Religion
Religion has been around for as long as people have walked the earth and continues to thrive hundreds of thousands of years later. There have been thousands of religions throughout the years ranging from polytheistic to monotheistic and everything in between. These religions have shaped the lives of people all across the world and have literally formed the culture of almost every group of people.
Religion started thousands of years ago in an attempt to justify things that could not be explained at the time such as weather, the stars, death, destiny and countless others. When people were unable to explain something it made perfect sense to believe that the gods were praising or punishing the people on earth which explains why things would happen. Since then religion has transformed into explaining how you should live your life, books such as the Bible or Koran have distinguished a set of rules for all believers to follow in order to make it in to heaven or have an eternal life. These rules in turn have dictated how our society has developed and is run because they outline the only way a civilization or society can function together without turning into anarchy. The Ten Commandments say you must respect your peers by not stealing, murdering, cheating, and committing adultery to name a few. These of course are not only the standards everyone must obey to be a proper Christen, but the way everyone should live by if they want to live in a civilized society. It now seems that religion has turned into a backstage effort to be a good person because it is said to be the right thing to do instead of its original purpose of explaining the unexplainable and giving hope of an after life. People now follow religion because it has been ingrained in them since childhood and it is seen as the right thing to do instead of its original purpose of true faith.
Religion plays one of the biggest roles in where you live, how you live and who you associate with; a society is based off of the dominant religion in the region even if the population as a whole may not be overly religious. Here in America Christianity plays an incredibly large role in the way business is done as well as how people live their personal lives, even with religion being so dominant here in America, it is ten times that as you travel towards the eastern hemisphere. In the Middle East, Islamic and Muslim faiths literally determine the way that you live your daily life. Businesses shut down multiple times a day for prayer when almost the entire population plays facing Mecca, the holy city. This religion is so fixed in their daily lives that it is quite possible that many don’t believe in the religion at all, but take part purely because it is what the society dictates.
Religion has also been the largest cause of conflict since the beginning of time, almost every war ever fought has been linked to some kind of religion. Ever since people have joined together in religion there has been endless conflict, people feel it extremely important that they defend what they have been brought up to believe. There is thought that literally every war or battle ever fought has been because of some kind of religious conflict, even the war in Iraq has a lot of religious affiliation from the beginning. Since religion is so big in many parts of the world it is difficult for different cultures to understand and respect one another’s customs which usually leads to conflict.
Religion has also played a huge role in the literally works for thousands of years, many stories are derived from biblical tales and beliefs from thousands of years ago. Almost every story comes from some kind or religion, even if it is not one of the major religions that everyone knows. Smoke Signals tells the story of Thomas and Victor hitting the road in a quest not only to get Victors fathers remains, but a religious experience where Thomas is able to reinstate Victors love and respect for the reservation and the rest of the world by telling him mystical stories. Waking life also hits briefly on religion when a young man travels through his dreams meeting new people and discussing not only different aspects and beliefs of life but how we are to live our life. The film concentrates on dreaming and if we can control our dreams but as an underlying factor about different peoples beliefs. In the film you get to meet many different characters who give you their outlook on life and the things that make the world work. By watching these films and learning about everyday life I have realized that religion is not only the major six beliefs that control the world but the beliefs of individuals that control the way they live their life.
Religion has played a huge role in the way the world has been divided since the beginning of time. Different beliefs have led to segregation and conflict forever across the globe even though all religions are based primarily off of the same principles with a few changes in the way that they worship their gods. Basically every major religion runs off of the same principles of living your life the best you can by respecting your peers and yourself and attempting to reach a higher world. It is difficult to say if the beliefs of different religions are true or just there to comfort people into believing that there is a higher power looking out for them. Either way, religion, no matter how small, plays an intricate part of the world’s society as a whole and it is important to have some kind of belief to fall back on when things get difficult even if it’s as small as a dream.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Death
There are times in everyone’s lives when they must make very difficult decisions regarding not only their own lives but the lives of people around them, these decisions are often very controversial and take rational reasoning to decided what is the best moral decision. With today’s modern medicine it is now possible to preserve life although it is usually done by making the person unconscious for extended periods of time, possibly until their death. By making someone unconscious you are taking their life into your hands and hopefully treating them in a way that you would wish to be treated if in their situation. This medicine can do wonders when preserving life, but do we want to make someone unable to make their own decisions when it is regarding their own life and death? Kant and Mill both believe that the choice of life is with the beholder of that life, meaning if someone is on their death bed, they ought to know what they are facing.
Kant believes that one must do what they ought to do which in this case is telling the person that they are terminally ill. He believes that we must treat ourselves as ends and never means, which means that we are in control of our own lives and should be able to make all of our own decisions, and make them rationally. This means that a person should not be given powerful opiates until they have been told their position and have given consent to live their life in that state. Kant also believes that every event has a cause and every cause is predictable in principle. If you are terminally ill there is a cause behind it, even if that cause if not clear at the present time, it will make sense in the long run and is part of your place here on earth.
Mill believes that “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” By this Mill means that no one has power over someone else’s life unless they are going to harm someone else in the society. By becoming terminally ill and having only a few months to live, it is not harming anyone else’s well being and therefore they have to right to decided what they wish to do with the remainder of their life and that their life is going to end. By making someone unconscious you are taking away their free will and Mill believes that that is acting immorally and is wrong.
Death, even though one of the only certain things that we have in life, is a difficult subject to deal with. People are very afraid of death, both of their own and that of other people, this is why we chose to put terminally ill people on powerful opiates and life support even when we know that they are only going to last for a short time and will be in a complete vegetable like state until that time comes. There are several factors when considering what the right path to take is when dealing with a terminally ill individual. First, it is important to read their will and see what they wish for themselves in these types of situations, many people do not want to be kept on life support for extended amounts of time when they are left completely unconscious and it is important to follow through with their wishes. Second, family should be taken into consideration; if they have young children or other dependents then they should be taken off of opiates so that they are able to choose what they want for the remainder of their time still here on earth. From my own beliefs, a person is the only one that should be in control of their life. Actions to try and preserve life should always be taken, especially in a case of a very sudden illness, but it is not right to keep someone in an unconscious state until their death without notifying them of the inevitable. A person should be taken off of the opiates and told what the circumstances are, no matter how hard it might be to do. I believe this to be the right thing to do because not only do people have the right to know what is happening in their life and the medication that they are being given, but they have the right to live their life, even if only for the last couple of months in pain but still conscious if they so choose to do so. If I were in this situation and was going to lose my life, I would like to be aware of my condition and be able to make my own conscious decision regarding the rest of my life and say good bye to family and friends. If it were possible to inform the individual while still on the opiates I believe that it is a viable way to inform them, however, they must be able to completely comprehend the situation and give a clear cut answer to the diagnosis and their wishes which is probably not a realistic situation.
Life brings upon some very difficult decisions that often do not have clear cut and definitive answers, but these decisions should be made by the person having to experience that illness and not a doctor or family member without conscious consent. This idea is seen not only by myself, but by both Kant and Mill.
Kant believes that one must do what they ought to do which in this case is telling the person that they are terminally ill. He believes that we must treat ourselves as ends and never means, which means that we are in control of our own lives and should be able to make all of our own decisions, and make them rationally. This means that a person should not be given powerful opiates until they have been told their position and have given consent to live their life in that state. Kant also believes that every event has a cause and every cause is predictable in principle. If you are terminally ill there is a cause behind it, even if that cause if not clear at the present time, it will make sense in the long run and is part of your place here on earth.
Mill believes that “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” By this Mill means that no one has power over someone else’s life unless they are going to harm someone else in the society. By becoming terminally ill and having only a few months to live, it is not harming anyone else’s well being and therefore they have to right to decided what they wish to do with the remainder of their life and that their life is going to end. By making someone unconscious you are taking away their free will and Mill believes that that is acting immorally and is wrong.
Death, even though one of the only certain things that we have in life, is a difficult subject to deal with. People are very afraid of death, both of their own and that of other people, this is why we chose to put terminally ill people on powerful opiates and life support even when we know that they are only going to last for a short time and will be in a complete vegetable like state until that time comes. There are several factors when considering what the right path to take is when dealing with a terminally ill individual. First, it is important to read their will and see what they wish for themselves in these types of situations, many people do not want to be kept on life support for extended amounts of time when they are left completely unconscious and it is important to follow through with their wishes. Second, family should be taken into consideration; if they have young children or other dependents then they should be taken off of opiates so that they are able to choose what they want for the remainder of their time still here on earth. From my own beliefs, a person is the only one that should be in control of their life. Actions to try and preserve life should always be taken, especially in a case of a very sudden illness, but it is not right to keep someone in an unconscious state until their death without notifying them of the inevitable. A person should be taken off of the opiates and told what the circumstances are, no matter how hard it might be to do. I believe this to be the right thing to do because not only do people have the right to know what is happening in their life and the medication that they are being given, but they have the right to live their life, even if only for the last couple of months in pain but still conscious if they so choose to do so. If I were in this situation and was going to lose my life, I would like to be aware of my condition and be able to make my own conscious decision regarding the rest of my life and say good bye to family and friends. If it were possible to inform the individual while still on the opiates I believe that it is a viable way to inform them, however, they must be able to completely comprehend the situation and give a clear cut answer to the diagnosis and their wishes which is probably not a realistic situation.
Life brings upon some very difficult decisions that often do not have clear cut and definitive answers, but these decisions should be made by the person having to experience that illness and not a doctor or family member without conscious consent. This idea is seen not only by myself, but by both Kant and Mill.
Foreign Exchange Student Interview
I chose to interview my next door neighbor Joey Chugani in the South Hedges Dorm; he is an exchange student from the United Arab of Emirates and has been in Montana for the last two years studying Accounting. I asked him five different questions about his home culture in a hope to get a better understanding of where he’s from and the way of life in the middle east. The first question I asked him was what the dominating religion was. He told me, unsurprisingly that almost the entire population is Muslim. There is somewhere around 80 to 85% Sunni with the remainder being Shi’s. He also told me that religion is a much stronger influence on the way of life there then it is here, people plan their days and lives around prayer and living within the confines of the religion. The Next question I asked was why he chose to come to school here, half way across the world instead of his own country. He replied that the schooling there is pretty good up through high school but there is no higher education available unless you are extremely wealthy. “You are expected to go straight to work after high school, college is hardly thought about”. He also has straight A’s here and probably works harder then anyone else on my floor. I asked him how they greet people and the general way they live, via “backstage” behavior. He told me that the men typically shake hands and behave generally like they do here, but the woman are not allowed to start conversations with men outside of the home and typically do not leave the home alone. When in the home they do not have to wear headdresses and can speak freely just as they would in an American home. I asked him what kind of sports they play and he almost laughed saying soccer, or football as it is called there. He also said that cricket is huge and played by almost all young men. I asked him if he was in close contract with his family still and he told me that he talks to them from time to time but is considered a man and is on his own which is a little different from the American culture. Talking to Joey has given me a new perspective on other cultures and I am glad that I got to know him over the year and had my eyes opened a bit more then they were before coming to school.
War in Iraq
The war in Iraq raises many moral issues, however, possibly the biggest of these moral dilemmas is whether of not it is our duty as Americans to interfere with the lives of the Iraqi people in a misconstrued search for terror. Black Elk and Dostoyevsky, although very difficult to compare, both would have the same general outlook on the moral dimensions of this war.
The United States is no doubt a super power in the world and has a responsibility to help out other nations in need, we have the resources and manpower to make things happen and many of the worlds conflicts in the past have been solved by United States intervention. Although we have the ability to change the world, especially smaller third world countries, the question arises whether or not it is our duty to intervene with the lives of people halfway across the world because we believe that their way of life is not right. The Iraqi people have been in conflict for hundreds of thousands of years over religion, their lifestyle revolves around religion and defending those beliefs. This defense comes with violence and death and will most likely never be settled no matter how much the United States or any other country for that matter tries to mediate. The biggest moral issue in this conflict arises when the United States sends thousands of troops halfway across the world to fight a war that can not be won. This is not to say the United States doesn’t have the power to change their lifestyle because this is undoutoubly not the case, the problem is what are we trying to change? The obvious answer is to end terrorism and violence and make them a civilized society, but this is no closer now then it was over five years ago when we began our crusade. We have also lost track of our initial intentions of finding and stopping terror. The search for Bin Laden and other terrorists’ organizations has been abandoned in a search for what appears to be power or in turn, oil. By changing our intentions in this war we have drastically changed the moral issues. When starting off trying to stop terror and save the lives of the innocent we were doing just that, trying to at least mildly disrupt the organized terror in the Middle East and save lives. This has now been lost in translation somewhere along the way and we have attempted to set up an entirely new government in a society that it appears we know nothing about.
Black Elk believes that it is morally wrong for us to try and change the culture of another civilization. He believes that we must fight for what we believe but not to attempt to conquer and control another’s lifestyle. Black Elk says that “there can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men.” This means that we will never be able to have peace in Iraq until we know and understand the culture in which they live, which at this point we do not so we will continue to fail until we can agree and understand.
Dostoyevsky believes that we must act with our hearts and that only irrational acts are free, because of this Dostoyevsky would decided that we morally should be in Iraq because we are acting irrationally and this in turn makes us free. He does not believe that acting irrationally means that you may act out of ignorance or that it is necessarily the right thing to do but does believe that it is acting freely. He also says that “a just cause is not ruined by a few mistakes” so just because we have gotten off track, does not mean we are not still fighting for a just cause of stopping terror.
It is very difficult to say how this issue is to be resolved; we are currently so deeply involved in the Iraqi society that pulling out completely could quite possibly crumble their entire civilization. Since we have arrested and killed Saddam and taken him completely out of the government they are currently in the process of designing an entirely new political system, this change is not going to be successful without the help of the United States. This does not mean that we should continue to intervene in the Iraqi everyday way of life, but does mean that we can not simply pull out our entire operation before we have completed the job. I believe that the best way for this situation to be resolved is to begin pulling soldiers out of Iraq slowly and stop making any attempts at causing any more battles with the Iraqi people. Our presence there is obviously going to upset many people and we are going to find ourselves in compromising situations, but we should not search for them. Instead we should use our power to build their government back up and teach them able to run it themselves, in their own way. This is the best way to go about it because they are not going to like the western influence running their lives but we can not simply just pull out or all of our work will crumble and we will be left in the same situation as we were before. Hopefully, we will be able to completely leave Iraq in the next few years, at least leave as much as we are present in any other country in the world. We do not need to focus on stopping the violence because we simply do not have the power and respect of the people to make that work.
The war in Iraq has brought about many moral dilemmas and it is difficult to come to a definite answer on what the right thing to do is, however, by studying the works of Black Elk and Dostoyevsky we can see peoples different views on the war and attempt to find common ground so we can make an effort to end this misguided war.
The United States is no doubt a super power in the world and has a responsibility to help out other nations in need, we have the resources and manpower to make things happen and many of the worlds conflicts in the past have been solved by United States intervention. Although we have the ability to change the world, especially smaller third world countries, the question arises whether or not it is our duty to intervene with the lives of people halfway across the world because we believe that their way of life is not right. The Iraqi people have been in conflict for hundreds of thousands of years over religion, their lifestyle revolves around religion and defending those beliefs. This defense comes with violence and death and will most likely never be settled no matter how much the United States or any other country for that matter tries to mediate. The biggest moral issue in this conflict arises when the United States sends thousands of troops halfway across the world to fight a war that can not be won. This is not to say the United States doesn’t have the power to change their lifestyle because this is undoutoubly not the case, the problem is what are we trying to change? The obvious answer is to end terrorism and violence and make them a civilized society, but this is no closer now then it was over five years ago when we began our crusade. We have also lost track of our initial intentions of finding and stopping terror. The search for Bin Laden and other terrorists’ organizations has been abandoned in a search for what appears to be power or in turn, oil. By changing our intentions in this war we have drastically changed the moral issues. When starting off trying to stop terror and save the lives of the innocent we were doing just that, trying to at least mildly disrupt the organized terror in the Middle East and save lives. This has now been lost in translation somewhere along the way and we have attempted to set up an entirely new government in a society that it appears we know nothing about.
Black Elk believes that it is morally wrong for us to try and change the culture of another civilization. He believes that we must fight for what we believe but not to attempt to conquer and control another’s lifestyle. Black Elk says that “there can never be peace between nations until there is first known that true peace which is within the souls of men.” This means that we will never be able to have peace in Iraq until we know and understand the culture in which they live, which at this point we do not so we will continue to fail until we can agree and understand.
Dostoyevsky believes that we must act with our hearts and that only irrational acts are free, because of this Dostoyevsky would decided that we morally should be in Iraq because we are acting irrationally and this in turn makes us free. He does not believe that acting irrationally means that you may act out of ignorance or that it is necessarily the right thing to do but does believe that it is acting freely. He also says that “a just cause is not ruined by a few mistakes” so just because we have gotten off track, does not mean we are not still fighting for a just cause of stopping terror.
It is very difficult to say how this issue is to be resolved; we are currently so deeply involved in the Iraqi society that pulling out completely could quite possibly crumble their entire civilization. Since we have arrested and killed Saddam and taken him completely out of the government they are currently in the process of designing an entirely new political system, this change is not going to be successful without the help of the United States. This does not mean that we should continue to intervene in the Iraqi everyday way of life, but does mean that we can not simply pull out our entire operation before we have completed the job. I believe that the best way for this situation to be resolved is to begin pulling soldiers out of Iraq slowly and stop making any attempts at causing any more battles with the Iraqi people. Our presence there is obviously going to upset many people and we are going to find ourselves in compromising situations, but we should not search for them. Instead we should use our power to build their government back up and teach them able to run it themselves, in their own way. This is the best way to go about it because they are not going to like the western influence running their lives but we can not simply just pull out or all of our work will crumble and we will be left in the same situation as we were before. Hopefully, we will be able to completely leave Iraq in the next few years, at least leave as much as we are present in any other country in the world. We do not need to focus on stopping the violence because we simply do not have the power and respect of the people to make that work.
The war in Iraq has brought about many moral dilemmas and it is difficult to come to a definite answer on what the right thing to do is, however, by studying the works of Black Elk and Dostoyevsky we can see peoples different views on the war and attempt to find common ground so we can make an effort to end this misguided war.
Love
Love Screenplay
Setting: A fancy Italian restaurant at a private booth, a male and a female are eating and talking
Brian: Sarah you know that you mean the world to me and that I would do anything for you
Sarah: of course Brian, I feel the same way
Brian: Well I have been thinking that we are so perfect for each other and I love you so much that we should make things more permanent
Sarah: what are you thinking?
Brian pulls a ring out of his pocket
Brian: Will you marry me?
Sarah looking extremely shocked
Sarah: Of course I will!
Brain: Oh Sarah I love you so much, we are going to be so happy together
Sarah: I love you too, I can’t wait to call my mom and tell her
Setting: A fancy Italian restaurant at a private booth, a male and a female are eating and talking
Brian: Sarah you know that you mean the world to me and that I would do anything for you
Sarah: of course Brian, I feel the same way
Brian: Well I have been thinking that we are so perfect for each other and I love you so much that we should make things more permanent
Sarah: what are you thinking?
Brian pulls a ring out of his pocket
Brian: Will you marry me?
Sarah looking extremely shocked
Sarah: Of course I will!
Brain: Oh Sarah I love you so much, we are going to be so happy together
Sarah: I love you too, I can’t wait to call my mom and tell her
Pans Labyrinth
Foreign Film review
I chose Pans Labyrinth by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro as my foreign film, its original Spanish title is El laberinto del fauno, which refers to the faun of Roman mythology and directly translates to "The Labyrinth of the Faun". The story takes place post-Civil War in Spain in 1944, after Francisco Franco has come into power. Ofelia, a young girl, absorbed in fairy tales, travels with her pregnant mother Carmen to meet Captain Vidal, her new stepfather and father of Carmen's unborn child.
On the way, Ofelia discovers a large insect resembling a praying mantis and she believes it to be a fairy. The creature follows the family to their new home, where it leads Ofelia to an ancient labyrinth. Before Ofelia can enter the labyrinth, she is stopped by Mercedes, one of Vidal's maids and a spy for the rebels, who are led by her brother, Pedro. That night, the creature appears in Ofelia's bedroom, where it morphs into a fairy and leads Ofelia through the labyrinth into a small clearing. There, she meets the faun, who recognizes her as the long-lost Princess Moanna and assigns her three tasks to complete before the full moon to ensure that her "essence is intact". Meanwhile, Vidal becomes increasingly vicious in his methods, torturing a captured Republican and killing a doctor who puts the prisoner down because of his injuries at his request. Ophelia’s mother develops painful contractions and dies giving birth to a son. Vidal discovers Mercedes is a rebel spy, and he captures her and Ofelia as they attempt to escape. Ofelia is locked in her bedroom, and Mercedes is taken to be tortured; however, she frees herself, injures Vidal and flees into the woods, where Pedro and the rebels rescue her. Vidal finds Ofelia after she takes her brother and runs to the Labyrinth, he takes the baby and shoots Ofelia. As he staggers out of the labyrinth, he finds the rebels waiting for him and, after handing them his son, is killed by Pedro. As Mercedes enters the labyrinth and mourns over Ofelia's dead body, Ofelia is reunited with the king and queen of the underworld and is found to be the true Princess Monna. There were several points in this movie that truly intrigued me, the first was the ability of the movie to bring fairy tail and post war violence together in one film and make the two flow so well together. I also learned a lot about the Spanish culture while watching this film. The film takes place almost a hundred years ago but still is extremely rich in Spanish heritage. The culture is very well portrayed throughout the movie, from the Spanish speaking to the wardrobes of all the characters. The entire movie is in subtitles which was new to me, I have never had the patience to watch an entire movie in subtitles before but this was an extremely intriguing movie that kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. When comparing it to an American film there are several large differences, the biggest of these would have to be the way that they show violence. It appeared that the Spanish allow much more uncensored violence then might be accepted here in America. I truly enjoyed watching this movie and it has opened my eyes to foreign films and the different stories that they can tell.
I chose Pans Labyrinth by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro as my foreign film, its original Spanish title is El laberinto del fauno, which refers to the faun of Roman mythology and directly translates to "The Labyrinth of the Faun". The story takes place post-Civil War in Spain in 1944, after Francisco Franco has come into power. Ofelia, a young girl, absorbed in fairy tales, travels with her pregnant mother Carmen to meet Captain Vidal, her new stepfather and father of Carmen's unborn child.
On the way, Ofelia discovers a large insect resembling a praying mantis and she believes it to be a fairy. The creature follows the family to their new home, where it leads Ofelia to an ancient labyrinth. Before Ofelia can enter the labyrinth, she is stopped by Mercedes, one of Vidal's maids and a spy for the rebels, who are led by her brother, Pedro. That night, the creature appears in Ofelia's bedroom, where it morphs into a fairy and leads Ofelia through the labyrinth into a small clearing. There, she meets the faun, who recognizes her as the long-lost Princess Moanna and assigns her three tasks to complete before the full moon to ensure that her "essence is intact". Meanwhile, Vidal becomes increasingly vicious in his methods, torturing a captured Republican and killing a doctor who puts the prisoner down because of his injuries at his request. Ophelia’s mother develops painful contractions and dies giving birth to a son. Vidal discovers Mercedes is a rebel spy, and he captures her and Ofelia as they attempt to escape. Ofelia is locked in her bedroom, and Mercedes is taken to be tortured; however, she frees herself, injures Vidal and flees into the woods, where Pedro and the rebels rescue her. Vidal finds Ofelia after she takes her brother and runs to the Labyrinth, he takes the baby and shoots Ofelia. As he staggers out of the labyrinth, he finds the rebels waiting for him and, after handing them his son, is killed by Pedro. As Mercedes enters the labyrinth and mourns over Ofelia's dead body, Ofelia is reunited with the king and queen of the underworld and is found to be the true Princess Monna. There were several points in this movie that truly intrigued me, the first was the ability of the movie to bring fairy tail and post war violence together in one film and make the two flow so well together. I also learned a lot about the Spanish culture while watching this film. The film takes place almost a hundred years ago but still is extremely rich in Spanish heritage. The culture is very well portrayed throughout the movie, from the Spanish speaking to the wardrobes of all the characters. The entire movie is in subtitles which was new to me, I have never had the patience to watch an entire movie in subtitles before but this was an extremely intriguing movie that kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. When comparing it to an American film there are several large differences, the biggest of these would have to be the way that they show violence. It appeared that the Spanish allow much more uncensored violence then might be accepted here in America. I truly enjoyed watching this movie and it has opened my eyes to foreign films and the different stories that they can tell.
Institutions in my Life
Everyone has driving factors or institutions in their lives that shape the way they grow as a person. These institutions can be anything from family, friends, school or life experiences. All of these things play very big roles in making someone who they are, especially when they are all put together.
Over the years there have been many institutions that have shaped the person I am today. The first and probably largest of these would have to be my parents; they have always been there for me, helping me out with what ever it is that I throw at them. Having parents that both work, it is hard to find time when all of us are able to be together, but somehow they were always able to do it, at least to the best they could. They have always helped me in school, even when I didn’t want them to, and helped me get to and from my practices after school, although they were supposed to be at work. My dad has especially been a big role model for me ever since I was a kid; he has helped me through countless incidents even if the family shouldn’t know. I always try to model him in almost anyway I can, and so far it hasn’t led me wrong. He has always helped me and supported me through some hard times and done everything in his power to help me. I also have a younger sister that I think a lot about and try to be a positive role model to whenever possible. She needs to have a positive role model to help her make the right decisions while she experiences all of these institutions. My family as a whole has shaped me from a child by teaching me the lessons of life while allowing me to figure things out myself and I am grateful for them.
My second institution would have to be high school; I attended a high school of over four thousand kids in the middle of south Denver. Needless to say it was a very different atmosphere then here in Bozeman. Going to a school of this size in a busy city shapes people in many ways that many, at least myself, are unaware of until they have graduated and left. A school like this prepares you so much for college that the transition doesn’t seem so huge. Because the school is basically a small college, classes, teachers, friends and almost every other aspect are far different then that of other people I have met from smaller schools. There were so many different groups of people at my high school that it was easy to make friends with a group that fit you. There was basically a group for everyone, which gives you a very wide perspective of people. Even though I have a very wide perspective of people, coming to Montana State has opened my eyes to a completely different atmosphere. A few of my classes were lecture classes, just like here at MSU, where one teacher would teach fifty or more students. This style of teaching was extremely important because it taught me how to listen to a lecture and realize what the teacher actually wanted us to get out of it. Each one of my classes was in a different building sprawled across a campus that is a half mile by half mile. We had an open campus meaning you could leave during the day at anytime and go basically anywhere you wanted. Although many abused this privilege and skipped class, it gave you a glimpse at real life and made you have control of your own education. I believe this has drastically improved my college experience because I know how important class is to success. We also had to register for all our own classes in almost the exact way we do here, and it was not unusual to go an entire day without seeing a good friend because of the amount of people wandering the halls.
During the summer after high school I tried to prepare myself as much as possible for college, but nothing could prepare me for the first day in the dorms. Even though my high school is very similar to a college campus, the transition from high school to college did come with some very big life changing differences. When I first came to college I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I have always heard of the big party and school in there somewhere, but after spending a semester I have matured and realized the true importance of college and why it is important to go. The biggest change so far has been moving away from home to a completely different lifestyle. The dorms are a very unique place and I have realized that they force people to mature, even if it is in a transitional way. I believe that this move for me means so much because I have never moved before period, let alone by myself. It is a very cool, but intimidating experience for me moving out of state. Moving from the city where I was surrounded by millions of people on a daily basis to a town like Bozeman is much different in almost every way I can imagine compared to where I used to live.
My first yeas here at MSU has changed who I am dramatically. I have grown up a lot just in the last few months and have a much better understanding of life, at least I think. Living on your own for the first time, even if it is just in the dorms, is a very big change from anything I have experienced. I now understand the work and money that goes into supporting yourself. I have met many other students who are much different from kids in my high school, and I have made better friends in the past few months then I have possibly ever made.
I also believe I have figured out what my major is going to be, after taking Intro to Global Markets with Mike Gold I have realized that Business Marketing should fit me very well. Gold’s class is fun and exciting as he teaches us business not only out to the book but from life experience. He is a retired marketing president for several big companies across the world, including M&M’s, Heineken, and Mars Bars. With these positions comes some very interesting everyday advice that he passes on to the class very well. I have also made this decision based on the strong interest survey that we took in class. On the survey all of the career suggestions were in some way related to a business degree, which is exactly what I was aiming for before taking the survey.
The overall experience of college so far makes you grow up quickly and realize the real world much more then I ever thought it would. I now know how to budget my time effectively and manage when I need to go out with friends, and when I need to do my work. This took me several weeks into the semester, but has basically clicked now as we reach the end of the semester. Classes are extremely important, and they teach you the basic knowledge of life, however leaving the house and living on your own teaches you far more then the class room. I have learned so many lessons, even in the last few months and I now hopefully know a little bit more how life works.
If I was going to give any advice to incoming freshman, there would be a few big issues I would try and make them understand. I first would tell them that going to class is absolutely essential to passing class. If you don’t go to class there is no way you are going to get the information out of the class, even if you do all of the reading. The second thing I would tell them is to learn how to manage their time. You don’t always have to go out with the boys and have a good time. It is a very big part of college, but also needs to be enjoyed in moderation. If you are out late every night you are not going to be able to pay attention in class the next day. Finally, I would let them know that there are countless resources around campus that offer help, resources I didn’t find until late in the semester. Using the writing center, library, and teacher’s office hours give a huge advantage and can literally help your grades by entire letters.
There have been many institutions that have helped me though my life so far and there will no doubt be many more. It you are able to use these advantages and put them towards your life, you will have a step up on everyone else and hopefully succeed.
Over the years there have been many institutions that have shaped the person I am today. The first and probably largest of these would have to be my parents; they have always been there for me, helping me out with what ever it is that I throw at them. Having parents that both work, it is hard to find time when all of us are able to be together, but somehow they were always able to do it, at least to the best they could. They have always helped me in school, even when I didn’t want them to, and helped me get to and from my practices after school, although they were supposed to be at work. My dad has especially been a big role model for me ever since I was a kid; he has helped me through countless incidents even if the family shouldn’t know. I always try to model him in almost anyway I can, and so far it hasn’t led me wrong. He has always helped me and supported me through some hard times and done everything in his power to help me. I also have a younger sister that I think a lot about and try to be a positive role model to whenever possible. She needs to have a positive role model to help her make the right decisions while she experiences all of these institutions. My family as a whole has shaped me from a child by teaching me the lessons of life while allowing me to figure things out myself and I am grateful for them.
My second institution would have to be high school; I attended a high school of over four thousand kids in the middle of south Denver. Needless to say it was a very different atmosphere then here in Bozeman. Going to a school of this size in a busy city shapes people in many ways that many, at least myself, are unaware of until they have graduated and left. A school like this prepares you so much for college that the transition doesn’t seem so huge. Because the school is basically a small college, classes, teachers, friends and almost every other aspect are far different then that of other people I have met from smaller schools. There were so many different groups of people at my high school that it was easy to make friends with a group that fit you. There was basically a group for everyone, which gives you a very wide perspective of people. Even though I have a very wide perspective of people, coming to Montana State has opened my eyes to a completely different atmosphere. A few of my classes were lecture classes, just like here at MSU, where one teacher would teach fifty or more students. This style of teaching was extremely important because it taught me how to listen to a lecture and realize what the teacher actually wanted us to get out of it. Each one of my classes was in a different building sprawled across a campus that is a half mile by half mile. We had an open campus meaning you could leave during the day at anytime and go basically anywhere you wanted. Although many abused this privilege and skipped class, it gave you a glimpse at real life and made you have control of your own education. I believe this has drastically improved my college experience because I know how important class is to success. We also had to register for all our own classes in almost the exact way we do here, and it was not unusual to go an entire day without seeing a good friend because of the amount of people wandering the halls.
During the summer after high school I tried to prepare myself as much as possible for college, but nothing could prepare me for the first day in the dorms. Even though my high school is very similar to a college campus, the transition from high school to college did come with some very big life changing differences. When I first came to college I didn’t know exactly what to expect, I have always heard of the big party and school in there somewhere, but after spending a semester I have matured and realized the true importance of college and why it is important to go. The biggest change so far has been moving away from home to a completely different lifestyle. The dorms are a very unique place and I have realized that they force people to mature, even if it is in a transitional way. I believe that this move for me means so much because I have never moved before period, let alone by myself. It is a very cool, but intimidating experience for me moving out of state. Moving from the city where I was surrounded by millions of people on a daily basis to a town like Bozeman is much different in almost every way I can imagine compared to where I used to live.
My first yeas here at MSU has changed who I am dramatically. I have grown up a lot just in the last few months and have a much better understanding of life, at least I think. Living on your own for the first time, even if it is just in the dorms, is a very big change from anything I have experienced. I now understand the work and money that goes into supporting yourself. I have met many other students who are much different from kids in my high school, and I have made better friends in the past few months then I have possibly ever made.
I also believe I have figured out what my major is going to be, after taking Intro to Global Markets with Mike Gold I have realized that Business Marketing should fit me very well. Gold’s class is fun and exciting as he teaches us business not only out to the book but from life experience. He is a retired marketing president for several big companies across the world, including M&M’s, Heineken, and Mars Bars. With these positions comes some very interesting everyday advice that he passes on to the class very well. I have also made this decision based on the strong interest survey that we took in class. On the survey all of the career suggestions were in some way related to a business degree, which is exactly what I was aiming for before taking the survey.
The overall experience of college so far makes you grow up quickly and realize the real world much more then I ever thought it would. I now know how to budget my time effectively and manage when I need to go out with friends, and when I need to do my work. This took me several weeks into the semester, but has basically clicked now as we reach the end of the semester. Classes are extremely important, and they teach you the basic knowledge of life, however leaving the house and living on your own teaches you far more then the class room. I have learned so many lessons, even in the last few months and I now hopefully know a little bit more how life works.
If I was going to give any advice to incoming freshman, there would be a few big issues I would try and make them understand. I first would tell them that going to class is absolutely essential to passing class. If you don’t go to class there is no way you are going to get the information out of the class, even if you do all of the reading. The second thing I would tell them is to learn how to manage their time. You don’t always have to go out with the boys and have a good time. It is a very big part of college, but also needs to be enjoyed in moderation. If you are out late every night you are not going to be able to pay attention in class the next day. Finally, I would let them know that there are countless resources around campus that offer help, resources I didn’t find until late in the semester. Using the writing center, library, and teacher’s office hours give a huge advantage and can literally help your grades by entire letters.
There have been many institutions that have helped me though my life so far and there will no doubt be many more. It you are able to use these advantages and put them towards your life, you will have a step up on everyone else and hopefully succeed.
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