Post #10: March 31, 2009: They Need Us, We Ignore

Several times I see "Help these children" or "They need your help" ads all over the place. I see them, but I ignore them. I know I shouldnt, but I ignore them anyway. I know I care, but I dont do anything about it anyway. I was going through Newsweek, and as i flipped from page to page, front cover to back cover, I completely missed (or ignored) a "Help a Child" ad. This made me realize how much I do this all the time. I ask myself, "am i too lazy to even consider helping?"

I mean, we have so many things in our life, and there are so many temptations in society that we think we need. We whine about things we shouldnt whine about. And on the other side of the world, there is a child who yearns for a home, food, shelter, an education, etc. Now I dont want to go all social justice teacher on you or anything. Im not trying to make you feel bad. I just wonder why we tend to never even consider helping out these children. The picture doesnt compel us to help the child. We should do it because we are morally right. Are we just too lazy? I mean, we have experience so much happiness and joy in our life. Why not help out in order to give even a small amount of happiness and joy to someone else's life. Do we sometimes think we cannot make a difference?

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking
something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he
asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the
ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back,
they’ll die.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles
of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!” After listening
politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into
the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”I made a difference for that one.”
-Loren Eisley

Each child is one of millions of abandoned, poor, orphaned children. Each has a unique story, but all suffer a great deal of pain and suffering. Even in today's society, we are told about the injustice that happens through the media, but we react the same way we would each day.

Surprisingly, I also found out that in these ads they only depict and explain the story of one child. I did not even realize that this one story, this one ad, can make me think about society and the many millions of poor people in society (So this is their strategy!). I beleive that through this one story, it will persuade people to think about the many millions of children similar to that child who are suffering. Here is a article going more in depth about this.

Blog #9: March 24, 2009: Pleasant in the Inside

I was never convinced that prisons were a pleasant place to spend time in. I was never convinced that pleasant conversations could be started in there. I always thought the prisoners themselves were the baddies. Never did I think that the guards there would be cruel to those prisoners. I made many false assumptions regarding prisons, but never would I have imagined that so many shocking things that were discussed in this article of Newsweek, "The Guard Who Found Islam" could happen in real life.

You'd think that being a guard at a prison like Guantanamo would be a uneventful task. But what happened to Army specialist Terry Holdbrooks was indeed memorable. Turns out, talking to the detainees is certainly not a bad, intimidating thing. Holdbrooks developed a strong relationship with one of the detainees, Ahmed Errachidi. Talking to this detainee, Holdbrooks started to have different views about the prison and the people in it. Our false assumption that people in the prison are bad people and will never have a connection with you is entirely wrong. We may develop a strong friendship, learn that you and the prisoner have a lot in common, learn something new, and have entirely new ways of viewing life. Heck, we may even agree with the opinions of these detainees, who we thought were horrid, heartless people. Holdbrooks, on the other hand, converted to Islam, changing his life forever.

We even think that the detainees are treated neither good nor bad. The guards just keep watch, give them their food, thats it... The detainees are treated both good and bad, depending on the guards. There have been some degrading and sadistic acts against the prisoners committed by guards or soldiers who wanted revenge. That is the obvious thought. There have also been surprisingly good interactions between the guards and detainees, such as conversations regarding politics, religion, and other "fun" topics. The guards even showed empathy towards the detainees, thinking why those detainees were there in the first place, being treated so badly. Unfortunately, many of us think that these bad people deserve to be punished. But hey, if we actually had a nice conversation with these detainees, we might have a better understanding of them.

"We talked about everything, normal things, and things [we had] in common."
-Ahmed Errachidi

Even the most savage of soldiers could be converted, just like Holdbrooks. Let not the outside nor the inside of the prison intimidate or scare you. Even in this seemingly "cold" and "dark" environment, pleasant, life-changing things can happen. But at the same time, realizing the acts of hatred and way the detainees are being treated can cause some emotional trauma to a person. Even the prisoner must get used to the freedom he gets when leaving the prison,

"trying to learn how to walk without shackles and trying to sleep at night with
the lights off." -Ahmed Errachidi

Here is an article of how prisoners of Guantanamo are stripped of their identity.

Blog #8: March 17, 2009: Geez, of All People, They Must Have the Good Life!

Jason Lezak (what a hottie). If you watched the Beijing Olympics, you must have followed Michael Phelp's adventure towards 8 gold medals. This adventure and goal was to be fulfilled through the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, where both Michael Phelps and Michael Lezak participiated in. If you watched this amazing relay, you must know that the U.S. indeed won, thanks to the incredible record-breaking finish of Jason Lezak. After this historic finish, of course he recieved popularity, the spotlight, money.

Well, 2 out of 3 ain't that bad right? WRONG. The lack of large amounts of money may ruin his swimming career. Behind the Olympian, gold-medal winning, record-breaking swimmer is a casual man struggling to maintain the necessities that are needed to support himself, his family, and his swimming career. After I read an article of Newsweek called "America's Unemployed Olympic Hero," I learned a lot about the situation a lot of athletes are going through. We tend to overlook these things. We fail to see the casual person that hides under that popular, famous personality. YES PEOPLE, even the most talented, skilled and the epitome of athletes struggle today. Though they are peerless in skill, sublime in their own sport and seemingly impeccable, many athletes who are unemployed are quickly trying to make deals with sponsors (speed dating) in order to get back to their sport. Lezak's agent says:

"Athletes are starting to say they can't do it. Even in boom times, most
athletes struggle between Olympic games; post-Beijing, sponsorships have
evaporated along with everything else in the economy."

Like many athletes, Jason Lezak depends on the money he makes now to carry him on for a while. We dont realize he needs to find money quick because of the taxes, equipment and travel spendings he has to make. Jason Lezak was never a child prodigy, working his way up year after year. I'm sure money never stopped him year after year, and it would be such a shame if all that hard work was completely stopped because of a money problem. Jobs are difficult, and time-consuming, but swimming for many dedicated athletes like Lezak IS the job. They train many times a day, many days a week. These athletes are passionate about what they do, but money is a large challenge in their life. Even people like me struggle with money and sometimes have to give up items or temptations or passions. But we will never give up on something that makes us happy just because of a road-block like money.

Post #7: March 10, 2009: Labels in the Christian World

This week, I read an article of Newsweek by Lisa Miller called “A Christian by Any Other Name.” This article discusses how many denominations have sprung up and how the word “Christian” has fallen into narrower niches and groups. As people in the Christian world struggle to find their identity, many other people have gotten use to the label “follower of Jesus” and are gaining much popularity from the youth. Here are some advantages that boosters say in the Newsweek article:

“Follower of Jesus” has at least two advantages over “Christian” or
“evangelical.” First, it doesn’t carry baggage. You can wear it abroad, in
Islamic countries, or at home with your Jewish or Buddhist friends, without
causing offense. Second, it distances the bearer from the culture wars that have
made American politics so defensive.” http://www.newsweek.com/id/188198

After reading the article, I wonder how the word “Christian” in our society and culture has changed. I also am curious about the many other advantages and disadvantages of being a “follower of Jesus.” The first reason I thought the label “follower of Jesus” was brought up was because others thought they were to act and follow Jesus in the way we served the poor and loved each other. In other cases, we self-apply the label based on creeds and list of beliefs, not based on our behavior. Creeds, doctrines and prayers are very important in our religion, but I believe those are not primary ways of showing the world we are followers of Jesus.

There are many flaws with this label. Sometimes you may be a “follower” of Jesus, but if you do not believe in important beliefs such as Jesus rose from the dead or that we were saved because of Jesus’ sacrifice, then you are not a Christian. This makes me wonder the possible reasons why people chose to differentiate between “Christian” and “followers of Jesus.” One reason I thought was because the word “Christian” has gotten such a bad reputation because of “pretenders,” so real followers are avoiding the word in favor of something that means the same but with a different reputation.

Since the name “Christian” was introduced to the world a long time ago, its meaning and title has gone through many multiple transitions. Starting from religious persecution, to a religious faith as a formal way of expression through theology, to a time of reformation making a designation between “Christian” and “Catholic,” the word “Christian” has gone through many alterations, including many denominations and cults. But the word “Christian” has been viewed within society differently at many different times. At some point, the label Christian might have been given to those who show characteristics that are taught and exemplified by Jesus, ultimately meaning that person was “good.” Other examples would be the “word” Christian viewed as a political stance or relief work such as humanitarianism.

When interviewed about how the world is communicating Christianity with a judgemental attitude and about the concern about message and method, Dave Gibbons said this:

When I relate globally I usually say I’m a Christ follower rather than a
Christian. There are elements within our cultural Christianity that is not at
the heart of who Jesus is. As you travel, you begin to understand that the
problem isn’t Jesus as much as it is the things we’ve added to Jesus and the
gospel.

The spelling of the name is identical, but the meanings place us in different stances and positions. It is because of these differences that the name “Christian” keeps on changing and also why different denominations and cults form. You could ask 100 people about what the word “Christian” means and you will get many different views and opinions. Labels make it seem like one denomination or label is better than the other. What is your opinion on this? Would “follower of Jesus” suit you better than the label “Christian?” What is your definition of the word “Christian.”

Post #6: March 3, 2009: American Public Enemy # Goose!

Ever since US Airways Flight 1549 was successful in its landing on the Hudson River in January, a new "villain" has emerged in society: Wild Goose! The cause of this unusual landing was the impact of a flock of geese, resulting in a loss of thrust from both engines. Ever since this occurence, there seemed to be an all-out avian assault. In an article of Newsweek called "Even to Friends, the Goose is Cooked," people have offered new "weapons" to make sure that geese do not threated human lives. It's true that experiencing a possibility of going through a plane crash is traumatizing, but these innocent geese should not be blamed.

Awwww. Look at that cute, innocent goose. Im pretty sure it didn't mean any harm. Despite their cuteness, everyone seems to be turning against them. A technique where you find their eggs and cover them in corn oil to stop their embroyonic process has been mentioned and encouraged. Aww poor babies. Here are other control techniques suggested to control and limit goose problems. Ever since the landing, even organizations devoted to the birds' humane treatment are on the side of these control techniques.

"But that's the life of the goose today: even your friends want you dead."
-Matthew Phillips

Imagine how bad these birds would be considered if the landing was unsuccessful. But, what animal activists and bird lovers want America to understand is how the goose got there. Airports are built near wetlands where the geese live. Golf courses, homes and other buildings are built near lakes. The geese are trapped and have no where to go. Some people have even recommended egg addling (covering eggs in corn oil) or even birth control for geese. Poor geese. The problem has escalated to all-out goose assault, even though its not the geeses' fault.

What is your opinion on this? What do you think is the best way to handle this?