Assignment #5 - Essay:Religion and Race (Biasy)

The building of a Muslim Mosque in New York City has been a large topic of controversy. I believe the Muslims do have a right to build a Mosque anywhere in America as any other religion has a right to build their place of worship where they want it. However, I also think they Muslims should step back and realize that while it was only two of their men who took innocent lives from us, that is a major tragedy that can’t be undone. Americans are now scared of Muslims. No, I do not believe the entire Muslim group should be tainted by the gory blunder caused by a very small portion of their assembly. What I do think is that it is understandable that the Americans are scared of them and the Muslims should have enough respect to find another location for their Mosque. This behavior, on both ends, is much like that in the immigration issue.

    In New York City stands Lady Liberty declaring freedom that we “send these, your homeless, your tempest-toss” to her as she lifts her “lamp beside the golden door”. We tell everyone that America is a refuge for all who yearn for a better life but then we put up walls and station soldiers at every border line. If they are a different color or speak a different language they should not be allowed to just waltz into here like Lady Liberty actually meant what’s engraved on her…is this really the foundation of America? Is this the message we want to send to the future Americans? “Don’t trust Muslims because a few of them made an unforgivable mistake and one bad apple spoils the whole barrel. Oh, and by the way son, I know we took this land from Mexico but the Mexicans don’t belong here anymore so it’s ok to be prejudiced against them.” These are the messages we are portraying to the next generation of baby Americans. We can close our eyes and pretend like all this bias nonsense is not there but guess what!? When we count to twenty and open our eyes all of this racism and religious stereotyping is going to remain. It will not grow legs and disappear behind a tree or under a bed. It’s going to be there and eventually you will have to open your eyes ready or not. We can stuff all of our predetermined labels into a trash bag but it is not going to take itself to the dumpster. It is up to us to start freeing ourselves from the chains of preset judgment. We need to expand our horizons and be open to new things. America needs to stop being scared of change! Sometimes I feel like the only thing that is keeping the United States united is the same thing that is tearing it apart and making it hypocritical. Forthrightly, America’s foundation is now more duplicitous than it is the safe heaven Lady Liberty intended it to be. Mexicans can no longer freely walk around in Arizona without being asked for their papers. People of certain heritages can not run for leadership positions without being labeled Muslim or Jew etc. Our states maybe united, but under what circumstances? Just because our forefathers never specifically said that the United States should be united under welcoming circumstances does not mean it is ok to strip ourselves of the pride of diversity. It does not make it ok to ask every Mexican in Arizona if they are legal. It does not make it ok to burn Korans, and furthermore it does not make it ok keep out the people summoned by Lady Liberty in “The New Colossus”.

    What is America becoming? Is there even a word for it? Moreover, how do we correct this issue if it is even correctable? Have we lost control of “the home of the free and the land of the brave”? In degrading other religions and other races we are degrading our names as Americans. We have fought too many wars and lost too many lives to tear America down with whether or not Muslims should build a Mosque by Ground Zero and so on. If it is united we stand then let’s stand united under good circumstances. Let’s stand united with the Muslims and the Mexicans and all others who come to America. Because as soon as one person decides he or she cannot join hands with someone due to their religion or race, we are no longer united. We will become 50 sates instead of 1 country. Then before you know it we will be 310,322,000 people instead of 50 states. Don’t play hide and seek with the issues we are faced with. Don’t expect them to solve themselves either.



Assignment #4 - Essay: How has religion shaped our culture?

   

    Religion has, and forever will, reflect in our cultures and politics. Since the beginning of America, we have made our religion heard all over the nation. “One nation under God…” (Francis Bellamy, 1892). Our religious beliefs even echo in our pledge of allegiance. While the pledge was created in 1892, the echo of our spiritual convictions still rings throughout our country like the indomitable sound of the Liberty Bell. This can be perceived in our schools, in politics, and in casual social settings as well.

   

    Within my own school I have become aware of the way religion affects the students as a population. We have a Christian bible study in a public that meets every week for lunch. Then we have Christians, Catholics, and Atheists. While the Christians and the Catholics usually do not segregate from each other, we do tend to avoid the Atheists. I, personally, do not shun anyone who does not share the same beliefs as me, however many people cannot accept anything other than what they believe to be true. Nevertheless, at this age (high school) much of the beliefs we have obtained are learned from the people closest to us.

    Politics, politics, politics….it seems that political affairs are all we hear about in the United States. Yet, can’t I say the same thing about religion? In my opinion, both religion and politics are the major focuses of this country. When Obama was elected president, the majority of the people took one look at him at dubbed him Muslim. Come to find out, he is Christian. Now Obama is considering the idea of a Muslim Mosque near Ground Zero and you rarely hear people saying, “Obama supports other religions. He is a Christian willing to trust Muslims enough to approve their Mosque in New York.” Instead one man organizes a Koran burning, which was fortunately canceled, and more people insinuating Obama must be Muslim. My first instinct was to critique this man organizing the burning of Korans but I realized, as angry and upset as I was, he was feeling the same things I was. Granted these emotions were not toward him self, rather they were toward the Muslims who collapsed the twin towers on 9/11. Yet this man was judging a religious group for what two men did. No one can inarguably say that these men high jacked the plane because they were Muslims with a grudge against Christians or even Americans in general. These men could have been mentally ill or just wanted publicity but automatically we jump to the conclusion that it must be because they are Muslim.

   

    Earlier I mentioned that I do not shun people who do not share my beliefs, however, when I am in a casual social setting I do not let others talk down to or disrespect them either. For example, I am Catholic and I do believe it is wrong to take the Lord’s name in vein. My sister conversely believes that there may be a god but she does not have to take precautions on being respectful because she is uncertain of his existence. I have heard her take the Lord’s name in vein more times than I can count but every time I hear that I make it a point to let her know I am offended by it and that I do not appreciate her disrespect. I understand that she does not think it is offensive to use a holy name with repulsive language. Still, in respect of the beliefs of who do believe in God, she should not degrade his name around us.

    You see, it is natural for us as humans to live within our comfort zones. For some of us this includes our religious beliefs and morals. We become uncomfortable with the thought that someone else beliefs may differ from ours and we use that as an excuse. America is scared of Muslims because the men who caused 9/11 were Muslim. Some parents don’t want religion taught in school because they fear the beliefs of their children may change for the worse. Furthermore, some people will go to the extremes to avoid someone of another religion just because they believe differently and/or practice their beliefs in a different way. Back in the day white children use to be taught that black children were not human, we are sending the same messages about religion. This is not healthy. We need to open our minds to the beliefs of others. No, you do not need to believe the same things as the next person, but respect their religion. Mosques, churches, temples; these are all places of worship. I pray to God, my cousin prays to Allah, some of my families friends pray to YAWEH, but as Gunny Flores says “we all bleed red”. I believe God wants for me what Allah wants for my cousin and what YAWEH wants for the Jews. So why turn to religion as an excuse for anything they do that might make me uncomfortable? Why dub Obama Muslim because of his background and support of a Mosque? Finally, why avoid those who don’t believe in God instead of praying that they find God? Diversity is what the American culture is about. Praise it.

Shattered hearts
And broken dreams
Life contradicting what it means

They show you rainbows bright
And beautiful butterfly sights
Then make you watch them revolutionize
Before your eyes

The rainbow has faded
Butterflies dead
They never told you what’s ahead

Now you lay in your bed
Hearing glasses break
Is it love they give or love they take?

Book Report (Assignment #3) - My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult- My Sister's Keeper

(This picture shows Kate consoling Anna as they talk about Anna's big decision.)

    Often in life we have to make verdicts that we are never really sure are right or wrong. Even once the decision is made and the consequences are in effect, we still cannot decide if that was the right choice or not. In Jodi Picoult's book My Sister's Keeper, young Anna is forced to make a tough decision. Does she do as her sister asked and stop letter her parents use Anna as Kate's means of survival?

    This book relates to my life in the sense that my aunt is currently facing acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She was in need of a bone marrow transplant but only one of her siblings was a suitable match. Both of my aunts had a huge conclusion to come to. Should Aunt Roxanne accept Aunt Sandra’s bone marrow? Should Aunt Sandra donate her bone marrow? In the end they decided it could only help if Sandra gave Roxanne her bone marrow. The message I am attempting to convey here is that no decision is easy. We may think “Donating my organs etc. is an easy choice to make. If my family needs it, I will give it to them.” However, when you face this in reality it can be terrifying. You never know exactly how you will respond to a situation until you are facing it. In this case Anna had to sue her parents for her own legal medical rights because her younger sister asked that Anna live her life like a normal child and not be her living donor. Anna could have chosen to say no and continue to be the life line for Kate, but what life would either of them have always sharing a hospital rooms never knowing what it is like to be healthy? As humans, we tend to rush into decisions without adequate time to evaluate all of the consequences to them. We need to slow down and contemplate what the appropriate actions. Sometimes we have to hurt ourselves or others to please another and vise versa. In this novel Anna faces who she really is, Kate’s spare organs or her own being…Life is about finding ourselves. We never stop discovering who we are. Be content with who you are, but also be open to change.

Assignment #2 - Traditional Japaneese Haiku Assignment

Wisdom Haiku assignment

In reality, dreams do not die; they simply become something new.
So chase the dream you want for yourself, not the dream others want for you.
Seek contentment in your own dreams, that’s the only place it can be found.

Assignment #1 - Show and Tell Assignment

I can tell
But it can't be touched
I can show
But it won't be physically discernible

It can be found bleeding down the sleeves of our shirt
As our hearts rupture to pieces

It can be found in a warm embrace
Or even in a dozen roses

To some people it is rare
Yet for others it is abundant

Most commonly
You must give this to receive it

For my show and tell I bring you love
Displayed in the smile across my face

So I'm leaving with this grin
Bearing a content heart in my hands
In hoping your next show and tell
You share with all some love

Alley

Shadows run across me

One then two

Gathering to block me out

Along with rats and roaches

Darkening

Alleyway of busted bottle dreams

Behind trash cans and empty cardboard boxes

I wait patiently for lights to reflect

From puddles

Gleaming through my cornea reminding me

Of the light inside that struggles to reflect

Through the darkness. 

- Jason Yurcic (Voice of My Heart)

Blank Stares

Blank stares bring
Painful images of the past
I gaze into the hallucinogenic photograph
Sent by neurons to the back of my eyes
Where the past still lurks in my heart's pitch-black dungeon.
My daily life,
I get up,
Go to sleep,
My daily routine badgered and harassed
By my violent past.
Nightmares I somehow survived
Despite the odds against me,
Barks after me incessantly
And has all my life.
Born wihtout parents
Abandoned without love
A young babe with no place in the world
Not even a small corner in an alley or junk yard
Nothing and nowhere at the same time
All I can do is weep and weep my fate.

-Jason Yurcic (Voice of My Heart)

Immature impulse

When I become frustrated with my life

I want to destroy

Shelves of goods

At grocery stores

Running my arms across aisles of bottles

Smashing them

In a huge slippery mess

      With a feverous, maddened face

       Busting

       The walls of my house to bits

       On a daily basis

       Because I have to say, "I'm Sorry"

       To those I love

And it's destroying me inside.

-Jason Yurcic (Voice of My Heart)

By Hand

The goose bumps

On my skin

Are from my soul

Trying to find an exit

From this tattered and street-scarred body

                              No escape is found

As my pen begins to move

Finding an exit

With words written by my hand.

-Jason Yurcic (Voice of My Heart)

I go through my days...

I go through my days

Feeling the craze that I have started

Live life in a daze

Bless the dearly departed

Life clearly uncharted

And you can go in any direction

I choose the gutter I guess 'cause it feels like an infection

Has come over my brain

Try to find love but only end up with pain

I feel the shame

In my soul from the sin that I spread

Some people think it's cool

But I'm better off dead than to be hurting anyone

Sooner or later they'll point the gun

Many have tried before

When will I die? I can't take it anymore

Let downs or frowns instead of smiles

Bad memories I've got piles and piles

Could build a dam to block the Nile

A fool with my heart beautiful women I defile

It's nothing to proud of

Trapped in a cloud of ignorant deeds

To free myself I follow creeds

The Buddah now leads me on my path

Wish I could make a dash to freedom

Gonna write a book and hope to lead the young

From the pain I've seen

If you write rules and read them you'll come out clean

I've been so mean with caring hearts

Love is a balloon

And I'm like darts

Pop

There goes another one

Pop

The stitches that hold my heart together have come undone

Live life for fun

But now I see the illusion

My heart beats hard but I suffer contusions

My decisions have left me in prisons

In my soul

God help me control my impulses

I speak truth and not falsehoods

My pulse quickens with the thought of death

But I can make it

I'll just take a deep breath

In

Out

-Jason Yurcic (Voice of My Heart)

I'm like...

Dynamite ready to explode

Or implode

'Cause I'm full of anger

Everyone's in danger

Stranger even to myself

Sneaky like stealth

I explore the wealth

Of a mind deep like Pluto

Kick like judo

Smoke like Macanudo

No jokes

I'm not a comedian

Or a vegetarian

More like humanitarian

In sheep's clothing

Jealousy produces loathing

I break molds

No form quite like me

Far from norm

Warm

I shine like sun

Rhyme for fun

Not me

Roll smooth like sea

Or better yet ocean

In a hearse or a Vette

Faithful devotion

Maintained

Like country clubs

Bear cubs

My words are fierce

Maul like Kodiak

Heart stops like cardiac

Arrest

My chest holds sacred heart

My art displayed like Van Gogh

I'm made not to show

My emotion

Soothing like lotion

Lyric like locomotion

It's full stream ahead

I'm said to be unpredictable

Invincible not my body

Invisible my soul shines infinitely

Lines of divinity

Pour from pen like Niagra

Viagra not me

Mind fully erect

Expecting tragedy

But I'm ready

To roll with heavy metal

Like infantry

No Medal of Honor but Purple Heart

Unsung soldier clothed by Wal-Mart

-Jason Yurcic (Voice of My Heart)

Anger is...

A volcano
Yearning to erupt inside
Adrenaline lava
That blurs my eyes
Creating mountains of raging fire beneath the crust.
Ash covers the sky,
Covers my dreams,
The sun
Muffled by my screams.

-Jason Yurcic (Voice of My Heart)

Broken Heart

A life of held-back tears
Stored in me like cold spikes
At Jesus' feet and hands
Create in my chest
Dull vibes
Similar to a closed fist beating me down to hell
Each step I take in any direction
The pain churns
Suffocating my throat.
My eyes puff and venom squeezes through every pore
Hatred for my fate
And the life that God doomed me to live.
Everyday,
The hatred for me
And the world
Strangles me slowly,
Bit by bit,
Breath by breath.

-Jason Yurcic (Voice of My Heart)

Serrated Words

Im open again...

Just waiting...

Waiting for the anger to stop
Waiting for the pain to subside
But the wait has been prolonged once more

You see,
Your words tear at me
Like a knife that's just been sharpened

Each word breaks the flesh
Hurting more than a fist in the face
Or a knee to the stomach

But does it make you feel better?

Because we can sit here all day
Severing what's left of our connection
Word by word by bitter word

We can spend our life time
Spitting keen daggers at each other
But the anger is not going to disappear

So why do we do it?

It's not me you're angry with
Nor is it I who is angry with you

Yet it is each other we rip apart
With the serrated edges of our tongues

Still the swords continue to fly

They've been flying for so long
You've forgotten who you're really mad at

You don't want to hurt
So you thrust your words into anyone
Who makes you feel threatned

Well guess what!?

That has a chain effect

Now we're both expectorating our pain in the wrong directions
Wounding each other without physical contact
Anticipating the day the wounds mend into scars

Until then, we'r e both open...

Just waiting...

My Light

My ears are pierced by silence

With heavy breaths

I call out your name

But no response

Comes my way

My body surrenders to sadistic convulsions

The panic attack begins

The opening to my air way is sealed

My eyes reluctantly fasten themselves shut

I see an endless tunnel but there’s no light at the end

Tears rage across my cold face

I feel them soak my pillow

Each tear has its own story embodied in itself

This one’s for you

This one’s for love

This one’s for anger

This one’s for shame

And this one…

This one’s for myself

I heed your voice breaking through the silence

It forces me to smile through the tears

Suddenly the convulsions subside

My air way liberates

And my eyes surface to you

You are my light

My Sophomore Year (Final Exam)

I don’t want to be the person who hardly finishes high school not knowing how they made it through. I also don’t want to be the person who graduates high school academically smart, but has no clue how to deal with the adversity of life. I’ve made the decision not to be that person. High school is about more than having a good GPA and lettering in extracurricular activities. What can we really learn? Not just from the teachers, but from mistakes, achievements, and let downs? Teachers are not the only means of learning.

I spent the beginning of my sophomore year devoting all of my passion and energy to cheer, tennis, and ROTC. I kept my grades up at first but midyear they began to fall. My grades weren’t slipping because I just didn’t care or because I was too involved. My grades suffered because I gave up. I didn’t understand math, chemistry was a little challenging, and I had absolutely no interest in world history. The work was hard, long, and boring. It took extra effort on my part for me to focus and I felt I was wasting my time. I didn’t want to care. When I started pretending I didn’t care, my teachers quit asking questions. It made it that much easier to get away without doing work. I thought it was too late to try. It was pointless. I did away with my math tutoring at lunch and never bothered to look at my homework. I didn’t learn how to balance equations or find the surface area of a cone. I didn’t learn how to effectively use a Persian chart to understand historical events. So what did I learn? It took me long enough, but when I opened my eyes I saw that giving up didn’t make anything easier. I felt “stupid” and disappointed in myself. Giving up was hurting me academically and socially. My social life revolved around sports and if I don’t have a decent GPA I cannot compete or even participate. I learned that it’s never too late to try. Every day is another chance to correct our previous mistakes.

Upon discovering that I had to try if I wanted to go somewhere in life, I became more aggressive in sports and activities. I worked a little more at my grades so that I could pass, but all the anger I felt and had nothing to do with; I turned it in to passion. My passion for cheer and ROTC became stronger. I commanded first year cadets into an overall 5th place in a varsity state drill meet, and I got to know and understand my cadets better. I acquired my standing and running backhand spring and performed it in front of a large crowd of people at cheer state competition. What’s the big deal, right? This taught me courage to move forward and try again. I wasn’t scared to get back up no matter how many times I fell physically or mentally. I gained discipline and I learned how to respect the differences I shared with others. It wasn’t easy. I had my disputes with other cadets and I literally fell on my face multiple times learning how to tumble. Still, I got up and shot for the moon. I may have landed on a star but the moon is that much closer now.

I aimed at the moon, knowing it was higher than I could reach. I was disheartened at the thought of never being able to stretch far enough to reach it. I hadn’t tried to take things step by step. I could leap thirty feet up but the moon was a hundred. I thought I was letting myself down. I thought I was letting my friends, family, and coaches down…I wasn’t. Gunny told our platoons, “Shoot for the moon. If you miss you’ll land in the stars, but you’ll have one hand on the moon pulling you back up.” He was right. I learned ambition only dies if you let it die. Nothing is ever too far of a stretch. I learned that I can use those stars as steps and climb my way up to the moon. That’s exactly what I’ll do.

My sophomore year was full of lessons. I learned a lot. Maybe not academically, but you need more than academics to persevere. These lessons that bear themselves before me now will always be a part of me. They are not things I will soon forget. It’s not ok to let your academics sufferer just because you are learning life lessons. Next year I’m going to be a better student, but I’m also going to continue to seek the lessons that can’t be taught in text books and class activities. I’m creating a better me because I learned how to do this my sophomore year.

My Anything Blog - Storm Inside Us

The rain falls. It started gently but now it’s crashing on our roof top like ten thousands rocks dropping from the sky. The wind is blowing, wrapping me in its bitter embrace as I sit on the roof of this two story building. My tears mix with the rain. I close my eyes and let the next tear roll. I can hear the thunder boom relentlessly in my ear. I open my eyes to the luminous lightning streaking the sky, watching patiently as the dark clouds devour the moon. The frigid air tranquilizes me and I surrender to my own thoughts connecting this climate to our own feelings. This is the connection:

Like a small child scared of the weathers tirade, we run to our safe place. Mama can’t kiss away the fear this time. Pain rages inside us like thunder. Tears streak our face like lightning across the midnight sky. Similar to the wind, we wrap ourselves in the bitter embrace of life, just pondering what’s next. Someone offers a helping hand but we ignore it. In the same manner in which the dark clouds devoured the moon, we shield our emotions from them. The world goes still. We are tranquilized by the atmosphere around us. The questioning…so many questions. The why ‘s and the how’s, you know, the questions that can never really be answered. Everything we feel has built up under the surface. Still, we reach a point where we cannot contain this anymore. It swirls akin to a tornado, destroying us from the inside out. It obliterates us because we let it. We can find shelter from our own storms, but we chose not to. Counselors, friends, family….these are our trees. They shade us when the sun is too hot for us to bear. Still we run away. We run into the storm, fearless, headstrong, and uncaring of what will happen. Why? Why do we make this choice when it tears us down? We hope it will restore us. We trust that it will construct a stronger, better us. But…What if it doesn’t? What if it’s too late? What if all our trees have somehow strayed? We don’t know how long this storm will last. We don’t know how long our trees of support will stand. Yet we linger inside of our storms for the longest time, anticipating the grand finale. Are there going to be fireworks at the end of our endeavor? Probably not. We know there are other storms rolling in. What we don’t know is the extent of brutality the next storm will bring. However, we know whatever it is there is no avoiding it. Maybe that’s why we dive head first into all that we must endure. But every storm must come to a standstill sooner or later right? And every person has a similar storm they have or will abide. So why do we do it alone? We don’t have to. We shouldn’t. As for myself, I’m not going to any longer. I’ve found my rock, my shelter, my tree of support. I have a firm grasp on it too. She’s not strayed nor has she tried, and I know together we can withstand any storm.

Wisdom Quote and Essay Assignment

“To confine your emotions is asking for explosion. To cover your emotions is asking for confusion. To feel your emotions is to have enough wisdom to acknowledge that you can only defer the feeling and make it worse or deal with it in an appropriate manner. You cannot change it.”

It is hard to let yourself feel the emotions you are actually experiencing. Many times we pretend like the emotion is not there. We make ourselves numb. Other times we lie to ourselves about what we feel. For example, we get angry at the world so others won’t see the fear that lies inside. Neither of these are healthy for you or the people around you.

Countless times I have hid my emotions in hopes that no one would know what I was truly feeling. Countless times I have seen loved ones hide their feelings in hopes no one would know what they were truly feeling. It doesn’t work. After a while, you begin to feel emotionless like a robot. As time progress you start to feel again but this time you’ve added to the emotions. For me it was anger. Anger for lying to myself knowing sooner or later it would no longer work. Still, sometimes people make themselves feel a different emotion in place of what they are really feeling.

Lying to yourself about your emotions doesn’t help either. It actually makes you a meaner person. You start to get angry. You get angry that no one understands or cares, but you’ve hid the emotions so that there is nothing for them to understand. You get angry at yourself and at the world. When you get really angry you start to take it out on other people. You get rude for no reason or shut them out and ignore them. This is not healthy for you or the person who is being shut out.

This is where wisdom comes into play. We must learn when and how to show our feelings. If it is not the appropriate time to express our emotions then we must know how to feel what were feeling without showing it and/or letting it affect the given situation. This is not an easy skill to acquire nor is it one many obtain. Nevertheless, it is important to have wisdom when it comes to our own emotions. You don’t want to become numb or constantly trick yourself into feeling something totally different from what you really feel. This can make you confused and closed. You also don’t want to display the wrong emotions at the wrong times. This is why it is critical to obtain wisdom on your emotions. In order to do so we must first get to know ourselves. We have to know how we show and react to certain emotions. If you do not know how you currently deal with the adversity and inconvenience of some emotions then you cannot change the way you deal with them for the future.

Quote on Life

“Enough is never enough. To think that enough is enough is to give up. To give up is to throw away a potential chapter of your life’s book. If you throw away a chapter the book is never complete. Giving up means living your life in several short stories instead of living it in one novel.”  - Angelica Martinez