Winter Wonderfest

The snow is falling rather slow

Everywhere you see lights glow

Having fun, snowball fights

Doing something every night

Going to look for Christmas trees

Bundle up or you will freeze

Going shopping buying gifts

People moving rather swift

Hot chocolate and tea

School is out, kids are free

Spending time with lots of guests

What a winter wonderfest

Globalizatiom

From what I knew, I thought that globalization is a good thing. I looked up the exact definition and it said the process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of political ideas through communication, transportation, and trade. When I read the definition, I stick with my thoughts about it being good. The more cultures become integrated, the better makes the world. If cultures understood more about other cultures and how they live, they will be able to appreciate and respect each other more. If everyone in the world would respect each other then that would cut down on conflicts and that would make the world a better place. One of the things that people don't like about globalization is that it takes away from the cultures and they become more Americanized. I don't think it takes away that much from other cultures because if the older people and parents teach the younger people their ways, then it will never die. I also feel that unless you live in America or somewhere else, there is no way your original culture or heritage can ever be completely changed. So I think that globalization is a good thing and I think that the world will continue to become more global as time goes on and there is nothing wrong with that.

Sports In My Life

Me, personally, I love sports. I really enjoy watching sports and playing sports. I just love the competition that goes along with sports. My favorite sport is basketball, but I also like most other sports like football, soccer, tennis, and baseball. I mainly root for Chicago teams, but I also like a few other teams in different sports. I love Chicago teams, though, because they represent the city that I was born and raised in, so I just feel like I have to like the teams. I play sports all of the time as well. I think it is a great way to spend your free time and you also get exercise while you are playing. Without sports I don't know what I would do to entertain myself. I'm sure that I would find something to do, but I think that sports are great and should always be around. There are also a lot of parallels in sports and life and I feel that I could use what I learn from sports in life. One way is I love to win and I think that I could use that same winning mentality in my regular everyday life. Another way is I could use teamwork to get places in life, just like I do in sports. So I do think that sports are important to society and good for society at times. It is a good way to get away from everyday life and have fun doing or watching something.

Thankful For A Classmate

During Thanksgiving week I always think about what in my life I am thankful for. When I thought about how I was going to answer this question and what classmate I am thankful for, I couldn't just pick one. So I am thankful for all of my classmates in all of my classes. I enjoy all of my classes this year and it is because of my classmates (even though I like my teachers too). If I didn't have the classmates that I have, school would be much more boring and tedious. I especially enjoy my classmates in my Philosophy class. I always enjoy hearing the discussions and what they have to say. It always gets me thinking from a different point of view and it is very interesting. I have been in many classes in the past where the students were boring and I hated going to class everyday, but this year is much different and I like it. So I really am thankful for all of my classmates and without them I don't know how I could make it through the school year.

Open Letter To Cormac McCarthy

Dear Cormac McCarthy,

I enjoyed reading your book The Road. It made me think about what the world would be like if I was one of the few people left on earth. It also made me look at the human race in a different light. When humans are faced with a lot of adversity how would they respond. It showed me that a lot of people would be greedy and try to get everything for themselves, not caring about anything else. When I think about it I could see people acting like that. I would be a "good guy" if I was in that situation, like the man and his son. I definitely wouldn't resort to cannibalism to survive and I would try to get food the right way and not hurt anybody else. I believe that there would be some people that would do those bad things like in the book. Overall though I really enjoyed reading your book and I will look for more of your works to read.

A Direction the Class Needs

In my opinion, sixth period philosophy class is going in the right direction. I like the way the class is run and how there are a lot of discussions with the teacher and our peers. There are a lot of topics and questions that this class makes me really think about. I never really thought philosophically about anything in my life before I took this class. I tend to question a lot of things in my life now, like what is in the news, and I have more philosophical conversations with my family. That is why I think this class is great because it really makes you think. Also there is never really a right or wrong answer. It's great because it people disagree and that brings on a lot of good discussions.

We don't use the textbook that often either and I like that. When we did have to read the textbook, I found some of the information to be okay but I was really bored and uninterested. That is why I like it more when we don't really use the textbook. I do, however, enjoy the other books that we have read. (Candide and The Road) They are books that I normally wouldn't read on my own, but I found them very interesting and something different, which I liked.

So I think the direction the class is in is fine. There isn't really anything I would change about this class. I enjoy coming to this class everyday and I can't say that about some of my other classes. I hope to continue to develop and think philosophically like I have so far in this first quarter.

Father & Son, Mother & Daughter, Mother & Son, Father & Daughter

I think the relationship between a parent and their child is really special. Mothers and fathers have different connections with their children, but they are both important to the children. I think that the father, son and mother, daughter relationships are really unique. I feel like the parents can really relate to what their child is going through because they are the same gender and they can like see themselves in their child. That is why I think those relationships are great. Also I think children are more comfortable sharing things with the parent that is the same gender as them. Personally I know that I can talk and discuss things with my dad that I wouldn't with my mom and I am happy to have that male figure that I can look up to.

The mother, son and father, daughter relationships are the most special I think though. Children looking up to someone of the opposite gender develop what they feel a man or woman should be. I think that what they see or the type of relationship they have with their mother or father will ultimately determine what they think their spouse should be like. I only live in a house with my mother and I think that has made us closer. My relationship with her is different than the relationship I have with my dad. She does so much for me and when I look at her I see the epitome of what a woman should be. That is why I think that those relationships are the most important.

Relationships between parents and children are so important. It helps children grow up easier and at times it can help the parent mature. It is possible for children to be raised without a parent, but if it is possible, I think all parents should be in their children's life no matter what. If I didn't have my parents to look up to I don't how I would've turned out. My parents are very important to me and I would do anything for them, just like they would for me.

Our Meaning

I think we all have a meaning of being here on earth. I definitely think that I am here for a reason. I don't think that I would be here or human life at all if we were meaningless. I believe that there is a higher power and they put us all here for a reason. Now the actual reason or meaning of me personally being here I am not so sure of. I can take some guesses to why, but I am not totally sure. I don't know if I am going to be a person that people are going to remember who I am many years after I die or I am just supposed to be a normal person living everyday life. I do know that I love to give back to people that are less fortunate than I am. I feel great when they tell me they appreciate what I did for them. Whatever I do in life I always want to give back and maybe that is my meaning in life and reason for being here. To help make other people lives better and more fulfilling. If I do help other people during my life, I know that I will be satisfied with all that I accomplished.

How Do I Know What I Know?

I have learned many different things from many different sources in my life. I think I've learned the most from the people around me, from my parents to my peers. Everyday I learn something new from someone else. It can be something simple or complex, but I do learn something. What I learn from other people is not what I learn from school, although sometimes it can be. I mostly learn about life and the best way to live it. Whether it is through someone telling me or by example. This is my favorite way of learning things because I never know when it will come during the day. Also because I like learning from personal experience more than from a book. The next source is from school. I learn a lot of different things from school in a wide variety of subjects. What I learn here will probably help me later on in my career or what ever I choose to do in life. So I do value what I learn here and believe it is important. If it wasn't for school I don't think I would know how to read, write, do math, or anything like that so I am very appreciative for the education I have received so far. The last source is the media. I don't rely on the media to teach that much, but it has taught me a lot. It has taught me things about what really goes on in the world, like killing and crimes like that. I was never really exposed to those type of things in my childhood, but I found out that it is a harsh reality of the world form the media. So I have learned many different things from different places. Even though I have learned more from some places more than others, they are all important. Without one of those sources I feel like I would be missing a part of myself or identity. I am grateful for all the things I have learned, good or bad, and I don't ever want to stop learning.

God in 2010

I personally don’t think that god himself has changed at all in any way. The god in 2010 is the same god that’s always been here. The thing that I think is different is the way people use him. I think a lot of people today just ask god for what they want and expect to get it, almost instantly. They don’t really look at and thank him for all he has done, they just look at what they don’t have and ask for it. I think that is a real bad way to think of god, but unfortunately a lot people fall in that category.

Also a lot of sports stars and entertainers use god’s name a lot in speeches or interviews. I assume that the majority of them do believe in god, but when they talk about him I think it’s just to get people to like them. I think they feel that if they people hear them talk about god its puts them in a good light. Even if there is nothing godly about what they are performing or the way they act. I think in the past people were more conscious of when to use god’s name and not to just put in a speech to make it sound better.

Another way I think people use him is to raise money. Every time I run into a homeless person they always say something about god to try to help get them some money. Churches also use god’s name to get money. They tell people that really don’t know why they are giving money, that this is what god wants them to do. Even though I do think that churches use the money toward something positive, I think they are very vague and it looks like they are just using god to get money and it makes people a little apprehensive about giving. I think that everybody should really look at who god is because too many people are misusing him.

Candide's Punishments, Do they fit the crime?

I don't think that all of the punishments that Candide went through fits his crimes. He really didn't do many bad things and the level of his punishments were over the top. Like in the beginning when he got kicked out of the castle. I don't think he really deserved it because Cunegonde is the one that led it on. She learned the action from Pangloss and the maid. So really he also should be punished just like Candide and Cunegonde. If Candide was going to get kicked out then they both should have been kick out at the same time. Another punishment is when he walks out of the Bulgar training camp. He didn't understand why it would be a bad thing to walk out. Then the Bulgars gave him a choice of flogging or to be shot in the head. I thought that was way over the top. He should not have been killed for walking out. Even though he should have realized that it would have been a problem to walk out, he still didn't deserve the choice he had to make and the flogging he went through. Even though I don't think Candide deserved all of the punishments he went through, he was able to learn from the situations. In the end I also think that they happened for the best. He was able to get through all of those experiences and I think it will make him a smarter and better person.

Who is the Modern Gadfly?

When Socrates was living he constantly asked questions and challenged the Greece politics. He was very persistent and didn’t care that he was annoying the authority, even though it eventually led to his death. He was being a social gadfly. I looked up the specific definition of gadfly and I found that it is a term used to describe someone who upsets the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions, or just being an irritant. With that definition the person today that I think most resembles those characteristics are Stephen Colbert and he is the modern day Socrates gadfly.

I think he is because he questions a lot of the current news topics. He also talks a lot about politics and politicians on all of his shows. He challenges and talks about their ideas in a funny way. Even though it is a comedy show and it is meant to be funny, he really does make people think about current situations in a different light. I also think that being funny about the news topics is a way to get a lot of people to watch it and really listen.

In the definition it also says someone that is being an irritant and I think Stephen Colbert fits that description perfectly. I think his comments on the issues irritate politicians and I bet they wish that he didn’t have a show. I am sure that politicians just want people to believe only what they are saying and not having people question it. I think what he does is good, though, and you should always see things from a different point of view.

The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living

I agree with the statement The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living because there is so much to look at in your life that you have to examine it. If you never examine your life then you don't know who you are and that is so important. If you don't know that much about your own life or ever want to find out, it's no point in living your life. If you never take a look at your life, your history, what you believe in, and how you are, you're pretty much dead in disguise. Examining your life reveals things about yourself that you may need to grow as a person. If you never examine your life you will never grow as a person and learn different things about yourself. I believe that in life, as long as you are living, you should be learning and growing as a person, but if you never take time to step back and examine your life then you will never reach your potential. Also if you don't know your history you are bound to repeat it. You never want to repeat the past because we as people should always be moving forward. I personally take a step back and examine my life sometimes. I discover things about myself that I may not have if I had not have taken that time to reflect. So I find it helpful in discovering your true identity. We can always stop and examine our life at any point we want to though. So it is never to late to examine yourself, grow and make life worth living again.

Eulogy

Xavier had a great life, although it was kind of short. He was a great person who was very passionate about everything and everyone he loved. He loved music so much and he wanted to pursue some type of career in the business. He always said he would do whatever it took to be successful in what he wanted to do. He was determined make something of him self and I believed that he would have accomplished his goals in life. He loved his friends and family very much and would do anything for them. He was close to everybody in his family especially his sisters, parents and grandparents. He would always think about them and if they ever needed him for anything he wouldn't hesitate to lend a hand. You could also tell him anything and he would always give his honest opinion and really try to help someone else. Xavier was always a funny person that loved to see people smile, laugh and have a good time. He was laid back and outgoing at the same time. He was a very humble person and never wanted to make other people feel like he thought he was better than them. He did a lot of community service and he really cared about other people and the world around him. He was also a very loyal and trustworthy person. That is what I liked most about Xavier. Xavier was a great person all around and he will be truly missed.