HOD in Avatar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeh2KILn7O4 (Avatar movie trailer)

This weekend I went to see the movie Avatar and as I was watching it, I thought to myself, this is very similar to Heart of Darkness. In the movie, people from Earth are trying to take over land that has been inhabited by the natives for years. The humans want their land and the metal over which their land rests. And because they see the natives as savages and as the "others", they have no problem destroying their forest, killing their people, and destroying one of their most sacred trees. Not all the humans are bad, though, one man named Jake Sulley and some of his closest companions join the natives in the fight for their land.

I felt that this movie had a lot to do with Heart of Darkness and imperialism in general because of how the humans felt that they had this right to take whatever they wanted due to their belief of civilized superiority. I pictured the man who has no problem taking whatever he wants, the colonel, as Kurtz because of the fact that he had no problem killing the natives. The man who was in charge of the whole operation I pictured as Leopold because for one, he was never on the actual planet, he spent the whole time inside on a spaceship where it was safe, and two, all he wanted was money and didn't care about what he did to the indigenous population to get it. The main man, Jake, I saw as Marlow because he was the main character and because he actually felt something when he saw what was happening to the natives. In the end he joins the fight with the natives.

I believe that this movie was not only awesome, but that it also had an important message about imperialism. Though people may be uncivilized or look different than us doesn't make it okay for other people to just go in and take over. If the indigenous people didn't ask for help and didn't ask for the civilized people to come, then there is really no reason for them to be there. Whether it is greed that drives you or humanitarian responsibilities, if you are not supposed to go in and help then it's better to just leave it alone. If people had lived their life in a "savage" way then that is all they know how to do. So when we see someone living a life as a "savage", we may think it is horrible and weird, but to them it is just how things are done.

Be stupid, dumb, and crazy, but most of all have fun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppqb0t_B0KY

Carpe Diem, or "seize the day", is a phrase I truly take to heart, as do a lot of people. When you're around friends and family who have lost a beloved friend or family member, it makes you truly realize how short life is. Yes we all have responsibilities in life, but it's my belief that one of these is to make the most you can out of your life. If you never try to do something new, crazy, or daring then you are not living up to your potential. Making life exciting is one of our duties and it's important that we do so. Go sky diving, travel, help the less fortunate, do whatever gets you excited because one day you will not be able to do those things and you'll spend the rest of your life wondering "what if?"

That is why when I am presented with new and crazy things, I usually try and do them. Throughout my life I have been the "daredevil" in my family and I have never once regretted it because I believe that it makes my life that much more exciting. I've done fun things helping the less fortunate, gone rock climbing, was the first one in my family to try snowboarding and surfing, I've tried paint balling, and I've traveled the country playing in lacrosse tournaments. All of these aren't life-threatening activities, but they are activities that are exciting and that I will never regret doing. Yes, these sorts of things carry risks with them, but it doesn't take away from how fun they are.

Making the most out of your life is something that everyone should try and do. I know that I will continue to do things that get me excited throughout my life because I enjoy trying new things. The question is, would you want spend your life saying "that was stupid, fun, crazy, and awesome," or "what if I had done that?"

I am strong, weak, and everything in between

Strength. It can be mental or it can be physical, but what exactly allows a person to be classified as "strong"? Is it how smart they are?, how big their muscles are?, or is it something else?

As Joseph Conrad said, "your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others" (7). Strength is not something that can be acquired due to a set limit. Strength only comes from one's ability to be less weak than other people. Being able to handle stressful situations makes you mentally stronger than someone who can't, and even if there is someone out there who is even more mentally stronger than you, that doesn't make you weak. As long as you are able to become less weak than someone else, that makes you strong. Even physically this is true. Just because someone can bench 100 lbs. and you can only bench 50 lbs., doesn't make you a weak person. You are weaker than the person who benches 100 lbs, but you are still stronger than the person who can only bench 25 lbs.

Strength is only visible through the weakness of others. Being weak or strong just depends on the situation in which you are put in. One moment you can be strong, but the next you can be weak. For example, in some kind of sports tournament, you could be the best/strongest one in the first round, but in the next round because the competition is more fierce, you could be the worst/weakest. No one is ever a weak or strong person for life, it just depends on the situation in which they are being judged.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSbCnWe6e1o -- Youtube army video

What we have is not who we are

Does what we have represent who we are? As I stare at these pictures Mr. Burke had us look at of families with all of their food out, I wonder, what would this look like for my family? What would it be like for your family?

Personally, I don't believe that what we have represents who we are. I am fortunate enough to have lots of luxuries in my life, like this computer I am typing on, for example. As I stare around my room I see a lot of random wall hangings, clothes, and decorations. I wonder, what would it be like without all of these things. As Grace Goodman mentioned in her blog, she wasn't sure what possession she would save if her house was burning down because everything is pretty much replaceable. Sure lots of people have sentimental possessions that they would not like to lose, for example I have some of my Nana's jewelery that I would definitely not want to lose, but most of the things we have are material items that can easily be replaced.

Take Siddartha for example. When he leaves his home to go out into the world on his own....he has nothing with him. When he lives with the Samanas, he has absolutely no possessions with him, but the size of his heart and the size of his intelligence were not measured by what he had with him, for he had nothing at all. His experience, intelligence, heart, love, desire, friendship, etc. is what made him who he is.

You cannot base your opinions on someone by what they have. It is what they do, how they act, and who they are on the inside that makes up that person.

Suffering Through Chocolate

What is desirable? What attracts people to certain things? Can getting what you desire or not getting what you desire cause suffering? Is suffering desirable? These are the questions that we discussed in class this week. The topic: desire.

Everyone has different desires depending upon who they are and what they like. Desire can come in many forms. It can be something we want, need, are attracted to, or even something we love. Getting or not getting what you desire, though can cause suffering. For example, if a woman were to desire chocolate, if she got her desire, then she may feel suffering afterwards because of the weight she gained from eating all the chocolate. Not getting what you desire can also lead to suffering. For example, if someone desires someones else because they are in love, not getting that loved one can cause suffering. On the other hand, not getting or getting what you desire can also lead to happiness. If the woman doesn't eat the chocolate she desires, then she'll be happy because she won't gain weight. And if someone gets the person they love and desire, they will experience absolute happiness. Every experience with desire is different and therefore whether or not getting your desire will cause suffering or happiness will vary. It's hard to decide which desires are good and bad, though, because desire is a strong emotion. Wanting something differs from desire in that it isn't as strong of an emotion. Desire is wanting something, but wanting something badly enough that sometimes it will hurt if you don't get it.

In Siddartha, Siddartha is not sure of what he desires, he's just sure of what he doesn't desire. He is looking for something, but he can't figure out what it is yet. On his journey, Siddartha suffers greatly because he chooses to. He feels that by suffering, he can finally figure out what it is he truly desires. In a sense, Siddartha desires to suffer in order to find what he truly desires.

In life, we all experience suffering, happiness, want, desire, love, lust, friendship, etc. But when you experience these emotions, can you truly see what effects your decisions will have? If you truly desire something, chances are you won't be able to truly comprehend the consequences of getting or not getting what you desire because your want for that object is so strong. So it just depends, what do you desire?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvKWUsJ9qoE -- Desire by U2

It can be scary, but it can also be great

During our class on monday, I realized just how far I've come in life and how far I still have to go. We were taken out onto the football field and told to stand on the yard line that represents our age. As I gazed down to the goal line, it didn't look that far away, but as I gazed forward, I saw just how far I still have to go. Being a 17 year-old, I feel like I'm old and I feel like I've already accomplished a lot, but after seeing how many more yards I still have to go, I realize that I have so much more to offer the world and I'm not even close to where I will be in the future.

In Siddartha, Siddartha has come to feel trapped at his yard-line. His mind and curiosity represents that of an older yard-line and not the one he is currently at. So he decides to embark on a journey of independence on his own. Siddartha is a lot like high school seniors in a sense that they want to go out into the real world and separate from their parents in order to gain a sense of how the real world works. There's only so much that teachers, parents and books can teach us. There comes a point in everyone's life where it's time for them to go and experience the real world first-hand. Living at the 17 and 18 yard-line is safe, not much can happen to you there. But as you go forward, the chances of something happening increase significantly. It can be success or it can be failure, but it's from those experiences that you learn how life in the real-world works. Everyone needs to take that step forward at some point in their life. Physically you don't have a choice because age is something you cannot control. No matter what you do, every year you will move one yard forward. Mentally, though, it is something you can control. Not everyone's mental yard-line represents their physical yard-line. At some point in life, though, everyone needs to take that mental one yard step forward and into the life of independence where anything can happen. It can be scary, but it can also be great.

After living through just about 1/4 of my life, it's time for me to go out into the world on my own and to experience the real-world and college life, independently. I'm standing on the 17 yard line, almost at the 18 yard line ready to make the leap forward into the world of independence.

The Double S: Seniors and Siddartha

Today we are to being a book entitled Siddartha. From what I understand the book to be about, it will have to do a lot with what we, as seniors, are going through. I haven't started the book yet, but by hearing Mr. Burke give an overview of the story, I can see how high school seniors are easily able to relate to the story.

As seniors, it's a known fact that we are ready to graduate. It's no secret that since after day #2 of school, we were ready for graduation to come and for school to end. We love our teachers, our families, and our friends, but we all know that at this point in our life, it's time for us to move on. Siddartha, like many seniors, chooses to experience life for himself and goes on a journey of his own. Seniors are like Siddartha, because just like him, we are ready to experience life for ourselves. Sometimes it's what our parents want and other times it isn't, but at this point in our life it really isn't up to what our parents want anymore. It's time for us to make our own choices and to fail or succeed on our own. If we aren't able to do that, then it will be impossible for us to learn things on our own.

I appreciate everything that my teachers and family has done for me throughout the years and it's not a negative thing when I say, "I'm ready to move on and get out of here." It's just that at this point in my life I feel that the right thing to do is to go experience life for myself.