The Meaning of Life

George Lucas says that "If we have a meaningful place, it is to try to fit into a healthy, symbiotic relationship with others. I agree with Mr. Lucas. In my eyes, the meaning of life and one's happiness go hand in hand. They are both subjective and can be different for every person alive. However, we need to fit in some place in society to feel happy and complete. For some of us that is our family, for others our friends, coworkers, or peers. Being with them make us happy, they make us laugh, they share precious moments and memories with us. I don't interpret Lucas's quote as having to feel accomplished or having to feel important as a part of something bigger. I interpret it as being happy and the only way we can truly be happy is if we share our happiness. Regardless of what we choose to do with our lives, our ultimate goal is to be happy and "happiness is only real when shared," so share it.

Thankful for a classmate

I've been attending Whitney Young for quite some time now, and I am grateful to have met so many people who have positively impacted my life. Those teachers, counselors, and friends have always been by my side in my hardest times and have made my high school experience a memorable one. Although I have met and befriended many people, there is one friend in particular who I am especially grateful for. I met her freshman year in our first period physical education class. We hardly talked outside of that gym class, but I would still call her my "best friend." As time went on, we began to talk and hang out outside of the classroom and she actually became the closest friends I've ever had. I think what makes us so close is the fact that we go through similar situations in life, but we are still very different. Her parents are strict and very structured, while my parents are almost non-existent in my life. She's like a sister to me: we trust each other, and help each other, motivate each other, and teach each other. We don't always have the same views on everything, but we respect each other and learn from each other. Like own family, I hold Amanda near and dear to my heart. I'm thankful for Amanda because she has always been there for me whenever I needed someone to talk to. She's taught me so much and has made see the potential inside me that I didn't even see. But what I'm most thankful for is the fact that we make each other laugh so hard. I'm literally rolling on the floor laughing so hard every time I'm at her house, it's pure happiness.

Into the Wild Alone

I love watching Into the Wild because every time I watch it, my perspective on life changes. The whole idea of being separated from society and its ideology really fascinates me. I don't think I would be able to do it, but its definitely interesting to think about how life would be on my own in the wild, away from people's judgement and creed. I think our generation does it all the time. We go away for college, away from our family, friends, city, and everything else that has become a part of our daily life. In away, going away for college is like doing into the wild because you experience things that you have experiences before. Those experiences open our eyes and allows us to get to know the person we really are and the things that we really like. Although we are still affected by societal views and we are still being pressured by different people in college, the overall experience is like going into the wild, alone.

We Still Haven't Figured This Out Yet

We learn so much as we grow up and as a society, we are still learning as well. We discover new things and ideas everyday yet there are still many things that we do not know. 

There are things we know we have yet to discover and we are currently looking for an answer to it. For example, the cure for cancer or whether or not there is life outside earth. These are things that human kind has been in search of for many years and we still have not figured it out yet but there are many other more ideological things that we have not discovered yet. For example: word peace. We have yet to create a world where humanity is united as one. A world without war and hatred where everyone is equal. Whether or not this is a possibility is debatable, but by now we should have been able come up with some kind of way to solve our problems without the use of violence. 

Lastly, and I think most importantly, we have not figured ourselves out. As high school seniors, most of us don't know what we want to be in life or what we want to study. Some of us don't even have a slight idea of things we like or things that intrigue us. These are things that we don't know now, but will eventually figure it out. There are, however, some things that we don't know now and we may never find out. Like what the purpose of life is, or what life after death is like. There are religious beliefs that answer these questions but there is no solid answer to it, they're more like opinions. These things we have to find out for ourselves and create our own opinion for because no one will be able to give us a straight answer to it. 

How do I know what I know?

Everyone has their own way of learning. Some are auditory learners, some are visual learners but I personally learn from touch and experience. I'm a kinesthetic learners. I can sit in a classroom for hours, take notes and listen attentively for hours and still manage not to learn a single thing. Well I guess that's a bit of an exaggeration, I do learn something but it isn't until I experience or do what was just taught that I really understand the concept at hand. Take math for example, math teachers usually talk about how to do a problem and then show how to solve the problem on the board. What helps me the most, however, is doing the problems myself. If I get it wrong, I find out what I did wrong and try again, making sure not to make the same mistake again. Even in this class, there are many things that we talk about that are interesting, but they don't resonate with me unless I can make a true personal connection to it. Of course most topics discussed are relatable, but those topics that are more sensible and important to me are the ones that stay with me the most and leave e pondering for days. Same is true for other subjects and for other aspects of life as well. When I’m at work, my supervisor can explain to me how to do something, but It isn’t until I sit down and do it that I truly understand what it is that I’m actually doing. Many times I have to figure it out myself: I navigate through several programs and web links until I find what I am looking for. The good thing about that is that the next time I need to find it, I know exactly where it is. Everything that is taught and said to me has to be analyzed and tested in my mind before I actually accept is as being true. I guess the moral of the story is that I learn from experience, but more importantly I learn from my mistakes.

Garden State

"We must cultivate our garden." For some reason the first thing that came to my head when I read this was the economic principle of trade. The idea that everyone is better off when people specialize on one single thing and trade to get the most out of our time and resources. Similarly,I interpreted the garden state as a place where everyone would be focused on doing one particular task for the greater good of the rest. Like a family on a farm. Everyone does one chore everyday so that the entire family is able to be self-sustained through the everyone's efforts. In this ideal state, everyone would be content because they would be able to do what they love and not be short of their necessities. If I could do what I love, be happy, and have my needs met, I would want to live in this ideal state. It sounded good to me at first, but it got complicated when I thought about the things that truly makes me happy. Personally I like doing many things. Of course I have my passions and there are certain things that I like to do more than others, but I get a sense of satisfaction in knowing I can do many things. I would be the one on the farm that milks the cows, then feed the chickens, then plant some vegetables, then cook some meals and finish the day off by pulling weeds. I can't really see myself being stuck doing one single thing. My interests change constantly and the things that make me happy change as well, so it's hard for me to see this so called "garden state" implemented in my life. Aside from my personal preferences, I think it'll still hard to imagine this ideal state being a reality in today's society simply because of some ideals and morals that many people have today. Many people like to compare themselves and be better than those around them. Unless people change that mindset of theirs, they would never be able to live in a place like the "Garden State". They wouldn't be happy with just the basic necessities, they would want more and more. I still think it is this greed that drove Candide out of Eldorado. People measure their happiness by what they have materialistically which is why many people think that happiness is tied to wealth but really happiness is so much more than that.

Candide's punishment

Candide went through so many things in the book and many of them weren't entirely his fault. It all began with the kiss with cunegonde. This act was innocent in his mind yet he got kicked out of the castle for it. I personally don't feel like it was his fault and that punishment definitely did not fit the crime under the circumstances.

As time went on, however, many of his acts started to become questionable. For example stealing jewel and killing highly esteemed people might not be entirely justifiable at this part in the book. It can be argued that he was solely trying to save himself and cunegonde, but the innocent mindset that he had in the beginning of the book isn't really present anyone.

The way I think of it is that he was a child at the beginning of the book and didn't know any better so he shouldn't have been punished so harshly for kissing cunegonde. But every child at some point reaches adulthood and comes to an understanding of what exactly it is that they are doing. The more experiences candide encounters, the more innocence he loses and the more fault he has in his actions.

Overall, I think that the punishment for any crime in the world he lives in is very extensive. Burning, killing, and beheading criminals is a bit inhumane. Regardless of that fact, if he hadnt been kicked out of the castle, he would've never had to encounter what he experienced and he wouldnt have had to.do the crimes that he commited.

Modern Gadfly

So what is a Gadfly? Well, a gadfly is someone who annoys or provokes people by being critical. Socrates was known as a gadfly in his time because he annoyed and provoked people by questioning their reasoning. He was so much of a pest to society that we was sentenced to death. Today, we don't really have a man like Socrates who goes around questioning people's beliefs and making people feel uncomfortable, but we do have many people who stealthily question societal ideas through music, films, comedy, etc. Although they do not annoy society enough to be sentenced to death like Socrates was, they still stir up controversy and annoy certain people in society with their opinionated statements. Lewis Black is a great example of a comedian who likes to ridicule history, trends, religion, politics, and many other topics. Movies like Heathers and Fight Club also touch up on societal issues in a critical manner. There are a variety of songs that also criticize political ideas and social norms in a way that can aggravate many people in society. Different people talk about many different topics but I think that the people who are the biggest gadflies are the ones that criticize religion because they will receive the most opposition for their statements. All in all, I don't think that there is a single modern day gadfly in today's society that can compare to Socrates, but there are definitely many critics in society that aggravate and annoy certain people.

The Unexamined Life is not Worth Living

The Unexamined Life is not worth living. I think this statement, although a bit harsh, is true to some extent. I definitely believe that it is necessary to examine your own life. “What you're doing”, “Why you're doing it,” and “What you will be doing in the future” are three questions that everyone who should be asking themselves on a regular basis. Otherwise, they will be like robots doing the same exact same routine without a purpose. It’s necessary to examine and organize life in order to achieve success and happiness. Setting goals and achieving them is the great purpose of life in my eyes. Everything one does, everything one participates in, should bring them one step closer to their goals and ultimately to happiness. For example, if you don’t believe being in school will benefit you in any way, then it is better to drop out and do something that will get you where you want to be than to stay in a system that you will not benefit from. Many people have dropped out of school and are now one of the most successful people in the world. Although it is necessary to question the purpose of your own life, I don’t think it absolutely necessary to question every single policy in the world we live in. For the most part, the government that we have established has been set up in such a way that if we were to have a problem with a policy or a system, then we are able to address our concern and change it. The fact that we are able to fight for equality is a prime example of that. It’s hard to really question the policies that the government make because if it’s not benefiting one person, it’s benefiting another. We can’t exactly examine every single law to our own liking because we live in a society; laws must benefit the majority. Sometimes we have to accept the fact that we can’t all have it our way. The education system, for example, might not be necessary for everyone, but it is needed for the majority. Without it, our standard of living would be much lower and many people will not have the opportunity to grow and learn. All in all, the life worth living is one with a purpose.

Me

My name is Noemi, and I love roller coasters. The odd thing is that I am completely afraid of heights. I can ride the Raging Bull at Six Flags with excitement, but I can't stand near the edge of a bridge without feeling like I'm going to trip and fall.  There's just something about roller coasters that makes me happy.  Maybe it's the fear that starts to build inside me as the ride goes higher and higher, or maybe it's the thrill that makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise as we begin to gain speed,  whatever it is, I love it.  I think my life is like a roller coaster:full of fear of the known future and the thrill of the present. 

What makes my life feel most like a roller coaster is the fact that I have a big family.  I have four sisters, two brothers and an older half brother. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know how I could live my life without them.  Yea it can get loud and they can get annoying, but there is never a dull moment with them. Without them I'd feel lonely and no one likes feeling lonely. 

My mother is the one who controls us all. She's a single parent and she's honestly my everything . I don't know how she's been able to raise so many kids on her own but kudos to her,  she's doing a great job.  I'd like to think that I'm somewhat like her: strong, wise and independent. However the biggest similarity I think we share is probably the fact that we both love fashion. 
 
There's something in designing fashion, like riding roller coasters, that makes me happy. It's so fulfilling to see a design that I thought of in my mind come to life. 

I have to admit that I'm a bit of a workaholic, but in my mind that's a good thing. I work at PepsiCo, which was one of my three summer jobs this year, but I absolutely love working there.  My mom thinks I only work because I like having money to spend, but in reality I like the feeling of being productive more than anything else.  If I don't have a job or a big responsibility to keep me busy, I feel like I'm not being efficient with my time. 

So I love my family,  roller coasters, fashion,  and working, but I actually really dislike literature.  Reading and writing are not my strengths,  I would much rather do mathematical computations or review scientific research.  That being said, I hope this class is interesting..