This I Believe Essay-Faith

I believe in faith. Faith is the most powerful thing in this world. If you have faith you will exceed your expectations. Growing up I was incapable of overcoming any of my problems or fears. I never had the will- power or strength to act, as I would always wish to do thing, but in the end I was to incompetent to speak out or act. When I wanted to ask a person if I could participate in something, or when I wanted to ride an immense roller-coaster, as a child, or when I wanted to perform magic in front of people, I became isolated and neglected. However, when I had faith in myself, I excelled and when I already knew that “I could”,.....I did.

Life is full of mysteries. There are so many unanswered questions in this world. When I was young I learned about God and how he composed our universe. Yet, certain questions always dwelled in my brain. “Can you see God?” “Where is God?” “Does God really exist?”

I was so perplexed when I found out that scientists claim that it wasn’t the doing of a supernatural being that created our universe but it was the “big bang” and the aftermath of the explosion that created this universe. I didn’t know what to believe. This is because science is able to tell us how things work and the processes of many things. Yet, science is incompetent of telling us our purpose in life and our responsibilities as human beings.

One night I looked out the window and gazed at the moon and the stars, and I wondered how such marvellous things can appear out of nothingness. Yet, I realized that no matter how they were created they are there, whether it was God or just happened. I discovered that incredible things exist no matter how they came into existence and that everyone has to accept that fact.
This illustrates how different people may have different beliefs and faiths yet people still trust and have confidence in what they believe in which helps them to walk into the outside world with pride and determination.

It was then when my questions were finally answered. I realized that nobody can see God, Nobody knows where God is, and nobody knows if he really exists. -“It’s your own faith.” Nobody has sufficient evidence that proves the existence of a supernatural being. Yet, many people have faith. They believe even when there is no evidence. They act upon good reason and virtuous values.


Therefore, faith is the most prominent and potent force in this world. If you have faith and believe in things, even the impossible,you are capable of doing anything. I acknowledged that faith does not only have to be a certain religion or belief and that there is a supernatural being controlling your fate, but fate can also be to believe or to trust something whether it is yourself,someone else or something. However, they both make you strive for what you believe in.

Faith is an impenetrable and strong shield. Whenever I have faith I can walk into the outside world with confidence and pride. When I have faith I feel protected, I feel that nothing can prevent me from achieving my goal.

Faith is something that took me a long time to realize its true meaning. However, when I acquired its true meaning I am now capable of doing anything. I believe faith gives us tenacity and ambition. It fills us all with confidence and pure determination that will drive every being in this universe to excel. This I believe.

Image From: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR4dIuV64TZmLwHMjuFaEZ_E7MSsuNPqY0ejOA7LdeCoD0gdwCN-w

Hunger Games Project/Interpretation

We were assigned to compose a project based on the novel,"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins and I chose to make two Menues, (one of the miserable and poor "District 12" and the type of food they get over there and the other menu for the wealthy Capitol), a propaganda poster, and three posters that portray different parallels between Panem and our world.

The reason why I chose to make menues is too portray the irrationalism and cruelty that is in Panem and how the "Capitol's" injustice reigns. In the "Capitol" there is a meager level of poverty,everyone is well fed and provided with basic requirements. However, an immense quantity of the rest of "Panem" endure daily under the oppression of the "Capitol." Therefore, there is a lot of variation between the two menues. One has a lot of variety of food and the other is limited.

I created a "propaganda poster" (which is meant to persuade others to join your cause) which is designed to persuade others to join the rebellion against the "Capitol." The poster portrays darkness and gloom, as there is an image of a person screaming in the background which symbolizes despair. It shows the despair that dwells in Panem and it also shows the irrationalism and lack of justice and equality, as there are two different images situated on the poster one that shows ordinary people in the Capitol savoring food and the other image shows the immense level of poverty that dwells in the rest of Panem.

I also created three posters that show parallels between Panem and our world. One poster shows how rulers from our world link to the the leadership from the Capitol. It portrays different rulers that ruled in different countries at different times and the atrocities they performed.

Another poster I composed portrays rebellions/uprisings that took/are taking place in our world and how they link to the rebellion that took place in Panem.

The third poster I created shows the parallel between Panem and our world of how we all savor brutality at different times and different levels. At times when disasters or perilous situations take place, we sort of neglect the suffering of others and sometimes care only about entertaining ourselves, such as when the media approaches people who have endured a lot we usually want to know what happened and what they had to go through and ignore the suffering the other person is going through. Similarly, in Panem the people savor violence and gore a lot and in our world also we enjoyed violence and we still enjoy violence, due to the fact that when gladiatorial combat existed people loved it and nowadays people still enjoy violence, as they enjoy watching things like wrestling and boxing.

This project was actually quite enjoyable, as we had the opportunity to select what we wanted to do and this assignment assisted me to view this novel (The Hunger Games) in many different new ways as I learned about themes that occurred in this book and discovered many parallels between Panem and our world. I am looking forward to doing something like this again.

PROPAGANDA AND ITS IMPACT

In 1933, the notorious leader Adolf Hitler was named chancellor and formed a campaign of propaganda with his followers to give a false image of all Jews. Hitler completely brainwashed everybody, including children. This hatred of Jews gradually spread throughout the nation, depriving all Jewish citizens of their rights and liberties.

Jews have been responsible for many things in the past and this sense of vengeance grew. Hitler hated Jews and fed all Nazis and the public with propaganda, causing them to perform atrocities, such as raiding houses and killing. This night of violence resulted shattered glass to appear everywhere and therefore this was called "Kristallnact", which is German for "Crystal Night."

This hatred forced everybody to act inhumanly. There were broken friendships,betrayal,abolished businesses and despair. The first concentration camp was established on March 1st, 1933 at Dachau. Jews were expelled from the civil service and universities. They were also imprisoned without a trial which was part of Hitler's Nuremberg Laws. The personal greed of one man dispersed everywhere. Everybody approved that "they" were the reason they lost the great war. They neglected "their" misery and only cared about retrieving the fatherland's glory. Jews fled but had no where to dwell, no one accepted them, they were trapped in an inevitable cycle of despair. It was only "pure" German. It was harsh,cruel,unreasonable and most importantly unessesary.

The Jews eventually became isolated and different. Hitler targeted children knowing that soon they will be the ones to rule the fatherland. They learned to dedicate everything to Hitler, they were taught that he was their savior. They were taught to despise Jews to think of them nothing more than low-class scum. They took oaths, promises which ensured their loyalty to the Fuhrer and to the fatherland, and their hatred for the so thought "traitors."

I was startled at how so many fell so easily into his trap, how so many began to hate,blame and lie. Although there were so many supporters of Hitler there were some who did not believe his decisions were reasonable. However, these people failed to stand up, failed to prevent this propaganda to grow. However, one decision which was logical and brave, was performed by a 12 year old boy named Andre. (whose name is mentioned in an article.) Andre was part of a Hitler youth group who were requested to throw stones at Jewish shops. Andre did not despise Jews and had nothing against them. He was fearful that if he did not participate in this his family's image would be given a bad name. However, his parents decided to leave the country. This is an epitome of courage. It is a small act like this which prevents power and injustice to grow.

The painting above named, "Man, Controller of the universe" by Diego Rivera has a strong connection to propaganda and responsibility. The meaning of the painting is that man is responsible for many things, that man is a potent force in the world. However, it also means that man is responsible for things which may be positive and negative. Similarly, Hitler was a man with a good purpose which was to get rid of despair for his people and restore its previous glory. He deemed that he could have brought hope for the "fatherland." However, the steps he took to accomplish this impacted so many innocent Jews in a negative manner, but brought Germany its sense of superiority and pride. Yes, and it was he who was responsible.

"Krystallnacht", was a turning point of history. Thousands sought assistance but died. They were deprived from their voice. It portrays how hatred could lead to despairful consequences for so many. It shows how propaganda encouraged so many to hate and lose compassion for others. One man monopolized everything. This one event changes everything, because now there is no superior race we are equal and we always will be.

Painting From:http://www.google.com.my/imglanding?q=man+controller+of+the+universe&hl=en&gbv=2&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=wGnJG5p6sfsj8M:&imgrefurl=http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Man,%252520Controller%252520of%252520the%252520Universe/&imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Palacio_de_Bellas_Artes_-_Mural_El_Hombre_in_cruce_de_caminos_Rivera_3.jpg&ei=n7FjTcC6KtDRrQfd_7y8AQ&zoom=1&w=2560&h=1920&iact=hc&oei=n7FjTcC6KtDRrQfd_7y8AQ&page=1&tbnh=137&tbnw=182&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&biw=1366&bih=667

MY ASPECT OF LEARNING

I recently found out my learning profile and how I approach new skills,ideas and knowledge through a series of tests which determined my learning profile. I learned that you're brain is divided into two hemispheres, the left which is more logical,linear, and systematic, and the left is "gestalt", which is learning through patterns,visualization,movement, and images.





I find it difficult at times to communicate and obtain new knowledge which may seem uncertain and cause stress.Therefore, I find it easiest to learn new things when the instructions are evident and when I am free from stress, and through movement. I find it difficult to concentrate on occasions where I just sit still and stare at something. However, during classes and certain occasions such as P.E and sports I can keep my brain functioning, but during classes that do not involve much movement I keep fidgeting or playing with things in my pocket to help me focus.

In order for me to learn new things it is essential that I need a clear picture and context of something in order to understand it. Since I am a gestalt learner I don't prefer to follow step by step instructions, I like to find another way to accomplish my work. When I am stressed I must keep moving and express myself to clear my head.

Some things that would help me learn better are exercise,such as jogging, performing hand movements or gestures that help me remember what I just learned, and continuous foot tapping which would keep my brain active.

I would be pleased if my teachers are aware that I work better in the front of the classroom or any place where I can concentrate individually. I usually work better when I am free from distractions and can express what I have learnt through gestures and movements.


I am a double "J", a visual learner who approaches creative ideas, rather then following a particular system or format. I learnt some intriguing things about my self and the way I act. I really had a great time identifying my learning profile and learning how to improve on my weak areas of my ability to learn. I hope it will succor me in future situations.

HOLDING YOUR GROUND

Native Deen is a musical group of three American individuals who have strong faith in their belief and wish to spread global peace through music. All three are Muslims and sent a message, through their song, "My faith, My voice" which they wish would impact the world to join hands and live together in a community of welfare and equality.


The world nowadays, is facing despair and gloom, as hatred builds, people kill and people despise each other, such as some people refer to Muslims as terrorists. "Native Deen" is trying to bring awareness to the world about this and persuading us to correct our image of Muslims and live peacefully together.


I believe that these three people, are incredible and it is these kind of people who may be a small group but at least people like them send forth a push which guides the world towards the direction of justice and hope. Therefore I included a picture of a man walking towards the light under the shadow of despair and darkness. Similarly, the world is passing through a difficult time , but people like Native Deen show us the path of light and justice.


This act of theirs and what they are informing us about also links to the act of the Nazi party during world war 2,as they literally perished and wiped an immense quantity of the Jewish Race. They targeted a certain society and tore their dignity a part. Similarly, some people call Muslims terrorists and take away their dignity and their voice. If I become a victim of a large amount of people I would never be capable of keeping my dignity or standing up for what I believe is right. However, "Native Deen" showed me that you can stand up and that you can face the irrationalism in the world and convince others to join hands with you.


We are who we are and everyone must learn how to accept that and that you can't take someone's voice away, as we all have the same right to dwell in equality and rationalism as one.

Two Voice Poem Odysseus & Poseidon

What is it that Shapes Your Identity?

Jesus Colon is a Puerto Rican, negro who was put in a painful dilemma of assisting a white woman who had to deal with a suitcase,a baby and two small children or to stay quiet and not pursue his courtesy.


Back then racism was a big thing. A journalist named Jesus Colon had to encounter an experience linked to racism. On his way back home,using the subway Colon saw a lady who needed help,as she was struggling with a suitcase,a baby and two small children.

Colon is Puerto Rican and it is his courtesy to succor others when nescessary. However, he knew nothing about this lady,besides the fact that she is white. Therefore, Colon was intimidated of the outcome if he helps the lady. He wasn't sure whether the lady would accept the offer or think of him as a thug.

Colon did not want to cause a problem so he looked away and sealed his lips. This act of Jesus Colon is completely different compared to Aung San Suu Kyi's act as she took a huge risk and did not look away.

I believe this very experience tells us a lot about Jesus Colon. However, this experience was a turning point in his life,as he promised to not put his head down if he ever is situated in a position like this again.
 I have also encountered a situation of quandary,as I wasn't sure to stand up to injustice or to just stay quiet and safe.

So,your past and your previous experiences do impact and shape your identity,as it tells us what you did in a certain experience and what you may do in the future.