en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/6191716 Comments by lvs5211 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/18/voices-from-the-classroom-301/#IDComment624927052 One of the most traumatic events that has ever occurred to the United States were the attacks that place on September 11th. I feel experiencing something like this especially when you are a child is something that you never forget. Everyone has a different story that they tell and a recollection of the events that took place, where they were at, how it happened and how they felt. For me, I recall being about 7 years old at school, in class doing work. I remember being interrupted by the principal on the loud speaker who informed us about how there was a terrorist attack taking place in New York City. She mentioned how planes had crashed into the twin towers in New York. Clearly, being seven years old, I was not fully aware of everything that was going on but I did know that something bad happened because of the amount of frenzy. My teacher did assure us that everything would be fine and that we had to continue with the rest of class. About ten minutes later, my mom picked me up early from school and went on a rant on the phone with some of my family members. Unintentionally, she talked loud enough for me to listen and cling on to every word she uttered as we drove to pick up my sister. As soon as we arrived home, I remember creeping in my parent’s room to watch the news and having so many questions I wanted answered. I remember my mom vaguely explaining everything and reiterating how everything was going to be all right. Despite my mom and my teachers trying to make me feel better, I still felt helpless. I felt like I had a bunch of thoughts and emotions racing through my head but I could not convey them with my words. Looking back at how I felt when that happened and how I felt not too long ago when I heard about the Boston Marathon Explosions, I would say I feel the same way. When I first heard about the explosions during the marathon, I felt like I had no clue what was going on or why it happened. Whenever I hear about anything slightly traumatic that happens to someone else, I feel like I am greatly impacted by it. One of the biggest problems I have is overanalyzing everything way too much and feeling like I need to know why things happen which can be a blessing and a curse. I hate seeing people struggle, face adversities, etc. and feel like there is nothing I can do to help. Growing up, I have realized that there are plenty of things that I can do to help even if its just by consoling someone who was apart of these attacks. Taking every little piece of knowledge I have acquired over my nineteen years of existence, I believe that when these situations occur, we need to come together. The only thing we can do ourselves is be there for those who need us and learn from the mistakes made in the past, so we don’t repeat them in the future. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 02:03:57 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/18/voices-from-the-classroom-301/#IDComment624927052 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/09/voices-from-the-classroom-298/#IDComment619295801 I believe that this lecture goes along with the lecture Sam discussed a few weeks ago about what is taboo to talk about. I feel that for an immense period of time, sex has been socially constructed to focus more so on the guy than the girl. For decades, the role of women in society has been to cater to their husbands. Typically, the man would go to work and whenever he came home, the women would cook for him, clean the house and take care of the kids, because many careers did not require women. Overall women would support men in everything because men were seen as superior. Some of those same traditional roles still exist today. I feel that the entire idea that sex is emphasized towards men when there are two people involved is pretty bizarre. However, society has loosened its roles of women but those roles still occur frequently. Sex should be something that is fun and exciting for both people and should be a way for couples to connect and create a stronger bond with each other. Therefore, when one person is not fully satisfied, I do believe that they should talk to their partner about it. I think that the reason why most people fail to tell their partner that they were sexually unsatisfied is because it is sort of taboo. The circumstances among people vary. For example, it would be less taboo to talk about it if you are in a relationship with someone than not in a relationship at all. It is easier for couples because the basis of a relationship is honesty and communication. Again, because of the norms and roles of society, it may be standard for guys to have an orgasm and not ask if their partner was pleased. It probably makes it especially hard, if his partner is not bringing it up or faking an orgasm just to make him happy. It may also, not be obvious if the guy thinks that he doing his best and his partner is going along with it. I think that most girls refuse to tell their partner if they are unhappy with something sexually because a lot of guys have a lot of pride. For some guys, hearing that the girl you had sex with did not have an orgasm is a shot to their ego. Also, I feel that society places so much pressure on women to have perfect bodies and that they should look like these celebrities. Even though they have tons of money to fix what ever they are not happy with, whether it is by exercising or doing it surgically. Some women may blame themselves for not having an orgasm because they are not quite comfortable with their bodies. I believe the sooner people communicate and are more vocal about not only being pleased but pleasing their partner, the more satisfied they will be. Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:45:18 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/09/voices-from-the-classroom-298/#IDComment619295801 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/05/voices-from-the-classroom-293/#IDComment614060602 Growing up, I never noticed race existed until I was about eleven years old. Once I actually noticed race, I became extremely interested in various cultures. Even experiencing racial conflicts, I never allowed that to change my views on other people just because of one’s race. I was always taught that everyone is different and that being diverse is something that should be highly valued. I still feel as passionate about those same views today and that will never ever change. Watching that video about Tammy, I felt extreme sympathy for her not because of any reason except for the fact that I hate seeing people struggle. Tammy is someone’s mother, living in a trailer trying to raise two kids. She has to walk ten and a half miles to work in inclement weather because she has a car with no tires, electrical problems and no one and not enough money to get it fixed. Despite all of that, she has a son who is ashamed of her instead of admiring the hard work she put forth so that they can eat and have somewhere to lay their heads. She was one kid out of a family of twenty-two children. Tammy took the initiative to work instead of taking her friend’s advice and getting on welfare and doing nothing with her time. Not only did I feel compassion for her but also it made me want to change some aspects of my life. Even with all of this stuff going on, she appears to be genuinely nice and optimistic that this will all take a U-turn. People like Tammy make me want to improve areas of my life. I complain about walking a few steps from my dorm to the bus stop. I tend to get upset knowing that I do not have my car at school with me. I nag about my neighborhood being quiet all the time and that there is never too much to do. Viewing videos like this always brings me back to reality by humbling me and reminding me of some of the devastating hardships I have experienced. Some things beyond imagination especially for a young lady of nineteen years of age. It is kind of like; you cannot fully understand something unless you have been through it yourself. So whenever I see or hear about someone going through problems, I immediately feel for them because I know how it feels. More importantly, I think it is our duty as human beings to help those in need. I believe that everyone dreams of how they would love for their future to look and most of those plans probably entail some type of stable income or some sort of wealth. However, not everyone’s dreams turn into reality. Things happen and not everything goes according to plan. I believe that the sooner we, as a community, as humans, decide to focus on other people and helping each other all while ignoring skin color is the moment we will make some type of serious advancement as a whole. Sun, 7 Apr 2013 23:45:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/04/05/voices-from-the-classroom-293/#IDComment614060602 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/28/voices-from-the-classroom-281/#IDComment608454448 I believe that for me, there was no difference between Sam’s lecture and discussion and the class that Jasiri X and Chenjerai held. In fact, I enjoyed both classes a lot. I think that what made these two classes so interesting to me is that we talked about so much controversy in one class when we spoke with Jasiri and the same occurred with Sam. They both discussed thought provoking topics that have in someway affected everyone’s lives. Jasiri showed us video’s about Travyon Martin, the occupy movement and things that dealt with white supremacy and guilt, violence, politics and race. He was very vocal about his viewpoint on these issues and from the way he spoke seemed very passionate about blacks and the African American culture. Chenjerai and Jasiri tried to open up discussion among our class but countless students were reluctant to speak at first. After about a few comments from some people, people felt more entitled to speak but the amount of participation during that class could not have amounted to the number of participation we normally have. I do feel that many people were quicker to respond to Sam than they were Jasiri maybe because they were more comfortable with Sam because he is our professor and Jasiri is just a guest. On Thursday’s class people had more to say about what they liked, did not like or their general thoughts on Jasiri and Chenjerai which I found pretty odd considering when he asked for our input, not too many responded. There were so many people with insolent remarks for Jasiri’s delivery of his opinion because some people thought he was trying to make whites feel guilty. But when Sam openly says he does it, in an attempt to spark debate and get us to think, people for the most part are fine with it. It was a tad contradictory to me. However, the similarities I did find between those two different classes were comments on the twitter feed. People were tweeting some of the most repulsive and offensive comments about Jasiri, Native Americans, race, guilt, etc. It almost seemed as though people would rather voice their opinion on a social network rather than say it in front of the class because they knew they would be attacked for some of the cruel things that were being said. On the other hand, there were multiple debates going on via twitter. There was a good point brought up, that like blacks lost their land, so did Native Americans, so Jasiri’s argument about blacks, the slave trade and white guilt was not too valid. However, when we discussed Native American’s with Sam and how they lost their land and were pretty much stripped of their entire culture, people said that it was due to “survival of the fittest.” To me, it seems that there was too much fault being pushed on others. Everyone wanted to blame a problem on someone else who would blame it someone and so on. I, personally think that no one should ever have to feel pity for me because I am a black female or guilt themselves because of events that transpired hundreds of years before their existence that they had nothing to do with. I feel like these events are discussed today in an attempt to open our eyes to what happened and not forget but to continue to grow from it and try not to make the mistakes that were made in the past. I believe that when you are talking about matters like this, you have to be willing to expand you mind and be open-minded and not ignorant. Ignorance should never be bliss, knowledge should. I think that discussing issues like this allows us to go into the deep depths of our mind, think, and acquire information we need to allow us to move forward in life. Sun, 31 Mar 2013 22:28:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/28/voices-from-the-classroom-281/#IDComment608454448 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/22/voices-from-the-classroom-279/#IDComment603427872 I believe that nepotism is one hundred percent more socially acceptable than affirmative action simply because race is still a touchy topic because of the history behind race and can sometimes be taboo to talk about. However, I do believe that they have a lot of similarities. They both, in a way, affect many different cultures and the foundation of both of these idea’s deal with discrimination. I feel that affirmative action has a negative connotation attached to it more so than nepotism. Affirmative action is a plan that tries to prevent discrimination among minorities and women and is more prevalent among employment and education. But even having what seems to be a positive policy in effect, there are still negative connotations attached to it. A lot of people question that affirmative action is being used to get people who are not qualified for the things that are in seek of, an opportunity over someone who is completely qualified. Whereas, nepotism is discriminating among other people or favoring or giving someone a desired position at work, in college, etc. because you know or are related to them. I believe that nepotism is more acceptable just because it is a lesser form of discriminating especially when compared to affirmative action. For example, if you are the boss of a business, you say you want to hire people who will best represent your business and display every aspect of it. However, during the interview, you notice that a family member or a close friend is being interviewed for the job but you have the final say so. It is more likely that you would choose the person you know opposed to the one you do not know especially if you have developed a strong relationship with that person. The same applies, if the roles were switched, you would in a sense, expect the person you know to hire you before they would hire someone they do not know because they know how you are, your work habits, the qualities you posses and what you could bring to the company. However, sometimes it is, the complete opposite, you may know the person but they are a horrible worker and very lazy. Nevertheless, they still may be chosen over someone else and it is still more favorable than affirmative action. I think affirmative action gets a bad reputation because many times, people view it as people being picked for a certain position to fill a quota. Although, it is very similar to nepotism is gets viewed in a negative light, I think because of the race aspect. I believe that another reason why some people perceive it as flawed, even the people that it is supposed to help is because it is kind of like a handout. A lot of people have a powerful sense of pride and want to prosper rather, that be academically, or in the work force, simply based on who they not necessarily what they are. I feel that both of these idea’s are extremely alike but a lot of the opinions based on whether they are positive or negative deals a lot with society and your upbringing. Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:20:01 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/22/voices-from-the-classroom-279/#IDComment603427872 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/12/voices-from-the-classroom-268/#IDComment597915690 There are numerous types of subjects that are considered taboo in today’s society. I believe that so many of the things that we do, believe and think about are socially constructed. Society plays a huge part in everyone’s life whether you notice it or not. Society, in a sense, outlines what we are “allowed to say and not allowed to say.” For example, if two students were in a class full of people and decided to start talking about farting, they would probably receive different kinds of informal control such as weird stares or giggles. Not just that, they would probably be a little embarrassed or awkward because they are being stigmatized. Why should people have to refrain from discussing or expressing what is on their on mind because they‘re worried about what other people may think? Why do we place a big emphasis on topics we should talk about and shy away from topics people are scared to talk about? It is not fair some of these things that are defined as unusual to talk about by our culture, is something that everyone does. The same thing applies to what we discussed in class on Tuesday. Sam asked how many females in class were, “bleeding.” Then after he asked that, he changed his wording and asked how many females were menstruating. However, during the time he asked, it seemed as if no one wanted to answer him. Everyone began to turn their heads in search of someone who raised their hand but at first, no one did. After about a few minutes, some females in class shyly began to raise their hands. Even then, as some of the females began to talk about their period, informal control was still given. Some people were disgusted, some were shocked, some people laughed and others tried not to pay attention. We always encourage people to voice their opinions about what they are passionate about. Society seems to push males more so than females to talk more about what they are feeling. But as soon as someone talks about something that is not acceptable by society or a sensitive topic, society tells us to watch what we say and be more understanding of other’s feelings. It is a contradiction. These subjects affect our lives because they limit our speech. They make us maneuver around what they define as unusual, not even what we define as unusual. Society is also responsible for these portrayals of how someone should behave, what they should look like and other things that are ideal and not necessarily realistic. I believe that we will better our culture and ourselves when we realize that sometimes it is all right to voice our opinion even on things that people are afraid to talk about. I also believe that we will grow when we learn to do what is right for us, as long as it does not hurt anyone and stop worrying about what other people think of them. To be honest, rather you speak up or not, being judged is inevitable, so why not voice your opinion? Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:02:25 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/03/12/voices-from-the-classroom-268/#IDComment597915690 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/28/voices-from-the-classroom-259/#IDComment581762781 I believe that there are multiple reasons as to why people decide to use skin whitening cream. There are so many factors that are entailed in society and are guidelines on how we should look, act, dress, etc. I believe that people who use skin whitening cream are stuck on this view of what an ideally successful person looks like. Some think that a lot of times, society portrays the face of success as being white. Not just that but a lot of the media we see has a massive amount of successful or rich celebrities who are white. After constantly seeing this, a lot of people begin to believe that it is true simply because it is something repetitive, even if it is false. People will believe something is true because of the amount of media coverage it has not because they did intense research on it. Then after believing that it is true, these actions or social norms are then internalized by the members of society. I feel that instead of trying to defeat this stereotype people would rather use it to use it as a justification to do nothing or give the minimum effort. I think that some people allow aspects like this to discourage them. Along with the whitening cream is the idea that you have to be light to be associated with prosperity. A large amount of whites have light eyes, light hair, light skin. This may come into play to those people who think that having characteristics that resemble someone who is Caucasian is beneficial to them. Another reason that people may use whitening cream is because there are some negative connotations (not from everyone) associated with being darker (I.e. darker skin, hair, etc). Clearly, not everyone feels that way but some people do. For example, among black people there’s seems to be this never ending debate between light-skinned people and dark-skinned people. Some regard light-skinned people as better off than brown or dark-skinned people. I think it all comes back to the expectations of society and the pressures of maintaining this unrealistic and perfect image. Just like certain people believe that white or light skin is ideal, they believe the same about attractiveness or self-image. The qualifications of being considered attractive endlessly changes. It’s like people are shaping their outer image to make it apparent to others that their perfect attributes that can physically be seen represent the attributes they have within them. I refuse to accept this idea that one human being is better than another or more equipped to flourish because of the color of their skin. The recipe for success should be based upon the type of qualities you possess as a human being and the amount of determination you have that would enable you to succeed. Hopefully people can learn to accept their flaws, love who they are, how they are, what they look like. Hopefully, they never let something so miniscule negatively affect their outlook on other people and prevent them from trying to thrive and achieve their goals. Fri, 1 Mar 2013 09:49:00 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/28/voices-from-the-classroom-259/#IDComment581762781 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/21/voices-from-the-classroom-255/#IDComment576825470 I thought today’s lecture was especially interesting because we learned about different perspectives on religion, how science affects our race and talked in depth about evolution. The lecture sparked a bunch of questions. I am a Christian and I have a massive amount of faith in my religion and come from a Christian family. At one point during the class, Sam mentioned that often times one’s religion derives from their parents because they heavily impact our lives especially as a child. They can push their religion on us as a child, have us learn the ways of a certain religion and internalize them. But it confused me a little bit, because the same occurs for people who heavily believe that biology plays an immense role in the presence of humans. Biology is merely pushed upon us within society. We are required to learn about biology in school, memorize and understand aspects of it as well. I never want to seem condescending about religion because it is something that is tremendously significant to a large group of people especially myself. But one of the main points Sam continuously mentioned was that, there were reasons for the way our noses and heads were shaped and how genetic material varied among different groups of people and individuals in general. He proceeded to sarcastically ask why God made us different skin colors but did not want to finish his statement. In a sense, I feel the same way about biology when it pertains to religious issues. My view on biology is that it demonstrates evolution using examples like Social Darwinism but there is no type of evidence that proves how things like the Earth, planets and land first came about. Religion is defined as faith and belief in a deity or God and a God is said to be associated with the creation of something rather that be a religion or beginning of the world. Like Sam said in class, who knows which religion is accurate…you do not want to choose wrong.” Personally, I believe that there’s no way that you can tell me that randomly the earth, humans, land, water , etc were here and no one knew why. Numerous religions profoundly discuss the presence of everything, things associated with the beginning of time. I just find it a little unique that when I talk to biology majors or teachers, they cannot give me a definite answer with supporting evidence. I tend to question what I do not know or do not fully understand in a means to grasp the ability of one who on the opposing side of the discussion who fully comprehends. Not to be judgmental about someone’s views or say that my way or thinking or my religion is superior, I was always just fascinated about different outlooks on religion and evolution theories. I believe that intense discussions and lectures like the one I experienced today definitely helps me understand a lot more about religion. Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:32:15 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/21/voices-from-the-classroom-255/#IDComment576825470 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/14/voices-from-the-classroom-250/#IDComment572175550 I think one of my favorite classes this semester consisted of the class in which we spoke to the Iranian guy, Maziar via webcam. I think it is very fascinating how Sam has multiple ties with people from all over the world. Maziar was very friendly and seemed like a genuinely warm-hearted person. During the short time we spoke to him, he shared his views on America, American citizens and traveling here. Maziar told the class that he loved America and he had no negative views about America or the people that live here. It was quite enthralling to hear the thoughts of someone who has never been to the States and even more exhilarating to see that his thoughts and overall opinions about American citizens were positive. I also felt that his comments, in a sense were ironic because the Iranian girl that spoke in class last week, seemed to have a few preconceived notions about how people in the United States view people from other countries. The United States tends to paint this picture of America like we are perfect in everything that we do, as if we are superior to any other country. I think the media plays a huge part in rather opinions among people are mutual or varies because they tend to depict things in an negative and cruel way before showcasing the positive things that occur. America wants people who do not live here to think that we have the best of everything and I personally do not feel that way at all. I do not support any type of ethnocentricity between anyone. I can recognize and appreciate the massive amount of diverse cultures that exist everywhere and I do not feel that because I am American that my views or everything American’s do is accurate or can be justified. Although, it is understandable why the Iranian girl felt the way she did, it is always nice to know that there are so many people that are truly open-minded about getting to know people from other countries. I respect the fact that Maziar did not let ignorant people or this illusionary facade ruin his opinion. However, the conversation we had with him was not all about serious questions and controversial topics. There was a portion in class where we were allowed to ask him questions about himself and what he enjoys engaging in. Mazier told us about how Friend’s, How I Met Your Mother and Grey’s Anatomy were his favorite shows. He spoke about his family, his girlfriend and how much we would love to travel to the United States. The entire conversation Maziar gave off a welcoming vibe that made the discussion twenty times better. Speaking to him was like a breath of fresh air and put me in an even better mood. It always humbles meet when I meet people that are optimistic about everything and inspires me to view the world and all aspects of the world through other people’s shoes and makes me strive to affect others as much as I was affected by speaking to Maziar. Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:53:19 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/14/voices-from-the-classroom-250/#IDComment572175550 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/14/voices-from-the-classroom-250/#IDComment572175060 I think one of my favorite classes this semester consisted of the class in which we spoke to the Iranian guy, Maziar via webcam. I think it is very fascinating how Sam has multiple ties with people from all over the world. Maziar was very friendly and seemed like a genuinely warm-hearted person. During the short time we spoke to him, he shared his views on America, American citizens and traveling here. Maziar told the class that he loved America and he had no negative views about America or the people that live here. It was quite enthralling to hear the thoughts of someone who has never been to the States and even more exhilarating to see that his thoughts and overall opinions about American citizens were positive. I also felt that his comments, in a sense were ironic because the Iranian girl that spoke in class last week, seemed to have a few preconceived notions about how people in the United States view people from other countries. The United States tends to paint this picture of America like we are perfect in everything that we do, as if we are superior to any other country. I think the media plays a huge part in rather opinions among people are mutual or varies because they tend to depict things in an negative and cruel way before showcasing the positive things that occur. America wants people who do not live here to think that we have the best of everything and I personally do not feel that way at all. I do not support any type of ethnocentricity between anyone. I can recognize and appreciate the massive amount of diverse cultures that exist everywhere and I do not feel that because I am American that my views or everything American’s do is accurate or can be justified. Although, it is understandable why the Iranian girl felt the way she did, it is always nice to know that there are so many people that are truly open-minded about getting to know people from other countries. I respect the fact that Maziar did not let ignorant people or this illusionary facade ruin his opinion. However, the conversation we had with him was not all about serious questions and controversial topics. There was a portion in class where we were allowed to ask him questions about himself and what he enjoys engaging in. Mazier told us about how Friend’s, How I Met Your Mother and Grey’s Anatomy were his favorite shows. He spoke about his family, his girlfriend and how much we would love to travel to the United States. The entire conversation Maziar gave off a welcoming vibe that made the discussion twenty times better. Speaking to him was like a breath of fresh air and put me in an even better mood. It always humbles meet when I meet people that are optimistic about everything and inspires me to view the world and all aspects of the world through other people’s shoes and makes me strive to affect others as much as I was affected by speaking to Maziar. Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:52:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/14/voices-from-the-classroom-250/#IDComment572175060 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/07/voices-from-the-classroom-244/#IDComment568202509 I think that the entire discussion on Thursday’s lecture was very controversial because we talking about war, the government, the impact of those two on different countries, poverty and death. I feel like when you have a vast amount of people discussing such touchy topics, emotions begin to run high and it in a sense, hits home for many people. I feel that the Iranian girl thought we would have a discouraging opinion about her simply based on the fact that she is Iranian. The first thing she said was that she was from, “the most hated country.” That demonstrated that she thought we had preconceived notions about her character because of where she came from. Then she proceeded to talk about American’s view as if we all had the same perspective on everything. She made it seem like the beliefs of the government and the actions they take on other countries depict what other American’s think. The TED video we watched required us to step out of our own shoes and into someone else’s. So in a sense, I do understand why she felt so passionately about speaking the way she did about her country. It must be awfully hard seeing innocent people in your country being murdered and losing their home over issues that could have been handled differently. I believe that I have a strong devotion to my country and from the way she spoke about Iran, she did too! Also, the girl seemed more hurt than anything and a few times, she had to stop herself because she got really emotional. But in retrospect, the girl had every right to say what she felt. I always find it very respectable that someone can voice their opinion because in all entirety, everyone is entitled to believe what they want. I do not honestly think she said it to be hostile or condescending but said it in a means to grasp why often times she’s mistreated merely because she’s from Iran. However, I do feel like recognizing that there are ignorant people with ill-mannered opinions is a huge part of life. Regardless of where you go, there will always be people who judge you, or not agree with you because of where you were born, your age or who you are. Some people will even judge you for no valid reason at all. I personally think that in a class full of about seven hundred very diverse people, the amount of opinions formed will not always be the same. You cannot let one person actions or views epitomize the actions or views of a group of people. Personally, I come from an unbiased home and the farthest thing from my mind when I meet someone is acquiring information from them just to judge them. I do not think she should let inconsiderate others dictate how she feels about other American’s. There will be some impolite people but there will also be some very pleasant people as well. Not everyone agrees with the actions of the government just because we live here. Thinking like that can cause a loss in meeting some beautiful individuals and engaging in amazing opportunities. Sun, 10 Feb 2013 23:33:05 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/02/07/voices-from-the-classroom-244/#IDComment568202509 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-236/#IDComment562259502 One of the hardest adversities you may face in life is going through a tough time and feeling like you are all alone. It is extremely relieving to know that there is someone somewhere that is going through or went through something you are currently experiencing. I personally have had my share of problems that I have faced in my life. One of the worst personal issues I have faced, ironically enough, was caused from someone else and not myself. Growing up, I always possessed a very strong devotion to my family. My parents taught to always love my family especially my sisters because they were the people who would be there for me no matter what. It was tremendously complicated for me because I was the youngest. I am currently nineteen years old, my oldest sister is twenty-six and my other sister is twenty-two. Being that I was so much younger than my two sister’s, I was never really taken serious. Not just that but it was hard for people to rely on my advice because they thought I did not know too much about anything because of my age. About a couple years ago, my oldest sister who is also a mother of three decided to attempt to kill herself. Both of my sister’s have really bad anxiety and cannot handle a lot of pressure at one time. My oldest sister had a continuous amount of problems with her job as a Para transit worker, which lead to her being terminated. In addition to that, she still had to take care of the kids because my brother-in-law’s job required him to work two hours away and from early in the morning to late in the evening. It was extremely hard for one person to handle and she faced a large amount of anxiety attacks a month. My other sister faced a lot of problems as well! She experienced many issues with her friends and our family. One of the biggest issues she had was finding who she truly was and not realizing how much of an impact she had on others. Like my oldest sister, she also experienced a lot of anxiety attacks within a small amount of time. They both took a bunch of pills in an effort to kill themselves. First, my sister attempted suicide and then about a month later my other sister did the same. Luckily, they both were unsuccessful in doing so and afterwards got the help they needed to progress and recover completely. It was a personal issue for me simply because I was affected heavily by it. You never fully grasp the importance of an individual’s importance in your life until you are at a time in your life where you could possibly lose them. Throughout it all, I tried my hardest to keep their spirits high and help more, so they would not feel like every tiny problem was a burden. Not only that, but my mom was in and out of the hospital because the doctor thought she had cancer. This was one of the worst personal issues, if not the worst that I have ever faced in my entire life. I spent a large majority of the time crying, being depressed and blaming myself for what I could have done to make them feel better. After them finally being recovered fully, I took that personal issue and viewed it as a blessing. I learned to no longer view small problems as immense. I also began to become more understanding when it came to other people’s issues and tried to comprehend their outlook on things. More importantly, I learned not to blame myself and I was able to apprehend the meaning of life. To live is to know that you and your presence means a lot to others. To live is to know that you have left memorable memories and impressions on other people that could potentially alter their way of thinking. Mon, 4 Feb 2013 05:00:43 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/31/voices-from-the-classroom-236/#IDComment562259502 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/23/voices-from-the-classroom-232/#IDComment555790213 Personally, religion holds a large importance in my life. Religion is something that I view as a vital part of my life and it is included in my daily routine. As a child, my parents who are both Christian used to take me to Church, Bible study, etc. My mom is more vocal about it than my dad is, but they both raised me to believe in Christianity. Even now that I am older to make my own decisions and believe in any type of religion I choose, I still agree with everything I learned from Christianity. While my parent’s did teach me to be passionate about my religion, they also taught me not to be judgmental towards someone for their views even if they differ from my own. In society, religion is extremely prevalent among numerous people. I feel that Atheism is highly frowned upon because it is not a social norm. It is the refusal of a belief that God exists. Normally, religion consists of faith in at least one deity or one God. I believe that because atheists do the opposite of what is socially accepted, it causes them to become stigmatized. Usually when you grow up, you are somewhat pressured into accepting certain beliefs and customs from those surrounding you. After being exposed to those beliefs, you tend to internalize them because that is what your family believes in, you learn about it in school or just because it is expected of society. Therefore, when someone says that are atheist, it is viewed as deplorable simply because it is not what society is used to. I think it is also due to that fact that many religions entail living an acceptable life on earth to achieve eternal fulfillment. People are just shocked to see someone not following the imaginary rules of what is required as normal in society. Although I am not aware of every aspect of Atheism, I do not view people who are atheist as horrible or disgraceful. I feel that everyone is entitled to their opinion and it is their choice to want to live their life the way they want and not the way they think they should. I personally have no biases against anyone just because of their religion. I would hate for someone to be biased to me because of what I believe in. I have a certain amount of respect for various people especially when it comes to controversial topics such as religion. I have confidence in myself to instill good characteristics in my child. I think that my child will pick someone to be with that they feel betters them, supports them and understands their perspectives and loves them for who they are. So if my child were to marry an Atheist, I think it would be a bit of an adjustment but I would not be against it. I see no problem between people who have different religions, if they both are respectful of each other’s views. It is merely, compromise, a bit of open-mindedness and thoughtfulness. Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:03:03 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/23/voices-from-the-classroom-232/#IDComment555790213 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/16/voices-from-the-classroom-227/#IDComment548733247 Personally, to me race is an ambiguous term and can be an abundance of various things. The actual definition of race can be defined as a classification system that distinguishes between different groups of people based upon their cultural, religious and even physical characteristics or something along those lines. However, when I think of race, immediately I affiliate it with individuality and open-mindedness. I also think that one’s opinion can be hindered from past occurrences whether it is negative or positive. I feel that race goes beyond the cliché definition of just classifying people into groups based on their appearance and where they originated. I feel that race is more about understanding the differences and accepting the perspectives of people ‘from different races.’ I was always so fascinated with different races and their customs but was blind to it until I became a certain age. I was always intrigued to acquire information about different races, just because it was something new to me. Not just that it intrigued me to learn about my background and ancestors. For example, I am African American as well as my parents but my dad is a lighter skin tone than my mom and I who have a brown skin complexion. I always wondered how someone could fluctuate from what is ideally expected of a certain race in terms of appearance. Naively, I thought everything had a strict script that it had to follow much like a social norm. Growing up, as a child who attended a very diverse school, I had an excessive amount of questions I wanted to ask my parents. I lost friends, experienced verbal abuse and racial slurs because of my race. My family almost lost the home we own now because of our race and I never knew why. Being a child especially one in an unbiased household you do not envision things like that happening, you just want to go outside and play with friends. I never knew how much importance race held in society until I got older. So when you ask what race means to me, there is a million thoughts that race through my mind to find one appropriate and precise definition. Now I have realized that you cannot give just one answer to describe what race is. Race to me, is a sense of understanding of those who differ from you. Race is a feeling of pride and joy to be associated with those significant people of your race who have achieved the unachievable. Those people who have broken stereotypes and racial barriers to cave the way for not just your race but also your generation. Race is a sense of individuality even knowing that you belong to a certain group of people. Everyone in that group has a certain type of uniqueness that sets them apart from someone else. More importantly, race is used as a stepping stool. It does not define who you are but what you are. I believe that race helps you interpret and comprehend idea’s that you will face later on in life. I feel like they help you make decisions on being the type of person you want to be, not what you feel you have to be. Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:55:13 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2013/01/16/voices-from-the-classroom-227/#IDComment548733247