I really enjoyed this movie. It was an overall feel-good movie. I think it captured the religious stereotyping quite well. The situations weren't too extreme in my opinion. I'm sure a lot worse has happened, but viewers will find this plot more realistic. There were only a couple of things I had problems with. First of all, the cheesy Bollywood music. I know it's necessary, and it was a great background support for the happy moments of the film. However, there were some questionable times when it was playing. An upbeat tune is not a very good accompanying piece when Mandira starts meeting with people to bring justice to Sameer's death, but there it was! Also, I was kind of surprised that people who encountered him did not at all address the fact he has Asperger's. Yeah, it'd be great if they were treated like normal citizens, but they aren't a lot of the time. And a lot of the time they need to be treated differently (mainly in developmental stages and such).
I still am fascinated by how much religion is a part of countries. The United States has separation of church and state, but in other countries that is not the case. Often the laws of the country are made from the laws of the religion. I read Reading Lolita in Tehran my junior year of high school. I loved the book. A lot of the reason was because I love books and the idea of book clubs, but also I loved learning about the lifestyle of women in Tehran. I didn't know much about it at all. I won't write a lot about it here because some of you have read it and I don't want to rewrite my Scholars application paper in this blog (unless you all are dying to read it), yet there are some things I find interesting now after seeing "My Name is Khan."
There was a woman that wore a head scarf and was a professor or something. She said the scarf was a part of who she was. In the book, the women resent the head scarf much of the time. They don't like what it stands for. The participants of the book club didn't wear it while in the home of Azar Nafisi, the author of the book. I suppose it's all about personal experiences though. The professor in the movie stopped wearing it for a while, but it was because of the stereotyping that happened in America, whereas the book is more about the put-down of women in Tehran.
Everyone has their own experiences with their religions. Sometimes we love it, sometimes we hate it, and often times we question it.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
What I learned about London from my brother
My brother is a senior at Augustana college, so this year he has to complete a Capstone project. He is majoring in biology and environmental science with a minor in philosophy. Quite the academic, eh? I think he should write a book. Anyways, he decided to do his project on seed saving. For the past two weeks he has been travelling around London, England conducting interviews and visiting points of interest regarding seed saving. The reason he chose London is they have one of the largest seed banks in the world. It's quite fascinating, really.
He showed my parents and I pictures and explained all kinds of stuff about seed saving. Basically, when someone discovers a new species of plant, they take the seeds and send them to a seed bank where they are processed, frozen, and stored in hermetically sealed containers. Not all species of plants are stored in London, however. Only about 12% of the plant population is there. But when you think about how many species of plants there are in the world, that's a lot. These seeds are all kept in two rooms at the seed bank. Just TWO ROOMS. They must very efficiently pack them in there. Also, they are ordered by a specific coded system to ensure no one can break in and easily find what they're looking for. It's pretty sneaky of them.
A part of seed saving that is really super awesome is that if a species goes extinct, there's a large chance one of the seed banks in the world has at least one seed from that specimen. With that one seed a species of plant can be reborn. My brother had some pictures of plants that were being regrown. He also had a picture of this one huge plant that either produces one large leaf made up of many small leaflets or, every once and a while, a single flower. This flower is the largest in the world and apparently smells like rotted meat. Yummy.
Carlisle, my brother, also spoke to us about other random things he learned in England. First of all, he told us about the announcements at the subways. A lady's voice would come over the intercom and announce something, ending every announcement with "mind the gap." He said it was annoying. Also, because England is one of the few countries where one drives on the left side of the road, they have to paint on the road which way pedestrians should look in order to avoid being hit by a vehicle. Apparently the English also like to take stuff from other places and keep it. This includes species of trees.
My brother researched one summer in Colorado and he had a friend that now goes to Oxford for graduate school. He met up with her while he was in England. First of all, he visited the Great Hall in Christ Church College. This is where the the dining hall scenes in Harry Potter were filmed. People who are a part of Christ Church College have formal dinners EVERY NIGHT of the week. That's pretty cool. His friend said that her college only has formal dinners once or twice a week. No big deal or anything. Also, students wear full academic regalia (cap, gown, tassel, etc.) to their final examinations. Yep, they wear all of that just to take a three hour exam. Awesome. Undergraduate studies work differently, too. The students will have a few lecture courses, but they also meet individually with professors who give them other outside work such as readings and essays which they then discuss together. It seems like a much more intimate and individualized kind of learning. Very interesting. I'm not sure I'd like it.
After seeing all of his pictures and hearing his stories I really want to travel somewhere awesome and have stories and experiences of my own. It will all happen in due time.
P.S. Dr. Birgen, could I get a culture point for this informal talk my brother gave to my family and I? :)
He showed my parents and I pictures and explained all kinds of stuff about seed saving. Basically, when someone discovers a new species of plant, they take the seeds and send them to a seed bank where they are processed, frozen, and stored in hermetically sealed containers. Not all species of plants are stored in London, however. Only about 12% of the plant population is there. But when you think about how many species of plants there are in the world, that's a lot. These seeds are all kept in two rooms at the seed bank. Just TWO ROOMS. They must very efficiently pack them in there. Also, they are ordered by a specific coded system to ensure no one can break in and easily find what they're looking for. It's pretty sneaky of them.
A part of seed saving that is really super awesome is that if a species goes extinct, there's a large chance one of the seed banks in the world has at least one seed from that specimen. With that one seed a species of plant can be reborn. My brother had some pictures of plants that were being regrown. He also had a picture of this one huge plant that either produces one large leaf made up of many small leaflets or, every once and a while, a single flower. This flower is the largest in the world and apparently smells like rotted meat. Yummy.
Carlisle, my brother, also spoke to us about other random things he learned in England. First of all, he told us about the announcements at the subways. A lady's voice would come over the intercom and announce something, ending every announcement with "mind the gap." He said it was annoying. Also, because England is one of the few countries where one drives on the left side of the road, they have to paint on the road which way pedestrians should look in order to avoid being hit by a vehicle. Apparently the English also like to take stuff from other places and keep it. This includes species of trees.
My brother researched one summer in Colorado and he had a friend that now goes to Oxford for graduate school. He met up with her while he was in England. First of all, he visited the Great Hall in Christ Church College. This is where the the dining hall scenes in Harry Potter were filmed. People who are a part of Christ Church College have formal dinners EVERY NIGHT of the week. That's pretty cool. His friend said that her college only has formal dinners once or twice a week. No big deal or anything. Also, students wear full academic regalia (cap, gown, tassel, etc.) to their final examinations. Yep, they wear all of that just to take a three hour exam. Awesome. Undergraduate studies work differently, too. The students will have a few lecture courses, but they also meet individually with professors who give them other outside work such as readings and essays which they then discuss together. It seems like a much more intimate and individualized kind of learning. Very interesting. I'm not sure I'd like it.
After seeing all of his pictures and hearing his stories I really want to travel somewhere awesome and have stories and experiences of my own. It will all happen in due time.
P.S. Dr. Birgen, could I get a culture point for this informal talk my brother gave to my family and I? :)
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
A culmination of the day's festivities
WARNING: There will be no organization to this blog. This will accurately represent the lack of organization of thoughts when it comes to topics brought up today in general.
Rape culture and feminism, I was delighted to learn about you from the wonderful Ella. I thoroughly enjoyed her passion about the subject and her desire to keep the focus on facts. However, our class was somehow unable to just sit quietly and take in the data that she would be able to support with references, I'm sure. Almost everything said was challenged by someone in the peanut gallery. Sure, this is a controversial topic, but I think we could have at least given her time to fully explain the information before pouncing! And don't even get me started on getting off topic onto other topics which lead to heated opinions being thrown about that aren't even related to correct subject matter. For example, there was a picture of Miley and Robin performing at the VMAs. She was going to talk about the performance and song in relation to rape, but somebody instead brought up the changes Miley has gone through and everything. IRRELEVANT.
Anyways, on to my next thought...
I used to think 'Oh, we're just getting heated in arguments because of the topics,' but now I realize that EVERYTHING is a heated topic for our class. I love that we all have our own opinions and are willing to share them. However, we need to be respectful of other's opinions as well (see "Maybe we actually SHOULD read this book...?" for more on that topic). We don't have to agree, but at least listen to what other's are going to say. Or even simpler, let them finish their statement before starting a new one. We can at least do that, right? (I hope so).
I have another idea I came up with today! I personally enjoyed learning about something from someone who is passionate about the topic. It would have been AWESOME if all of our classes were like this one. Each of us has a passion about something. Why not give every student a day where they lead the class in a lecture-type-thing about said passion. It would be a great way to learn a lot of things and a lot about our classmates.
The only trouble with this is that some people are passionate about controversial topics.
Oh no! What will we do?!
I think that people should just man up and deal with the presence of differing opinions in a positive way. This does NOT include interruptions, snide remarks, rude looks, or muttering under your breath. It does include listening, being patients, being kind, and being respectful of others. The only topics that should be steered clear of are those which are "triggers." These topics affect the core of one's being in a negative way. Not just because they are against it, but because of a personal experience that has haunted them. For example, rape would not be a good topic to discuss in class if a victim of rape is sitting in one of the seats. There are various ways to evaluate the topics that are off-limits, but since this idea won't actually come to fruition I won't go ahead and talk about that.
On to another thought.
We talked a lot about rape not being taken seriously. This is true. It is not taken seriously. A lot of serious things are not taken seriously. Offensive statements are said and people get hurt. Our society has become somewhat numb to other's feelings. Our feelings are still quite important to us, but most people disregard the possible consequences of actions regarding other people. I know I already wrote a blog about this topic, but there were some things that I'm sure were left unsaid. On the other side, people should be less sensitive to thoughts shared. Not everything is a personal attack. I know that I am one of those people that tends to personalize everything, so I'm being a slight hypocrite, but we should be able to look outside ourselves for a bit and see OTHER PEOPLE EXIST. Gasp. I know, it's a shocking truth.
On to feminism!!!!
Well, actually I'm not going to talk about feminism really. One thing that in general annoyed me about the feminism argument is the fact we are generalizing the two genders so much. I think that every person is different, and so saying "Women do this" and "Men do that" is kind of pointless. I think we've come far enough in this society of equality that we can't lump everyone together based on gender and make a valid argument. Everyone is different, so everyone will probably be treated differently. Equality ain't no thing. Also, I believe the reason there are more men in the medical professions is because more men choose to become doctors, not necessarily because they are more successful in math and science. If more women pursued the career then maybe it would be more equal. We all have different talents and different passions.
So next time a point is brought up that is generalizing a population we should remember that it is a blanket statement and there WILL BE EXCEPTIONS to the generalization ALWAYS. Instead of pointing out every little exception during the class time, realize that the person making the generalized statement probably knows it is a generalized statement and there will be exceptions.
Now that that unorganized little rant is done...
While I was coming up with my GENIUS IDEA of how the Scholars class could have been conducted, I realized that I don't know what my chosen topic would be. I don't really know the thing I'm most passionate about. I'm kind of a renaissance man in the way that many things interest me pretty equally. I'll just ask my parents what I rant about most to them.
Rape culture and feminism, I was delighted to learn about you from the wonderful Ella. I thoroughly enjoyed her passion about the subject and her desire to keep the focus on facts. However, our class was somehow unable to just sit quietly and take in the data that she would be able to support with references, I'm sure. Almost everything said was challenged by someone in the peanut gallery. Sure, this is a controversial topic, but I think we could have at least given her time to fully explain the information before pouncing! And don't even get me started on getting off topic onto other topics which lead to heated opinions being thrown about that aren't even related to correct subject matter. For example, there was a picture of Miley and Robin performing at the VMAs. She was going to talk about the performance and song in relation to rape, but somebody instead brought up the changes Miley has gone through and everything. IRRELEVANT.
Anyways, on to my next thought...
I used to think 'Oh, we're just getting heated in arguments because of the topics,' but now I realize that EVERYTHING is a heated topic for our class. I love that we all have our own opinions and are willing to share them. However, we need to be respectful of other's opinions as well (see "Maybe we actually SHOULD read this book...?" for more on that topic). We don't have to agree, but at least listen to what other's are going to say. Or even simpler, let them finish their statement before starting a new one. We can at least do that, right? (I hope so).
I have another idea I came up with today! I personally enjoyed learning about something from someone who is passionate about the topic. It would have been AWESOME if all of our classes were like this one. Each of us has a passion about something. Why not give every student a day where they lead the class in a lecture-type-thing about said passion. It would be a great way to learn a lot of things and a lot about our classmates.
The only trouble with this is that some people are passionate about controversial topics.
Oh no! What will we do?!
I think that people should just man up and deal with the presence of differing opinions in a positive way. This does NOT include interruptions, snide remarks, rude looks, or muttering under your breath. It does include listening, being patients, being kind, and being respectful of others. The only topics that should be steered clear of are those which are "triggers." These topics affect the core of one's being in a negative way. Not just because they are against it, but because of a personal experience that has haunted them. For example, rape would not be a good topic to discuss in class if a victim of rape is sitting in one of the seats. There are various ways to evaluate the topics that are off-limits, but since this idea won't actually come to fruition I won't go ahead and talk about that.
On to another thought.
We talked a lot about rape not being taken seriously. This is true. It is not taken seriously. A lot of serious things are not taken seriously. Offensive statements are said and people get hurt. Our society has become somewhat numb to other's feelings. Our feelings are still quite important to us, but most people disregard the possible consequences of actions regarding other people. I know I already wrote a blog about this topic, but there were some things that I'm sure were left unsaid. On the other side, people should be less sensitive to thoughts shared. Not everything is a personal attack. I know that I am one of those people that tends to personalize everything, so I'm being a slight hypocrite, but we should be able to look outside ourselves for a bit and see OTHER PEOPLE EXIST. Gasp. I know, it's a shocking truth.
On to feminism!!!!
Well, actually I'm not going to talk about feminism really. One thing that in general annoyed me about the feminism argument is the fact we are generalizing the two genders so much. I think that every person is different, and so saying "Women do this" and "Men do that" is kind of pointless. I think we've come far enough in this society of equality that we can't lump everyone together based on gender and make a valid argument. Everyone is different, so everyone will probably be treated differently. Equality ain't no thing. Also, I believe the reason there are more men in the medical professions is because more men choose to become doctors, not necessarily because they are more successful in math and science. If more women pursued the career then maybe it would be more equal. We all have different talents and different passions.
So next time a point is brought up that is generalizing a population we should remember that it is a blanket statement and there WILL BE EXCEPTIONS to the generalization ALWAYS. Instead of pointing out every little exception during the class time, realize that the person making the generalized statement probably knows it is a generalized statement and there will be exceptions.
Now that that unorganized little rant is done...
While I was coming up with my GENIUS IDEA of how the Scholars class could have been conducted, I realized that I don't know what my chosen topic would be. I don't really know the thing I'm most passionate about. I'm kind of a renaissance man in the way that many things interest me pretty equally. I'll just ask my parents what I rant about most to them.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Anxiety and expectations
In school I've always been one of those people that has trouble tolerating being in a class with people who slack off. I just don't get it. How can they stand to live their lives if they don't complete their assignments on time or get A's on tests or practice for three hours every day? It just doesn't make sense! If I have something that needs to be accomplished, I get it done as soon as possible. Otherwise the thought of needing to get something done will weigh down on me. I can't think or speak without my mind wandering to a thought in the back of my mind saying, 'Hey, Emma. You know that music theory worksheet that's due in three days? You better get that done. NOW!'
I don't know why I'm so anxious about it. It's not like my parents have ever needed to push me to do homework. I do it naturally. Not because I want to necessarily, but because I feel like I need to. It's a do or die thing. I know, I really need to get my priorities straight. Anyways, the reason that I have such anxiety surrounding the need to be successful in everything I do is that society has decided to place this expectation on people in this generation. I don't know why they have decided to raise the standards so much, but they have.
For example, I learned a lot more material in high school than either of my parents. After seventh grade, I couldn't ask my dad for help with math homework, and he was really good at math in high school and college. The curriculum has become a lot more rigorous, especially with all the honors courses and AP courses that put many students ahead of the already accelerated coursework.
It would be ridiculous of me to claim that the change in standards came only for my age group. It's been a gradual process, I know. As more knowledge becomes attainable and more resources become available, there is more to be taught, more to learn.
One major problem we have today is with how we measure success. It's all about the grade or the percentage or the GPA. But, let's face it, that may not be a very accurate way of evaluating a person's success. Then again, what is success?
I believe success to not be dependent on how well I do on a test. There have been plenty of times that I don't do as well on an exam as I wanted to. However, if the mistakes I made were due to stupid errors instead of unpreparedness, I'm able to get past the grade. That is until a classmate rubs in their 125% they received. Then I start to get upset. I feel like I've let someone down. Myself? Maybe. My parents? Probably.
I'm not sure why I think my parents will think less of me because of a silly letter grade. They never have and they never will. Unless of course I start failing all my classes. But that won't happen. I have anxiety, remember? I also like to "compare and despair" a lot between myself and others. Another skill taught to us by society. We have so many competition shows on the television these days that it's hard not to get competitive in everything we do. I probably wouldn't be so competitive in school if everyone else around me in high school would have chilled out for a bit.
Back to what success is. I don't think it's dependent on a letter grade. It's not about how well I do on a test, but about what I learned from the class. There is some information I learned in high school and was tested on that is quite irrelevant to my life. Sure, it was nice to know for a bit, but I don't need it now. The information that sticks with me is what i'm passionate about and what I enjoy. That is what is more important. In college, the pressure is on more because we take classes specifically for our major which will then translate into a career that will affect the REST OF OUR LIVES (no pressure).
In the end, our grades won't matter. What will matter is the way we lived and how we felt about it. What will matter is how we grew from experiences: either positive or negative. I know this point has been preached before. If you're annoyed by hearing this then I want you to take a step back and evaluate whether you measure your success on the scale that matters most. I know that I am still stuck on grades, but I'm trying to outgrow that. With a little practice I just might be able to. And with it, perhaps my anxiety will lessen and I won't get panic attacks when I'm at home doing something enjoyable instead of practicing piano.
I could write so much more about living life to its fullest, but I should go to bed soon. I also should think about becoming a philosopher, eh, eh?
But really...should I minor in philosophy?
That would drive my mom nuts. I know she's already thinking it's weird my brother's minoring in philosophy...I just might do it anyways.
Because existentialism sounds fun.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Maybe we actually SHOULD read this book...?
So I'm reading Six Questions of Socrates, right? Yea, I know, I'm probably the only one that actually reads this book, but I like it. I'm reading "What is good?" and I find it very interesting.
So far there has been a lot of discussion about treating others as human even though they are different in race, religion, or opinion. We must accept others as people even if we differ from them. Just because they aren't exactly the same as us doesn't mean they aren't human. This applies greatly to arguments, or what our scholar's class likes to refer to as "debates." I put the quotation marks around that word because we always shy away from debates because we treat them as if they are arguments in which no one wins and everyone gets hurt. I think we're big boys and girls and can fend for ourselves and depersonalize the points made by others, but it's up to the leaders what we do with our time.
Anyways here is a nice quote from one of the participants of a conversation with Christopher Philips: "Instead of trying to win an argument...we voiced our concerns, but also we really opened ourselves up to the concerns of the other"(166).
What's that? They were able to say what they believe, but also listen and respect an opposing opinion? I didn't think that was possible. I'm not specifically criticizing our scholar's class but society in general. We are often much too self-consumed to look outside of ourselves and examine the lives of others. Their lives are just as important. True, our own personal lives will be more important to us than the lives of others most likely. However, this doesn't mean we can completely disregard others as people. We constantly are thinking about the rights of homosexuals and other groups because the rights denied them are much more obvious. However, everyone has rights that are sometimes disregarded by other individuals. So perhaps we should also be fighting for our own personal rights to live.
It seems kind of silly to do that, doesn't it? It should be a given that we will live how we wish to live. True, we can live how we want, but that doesn't mean others will agree with it. Maybe it's not important to pay attention to what others think about you, especially when its something ridiculous like not liking the way you choose to live. So ignore those who don't accept you the way you are; that's all fine and dandy. However, I challenge you all to not have to be those people that have to be ignored. Accept others for who they are. Love thy neighbor as you would love yourself. Listen, truly listen, to what others are saying. You don't have to agree, but you do have to acknowledge its presence. You could even go a step further and even try to understand it.
For further reading, open up your Six Questions of Socrates book to page 162 and read.
So far there has been a lot of discussion about treating others as human even though they are different in race, religion, or opinion. We must accept others as people even if we differ from them. Just because they aren't exactly the same as us doesn't mean they aren't human. This applies greatly to arguments, or what our scholar's class likes to refer to as "debates." I put the quotation marks around that word because we always shy away from debates because we treat them as if they are arguments in which no one wins and everyone gets hurt. I think we're big boys and girls and can fend for ourselves and depersonalize the points made by others, but it's up to the leaders what we do with our time.
Anyways here is a nice quote from one of the participants of a conversation with Christopher Philips: "Instead of trying to win an argument...we voiced our concerns, but also we really opened ourselves up to the concerns of the other"(166).
What's that? They were able to say what they believe, but also listen and respect an opposing opinion? I didn't think that was possible. I'm not specifically criticizing our scholar's class but society in general. We are often much too self-consumed to look outside of ourselves and examine the lives of others. Their lives are just as important. True, our own personal lives will be more important to us than the lives of others most likely. However, this doesn't mean we can completely disregard others as people. We constantly are thinking about the rights of homosexuals and other groups because the rights denied them are much more obvious. However, everyone has rights that are sometimes disregarded by other individuals. So perhaps we should also be fighting for our own personal rights to live.
It seems kind of silly to do that, doesn't it? It should be a given that we will live how we wish to live. True, we can live how we want, but that doesn't mean others will agree with it. Maybe it's not important to pay attention to what others think about you, especially when its something ridiculous like not liking the way you choose to live. So ignore those who don't accept you the way you are; that's all fine and dandy. However, I challenge you all to not have to be those people that have to be ignored. Accept others for who they are. Love thy neighbor as you would love yourself. Listen, truly listen, to what others are saying. You don't have to agree, but you do have to acknowledge its presence. You could even go a step further and even try to understand it.
For further reading, open up your Six Questions of Socrates book to page 162 and read.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
As promised: a blog about abortion
Since I'm the one that mentioned blogging instead of "debating" about abortion, I figured I should probably follow my own advice and blog about my views.
A lot of people have an opinion about abortion due to their religious affiliation or political ideology. However, I'm not particularly political and my faith is what I make of it. I am pro-choice. I haven't been particularly swayed by my family's opinion because we don't often discuss abortion. My mom has occasionally brought it up when elections roll around, but other than that it stays out of my house.
I don't really have an organized list of things to say about why I'm pro-choice, so I apologize if I start to ramble or not make sense in any way, shape, or form. I tend to do that when my thoughts are unorganized and I don't know how to organize them.
I believe all people have the right to do what they want with their bodies. What they do, doesn't affect me, so I don't think I should be arguing. I also don't believe in murdering. Because of this, I don't plan on having an abortion myself. That's my choice. I've never been in a situation where abortion is an option, and I don't plan to be any time soon, so I can't say for sure what my choice would be. I love having options to choose from in almost all situations of my life. It helps me feel more free and independent, less constricted, less anxious. I'm not being forced one way, I can choose another path to take. The same is true with abortion. Those who are pregnant should have the choice to terminate the pregnancy if they believe that is the best option for them.
I do like throwing out some guidelines for abortion though. I believe that the abortion must happen within a certain number of weeks of the beginning of the pregnancy. This way, the fetus is not too developed. Sure, it's still a human life and whatnot, but it seems more humane the earlier the abortion happens. Also, girls should not be getting abortions willy nilly just because certain methods of birth control didn't work or they lost their ability to make good decisions for a night. There has to be something more to the reasoning. If the child is going to be born into an unfit environment and suffer a majority of their life or have severe functional disabilities that will be unsupported for a lot of their life then abortion seems like the best way to go. Less suffering on the child's part. Also, if the woman is going to die due to the pregnancy, I believe she has the choice to abort the baby. I'm sure there are some mothers who would rather give up their life then give up the baby, but that's the beauty of choices.
I love living and I wouldn't ever want to take that away from anyone. However, quality of life is also important, and sometimes the well-being of a child will suffer if it is born. I can't seem to find the right words to articulate all of my opinions, so I apologize, but I think you all got the gist of my standpoint on the matter. I have a strong opinion, but I don't preach it often and I certainly don't push it on anyone. Just like with abortion, people have a choice in what they believe.
A lot of people have an opinion about abortion due to their religious affiliation or political ideology. However, I'm not particularly political and my faith is what I make of it. I am pro-choice. I haven't been particularly swayed by my family's opinion because we don't often discuss abortion. My mom has occasionally brought it up when elections roll around, but other than that it stays out of my house.
I don't really have an organized list of things to say about why I'm pro-choice, so I apologize if I start to ramble or not make sense in any way, shape, or form. I tend to do that when my thoughts are unorganized and I don't know how to organize them.
I believe all people have the right to do what they want with their bodies. What they do, doesn't affect me, so I don't think I should be arguing. I also don't believe in murdering. Because of this, I don't plan on having an abortion myself. That's my choice. I've never been in a situation where abortion is an option, and I don't plan to be any time soon, so I can't say for sure what my choice would be. I love having options to choose from in almost all situations of my life. It helps me feel more free and independent, less constricted, less anxious. I'm not being forced one way, I can choose another path to take. The same is true with abortion. Those who are pregnant should have the choice to terminate the pregnancy if they believe that is the best option for them.
I do like throwing out some guidelines for abortion though. I believe that the abortion must happen within a certain number of weeks of the beginning of the pregnancy. This way, the fetus is not too developed. Sure, it's still a human life and whatnot, but it seems more humane the earlier the abortion happens. Also, girls should not be getting abortions willy nilly just because certain methods of birth control didn't work or they lost their ability to make good decisions for a night. There has to be something more to the reasoning. If the child is going to be born into an unfit environment and suffer a majority of their life or have severe functional disabilities that will be unsupported for a lot of their life then abortion seems like the best way to go. Less suffering on the child's part. Also, if the woman is going to die due to the pregnancy, I believe she has the choice to abort the baby. I'm sure there are some mothers who would rather give up their life then give up the baby, but that's the beauty of choices.
I love living and I wouldn't ever want to take that away from anyone. However, quality of life is also important, and sometimes the well-being of a child will suffer if it is born. I can't seem to find the right words to articulate all of my opinions, so I apologize, but I think you all got the gist of my standpoint on the matter. I have a strong opinion, but I don't preach it often and I certainly don't push it on anyone. Just like with abortion, people have a choice in what they believe.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Hungry for change
Today I volunteered on campus with the Wartburg Youth day. For those who are unfamiliar, middle school students from Lutheran churches come and participate in activities, discussion, and worship for a day on campus. They are centered around a different topic every year. This year it was hunger.
I had the pleasure of only working with 5 middle school students. I was really apprehensive starting out because I don't consider myself the best leader, and I overall felt unsure about the day. I had the schedule, but specifics weren't really given. But once everything started it turned out to be pretty easy. The students in my group were very nice and behaved themselves well. One was PB's son, so that was pretty neat, too.
The day started out with worship led by Hope Overflow. After that, we all headed to the ballrooms to start the hunger-related activities. The first was a hunger simulation where we all had paper bags with an identity stapled to them. I, for instance, was a 33-year-old woman from the UK that had a good, steady job and lived more than comfortably. My bag had quite a few M&Ms whereas others who represented low-income people had only 1 or 2 M&Ms in their bag. There was a power point projected that led us in discussion. The discussion went pretty well. All the students had insightful and meaningful things to say about hunger and how it affects others and how we can help.
However, I knew deep down inside all they wanted to do was eat the M&Ms that were tempting them. Because I had such an abundance of the candies, I told them they could all have some of mine if they wanted. Their hands reached over the table and grabbed a handful of the chocolaty-goodness. I didn't expect them to take all of the M&Ms for goodness sakes! Yet they did, and all I could do was stand by.
That didn't get my hopes down about this group though. We continued discussing a bit while we consumed our treats and they all still seemed very interested in helping the fight for less hunger in the world. It wasn't until they started complaining, "I'm hungry" that I realized maybe this activity wasn't affecting them as much as it should be.
"Is it time to eat yet?"
"No."
"How long until we eat?"
"2 hours."
"2 hours?!"
"Yes."
*moans and groans
"Well, at leas you know when you're getting you're next meal."
Maybe my tone was harsh, but I wanted to get the point across to them that we are very fortunate to be provided for so well in the United States. I could tell that the information still wasn't sticking, but I tried. Sometimes you just have to deal with that. Especially when it comes to less mature minds. You see, many of them may not be in the formal operations developmental stage (we recently learned about stages of development in music therapy). In this stage of development, children begin to look outward instead of inward. They aren't as self-consumed, and they're beginning to observe issues in the world around them and care about them even though the problems may not directly affect them. Usually this stage begins at age 11, but everyone is different. Maybe my group just wasn't quite there yet.
The rest of the activities weren't as big of a deal as far as blogging about it goes. But I do want to talk about dinner time. They were all so excited about eating in the Mensa. I got the impression a lot of them had been here before. They kept saying how great the food is here and how they're going to get, like, 8 plates of food, yeah right. Anyways, I noticed all of the middle schoolers went straight for the pizza and fries. I'm pretty sure every kid there got pizza and fries. This is fine, I just thought it was funny that they all collectively would get the same thing. I don't think I would have gotten pizza and fries when I was in middle school. I don't really remember what I loved to eat then...oh right, chicken noodle casserole was mah fav. Back to the chilluns...after finishing 2-3 plates of pizza and fries plus the occasional fried shrimp or spaghetti, they ALL GOT ICE CREAM. So then the line was super long and everyone was late getting to closing worship.
The point I'm getting at after ranting about the eating habits of these middle schoolers is that they get more food then they need. This is fine, but I hope that they realize that they are over-provided for. They got 3+ plates of food and someone in Ethiopia is getting 0 plates of food. I thought about that while quietly observing their ravenous eating habits, but I don't think they were. I know they need the nutrition to grow up big and strong, but some reflection on what is being given to them would be nice especially since that was the entire point of this day.
I had the pleasure of only working with 5 middle school students. I was really apprehensive starting out because I don't consider myself the best leader, and I overall felt unsure about the day. I had the schedule, but specifics weren't really given. But once everything started it turned out to be pretty easy. The students in my group were very nice and behaved themselves well. One was PB's son, so that was pretty neat, too.
The day started out with worship led by Hope Overflow. After that, we all headed to the ballrooms to start the hunger-related activities. The first was a hunger simulation where we all had paper bags with an identity stapled to them. I, for instance, was a 33-year-old woman from the UK that had a good, steady job and lived more than comfortably. My bag had quite a few M&Ms whereas others who represented low-income people had only 1 or 2 M&Ms in their bag. There was a power point projected that led us in discussion. The discussion went pretty well. All the students had insightful and meaningful things to say about hunger and how it affects others and how we can help.
However, I knew deep down inside all they wanted to do was eat the M&Ms that were tempting them. Because I had such an abundance of the candies, I told them they could all have some of mine if they wanted. Their hands reached over the table and grabbed a handful of the chocolaty-goodness. I didn't expect them to take all of the M&Ms for goodness sakes! Yet they did, and all I could do was stand by.
That didn't get my hopes down about this group though. We continued discussing a bit while we consumed our treats and they all still seemed very interested in helping the fight for less hunger in the world. It wasn't until they started complaining, "I'm hungry" that I realized maybe this activity wasn't affecting them as much as it should be.
"Is it time to eat yet?"
"No."
"How long until we eat?"
"2 hours."
"2 hours?!"
"Yes."
*moans and groans
"Well, at leas you know when you're getting you're next meal."
Maybe my tone was harsh, but I wanted to get the point across to them that we are very fortunate to be provided for so well in the United States. I could tell that the information still wasn't sticking, but I tried. Sometimes you just have to deal with that. Especially when it comes to less mature minds. You see, many of them may not be in the formal operations developmental stage (we recently learned about stages of development in music therapy). In this stage of development, children begin to look outward instead of inward. They aren't as self-consumed, and they're beginning to observe issues in the world around them and care about them even though the problems may not directly affect them. Usually this stage begins at age 11, but everyone is different. Maybe my group just wasn't quite there yet.
The rest of the activities weren't as big of a deal as far as blogging about it goes. But I do want to talk about dinner time. They were all so excited about eating in the Mensa. I got the impression a lot of them had been here before. They kept saying how great the food is here and how they're going to get, like, 8 plates of food, yeah right. Anyways, I noticed all of the middle schoolers went straight for the pizza and fries. I'm pretty sure every kid there got pizza and fries. This is fine, I just thought it was funny that they all collectively would get the same thing. I don't think I would have gotten pizza and fries when I was in middle school. I don't really remember what I loved to eat then...oh right, chicken noodle casserole was mah fav. Back to the chilluns...after finishing 2-3 plates of pizza and fries plus the occasional fried shrimp or spaghetti, they ALL GOT ICE CREAM. So then the line was super long and everyone was late getting to closing worship.
The point I'm getting at after ranting about the eating habits of these middle schoolers is that they get more food then they need. This is fine, but I hope that they realize that they are over-provided for. They got 3+ plates of food and someone in Ethiopia is getting 0 plates of food. I thought about that while quietly observing their ravenous eating habits, but I don't think they were. I know they need the nutrition to grow up big and strong, but some reflection on what is being given to them would be nice especially since that was the entire point of this day.
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