Unfortunately I do believe that money plays a role in the amount of happiness in a person. Although it depends on each individual due to personal values and beliefs, there is definitely a correlation between the amount of money people have and happiness. No one can deny the fact that the society we live in is based around money. There are millions of people around the world who are living in poverty and horrible conditions such as slums and shantytowns. Due to this lack of money they face various problems such as malnutrition, crime, and a struggle to survive. How can these people experience lives filled with joy and happiness when they spend each day trying to find a clean source of water, food, and shelter. In areas with extreme amounts of crime they spend their lives fleeing from terror and abuse, obviously resulting in fear and anxiety. Compare these miserable lives to the ones lived by individuals with money, allowing access to the basic necessities of life. Aside from these simple necessities people with wealth are able to buy material goods, which is not the key to happiness, but will make people happy. I personally think that success and experience is the way to happiness, but money and wealth can lead to an increase in happiness.
While happiness is a feeling that can’t be bought, money can buy things that make people happy. For example, if a wealthy man enjoys going on vacation, he can spend his money to travel the world and have an unforgettable and joyous experience. Money is also needed to pay the bills. If a family struggles to pay for their house or for the car payments it will only result in stress and anxiety. Failure to pay the rent and getting evicted will cause anger and sadness. With money these worries are nonexistent, and if stressors come into play money can provide solutions. In our society health care is not free. Millions of people struggle to pay medical and insurance payments, resulting in loss of life and suffering. However if money was in the hands of these individuals they would be able to afford the medical care, resolving these issues affecting a person’s happiness allowing them get back on track with their lives. Millions of people also suffer with mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, which will ruin people’s lives and indisputably prevent them from being happy. If these individuals who suffer with these disorders are not able to receive medication such as SSRI’s that will make them happier and symptom-free due to lack of money, they will never be happy and will only continue to suffer. In my life happiness stems as a result of family, friends, love, success, experience, and respect.

Immigration is something that has been going on in this world for as long as people have been on this earth. When the Spanish went to America to discover the new world they were technically immigrants. Since the Native Americans were already living in America at the time, the Spaniards were the invaders. This great country was founded on immigrants yet people still don’t agree or see the benefits of it. I find this to be because many people are annoyed with the fact that the new immigrants that are coming into this country are now taking over. However, are there actual benefits to these immigrants that are moving to this great country? If you are someone that dislikes doing harsh physical labor or having to work long hard hours every day, then you should be able to see the benefits of immigrants coming to this country. They are the ones that pick up the slack and do the dirty work. This is very beneficial to many Americans because we are very opposed to having to do that type of work. Despite these benefits many Americans are still opposed to having immigrants in America. I find a major reason why is because of overpopulation. This causes many problems in America. Property values are decreases in many areas, which is annoying many Americans. A major annoyance that Americans are coming to face with is the fact that Foreigners are having an advantage over Americans in getting into college. If an American and a person of foreign decent have the same grades and extracurricular, most likely the foreigner will get it. The major reason being that they want to make the school more socially diverse. This rubs many Americans the wrong way because their kids are losing out because of this. They find that their tax dollars are going to waste. Also with the new health care bill many Americans are very angered by that as well. Even though it is not a bad thing it rubs many people the wrong way. Despite the working benefits and making this country more diverse there aren’t really that many more benefits that people see. Many adults are against it because it can have an affect on where their kid attends college and that later results whether the kid lands a high paying job or not. Many people are also opposed that immigrants are able to have this health care benefits through our tax dollars. These are pretty significant problems that are making Americans not see the benefits to having immigrants being in our country. No one likes an overpopulated country, which is happening do to the cast amount of immigration that is taking place. I hope that one day people can see the benefits of having immigrants being in this country but as of know I feel for the reasons that I have just stated, is why people aren’t seeing the benefits they bring.

As a white person, I see myself as very comfortable around people of color, not really seeing race as something that holds a higher judgment than personality. In that sense, I suppose I see myself as a stage six individual. However, I see the stages as slightly different than Sam explained in class. I see the stags working over a lifetime, some being different lengths of time in life.
Sam described stage one as not seeing race. In my mind, I think of my very early age in my life. Back when I did not even notice people by the color of their skin. I do not think that stage one lasts very long, but to be honest I do not actually remember when I began to see race. As far as I can remember I have always seen people by color, without even thinking about it. I don’t see how one can avoid seeing race, it is a blatantly obvious difference between people, and so I imagine stage one lasted only the first few years of my life.
Stage two I see as the point in my life when I first began to see race. Like I mentioned, I do not know specifically when this shift in consciousness occurred. I assume at a young age I began to see that clearly some of my friends had darker skin than I did. I do not remember ever struggling with this decision but I see that more as a stage three issue.
Stage three, in my opinion, is very short for most people. However, I also think stage three can last a lifetime for others. Stage three is where I think the racist individuals in America remain trapped. They react to their encounters with other races in a very negative way, unfortunately. For the rest of mankind, I see stage three as lasting maybe as long as a millisecond. I do not recall ever making the conscious decision to decide not to be racist. I simply moved seamlessly from stage two to stage four. The reaction to race, as I see it, is either not to react (as I think most do) or to lash out against those of another race (and therefore not react to differences in race).
From there, I think, stage five and six are very similar. I see myself as a stage six individual because I understand the differences between races as simple differences. It is almost that I do not see race. Obviously, I see that certain people look physically different than I do, but I also understand that these people have nothing to do with the color of their skin. In addition, I see that the color of one’s skin in no way affects their personality, and am perfectly comfortable around them.

The first time I ever truly felt “white guilt” was in elementary school when we were taught about racism in the 19th century. I vividly remember the feelings of confusion and guilt rushing through me as the teacher explained how whites in the south would buy, trade, and sell blacks as slaves and farm hands. The feelings only intensified over the remainder of the year as we learned of the continued oppression blacks endured along with the hardships they faced. This feeling of “white guilt” caused me a variety of dilemmas. What was I to say to my black classmates? Should I apologize? Even though I had never owned a slave or even considered blacks as inferior, I still felt horribly that a race of people I was a part of had treated another race in this manner. Luckily, growing up in the greater Philadelphia area, I had not really encountered any racist attacks on minorities nor had my black classmates and friends felt that the whites in the area considered themselves superior in any way. However, I was still left in a confusing place. Now knowing what I did, how should I act towards my black classmates? I went with my gut and acted as if nothing had changed; looking back, I think this was the right way to go about the situation. When faced with feelings of “white guilt” or guilt due to any circumstance that is 100% out of your control, there is no need to apologize or act as if anything is different- because it isn’t. My black classmates were still my friends and I still viewed them the same way. The only change that occurred in my mental mindset was one that I believe to be positive: I was given a better understanding of another cultures heritage and journey. At that point, I had viewed my black classmates as kids of a different skin color when really there is much more to every human being than the color of their skin. As I continued to learn about the Civil War and black oppression over the 19th and 20th centuries, I also learned about my black classmates and where they came from, where their traditions originated, and most importantly, how hard they worked fought to have the same opportunity to succeed as everyone else. “White guilt” is an emotion that I would imagine almost every white person feels at some point in his or her life. I believe that this is an emotion that should not be brushed aside; “white guilt” should be used to self-reflect and help every individual connect with themselves and their fellow black community members. What’s done is done and the only thing left to do is forgive and come together to make the world a better place.

The life of a homosexual is incredibly different from the life of a straight individual. The sad thing is their lives are so different because of the way they are treated by straight individuals. When asked if they would prefer a straight or gay child, many homosexuals say they would be fine with a gay child, of course, but hope they are straight, simply so that their lives are that much easier. The trails and tribulations, from avoiding bullies as kids to avoiding prejudices as an adult, make for a much more difficult time in life, but one that many face head on in order to live the lifestyle they prefer.
While things could certainly be much better in the United States, I think it is possible that the gay lifestyle is more accepted here than in many other places around the world. As society changes and power shifts from generation to generation, the United States at least seems to be headed towards a much more open and accepting future. Not to say that change will come quickly or that it will immediately be effective, but I feel many American’s are less rooted in the traditions of old and therefore have an easier time moving progressively into a less biased future.
Not that I am an expert, but I would expect many Asian countries may be less willing to accept the gay and lesbian lifestyle, because they are so firmly stuck in their old traditions. Unfortunately, in today’s world it takes a very progressively thinking and open mind to accept this lifestyle. Also, I think that parents in this part of the world are much more strict with their children and how they are raised, which would hurt the chance a child will grow up to be gay. There is a different sort of respect in these countries for elders; an almost fear based respect that I think may just push any chance of homosexuality out of the realm of possibility for many children.
World wide, while individually people may be accepting of the gay and lesbian lifestyle, there seems to be an unfortunate bias against it. It is a terrible shame that so many idiots have enough influence to get their ignorant opinions out against such a lifestyle. That they feel the entirely made up concept of marriage, which is being destroyed by straight people everywhere, deserves to be held to a higher standard than the happiness of a fellow human being. It is a disgrace that there is such hatred and even violence directed towards a group of people simply for liking their own sex more than the other. One can only hope one day people realize how meaningless this aspect of someone’s life is and just focus on their own problems.

I completely agree with the invisible strings theory. I think the choices and decisions people make everyday are based completely on their personal experience and perception of the world. That being said I do not think that race itself has anything to do with it. I think race is nothing more than a genetic difference that originated from geographical differences. In other words, I do not believe it is someone’s race that affects the probability they’ll do drugs, I think it is a much bigger mix of variables that lead to these things. The combination of variables is too large to list.

However, I believe that race does come in to play because of they way societies work. There are certain biases and prejudices that come with being different races. Additionally, it is clear that many of the most impoverished urban areas are inhabited by people who are not white. In this sense race comes into play because someone who is not white is more likely to be born and grow up in a location where recreational drug use is common. Growing up in an environment that has easier access to drugs will lead children to eventually try them. People are products of their environment.

Also, considering these living conditions general come with low family income, children could grow up with a drive to make money. This could lead them to sell drugs, merely to have enough money to survive, support a family, or buy a few very basic luxuries. Gang life is also more prevalent in these areas that lead to peer pressure and drug use. This is again something that is heavily influenced by the random factor of where one is born. It is true that any white kid in these areas is just as likely to get caught up in the drug scene as someone of color. It is all about the individual’s perspective of the world.

Lastly, teen pregnancy is also higher in these locations, putting an added pressure on making money quickly to support a young family. This pressure is too much for some young teens and they turn to drugs to get over their troubles. For others, drugs need to be sold in order to buy everything that comes with having a baby and supporting a family, if they plan to support it.

In conclusion, while certain races end up growing up in environments that are more consumed with drug culture and a drug lifestyle. I feel that in this sense it is more the environment, along with a long, long list of other variables that contribute to a child using drugs. The race it self has no genetic deposition towards using illicit drugs.

To start I would like to say that the videos of Haitian entrepreneurs completely changed my perspective on the Haiti people. Not to say that I didn’t think there were Haitians capable of such things, but I never thought the small business owners and the new and creative ideas they come up with. The most surprising aspect from the videos was how much these can get accomplished with the limited resources, staff, and technology. Most of these people worked in small areas with a few other people and almost no technology. Yet they were still able to make these incredible products that allowed them to run a business that would support their entire family. It is chilling to think of the accomplishments that could be made with these brilliant minds, were adequate supplies and technology available. Considering the leaps and bounds that have already been made, to think that these people have such a handicap resource wise is amazing.
It makes me think how lucky I am to grow up in a country where these things are available. The opportunities granted to me, simply because I was randomly born in this country over another, will put me at an advantage in my entire life that I will never fully understand. Saying that, it is almost embarrassing to know how little this “great” country does to assist others. In the discussion group today the point was brought up that America is run by men who are more concerned about their own well being than anything else; that they only really help other countries to build up an image of being the leader. The shepherd to guide the rest of the world through the valley of darkness, when really we are just leading them in a perpetual circle, one that keeps us on top.
While this sounds villainous in nature I think it is fairly understandable. If one were in power of a country, one would want his country to be the most powerful of countries, or else the fact that he/she was in charge would be pretty useless. This is the only explanation I can see for America’s backhanded aid, one that helps slightly in the short run while pretty much doing nothing in the long.
However, understanding and explaining this does not excuse it. People need to realize that life is not a competition. It does not matter what country has the most money because money is a made up vice to keep people in social categories. What the world should be doing is pooling their resources globally and working on new sciences and technologies that truly benefit the entire world and future generations. Sending some real relief to Haiti is just a small first step, but one that must be taken.

I am glad the question of having a religion came up so early in the semester because it is an issue I myself have been confused with for quite sometime. First of all, I think that religion in theory is a great thing. In general, the values that religion attempts to have its followers adhere to are values that would make the world a better place. The basic ideas of loving thy neighbor and honoring fathers and mothers are good, it is when the other more vague idea of religion come into play that problems arise.

What has always confused me is people blind faith that their religion is right. I’ve never really understood how for so many years (for all of history really) that people could be so convinced their religion is the right religion. So convinced that they would kill all that didn’t join (crusades) or kill for the freedom of following any religion (American settlers) or kill for any other religious war that has been waged throughout time. It is just the cherry on the ironic cake how against killing religious texts are.

There is literally nothing that has ever happened since people have been on this planet ever that could even begin to prove that a god would maybe exist, And yet for most this is simply a fact. No person on this planet has anyway of knowing what is on the other side of death so why waste time trying to figure it out. Why build up such a false hope when in reality you probably wont even know you’re dead.

I find it especially hilarious that people make fun of scientologists so much for believing their religion. The only real difference between L. Ron Hubbard’s book and the bible is that we know who the author is so it is seen as ridiculous that L. Ron could be correct. Honestly, are the events of that scientologists believe to be true are not any more farfetched that how Christians and Jews believe the world came about.

My favorite way of thinking about religion is to picture the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. We look back on these people who had Gods for everything. One God was in charge of the Sun; one was in charge of love, one in charge of the crops, etc. And we look back on these people as if they were idiots for having such beliefs. Like how uneducated they must have been for thinking so many God existed. I just don’t see how it makes any more sense to believe one God does all the jobs the different ancient Gods would do.

In the end I feel the world would be much better off if people just realized there’s no great one out their judging our actions. That really, truly, honestly…no one cares.

I have a hard time understanding transgendered people. When born, for the most part, humans either have a penis or a vagina. This is what distinguishes sex on our planet. The part I do not understand is how someone can take their thoughts and feelings and think that they have anything to do with gender. In a high school Sociology class I took last year we studied young boys who liked to wear dresses and play with dolls and do things generally associated with being a girl. These boys saw themselves as girls because the way they thought and felt and acted was more like how girls thought and felt and acted. But this is not what makes a girl a girl. The only defining characteristic of gender is having a penis or a vagina. In society our genders are separated by our actions, guys supposedly being tough and macho while girls are dainty and elegant. But a guy who is dainty and elegant is still a guy.
Someone who has had a sex change however is very different. Were someone to grow up and decide “I’ve lived my whole life with this, but I think I’d be happier with that” makes perfect sense. No one chooses which type of anatomy they are born with and everyone should be free to try the other option. In these cases, once the operation is fully completed, the gender of the person should legally change. What could make a man with a vagina a man?
Like I said, I learned last year about children who grew up believing they were the wrong gender. Eight and nine year olds that simply chose to dress and play like the opposite gender, and maybe take a more feminine or masculine name. These children, for the most part, were highly encouraged by their parents to continue thinking they are a girl trapped in a boy’s body, or vise versa. While it is good these parents are supportive of their kids no matter what, they should be telling their children there is nothing wrong with being girl who acts like a boy. Thoughts and feelings and actions are only associated with gender, they do not define it.

The general fear associated with going to war is the fear that one will not return alive. When a parent allows their child to go to a foreign land to fight in a battle that could easily end their life, the fear that goes along with it is that they will be killed in battle by the enemy. It is when the soldier returns home that the fear is eliminated, the event often being a thrilling experience, as the stress and anxiety of having a family member or friend in battle is completely gone. The soldier is now home. Safe.
At least that is what we would like to believe. However, as studies show when a soldier returns home they are in as much danger as they are in the war torn countries they visit. In the excitement over the return of a loved one, most families neglect to wonder how what occurred during a soldier’s tour affects their life at home. The life of a soldier is drastically different than one of a civilian. When in combat soldiers live in constant fear, always on the alert for the danger that truly is right around the corner. In addition, there are the daily tragedies involved in a soldier’s life. Every day these men and women travel down streets paved with violence and destruction. Not only may they end the life of another, seeing the piles of dead bodies (enemy and friend) is something that would rattle any human, regardless of the training they undergo beforehand.
Unfortunately, there are far too many stigmas associated with soldier’s who cannot handle the stresses of combat. Ironically, were soldiers given help throughout their tour of duty they would most likely be must more capable of coping with the atrocities they are constantly forced to face. On the other hand, were soldiers to spend all their time talking about the terrible things that are forced to do in other counties to protect our own, it will most likely result in soldiers having a much more difficult time completing such actions. What makes soldiers so effective is that they completely ignore the fact that what they are doing is wrong. It is terrible to think that all these feelings rush back once they return to a lifestyle in which these things are in fact wrong, but the future of the American military may depend on it.