Is Submission Defeat?

Submission does mean defeat. It's actually a synonym for the word. When you submit you give in which is terrible. Defeat is actually a synonym of submission. Giving in wouldn't be that bad itself if you were giving in to the moment or even into even into a temptation because you can learn from it.
When you submit you pretty much give the person, thing, or whatever you are submitting to power over yourself. Power is not everything when you are dealing with other people, but no one should have power over you. Only you can control you, and you should fight for that. The reason I say submission is defeat is because once you submit you have basically decided to stop fighting. You are fighting everyday until you decide to quit. Once you quit you have been defeated. The easiest thing to do in life is to quit. Submitting would be like taking the easy way out.

In the book Panleux got sick. His symptoms weren't necessarily typical of the plague. Anyway, Panleux didn't even try to fight his illness. He let it take its toll and eventually kill him. He did not go see a doctor or anything like that. Tarrou on the other hand caught the plague and fought it. Yes, he did end up losing the battle, but at least he tried. Tarrou wanted to get better. The plague put up a better fight, but it did not defeat him.

It is possible to accept something with out submitting to it and not being defeated. Submission is defeat, but that doesn't mean go out and rebel. It is possible to accept something you don't like without being defeated. As long as you never loose what you stand for you will never be defeated.

Why do people ignore tragedy?

People choose to ignore tragedy because it's an unwanted reminder of their own mortality. They are reminded that, no matter who they are, no matter what their occupation, no one is able to "cheat" death. After the tragedy, they cannot escape the stories that emerge from that fateful day. The backstory of the victims suddenly becomes the central focus of every news channel on television as their pictures pop up on the screen. A photo of a short, brown-haired girl with two missing teeth smiling up at the camera -- nine-year-old Becky Sue who wanted to become a doctor when she grew up. John Smith: a tall, slightly-balding, devoted father of three, who liked to build birdhouses in his spare time and volunteered at a soup kitchen two saturdays a month. The news channels aim their melancholy stories to pull at the heartstrings of their viewers.
People ignore tragedy because they just can't face the truth. They would rather live an ignorant, happy life than deal with life's struggles. The people in The Plague are choosing not to call this epidemic a plague because once they put a name to that epidemic, it becomes a real tragedy. Everyone has heard the horror stories of the mass deaths from the other plagues, so nobody wants to think that they must also face this as well. Going through tragedies is awful and sometimes, people just can't deal with it. The only way they know how to get through it is to ignore it. Ignorance is bliss especially in the face of a tragedy.

Letter to the Jarrets

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Jarret,
You two have lost a son and almost lost another one. No one can tell you how to deal with your grief, but for the sake of Conrad you have to figure it out soon. Mr. Jarret, Conrad did try to kill himself and I know that you feel terrible and guilty because you think were missing the signs, but you can't over compensate for that now by constantly being worried and checking up on him. You have to give him room to heal and grow. If he feels like you can't handle his problems he won't come to you when he has one. I know that you care and so does he. Part of that over compensation is probably because you feel like you have to care enough fo you and your wife seeing as though she just seems disinterested. Mrs. Jarret you lost your first born and then your other son tried to commit suicide. It is okay not to be okay, but you act like it's not. You never really grieved over you losses which is not okay because you have to get past them. Everyone knows that you have something against Conrad and maybe if you actually talked to him you could work something out. He feels like you'll never forgive him and your husband doesn't think you will either. I feel like leaving is not the answer yet. If you just talked about how you felt maybe things would be different. You wouldn't even have to go to a specialist.
Mr. and Mrs. Jarret you guys are not bad parents or anything like that. You just could've gone about things in a different way. Maybe group therapy would've helped but who can be sure. Just know Conrad is trying to be better and so should you.

Sincerely,
A Friend

Civic Duties

There are a lot of things that everybody should do, but there is this one thing that I believe needs to be done by everyone. I think all people should watch Grey's Anatomy. It should be a requirement that every person watch the show. It would make socializing so much easier. Whenever you met a new person there is automatically something to talk about. There could be new icebreakers, like who is your favorite character and why? It would definitely increase my quality of life seeing as though I relate almost everything to Grey's Anatomy. If this was everyones civic duty then everyone would understand my show references. There are so many times I say something and then I'm just like nobody understands me. If everyone watched the show no one would have to go through life feeling misunderstood all of the time because there would be someone out there who could relate to them about something. This Civic Duty wouldn't just appease me it could make a lot of peoples lives easier. Say you work in a an office and there is this one person you always have awkward conversations with or you just never know what to say to them, with this requirement in place there is at least one thing you can talk about whether you love it or hate it. I just feel like everyone should watch Grey's Anatomy and in doing so the world would become a better place.

Is Poverty a Choice?

Poverty is not a choice. To live in poverty is to live under the minimum standards of living set out by the government. I don't think anyone would just choose to live in such a manner. Slipping into poverty can happen by making a series of bad choices or just one bad choice. Some times people end up in poverty by events that they couldn't even help. It can happen from getting an illness and the medical bills becoming too overwhelming. Times can get hard and people get laid off of work. It's also possible to born into poverty. So no, I don't think poverty is a choice. There are people who live miserably in poverty and others that live happily and try to work their way out of it. Ending up in poverty is not a choice, but choosing to stay there without trying to do better is.

In the book All Souls the MacDonald family lives in poverty, but they don't let that define them. They live the life they choose to with whatever they have. They didn't make the choice to live in poverty certain circumstances lead them there. they did however make the choice not to live in misery. So I say again that poverty is not a choice, but how you handle it is.

Malcolm X

A lot went on in the first half of this book. Malcolm X went from being born to being in jail and getting saved.  I found it crazy how Malcolm X used to be a hustler on the streets. I had no idea about Malcolm X's life before he was a ciivil rights activist, so to learn that he didn't have a direct path into the civil rights movement was interesting. He went to prison and got saved. That is very common now. Generally men who have been imprisoned turn to the Lord to help them. While locked up they tend read the bible. Malcolm X was just a regular guy who found a God to turn to in prison. I found it interesting that prison and all its horrors can actually lead to a reform, well at least it could back then. Malcolm X's imprisonment led to his wonderful legacy. Even his old hustler friend Sammy got his life together. Now it seems like prison breaks people and when they're released they have difficulties staying out of the system, forget about doing something to make a difference. Malcolm X used prison as an opportunity and made it work for him. He found something to work for, and that plus the lack of distractions he had in prison made him who he was.  If prisoners today could have aspirations and motivation I think the world would be different.

Direction the Class Needs

I really like the way our class is structured. I like the way we have discussions. I feel like i get so much insight from the other classmates. In previous classes it has been mostly lectures, but this stems away from that in an effort I guess to perceive things the way we choose without the bias of a teacher. I don't really like the group works that much because we rarely actually do them in a group with a mini discussion of the text like we should. Sometimes the questions just end up being homework after the fact.
The blogs I feel have diminished a little bit but sometimes I feel like they are interesting to write and read about, but others I don't enjoy that much. I also feel like we should go over the blogs in class more often. As for a direction the class needs I think we can just keep on the same path with more discussions that start from a more abstract question and less group work. I actually like the class as is, so I wouldn't want to change much.

King Still King?

With Martin Luther King's birthday just passing and the observation of it coming up I start to wonder if people still remember him. I don't mean remember who he was, but more of what he stood for. He is definitely more than just another day off of school he fought the good fight and I'm starting to worry that people don't even pay attention to it anymore. Segregation and racial inequality aren't as fresh in people's minds anymore because of the amount of progress that has been made. If a person doesn't necessarily feel directly related to the issue they don't really care. Yes, there is still inequality when it comes to race, but I feel that people let that slide. In letting that slide  I feel that those people are moving away from King. Like he is becoming a faint memory. There are definitely more inequality issues that have taken over and other people have stepped up to fight the current battle. With this happening I'm afraid that Martin Luther King Jr. is losing his prevalence in societies mind. He will always be a historical figure and will always be remember, but I don't think King is still King.

A Beautiful Introduction

I have a very eclectic taste in music and everyone lets me know. I listen to almost everything and I'm willing to try any genre. My favorite tv show is Grey's Anatomy and the music they play in the show is important to the producers. That show has opened my eyes to artists I otherwise wouldn't know anything about. One of my greatest findings was the group Snow Patrol. 

Snow Patrol's third studio album Eyes Open is fantastic. With songs like Chasing Cars, Open Your Eyes, Set Fire to the Third Bar, and Make This Go On Forever its no wonder this album was a success. The music is beautiful and the lead singer Gary Lightbody has a great voice. A lot of the songs have that build up to the climatic part of the song and then the ending that calms out for the most part. This album has the type of songs I just find myself humming or randomly singing. It's the type of music I try to get my friends to listen to. So you should listen and I hope you like

Alone

I don't really know how it feels to be completely alone. I say that I want to be alone, but I really mean is that I want to be alone for a little while. I wouldn't know what to do. I am an only child so I spend a lot of time by myself, but that doesn't necessarily mean alone. There have been times that I have been in a group and felt alone. I would just sit there and feel a detachment to what was going on around me. In those moment I don't care what the other people are doing and I am just consumed with my thoughts. I often do this on the train too. I just sit there and think about everything. The world around me almost stops and I have no idea how much time has passed. Sometimes that feeling of being alone is good, but other times I want to be a part of something larger.

I know this means something

I know that havign people who care about you means something. We enter this world alone and we exit alone. The time in between does not have to be spent alone. In fact it shouldn't be. Just imagine if you didn't have anyone who cared about you then all your thoughts and feelings and dreams and aspirations would be even less significant than they already are. There would be nobody for you run to if you need help and nobody to keep you on the right track. Having people in you life that actually care is very important. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have someone to tell my successses and failures to.

FRANKLy speaking

I've finished the first part of Man's Search for Meaning and thus far Frankl has been talking about his experiences in a concentration camp. I had never heard of Capos before and when Josh related it to the overseers of slaves and it made sense. You have to do everything you can to stay alive.

What actually happened to him wasn't exactly surprising, but his reactions to what was going on we're surprising for me. He talked about apathy and how they pretty much become in a sense numb. All the death surrounding the prisoners had less and less effects on them. It made me think about my own life and how I think I have problems. I sit there an wallow in everything going on, then I read this book and watch It's a beautiful life and I remember other people have gone through worse and taken it in stride. Frankl kept living and Guido kept living his life until the very end. After everything that was thrown at them they got through it even though Guido died. It helped me realize that it could be worse so I should just find a way through it.

Who Will They Choose?

I think Voltaire would vote for Jill Stein of the Green Party. Voltaire was all about cultivating his garden. Jill Stein wants to provide grants and loans to grow green business. She also wants to redirect research funding from fossil fuels to wind, and geothermal. Stein is pretty much trying to get everyone to help cultivate the garden.
I don't really think that Camus would vote. It would be meaningless to him, but I believe he would vote Obama. I don't think Camus would want to stir things up so he'd vote Obama because he's the reigning president.

Our Stranger Meaning

What is meaningful to me? People are meaningful. Having people around you who care about you is very meaningful. Life is exponentially better when I'm with friends or family. They are the people that I can talk to about anything. I can tell them all the meaningless things about my life. I can enjoy the exciting parts of life with them.
If it weren't for people you'd truly be alone. Just you and your thoughts. Your thoughts would essentially not mean anything because, what are thoughts if you can't share them. Even if you think you're alone now, you really aren't because there is going to be someone trying to understand you. If there were no other people what would be the point of existence?

Did Candide's punishments fit the crimes?

Candide got into a lot of situations that ended up with him being punished. He has been kicked out, flogged, almost sacrificed, and more. I don't really think he deserved to suffer such severe punishments. The one in particular that I am going to talk about is the first one. The Baron von Thunder-ten-tronckh literally kicked Candide out of the castle. The Baron chased Candide out while kicking him. For a punishment like a person would a major crime was committed, right? That wasn't the case though. Candide was punished for getting caught "kissing" Cunégonde. The whole thing was Cunégonde's fault. She was doing what she saw Pangloss doing the other day. Candide didn't even get a chance to explain himself. He was kicked out and that's when his whole adventure began. 

How do I know what I know?

I know how to read. I was taught by teachers and my family. From a very young age I was taught to sound out words and look them up if I didn't know the definition. Before I even got that far I was taught the sounds of the alphabet. I believe I  know how to read because many people have told me to read this way and because there isn't a misunderstanding between the author and I.

It is possible that I don't know anything including how to read. At some point somebody made this      alphabet we use, created the phonic sounds, and figured out how to put them together. I might not actually know how to read because reading is made up. Everything in the world is made up so how can anyone actually be sure of anything?

The unexamined life is not worth living? Modern day gadfly

The unexamined life is worth living because I believe every life is worth living. Whether you choose to live your life in the dark or think about it is your choice. The examined life is more meaningful and fulfilling though. If you just go through the "motions" not wondering why they are the "motions" then you'll live a life. Your life might me simple and easy, but it may work for you. A person can believe they are happy living that life and who are we to say their life is not worth living because it is. Now, if you choose to question how the "motions" came to be the "motions" and possibly decide to veer of that predirected path then that's great. Those questions might lead you to an understanding of life therefore making you feel like you got the most out of life. Both lives are worth living it's just up to the person to decide which path to take.

Finding a modern day gadfly was a little hard. I really had to think about this, but then I decided that Russel Brand is a modern day gadfly. He questions society. He does it through humor, but he makes us think about stuff. He burned a dollar and tried to burn a pound but that didn't work. In America a dollar is worth so much, but is it actually worth anything? Burning currency is illegal, but he did it anyway to make us question why we value certain things. He gives his opinion in a very blunt way but, he gets it out there.

Eulogy

Tyler Rand is a 17 year old senior at Whitney Young. She has friends and a really small family. She's an only child to her mom and is the only child of her family of about 9 people. She finds herself uninteresting and she doesn't say much.  She is pretty indifferent to many many things going on and arguments taking place. Tyler strongly dislikes conflict.. She does however a a view on Taylor Swift. She thinks she's amazing. Her recent accomplishments were winning the team player award from her summer softball team and waking up alive today. Other accomplishments include valedictorian of her eighth grade class as well as watching every episode of Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, Friends, and Degrassi. She has dedicated some of her life to watching episodes of Greys Anatomy over and over, so some may say that she has an obsession bordering on  addiction of the show. Majority of her life has been spent in school and even more of her life will spent in school. She plays varsity softball and is in young doctor's league, key club, dreams for kids, and will be taking the yearbook seminar.  She has had the opportunity to hold organs in her hands and see cadavers. Her goals are to be a cardio-thoracic surgeon. Her family has a history of heart conditions so she wants to help with that. Tyler Rand is just a girl that will hopefully go on to do great things and have actual accomplishments. Her life thus far has been pretty uneventfull, but that might change. There was Tyler Rand and hopefully here she will continue.