WINTER BREAK ENLIGHTENMENT

Having some time away from school has been great and for me it's a chance to really focus on things that I don't do during semesters like take care of myself properly. Break so far has consisted of a lot of yoga, reading, cooking, hiking, and being outside which has been amazing. Here's an interesting article I found about enlightenment and really connecting with oneself. Check it out and use this break to focus on taking care of yourself!

LIFE AFTER THIS BLOG POST

In my letter to my future self I included the highlights of 2013. I made a running list of all the important things that happened in this last year of being a "non-adult". Everything from my first speeding ticket, to the death of one of the most important people in my life, to my journey to a third world country made it onto the list. I also wrote about high school in general since it's a place that I will soon be leaving. I included my goals so hopefully by the time I read my letter I will be well on my way to accomplishing those goals.

Big Question Final

Here is my original big question:

Why do some people have so much while others have so little? How can one person work so hard and still suffer while another person does very little work but can still have an easy life? Parts of the world are moving on and developing more and more complex things while other parts are left behind without even the ability survive past past childhood.The world is unfair and bad things happen to good people but why do we accept this unfairness? Instead of focusing so hard on moving ourselves forward maybe we need to look back at the parts of the world that are left behind and help them catch up.
Why is it normal for us to waste so much while we know there are people around the world struggling to survive off of so little?
Why is it such a priority to develop the Iphone 5 but not as much of a priority to develop solutions to world hunger?
Why is Congress spending ridiculous amounts of time and getting paid well doing everything in their power to oppose the opposite party instead of working together to help people in their county who have nothing?
Why am I allowed to go to school and live in a house and get a wonderful education while a person in a different country will never get those opportunities?
Why do we allow all of this to happen?

This was a pretty extensive big question and it contained many parts but essentially the question is: Why has it become the societal norm for the American culture to be so indulgent while others parts of the worlds don't have basic survival needs?

I asked a few people my big question and here are their responses:

I even sought some input from little kids. We grow up being told all about the importance of sharing yet we grow up to be adults in a country ridden with insatiable greed.

The country is fairly divided on this issue. If you ask people about giving international aid many people become defensive. We put up a defensive front because we know that what is happening is unfair and we don't like to acknowledge it. I found an interesting conversation on debate.org. You should definitely check it out because it shows the different opinions people have about this topic.

Children around the world have inadequate or no education at all. We want an educated global population but how did we let the world get so far behind? I think part of the problem is that we aren't thinking globally. We are thinking on a national level when really, we are all people and we are all citizens of the same Earth. I have done nothing in my life that makes me entitled to any better of a life than this little boy pictured above. It shouldn't be simple luck. Where I was born shouldn't determine my chances of life and success but unfortunately it does. Many people say that poor countries should help themselves; that is isn't our responsible, but it is. We are a world, not merely a nation and everything that goes on is our responsibility.

“We live in a completely interdependent world, which simply means we can not escape each other. How we respond to AIDS depends, in part, on whether we understand this interdependence. It is not someone else’s problem. This is everybody’s problem.”

- Bill Clinton

This unfairness shouldn't be the norm and the only way it will change is with a major change of mindset within first world countries. 

“Foreign Assistance is not an end in itself. The purpose of aid must be to create the conditions where it is no longer needed.”

- President Barack Obama

PRACTICE ESSAY

Sartre vs. Plato Comparison

     Actions are how we judge people. What they do, what they say, and what they think are how we determine their character and make our judgments towards them. In No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre and The Allegory of the Cave by Plato we can infer a great deal about the characters by how they react to their situations.The prisoner who escaped in The Allegory of the Cave became enlightened and sought a true reality. Let's say that this "prisoner" belonged a family that he didn't fit into. This family had no desire for knowledge or outer compassion. This character was very different from the rest of his family and he felt that he could do more with his life. What would he do in this situation?

     As seen in the Allegory, the one prisoner has the courage to venture into the unknown or as Robert Frost would put it, took the road less traveled by. In the situation of the unfit family this prisoner would choose to take a different path. He would allow himself to be different and seek a different life rather than live the life he was expected to live. Since this prisoner sees more to life he would become an outsider within his family. They won't understand and they won't be willing to listen to his reasons for wanting a better life. He won't be able to go back to his old life. As Plato says "Yes, he would prefer any fate to such a life.". His response reflects the philosophy of Plato. Plato believed that many people would settle for a false reality and those who broke knowledge boundaries would discover a true reality. Plato would encourage the prisoner to search for a different life and discover a life that he wanted to have.

     Estelle from No Exit would choose a different path from the enlightened prisoner. Estelle would choose to stay in the situation and ignore the things that were wrong with it. She will do anything to convince herself that she is satisfied and allows herself to deep down stay angry and un-enlightened. She will accept her inner tortures rather than logically try to leave the situation. Sartre used a variety of characters to display a dark humor sense of tone. While Estelle was miserable, she came up with ways to make that misery livable.

     Both Plato and Sartre use their respective characters to show the path to enlightenment. Some characters like the escaped prisoner will become successful while others like Estelle will be forever locked in their own minds and never accept a true reality. The two writers really represent the dichotomy that society faces. To leave the comfort zone or stay. To understand the world around you or live in it blindly.