Friday, December 5, 2008
Event 3
Event 2
Event 1
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
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.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Cowboys versus Mounties
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Into the Wild
With minimal food and gear, Chris set off expediting the United States. He hitchhiked through South Dakota, California, Arizona, even Mexico, and met a few people on his journey. These people remained attached to Chris, or Alex as some knew him, because Chris was kind enough to stay in touch. I sympathize with Chris on his desire to leave society behind, but I cannot comprehend why he would leave al possessions behind and literally struggle to gain a better understanding of life. His passion for nature and love of adventure sprouted from his imagination while reading novels by Jack London, such as The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both which explore nature’s wilderness and magnificence. Such splendor and a hint of curiosity presented in these novels compelled Chris to want to explore the world “out there” and what better region that desolate, freezing Alaska?
My main lack of comprehension is for the reason behind his intentions. I cannot even imagine leaving home for good and being “on my own” with clear understanding that I may not survive at all. I presume that his wonder and curiosity preceded his sense of humanity. He almost adopted an animal-like instinct which compelled him to investigate the world on his own.
The idea of the “American Dream” leads many Americans to face stress every single day. It almost feels as if people are chasing after money, stabbing each other in the back, just to get themselves ahead. But they don’t know what to do with all this money, so their kids start getting into drugs, partying, trouble, etc. Even they, themselves, get lost- fight with their spouses and get divorced, can’t sleep at night so pay for expensive drugs to calm them down. The “American Dream” has a way more negative connotation than it did in the early days of American settlement. Then people sought freedom, opportunity and happiness. Now, it’s ALL about money and bettering oneself. People have become self-centered, and this fact Chris McCandless clearly understood. That is why he escaped the suffocating limits of society.
If one focuses on bettering the world, rather than just himself, the “American Dream” can have a positive meaning. One’s idea of this achievement should not be superior to another’s since the two should be working together to benefit humanity as a whole. For instance, in my future-becoming a pharmacist, I want to share my knowledge with my community and help them, not just make lots of money. Of course this is a nice benefit, but my driving force is to keep life humane, to assist others, because that is the only way society will function without causing wars. Into the Wild set an inspirational ideal to view the world “outside the box”, almost as a whole, and to focus of the natural sources of happiness, such as a beautiful, sun-shining, breezy day full of vibrant greens of the vegetation and blue of the infinite sky, rather than stressing solely about work or school and being caught in this “structured web” of society. In summary, that is what life is all about- all the little beautiful things which sadly go unnoticed.