On Attaining Peace

                The other day, I cried. I cried for those who had lost their innocence. I cried for those who lost their children. I cried for those who had lost their lives, the heroic teachers and the little tykes. I cried for those who have lost faith in society.  But after a week of tragedies, what should we expect?  The world has unleashed a realm of hatred, violence, and grief that we have never known. From the Virginia Tech Massacre to the Fort Hood shooting to the current Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the power of evil-doers has been witnessed. We claim that we have become so “advanced”. We claim that we have become “civilized”. We claim that we have become “modern”. Well, if this is advanced, civilized and modern, then I would like to live in the era before 1364 (the year that this hideous firearm was first used).

                Maybe we could restrict gun ownership. But because people love their hunting “rights” that won’t happen. Why don’t we provide each individual with a firearm for their protection? No matter what their age, age 4 (that innocent young person who shoot his sibling), age 20 (that malicious man who went on a killing rampage through a helpless elementary school) or age 65 (that senile man who “accidently” shot his acquaintance while hunting), everyone deserves a gun. Whenever someone feels harmed or threatened, they will have a gun by their side to protect them. Sure, it may cause collateral damage, but anyways we have a global population of 7 million – maybe we can afford some losses.

                We could just restrict the usage of guns or remove them completely. Maybe we could model our gun policy after Britain (they have one of the world’s lowest rates of intentional gun homicides at .07 per 100,000 persons compared to the US rate at 3.0 per 100,000). Maybe we could eliminate gun ownership by the general populace. Maybe we could attain our peace. But no, that would be ineffective.  In our society, we value being unique and not following those snobby Brits. In our society, it is a necessity to maintain our “right to bear arms”. In our society, we value our right to murder animals to fulfill our carnivorous diet. In our society, these reasons are more important than saving several lives. I guess restricting or eliminating guns from our society would overall be ineffective. So instead, let us give the populace guns, so we can attain “peace”.

See Articles:

Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting 

The History of the firearm

4yr Old shot his sibling

Cheney's Hunting Incident

Gun Control In the UK

Fort Hood Shooting

What is "hope"?

Hope. Wait. What is that?

Narration: When I travel to India, I frequently see many homeless children attempting to earn a living. Sad, right? Well, my grandmother used to be one of those children. At a young age, about five or six, my grandmother’s family faced a terrible financial situation. Her family was unable to provide for a house, her education, and new clothes. Thus, she was forced to make flower garlands and sell them to pedestrians on the sidewalk. Through her hard work and the gifts of many strangers, her family earned enough money to move into a house. She then had the hope to continue with her life.

Description:  A warm feeling arose in the center of her body. The feeling created the slight lifting of her cheekbones and required the tightening of her cheek muscles.  Her breathing slowed down as this new relaxed sensation took over her body. The smell of relief was omnipresent. As she gingerly closed her eyes and imagined the next day to be filled with success, her shoulders lowered and her muscles became limp, as if she were a marshmallow. She tasted the salty lines which streamed down her face. These used to be streams of pain and unhappiness. Now, the circumstances had changed with a glimmer of brightness.

 Example:  The Dalai Lama once stated, “I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest”. His statement epitomizes the minds of the current Hurricane Sandy victims. These victims have faced the darkest times in this natural disaster, as it has ripped away their daily lives. But with the strength they find amongst their friends, family, and community, they are able to see the greater possibilities in the future. The victims focus on the bright side and the changes in their future. And with this hope, they will be able to achieve great feats.

Comparison/Contrast: There is no fine line between day and night, light and dark, and white and black. They are stark opposites. Similarly there is no fine line between hope and hopelessness. Hope represents the presence of shimmer of optimism, which has the potential to motivate one to continue with life. On the other hand, hopelessness portrays the pit of despair, in which one’s world is dim with pessimism, making it difficult to proceed with life. Therefore, it is impossible to draw any similarities as these two concepts are mutually exclusive.

Process Analysis: Instilling hope in oneself is a long and enduring process. It does not have distinct steps. Rather, it occurs in continuous stages. In the first stage one must experience an unhappy situation. Whether the circumstance is a daily stressor or life-changing event, one needs to experience an event that could potentially be catastrophic (this is very easy if one is a drama king or queen). This phase will eventually (at least we hope) lead into a phase of euphoria. One will be more optimistic in their future. And when a person reaches that brighter outlook, they have attained hope.

Division of analysis: Hope is a complex emotion. It has the potential to lift you towards to sky, as if you are an angel floating in the sky. But if the hope does not come in time, you can be sent into a pit of misery and despair. In order to attain the angel floating in the puffy-clouded-sky sensation, one must have a somewhat optimistic attitude immediately after suffering from a disappointing event. When the optimism is realized, the person will be able to face anything.

Classification: Instilling hope in oneself is a long and enduring process. It does not have distinct steps. Rather, it occurs in continuous stages. In the first stage one must experience an unhappy situation. Whether the circumstance is a daily stressor or life-changing event, one needs to experience an event that could potentially be catastrophic (this condition is very easy to fulfill if one is a drama king or queen). This phase will eventually (at least we hope) lead into a phase of euphoria. One will be more optimistic in their future. And when a person reaches that brighter outlook, they have attained hope.

Cause and Effect: Hope is caused by the optimistic attitudes of those who have faced the terrible circumstances.  Their experiences instill greater expectations for the future. The future, they believe, can only get better. Whether they believe that poverty will change to riches or sickness will change to good health, victims will always foresee a brighter future. This brighter and optimistic side ensures the numerous possibilities for a happier existence. Thus, victims are given the ability to assimilate into their current conditions because they can only improve. Or at least, they think that.

Definition: Hope is not an overly optimistic attitude, which is irrational and unnecessary. Hope is also not the panacea for all pain and should not blind persons of their problems.  Instead, hope provides an optimistic yet, rational view of the future. It enables the person to maintain a positive outlook and take the required steps towards a more happy state, while remembering that the world is not a blissful universe. It requires a balanced state of mind and emotions. And once that balance has been achieved, the idea of hope has the potential to change lives.

Argumentative/Persuasive: Keep an optimistic outlook at all times. Sure, it is common sense. It may even sound banal. But, we often forget to follow this advice. Despite being taught to value an optimistic attitude from age 5, society has now become filled with pessimism as we face the daily toil of life. We even view being rational as the equivalent to optimism. Pessimistic attitudes are even becoming popular through social media and literature, including Barbara Ehrenriech’s novel, “Bright-sided”. It is now up to us to change this pessimistic trend and display that hope and optimism are not outdated. They have just been forgotten.  

The social ladder

            “Okay Mackenzie, here you go. One, two, three, “, Mackenzie’s mother stated (nameless as I still do not know her name) placed her hands on Mackenzie’s back, and gave her a slight push.”Wee,” Mackenzie exclaimed, as she started her upward flight. Other children were present too. The toddlers waddled around, as the woodchips crunched underneath them.  They maintained a jubilant mood as they had recently discovered how to wander freely, without their guardians constantly picking them up and ending their long crawling journey. The two neighbor boys, ages five and six respectively, were slipping down the tube apparatus. They also cried, “Weeee!”.  As they emerged from the green tube, the telescope, upon the deck of the “pirate’s ship”, captivated the attention of Katie and her younger sister (who also is nameless as I have not learned her name in these eleven years). The blue tube was swirling around, as Katie and her nameless sister attempted to search the green grasses for the nearest piece of land. All the kids looked so happy. All of them had found their place in the neighborhood kid’s hierarchy. Meanwhile their mothers huddled around their steaming cups of high-noon tea (I never did understand this concept as we were living in Minnesota, not England). Their conversation drifted from work, to fashion, to families, to their children. While everyone appeared to be deeply interested in the conversation, one of the mothers looked up and saw my mother gardening. “Hey Dee-pee-ka! Why don’t you join us?,” she called to my mother.

                My mother turned away from her gardening work to see who had called. As their friendly faces came into view, she slowly took off her yard gloves and placed them aside. “Sure. Coming, “she called back. My mommy paused to turn back at me once and ask me if I wanted to go play with the six imaginative children. I had no idea where my place in the social hierarchy was. And I did not intend to search the playground for it and risk the possibility of being embarrassment, if I found out that it was non-existent. Thus, “NO,” was the automatic response she received. As she made her way towards the high-noon- Minnesotan tea, I gazed at the children, and wondered if I had missed my opportunity to assimilate into those regular childhood affairs. My contemplative trance was quickly halted, as I thought Nahh.

                Throughout my childhood, my refusal to interact with the other neighborhood children continued. Of course, I wanted to find my place in the neighborhood kid’s clan. Of course, I wanted to fit in. Of course, I would rather have miraculous adventures with my companions rather than silently watch them from afar (Who doesn’t want to explore the green grasses for the nearest piece of land. Duhh!). But, how could I? What if they did not like me? What if I realized my non-existent position on the social ladder? How would I face that humiliation?

                Eleven years later, with improved self-esteem and better social skills, I regret my actions. Why didn’t I say YES to my mom? What if I had approached them? What if we became great friends? I still do not know many of my fellow peers that live in my neighborhood. They have their own friends and I have mine. But times like these make me realize the need for a time machine.   

Why do we do this?

                BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ. That is how I wake up every morning. I arise to the tune of my melodious alarm clock. What a wonderful way to welcome the new day. In fact, this is the way most Americans wake up. The typical American starts their day by waking up with this instrument and continues his or her regimented schedule. For me this includes a ten minute shower ( not a minute over), seven minutes to gobble my breakfast of a yogurt cup and a prepackaged orange juice can, and two minutes to get dressed in my warm (but dreaded) winter gear. After all this is completed, I scramble out the door and hurry towards the sleet covered carriage that awaits me.  If I spend too much time on any item in my daily schedule, my routine will go haywire and my life will seize to be blissful (not like it already is).

                I always wondered if I was a special case. Maybe this was just my problem. But now I have realized that this is a common occurrence.

See Article:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/13/study-for-women-india-is-the-most-stressful-country-on-earth/

                I always knew my family was slightly prone to stress. However, I never expected this to be tied to the rest of my heritage.  But now that I look at the women in my family, it is understandable. I doubt my mother has ever lived without stress. Unlike most young children, my mother had been exposed to financial difficulties. She was clearly aware of her economic situation. She was aware that her parents could not afford any delicacies like beet root or tindora. She was aware that it was difficult for her parents to pay for her education (they barely had the funds required to pay for her school uniforms). She was aware that her father’s business venture was very risky. She was aware that her family was on the brink of boom or bust. Thus, her awareness of the financial circumstances of her family gave her stress (maybe ignorance is bliss).

                Her stress levels did not decrease once she came to the United States. In fact, they probably have increased. When she came here, my mother did not assimilate easily. It was difficult to find vegetarian food. It was difficult to find a job. It was difficult to become like a sponge and undergo the verbal abuse from her co-workers because of the “funniness” of her three-syllabled-name. It was difficult to stay away from her beloved parents and extended family. Due to her circumstances, life in the United States was still stressful.

                Millions of immigrants live through these common stresses. Thus, it is understandable why the United States is not one of the top ten happiest countries in the world.

See Article:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/20-most-happy-countries-in-the-world/

                But is life really worth living if we do not enjoy our daily schedules? We idealize the benefits of our life in the United States. I mean, the average American would not be able to fathom a world without cell phones, tv’s, laptops, computers, gaming devices, cars, planes, and much more.  But is our goal of attaining these material pleasures worth the high blood pressure, the gray hairs, and the emotional breakdowns?  This material pleasures now seem meaningless. 

Child Labor

Although child labor has significantly decreased in many parts of the world, child labor continues to be a pressing problem in many developing nations today. Please take a moment to think about this video.
Child Labor