Today in America, we are celebrating Memorial Day, a holiday usually celebrated with parties, cook outs and parades. In the midst of all this celebrating and the happiness of a day off from school or work, we sometimes forget the reason that we are able to be doing what we are doing; the reason why we celebrate Memorial Day in the first place: to remember those serving our country and those who died in the process.
Today, I believe that it is necessary to say thank you to those men and women who work everyday to protect our country. These brave people do some of the hardest and most dangerous jobs in the world and help to ensure that we are able to do the activities and have the things that we hold most dear. They do all of this for us, they do a job that many of us would not want to do, and rarely do we take the time to reflect on what they do and thank them for it.
So, during the parties and cook outs you attend today, take time to reflect on the gifts that our servicemembers have given us and all that they have given up to keep us safe. Take time to remember them and say thank you.
Recently, my friend and I
were talking about how amazed we were with some of the items in the world. For
example, my friend was amazed by the complexity of computers and iPods, while I
declared my awe of the International Space Station and how crazy it is to me that there are currently people up in it. What was at the root of this amazement was the
fact that all of these items were made by people. I realize that most things in
the world are created by the human race, but still, on occasion, I pause and
think about how cool it is that people not only have the capabilities to make
these items, but also the passion that had to go into creating them.
To me, passion is one of the
most amazing qualities that people can have. People who are passionate about
what they do touch people lives and many times make those lives better. Passion
moves the human race forward and enriches life. For example, without Gutenberg's
passion for creating a printing press, we may not have the widespread
availability of books that we have now. Without the passion to have a better
life, all revolutions would have not have taken place. Without passion for
one's country, we would not have people who willingly defend our country.
Without the passion for exploration, I may not be living in the United States
right now or there may not be a satellite currently orbiting the Earth. Without
passion, women and other minority groups may not be able to vote. Without
passion, the mortality rates for cancer may be much higher and we may not have
vaccines for small pox or polio. I think it is easy to say, that without
passion, the world would be a much worse place.
Because being passionate does
so much good, I think that it especially important that everyone has one, be it
a big one or a small one. While we know that passion can be misguided
from time to time (history is full of stories like this), as long as your passion doesn't hurt anyone, then your okay. In the end, not
only does passion do good for others, it does good for yourself too. Following
your passion makes you happy. For example, in English class one day, we watched a
documentary on a ventriloquist who was questioning staying with the career she
had, because she didn't know if she was still passionate about it anymore. After
a trip to the US for a ventriloquist convention, she realized that she still
was passionate about ventriloquism, that it made her so happy, and that she
couldn't imagine her life without it. After we finished watching that
documentary, the professor told us that college can be a confusing time, because
it seems that you have to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your
life quickly and that can be difficult. But, he said, if you can find something that makes
you passionate, and you do that with your life, then you can never go wrong.
Although I am not sure what I
am passionate about at this moment, I hope that someday in the near future, I
will be sure of it and that I will wake up one morning and I’ll just know what
I am supposed to do with my life, be it writing or politics or something totally different.
Until then, I will continue to search for what I am passionate about, because a
life without some kind of passion is not completely lived. If you haven't found
your passion yet, I hope that you search for it too. I also hope that you too wake
up one morning and just know what you are supposed to do with your life, and because of that, you feel that your life is a little more
whole.
In life, we all have been confronted by situations that lead us to wonder "Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Why do I have to suffer?" Sometimes this questioning is just the beginning of a downward spiral that can lead to more questions, and comparisons between ourselves and others. I can remember situations in which I will think about people who have done questionable things and then I wonder why these things happened to me and not to them. As I have realized, this is never a good idea because we gain nothing by examining the deeds of others and trying to make ourselves look better in comparison to them. This is in part because we do not know what is going on in the other person's life. We do not know what they have had to deal with or are currently dealing with. So, what would judging them on only a surface view do? Nothing. It doesn't make us feel better and it doesn't make our problems go away.
The only thing we can ever really do is is pick us ourselves up and keep going. Suffering is a part of life, a part that we all have to do with. Even if it doesn't seem like it hits everyone, suffering is an equal-opportunity offender. It doesn't spare the rich, the poor, the famous, or the anonymous. It hits all of us, even if it seems to hit others with bigger waves than others at times. Even though I would like to believe that it all evens out in the end, I also have to be realistic in the fact that life isn't fair. Some people have to deal with more than others, but in the end, those people are stronger for it.
There is a great quote by Kahlil Gibran that says, "Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” I believe this to very much be true. The more tested you are in your life, the more things you go through, make you an even stronger person because when the next trouble comes along, even if it is the biggest that you have ever faced, you will be able to get through it because you have gotten through bad things before. I see suffering like exercise. When you exercise, your muscles tear and even though you at first are sore from it, in the end, you are stronger when your muscles finally heal.
I also look at it this way. We all love to be told stories and we especially love those where the character, who has been pushed down and beaten up so many times, gets up at the end and wins. We root for these characters and we relate to them because we have all been there. The characters who give up on the other hand are not our favorites, but instead those who we look with pity on. My point is that in the story of your life, would you rather be the one who just gives up, or would you like to be the one who despite all the pain and hardship keeps getting up and wins? To me, I would rather be the one who keeps getting up, because that is someone I can be proud of.
Around the world today, people are celebrating Christmas with family and friends, food and presents. Many times these are the first thoughts that come to mind when one thinks about Christmas. When I think about Christmas, some of my first thoughts go to ringing bells in the days leading up to the holiday. For me, ringing bells for the Salvation Army is what really gets me into the Christmas spirit, because it signifies what Christmas is really all about. If I don't ring bells, its not the Christmas season to me. Ringing bells is about giving one's money and time to people you may never meet in order to help them. When people give money to bell ringers and when bell ringers give up their time, it shows what Christmas is all about, which is giving without having to receive anything in return. Its about helping your fellow human in need.
As one can tell, I very much enjoy bell ringing and what it stands for. But even more, I enjoy the scenes that I witness while ringing bells. One of my favorite bell ringing memories occurred last year and demonstrated to me, in the simplest terms, what Christmas is all about. When ringing bells, my mom and I always bring candy canes to hand out to the little kids that put money in the kettle. During our shift, a little girl approached us, her mother and brother walking ahead of her, and put money in the kettle. We asked if she would want a candy cane and she responded with an excited yes. After taking the candy, the girl proceeded to catch up to her brother and mother and when she reached them, her brother looked at the candy cane in her hands and then back at her sadly. In response to this look, the girl gave the candy cane to her little brother without batting an eye, both children smiling at the exchange. I teared up at the scene in front of my eyes. My mom , also touched, walked up to the little girl and gave her a candy cane so that they could both have one. In that moment between the siblings, I saw what Christmas was all about thanks to a child. The girl showed me that Christmas is about giving of one's self, even if we are giving up something we want, in order to make another person happy. It doesn't even have to be the giving of something big. On the contrary, it can the simplest things that make us the most happy.
This is a spirit that we should try to keep all year round. We should make an effort to make others happy and give back without expecting to be given anything in return. I hope that you all are having a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying the time with family and friends. Merry Christmas!!!
As Thanksgiving approaches, I am always struck by this quote by H.U. Westermayer: "The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more
impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."
Hundreds of years ago, these Pilgrims landed in America with little to their name and little resources to help them survive. Yet, these people who could have chosen to be angry at God and their circumstances, chose gratitude instead because after all, they were still alive and they still had some means to survive.
How different is this from the American culture today, where, to many around the world, we are seen as selfish, greedy,and narcissistic? We rarely take the time to give thanks and really reflect on all our blessings. We instead chose that way that the Pilgrims chose against. We choose to be angry at our circumstances, at others, and God. We choose not to be grateful for what is in front of us. In America, Thanksgiving has, in a way, lost its meaning. When people think of Thanksgiving, they think of food, a day off, and the sales that follow the next day. Or at least the sales used to follow the next day. This year, stores are opening earlier than ever, some at 8 PM, pulling their employees away from their families and friends for a mandatory work day. So now, instead of people appreciating what they have on Thanksgiving, they go and buy more.
We need to get back to original meaning of Thanksgiving. We need to get back to the meaning that the Pilgrims gave it when they sat down with the Native Americans and cherished their blessings, giving thanks. Although the Pilgrims didn't always get it right (specifically with what they did to the Native Americans after) being grateful and expressing that they were was something that they did. So let me start out with what I am grateful for this Thanksgiving, all of which have previously had their own posts.
First off, I am a grateful for my family. As much as we may take it for granted, family is one of the most special things that one has in their life. Family, be it by biological or emotional bond, is full of people who will be there to support you just because you are you...just because you belong to them. For me, family is my everything and I would be completely lost without them. They provide me support, laughter, love, and happiness. By being around them, I learn lessons that I might have never have learned otherwise. They are my teachers. When I am around my family, I am the me I want to be, I don't have to fake it for anyone.
One of the other things in my life I am grateful for is books. This might seem like a different one, but they make up a big part of my life and who I am. I would not be where I am without books. From books, I have learned many lessons and experienced many journeys. Because of them, I am going to be a writer. I can only hope that my work has the impact on others as the work of my favorite authors did on me. What I love the most about books is that when you find one that is really good, you feel as though the big complicated world, isn't as big and complicated anymore. The world makes more sense after reading an amazing book. For everyone in the world, there is at least one book that they can relate to, even though they are probably not the same one for everyone. When one finds a book that they can relate to, especially a character they can, they feel understood. When they feel understood, the world isn't as lonely and scary anymore.
In life, when a moment occurs, it is easy to pass it off as inconsequential at the time. For this reason, I am thankful for reflection and all the moments that have gotten to me to this point today. From where I am standing today, I am able to look back at all that has happend to me, good or bad, magnificent or terrible, and say that that particular moment taught me something. I able to say that because I went through it, I am a better person today then I was before then. WIth every moment, I learned a little bit more about myself that helped me to become a person I can be relatively proud of today.
So, before you enter a food coma and later go out shopping, remember the meaning of the Thanksgiving and tell those you care about how grateful you are for them. Realize that around the world, there are many, many people in worse off positions than yourself. Take time to acknowledge that you are lucky. Take time to be thankful for that fact.
Growing up, I wasn't as interested in fairy tales and Cinderella as other girls my age. I didn't aspire to be a princess or have a magic carriage take me to a ball. I instead longed to be a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now looking back, the whole being picked up in a magic carriage and taken to a ball was probably a more realistic dream than going to a school to be taught magic, but nonetheless, this was my dream as a child and I learned from it. As there were not princesses at Hogwarts, my role model was Hermione Granger, a smart, bossy, little girl who loved to read. To say the least, I wanted to be her. In order to accomplish this, I read more books and participated in classes more, which soon became tasks that I loved to do. I became a stronger person because of this, because I learned to take matters into my own hands and not let others hold me back. I learned to take care of myself and be more independent.
I totally understand the appeal of a fairy tale, I mean who doesn't want to be swept of their feet by a handsome Prince Charming? I would love that. The part that I don't love is that the young lady is always, or least it always seems to be this way, a damsel in distress who is incapable of helping herself. Also, fairy tales don't just happen the way the do in stories. People don't just start to cry and a fairy godmother appears at their feet. Solutions don't just pop into our hands. If only life were that simple . I believe that everyone needs to be able to help themselves and solve their problems because there is a pride that one can have by accomplishing tasks on their own. I believe in strong role models for girls who don't always have to rely on the guys to save them.
That isn't to say that I think that fairy tales are terrible. In fact, that's the complete opposite of what I believe. I think that fairy tales are very beneficial in the fact that they teach us to dream and that miracles can happen. They give us hope that we can one day have the prince and the castle. But I also believe that just like I learned that I couldn't be a witch and go to Hogwarts, children will have to learn one day that what happens in fairy tales doesn't just happen without any effort. In order to succeed in fulfilling their dreams, they will have to work hard and persevere, even when it seems that all hope is lost and nothing good is coming of the work. It is when one keep going in the face of all this that the real fairy tales happen. This fairy tale is worth more than the Disney one because they strove to make it happen and from it, their dreams came true. With hard work, we all can live happily ever after.
As much as I would like to say that we should spend our time focused on the present, I believe that there is a lot that we can learn from reflecting on the past and where it has got us to this point. After all, we all have heard that quote by Robert Santayana,"Those who cannot remember that past are condemned to repeat it." I believe this is very true and as much as I am happy with the person I have become, I wish that my younger self could have had some advice to help her get through it. I recently just started my first year of college and walking into class the first day brought back thoughts of walking into to high school for the first time and what I wish I would've known then. If I could talk to that girl now, this is what I would've told her:
When you start your first day of high school, I want you to keep in mind that high school isn't always like in the movies and on TV. The things that you wish would happen probably won't and the things that you don't probably will. But remember to keep your head up and persevering no matter how much you want to sit and cry (which at times you will) and things will get better. No matter how much people talk it up, homecoming isn't as great as they make it out to be, but you will still have fun when you are with people who you can be yourself around. Speaking of being yourself, no one is worth changing who you are. Because even though you have your flaws (don't worry, we all do) you are wonderful and nothing you try to be could compare. When you join Yearbook, realize how lucky you are to be a part of it. You work will be something that you will be proud of and your closest friends will come from that club. When that girl is mean to you who you thought was your friend (you will know who I am talking about) stick up for yourself and don't let her make you think less of yourself. As much as you may not like how she treated you, having to go through that will prove something to yourself that you never realized before. Her best friend will also become yours, so whenever you get mad at her, think of the new friendship that you got out of the old one. Don't be afraid to go against the crowd and start your own path, people will respect you for your beliefs and you will too. Do not ever forget how lucky you are to have your family. They are you ultimate blessing. Finally,whenever you feel alone, or like you don't fit in, remember you could never be alone if you tried and not fitting in high school isn't thing in the world. Don't worry, no matter what, you will always be okay.
We cannot change the past, only learn from it. Themes in my letter to my younger self will always pop up in life, no matter how old I get. If I can ingrain the lessons in my memory now, hopefully I can spare myself some pain in the future. But we don't all need a letter to the past to bring things to light that we wish we would've known. We can just reflect, realize what we have been lucky enough to learn from all our experiences, and apply them to the future.
