LIFE.....

In life, we always tend to recognize the negative rather than positive in life. Why are humans made wanting more and never acknowledging what we do have rather than what we do not. Everyday we question ourselves, never really able to be ourselves because we our constantly wanting to serve others and get approval. The truth is.... that we need to live life not care what other people think, say what you are feeling, and do what you love, and be with people who love you for who you are."Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. "

Argumentation

The past Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney is against abortion. He believes that every life should be accounted for. Today, there is a lack of military fortitude. Romney claims he will increase the strength of armed forces to fortify America. If a person is captured, Romney does not believe that water boarding is a type of torture. If a person is captured one should be punished. According to Romney’s claims, education for illegal immigrants should not be allowed under any circumstances.Federal funding in schools should be reserved for Americans. In response to the Colorado shooting, Romney petitions that “tougher” gun laws should be passed. Weapons have degraded our safety in public areas in previous years, and the problem should be addressed. As for financial plans, Romney plans to recover the economic crisis by lowering taxes, establishing the characteristics of a balanced budget and pursuing fair trade deals to spur growth in the economy to essentially offset the autopilot bailout. Cap Federal spending will be cut to 20% of Gross Domestic Project to keep a balanced budget. To further improve education, Romney supports the “No Child Left Behind Law,” where each state will be required to develop assessments in basic skills in order to receive federal funding. If Romney is elected, Romney promises to support oil drilling to lower the cost of gas prices. Additionally, Romney will protect the status quo for people and raise the retirement age and reduce inflation in benefits for wealthier receptionists. The Minimum tax for individuals will be essentially be eliminated if Romney is elected.

How Full Is Your Bucket?

One positive act can make a difference.

In the insightful novel, How Full Is Your Bucket Tom Rath and Donald Clinton, Ph.D analyze positivity on an inspirational level. At the beginning of the novel, they ask the audience a penetrating question, “Can positivity have an even stronger impact than negativity?” This statement sets the theme for the entire book as the two provide practical advice and illuminating wisdom. Throughout the novel, they state that positivity creates an environment that in every circumstance amplifies individuals. In essence, this inquisition called for the explanation of the Theory of the Dipper in the Bucket. “Everyone has an invisible bucket. We are at our best when our buckets are overflowing-and at our worst when they are empty.” This analogy spoke to the audience as the bucket analogy reveals the importance of the invisible dipper. “Everyone also has an invisible dipper. In each interaction, we can use our dipper either to fill or to dip from others’ buckets.” This analogy in applicable to every situation in life. Every time someone or something has a negative persona, it ruins your day. Had those things been positive, would you have had a more of productive day? Yes. The “How Full is Your Bucket?” analogy can speak to anyone in any point in their lives. It seems to works like a charm.  Rath and Clinton allow you to examine your life and show you ways to eliminate negativity not only in your home, but also in the work place. To enforce positivity in your life, the authors explain the “ Magic Ratio,” which states that for every five positive interactions there should be one negative. By using this balanced ratio, logos are used to influence the reader to exploit these actions. From the “Magic Ratio” approximation, the reader is able to reflect upon their actions on a daily basis. The “Magic Ratio” concept can also be used to predict how long a marriage will last. For example, a group of referenced scientists did an experiment on engaged couples. By analyzing the couple’s conversations, the scientists were able to predict which marriages would last. To make the novel balanced, Rath and Clinton added evidence from both their own lives and the lives of normal business people.  It is clear that the icing on the cake was Rath’s inspiring story. At a very young age, he was diagnosed with a “genetic abnormality” which caused him to lose the eye sight of his left eye. Rath’s compelling story was not that he was a successful writer who was blind in his left eye and multiple tumors in his body, but focused on his confidence,spirit  and positivity that he exemplified throughout his life. The novel is far beyond stating the obvious that positively is better than negativity, but rather the journey where life will take you when positivity is involved.

The Kite Runner Reflection

In most advanced classes, the reading assignments rarely captivate the reader  and hold their utmost interest. My 10th grade English teacher changed my perception when she handed me the sought after novel The Kite Runner. Initially, I perceived the novel to be biased toward Americans and not relevant to my life. Little did I know, that I would learn about Afghanistan's culture, that would later reform my opinion toward the ideas of race, betrayal and basic principles of warfare.

The principles of warfare are challenged when one of the protagonists, Hassan is raped viciously by malignant individuals in the middle of the street, just because of his race and non-existent social acceptance.Only to find out that his best friend, Amir, the wealthy school boy was cowardly and refused to stop the immoral intercourse due to his  social expectancy. Throughout the novel, Amir struggles with his noxious secret that was kept inside for years, which would eat him away like parasites. Despite the characters separation, Hassan strived to be Amir’s best friend, which showed his innocence and camaraderie. Amir was ashamed that he had become a bigot throughout the years; he never thought that he would abhor himself so much. Amir admired his father, Baba and he knew that if had ever heard of such a sin he would be disowned.

Baba was the untouchable-unreachable-and far from the ordinary man, so had Amir disappointed his father, the outcome of the novel may have been different. The reoccurring conflict between Hassan and Amir hurt them both, but never did they ever think to question social acceptance and prejudice acts. For example, “The curious thing was, I never thought of Hassan and me as friends either. Not in the usual sense, anyhow. ...Because history isn’t easy to overcome. Neither is religion. In the end, I was a Pashtun and he was a Hazara, I was Sunni and he was Shi’i, and nothing was ever going to change that. Nothing. (4. 4-5) This quote reaffirms the conflict in not only this novel,but the constant prejudge acts that people have acted on for several years. 

The misconception of others is continually reverted back to and is used in everyday life when trying to define others. Never the less, the only solution to this problem worldwide would be to create laws regarding freedom of religion and other superfluous precedents that would prevent these misconceptions to reoccur. Although America, does have these extra laws set in place, the system is not always have positive outcomes because we do allow freedom of speech, which can create verbal exploitation that can hinder someone’s religious beliefs.

Although I do not believe that misjudgments can be fully eliminated, I do believe that we as Americans can make our own opinions based on how people treat one another. Our country is already on a good start as of November 4, 2008 when we elected our first African-American president. From this novel, I can conclude that no matter who you want to impress the right always surpasses the wrong. There will always be bumps in life, but that is what makes the ride worth while.

The Kite Runner

"There is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft... When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. " -Baba

Is it possible to be right in society but morally wrong? Yes.