Monday, November 24, 2008

Racism: The reason for hate

Racism is a bomb. It destroys everything that once was alive, love, happiness, humanity, life. With racism, there can be no coexistence. We need to realize that we are all one. It is proven that two races are more alike than two people of one race. So much similarity, but one small difference. So why all the hate? Blacks, Whites, Asians, Hispanics- in the end, we are all human. We live and we all die. We go through life’s up’s and down’s similarly. Why do some humans feel superiority over another race? History may have a big impact, but that is all it is- history. It is really not about a race, it is about a human being. There will always be both good and bad within every race, so generalizations should not be made.

Being in a mixed relationship, I have seen and experienced racism, both against my boyfriend, who is half black, and against myself, a white girl of European descent. It is truly ignorance which breeds racism. I will be the first to admit that when I started my relationship with Richard, my parents were not pleased with his skin color. They had grown up in an all-white, traditional European society. Blacks were seen as inferiors. So when I introduced Richard, my parents were not pleased. But through the past three years, I can speak for my parents and say that they regret feeling like this as they discovered all of Richard’s fabulous personality habits, and realized that he is just a human being, like themselves, like myself, and like the rest of the world. Now they think of him as their own son and love him for who he is. Without this love for all humans, one cannot truly understand who he is. I feel like I found myself in the world and learned so much about who I am, being in a mixed relationship.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Responsisbility

Responsibility. Easier said than done. Something all humans should have but many unfortunately do not obtain. Responsibility is what makes peace and order. It is what makes one mature and able to act for him/her self.
Moving to college and living on my own, I really got a sense of what “responsibility” truly means. From having to make up by myself in the morning, to having to obtain my own food and go to classes, to even having to visit various places alone to take care of my papers, financial aid, etc, I can truly say that I gained a sense of responsibility. But responsibility, in the real world, is more than just “doing things for oneself.” It really involves so much more, from the realization of who one is and how one’s actions impact others, to what one’s meaning in this world is and how one visualizes him/herself.
In the film, Return to Paradise, Sherriff gains a sense of responsibility, which is life-changing for him. It is a re-birth; it makes him a new man, and it impacts the way he views the world and the way he sees himself. At the start, Sherriff’s mind was made not to return to Malaysia to serve his time in jail in order to save his friend’s life. But after a time of very deep reflection, Sherriff decides that it was partly his fault that his friend got caught with the drugs, and decides to return to Malaysia. This, my friends, is responsibility.
Arguments in relationships and even wars start and continue because two sides lack responsibility. It is so much easier to say “I’m sorry. It was my fault. I will do anything I can to make it up,” rather than fight about it and “point fingers.” It is very sad that one or more lives may be taken because someone else lacks responsibility. Ultimately, Lewis dies because MJ is irresponsible; she lacks the concept of the seriousness of the situation and is determined to send out a juicy report without understanding that her actions may result in an innocent death. Like MJ, many people do not think about what they say or do, and sometimes just a small comment may threaten someone’s life.