I think anyone who reads this article will agree that it is very disturbing. No one wants to read articles about his or her own country’s soldiers acting in merciless ways, especially when such soldiers are casually thought of as playing heroic roles in society. Is this really the kind of behavior we openly support so much?

The book “War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning” discusses many of the realities of war. Simply stated, war is organized murder. Yes, it is often necessary and does bring about wonderful things, but it cannot be denied that war brings about horrific things as well. However, because patriotism for one’s country often clouds perceptions of reality, these horrendous events are often ignored. We put our own country up on a pedestal saying that our ideology, our purpose is for the greater good. Killing of the enemy is necessary. David Hume stated, “When our own nation is at war with any other, we detest them under the character of cruel, perfidious, unjust and violent: But always esteem ourselves and allies equitable, moderate, and merciful.” Merciful…. Is that what we are? Is that what this article detailed? It is not until articles such as this hit the press that the public is able to see the realities of war. As I stated before, I understand the benefits that come along with war. I am fully aware that many soldiers, probably the large majority, do not consciously partake in such merciless acts. However, we cannot ignore that these acts do indeed occur. Killing innocent civilians working hard on a farm is not my idea of equitable, moderate, and merciful action. When I hear of such stories I can hardly blame those who hold disdain for America. America has the largest, most powerful military in the world. If we use our military in ways detailed in this article, who wouldn’t be terrified if living in a country not an ally to the U.S.? I would be scared shitless if foreign soldiers were patrolling my streets, picking off anyone they felt like killing. What’s to say I won’t be the one they target next? Please just leave me alone. Have some mercy. Have some empathy.

In class, Sam and Laurie discussed some differences between men and women, both physiologically and psychologically. Most of these differences revolved around the manner by which males and females approach the subject of sex. What do women want vs. what do men want when looking at a relationship? These differences can be quite profound when compared side by side. Any young adult living in the modern world sees these differences. They are apparent in conversations, movies, magazines, and music. Listen to a group of young adolescent girls talk about the boys in their class. Then listen to a group of young adolescent boys talk about girls. I can guarantee that the conversations will stray in very opposite directions. However, are all of these differences rooted in nature? Although some of them are, I also believe that the media and other sociological pressures have profound impacts on the viewpoints both females and males carry regarding sex/ relationships. Sam showed us a video describing the foundations of the current pornography industry. The video explained that the pornography industry is based off the male adolescent fantasy. It made it apparent that the way in which most learn about sex is through the eyes of the male porn industry. Females and males both are taught to view the subject in the same way, when, in fact, naturally they may be viewed very differently. The man in this essay even admitted, “I’ve been brain washed into believing that all women want is sex and money. Seeing videos, movies and television shows gave me this false impression.” Ask the large majority of women and we will tell you that this is not true.
In my opinion enough differences naturally exist between men and women without amplifying them through the media. These amplified differences further affect relationships, marriages, dates, friendships, etc. They influence sexual assaults, rapes, and other forms of violence. Once the social forces behind the differences between the sexes are recognized, it seems almost remarkable that people of the opposite sex are able to communicate and interact in an intimate fashion. Still, despite it all we do. This essay is proof. This man describes it absolutely beautifully in this essay. Maybe it takes detachment from the modern media along with self contemplation to realize true inner desires and moral standards. At the very least, recognition of the influences of social media on our thoughts is necessary to make progressive movement forward. The more strings we can see tugging at our lives, the more in tune we can be with that which is going both inside and around us.

Every time I hear a story such as this, I ponder how unbelievably different my life could be right now, at this very moment, had I been born in another location outside of rural Pennsylvania. For example, today, my biggest frustration revolves around the disappearance of my car keys. In many places around the world, car keys would seem like foreign objects. This very obviously reinforces the profound effect that socialization and the context of one’s community has on every aspect of his or her life. Where one is born directly influences one’s beliefs, values, feelings, morals, goals, dreams, perceptions… the list goes on and on.

The woman in this video spoke of her upbringing in a war zone. She spoke of the hardship and terror associated with such an upbringing. She spoke of the fear of death: the fear that the next missile would hit her own family or others she knew. This fear of death was one of the thoughts that struck me most in this video clip. Although here, in the small town of State College, we do not usually fear dying from missiles and gunshots, the common fear of death is something that unites us all. No matter how strong one’s faith or how fearless one may seem regarding the subject, I believe that deep down we are all united over the true uncertainty death provides. Death is the one commonality shared by all. Everyone on this planet has same the fate in this current life; it is simply a matter of how and when.

Despite the hardships spoken of in this clip, the woman also spoke of the compassion and heart still found within each community, especially among the females. One local woman in her community was quoted as saying that what she feared most was that her son would grow up with hatred in his heart. She feared that he would hate and want to fight those who killed fathers, brothers, friends, etc. This video clip along with the book, “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” has made me deeply consider what life is like for civilians in war zones. The woman is correct. Most do only see one side of war. We, or at least I, fail to realize there are still civilians cooking dinner, going to the market, children (who are able) attending school, etc. We often fail to realize all that occurs outside of the “shock and awe.”

Religion, I feel, is an extremely interesting topic of conversation. It is difficult to fathom all of the various ways we are affected by what we believe. Religious thought often drives our choices, behaviors, and attitudes towards a variety of social issues and personal problems. It is impossible to even begin to realize all of the ways in which religion, or lack thereof, does in fact touch our lives. For example, we discussed in class that the view one has of religion often depends heavily on the area of the world or portion of society he or she was born into. This thought alone is enough to being formulating questions.

In regards to this blog, I agree with this article. I, too, have noticed a trendy decline in organized religion in those I personally know. Of course I cannot generalize this trend to most people of the world as I do not know most people in this world. However, of those I do know, the post-modern, non-affiliated thought process is becoming very popular. This entails a belief that all religions should be accepted as equal and that “being a good person” will get you to heaven or whatever positive afterlife the individual believes in. This acceptance of all religions leads many to separate themselves from any one organized group. As more people join in this lenient, non-affiliated mindset, the numbers of those in organized religions decline. Again, this argument is not based on statistical numbers; I am only speaking of my personal observations. I, personally, have a few problems with this popular, non-affiliated trend. Most strikingly, for me, being a member of a religious group provides much more than just guidance on how to live my life and beliefs of a spiritual world. My religious affiliation also provides a sense of community. It is in my place of worship that I find hundreds of other people, just like me, looking for the golden answers to those questions mankind has forever been asking. An organized religion allows individuals to unite with others to find some form of guidance and comfort in this complex world. Many argue that religion should be an individual process, that a place of worship is unnecessary. It is true that the personal relationship each has with the creator is indeed just that: a personal one. However, it is through collective group processes, thought, and actions that this relationship can be amplified and shared. The rituals, hymns, laws, music, etc. found in weekly ceremonies help keep participants centered and organized. They are necessary parts to keeping anyone in tune with the thoughts of the religion’s original leader. Although religion has its downfalls, as does any human made object or organization, I also feel that it provides a great deal of benefits. I wonder, if this trend continues, what people will seek out, create, or turn to for religion’s replacement.

One decision, one night, one act is all it takes to change the entire course of a life. When one thinks of the thousands of decisions made each day, each week, each year, and each life, realizing the effects of just one of these decisions is almost unfathomable. This is especially true when one considers all of the socialization and influences created coinciding with each individual decision. Each decision slowly transforms one’s life into what it is today. We do not truly choose our paths; we merely react to those opportunities placed before us and those events taking place around us. Faced with endless decisions, no one can make perfect decisions all the time. Each and every one of us will make errors in judgment. It is inevitable. The only question is to what magnitude our errors in judgment will be. The more I live in this life the more I realize how easy it is to make a catastrophic decision. Unplanned pregnancies, DUIs, broken friendships, relationships, deaths… the list can go on and on. All of these events have the ability to completely change the course of one’s life for the entirety of the time he or she is here on this earth. It is funny that people are often remembered for and defined by the one poor decision they have made when they, most likely, have also made millions of terrific decisions at other moments in their lives. I agree that those who defy the law should be treated accordingly. I do believe that those who stray far from the law and harm others should indeed face the necessary consequences. I simply find it peculiar that we all too easily look at an individual convicted of a crime and often see that crime alone when, as evidenced by this article, there is often much more to the individual. No matter what past we have had, no matter what life we were born into, no matter how we have been socialized, we are all humans. This we all have in common. Reading this man’s story made me reflect heavily on my own moral code and bravery. I truthfully do not know what I would have done if placed in his situation, quite simply because I never have been in his situation. I can simply imagine and hypothesize. We are all socialized, influenced, and taught in different ways. Therefore, although we can relate, we can never fully understand another. It is a rare to have the opportunity to read and gain insight into a story such as this.

We, as humans, are created and socialized to respond to different stimuli in different ways. Before the ideas of time and clocks were conceptualized in developed countries, many people relied on the light and dark to signal the commencement and conclusion of their daily routine. In fact, as explained in the class “Intersections” book, many people still do run on “event time.” Such people often do not understand the concept of time and, instead, base their days around events. For example, one group routinely wakes when there is enough light to see the veins on backs of their hands. The cyclic nature of light and dark has been used as a reliable measure of time for many people around the globe, past and present. However, what happens when this schedule becomes disrupted? This video is a prime example of how our lives are affected by the environment we are engulfed in and the people we are surrounded by. The way we manage our time is largely influenced by the environment we find ourselves in. For example, one cannot easily decide to rock climb, fly fish, golf, swim, etc. when it is dark outside. I understand that some people may find ways to engage in these activities using a headlamp, lantern, etc. but, for the majority of the population, such measures would not be taken. Engaging in activities when darkness is present takes considerable more preparation and effort. We are not completely free to make decisions regarding the way we run our lives. We merely react to the environments we are placed in. The environment is yet another invisible string influencing our life each and every day.
Darkness has, for most of time, been the signal of the end of a work day and a time for rest. It indicated the end of a day on the farm or the end of a day hunting for game. However, what happens when that darkness occurs just 5 hours after the sun came up. This video explains the drastic effects the environment can have on the way we run our lives. It is obvious that severe measures need to be taken to compensate for a lack of light in our lives. Whether that be citywide light art or small, very bright lights, humans must come together to stay positive and active during the dark months.

What is the best way to educate? How do we educate the masses in an efficient yet effective way? These are obvious questions our society has been toying with for quite some time.
We know for certain that every being changes in some small, minute way each and every day. When these small personal changes are compounded over time, a large change suddenly becomes apparent. As we extend this idea further and compound each individual’s already compounded change, a truly enormous change now exists. These changes in individuals taken as a conglomerate lead to societal changes. Suddenly, all organizations, activities, systems, thought processes, etc. have evolved and progressed. However, it takes progressive, simultaneous change to realize that the activities, organizations, thought processes, etc. revolving around the individuals are lagging behind. Without change in thought and a developed need for evolution, systematic problems would not occur. Our programs would easily meet our needs. However, life does not work this way. We progress. There is no stopping it. This video made it very apparent that our current educational system is lagging behind the changes that have occurred in our society. Our educational system, based on ideas from the industrial revolution and enlightenment time periods, no longer fully satisfies the needs of our current society. No longer does a college education guarantee a job. No longer are the educational needs of society and of individuals met through school. Now, teachers are known to “teach to the test.” They are forced to treat each student equally and stay on specific schedules. There is a very limited capacity for individual learning plans. This video emphasized the point that students are all too often taught that there is just one correct answer. There is one correct way to approach a problem and only one. Our ability to express divergent thinking decreases over time. I observe this very concept in myself and in my own thinking. I know that my own ability to think divergently has greatly decreased throughout my educational career. This has occurred through years of test taking with only one correct answer to each and every problem. It occurred through years of interpreting test questions differently than the teacher/ professor wrote them and answering them accordingly, but, in the interpretation of the teacher, incorrectly. Very rarely would any teacher/ professor take the time to hear my interpretation, yet alone give me points back. This, most certainly, has all compounded to decrease my ability to think in a divergent manner. Just think, how often do professors accept your point of view on a question? How often have you done a problem a different way than that which was presented in class and worked it through to the correct answer only to receive points off on the assignment because you did not do it the “correct” way? This, I feel, happens all to often. I find it very ironic that most of us, in all reality, will not even use the majority of the facts we learn in college. Even so, a huge emphasis is placed on learning the material and earning top grades. A huge emphasis is placed on developing the ability to arrive at the one “correct” answer. Shouldn’t school instead be a place to teach skills for life? Shouldn’t it be a place that teaches skills that will truly be put to use outside of the classroom, instead of a place that often teaches facts most of us won’t remember or use once we leave? I understand that there will always be problems with any system. We established this fact in class. We need rules or chaos would run wild. As with everything, an experience is often what you make it. Therefore, education is what you make it. Is there realistically a better way to approach education? Maybe yes, maybe no. I believe that progressive changes can most certainly occur. However, it will never be perfect as nothing ever will be.

There is an overwhelming tendency for Americans to fear the things that need feared the least. Why is this? As evidenced by this news clip, I believe that this fear is largely influenced by the wide distribution of media by differing outputs. It is well known that the media focuses on disasters, scandals, and crimes because these are topics that dramatically increase ratings. This brings us to another question. Why do these stories increase ratings? Why are we addicted to news stories portraying nothing but negativity? Where are the positive stories? Certainly there is plenty of good in this world that could just as easily be covered and highlighted each day. However, the only great deeds we seem to hear of are the “courageous” acts that prevent disasters from happening. The result is coverage of disasters happening and coverage of disasters narrowly being prevented from happening. For whatever reason, as a whole, Americans seem to be drawn to these negative stories. Maybe we like to see other people suffer so we feel better about our own lives. Maybe by seeing that everyone suffers, our petty day-to-day problems seem less significant. Ironically, in this search for self assurance, we instead have plunged ourselves into a world filled with fear. It is difficult to read, hear, and watch catastrophic events happening all day every day without being filled with apprehension. This particular clip showed an attempted abduction. The Intersections Collection book also described flesh eating bacteria, excessive teen drug use, and brutal homicides. An overwhelming amount of fear is associated with these rather uncommon events. The continuous supply of such headlines contributes to constant socialization and change in thought. One simple story or headline is all it takes for people to change their ways. This clip briefly interviewed a woman who said that as soon as she heard about the incident she began making changes in her and her children’s lives. No longer would her child be free to roam the streets without adult supervision. How far can this go? How far will it go? How much supervision will we impose on our children before we decide enough is enough? We all seem to be convinced that because these events, however rare, are going to happen to someone, they are bound to happen to us or someone we know. However, in reality, there is an exponentially greater chance that the events will not actually happen to us. Once we realize that those things we most often fear are not the things we should fear, we can release the fear and move forward.

One day, one minute, one second, one statement, one moment is all it takes to radically change a situation, a relationship, a life. As I fly through my day to day events, this thought often crosses my mind. Most days do not have a large impact on a life. We all go through the day to day actions we are socialized to accept. We follow the rules society has established and follow the norms of our peers. Sometimes I feel that society expects such an insurmountable amount from each human that we are forced to whiz through our days, running from point A to point B without every stopping. We miss the way the sun reflects off the window or the pattern by which the honey bees fly from flower to flower. We are forced to work around the clock just to be competitive in today’s markets. It is often not until a large, challenging, or catastrophic event occurs that we learn to appreciate those things we all too easily overlooked before. It is amazing to think that sometimes this very event took only seconds to unfold. Mere seconds is all it takes for an entire life to be changed. This passage reminded me of this very fact. This man found his entire life turned upside down because of one decision, just one. One choice and all he knew was taken right from his grasp. With this in mind, can one truly be judged on just one moment? He says at the bottom of the passage, “And I can remember that while men cannot forgive me (and should they?).” To forgive is a very challenging act. However, how can any of us truly judge another when we have very little insight into their true life experiences? I have no idea what that man felt, the experiences he had, his family life, his relationships with his friends, his girlfriend/wife, etc. We often talk about the invisible strings influencing each of us. We know that none of us will ever see or understand them. However, I sometimes think we forget that not only do we fail to understand those strings attached to ourselves, we also fail to understand those strings attached to others. Therefore, every situation needs to be looked at with shades of gray identified. Nothing is ever just black and white. There’s always more.

"Strange ideas go away and you realize that we're all similar, just with different cultures." This closing statement was, to me, the most powerful line of the article. As I pondered the statement further, I found that I both agreed and disagreed with it in a number of ways. It is true that we are all human. We all have physical bodies and minds, emotions, and human error. Everyone everywhere is also socialized through the environment they are placed in and the people they are surrounded by. As explained in class, no one anywhere is truly free. Some are freer than others, but no one is ever truly free. It is all much more complicated than anything any of us could imagine. There are more invisible strings than fathomable by the human mind. It is this aspect that both unites and separates humans around the globe. In one respect, no human can avoid socialization. We are all united in this simple fact. However, in another respect, no human is socialized in the same way as another, making it quite virtually impossible to ever completely understand another’s situation. The closest we can come is close, close to understanding other humans through our own experiences. We tend to associate ourselves with those with similar backgrounds, experiences, and cultures because those are the people we can relate best to. Those are the people that can understand us the best and those we are most comfortable around. However, will we ever know how well we could relate to another from a foreign land if we never travel and try? I agree that many Americans, myself included, are not globally well traveled. Many say that they want to see the entirety the United States before traveling elsewhere. The United States does indeed have a lot of offer. It has National Parks, pockets of diversity, and a large variety of landscapes and people. Travel through the United States allows people to remain in their relative comfort zones and avoid the language and currency barriers they would find elsewhere. However, how much can we truly grow through such experiences? Maybe, just maybe, if pushed to gain a global perspective, we would find that we relate better to an African mother or an Irish lad better than those in our own communities.