Sam Martinez |
11th Grade Humanities |
The Morality and Politics of Justice
My related issue falls on the grounds of censorship regarding students in our schools and the material/ curriculum provided to the students of the United States of America. And as I’m sure it’s already evident, in my opinion, censorship is not only wrong, but immoral and a violation of constitutional rights. My piece depicts a male figure silhouette in open space; the fire in the bottom corner of the figures’ abdominal cavity represents my quote, “Where they burn books they will ultimately burn people. (Heines)” I chose this quote because it is powerful, it can inflict a feeling of fear. The smoke in the figures cranium represents how censorship of education can and will cause clouded minds and unclear thoughts. I mean, is it really education if the material supplied to the students is falsified information? My visual piece includes a play on pathos as well as an ethos argument. The pathos plays on the emotions of the audience with the way the man is on fire. It plays on fear, it inflicts this idea that these censors will burn people. This image is the essence of my piece so additionally, it also plays on the ethos argument. It is unethical to burn people, as it is unethical to burn literature (up to your interpretation), it becomes a radical jump from burning books to murder. My poster does reflect a bit of a more sinister idea towards censorship. I chose to have so much open space so that the viewers’ eye is drawn towards the burning figure and the text which I wrote in metallic ink so that it stood out from the acrylic paint base. I am extremely proud of my piece, I put a lot of effort and time into this project and I am super proud of the work I produced in both aspects of the project. I feel that I effectively and creatively displayed my thoughts on censorship in a fashion that fits my personality which is important because 50+ kids created a project very similar to mine. It’s important to make it your own and I believe that I did a good job of that. Stand Up For Our Students In the late 1900’s, conflicts revolving around the idea of censorship in our schools arose; parents fought against the idea of “dirty books”; books containing sexual content, violence, and vulgarity. Opponents of censorship made claims stating that these parents are controlling, or overbearing. Despite what people believe, there is no fault in ensuring that your child is not being exposed to material that may be more suitable for the adolescent population of our country. Recent news events such as the Jefferson County School Board decision have brought censorship conflicts to our attention, but this time around the conflict falls on different grounds. Parents as well as government officials have made claims in which they state that our students are being supplied with material that questions authority, or promotes acts of rebellion. These claims rest on fact that the material includes information regarding historic events that the government may or may not be proud of, things that are ignored more often than not. However, despite these claims, censoring our students is morally and constitutionally wrong as violates students’ liberties as citizens of these United States of America. Censorship in our schools began somewhat innocently; parents of students simply communicating their concerns that their children had access to books and novels that promoted ideas of violence and sexual acts. But as times change, so do ideas. The current unrest surrounding the censorship of education relates to what is actually being taught in the curriculum rather than what our kids have access to. A gentlemen named Anthony T. Podesta, who is a very successful American lobbyist with a dense educational background, made this statement publicly, “Almost 60 percent of the incidents were attempts to censor ideas, information and teaching methods in the classroom. Censors today don't just ban books, they want to ban ideas that differ from their own” (Podesta).By making this claim Podesta states that censorship is no longer banning inappropriate material, but now people look to censor religious views, critical thinking, and ideas. In August, 2014, a group historians in Jefferson County, Colorado attempted to rewrite the AP history curriculum. Days later the school board rejected the rewrite of the material, with intent to ban the changes made to the material because the board believed that it educated students on the idea of civil disobedience and disregard for the law. Banning education of American students, and for what reason? What this school board fails to recognize is that students are the future of this country and by not fully educating, or inaccurately educating the students on historic events, they have been done a huge moral injustice. Yes, it may seem as if there is some suggestion of civil disobedience and rebellious ideology, but how can students understand things fully if they do not have all the knowledge they should? Not only that, but the school board is flirting with infringement on the peoples freedom of press and right to knowledge The First Amendment states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.(Bing)” But history books are not the only areas where authorities are attempting to censor schools; there have been incidents where students are being censored as well. Kyle Gearwar, a graduate student of the class of 2011, was the valedictorian at Fair Haven Union High School. When Kyle attempted to give his graduation speech to the congregation Page 2 of proud parents and graduates, the administration of Fair Haven Union High School censored his speech because of the fact that Gearwar’s speech included talk of Jesus and views that correlate with foundational ideas of Christianity. This is a direct violation of Kyle’s first amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. With a total disregard for the student, the administration acted upon the idea of censorship, allowing Gearwar to only deliver a little less than half of his speech. When questioned about the series of mysterious events Gearwar said this,“I was just sharing a story about my life and how it was changed, and as an American and as a valedictorian I felt that I should have been able to do that” (Gearwar). And in no way, shape, or form was Kyle in the wrong, in fact he experienced a direct violation of his unalienable rights as a citizen of this country. This prevalent idea of censorship in schools is becoming a more and more prevalent issue. Actions taken by government officials, school officials, and others have infringed the rights of Kyle Gearwar and the rights of students across America to be educated accurately. In addition to these violations, the decisions made to censor schooling is morally incorrect. Immanuel Kant, an Austrian philosopher particularly interested in the ideas of Deontology, would be outraged by this series of occurrences, and although these government officials might argue that “the ends justify the means”, Kant would argue the opposite. Kant would defend his opinion with the idea of Deontology. Deontology is the concept of completing an action out of duty, not for any sort of gain or benefit. It would be morally wrong in the eyes of a deontologist to commit an action of any kind, for any other reason other than is their own duty. By censoring education and students in schools, the individuals enforcing censorship take advantage of students, violating their liberties as students and rights as citizens of the United States of America. This epidemic of censoring the ideas of students and teachers is growing to a dangerous level. Students are the future of our country; how could we build their educations based on lies? How could students now go on to lead the country if their database of knowledge is built upon ideas of lies and deception? Morally, censorship is inappropriate, constitutionally, censorship is inappropriate, bottom line. Works Cited Bruni, Frank. "The Wilds of Education." The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Sept. 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. Hechinger, Fred M. "CENSORSHIP FOUND ON THE INCREASE." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Sept. 1986. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. Kane, Alex. "Book Censorship on the Rise in American Schools." Alternet. N.p., 23 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. Mount, Steve. "The United States Constitution - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." The United States Constitution - The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014. Paul, Jesse. "Jeffco Students Protest Proposed "censorship" of History Curriculum." The Denver Post. N.p., 22 Aug. 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. Starnes, Todd. "School Censors Religious Words in Graduation Speech." Censorship in America. FoxNews.com, 17 June 2011. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. Project Reflection- Morality and Politics of Justice This project has been very enjoyable; the assignment given to us was to pick a research topic, something that is more or less, controversial, something that is arguable. With this topic the student then must research about the topic and write an Op-ed article that ranged from 750- 1000 words. The assignments prior to this project were very similar, discussing the art of rhetoric, political double speak, and a vast amount of other concepts that could be found in any relation to the Morality and Politics and of Justice. For my project I chose to report on the issue of censorship in schools in it's generality, meaning that I reported on censorship of material that the students are taught, to the censorship of student opinions, etc. I think that this project really helped me improve my artistic skill and how to streamline my writing. In the final stages of critique of the articles, the class had a small mini-lesson regarding streamlining how we write. When it came time for me to put the finishing touches on my piece I reviewed it one final time and streamlined the most "wordy" fragments of my article. This really improved the quality of my piece and helped me eliminate a great deal of words in order to meet the word limit that Ashley had placed on the class. Learning about the art of rhetoric and political double speak and what not has developed the way my mind processes political debates, campaign ads, etc. I hold high value for what this project has taught me. I think that my project thrived when it came to sentence craft and the way I articulated my writing, but I seem to struggle more with rhetoric argument evidence. I say this because in some places I had a strong rhetoric argument, in other locations of my article I struggled to present a strong argument. But I am sure that it will improve as I continue to write. Every project has room for improvement, but I do believe I did a good job on this one. If we were given another week to work on and refine our projects I think that I would have improved my painting more. Although I am proud of my work and happy with the final product, I know that I can improve everything. My article I would leave the way it is, I am very happy with my article work. Native American Historical Inquiry How can an examination of multiple sources and perspectives lead to a more enlightened understanding of history AND contemporary social, cultural and political realities? Samuel Martinez Native American Historical Inquiry Seminar Prep Ashley ½ 19 November, 2014 This unit of Native American Historical Inquiry has been quite interesting and has actually influence me to change the way that I view Native Americans today, Native history, and even the establishment of the United States of America and westward expansion of these United States. The first question I chose from Edmodo related directly to my op-ed project, being that my studied issue was censorship in schools. Several students, in one way or another, asked the question of whether one should include the negatives and positives of our countries past, in its entirety, in the history textbooks American schools provide to students. I am astounded that some students consider this to be an issue of debate in even the slightest fashion. If we must learn, do we not wish to learn accurate material? Is it even learning if what is taught is false? That seems as if it would defeat the purpose of the action of learning in general, where in life can someone apply falsified knowledge to a conflict to achieve success? That circumstance seems slim if any at all. Another student then asked, “What do we hope to achieve by censoring textbook? Do you think people making these decisions are considering the possible future repercussions?” (Austin). The way this particular student worded the question was appealing because it brings the reader to hopefully have the realization that censoring our student’s education actually achieves nothing. And that there are consequences to falsely educating the students that are the future of our country. (Part 1-2) It is common knowledge that environmental factors play a role in forming a person’s identity; for example, the young boy with a wealthy family will mature differently than the young boy living in poverty. This includes foundational beliefs, habits, etc. All of this can be affected be a person’s environment. For Native Americans living in Western Culture today, life can be difficult on a daily basis, partly because of the environment. Frequently in Western culture Natives are looked down upon by the majority. In Sherman Alexie’s story, Indian Education, he is retelling a story from his junior year in high school and remembers the newspaper headlines, “THE INDIANS LOSE AGAIN.” Although this statement referred to the sports event that took place the night prior, it was an underlining motif through a large portion of Alexie’s short stories in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven. But the negativity towards Native Americans is on T.V. as well. In a Bugs Bunny cartoon presented in the film Reel Injun, Bugs is shooting at Natives and keeping tally marks on the wall in front of him while he sings, “One little, two little, three little Injuns.” Bugs continues until he reaches six, then Bugs Bunny takes a pencil and erases half the sixth mark stating, “Oops- that one was a half breed.” Then he continues to shoot at the Natives and make tally marks on the wall. This was created for American children. This promotion and support of racism comes close to extreme, suggesting to young children that it’s acceptable to kill Native American people. “Columbus Day” is what it has always been to me. I wonder why, all of the sudden, are people fighting to change the way we acknowledge this early November day? But this unit of study has opened my eyes to historic facts I had been blind to before, and in turn I am now able to understand modern conflicts somewhat easier. In fact, this proposition to change the name to “Indigenous People’s Day” is not all of the sudden, Native American’s and supporters have been distraught that we celebrate the pillage and plundering of the explorer Christopher Columbus. Before this unit of study, my ignorance regarding Native history and the establishment of the United States of America was embarrassing. I am now educated on the true actions of Andrew Jackson and his ways of invading Native lands as well as his acts of removal of Indians. I also learned a great deal about the Battle of Little Bighorn and the events leading up to the event, as told by a native woman named Katie Bighead and from the (then) secretary of war, J.D. Cameron. For example, Katie Bighead states “Long Hair and the Seventh Calvary had attacked many peaceful Indians tribes before the Battle of Little Bighorn,” (Bighead, 1). Although Cameron says that many Natives conducted raids on white settlers that came on the Sioux land. From the outcome and what I’ve learned, it seems almost like Custer was cocky and thought the Indians to be under-developed, savage, and weak. So he attacked over 2,000 natives with a few hundred men and every white solider was slain. Although there is definitely more to the story, this unit of study has brought me to understand the Battle of Little Bighorn and the actions and discrimination of the U.S. government. First Question (First Person, First Peoples) Marianne Chamberlain, 156) “They thought that since Dartmouth was already famous for drinking, why not have the Indian as its symbol? “ Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1993. Print. Cameron, J. D. Letter to President of the United States. 8 July 1876. MS. N.p. Reel Injun. Dir. Neil Diamond. Rezolution, 2009. DVD. Zinn, Howard. The Twentieth Century: A People's History. New York: Perennial, 2003. Print. Journal #1- Howard Zinn Chapter 1 Response: In the first chapter that we read in "A People's History of the United States' by Howard Zinn started off with a true introduction of Christopher Columbus and a sufficient summary of his actions. The facts the author presented changed my view of Christopher Columbus. Howard Zinn started the book off with this quote, "When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought the food, water gifts."(Zinn1) The novel later to goes on explain what the explorer wrote in his log, "….They would make fine servants…" (Zinn1) These natives were selfless towards the strange new people and the Europeans did not return the hospitality. One thing led to another and eventually natives were being killed in mass numbers, some for the purpose of testing the sharpness of their blades. Growing up in school we are taught as American students that Columbus was a great explorer, that he came to the America's and made amazing discoveries that we all now benefit from; and that was the reason for the celebration of Columbus via "Columbus Day". Why do we celebrate and glorify the man that committed slanderous crimes? Despite the fact that we cannot change the past, we can change the future and reconsider Columbus Day in a process in which we reassign that specific day to the "Indigenous Peoples". This is just one examples of how this reading changed my view on Christopher Columbus. But I do have some questions; are we as Americans not in debt to the founders of this country, whether the means by which it was achieved are moral or not? Would we not be here today without them? This questions arises in my head because I feel moral obligation to feel gratitude for being fortunate enough to be born as an American Citizen, "land of the free, home of the brave". Howard Zinns writing is influential to me as a young student as I am now starting to develop the ideologies I will use as a foundation for the rest of my life. I am excited to continue to read material produced by Howard Zinn because it helps me develop questions that otherwise I wouldn’t have manifested due to the content of Zinn's writing compared to the content of more mediocre authors. Journal #2: Reel Injun Film Response-What did you find interesting or striking about the film's content? What new perspectives did you gain from watching the film? Native American history is communicated accurately through this film, The Reel Injun. This documentary investigates the history of Native Americans and particularly, how Natives have developed in the world of the media. The film revealed a lot about Native American history that I was unaware of; the movie also changed some of my opinions regarding Native Americans and Native American history. It was striking to me that Natives went from being displayed as these stoic heroes to being shown as savages hunted by John Wayne, in fact, you would think it would be the other way around. But as time has gone on, Indians in the media have become viewed more and more negatively. In fact in the beginning of the film a contributor to the documentary said this, "The only thing more pathetic than Indians on T.V. is Indians watching Indians on T.V." And this statement was made by a Native American; it is apparent, even to the Indians, that they are presented differently than the average man. This movie has really influenced me to contemplate and redesign my ideology regarding Native Americans and tribes today. To be honest, I have had sort of a racist view regarding Natives. This is due to being from the heart of southwest Colorado, I have been around Native Americans all my life and I see a majority of these Native's intoxicated and what not. I think subconsciously I have developed the idea in my head that Indians are alcoholics. This isn't the right idea to have towards people, and this film has helped changed my perspective. Not to say I thought absolutely all Indians were drunks; if I were to a see a respectable, Native American, man I wouldn’t think alcoholic automatically because of his ethnicity, it also has to do with the context and my own worldly experiences and views. But perhaps I can come out of this film with a changed mindset, with a legitimate view of Native Americans and their culture; their culture is intriguing and I think it is because it unites them as a people. Different tribes come together through unity and this Native culture, and that could be something special. The film, The Reel Injun, really informs the viewers about Native culture in a plethora of aspects and it has the ability modify the way people think about Native culture and Native history, as I know it most definitely changed the way I think about Native Americans in today's society. Journal #3: Howard Zinn- Chapter 7 "As long as grass grows or water runs" is so powerful because of what the statement infers. Despite the fact that the sentence is incomplete, what the quote represents is incredibly powerful and is a strong example of a motif throughout the entire chapter. This statement was meant to convey the message that as long as grass grows and as long as water runs, the Natives would have rights to their homeland. Yet, it is now the year 2014 and how well has the American government kept that promise? I learned more about the history of Native American and European American interaction and history in these 20 pages than I have in 11 years of American public schooling and the truth is astounding. Reading this selection from Zinns novel removed my blind fold of ignorance. A large amount of this selected reading summarized and informed the reader a great deal regarding the life of the late Andrew Jackson, including a lot of his horrendous acts of tyranny on against the Native American's. In fact, the author introduced the chapter to the readers making this statement, "But the word "force" cannot convey what happened. (Zinn pg.25)" How many modern day Americans view Andrew Jackson as a tyrant? How many modern day Americans have been accurately educated regarding the actions committed by this, more or less, great pioneer of the west? Not many; and here is why; Chief Blackhawk made this statement after his capture and defeat of his tribe in 1832, "The white men are bad schoolmasters, they carry false books, and deal in false action,"(Zinn pg.131). I found this quote particularly striking because for my op-ed article during the morality and politics of justice unit, I chose to study censorship in schools, my belief being that we as American students in the public school system are inaccurately educated by the authority figures of our schools and our country. In the same statement, Chief Blackhawk goes on to say this, "We told them to leave us alone, and keep away from us; they followed on, and beset our paths, and they coiled themselves among us like the snake,"(Zinn pg.131). This statement was of some significance to me because when America, as a country began our flag depicted a snake, cut into thirteen sections, the sections representing the thirteen colonies and a caption reading, "Don’t Tread On Me." The white men did exactly what they intended to do, successfully being identified as the international snake of the globe. In relation to the starter we had November 6th, analyzing pictures from the early to mid-1900's, I noticed how all the images displayed ideologies of Native American's being savage's, that natives needed to educated on how to be civilized. If they could not learn to be civil and behave like the white man, they were to be killed , according to the admired Andrew Jackson. Journal #5: Analysis of First People's & Lone Ranger..Heaven The literary works of Sherman Alexie in the short story, Indian Education, as well as the writing of Robert Bennett in his essay, Why Don't You Teach Me? , convey several strong ideas regarding life as a Native American. The most evident of the ideas is the idea that is tougher for Native Americans to grow up in our western culture than it is for the average white human being. In both stories, both authors display the types of stereotypes Native people are subjected to and how these stereotypes manifest obstacles for these people. The author of Why Didn’t You Teach Me?, Robert Bennett, a Native American man who attended an American Ivy league school wrote this essay about his own life. In this essay the author discusses his own life growing up as a Native American person and the struggles he endured. In the beginning of his essay Bennett wrote, "My accomplishments never surprised me because they were enjoyable and came relatively effortlessly for me. My grandmother however, was usually surprised- perhaps even astounded, "And you're Indian!" she would often exclaim," (Bennett, 137). This excerpt is strong because it shows how even Bennett's family subjected him to these insulting stereotypes as he was growing up. By making that statement, Robert's grandmother mirrors the generic idea of Native Americans in our society today, the general stereotype being that Natives are less advanced, or at a disadvantage to the "white man". Bennett was exposed to these stereotypes at a young age, making it psychologically more difficult for Robert to gain achievements in the wisciu culture. Sherman Alexie also displays a negative stereotype towards Natives, although it is not as blatant. Alexie writes, "This morning I pick up the sports page and read the headlines: INDIANS LOSE AGAIN," (Alexi, 179). Yes, the headline was discussing the loss of the sports team the night before, it had an underlying message; again the Indians have fallen to the wisciu. As Robert Bennett did, Alexie displays the stereotype that, by nature, natives are not as able as whites, or they are at a disadvantaged compared to white people. The phrase, the Indians lose again, infers that the Indians always lose. This is because of the word "again", it makes it seem as if the Indians always lose, no matter the situation or circumstances. Both authors tell a story where Native people are portrayed as less of people, both told stories of these individuals overcame these specific stereotypes. Despite this, it does not come as easy to every single Native person. The stereotypes that Native people are subjected to directly affect them in a fashion in which actually does end up putting the natives at a disadvantage. Not because of their ethnicity, but simply because of the way the wisciu world views them. Journal #6: Analyzing Primary Sources Textbook-
Document A- Cameron Report-
Katie Bighead Interview-
This project revolved around the establishment of the United States of America and how the establishment of our country affected the population of Native Americans that inhabited the America's prior to European settlement. To investigate this topic we read several materials provided by Ashley to influence critical thinking and development of thought process. We read chapters from Howard Zinn's book A peoples History of the United States, along with this reading we were given primary sources regarding the Battle of Little Bighorn, including a letter from secretary of war, J.D. Cameron. In addition, we read Native Dartmouth students essays from First Person, First People's, and a selection of short stories from Sherman Alexie's, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven. This unit of study educated me on the true actions of "great Americans", such as Andrew Jackson or Christopher Columbus. I also learned how Native American's struggle today in our western culture and the impacts that the media and the environment has on the Native Americans. Although this Native American Historical Inquiry did have many valuable takeaways, I think the most significant to me was the idea of the skeletons. Although some students seem to think of skeletons as a more broad idea or generalized term, I found skeletons to be more individual. I mean this in the sense that everybody can have different skeletons apart from cultural skeletons and whatnot. For example, a skeleton in my life might be growing up with a convicted criminal as a father, or having alcoholism run in my family. And I learned that it's best not to dwell on these skeletons of the past but to be mindful of them so that you may have the ability to learn from your skeletons or use then to your own advantage. This lesson has changed my perspective of Native American culture in the fashion that I now can find myself able to appreciate the culture. Despite the fact that I learned from this project and found takeaways within the material, I did not have a strong emotional reaction towards the material. This activity of a Socratic Seminar to tie all the material together is great because it let's students share their opinions and ideas ad work together to draws conclusions about the material. Our seminar was great; we focused a lot on the Darthmouth student essays and the ideologies of Howard Zinn. Peers within my seminar enlightened me to the idea of "Native Drive" and how we can imrove the future quality of NAtive American life in these United States. The examination of multiple sources helps us understand history because the textbooks are written in favor of the victors, so all of history is never truly told to the reader. TO gain the full story and make changes in the future you must be able to know the extent of the situation and critically think bout what lead to that specific situation and how to avoid it next time. Materials Project - Elevator Pitch Every year American people spend over $635 billion dollars on relief and aid for patients suffering from chronic pain. In fact, pain relief is the most unmet need in the medical world and can come with costly side effects. Side effects consisting of building up an analgesic tolerance to opiates, common pain relievers do not react well psychoactive drugs, and are dangerous for patients with a family history of addiction. So scientists at the NIH (National Institute of Health) have begun work on a reinvention of how the human body deals with the sensation of pain. By inducing the A3AR receptor a molecule of small drug known as adenosine, or a different synthetic drug similar in structural makeup invented by the NIH, the sensation of pain is reversed/ prevented. Although this process has only been approved of in small animals, there are high hopes that it will be clear for human subject testing in a few short years after scientists at the NIH have stated that this new process “looks promising”. The benefits of this discovery are incredible; this could mean a huge drop in money spent on pain relief in the U.S. and a large drop in opiate addiction, all of this along with hope that pain relief will no longer cause an analgesic tolerance build up. Happiness and Meaning- Project Description This project focuses mainly on developing the students' ideas of happiness and meaning through literature and other contemporary mediums. The development of the students' ideals may lead to a change in opinion(s) or the reinforcement of a current belief. For me, it was more a way to clear my thoughts and find what I want for my future. Personal Philosophy Statement The solely most unanswered question in the history in the world is, “What is the meaning of life?” And with this big question comes many others; what does it mean to live a meaningful life, what is the purpose of your existence, what is happiness, what makes you happy? So many people over the course of time have tried to provide a reply but there just doesn’t seem to be one single, accurate answer. Over the duration of the past month or so, as a class we have been studying the importance of Happiness and Meaning, how to achieve authentic happiness and meaning, and what it means to each individual. Within this duration of time we spent a little bit of time focused on the beliefs of Alain de Bottom and “the lesson of the moth”; among other things of course, but these two things particularly intrigued me. A gentlemen known as Alain de Bottom said many things when discussing the topic of happiness and meaning in the lives of individuals, the majority of which I agreed with and found myself pondering later in the future. What is the purpose of your existence? Well, what defines you? Society defines individuals by their success. Alain de Bottom states that there is a question used so commonly few people know how much worth it really carries, “What do you do?” This specific question has evolved into a form of identification in our now frenetic and spontaneous world. The answer to this question is something that provides an illegitimate purpose for one’s existence. Alain de Bottom states that, “…human expectations are now higher than ever,” and he could not be more correct. Alain explains how people are not afraid of failing what they are attempting, it is more of a sense that people are afraid of ridicule and judgment from others regarding their failure. In fact, Alain de Bottom expands on the judgment of others by reminding his audience that American people created the term ‘loser’. Beforehand, people that were ‘losers’ were referred to as unfortunates. The Oxford dictionary defines an unfortunate as unlucky, unfavorable or an inappropriate remark, the same source defines loser as,”…a person that fails frequently or generally unsuccessful at life.” Because as human standards for success climbs higher, the standards for failure according to society act accordingly. Now if people are becoming afraid to attempt new things because of the ridicule and judgment of others, then really no one will ever be able to answer this infamous question regarding the purpose of one’s existence because no one will ever be able to seek out their purpose for existence. Alain de Bottom wants to make sure that people are making sure that our ideas of success are truly our own ideas of success, that we don’t define our success based on the ideas of others/ society. By the standards of American society, Van Gogh would have been a loser- he was mentally unstable, he didn’t have a lot of money, he cut off his ear for his girlfriend as an act of love, etc. By our American definition this man was a loser. But we admire him? Van Gogh’s life taught in art classes in schools around the country and his paintings are displayed in museums around the globe. But by our definition, he was a loser. This is because our definition is inaccurate. Van Gogh did what he loved and had a passion for and every act he committed was completely out of authenticity. In this fashion, this man did not only succeed, but he was a success. Through the ridicule and judgment Van Gogh continued his passion for painting and his pursuit of romance. There are individuals that have succeeded according to American standards that are not nearly as honored or as remembered as a man that has been considered a loser by our definition of success. The purpose to existence is to succeed, but not in the way one might imagine. To succeed in your purpose you must be successful within yourself; you must not let others definitions of success interfere with your own. By letting another individual put purpose to your life you lose. Never have I been able to retain so much from an insect but it seems that there is a first time for everything. Don Marquis wrote a poem known as “the lesson of the moth” in which a great life lesson is presented. A conflict within the poem appears between a moth and a character named Archie. They begin to quarrel over the idea that a short life with a sense of happiness, beauty, and stimulation is more desirable than a long life time without indulgence or happiness. Archie sides with the long life span without risks and half as much happiness while the moth disagrees with Archie and is convinced that a short life time that has found happiness and beauty is obviously the better choice. The poem finishes with the moth making itself vulnerable to death in order to experience that stimulation and find the beauty within life. Through his argument and his actions following, the moth is convincing in the argument that a short life with meaning is better than a long life with a lack thereof. So what exactly does living a meaningful life entail? Well that depends on what each and every individual considers as meaningful; some consider wealth meaningful, meanwhile others are convinced that leaving behind a legacy is meaningful, or perhaps winning the Super Bowl. And while some of these things that other individuals find meaningful may seem shallow or actually meaningless, but as each individual has the unalienable right to define his/ her own happiness success and gauge his/ her own success, each individual has the right to put meaning to their own life. Despite the idea of the absurd and the concept that everything is indifferent to everything and that nothing has a true location, that everything is just random and human beings are ridiculous for attempting to put meaning to this ultimately meaningless world we live in, we have the freedom to except this idea of the Absurd and make of it what we please. A man named Jean- Paul Sartre was a French philosopher who lived from 1905 – 1980. Sartre was philosopher who aided in birthing the idea of existentialism who said this, “Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself,” (Sartre). Jean- Paul Sartre made this statement in hope of influencing others to accept the idea of the Absurd and to be proactive in the process of putting happiness and/ or meaning to ones’ own life. Personally, I do not think I have been able to narrow down specifically how I will put meaning to my life or what I will make of myself but, in a broader sense, I find meaning in moments of happiness and indulgence. I feel that if life is truly dictated by the two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure, then I want to exert as much effort as I can to ensure pleasure rather than pain for myself as often as possible. Despite what it is that brings me pleasure, I will seek it out because life without pleasure is not life at all. Only when one is content with their life and what it entails can that one live a meaningful life. My life may not hold any meaning for any other person besides myself, however, that does not make my life any less meaningful. Put meaning to your own life, do your own thing, and let other people do their thing. Happiness is success, and as cliché as it is, when I grow up all that I know is that I want to be happy with my lifestyle, how I carry myself, and who I surround myself with. Honestly, I am not sure what that looks like exactly but I have general idea. I do not necessarily yearn for great wisdom, nor for wealth, and I especially am indifferent to leaving a legacy behind. I desire a life of simplicity. I believe that there are different levels of happiness; the first level being the happy you feel when you get a new pair of shoes and the next level being the happy sensation felt when you see a loved one after a long without seeing them or the genuine feeling of happiness you feel when you buy your girlfriend the perfect piece of jewelry. The difference between the two is this, that feeling you felt when you first got that new pair of shoes will bring you joy for such a temporary amount of time, as opposed to that piece of jewelry you bought your significant other. Every time they put that piece of jewelry on and wear it out it sends a message that they appreciate your gift and I have found that this specific level of happiness fulfills me so much more than the new pair of shoes I received. I cannot explain why, however I am sure that these different levels of happiness are in fact, different levels of happiness and that when you seek out happiness on the most influential level, your odds of being happy are so much greater than continuously seeking happiness on a materialistic level. All three inquiries discussed are questions that are asked everyday by individuals just like ourselves and are questions that not just, one single, person can accurately answer. Happiness and meaning in your life is completely up to you. You make of your life what you choose, not what this so-and-so philosopher believes, not what your mother told you, but what you truly believe and think. You may build your beliefs from another human beings ideas, and your ideals may be similar to your neighbors, but make sure that you are your own human being. Energy and Place -Project Description This project was more or less in collaboration with chemistry class. We focused on the impact of energy production on our planet and all the things that inhabit Earth. The final product for this project was a Sense of Place essay and a 'Take Action' project. 'Take Action' was to motivate students to get out in both the local and global community and inspire others to help keep our planet healthy. -Sense of Place The Last Few Minutes By Samuel Martinez Death is black and white. Anyone can tell whether something is dead or not. Death is obvious, an idea considered elementary to the human brain. Nothing lasts forever but nobody likes death; nevertheless, it can define your life. The water is translucent, carrying a somewhat blueish-green tint with it and it is ever so inviting, as it has been for years. I inhale and hold the cool, crisp, morning air in my lungs; a sensation I’ve grown to enjoy. Perhaps I’ve always felt more of a connectedness to this place than in comparison to those around me. But I’ve never had a problem with the lack of company; the serenity of the silence makes up for it. I’ve been coming to this place since high school. After we graduated, everyone was in quite the hurry to leave this beautiful, mountainous corner of the world but I never understood why. I couldn’t imagine leaving my home without the intention of returning. But that was decades ago and I never seem to put much energy into their departing anyway. “Good,” I’d say to myself, “We need less people in Colorado anyways. No vacancy.” Everybody went off on their own adventures, but I found my excitement in the rugged Rocky Mountains. But even as everyone else left, she stayed around. She was the only other person that I never got fed up with, and she seemed to be the only person that never got fed up with me. I’ve always been a lot to handle for most other people. After it all ended with her I never really put much more energy into the idea of a significant other, I had found mine and cherished the time we had together. I’m not sure why, but I always pictured myself dying alone. Not lonely, just alone. Everyone who was once a big part of my life, or even a part of my life at all, had faded away. I never made it a big deal; I’ve always been better at being alone. Early October is brisk in the mountains, but it makes the warmth of a cup of coffee and a smoke that much more enjoyable. Muscle memory kicks in and I light the cigarette, take a drag, sip my coffee, and exhale the smoke. Even since high school, this place hasn’t changed. Since my first time here I have felt a sort- of interconnected, dependency on this particular piece of the earth. It’s secure to me, I feel safe; like a little boy and his security blanket, I am attached to this place, carrying it with me wherever I go. During my first afternoon in this place there was a moment where I saw myself as a part of the forest. This overwhelming idea that the world is not anthropocentric, that we as humans are simply another piece to the puzzle, that we are a part of something much bigger than us scares society. I am different from society in the sense that rather than feel frightened, I feel excited. I scan the scenery around me, taking note of the oceanic forest and the mountains standing tall over the land; just as I did my first afternoon in this place. But the beauty is not what’s always kept my attention. It’s the energy. The energy from the plants, from the birds, the four-legged creatures of the land, the fish of the sea, the flow of the stream, the wind rushing through the trees; it all holds energy. I can feel the energy right now. I can feel the dirt between my toes and the chill on my face. The buzz of the civil community, which was made by man, can’t provide this settling companionship that I find in places without structures or roadways. I drag my cigarette and sip the coffee once more. Cigarettes and coffee, a better combination than peanut butter and jelly, is complimented only by the beautiful scenery of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. I study the burning tip of this yellow American Spirit in the isolation of my fortress of solitude. As my father’s father, and my father before me, my foolish habits caught up to me. A year ago last week, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in stage 4. The doctor gave me 6-months and encouraged chemo- everyone encouraged chemo. I watched chemo-therapy tear my father’s body apart and you’d have to be a damn fool to think I’d ever have anything to do with the stuff. I continued business as usual, like the cancer didn’t exist. I continued my consistent, morning trip up to this exact place every day, rain or shine. I would still make plans with myself and set goals for things as if there were no chance that I could die tomorrow. But only because it had been this way all my life; there’s more of a chance of dying in a car accident every time you leave the house than there ever is of being diagnosed with cancer. Those are just the cards I was dealt. I sip my coffee and put the cigarette to my lips as a fish jumps from the water, breaking the surface tension along with the deafening silence. About eight months ago, when I was diagnosed with cancer, a good ole’ boy from the Diner asked what my dying wishes were. I had never seriously been asked this question; I wanted to think on his inquiry so I could provide the man with an accurate answer. I told the guy that I would think it over and that I’d get back to him about it next week. I obsessed over this question throughout the following days, but my only response that I saw to be truly authentic was that my dying wish was to die in the comfort and peace of my home. He said something, I replied, the conversation carried on and it was never discussed again. But I never forgot that question or my answer for him. This place is comfortable. Here, I am home. Not in my little log cabin that sits halfway down county road 203 in the Animas Valley, just north of Durango, Colorado. That is just where I live. This place is my home. I drag the cigarette as if it provides me with some form of life and the irony brings me to a smile. The incident in the Diner fell towards the back of my mind until a week ago. Something was going on, something didn’t feel right. I didn’t know I knew it, but subconsciously I could sense my time approaching. I woke up and went directly to my place. I brought my coffee and my pack of yellow American Spirits just like I would any other day, except this time I left the keys in the car. I exhale the smoke from my chest for the last time and take another sip of my coffee. This place has always been quiet and serene, but today seems more so then usual. It’s almost like the rest of the forest is taking a moment of silence for me. I’m not sure if it’s to honor my energy, as I am a part of this interconnected ecosystem, or to simply allow me to enjoy my last moments in this place. As it all comes to an end, I think of how my father died and compare my death to his. The images and sounds of a hospital flood my mind and I’m thankful that I hear birds chirping in my final moments, as opposed to a heart monitor. I imagine nurses, indifferent to his life as well as his death, surrounding him as he passes away; I’m accompanied only by the animals of the forest. I’ve always seen myself as a mimic of my father, and my life seemed to play out as so. It took death to bring me to the realization that he and I were drastically different from each other. Our lives were similar, the ends of our lives differed substantially. I feel the warm sensation of the sunshine on my face as the sun breaches over the mountains in the West and I catch myself staring into the wilderness the moment before I close my eyes. The last thing I see is the shore line of the lake, at the base of the pine trees and the surface of the water. Not everyone’s time is peaceful; I consider myself lucky. I think it’s because I am satisfied with the life that I lived. And I die knowing that the last few minutes of my life, I was living. Life has more of a grey area. How you end your life is arguably just as important as how you lived your life. Despite the ultimate inevitability of death, my father chose to die miserable. I chose to die living. 'Take Action' Documentation River Trail Clean-Up Take Action Project |
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