Siddhartha is a novel about a man’s search for spiritual enlightenment. Siddhartha goes suffering, rejection, peace, and wisdom. He becomes a Samana and along the way encounters lust and greed. On one of his journeys, a river stops him and it spoke to him. The speaking of the river forced Siddhartha to find wisdom within himself.
Siddhartha is the most captivating novel I have ever read. Every aspect to this novel is fascinating. The novel ends with, “No longer knowing whether time existed, whether this display had lasted a second or a hundred years, whether there was a Siddhartha, or a Gotama, a Self and others, wounded deeply by a divine arrow which gave him pleasure, deeply enchanted and exalted, Govinda stood yet a while bending over Siddhartha's peaceful face which he had just kissed, which had just been the stage of all present and future forms. His countenance was unchanged after the mirror of the thousand-fold forms had disappeared from the surface. He smiled peacefully and gently, perhaps very graciously, perhaps very mockingly, exactly as the Illustrious One had smiled.” This quote was a very good way to end the book.
This novel is very similar to one of the interpretive question readings we did called, On Studying by Ortega y Gasset. Ortega y Gasset says that the only way to obtain knowledge is to have a desire to search for it. Siddhartha is very similar. It talks about the “want” of knowledge to become wise and to love instead of the “need” to have wisdom and to love.
If you are into the idea of finding yourself through spiritual conquests, Siddhartha would be the novel to read. I love this book because it is very easy to read and also a fast read. Even though it is an easy and fast read, it gets a strong point across. The point that this novel makes is that having everything you want in life will not make you happy. You will only find happiness when you find love. When you find love, you have learned to be, “impartial to all, free from excessive attachment or false hope and expectation; accepting, tolerant, and forgiving. “ (Buddha)
To sum this whole novel up, Siddhartha is about, "We practice meditation in order to see ourselves as we truly are and life as it truly is. When we are suffering, we can look inside to find the cause - always some form of clinging. By noticing how quickly we attach to new ideas and perspectives, we can begin to unlearn the habit. One trick is to watch for moments when we feel the need to defend ourselves or our point of view. Defensiveness is always a red flag; it shows that we have once again become stuck in a point of view. We are pretending to be solid, and we want everyone else to go along with it. With a little honesty and effort, we can determine where we are stuck and then choose to let go. Gradually we become more flexible, finding it easier to let go of our perspectives. We take this 'me' less seriously, appreciating instead our dynamic and unfixed true nature.
With practice, we begin to see the world from the perspective of BIG MIND, which can see all perspectives but clings to none. We learn that it is possible to return to the view of BIG MIND whenever we've become stuck. It's easiest to assume that we're stuck somewhere; we only have to figure out where and then let go. Liberation from the self is living each day without a place to stand or ideas about who we are. That's when we can dance with life." (Genpo Roshi, The Path of the Human Being)
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
STUDYING
1. What are some ways schools encourage or discourage a person's desire to learn? What makes some objects in school exciting and stimulating and others boring.
I’m not going to lie, there are many other activities I would rather be doing than going to school five days a week. I could be playing volleyball, traveling the world, spending time with my family, hanging out with my friends, and doing many other fun things besides going to school, but this defeats the purpose of the question. What are some ways schools encourage or discourage a person’s desire to learn?
In my opinion children and teens think school is boring because it is school. There is nothing more to it, kids tend to be antsy and always want to be doing other things besides school. The way I look at schools encouraging or discouraging a person’s desire to learn is the little phrase, “yin and yang”; along with the good comes the bad.
Schools try to give children the option of what classes they want to take. These classes are called electives. The teachers want the kids to be excited about coming to school and they figure by giving kids the freedom and letting them chose what classes they want to take, it would hopefully make learning more fun and enjoyable for both the student and the teacher. This is the “yin” part to this question.
To the children the “required classes and the “yang.” I attend University High School and I am a sophomore. The classes that are required for all sophomores at UHS to take are math, a world language, chemistry, Ancient Greece, and great books. With these classes, teachers are not trying to make their students the world’s smartest person; they are trying to expose the students to real life. As society changes, so will some of the classes. These classes are not about fun; they are classes that teach you what you need to know for later on in life. After all, who knows, you might not like chemistry now, but mid-way through the semester, you might want to be a chemist and become the next Niels Bohr.
The next question is what makes some objects in school exciting and stimulating and others boring? There are many different ways to look at this question. Every child has different way of learning. When a child is taught in the way something makes sense to them, learning is fun. It is not fun because they were told it was, it is fun because it everything makes sense. Another way to look at this is why do students have fun when they are learning? When I have fun while learning it is because of the teacher. This means that they don’t sit in front of the class lecturing you in a monotone voice, they are outgoing, vivacious, and fun.
Going to school and studying for classes is not the most fun thing to do, but when you have the right teacher, things seem to fall into place.
I’m not going to lie, there are many other activities I would rather be doing than going to school five days a week. I could be playing volleyball, traveling the world, spending time with my family, hanging out with my friends, and doing many other fun things besides going to school, but this defeats the purpose of the question. What are some ways schools encourage or discourage a person’s desire to learn?
In my opinion children and teens think school is boring because it is school. There is nothing more to it, kids tend to be antsy and always want to be doing other things besides school. The way I look at schools encouraging or discouraging a person’s desire to learn is the little phrase, “yin and yang”; along with the good comes the bad.
Schools try to give children the option of what classes they want to take. These classes are called electives. The teachers want the kids to be excited about coming to school and they figure by giving kids the freedom and letting them chose what classes they want to take, it would hopefully make learning more fun and enjoyable for both the student and the teacher. This is the “yin” part to this question.
To the children the “required classes and the “yang.” I attend University High School and I am a sophomore. The classes that are required for all sophomores at UHS to take are math, a world language, chemistry, Ancient Greece, and great books. With these classes, teachers are not trying to make their students the world’s smartest person; they are trying to expose the students to real life. As society changes, so will some of the classes. These classes are not about fun; they are classes that teach you what you need to know for later on in life. After all, who knows, you might not like chemistry now, but mid-way through the semester, you might want to be a chemist and become the next Niels Bohr.
The next question is what makes some objects in school exciting and stimulating and others boring? There are many different ways to look at this question. Every child has different way of learning. When a child is taught in the way something makes sense to them, learning is fun. It is not fun because they were told it was, it is fun because it everything makes sense. Another way to look at this is why do students have fun when they are learning? When I have fun while learning it is because of the teacher. This means that they don’t sit in front of the class lecturing you in a monotone voice, they are outgoing, vivacious, and fun.
Going to school and studying for classes is not the most fun thing to do, but when you have the right teacher, things seem to fall into place.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
U.S. and State
Who is your state senator?
Jim Buck
Who is your state congressman/woman?
Cindy Noe
Who are your U.S. senators?
Evan Bayh
Richard Lugar
Who is your U.S. congressman/woman?
Steve Buyer
What positions are up for election?
Governor
Who is running for governor?
Mitch Daniels and Andy Horning
Jim Buck
Who is your state congressman/woman?
Cindy Noe
Who are your U.S. senators?
Evan Bayh
Richard Lugar
Who is your U.S. congressman/woman?
Steve Buyer
What positions are up for election?
Governor
Who is running for governor?
Mitch Daniels and Andy Horning
Monday, October 27, 2008
Blog About Vincent Syndrome
In this recording, many children and young adults, who learn slower, were interviewed. Some of the children that were interviewed talked about not understanding why they were different. One child said he was riding on the school bus when a child asked a “special” student if he could help him with his homework. The “special” student looked at a kids vocabulary words and realized that they were a lot harder than his. He was learning words like cow, sheep, and sleep, while the other child was learning words like forbidden and harder. When the children would go to school the teachers would tell them that they were different and they wouldn’t take the extra time to deal with them. One girl was in class one day making a snowman. She pulled something and accidentally knocked over a glue can and spilled it everywhere. Her teacher got made at her and yelled and then sent her to the corner for time-out. Through listening to many of these recordings, it seemed as if the teachers thought these students were stupid because they did things differently. All of these children were sent to special ed and based upon what people said about it, it is for people who don’t catch on to things as fast.
The most significant and touching story to me was about a boy named Vincent. He had a case of mental retardation but there was no specific name for it because he had so many different symptoms. So, they simply named it after him. It was called Vincent Syndrome. Vincent was living, as close to a normal like as he could live. He was enrolled in basketball, Special Olympics, and had a job. After a while, his life slowly started going down hill. He quit basketball, the Special Olympics and then his job. His family didn’t understand why he did this. They were very confused. His mother thought it was a chemical imbalance of the brain. Where as his brother thought Vincent was tired of doing the same thing every day. After Vincent quit everything, he retreated to his room and sometimes slept as much as eighteen hours a day. Every time someone would ask him why he quit his job, he would quickly change the subject. One day, his sister decided to take him to his old work place. On their way there Vincent was very excited, but once there, he became very overwhelmed, so they left.
Later on in his life, Vincent’s family decided it was time for him to have a job and be active again. So, they built a chicken coop outside their house and it was Vincent’s job to take care of them. Vincent was very fond of the chickens. He always made sure that their coop was clean and was very conscious about their free-range feeding.
This story was very touching to me because my family knows a family with a mentally challenged child. This family does all they can to help their child have a normal life. They send him to a school where he can get special help, but still be with the other kids, they enroll him in many sports activities, and they have a speech therapist for him. Both of these families teach their children how to lead and live a completely normal life.
The most significant and touching story to me was about a boy named Vincent. He had a case of mental retardation but there was no specific name for it because he had so many different symptoms. So, they simply named it after him. It was called Vincent Syndrome. Vincent was living, as close to a normal like as he could live. He was enrolled in basketball, Special Olympics, and had a job. After a while, his life slowly started going down hill. He quit basketball, the Special Olympics and then his job. His family didn’t understand why he did this. They were very confused. His mother thought it was a chemical imbalance of the brain. Where as his brother thought Vincent was tired of doing the same thing every day. After Vincent quit everything, he retreated to his room and sometimes slept as much as eighteen hours a day. Every time someone would ask him why he quit his job, he would quickly change the subject. One day, his sister decided to take him to his old work place. On their way there Vincent was very excited, but once there, he became very overwhelmed, so they left.
Later on in his life, Vincent’s family decided it was time for him to have a job and be active again. So, they built a chicken coop outside their house and it was Vincent’s job to take care of them. Vincent was very fond of the chickens. He always made sure that their coop was clean and was very conscious about their free-range feeding.
This story was very touching to me because my family knows a family with a mentally challenged child. This family does all they can to help their child have a normal life. They send him to a school where he can get special help, but still be with the other kids, they enroll him in many sports activities, and they have a speech therapist for him. Both of these families teach their children how to lead and live a completely normal life.
Peace, Love, and Happiness
It was said by Ambrose Redmoon “courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” This is a prime example of how someone can take their hope and turn it into their strength. There are over 600,000 homeless people in America who are wishing and hoping for a better life not only for themselves, but for their children too. Now, I can’t speak for all of the homeless people, but from many documentaries I have watched, the mothers have been left with the children. The mothers want their children to grow up, get an education, and work for a decent living. Since the mothers hope for this, they will attempt to make a new beginning for their lives. Because of their hope for their children, the mothers are not only making their lives better, but their children’s too. Their lives become better because it forces the mother to work harder and fight for what she hopes for.
Hope isn’t always sunshine, it can be full of rain too. Hope can mislead you. Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Blinding ignorance does mislead us.” This is very true. People can get so caught up in a situation and bad effects happen. A good example of this is when people want world peace badly. They hope that they will be able to achieve peace without resorting to violence. I haven’t done much research, but from my perspective what it comes down to is we basically expect people to drop their beliefs and positions in life and follow one common belief. But there will always be that one person that doesn’t think peace can be achieved without violence. I personally don’t believe in war, but I think there are certain exceptions. I truly believe that we can have peace without resorting to violence, but there are other occasions where war is necessary to maintain peace. I think this war we are in now is necessary because if we weren’t in Afghanistan fighting for our freedom, America would be getting trampled on even more. We would look like a weak country.
All in all, I believe there is more strength in hope than there is misguidance. With hope, people can get through the toughest of situations. When I was in the fifth grade, my grandpa passed away. He had been in the hospital for many weeks and was on a ventilator. I felt in my gut that he was getting ready to pass. I called him up from school and told him that I loved him and how I hoped heaven was going to be a better place for him. I feel that my grandpa felt my hope for him and realized that we love him and will keep him in our hearts forever. Lao Tzu said, “being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
Hope isn’t always sunshine, it can be full of rain too. Hope can mislead you. Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Blinding ignorance does mislead us.” This is very true. People can get so caught up in a situation and bad effects happen. A good example of this is when people want world peace badly. They hope that they will be able to achieve peace without resorting to violence. I haven’t done much research, but from my perspective what it comes down to is we basically expect people to drop their beliefs and positions in life and follow one common belief. But there will always be that one person that doesn’t think peace can be achieved without violence. I personally don’t believe in war, but I think there are certain exceptions. I truly believe that we can have peace without resorting to violence, but there are other occasions where war is necessary to maintain peace. I think this war we are in now is necessary because if we weren’t in Afghanistan fighting for our freedom, America would be getting trampled on even more. We would look like a weak country.
All in all, I believe there is more strength in hope than there is misguidance. With hope, people can get through the toughest of situations. When I was in the fifth grade, my grandpa passed away. He had been in the hospital for many weeks and was on a ventilator. I felt in my gut that he was getting ready to pass. I called him up from school and told him that I loved him and how I hoped heaven was going to be a better place for him. I feel that my grandpa felt my hope for him and realized that we love him and will keep him in our hearts forever. Lao Tzu said, “being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
Is American Society Too Competitive
Today, the world as we know it is very competitive in all areas of our lives. In high school, you have to be the best to play any sport. If you are a girl, the pressures to be the perfect image and be prettier than the next girl are incredible. To get in to college, it is a competition to be the best in order to be admitted. These are just a few areas showing how the American society is extremely competitive. To make it in this country, you have to be very aggressive. If you are passive, you will be walked on, but if you are aggressive, you will get everything you want. Even though getting everything you want seems like a good deal, it sometimes comes at a huge cost.
If you want to compete in a high school sport today you have to start at an early age. My mom was telling me about her experiences in high school. She said anyone who wanted to play a sport could, whether they had any experience or not. My friend started playing volleyball in the fifth grade and devoted her whole life to it. She played for Orchard during their season and then played club volleyball for Team Indiana. She made Cathedral’s freshman team, devoting every free hour to extra lessons and workouts. This year, she tried out for her school team and did not make it. Today, it seems like she feels lost. Everything she worked for did not pay off. This is not an isolated incident; this is a common story. You have to start at a young age and choose what sport you want to play at a young age. Sometimes the demand can be too much pressure and causes a lot of kids who would like to play, not to because of the intimidation factor.
In today’s society, it seems like a girls are pressured into having a certain body image. It is a competition to see which girl is prettier, skinnier, meaner, or smarter. In some cases it seems like older women feel it is necessary to get enhancements to their body just so a man will love them. I believe everything was given to us for a reason and that we should appreciate what we have. We are all unique in our own way.
Trying to get into a college is a very competitive time. Colleges take into consideration which students have the best grades, does the most extra-curricular activities and volunteering, whose family has gone to that school, and whose family has donated the most money. I feel that this is completely wrong. Everyone should be able to have equal opportunities. Sometimes a student will work really hard in a class and not get the best grade, sometimes the student cannot do extra-curricular activities because a team or club has rejected them, or sometimes the student has not volunteered because they are participating in a sport year round. It should be more than what one can put on paper and fill up the space; it should be more about what each unique individual has to offer.
The world today is so competitive. These are just a few of the many competitive situations that affect my life. I think some competition is good, but most of the time it destroys people.
If you want to compete in a high school sport today you have to start at an early age. My mom was telling me about her experiences in high school. She said anyone who wanted to play a sport could, whether they had any experience or not. My friend started playing volleyball in the fifth grade and devoted her whole life to it. She played for Orchard during their season and then played club volleyball for Team Indiana. She made Cathedral’s freshman team, devoting every free hour to extra lessons and workouts. This year, she tried out for her school team and did not make it. Today, it seems like she feels lost. Everything she worked for did not pay off. This is not an isolated incident; this is a common story. You have to start at a young age and choose what sport you want to play at a young age. Sometimes the demand can be too much pressure and causes a lot of kids who would like to play, not to because of the intimidation factor.
In today’s society, it seems like a girls are pressured into having a certain body image. It is a competition to see which girl is prettier, skinnier, meaner, or smarter. In some cases it seems like older women feel it is necessary to get enhancements to their body just so a man will love them. I believe everything was given to us for a reason and that we should appreciate what we have. We are all unique in our own way.
Trying to get into a college is a very competitive time. Colleges take into consideration which students have the best grades, does the most extra-curricular activities and volunteering, whose family has gone to that school, and whose family has donated the most money. I feel that this is completely wrong. Everyone should be able to have equal opportunities. Sometimes a student will work really hard in a class and not get the best grade, sometimes the student cannot do extra-curricular activities because a team or club has rejected them, or sometimes the student has not volunteered because they are participating in a sport year round. It should be more than what one can put on paper and fill up the space; it should be more about what each unique individual has to offer.
The world today is so competitive. These are just a few of the many competitive situations that affect my life. I think some competition is good, but most of the time it destroys people.
Super Size Me
Super Size Me is one of the craziest documentaries ever. It seems like our nation consumes fast food like there is no tomorrow.
This documentary is about Morgan Spurlock and how he ate McDonalds for a whole month. He went to three different doctors and none of them were worried about his health. Before this experiment was even close to being over, they were floored by what they saw. His cholesterol, blood pressure, and everything were out of system. They begged him to stop eating McDonalds because it was life threatening, but he kept on eating.
Super Size Me was thoroughly disgusting, but it was neat to hear about the lawsuits and what McDonalds called the people who ate their food. People who ate their food frequently we called “heavy users” and people who ate their food a few times a week were called “super heavy users.”
Super Size Me was a disturbing documentary and it did change how I view fast food restaurants. Even though many things go on behind the scenes at these fast food restaurants, I still like a McDonalds bacon egg and cheese biscuit before my volleyball tournaments on the weekend. I understand that fast food is pretty much the only option for some people because it is cheap and can keep you full for a long time, but I don’t think McDonalds should be eaten every day. I do think it is okay to eat fast food occasionally. As long as you take care of your body; work out and eat healthy food most of the time, a little McDonalds won’t hurt you every now and then.
This documentary is about Morgan Spurlock and how he ate McDonalds for a whole month. He went to three different doctors and none of them were worried about his health. Before this experiment was even close to being over, they were floored by what they saw. His cholesterol, blood pressure, and everything were out of system. They begged him to stop eating McDonalds because it was life threatening, but he kept on eating.
Super Size Me was thoroughly disgusting, but it was neat to hear about the lawsuits and what McDonalds called the people who ate their food. People who ate their food frequently we called “heavy users” and people who ate their food a few times a week were called “super heavy users.”
Super Size Me was a disturbing documentary and it did change how I view fast food restaurants. Even though many things go on behind the scenes at these fast food restaurants, I still like a McDonalds bacon egg and cheese biscuit before my volleyball tournaments on the weekend. I understand that fast food is pretty much the only option for some people because it is cheap and can keep you full for a long time, but I don’t think McDonalds should be eaten every day. I do think it is okay to eat fast food occasionally. As long as you take care of your body; work out and eat healthy food most of the time, a little McDonalds won’t hurt you every now and then.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
My Rights
I am a daughter, a friend, and an athlete. I am 15 years old and I believe that I should have the basic rights as most people do, but right now, I am living life like most 15 year olds. I am not worrying about being older and having to take on adult responsibilities because I am having fun.
Being a daughter, I believe I have the right to take responsibility for my own actions and gain the respect from my parents for being responsible. I am a friend. I believe I have the right to gain the trust from friends by being loyal. Lastly, I am an athlete. I am a volleyball player. My rights as a player are to be treated equal on the floor.
Generally, I feel that my rights are being respected, but there are some cases in which I feel they are being violated. Sometimes, adults don’t give you the chance to speak your mind because you are younger. I feel that this is unfair because, whether they like your opinion or not, it is worth saying. What gets me most though, is adults were kids once. Shouldn’t they know what it felt like to be looked over because they weren’t an adult?
It has not happened to me, but I have noticed that people can gain the trust from their friends and then the next second the friend starts talking about them behind their back. How unjust is this? Your rights are being violated because you think you can trust someone and then they turn on you.
In some ways, I feel that my rights as an athlete have been violated in the past. My past coach viewed me as a weakling and looked over me. Whenever he did give me the time, all he did was criticize me. I did nothing wrong in practice. I never back-talked him, I never goofed around, and I always did what he told me to do. I believe I have the right to obtain respect from the coach.
All in all, I think my rights as a daughter, friend, and athlete are being respected. I have great parents who always want to hear my opinion, I have great friends who I completely trust and will always have my back, and I have team who believes that “there is no ‘i’ in team.”
Being a daughter, I believe I have the right to take responsibility for my own actions and gain the respect from my parents for being responsible. I am a friend. I believe I have the right to gain the trust from friends by being loyal. Lastly, I am an athlete. I am a volleyball player. My rights as a player are to be treated equal on the floor.
Generally, I feel that my rights are being respected, but there are some cases in which I feel they are being violated. Sometimes, adults don’t give you the chance to speak your mind because you are younger. I feel that this is unfair because, whether they like your opinion or not, it is worth saying. What gets me most though, is adults were kids once. Shouldn’t they know what it felt like to be looked over because they weren’t an adult?
It has not happened to me, but I have noticed that people can gain the trust from their friends and then the next second the friend starts talking about them behind their back. How unjust is this? Your rights are being violated because you think you can trust someone and then they turn on you.
In some ways, I feel that my rights as an athlete have been violated in the past. My past coach viewed me as a weakling and looked over me. Whenever he did give me the time, all he did was criticize me. I did nothing wrong in practice. I never back-talked him, I never goofed around, and I always did what he told me to do. I believe I have the right to obtain respect from the coach.
All in all, I think my rights as a daughter, friend, and athlete are being respected. I have great parents who always want to hear my opinion, I have great friends who I completely trust and will always have my back, and I have team who believes that “there is no ‘i’ in team.”
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