OK--feels like forever since we've been here doesn't it? First things first--The Company Man questions are located in the AP Lang folder under the READ link. These are due, typed, by Friday.
Onward and upward.
Passion. Courage. Conviction. These words are largely subjective and therefore indefinable, but I would like you to look them up before you answer this week's blog question. Once you do that, consider the following:
What is it in your own life, this life that you have been given, that you would die for? Do the three words play into your answer in any way? If you need a more solid jumping-off point, ask yourself this: given the denotation of the words passion, courage and conviction what is it in your life that can inspire these seemingly esoteric concepts? What is your passion; what gives you courage; about what do you hold an unshakeable conviction? Once you answer those questions, go back to the original--what would you die for? Do your answers to the second set of questions fall in line with the first?
(substantive response/75pts)
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Yay for blogging! It's been so long.
ReplyDeleteI just realized I answered like all the questions that were supposed to be answered in my head :/
ReplyDeleteNothing. Absolutely nothing. While entities like family and lovers and quixotic concepts like freedom seem worthy enough for death, I am a firm believer that everything is worth more when you live for it. The soldier that sacrifices himself for his country could have been of more use alive. His death, to me, isn’t worth the sorrow of his mother, and the grief of his wife. My father, a staunch advocate for veterans and soldiers, always becomes incensed when I say this. Nonetheless, it is truly how I feel. Every person is more useful alive. Living for your family, living for your lover -- these alternatives are surely more valuable. Sometimes, I think we say “oh, he died for our freedom,” etc, just to cover up the ungainliness of death as opposed to actually believed that death was a fair price.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, passion, courage, and conviction don’t factor into my answer all. My passion is humanity -- I want to unlock the secret to saving the world. However, I wouldn’t die or humanity. My life’s purpose would be better served alive. My attitude gives me courage; I try not to fear anything since I know it won’t matter in the grand scheme of my existence. However, I wouldn’t die to be a hero. I am convinced destiny has a noble, grad, beautiful place for me, and that gives me the strength to be the best person I can be. Still, I wouldn’t die just because the death would appear noble and valiant. Before the audience labels me as heartless and indifferent, let me exemplify. If the government suddenly went martial and threatened to kill every person that didn’t renounce their devotion to God and instead consider the President as God, I wouldn’t die for my religious belief. I wouldn’t die to keep my faith intact. I would follow along with the motions (although in my heart, I’d always know the real God). If I chose to die, yes that would be commendable, but after that, I would cease to be useful to anyone else. Alive, I could become part of a resistance and machinate to overthrow the tyrannical government and replace it with a just one. Thus, every person is more useful to everyone else alive.
It’s sort of like the question Mr. Cera asked last year: “What’s the difference between a wise man and a hero.” A hero is a fool who dies for the sake of glory. A wise man plans ahead to make the world a better place. I want to serve humanity, and ultimately God. I can’t do that if I’m dead. I have a feeling this answer isn’t going to go well with some of the audience, and that’s okay. Obviously, if there had to be an immediate choice between my brother dying or me, I’d take the bullet. But seeing as how the majority of situations aren’t so cut and dry, every person is better alive. There are some things worth dying for, but there are many more worth living for.
Deanna- What you said definately makes sense, but I only disagree because of one thing- say you choose not to die for someone else, like say one of your parents, then you they will die and you will live. Wouldn't you feel horrible the rest of your life? Wouldn't you just rather have died and be happy then live and be miserable? Not that this situation is ever going to happen of course, but that's just what I think of when I heard "die for" someone.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you mean Hannah. In that situation though, I know for a fact my parents would rather me live over them. But in a direct situation like that in general, then yes, I would die for someone. I'm just saying that, since 99.9% of situations are more indirect, more complex than that, I'd rather live for something than die for it.
ReplyDeleteDeanna- Though obviously we don't agree on the death for freedom or a reason, which i do understand your point of view that living can be more productive. But I think that what you describe is a perfect world because then everyone wouldn't do anything harmful and that no one would be killed or their rights threatened. It'd be "- I want to unlock the secret to saving the world." unlocking that secret. But this is not a utopian society, sadly, and if people didn't die in the name of things they believed in then we would be nothing. We might not have the freedom, or allowed to have the knowledge or opportunity for you, Deanna, to be so intelligent and even think about saving the world.
ReplyDelete-On the other hand I totally get your point on not dying for your parents or anyone.
-My conviction would be my religion, as a prefer to call it my way of life. My passion would be life as a whole with a the tiny details. My courage would be the courage of standing up for being different, and absolutely not hesitating, feeling ashamed, nor apologetic about who I am or what I believe.
ReplyDeleteDo I fear death? YES & WITHOUT A DOUBT.
Death is a big one absolute step that pretty much sums up our lives. We don't have second chances ( My belief) It's the indicator to the ending of proving yourself as a human. It's not to be taken for granted. I would mostly say I would die for no one. Yes I love my family but I don't think I would trade my life for theirs. My parents always told me that saying I would die for them would be foolish and I just thought they were. I love them unconditionally, how could I not risk my life for them. They told me I would understand one day when I actually find meaning and the seriousness of life. I did. I know I wouldn't die for them now. My dad was in the hospital, in a life or death situation. I prayed and asked for others to pray for him to be back with us. Our prayers were answered, and I remember specifically praying to God for him to take anything or I would give up anything for his safe return. I think back, and now I know I wouldn't have wanted to die, to give up my life, my father wouldn't have wanted me to die and I stand by it now for personal reasons and conclusions which happen to be similar to Deanna's.
Death is the beginning of eternity. Death is too much, I can't say until it's at my door or in the moment where it's threatening to take me away what would my reaction be. I think if there was someone to die for that would be in existence, it would be my son and or daughter. They would be a part of me and I got them into this life, I couldn't stand to watch it get taken away without me interfering. It's a gift and it's not returnable. Then what else would I die for? Not someone, but something? Here's where my conviction, courage, and passion play in. I would die for my freedom of living the way I want too without harming others, which would be the freedom to practice my conviction. If I don't practice it then what would be the point of living if life would be a fabricated lie that's forcibly sewn into my lifestyle by someone else? We learned from history that people's rights were always pushed and threatened and isn't that when our strength is tested and abilities are shown? People have died in that fight to have that, doesn't necessarily mean they literally fought, but the resist and continuously practice as they believe and many died for it.
I would die for the sake of history, faith, culture, and humanity without the materialistic and capitalist brainwashed society, I would die for them to live on. I believe day by day the greed, the selfishness, and the evil to become perfect or superior has driven us to do unspeakable things or do favors not because they are morally right but because it comes with a price that would have the other party in debt to us. I would die for the preservation of the records of the rise of civilizations, religions, cultures, and the road that literally made us what we are.
This would bring in my passions. LIFE! The beautiful moments, the analyzations of the little things that make your heart flutter or move your soul out of body to possess this great euphoria, the little hurts and pains that make you crawl into a ball and wish the world would shut off for the moment, the mourning and the celebrating of death and birth. I don't think I can live without being passionate about everything I let in my life because I feel I would be cheating myself and letting it all go by. I would say yes, I'm even passionate about the food I eat or cook, to savior the art of achieving that perfect flavor that melts on your tongue. I'm passionate about music, the way the beats sync with your surroundings as you lay on the field and watch the clouds dance to the rhythm. The lyrics that understand you, the anger that relates, the love that obsesses, and the pure happiness that's to be achieved and shared. The passion in painting, creating, the shading of your pencil that's only gray, black, and white and yet effects your mind in wild colors and feelings. I'm even passionate about writing the way words could do and effect so much. In a heated argument, with concentration, you can pin point a contradiction of your opponent and ultimately have the last word. The list of passionate things is endless because you can be passionate about everything. Passionate about life is to treasure every breath and make it count. To not be able to count every breath that mattered. To never miss out on our natural state and human traits that we take for granted. I would die if I would not be able to have LIFE as interpreted by me, obviously. If I can't savior it in my own way then I will fight and live as I please and if I die or get killed for it then I would have died for a legit reason.
ReplyDeleteI pray to God that I stay strong but to stay strong I need courage to be confident and have my faith in no way swaying. That courage to believe as I please and stand up for it is the only reason I can be living happily is if I live as I wish. I would not be able to die for anything if I did not have the courage to die or to pursue all of the above. Therefore courage is needed to love your ways, to be able to die for them.
I would die for all this because our PAST died in many ways for us to be the way we are now.
"Is it better to live as a monster, or die a good man?"
ReplyDelete(Yeah, I totally stole that from "Shutter Island")
When reading books, watching movies, or playing video games, I always tend to take the situations and stories and role play them in my head. What if that were to happen to me? What would I do? I remember watching a movie with Crystal on Lifetime (Haha. Shut up.) and it was about a sister who went through horrible and disgusting things for the sake of her two siblings. She ended up losing her lover and eventually died for them too. Would I do that? Yes. How could I live with myself knowing that I ran from my own sibling. I ran from him with my tail between my legs leaving him helpless. Leaving him to die. I could never live with myself. I would think of myself as a monster.
"Courage is tiny pieces of fear all glued together."
Fear is the ultimate drive. To build courage, you have to overcome fear. Fear is the enemy withing, and to obtain courage you have to face it head on. I believe I've done this in some cases, but I'd ultimately defeat my enemy when I die for my family; mainly my siblings. To lose my brother or sister is my ultimate fear. "Face the thing you fear, and you do away with that fear."
I'd like to say I have other passions besides my family. I'm crazy about animation and art, but would I die for it? What if there was some riot against all forms of art? Like, the government somehow banned it. Would I face weapons and protest? Would I fight even with the risk of losing my life in mind?
I'm not sure. I'm really not. I still think of myself as just a kid. Even though I love art, I'd probably run and hide. I'm not going to lie. Fear would win.
I'd die for them though--my siblings. Without a doubt. They inspire me. Give me courage every day. I'm sure many of you understand the feelings I trying to express. You can also understand that these feelings of love and dedication cannot be explained. I would die for them without a doubt. Simple as that.
Deanna and Manar’s comment to Deanna:
ReplyDeleteDeanna: “I want to serve humanity, and ultimately God. I can’t do that if I’m dead.”
“The soldier that sacrifices himself for his country could have been of more use alive.”
Manar: “But this is not a utopian society, sadly, and if people didn't die in the name of things they believed in then we would be nothing.”
I’m currently in the process of thinking of what exactly I would die for, and all I keep coming up with is nothing. So the concept of being more useful alive falls in line with my current train of thought. Honestly, my thoughts lie partially in a slightly selfish vein: if I die doing, I cannot appreciate what I’ve done… But when my ideas take full form, by the time I write my blog, they might be significantly different.
Anyway, the idea of the soldier intrigued me. Yes, I agree that he or she would be more useful alive, and that the suffering his or her death imparts upon loved ones is significant, but as Manar pointed out, we don’t live in a perfect world. Currently, and without any forthcoming change I can see, war exists as a primary problem-solving tool. The rules of war: 1. People die. 2. You can’t change rule number 1. It saddens me that thousands of troops die for their governments’ ideas of what is right, what is wrong, who the government wants to conquer, et cetera, but sometimes war is next to unavoidable and/or has a justifiable cause (the Civil War, the American Revolution…). Obviously, circumventing war is the best option, but in a world dominated by oh so fallible humans, this cannot always, even often, be accomplished.
I have passion. I have courage sorta kinda. I can’t say I have lots of conviction though. But I don’t see the connection, well I do, it just makes no sense to me whatsoever. I’d never die for SOMETHING. What can something do for me? What can my lack of existence do for something? Nothing, that’s what. Let’s say I love, love, love animals, am an avid vegetarian and I hate, hate, hate how they’re killed. So ironically, I die for this cause. It makes the papers, two weeks later…forgotten. Wow I sure did the animals good.
ReplyDeleteSee, I have passion. I have boatloads of passion for the things I care about. But I wouldn’t die for say, the theatre. I have courage, well I’m starting to. I see courage as the courage to be myself and stand up for what I deserve which I’ve slowly learned to do. But that kind of courage is a lot different then the courage to die. Conviction, well, I need to see it before I believe it. I mean I can loosely believe in something but without proof of existence, I just can’t commit fully to that. So I’m certainly not dying for that.
I like to consider myself a people person. I know people well, almost too well. If I know a person even slightly I can call out a lot of things about them. It’s even more on point when I know a person very well. That’s off point though, anywho, people…there aren’t many people I’d die for. But they’re the only things I’d ever consider kicking the bucket for.
Most people would automatically go for like spouses or parents. I don’t think I could die for them. It may sound selfish but I would prefer to be the one who went on living to bear the grief of their absence then put that on them. Imagine in their shoes, their loved one (you) dies for them, the regret would be near unbearable and now they go the rest of their lives dealing with you being dead. I’ve learned that I try to stay strong for people. You’re no good as a shoulder to cry on for someone if you’re a mess, too. So, in that respect, I’d take that pain and I’d take it hard, but at least I’d be taking it away from the people I love. Sure, it sounds terrible because they are the ones dying and you still live, but once your dead it’s all over, it’s the ones who live on who take the weight of that pain and I’d rather that weight be on me. As of now, the only person I’d die for would be my little brother. I’d hate myself if he died and I could’ve stopped it.
So people don’t really have much to do with passion, courage and conviction, other then possesing those qualities, but it’s really all I could ever die for. But as for now, knock on wood because I’d like to go on living awhile longer. Kthanks.
Taylor: “Most people would automatically go for like spouses or parents. I don’t think I could die for them. It may sound selfish but I would prefer to be the one who went on living to bear the grief of their absence then put that on them.”
ReplyDeleteDitto. I feel like if I died for someone I loved, I wouldn’t be doing them any good, and I wouldn’t be around to love them any longer. They’d be left upset and perhaps somewhat guilty that I died in their place, or, depending on the person, they might even be a tinge mad at me for throwing away my own life. The person would be an emotional train wreck, and without a pleasant last memory of me. Not something I’d want to put them through.
Taylor- “Most people would automatically go for like spouses or parents. I don’t think I could die for them. It may sound selfish but I would prefer to be the one who went on living to bear the grief of their absence then put that on them.”
ReplyDeleteI agree, and I don't really think it's selfish. An older person like a parent has really lived their life. That's why I said my siblings since my brother is only seven and hasn't quite "lived" yet.
Jessie- "The person would be an emotional train wreck, and without a pleasant last memory of me. Not something I’d want to put them through."
It all depends on the person though. I've seen people who have lost so much, yet still continue to live their lives normally. I guess it all depends on how strong the person is.
Shirley Ngo.
ReplyDeleteImmediately, I thought "I would die for myself." What a paradox, right?! But essentially, it answers all questions about related to passion, courage and conviction. I don't have a solid, earthly love like religion or my country. And I've barely reached the point of calling another person a good friend--much less love them to the extent that I would sacrifice my life for them. Nobody in the world is that important to me; No one thing in the world takes precedence over everything else. Other than...myself, of course!
Who else in the world is more important than me? I understand that sounds like a terribly selfish question, but it's one of my core beliefs. For years, I've relied too heavily on others and been crushed day after day after day. With tearful and yearning eyes calling out for help, nobody was there. Thus, enters the alternate Shirley. She was, and still is, my best friend, therapist, and unequivocally the only person I trust. She bestowed upon me such vehement courage that I will forever be stimulated into the promise land. Throughout the past two and a half years, I've jump-started several resolving stages of my life. Each of which, begun with Shirley kicking me into the best world. Eventually, I want to be just like Shirley. Fortunately, that is a highly attainable goal!
From masses of self-hate rose masses of self-love. I love myself more than anything. And I value my life with all my heart and soul. I have a strong conviction to believing myself, even if I sometimes go astray. So if I could say, "I would die so I could live" and make sense, I would shout it from the soaring heights of a skyscraper's rooftop. All my fiery dedication and devotion, ecstasy and enthusiasm, are pushed towards the success of my own well being.
GO Shirley! :)
I don‘t like to think about death. I don’t think I’m scared of it though. I don’t know how most people think about death, but when I think about it, I don’t get worried about how or when I’m going to die or how I feel about it. So I don’t think I am scared of it. I am, however, scared of loosing someone else. That’s the only thing I fear about death.
ReplyDeleteDeath is inevitable, of course, but for centuries man has been looking for the cure; the “Fountain of Youth” theory is a popular one at that. But why? Death doesn’t have to be looked at so negatively. People die for causes daily- which is admirable at best. What would I die for?
Well even though I’m not scared of dying, I certainly don’t want to. Maybe I’m just being selfish. But to me, the meaning of life is to, well, find the meaning of life. I live for the passion, the courage, the conviction. Living is way more important than dying. A lyric from a song goes “You said you would die for me, you must live for me too.” Living for something has a much bigger meaning than dying for something. On that note, no, I would not die for anything.
What is my passion? Adventure. Fun. Passion itself. Not the lusty passion. but the “strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything.” As you all know, I live life to its fullest, or at least try to. I try to make everything as adventurous as I can. It’s fun, it’s exhilarating. I love the adrenaline rush from doing something I know I probably shouldn’t. I don’t live to break the rules, just bend them a little bit.
What gives me courage? My thoughts. I know that sounds weird and kinda corny, so let me explain. If I’m faced with a decision to make, or a situation that requires me to be courageous, of course it’s going to be kind of hard to get the guts to take action. But then I tell myself all the good that can come out of it, and how much better it will be for me and everything else if I just get it over with. I give myself courage when I need it
And finally, what are my convictions? One is that everyone deserves to be happy. Also, that everyone deserves to life the way that they want to. Who is to tell anyone they can’t? I don’t let people try and change my way of life simply because there is nothing wrong with it and I do what it takes to make myself and others happy. I’m sure there are more, but I cannot really think of any right now :). There are so many things that I believe in and so this is kind of a difficult task. Everything is important to me. Everything, and almost everyone. So why not live for it all?
KTG: I love how you used quotes in your blog, they were a good touch. I appreciate your views- although I may not agree with them fully, they are still good ways to think about everything. It is a good thing that you love your family as much as you do, I wish I could say the same goes for me! haha.
ReplyDeleteDeanna: I agree! Although maybe not in exactly the same way. We have the same basic opinion, but yours seems to be much more mature than mine. I don't think I care enough about living to help the world, I'm more of a live-for-the-fun-of-it kinda girl lol. But I admire your views :)
Manar: I didn't expect that to be so deep! But it was, and it was a very good point. I didn't really think of anything that big. Like I said in my blog though, maybe I'm just being selfish. I love how mature your views are and I hope to one day think like that. Good writing, Sadam. :)
KTG: “It all depends on the person though. I've seen people who have lost so much, yet still continue to live their lives normally. I guess it all depends on how strong the person is.”
ReplyDeleteTotally. I guess when I was writing, I was picturing specific people, those super close to me who popped into my mind when I asked myself if I would even possibly die for anyone. They probably wouldn’t handle the conflicting emotions well (like I mentioned, grief/guilt/anger), although I wouldn’t necessarily say they aren’t strong people, just not strong in that situation.
Deanna,
ReplyDelete=O My OP is partly about how I disagreed with the morals of Saving Private Ryan! (Glory, for me… while you said, dying for your country) You’ll see when I finish rewriting my OP (again). Also, you said you wouldn’t die for anybody because you are more useful alive because of your duty to the world. I completely agree with you, but on a more personal level. I think the duty is to live for your own being, not just the world. I mean, serving humanity is an extremely commendable thing, but ultimately I think the first person on your list of “To save” should be yourself, and then the rest of the world comes later. Most people probably do one to accomplish the other, which is amazing too. I always think that if I can’t love or save myself, how can I help others? But you mostly have that down—very praiseworthy!
Manar,
“I would die for the sake of history, faith, culture, and humanity without the materialistic and capitalist brainwashed society, I would die for them to live on”
So, you are one of those people who fight in a revolution! I think that’s great for you, but I personally would never do it. The reason is that I think faith and culture and humanity will always live on because of the human nature, such as their desire to find purpose and experience happiness. Also, the society we live in is so close to being capitalist and brainwashed! After all, look at all the effects of media and how rapidly people, especially teenagers, are hooked to technology and often feel as if we cannot live without it. Look how many people go on Facebook daily and ‘become a fan’—we’re so gullible and susceptible to control that I don’t think one dead person would make a difference. Maybe even a million dead people wouldn’t make that much of a difference—I don’t know. There is so much greatness in the world to experience yourself that to die for something that you’re not sure will help is, in my opinion, silly. Sorry!
KTG-
“I'm sure many of you understand the feelings I trying to express.” I almost said No, because I’m not sure if I would die for my siblings. But when I went back to, “They inspire me. Give me courage every day,” I thought of the television shows and movies and video games I’ve, like you, role-played in my head. And I can understand this feelings, I just can’t relate it to my own life. I also love you quote from Shutter Island. But if I lived as a monster, I could always have the chance to redeem myself (which I would take that chance in a heartbeat), but if you “die a good man,” you don’t have another chance.
Nothing. I would die willingly for no cause, no person, no nothing. Largely, it all comes down to this: I’m selfish.
ReplyDeleteAllow me to explain. Let’s say I was going to die to save someone else. A hungry lion escapes from the zoo and decides my little brother looks like a prime rib. I can save him, that is, if I offer my self instead. Sorry, no. Why? I want to lead my life to its fullest, and doing so doesn’t involve throwing myself in the path of a ravenous oversized kitty cat. I firmly believe that there’s always another way. Simply dying is giving up, is acknowledging that there’s no other option and that I’m a puppet of fate. I’ll do something else, distract the lion, or whatever it takes, but I won’t simply become chow to help out kiddo. Besides, like I said before, I’m selfish. If I die, I’m no longer there to love my brother, to laugh at his jokes and to poke good-natured fun at him. Of course, I would no longer be there to help him either, to be the best, if most annoying, sister he knows. In dying to save another person, I not only give up any hope of helping them in a more constructive manner (read: one that leaves me to lead a productive life) but also leave them to deal with my death. On the other hand, I honestly doubt that I would have the courage to take the bullet, the lion bite, the whatever.
What about something I’m really passionate about, riding for instance. Equito ergo sum is my personal motto that I pull out when I feel the world is crashing down on me. I ride therefore I am, even if I have nothing else left. So what if the lovely folks down in Washington got together and decided to ban dressage, hunters, equitation, show jumping, western (yes, the hunter/dressage princess now rides western), and everything else I know and love? Would I trot down to the capital on my trusty steed and fight to the death to save the sport that keeps me going? Of course not. The death of one person, yours truly, or even an assemblage of riders, would do little to solve the issue. It would just make equestrians look like a bunch of overzealous radicals with no constructive means of solving their problems. I would write to my legislators, contact the president, take the issue to court, whatever it took to save the sport. My death would do absolutely nothing. I can only think of two situations in the horse world where death would even cross my mind. One is if my equines were in danger. For instance, every article/pamphlet/book/etc. that describes what to do in the event of a barn fire says get the people out first and do as much as you can for the horses but never put a human life in danger. Sorry, but if my boys were trapped in their stalls, in the barn, in the trailer, in the whatever, and the only way to say them was to walk through a wall of flames, I would do it, because if I lost my boys (and yes, there are two now), I would honestly, personally, have little left to live for. However, that is not to say that I would purposely try to die to save them. I would do everything I could to keep myself alive (here’s the selfish again; I have to be alive to enjoy my horses), but I could never leave my guys to perish in the name of preserving human life. The other is if my best (nonhuman) friend kicked the bucket. The grief would be overwhelming, jump off a bridge sort of overwhelming. But that would solve nothing. Life moves on, pain and all, and eventually I, too, would carry on.
ReplyDelete“It’s good to have an end to journey towards, but it’s the journey that matters, in the end.” This is one of my strongest personal convictions (quote courtesy of the underappreciated Oakcrest tracker, circa first semester of freshman year). The process is just as important as the result, if not more so. If I don’t live in the moment, time will fly by so quickly that life will be over before I know it. That’s why I cannot give up my life for anything; I’m selfish; I love living too much. I love the gentle glow of sunshine on dew drops on a spring morning. I love the satisfaction that comes along with eating a cookie, fresh out of the oven that I prepared all on my own. I love every airy stride of the “fluffy” almost-in place trot that Rusty will give me after a good day of schooling dressage. Life is so beautiful. It is too precious to give up.
Shirley: “Who else in the world is more important than me? I understand that sounds like a terribly selfish question, but it's one of my core beliefs.”
ReplyDeletePersonally, I’m still working on the whole self-appreciation thing. It’s great that you’re so confident in yourself; by always being there for you, you’ll be able to go out and achieve what others cannot not because they crave their peers consent. Go you! ^_^
Let me start off by saying that I am extremely uncomfortable talking about what I am about to talk about. I do not like this question in the least bit and, if I had any say what so ever, I would not be answering it. Discussing my beliefs is not something I am comfortable doing in the least bit and I really hate these questions.
ReplyDeletePassion, Conviction, and Courage are important characteristics to obtain in one’s character. Passion. Loving something enough to do it your whole life or protect it with your life. Conviction. Being completely convinced that this belief that you hold is completely true and valid. Courage. The bravery to stand up for yourself, something you believe, or something you are passionate about….
I cannot say that I would die for many things. In the past, I have had hard times, times where things never get better like they are supposed to get after really hard times. You are supposed to have good times and bad times, I thought. However, times in my family never seemed to get better. I wanted to throw in the towel, be done with life a few times before I reached these crowded halls of Oak, however, the passion I had for life itself was what kept me going.
Because I have such a passion for life, things I would literally put my life on the line for are slim to none. As Uroosa said in class, I am not quite sure what I would really die for. I would not die for my mother and father. Not because I do not love them, I love both my parents, but I know that my death would not benefit them and that they would not want me to die for them. My brother and my sister are good people and everything but I would not give up my hopes and dreams so they can continue to live exactly as they live now, giving nothing to the world around them. I have passion for life. I want to live it and do great things. I have dreams and hopes and wants for my future. Dying, yeah…. Not for me.
Dying for a belief just does not seem useful. If I want to make a point, killing myself would probably be the least beneficial for my cause. Once I am dead, who is left there to make sure my death was not useless? A bunch of men died for slavery in the Civil War and, yet, slavery was abolished at the end of the war. What purpose was that life lost? They could have been useful, brilliant people. Maybe this is why I would not ever be in the army because I am not willing to give my life for something that we may eventually lose. If I put my life on the line for a cause or a belief and we lose, I died for no reason. With my death comes the death of my dreams and hopes and I am far too passionate about them to allow them to die before I accomplish them.
Now that I have stated why dying for things is completely stupid, I am going to spice it up a bit with the thing that I would actually put my life on the line in order to protect or save. One day, far from now, I want to be a mother. I want a husband, a big family, a nice job, and a happy life. Most of all I want children. I love babies and I love baby-sitting. I have very strong maternal instincts and I am very protective. I know this about myself because I am protective of my friends, my boyfriend, and my family, not to mention I am extremely close to my baby niece.
Although I said I would die for almost nothing, there is one thing in this word I am completely sure I would die for without a doubt. My kids. There is no real passion driving me behind this decision, no courage giving me the strength to do it, and no conviction that every parent should want to die to protect their kids. This is not a belief that I hold or a responsibility. I just know my kids will mean the world to me and I would do what ever it took to keep them save. It is nothing but fact and facts I would die for.
Jessie:
ReplyDelete"I ride therefore I am, even if I have nothing else left." I absolutely love that you have something you are that passionate about. The little motto that you made for yourself represents you so well and it seems very inspirational. I wish that I could be a little like you. Riding is something that you will always have, I am still trying to find that something that I will always have.
Katie G:
"When reading books, watching movies, or playing video games, I always tend to take the situations and stories and role play them in my head." OH MY GOODNESS, ME TOO! I liked how you used an example from a movie that put this sentence right after it. It seemed to make it flow and fit better together. I like your style. It reflects who you are as a person and your voice sings out of it.
Kale:
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. While entities like family and lovers and quixotic concepts like freedom seem worthy enough for death, I am a firm believer that everything is worth more when you live for it. "
I love this. You and I are so much a like. I completely agree. I wish I would have read your blog before I wrote mine because how you explained not dying for anything is exactly what I wanted to say but could not find the words. Life is precious and worth living. If you die for something you believe, your dead... So, what does it matter?
Deanna- I love your take on this blog. I agree with everything you said because, I don't want to die for anything or anyone. I have different reason than you, but I like that you think your life's purpose would be better served if you live. I mean, obviously we can't fulfill our destiny if we're dead. You're absoluetly right.
ReplyDeleteManar-
ReplyDeleteThough some people would give their life for their family, I, just like you, would not. I love them soooooo much, but I wouldn't give my life for them. I don't think it would help the situation at all to give up my life for someone in my family. Also, I liked how you said you have courage to stand up for what you beleive in. Though I have stood up for what I beleive in a couple of times, I don't do it all the time because I'm scared. I envy your ability to stand up for what you beleive in no matter what!
Shirley- Aw Why sorry? It's just a point of view and I respect it. Of course theses things could possibly live on and probably will. But now that we study history, many things were eliminated... Some religions and cultures were forbidden. Some faded, but a lot were simply not given room to flourish or not allowed room. For exmple to me the Native Americans' (North & South) culture and religion is at death's door. There is a reason why it is that way. If soon by soon we get swallowed up into the whole we are superior and we humans control every aspect of life then this technology and science will replace our natural state of just feeling and doing the right thing. I think a lot of that comes from culture and faiths, and I also believe that the "modern" society is more accepting of wealth and the "looks" then the traits and traditions. The rise of corruption and the fact that crimes are becoming a normal thing to hear about should not be taken lightly, I believe it can lead to something greater. I said I would die for it because the more accepting this society becomes to it's faults then the higher the chance people forget what they are and stand for, and the higher the chance someone like Hitler, Karadzic, or any figure that can get control and at the end we question our humanity? Things like Tabit, Rwanda, Nanking, Germany, Palestine, Durfur, Serbia, and many other places of where literally we look back and think where these humans, with hearts, and eyes, and senses to see what they are doing? If it got to that point then it can get worse. If it got worse then I would resist. If standing for my rights gets me killed then so be it, I died as Manar M Hussein as I lived the way I wanted to live as Manar M Hussein. Btw Shirley I think you should watch V for Vendetta, it kinda captures what I'm trying to say.
ReplyDeleteAnd I truly and absolutely love and respect your self-appreciation. Your writing is great and I totally get this part
"For years, I've relied too heavily on others and been crushed day after day after day. With tearful and yearning eyes calling out for help, nobody was there. Thus, enters the alternate Shirley. She was, and still is, my best friend, therapist, and unequivocally the only person I trust."
It's also part of my reasoning that it would be hard to die for someone, another human.
Love. I think I'd die for love. Why? Cause I think that it takes all three, passion, courage, and conviction, to love someone. When you love someone and feel all three of the emotions, then I think you've achieved something greater than anyone can ever describe, something greater than anyone can ever imagine. So, when I love someone, then I'll say that I'm willing to die for that person.
ReplyDeleteI love my family; my sister, my brother, and my mother. I love them beyond reason and I would gladly give my life to save them. But it doesn't end there. My heart is open to anyone. My heart is there to express love to those willing to give back. By this, I mean that my love and my willingness to die for someone will keep expanding if I find a way to love them. If I find a way to love them, then I've exhibited passion, courage, and conviction for them as well.
To express love, a person has to be passionate. Many associate passion with strong sexual desire, but I think that passion can be more defined as having a strong emotion for someone. To have a great force pushing your love for someone can be called passion.
Courage, meaning the ability to go beyond the limitations of fear and doubt, is needed for love. You need courage to love someone because love is not always easy. Think Romeo and Juliet, was it easy for them to show their affection?
Finally, if you don’t firmly believe, or convicted, in something, then how can you be sure of loving someone? Conviction plays into the factor of love just because you need loyalty and trueness to be with a person and tell them that you love them.
So, why did I just explain love? Well, I think that loving someone is exhausting. It’s mentally and physically demanding. So much time has to be put into it for it to cultivate into something big. In order to be in love with someone, you have to donate so much of yourself into that person that you eventually become one. It’s a little bit of alchemy and maybe a little chemistry in which love combines those in love and creates a great bond turning them into this…this…big thing of love.
I really can’t find the words for it but I know that my family has my love. My family has little bits and piece of me in it. So, when they're in danger, then doesn't it mean that I'm in danger too? Since there's parts of me in the people that I love, then wouldn't it make sense to save them? It's a little selfish if you think about it as only saving yourself, but it's different. It's really hard to explain the degree of selflessness and selfishness in the sentence before this but I hope that it makes sense to at least one of you AP Langers. All I’m saying is that if I love a person, then I’m willing to die for them.
Jessie-
ReplyDeleteI loved how you said that dying for someoe else would be giving in to fate. I FREAKING LOVED THIS LINE! I agree with it and I really couldn't said it better myself.
I just don't think that it's selfish if you want to live your life to the fullest. We've been given the gift of life and wanting to live it doesn't make you selfish. You're simply doing what you were put on this Earth to do.
Deanna: "Sometimes, I think we say “oh, he died for our freedom,” etc, just to cover up the ungainliness of death as opposed to actually believed that death was a fair price."
ReplyDeleteI agree in particular with this statement - saying that someone died for freedom is often a good way to justify their unnecessary or unexplainable death. Most of the time someone is better off alive to help a cause, but sometimes blood must be shed to make a point heard. It's the unfortunate truth, I believe. Dying is an extremely effective way to get a point across.
I’m only sixteen. I have passion for some things, but I could live without these things if I had to. I’m too young to have convictions about anything. I don’t believe strongly in any cause because I haven’t lived long enough to see every side of the story. I wouldn’t call myself courageous either. Most of time I do things because I haven’t doe them before. I actually do some things that require courage because I’m scared. I’m scared that if I don’t do certain things, like the kind of stuff we used to do in project adventure, that I’ll regret it later.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is, I don’t believe that I have any reason to die for something. I haven’t seen the world yet. I’ll say it again, I can’t believe in anything until I have every side of the story. I need to see the world before I decide what I want to dedicate the rest of my life to. In order to give something away as substantial as my life, I need to believe with all my heart that what I’m dying for is something that will get better when I’m gone. For example, I would never die as a soldier in Iraq, trying to protect their people while their government becomes stable, because I doubt that when I die their government will ever really be stable. It needs to be guaranteed that when I die, it won’t be a waste.
As for dying for someone, I don’t see the need. I love my parents and my sister to death, but I wouldn’t die for them. I know my parents would give their life for me, but they’ve lived a full life and I haven’t. They care about me more than anything and they would die for me, but I wouldn’t die for them. I appreciate everything they’ve done for me, but if I had to die for them, it would help nobody. They wouldn’t be happy anymore and I wouldn’t get to experience life. I love Carly, but I wouldn’t die for her either. I know she would appreciate it and all, but again, nobody would benefit from my heroism.
ReplyDeleteThere’s no doubt in my mind that later in life I’ll be willing to give my life for something, whether it be an important cause or my future children (even though I hate kids). As of right now though, I sure as hell am not willingly giving up my life for anything or anyone.
KTG: "I'm not sure. I'm really not. I still think of myself as just a kid."
ReplyDeleteYeah, we are just kids. It's kind of early in our lives to know what we would die for, don't you think? We live in America where we have a lot of options about what we want to live and die for...
I was truly puzzled as I laid my eyes on this blog. As we discussed this topic Period 9/10 on Monday, I unashamedly told the class that I held no convictions, and I would absolutely never die for anything or anyone. I sounded fairly selfish. Not my family. Not my friends. Not even acting, which is one of my biggest passions. You can’t blame me for my brutal honesty. I’m a lover of life, and being a hero would only result in the grief of my family and friends at my funeral. Frankly, given my young age, the age where a teenager constantly questions the meaning of life, I feel as though I’m not suited to answer this question. If I actually have convictions, I have not yet discovered them. And as for courage, I’m the Cowardly Lion. I still have yet to travel the yellow brick road to find it in myself. So, with my doubtfulness, I took your advice and took the solid jumping-off point.
ReplyDelete“What is your passion?” In my sixteen years of breathing, I have learned to hold a deep passion for drama, acting, etc. And as much as you are going to loathe this answer Bunj, I foresee myself having a passion for love, as well. I know, that ugly and cruel “L” word. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never experienced love, nor do I believe in it yet. Nonetheless, I have recently been captivated by the overwhelming concept. As I stated in my previous blog, I fully believe in fate. This also applies in the matter of finding a soul-mate. Everyone has a soul-mate, for it is fate. I’m definitely not religious, but these silly little theories are, in a way, my religion. I guess that means they are my convictions too. If I’m correct, and if I do happen to find my soul-mate, my deep and most intractable feelings (passion) towards him will persuade me to die for him. I’m not some freaky fortune teller, thus I’m not positive this “soul-mate” will come and knock on my door. However, given my passion for love and my hopes for a boyfriend, I’m convincing myself that I would die for him. If I truly believe that his life is more valuable than mine, and if I loved him with a burning passion of a thousand suns, hell yeah I would die for him.
Dying for someone or something is, in my opinion, a test of courage. And honestly, I don’t believe I have much courage. So, to see if I do obtain some form of courage, I looked up the denotation. Dictionary.com defines courage, the idiom form of it, as “to act in accordance with one’s beliefs, esp. in spite of criticism.” Well, in I believed in love, I would have the courage to fight for it. But, I don’t believe in it, nor do I believe in anything worth dying for. I have hope for the future, and hope for my lacking courage. Let’s face it: right now I’m a scaredy cat. I’m deathly afraid of death. In the midst of the moment, my courage could either take the bullet or run away screaming. It simply comes down to the instant, for my courage is unpredictable. If I acquire a spontaneous burst of adrenaline, then I’d gladly die for my soul-mate. Yet, if it’s pulling an Osama Bin Laden and hiding, then he’s on his own.
JV: You say that you would die for love... but wouldn't it be more effective to live for love? If you die for it, your partner(s) will have to go on without you, and all of the energy, all of the passion and conviction you had in your relationship, will decay with you.
ReplyDeleteWhat would I die for? I keep asking myself this question and only one thing comes to mind. Well actually it’s a person. But then again I wouldn’t die for this person. It’s a big contradiction and I can’t make up my mind. When I first read the question, only one person came to mind, nothing and no one else. My mom. She’s worked so hard to give me the life I have and she has been simply amazing. If someone was threatening her and I was around I can’t say that I wouldn’t help. If someone threatened her with a gun, I can’t say that I wouldn’t put myself between her and that person. But then again I wouldn’t die for her. The reason is because I think it would destroy her. If I died in her place then not only would she be upset but I think it would take a piece of her away. I would never want her to lead a sad life all because something happened to me. And she’s worked hard as a single mother to support me. It would be like taking years away from her life and leaving her with a sad memory. So I guess I wouldn’t die for anyone or anything.
ReplyDeletePassion, courage, and conviction don’t really factor into what I would die for. My passion…well traveling is definitely a passion; I want to see everything I can around the world and hopefully help some people in the process. But would I die because I was told I couldn’t travel ever again or if nobody could ever travel outside of the state or country they live in? No way! I would look for ways to change it but those ways wouldn’t involve my death. If I was dead then I wouldn’t be traveling anywhere on this Earth anyway so I don’t think that I’d give my life up for that. I would just have to be satisfied with where I was. My courage comes from me. I usually watch how situations play out and if I think that I need to be brave then that’s what I do. I force myself to be brave when I need to; it’s not really a choice. But that’s only when I absolutely feel that I need to be courageous. If I don’t feel that it’s a necessity than I think the situation out more and then make a decision as to whether I should be brave or run. My conviction is everyone deserves a chance. I believe everyone deserves a chance to be who they are, to have a happy life, to be successful, to not be judged beforehand, and to be anything they could ever possibly want. I think that everyone should be given these chances by others. It might not be reality but I wish it was. So in the end whether I would die for anything or not is completely separate from those three words. But again I wouldn’t die for anything. I don’t see how it would help anyone or anything. If dying could help then maybe I would die for something but it can’t so I won’t.
ReplyDeleteJessie-- I love what you wrote for your conviction. The journey is way more important than the ending. You have to seize each day because each day brings something new. Worrying about the end ruins the journey itself. Besides what’s an ending without a journey anyway?
ReplyDeleteDeanna—I agree with most of what you said. I think that we do serve a better purpose alive rather than dead. If we are alive then we can contribute and change aspects of the world that need some work but if we’re dead then we can’t really do much. I’d rather be remembered for living a long, contributing life then live a short heroic life that many people would probably forget in no time.
Shirley—I think it’s awesome that you have such high self-appreciation. You have such a passion for life and it’s not selfish to think that you are important because you definitely are. Everyone is important and should appreciate themselves. Your attitude about yourself is amazing! :)
Sarah C,
ReplyDeleteI really like that you put yourself before anyone else because as RuPaul said, "If you can't love yourself, then how the hell you gon' love anyone else?"
But, I have to disagree with your statement about being too young to have convictions. I believe that anyone, no matter what age, can have convictions.
To see me at my most passionate, you would need to see me during the months of August, September, October, and November. During that four month period there is usually only one thing on my mind, band. I don’t care if I sound like a geek, a nerd, or whatever you want to call it. I am truly full of passion during the Marching Band Competition season. Right now, that passion has faded because of other variables, but I have no doubt that it will be back once the season begins. Many of you may have heard me bitch and complain about this season, but the thing you don’t realize is that all of that unrest about Band comes from the passion I have for it. I love doing it. Granted, there are people I wish I could blip out of the program (or the earth in general) so my times would be more enjoyable, but these people in no way take my passion.
ReplyDeleteMy friends and family give me courage, no doubt. It sounds kind of cliché and overdue to say that they are my “rock”, but it is very true. I know that they have my back in whatever I want to accomplish. The knowledge of this strong support is what gives me the courage to do the things I want to do.
I wish I could tell you one thing that I hold with unshakable conviction…but I can’t. I have my values and standards and beliefs but I can’t conjure up one thing that I can write a paragraph about how strongly I believe in it though. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that however, as much as I wish I thought differently. I think that it is this time in our lives in which we develop our convictions and beliefs. So, as of now, I am still growing and I hope that never stops.
Back to the first question…after carefully assessing the things mentioned in the paragraphs prior to this one, I can only come up with one, clear, undeniable answer. I would die for my little brother, Vincent. I would take a bullet to save his life, I would do anything. There are many other people that I can not imagine leaving me, such as my mom, dad, my best friends, but my brother is the only one I would absolutely 100% put down my life for. I want him to live a full life. I want him to get married. I want him to grow old and become the great person I know he can be.
I don’t believe my answer to this blog has anything to do with those three words, except for the word conviction. I don’t think I have the conviction in my young age yet to say that I would die for ‘freedom’, or ‘peace’, or mankind. That may sound strange and selfish but it’s my honest feelings about it. I wouldn’t die for my brother solely because it is the courageous thing to do to protect someone you love, but rather selfishly , I just can’t imagine living with losing my baby brother and that’s why it’s so easy for me to say I would die for him.
Sarah C.
ReplyDelete"I don’t believe strongly in any cause because I haven’t lived long enough to see every side of the story"
I touched upon this in my blog also. I totally agree with this sentiment even though it isn't exactly the way the I expressed it in mine. I don't think that I have enough experiences to truly have convictions.
Chrissy,
ReplyDeleteI love your metaphor for courage and the fact that you continued to in saying that you're not on the yellow brick road yet. :)
I also like that you're passionate for love and that you're determined to find your soulmate.
Alix - " I wouldn’t die for my brother solely because it is the courageous thing to do to protect someone you love, but rather selfishly , I just can’t imagine living with losing my baby brother and that’s why it’s so easy for me to say I would die for him."
ReplyDeleteWell said! I feel the same exact way and I believe you wrote it in a better way! Still the same meaning, but easier to understand. I was all over the place! I like how you described your passion for band and music. I can really relate with my art! (especially the blipping people off the planet part.)
KTG,
ReplyDelete"How could I live with myself knowing that I ran from my own sibling. I ran from him with my tail between my legs leaving him helpless. Leaving him to die. I could never live with myself. I would think of myself as a monster."
I really love how your descriptions make you sound more and more like an animation. But I also agree with you about dying for your brother because I know I'd die for my siblings. I also think that I wouldn't die for anything like art, maybe when I grow up I will, but not yet.
Did Patrick Henry really mean that he would physically die before being denied freedom, or was he referring to a different kind of death?
ReplyDeleteI don’t know if I would die for what I believe. Before I continue, know that I believe in the essence of Christianity, I believe in love, and I believe in the right to attain and use knowledge. Other than that, I am not totally sure what I believe in and to what extent I believe it. If someone told me to declaim against my beliefs or they would kill me, I most likely would, shamefully sacrificing honesty before my life. But if someone forced me to shed these beliefs, to completely change my way of thinking and living, I would most definitely be sacrificing my life, so the only logical choice would be death.
If forced to give up my beliefs, I would be giving up my life. "Never again (would I) be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything (would) be dead inside (me). Never again (would I) be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. (I would) be hollow." Like the society of Orwell’s 1984, I would be dead before I died if I tossed aside my beliefs. Based on this, I would ultimately die for my beliefs, but not the mere statement of them. I would betray myself by mouth if it meant staying alive and then I would do everything possible to carry on my beliefs behind closed doors, like the Christians of Communist China or the Soviet Union. I’d live underground if I had to, but if “Big Brother” grew too powerful, I’d die in order to not lose my life.
As I would not give up and die readily for my beliefs, I would not readily die for just any person. If a random person and I were unexpectedly grabbed off the street and I had to pick between my life and that stranger’s in only a few seconds, survival instincts would kick in and I would walk away breathing, but I would do everything possible to somehow make amends by tracking down this person’s family and taking responsibility for any dependants, if possible. Random people aside, I would not die for a friend, at least not any of my current friends (sorry, but there’s no guarantee you’ll earn it), and I would not die for my parents, and I don’t think I would die for my future spouse. I would, however, die for my siblings or my future children.
My parents have by no means fully lived their lives. They have not seen any of their children graduate high school or college. They have not seen any of their children fall in love. They have not seen any of their children have children. In a breath, they both have long lives to live. In the same breath, they have lived out a good portion of their lives. They have seen their three children ride bikes. They have seen their three children score winning goals. They have seen their three children. My parents have invested all they have and everything they are into my brother, sister, and me, so ending my own life to save one of theirs is doing them a disservice. All of their hard work, wasted.
ReplyDeleteAs for what I said about my siblings, they are younger than I am and have so much more to experience. They are both, in my mind, worthy of my life. On a selfish note, I would not be able to live with myself knowing I had consciously chosen to end one of their lives to keep my own.
If I die for anybody though, I want that person to know about it, to know my name and my face and where I came from and who and what I left behind- not so that person can be scarred for life, but so he or she can “earn it,” like Captain Miller said to Private Ryan in Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan.”
Does passion play into my answer? I think not. In the realm of beliefs, passion would push me to shout my beliefs from the rooftops at the very threat of death and in the realm of people, it would push me to die for anybody I love. Courage? I don’t think so. Courage wouldn’t look at the fact that I couldn’t live with myself if I chose my life over my brother’s or sister’s and Courage wouldn’t go underground. Conviction? I think so. I firmly believe in, well, my beliefs. If not, I wouldn’t be willing to die for them. Same goes for the sacrifice of my life for my siblings and future children. I believe with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind and all my strength that the people I’m willing to die for have lives to live and sights to see and places to go. I’m not done living my life, but I’m further along than my brother or my sister or my future children.
Robby,
ReplyDeleteI see where you're coming from but I meant that I would die for someone whom I love. The way I see it, I'm living for love right now. We all are. We're all seeking the affection of someone. Now, when the time comes, I would sacrifice my life for those that I've loved. The passion and all that wouldn't decay because like I said at the end of my blog, pieces of me will still stay with those people.
Alix,
ReplyDelete"I wouldn’t die for my brother solely because it is the courageous thing to do to protect someone you love, but rather selfishly , I just can’t imagine living with losing my baby brother and that’s why it’s so easy for me to say I would die for him."
I feel the same way you do. No matter how much I argue with my sister over the computer or with my brother over the remote, living my life without one of my siblings is unthinkable; after abandoning one of them, impossible.
"I’m only sixteen. I have passion for some things, but I could live without these things if I had to. I’m too young to have convictions about anything. I don’t believe strongly in any cause because I haven’t lived long enough to see every side of the story. I wouldn’t call myself courageous either. Most of time I do things because I haven’t doe them before. I actually do some things that require courage because I’m scared. I’m scared that if I don’t do certain things, like the kind of stuff we used to do in project adventure, that I’ll regret it later."
ReplyDeleteYour entire first paragraph had me nodding my head in agreement. I agree 100% with what you said about passion- sure, I'm passionate about soccer, but I can survive without it. What you said conviction makes me want to go back and change my post to say that the only thing I really have conviction about is being allowed to have convictions (I'm not abandoning my beliefs, only acknowledging my young age and lack of life experience). And the thing about doing courageous things because you are scared you'll regret it later is insightful and something I also feel, but never think about.
^^for Sarah C^^
ReplyDeleteJV:
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, ♥chemistry♥.
That aside, I like how the belief for which you'd die and the people for whom you'd die were interlinked. It made your transition so smooth and the overall theme that much clearer.
Part One-
ReplyDeleteDeath petrifies me. It always has, and it always will. The fact of dying for something I believe in whole-heartedly is something I cannot fathom because the fact is I don’t want to die at all.
Anytime someone asks “what is your passion in life” my immediate answer without hesitation is “Running.” I love to run. Yes, running, and activity that many people dread, is something I call my life. I take obsession with running to a whole new level. I would run 6 days a week and would every day but it’s essential for my body to get rest. Mile after mile is my typical regime and though I feel pain with every pound I still continue to love it. I am a decent runner, speed is not my forte, but this doesn’t discourage me because running is a part of me, it saved me. Courage is what I acquired through running. Before, I was a runner I was scared and didn’t trust myself at all. Cross country is where I learned you need to muster up courage, to believe in yourself to finish, but courage to trust yourself not only in a race, but in life. Every time I run I feel beautiful, invincible, fearless and care-free. My fears never inhibit me. Running is what I believe in, it’s my one conviction that I will never get rid of because it has given me, so much and has showed me who I am. Then, if it’s a passion, a conviction I will never give up, would I die for it?
I have been contemplating this response because it seems silly to die for something that really is just a hobby. Though I love running more than anything (besides my family) I would not die for it. If someone told me I could never run again, I would not crawl up in a ball and want to die. My heart would be broken, but somehow I would learn how to carry on. Though I wouldn’t die for it, it did lead me to think about making differences in one’s life because running made a huge impact in my life
Part 2-
ReplyDeleteI want to make a difference in someone’s life; it’s a passion as well as a belief
(conviction) of mine. Everyone I believe whole-heartily deserves happiness. The people I believe deserve this the most are the ones who suffer on a daily basis. They are the ones who deserve to get that surge of happiness that can bring them glimpse of hope and courage to move on. If I could give my life in dedicating to making sufferers who are unable to ever feel happiness then I might. Why? Seems strange to give your life for a stranger that you aren’t even sure who they are, but in some way I feel connected. I can relate to them of being a sufferer. Day after day, unbearable emptiness and limitations that surround their atmosphere and all I want to do is change that through giving them for them because life is not worth living like that. Running is what gave me the strength and happiness to belief in myself. I feel the ones who aren’t allowed the right to live their life because of an underlying problem deserve their own surge to find the one thing that makes them happy. They deserve to find their own positive reinforcement like I have found in running.
Here I am again unsure of if I would really die for both beliefs. One thing I am 100 percent sure I would die for is my family members but for my passion for running I probably wouldn’t die. The other conviction I live by in trying to bring a ray of sunshine to someone who lives in darker light is probably a cause that I would die for. Nobody deserves to live like that, maybe if you are a serial killer, but nobody deserves to suffer day in and day out whether it’s physically, mentally, and abusively and be limited what they acquire to do in life. I know how that feels, and running showed me nothing would hold me back. Therefore, if I could I would die to show someone that they too can acquire the feelings and empowerment running gives me to someone even when they feel that they are restricted of being themselves, doing sorts of things or following their heart. I figure life is a brutal place and contains many sufferers, but it’s short and in some way you have to make the most of it. That’s why I strongly believe that if you find something (like running) that for that split second makes the world seem beautiful, peaceful, and surreal then it makes everything worthwhile and gives you the strength to carry on. I would die to give someone that feeling because everyone deserves to feel extraordinary and invincible.
Originality and creativity inspire me. They give me a chance to transcend my fears, reservations, and insecurities. Last night I was dancing and jumping around like an idiot in front of lots of people, and it felt amazing. I was at a concert, so no one was there to judge me. However even if I had been on the stage, I’m pretty sure I would have been just as crazy. If you know me a little bit, you will be really surprised by that. Even when I’m giddy or goofy, I have lots of self control and I’m not usually “the crazy one.” If you know me a little better, you can probably picture me dancing around ecstatically. It’s the feelings I was harboring that would have shocked you. I was completely filled with passion and an intense drive that even my lack of sleep couldn’t overcome. Concerts, films, poetry, and more really get to me. I love to be exposed to anything that can really shake your thoughts, feelings, or preconceptions. Great art can do all of that, while dragging you away from reality. But, would I die for art or originality?
ReplyDeleteI really think that depends. If I have to make a choice between dying or the Mona Lisa being destroyed, I hope Da Vinci will forgive me. If I’m stuck in a 1984esq nightmare society, my life is a small price to pay. The difference between the two situations is staggeringly large, but let’s look at it anyway. The first situation threatens a particular piece of art. If the Mona Lisa was destroyed, it would be devastating, but would in no way end art. The second scenario would obliterate free communication and originality, which I believe are essential to art.
I’m passionate about people. When the Rwanda speaker talked to us, it really shook me. I felt fearless. If my fear was an obstacle in saving people, I was willing to fight it off. However I really don’t think you can ever be sure how you would react in a genocide, war, or other major tragedy. I believe I would be out there helping people, and even giving up my life if it came to that. However sometimes I’m really terrified that I would be the one hiding and waiting for it to end.
Alix- you are too cute, dying for your baby brother. I always wanted a baby brother, but its strange to imagine your life without your family in it. Thats why I want my family to die before me because I cannot imagine my life without them in it.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, my answer makes no sense whatsoever: I would die for life. If I had to give my life, if I had to fight for my freedom or someone else's life or freedom, then I would do it in a heartbeat, and that's what I want to do with the rest of my life. I want to help make other people's lives better, make them more free and be able to live their lives. I want people to be strong, as I have been trying to be my whole life. I have been given a good life. I have both my parents, I have the right to an education and live with a very stable roof over my head. I have a sister, three meals (and more if I would like) every day, both my hands, my feet and a fully functioning brain. Some people, aren't as lucky as I am. Some have to wait to get even one meal a day if they're lucky, some aren't allowed to have an education simply because they're a woman and I am willing to fight and die for everyone to have the same freedoms and same opportunities in life that I have. Now, I haven't quite started. I am still in school, still under my parents' rule, so I haven't quite had the opportunities I want to fight for freedom, but I will, soon. To fight for someone's freedom and life I need plenty of passion to keep me going, passion to fuel both courage to stand up and not be afraid of whatever threatens victims and to fuel my strong beliefs and interest in this subject. What inspires me is just the people around me. I learned from good friends that love could change people and make horrible situations a lot of things seem brighter. I wouldn't want those people to ever live in bad conditions, or be barred from doing the things they wish to do, so for those who can't I want to do that for them. I want to give them love and be a friend to them so they can see the world as brighter and more beautiful as well. My passion is to strive for beautiful things and to lead a beautiful life serving others as much as I can. So, what is more beautiful than life and fighting for life? That is my passion- to help others overcome difficulties or things that make them scared or sad. My friends and those who have done this before me give me courage and make my convictions strong enough to withstand anything. My answer do line up with the others. These three indefinable terms are strong enough to save any life, at least, I believe so.
ReplyDeleteAlix -
ReplyDelete"I don’t think I have the conviction in my young age yet to say that I would die for ‘freedom’, or ‘peace’, or mankind."
I respect this, a lot. Hah you have no idea. A lot of people say these things when they don't really believe it, and I have so much respect for you actually admitting it. And I must say you're very lucky to have such a great family. Especially in this time and age with divorce and unfortunate circumstances, that's a rare thing.
Contradiction, thy name is Uroosa Zeb .
ReplyDeleteRight next to my computer, even as I write, is my “to-do” search book. This little book retains a, often, cryptic and long list of names, places, people, which I usually compile during the week days. This list retains everything that that I am curious enough about to search. (FYI: Written on the first page of this book is “Apocalypse in religions, Pandora’s Box, My Name is Khan, Anti-Christ, Green Arrow, Pashtuns, Tristan and Isolde, Daisy Fay in the Miracle Man, Jinns, 3 idiots”).
Why am I telling you about this ridiculous list? Because in this list, lies one of my greatest, and probably most annoying, passions: my curiosity. I do not mean to say that I meddle in people’s life or anything of the sort. Rather my passion lies in the fact that I love learning new and interesting tid-bits of information; be it pop culture, religion, literature, or art. I simply just love knowing things for no ones benefit but my own. Weird? I know. However, when I am learning about such things, I feel intelligent, enthusiastic, and just pure happy. Please don’t ask me why…
As for courage, I have hardly any. I have always been a wuss. The person that is afraid to tell people what she really thinks and feels. The one who can never stand up for what she believes. The one that always bows down. Yet, through my religion I find the little courage I do have. I wake up in the morning fueled by that the thought that I just might make a difference in someone’s life. I wake up thinking I just might be given a chance to be a good person today. Islam, despite its supposed flaws, is beautiful religion that inspires me to be brave. It inspires be to face the uncertainty and misery of the world we live in. It inspires me to believe there is that tiny spark of light in this moon-less night.
I am constantly growing, learning. Therefore my beliefs are not as concrete as many of the convictions of my fellow classmates. Yet I have retained ONE firm belief since I was a child: you should give yourself completely to what you love.
Now, “giving yourself completely” could possible translate into dying for something if the situation demands it. Yet, as I sit her thinking, I can not think of one thing that I would give myself completely to. I have yet to find something that I love to that intensity. I love my family, and I claim that I would die for them. But the question is when push comes to shove will I? I’d like to believe so, but I honestly have no idea. As I mentioned before, I am quite a coward. Just call me a selfish bitch…
For a while now, I have been just “blahh” when it comes to life. And to tell the truth, it’s really scary. I am not used to being so indifferent to life. Perhaps that is what is stopping me from loving. From dying for something. At the moment, I would rather just live for something instead.
In a weird way my inability to “die” for something, yet, coincides with my passion, conviction, and my source of courage. I am not ready to give myself completely because I have not found anything I love yet. My religion inspires me to live for others and God, instead of die for a belief. While my intense thirst for knowledge keeps me searching for it because I know it exists out there. It must (and this is where my undying faith plays a role). It just must.
Comments:
ReplyDelete1.
To Hannah in Response to Comment to Deanna:
I get what you are saying completely, but my issue with that whole “dying for someone” is how you can be sure. In my opinion, it’s like the whole “I love you” issue. People say it so often that it is almost meaningless. There are people that I feel like I would die for. But I still have those moments of doubt. Doesn’t that mean that I am not sure enough to actually die for them? To die for someone, I think you need to have utterly belief that you would do it any second any day. I just don’t always feel that way. It honestly makes my heart and head hurt…
2.
To Manar
Religion also plays a huge role in my life. It keeps me hoping and believing that there is still a little piece of good left in the world. Without my religion I would be lost. I may not constantly be preaching it, but I believe it with my whole heart. My religion has made me who I am, without no doubt. As for dying for someone, I completely agree with you. Like I said in response to Hannah: How can I be sure that I actually would give my life?
3.
To Deanna:
I think that there is something that we all would die for. The only catch is, as I said in my blog, we just have not found it yet. We are only sixteen and seventeen years old. There is a whole life ahead of us. Many years of trials and heartbreak and small victories. Maybe along the way, you and I, Deanna, just might find something to die for. Who knows?
Response to Manar: This world isn’t perfect -- that fact is undeniable. But, I believe that thinking death is necessary makes death necessary. Thus, thinking death is unnecessary makes death unnecessary. This is why I hate when people say war is unavoidable. War is only unavoidable if you think of it as a final option. That’s never the case; I believe there’s always another way, a better way. So while the world isn’t infallible, if you challenge the cynical, accepted view, then you can broaden your reach. For example, my dad always says “All boys watch porn at some point in their lives.” I refuse to believe that. If I did, it would make me think that there’s no hope, and I should accept this fact. But I don’t. I refuse to accept what I believe is a man’s lack of morality. You cannot change your expectations for the world, but rather make the world fit your expectations. You do that by surrounding yourself with honest, good people. That way, nothing is impossible.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your blog, I like that you’re a fan of history; you value it. I see so many people brush off history simply because it’s not happening now. But if you don’t know the road taken to get you to where you are, then you can’t possibly live a fulfilling life. So I’m very happy you appreciate that. I always say that’s why I work so hard in school. I’m half black and a woman -- in any other era, I wouldn’t be allowed to.
Response to Jessie: Nothing is impossible Jessie. Do not doubt, do not lose faith in humanity simply because of what seems to have been a general pattern of the past. Everything has a first: you can be the one to start it. War is not inevitable. The fact we don’t live in a perfect world means God set us up with the ideal platform from which we can perfect ourselves.
Regarding your blog, I think, as usual, that you underestimate yourself. You’re talented, beautiful, and altruistic Jessie. Give yourself some credit, girl! I find you absolutely amazing. :] You should feel the same way.
Shirley: I believe if you live for yourself, then you die for yourself, which ultimately means you live and die for nothing. I understand what you wrote in your blog is one of your core beliefs, but I’m just giving you my opinion. Life becomes meaningful only if you have someone else to share it with. What happens when you get married and have children? Will you still put yourself over them? Your attitude has definitely made you the successful person you are, but be careful. Usually when I try to talk to you, you talk about yourself. That’s great that you love yourself, but you very likely could be pushing away potential friends.
Jourdan- I totally agree with you establishing that quote by Patrick Henry. At sometimes I felt as though the patriots were being a little over-dramatic with their claim for risking their lives for liberty. Or maybe they really did mean it? We will never know but I get how it kind of relates to is that we can say that we want to die for something whole-heartily, but when it comes time to actually explore it, we question if we reallly meant that much passion. Sorry, thats where my mind went when you mentioned this idea about Partick Henry. I just wanted to say that is a really good questioing because it really got me thinking.
ReplyDeleteChrissy -
ReplyDelete"You can’t blame me for my brutal honesty. I’m a lover of life, and being a hero would only result in the grief of my family and friends at my funeral."
I completely understand where you're coming from obviously and I really respect how honest you're being. Though I do believe that your friends and family would be upset if they found out you were dead, they would still be proud of you if you died doing something or for something you loved. At least, that's my opinion. Being a "hero" is a thankless job in general. People don't know how much soldiers go through, the way martyrs thing or what policemen or firemen are thinking, but it's just the way it is. Ultimately, someone out there is thankful. Someone out there is thankful for the things that people die for. Hahaa and, besides, legacies never quite exist until people are dead, after all!
Kyra -
ReplyDelete"I give myself courage when I need it."
You're lucky! It is a very good thing to be independent and self-sufficient to be able to provide your own courage and your own motivation. People often need the approval or urging from others to do a good job and to get going on something that needs to be done, but it's good to hear that someone can do it all on their own. That's a quality of a true leader, in my opinion. :)
Dying is a huge deal. To me, to my family, to almost everybody that I come in contact with. There has never been a time in my life where I have seriously contemplated giving up my life. Not for anyone, and not for anything. In no way am I trying to avoid this blog, in fact, I have thought continually about the question since it was posted. It takes an insane amount of courage and selflessness to die for another person, and such a strong passion and conviction to die for a religion or belief. In all honesty, I don’t think I'm strong enough to do any that just yet. I'm only seventeen years old, I haven’t been around long enough to experience half of what people ten years older than me have been through, and giving up my life without giving it some deep thought would be the most selfish thing I could ever do.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the question, I believed that I had my answer right away. Family. My support system, one of my safe havens, and the reason I am even alive today. I thought about what I would do if I had the chance to save my parents’ lives by giving up my own. On the surface, that wouldn’t even be a question. I want the people around me to live their life to the fullest, but if I delve deeper into the scenario, dying would devastate my family more than the loss of my parents. I’m aware that they have given up so much for me to grow up healthy, happy and well cared for. I wouldn’t mind giving up my life to repay them for all that they’ve done for me. The only thing that stops me is what my mother told me when I told her about my thoughts. She said that dying for her would be extremely selfish, and that she couldn’t bear to live with herself if I ever did that. I know that I will never fully understand what it feels like to lose a child, until I have one of my own that I love more than anything. I’m aware that my parents would die for me in a second, but they could never accept it if I wanted to do the same for them. So that leaves my sisters. I'm the oldest, and although I dislike my sisters a majority of the time, I know that I wouldn’t want them to ever die before me. I want them to grow up, to experience life, to get married, and to have wonderful families. I want them to live up to their potential and become the best people they can be. I could never live with myself if I knew I had the chance to save them. I don’t know if I could ever look at my face again, because I would know that the look of fear and regret would stare back at me every time.
I know we’re never supposed to say this: But I really don’t know. This question has baffled me and resorted to making me think about thoughts that I have rarely, if ever, thought about. But then again...I guess that was Bunje’s goal all along. I don’t want to say that I would die for a belief, because then I would wonder about whether or not I truly believe it. I don’t want to say I’d die for a cause, because I feel like I would be more useful for that cause if I were alive to fight for it more. But then again...there are people who die for things and then become legacies for it. I want to change the world, I want the people around me to live their lives as long as possible, and if there is no other way than to give my life for it…then I’d better make sure now that I'm enjoying every moment of my life to the fullest.
Sarah Lom-Loms
ReplyDelete'However I really don’t think you can ever be sure how you would react in a genocide, war, or other major tragedy. I believe I would be out there helping people, and even giving up my life if it came to that. However sometimes I’m really terrified that I would be the one hiding and waiting for it to end.'
I'm not sure if you've heard about my recent obsession with war and everything, but this plays into it almost perfectly. Based solely on the the things I've been reading and what I've been watching, it truly baffles me to think about what some soldiers have done to save other people's lives. I don't know if I would ever have the courage to do that. Sure, I'd like to believe that I would be the first person to stand up and continue fighting, but if I'm being honest, it's more likely that I would break down and try to wait until the fighting was over. It's a lot to think about, and at times I wonder if I even truly have the capacity to really handle it all.
Roos Roos
ReplyDelete' Just call me a selfish bitch…
For a while now, I have been just “blahh” when it comes to life. And to tell the truth, it’s really scary. I am not used to being so indifferent to life. Perhaps that is what is stopping me from loving. From dying for something. At the moment, I would rather just live for something instead. '
You selfish bitch..jk. :]
I know exactly how you feel though. Lately, its as if I entered some weird state where I don't really care about what happens around me. My mom thinks its related to stress, and over working. And maybe it is, but it could also be that I've just become aware of a lot of things. The things I used to care about, suddenly seem childish and uninteresting. I was so ready to have an answer for this question, but when I tried to rouse strong emotions about it at first, I came up empty. Maybe it's just a blahh time in our lives right now, but I'm sure it will pass. There's something out there that we're willing to fight and possibly die for, and perhaps living for just a bit longer will expose that.
What would I die for? Honestly, as of right now, nothing. I’m only seventeen years old and have a lot more life left to live. There isn’t any passion or conviction that I have right now that would be worth the next eighty years of my life. I don’t have any extremely strong beliefs, especially worth dying for. I generally see both sides of the fence on most issues and can accept either side... on MOST issues. I certainly don’t see beliefs as something worth dying for. My life is not worth any belief, as harsh as that may sound. And passions? Well even though we have our ups and downs, I would consider swimming my passion. It always lures me back in even through the tough times. Worth dying for? Absolutely not. It may be a large part of my life at the moment, but it won’t always be. My life would go on without swimming. I can find other interests and give my full attention to them and still be content.
ReplyDeleteThe current passion in my life will not always be my primary one; I anticipate them to change through different stages in my life. Although swimming may be my passion now, one passion that I can foresee being my primary one in the future is family. Obviously I have family now and would never want to see any of them die, but it’s life. Being one of the youngest in my extended family is going to make this a fact of my life. And I don’t mean this to sound selfish but I have more potential at this point. Many of them have had their glory days that I have yet to experience. So the family that I’m talking about as my future passion would be the man I marry and children I bear. I hear love is a powerful thing. In the future when I find that perfect man, maybe I would die for him. That’s something that I can’t answer now though. My children though, I can say that they would be something worth dying for. Being younger, they have more life than me to live. If one of us had to go, I’d take the bullet. I want them to live a life better than mine and if dying for them would be the only possible way to allow that to happen, so be it. Obviously though, at this point of my life, there is no man or children in the picture. So would what I die for right now? Nothing.
With all this said, it should be known that I am greatly lacking in the courage department in situations involving death. Even if I say that I would jump in the line of fire and die for someone, how’d I truly know unless I was in that situation? I may say that I would, but when the opportunity arises, I may freeze up. So the only way to truly answer this question is to put me in the very situation I described. Allow me to bear children and then throw us into some awful situation where it was me or them. Then you would know if I would actually die for anything. But please don’t. I’d rather let them live their life while keeping mine.
Taylor: I completely agree with what you think is worth dying for. Passions and convictions aren’t even considerable when deciding what to die for – unless your passion is a person you love. I see why you would die for your little brother. He’s young and has more life to live, even if it’s only ten years or so. Also, going on without him would be unbearable. This is why I believe that in the future, I would be able to say that I would die for my children. Your brother, my kids: definitely worth dying for.
ReplyDeleteJessie: I don’t think your response to this intense question was any bit selfish because I agree. It’s hard to say that you would die for anything when you want to go on living and carry out your own dreams. I like how you brought up the fact that there are other options. “Simply dying is giving up, is acknowledging that there’s no other option and that I’m a puppet of fate.” I never thought about that. But what if there were really NO other options? Like it had to be either you or your brother? A question worth contemplating or do you still think that taking care of yourself and your own life is more important?
Chrissy: Nice blog. I’m glad someone used the HSPA for something productive. Anyways, I agree. As I’ve said a few times now, convictions aren’t worth dying for or passions, unless people get involved. The unpredictable courage you spoke about is also an issue for me. Although I say that I will die for my future children, it all comes down to the moment. The only way to truly tell would to be in that situation. By the way, nice figurative language ;)
At this point in my life, I find it hard to imagine any situation in which I would give my life for anything. I have too much to live for, too much still to do and to learn, to willingly give it up for someone, or something, else. However, that doesn’t mean it could never happen. Basically, it is impossible for me to answer this question, mainly because I am not overcome with the emotions that are usually present in dire situations. Only in one of these situations could I actually know what my response would be, but I suppose I can do my best to try to predict my actions.
ReplyDeleteGuns fascinate me. They always have. Having grown up in Mullica, I’ve been surrounded with firearms since I was little, and I quickly discovered that I’m a pretty good shot. However, despite my aptitude with rifles, the idea of becoming a soldier scares me. Quite a few people have told me over the years that I should become a soldier, but I would never be happy doing that. I have a lot more to offer the world than getting blown to pieces, and I want to stay alive as long as I can. There will always be more people that want to join the military, but there is only one me, and I want to make sure I live out my life to the fullest. If the draft was reinstated, I am not ashamed to say that I would be the first one heading for Canada. I have too much to live for to die for my country.
The other common situation presented in these discussions is that of love. Would I give my life to protect someone I love? The answer, quite frankly, is no. My parents have lived pretty good lives, and they have lived to see their children born. I have not. So would I give my life to save one of them? Probably not. Parents should never have to bury their children. As a father, I certainly wouldn’t want to, and I’m sure my parents wouldn’t either. I have longer to live (theoretically) then they do, so why would I trade more for less?
But would I give my life for someone I loved romantically? Once again, probably not. First of all, in modern society about fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. Why would I give my life for some girl if we would probably end up hating each other anyway? Other than that, I really can’t think of any other reasons why I wouldn’t. The truth is, I have no idea what it’s like to be that much in love, and my answer might very well change if the situation really occurred. It’s impossible to tell.
And that brings me to Ms. Bunje’s three words. Almost nothing inspires courage, passion, or conviction in me. I’m too young. I suppose that theoretically, if there was something that gave me all three, then that would be something I would be willing to give my life for. The only thing that I can think of that would do that is true, honest love. However, since I’ve never encountered that, I can’t say that there is anything that I would give my life for. Honestly, how would I know that if I gave my life for someone, they wouldn’t get hit by a bus three minutes later? I would never want to give my life for something unsure, and all of life is unsure. The only thing I can ever be SURE about is me, and that makes me value myself. I wouldn’t want to give my life for anything, and I seriously doubt I would even in ridiculous circumstances.
KTG
ReplyDelete'I'm crazy about animation and art, but would I die for it? What if there was some riot against all forms of art? Like, the government somehow banned it. Would I face weapons and protest? Would I fight even with the risk of losing my life in mind?
I'm not sure. I'm really not. I still think of myself as just a kid. Even though I love art, I'd probably run and hide. I'm not going to lie. Fear would win.'
These exact same questions popped into my head also. I tried to think about concept or ideas that people would die for and tried to apply it to my own life. I thought ' What if they just abolished my religion and freedom all together? What if i wasn't allowed to believe in God, or have a say in anything that I wanted to do with my life? Would I die for it?' I bet there are people out there who would be more than willing to fight for it, but i would be way too frightened. If that ever happened, it would be much easier for me to go 'Oh..well I guess I'm an Atheist now. Someone come and tell me how to live my life now.'
Jourdan S:
ReplyDeleteMy dad told me a story once of some girl who was in church (in Russia, I think) and some soldiers that were part of a violent overthrow (Communism? I can't remember the details)came in. They threw a picture of Jesus on the ground and told them to walk on it. Everyone did but the girl, who would have rather died than done so. The soldiers then shot all the people who did walk on it, because they figured that anyone that fickle would be of no use to the new regime. So what if you died anyway BECAUSE you renounced everything? Just a thought.
Sarah C:
ReplyDeleteI'm too young to have convictions about anything too. I think we all are. It's really hard to answer a question like this when we barely even know what the real world is like. It would be nice to have some experience to base all this speculation off of.
Roo- I love that you know that you are young and at this current state you have nothing really that you would want to die for. We dont really think about love considering that fact that we are young, and want to live life to the fullest. It's great that you recognize but I also love how you know that maybe when you truly love something maybe you will die for it, but for now I love your views.
ReplyDeleteI would die for my family.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a cliché answer, but for me its true. There is really nothing else I would die for. Before I go on let me elaborate on what I just said. When I say family I don’t mean my mother’s great aunt’s second cousin. I mean my immediate family, mother, father, and sister; as guilty as a feel saying it I wouldn’t even include my step-siblings who I love. When I say die, I don’t mean when my parents are eighty or my sister and I are eighty (although if she has a family and I don’t I would). What I mean is right now if it were them or me, I would ask god to take me.
Passion. I have passion for things, such as gay rights, education, and freedom. I would fight for all these things, but I wouldn’t die for any of them. I don’t even know if I would go to jail for any of them. But my passion for my family is definitely strong enough that I would go to jail for them, and I would die for my family.
Courage. I believe that courage fits in with what I said about passion. I wouldn’t not go to jail for my second hand passions because I’m not passionate enough, but because I would be terrified. However, I am definitely not passionate enough to die for my second hand passions!
Conviction. I have conviction in all of my passions. I don’t think you can be passionate about something without having conviction in it.
Deanna N:
ReplyDeleteI agree. I would much rather stay alive and discover a cure for AIDS than die to save one person that most likely wouldn't do anything special. I have hope for the future. If I didn't, dying wouldn't be a problem, but I have many things I would like to get done. I would be a lot more useful alive than dead, and I think that's true for just about everyone. Dying for anything just seems so pointless.
I'd love to believe that i would die for something or someone. My family, god, friends, teachers, it all sounds good on paper, die a hero and be forever beloved by all who had known you. But would i actually go through with it? Most of us have never even considered the thought of dying. In our everyday lives we say things like, "I'll take a bullet for you", or "I'd die for you." Would we though? Modern society has romanticized the action of dying, through movies, books, and even plays such as Romeo and Juliet. Dying isn't what we all believe it to be, its a horrible thing in any way shape or form. God has given us the great gift of life and it would be a shame to give it up at such a young age, I'm not saying that dying this young for a worthy cause is wrong, but we all must take a serious look at our lives and the value we place upon them. I'll be 17 in a month, and i don't think I'm at a point where i can decide what I am truly passionate about. Some teenagers and even children have already found something they are so passionate about they would die for. We need look no father than the middle east where the war on terrorism is waging. Teens and even young children find nothing wrong and even consider it an honor to strap explosives to their body to die for a cause they believe to have more worth than their lives. The same scenario played out in WWII over the pacific, Japanese fighter pilots flew their planes into American ships. Why? They believed that the war was a cause worth dying for, and one life in exchange for a thousand Japanese lives was well worth it. These soldiers have found a conviction, something they are willing to take their lives for. I would love to say that i have found someone or something that I am so inspired by that i would allow my own death, but i have not yet. When i do realize that their is something so profound in my life, i will know i have found my conviction.
ReplyDeleteKTG
ReplyDeleteI agree with you one hundred percent. I understand that some people aren’t as close to their siblings but personally can’t imagine not doing everything for my sister.
Taylor
I don’t see it as what someone’s lack of existence could do for you, but to you. I know your not that close, and you say “he’s still a baby”, but could you honestly live with your self if Alex died and you knew you didn’t do everything you could to stop it; even lay your own life on the line?
Shirley
“No one thing in the world takes precedence over everything else. Other than...myself, of course!”
If anyone else had said this I would have thought they were extremely self-centered. However, coming from you it just makes me laugh.
Courage, or my lack of it should I say, is the reason I would die for the people I love. I would die for more people than most would. My answer to the question "Who would you die for" would be "those that I couldn't live without." Anyone that has come into my life that I couldn't see myself living without are my family and my closest friends. Why so many people? I've come to realize that it is selfishness. It also reverts back to my lack of courage. I don't have the courage to suffer every day of my life, yearning to have someone back in my life that I could have saved. The emotional pain is too much for me to handle. It isn't my own death that scares me, but the idea of coming home to a house full of tears, to hear that someone I love has died. It hasn't ever happened to me and I wish that I'm not here when it happens, though I know it's inevitable. I'm willing to end my life, though, so the people I love most aren't taken away from me. I don't have the courage to live life without them.
ReplyDeletePassion is on the opposite side of the spectrum. I live to sing. It's my life; it's my passion. If I live to sing, why would I die for it? For then, I could never enjoy the feeling it gives me to sing and perform. Passion is something I believe, that keeps us living, something to strive for, and something to relinquish our mind from stress. There would be no use to die for a passion, because I don't believe in Heaven, or an afterlife, I'd still have it.
As for convictions, I feel as if they loosely have an intertwined relationship with the concept of death. I have the conviction that all people have the ability to change. The option of whether or not a person wants to use that ability is what enables that change. I can’t say I’d ever die for that, because I want to live to see that change. I wouldn’t die for anything I believe in, unless it would benefit the future generations around me. This is why many black activists were willing to die; it would improve the lives of their future generations. I don’t believe that any convictions I have as of now would help my future generations.
Hm. Wait a second. Let me think. Uh…yeah, I wouldn’t die for anything right now. Nothing in my life is worth my life. Nothing—not my family or my friends. Although such people are important, they are not more important than me. No, I’m not conceited. I just think that my life is as important as the lives of my family and friends. According to me, all our lives share an equal level of importance to the world. Nothing makes that you more important than me—unless, of course, you are on the breakthrough of solving world hunger. If this is true, if you are more important than me, I still would not die for you even if I believe I should. I’m too weak. I don’t have enough courage to die for someone or enough passion in my conviction of whether I should die for someone to actually, well, die for someone. I cannot physically put myself in a position of possible death for anyone, under any circumstance. I simply don’t have the guts to do it.
ReplyDeleteI don’t have the guts to die for my country or for specific beliefs. I don’t have the guys to die for anything I should die for. I believe I should only die for people or things that can improve the world more than I can. That doesn’t mean, however, that I could die for them.
I will not die for my brother. I will not die for my neighbor. I will not die for Oprah. I will not die for the encouragement of space exploration or for the prevention of animal testing. I could not die for the liberation of homosexuals. I could not die for the expansion of democracy. I could not die for the prevention of fascism in a country. I could not have died for Martin Luther King or for Abraham Lincoln. If a person were to discover the cure for cancer, I could not die for him or her. I could not die for Obama. I could not die for the worldwide acceptance of human rights. I could not die for the promotion of stem cell research.
To be honest, the line that separates what I should and should not die for is, in fact, no line at all. It’s more like a trench, and in this trench are people and beliefs of which I am unsure if I would die for. Entities are either in the trench or out of the trench; I am either absolutely sure of whether I should die for someone or something or I am not sure. If the entity clearly surpasses my potential for improving the world, then I should die for it. If the entity may or may not surpass my potential for improving the world, then I don’t know if I should die for it. If the entity clearly does not surpass my potential for improving the world, then I should not die for it. But the fact is, whether I should or should not die does not matter at all because in the end, I would not die for anything or anyone for I am too weak to do so.
Gwen:
ReplyDelete"Dying is a huge deal. To me, to my family, to almost everybody that I come in contact with. There has never been a time in my life where I have seriously contemplated giving up my life. Not for anyone, and not for anything." What you said here is like so many others in our class. Were all only either 16 or 17, and though some of us have found things we know we'd die for, its perfectly ok if we realize that their is nothing yet in our lives we know we actually would.
Lucas:
"There will always be more people that want to join the military, but there is only one me, and I want to make sure I live out my life to the fullest." This should be on a tee shirt or something, I'm serious! It is apparent that you value your life above almost everything around you, and thats the way it should be. Through your passion for guns you could have easily joined the military, but you have decided to make something more of your life than killing others and risking your own. You have realized something that most military people don't realize until its too late, and thats the fact that you cant make a difference if your dead.
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ReplyDeleteI read this question over and over for a good five minutes still waiting for my blank mind to be flooded with something. Time and time again I say I would die for my sister's happiness and the happiness of my best friend - which are both true. I want my sister to be forever happy, and it's not just because she is my sister. Everyone who knows me knows her, and they know how important she is to me. Her and I talked about her leaving for college and it took everything I had to not cry. She's everything to me. Sure, the reason why we're so close is that she's my sister - but she is my best friend (and I have about four other best friends that I would die for their happiness). When her and I fight, I'll be the first to admit that, we get so angry with each other - but I would never change that for anything. Going back to the question, sorry for my trailing off, I'd die for her happiness. Passion plays into this because I love her more than anything and the simple thought of her not being near me brings tears to my eyes. Courage runs in this path because I'd face all the danger in the world for her. I'm not just saying this to say it, honestly. Ashley Jean Aaron has been through more than I could explain, and never once has she ever left me for good. I know she's my hero, my best friend, my everything - I just can't explain it to anyone and I apologize for that. But like I said, her happiness is the one solid thing I would find my life in danger for because she's one person that gives me the courage to follow my dreams as I want her to.
ReplyDeleteFinally, conviction plays into my decision because of determination. I don't need to see her money or her house in the future but I have such an unshakable belief that she will become what she wants. She will be successful and follow her dreams and work her hardest to get there, I know it. I don't need to see her grades in college, her bank account or the people she meets - I can feel it.
ReplyDeleteE tra sorella c'era un mondo di sergreti. And between the sisters was a world of secrets.
I love you, forever and always.
The facets of life that are worth living for are those that are worth dying for. I am passionate about many things (although they are not necessarily “things”). Islam, love, family, art, music, astronomy. All of these passions are what bring beauty to my life. Hope gives me courage. The miniscule hope I have left in me fuels my ability to face difficulties and pain. Other than my religion, there are far too many convictions I have to explain in a blog.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King Jr. one said, "I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live." I agree with all but the last part. I do not believe just because a person doesn’t have something to die for, that they aren’t fit to live. I believe Allah put everyone on this Earth for a reason, so no life is never not fit to live.
I believe in destiny. I believe that we all have predetermined fates, but it is our job to fulfill them. When a person dies, it happens for a reason only God knows. It’s not our job to judge whether or not someone’s life was valuable or meaningful, we don’t have the right to say that. When Michael Jackson died, all I would see on TV were documentaries of his life, accomplishments, and people praising his life. Sure, he accomplished goals in his life that made him superstar famous, but his life was no more valuable than yours, or mine. He was trying to live his life, do what he loved, his passion. Isn’t that what we all do too? I mean we, the people who aren’t superstar rich and famous, don’t we try to live our life and do what we love? Ultimately, we are all equal in value.
In the end, if by giving my life, so another could live, I would give it. It wouldn't matter if it was a family member or the love of my life, my worst enemy or if I didn’t even know them, I'd die for anyone. If I were to give my life to do what's right, to fight for a cause, it would be worth it. But, I wouldn’t just throw my life away meaninglessly on a gesture or a whim; that would be insulting God and the fact that He made me living, and existing in this world. I also think that we are too young to be sure about things like this because we have yet to experience the rest of our lives. For some, what we write in this blog could be vastly different from what you’ll think in 10 years.
A few years ago my uncle lost a long fought battle to cancer. I would like to admit that I accept death, but the truth is to me no one is dead. My uncle’s physical body my not be able to hug my cousin’s or sit around the table and drink beer, but he is all around. As an eighth grader, I attended his funeral not ever witnessing death of someone I actually cared about. People gathered for hours to pay their respects and I could not help but wish that at my funeral people will do the same. My father turned to me and said “I hope no one ends up at my funeral because that means I have outlived them.” As I digest the comment, I disagreed with what he had said. My uncle died saving my family from the pain he suffered for five years. Him dying has allowed my cousins to have a reason and person to live for. They have learned to appreciate life and sometimes it takes a tragedy to do so. As weird as this may sound, I have always wondered what would happen if I died? Would people be sad? Who would cry at my funeral, or even show up for that matter? I’ve decided I would rather have lived like my uncle, well respected and never forgotten. He died for others, and did not wait around for others to die for him.
ReplyDeleteDying for someone or something is an interesting concept. I could answer this question with a simple answer, my father. However, that does not seem like the correct response. My dad would never let me give up my future, the life he has built over the last sixteen years, for him. He would never want this to happen. My answer could consist of one other person, but inappropriate for the blog. Now here is where things get interesting. Giving up my life to someone I do not know has been a consideration. I have always been interested in the air force, but would never be able to pursue that dream. I have the passion for helping others, and want the courage to be able to go to war. What am amazing accomplishment! While thinking of an answer that seemed like an easy way out of the blog so I began to think...
In a heartbeat I would die for my best friend. Every day she reminds me of her hatred toward me, and yes I am serious. My best friend hates me. Not knowing what I have done makes the situation worse, but I still consider her my best friend. Some people may think this is absolutely crazy, but I know she is just afraid. Always pushing me away seems to be a trend, and I know it is because she knows I will always be there for her. That comfort scares her because thinks no one cares about her. She goes through life not caring about anyone or anything else. If I could die for someone it would be her. Realizing that someone cares would help her straighten out her life. She’d begin to try in school and thank her parents and everyone in her life. If I died for her she’d feel obligated to life her life for me. I want her to live the life she is capable of and I would die so she could do so.
ReplyDeleteThe three words passion, courage and conviction play an important role in my decision. These words come from the idea that if I feel strongly about a topic I will go for it. If I want to help someone I will not stop until it is done. Whatever I need to do to get that done I will usually give up everything to make it happen. That is my personality, I enjoy helping others. Whether I know them or not my passion is going beyond what is expected of a normal sixteen year old and being courageous enough to fulfill the goal. As for conviction all of these ideals that I speak of like wanting to die for others before they die for you, they are what I believe in. I have many beliefs not relevant to death, but they help me in living my life.
My passion in life now is field hockey. The answer sounds like a typical Kelsey Cheek answer but I truly believe it has helped me develop as a person. Every practice I learn something about myself and the world around me. At age sixteen this passion can provide a stable environment but as I get older my passion will change and probably so will this blog answer. With children and a spouse my priorities will change, but for now my passion has led me to helping others, one (or two) I specifically know, and others that I do not. The fear of self disappointment gives me courage. In diving I throw a dive because at the end of the day I know I will kill myself (hyperbole) if I do not throw the dive. Not only the fear of disappointment, but the relief and adrenaline I receive once I do the dive contributes to the greater factor. I hold an unshakeable conviction over that fact that everything happens for a reason. My uncle needed to die, and if I need to die for someone or something, I will. My answers always change as I continue to think about the topic. However, my view on dying for someone and something still remain the same.
Deanna - I knew you were going to be the one to say nothing (and I figure Bunj doesn't like this too much) but your defense is agreeable. I mean, I'd die for my sister, as I explained, and I find it hard to believe there's not one person you'd risk your life for, but you're the only person that could get away with it. (This isn't mean by the way, I'm trying to say I love your writing!)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGwen : "It takes a whole lot of courage and selflessness to die for another person."
ReplyDeleteI think it's crazy how my idea of dying for someone is the exact opposite of yours. I feel like my willingness to die for others is due to my selfishness and lack of courage, not the opposite by any means, unless of course you are referring to the action of being killed. I don't believe I have the courage to suffer through my days without the people I love the most. I can't bear to imagine what my life would be like if they were taken away, and for that, I think I'm selfish.
Brynne: I believe that trust has a large part of this blog, and could be another word. When we build our courage, we build our trust, and I think that it also relates to passion. You need to trust yourself in order to pursue a passion. We just need that courage to gain that trust. Basically, I like that you incorporated that into your blog.
JV: Why would you die for love, if after your death, you can't experienced that love? What I don't understand is how anyone could die for "something," because that "something" won't be in existence after death.
Jon- I must say I was shocked while reading your blog. I know it is hard to really put yourself in the position of dying for someone, but for some reason I think you would take the bullet for one of your close friends. For me in that situation I know I would sacrifice because it is worth it. When you find someone worth taking the bullet for you will understand and almost have no problem in answering this question. I agree it is hard at age sixteen to really understand the concept of dying. You are not dead when your body leaves this earth, you are always remembered.
ReplyDeleteJourdan - You would, but in a good way. I think you're such a great person, and silly all the time. But to look so deep into a person and want them to live their life, which is what I want for my sister, I love it. I can relate, though I'd only die for a few (my sister being number 1) but I love your answer. Can you make sure that this question makes you live your life to the fullest so you won't have your kids planning to die for you? :)
ReplyDeleteI am willing to die fighting for change. I hold a conviction that I must stand up for what I believe, even in the face of opposition. I will not fight with guns or fists because I generally think there are better ways to solve problems than with violence, but I will fight with words and political pressure. This fight is more dangerous than it sounds, and great people have lost everything fighting it. I can't imagine living without taking the risk and being involved in activism, because if I'm not working for change I'm not doing what I'm meant to do. I can tell you confidently that I'm supposed to do big things and have an impact. I don't know exactly how I will have an influence, or what I'm going to have an influence on, but I know my presence will be felt. I am not going to give up because it's hard, scary, or dangerous because that would be giving up on my life's purpose. I would much rather die fighting for something I felt passionate about than give up on why I'm here.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who knows me, really knows me, can tell you that I'm very opinionated, especially about public policy. It's a passion. Politics influences our everyday lives. The people we elect, directly or indirectly, will decide the fate of our economy, what kind of healthcare we will have in a few years, and how we will attempt to curb climate change. I am so interested in this process, and I want to be apart of it, because I see it as a way to change the world. This is where I draw my courage from. Knowing my actions can have an impact propels me to face the opposition, even when treading dangerous waters. I would compare my passion for politics to that of Robert F. Kennedy, my hero. He cared about doing the right thing, even when it was hard, even when he faced opposition from all sides. He ran for president against the very strong will his own party's bosses because he wanted to change the way things were. In the end he never became president because after winning California's primary he was assassinated. I'm sure he knew the danger he was putting himself in, but he stood up for his beliefs anyway. Robert Kennedy is the type of person I want to be. Courageous, passionate, and full of strong convictions. These factors combined to make a man who was not afraid to die in the name of making the world a better place.
Shirley - Woo! I love your answer, totally didn't think of that! I considered the whole idea of relying on people too much makes you weak and blah, blah (not saying your defense is blah, blah and with that said) but I really liked your explanation. I'd usually sit here and giggle and dying for oneself but you made me consider my own happiness after my sister's. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLucas- It seems as though you have a negative view on the rest of the world. The statistic about marriage is well, just a statistic. There are many outliers in the world of statistics. It takes a lot to be different from a statistic but if you are willing to try it won’t always be like that. When you get older I think you will have a lot more reasons to die for others. Right now it is hard knowing you have a whole life in front of you. As a very intelligent high school boy it is hard to know what is in front of you and even harder to think that there is no future. One day you will find someone to die for.
ReplyDeleteKelsey-I would like to admit that I accept death, but the truth is to me no one is dead. My uncle’s physical body my not be able to hug my cousin’s or sit around the table and drink beer, but he is all around.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with that just because someone died doesn't mean their effect or their life hasn't left us with some impact.
Lucas reply to Jourdan -They threw a picture of Jesus on the ground and told them to walk on it. Everyone did but the girl, who would have rather died than done so. The soldiers then shot all the people who did walk on it, because they figured that anyone that fickle would be of no use to the new regime. So what if you died anyway BECAUSE you renounced everything?
That would be a perfect scenario to die for something without fighting. The fact that she merely stood firmly by her belief got her killed, and the others got killed anyway. Which death is a better reason? Which death shows your last deed was one that you firmly stood by? It seems to me if I were one of those people that did step on the picture and survived, I'd consider myself dead anyways. I wouldn't be living because that's not my interpretation of living or the life I chose. I might be breathing, eating, and going about but I would not be living MY life.
Roosa- Wow, I loved your response. I admire your ability to research random information and Roo you have so much courage. I remember the first time I saw you was eighth grade graduation when you delivered a speech that I loved. If that is not a form of courage than I don’t know what is. When you wake up wondering if you will make a difference in someone’s life, odds are you are but just do not realize it. No one can ever express their feelings to a person who makes a difference in their lives and I know you have made a difference in a few people’s lives. The last point I want to touch on is, “I am constantly growing, learning. Therefore my beliefs are not as concrete as many of the convictions of my fellow classmates.” I could not agree more in the fact that every time I write a blog or anything I am coming up with no beliefs and they are always changing. I look up to those people who know about their lives already, but honestly I think they have no room to grow. We have a long way to go and I am ready for the challenge and I know you are too.
ReplyDeleteDear Lucas,
ReplyDelete“But would I give my life for someone I loved romantically? Once again, probably not. First of all, in modern society about fifty percent of marriages end in divorce.”
Oh Lukey, I mean I agree with the sentiment. I wouldn’t give my life for a romantic love either, but my reasons are a lot different. No offense, but your pessimism is astounding. The merit in your argument is there, but you’d tack all this on a, eh we’ll probably be over in a year anyway. You really shouldn’t be so cynical. Like sure when high school couples are all “We’re going be together FOREVERRR muahhhh” it’s like gag, shut up, but still, if you have the belief that all good things come to an end, why bother ever trying?
Dear Jon (<haha like the movie),
“Most of us have never even considered the thought of dying. In our everyday lives we say things like, "I'll take a bullet for you", or "I'd die for you." Would we though?”
Good point, I mean anyone can say “I’d die for you” but who knows what would happen in the very moment leading up to this life or death decision? It’d take a lot, it’d take a lot to step in front of a bullet and it’d take a hell of a lot to give up everything for anything. In the adrenaline pumping last chance to save a life, most people would save their own, cower in fear and live with the regret.
Dear Chrissy bear,
“And as for courage, I’m the Cowardly Lion. I still have yet to travel the yellow brick road to find it in myself.”
Tehe I like your allusion to the Wizard of Oz and your reference to Osama Bin Laden, they were cute. Besides that though, the answer fits you. I wouldn’t say I’d agree but I know it’s you. Like me, you’re definitely a believe it when you see it kind of person. This is what makes us question the profound because we don’t know it. I know you’ll find love and in that moment you’ll believe and I think knowing that you could, you’d dig courage from somewhere deep within. You have courage, you just psyche yourself out to believe that you don’t, silly face.
Gwen:
ReplyDeleteI had trouble writing this blog too, not because I didn't know what I would die for, but because I wasn't sure how to say it. Anyway, I thought it was interesting how your mom said dying for your parents would be selfish. Whenever someone dies for another person we usually automatically consider their actions to be heroic or noble, but I that isn't always true. I guess dying for your parents would hurt them so much they wouldn't be able to go on, which means when you died for them you weren't considering their wishes, which is a form of selfishness.
Kale- I understand what you mean when you say that being alive would be more beneficial than to be dead. I thought about the pain, sorrow, and grief that my family would suffer with if I should die. But, whether you would or not, aren’t the things that we live for, the things that bring beauty to our lives, worth dying for?
ReplyDeleteManar- “Death is the beginning of eternity. Death is too much, I can't say until it's at my door or in the moment where it's threatening to take me away what would my reaction be.”
I feel the same way. After this precious human life, I believe we have an eternal life after. But the fate of our after-life is determined by our human life and that is why this life is such a blessing and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I would say I’m not afraid of death but what my fate will be after death.
Simon- “…all our lives share an equal level of importance to the world.”
I believe the same thing. Everyone is equal, but to each person, obviously the people they love or care about are more important to them, but that doesn’t mean ultimately they are more important than any other live on this Earth. My belief is that God created us all equal but with different destinies and it’s the distinct destinies that make each and every one of us different at the same time.
When I come to think of it, I believe I will die for what is right. Yeah I know it‘s clichéd, and if it just so happens to be my only resort left then yes I think I might as well die knowing I did something that is pure good, based on my morals and values, and that such a sacrifice would be beneficial.
ReplyDeleteAt first, this didn’t pop in my mind when I read this blog. Instead I thought, I had nothing to die for. What is there to lose? Isn’t that where we make our sacrifice, where we look at what can be gained or lost? But right when I thought of this, I instantly felt culpable because dying for nothing seemed selfish. I mean, there is so much for me to lose at an instant. And when I say all of this, I’m thinking about the one I immensely care about. For instance if it were to choose between the ones I loved over me, then I would be willing to end my life for the sake of their survival.
But then things get a bit iffy over the topic, though I would really want to take such a step, my parents would not approve. Their world will shatter into a gazillion pieces and their lives would go wretched knowing someone they’ve raised and worked so hard in life to live out their dreams took a bullet, or whatever the situation may be, for them. So I’m forced to do what is right, obey my parents wishes. My parents mean the world to me, it is something that is required of me to do. My conviction does play a role in this, I’m influenced by the many aspects of my religion.
However I will take a bullet for my siblings. It just… seems… right. I feel it is my duty to always protect them, being the eldest of them. It takes courage to take such action. Faith gives me courage. To put it more direct, knowing that that there is a supreme being beyond the limits of the sky, gives me courage. It’s simple syllogism where I’m getting at. So as a believer, it compels me to take the right decision and by knowing that I have it all gives me courage.
I simply wouldn’t know what to do without my family, family meaning those who hold me dear and near to their hearts. It all depends on circumstance. Say if I was black back in the late ‘50s and ‘60s, during the time of segregation. I would so join the civil rights movement, knowing myself I’ll probably be swayed by the wave of empowerment(?) among my black peers but despite that I would do it because it is simply right. And many die during the Martin Luther King Jr’s movement. It’s a scary thought, but I know that if I end my life I died doing it for the betterment of my family’s future and many others as well.
But that’s not happening to me nor am I forced to chose between myself over my family member/s. Thank you God! At this very moment, my passion is to live everyday of my life. My passion is to dream. My passion is to be free. I, honestly, don’t have an ideal passion as many of you have. These passions would contradict my decision to end my life, wouldn’t it? Yes, but I‘m not stuck in a situation where I would have to. So right now, I wouldn’t die for anything. I have no reason to. But I’m not certain how I would react when I’m under such circumstance, everything varies and what factors contribute to it. One thing I am certain of is what I feel about right now: living everyday to its fullest.
KTG:
ReplyDelete"I'd die for them though--my siblings. Without a doubt. They inspire me. Give me courage every day."
That's so great that you have such a good relationship with your siblings. I love my sisters, but I can't say they give me courage or inspire me. You are really lucky to have that type of relationship with family members. You have people you can easily go to and get support from, and they can come to you.
Sarah L:
ReplyDeleteI saw you dancing last night! That concert was very moving. Anyway:
"If I’m stuck in a 1984esq nightmare society, my life is a small price to pay."
I was thinking the something similar while I was writing my response. If I ever live in a totalitarian type government, I would definitely be in the resistance (no allusion to earlier mentioned concert intended). Freedom and communication are things we need to protect, and I am willing to die for them as well.
I do not fear death, I don’t encourage it, but I have accepted that I will, one day, die and because of my faith I am comforted. If all goes according to plan, I’ll end up in heaven with my ancestors and friends. Assuming that I do not die of old age as I am planning currently, I would prefer to die for my family or my closest friends. For them, I would give my life. Some people say that it is impossible to know if I would give up my life before it happens, and I accept the logic behind that answer, but I have a strange sort of courage when it comes to my family and my best friend, and I am confident that this courage would empower me to make the ultimate sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteMy convictions, though important to me, aren’t worth dying for. My beliefs in God, good behavior, and respect can’t ever really be taken from me, they are the intangibles that make me who I am (I think we established this in another blog) and while I can hide them, I can never be-rid of them. If someone tries to take them away from me, dying would solve nothing. I could live instead and fight to regain the rights to my own convictions.
My passion falls into a similar category. I have a passion for Dressage. It HAS been taken from me in the past, and I HAVE felt great pain and loss over it, but to die for it would be incredibly foolish. If Dressage is truly my passion I will never entirely give up on it. One day my circumstances could change and I could have the opportunity to compete presented to me again. Why would I risk missing that?!
I draw courage from my family and good friends (as I previously mentioned). When I see these people who I love threatened or hurt, I become immersed in a desire to do anything and everything to protect and help them. Obviously I would not throw myself from a cliff at the slightest provocation, but if I was standing with a gun to my head and a gun to the head of any of my family or my best friends, I’d pull my own trigger. Sure, if there is a way to avoid dying entirely I’ll jump on that wagon, but sometimes life doesn’t give you an escape vehicle. I’d jump in front of that bullet because I love my family, I love my friends, and, yes its selfish but, I could never live with myself knowing that I could have prevented their death. All of these people mean so much to so many, my mother and father still have two other children who would be devastated to lose them, my brother’s are the pride and joy of my family, and my friends have brothers, sisters, parents, and other friends who’s lives would be ruined if they died. How could I destroy so many people?
While I won’t die for my passions or convictions, that is not to say I am a coward or a defeatist. Dying makes me a martyr for my beliefs, living could make me one of the players in returning those beliefs to everyone. So much more would be accomplished through living than dying. While that same sentence COULD apply to dying for my loved ones, depending on the situation, it wouldn’t be enough. When it comes to family and friends, I place them above me…no matter the cost. They give me courage.
Pooja ~ So I’m forced to do what is right, obey my parents wishes. My parents mean the world to me, it is something that is required of me to do
ReplyDeleteI never thought of it that way. I totally loved your "cliche" of dying for what is right, but I never would have considered NOT dying as being right. I mean i guess I would, don't die for stupid thigns or things that don't matter, but family....it always seemed right to me. Thanks for making me rethink my entire life hahaha <3
Stephen Wright ~ I would much rather die fighting for something I felt passionate about than give up on why I'm here.
ReplyDeleteI believe it...all. the. way. You are gonna be that guy that politicians want to kill but can't because your JUST within legal bounds. (I mean that as a compliment, I hope you take it in such a manner). But I feel like dying would be a waste of your life. Sure, never stop fighting. Absolutely never stop fighting, but fight with words AND your mind and they'll never be able to kill you either. Live to fight another day, retreat and resupply. Its not giving up, its pausing to attack harder....but I'm pretty sure you've got that all worked out.
Kristen: Your thoughts on courage were incredible, It's such a different outlook on the matter. However, you have so much more courage than you think. You wouldn't of admitted it otherwise. :)
ReplyDeleteKelsey: I really enjoyed your blog. I love how you would die for someone, even if you're not sure if they'd do the same for you. That really envelopes all three concepts; courage, passion, and conviction.
Pooja: Your moral fiber is beautiful. I didn't know what to expect as I ventured in reading your blog, but I liked it. I like how you set the situation apart, since you did not experience it, and are not certain of your reaction. Your honesty only adds to the beauty!
Every solider murdered, was in vain. Every young man and woman fighting for our freedom, fighting to protect the people they love, is all a commodity. Am I wrong? Feeling their blood boiling, skin burning, and teeth grinding at every sound of the gunshots is not in vain; it is in fear. Fear in dying. However, this fear does not stop them from fighting. It does not stop their passion, courage, and personal conviction. They fight for all of life’s beauty, for the people they love, and their countries freedom.
ReplyDeleteFreedom, the liberty to live your life without limitation. To live without the weight of regret. To live for all of life’s beauty. This is all something I would die for. Without freedom, you no longer exist. You are merely an conformed object in a poor, sheltered life. My passion proves too strong to exist in these measures, my courage is useless without the freedom to discover, and my conviction lays dormant if it is not tested. In this sense, I am a solider.
Love, is the strongest possible bond ever made in humanity. In a fight against hate, love will prevail. By the word ‘Love’ I mean, the forever lasting connection to someone, of such immense strength that you would.. die for them... To love something more than yourself, is powerful. Not even a person, necessarily, something that completes you has just as much power. It is this love in life that keeps my courage alive. This ridiculous feeling is provoked by passion, and allows for conviction. In this sense, I am a solider.
Ultimately, it is my family that inspires my courage. They give me the strength to see past the bad, and relish in the good. My courage is invested by the love of my family, therefore it is this courage that is worth dying for. My passion exists in the freedom of living. Life is what inspires my passion. Every situation provides for a certain love to be made which in turn creates a special passion, worth dying for. A passion that makes the blood rush to your face and blush at your cheeks. Conviction is brought about particularly by my mother. She has instilled strong beliefs and self-assurance that I am able to enforce now. My beliefs lie, in having faith, being strong, and having ambition. This freedom of conviction is worth dying for.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.” I live for the freedom in life, and the love that accompanies it! With this, I refuse to feel as if every soldiers death was in vain. If freedom and love is worth living for, than it’s without a doubt worth dying for.
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ReplyDeletesince i'm on here: thanks Paola and Alex V :)
ReplyDeleteMaryam ~ Martin Luther King Jr. one said, "I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live." I agree with all but the last part. I do not believe just because a person doesn’t have something to die for, that they aren’t fit to live. I believe Allah put everyone on this Earth for a reason, so no life is never not fit to live.
ReplyDeleteI agree God (Allah) put everyone on earth for a reason, but I translated MLK's quote a bit differently from you. I don't think he meant to say that those who would not die for something ought not be alive, but that everyone would die for something. I think that quote was meant to stimulate thoughts and get everyone to know WHAT they would die for. When you know whats worth dying for you can go much farther in pursuit (or protection) of it. So taking all that in, all people belong on this earth because they all have a reason to die, they just may not all realize it yet.
P.S. I really really loved your blog!!! <3
I had to add that!
Stephen
ReplyDeleteYou’re post made me think about something. In the case of Kennedy, his death certainly had a heavy impact on America. However, I think he would have had a stronger impact if he was alive.
“I would much rather die fighting for something I felt passionate about than give up on why I'm here.” I understand why you think this way, but I think your through process is flawed. Although I feel it is correct to fight for what you believe in, I think it is incorrect to continue a fight even with the risk of death. A dead person cannot “do big things and have an impact”—well, a dead person can, but a live person can do bigger things and have a bigger impact. I feel that if you are alive, you can fight with more words and more political pressure than if you die.
Alex N
Alex, you express good ideas, but I think you should have covered and elaborated more. You suggest that you wouldn’t die for “second hand passions” because you are not courageous enough, but I think you’re evaluation of yourself is incorrect. I think you wouldn’t die for “second hand passions” due to a lack of passion and love for these “second hand” entities. If you have the courage to die for your family, then I feel you should have the courage to die for “second hand passions.” You have the courage, but you don’t have the passion and love to die for these less important entities, and so, you should never have to exercise your courage for these “second hand” entities in the first place.
Sarah C
“I’m too young to have convictions about anything. I don’t believe strongly in any cause because I haven’t lived long enough to see every side of the story.”
You are not too young to have convictions about anything. Age, I don’t think, is a factor in having convictions—knowledge is. That said, I agree with your second sentence.
“I’m scared that if I don’t do certain things, like the kind of stuff we used to do in project adventure, that I’ll regret it later.”
This is such a mind-opening quote. I’ve never thought about courage in this point of view. I’ve always viewed a lack of courage as not doing something. Never have I ever looked at courage as the doing something. Thanks to you, Sarah, I will begin to look at courage in this manner.
One of your arguments of why you wouldn’t die for someone is that you have not yet lived a full life. My question, then, is would you die for someone if you have lived a full life?
Stephen W:
ReplyDeleteI believe you will do great things too! Like no lie, you are like a genius and you are willing, which is a big indicator. Anyways I don’t want to blandish you any further so on to your blog. I completely agree with how you felt. In this world when you want to make a change there is always some sort of a sacrifice, hardly will people sit down for a cup of coffee and settle everything in merriment. It reminded me of this quote from this political movie I was watching in Spanish class.. “I’d rather die knowing I tried than to live my life wondering if could ever make it’ referring to this change he was doing.” (something along those lines).
Kelsey C:
That is very kind and selfless. It made me want to tear up a bit (haha, k I’m exaggerating but it is awfully sweet). If I was in that situation, no doubt will I fulfill your wish. I like helping others too, maybe this is a trend because almost everybody in AP Lang happens to show a really good heart.. Or maybe its not I don’t know but it’s really nice to know that I’m surrounded by selfless people. Basically I’m on the same page as you, I wrote in my blog that my decisions will base on circumstance when you mention when your decisions will change.
Maryam:
Darn you and your deep statements! (Referring to your intro). O! and I also used a Martin Luther King Jr anecdote. I basically believed in everything you said especially the part about everybody existing on this earth for a reason, I am a very firm believer at that until I read “In the end, if by giving my life, so another could live, I would give it. It wouldn't matter if it was a family member or the love of my life, my worst enemy or if I didn’t even know them, I'd die for anyone”… Really it didn’t shock me that you’d say that. You are like past one hundred percent good hearted unlike me. I know I wouldn’t die for just anybody. If you know your value in life then why would you just throw it away for just anybody, without a reason? Your so selfless sometimes I want to smack you :]
In this life I would die for nothing. It’s not selfishness, it’s faith. I believe that God has a divine plan for each and every one of us, and when it’s our time, there is nothing we can do to escape our destiny. I know this is extremely cliché, but everything happens for a reason, and that is a strong conviction of mine. In the unfortunate event that you lose someone you love, you grow from the experience and learn more about yourself than you thought you could ever know. Life is a learning experience and I wouldn’t want to give up the opportunities I have to learn, grow, and become a better person to a conviction I’m not one hundred percent positive I’m passionate about.
ReplyDeleteEverything happens for a reason.
God brings people in your life, takes them out, brings you face-to-face with struggles, and guides you out of them. Every curve ball that is thrown your way is meant to teach a lesson. Whether you take advantage of these lessons is up to you. This is where courage comes into play. It takes courage to trust in someone you cannot see, and know that they have your best interest at heart and are guiding you in the right direction.
Life is a learning experience.
Everyday I learn a little bit more about myself; what I like, what I don’t like, and what I want to do with my life. With this, I’m discovering what I am passionate about. However, I have not yet unearthed my passions. Since I don’t know what is important to me, I cannot say that I would give my life to save something else. Of course my family is important to me, but I wouldn’t describe them as my passion. (I also think they would be very upset if I died for one of them.) I guess until I figure out what I am passionate about, I cannot thoroughly explain what I would die for.
With God in my life, I believe that I can accomplish anything. This is why nothing is worth dying for… at least right now. I haven’t found my passion, I have some convictions, but nothing of great importance, and I am courageous because I know that I will always have someone to lean on. I hope that as I grow I will find what is important to me, and find my niche in life.
Deanna: I agree with you completely!! Death seems so foolish, even when people think that “important things” are on the line. A few years after whenever whatever they thought was important is over, they will realize it was a waste of time and a waste of life. I don’t know if that made sense, but I hope it did! I really liked your example of the soldier, it made me realize how pointless war is; it only ruins whatever civility was left when the war ended. Great blog! :-)
ReplyDeleteKTG: I really love how you incorporated the quotes into your blog. They fit perfectly and helped to explain what you were thinking. More importantly, though, I whole-heartedly agree with your message. Family is definitely an exception (although I’m still on the fence about it, I guess it depends on the situation), but fear would definitely get the best of me if a “thing” I loved were in danger. What would it really solve if you died for something other than a person? Thanks for making me think! :-)
Shirley: Wow! I love the way you think! At first I didn’t understand how you could die for yourself but after you explained it, it makes perfect sense. Your blog was uplifting and inspirational and I really enjoyed reading it. I realized that you’re totally right, though. Who is more important to you than yourself!? :-)
I can’t honestly say that I’d give my life for anyone. My life and any life for that matter, is precious and need not be wasted in order to save another or to preserve something an individual is passionate about. The advancement of the human race would be dramatically crippled if each and every one of us were to die for what we believe in or die for a loved one. It is a far too altruistic dream that anyone could die for something they believe in, sure it can be done, but just how many would actually commit the greatest sacrifice?
ReplyDeleteI am passionate about many things. I am passionate about music, I am passionate about knowledge, I am passionate about the betterment of the human race. Would I die for any of these ideas? There is no chance I would die for a passion. Why die for music when I could live to further the greatest personal expression method? My death would have little to no effect on the idea or action I am passionate about. Sure, some issues are larger than any individual life, but death adds no power to the resolution to these issues. Is my life more important than the thousands of lives lost in a war? It is quite possible that it could be. With my life I make a discovery that saves ten times as many people as were killed in the war. The possibilities are endless and human life need never be thrown away.
Courage is a phrase that some may associate with possible death, but I don’t think it need be. Is the man that blindly gallops into battle with no sense of awareness or planning courageous? Probably. Is this man equally or surpassing in the quality of stupidity? Definitely. The quality of courage is one that is to be praised, to be strived for. While this quality is one that is positive and should be strived for, it doesn’t necessarily need to be associated with the consensual risk of life. The brave soldier that charges into battle is not “dying for the cause”; he is fighting for what he believes in with no intention of dying. Death is inevitable, courageous actions may lead to death; however, life doesn’t ever need to be voluntarily thrown away due to a spout of courage.
The question of dying for my convictions is one that presents a paradox for me. I believe in myself, in the bettering of myself and the whole of humanity through my actions and decisions. Would I die for myself? That question is one that makes little sense and has no real answer. As for a conventional belief, such as religion or morals, I would not give my life. I would not give my life in a fight over my higher power, or sacrifice myself to preserve the idea of honesty.
In the end, I would not voluntarily give my life in order to save something or someone else. If my loved one died, I may crumble to nothing, I may internally die, but another death would solve nothing. Would my selfish sacrifice torment my loved one instead of me in their place? The world doesn’t need to solve conflict with a number of deaths. No lives need be sacrificed in order to preserve an idea or defend a personal ideology. Every conflict in this world can be solved with peace and a greater understanding of the atmosphere around us. Awareness is all it takes, no man or woman need give their life in order to enjoy what they enjoy.
There are very few things in my life that I actually truly feel passionate about, and even a smaller quantity of things I feel that hold a high enough cause to die for. When asked the question “what would you die for,” nothing comes straight to mind—because truthfully I am one selfish bastard who would not really die for any individual thing. When faced to choose between my life and the whole world being alleviated of world hunger, I believe I would give up my life because one person for a million others is a trade that is worth doing. Now when it comes to giving up my life for a cause or another person, there is no way on earth I would trade me life for any one cause or any one person. Also something that I often cannot comprehend is the people that die for a cause—instead of just attempting to help the cause in a different, more effective way. Being a martyr is not an efficient way to get someone’s attention, and no truth, cause, or passion is worth dying for.
ReplyDeleteNow when asked the simple question “what am I passionate about,” there are some things that actually come to mind. I am tremendously passionate about my beliefs; I know beliefs sound broad but just my conception of religion and the process of how the world works are topics I feel extraordinarily strongly about. In almost all cases I have a knack for trying to prove everyone wrong, and in most cases believing whole heatedly that I am right (even when I’m not). This however makes it seem that I am passionate regarding just about every topic that is argued about, but I am pretty much just a stubborn jackass.
When it comes to courage, I haven’t really considered any of my acts to be “courageous” but more just “adrenaline.” My friends and I have done some pretty crazy things that some would say that we are “stupid” some say we have “balls,” but in any case the thing that I really feel courage inside when I complete something, is things that I was hesitant to do before. In almost every case when I just go for something I was consistently hesitant on I feel like I have the courage of a lion, even though the obstacle I overcame was usually not that immense to other people. This again is very broad and I know but the general sense of courage cannot be attached to one single time because I have never even once subconsciously considered myself courageous.
Conviction is something I feel an unshaken belief towards, and my conviction is not a belief per se but an outlook on what many call the “afterlife.” Through my life I have had more unanswerable questions and I felt that more and more times I was left with an empty belief or faith. Experience after experience has lead me to become convinced of my true outlook, and could not be altered or changed by ANY person who can tell me what I don’t already know. So in retrospect I don’t really have any beliefs I would die for because quite frankly I don’t have beliefs in something higher, but a belief in skepticism. No combination of my passions, courageous acts, or conviction could ever make me give up my life for something I simply believe in, or something that would actually be in consideration for trading my life. When thinking on terms of jumping in front of a speeding bullet, guess again because it is not my bullet to jump in front of. But when there ever becomes a circumstance where someone offers my life in exchange for a million others, I will obviously do it, but considering only the even exchange or the reasonable circumstances I would not die for any cause or person.
Though the world may seem barbaric and monstrous at times, I can still confidently say that I would die for what I am most passionate about: love. Yes, yes, dying for love may sound cliché, but I honestly believe that most people would never be able to work up their courage for death.
ReplyDeleteYou see, if the opportunity struck up, and it was the matter of death between either one of my family members (this includes my best friends, my dog and my lovely boyfriend, Ben Campbell) or I, I would choose to die. How could one go on in life, knowing that they could have one of a dearly beloved? One would be mentally and emotionally damaged in life, distraught from the abiding, and tormenting thought that technically, they killed their beloved, no? Guilt would enrapture you, tangling you up to the point that freedom-- the liberty of going without limitations, or regret-- would seem to be a mere dream, fantasy, a lie.
Deanna-
ReplyDeleteYou make a valid point in your blog, and although you admitted that you wouldn't die to anything, I respect your answer, because you validated it impeccably.
"The soldier that sacrifices himself for his country could have been of more use alive. His death, to me, isn’t worth the sorrow of his mother, and the grief of his wife."
Like my blog, that was brutally honest, and I respect you for that. Life is worth living, and it's a shame that a hero would sacrifice his own life, only to be grieved upon for an eternity by his heartbroken family.
"'What’s the difference between a wise man and a hero.' A hero is a fool who dies for the sake of glory. A wise man plans ahead to make the world a better place."
I truly love that you mention this. It is a perfect answer to Mr. Sera's daunting question. I wouldn't want to be the hero, because frankly, I don't want any glory. However, unlike you, I have found something I would die for, which is a soul-mate. I really doubted myself having any convictions, but just think about it a little more. Maybe in the future you'll come upon something that you're so passionate about that you'd ultimately die for it.
First off, let me start by saying that I'm pretty sure I understand most of what is the concept of death, that right now I'm bored and feel like crap(like always, but find me on a happier day and I might say something else), and that under deadlier circumstances, what I'm about to say would probably differ dramatically from what I would actually do. That being said, I feel like I could die for just about anyone. I feel like, lately, I've been valuing other people a tad bit more than myself—though it's more of me seeing myself as just a bit more worthless than everyone else, rather than me suddenly being overcome with a desire to preserve other people rather than myself. As for things, I don't think that I would go out of my way to die for any belief or cause, whether that be religion, politics, or whatever. I mean, if the Canadians suddenly invade on the day I turn 18, then go ahead and draft me up. But if one day my mom told me to go kill [insert Canada's Prime Minister's name here], just because he's Canadian and Canadians are mean, then I'd probably rather just relax and watch TV.
ReplyDeleteAs for Bunje's three words: passion.......meh, there's none of that in my life; courage, well, that's more of just my disregard for the negative consequences of what I do; conviction? Well I guess I can convince myself to adopt any firm belief(which probably goes against most of what conviction is, however). I've never really been passionate or had any strong conviction about anything, unless it involved revenge. I'd be more than happy to die if I could take my enemies with me; I feel like most of them are responsible for, more or less, retarding my mental growth and, quite simply, making me hate myself. As for courage(Hmm..., I just thought of Courage the Cowardly Dog, who, now that I think about it, is the polar opposite of me when it comes to these qualities. All his conviction and passion and courage comes from having to save his family and protect his home, even though I couldn't care less about any of those things for myself), my “courage” has nothing to do with my emotions or mental fortitude whatsoever, but rather it's just a product of my lack of a lot of fears seem to permeate the minds of others. I don't mean to say that I'm fearless(snakes and bears scare the shit out of me), but I feel like quite a few people--a lot of people--get worried and anxious and overworked at things that don't affect me at all. And I guess I could even build up some courage if I needed too, though not a lot(if a pack of wild, 90-foot-long ViperPolarCobraCondaBears surrounded my house, and the only way for me to survive would be to kill them all and eat their kids, I'd at least try).
Getting back to the beginning, my life sucks. It's boring and pointless and it sucks, at least right now, even though it's been pointlessly sucky-boring for as long as I can remember. But nonetheless it still sucks, and I hold other people (people that I know, not random people that seem to just be there for no reason, like Lucas) a lot higher in regard than myself, and I probably wouldn't mind dying for them, probably.
Alix L.
ReplyDeleteI think it's swell that you have a concrete, solid reason for dying, unlike me. I feel like I could never just grab someone and go, “You, I'll die for you,” and leave it at that. Nothing is really concrete in my life anyway though, so maybe that has something to do with it. Or it could just be me.
Brynne K.
I agree with you in that I would probably die to make someone else's life better, to reduce the suffering imposed on such a person. I'm not a happy person, nor do I feel like my life has any meaning most of the time, so maybe that has something to do with it. I feel like my own sufferings aren't worth much and I'd be more than happy to put two crappy lives together to make one half-way decent one.
Kaitlin H.
“The current passion in my life will not always be my primary one; I anticipate them to change through different stages in my life.”
Even though this doesn't have a lot to do with the blog(though I'm sure I can make it some how), I don't think you, or anyone really, should anticipate any kind of major change in life. I've always hated when teachers said something like, “Oh. You kids are so young; wait 'till your my age and everything'll be different.” Then suddenly kids notice one thing with them that wasn't the same last week and now they're hunting down every potential change in their being so they can be ready for it. Well those changes have a lot less of a positive effect when they're expected. I'm not saying you should ignore everything you see ahead, but if you don't think about the active changes in your passions and convictions, they'll probably turn out to be a lot stronger when they come about naturally, and thus you'd be much more willing to accept the thought to die for them that way(Hey! I did it!).
Taylor-
ReplyDelete"It may sound selfish but I would prefer to be the one who went on living to bear the grief of their absence then put that on them."
That's not selfish if you're wanting what's best for them. I, in a way, absolutely agree with this statement. I handle grief better than most people, so I would do good to the people I love by not wailing and crying forever. I completely hate the idea of my funeral. I can't even think of it. Anyways, I cannot stress enough how your voice pours through your words. I never miss a blog of yours. They are always so Taylor. And I'm glad to know that you're a passionate person. Same here kiddo!
Kyle S: (This does not count as a comment)
ReplyDelete"But nonetheless it still sucks, and I hold other people (people that I know, not random people that seem to just be there for no reason, like Lucas) a lot higher in regard than myself"
Thanks for that...
However, to die for any of my other passions-- peace, music, nature, literature, neurology, art-- would be absolutely foolish. Though one may be a martyr for peace, what could one death do? Obviously dying for this passion would show that you firmly believed in it... but what next? Even those around you supporting your movement, for lack of better words, would move on life. Yes, they may be remorseful and sorrowful at first, but they would have to eventually move on.
ReplyDeleteMaryam: If the facets that provide a reason to live exist in your mind, why die for them? Why should you have to die fro something you are passionate about. And who's to say giving your life for another would be for a greater good? What if your death caused immense agony in the one you saved? Would your life have been worth it? If fate is predetermined then there would be no reason to save another's life, in theory, changing destiny. If someone is meant to die, or even not meant to die for that matter, isn't your choice to save them changing destiny? Your choice shapes what the outcome will be and who's to say the person's life you are to save is more important than your own?
ReplyDeleteSimon: I admire your view that your life is important and that the lives of those around you are equaly important. You only control your own life, your own choices. If you make important choices, ones that are revolutionary or an advancement of all of humanity, isn't your life more important than theirs? It may sound harsh or heartless, but it's a truth that is in the hands of the individual.
Deanna: I agree with every aspect of your blog post. I have very similar perceptions of death and the value of human life. The value of human life is truly priceless and there can be so much more good from one who lives to strengthen their cause than one who dies for the same reason. I completely understand every point you have made and I respect all of your ideas.
Maryam-
ReplyDeleteYour blog was very, very well written. Kudos on that! It definitely caught my attention, and it was the kind of writing that flows perfectly. And I was extremely relieved to find out that I'm not the only person I know who fully believes in fate and destiny? Thank you! I whole-heartedly believe in destiny, and that our lives are pre-determined.
"I also think that we are too young to be sure about things like this because we have yet to experience the rest of our lives."
Yes,yes,yes!! Like I mentioned in my blog, our convictions could easily change ten or twenty years from now. I stated that I'm not sure that I'm suited to answer this question. I guess we'll know for sure in the future!
Justin:
ReplyDeleteI pretty much feel the same way, people considering to die for any type of belief is just plain stupid to me, because in many cases dying for the thing you believe in does not help the cause to expand. It is unjust to consider one life over the life of another and if someone is in a predicament I should give my life just to save theirs when it is not my business to intrude upon, I know I will probably have a far different outlook when I have children but for now I just have to go with my favorite retort to this topic. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.
Lucas:
You bring up a good point that if we students were to consider giving up our lives it would just be unmerited to the fact we haven’t began to live. When we have not truly lived out our lives the purposes of our lives makes it obvious that it is unreasonable for students to even consider it. What if I save the life of another when I don’t even know how my own life will turn out—I could have gone on to cure cancer, she goes on to do crack. Pretty crappy trade I say, so before I would even consider it I would have to have one foot in the grave before I even gave a thought to it. I am just harsh I know, and I was not trying to insinuate that you thought the same thing—just to let you know.
Simon:
Good thing we’re on the same page, and I also like how you say “right now” in your first sentence because it is a fact that I am trying to illustrate to everyone that we should not have the choice to choose who lives because we do not really know how we will turn out and to decide such things is cruel. If two old people were deciding to die for each other that would be a little less malicious, but come on a kid dying when they haven’t even started to really live.
Deanna-- Though I may understand your point of view, I still find that it would be hard for me to not die for one whom I loved. I would certainly not die because another person died, or a lover broke up with me. However, I would opt to take my life if it were the matter of my life or a beloved, that is if there was no other way. Other then that, I see where you're coming from. Nevertheless, I am yet again in complete awe by your writing-- it's mindblowing.
ReplyDeleteJustin-- It seems as if your blog is a tad bit bitter when it comes to you talking about dying for someone else, or anything for that matter. You seem irritated. This is just an observation.
ReplyDeleteKyle-- I'm always interested to hear what you have to say. Maybe for the fact that it's because you hardly talk in school. Maybe, maybe not. Though your acumen about ideas in life are usually interesting to listen to, you always seem completely and utterly apathetic towards everything and anything. I am not saying this is an issue, but I'm still curious to see what you are 'passionate' about... even though your response to passion is, "meh."
ReplyDeleteI hope this doesn't come off as rude!
Bella: Bitter? I don't think so. I just have a strong belief that human life is invaluable and that it doesn't ever have to be sacrificed or thrown away for someone or something I care about. Maybe I'm just speaking from an overly logical or realistic viewpoint; if faced with the choice to give my life for one I love or care about, who knows, I may just give my life.
ReplyDeleteThe only two things I would die for are family/close friends and soccer. My passion is soccer and it gives me courage to try new things and overcome my fears. It taught me to not let my past mistakes happen again or I will always lose. I wouldn't mind dying for it because then other people could enjoy soccer as much as I do for the rest of their lives. If I didn't die for it and had to go on without soccer my whole life, I would probably go crazy. When I play, my mind completely clears of any problems and I think only about the game. That's the only time I seem to be truly happy, which is why I would die for it.
ReplyDeleteThe other things I would die for, family and close friends, are just as important. Say I was faced with the choice of me living or my brother living. I would choose my brother. If I didn't, I would have to suffer for the rest of my life. I would much rather die and be happy then live and be sad. People die everyday for their country, so I feel as if it would only be right for me to die for my own family or friends.
Nothing else in my life really deserves to be died for. Nothing is as important to me and I'd be willing to live without anything else, besides family/close friends and soccer. I think that it's good for people to have one or two things they'd die for because it makes them more important and more enjoyable because we have them now.
Bella- I was thinking exactly the same thing as you about choosing to die for someone we love. It would be too hard to live without them because you'd suffer so much mentally knowing you could have saved them. It would just be a hundred times better to just have died and not have to worry about anything else.
ReplyDeleteKyle- I think that you should have at least one thing you are passionate about! Being passionate about something makes that thing more enjoyable because you know that you love it. It makes life more fun and you begin to appreciate the things that you actually do have now.
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