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.

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

January 17

A Letter to Bullying

The following is an emulation of a beautiful piece called “A Letter to Depression,” by Sara Tirmizi. Sara Tirmizi is an alumni who visited the Creative Writing class this semester. She has taught me to add details in my writing and overall become a better writer.

Dear Bullying,

It’s been a long journey hasn’t it? I still remember when you haunted me for the first time. You didn’t make it come as a surprise. You didn’t even try to throw hints. I had my back turned towards the door, I was looking out the window- trying to find the perfect moment to run away. The door was left open by the last group of people that pushed me in the hall. I never had the courage to close it.

And there you were.

For the longest time I thought the voices that crawled into my head were thoughts and past memories. When the voices never stopped, I thought the only thing wrong in the room was my sense of hearing. Or else, most likely it was just an allusion. Because the voices were not there, I could just hear them. And when the whispers got louder, I could not hear my own voice inside my head. It’s just one of those days. Everything is dark. The sun hiding behind the dark grey clouds. Its okay. It will just last a couple of hours, right?

Just a few moments?

Just a few days?

Just a few months?

Just a few years?

Right?

And I only turned around when I heard a loud scream. I thought the noise was coming from the door and obviously not from the window that has been shattered to pieces. So I decided to close the door before the voices grew louder.

And you announced your presence.

At first, I thought you were just another one of my visitors. Everyone shouting. Yelling into my cold sensitive ears. Maybe it was just another allusion? How long did I lay on my bed crying for hours? How long did I let you torture my soul?

How long?

Seconds?

Minutes?

Hours?

Days?

But I guess you finally got tired of hurting me. And I got tired of crying over you. Because when you whispered those harsh torturous words into my ear, your words sounded the loud sirens that could never stop ringing. I thought it was another allusion. My mind telling me that you are worth nothing. You are not worth anyone’s time. You are useless. Then the sound of those rings finally came to a stop.

They finally smashed you into the corner like a stubborn little child. You whispered to me from the corner. You held one last grudge. And I dont blame you for what you did. And sometimes, I will dwell on the past and remember you. But I will never get hurt again.

I will never allow myself to fall down again.

I will never allow you to completely take over.

I will never allow you to banish my happiness.

I will never let you take me back to those dark paths of life.

Category: Muskaan, Sept 2017 | 10 Comments

January 10

Writer’s Seminar – Maya Angelou

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

My Emulation

I used to think courage meant keeping
everything to yourself.
That strength was bottling things up to deal
with on your own.
That crying was weakness and vulnerability
was foolish.
It’s not.

Somehow you’ve managed to teach me that courage
is sharing your burdens and real strength
is sharing your soul, even if
tears fall as you do it and you’ve left feeling
more vulnerable than ever.

This courage is different than the courage
you’ve tried on before.
It’s fierce, And strong
And makes you feel warm.
It’s blazing, And daring.
It flows to the floor ,
It’s empowering,
And bright, And dark
And propelling

Only you knew the depth of the ocean my heart lies in,
and you have found the courage to dive deep enough to find it.
Now you know it takes courage to be yourself, to be different,
in the face of tolerance and despite prejudice.
It takes courage to open up, to let someone in.

Are you afraid! Afraid yo get hurt or retained by pride.
Be brave a little, everyday have the courage to be you.

I wrote this poem because sometimes in life we need courage. We need courage to keep us going during the trials of life. It takes courage to be something, to be someone and to be yourself. Sometimes we need a little courage to keep us going in life. The courage to be able to share your story to others to encourage them that they are not the only ones going through what they are going through. That’s what part of courage is.

Category: Nicole, Sept 2017 | LEAVE A COMMENT

January 2

Literary Exploration: Hardships by Zaha

Hardships

A strong individual faces hardship such as hunger, violence, and bullying. In the book, The Glass Castle, the author, Jeannette Walls, writes about the adventures and problems she experienced in her life from her family and the environments she lived in. Jeannette Walls, the author of The Glass Castle develops the idea that strong individuals who face hardships such as hunger, violence, and bullying tend to overcome their hardships, take the lessons, and put them in their life so they don’t have to experience it again.

Jeannette Walls, the main character, experiences hunger many times throughout the novel, however, as the character progresses she learns that food is food no matter what it is and where it comes from. Once, in Phoenix, when the only food that was left was margarine and sugar Jeannette and her sister, Lori, mixed the two together and ate it. Then later on when Jeannette had nothing to eat in her new school in Welch, she would hide in the washroom waiting for someone to come and throw their food in the garbage then she would take it and either eat it or keep it for later. This shows that her parents don’t really do a good parenting job. They don’t cover the most important need, food. At least Jeannette and her siblings learned the importance of food and how not to waste it. Many individuals in the world live with eating only one meal or one thing, however, they always look at the next day with hope, hoping that the next day will be filled with food and happiness.

Jeannette and her siblings also witness violence from their dad’s mother, Erma, and their father, Rex. Erma is a tough character who wants everyone to only listen and follow her. If what she has ordered is not met then people get punished. For example, when Erma harassed Jeannettes brother, Brian, by grabbing him inappropriately Lori spoke out and they all got sent into the basement. Rex on the other hand is an alcoholic and when he gets drunk he becomes extremely violent, whether it is towards his children or to his wife. For example close to middle of the book, in Phoenix, Rex comes home drunk and puts the Christmas tree on fire. His kids calm him down and put the fire out while their mother hides herself away from Rex. This shows the courage the young kids who still are in need of parental support are courageous enough to deal with people who are aggressive in any form. They are able to stand up for themselves and protect someone who should really be protecting them. Individuals who are responsible enough to protect themselves and their elders are and should be respected and idealized.

When Jeannette and her siblings started to go to their new school things did not start off too well but it did not discourage Jeannette from being strong. In her new school a girl named Dinita Hewitt started to bully her and push her to the ground, however, Jeannette never said or did anything back. Until Jeannette helped a young boy home who ended up being Dinita’s neighbour. Ever since then Dinita treated Jeannette differently. She was a lot more respectful and kind. Jeannette’s personality is completely different from what she grew up with. The experiences she has witnessed allowed her to realize that violence isn’t everything, it doesn’t take you anywhere. Patience is an important aspect that individuals don’t understand. Patience can turn extreme situations around.

Strong individuals who face hardships such as hunger, violence, and bullying tend to overcome their hardships, take the lessons, and put them in their life so they don’t have to experience it again as shown in the book, The Glass Castle, written by, Jeannette Walls. In life individuals will go through similar situations over and over again. The only way to see if you have really learned is the way you deal with your situation.

Category: Sept 2017, Uncategorized, Zaha | LEAVE A COMMENT

October 2

Innocence

Innocence is the state of being free from corruption and wrongdoings- it is to be naive and pure. It is usually referred to children who, from a young age, have develop their interests to suit any circumstance or condition. Children represent innocence since they act in a loving matter- giving others around them inspiration to just pause and breath. Throughout our lifetime the restrictions adults put on us scare us, and in that doing we lose our individuality and begin to fear others denial so we act upon what seems to suitable to others around us. The reality of the world is not hidden from children, simply it is our imagination coarsening as the world puts restraints on our freedom.

This particular photograph reveals a moment, what seems to be somewhere in the Middle East of children freely playing and a police officer situated on guard. The background seems like a broken apartment building maybe due to bombings. If you look closely you will see that on the left side where the children are playing, it is a free open space but on the right side, behind the officer is a white fence representing lack of freedom. The officer is standing behind the wall, indirectly hiding himself from them. As he gazes around he might be thinking about a time in his life where he acted upon his own will without any fear of judgement or danger. The children in this image show us a glimpse of what it is like to have innocence and the officer with the gun shows us what it is to feel conflicted by the loss of one’s own innocence.

An example from my life representing my loss of innocence was when the words and actions of my friends and family betrayed me to understand how the world really functions. A lot of people say highschool is either good or bad and there is no in between but for me personally, I think it was junior high where I started seeing how the words of others only reflected the person they were trying to become but their actions reflect who they were. Being caught up with peoples actions and words left me feeling betrayed. The restrictions put on me by my peers, teachers and family made me want to follow mainstream in fear of being judged and looked down upon from society. It was when I believed peoples words more than their actions that made me lose the hope I had for myself. But what I have realized in seventeen years of living is that we do not handle rejection well, we tend to please everyone because we are scared. As we get older we get restraints put on our freedom, making us pick between going along with mainstream or going along with what we truly believe in. That is how our innocence gets tested and that is when we become fearful of peoples denial.

Once you lose your innocence there is no way of regaining it back in its original form, instead you regain it through courage and survival. Life will hand you hardships to thrive through. Every mistake you made will give you the power to acknowledge the person you are and once you become fearless of peoples denial you will gain confidence. Innocence gets replaced with confidence.

Category: Sept 2017, Simran | 3 Comments

December 4

Wild Winds

It was the warm summer of 1796 and my dreams of sailing the mighty British vessel was at its height. I long waited to join the British navy just for the sole purpose of exploring the mighty seas that I heard so much about. As a 17 year old peasant boy, it wasn’t easy enrolling in the navy but after a long wait I was informed to join a vessel that was to approach the harbour in a week or so. This was the longest week in my life but as the days rolled by the rumors of this vessel barged in. This so called vessel was to protect the trade route from England to Jamaica from the ruthless pirates, I guess they were unsuccessful. A dozen ships were destroyed and hundreds were slaughtered by the blades of these pirates. I heard of these pirates; they were simply devils in human forms. “Plunder, take and kill” was their motto. Nevertheless I wasn’t intimidated, my morale was high and I was ready for anything.

I finally spotted the vessel and I dashed towards the harbour but what I saw was horrific: decks filled with blood and body parts, the men were covered the scars and some missing arms and the other legs. I was petrified, I could not hold another sight of this massacre, maybe I wasn’t cut out for such a job. My mind wished to retreat but my heart screamed “ONWARDS!”. It took another week for them to recruit new men and repair these ships and proudly enough I was one of these new recruits. However I was given the job of mopping the lower deck, away from all the excitement. I at least imagined I would get to fire a cannon but that was far beyond my status. The mighty British vessel finally left the harbour to protect the trade route.

Months rolled by and we didn’t spot any pirates, I was simply blessed and to top it all off we were informed of a higher pay once we completed our 5 months guarding this route. I was tired of this job but money was my only motivation from this point on. I was prohibited to stay on the top deck for more than a minute, the men were awfully vulgar to me but I guess that was the life of a peasant. However when the sun set, I was able to sneak to the top and watch the waves clash to the sides of our ship. The wild winds would clash against my face and before you knew it I was in love with the sea.

One morning I heard the sounds of canon roaring on the top deck, we were in a gruesome battle. Canon balls were raging on opposite ends, destroying every little object in their site, including men. The men handed me a sword and the captain yelled “Defensive Positions”. The pirates made their way across to our ship by ropes, what followed next was severe bloodshed. This was no place for a boy like me, I threw away the sword and jumped off the ship. I swam my way to freedom and away from the horrifying acts on the boat.

Maybe one day I would have the courage to face pirates but not today.

I was a coward.

Category: Seemab, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Hunni Blog 30-2

Building Voices one Blog Post at a Time!