Advice
Forgive yourself.
Forgive others.
Love others.
Love yourself.
Express yourself.
Create awesome stuff.
Be proud of yourself.
Respect and Learn from others.
Forgive yourself.
Forgive others.
Love others.
Love yourself.
Express yourself.
Create awesome stuff.
Be proud of yourself.
Respect and Learn from others.
Preface
My elementary school science teacher changed my life for the better when he called me out on my arrogance. I had made a bold claim about the empathetic capacity of lions, a topic that at both age 8 and 18, I have little knowledge of and zero credibility with which to give an opinion. I possess no higher education on the tendencies of Savannah wildlife, and do not have plans to receive one soon. After he had told the class a harrowing account of his close encounter with a family of lions during a college safari trip, in which they had miraculously not eaten him alive, I loudly told him that clearly the lions had not attacked him because they knew that he meant no harm. He immediately quieted down the rambunctious class of second-graders and explained to us that lions do not think like humans do. They are proud animals, and any interloper that wanders into their territory will be forcefully handed their death by the sharpest teeth south of the Sahara, regardless of intent. It is still one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, and is often the one that immediately comes to mind during peer discussions of embarrassing childhood memories. While I have no doubt my teacher meant no bullying and only wisdom towards me, the shame of having my fault vividly defined and refuted to the eyes and ears of my fellow classmates at such a young age forced me to refrain from all future uneducated outbursts.
For the remainder of childhood I saw this event as a reason not to vehemently impose my (non-existent) knowledge of a particular subject onto someone for no reason other than pride. As the years have gone on, however, I have come to see this event as one of the most important of my life, and hold it dear to my heart. It has taught me that while it is perfectly okay and encouraged to discuss foreign topics and offer your opinions respectfully to your peers, it is majorly important that you remain self-aware of the extent of your knowledge. Do not make assumptions. Do not put pride above your malleability. And as the posters in Mrs. Hebert's room have taught me, "If you can't explain something simply, you don't know it well enough." I have seen too often people, including myself, too quick to denounce another's perception because they are too blinded by their own. The simple truth is that no one knows everything. I doubt the majority of calculus professors are also masters of symphony, but I don't know everything. Everyone is unique in their opinions, and there is so much to learn from each other. Not only is being close-minded unattractive and churlish, you will miss out on so many humbling new discoveries.
Without this event I can't be certain I would not have learned this lesson, but I'm thankful that I did so early on, as I believe it has shaped much of my philosophy today. Through the initial understanding of human error, I learned to see people in a new light, to truly take in what they say, and understand the context of their opinions. Empathy is the most important human employment. It opens doors and dissolves hatred. Mr. Beutel, in the event that you read this, I thank you.
My elementary school science teacher changed my life for the better when he called me out on my arrogance. I had made a bold claim about the empathetic capacity of lions, a topic that at both age 8 and 18, I have little knowledge of and zero credibility with which to give an opinion. I possess no higher education on the tendencies of Savannah wildlife, and do not have plans to receive one soon. After he had told the class a harrowing account of his close encounter with a family of lions during a college safari trip, in which they had miraculously not eaten him alive, I loudly told him that clearly the lions had not attacked him because they knew that he meant no harm. He immediately quieted down the rambunctious class of second-graders and explained to us that lions do not think like humans do. They are proud animals, and any interloper that wanders into their territory will be forcefully handed their death by the sharpest teeth south of the Sahara, regardless of intent. It is still one of the most embarrassing moments of my life, and is often the one that immediately comes to mind during peer discussions of embarrassing childhood memories. While I have no doubt my teacher meant no bullying and only wisdom towards me, the shame of having my fault vividly defined and refuted to the eyes and ears of my fellow classmates at such a young age forced me to refrain from all future uneducated outbursts.
For the remainder of childhood I saw this event as a reason not to vehemently impose my (non-existent) knowledge of a particular subject onto someone for no reason other than pride. As the years have gone on, however, I have come to see this event as one of the most important of my life, and hold it dear to my heart. It has taught me that while it is perfectly okay and encouraged to discuss foreign topics and offer your opinions respectfully to your peers, it is majorly important that you remain self-aware of the extent of your knowledge. Do not make assumptions. Do not put pride above your malleability. And as the posters in Mrs. Hebert's room have taught me, "If you can't explain something simply, you don't know it well enough." I have seen too often people, including myself, too quick to denounce another's perception because they are too blinded by their own. The simple truth is that no one knows everything. I doubt the majority of calculus professors are also masters of symphony, but I don't know everything. Everyone is unique in their opinions, and there is so much to learn from each other. Not only is being close-minded unattractive and churlish, you will miss out on so many humbling new discoveries.
Without this event I can't be certain I would not have learned this lesson, but I'm thankful that I did so early on, as I believe it has shaped much of my philosophy today. Through the initial understanding of human error, I learned to see people in a new light, to truly take in what they say, and understand the context of their opinions. Empathy is the most important human employment. It opens doors and dissolves hatred. Mr. Beutel, in the event that you read this, I thank you.
"There this passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you.” I've been saying that stuff for years. And if you ever heard it, it meant you’d be dead right now. I never gave much thought to what it meant. I just thought it was a cold-blooded thing to say to someone before I popped 'em. But I saw something this morning that made me think twice. See, now I’m thinking, maybe it means you’re the evil man. And I’m the righteous man. And Mr. 9mm here, he’s the shepherd protecting my righteous self in the valley of darkness. Or it could mean you’re the righteous man and I’m the shepherd, and it’s the world that’s evil and selfish. And I’d like that. But that s--- ain’t the truth. The truth is, you’re the weak. And I am the tyranny of evil men. But I’m trying, Ringo. I’m trying real hard to be the shepherd." -Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction, 1994)
a flame, stuck beneath the soil buried between the snow
Winter, depression, hopelessness, loneliness, and hatred are words that I frequently associate with my first year of high school. Stumbling in off the coattails of my older brother of four years, it seemed I was the logical replacement for all he had given the school and it's legion of fellow, adoring students. Homecoming king and a widely beloved individual, the bars were set high by my brother. Unfortunately, and something I didn't fully realize until later, my brother and I attend separate gyms. I undoubtedly love my brother. However we share different interests. While he was out playing sports or socializing, and later studying business in college, I often found myself coming back to the lush green courtyards of the opposite side. There the fountains are an indefinite flow of poetry, and words bounce across the gardens like sparrows. There is a cerebral veil over this part of the city, and the empathy grows on trees. But perhaps there is also a veil over my brother's side, one that individuals such as myself cannot see. And I accept that gladly. But for a long time I was lost in the intersection of these two sides. For a long time I tried to be like him. To get the acceptance from his peers who missed him so dearly. This lead to much self-hatred and many meaningless friendships. I really didn't know who I was or what I wanted to be, so I would try to be what I thought I should be. Sports and the activities and interests of my peers proved time and time again to be deeply unfulfilling for me. The frustration resulted in many torn up notebook pages, passionate journal entries with graphite stinging through the thin papers of loose-leaf, and a 15 year old racked with suicidal thoughts. The only true, good friends I had were two seniors who listened to my issues a lot, and always offered support. As that winter ended I had come a long way and began accepting that I wasn't my brother, I was my own person, with different interests and ideas and talents that I had simply not tapped into yet. The two seniors inevitably left for college and I fell out of most contact with them. Those two elders had brought me up, showed me the ropes, and sent me on my way.
The distance between freshman year to sophomore year and beyond is astounding. My memories of being a freshman are in such a separated place in my mind, this little hidden alcove of my conscience that the following three years don't even know about. Aside from the school hiring a new principle and changing how classes themselves are operated through the introduction of iPads, I had completely renewed myself through new friends, interests, outlooks and a general metamorphosis that had taken place. The cocoon I had been in for a year was cracking and I was breaking through. A lonely, cold cocoon of doubt, frustration, hate, and sadness all turned inward upon myself.
Winter, depression, hopelessness, loneliness, and hatred are words that I frequently associate with my first year of high school. Stumbling in off the coattails of my older brother of four years, it seemed I was the logical replacement for all he had given the school and it's legion of fellow, adoring students. Homecoming king and a widely beloved individual, the bars were set high by my brother. Unfortunately, and something I didn't fully realize until later, my brother and I attend separate gyms. I undoubtedly love my brother. However we share different interests. While he was out playing sports or socializing, and later studying business in college, I often found myself coming back to the lush green courtyards of the opposite side. There the fountains are an indefinite flow of poetry, and words bounce across the gardens like sparrows. There is a cerebral veil over this part of the city, and the empathy grows on trees. But perhaps there is also a veil over my brother's side, one that individuals such as myself cannot see. And I accept that gladly. But for a long time I was lost in the intersection of these two sides. For a long time I tried to be like him. To get the acceptance from his peers who missed him so dearly. This lead to much self-hatred and many meaningless friendships. I really didn't know who I was or what I wanted to be, so I would try to be what I thought I should be. Sports and the activities and interests of my peers proved time and time again to be deeply unfulfilling for me. The frustration resulted in many torn up notebook pages, passionate journal entries with graphite stinging through the thin papers of loose-leaf, and a 15 year old racked with suicidal thoughts. The only true, good friends I had were two seniors who listened to my issues a lot, and always offered support. As that winter ended I had come a long way and began accepting that I wasn't my brother, I was my own person, with different interests and ideas and talents that I had simply not tapped into yet. The two seniors inevitably left for college and I fell out of most contact with them. Those two elders had brought me up, showed me the ropes, and sent me on my way.
The distance between freshman year to sophomore year and beyond is astounding. My memories of being a freshman are in such a separated place in my mind, this little hidden alcove of my conscience that the following three years don't even know about. Aside from the school hiring a new principle and changing how classes themselves are operated through the introduction of iPads, I had completely renewed myself through new friends, interests, outlooks and a general metamorphosis that had taken place. The cocoon I had been in for a year was cracking and I was breaking through. A lonely, cold cocoon of doubt, frustration, hate, and sadness all turned inward upon myself.
The summer came and through the majesty of band camp, I found incredibly solid kinship and a love for music. How foolish I was, debating quitting band the previous year to pursue a more celebrated activities. I loved my band mates. And although I was still horribly naive and young, I had felt myself improve greatly in confidence and a better idea of who I was. I was still often disappointed and unsure of myself, but it wasn't to the point of hatred it had been before. The introduction of iPads showed me a whole new world of connection. Through these beautiful inventions called "group chats" (essentially text messages shared between multiple people, the sequel to a "chatroom") I was assimilated into a group of people I hadn't talked to since grade school. Here I learned how to waste time but also I expanded my view on people and how to judge them based on the many different opinions and views expressed in our discussions. I learned that it's impossible to judge anyone accurately. Every person is infinitely complex just as you are. I began to think a lot about how every person I see at school is struggling with just as many silent problems as I am, and began to understand on such a deeper level how important it is to be kind to each other, and understand why someone may act the way they do in a particular moment. And when someone lets you into their mind you see clearly why they might be the way they are. It builds empathy. Because of these new friendships I reluctantly decided to take something on I had declined freshman year: the drama program. Something I had a presumption of ridicule towards became one of my greatest passions in my current life. Short on cast members, my senior friends that year pleaded with me to play the role of a jock character in their production of Legally Blond, I wouldn't agree to it. Didn't feel like it was my "thing" being in the mindset I was at the time. But the next year when my friends had similar intentions, I agreed to joining crew because a very close friend of mine was the crew manager. But after more pressure to audition for cast, I memorized a monologue I found online in about an hour, and auditioned for the director. As far as I can presume he was so impressed he called me during casting week and offered me a significant role playing Bruno in that year's production of Fame. Two more high school productions would follow, and in my senior year I would receive a main role as Mr. Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors, in which I acted, sang, and danced better than I ever had, and was ultimately the deciding factor of continuing my interest in live theater past high school.
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The biggest thing that sticks out to me during junior year is my continued exploration of art, aesthetics, and the magnificence of the universe and its beings. But it is also the time period where I discovered someone that my views were so drastically changed on, that it deeply affected me as a person. At that someone is
KANYE WEST.
Widely hated, deeply misunderstood. Kanye is the perfect example of an incredibly complex, intrinsic person being labeled as a celebrity, and therefore expected to be perfect. And when he isn't, and makes mistakes similar to everyone else, is bashed for it and called a terrible person. Kanye is complicated. When you truly listen to his words, he possess a phenomenal intellect that is often blown-off as crazy, funny, or completely delusional. I do not believe any of these to be true. Until I first started researching him and watching interviews and really listening to him, I knew him as a scumbag like popular media portrays him to be. Quotes like "I am the most impactful artist of this generation" are not actually far from the truth. He's constantly in the media and many people who claim to hate him spend hours discussing and dissecting him. He is impactful. His enormous passion is usually what gets him into trouble. Stealing mics at award shows or making bold claims about the president, Kanye speaks his mind when he sees something he truly believes is wrong. If you saw something completely egregious happening, wouldn't you do anything to stop it? I can't agree with everything he's done, but I notice that people focus too much on the negatives. If someone judged you only by your mistakes, and not your ideals or your thoughts or your love for others, you would seem like a bad person. Trying to explain a human in detailed words is extremely challenging, and I think the only way I can truly get you to understand, is to have you just listen to him. I beg you, listen to this man with an open mind and understand his words, even if they may often be clouded by passion. He is a renaissance man. I have linked below two of I believe his best interviews. I have great respect for Kanye and his art. He has inspired me profoundly through his music, artistic integrity, and social commentary. Above all he reminded not to judge someone before you really see what they have to say.
KANYE WEST.
Widely hated, deeply misunderstood. Kanye is the perfect example of an incredibly complex, intrinsic person being labeled as a celebrity, and therefore expected to be perfect. And when he isn't, and makes mistakes similar to everyone else, is bashed for it and called a terrible person. Kanye is complicated. When you truly listen to his words, he possess a phenomenal intellect that is often blown-off as crazy, funny, or completely delusional. I do not believe any of these to be true. Until I first started researching him and watching interviews and really listening to him, I knew him as a scumbag like popular media portrays him to be. Quotes like "I am the most impactful artist of this generation" are not actually far from the truth. He's constantly in the media and many people who claim to hate him spend hours discussing and dissecting him. He is impactful. His enormous passion is usually what gets him into trouble. Stealing mics at award shows or making bold claims about the president, Kanye speaks his mind when he sees something he truly believes is wrong. If you saw something completely egregious happening, wouldn't you do anything to stop it? I can't agree with everything he's done, but I notice that people focus too much on the negatives. If someone judged you only by your mistakes, and not your ideals or your thoughts or your love for others, you would seem like a bad person. Trying to explain a human in detailed words is extremely challenging, and I think the only way I can truly get you to understand, is to have you just listen to him. I beg you, listen to this man with an open mind and understand his words, even if they may often be clouded by passion. He is a renaissance man. I have linked below two of I believe his best interviews. I have great respect for Kanye and his art. He has inspired me profoundly through his music, artistic integrity, and social commentary. Above all he reminded not to judge someone before you really see what they have to say.
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"Would you believe in what you believe in if you were the only one who believed it?" -Kanye West
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Art, Aesthetics, and their Significance to me
Aesthetics are important. They allow you to display your fashion, style and even personality. Hannah is a huge ocean aesthete, and it affects everything from her favorite color to her choice of studies. In fact, it's a major part of her reflection blog and significantly affects her life. I love exploring and appreciating |
different styles, and often go in phases of being an aesthete of a particular style or another, but my overall favorite would be a nighttime forest. Nighttime has always been beautiful to me. Cool, mysterious, romantic, and full of stars. As well as rustling trees being my favorite sound. An aesthete in their element is usually marked by feelings of peace, happiness, and comfort. Laying outside gazing at the stars while listening to the leaves is where I have had the most calming, reflective, and clarity-driven moments in my life. I have a fondness for flowers as well. A symbol of the complexly simple process of all living things on Earth, but they are also just pretty, colorful, and pleasing to the senses.
I have been able to essentially surround myself with these things due to social media. Social media is a great tool for people's creations and interests. Aesthetically I have found Instagram to be the most gratifying, as photography is a mild passion of mine. The feeling of taking a really great photo or observing someone else's handiwork is very gratifying. Thanks to modern technology we have the ability to capture these moments with the tools in our pockets, and anyone with an internet connection can experience them with each other. Instagram has allowed me to make sense of the difficult and the happy points of my life. YouTube is also a fantastic platform for creating content. A link to both of my accounts on these site can be found using the social media buttons above the Preface. Aesthetic, fashion, and image are significant to me as they are great tool for individual expression, something very important to me that I encourage everyone to do.
Express yourself because you are the only you there will ever be.
Below are three videos I find to be aesthetically pleasing, including a video of my own creation.
Express yourself because you are the only you there will ever be.
Below are three videos I find to be aesthetically pleasing, including a video of my own creation.
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My passion for all forms of art is equally important to me. Paintings, music, and poetry all speak volumes to the human condition and the things of the universe. Art is an essential part of our species that sets apart from the animals, and brings us close together through understanding. I have expressed my love for music through playing in drumline, concert percussion, and classical and jazz bass in band, performing in cast in our drama program, and numerous independent activities such as the school talent show or writing and recording music with my friends. I have a basic understanding of music theory that allows me to understand many different instruments including bass, drums, piano, and guitar. I also love playing ukulele because it's fun and easy.
I have loved music as long as I can remember. My father explains that this is because he and my mother went to a Doobie Brothers concert while I was in the womb, sparking my interest in the subject from birth. Since it has become a regular hobby of mine since middle school, I've picked apart many things I've learned about contemporary music. Firstly, pop music is not bad. There is a large group of people who complain about one genre or the other, or the state of music in modern day. While I can't say I adore all genres of music, I try to find merit in them and respect people's interest. And thanks to the internet, there is so much music to be found and listened to, there is no reason to complain. You don't have only what the radio plays like previous generations. That is why I believe music is actually in the best condition it's ever been in. Any artist can gain a following through the internet through a number of social sites like SoundCloud, bandcamp, or MySpace. There is something so ethereal about the emotional immediacy of music. When I play or listen to it, I am completely drawn in by the beat and the melody and the words, and how they all flow together into one beautiful piece of art. It takes you away from all outside thoughts and stresses and places you in a world of tactile sound.
Now onto what I believe to be my calling in life: writing. I say this because even from a young age it was my most impressive skill, and has rarely been a problem for me in school. From short stories to essays to poetry, I have found joy creating any writing I was assigned or inspired to do. I have notebooks full of poems and writings and journals, and I cherish them. When I lack creativity on a project I turn to them for literary inspiration. AP Literature has opened me up to world of phenomenal novels like Brave New World, Great Gatsby, and through my own fruition, Life of Pi. The attention to detail in these literary works is astounding, and I aspire to write something of that caliber one day. The biggest hinderence to my writing is my own procrastination. Once I get myself to start writing (like now) it flows naturally and I fall into a trance much like the one music places on me. I'm a very tactile person. I'm attracted greatly to the idea of synesthesia, and simply the fundamentals of words themselves. sometimes just the sound they make or the way they look and connect and mirror each other is so profoundly beautiful that I become obsessed with a letter or word or the order they are placed in. And this is where the concept of lyrics come in. In music I am drawn to the lyrics more than anything for the above reasons. While they are not exactly poetry, many of them possess poetic qualities that connect and tie into the sound of the music and create a multi-sensory experience. Below are some examples of my favorite lyrics possessing poetic qualities and consistency with the music. I have also included a video of me reading my poetic prose titled "Hands.", which I consider to be my best work.
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Melting the snow
Senior year began with a rough break-up from a girl I had dated over the summer. I won't go into detail, but as these things often do, we fell from affection for each other. The next 5 months of my life would be shaped by this, and I had been thrust into the lowest point of depression I had felt since my first year of high school. My last year of high school was now proving to be worse. Cold, sleepless nights. Skipping school. Not talking to anyone. Blaming myself. Blaming her. Truly, viciously hating myself, and truly and viciously hating her for months. Being inescapably alone. It wasn't always attacking my every thought. Major depression in spurts of days and when I was around her, with constant minor depression throughout the entirety of the experience. The worst part is seeing them being able to move on and being full of happiness and contentment. Being able to completely forget about you and move on. You feel cheated. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair, I would tell myself day in and day out. And it wasn't. But at the same time, I only saw her surface. I don't know what could have been going on underneath or outside of school. I know that I put on a face of no-worries that would last me for weeks. She could have been feeling as awful as I was. There's no way for me to know, and whether she did or didn't is irrelevant. Those harsh months taught me much. Forgiveness is the most important factor for both parties.
It isn't easy. You will be devastated and angry for months or longer. But once you reach the point, past the judgement, the hatred, the whole in your heart, you realize how much better it feels to forgive than to blame and hate. Once you realize how important and amazing you are, and can once again see your former companion's good qualities and wish them well, you will achieve a level of peace unparalleled in your past experiences. You will begin to remember again why you cared for this person, and how your time together shaped you as a person. They will also need to forgive you. Rarely are things like this one-sided. There is blame to be passed on both sides. Breaking up sucked, but all things considered it is an incredibly important learning experience. Not only a lesson on what to avoid in future relationships, but things about you as a person you didn't know before. And if you think your problems are small and insignificant, you're misguided. The best piece of advice given to me during my troubling time was "These problems matter." If it affects you, it matters. You are important. Ultimately, you will be much happier after you have forgiven yourself as well as the other person. At this point in time, we are friends again, and I couldn't be happier.
Senior year began with a rough break-up from a girl I had dated over the summer. I won't go into detail, but as these things often do, we fell from affection for each other. The next 5 months of my life would be shaped by this, and I had been thrust into the lowest point of depression I had felt since my first year of high school. My last year of high school was now proving to be worse. Cold, sleepless nights. Skipping school. Not talking to anyone. Blaming myself. Blaming her. Truly, viciously hating myself, and truly and viciously hating her for months. Being inescapably alone. It wasn't always attacking my every thought. Major depression in spurts of days and when I was around her, with constant minor depression throughout the entirety of the experience. The worst part is seeing them being able to move on and being full of happiness and contentment. Being able to completely forget about you and move on. You feel cheated. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair, I would tell myself day in and day out. And it wasn't. But at the same time, I only saw her surface. I don't know what could have been going on underneath or outside of school. I know that I put on a face of no-worries that would last me for weeks. She could have been feeling as awful as I was. There's no way for me to know, and whether she did or didn't is irrelevant. Those harsh months taught me much. Forgiveness is the most important factor for both parties.
It isn't easy. You will be devastated and angry for months or longer. But once you reach the point, past the judgement, the hatred, the whole in your heart, you realize how much better it feels to forgive than to blame and hate. Once you realize how important and amazing you are, and can once again see your former companion's good qualities and wish them well, you will achieve a level of peace unparalleled in your past experiences. You will begin to remember again why you cared for this person, and how your time together shaped you as a person. They will also need to forgive you. Rarely are things like this one-sided. There is blame to be passed on both sides. Breaking up sucked, but all things considered it is an incredibly important learning experience. Not only a lesson on what to avoid in future relationships, but things about you as a person you didn't know before. And if you think your problems are small and insignificant, you're misguided. The best piece of advice given to me during my troubling time was "These problems matter." If it affects you, it matters. You are important. Ultimately, you will be much happier after you have forgiven yourself as well as the other person. At this point in time, we are friends again, and I couldn't be happier.
Fresh out of my ordeal, I encountered a religious awakening under the goddess of wisdom, Athena. Belief in a higher power comes to each person differently and uniquely. Whether it be through the hundreds of gods of Hinduism, Allah, Jesus Christ, or the Greek gods, I believe these are all different manifestations of God. God being the word I use to describe the power beyond our comprehension. Every civilization has felt the power of God and expressed them in there own way, but when you look at the facts, the core concepts of love and acceptance appear in every religion. It doesn't matter what "religion" you are. Everyone believes and feels spiritually differently, and we need to express it as such. Whatever works for you and brings you peace and happiness, do it.
There is no way to accurately describe the feeling of God, it is simply something you feel. A presence. A knowing. In every intellectual conversation about religion I have had with my mother, she has told me faith is just something that can't be explained, you have to find it. I finally see what that means, because until you experience it there is no way to understand it. And I felt it when I walked up the stone steps of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee. When I saw her, something moved in me. Now, I'm not saying I worship and pray to Athena everyday, I simply mean she was the specific "god" that awakened me spiritually. All at once I felt the overbearing weight and beauty of the universe. Athena was towering. Simply breathtaking, manifested here by brilliant and talented sculptors of Earth. Their mortal work is not belittled. I am forever grateful to them and amazed by their talent. It is by our fellow love in humans we come to understand God. Not through hate or disownment of people of differing beliefs. We are all children of this planet. We have to help each |
other. It frustrates me to no end when I hear phrases like "Islam is evil." Media has almost totally destroyed our attitudes towards foreign religions. How people do not realize that what ISIS and Al Qaeda are doing under the facade of Islam, is exactly what the Crusaders did under the name of Christianity, eludes me. You cannot define the values of the religion on the people who bastardize it. Do the research, practice the concepts.
Faith is something I hope all of you find. A regulation of meditation and prayer will improve your life significantly. What god or simply what you pray to is the least important thing. Be thankful, for your life and the Earth and all it has given you. I have faith in my brothers and sisters to care for each other, and accept each other. I know that one day through the power of our people we will overcome our petty disagreements and live peacefully. The bottom line is, love your neighbors.
Faith is something I hope all of you find. A regulation of meditation and prayer will improve your life significantly. What god or simply what you pray to is the least important thing. Be thankful, for your life and the Earth and all it has given you. I have faith in my brothers and sisters to care for each other, and accept each other. I know that one day through the power of our people we will overcome our petty disagreements and live peacefully. The bottom line is, love your neighbors.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away."
In Closing
I regret nothing. It is my greatest mistakes and failures that have made me stronger.
I am selfish.
I make poor decisions.
I hurt others.
I am conceited.
I am lazy.
I am human.
I am here.
I will continue to do so. I will never be perfect. I will always make mistakes. But, if each time, I can continue to learn and improve myself the best I can, I believe I can be okay. I believe that for everyone. In my own imperfections I have learned to adore the faults of others, and how they emphasize their perfections. I try my hardest to understand the world around me in a way I can create kindness, to repay the kindness others show me everyday. To make it up to my mentors. Everyday they have worked hard and I have not done enough to thank them. To complete my work on time. To study properly. To give them my full attention and respect. I don't know if I can ever change that, but I want to. I want to thank Mr. Cousineau for how much guidance and wisdom he has given me that I will carry through my life. I want Mrs. Hebert to know how her genuine care in her students inspired me to study writing in college. I want Mrs. Kramer to know that she made me like math! I want to thank my parents for providing me with everything I've needed my entire life. Their unconditional love and guidance is what keeps me going in times of doubt. I want my friends and classmates to know how lucky I am to have them even when I don't treat them as well as I should. AP Lit was an absolutely amazing class for an amazing year. I have learned so much from you all. I love you. I want to try harder for you all. You inspire me. Above all, I learned that
Nick Miller is king.
I have learned to be empathetic, as it is the most important thing to me. When you can understand the hardships of someone else is when you can truly begin to be kind. Whether it be respecting others, realizing you are the only you, sympathizing with someone's frustrations, churning through heartbreak, or finding what you believe in, empathy allows you to set aside hate and focus on what is important: the happiness of yourself and those around you.
I don't know what the future holds, but I have confidence it will be good.
I regret nothing. It is my greatest mistakes and failures that have made me stronger.
I am selfish.
I make poor decisions.
I hurt others.
I am conceited.
I am lazy.
I am human.
I am here.
I will continue to do so. I will never be perfect. I will always make mistakes. But, if each time, I can continue to learn and improve myself the best I can, I believe I can be okay. I believe that for everyone. In my own imperfections I have learned to adore the faults of others, and how they emphasize their perfections. I try my hardest to understand the world around me in a way I can create kindness, to repay the kindness others show me everyday. To make it up to my mentors. Everyday they have worked hard and I have not done enough to thank them. To complete my work on time. To study properly. To give them my full attention and respect. I don't know if I can ever change that, but I want to. I want to thank Mr. Cousineau for how much guidance and wisdom he has given me that I will carry through my life. I want Mrs. Hebert to know how her genuine care in her students inspired me to study writing in college. I want Mrs. Kramer to know that she made me like math! I want to thank my parents for providing me with everything I've needed my entire life. Their unconditional love and guidance is what keeps me going in times of doubt. I want my friends and classmates to know how lucky I am to have them even when I don't treat them as well as I should. AP Lit was an absolutely amazing class for an amazing year. I have learned so much from you all. I love you. I want to try harder for you all. You inspire me. Above all, I learned that
Nick Miller is king.
I have learned to be empathetic, as it is the most important thing to me. When you can understand the hardships of someone else is when you can truly begin to be kind. Whether it be respecting others, realizing you are the only you, sympathizing with someone's frustrations, churning through heartbreak, or finding what you believe in, empathy allows you to set aside hate and focus on what is important: the happiness of yourself and those around you.
I don't know what the future holds, but I have confidence it will be good.
My Work
These are the poems I am most proud of from AP Literature
These are the poems I am most proud of from AP Literature
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