January 14

December option B: The truth of society

Why is it we all treat others so harsh? Look at the past, how the treatment of African American was so unjust or the mistreatment of individuals such as Elie from the novel Night. If deep down everyone is truly kind and merciful how did such events occur? I write this persuasive piece to show the true heart of the world and how individuals only really care about themselves and have discontent towards certain individuals. Just take a look outside and you’ll still see the unfair treatment of certain religions,races, and cultures. I ask all these questions knowing there will never be a correct answer or that there will even be answered.

 

There is no individual one may put forth that will be willing to give up their own fortune for the sake of someone they do not even know. We can put a facade up showing a false image of ourselves but no matter how good our false identity is when put to the test no one will pass. I don’t say this with passion and joy of demining everyone but with sorrow for how weak man truly is. This can be proven with such a vast amount of examples, the first example that is most recent is the Uyghur Muslims in China who are being placed in internment camps. How is it possible in this day and age after watching the mass murder of millions of Jews and the regret and sorrow that comes with the Holocaust we still cant recognize the present day Holocaust? Why is it no one has taken action or done something, how is it world leaders watch this injustice continue with a blind eye. If we were really good people wouldn’t we have done something now other than just posting something on our Instagram and forget it. Mankind has evolved from the dawn of time from the en-slavery of non-whites to the multiple genocides. This can also be proven with the huge gap between the rich and poor, how is it with all the wealth billionaires and millionaires have we still end up with poor people can’t they just give some of their money for the poor. There’s one simple answer greed, everyone is full of greed and doesn’t really care about anyone but themselves.

Category: Aazab | 1 Comment on December option B: The truth of society
January 13

Conflicts with Beliefs

 

                                                                                 Conflict with Beliefs

How do the actions of others impact our beliefs?

  Our beliefs enforce our identity as an individual, individuals can be influenced negatively or positively by the actions of others.  When negative, others can be a threat to those underlying beliefs and values we have within us.  If we are faced with adversity and hardship, due to the actions of others, we are influenced to change and adapt to the situation for our survival.  When positive, others can inspire and reinforce, even change for the better, our beliefs.   The actions of others might have different intentions, but we are able to determine the result of those actions with strong beliefs. For young people, who are highly influenced and changeable, others can have a significant impact – positive or negative, depending on the circumstances – on their beliefs because each experience in a young person’s life, each person, can bring about great growth or great ruin.  

When a young individual has a mentor who coaches and supports their growth and development, that mentor can positively inspire the youth’s values and beliefs in their future potential, resulting in greater success than that youth would have achieved without their mentor.  Within the film Finding Forrester, we follow the journey of 16-year-old gifted teen, Jamal Wallace, who grew up in the Bronx and was considered “your average teenager” by his family and his peers, yet that was an understatement. He was truly a gifted academic and writer who hid his talent and ability from his peers and family until testing proved his genius, and he was approached by a prestigious school that saw his potential with the results of his test marks. With his basketball skills and his academic talent, the private school gave him a chance to head to a different path. With this journey, he had secretly met William Forrester a great writer that isolated himself from the world. With them becoming friends Jamal was able to enforce his belief of writing thanks to William for mentoring him in improving his writing. Later in the film, Jamal was faced with a difficult decision to make whether he pursue his basketball or academics. He had gotten in this predicament during the championship game where he was being blackmailed to win the game and able to continue on with his journey. He had made the decision of being able to continue on with his passion of writing and was able to show his true desire. His beliefs were influenced and tested representing the strengthening of his belief by William Forrester. This demonstrates the idea that when an individual shares the same passion as you, they are able to influence your beliefs by strengthening them resulting in a more prominent belief that is evident within our life.

Some youth are not so lucky as to find a mentor to support, inspire and coach them in their beliefs and success.  When young people experience abuse and oppression, their beliefs can be lost as their focus is on primal, selfish survival – not ideals and values. With the novel Night, we are exposed to the journey of Elie Wiesel and his experiences within the concentration camp during the Holocaust. Elie at a young age was impacted by the result and actions in the camp. The inhumane acts that went on in the camp stripped of him of his identity and values during this experience because of the Nazi’s. From once being a very religious individual at such a young age to not even believing in religion nor in humanity at the end of the novel. We learn how Elie was impacted by the cruelty and the death that happened in the camp such as at the beginning of the novel when he was first brought to Auschwitz. When he saw the babies and children being thrown into the fire and being impacted by that traumatic experience and thinking about suicide at that point. In the middle of the novel we were exposed to the idea of his beliefs were influenced by the actions of others when he began to question God and whether God would allow such a thing to happen, this had created an uproar for him because of him later falling victim to his identity and life being taken away by the experiences, represented by the end of the novel when he looked into the mirror and saw a dead corpse. This demonstrates how any individual can be impacted negatively and fall victim to adversity and hardships that we face.

When at a loss, and falling into confusion and uncertainty with oneself, others can help be the light in the darkness – helping us to reinforce our beliefs.  Within my experiences, I have been influenced by the actions of others when I had begun to question my own beliefs. With this experience I was impacted by my mom because she had solved the predicament that I was in. During this questioning of my belief, I  fell into a small depression with God and my destiny. My mother had learned of what I was going through and told me of her issue and how she was able to overcome a similar situation. She had enacted my belief in my religion and my future. She told me of how we often have conflicts with ourselves and with others only to discover a new belief or be able to strengthen our current belief. My mother has impacted my life for the greater of my growth and reinforced in me a sense of humanity, respect, and compassion – she is most influential and important in my life.

   Beliefs are something that can change over a period of time depending on our situations. We are often influenced in a positive way or negative depending on our circumstances and how others are there to help us, to guide us, or to destroy us. Our beliefs demonstrate our character and identity, when we are faced with hardship and adversity this is when our beliefs come into conflict with such situations, and based on our influences and state-of-mind the results may differ.

Category: Amrit, Sept 2019 | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 13

Lit Expo-

What is your opinion of the idea that our beliefs are influenced by the actions of others?

 

     Every individual faces adversity in their life. Society has shaped most individuals to compete with one another and become very independent. Beliefs are what shapes an individual’s identity. Who they are, what they stand for, gender roles, where they come from, what they follow, and most importantly it sends an image to people of what they are capable of. Individuals who have come across a certain success will alter the minds of those who look up to them. As a person who guides them by exemplifying their results, one will have the ability to learn a lesson taught by a living experience. In the novel, Night, written by Elie Wiesel, illustrates how the concentration camp lead by the Nazis changed his beliefs, from heavily believing in god to, finding ways to rebel against him, and eventually losing all hope towards god. This also occurs in the movie A River Runs Through It, when Norman asked his brother Paul to join him in starting a different life in Chicago and Paul refuses because he wants to follow his dreams, yet stay traditional and be somewhat like his father, a fisherman. Paul did not have to endure the expectations of his father like Norman did, therefore, was more carefree. I have personally experienced my beliefs being impacted when I started high school. When an individual’s beliefs are altered by a certain event their beliefs either drastically lost or gained. 

      In the movie, A River Runs Through It, Paul always wanted to keep the family close. Although Norman went out for further studies, he’s always made sure his brother was okay and even plays the role of “brother’s keeper” at certain times during the movie. A significant scene was when Norman and Paul snuck out at night and the brothers were happy and excited, contrasting when they were caught sneaking back in and Norman allowed Paul to immediately take all the blame. This shows that he wanted to keep his reputation as the responsible older brother, as opposed to Paul, the irresponsible younger brother, setting a tone of being the “more responsible” brother of the family. By doing this, Norman has a stronger relationship with Paul because he knows he was just as excited as Paul, yet when the whole scenario of the “shooting the shoot” occurred, Paul pulled Norman back and took the blame for it. All things considered, Paul is younger than Norman so by him standing up and taking the blame shows, to some extent he is wiser than Norman is. Which, influenced Norman, into considering that his brother knows when to be serious 

       In the novel Night, Elie Wiesel writes about how his personal experience that conflicted with him about his beliefs towards god. When he was young, he had a very strong sense of belief in religion. He was keen about things in his culture even those that were forbidden to learn at a young age, he even prayed for his beliefs to never alter at the Synagogues. This shows how strong his beliefs were toward God at the beginning of the novel. When the Nazi’s were powerful and placed Jews into concentration camps, Elie had no idea his beliefs towards god would change because of what he was forced to go through. When Elie and his father were sent to the concentration camps, Elie stopped worshiping God. He became very spiteful and rebellious towards religion, and the idea of God because he was angry that he was put through this pain. Elie didn’t fast because his father told him not to, he did it as a way to rebel against his religion. He blamed God for separating his family, having innocent people killed. Until the death of his father, Elie became shameful and felt guilty about being relieved when his father died. The concentration camp had forced Elie to become independent he became nearly crazy because of being thrown in the concentration camp. The circumstances that he endured pushed him away from not only God but made him uncaring of anyone else around him. 

      I have experienced a significant change in my beliefs when I first attend FFCA high school. This school had my old beliefs being questioned. When I came to this school in grade 10, my only goal was to simply “Pass” my classes and get the credits required to graduate. As I started adjusting to the environment I realized that my vision for my future was insufficient and very limited for me to achieve my desire after high school. I thought all I needed to do was get a simple job that will allow me to fulfill my desires. But eventually, my eyes opened and I realized that education is one of the most important aspects that will allow me to actually become much more successful in the future. My beliefs drastically changed from being an idle individual to one that wants to search for a deeper purpose in life. This school has been one of the biggest eye opening realities for me because it taught me that education is what will guide me to a further successful path in life, rather than small or temporary jobs that might not get me anywhere.

      The challenges we face on a daily basis shape individuals into who they need to become in order to have a better future. When people become so heavily challenged that they drift away from their beliefs in god, or from the wrong consistency in disbelieving in someone to believe in them and when the environment around one opens one eye to reality it can teach a lesson of independence and fearless about the bad things happening around them. It shows that they have been influenced heavily by their surroundings that it changes how they will act in the future.

 

Category: Adeeba | LEAVE A COMMENT
January 13

Night

Beliefs are what an individual has trust in, it could be their faith or their morals. Often times, the beliefs of an individual have an impact on their way of life. In the memoir, Night, author Elie Wiesel is a young Jewish boy during World War II, who was put into a concentration camp; during the time he spent in the camp, his beliefs were heavily influenced. Initially, an individual’s beliefs are often influenced by their upbringing, however, when an individual starts to mature, the actions of others can cause them to reevaluate their beliefs, when an individual’s beliefs become more influenced by others actions, they will likely abandon their original beliefs for new ones. 

 

Initially, an individual’s beliefs are often times the same as the people who have raised them, and the people in their environment; because of their young age they are often easily impressionable, this will often cause them to follow the beliefs of their guardian. Eliezer is extremely religious and has a strong faith. His father was a rabbi, which means that he was born into Judaism. Even though his father did not directly influence his beliefs, the way the father chose to raise  Eliezer, and the environment he was raised in; a community with many Jew’s, caused Eliezer to have the beliefs he had. Elizer’s strong faith is shown when his father asks him why he cries when he prays. He replies by saying he does not know why he cries, but he compares praying to living and breathing which are two essential things for survival. Elizer’s comparison demonstrates how he was a strong believer in the Jewish faith. The way Elizer has been raised has helped shape his beliefs. An individual’s beliefs can often times be shaped by the actions of the individuals who have raised them, because that is all they were taught.

 

When an individual starts becoming more mature, they become more impressionable,  this can cause them to reevaluate their beliefs, based on the actions of others. When Elizer is transported to the concentration camp, the things that he sees make him doubt the existence of God. Elizer’s weakened faith is shown when he chooses to not fast during a religious holiday, he chose to eat his soup rather than fasting as a symbol of rebellion against God.Being a young teenager he saw horrific things like children being killed and individuals who he knew dying. Everyday he lived in the concentration camp, the smell of burning flesh weakened his faith. Hitler and the Nazi’s have caused Elizer to question his faith, the horrific things they did to the Jews during world War II, caused Elizer to wonder why God would allow Hitler’s actions to continue. The lack of God’s actions and the horrific actions of Hitler are what caused Elizer to question his beliefs. An individual’s beliefs can be altered by the actions of others because they will start seeing things from a different perspective. 

An individual’s beliefs will be changed after they have gone through a series of negative actions from others that will cause them to abandon their beliefs. Elizer has been greatly impacted by the choices that were made by Hitler. The actions of Hitler caused him to be separated from his family, caused him to lose his father, and caused him to abandon his beliefs. Near the end of the book, he has more trust in Hitler keeping his promise of wiping out the Jewish population, rather than God saving them. Elizer’s deceased beliefs are shown when he goes up to a mirror after leaving the concentration camp and says that all he saw was a corpse looking back at him. The corpse Elizer sees in the mirror refers to him seeing who he was before the concentration camp, and his beliefs now being dead. An individual will most likely abandon their beliefs after being heavily impacted by others actions, because the actions of others will cause them to either forget their beliefs, or see the true side of their beliefs and realize that what they believed before was wrong. 

Initially, an individual will just believe what was taught to them from an early age but as they get more mature the actions of others will cause them to question their original beliefs and will eventually cause them to develop their own beliefs. Elizer was a religious young boy but as he grew older and got sent to a concentration camp, the actions of Hitler caused him to question his own beliefs which eventually led him to abandon his faith. Throughout their lives, many individuals will change or alter their beliefs, however it might not necessarily be a bad change.

Category: Sept 2019, Zoha | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 17

Just Leave It Be, Will You?

Option B – Persuasive

There has always been problems in my neighborhood. Most of them are about people treating minor problems as major problems. I have personally been trying to resolve one of them for just over two years now. From my experience so far, our neighbor is making it extremely difficult to get to a consensus with. All of his suggestions are always an attempt to benefit him, seemingly dis-benefit us, or create more work for the both of us in contrast with how it is already. All I ask of him, is to go on with problems that are more important in his life that are worth more to deal with, rather than taking the time out of both our hands to weakly argue why he wants to basically create more work for the both of us. The major factor is the fact that our house’s foundation and driveway is slightly elevated. Our drainage pipe is what they keep yapping about, and we even have an extension that barely wraps around the corner of our house and over the incline. Where would the water go to freeze if we were to do anything else with the drainage pipe?

Now, by normal means, it will flow down towards the edge of his driveway. They ended up complaining about an area less than a quarter of their driveway being icy. Even if we remove our pipe or blocked the water flow from coming down the drainage pipe, their own drainage pipe gives them the same problem they were whining about. What is the better option here; spread the ice out over a greater distance just so we have two people dealing with ice at two different times of the day, or letting all the water concentrated at a smaller area and have one person deal with all that ice? If we separate where the water goes, there is going to be a greater area of ice. That means the sidewalks have a greater chance of becoming icy, which increases both our chances of getting fined by request of a pedestrian for inconsiderate property management. I tried to suggest that I was not in favor of his suggestion. Everytime I attempted to collaborate with this man, he always repeats, “Why should we be the ones with an ice rink in our driveway?” or, “Why should I be the only one dealing with the ice?” He treated this as an actual argument, rather than a cooperative and collaborative discussion, which I had been explicitly telling him that I wanted everytime I started the conversation. I can clearly see his point in terms of equality, because by his perspective, it should be our responsibility to manage the water that comes from our own rooftop, which would eventually freeze and possibly harm any inattentive walkers. The only arguments he could ever seem to muster against me, is that he “should not be the only one slipping and sliding,” or be the only one dealing with “the water that flows down from your side.”

Ironically, throughout one cycle of all four seasons, they have never parked their truck in their driveway. They always parked it beside the sidewalk infront of their house. Their reason for doing that could be relatable to ours, where we do not have any space for a fourth car, except the sidewalk. We also do not want anyone parking their cars by the sidewalk in front of our house because the nearest available space becomes a three minute walk, which kills during harsh winters. Our neighbours, however? They just never park anything in their garage nor driveway, except for one family SUV, which occupies about a third of their whole space. What they were complaining about was an area, less than one fourth of their whole driveway, becoming layered with ice, where they never park. What is worse about this, is the fact that they want us to have our water running down our driveway into the sidewalk. Their driveway is unique in a certain way, where the water that flows down along the edge of their driveway does not actually run into the sidewalk. The sidewalk is elevated slightly above the end of their driveway, so that water can not really run above it at all. They have absolutely no risk of frozen water slipping pedestrians who pass by their house via the sidewalk. We do if we let water run down our driveway.

I have asked my parents about this issue before, and the first few times I brought this up, they replied to me, “Do not worry about it. They are just making issues for us.” Since then, all the responses I got from my parents about our neighbour’s lopsided suggestions and arguments became appeasements. They suggested that they did not want to care anymore when they said, “There is no point in arguing with them anyway.” At this point, I decided to follow their idea of appeasing them. All I have seen is our water drainage pipe extender being tampered with and thrown somewhere onto our grass field. It became infuriating to do nothing about, but it showed how he really was taking a minor concern and turning it into many bigger problems for the both of us. It felt extremely tempting to take action and suppress their tampering. In the end, I decided it was best to just leave them be to avoid worsening the conflict, with hope that they eventually realize that they are only making their issue with us worse for themselves.

Category: Henry, Sept 2019 | LEAVE A COMMENT
September 27

This I believe: The path created

“We determine our destiny by the actions we take today.” (Catherine Pulsifer)

I believe our future depends on us.

I believe that there’s always a reason something happens.

I believe that every choice made today will change the choices we are given tomorrow.

 Everyone is destined for greatness, but the choices we make affect how we reach them. When choosing today, we should take into account what might happen tomorrow. Destiny is what guides us to success, and without it we begin walking into the unknown every day. What occurs today has a hidden purpose, we should all accept the actions of today and move forward.

  Our destiny is similar to a fork in the road, the direction we pick is the one that leads us to our new destination. Displaying how the choices made today will put forth new opportunities. No matter what direction you pick success becomes imminent as you’re destined for greatness.The fork in the road represents the choices given to us and how we must choose which way we want to go while always keeping in mind the next day. Our destination is what we pursue our whole life chasing what we desire the most in life.

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As summer began, and my first year of FFCA grade nine ended, only one thing was left stressing me after my PAT’s – my report card, which was expected to arrive any day now. I was 100 percent sure my parents were going to be ashamed again after I was suspended the same year. The day finally came when I heard my parents called me as if today was my execution date.   As I began walking into the dining room, ideas ran through my head like NASCAR race “it wasn’t my fault – the teacher was bad”, “I’ll do better next year I promise”, “FFCA just hard – send me to public school”. I sat down across from parents, nothing they had a brown folder in front of them. After being yelled for what felt like hours my mother came and sat beside me and said, “I know your smart you’re just lazy you have to try now this is high school”. I came into grade 10 with a brand new mindset wanting to prove my father wrong, after the first semester I brought my report card home with my head held high. It felt different finally not being scared of my report card walking out the school with a smile on a face. By failing I was led to success. 

 

 

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Category: Aazab, Uncategorized | 2 Comments on This I believe: The path created
September 27

I Believe in Being Lost

https://www.pickpik.com/conifers-dark-fir-trees-fog-foggy-forest-4923

 

I believe in not knowing.

I believe in wandering without a compass in hand.

I believe in being lost. 

 

Only when you are lost, will you find what you have been searching for. Even while not knowing it there has been discomfort resting in the back of your mind, waiting for you to accept the truth, and be discovering who you truly are after the search. Search like the world was made for you to be lost in its beauty, in the beauty of the unknown. I believe in going along with the flow of whatever is meant to be, flirting with fields of possibility. Even when the world is fast asleep, dreaming in another life after a long, busy day of building ladders to reach threads of goals, I stay awake daydreaming of vast seas and oceans. In my nightlife, I sit patiently waiting and wondering. I am gloriously lost. And lost is exactly the way I want to be. As lost as a dandelion seed in the light of a wakeful spring breeze. I allow the subtle whispers of kismet to steer me in any direction. Disguised as a cool wind, they carry me along to where I know I belong.

 

It spills like a story. My story. I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted my life to become. Whispers of the future filled the air around me, sending my lungs a feeling of suffocation. The future was a concept my mind was able to comprehend. But my future, it was a thought so near but a reality I could not seem to begin grasping onto. They asked what we wanted to become when we grew up and the truth is I never knew. I felt lost as the walls of questions kept closing in on me. The answer was always in the back of my head but I continued to ignore the fact that there were ever questions. So there I was, in the middle of a cold winter night. I reached for the compass and held it in my hands, something so fragile yet powerful. I had found my answer: writing.

 

I can still picture myself holding onto the thin piece of paper, it was blank. Clutching the pencil in my fingers and taking a deep breath, allowed something beautiful to happen. All the thoughts that had compiled themselves in my head began spilling onto the page, I had gotten a glimpse of what had been inside my soul for years for the very first time and at that exact moment, my future was set in motion. This was the moment I fell in love with writing. My mind was lost in a world of terror and tears. Only when writing had grasped onto my hand, did I realize the beauty of wandering helplessly. 

 

The following morning I rushed down the hallway of my school and into my teacher’s classroom. Ms.Skunta was the exact opposite of the stereotype of an elementary teacher. For one, I never saw a blinding-red apple sitting on her desk, symbolizing everything she was to her students. She wore monotone colours, grey, black, a washed out blue once in awhile. The only time I could catch a glimpse of her smile was when she would converse with other teachers just outside the classroom. Ms. Skunk. That was the nickname given to her. It’s not that she hated children or her job, I hope, it was as if a spark that had once fluttered in her eyes had withered away. I never understood it but as I got older and looked back to my elementary days, the pieces would bind closer together and begin to make sense. This is why I was terrified and excited all at the same time to show her what I had discovered about myself. 

 

I took a deep breath and handed her the thin paper, gazing into her eyes. She read over it and smiled. Smiled! Neither one of us spoke but she began to walk towards her desk and I followed. Sitting across from her my eyes peered into every item that sat still. Piles of paper, a granola bar, her laptop, and something I had to stare into for more than a few seconds to comprehend: a photograph of her kissing a man on the cheek. He looked about her age, with a faded beard, a red hat, and a smile as bright as the sun on a humid summer morning. As my eyes turned to meet hers, I could see a spark tucked just behind the walls of her mind. She grabbed onto a red pen and spoke. 

 

“Investigate is spelled with an ‘e’ not an ‘a.’ ” 

https://www.stocksy.com/276719/stack-of-notebooks-on-a-office

And this is when it truly began. So many stories were written about clues, birds, castles, and ice cream. Each one Ms.Skunta patiently edited with me, silently suffering through every butchered word. Writing had made my heart its permanent home and I will be forever grateful. This was eight years ago when I was a little girl. I was lost and lost is exactly the way I wanted to be. If I hadn’t been, my heart wouldn’t burst onto pages and pages of art every time I silently sat and began writing my mind. Forced to follow my path and no one else’s, I took my chance to become something greater than myself. Writing will always be a part of me and it will be the key element in who I may become in the future. For now, the walls are no longer closing in on me and my lungs are finally breathing in oxygen one breath at a time. In a way, I am lost right now. Only this time, with a journal and pen in hand. 

I believe in being lost because only when you are lost will you be found.  

Category: Maira, Sept 2019 | 4 Comments on I Believe in Being Lost
January 10

One’s Beliefs May be Influenced by Others Actions ( Literary Exploration)

 

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The idea that the way one thinks will alter by being surrounded with those that play a great role in their life, is likely because they will be influenced by the other individual’s actions. In the film, A River Runs Through It, director Robert Redford, clearly shows this idea vividly through the characters Norman, the minister, and Paul. The idea that is greatly emphasized is that one may have their beliefs impacted by the influence others have in their life. Throughout this paper I will be talking about the way the Minister’s actions impacted Norman, how by the teachings of his father, Norman gave a sense of grace to Paul, and lastly, I will talk about how going to a holy shrine and seeing others meditate impacted the way I perceive the world. It can be seen that when a devoted individual stays close by an authoritative soul they will be greatly influenced by their actions and form their beliefs accordingly by the way they’ve been impacted by their presence.

In the film, A River Runs Through it, director Robert Redford, explores the idea that the influence of others actions has a great impact on one’s beliefs. This can be seen by how the Minister emphasizes the importance of fly fishing in his son’s life. The idea of guidance and following through with the actions that others lead are two prevalent ideas throughout this film. As of being a young boy, fly Fishing has always been a major part in Norman’s life as his father used to take him and his younger brother every so often to the Blackfoot river for fishing. It can be seen how much of an impact fly fishing has had on Norman, that when times were tough for him or when he needed a sense of making his mind clear he could rely on going fishing. His beliefs were formed from the basis that there was something always in his life that he could go to, to get his mind clear and that was fly fishing. Throughout the film Robert Redford shows his audience that Norman followed the guidance his father gave him, either being it in his career or being how he spent his free time. The minister really emphasized on the idea of grace and how with it one can pursue happiness. Fly fishing has showed Norman a way to which he can connect with his loved ones that no longer exist. Being impacted with what his father most strongly believed, Norman was able to find the legacy his father left for him and through that he was able to understand the life of his brother Paul.

Norman was a man who was greatly impacted by his father’s actions. That through any rough time one can hold onto the thread of grace and will be able to be pulled back up out of the dark well. Seeing how his father gave grace to Paul when he didn’t finish his bowl of oatmeal, or when the two Maclean brothers went for shoot the chutes and came back home, their father granted grace in the sense that he told them to go redeem their sins by going to church and asking for forgiveness from God. Norman was influenced by the actions of his father and carried on to hold the thread of grace when Paul was put into jail, after he beat somebody up for mistreating his friend, Mabel. Norman got up late at night and got his brother out, showing not only grace but the idea of, brother’s keeper.

In my own life I have experienced being impacted greatly by others actions. This one experience that truly changed my worldview and ideologies about life was when I was about 7 years old and went to Punjab, India. I went to a Gurdwara sahib, a holy shrine. I was greatly amazed on how peaceful the area was, everyone was meditating in their own form, either through saying “Waheguru”, “The lord who shows the way from darkness to light” out loud, or by sitting down and meditating. I really loved how this one old man, who looked like a saint, was chanting “Waheguru” out loud. I decided to follow along and as my family and I were walking I decided to chant aloud too like the old man. I believe this was the action I had to take which transformed the way I saw the world and on how I saw my purpose in life. From then on, I started meditating everyday and knew that old man wasn’t any regular individual but a soul that was truly connected with God. By the influence of that great old man, i have attached on to a belief that there is a God that exists. Through meditation I have been able to connect more with my Sikh roots and understand what my meaning in life is: to meditate and experience the one Lord who resides within each and every one of our souls.

In the journey of life, we connect with others and share ideas, but one may truly be influenced by the actions of others and have their beliefs impacted if one is invested to pursue something. The actions of others play a great role in one’s life, as through surrounding ourselves with like minded people we tend to create a belief system by the impact their actions have on us. Sharing my own experience and seeing the events that played throughout the movie directed by Robert Redford, it can be seen that when an individual is impacted by one’s actions their beliefs can truly be influenced.

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The People who influence you are the people who believe in you

Henry Drummond

 

 

Category: Chanpreet, Sept 2018 | LEAVE A COMMENT
October 31

Stand Up For Your Beliefs

We all have certain beliefs and moral values that we cherish, rights and wrongs that we recognize, and it is our duty to stand up for these things In life. There are often situations where these ethical values of ours are tested, such as a workplace that is being racist, or a colleague that is being discriminated against, but no matter what happens we should always stand up for what we believe is right. At times this can lead you to stand up against your boss, friends, and sometimes even family, but in the end, its all worth it because at no expense should our morals and beliefs be compromised or ignored. They are the factors that shape who we are as a person, and when we see situations where our beliefs or morals are being acted against, we should take a stand. Our morals and beliefs define who we are and when we don’t stand up for them, it defeats our purpose in life as we are being untrue with ourselves.

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http://soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/standing-your-beliefs-group-opposition-what-changes-your-world

A few years ago, in grade eight there was an experience for me in which I had to stand up for my beliefs. I had this group of friends that I had met in grade six, which was the first year I joined this school. There were only five of us but in two years all of us had become close friends. We truly cared for each other and we believed that we would be good friends for a while, maybe even forever. As we got into grade eight, the rule in our school that we could not go off campus was lifted, and so at lunch, we were able to go to the places around our school such as Seven Eleven or Pizza Hut. For the first month of the school year, everything was fine, we would often go to Seven Eleven and buy food or drinks for each other. Then this one day, none of us brought any money, one of my friends suggested we still go to Seven Eleven just for fun. As we all got there, my friends and I were talking and the same friend that suggested for us to come to Seven Eleven, suggested that we should just steal. Right away, all my other friends agreed. Then they all looked at me to also approve but instead, I shook my head in disagreement. Stealing is something that I have always been morally against, I truly believe stealing is wrong and that one should be honest by buying their own stuff. They all asked me why I disagreed and I explained to them that it is wrong, but they all persisted that it didn’t matter. After arguing for a few minutes I finally exclaimed that if they did steal from there, I would stop talking to them. I still don’t know if they didn’t take me seriously or just didn’t care, but the four of them still went inside and came back out with pockets full of candy. Afterward, I completely ditched my friends, I stopped talking to them and started hanging out with a completely different group of people, those friends often tried to contact me and get me to hang out with them, but I ignored them because at this point I had realized that they were bad company.

 We can never be afraid to stand up for what is right, no matter what others may say. And sometimes, if that means taking a lonely road, if what we are standing for is true, then perhaps moonlight or sunshine will light our way and make it less lonely.

Pramila Jayapal

My anecdote shows that one must always stand up for what is right, even if it means ditching your best friends. This quote is also explaining a similar message, conveying that you should always stand up for your beliefs even if you are alone. Furthermore, it states that if whatever we are standing up for is true to ourselves then it won’t be as lonely as it seems. Nevertheless, standing up against the wrongs of others is essential, because when one person stands up, then often several others are motivated to stand up, creating a change towards something more ethical. Not only that, living a life in which you conform to the unethical actions of others, is a life not worth living. The act of always standing up for what you believe in may be defined as courage or just plain stupidity, but even If it is truly considered stupid, then maybe we all should be stupid.

Category: Hassan, Sept 2018 | 4 Comments on Stand Up For Your Beliefs
October 29

“Why Is It That The People Who Need The Most Help, Won’t Take It?”

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  There will be a point in everyone’s life where they will feel hopelessness rest upon their mind. Often times, this emotion can constantly run through their minds, depending on how serious their problems are.

 

   We’ve been taught from an early age that if we ever find ourselves in a position where we’re unsure of the next step, afraid, or simply in need to talk to someone about our problems, we should reach out to someone that we can trust to hold our vulnerableness.

 

  Unfortunately, for some, reaching out for help is not a step that they would usually take. For these types of individuals, there are many reasons as to why they do not seek the help they need–even when they are in desperate need of it. In some instances, reaching out for help may be considered a sign of weakness for the individual. Depending on the person, they themselves may carry a certain persona around to ensure that they do not look weak towards others. Overtime, this toxic habit may lead to damaging effects; such as having mental breakdowns, and ultimately making the situation worse emotionally and mentally. Another reason would be because they are afraid to ask for help. The individual may acknowledge and recognize that they have an underlying issue that needs to be solved, but are not sure how to attain a proper support network–in fears that may stem from the idea of being judged, criticized, and segregated from others around them.  

 

   In my case, I have seen many instances where I’ve encountered people who avoid getting the help they need because they are afraid of the consequences. One of these encounters happens to be a close friend of mine. This friend constantly helped people, but never herself. Her priorities were to always help the people around her first before helping herself–eventually neglecting herself in the end. This toxic behavior not only lead to neglection of personal needs, but also, the downfall of her mental health. When her mental health had finally deteriorated, she sought to me for advice and help. I then asked, what took so long for her to reach out, and she answered:

 

“Because I’m afraid of people judging me after I tell them my problems.”

 

 This was when I understood that she was afraid of the aftermath. She was scared to trust the people around her–even her siblings and parents. She continued to act strong to trick herself into believing she was alright; when in reality, she wasn’t.

 

  Although this may not be the case for everyone, a significant reason as to why the people who need the most help but don’t reach for it, is because they have yet to find an answer to this question:

 

“Who can I trust?”

 

And only once this question is answered, will they find a way to get the help they need in order to establish a stable supportive network.

 

 

image:

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj7q8iuyq7eAhUZGTQIHal6AhEQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Finspiritedminds.org.uk%2F2017%2F08%2F29%2Freaching-out-for-help%2F&psig=AOvVaw3nXRDP63D7k-j8OdZCat4c&ust=1541003182777619, accessed October 30, 2018, Title: Reaching Out For Help?

Category: Angela, Sept 2018 | 2 Comments on “Why Is It That The People Who Need The Most Help, Won’t Take It?”