Best of Week: Why First Place?

    As I sat in the MUNUC conference this weekend, I had some enlightening thoughts. The most interesting observation I made was Saturday, as my committee debated pandemics. I noticed that every time a country said something, the U.S. jumped right in. It seemed like if they didn't approve of what another country was saying, they made sure everybody knew about it. It was almost as if they thought they had some sort of right over the rest of the world. As I noticed this, I couldn't help but wonder if our country's representatives acted like this in the real world.

    Yesterday, when I came home from Model UN, I was looking for an article for Current Events. As I browsed the websites, I noticed that every article had one thing in common. They all wanted America to stay on top. Why though? Why do we have to be the best all the time? What's so wrong with being second best, or 5th best or 50th? Aren't there more important things in life than politics?

    I just couldn't wrap my head around why. It was all I could think about. I still don't really understand. I understand it's human nature to want to be the best, do want to dominate. I also get that we don't want to be a poor country. But why can't we just be happy? I don't think I will ever really understand, but I can't get that thought out of my head. I decided that I'm not going to let it effect my thinking though. I'm not going to blindly strive to be number one. I'm content with what I have, I don't need a silly title to make me proud of where I live.

Metacognition

        My thinking changed a lot over the past semester. I like to think that I've transformed in a way. I'm more accepting of help, inside and outside of school. I also think I've learned to balance talking and listening a little better.

      I used to think that I could do everything by myself, but I can't. The idea that I didn't need anybody else was something that I believed since I was little. To let that idea slip away, even a little bit, was a difficult concept. I did it anyways. My grades improved, I am less stressed out, and I'm generally happier. I have great friends to rely on, and teachers I know I can go to for help. Teachers are there to teach, so why wouldn't I let them help me? The whole "miss independent" idea seemed silly in hindsight. It finally made sense to me why people always tried to change my stubborn mind about it.

    I've also been working on balancing observing and talking in class. This year I have definitely been observing a lot, maybe too much. If I told my teachers this year that I contributed too much last year they might not believe me. All of my life I've been a little too talkative during class discussions. Even in Elementary school the teacher would tell my mom that I didn't have to say something about everything. I know I still have a long way to go before I find a good balance between the two. Hopefully I'll be a little closer after this semester.

   I'm pretty excited about the next semester. I feel like it's going to be a good one and I'm looking foreword to all the changes and challenges that come my way.

Blogging Around

    There were many intriguing posts in the last few months by my fellow classmates, but a few really caught my eye in particular. These both posts use impressive descriptive language and open doors to new ideas and thoughts. 


    The first blog entry i chose was Faith's "Get Organized" entry. Faith, you turned a post about organizing your suitcase into something witty and entertaining. That is not easy to do, so nice job on that! I agree that it can be hard at times to motivate yourself to do organizational chores. I get the exact same feeling of stress. You did a fantastic job of describing the feelings you had when presented with this task, while preforming it and after you completed it. It's important to be organized, so you might want to figure out how to motivate yourself without waiting for the death threats first. I should probably follow my own advice and do the same. I think we'll both find it easier and less stressful to live in a clean, organized environment.


     The second blog I chose was Shawn's "iMedia" post. Shawn, you're right in that it's incredible how much fun this little boy is having while doing something most of us would never consider enjoyable. Some 3 year olds play with barbies and action figures, some play with trains, some play music, and some conduct it. Everybody, hopefully, finds their own passion at some point. This little boy may have been lucky and found it very early on in his life. If he is doing something he loves and having fun, what is the problem? Students venture on to college after high school to learn. They mostly get to choose the classes they want to take, in subjects that intrigue them. Those classes result in a degree that hopefully lands you a job you really want and enjoy. If you worked so hard to get to that point in your life and do something you supposedly love, why are people always complaining about going to work? Why don't you see more smiling and laughing adults during work hours? It doesn't have to be stressful all the time, just remember that it's not always bad to be a kid. Sometimes it's good to learn a lesson from a young, unrestricted mind. You did a nice job on picking a topic and video Shawn! I think it opens a lot of doors for new thinking, as do your questions. Very impressive. 

Metacognition: Get Organized

      As my mom walks in my room she says, "I think a tornado passed through here." I told her about my assignment and she was pretty relieved some cleaning would finally get done. I decided to tackle my desk as my project.


     My first feeling was excitement. I've always wanted to be organized, and I've re-organized hundreds of times, but it never seems to last more than a few days. I pledged to keep my desk clean and clutter free for as long and I can manage. As I moved old papers, jewelry, magazines and books into piles, that excitement soon turned into dread. That dread only built up more as I opened each of the four drawers and discovered the horrifying truth. I had papers from eighth grade and freshman year in one of them! I was just about to give up and try to organize something else, but I resisted that urge. I knew I would be happy and it would all be worth it in the end. To distract me a little from the task at hand, I blasted some music. My mom didn't even yell at me because she knew I was cleaning.


   I divided things up into seven piles. CD's and DVD's, magazines, books, papers I need, papers I don't need, pictures (there happen to be a lot of stray pictures), and jewelry. By the time everything was divided into piles, my desk was almost clean! I still had my somewhat organized jewelry box, alarm clock and laptop on it. I took them off and wiped it down. I threw out my old papers and put the new ones in a binder. Then I put all of my jewelry in its correct spot in my jewelry box. I also thew out the magazines i was done with and put my old books in a pile to be donated. When I was finished I was left with a pile of pictures.

   That pile of pictures was turned into a collage that hangs above my desk as a reminder of my new (partially) organized room. Every time I see those pictures I'll remind myself that I need to keep my desk clean and clutter-free. If I ever think about tossing some old papers over there hopefully I'll think twice about it now. I'm relieved it's all over and I feel better about doing my homework at my desk now. Having an organized room makes me feel more in control. This time I hope I can maintain the feeling.

iMedia: What Would You Say

What Would You Say by Dave Matthews Band Video

      What Would You Say by Dave Matthews is a catchy upbeat song that seems to be funny and meaningless. Although catchy and upbeat, it has a serious meaning. This band is known for having upbeat songs with serious meanings. 

     If you listen to the lyrics and really think about them, this song can affect yourself and our culture. Dave sings, "Look in the mirror my friend, I don't understand at best." He's saying that we should be grateful for the freedom we have. Sometimes you need to take a step back and really look at what you have compared to the rest of the world. It's necessary to realize you probably have more than most people and it's important to be thankful about it. 

    The other part of his message is to think about what people who don't have as much feel like. Dave also sings, "What would you say, If you were a monkey on a string, If you were a doggie on a chain." We recently attended a presentation about North Korean refugees. At that presentation we viewed a 5 minute introductory video where we were supposed to think about what it would be like not to have freedom of all sorts. Life would be so different, it's hard to wrap your head around the whole idea. A lot of those North Koreans are literally like monkeys on strings, like Dave says. If everybody in our country, or even the world, would think about others sometimes, the world would be so much better.

    Sometimes we forget that there are people dying and suffering every day. It's easy to get wrapped up in your own little social circle and forget that the rest of the world is out there. This song is a little reminder that you should step back and appreciate what freedom you have. So let the dog run around with out the leash or inform others about freedom in other countries. Any action, no matter how small helps. You can make yourself and others happier; it's a win-win situation. 

Connection: Disguises and Life Relationships

    Shakespeare teaches us a huge number of important lessons in life. Disguises may seem like a way to mix up the plot in his books, but it could be hinting at something a little bigger. In King Lear Edgar pretends to be a mad beggar so he is able to avoid his fathers' men. At the same time, Kent is disguised as a beggar. These characters disguise themselves to become someone they're not. It may have been to make themselves happy, or to make the people around them happy. Either way, we come across both of these situations in real life today. Your friends and family could be pretending to be someone they're not.

    Middle School, High School and College girls say it all the time, "she is so fake," but it might be true sometimes. Kids pretend to be something or someone they're not so they can fit in. They don't do this quite to the extreme degree that Kent and Edgar do, though I think it can get to the point that kids will often question who they are. It might actually be a good thing though. Some people may get more out of life and have a deeper understanding of themselves after they put the mask down and face their true selves.


   It isn't only teenage girls that pretend to be something they're not. Boys and girls of all ages do it all the time. Every human being has an urge to gain a sense of belonging, and it's natural to want to change to fit in. It's not necessarily something to be ashamed of doing, although it probably won't do you much good in the end.
  
  I think Shakespeare was trying to tell us to watch our backs. We never really know who is being honest and who isn't. We have to pick and choose who we trust and who don't. Choose you're friends wisely and make sure you stay true to yourself, because you never know if people are really who they say they are. 

Dialectics: Free Will and Education

There are a lot of different ideas about free will floating around in our world. Some people think that everybody has a restricted form of free will. Others think we have complete free will, and some individuals believe we have no free will. In my opinion, we have restricted free will at first, and gradually we are granted complete free will. I also think that the amount of free will given to us correlates with the amount of education you have received. If you have a lot of free will, you most likely will have a lot of education.

Young children are uneducated, and are also controlled by their parents or teachers. They have very limited free will. Children are required to follow rules about what they do, what they say and how they behave at all times. 

         As kids transition into adolescents they are given more leeway to do what they like. At the same time they are becoming more educated. They are intellectually able to make decisions, think for themselves and behave as they choose. This is generally the high school stage. A lot is being learned and a lot more responsibility comes with that. Teens are able to make smart choices because they are learning so much. They are also becoming more and more inclined to fight back and rebel, so they become more inclined to think outside their old boundaries and say exactly what is on their mind. While the brain may not be mature enough to handle this yet, it can be viewed as a bad thing. If we view the increase of free will as a bad thing, we never have the chance to learn. Learning and education are not only granted through the school system; people learn through experiences also. They are both equally important and well thought out decisions can’t truly be made with out both of them. As you age, you still learn through life experiences, if you’re not learning through school.

      As adolescents begin another transition into adulthood, they have more of what we refer to as complete free will. Their classes and teachers still keep their minds somewhat confined in college, but once they graduate that constraint is gone. Their minds are completely free to make decisions and think for themselves. They're also free to take action on those thoughts or ideas. These actions teach them, and they in turn make different decisions. These decisions, formed from an individual’s free will, and education go back and forth in one big vicious cycle.

         We will always have more to learn, which keeps our free will on edge. You never know what boundaries an adolescent might push with their increase of free will, and you never know what decisions an adult with complete free will may make. People can surprise you, but remember that their actions stemmed from some type of education, whether it’s school or life experiences.