Beliefs

 

      Individuality is a virtue. It takes confidence to keep your beliefs no matter what people think of you. Siding with the majority proves far easier. But to do so means you blend in. You give up your opinions to just follow the crowd. Is it really worth it?

      Then again a lot of instances occur where the belief is held by few because of its content. The belief may be rude or cruel. Such as, "Beyoncé's video was the best of all time and should have won!!" While I'm sure many agreed, only one person believed he should run on stage and declare it to the public. In this case there was only a sole believer because what he believed in was, as Obama stated, the acts of a "jackass".

     Whether or not an opinion is crude, it still holds value at least to that person. So is it wrong to keep believing even if no one else does? I don't think so. The most important aspect here is that people need to be true to themselves. This by no means justifies terrible acts. Beliefs are merely thoughts, how we act on them is what matters. So be an individual. Believe what you truly think holds value. Just make sure before you act on your opinions that in the end it will be worth it.

 

 

Carly Heck



Love or Hate.

"You either love or you hate. You live in the middle, you get nothing." - Charlie Sheen
Love it. Hate it. Love it then hate it. Love it all over again. You either like it so much you love it. Or dislike it so much you hate it. You like to hate it. Or hate to love it. But you're never at a point where you can't tell whether you like or dislike. There isn't much that comes from not knowing whether you like something because all that brings is thoughts leading to confusion. You don't understand your confusion when you're stuck trying to figure out whether you're loving or hating something. 

The Wicked Lie

"The wicked lie is that yhe past is always tense and the future is always perfect."
                                                                                            -Zadie Smith

           History has always been destined to repeat itself. Certain events may not exactly play out in the future as it once did in the past, but these events will take place none the less. Quite honestly, I agree that the statement "the future is always perfect is in fact a "wicked lie". During the times of the civil war, slavery, and the Great Depression, it was always said and expected that in the future things will be "different". But where exactly is that difference, if there's even a difference at all. Countries still live in poverty, war, slavery, and inequality. Our country for example, still has social and economic inequality where citizens are force to play the hands they are dealt and there's nothing we can do about it. So tell me... where exactly is perfection in that?

 

Celebrities

         "A celebrity is one who is known to many persons he is glad he doesn't know." - Lord Byron

 

 

 

 

    Celebrities have become an untouchable force in today's society. Millions follow the lives of their favorite celebrities. Reading, watching, listening like an animal stalking their prey. Prey may seem harsh to describe an average person's association with a celebrity, but it is accurate. While we idolize them, in the same manner we cut them down. "Celebrity Bodies" touches on this aspect; the scrutinizing factor of all that they do.

 

      When Lord Byron says, "he is glad he doesn't know." I credit this to the amount of criticism fans give to their idols. With the glamour comes calculating every move made as to avoid negative reactions. It is a life of tip-toeing and hush. So when people desire to be the celebrity, I question why?

 

      Why would anyone want to live under a microscope? Having people watching and judging one hundred percent of the time seems anything but pleasant. Is the need for attention in some humans truly that large? As a more reserved person it is hard for me to fathom. Although at the same time, I am a fan. I admire different celebrities and their lives. I cannot claim to be so different, but when is the line drawn between admiration & scrutiny?

 

 

 

Carly Heck

Chill and twist a lie...

From a young age, I learned that there is a past tense and present tense. However, I never heard of a future tense. Is that because life now as we know it and our memories are tense as the shoulders of a man who has been doing construction work for 15 years. Or is it tense like a nerd who is in love with the school's most popular girl and gets nervous and tenses up when she's around? Maybe it is because he is scared that his future won't be perfect and he won't be her knight in shining armor. The future is believed to be perfect because of the belief that the hard work you do now, will pay off and your shoulders will be relieved in the end. Sometimes the past is happier, people always say "enjoy your childhood while it last". Why? Is the future not perfect? Is the sky not the limit? Are we not guaranteed to succeed? Life as we know it is filled with lies. The goal is to be the truth and make that the future.

"The wicked lie is that the past is always tense and the future is always perfect" – Z Smith

     That is true because the future always holds promise and is something not yet fully realized. It is full of possibilities and it is the stuff of dreams, more an ideal than a reality. 

     While the past is what has been, what really happened. But that doesn’t mean we can’t color the past with our memories too, and be selective about what we remember. We can choose to remember only the good things about the past, or only the bad things, depending on which thought process we are trying to reinforce. 

     Selective memory, that’s what that is called. The pick and choose process through which we select what we want to remember and what we want to forget. Or remember to forget. Or forget to remember. 

      So if the future is the projection of our dreams, the past is the certainty that some of our dreams have not come to past. And that is a tough reality to embrace.  

Wicked lie

       Smith tells us " The wicked lie is that the past is always tense and the future is always perfect". I couldn't have said it better myself. When people get through a hard time they tell themselves that " it is over and tomorrow is a new day" No one knows what the future holds, but we know that nothing in this world is perfect.
       Life has always been a battle, before my time, during my time, and I'm sure long after as well.  Why do we try to picture the future when anything can happen at a moments notice. Our plane can crash and we perish with it. Its okay to hope and dream, but never believe that your future holds nothing but great things, it might be amazing but the good comes the bad. This what I believe Smith tries to portray through his quote.
 

ABC

          My name is Linna Li and I am an ABC. You may read this and wonder, 'What exactly is an ABC? I didn't know three letters of the alphabet actually meant something'. Well, an ABC is an American Born Chinese, and for the first seventeen years of my life, I neglected the C. 

          For as long as I can remember, I always fantasized being 'American'. I felt a sense of belonging with the group of blonde-haired, blue-eyed people I called my classmates. I ate spaghetti and meatballs for dinner while the rest of my family ate rice and stir-fry. I walked around the house in my dirty shoes, ignoring the footprints staining the clean carpet. I dyed my repeatedly until no black strands were found. I called my elders by their first names instead of by their proper titles. The more I assimilated into the American culture, the less I appreciated my own. Together with my Chinese name, my Chinese culture became one big blur. 

          Yet, as I kept dying my hair, eating spaghetti and meatballs, and refusing to speak to my parents in Mandarin, I realized, what am I really accomplishing here? I tried so hard to forget about my culture, my background, my history, that I didn't realize how rude, how hurtful, and how disrespectful it was to ignore the hard work my parents devoted to get me where I am today.

          Today, I realize that my two cultures are like yin and yang, contrasting, yet complimentary.  I greet friends with a “Hey!” and wave my hand, while I address Chinese adults with “Ai-yi” or “Shu-shu” shaking their hands. Last summer, I started waitressing at my family’s favorite Chinese restaurant.  In November, my family celebrates Thanksgiving with a dinner table piled with turkey, yams, dumplings, and steamed buns. Of course, there is still a cultural barrier, but that cultural and communication barrier is what makes my family closer, as we must work harder to understand each other and ourselves. 

          I appreciate my parents.

          I appreciate my culture.

          I appreciate my background.

          I am Linna Li and I am an ABC.