Its the end! God bless you all!

I can not believe that this class and semester has come to and end SO fast. To be honest I was a little overwhelmed in the beginning. I had not idea where to start and I had no idea whether I was going to be able to keep up with this whole online course! But gladly I did, I feel so accomplished. It was the little steps that got me this far, like everything else in life, baby steps all the way to get to the bigger picture. I really enjoyed this class. Best of all though I have to say I enjoyed the blogging most of all. When I first saw that we had to write 500 words minimum on certain topics I would wonder how I was going to be able to elaborate on subjects that I was not really interested or passionate about. However I did it somehow. You can do accomplish so much by just putting time to it. By being patient and giving it time, you can not expect to have everything come at you at once. Now that we are at the end I find that I would even go over the minimum sometimes when it came to blogs and other assignments. This has taught me to not be satisfied with the minimum if there is more that I can add to anything why not? Unless there is limitations on how far you can go and even then sometimes we go above and beyond. I really enjoyed interacting with my classmates. Everyone was so respectful and everyone did their part when they were supposed to which I really appreciated. Most of all I was glad that I was able to freely speak about my passion and the love of my life and that is God. I have never encountered people who would be so tolerant and patient with me when it came to class setting as far as sharing my beliefs. That is one of the things that stays most in my mind that I was really able to open and express my feelings with out being attacked by others. I am sure that I am not the only one who felt this respect from everyone. Everyone was so respectful and is one of the reasons I even looked forward to blogging. I would enjoy reading others thoughts and different matters as well. This was my first time doing something as enjoyable as this in a class. I hope that is not the only time I encounter such assignments in my future classes. I truly believe that the more a teacher makes things enjoyable yet, productive that is when students really learn and take things with them after the class. Thank you Ms. Gross for being so awesome helpful, caring and fun! I thank my classmate as well for everything but most of all the respect and making the class so enjoyable. God Bless you all and may God truly bless your families and lives!

All we need is love

The romantic love poems of earlier poets and writers have strikingly similar themes to the love songs of our modern time. Love is powerful and is something that can only slightly be described in songs and poems. It is so strong, so needed and so desired for by every living being. It is what drives us in life and what encourages us to go on. All we need is love and with out it we do not exist because we are relational, loving creatures. However these love songs and poems have set the expectations of love on such a high level that is has caused many to fall short when trying to reach it. It is something so strong and intangible that words fail to translate and communicate fully. Our culture has romanticized to such an unrealistic level for humans that it has become the common cause of broken, disappointed and let down hearts. I will focus mainly on the first two lines in Song by C. Day Lewis “ Come, live with me and be my love, and we will all the pleasure prove” these words demonstrate exactly my point. “We will all the pleasure prove” expresses that in finding love and being with the one we love will full fill all our hopes, dreams, desires, and pleasures. “Our other half” it was will complete us. I however do not believe this to be true, we can not set such expectations on another human being it is nearly impossible! There is no way that one person will be able to do all that for you in your life because people will always let us down. I am not trying to be pessimistic because I do one day do hope to find love and be happy but I know not to set all my hopes, dreams, pleasures, and happiness into one person. Were just humans! Such expectations should be set on God and God alone because He is the only one capable of such love. A song expresses the same expectations would be Mario’s “ Let me love you” song the following lines resemble in meaning “You should let me love you, let me be the one to give you everything you want and need”. The poem and song both try to fulfill their lovers EVERY need. As much as one wish they could do that they simply can not we do not have the capacity to do that for another person or vise versa. As romantic and beautiful as words can be they can also be misleading and put ones hopes up so far into a place were they can not reach but I think that our desires have always been the same. Both earlier poets and song writers have expressed that desire and need in the past and present, it will also be expressed in the future because that is what we all want and need. The depths and desires of love are the same that is one thing that never loses its meaning throughout cultures, people or time. Love is endless, unfailing, and everlasting it surpasses the grips of time and is something that will always fulfill humanity because in the end we ALL need love. Its no wonder it is around us every day of our lives.

What myths teach us about ourselves

The Creation of life, earth and everything in existence has different stories through out all of the world. How it all really began and who created everything varies greatly from region to region, culture to culture, and religion to religion. However almost every single story about creation has its creator. The one or “ones” who created it all uniquely and in precise detail and as a result we are all here. The story of creation that I believe in is in the Creation of God, one man. He created the night and day, water and land, animals and above all Adam and Eve. Not only did he create it all he created it all in seven days, He spoke it into existence and got it all right the first time because He is God and He is amazing. While watching the myths that we were assigned I could not help but notice that they all had one thing in common they all had a creator. There was no BANG that just blew everything up perfectly together. There was a god who created it all and therefore all creation worshiped the god and praised the god for it. The similarities in these myths are that they all have a god or gods responsible, which shows how people all have a desire to know that someone or something created it all someone or something is responsible. The confidence in knowing that there is someone who is in control and above all watching over us. As humans we need to look up to someone or something. Whether we realize it or not we all worship someone or something we depend and have our hopes set on something other than ourselves. All around the world people either worship many gods or they worship just one or something. It can be the Greek gods, the gods of the Mayans, or one God. It can be our families our careers, hobbies, school, and friends. We are relational and creative creatures we desire to have someone and something. All theses stories about creation speak a lot of what we as humans want, need and desire in our lives. We desire a sense of security in something or someone outside of our selves because we can not do it on our own. We always some how manage to mess things up and its just apart of life there is only so much we as humans can do. Then comes God who can get us through it all and He is in control of it all. These myths and stories about creation only solidify and prove that everyone across the earth is the same we all have it in us. We all need to look up and know that someone is up there taking care of it all. We set our lives on it and it determines how and why we live the way we do. Some acknowledge Gods existence and some do not but regardless that does not change the fact that He is up there and in charge. He is above all and the one who created it all.

Letting Go

In the Secret Life of Bees there are numerous burdens that are carried by every single individual in the story like every one else in life. The ones that I will focus on will be on the burdens of T. ray and Lily. The burdens that they both carry are very similar yet they react differently to them. T.ray carries the burden of knowing that his wife left him and she did not leave him for another she just left him because he was destroying her inside, he ruined her. T. ray must of felt like he was the cause of everything. He deprived Lily’s mother from happiness and life. He was not able to give her what she needed. He was not able to make her happy so she just left him. Upon her return he finds her coming back but not for him. She came back for Lily. This must have been another burden for him feeling that not only did she leave him, she was also taking all they had their daughter. Poor T.ray just had a lot of things hitting him and I truly feel that even though he did not cope with everything properly I can see where he was coming from. His wife did not want him and when Lily grew up neither did she. He was burdened by loneliness and guilt of possibly being the reason as to why his wife and daughter were unhappy. Lily had a similar yet different burden. She had the burden of taking the life of her own mother. What she loved most in the world is the very thing that she took away from herself. Her father would remind her that she was the one to kill her, which to him was probably away to vent his emotions somehow. Not only would T.ray remind her that she took her mothers own life but he would also tell her that her mother left her and did not want her. T. ray would say these things to her to make her feel the same way he did, unwanted. Towards the end of the story Lily comes to realize that what her father was telling her along was true, which gave her and even heavier burden. She felt like no one wanted her either. I believe that T.ray and Lily were both heavily burdened by what happened to Deborah. Her leaving and her death affected both their lives and their futures. It is no wonder that they acted out in the impulsive ways that they both did. They were burdened by the death of Deborah, her unhappiness and their lack of ability to change how she felt. They both felt responsible for not making her happy enough to make her stay, which I believe is a very heavy burden. However I am glad that at they end they were both able to let go of the past and hurts. They needed to close the door behind them to better able see what was ahead in life for them and finding happiness and freedom in letting go.

Gorilla In A Cage

I have had very strong feeling about something before, I actually have very strong feeling about something now actually. If I could describe myself to any animal I would have to say that it would be the gorilla locked in a cage. This is in no way to indicate what I would really do in a situation but only about how I feel. I never get this crazy, out of control, and controlled by my emotions. Well, I have at some points in my life but hey it happens to everyone at some point. Anger is a very strong feeling for me, even more so because I usually do not get very angry often you usually have to do something really, really, really bad to me or someone I love, or something really, really, really stupid. I relate to myself like a gorilla locked in a cage because I feel like it is exactly how I feel when I get mad. I’m stuck in a cage with my anger by ,myself and no matter how many people I go or talk to no one makes me feel any better. I’m in the cage on my won with no one to help me to get out of it or to get me out of what it is that I’ am feeling inside. I just want to beat everything, slam and hit it very hard with all the strength that I have in me. I want to beat my chest hard scream at the top of my lungs and grab the person or thing that made me very mad and throw them across the room. This sounds horrible of me to do but remember it is just how I feel and not something that I would ever really do in a real situation. I let my mind go wild to try to make me feel better. A gorilla locked in a cage is also a good example of how I feel because I fell like I can not get out to actually fix or confront my problem. No matter how much I bang and hit the cage to try to get to the source that made me mad I can not get out. I feel like they are outside the cage making fun of me and only taunting me more because I can not get out to reach it. It feels like it is so close yet it feels like it is miles away just because I’ am unable to get to it. I feel so strong and angry yet I am so limited about what I can do when I am angry. Over all I do not feel to bad about admitting this because I know that we have all at some point felt this same way if not even worse. Anger is a strong emotion one of the best that I know and definitely one that I like to keep locked up as much as possible for the very reason that it could hurt some one really bad with its strength.

Dont Give Up

This is a very sensitive topic and opinion varies according to circumstances and the things that every individual has gone through in their lives. My opinion on the matter of suicide is just an opinion but my opinion also stems from my beliefs that no one should ever take their own life. I can not say that I have ever actually considered suicide but the thought of it leaves anyone very, very heavyhearted. As easy as it is to say that one has the right to take their own life, its sounds kind of harsh. One has to consider that if someone is having thoughts of suicide it must be because they are going through a lot. I could understand why someone one would have those thoughts or plan to follow those actions but, that does not justify them because life gets better. Things always look up in life, one just needs to examine the things outside their circumstances and situation. Rather than looking at what is in front of you and out of your control look around and see everything else in life. Think of it like a really, really nice car and it just so happens to have a big dent in it from an accident. If all you see is the dent in that car your missing out on everything else about it, it still works and it still looks nice from other angles. We can easily become consumed by the current things in our life that it begins to take over. Although I know that a life has extremely more value than a nice car you could look at the metaphor in the same way. Look at the good things, and if there is nothing good around achieve to make it better and let that be your motivation. Strive for a better future in every way possible emotionally, physically, and mentally. Rather than seeing that dent and letting it define EVERYTHING. It might even be more than one dent, no matter how many dents there are there is nothing God ca not pull you out of. He has a plan and purpose for everyone. He breaks you down to build you up and in the end even stronger than you were before with an even sturdier foundation. For those of you who do not believe in that well just know that everything happens for a reason, as cliché as it sounds it so often said because it is so true. Life does get, and always will get better just hold on and see it through. Ask for help if you find that you can not do it alone. There is always someone there who will help as impossible or hard as that may sound to believe. Suicide is never justified as irreversible and low life can get. I could understand where one may be coming from and why they may see that as their only resort but the truth is that it is NOT. Just hold on and see what else life has to offer.

Rollercoasters

Betrayal is like a dark violent rollercoaster. ( For those who are afraid to ride them that is) When you first hear about it your knees go weak, your palms start to sweat, and your adrenaline starts going up. Your heart just drops so fast and so hard. You can not believe what you have just found out and you want to get out of it. But once your on it there is no turning back and no matter what you do or say you can not stop the feeling. The roller coaster is going and it is going super fast and strong. In the same way when you find out about some one you trust betraying you your heart drops with every detail you find out and your whole body just goes weak. You want to stop it but you cant. You find your self trapped you don’t know whether you want to feel mad, upset, scared, or just straight out start balling. In the same way when you are on a roller coaster (again for those of you who are scared of them) you can not decided whether you want to hold on tight or just let go and try to calm down. You almost wish you can go back and never have gone on the ride in the first place. In the same way when you find out that someone has betrayed you, you wish you could go back and change something so that things could be different. You run down a list of possibilities in your mind of “ Well if I would of said this I would not be here right now” or “ If you would of done this instead this would of never happened”. The emotions are so fast and so different from the one before or the next you don’t know what to feel. In the same way with a rollercoaster you can not see what kind loop, drop, or turn is up ahead. All you know is that can not wait till it is over. In the same way you can not wait till you just get to that person and just find out the truth and hear what they have to say about what you just found out. You want to just get to them and talk to them so that your emotions and thoughts are stable because unpredictability is never comforting. You do not know what to expect or how you are going to react. Betrayal is such a horrible thing to feel and a rollercoaster is just a minor comparison to what one person may feel. It may be even worse! I just hate rollercoaster and I absolutely can relate the feeling of betrayal to the feelings I get when I am on a rollercoaster. It takes control and you can not fight it once your in it. No matter what you do you can not do anything to make your self feel better or any more assured that you will be okay all the way through the end. it’s a dark feeling and it can become a very violent rollercoaster if not properly handled.

Love Others Like You Love Yourself

There has been a rapid drift in values, loyalty and morals through out the last few years especially in families and marriages. Marriages no longer hold the commitment that used to keep them together. Now a days they are treated as another simple relationship that can be broken if either individual is not satisfied or if they are not having their needs and desires met. We live in such an individualistic culture that we have come to care more and more about ourselves than of others. We love ourselves rather than loving others and put our needed and desires first above anyone else. This way of thinking and living is what has caused such a brokenness in marriages and commitment. We have our priorities mixed up we think that if the other person is not making us happy then they are not “the one” for us but, in reality if we continue living and thinking like that we are never going to find anyone! This is proven in the Kate Chopin’s story “The Storm” both individuals get wrapped up in the moment and lose sight of reality giving in to self gratification and selfishness. They become so consumed in what their physical momentary needs desire that they do not stop to think about the consequences and do not think about their significant other that they will hurt as a result of their actions. Numerous of the qualities and values needed to keep up a good and successful marriage have also been lost as a result of our selfishness and individualism. We need to be there for our partner and loving one another and taking care of each others needs. Rather than sitting thinking and complaining about was is done for you to make you happy, one should think about what can be done to make their other half happy. It sounds like Calixta was deprived from her husband although unclear and unrevealed in the story we can assume what they may have been. So she went along with the temptations that came her way and found what she wanted else where rather than finding it in her husband and vise versa of Alcee. However this does not justify or make their actions right in any way. Their needs to be communication in the marriage which seems to have been lacking. If they would of each communicated to their partner the sense of neglect they were feeling they would of probably found a solution. However we also do no know what Calixta’s husband may of needed from her and same goes from Alcee and his wife. Modern marriages can be successful and last the way they are meant to be if people take the time that they require. They needed to have time, dedication, communication and love. We need to not expect or set unrealistic expectations from the ones we love and just love unconditionally. With unconditional and selfless love we can achieve happiness and also realize that short is the joy that comes from guilty and selfish pleasure.

Differences

Woolf ‘s made a relevant argument about women having to fight for their rights as individuals. In that time I believe it is was a valid point, due to the fact that women were looked down upon and thought of as being incapable. If you take a look through out history you will see that being a woman was not enjoyable. Men and society would look down on women and see them as incompetent. They had far less opportunities than men in society and were only useful for taking care of the home. I don’t believe that being a woman who stays at home and cares for its needs speaks any less of her abilities. Taking care of the home is a stressful and hard thing to do. It is not only one thing that has to be done it’s a variety of things from cooking, cleaning, fixing, and caring for the family along with their unpredictable needs. Women have come so far now and have so many opportunities now a days that I believe that some women dread being the stay at home mom because they feel they deserve better. I myself would love to be a stay at home mom when I am older and caring for a family. I believe it would be one of the most enjoyable things for a women, yes, it may come along with its downsides but so does every other job. I cant find any better motivation than knowing that your actually there for your family. I believe that there is a great difference in providing for them, and actually being THERE to provide and care for them. I do believe that women are as capable as men but, I see that sometimes we as women get to caught up in our independence and get in over our head and try to do more than we should. We have different roles as women and have to realize that we are not always going to be able to do the things that men do, and vice versa. Men and women are made differently and women lack in some areas that men don’t and same goes for the men they can not do some of the things we women do. I do believe in equality and all that but, I think we have gone a little over board. We have crossed the line so far that women now a days are actually treating men the way that women were treated back in the days. Some women actually see men as lesser than and that is not right. I do believe that with time women have been given more opportunities but, we are also trying to take advantage. Rather than having the husband go out and provide, some families have the father staying home and the mother providing! With the economy I understand in some cases it is temporary and necessary but, outside of those circumstances it is not the best idea. Yes we are equal as men and women but we need to take in to account that we are made different along with different purposes, and rather than competing with one another to see who is “best” we should try to work together to get all around better results.

Equally Yoked

The earliest memories I have of growing up are those of my parents being separated. I lived with my mom and my dad would come for me and my sister on the weekends. A few years after they both remarried. I now live with my mom and my step dad, and I see my dad and step mom on the weekends. Each one of them has their different opinions of what kind of man I should marry and of who I should and shouldn’t be with. My mom is a lot more lenient and she believes that I am old and wise enough to make my own decisions. My mother has never been the kind to look over my every move. She always gave me space and allowed me to come to her when I wanted and needed her advice which I appreciate. My father on the other hand has always been a little more strict. He on the other hand does have an opinion on who I should and should not be with. He does not judge according to race or color because he himself is interracially married which I think is awesome. However he does care about the beliefs that the guy I choose be with holds. I hold my beliefs very valuable as I have already mentioned numerous times. So like in the story I can relate in some aspects of religion marrying those of the same beliefs. I know that if I were to marry someone with different beliefs that my dad would be upset. I know that he would not go the extent that Nnaemekea’s father did. If I were to marry some one with different beliefs I know that is would create conflict with my dad because I know he would really want me to marry with the same beliefs for obvious reasons. I believe that when it comes to everyone that it should be taken into deep consideration to marry someone with the same beliefs. If people marry with different beliefs the marriage will get very complicated when it comes to having kids and how they want them to be raised. Disagreement in religion causes a lot of friction and tension already as is with other relationships out side of marriage. So imagine having to live with someone who may not believe what you believe is true and may believe the exact opposite. I could see where his father was coming from in being upset with his son in marrying someone that he himself had not chosen for him. However as to the actions he took after him finding out I do not agree with. He chose not to be a part of his sons life all because of who he chose to marry, which in my eyes was a good woman who held most of the qualities that his father looked for. I am not married yet but when and if I do I would hope to have the approval of my parents in who I chose to be with for the rest of my life. I believe that it is very important to share that with everyone you love and for others to partake in the lives of their loved ones.

Worshiping Creation, Not the Creator

“ To choose unbelief is to choose is mind over dogma, to trust in our humanity instead of all these dangerous divinities.”

This statement hit’s a very sensitive and deep topic. As I express my opinion, please know that these are my beliefs and that they are in no way to offend or hurt anyone. We are all given the free will to believe and do what we want, but this is what I have chosen to believe this is what I believe is TRUE…

My interpretation on this assertion is when one individual chooses not to have faith in God, and they rather choose to value their humanity more than they value a belief in a God. I think this assertion is very accurate in the sense that when people choose not believe in God it is because they would rather live in their own ways. Without having to feel convicted or guilty of the things that they do in their lives. Our automatic response as human beings is to push things aside and act like they are not there. We do this when it comes to hearing the truth, hearing what we know is right yet we don’t want to hear it because its not what we WANT to hear. I am also a Christian and I do believe in a God. I believe that He is the Creator and that He has given us the option to follow Him or not. However that does not mean that I have never had my doubts. There has been short moments in my life when I have wondered whether there really is a God and I felt so empty, with no reason, and no purpose. It felt like there was no sense of security, like everything just happened by chance or coincidence. I didn’t like it. The feeling that there is no God it was just scary to me to think that no one was in control. That we were all just running around with no purpose with no one watching over us. Its hard for me to believe that there is people out there who really believe there is no God. Although I know there is people out there who really don’t believe that there is a God. My thoughts on that is why? Why do you choose to believe that there is no God? What is it about this world that you would rather believe in it more than you would rather believe in a God? He created us all and whether you choose to believe in Him or not it is not going to change the fact that He exists. Yet He created us with free will to believe or not, which I believe is a good thing because we don’t really love and believe when we are forced. When it comes down to it, its really out of force and not because we genuinely want it. There is a lot more to it then just what I have mentioned and why people choose to believe. However for the purposes of this assignment I have to keep it short with out wandering off to other areas. As far as the quote states though, I do believe that when people choose not to believe in God its because they would rather live in their own ways. They would rather worship the creation and not the Creator. The way society is now we are taught to be self centered and independent. We mold our world with OUR desires, OUR beliefs even if they are not necessarily true. On that note I have seen what this world has to offer, and I don’t want it because it doesn’t compare to what God has for me. =)

If anyone has anymore questions our would further like to talk and share their feelings about God feel free to email me at lalavarez7@avc.edu

He takes and He gives

My life has changed so dramatically from just a few months ago, last summer to be exact. I have made new friends, experiences, and a better life. Its not to say that the people I had around me before were bad people, its just that they did things and acted in ways that weren’t in my character. I was really compromising my relationship with God in hanging out with the people I hung out with. It all started out innocent, we all did the same things to have a good time movies, games, and dinners. Which was good because I enjoyed the same things. However it slowly started getting out of hand, with people drinking, partying, and just doing things that went against what I believed in. The worst part is that I almost went along with it. I would go out with them and something always told me what are you doing here? Why are you with these people? Till it started getting louder and louder. When I hung out with them I heard it more and more. I knew that where I was and what I was doing was out of my character and against my beliefs. Then it all changed so dramatically, so quickly, it was like divine intervention. I had to let go of all those people and that life all with in a weeks time. I truly believe that it was distracting me from my relationship from God, and making me think and do things that went against what I believed in. I knew it was wrong, I knew it wasn’t me and I was going for it regardless. I feel that I truly defied a life style that is so common and destructive. Everyone seems to live it a life of partying, and drinking. I had to get out because I felt it consuming me. I had to give up people that were my friends for such a long time in order to stand up for what I believed in. I was no longer going to conform to what they were doing. It was a real change, and a dramatic turn but, I truly believe it was necessary. Its important to listen to that voice inside of your head. The one that asks you what are you doing here? Why are you with these people? We push is back way to often even though we know its right. We compromise what we believe in and go against it just to fit in. We do it to avoid being alone. However, we have to realize that we are never alone. There’s always something better. Looking back now on leaving that, I know I made the right choice. I walked away from that and immediately I was blessed with new friend and a new life. I’ve learned to listen to that voice now, because I know its right. it’s the voice of one who has bigger and better plans, the one who is in control and knows what He is doing. So the next time you hear that voice inside your head, and you know its true don’t ignore it, listen to it, because its going to take you to bigger and better places than you could of ever imagined.

Wars Unintentional Killing

Collateral damage has become a term that is used to often to explain military mistakes. Unintentional or accidental even but, it could be that it has just become another excuse to use in order to hide the truth. To often during war people are killed as a result of reckless actions. Military goes in and as a result of certain circumstances or not having the proper understanding end up killing the wrong people. Civilians, women, men, families, and children that were innocently killed. Killed all because they are caught in the middle of a war that just so happens to take over where they live. War that far too often comes in a destroys innocent lives. With no compassion to the lives that it will ruin. The lives that happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The people that live amongst the enemy yet, do not support the enemy. Even though they don’t support the enemy they become the enemy just because they live around it. In the poem “ From the Diary of an Almost-Four-Year- Old” I believe that this just so happened to be the case. This four year old just so happened to be living in the middle of the war that came and took over their life. That’s when I start to believe that this collateral damage can not be justified because its hard to believe that a four year old would be left wandering around war active areas. The only way this child was exposed was if the war came into the area they lived in, and used it as a battle field. With out any sort of regards as to those who were living there and the danger that they imposed on them. That is one of the many reasons why I don’t like war it kills too many innocent people that had or wanted nothing to do with the war. It cannot be justified when innocent lives are killed. When the war begins they go in with the intent of killing in a lot of cases killing anyone and everyone if possible. Killing in war is something I cant say is justifiable. It almost contradicts itself. Unintentional killing, not really war goes in with the intention of killing. War takes over and causes damage in so many ways. It has just become a term to “justify” or make right the actions that have been committed. This poem was really sad to me the thought of a four year old living amongst such an environment. The war may have been going on for so long it may have been all the child had seen in its life time. Which is why I believe they thought they had seen enough in their life. Which is why they were okay with dying. Which tears my heart even more what child has a life so limited and so destroyed that they are okay with dying? A child that lives in war. Wars that happens way to often and cause "collateral damage".

Selfless Motives:

I like to believe that the majority of the time I am selfless when it comes to others. In the sense that I put their needs and feelings before mine. I love to help and be there for people especially my close friends. Although there has been a recent event that occurred to me where I was so frustrated and upset as a result of being selfish. It was one of my close friends birthday and we were planning a dinner for him to celebrate it. All my friends were planning to celebrate it together so we were trying to figure out a day were we could all make it. So the details were being set and somehow along the way I lost track of time. Eventually the time came to find out what was going on and one of my friends let me know that plans were already made and set. Once he told me the plans I was so upset, reason being they planned to do it on a night that I worked. Right away my thoughts and emotions started getting the best of me. I was so bummed and hurt, because they planned the day that I worked to celebrate my friends birthday with out me! I kept wondering why they chose a day that I worked to celebrate my friends birthday. I couldn’t come up with any good reason as to why things came out the way they did. I wanted to be there too! As the night went by I started wondering and thinking about how I was feeling and whether it was right for me to feel the way I did. I had this mental battle going on inside me where one part of me kept being selfish and wanted to stay angry at them for what “they did to me”. While another part of me started thinking about how it would be selfish to make them change the day to another day all because I couldn’t make it. After all I have such a big group of friends its hard to get us all together, and the event wasn’t about me it was about my friends birthday. Those thoughts confused me and began to make me more mad because I started to realize that I was being selfish. So I decided to share my frustrations with my sister. She told me that she could see where I was coming from but, that I should consider the fact that it would be selfish to change everyone’s plans just for me. So she suggested that instead of getting upset because I wasn’t able to make it why not just plan another dinner. Her advice helped me out so much. Instead of being so upset over not being able to make it why not celebrate my friends birthday twice. On a day that I could make it! In the end things worked out better then expected and he was happy to celebrate his birthday twice. From that I also realized that I wont always be able to make it to everything, and that I shouldn’t be upset. I also realized how to distinguish the difference between putting myself first and putting others first. In this case I can truly say that although it stared out with me being selfish, it ended up being a selfless motive.

The Time That Can Change

We start responding to literature beginning by simply reading it once. We give it the time it desires and that it needs. If we don’t give it the time and patience it requires then we do not allow it to speak to us, or change us. We acknowledge it by visiting it again and again because first impressions are not enough to know the depth in something. We need to go back more than once and get to know it better. By asking questions and trying to see what the writers intention are. We share our thoughts to others to get a better understanding and see what they have to say and hopefully share in return. We reply to it in the way that we go out of our way to find other sources that have given it the time it desires. By allowing their interpretations and thoughts to influence ours, with discretion of course.
It all has to do with time. If we do not begin by simply giving it the time we have already failed in responding to it. In the same way we interact with people we need to interact with literature. We have to give it a lot of time, thought, and attention. In the same ways we take time to know someone or something, we must take the time to get to know the piece of writing. Literature is about interaction with the writer and reader and it only works when given the time.
Our lives can change according to how much time we give literature. It can change us by the amount of effort we give it in trying to understanding it. It can reveal to us new places, people and things. We can go back in time and relate to the people and circumstances they faced in history . We can also go into the future and experience the advances we so often discuss and dream about. It can change us by taking us to different places and times. We see other peoples point of view that we may never receive in daily exchanges. We get to know people we never would imagine meeting in real life. It can alter us because it was actually thought out with the sole purpose of bettering our knowledge. It gives us depth in the little details of life. It slows down things by putting it on to a piece of paper. To allow us to revisit it in different times of our lives and discover different meanings every time. Although literature can have ambiguous meanings it also has limitations. It has boundaries so that we all remain in the same area, yet elaborate at the same time. It widens our understanding. It can solidify our thoughts and opinion. Yet it can also make us realize things we had not see and cause us to change our opinion on certain things. It is another way of learning, interacting, and communicating with others in life. It allows us to grow, flourish, and better understand things and the people around us.

My Relationahip With Literature

Literature has been embedded into my life in more ways then I ever realized. It just took awhile for me to notice it because I was trying to avoid it for so long. Literature to me always meant reading stories, and poems that surpassed my understanding. Although now with a little more clarification, and description my boundaries have been expanded. Literature is not limited to the poems and short stories that I don’t understand. It is spread from anywhere to essays, short stories, poems, and dramas. It is also the fictional stories and poems that I enjoyed reading growing up. The poems and stories that would paint such beautiful images in my mind. All along it had been one of things I have enjoyed most, and that is reading. It has helped me understand and explore other places, people, and lives that I never knew existed. It has helped me broaden my way of thinking. Yet, it has helped me go deeper into things that I thought I already knew. It is my source of knowledge and way of getting to know life better. Literature has also helped me connect with others. In the sense that through just a few words we reach a level of understanding that common language could not of done. Although in other instances when I don’t agree with others it helps me see their perspective. It allows me to learn from others. It has so many possibilities and different meanings to every single individual that it allows me to see points or ideas that I myself would of missed. One issue I have had with literature is my lack of patience. When reading any piece that I myself have not chosen I skim through the words without giving them the opportunity to speak to me. That is where I believe I miss out on the most. I am hoping that through this class I will gain that patience and understanding that I need to comprehend pieces that I didn’t chose. I hope that I will be able to comprehend and give opportunities to pieces that I don’t always understand in the first time of reading. Another issue I have is analyzing, or being an “active reader” which I believe also stems from my lack of patience. I really hope that through this course I will be taught how to better analyze literature and gain from it as much as possible. But overall I hope to gain the patience I need to make my possibilities of exploring, understanding, and learning in life endless.