Some Great Ideal; The Key to Happiness

(John Green)

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”- John Lennon (Goodreads). According to the World Health Organization, World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative, conducted in July 2011, over 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression, which on average causes 850,000 deaths per year (Depression Statistics). The onset of depression is triggered by a variety of circumstances one  has suffered. Research scientists know that there are many factors that contribute to depression; the three most common factors are loose ties with family, low self-esteem and being dissatisfied with your life. There is unanimous agreement in medical circles that to avoid depression you need to pay attention to the the triggers that cause it.

In order to achieve happiness, one must strengthen ties within the family. The support of family is the greatest attribute you can acquire in life, so embrace it. Many people sacrifice family life for work, in the hopes of a higher income (Columbia University). The understanding that if one has money, then one can be happy is a common thought. When people become obsessed with trying to earn a higher wage, they lose sight of family. Family support helps people prevail through tough times. Family is infinitely better than friends because family are always with you at the end of the day. Data from the study indicated that earning a high salary was rated of little importance, families preferred safety and security over wealth. When family support is strong, so is your happiness. And happiness gives you the energy and willpower to achieve goals. That's why it is important to always find time to talk to each other, no matter the circumstances (HPRC). Of crucial importance was the need to find time to interact and discuss issues with each other. Researchers outlined the fact that reflection on issues will boost happiness, because you would've said everything on your mind, insuring no emotions get bottled up inside. At least once a week sit down together and talk. Talk about your day at school or work. Discuss the high and low points in your day. Your family will listen and guide you in the right direction, this also helps heighten your self-esteem.

Heightening your self-esteem is a long journey, but a path that will surely lead you to happiness. Because the media has twisted society's perception of beauty, many females self-esteem has decreased (Psychology Today). Female models today are around 5”8- 5”11 and weigh 110-115 pounds. This weight is only achievable by 5% of the female population. Magazines such as Vogue and Elle have a negative impact on females because they feature models that are super thin. For this reason Vogue and Elle are banned from many eating-disorder clinics. For many women the road to higher self-esteem includes isolating themselves from media,magazines in particular, because society has set unachievable goals if one aims to become ‘beautiful’. By stopping yourself from reading magazines you are letting yourself  live a world with normal standards rather than impractical ones.  “...The more depressed or anxious you become the lower your opinion of yourself and your abilities...” (BBC Health). A common trigger for low self-esteem is being told you don’t measure up to standards. Once you hear this your self-esteem (especially the thoughts on your abilities) instantly decreases. ‘Working on the triggers changing your expectations...you can begin to work on improving your self-esteem’, if you set yourself a reasonable goal(don’t try to conquer everything) for any activity that you do, once you achieve it, you will feel good about yourself. Keep setting yourself goals, and you can also tell people once you have completed your goal(s). This will help build your self-esteem. 

Learning to accept the conditions you live with, will boost your happiness. What you have changes, accept what is placed in front of you and try to make the best out of it. (Tiny Buddha). One way to embrace what you have been given is to look at it positively. For example, if your parents only give you RM50 allowance for one week, instead of looking at it as hardly any money, say “at least I got something”. This will help you acknowledge negative situations and respond positively. For the most part we can’t control what happens in our lives, but we can control our reactions. So stop trying to change your past, live in the present. (Roger Darlington). ‘You can change your state of mind’, happiness is a state of mind and therefore once you stop dwelling on the past you can focus on the future. Stop regretting something you said an hour ago and focus on what you are doing at this moment. Whether you are reading a book, a magazine or doing work. Enjoy it and stop trying to change something you have no control over. 

“As we strain to grasp the things we desire, the things we think will make our life better, money, popularity, fame, we ignore the things that truly matter. The simple things like friendship, family, love, the things we probably already had.”- Lucas Scott, One Tree Hill (inspired by George Bernard Shaw). Although, research scientists know the three most common factors that play a part in depression (loose ties with family, low self-esteem and being unsatisfied with your life), there continues to be ongoing efforts to uncover additional triggers of depression.  By doing this, scientists are trying to help the families and friends that have lost loved ones due to this mental illness. We should all reach out to  people that we know who are silently suffering from depression and assist them in reaching out to get them help. We must unleash the key to happiness, not only for ourselves but for the others around us.

The Second Chance

Unicef have reported that one billion children living in poverty worldwide are deprived of essential nutrients found in food and water which they need to grow and develop. In addition, many of the children are uneducated and don’t have access to healthcare. Some countries are in worse situations than others, one of these countries is the Philippines. “In the Philippines, hundreds of thousands of impoverished urban children are growing up in squalor, deprived of education and healthcare.”(Alertnet-Unicef) Someone needs to fight for these children. Children without voices. They need hope for the future and therefore have to be provided for. Luckily, a thirteen year old boy is doing so. Kesz lived in a dumpsite in the Philippines, until he was rescued and given a chance to be someone different. Today, Kesz helps other street children by educating them about their basic hygiene and giving them hope for the future.

Kesz and his friends visit local schools and dumpsites in order to help the children learn about basic hygiene so they can stay healthy. Kesz has lived on a dumpsite like many of the kids he now teaches, therefore knows what they are going through, “I used to drink the water from a pothole in the street...even from sewage canals...I did not know it was harmful to me.”(The International Children’s Peace Prize). When Kesz used to live on the streets he was forced to scavenge for food and water. The food in the garbage piles and the polluted water from the sewage canals was all he had to survive. Kesz wants to teach the street children about the bacteria that lurks in garbage, the diseases you can catch from drinking dirty water and the need to clean wounds and cuts. He knows that these children are far more at risk than most children of dying. By “teaching, demonstrating and spreading basic hygiene practice...how to wash hands properly, brush teeth daily, and bathe regularly”(The International Children’s Peace Prize), Kesz has come up with the motto “our health is our wealth”. This phrase means that when children are healthy they can think clearly, play and go to school. Having a healthy body that will allow them to live longer and gain more knowledge of the world and Kesz believes that it is his responsibility to ensure that future generations are educated about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Not only does Kesz understand how crucial health is to one's well being, he also understands how hope for the future is important.

Kesz was rescued and shown love, he now leads by example and helps street children develop hope in their lives. Kesz had lived off of the dumpsite since he was two. The dumpsite was a dangerous home for Kesz, when he was growing up many things we consider awful were normal to him. For example he and his friends would allow flies to feast on their open wounds. Burning rubbish was also a hazard. At the age of seven,  Kesz suffered burns from falling in a dumpsite fire. He experienced the danger first hand but he was one of the lucky ones who got a chance to be somebody different “..the day I was rescued...I know I am loved. Mr.Harnin...taught me these principles... his own life’s examples.”(The International Peace Prize). Kesz was rescued by Mr.Harnin, now his father figure in life. Mr.Harnin leads by example, teaching Kesz all the principles he needs to make a change in the world. He has taught Kesz to give back, and by educating children Kesz is doing so. By teaching the children about their basic hygiene, Kesz hopes that one day they will pass on their knowledge to others, just like he has. Mr.Harnin has also taught him other principles that are being shown in his foundation Championing Community Children. Giving hope in the form of “a toy, a pair of slippers or a smile, will bring joy... these are the simple acts of change that me and my team at Championing Community Children do.”(The International Peace Prize). Championing Community Children is the foundation Kesz has establish. The structure is built up on hope. Kesz and his team realize that simple things will bring happiness into the street children’s hearts. By giving the children gifts, the team is giving hope to children by providing them with small things we take for granted. The gifts bring the children joy and hope because they can’t afford these things, and when Kesz gives it to them it makes them feel as if they are loved and noticed by society- as if everyone hasn’t completely ignored them. This lets the children know that they can have a bright future, away from the streets, so they don’t have to forage for food and water their whole lives.

Kesz, along with his team at Championing Community Children, continue to educate street children and give them hope. Kesz wants all the children to lead a healthy lifestyle so they won't be prone to diseases. By doing this, Kesz is giving them hope for the future and offering them an avenue to gain knowledge of the world. Kesz knows how lucky he was to be given a second chance in  life, he wanted to give the other children a chance to lead a healthy life. His hope is that the children he is passing his knowledge to, will educate others about hygiene. Kesz was a deserving recipient of the Children’s International Peace Prize in 2012, as he teaches everyone around the world that we must be the voice of the voiceless.

Where I Am From

I am from Barbies.

From the screams of excitement whenever 

The Rugrats, The Wiggles, Hi-5 or Dora The 

Explorer were on. From posters of the Jonas 

Brothers and Coldplay. I an from the elbowing

to get to the front of the stage during The Wanted’s 

and Justin Bieber’s concerts. I am from tag you’re 

it and ready or not here I come.

I am from a country of 1.2 billion and a country 

of 22.6 million. I am from the rain and the sun. 

I am from the Parramatta Eels, The Waratahs and 

The Wallabies.

I am from put on a smile, sit up straight, when 

I was your age… I am from the bubble gum in 

my hair and the chocolate on my nose. I am from 

man’s best friend, who never lets me down. 

I am the product of a teacher and a risk manager. 

I am from become a doctor, become a lawyer, become 

a dentist and become whatever you want.

Organised in my closet, on my desk, under my bed,
are memories. The ones that make me who I am today.
The decisions I made in the past that will one day affect
my future. Everything that makes me, me.

Nazi Propaganda poster

'Behind the enemy powers: the Jew'

This poster was created in 1945, by Hamil. This poster protrays the theme of propaganda, aiming to influence all Germans. Propaganda is misleading information that is used to promote political causes, coming from the Latin root: pangere- to fasten. Nazi's used propaganda to presaude Germany that Jews were a threat (to fasten the thought into German's heads). 

In this image there is a big man with a big nose wearing a nice suit, with a top hat. This man is Jew, as shown by the Star of David. The Jewish man is standing in between an American flag, an English flag and a Soviet Union flag. These are the flags of the Allied countries. The caption reads “Behind the enemy powers: The Jew. This gives the theory that Jews are attacking Germany.

This poster depicts a  stereotypical Jew behind the American, English and Soviet Union flag. By placing the Jew behind the flags it seems as though he controls the countries. Hamil was trying to warn Germans about the Jews evil actions that are harming families in Germany. The Jewish man looks guilty, as shown by his eyebrows, this implies that he has done something bad/wrong. The quote “Behind the enemy powers: The Jew” suggests that the Jews are manipulating the Allied powers to bring Germany down. This poster shows the Jews as sluggish, evil characters trying to overthrow Germany. Men would’ve been easily persuaded by this image as they want to provide for there families and with rich Jews as the rulers that wouldn’t be possible. Women would’ve tried to control their children’s lives by forcing them to stop interacting with Jews. Even if their friends were Jews, they couldn’t talk to one another. Children are influenced at very young ages by what their parents do, therefore children could’ve tried to protect themselves and stay away from stereotypical Jews. Children might of been cautioned to ask if person was a Jew or not before getting to know them.

This image is unethical because it depicts a negative message through lies. Jews were never trying to harm Germany, Hitler (like many others) needed someone to blame. Jews were infact never a threat to Germany in any way, they helped Germany rise by contributing in wars, education and health care. In this poster Jews are illustrated as filthy rich slobs which is unfair to the Jewish people, as they did nothing wrong. This image was spreading lies, that were designed to cause fear and hate to the Germans.

Credit: 

- geheugenvannederland.nl

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Prejudice and Bias

In the novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, prejudice and bias are recurring images. Bruno's father was a commandant during World War I, which means he was a high ranked soldier under Hitler's power. With his new position he was moved to Auschwitz, a concentration camp that he was put in charge of. Bruno didn't really know what to make of the move, all he new was that his father had gotten a promotion and now needed the family to back him up and go to Auschwitz with him. Bruno's father was obviously a Nazi supporter and detested the Jews. Bruno didn't really know what was happening on the other side of the fence and didn't know anything about Jews. Bruno finally asked Gretel about the people on the other side. Gretel told him that Jews were horrible people and needed to be punished. Bruno grasped onto this idea, but also thought about how him and Shmuel had become friends when they're not meant to be. Herr Liszt, Bruno and Gretel's tutor answered a question from Bruno very biased:

 "There is such thing as a nice Jew, though, isn't there?"

 "I think, Bruno, if you ever found a nice Jew, you would be the best explorer in the world."

How did Bruno and Shmuel remain friends after all the horrible things people had told Bruno about Jews? Bruno had met Shmuel before he had talked to anyone about Jews, therefore he got to know Shmuel without any premature thoughts about him. If Bruno had met Shmuel after Father, Gretel and Herr Liszt had talked to him, Bruno might of judged Shmuel when he met him. This suggests that prejudice is caused by what parents or people we trust think. When kids are growing up, we are influenced by what are parents think and tell us. 

Another was prejudice can be caused is peer pressure. When you're in a group of friends and everyone else had a different opinion, you are most likely going to go with the flow and change your views based on others. In many groups they have a leader. The leader of Germany (a group) was Adolf Hitler. Many Germans followed him and his ways because Hitler persuaded them. Hitler came up with a Nazi Party Plan that included promises to gain the greatness of Germany again. Some of the points included the 'abolition of the Treaty of Versailles' and 'land and territory (colonies) for our surplus population'.

Gretel was influenced by fathers opinions, Bruno on the other hand, was closed minded and talked to Shmuel based on what he had figured out on his own. This shows that in many situations prejudice and bias is caused by others opinions, in other situations people refuse to judge based on a preempt analysis.   

Image: allmoviephoto.com

The Treaty of Versailles- Fair or Unfair?

“It is the principle of justice to all peoples and nationalities, and their right to live on equal terms of liberty and safety with one another, whether they be strong or weak. Unless this principle be made its foundation, no part of the structure of international justice can stand.”

- Woodrow Wilson

The war between Germany and the allied countries had stopped, but many countries didn't want a repeat of the war. Woodrow Wilson came up with a plan called The Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles was an agreement against Germany, signed by 27 allied countries. British Empire (includes Australia, Canada, South Africa, India and New Zealand), Frace, Italy, Japan, United States, were the main allies, though many countries backed them up. Such as: Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hejaz, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Siam, Uruguay and Yugoslavia. Together they ganged up on Germany and signed a treaty they had designed, putting Germany in fault for World War I.

Negotiations begun on the 18th of January, 1918. The treaty included fourteen points, addressed by Woodrow Wilson. In the actual treaty there were many more demands brought forth by the allied countries, most of which, were harsh and unjust. Many Germans were outraged by the demands and couldn't believe their government had agreed to sign it, especially with all the humility the would be subject to by other countries. The Deutsche Zeitung was raged that they wrote,“In the place where, in the glorious year of 1871, the German Empire in all its glory had its origin, today German honor is being carried to its grave. Do not forget it! The German people will, with unceasing labor, press forward to reconquer the place among the nations to which it is entitled. Then will come vengeance for the shame of 1919." The treaty was added to The League of Nations Treaty Series on October 21st 1919 and became effective on the 10th of January 1920.


Although I agree with the Germans that some of the demands in the treaty were unfair, but fair in a sense. Just a year earlier, on the 3rd of March 1918, the Germans signed a treaty against Russia. This treaty included harsher demands on Russia, than The Treaty of Versailles. It is unfair because Germany wasn't the only country that participated in World War I. Germany lost a lot of land, as stated in The Treaty of Versailles. The over all cost Germany owed was $33 billion.

Overall, The Treaty of Versailles was unfair and fair at the same time. Germany punished Russia in 1918 and now they were paying for it. Germany signed the treaty and took full responsibility for what they had taken part in.












Credits:
- en.wikipedia.org
-

No Man is an Island

John Donne~ Meditation 17

No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Jason Van Gederen~ Mankind is no Island (visual)

Armin Greder~ The Island

How do these texts explore similar themes?

The themes in Meditation 17 are: all men are mortal (therefore death will come) and all of mankind's lives are intertwined. In the long run, we all depend on each other and need to give support and care to others.

The theme in Mankind is no Island is: Empathy. When they show the homeless man they say that people tend to look away. This is true. It is easier to look away than to see tragedy. This is one example of people in our society that need our help the most.

The themes in The Island are: Fear, compassion, xenophobia and prejudice. We must never judge a book by it's cover and always treat others with respect. As a society we must be welcoming and show compassion through a persons rough time. Most importantly, we must never turn our backs on people who need it the most.

The themes all relate to the fact that, we as mankind, live amongst each other equally. No man is an island all by himself, rather a part of a city/country. All of mankind deserves to be treated with respect, because we all have hearts and souls and underneath the surface we all look the same.

How do the texts provide insights into prejudice and "otherness"?

The insights on hate and otherness are provided by the themes of the text. The major themes in all texts are: Equality and prejudice(racism). Meditation 17 explains that we are all one as mankind, therefore no prejudice should arise. Mankind is no Island explains that otherness plays a big part in our world today and that if we stop to listen to others stories and open our eyes, empathy will take over and conquer all hate/indifference. The Island features xenophobia and lack of human rights, this is a form of prejudice and otherness. The people from the island keep the stranger far away because he is not one of them and therefore has no part in their life. In the end, their fear and lack of humanity get the better of them. Whilst the first two texts show the cause, effect and solution, The Island only focuses on the cause and effect, therefore ending in a bad why causing a self taught lesson. The lesson is that you should speak up for what you believe in and treat everyone equally no matter beliefs, attitude or physical appearances.

Why do people make distinctions between "us" and "them"?

"Us" refers to people that are like-minded, whilst "them" refers to people that have different physical appearances, beliefs and attitudes. People make distinctions between "us" and "them" because it gives them a sense of security to knew that the people they surrounded themselves with are exactly like them. This is a boring life to live in many other peoples perspective. You should never judge a book by its cover and live life adventurously, by meeting new people and surrounding yourself with different cultures, beliefs, race and ages.

Images:

- inismagazine.ie

- cur3es.tumblr.com

The Beauty of Nature

Over the Winter Break Mr.Peavy gave my class a Long Term Project. This homework had two possible ways in which it could be completed. Task A: Visit a natural area and document your trip with a video and/or photos. Then, create an iMovie or PowerPoint documentary about your trip. You can focus on one or more of the following topics: The ecosystem and it's unique plants or animals, certain organisms and how they adapt to their environment, the impact of humans on the environment, relationships or interactions that you observe amongst the organisms in the ecosystem. Task B: Choose five appropriate and relevant tasks from this website and document how you complete them (i.e. photos, nature journal, PPT, Blog, iMovie etc.).

I decided on 'Task B'. The five tasks I chose were:

- In a garden flower, find the different parts

- Find the scientific name of a plant or animal

- Become a frogwatcher

- Find a streetlight or a backyard light and watch for insects who flutter into it

- Understand your local weather

Garden flower parts:

Parts of a sunflower

Scientific name of a plant:

Bougainvillea Spectabilis

(This is the scientific name of the Bougainvillea)

Become a frogwatcher:

I went to a local lake and sat down. I looked around and heard nothing. No wind. No bugs. No frogs. Suddenly movement. A frog jumps three feet in front of me. Almost like a shadow, another one appears. They both stare at a leaf in the pond and jump. They land elegantly. They turn to each other and croak. They continue this for 5 minutes. Finally they glance at me and then jump into the lake, and swim away.

Were they afraid of me? I hope not. I didn't move when observing them, because I wanted to make them feel comfortable. I have never really been a big fan of frogs, mainly because their way of communicating is hard to understand. Jane Goodall went into jungle and observed apes. It took her ages to understand their interpretation on life. I'm sure it will take me years to understand frogs point of view on life, whether I end up understanding or not, frogs are frogs and they will continue to interest me.... even if it means conquering a fear.

Insects around a light:

When observing a streetlight at night with insects around it, I noticed they all ran into the light. There are many theories as to why insects are attracted to light and occasionally run into the light.

A popular theory is that insects are attracted to light because of navigational purposes. Insects that fly during the night use the moon as a source of navigation. They keep the moons reflected light on a certain angle. This allows them to maintain a straight path and course. When artificial lights are turned on they interfere with the insects ability to keep constant track of the moon. When an insect flies close enough to an artificial light they attempt to navigate by using this light instead of the moonlight. Insects tend to run into the light because unlike the moon, the artificial light radiates in all directions. This makes it hard for insects to keep a straight path and lose direction at the last minute.

When sitting on the gravel observing this, I thought navigational purposes was a great theory as to why insects are attracted to the light and occasionally bump into it. For example, when people get lost in the jungle they attempt to find freedom by following the sun or keeping the sun on the right/left of their body. This is probably the same for insects. Since they are 'lost' in the darkness they use the moons light to guide them in the right direction.

Local weather:

Where I live the air is very humid. During the day, humidity is around 80%. The temperature is in the 30 degree range during the day and in the mid 20's at night. When the clouds cover the sun the sky looks beautiful, but the heat is still powerful. Fog is common during certain months. Thunder storms are present often after lunch or late in the evening. Monsoon season is from March-April. The drier months start from May and end in July.

Thank you Mr.Peavy.... for inspiring me

Credits:

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_030418-0058_Bougainvillea_spectabilis.jpg

- theknockerboys.blogspot.com

- freefishcaretips.com

- http://www.vplants.org/plants/glossary/asteraceae.html