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?"