The death of one of our own. And no one cares...

The world has become corrupted.

This may not sound like news to you, but even I didn't even realize the extent to which we had declined. The generation I am a part of is inconsiderate, and thoughtless, thinking only about themselves. For every rule, there are exceptions that prove it. I am one of them, although I confess to selfishness every now and again. But not to the extent I see others.

Yesterday, an announcement was made, that a student in this High School that I attend, died of cancer, God rest her soul. The announcer asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of this student. I would have been silent. I would have taken time out of my Advisory to honor the memory she left people with. But I couldn't, because I did not hear the announcement. You know why? Because everyone in my Advisory was talking talking talking, yapping away for no other reason except they were bored. The shame I feel for being a part of such a group of students is beyond words.

Today, we were supposed to wear pink, in support of the fight to find a cure for cancer. Granted, I saw many people wearing pink, or at least wearing a pink ribbon. But I have seen far more wearing normal clothes, not even a splotch of red that could be considered close to pink. Even I, a man who would not wear pink if I could help it, asked my sister to wear her pink hat, in support of this cause. People do crazy things for spirit week, and yet only a percent of BHS's students would go out of their way to honor a spirit no longer with us? Whoever she was, I was I knew her name, died young, way too young. She could have had a bright future ahead of her. But now, she does not, and her family must find a way to live on without an important member of their family.

It goes beyond that however! In Chemistry, we are taught to obey rules and observe guidelines. When we were doing a lab where we set metals on fire, I saw more than one student playing with their fire. ave they no respect for the dangerous forces they are dealing with? Have they no respect for rules? Do they care so little about their safety?

In this world we are growing up in, it is becoming painfully clear that it is more important for us to make ourselves happy, instead of others. That what we feel and think is what matters, not other people. That we should make ourselves happy, before we think about others. This is selfishness in its purest form, and it is disgusting, revolting! Were it that I could speak to everyone and make them aware of this! But alas, I can only really express my humiliation of this with you fellow classmates. Perhaps you can print this out, tape it up on the walls, or write the URL in a bathroom stall. I see written trash in there all the time. How about we send out a negative message to be constructive instead of 'fuck this school' and drawings of penises all over the walls. How about we actually work together to spread the message to rethink our values and whats important, and try to save ourselves from a future where people will stab one another in the back if in benefits themselves. Because if we continue down this road, that is what will be waiting for us at the end of it.

Women Roles

The role of genders. It is a controversial topic. The problem is, people have so many different views that nothing can change at the moment. Another problem is that people want perks without the drawbacks. Don't get me wrong, I fully support gender equality. But there are some things that will always prevent such an ideal from becoming reality.

For example; if a man hit a woman, what would you think of the man? He had no right. He shouldn't even speak to her anymore. He is an asshole. Probably something along those lines, right? But what if a woman hits a man? Now what do you think? He probably deserved it. Go woman, standing up for herself. You are probably pondering why she hit him. That is an excellent example of one of the reasons gender quality will never become a reality. In order for gender equality to exist, both genders must be equal in all areas. The punishments and condemnation applied to a man who hit a woman would also have to apply to a woman who hit a man. But that will never happen, because society, to this day, views men as women's protectors, not the other way around, which makes it worse for a man to attack a woman than the other way around.

Another reason; males are biologically different from females. We can build muscle faster, he have great fighting instincts, and we are less prone to emotional problems. Females on the other hand can attain flexibility faster than males, they have a higher pain tolerance, and their minds mature faster than a man's. We are created differently, and we always will be, and that will always set us apart.

Not Without My Daughter. Sad movie so far. An Iranian man tricks his American wife to move with him to Iran, where he holds her prisoner, beats her a bit, and threatens to kill her. And he says he loves her! He treats her like an item, and that is how most men in the Middle East treat their women; like items, things, livestock, pets. They discipline them so they act in a way that pleases them. Can you say, narcissistic? What is happening over there is just plain wrong. The woman wants to leave Iran, head back to America where she can be free, but she can't because of Iranian laws regarding women. Again, this is wrong! Personally, I am having a hard time imagining them becoming more civilized. But hey, I am open minded. It could happen. But I don't see that being true for the majority for a long while now.

The truth of the matter is, men and women are not created as equals in every field. Overall, yes, they are equal, but no male is created with the same strengths as a female. Each has a head start in certain areas, each is better at certain areas than others. There is a reason we refer to people as either being a man or a women, and that is because there is a difference between the two! They are not the same, unless they go out of their way to make it so.

However, that does not mean that society should set their roles in stone. People should have the choice to be who they want to be. They should have the option of raising themselves up to higher heights than normal. They should be allowed to aspire to greatness, and should be given the opportunity to attempt to achieve that greatness. Who are we to say what a man or woman can or cannot do? We are not God.

My mom was in ROTC, and she was able to meet all the men's standards for physical fitness, except the mile run. But besides that, she was just as strong, if not stronger, than the other men with her. This is proof that if a person puts their mind to it, they can achieve more than what they were originally designed for. We are humans. Adapting, evolving, and improving is all in our DNA.

In case you are confused as to where I stand in this issue, let me point it out. I believe that looking purely from a scientific point of view, both males and females will have areas they will be able to develop easier than the opposite gender. I believe they are capable of going beyond what they may find easier. And I also believe that opportunities given to men should be given to women, and women given to men. I believe both genders should have equal opportunity in life to make themselves better, and they should not be hindered by social expectations. I believe that while each of us may be well equipped for a certain line of work, that does not mean that we have to put up with that line of work. I believe we are capable of forging our own destiny.

I am sure lots of people will view this, so I am curious as to what people have to say about what I have typed here. If you feel I am wrong about anything here, feel free to comment about it, maybe include some examples, or proof, to support your refuting of any of my statements.

Misunderstandings

As I am sure you readers know, there is a section in the library where they have on display a bunch of books that have been banned in many areas of the United States. There is a paper there saying that we have to be careful that we don't let our freedom to read be taken away. I am going to share my thoughts on this.

First of all, I point out that in all the books, they were challenged in school settings because they were reading material used in a curriculum. The problem was made because parents believed their children either too young to read the books, or because they believed the books promoted questionable ideas. This is understandable, that parents would want to protect their children from certain corrupting factors. The problem here is not the books themselves, but the environment in which they were introduced.

There are things that children should not be exposed to at certain ages. In school, it is fine to have children reading books that give them a look at life in the past, or whatever excuse the school has. But when the book has even references to something that would help put an R-rating on a movie, then those books should not be allowed.
The so called "freedom" to read that was being taken away was simply the books not being allowed to be forced on children to read. Because it is either the kids read the books, or they fail the assignments.

However, there is a way that our freedom to read could be threatened, and that would be if published works available to the public was restricted. If people in the public wish to read a certain book, then they should be able to read that book. They should not be limited. However, it is wrong to impose controversial books on children while still learning things. Children have very impressionable minds, and the more they are exposed to something, the more desensitized they become, unless they have a strong counterweight to the influence, affirming what is right and wrong.

I used to have a strong aversion to swearing. But because I was exposed to it, at school, online, at home, I've become desensitized to it. I don't have an aversion to it anymore, except for the idea that the more something is used, the less powerful it becomes. Therefore, I reserve cussing for extreme situations.

Ever wondered how soldiers get trained to kill people? They get desensitized to the meaning of life through playing games where they kill people. Thus they are able to take human life with receiving damage to their mentality, for the most part. I have played video games where I kill people too, and I think the only reason I myself have not become desensitized was because I am a religious person, and my faith is constantly teaching about how precious life is, and how it should be protected. These values and beliefs keep me protected from losing my treasuring of life.

If challenged books will be presented to children, then they should also have moments of time where they explain how the controversial things are either wrong or right, and give both sides of the argument. But do not leave the growing generation to believe that the things they just read are alright and okay, that they're nothing special. Because that is how a morally corrupt society is born.