Half-full

As we have been discussing the problems of evil in class this week, I have been seriously thinking about all the evil and good in this world that we live in. All these questions: why would God allow this (if he exists of course), where do we justify the means of evil, and other questions of that nature. It really has me thinking, how come people always focus on the negative things in life rather than positive first?

This is a serious issue. Everything is why this and why that? What about hey, let's live life, let's be thankful that we can live life today! I just don't understand why people are always so "woe-is-me," is that really necessary? People are so ungrateful these days. Yes, their are evils in the world, and yes, they are hard to understand and accept but, why all the hate and all the worry? Why can't we live everyday like it is our last, instead of always walking around questioning literally everything we do?

I don't know about you but, I'm over it. Over it meaning, why spend my life only searching for answers? To be honest, their usually isn't always a right answer when it comes to life in general, it's different for each and every one of us, and that's what makes this world so unique is that we all have different factors pushing us and making us who we are and helping us with the choices we make. I'm not saying not to question things in general, but what I am saying is that spending too much time on finding answers will, in my opinion, only lead you to not finding the answers.

Let's embrace each day! The glass is half-full, not half-empty! I don't know about you but all the pessimism just isn't cutting it for me, optimism seems much more satisfying.

And the Divorce Rate Increases

So my mom is an elementary school teacher and today once I was finished with class I went to her school to help her with grading and whatnot. As I entered the classroom in my cheery mood I saw that the kids were having "Show and Tell." I remember this being a huge deal as a child, finding the most random thing and thinking it was so important that I needed to share it with my peers.

The first girl brought in a fossilized rock that she found on the beach, and she was so proud of it. It was truly adorable. And now to why I am actually writing this specific blog post. The next girl, this is a third grade class by the way, brought up a t-shirt. This specific t-shirt had a picture of her mom and her as a child. When she started sharing she started explaining to the class that this was important to her because her mom had passed away 5 years prior. This poor eight year-old had to explain to her peers that her mother had passed away and how her Dad had a hard time dealing with it so she now lives with her grandparents and sees her Dad every other weekend. 

She then told the class that this weekend she was going to be with her father, and you could see her eyes light up with excitement as she announced this. Another little girl then declared that it was her weekend to see her dad too, she too was filled with joy, then a boy said it was his weekend with his Dad as well. And then it struck me, our society today is already desensitized to divorce. These eight year olds are already having to deal with being passed between parents, and who even knows why their parents split up in the first place.

I just think it's so sad how those traditional wedding vows that are said, "for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for long as you both shall live" are not even valid anymore. Divorce is so common these days, and it just makes no sense to me that our society is okay with what we have become.

I personally have not had to deal with divorce myself but I have had someone very dear to me go through it and I see what a huge toll it has had on him, and his parents divorce was over eight years ago, and he is still coping with it. I just don't understand why people just give up on marriage? I understand their are circumstances like affairs and abuse, but what about the people who "fell out of love." I could go on for days about this but, it's just something that will always bother me.

Who are we to judge?

As our class got into what I think was our first heated discussion today, it got me really thinking. In fact, I have been thinking about our discussion literally all day. When we started talking about having free-will and pre-determination and then it started leading to other things, somehow, it seemed as if at one point we were talking about morality and judgment. This point stuck with me.

As a woman, I can be honest and say, by nature I am a judgmental being. Even though I feel that I am not as judgmental as others I can still admit that I am guilty of judgment. And as I look around and see other people judging me, judging my classmates, I wonder, what are they really thinking about me? The simple thing is to say you don't care, and for the most part I don't however, I do still wonder from time to time if I am presenting myself the way I want to be seen.

Well this also got me thinking, who do we, as humans, think we are, to seriously think that we should judge others? Really? Think about it, isn't God the one who "saved" us, and if this is so, Isn't he the all powerful, gracious, and kind being? Shouldn't he be the one to judge our actions and our character? I don't know but, all day this has really bothered me thinking about people pretty much hating on one another. 

Like when one of our classmates brought up about her neighbor and his situation, yes, to us that seems completely wrong and immoral but, what if God forgives him? Then what to we do? Still hate on him? I think this is a tough issue to reason with but it is definitely something to think about more often.

What is "Self?"

As we explore self this week in Philosophy, I have to question, what is it that I consider to be "self?" Do I consider my personality traits self? What about my body parts? What about my character?
This got me thinking about a past experience of mine. I brought home a boy that my father absolutely hated, and I mean, like loathing hate. When I asked my dad what his deal was he said that his character was questionable and he didn't trust him.
So, is this really an issue? Was this guys' character really something so deep within himself that it distinguished what he was as a person completely?
As we had our class discussion today and we took our positions, I looked closer at what Plato said about "self." He basically said that our soul is what is our actual self, and our body is just a tool. This was easy to agree with because I personally believe that our self has a direct correlation with our soul. When I think of what my "self" is made of, I would say things like: honest, trustworthy, happy, and loving. I wouldn't generally think of saying that my self is my brown eyes, my brown hair, etc. Yes, those things are part of me, and technically I guess they are what make me, me, but, what really makes me who I am as a person are my traits and qualities. However, I can see who this could be so controversial. I myself as I write this blog entry am finding myself questioning my "self."

Prop 8

Can I just start off by saying, Thank you Professor Devitto for that YouTube link. The issue of Prop 8 is something that I have a strong opinion about.

As election day approaches closer I have not only educated myself on who I think should be the next President, but also the different propositions that we, as Americans, are to vote for. One that has particularly caught my attention is Prop 8.

Growing up in a strict Christian home I was taught that being gay was unethical and against the teachings of the bible. Of course, as I child I did not question what the adults around me said, but as I grew older and started to form my opinions I started to realize a system that I consider to be quite flawed.

Not only did I feel like it was wrong to discriminate against gay people, it felt even worse to know that in the public eye they aren't even recognized as what is to be considered "acceptable." This is so hurtful, who are we to pass that kind of judgment on people that may be slightly different from our own self? Do people discriminate against race? No. Because someone finally stood up and said no, I have had enough.

This, Prop 8, is our chance to speak on behalf for those people who don't have the liberty that everyone else does. Shouldn't everyone have the right to be happy? And as for religion, like one of the men in that youtube video said, "Jesus was a man that wanted to dignity, respect, and EQUALITY, for all." This is something I can agree with. For all those religious people who claim that biblically it is against the will of God, He also sent Jesus as an example for us to live by, a man of compassion, a man that I believe, would not discriminate.

I have attached the link for those of you who did not get to watch it already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ANZiOK0o0

What is "Truth?"

Before I took this philosophy class I questioned many things going on in my every day life and the world around me however, some how I find myself questioning even more than I did before. Because of this I ask you: What is the point of trying to make a long-distance relationship work?

This thought crossed my mind when my boyfriend of almost two years told me he was going to another state for school this school year. As it took me as somewhat of a surprise we both agreed that we felt it was worth it to try and make it work. It has been four months since he left to his state and left me here in California. Many of my friends and especially my parents question why we would even try to make it work, especially when  you factor in the distance between us is close to a twenty hour drive. 

My answer to this question is simple, as one of my classmates today said, your reality is what you make it to be. What is truth to you may not be truth to another but as long as it is your truth and you are ok with it, that is all that matters. So to relate this back to my original question, the reason I feel it is worth it to make a long-distance relationship work is because it is my truth, and my reality, and maybe not everyone can see from my eyes but that doesn't neccessarily matter to me.

In conclusion, your truth is what you make it to be, and you can truly apply this to any situation you find yourself in.  

Do what you've got to do

Last quarter I felt so overwhelmed by my class-load. I let not only the pressures of school get to me but, also pressures like my parents, my boyfriend, and friends get to me. I got to the point where I was so fed up with everything I felt like I needed a break from it all.

At this point I looked into traveling abroad in another country for a year. The countries that particularly caught my attention were Argentina, and Spain. Starting to see that I really could end up going I started to get really excited. 

Unfortunately, six months later, here I am, not in a foreign country. But do you want to really know why I am here? Because I let something so small like an opinion of someone else tell me I shouldn't go. That's it. Stupid decision right? 

Essentially, the point I am trying to make here is, do what you have to do for yourself, and do not let anyone else influence you. Doing these things will bring you happiness and life experience.

Accepted?

Lets begin with an analogy:
You are walking down the street and see a man who is dressed well but has more than a few visible tattoos. Now, you also see a man walking beside him that is dressed the same however, he has no tattoos whatsoever.

Who would you be more likely to be friendly and welcome to? Lets think about this. Although tattoos are apparently more acceptable in society today it is not just the senior citizens who frown upon tattoos, it's a wide-spread majority of people. You can't get a good job while exposing tattoos, you can't even work at a corporate restaurant like Red Robin, without covering tattoos up.

And I can't help but question, why? Why is it that from such a young age we are taught that the way you look doesn't matter, we are all different and that's okay, it's on what is on the inside that counts. If the truth be known I think that's a bunch of bs. Because if that were true, why are their still judgments towards something that is, in the aspect of life itself, completely minute?

Society needs to decide whether they are going to let prejudices like tattoos dictate their interaction with the people around them because even though "our generation" is accepting of tattoos, their is still a lot to work on.