Taken for Granted

When someone is asked, "What do you do for fun?" The most common replies are watching movies, reading, listening to music, singing, dancing, eating, playing football, basketball, baseball, etc. Completely ordinary. Well, it is completely ordinary to us, but what about people who are not as fortunate?

There is a rather popular question that people of all ages like to ask each other: If you had to lose any one of your senses, which would it be? I have never met anyone who could answer quickly. Even when an answer is given, there is always something that can change their mind.

Sight. Then you can’t watch movies or TV, read, or play sports…

Sound. Then you can’t listen to music, sing, or even talk!

Smell. Then you wouldn’t be able to taste food as well or smell flowers and candles…

Taste. Then you definitely wouldn’t be able to enjoy food!

Touch. Then you wouldn’t notice when you hit something. That could be harmful…

            At this point, most people have given up, and say that they cannot decide. Besides, it does not matter; they have all five senses so they do not have to worry about it.
            Ignorance. That is what this is. Pure ignorance. There are countless numbers of people in this world that have lost a sense. They did not have a choice, and they must learn to compensate for what they have lost.
           
            The most famous person to lose her senses is Helen Keller. When she was merely 19 months old, she was struck with scarlet fever and lost not one, but two of her senses: sight and sound. Amazingly, with the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, she mastered her disabilities, and triumphed in the strict, complex world of education. This article gives an account of her struggles as well as successes.
            “She really wanted to go Harvard, which would not consider her.” – She was not even considered. If she did not have her disabilities, she would have at least had a chance! “A few years earlier, Keller had discovered that she could write effectively and she pursued that calling, undaunted by an early incident in which her powerful memory entangled her in involuntary plagiarism.” – Helen was obviously incredibly gifted, but because she was simply unaware, she committed a crime.
            Unfortunately, there are not many people as talented as Helen Keller. There are not many who would be able to survive in a world of “blank solitude.” Most people would, in fact, be completely helpless. We are unquestionably blessed to have what we have, and this is something that should never be forgotten.

--Marie

Useful Education

The mindset of many teenagers is that our education is useless to us. When will we ever use a skill such as diagramming sentences, knowing the stages of photosynthesis, or finding the solution to an inequality? Most likely never.  However, there are certain in-school activities that we feel are irrelevant and unnecessary, such as writing these thINKs, as well as journaling when we read. What we do not realize, is that these skills are, in fact, used in the real world, and it is essential for us to learn. We must be able to make connections between two different things, and we must be able to ask appropriate, reasonable questions to fully understand something. A good example of a situation in which one would need these abilities is if one was a detective or a criminal investigator.

In The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, sixteen-year-old Harriet Vanger disappeared without a trace. It was as if she had simply evaporated from the face of the Earth. This unsolved case has never stopped haunting Harriet’s great uncle, Henrik Vanger, as well as the investigator of the case, Gustaf Morell. Forty years later, Vanger, the aged former CEO of the prestigious Vanger Enterprises, hired journalist Mikael Blomkvist to do all he could to find the truth of the fate of his great niece.

Blomkvist was given all police records on the case, and as he was reading the reports, he was jotting down questions he wanted answers to, as well as small details that he noticed within the pages of the unsolved mystery. “By late evening, when he closed the binder, he had filled several pages of his own notebook – with reminders and questions to which he hoped to find answers in subsequent binders.” (pg. 147) – This is putting our reading journals into the real world. “A note sent at 11:20 a.m. stated that P-014 (police car? patrol? pilot of a boat?) had been sent to the site.” (pg. 148) – Just like the criteria for this very assignment, he is asking questions about what he is reading.

We ask ourselves, why do we have to do these reading journals? Well, this is why. Although it is in a different situation and context, it is still the same concept. Maybe the next time we want to complain about pointless work, we should ask ourselves whether it really is pointless or not.

--Marie

Imagine the World As One

          Every problem in the world has an infinite amount of possibilities of what could have been the cause behind it. Why did the car stop? It ran out of gas, or the battery died. Why was the milk spoiled? It was old, or the refrigerator was not cold enough. Then you get deeper, and it becomes more complicated. Why did the car’s battery die? The wires were old and rusted. Why did the refrigerator stop producing cold air? The wires were old and rusted. Just like these two situations, in the end, everything comes down to one main cause. This also applies to everyday human life. We judge people we do not know, we gossip, and we stereotype, whether it is intentional or not.

          In John Lennon’s song, “Imagine”, he stresses how much discrimination there is in the world. – “Imagine there’s no countries. It isn’t hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion too.” However, he understands the concept of unity. He acknowledges the fact that there will always be people wanting to fight, but he still has hope that one day, those people will realize how pointless the hostility is, so that everyone can live together in peace. – “You may say that I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, And the world will be as one.”
          If everyone gave an effort to simply be kinder to one another, many problems would be solved, and we may have an actual chance of acquiring world peace.

--Marie

War: Physical or Mental?

Generally speaking, men are stronger than women. Before machines were invented to aid us with a simple push of a button at construction sites, factories, etc., men were given jobs involved with manual labor. There are times when gender is a large factor, but should gender and physical strength be the basis behind who should go to war?

There have been many debates over whether women should be permitted to fight in combat or not. Many say no, because they believe that “women are physically incapable.” Many say yes, because they believe that women should have the option of fighting for their country if that is what they want.

Although I must agree that a certain level of physical competence should be reached, I feel as if more than fitness is needed to be on the battlefield.  Along with physical strength, there should be mental strength as well, for many come back insane.

In Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, seventeen year old Katniss Everdeen was the symbol of the second civil war. After a year of war, she went crazy. Upon her return home, she was under watch and care of her mentor and Greasy Sae, whom she knew well. When left alone, she remained unmoving, not caring what became of her. – “I am unable to move from the chair. The rest of the house looms cold and empty and dark. I pull an old shawl over my body and watch the flames. I guess I sleep, because the next thing I know, it’s morning and Greasy Sae’s banging around at the stove." (pg. 380) She believed that she was the cause of every victim’s death, and had nightmares about them killing her for revenge. -- “Wonder if she’ll be joining the cast of my nightmares tonight." (pg. 384) Most are aware that war is appalling, but do not understand the true horrors of war, death, and pain until it is too late.

Of course, physical health is important; however, it is obviously much more essential for mental stability. It is better to go back to friends and family with wounds and a strong heart and mind to heal than a healthy body and detachment due to post-war trauma or disorientation.

--Marie