Friend or Foe ~ Corruption of Innocence or Early Awakening

Engaged in an event for nostalgic remedies (watching old Disney movies) my older sister and I stumbled upon an interesting yet quite strange realization.

Why do movies, often aimed at children, tend to show villains as dark, evil creatures?

We thought it a bit humorous simply because they were overemphasizing something obvious. I considered that perhaps producers created villains to actually look villainous because they wanted kids to recognize and understand from the beginning that "this" is the villain (which brings me to another point wherein the "goodguy" is often good looking, or just "average."

Whatever the reason for the overemphasis, maybe cartoonists should create characters with equal normalcy, thereby teaching children from an early age that those with an air of iniquity aren't always draped in draconian wardrobe.

I remember in elementary school we all were told to go to an assembly in the media center wherein we were shone a video about street safety. The video was paused on a section about strangers and we were asked whom of the four people shone was a stranger. Three of the four people looked like any normal mom, dad, or businessman you'd see on the side of the road. The fourth man looked somewhat... odd sporting a look similar to Harry Potter's Hagrid. Of course everyone chose the abnormal looking man.

Having been exposed to "strange people" as "strange looking," we were convinced that only "strange looking" people could be a possible evil.

The Pledge of Allegiance

In ninth grade, I was assigned a research paper. Below are excerpts from this paper. They are few of the many points I made advocating the words "under God" in The Pledge of Allegiance. 

The aspects defining the separation of Church and State as well as the context represented by the first Amendment of the Constitution are being used to justify opposition to the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

The separation of Church and State exposes the postulate that religion and politics/ government should not coexist in the public eye. The first Amendment, within reason, offers support to both sides of the argument; it states: “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Although, to an extent, the Amendment renders an argument for both views, in retrospect, the view opposing the phrase lacks thorough thought. The Pledge may be written into US law, however, contrary to popular beliefs, the term “under God” does not violate the US constitution. The term, “under God” simply gives reference to the religion on which our nation is based. Thus, despite every American not recognizing a Christian God, the phrase, “under God” should not be exempt from the Pledge of Allegiance.

“In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war." This quote, stated by Dwight D. Eisenhower on the fourteenth of June, 1954, justifies the addition of the words, “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. The original twenty-three word pledge. Written by Francis Bellamy, and editor of The Youth’s Companion, in 1924, did not include the controversial phrase. In fact, Bellamy intentionally excluded any reference to God so as to not restrain American citizens to a promised religion. The original Pledge was worded as follows: “I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the republic for which it stands: one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." However, Bellamy overlooked the fact that, within text, the phrase “under God” simply gives credence to the religious values on which our nation was founded – aforementioned, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s justification. 

The title of the controversial subject, “The Pledge of Allegiance”, vanquishes all arguments opposing the term. By definition, The Pledge of Allegiance” simply means, ‘a formal promise of loyalty to the nation’.

What are your views concerning this topic?

A New View

After hearing an analysis of a certain quote and DVD cover, I decided that I didn't agree with the interpretations as I was listening to them. That I can't remember the original analysis might be a problem for your comparison.

"Society is a wave. The wave moves onward, but the water it is composed of does not."

This quote says a lot, although it didn't say much when I first read it. I read it again, however and found that it was an attestation to the notion that we need to keep a positive attitude. In the face of hardship, society will not wait on an individual to pick himself up and move forward.

Another topic up for analysis was this DVD cover.

I've never seen the movie, however, I can come to a conclusion based on the cover.

I'd say that the map in the background suggests that this is a cosmopolitan secret. The wax stamp, traditionally used in previous centuries, suggest that the secret is one forwarded from a distant time. I thought the light shining from underneath the wax stamp was one of the most important images.

We've seen this sort of light shining down from heaven, or reveal itself from the bounds of a treasure chest. With this in mind I felt that the light suggests that the secret is a treasured and potent one.

Yay or Nay Hip Hop?

In the 1920s, jazz music donned its bright and sassy syncopations in America to a populous of both speculative and appreciative ears. The 1950s wrought with them hard hitting rock ‘n roll along with its share of disapproval from the experienced people of the time. 

Since music became a source of entertainment, each genre in its infancy is under speculation until people eventually accept the music. However, when hip hop burgeoned from the depths of the music industry via the riveting beats of Clive Campbell, it has never left the eye of speculation.

Hip hop music is an agent of storytelling and, naturally, hip hop culture follows hip hop music’s lyric. The story of a rapper’s life, encompassing life on the streets, gang violence, jail time, fighting “the man,” and sundry other inauspicious bouts with the intimidating side of life, although heartbreaking and eye opening, are the most influential aspects of hip hop culture for the spectrum of youth today.

In its present state, hip hop culture and music are bad for black American youth. The affect that hip hop has had on black American youth was unintentional, however, it is prevalent. Man has always felt comfortable with his “own kind” and it complements man’s innate need to fit in. The two combined unconsciously compel black American youth to lavish in the lifestyle of a gangster. A vast majority of black American youth see black hip hop artists who have defined themselves and, consequently, absorb their lifestyle. 

As black Americans we need to realize that the hip hop lyric and lifestyle trivialize the struggle for blacks in the age of the “superior white race.” White men, women, and children marked us as animals, appointing us our own species – nigger, a name we now coin as brotherly in the black community. Hip hop has given us the “privilege” to degrade our predecessors as well as ourselves just as racists did and still do. It was during the dark period of racial inequality that “the man” attributed any ill act to black men. Sadly, based on the lyrics of hip hop music, it appears as though “the man” might have had his eye on the future.

Modern hip hop music, however unintentional it may be, not only trivializes the struggle for blacks. Hip hop lifestyle and lyric belittles women and the relentless fight women gave to prove themselves equal to males. According to hip hop lyric, women are dogs, showpieces, and the lowest common denominator. One music video featured a hip hop artist swiping a credit card in a sacred place on a woman’s body. Although the video was immediately withdrawn, the scene gives a legitimate reason for the controversy facing hip hop culture. It may have been only one extreme instance. However, the more diluted displays that are allotted airtime influence black females.

The gravitation toward hip hop is understandable. Its old school, full bass, cadenced beat to its contemporary, power packed, rhythmic vibe can easily make anyone “lean back” or “rock wit it.” But not if it means that the hip hop lifestyle and lyric degrades or offends anything or anyone. 

ENTERTAINMENT: something affording pleasure, diversion, or amusement

Once again, a war movie. Once again, nonsensical laughter from the audience.

A civil war movie: Glory

An account of one of the first black regiments (the 54th) engaged in the civil war effort

in pursuit of freedom

having endured years of degradation and oppression

time should not yield to trivialization

and because a movie might "traditionally" ENTERTAIN . . . respect is a priority

to find amusement in death (not to be confused with a means of coping and consolation in the face of sadness) is not an admirable discovery.

and to blatantly claim this movie "funny" ...

"Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as a heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors." 

-Abraham Lincoln

Great Quotes

I used to record one meaningful quote in my journal everyday. Most were from renowned authors, others were from family and friends, and I made two or three up myself. The routine did have a purpose, of course...

Some of my favorite quotes:

"A man can't ride your back unless it's bent."
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Hold yourself up, keep your head high, and walk with a presence. No one can degrade you if present yourself with a magisterial air.
Dr. King, in the face of racial criticism and injustice, was able to dedicate himself to a life of confidence and presence, and leave behind such a great idea for all of posterity.

"The love we give away is the only love we keep."
-Elbert Hubbard
Encourages persistence so as to avoid potential regret.

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Take a stand for what you believe is proper. He who doesn't take a stand is just as, if not more guilty, than the wrongdoer.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

"A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan."
-Martin Luther King Jr.
This quote and the next go hand in hand.

"Nothing pains some people more than having to think."
-Martin Luther King Jr.

" A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life."
-Muhammad Ali

"Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you' re just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have YOU... The one who turns to his friends and says, that's her..."
-Unknown

"Some of the greater things in life are unseen that's why you close your eyes when you kiss, cry, or dream..."
-Unknown

"if i had to choose between loving you, and breathing. I would use my last breath to say I LOVE YOU."
-Unknown
It's a bit of a pick up line, but it's a nice one.

"It's better to be an authentic loser than a false success, and to die alive than to live dead."
-William Markiewicz
In other words, be true to yourself, "stop existing and start living."

History passes the final judgment.
-Sidney Poitier

Any more good quotes?

Maya Angelou Still I Rise

One of my favorite poems:

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air,
I'll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Merry Chris - Happy Holidays?

My very first blog examined the idea of "political incorrectness" having to be "politically correct." I referred to the term "black" as it titles the race. I found that people oftentimes take offense to the terms "black" and "Negro" and, instead, find appeal in the term "African American."

As a side note...Dr. King markedly used the term "Negro" to refer to his black brethren...

The increase of societal sensitivity to terms that are either blunt and truthful, or are simply traditional and recognized terms are a hindrance to our nation.

As it adhere's to the season, the term "Happy Holidays" is one of these "politically correct" terms that substitutes the more widely recognized "Merry Christmas." People often convene to an air of umbrage when a religiously associated term specifically targets them when it does not represent their religion, even if the Christmas wish was a misunderstanding. It's the thought that counts right? No need to take offense?

Is it ok to wish a merry...day... by using a religiously associated term? When addressing a large audience of possibly disparate religions, is it more appropriate to say "Happy Holidays" so as to not offend anyone? Or should we all just get over it?

"Internal Punishment"/Eternal Punishment

Given that the first ideals of the US provide that no person can be deprived of life, of liberty, and of justice, perhaps the death penalty isn't such a good idea.

A life sentenced to justifiable confinement might not be as clement a punishment as many seem to believe.

To sentence a lawless man to live in recluse or with others of the same regimen, and force him to live the rest of his life withering with the agonizing and unappealing bulk of nerve and muscle that he calls a mind as it dwells on his crime, is perhaps the greatest punishment.

Consider the touchy realitiy of suicide. When a man will intentionally kill himself as a resolution, he has attested to the idea that death is "the easy way out." To simply wither in a prolonged and painful life is too much to bear.

Life imprisonment may also provide an innocent man, wrongly accused of criminal misanthropy, a second chance.

Adversely, the death penalty, by virtue of the Christian faith, condemns the criminal man to hell, thus maintaining an eternal punishment, as opposed to an internal punishment.

Maya Angelou's Caged Bird

a free bird leaps

on the back of the wind

and floats downstream

till the current ends

then dips his wing

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky

but a bird that stalks 

down his narrow cage

can seldom see

through his bars of rage

his wings are clipped

and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing

the caged bird sings

with a fearfull trill

of things unknown

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

in a distant hill

for the caged bird 

sings for freedom

the free bird thinks 

of another breeze

the tradewinds soft 

through the dying trees

and the fat worms waiting 

on a dawn bright lawn

and he names the sky his own

but a caged bird stands

on the grave of dreams

his shadow shouts

on a nightmare scream

his wings are clipped

and his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings 

with a fearful trill

of things unknown 

but longed for still

and his tune is heard

on a distant hill

for the caged bird sings of freedom

I first memorized this poem in ninth grade, but I haven't recited it since. I did my best to type it up from memory. I found it to be intriguing and inspirational, and it carries a great rhythm. Maya Angelou is one of my favorite poets so, just in case someone has never read this amazing poem... well, there's no reason to say you haven't anymore! 

An Apple

To most,

such a wrinkled apple would be unappealing. It's sides are furrowing. And each crease embeds a blackened mass of ... something.

Perhaps the apple wasn't crafted from the nicest of models.

Perhaps it sat on the branch too long.

Perhaps it sat in the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter too long.

Perhaps it shouldn't really matter.

Cut into the apple.

Perhaps the unappealing outside simply counterbalances the sweet nourishment of its inside

No need to throw it away. Someone else looks upon the same apple wistfully. This apple is the apple of His eye.

Dem Reps

Perhaps we are all born thinking democratically. We feel that the only just and fair way to live is for all to live the same way. And I agree with that. When mommy buys herself a new pair of shoes we think "why didn't she get me any?" Or when daddy buys himself a Milky Way from the stands at the grocery store, we think "why can't he get me a bag of skittles?"


Dictionaries offer a general definition for the simple term "democrat" to be a person who believes in the political or social equality of all people.


Having considered the basic ideologies for the two popular American parties - the Republican and Democratic parties - I've concluded that, though the democratic ideal of "common benefit," may be the most admirable of notions, it may not be the most effective for the sustenance of a nation.


Our genuine want for equality cannot be effective in running a nation simply because we are sinful by nature - unless, of course, we somehow convene in a cosmopolitan effort.


I use the two political parties purely as examples. There is more behind the two, I'm aware; however, their basic satirical ideals (republicans for a social order, which leads to a greater stability, and democrats for social and economic equality...especially as seen in this past election wherein Obama wanted to "spread the wealth around") work well as a basic foreshadowing to their true ideologies.

What I Believe

To stand in front of an expanse of members bound by compact to heed your every command and pique their first step by the wave of your hand – is not the greatest power. To conquer their will by a strong word or salty remark – is not the greatest power. But to extract their respect, solely by your stance and stride and word, to instill in them a passion to pursue that which they previously lacked interest – is the greatest power.

Somewhere between my fifth grade run and loss for the vice presidential position in elementary school and my ninth grade marching band audition for the drum major position in high school, I lost my sense of self-worth. What could have happened within those three inactive years of my now sixteen-year-old life baffles me. What caused my plummet to the doldrums further baffles me. Perhaps, I had always subconsciously been unstable and my loss in fifth grade ultimately damaged my façade. Whatever the why and wherefore, I still question it to this day.

In ninth grade I still recognized that same sense of insecurity; however, my mother, like all mothers do, began to take notice. I wasn’t the same. I merely sought comfort in my bedroom as a sanctuary and my journal as a confidant. After many attempts to pull information from me, it turned out that that was all they were – attempts. Left only to perceive what might be wrong, she and my father both hit a notion that sparked a light in me. So eloquently quoted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of their reassuring notions was that “a man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent.” (I actually found the quote this year.)

In truth, I’ve always wanted and still wish to be a great leader and follow the milestones set by the well-known greats before me. I did not seek power out of leadership. I simply sought to instill a passion for the marching band in its members. I found pride in this new activity and wished to share that pride.

Knowing full well that a lowered head and incessantly disconcerted mind would get me nowhere, I picked myself up solely to fight a battle I’d started myself. Despite my insecurities and with regard to the basic precepts given to me by my mom and dad, I decided to put all that I believed was an imperfection behind and audition for the highest leadership position in the band – as a freshman. I did fulfill a high position, much to the disappointment of older members, but in spite of their discontent, I pushed forward and tried for the position once more in tenth grade – and succeeded.

As a drum major I truly learned the divide between friendship and leadership. I grew to believe that genuine confidence is not prominent, but the pretense of confidence may be all that is necessary to succeed. Effective leadership is effective only if this confidence allows impassionate members to commit to an activity, one that they first found pointless, because they want to commit themselves. And that the greatest power lies in self-satisfaction, self-leadership, and thus the ability to effectively lead others. This is what I believe.

I've seldom stood among men...

I've seldom stood among men...

When in "maturing" our sentimentality is repressed and our sympathy lost, we've established a life sans the human quality. Innocence will naturally fall when reality casts itself on us. But not to such an extent.

It seems that a great faction has lost a great majority of its innocence. And in so doing we transfer this deprivation to innocents - to posterity. When a "man" can wake in the presence of another ailing or troubled man born of tantamount existence, right, and knowledge, and bear to simply witness this man's trouble and not lend his hand to assist...his own existence is prodigal. To him, life is disposable.

That laughter might be one way to console a mourning heart or restore the bereaved is understandable. But in the process of death, the same laughter is just as base as the murder itself.

We proclaim ourselves superior beings, yet in morale we dramatically fall short of superiority.

King~Obama

Having juxtaposed two different videos recorded in two different eras, wherein the cynosure of both is the theme of achievement in racial equality, I found that the two easily share similar attributes. President elect, Barack Obama's, victory speech was blatantly reminiscent of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech."

At first glance the most obvious allusion resides in the presence of the two speakers: Barack Obama, forerunner in the fight for America, stands in front of American flags and is surrounded by American citizens; Martin Luther King Jr., forerunner in the fight for equality, presides over an expanse of people, all of different races and ages.

Both the victory speech as well as the "I have a dream speech" entails the rights of the people, the good of the people, and the restoration of equality in America. The inflections in the speakers' voice and the pauses and breaks incorporated in their remarks are strategically placed to be impactful.

Obama's quote "And from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, has not perished from the earth - this your victory (7:14)!" bears a strong resemblance to King's "I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character - I have a dream today (13:36)!" It's interesting how Obama's statement greatly alludes to King's statement as the resolution of King' cause.

Again, the end of each of their speeches encompasses similar promises: Obama's, "...and where we are met with cynicism and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: yes, we can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America (16:32)." bears a likeness to King's "And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last(16:42)!"

The only difference in the two is the speakers' apparent enthuiasm. Of course, King was fighting for a cause and promising a victory whereas Obama was celebrating a victory and promising progression.

King's Speech: We Shall Overcome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

Obama's Speech: Yes We Can
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll5baCAaQU

Lacking Security

"I couldn't bear the model of such an effigy. It's likeness to me was unrehearsed. My mother found the doll a sufficient replica of her little girl. But, in ripening, it often mocked me in the corner with it's artificial grin." ...

"In ripening," a consensus is born in terms of societal priorities. It seems, physical perfection boasts the top of the list.

We are proscribed in childhood to a life most often dedicated to the pursuit of perfection, of changing self to conform to this consensus, to the point that a barbie doll's claim to fame in adolescence doesn't exactly convey the same sentiment later on.

We feel the need to defend our imperfections, which, in truth, can often times become counterproductive and offensive.  We are obsessed with our impressions on others simply because of the images that have been impressed in us, which leaves us to be impressed by skinny, long, taut, fit, beautiful, cute, or handsome. Though the consensus isn't always voiced, it is prevalent. The irony is, whereas one may not find beauty in his imperfections, another finds his imperfections admirable.

It's true, that we must be a spoiled race; and not just because of our appearance. Films and novels fall short of our interests unless they are personified or are a direct/nearly direct representation of ourselves. We have been pacified by democratic (helping hand) ideals, wherein everything is given, and thus have presumed ourselves essentially regal. 

Regardless of socioeconomic status or beauty, we are seldom content with ourselves as much as our pretenses may deceive. 

In Lieu of a Voice

Family Guy brought up an interesting point in one of its episodes yesterday. I believe it was Brian (but spare the fault of my memory if I am wrong) who said something along the lines of:

"People are constantly waiting for another voice to tell them what
to do."

It was an interesting statement, mostly because there was truth in it. Successful life stories find themselves speaking of a voice as their backbone.

Story plots employ the very notion as well:

A young (at heart) misguided being is advised by a more superior
conscience to go on a journey in virtue of the pursuit of something greater
for the betterment of self.

It is quite a general statement. But I've found that if you break down
most stories to their core, you can find the generalized idea.

As novel's and story's plots mirror reality, life too may as well follow the same pattern. Our success in life is controlled by voice. It might be our own, prompted by inspiration or revelation. It might take another to guide us and (maybe) successive time for it to marinate and grow until it sounds reasonable. But why do we wait for a voiced prompting, even if it is our own? We do so many things on impulse - so why not take advantage in order to better our lives instead of waiting on an ok?

Art Depiction

I took a picture of a few clouds the other day. At first I thought that the mesh behind the glass in my window interefered with the photo that I was trying to produce. But then I started to look at the intereference in depth. Perhaps, I considered, the intereference metaphorically connected the notion that we [humans] are literally blockaded in terms of our unity and understanding of nature and its significance in our lives. Of course, the small squares could be depicted any other way. Regardless, I'd say it's an interesting picture.

Life Message ?

In My Opinion: I discovered the following poem. I felt that it wasn't fluid in either style or structure and the author had some editing to do. The rhythm is a bit lost in some places and the connections that the author tries to make between stanzas as well as within them leave the reader somewhat confused. The poem sounds elementary. The message is clear to me, however. But I feel that the point can be made even clearer with a few adjustments.

Two images spawned

From a broken glass:

One showed things present-day

One dwelled in the past

And the latter, showing presents

that wouldn’t last,

Is the one I’d stand surveying…

Tragedy by means

Of the Ku Klux Klan

And vile genocide

By Hitler’s hand

Showed me detriment

Within the civility of man

At this, I longed for hope’s prevail

Now, where this glass told

Of the world’s unrest

It accommodated the

Need for happiness

Through time man has changed

That of man’s progress

And with that hope had been restored

In man’s lifetime

Sadness plays a role

He commits himself

To his own downfalls

And in time his

‘State of mind’ can take its toll

“Desperate times call for desperate measures”

But, alas, sadness

Met a match that’s fair

To which enmity and heartache

Couldn’t compare

This term we call ‘love’,

Fervor, its heir

Ceases all grief’s vengeful pining

Thus the precepts gained

from this noble shard

Shared Life’s message to me:

“Everything in life’s hard -

to succeed, we need to accept and disregard,

‘Stop existing, now, start living!’

Perhaps I'm a bit too picky but, in its present format, is the message still clear? What do you suggest might make this piece stronger?

What?

In the midst of war it seems that it is native to most the nonchalance regarding the humanity and life of both our own troops and our adversaries. Anti-nation sentiment has subdued our want to understand the humanness of soldiers. Simply with regard to the knowledge of the fate of war, which in our simple and inexperienced mind is merely “patriotism, possible death, and pain,” our sympathy (and perhaps, pride) is not commensurate with the true sympathy and pride that we should have for our troops. Watching the movie “We Were Soldiers Once and Young” opened my eyes immensely.  Although the movie did not allow its viewers the full effect of war, it was an effective movie in cluing me in on the true aspects of war.

 

As a staff writer for the newspaper, the journalists preying on the American soldiers, when the soldiers had just finished their battle, upset me. In light of the moment, journalists needed to be more understanding of the soldiers. Galloway, however, the only journalist whom experienced the war – shot the rifle, killed the man, defied death, heard the sounds, saw the sights, stared them down, bore through the night, and escaped the enemy – is, in turn, the only credible man that could truly say “we commemorate these soldiers and pray for them. They fought and died in a treacherous battle to serve and bring honor to our country,” and, likewise, the only one who could say it with genuine conviction.

 

While watching this movie, I jerked at gunshots and death and casualties, hand-to-mouth gestures expressing my fear and sympathy. What truly brought out my emotion during the film, however, was watching the countenances of men and their apprehension and anticipation of death in battle, their last sputter of life, and their words as they pleaded for their wives to know that they love them - even the enemy, whom died with just as much love. I connected with the wives whom heard of their deceased counterparts, and the slow motion did the film well for connectivity.  I turned from the screen through a part of it and cried quietly, and couldn’t bear to watch the ensuing scenes. I turned back after a minute or two and stayed with it, understanding that this is life… and this is death.

 

But what I couldn’t bear even more was the sporadic laughter coming from classmates.

I Lost The Game?!

My aunt gave me a game one day. The "UnGame" is what it's called. It promotes intimacy, finding, and realization of oneself. The name is self-explanatory. The "UnGame" is figuratively not commensurate with the true "game" simply because it relaxes the common competition, which a regular game encourages. The "game" reaches beyond the boundaries of a true game. The "game" seems like a joke at first. It's composed of two different decks of cards - one with "surface questions" and one with questions that truly creep into the mind, manifest themselves in it, and simply marinate, in other words, the second deck is much more thought provoking. This pseudo game does not allow other members to ask questions unless they pull a card allowing to do so. Everyone must be silent so each person can TRULY and GENUINELY be heard and be able to receive correctly. 

This pseudo game was somewhat of a finding experience for me. I've never played through the entire thing; however, from what I did play, only one question stuck with me. "With what color would you describe yourself?" It doesn't seem like much of a deep question at first, at least to me it didn't. Am I red and confident, energetic? Yellow and mellow? Blue and sad? Black and depressed, void? White and innocent? Orange and ...? Purple and...? I was stuck on these two in the process. Orange? Purple? The primary colors, (red, blue, and yellow) I thought, each have a significant emotion attached to them. Orange and purple (and green) are composed of two different primary colors. I then began to think in shades and quantity. But then I found myself frustrated. So I reverted back to basic composition. I chose purple simply because of its most BASIC composition. Red = energetic = confident, which at times truly represents me. Blue = sadness = insecurity, which at times truly represents me. Still, no need to get into quantity and shade. I found this "UnGame" very interesting even if I didn't finish it. Hopefully I can actually play it with people. The questions do go far beyond the color, however. It's just, I found it fascinating how a color can appeal to both the eye and to self and capture its very essence. Hmmm...

America

It is instances such as yesterday's election that truly captures the essence of the nobility and progression and acceptance of the human race. A country wherein race was the soul of decisions and the sole basis with which we based our standards, it is a great day when a black man can step onto a platform, as did Martin Luther King Jr. during his leadership throughout the Civil Rights Movement, and proclaim virtual sovereignty (presidency) over a nation that once condemned his tainted race. I'm sure Dr. King looks down upon us now with favor and acceptance and peace. In a currently politically divided nation as well as one in an economic crisis, I'm sure we can all agree that we've done our nation proud and, in this case, lived up to our nation's credo, that All Men Are Created Equal, as well as, to a further extent, the American Dream and the pursuit of life, liberty, and opportunity.

Technically a Good Conscience... Or... a Bad One?

Teenagers are often told to "grab life by the horns" but still conduct themselves as respectable and rule-abiding adults. It's been said that there's a balance between the two, but, I mean, either you drink underaged as a wild teen ... or you don't as a law-abiding citizen; either you steal a bottle of coke from Publix as a wild teen... or you don't as a law-abiding citizen; either you go to juvenile detention for fighting as a wild teen... or you don't as a law-abiding citizen. At this point I'm confused. I seldom do anything wrong on purpose, heeding the precepts of a more respectable outlook. I blame my conscience. I used to cry every time I did something wrong. I'd forget my lunch money in elementary school. The lunch lady had an accent. So every time I forgot my money, what sounded like "you're going to go to jail" was actually "you're going to get peanut butter and jelly." So I cried every time I forgot money. Even after I figured out that I wasn't going to jail, I still cried - it's the principle of the matter (although crying often made the lunch lady sympathize and give me free food). I might forget my homework once in a blue moon and cry (this happened up until eighth grade when I realized I'd need to mature a bit) - knowing I would get a bad grade and that it was my fault for not putting my homework in my backpack (although I do still get a bad feeling when I forget my homework, I don't cry about it). I can't disobey my parents, and if I do, I feel bad about and THEY MAKE ME FEEL BAD ABOUT IT always and forever. 

A subject such as dating, something that's prohibited in my family until 18, is an event I believe I'm ready for now, however, despite encouragement from peers to date secretively, I simply cannot do it... because of that conscience of mine. My point is, I can't figure out if I'm fully taking advantage of my teenage years. The dating is insignificant, it's just an example - I can wait for that as much as I hate it. But I feel as though my conscience is holding me back from my full potential, the holistic expression of self. I can't bear the thought of upsetting someone, which actually often backfires because of this...conscience. 

So, what's with this conscience of mine...is it technically a good conscience...or a bad one? Where does one say..."let it go?"

Just a Thought

A great majority of society has entirely given itself to be influenced by the media. Evidence provides that the media is controlled by the government, which is controlled by the people, whom are in turn, controlled by the media. The evidence - members of government are elected by the people; the government, or government controlled issues, provides the media with news; this news is then relayed to the people.

Not only do the media provide the people with news. Just as a toddler satisfies himself with a shiny new toy car after "mommy says no," the populace of America concedes to the promotion of the iPhone and cost-efficient automobile when the media proceeds to make a statement, forcing the thought of self-reliance in the public to back of their thoughts.

Human instinct confers it a natural sympathy. Likewise in nature, insecurity breeds its own sense of self-hatred upon the "well-off." For example, the Republican Party feeds off of the notion that self-determination reaps exactly what it sows for its users. Adversely, the Democratic Party contends to a Peter Pan method of economic stability, alleging to the poor that they deserve rewards, regardless of work ethic. The media feed on the strength of the two natures of insecurity, or blame, and sympathy. This leads hatred more towards self-determination, and insecurity (blame) more toward helping hand. In the same way, education, in school or out, proves to follow more of a self-determination path than what the media provides, which is the helping hand mechanism.

As society further delves into a sense of satisfaction and complies with being fostered by conformist ideals, its character and standards likewise fall.

Love, Hate, and the Like

Thorough analysis would be time-consuming - I could tell when I first saw this picture. Two completely different words juxtaposed on the knuckles of two mirrored fists. The dichotomy of the two is significant, but what first came to mind for me was their similarities and counterbalances.

Both change meaning in respective contexts

Love is "a profound affection for"

Hate is "extreme aversion or hostility"

"I love you" denotes passionate acceptance

"I hate you" denotes passionate dislike

To go off on a tangent...

Perhaps their connotative counterparts are more impactful. Such as Romeo's profession in Shakespeare's, Romeo and Juliet - "I am the East and Juliet is the sun." Romeo conveys his love for Juliet through a phrase other than the tired cliche "i love you."

Or a statements implication of their meaning might be more effective: "Don't ever speak to me again!" The statement is bold and implies hatred. It's impactful because "i hate you" is a term many use frequently with no affect and no intent to affect. "I hate you" is also a tired cliche and loses its effect if overused.

Well, that's my take on this photo. Perhaps someone has another idea.

Reading to Find

It’s a wonder how a fictional character can be tantamount to an existent being. That a young lost or wayward person can pick up a novel, challenge himself to a difficult read, and finish with a new understanding of self, especially when that person can’t even find a counterpart in the real world.

The fictional character, Janie, in Zora Neale Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is a perfect portrait of my character. Given a strong reliance on self-worth, independence, and responsibility as well as the image of inter-racial and “intra-racial” equality, and the implied ideal of perfection from birth, I’ve gathered similar institutions of character as Janie (whom was raised by a strict formerly enslaved grandmother with strict ideals).

Similar to Janie, I never truly recognized my race until I was nine years old and soon after (at first) I felt awkward. Just as Janie was I am a fair-skinned, long-haired, black female, still today reaping the air of racial scorn (both inter and intra) from certain people about these features. (Quite honestly, not unlike Janie, I never recognized shades of black until a couple years ago.) And reminiscent of Janie’s character, the beginning of the nature of "womanly intentions" was aroused at 16.

Aside from the racial aspect of Janie's life and her nature of womanly intentions, Hurston offers a deeper insight into her character, which better provoked my understanding of self. Perhaps it was Janie's longing for love and true acceptance as a female (for me not so much the female part since women are much more accepted in society now, for me it's a simple longing for accepteance) that sparked her endeavor to reach beyond the horizon. Her grandmother's fundamental precept was basically to be financially secure, responsible, and successful - basically furnishing Janie's mind with the thought of perfection and high expectation, wherein the "similar institutions of character" I mentioned earlier come into play. I do have high expectations for myself and sometimes these high expectations mixed with discrepancy of the "true limit of self" (that nobody can be perfect), stifle and lose voice just as Janie's was lost and just how I can't seem to find mine when it would come in handy. Janie sought to be independent but was held back by her yearning for love and the influence of her grandmother. In the novel, quite honestly, I think that God sought also to teach Janie a lesson - wanted Janie to find truth in herself before she could be involved in a dependent relationship with someone else. This is why her first and second marriages didn't work out. This is why her third marriage was fruitful until God's wrath became apparent (the hurricane). This is why her third husband died, because through these trials, Janie finally gained her understanding of self. So one simple thread of knowledge I gained from reading this piece was that we often try to hold onto something that God is trying to tear apart, in so doing, we stifle our inbred success.


My point in writing this blog is to share an interesting find I made while reading a novel set completely in a different time period and how it could still relate to me, or issues that still go on now.

Opportune Oprah

How does a person decide between the pursuit of economic stability and the pursuit of happiness? Is there no happy medium? In global society the fortuity of life offers "the pursuit of ..." It seems to me a cosmopolitan misconception...

Before I began to type up this blog, I switched on Oprah, grabbed a cup of green tea, and sat down. Earlier today and for quite some time I'd been considering my career path. I love writing. However, the type of writing careers suitable for my taste offers contingency and little economic stability. Now, it's understandable that adults want what is best for you. They don't want to see you leave their presence without a firm understanding of the dangers of the real world. Having brought up my predicament to certain authorities, I've been told that to pursue happiness over economic stability would be move that a loser would make.

The point is, as soon as I switched on Oprah her comment was basically, "every conference I've been t on leadership and every seminar I've ever spoken to or been spoken to, the message is exactly what you're talking about, 'find out how to get paid for doing what you love. Following your passion, allowing yourself to be paid for doing what you love, will give you a meaningful life."

It's true...

Speaking With Conviction: TALK LESS AND SAY MORE

After reading a poem by Taylor Mali, wherein the lack of conviction was reflected upon, I stumbled over the credibility as to my saying that I speak with conviction. The hesitance was due in part to my recountenance of an event that took place a few weeks ago. While discussing a political matter with one of my friends in the presence of my conveniently distracted teacher and his lovely wall of George W. Bush's "Bushisms" I happened to mention the name "Obama." All of a sudden, my teacher's head perked up. I felt tension from the beginning and anticipated the ensuing interrogation. Moments after babbling about my reasons for mentioning the candidate, I mentioned that I was Republican, which turned out to be a big mistake on my part. (My teacher was a Democrat through and through.) He asked me, "why are you a Republican, what views do you agree?" The question preceded moments more of babbling to the point where I realized - I wasn't making any sense. I could NOT tell my teacher why I was Republican. It was embarrassing. Of course, the inferred reason for most would have been "because her parents are," which is one of my biggest "no-nos." And of course, another presence in the room simply had to stress just that. It's my own fault, however. I didn't speak with conviction because I didn't know what I was talking about. This must be the reason for the decline of conviction in conversation.

People, for the most part, reinforced by media and influential approval, will attest to a cause and defend it,
without a firm background knowledge of the subject.

Luckily, I caught this flaw me from early on - I still have a chance to fix it.
As soon as I arrived at home, I got on my computer and researched both the
Democratic and Republican Parties and now hone a firm understanding as to the
Party of my choice (we'll just leave it that). If you'd like to read the poem:

http://www.taylormali.com/index.cfm?webid=21

Political Incorrectness Must Be Politically Correct

By now, most of us have heard the story of Bill Maher and the cancellation of his show "Politically Incorrect." You'd think that the title is forewarning, providing that viewer discretion is advised because the hosts of this show just might say something politically incorrect. Bill Maher merely responded to one of his guests statements, approving the fact that the terrorists of the September 11 attacks were not at all cowardly in their approach. We in fact are the cowards, he said, we shoot missles from miles away whereas the terrorists actually stayed in the plane. The profession may have been poorly timed (just 6 days after the attack); however, the truth of the matter is that not one of the terrorists backed out of their cause - they literally stuck with it until the end. So the condoling designation of the terrorists as cowardly was just that, a condolence to the victims of the attacks in America. The affects of politcal correctness are not only contradictory to America's first amendment, which hones the right to free speech, it also provides false pretenses. Of the darker race, for example, I would rather be called black than an African American. But because the term "black" was used during periods of racial divide and is also associated with sundry other nefarious terms, African American is the most "inoffensive"