Penumbra

"Memento morti 'remember that you will die.'"

My mind is so blank today, I'm not going spout any pretend wisdom. No cosmopolitan discussions on cosmopolitan subjects-- I'm 18. What do I even know? I will die. That's how things go. I do really like Latin though. (Three sentences in a row (!) that rhyme!)

I wish I had taken Latin in high school. It's so fascinating; and it seems to constantly be spoken here. I might understand Constitutional law if I spoke Latin. My favorite Latin phrase is "Si vis pacem, para bellum," if you want peace, prepare for war. I think it's quite pretty and profound.

Again, without even knowing it, I am having a cosmopolitan discussion about a cosmopolitan subject at 18. I guess that's what I get for going to NYU-- a very pretentious school that only accepts the best of the best. To be the best of the best you must think of yourself that way and you must have been told that at some point too. This bloated perception of our own naive wisdom is only fueled by our professors telling us we're so smart-- until that first D, that is. Ever. Everything comes crashing down. No longer as smart as you thought you were, eh?

Penumbra has to be one of the coolest words. Penumbra. Put it in your mouth and savor the shape of each letter and the sound they make. It'll taste better than your breakfast I can guarantee. And we're back to Latin.

I seem to write more when I have my own topics. I'd say that shows my self-centered, stubborn tendencies. Or the fact that I don't understand most of the quotes at 8 in the morning. Or that I don't like sounding pretentious. Riana, you do any ways.

Can we?

Yes we can or no we cannot.

Unless we get our acts together and stop branching into extremist factions of government where the only issues at hand are why we hate the other party, we certainly cannot. Right now the political system is so polarized that real issues have ceased to matter; all that is focused on is minute and trivial details. Then there are groups, like the Tea Party, which completely illegitimize the Republican party, the Constitution, and our entire notion of government all of which create a bad name for politics in the United States. The people want change from what we are in, and sadly the Tea Party is the only "party" representing some sort of change. They'll get elected into office because they are "just like us" and then we'll be left with the whack jobs in Congress and even more will fail. We need a united, sane front in order to get out of the deficit, the growing war, and the deep social inequalities that face us now. The polarized system that focuses on finger pointing will get us no where but angry and reticent towards the people who can actually help. Yes, we can fix these issues and get the United States to a place of stability but work needs to be done on the state of Capitol Hill and the morale of the people. A populous without hope can do nothing-- we need excited youth to lead us further. We need excited, proactive, innovative politicians to pave the way.

Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand.

Right off the bat this reminds me of those tests we used to take in middle school that showed whether we were visual, auditive, or kinetic learners. I remember the tests being really poorly made so that you can tell which answers will lead you to what result. The questions would be something like:

Which do you prefer?

A. Looking at things

B. Hearing Things

C. Moving Around

And I remember thinking, this is stupid. I could answer this question without this quiz.

You know what else is stupid? Our teachers never taught any differently after getting the results from the class. They would just look at it and say, "oh that's interesting", and that's it. No special attention to the hyper-active kids who were kind of like puppies who needed to chew on things, and couldn't focus on anything that wasn't within their grasp.

Nothing ever changed.

We still received the same method of teaching we always received. Why? Because teachers don't really teach. They work, and they demonstrate. They don't work for the student though. They work for a wage which pays by the hour and doesn't pay for quality. It's a shame because our future as a nation pays the difference.

-S. Grove

FUTURE FAVORS THE BOLD.

FUTURE FAVORS THE BOLD.

The future favors shit. It is a black hole we are all inevitably sucked into. A vacuum. A motherfucking pit. The bold, is that like the brave? Is it the strong? Is it the straightforward? Is it the successful? What is success? Everything is relative and this right here is bullshit. Thank you good night. Begin again forward and one foot in front of the other one step at a motherfucking time. Time. Time. Time. And the future, shit. Inevitable shit. And we step in it every day. Put it in a box and tie it up in a bow and call it promising. The future is not benevolent and it is what you make of it. Or what mommy and daddy can buy for you. Or who you fuck, who you kill who you steal from. Life is shit and so is this. Again. Step up let them know wake up or don’t the world still turns and no one will remember you. But we remember Jesus didn’t we. Who the fuck was Jesus that we should remember him? Why do things happen the way they do and why do I wake each morning towards this inevitable shit. Trash. Garbage. Nothing. And with happiness comes pain and with pain strength. To start again towards the future. Be bold stand up start again. Towards to the futures the black hole the nothing the empty. The rapist the child molester the homeless drug addicted and destitute. The depraved psycho paths accents of birth. The benevolent the kind the giving the loving the saints and the sinners. Again. Wake up . begin. Cycle shit. Useless nothing matters. Bold shy quiet confrontational nothing matters. Oh my god I don’t think you hear me all your money cant by salvation and all my bitching wont fix the inevitable. Shit. Cycle. Begin again.

- Angela Christina Jones

A hero is no braver than ordinary man, but he is braver five seconds longer.

A hero is no braver than ordinary man and i agree with that because having heart is what makes you strong and brave. If having that, why cant you be a hero? A hero doesn't have to be someone saves the world but someone who change the world and that's superhuman. Super human to me is someone you can look up to for inspiration. But what makes the difference between the two is the title of a hero and ordinary man. The fact the hero is being seen for what he is doing, but the ordinary man is doing but not being seen. That's what makes a hero Five seconds braver longer because of the impact he is doing is being applaud but the ordinary man tends to fail because his impact is not being applaud.

-Eva Castillo

Tell your friend a lie, if he keeps it a secret tell them the truth.

This is all about honesty. Tell your friend a lie, if he keeps it a secret tell them the truth. Its about seeing who loyal and who not .Who have your back and who don't. That's why don't call everyone your friend and just because i talk to you doesn't mean i trust you. That's how it goes and that's how its going to be and that life. You always know who your friend are when you need them. If they do you wrong once, they do you wrong twice, so don't let twice happen because that is just plain stupidity if you ask me. It's a cold world, put your hat on, put your gloves on and whatever else that protect yourself because only you can secure yourself, when it comes down to it. Tell your friend a lie, if he keeps it a secret tell him the truth. And if he keeps the lie a secret, now you know you have a friend until they know the truth.

Eva Castillo.

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life. The whole aim and end of human experience

I completely agree with the prompt. I took theory of knowledge for the Ib program last year and one of the questions we kept coming to in class discussions was: Why do people do the things they do, why do they act the way they act? My answer was continually for the pursuit of happiness.

Every move I make in my life is an answer to the question "what will make me happier?". Yes, I know this seems selfish, but I have this thing called a conscience, and it give me guilt when I really am selfish., and then I am no longer happy. So, when I do unselfish things, I avoid this negative feeling of guilt, and rediscover that the act of being unselfish actually does make me happier.

Here's a question: If your are not pursuing happiness, what are you doing? Pursuing money? fame? If you want to pursue these things, I'm pretty sure that it is based on the idea that your obtaining these things will make you happy.

Happiness levels are controlled by chemicals in our brain like dopamine, and these chemicals are natural drugs that we are addicted to. Our body keeps us doing the things it wants with promises that we can get our hands on the powerful drug that is happiness.

-S. Grove