I know not everyone does this, I do know a couple people that will selflessly listen and give interest. However, everyone has problems.. So what makes anyone’s more important? I’m stuck in this train of thought that can not be fully explained. I don’t know what I’m thinking so I stay silent. Throughout my wandering mind, I remain with only one constant; a certain hope. That teaspoon of hope can only be derived from a gallon of strength. In essence, the only person you will always have is yourself, so make yourself a strong person. Lately, a lot has been going on in my personal life but my emotional strength keeps be hopeful. I doubt any AP langers have it easy, but its all in the course of making us stronger. Stronger students, stronger people, and stronger minds. One of my core beliefs will always be to stay strong. Nothing will ever compromise that, it’s too pure to be tangible and too necessary to lack.
ReplyDeleteEven when you’re stuck your strength will pull through. Easier said than done, trust me, I know. However, that just makes it worth so much more. Which is why strength plays such a vital part in all life’s situations. Emotional strength is something I value in all people, this I believe. I’m stuck here in a routine, with no patience, all I have is my strength and It’s keeping my faith together, providing me with hope. Even at the point when your pulling your hair, biting your lip, and holding back tears, it can only be your personal strength that will calm you back to reality. So, next time you’re venting your problems to a dear friend and they start telling you about something incredibly irrelevant, you can sit their patient. Then, right after your helpful life advice, you will be able to take your own strength and figure out what you need to do with your life. I’m stuck, but my strength will allow myself to figure it out. My ideas are meandering what I’m trying to get across, but the basis is that you must always keep hold of your emotional strength.
The past few years of my life have been for the most part pretty weird. From 7th grade to 10th grade the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with happened to me, and I will probably be dealing with it for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteThrough all of this, I've come to learn that through all of the bad there is good to come out of it. When I lost the most important person in my life, I thought nothing would ever be the same again. I was upset for the longest time and I couldn't focus on anything. Everything seemed to just suck for a few months straight. In time, there were many good things to come out of this. My dad was able to stop spending money on hospital bills and doctor visits and he was able to buy more luxury items. My soccer team grew a million times closer because of the time and effort they put into cheering me up every single day. I also learned who my real friends were, and they were the ones who stuck around during this all.
Because of what happened, my dad is getting remarried and I'm moving to another city in order to fit my new step-family into the house. That is going to be extremely awkward and weird, because I have only met her kids twice. It's like moving in with strangers. I see this as a really bad thing because I am going to miss my house and Mays Landing a lotttttt. My dad even wants me to go to another high school because it'll be closer to my new house. But throughout my experience with unfortunate situations, I know that something good has to come from this. My dad has even told me it'll be good because he's buying me a car when we move. So, if we move close enough I might still be able to drive to school even though I'll live in another city. It doesn't completely make up for what I have to go through, but it works for me. And maybe I'll really like the new house a lot and be happy there. Or maybe the neighbors will be really cool or something and I'll have new friends.
No matter how this all plays out, I know that it won't be as bad as I keep telling myself it will be. I really believe that bad situations are just the set ups for good things to come.
Paolalaa- You're so right about the whole strength thing. I was actually gonna write about that.. And you are so right about how people always listen to your problems but then start talking about themselves. That's pretty annoying, and it makes me realize that my only help is really going to come from my own strenght, not other people.
ReplyDeleteAlex V- What you said is just like this movie thing I saw called The Secret. It's like if you tell youself you will do something then it will happen. You're just like the guy in the video it's so cool! You really should watch it.
ReplyDeleteWe never know where the people we interact with have been, are at, or are going in their lives. Experiences shape the way we are, so if you have the power to create an experience in some one else's life, as all humans do, you have the power to change some one else's life. And they have the same power over you. That means each one of our actions can be felt in another's life, and they can pass that on to other people, and those people can pass it on to other people. It's a ripple effect. Even our smallest actions can change the world. A smile. A greeting. An insult. A punch in the face. They can all effect a person, even if only by s small amount they may not even notice it. Suppose I went up to someone and punched them in the face, that would never happen of course, because, well, I'm me, but suppose I punch this person in the face and they go on to be a Congressman. And when this person is in Congress they remember the time in high school when they were punched in the face, so they go on to write a bill that creates sweeping changes across the country with the way schools deal with bullying. The experience I caused in someone else's life changed the way schools around the country run, not that I condone violence, but the Congressman was able to be the bigger person and create something good out of a bad situation.
ReplyDeleteNow if we can make a difference in other people's lives, think about what we can do with our own lives! We all have the ability to change the world, in our own ways. If you search inside yourself and find what you love and are truly meant to do, your life could be felt throughout the world. This leads me to my guiding principle, if you search hard enough, and think it through, you know what you truly are meant to do, follow it. Never mind what other people say or the excuses your brain makes against potentially "unwise" decisions. Unwise is not following your heart, because in the end you won't be happy and you won't be able to live with yourself. You have to be strong enough to see past the superficial, shell barriers we, and others, create for ourselves. A weak person takes the easy path and does not search within themselves for the answers. A strong person sees past the self doubt, the "rational" thought, and the externally enforced values and finds in himself what he is meant to do.
This principle applies to short and long term goals. If the outcome of your self exploration seems difficult at first, persevere. It'll work out in the end, and you'll turn out much happier.
Alexis B:
ReplyDeleteIt's so easy to lose faith and give up on everything, I'm so glad you can remain believing that everything will be alright. I believe it too, but sometimes it can be hard to remember, especially when times are their darkest. Faith is important though, because sometimes its all we have to get us through the most difficult situations. Definitely a great, and important, guiding principle.
(PART 1)
ReplyDeleteAfter severely falling and hitting my head on a hill at Blue Mountain Ski Resort in the Poconos, I suddenly found myself in a hospital bed, dazed and confused. An old and frail Indian woman walked in, and as my numbness began to descend, my screaming began to ascend. Obviously a nurse, she told me to swallow some pills. I did as she told me to, and as she looked at my pain-enriched self, her eyes comforted me. I told her, “Why me? I always mess things up.”
“Because it’s your destiny.” Not knowing what destiny was, I just tagged along with her mumbo-jumbo. I replied,
“Why would my destiny want me to suffer?”
“Because it is going to make you stronger.” I thought, Why would this accident make me stronger? I’m in a hospital, for pete’s sake! Six year old Chrissy couldn’t really fathom this wise, old woman’s remarks, but six year old Chrissy never forgot it. I interpreted “Destiny” without a dictionary, and with every choice I made as a child, I told myself that it was my destiny. I was secluded from the church and religion when I was younger, and I always felt guilty for ignoring my Catholic background. I didn’t know what to believe. There wasn’t really anything to believe, except for the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause. Destiny, which is the concept of a predetermined course of events, is the only thing I held onto. Yes, it sounds cliché, but my interpretation is more original.
I believe destiny is inevitable, but can only be fulfilled through motivation.
Okay, since then, I have a love/hate relationship with this word “destiny”. I hate how it sounds so utterly cliché, and it has definitely been misused in society. Yet, in everything that I do, or every choice that I make, my mind repeatedly reminds me about “destiny”. Whatever I choose is my destiny, as well as the mistakes I have made. To me, the future is already written. I was born on earth for a sole purpose, and I guess life is the journey to search for that purpose. Does this make sense? Yes, the future may be written in the cosmos, but one can’t just sit on the couch like a complete bum and expect something spectacular to occur because of destiny. With destiny lies the motivation to find it, and so the seeker should get off his buttocks and start searching with every ounce of enthusiasm. Why am I here?
(PART 2)
ReplyDeleteI never fully understood this guiding principle in my life until I started to watch the show Lost. Now, please don’t roll your eyes after you have read that statement. Lost is, in all honesty, not an ordinary show. It is a beautifully and intellectually written show that combines many themes of literature (The Odyssey, Chronicles of Narnia, etc.) with the most relatable and admirable characters on television. I’ve never been the one to religiously follow a show, but Lost has really changed my way of thinking. So, for those who have never watched it, here’s a quick synopsis: Fourty seven people (with six main characters) crash onto an island, and since it’s a “supernatural” island, it’s almost impossible to get rescued. Okay, that was a horrible explanation, and it’s pretty impossible to sum up an epic show into a miniature sentence. But, hey, I tried. Anyways, the main characters are connected off the island one way or another, and as much as they want to escape the island’s wrath, destiny calls them back to it. And as much as they hate their circumstances, the survivors use their motivation and will to find this “destiny”, which is still a mystery. Like Benjamin Linus said on the show, “Destiny is a fickle bitch.” You never know what will happen, but it is certain that something WILL happen. If it doesn’t make total sense, it’s okay. I’m not even sure what destiny is, but my beliefs are personal, so anyone is open for interpretation.
Destiny is even evident in death. As sad and painful as it is to see an infant die in his mother’s arms, I believe it was his time to go. That was his destiny. That may sound cruel, but in order to relieve my pain and sorrow, destiny comforts me. This is my faith. Destiny is my religion. I know there is a job that I am going to prosper in. That job is my destiny. I know there is a man out there who I was MEANT to spend the rest of my life with. That man is my destiny. But, in order to fulfill it, I must have motivation to discover this career, or to find the man of my dreams. And even if I get laid-off or have my heart broken, the wise, Indian woman reminds me that I will only become stronger.
“Embrace the journey and keep moving, even if it becomes difficult.” That has been the phrase that’s been guiding my life lately. It basically means to follow life’s path even if it makes an unexpected turn and to persevere through any bumps in the road. In past years I have always looked to the future: what am I going to do with my life? How will I reach my specific future goals? But I realized I was more worried about the future then what was happening in the present. I realized I needed to pay attention to my life now because after all, these are years that I’ll never repeat. I can’t just accomplish future goals and then decide okay I want to be seventeen again please. No, I have to make the best of life now, not focus on the future. I was too concentrated on the ending goal, which at the moment is figuring out what I want to do with my life. Sometimes I just wish I already knew; I wish I could just peer into a crystal ball and see exactly what my life’s going to look like in ten years. Then I could just focus on a certain path that would lead me right to that future life. But then I realized there’s no fun in that. If that happened then all possible life experiences would fade because I would stay focused on one thing. I need options; I need to try different things. That’s what makes life so interesting, the journey. That’s how we learn and how we find our place in life.
ReplyDeleteSo I wanted to stop focusing on the end goals and pay more attention to life’s little details that lead to the future. I don’t really want the journey to ever end. If I stop moving along life’s path than where does that leave me, on the side of the road debating whether it’s safe to keep moving or whether I should stay on the side where it’s safe but nothing new ever happens. Well I choose to keep moving even if I take a wrong turn. I know I’ll find my way back as long as I don’t give up. The discoveries I make on the way are worth the wrong turns. For every wrong turn there has to be a right turn. I know I’ll fall a few times but it’ll teach me to watch my step next time and I can continue to make new discoveries about life and even maybe some interests I have that I didn’t even know existed. I don’t want to have a set course, I want to be free to choose a path and stick with my decision because either way I will learn something. My plan now consists of following different paths and finding which one is right for me, while living my life in the present instead of putting it on hold for the future.
ReplyDeleteSarah L: “It goes a little something like this: good isn’t always in us in a neat pretty little package.”
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you on this. I think everyone does have some bit of good in them somewhere but whether the good is obvious or hidden all depends on the person. For some people they thrive on being kind and helping while others act mean and as if they could care less. The mean person has good in them, it just doesn’t show as well. I think everyone has good in them to some extent even if it’s just a speck but experiences affect whether that good is shown or hidden
Taylor: I think that taking chances and “living with a blindfold” on may be the best choice sometimes. We’re not always going to be able to figure out where each and every decision will lead but sometimes the outcome is worth the risk of jumping and possibly falling. If you don’t leap then you may be left with the what ifs which tend to get annoying after a while. So I definitely agree with leaping blindfolded.
Kelsey C: “Change for no one, unless it is the person in the mirror"
This really made me think about just how often students adjust according to different friends. I know I’ve done it before and it’s not fun because I felt like a lost a little bit of me. Luckily I was able to get back to who I was and now I try to avoid the pressure of changing by keeping myself in mind. You definitely made a good point; the only person we should change for is ourselves and nobody else.
Hannah-
ReplyDeleteYour belief, in essence, is the ultimate balance of life. For every bad thing, there is a good thing, and vice versa. In order to rise among the ditches of defeat, we must see the sun peaking through the dirt. There is always another day, and another sun that will rise again. I extremely admire you for your everlasting optimism. You have probably gone through more shit than most teenagers at Oakcrest, and you've dealt with it like a true warrior. Keep believing in the positives, for it makes you both stronger and more admirable. I love you Hannah, don't ever change!
I refuse to die. My life will go on and on and on... No one will kill me, and nothing will stop me. I absolutely refuse to die.
ReplyDeleteNow before you go on thinking I’m crazy [ or perhaps, crazier than you already thought I was ], I don’t mean to die in the literal sense. The only thing I'm denying is the opportunity for life to beat me down. I know that sometimes that can seem impossible, and given that it’s only pre-death month-month or pre-death month squared, life will certainly be getting tougher on all of us. However, that still does not give me a legitimate reason to stop living the way I want to live.
Perhaps I’m not being clear, so let me elaborate. Say you’re walking down the hallway, having a very spirited conversation with a friend while your feet automatically lead you to your next destination. All of a sudden, this huge, gorilla-sized, juiced up student completely rams into you and then keeps on going. Everything that you were holding spills onto the floor. You stagger backwards, possibly concussed from the impact, and say “What the *insert expletive here*?!” Now you have two choices. Are you going to let the embarrassment/hurt wash over you, and crawl up into a ball in the middle of an intersection? Or are you going to bend down, pick up your stuff, and then keep on moving?
Maybe this only makes sense to me, but that’s the only way I could think to explain it. When life decides it just wants to sucker punch me in the face, and then mow me down into the dirt, I’m simply not going to let it. I believe firmly in moving forward and continually progressing. To me, it makes no sense at all to live in the past. What’s happened has already happened. If you’ve made a mistake, then learn from it, don’t do it again, and let yourself move on. I do not even have to words to fully express how much it bothers me when I hear of people constantly reliving their past. When I was younger, I would constantly harp on the events that had transpired the day before. I honestly believed that what had occurred the day before would always follow me into the next few weeks. It’s almost as if my life was a TV show, and everyday would begin with ‘On the last episode of My Life as Gwen…’ followed by a recount of everything that transpired. I went years with that very philosophy until I realized that, I was the only reason why these events followed me. If I had one bad day at school, what was preventing me from making the next day the exact opposite of that? Me. If I made a bad first impression on someone, does that mean there’s absolutely no hope in trying to show them that I'm not as horrible as I seemed? Of course not! If I failed one Calc test, does that mean I’ll fail the next one? Well...this answer’s most likely yes, but you get the gist of it by now.
I have never been the type of person to quit, and when things get especially rough, I respond by fighting back twice as hard. Even in the toughest circumstances, I force myself to keep thinking forward, and I remind myself that there will always be tomorrow. This year, I’ve noticed that I tend to make short term goals for myself. If I know I have a really though week ahead of me, I make myself realize that the next day, or the weekend, or even the AP test itself is now one day closer. It does no good at all to dwell on something unpleasant. Time is never going to stop moving, unless there’s some crazy, freak science experiment that changes that. But until that day comes, life itself will continue moving, and who am I to try to fight against that?
Time will never cease to stop moving, and neither will I.
I’m not stupid. By myself, I cannot change the world. By myself, I cannot bring peace to the warring countries of the world or give everyone food and somewhere to sleep. I’m just a man (or a boy, I suppose), not a superhero, and it would take a collective effort to do any of those things. However, no matter what happens around me, I can always control my own destiny. No matter what happens to me, I will always have the ability to change my life for the better and make myself happy. However, the inverse is also true. I can make my life a living hell, and that’s what drove me to write this in the first place.
ReplyDeleteAccording to a video our class watched in AP Psychology, people’s brains can shift in and out of depression just like they were changing clothes. In some, it is a constant condition, which are usually the cases people hear about, but everyone has the ability to become depressed at any time. According to researchers, people can assume a state of depression instantly, often after hearing bad news of some sort. They can also exit this state just as quickly if they happen to think about pleasant things. So what does this have to do with me, you may ask?
Well, all the years of my self-doubt and inner turmoil finally came to a head at the beginning of this school year. I REALLY don’t want to go into details, but I started questioning everything about myself, which made me lose hope for anything good in the future. I largely stopped caring about schoolwork. My happiness was declining as fast as my grades, and it seemed like there was nothing I could do about it. However, after letting it all go on for a month or two, I decided that enough was enough. Instead of starting the day off with a horrible attitude like I had been in the previous weeks, I decided to tell myself that the coming day would be a wonderful one, even if there was no indication of that being true. I started to have good days again, and soon the good days greatly outnumbered the bad ones. Now, I’m pretty happy with everything. Although there are times when I still doubt things about myself, I usually have no problems getting over it. I can finally look toward the future with hope, despite anything bad that may happen.
After my quest for inner peace came the quest for the motivation I lacked. When I was little, I enjoyed learning. Somewhere along the journey to and through high school, however, I had lost that. I did work simply because I should have done it, rather than doing it because of my desire to learn. However, one day my past literally hit me in my head. A scrapbook from my spelling bee journey in fifth grade fell off a shelf and hit me, and then the contents proceeded to spill out on the floor. I looked at the stories of my past successes and immediately realized that something was really wrong. Back then, I was called a genius by quite a few people. Now, that never happens. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m not a genius, but I like being smart. Somewhere along the line, though, I had lost the willpower to do what is necessary to be the best. Suddenly, though, I had been inspired. I started reading chapters in textbooks, thinking about complex issues, and putting thought into essays again. Almost immediately, my grades in almost all of my classes shot up, and I felt good about my brain again. The only reason I had been doing poorly (okay, eighty-sevens aren’t poor, but they aren’t good either) is because I didn’t want to do better. Now that I do, I am a happier, more successful person.
ReplyDeleteBasically, almost every problem I have in my life is due to a choice I made, whether that choice is a conscious one or not. No matter how bad things seem, I always have to power to make things a little better and turn everything around. Rather than blaming circumstances or other people for my problems, all I should do is blame myself and fix whatever I did to create them. Once I took responsibility for my life, everything seemed to start going my way, and I’m a much happier person because of it. As long as I live, I will always have the power to make things better, and it’s up to me to make sure I use it.
Sarah L.-
ReplyDeleteBased upon this blog and your numerous others (I think I've read most of yours), I have complete confidence in your goal of getting your work published! Your writing is both unique and impeccable. Your voice, as well, effortlessly peaks through your witty vocabulary. But that's besides the point. I, as well, think that everyone has some form of "good" in them. Yet, not everyone wants to use it, thus its packed away in the back of their minds. As for your other belief, I also concur. Passion is key for fufillment. I am goign to use as much motivation and passion in order to achieve my impossible dream of becoming an actress. And even if it doesn't work out as I planned, at least I tried my hardest. So if you keep that passion for your writing, there is a pretty good chance you will get some form of reward in return. Blah, your writing is so amazing!
Gwen C:
ReplyDeleteI agree. Your hallway example made sense, and what you said overall hit me pretty hard. I realized that I live in the past way too often, and instead of dwelling in it so much I should try to worry about what's coming instead. Also, the calc part made me laugh, because it definitely is the one exception to that rule. I liked what you said, and you said it better than I probably could have .
Jourdan S:
ReplyDeleteProgress was my answer to that question too, I think. If someone is good at something when they are five, it doesn't mean they should stop working at it. Soon, they will be overtaken by their peers that work harder at it. I know a person who should by all means be in the top ten, but absolutely refuses to ever do any work. He is ruining his future to some extent, but I guess it's his choice. Had he kept working, however, he would be on track to go to an Ivy League school. I don't doubt that for a second. Even with his horrible work ethic he managed to get a 2000 something on the SATs, and I know it would have been higher if he had tried more. It's a shame. I also found it interesting that he was mad that I got a higher score than him on the SATs (2140! woo). Is laziness just a social decision? I really don't have an answer to that.
Part One-
ReplyDeleteRunning clears my mind; it’s the one place where all my ideas and beliefs make sense. On my runs, sometimes I found it fulfilling when I am accompanied by a friend. Gab (Gabby Mazza ), is that one friend, who constantly accompanies me when we venture out to conquer the realms of the running world. We talk frequently to get through difficult parts and though my legs are burning, she keeps my mind racing with her philosophical questions about life. (This all has relevance, so bear with me.) I bring this up because through our though provoking runs, she has really helped me to discover that one thing I truly believe in.
Why are we here? A question that I ponder often when I am own my runs, or in my spare time. There are many beliefs to why I believe we exist or the purpose behind life but I don’t want to dwell on this or confuse people. Therefore, my belief stems from what our purpose to the world. I believe that we are all good at something. Many, of you are probably reading this thinking either one: Wow this is an obvious, and cliché belief or two: I feel I am not good at anything therefore your belief makes no sense to me. To help the one’s questioning this belief I propose I will thoroughly break it down for you.
We all have personality and quality traits that differ from one another. This is what makes us different. My belief in why we all have differing personality traits is because I feel it leads us to our individual “gift” that we will bestow upon the world. What is the gift? The gift lies with inside us, it’s determined by our personalities and we contain this one “pure gift” because it helps make the world a beautiful place but also it’s what we are meant to do.
Part Two -
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing about our “gift” is everyone is obsessed in finding what they are good that deters them away from naturally discovering their true “gift.” Sad, reality to this “gift” I claim people contain is that they never truly connect with it. Some people get mixed up in the wrong crowd, others that may connect may feel their gift is unreliable and is not financially smart. Therefore, they become trapped into a job or a life they loath with passion because their gift remains hidden. Honestly, that’s why I believe people have mental break-downs, change majors in college or jobs, or have mid-life crisis because they aren’t fulfilling their “gift.”
Okay, to be more thorough and elaborate on my belief I will use myself as an example. I feel as though my gift is to help people. Naturally, I am a good problem solver and listener people are always asking for my advice and solutions or the right choices always come easy to me. Through my life I am going to make sure that I do things that exemplify that “gift” I have because I feel it’s my purpose but also because it won’t suffocate the idea of who truly am.
Okay, so I don’t believe that we are all superhero’s trying to save the world with our special “gifts.” I just believe that we are all so different, with such unique personalities. Thus, I believe our personalities have the power to lead us to our “gifts” that marks what we could do to make the world more diverse but also a more beautiful place to live in!
Oh Sarah Lom-Lom,
ReplyDeleteWhy does your soul speak to mine in such a beautiful manner? xD
Alright, now pass the cheesiness. Haha
First of all, I loved your blog. Especially when you said this, 'I try to love everyone, but it’s difficult and exhausting. I fail, more than I’d like to admit to myself. A lot of times I don’t see the good in everyone. Sometimes I question the good in myself.'
I have tried and failed countless times to love all the people around me. I've noticed, mostly this year, that trying to love everyone is simply not as easy as it sounds. More people irritate me, and I often find myself questioning whether or not they were as pure as I thought they were originally. Yet, whenever I think like that, I feel guilty, and I wonder whether to good in me has diminished just because of my angry thoughts. I now realize that most of the time, I'm being silly, and that sometimes its really hard to control your emotions, even if you're practically an angel on earth.
..Actually..I just forgot where I was going with this. Darn it.. If I remember, I'll tell you. Haha, sorry. :P
Kelsey!
“Change for no one, unless it is the person in the mirror"
Oh man, I just melted. I loved that line so much.
I agree with you so much on realizing just how much you change your views based on other's opinions. I used to do that a lot myself. I used to shy away from anything just like you did, and I still tend to do it even now at times. But after reading you're blog, and especially that line, I fully realize just how wrong that is. I, in fact all of us for that matter, should not have to change anything about ourselves at all to fulfill anyone's expectations. Unless that change will help us grow and become a better individual, there is nothing better than staying true to yourself.
Stephen W., I'll knit you a sweater!
'We all have the ability to change the world, in our own ways. If you search inside yourself and find what you love and are truly meant to do, your life could be felt throughout the world.'
I have often thought about that, but I usually find myself shying away from the chances to make it happen. I desperately want to change the world, as do most people, but I constantly find myself thinking that I'm way to small to make it happen. I'm aware that the world is a huge place, and I think it scares me a bit when I try to imagine myself doing something that would affect a huge population of people I don't personally know.
Sarah L:
ReplyDeleteI agree that everyone is good at heart. I hate it when people totally condemn somebody when all they've really ever needed was somebody that legitimately cared about them. Even with the worst parents in the world or the worst influences possible surrounding a person, no one is bad at heart. We are all human. Some circumstances cause people to mask that goodness, that humanity, but ultimately anybody is redeemable.
Gwen- Aw. I was so inspiried by your overall theme in your blog. I think that is a really relatable and it's really optimistic! I think this belief is crucial for everyone to come into terms with because we dwell so much on the unbearable situations in our lives. If we take them in stride, and handle the situation we can prevent it from happening again. Thus, like you said we can turn this unbearable day, into something spectacular!
ReplyDeleteSarah L: Wow. I was really going to write my paper about the same thing, and I'm so glad that someone shares that belief with me. However, after reading your exceptionally well written blog, I've realized that there is no way to better say it. So I've decided to write about a different belief, but your blog was touching.
ReplyDeleteWhenever answering these questions, I never feel truthful. I always feel like I'm lying because one moment I may agree with myself, and the next I might disagree. I am never constant. Each day I change. My views change, my moods change, my feelings change. Even though I go to church every Sunday and Saturday, I still have this doubt in the back of my mind. Deep down, I know my whole heart isn't in it. So, I'm not sure if I believe in "destiny" or "plans". I don't believe everything happens for a reason either. Just watch though. Tomorrow I might come into school and be like, "HAY GUYZ! THIS WAS MEANT TO HAPPEN!!1" You know...because I'm one bipolar son of a bitch. It runs in the family?
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm going to be honest. The only thing I believe in and hold true to this day is to take things as they come, and not be so serious all the time. (Even thought the Joker keeps asking you why.) I believe in not getting constipated over EVERY. SINGLE. ACTION.
"Oh my Gawd! I ate this delicious cookie and enjoyed it! THINK OF THE CALORIES."
"I...failed this quiz...my life is ruined...someone bring me a knife. *deep
breath* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
I admit, at most times I take the easy way out of things if doing that promises me a good time. Even if I know that something fun has consequences...I'll do it. As long as it's something fun that I can laugh with my friends about. Also: I guess another side belief I can squeeze in. Laughing is key! (How many times have I said this in this blog? Man, I'm annoying.) Make fun of yourself. Laugh at your mistakes. Laugh at other peoples mistakes so then they'll join you. (Or beat you up.) Laugh after you (might) get pumbled by that person. Anyone who goes through life with a sour puss face and a "there's something constantly stuck up my butt" attitude is not for me. Trust me, I'm as self conscious as the next guy, but I smile anyway and try to console myself with humor. When I draw myself in pictures, I add in my big nose and chubby face. I'm not going to draw some anime girl with a "kawaii" face and body. It's not funny. It's not interesting.
HOWEVER.
Yes....
HOWEVER.
Life ain't all a joke. Sometimes the punch line can really knock you off your ass. I try to keep morals and common sense in balance. (Not always the case at most times...) When I'm tempted to procrastinate or do something with HORRIBLE UNIMAGINABLE circumstances...the old Teddy Roosevelt quote shines in.
"Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground."
Tomorrow, like every school morning, I’ll roll out of bed at 5:40, dress, eat, and then rush out to catch the bus at 6:10. The ride will, undoubtedly, be unpleasant: the bus will smell, the seat will make my back ache, and the mechanical noises of my ancient school bus will make it hard for me to fall asleep. The bus will roll into the Oakcrest lot at six-something and the doors will open at exactly 6:07. Most likely, I will wake up a few moments before the doors open, a bit grumpy and very groggy. However, as soon as my foot leaves the last bus step, my mood will shift. In front of my face will be the same small hill that is there every morning, sporting the same cluster of trees that have been there for decades, but the scene never fails to make me smile. Sometimes, it’s the moon, still lingering over the horizon that brightens my day; sometimes, it’s the sunrise-painted sky; today, it was the snowy “marshmallow trees”. Sure, I don’t love being at Oak, but when I look at the small things that I do like—the scene off the bus in the morning, cute little courtyard between the 200 and 300 wings with stone benches and solar lights that gleam before period one, the acrobatic little squirrels that run on top of Oak’s roof—my day becomes a lot more bearable. That’s why “beauty is everywhere, if you open your eyes” and “look at the small picture” are two of the most significant of my core beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThese beliefs are both extremely important to me because they allow me to step back and appreciate a moment, or to take a positive view of a less-than pleasant experience. I truly believe that everything—every place, every situation—that somehow touches my life, no matter how bad it may seem, has some beauty in it. This could be tangible/visible, the trees on the Oakcrest hill, or it could be a new lesson or shard of knowledge that comes out of an unpleasant situation. Let’s say, for instance, I lose my IPod the very morning that my family leaves on a six-hour road trip. I might be miffed that I don’t have some music to keep me entertained, but, on the other hand, I might also more fully appreciate the countryside through which my family travels, or I might spend more time talking to my parents and learn something about them that I never knew before, or I might read a good book instead. It might take some creativity, but if I can see beyond the barren field of disappointment/anger/tragedy/whatever, I will be able to catch a glimpse of a beautiful new flower sprouting up amidst the rubble.
“Look at the small picture” goes hand in hand with “beauty is everywhere, if I open up my eyes”, as in, if I focus on a small detail of the Oakcrest landscape, the squirrel running across the roof, my time at Oak will become more pleasant. It’s been said that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but to me, conjugate parts are at least as important as the whole they create. Take away the squirrel on the roof, the trees on the hill, the Snapple machine in the cafeteria, a given class, or any other “part” that makes up the “whole” that is Oakcrest, and Oakcrest just wouldn’t the same. I don’t naturally tend to look at the big picture, I view it in fragments that my brain sews together when need be, and if one of those fragments goes missing, the whole’s identity is changed. But if I keep my sights on the small pictures, my day becomes not only more enjoyable but also more manageable (Isn’t it easier to deal with bite-sized obstacles than one “whole” monstrous issue?), and I’m better able to see the beauty that life has to offer.
Cheekerpants-
ReplyDeleteI understand where you're coming from. Truth be told, I don't know who my friends are anymore. As I told you last weekend, Jamie's not working out and I depended on her for a lot of things. I could b myself around her but she's too far away and she's selfish. She only hangs out on her terms. Other people I feel like I can't be myself around. I used to be good frieds with them, but I can't anymore. I feel like in the time I haven't talked to someone I lose my conection with them. This is why most of the time, I don't even like hnging out with people. I'd must rather stay home adn not worry what people think of me.
Alexis,
ReplyDeleteYou pretty much know how I feel about everything that's happened. You don't know how much of a releif it is for me to find out that you haven't lost hope though. I'm just upset about the cutting. I haven't been in your position, so I don't credit myself for being able to understand. I just know that ou didn't do anything wrong, so there's no reason to punish yourself for it. Don't change yourself to make anybody happy... ever.
Paola,
ReplyDeleteI've tried talking to my friends about my problems, but there's really only one who listens. Besides her, I've decided I'm going to have to figure out my problems by myself. Just a hint, a blank page is an amazing listener. I've been keeping a journal to try and muddle through the things that bother me. Try keeping a journal. It's an amazing feeling to let your feeling out and listen to noone else's input.
“No bitchassness.” Diddy and I apparently live by the same rules.
ReplyDeleteThough many of my life principles fall under the umbrella of “no bitchassness,” it seems as though Diddy has summarized all of them into two powerful words. It seems like a joke, but when Diddy said those words on “Making the Band”, I decided, that as arrogant and cocky he sounded, he had a point.
To me, “no bitchassness” means that you need to avoid all problems other people could start in your life and you need to refrain from starting problems with anybody. If something bad happenes in my life, I get mad for a couple of hours or so, but I move on. I don’t continue to whine about my problems and force them on other people. Also, even if I’m mad at a friend I do everything I can to stop myself from confronting them about it and thought I may vent to one or two good friends, I try not to tell everyone about my problems.
My “no bitchassness” policy stems from being called a complainer one time inn grade school. I learned that nobody likes a complainer and if there’s something wrong, you need to stop yourself from becoming a negative person. Nobody wants to be seen as a cry-baby and nobody wants to be surrounded by someone who always complains.
Even if someone’s talking about a person who’s really close to me, I don’t say anything unless it is really necessary. I try and stop myself from interfering in someone else’s problems unless it becomes personal. I avoid problems and “bitchassness” in my life unless I fell with my whole heart that I need to interfere and say something.
ReplyDeleteBesides my “no bitchassness” policy, I’ve found that the bonds between my family members and I, is stronger than any of my bondages with other people. Being in high school with my sister changed my perspective of family versus friends. I talk about my sister freely because I feel like my bond is so strong with her that nothing’s going to break it. I don’t, however, talk about my friends the way I talk about my sister when I’m mad. Their bonds aren’t nearly as strong as the ones between my family and I.
Again, I talk about my sister sometimes, but when other people talk about her, I instantly feel something that can only be described as pure rage. I get so angry when I hear negative things about my sister, especially when they’re things I wouldn’t even go as far to say. Nobody ever says anything directly to me about her, which is a good thing, because I’m so attached to her that if it ever happened I might pop a blood vessel.
Jessie: WOW! Your intro made me smile so much. My bus experience is the same, and when I saw the snow, I felt the same. Seeing the small beautiful things in life is really important. The intro was so entertaining though! I loved it.
ReplyDeleteLucas: Your response was really incredible. I enjoyed it a lot.
"I’m just a man (or a boy, I suppose), not a superhero, and it would take a collective effort to do any of those things. However, no matter what happens around me, I can always control my own destiny."
This really hit me deep. (Maybe because you mentioned superheroes? Haha.) I can definitely relate, and can honestly say that you have changed so much since Mullica. All I can say is that I believe whatever you plan to do in the future...it's gonna be great. I just know! Haha. Okay. My creepy response is done.
Sarah L - "I just realized that a major connection between these ideas is that they both require persistency. Doing them once isn’t enough. You have to keep trying forever, or for as long as you’re here."
Sarah, you're a very beautiful person inside and out, and you're writing is just...so enjoyable. I'm never bored with your posts. I'm actually eager for them. I was happy you posted early. Haha!
Jessie- Your blog is totally what I enjoy about life! I love going for car rides, and just staring out at the landscape looking at our beautiful land. I love the landscape and the beauty of the world. I am that person that gets happy when the leaves change colors, or the way the snow accents the branches of the trees. I feel that finding beauty everywhere does make life so much sweeter!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how my mind works: I believe that holding my breath as a plane flies above me will prevent me from dying if the plane were to spread a deadly chemical that could invade my lungs and suffocate me. I believe that jumping into my car from a few feet away will prevent any serial killer under my car from cutting my Achilles tendons. I believe that covering my feet with a blanket will ensure complete safety as I sleep, and I believe that opening the bathroom stall door before I flush will prevent me from getting trapped if the toilet happens to overflow. My head is filled with random, irrational beliefs, and I have no idea where these beliefs derived from. In fact, I can't even support these beliefs. There is, however, one belief that I've come up with a logical explanation for in my head, after thinking about it for a while.
ReplyDeleteI believe that fate doesn't exist. I think everything we consider to be fate is a just coincidence or something that we've worked hard for, not something that just happened. Passion in any way, whether it be for vocal performance, drama, or anything, is what drives us to achieve our goals. My passion for music will eventually push me to take risks in order to get the most out of life. I've heard it said, "Well, if it's meant to happen, it will happen. It's fate." Wrong. If I have the talent to pursue my dream life, it will happen because I've done the best I could to achieve my goal, not because it's "meant to be."
Final Destination is the perfect example of how fate doesn't exist. In each movie, the description is somewhat along the lines of, "The fate of the people is seen through premonitions..." Well, for anyone who hasn't seen or heard of these movies, the main character has a vision of how his friends are going to die in the sequential order of how they were seated, whether it be on a plane, a roller coaster..etc. If fate existed, the movie wouldn't. If every death was fate, was "meant to be," there would be no movie showing the gory, gruesome process of preventing the deaths. If someone can put a stop to fate, then it isn't really fate now is it?
Jessie: I always love your writing. You have captivating way with words. I love that you picked a miserable situation such as getting up early every day that everyone can relate to, in order to exemplify your belief. I also love, and find it admirable that the little things such as the squirrel on the roof can make your day at Oakcrest a little better. If everyone looked at things the way you did, the world would be a happier place.
ReplyDeleteKelsey- I love that you finally realize you can be yourself. :) The group of people that you are most comfortable with and you can be yourself with, however, is ultimately going to be just another click. Anyway, I really love the fact that you've realized that only you can decide when you change. I've tried so hard to change a few people in my life, not like a boy for my own satisfaction, but in life in general. I've tried to change peoples lifestyles, but have ultimately realized that it doesn't work. I'm glad you saw, well see, unlike me most of the time, that people are only going to change when they are ready.
ReplyDeleteI love listening to podcasts. Whether they are comedic, musical, or political, there is just something special about listening to such varying viewpoints from so many different people. Lately, I have been addicted to the WTF podcast with the comedian Marc Maron as the host. I can listen to his podcasts for hours at a time. The basis of his podcast is the idea of WTF, whether it is when asking yourself “WHAT THE FUCK?” when something is ridiculous or saying to yourself “What the fuck?” when trying something new or letting yourself do something you wouldn’t normally do. Most of the time Marc Maron, along with the commentary of fellow comics, explores ridiculous scenarios in everyday life but intertwined in this is commentary about their own personal lives.
ReplyDeleteOne particular thing that Marc Maron said in a podcast around Christmas time was concerning what he tells himself when something doesn’t work out or go his way. He explained that when he is feeling sorry for himself he tells himself one thing:
At the end of the day, I am just a guy sitting on a couch.”
Even though this seems quite pessimistic, and coming from Marc Maron it very much is, I took it to heart and came up with my own interpretation of it that has evolved into a core belief of mine. At the end of the day, I really am just a person sitting on the couch. As are you. And you. And even you. But the beauty of that truism is that we are all people sitting on a couch. The difference between us all is if we choose to get up and pursue things. The decision of whether to stay comfortable or get up and be different and put you out there is what separates us from each other.
Another aspect or interpretation of that statement is the simplicity of it. When you think of yourself as just a person sitting on a couch, it kind of puts the world in perspective, at least for me it does. We are all so small that even some of the biggest moments in our lives are also tiny when it comes to the big picture. So when we are accomplishing things we shouldn’t always expect to change the world, and we should embrace and be happy with even making our couch a little bit neater is something to be proud of. That’s not to say that you should settle for only tiny accomplishments, but we need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves to be the best because failure is a part of life and we need to accept it.
Do you remember J-Kwon’s rap song, Tipsy? Well, if you didn’t, it starts like this: “Teen drinking is very bad. Yo! I got a fake ID though.”
ReplyDeleteI party agree with Mr. J-Kwon. Teen drinking is, in fact, very, very, bad. Many teenagers, unfortunately, tend to agree fully with Mr. J-Kwon as they drink alcohol despite knowing its dangers. Not only do teens drink, they also smoke marijuana. Some teenagers have even taken the next step into more dangerous drugs such as heroin or cocaine.
When teenagers drink, they mostly do so with friends, and their sole purpose is to get drunk. They drink because they think being drunk is fun. They smoke because they think being high is fun. At the beginning of this school year, I asked a friend why he drinks at parties and he responded somewhat along the lines of, “Well, it’s just funner when you drink. When people don’t drink they’re all stuck-up and stuff. They’re boring. Drinking is fun.” This kind thought process, where teenagers feel the need to consume drugs in order to have fun, is difficult for me to understand. I mean, why do you need drugs for amusement? What happened to the good old days when it was fun at parties to watch a movie or to swim? What happened to the times when we quenched our thirsts with soda, water, and pouches of Capri Sun? What happened to our innocence? Why did we suddenly pick up a destructive drug habit? The way I see it, fun derived from drugs is fake fun. And the need to use drugs to attain fake fun—because normal, real fun is inaccessible—is, frankly, pathetic.
I, I am drug free. I’ve never smoked and although I have drank, I’ve never gotten drunk. The only time I ever drink is for a respectful toast, and even on such an occasion, I only sip a small amount. I’ve never used drugs before, and I’ll never use them for the rest of my life. I will not use them with a mouse. I will not use them in a house. I will not use them here or there. I will not use them anywhere.
I want to be healthy. I want to be a role model. I want to be righteous. I want to be in control of my own life.
I will never do drugs. I believe drugs are unnecessary and stupid—m’kay?
For my entire life, people have been telling me to “listen to my gut” and to “follow my heart.” Sometimes I’ve taken this advice and other times I haven’t. Needless to say, the times I’ve gone against these two ancient sayings, things usually ended up in disaster, or close to it. Although your gut, and even more frequently your heart, may sometimes lead you in the wrong direction, one thing that allows you to make the best decisions is your brain. Your brain contains all the knowledge you’ve accumulated over your entire life. Not only is it this massive storage center, but it controls your gut and your heart to work properly. Without your brain sending signals for your gut to wrench or your heart to putter, it’d be impossible to do much of anything. Basically, if you listen to your brain, the best decision will appear. Do the math (Sorry Bunje). If your gut, heart, and brain all tell you no, don’t carry on. The probability that it’s a bad idea is through the roof. However, if all these correlate, screaming yes, do it. It’s probably for the best. There’s only a like one hundredth of a percent chance that things will go wrong for some reason and well, I’m willing to take that risk.
ReplyDeleteI always follow my brain because all my tiny, minute beliefs that I’ve developed are inside. Sayings such as “say no to drugs” and “don’t drink and drive” have been drilled in my head so far that I’ve decided to adopt them as beliefs of my own since I can see why they’ve been drilled in my head. All this really comes down to though is that I just want to be successful in life. As long as when I come to the end of my life and I am able to look back at it and be proud of my decisions and what I’ve accomplished, I can say that I’ve been successful. To be successful, I need to make the right decisions in life so I can be happy. Yes, I may make a few minor mistakes along the way that may put me a step back, but those steps back will eventually allow me to catapult forward from learning through experience. However, a major slip up may forever put me a step back, like landing in jail or deteriorating my health. These are the types of situations when listening to my brain would be the best decision. After all, situations that could lead me to these major slip ups are probably when my gut, heart, and brain simultaneously shriek stop, so it’d be smart to listen.
Sarah L: I can definitely see how your blog would strike up an argument. To be able to say that a rapist serial killer has good in him is walking the line, however I do agree with you. Everyone has at least an ounce of good in them even if sometimes it’s drowned by the gallons of not so good. Everything one’s ever done in their life couldn’t be bad. There has to be that one good thing that they’ve done for someone to make them happy, spreading and showing their good.
ReplyDeleteDeanna: I love your use of metaphors throughout your blog. I admire your creativity and I still can’t get over how much I love to hear what you’ve written. No matter what you have to say whether it’s something cheerful or more serious, it’s always beautifully written and enraptures me.
Kristen: I love all the irrational beliefs that you’ve started your blog with. They are so random, but made me giggle. I can totally see you doing all of these things and believing them wholeheartedly. On a more serious note, I definitely see where you’re coming from with the whole fate issue. Personally, I like the idea of fate just because it gives a simple explanation to anything that may occur, whether it is positive or negative, rather than having to pick apart every occurrence that happened previously that may have led it. It is a little sketchy, but sometimes it’s nice to just have the concept available.
At first I was going to say something about how "everything has beauty but not everyone see it." But that's too cliche. I was going to say something about always keeping a smile on your face, but I found that as I go through life, I don't have that ability anymore. I was even going to say that "Life is a runway. You always have to look fabulous and strike a pose." But I think that we all already know my confidence is somewhat already through the roof. So, what the hell do I do?
ReplyDeleteWith everything that happens in my life. With every single disappointment and every single failure that has happened to my life, I must say that I've always had some friend to stand by me. My parents would detest me for saying that but I think my philosophy in life is that "stay true to your friendships, friends are there through the roughest of days."
Right now, as I develop into an adult, I find that the people that I can count on are the friends that I know I have. My family, even though I love them so much, is only alright in small doses. I feel that as I'm still developing and going through the teenage angst that I experience, my family can not handle me in my entirety. Neither can I. But I know that my friends will always be there by my side.
Friends are not exclusive to only my peers alone. Friends, to me, are the people who you share a common bond with. Friends are people that we are connected through bonds that can grow so strong to the point that minor wear and tear can't break them.
My family really hasn't realized the grandeur and the effect my friends have had on me. My mom always says that I value my friends more than my family, which isn't true at all. But I must say that I do value them a lot. Without the my friends, I wouldn't have the support and strength to go up on stage and perform. Without my friends, I wouldn't have fun in school. Most of all, without my friends, I wouldn't be able to have the ability to come out and still live a life that I can't trade in for anyone.
I keep them all near and dear in my heart. I think, and hope, that when I move onto different things in life, that I would gain even more friends. I know that I can get through anything in life as long as I have the support of these people. This is why, I need to follow through with my philosophy of staying through my friendships because they'll get me through anything.
Now, the only thing that's hard about all this is that finding the right group of friends is hard. We all have everyone that we see on a day to day basis and are cordial with but it takes a really long time to find friends that you know you can trust. Now that, within itself, can fit a whole different blog.
It’s funny how things happen. Lately I’ve been questioning the meaning of my life and my purpose in this world. Deep, I know. ;) A few weeks ago my best friend and I went shopping and set out to create a brand-new me. (To backtrack, my “New Year’s Resolution” this year is to put myself “out there” by taking chances, doing things the old Lauren would have never have dreamed of doing, and ultimately taking control of my life, not letting anyone stop me. I want to be fearless. I want to be unpredictable. I want to be me!) Anyway, I bought some new clothes, found a new attitude, and started my “new” life. It’s been dull so far, but it’s definitely improving. I’m so excited to write my post this week because my new-found life needs a philosophy.
ReplyDeleteThis past Sunday night I was sitting at my kitchen table cursing AP classes. As all of you know, we have crazy amounts of work to do, but there are never enough hours in the day to get it done. I procrastinated all day Sunday and when it was finally eight o’clock, I blamed my teachers for giving too much work, not myself for not doing it. I started to think, if I’m going to complain, why go through all of the trouble of taking AP? I’m miserable all of the time, and not gaining anything from just going through the motions, not putting my heart into anything. I was dragging myself back to the old Lauren again. I talked to my mom about AP’s and which classes I should take next year and I finally “got it.” The meaning of life smacked me in the face.
There are plenty of clichés to describe what I discovered, and now believe, but there isn’t one that embodies it all. “Live with no regrets.” Worn-out. “Treat every day as if it’s your last.” Easier said than done. “Do what you love, love what you do.” Maybe, but still impossible. (How can you absolutely love everything?!) “Do what makes you happy, and if you’re not happy, change what you’re doing or think about how happy you’ll be when you’re done.” It’s a mouthful, but I promise it makes sense. Let me explain…
“Do what makes you happy…”
The first part of my aphorism is pretty self explanatory. Do what you want as along as it makes you happy. You only have one opportunity to live each day of your life, so don’t live to please other people. Please yourself! I’ve always been indecisive and only made some decisions to please other people. I am now learning that the people I had in mind while making important decisions didn’t really care what I did after all. The old Lauren used to get caught up in what other people thought and wound up wasting a good amount of time pleasing others, not her self. However, the new Lauren kicked that habit to the curb and is ready to stop the indecisiveness and live freely!
“… and if you’re not happy, change what you’re doing or think about how happy you’ll be when you’re done.”
If you find yourself unhappy with your life, like I was a few months ago, dig deep into your soul and find the root of the problem. Life is too precious to waste by doing things you don’t love, or won’t benefit you in the long run. I believe that people should take an active role in their lives and apply change where they see fit. There’s no rule book. There is nothing you absolutely have to do. I believe people should live by their own standard, happily and freely.
All in all, I believe that people should be themselves and make decisions without outside influence. Everyone only gets one chance, so why not make the most of it?!
Kaitlin,
ReplyDeleteWay to be a nerd and put science and math into the blog! But, it is some good logical thinking though, what you did. I have to say though that sometimes your brain can tell you no, but your heart tells you to go. Sometimes, I have to listen to my heart, specially when it deals about things that dance around the topic of love. I think it's a good balance of the three. I don't think that you can not depend on one alone.
Sarah L:
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, you convinced me to believe that everyone has good in them. As you said, it might not be visible, or that person may not even know they have it, but I believe in your theory and I believe it is there. It’s really cool that you want to join the Peace Corps, I can picture you pursuing that dream. You are such a grounded and genuine person and that’s definitely something to be proud of. Awesome blog! ☺
Deanna:
The picture painted in front of her is too horrible, so she turns to another wall and draws her own picture. It’s beautiful. When things don’t necessarily go according to plan, she either erases it or draws a ladybug over it. Viola.
This is the coolest thing to think about. After I read this part of your post I could vividly see a little girl with tight, curly hair running around a giant picture of the world with markers and crayons, drawing ladybugs over everything bad. I think that this is only more proof that you’re destined to change the world in your own, unique way. I can’t wait to see what happens! ☺
Stephanie:
Discussing my beliefs with other people is rather difficult for me. Not because I do not have them, I do, but I have a hard time putting them into words.
I feel the exact same way! I had this big plan of what I was going to say about my beliefs, but in the end my blog turned out nothing like what I had in mind. I think we both had trouble expressing our beliefs because they are basically emotions, and emotions aren’t expressed in words because they are different for everyone and tend to be indescribable. Just a thought, but is that what happened to you? I think that’s where I went wrong! I really liked your blog, and agree with your beliefs; you expressed them very eloquently. ☺
Sarah C,
ReplyDeleteNO BITCHASSNESS used to be the term of the year for us choir kids freshman year. I really like that you can still incorporate that into your life. I also like the fact that you've gotten a stronger bond with your sister from what you perceive as no bitchassness.
I wanted to start by sitting here, thinking about what principles I truly believe in; reasons for how I conduct myself. Why I do the things I do. I could only really think of four things, and this is partially due to the fact that my brain has been fried as of late. They may not make sense, but what the hell, here goes.
ReplyDelete1. Live life to its fullest.
2. You must earn everything
3. Work hard, have determination.
4. Spend time on yourself
However, Bunj said to write about one, so I decided to try and sum it up:
“Live it up, while working hard to earn want you desire, and taking some time for yourself along the way.”
There, that’s it. Most of what I believe wrapped up like a Fruit-By-The-Foot in a fruit-punch-style flavor. To start it off; my clichéd “live life to its fullest / live it up” mentality. I believe in this, however, almost more devoutly than a Jehovah’s Witness believes in spreading the word about God. This, I believe, is one of the most important rules to live by. Why let your seconds and minutes tick away if you know that you are running out of time? Like I’ve said a thousand times, life is short. So make it last. Enjoy every moment. Drink that extra cup of uber-caffeinated coffee so that you bounce off the walls with your friends. Take those stupid pictures of you doing stupid things because you are hyped up from that extra cup of coffee. Put those stupid pictures of you doing stupid things because you drank that extra cup of coffee somewhere where you can look back on them for years to come, so as to always remember the good times that you’ve had. Whether it is coffee, or if you are old enough, a nice relaxing pina colada or daiquiri, let the good times roll, and have a little fun (but ALWAYS be responsible!!!!).
You cannot expect to get everything in life for free. You must be determined and work for it, because everything needs to be earned. You want happiness? Work for it. You want a strong relationship with that one special person? Work for it. You want a Lamborghini Diablo Roadster and an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish in your four car garage, attached to your six-thousand square foot mansion? Work for it. Okay, so I may have added a little dream of mine on the last one, but my point is still strong and clear. More realistically, you want respect from others around you, and also strong, true friends? Work for it. Life is not a give-all experience; it does not hand you lemons. You can’t make the lemonade until you buy the lemons, and buying them takes work.
We ALL need a little time for yourselves. The least selfish person in the world needs it. No matter the situation or person or whatever else may factor into an equation like this, it neeeeeeds to happen. Working all of the time to get your homework done, or striving to better yourself at your sport, or even just constantly helping your loved ones with whatever they may need, all of it, is going to exhaust you. The strongest, longest enduring Olympic athlete is going to get worn out eventually. TAKE TIME OFF. Relax and clear your mind. Let your proteins restore themselves as you catch a few winks. Take the necessary time to resolve some of your own issues and get some personal stuff done. Recovery is important in any scenario or situation; your “me” time is the much needed recovery.
Kaitlyn Bertha Graziano,
ReplyDeleteI really love your use of words and how some of your phrases turned your entire blog post around. When you said "I believe in not getting constipated in every single action," I knew in my heart that you wouldn't have put any other word that constipated. I really enjoyed that you still put your silly little bipolar Italian self in there but then got mega serious at the end.
Lauren: I love love love your blog! I definitely did the same thing on Sunday, like all of us most likely did. And I love how you decided to take the initiative and shape your life into what you want it to be! We look at things in a similar light now, and I can definitely say that its the best way to aaproach life and its obstacles.
ReplyDeleteTaylor: I think I comment on your blog almost every week, and I think it is because everything you write is always so insightful and is written in a funny new way. You always write what some people want to say, but may not have the guts to do it. I love how you approach life with a blindfold, but I mostly love how you aren't afraid to do so, or admit that you do. You're awesome :)
Paolaa: I agree, one hunred percent; strength is one of the most important assets you can possess. Obviously I do not know what is going on in your personal life, but you are totally correct about strength pulling you through. You can do it, trust me. Instead of worrying over it, try using it as a reason to really test your strength, and if it proves to be too much to handle, use it as a tool to make yourself stronger. Nothing is impossible; life goes on. Sooner or later these problems will be nothing but a memory, and you will be proud of yourself for making it through.
Simon! I love your blog, and I can mostly agree with you on that one. It is pointless, stupid, and unnecessary; and when it comes to drugs, that's a big "oh helllll no" for me. But my favorite part of your blog:
ReplyDelete"I will not use them with a mouse. I will not use them in a house. I will not use them here or there. I will not use them anywhere." :)!
KTG
ReplyDeleteYour posts are always interesting and fun to read! I really love your belief that laughing is key, because it, after all, true. Sometimes laughing really is the only remedy of a situation, and sometimes there is no remedy so you might as well laugh anyway. Although being able to laugh at your mistakes is an admirable quality, it is still important to remember that we should work to correct our mistakes.
One belief that I often return to is: You are only safe in your own personal coon of self. Yikes, that was an awkward sentence but don’t give up on me just yet. Give me a chance to explain…
ReplyDeleteI used to believe that one could find solace in people. That one could even find themselves in others. I was naive back then. I stopped believing that the world comprised of only good people a long time ago. I know that is very generic and even pessimistic, but nonetheless, I find it to true.
To understand my belief, you must know an important fact about me; I am a difficult person to get along with. I am cold and often very distant. Don’t ask me why. It is just who I am. Since I prove to be such a horrific companion, more often than not, I am left alone. Therefore I find it easier to just live within my own head. I often return to my core, and find out things about by myself because in the end the only person I truly have is me.
You will never disappoint yourself. Well, maybe. But, you will always forgive yourself, in the end. You will never abandon yourself. You will never break your own heart. Who understands you better than you? I know that maybe sound very selfish, but you must admit that it the truth. People leave, pets die, and plants wilt. Then who do you have? The only person you entered the world with (no I don’t mean your long-lost identical brother/sister).
I believe that you must live within yourself, to be truly safe. Sure, you can find escapes such as reading or interactions with other people. But in the end, you should only relay on yourselves. I don’t mean to imply that you shouldn’t let people in. That’s just pure stupidity. I believe in love. I believe that there are those few people in this world that understand you. What I am trying to say is that your soul mate or best friend should not be your shelter that you run to when you feel vulnerable. Instead, these important people are like a butterfly’s colorful wings. They, ultimately, free you from a mundane life. Yet they will never, and should never, be a definition of who you. Your colorful wings should remain your means of freedom.
In the end you are who you are inside. You should take solace in it and even emphasis on your personal little “coon”. Be proud of yourself.
I have a belief that I do not spend a day without abiding by. It has helped me through many times when I questioned the nature of certain facets of life. It is perhaps one of the best, but certainly not the only, advice I have ever been given. But before I share this philosophy, allow me to explain how I was introduced to it.
ReplyDeleteA few months back, I became infuriated with someone close to me for the way they had been treating me. I needed a way to release and vent out my anger because I hated being angry, especially with people close to me. The only person that would listen and comprehend my venting was my friend, Nosh. And so I let it out. All of it. At the end of my tirade, we just sat there in silence and it felt good. Actually, it felt great, but I had this guilty feeling that I shouldn’t have said such harsh words. After a few minutes of silence, Nosh said that it was good that I let all that anger out, but it’s the feeling after that is important. He told me to think about how the other person felt, then look at the problem from the outside, inside and then finally how I felt after all that. “You should always look at things this way. It will help you understand them better instead of letting your emotions blind you.”
From that moment forward, I have followed his advice and even turned it into a belief of mine. It is the belief that in order to truly understand something, I must look at it through all dimensions. There is never just one or two dimensions of a situation, there are three, four, five, or even ten. Each one is different and comes with its own perspective that allows me to look at things from many different angles. Looking at things from different dimensions allows me to realize my faults. I have realized that blaming someone or something will do no good because when you point a finger at someone, three of the fingers are pointed towards you.
Now, every time I am faced with a problem or issue (Or just contemplating certain aspects of life) I try to look at from all dimensions and by the time I’m done, I convince myself that it is only a problem because I make it a problem. So I just let it go. And that’s it for that problem. Of course, this is not true in ALL cases, but for 97% I would believe so.
There is an amazing quote by a Sufi master that pretty much sums up this philosophy and it goes, “There are three ways of knowing a thing. Take for instance a flame. One can be told of the flame, one can see the flame with his own eyes, and finally one can reach out and be burned by it.”
Comment 1
ReplyDeleteTo Lauren D: Congratulations on the New Lauren! But I have to admit I liked the Old Lauren just fine. Now about your blog… I always enjoy your optimistic view on life. You are doing what all of us talk about doing but never seem to have the balls to do: Changing the things you don’t like. I am very happy that you have decided to “live” your life. Good luck
A flashback appeared of me and my mom in our fat winter coats on a beautiful winter day when I was, I think, in the second grade. My mom was walking me to my bus stop early in the morning. I don’t remember the topic of our conversation but she said one line that is sharp in my mind. “Everybody has God in them.” (In Gujarati though). Maybe I was questioning her about the scenery for there were scattered melting snow on the moist grass, the road besides us was vacant while the branches of the trees were leafless. This flashback occurred last year in Mr. Costal’s class when I was introduced to Walden. My class read and discussed parts of it and then we worked on a blue worksheet that had all the fundamentals of being a transcendentalist. I don’t remember everything on there, but the one of them that caught my attention was that it stated something along the lines of everything has God in them. This is also an ethos of the Hindu belief. That everybody has God in them.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that there is, doesn’t necessarily has to be exactly god, but some form of god in every human in existence. Something like a star, waiting to be exhumed and resuscitated, waiting to be taken advantage of. It’s very similar to Their Eyes Were Watching God, in the passage where Janie describes the sparkle in herself (couldn‘t find the quote online :[ ). Everybody has that potential to emanate this phenomenon residing in us. But how?
When it all comes down to it, it’s faith really. It’s faith that carries me throughout the day. It’s faith that sets goals. It’s faith, that helps me overcome obstacles to even small inane (besides hw) activities such as solving a jigsaw puzzle or finishing homework on time. It can be the faith of God, but mainly it is the faith in ourselves. This faith can bring out confidence, the good, the pure, ambition, dedication or whatever to reach further in life. For instance, many historical leaders came from poor backgrounds like Abraham Lincoln (Got that from the Autodidactic book :]). Yet, did they make their name in history by visioning themselves in their little town of nothingness forever? Absolutely not. It’s faith that surpasses the impossible.
So my guiding principal is to always have faith in God (of course, I mean god is in all of us :]), but more predominantly, in myself, regardless of how miserable or horrid circumstances may be. Obstacles I’ll probably hurdle, I predict, may get difficult in the adult world. However bringing forth that star (sparkle or shrine whatever it maybe) inside of me, I can achieve so much more in life. It is a challenging principle for sometimes I struggle to maintain it. With faith, and everything else that falls under the word, there will be more chance of opportunities, making of right decisions and I can even dominate the world if I wanted to. (No I won’t, don’t want to).
Alix L:
ReplyDeleteMy post said some of the same things. It's easy to just "sit on the couch" and not become something, but it takes a really strong person to get up and pursue new things. Getting out of our comfort zone, or off our couch, can be really hard, but in the long run it turns out to be really rewarding.
Comment 2
ReplyDeleteTo Maryam:
Mare, that’s a really interesting and essentially beautiful belief. If all of us thought about these “dimensions”, then there probably would be no war, nor murder. Sometime we all just need to take a step back and think about life from another’s perspective. I know I must certainly have to do that more often. That Nosh guys seems like a smart guy. Listen to him!! :D
“If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.” This quote came from a person near and dear to my heart, well an actor that I love watching, Tony Dinozzo. He is a very outgoing character on the NCIS and he always keeps me smiling. His quote inspired my answer, in which I’ll change it a little to my perception – Welcome change and become a part of it. People are always complaing about their lives and how badly they wish things would change. Yet very few people take any action. Most people don’t realize that making the same decisions all the time won’t get them a different outcome. The only way to get change, is to make it yourself.
ReplyDeleteI came to recognize that one specifically recently, when I realized my sister was really going to college. Her and I have such a close bond; we spend every day together, we did all sports together – she is honestly my best friend. The other day she got her college acceptance letter and, though I was so happy for her getting into her dream school, I broke down inside. I felt like I was losing a big part of me, and she didn’t even leave yet. I have to welcome change and I have to change our relationship – but for the better. I have to accept it and make sure that the change that happens doesn’t separate us but brings us closer.
Another belief that I’ve been trying to live by found me midway through my sophomore year. (Mr. Costal inspired it, too.) Happiness is a decision and is dependent on nothing but whether you want to be it or not. Mr. Costal explained it in a way that I will never forget and my words will never heighten too, but it goes a little something like this – Happiness does not come from any item you receive or who your prom date is. Happiness comes from the point where you want to be happy. You begin thinking in a more optimistic perspective and feel a joy like no other.
The two beliefs above are the two sole factors of my life and I really believe they will be the guiding principles in my life for a while. College is coming soon and I have to be one with change rather than fighting with the current. I’m not going to be scared of losing people or scared of failing because I’m going to change that attitude and I’ll be okay. You know why I’ll be okay? Because I’m deciding that on my own.
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ReplyDeleteComment 3
ReplyDeleteTo Simon: It was brilliant of you to allude to a classic. Dr. Seuss must be one of the most brilliant poets in the entire universe! I totally agree with you. I do not understand why people would want to get drunk. Personally I like being in control of my actions, so I do not appreciate anything that threatens to steal that control away from me (i.e. drugs, alcohol etc)
Sarah
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I believe there is good in everyone, and some people just have to dig deeper to find it. I like that you said some days you fail, when trying to love everyone. It’s human nature to dislike certain people. No one is perfect, and no one can be held to the accountability of having understanding for everyone in their hearts.
Deanna
I agree with you, I think we all choose are own destines. I’m sorry you had to go through, whatever you went through, but I’m glad you came out the other side. You are such a strong person, I feel like I say this every week, but it’s true. I hope you tell your OP soon, so you can get out of “hell” for good.
Taylor
Though I can’t make decisions to save my life, and don’t personally have a 20 year plan, I am the kind of person who wishes she did. So I applaud you for having the bravery to be blindfolded. It’s great that you feel the freedom to just dive into things, and pick up the pieces later.
Lauren - OH MY GOODNESS! I totally agree with your new discovery! Though my first belief is a little different, it still goes along with change and to take advantage of it. I love your post, and I find myself believing the same thing. Good luck with the new you, be fierce! :)
ReplyDeleteKaitlin - I'm kind of upset with you and the fact you went all mathematical here. However, I get what you're saying though I'd like to thing your brain and heart think two different things sometimes :). I think you should pull a Lauren and take some risks! You silly ginger, safety is for kids.
ReplyDeleteKristen-
ReplyDeleteOkay, your first paragraph seriously made me laugh out loud! You are so ridiculous, that's why i love you! But, anyway, as much as we like to say that we are so much alike, our blogs couldn't be any more different. My blog describes how I believe in destiny, and that everything is meant to be. Your blog basically bashes everything I said. It's pretty ironic, considering you're the person I most relate to. However, your version of fate is different than mine. I believe something is fate is worked hard to get there. I can't just sit on my butt and expect fate to occur. Everything, in my opinion, is meant to be, but it is meant to be because you allowed it to be. Get what I'm saying?
Alix - I absolutely love the inspiration of your principle and your interpretation. You're so right, we are all just people sitting around at the end of the day and whoever decides to actually get up and do something are the people that take advantage of change (sheesh, I love relating to my blog). Great job though :D
ReplyDeleteYou get what you give.
ReplyDeleteI know this is basically saying “what goes around comes around” i.e. karma, but it’s true. I believe that everything we do is connected to our futures. Every decision we make will eventually comes back to haunt or help us. I believe that you can try “treat other’s the way you would like to be treated” right in with “you get what you give”. I also believe that what you put into life, you will get pack. For example, if you study for an hour you will get an hours worth of studying as a test grade. If you go to college for eight years, your salary will reflect that. No matter what the occasion, you get what you give.
A few years ago, over Christmas break, my older step-sister was during a project for one of her Education classes in college. It was due when she got back to school. She had to make a children’s book, pictures and all. When I found out what she was up to, I was eager to help. We went to Michaels and bought a ton of supplies. When we got home we put them in her room, and there they sat for about two weeks. When it came time for my step-sister to go back to college she was in a panic. She knew she had to get the project done, so we worked and worked on it for about two hours the night before she left for Tallahassee. In the end I was really proud of the project, but again I was in eighth grade, what did I know. When she got back to school, I called her and asked how her project when. She told me, compared to all the other projects it looked like we spent two hours on it. I could tell she was upset, but she wasn’t upset with the grade, she was upset with her self, for not putting in the extra effort.
Since that phone call with my sister, I’ve become obsessed with always trying to go the extra distance with everything I do, via school or work. In school it doesn’t always work out. I am in classes with peers who are geniuses and always go the extra mile, and sometimes my mile falls short. However, in everyday life, especially at work, that extra mile really pays off. I am a waitress, and if I smile big, and am a sweet as I can be to my customers, it pays off in tips.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I believe in life, you should always give your all, and hopefully life will give you all its got.
Uroosa:
ReplyDeleteI completely understood everything you had to say and I agree. We are so complex that one of our own species have a hard time understanding someone completely. It kind of goes along with my principal except mine is more directed towards believe in oneself while yours is more of a shelter of shattered souls, because only you yourself sometimes have to pick up the pieces and glue it back together… well maybe then it’s not like mine (lol). O and I want to comment on your metaphor of the butterfly, creative!
Maryam:
“It is the belief that in order to truly understand something, I must look at it through all dimensions.”
I looooveee how you worded this! You sound so wise… Well I overall liked your philosophy. Sadly finding fault in others due to anger exists, and the outcome can be horrible. I notice a lot of these things. I’ll talk to one group of people about one subject and another group about that same subject and the perspectives between the two can be vastly different. But that’s good, it causes less problem and control of emotions.
Kyra:
I enjoyed reading your blog. I would live by every single one of those rules, especially “Living life to the fullest” part was funny and cute. Unfortunately, I don’t know bout you, but my days drag most of the time. It’s pretty sad, and I know with all this school work it’ll all be worth it, but sometimes I wish I can always everyday live by that rule. I think about it everyday too…
There are many guiding principles that I strive to live constructed around, and many of these beliefs I do subconsciously as a result of having taught myself to believe and feel this way in all situations. The guiding principle that I look to carry out to my adulthood would have to be a form of the saying “what done is done, move on” further extended from the simple cliché association of the saying. I believe that what is in the past is written in stone, but future still is laid unwritten and changes can be done to any extent. No matter how terrible I am doing at the time, or how unlikely I believe it is for me to achieve a certain goal, I always put these thoughts behind believing anything is possible. I will not try to dwell on my missed opportunities or failure, but instead I will strive to fix and better my first attempts which I believe is possible to be achieved no matter what accomplishment I am attempting.
ReplyDeleteThis guiding principle is important to me because I hate when people say “I can’t” or give up when the struggle hasn’t even started because as long as the time is put into the hardships then they can be overcame. I have a constant battle with grades and I always believe I can go that extra mile every time, when I don’t there are no excuses but just contemplation about how to better myself as a whole. I never give up until the clock has struck midnight, so to speak, because I believe the ending to any outcome can be altered—for the good or the bad. An example of this is when seniors get accepted to a college mid-way through their senior year and totally give up, which seems to me as very stupid. I am actually glad this happens because when everyone is neglecting their work and totally giving up—I will be taking over their spots in class ranks and boosting my GPA while they dwindle down the list.
I hope to bring this guiding principle to my adulthood where I apply it to everything I attempt because I believe it is a very positive attribute for a person to have. To never give up, it usually builds drive and dedication. I myself have a drive to do well in school, even though my parents don’t really instill this drive within me because they don’t really punish me for doing bad in a class—I think really that they do not punish me because they believe I will punish myself harsher than they could ever. I do not care about disappointing my parents, but disappointing myself by giving up when there is still time to change the outcome kills me.
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteBahahaha I love you! As random and weird as your irrational quirks, I think a lot of people share them. I know I open the shower curtain each time I walk into the bathroom and I glance into my closet each time I walk into my room just to check for serial killers. I also do the same car thing, except I do that by jumping onto my bed from a safe distance away so no one can grab my foot. But onto fate, I think I believe in fate as really, really, really big tree diagram. One where it’s got you’re whole life plotted out with each decision you can make and where each will lead you. So essentially, you are really making your choices but fate just knows all of the options. That’s just my thought. PS. I like the Final Destination reference haha.
Simon
You are adorable. Your Dr. Seuss allusion literally made me LOL. Chrissy can vouch that I burst out laughing exclaiming how cute that was. But I would say, though you may live by it, it is very narrow and I think you could have broadened your philosophy to include more aspects of your life. Ya know? Like maybe say you believe in making smart decisions, knowing when to draw the line, keeping it clean. Any of those would basically encompass anything you could think of.
Alix
Though, you’re right, it’s quite pessimistic, your philosophy was really cute and very appropriate for you haha. I scrolled down the blog looking for my last response, saw “WHAT THE FUCK?” and immediately knew it’d be you, just as a side note haha. But that’s really true. We are all just people sitting on couches, but you’re certainly the kind of person to get up off that couch and get crazy and live it up. I certainly admire that, as someone who enjoys letting people like you put themselves out there. Oh and I can’t see it, but nice jacket =).
PS>>> I’m not normally one to do group thank yous, but the comments for me were really cute, so I wanted to say thanks haha!
Shirley
ReplyDelete“We are all little children trying to impress our peers.” I don’t think so. While some of us live “fairytales” in an attempt to impress our peers, I believe most of us don’t. I’d like to say that most of our actions represent ourselves—and not our “fairytale.” Your belief is very critical of humans, and I like to look on the brighter side and believe that we humans have few faults.
Like you, I also think that, “humans continually try to prove themselves, but they can often err.” We want to be right, and if we want to be right, we have to prove we are right. We want to be better, and if we want to be better, we have to prove we are better. If we want to be this, then we have to prove we can be this. If we want to do that, then we have to prove we can do that.
Kale
I’m happy to know you, and it makes me even happier to know that you believe that you can “change the world.” At first, I thought you meant, “I have the power to make an impact on the world and to change it.” As I read on, however, I realized that you were referring to changing your own world. I believe the same thing, although I worded it differently. I, in a previous blog, explained how felt I adapted to different situations so that they made sense to me. If I were taking Calculus and hated it, I would say to myself, “Eh, it’s not so bad. I can take it.” I wouldn’t paint a ladybug over it and put it in the corner, but I would change my thinking and make Calculus bearable for myself.
I really like your belief. It’s interesting and a good belief to live by. Oh, and by the way, I thought your blog was really funny and, as everyone else likes to say, cute. When you ended your blog with your little stick figure, I immediately knew what stick figure you were talking about—ha-ha.
Gwen
First of all, your post was very comical. I laughed so many times.
I like your belief and, in a way, I think I live like that too. We share a similar belief. We believe that we should continuously move on with our lives. It doesn’t bother me when people relive their past. It bothers me when people constantly moan about it, make excuses out of it, or wish for the return of it.
By reading your post, I realized how two similar people can explain the same idea so dramatically differently. Your explanation was charming and insightful, but my explanation would have been very literal and matter-of-fact.
Sarah L:
ReplyDeleteFor a long time, I believed people were just selfish and greedy because that’s just the way they were. But as I slowly began to meet people who proved me wrong, I found myself believing in the good in people. I also believe everyone has good in them. Nobody was born purely evil and nobody’s soul is purely evil. Sure, there are many people that discourage my faith in the good, but I believe that the point of their lives where they were innocent and devoid of evil is still within them, perhaps just under the cloak of the shadows.
Pooja:
I know what you mean. Last year when we were introduced to the whole Transcendentalist philosophy I unearthed this hidden part of myself. Islamic Sufism beliefs are similar. We also believe that God is not only within us all, but God exists everywhere imaginable. I liked your blog because it explained the importance of faith in such a beautiful and articulate way. :)
Kristie:
“Happiness does not come from any item you receive or who your prom date is. Happiness comes from the point where you want to be happy. You begin thinking in a more optimistic perspective and feel a joy like no other.”
Honestly, I think I’ve learned the most about life last year in Mr. Costal’s class. I absolutely agree with this quote. I feel like so many people seek happiness through materialistic things or things that only bring a temporary joy for the moment and don’t realize that happiness is much more than that. It comes with a whole new state of mind that one must morph themselves (this probably makes no sense, but oh well).
Lauren:
ReplyDelete“Do what makes you happy, and if you’re not happy, change what you’re doing or think about how happy you’ll be when you’re done.” I believe this quote, though complex, makes a lot of sense. It seems that us AP kids always complain about work and because the work doesn’t really give short-term gratification therefore we all slump to our computers to work for hours and curse the heavens for having to do it. But the part of the quote that makes the most sense is the part “when you’re done” because that is what I try to look to every time I go through those sleepless nights—That it will all be worth it in the end, I will feel fully satisfied with the work I put in and the outcome of what I got.
Jessie:
Your “core beliefs” as you described are actually pretty true, in the sense that so many things around us go unnoticed, yet the beauty that so many seek is actually sitting upon the surface and we all just fail to see it. I too see the outside while waiting for the bus and get the same feeling (unless I’m trying to prevent myself from hyperthermia) the world seems so much more peaceful in that time, and the smallest of things in such a large picture as the world seems so significant.
Lucas:
“Basically, almost every problem I have in my life is due to a choice I made, whether that choice is a conscious one or not.” This quote really caught my eye, could everything we complain about, fail, and misjudge are all due to our own choices. How I curse the heavens while doing my AP work, this is all because of my own choices which will turn around to being a positive in the end. I believe that we should not complain about our position in life because ultimately we put ourselves there with our own decisions.
There are many underlying beliefs that shape almost everything that I do, even if I don’t realize it. One such belief that I try my hardest to incorporate into my everyday activities is that “Everyone has the ability to make the right choice, the hard part is doing it; anyone can make something out of their life.” This statement may appear to be two separate ideas incorrectly linked by a semicolon; however, I think the two ideas are one and the same.
ReplyDeleteThe “right choice” can have many definitions. Actually, the right choice has no real definition in my eyes. The right choice is all based on perception; what one thinks is right may completely contradict what another thinks is right. The hard part of the equation isn’t finding the right thing to do, everyone has the ability to make the right choice and determine just what that choice is. The pickpocket that makes a living off of stealing is fully aware of his actions. The serial killer doesn’t wake up in the morning thinking that they are obligated to kill. The two sides to every situation can clearly be interpreted by an individual. The serial killer and the pickpocket make their own decisions as to what will define their life. Choice is the deciding factor in almost every aspect of life. Will I choose to sit idly by and accept failure or will I work my hardest and accomplish almost anything I set my mind to? The easy choice is rarely ever the right one and motivation is key to success.
The choice to make something out of your life is one every living being has the opportunity to embrace. No matter what the circumstance, anyone can rise from nothing to something or from something to something greater. The poverty stricken child can grow up and combat the struggle experienced by them in their younger years. The lazy student can decide to commit themselves to work, to commit to self motivation and the success it rewards. Excuses are for the weak and have no room in the agenda of a successful person. By no means is the definition of success clearly derived. A person defines their own success and this definition is key to their success. Life is too short to be wasted by not applying yourself and not achieving goals you set for yourself. There are so many possibilities in this life and the limits are endless with a little motivation and hard work.
These ideas I express are a product of my upbringing. I want raised in the best of households. I was pretty much left on my own in regards to developing beliefs and ideas about the purpose and meaning of life. These ideas are obviously still unclear to me, but the ideologies I have adopted are strengthened by my circumstances. No one is perfect and I can probably be found contradicting these beliefs from time to time but I am working on it. Nothing can be accomplished by idleness and my ever developing beliefs are testament to this notion.
Mare- Your blog makes such sense to me and many people would be enlight by the context of your text. It's really crazy about how many people no matter what the situation is never want to take the blame for their actions. It bothers me all the time because my brother is a big contributor to this concept of always blaming someone else. I love that you have come to this realization and I think everyone should before you go pointing the finger!!
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to post a simple cliche because we're all here to cope with life, progress and succeed. We think in such similar ways, only because we're apart of the mass production of leaders. Such examples of cliche creeds could be, "Progress," "Stay strong, keep movin'," "Don't worry," or "Be happy."
ReplyDeleteMany of us try to live by these cliches, but I suppose that most of us turn out to be 'faulty products,' as we fail to do so.
But I'm not going to feed you that same dance and song. I'm not a goddamn parrot, and I won't just chirp back the expected.
I've been thinking about my life recently, and well, it seems like it's been lacking colour. I wake up. I drag my feet through the Oakcrest Hallways. I daydream. I participate in extracurricular activities. I come home. I play with Whiskey. I eat dinner with my family. I only see my family for less than three hours a day. I talk to my boyfriend on the phone. I sleep. I wake up. (Repeat)
It's easy to get by in life by living day in and out based a daily routine-- but who ever said easier would be anymore pleasant? However, this routine will stick until I'm ungrounded, but that's not the point...
"COLOUR MY LIFE WITH THE CHAOS OF TROUBLE 'CAUSE ANYTHINGS BETTER THAN POSH ISOLATION."
What I'm saying is that, stop what you're doing. Go rock-climbing. Learn a new language. Enhance your vocabulary. Just, do something that will cause you that trouble. You know, that exhilarating challenge that stares at you , taunting, taunting away. Will you take it head on? Or will you flee, and live to fight another day? After you flee, will you just live to fight another day again? Take a challenge, experience life!
All of this doesn't even have to pertain to learning a new ability. Maybe my two creeds could mean to stop settling down with what you have. Go for the gold. Go for the hott boy in your science class. Go through the trouble, and "get busy living, or get busy dying."
AlexN: I like your belief that present endeavors will benefit future circumstances. This is an idea that is largely responcible for the motivation in my life. I sometimes question why I am doing what I am doing, and then I thnik about, more like hope about, the reawrds that await me at the end of the long road. The idea of karma is one I respect, not neccessarily subscribe to, but one I incorporate into my own beliefs.
ReplyDeletePooja: I really enjoyed your post and the optimistic hope it provides. I especially like "Something like a star, waiting to be exhumed and resuscitated, waiting to be taken advantage of." This passage is very well written and relatable. It is views such as these that allow the human race to continue, to combat pessimism and the negative effects it has on a perosn. I relly enjoyed your post and the connections it has to transcendentalism, a movement I also admire.
Alix: I enjoyed the ideas you drew from the quote that comes off as so pessimistic. The views you presented are very inspiring and provide a deep sense of motivation. We are all just people and our actions do truly define what kind of a person we are and what kind of accomplishments we will achieve.
Also, I'd just like to randomly add that I am also an avid podcast listener.
Sarah L: I love you because of your intense passion in your firm beliefs. You're not passionate just when conversations are rolling, and you're not passionate just to show off. You know what drives you, and you go for it.
ReplyDeletePaola: Your writing truly reflects the strong person you are. You walk through the hallways with swag and confidence, and you continue to stay strong no matter what weight lies on your shoulder. Such power is beyond my belief.
KTG: I'm not sure if I agree with your quote? Are you saying that if you keep doing something the same, you'll get the same happy results?
Coming into Oakcrest as a freshman Mullican is probably one of the most difficult things any student can do. Being from Mullica I see life in a completely different way than any person from Mayslanding could. Back in Mullica I knew EVERYBODY and when I say I knew everybody, I was literally friends with every single person in my grade. It still baffles me how Mayslandingers cant even recognize everyone in their own class. You can say that Davies had over twice as many kids and therefore it would be a lot more difficult to remember everyone. But in my opinion it’s not about that, it comes down to the core belief. It seems that Davies had many cliques, which translated into students becoming disassociated from each other. Mullica was completely different, instead of being separated by many different cliques, we were united by one common clique. Being a Mullican, and being proud of it. Anyway back to Oakcrest, at first I was not fond of it at all, but it seems to be growing on me. Walking though the halls a freshman is like walking into kindergarten for the first time, except the kids are much more cruel. Being labeled as a Mullican is like being labeled as a ginger, theirs not much you can really do about it. Just cope and make the best of it I would say to myself. And I can honestly say to myself now that I have made the best of my situation. I can now name about 75 percent of the students who walk by me in the halls, and know atleast 30 percent of the personally. I have really grown to love Oakcrest and everyone in it, its too bad after two more years Mullicans will never step foot in the school again. What I’ve gotten out of all this is, “Never deny where you came from, embrace it.” Whether you’re from Mullica, or Eastern Europe, love your heritage no matter what it is, because in the end that’s all you have. It’s your identity and who you are, you should be proud of it no matter what. I can only relate it to cheering for the home team, they may not be the best…but you have to root for them because they hold something very close to you, your history.
ReplyDeleteJesus God o' Pickles! I have a computer again! Anyway,
ReplyDelete“Have Fun”
I feel like there's not been a lot of fun going around lately, like too many people are overworked(like me), hate life(like me), and are stuffed full of so much anxiety and stress and disgust with the world that it just consumes them to a point wherein they can't enjoy life at all, wherein such anxiety feeds on itself in a never-ending cycle of depression, sadness, and loneliness, to the point in which the affected party eventually just explodes or collapses in on itself(like me every once in a while). I think that fun, relaxation, joy, are underrated in the philosophy of contemporary American society, being that hard work is the only way to achieve your dreams and goals in life, and that said goals exist based solely upon the principles of success, wealth, and providing for your children everything they could possibly want and more, and nothing else, as in, work when you're young so you can live when you're old. Well why not live while you're young, too?
Now, I'm not saying that everyone should just go out and get high and screw each other, but there's definitely a way for young people to enjoy their lives without having to worry about all the drama and stress that plagues it daily. I think that everyone needs a few little things in life that they can come to whenever they just need to relax or feel good about themselves. For me it's easy: tennis, football, books, riddles, video games, music, Jolly Ranchers(even though they stopped making the lemon-flavored ones and replaced them with those puke blue raspberry! What they really need to do is get rid of those disgusting, vomit-triggering grape and green apple flavored ones! Who eats those anyway!?), making other people laugh, and the three-and-a-half---maybe even four---halfway decent friends I can laugh with for no reason, too. Pretty much the only reasons I'm still alive. I think that everyone needs things like this, things they can fall back on as their bases of fun from which they can use to relieve their problems. I can understand why, for a lot of people, what they derive joy from might not be as concrete as what I derive the same joy from, but I think that everyone(everyone!) needs some kind of emergency fun-shelter that they can huddle under from time to time, just to escape the torment of the world, even for a minute or two, otherwise they'll just wind up being an emotionless cauldron of boring-stew.
Gwen
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have a mentality like you on the world. I'm always living in my past, holding onto grudges or old memories that I don't want to forget. I'm always thinking, “Well yesterday was crap, so today's gonna be crap,” and I can never really get that out of my head unless I do something radically different that's probably not to my benefit in the long run.
Stephanie
I wouldn't so much as agree that all people are innately good as much as I would say that no one is innately evil. People are shaped by their environments and their societies to do what they do. People that do terrible things do so as a reaction to things they can't control but feel are controlling them negatively, not as an independent action based on their own thinking, at least that's how I like to think of it.
Dylan
I think having the capacity to never give up has both its advantages and disadvantages. If you can call upon it at any time to help you out, great, but I've seen many cases of people who refuse to give up at something(like me a few times) to the point where it just consumes and incapacitates them. I think there are perfectly legitimate to give up in certain circumstances, to cut your losses and live to fight another day.