CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Such a "SIMPLE" Word

What is kindness?

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines the word kindness as “the quality of being warm-hearted, considerate, humane, and sympathetic.” People have heard the word kindness thousands of times, but do they really understand the meaning of it? This act can be followed out very easily however, people do not see that. They tend to think it is not a big deal, when in reality it means the most to people. There are many things people over look and kindness is one of them. The word kindness does not come from a certain mindset, or a certain capability that only some people hold, it comes from within each of our hearts.

Often when people are not having the best day they turn to people whom would usually comfort them. That person will comfort them with only kindness that comes from the heart. People often turn to other’s acts of kindness when they feel that they have nothing left within themselves. They look to other people to fill in the gap that they are feeling for the moment. The heartfelt thoughts and words that are expressed in either a good or bad situation are irreplaceable. People need to realize actions speak louder than words. Being nice and kind to someone is more important than telling them they have a nice car.

Whether it’s holding a door for someone or giving up your seat on a bus for an elderly person, these acts can be considered forms of kindness. There is no measure to where kindness starts or ends. When you act upon a good deed, you get a feeling in your body that feels like you have helped or achieved something with meaning. Being kind is a self-less act. It comes natural to most people and comes from the heart. When one is kind they do not expect anything in return, just knowing they helped someone is more rewarding than anything else. Instead of looking at what prize you will receive at the end of day you look at all the smiles you created, and all the nods you were given and you can look in the mirror and smile at yourself. You, yourself will know that you have been the best you can be for that particular day, with no regrets.

Many people throughout history illustrate the act of kindness. Mother Teresa is a prime example of this. She lived her life in the hope of helping and touching others. Mother Teresa also took her time out in order to allow people to speak to her and share their feelings. She wanted to spread the act of kindness around the world and was very successful in doing so. She is a primary example of what people all over the world should act like. People influence other people with the kind grace to others. When people are kind they follow their conscience by doing the right thing. If all people actually did this we would not have to ever fight in a war, and the world would revolve smoothly.

Being kind takes courage. When kids are around their friends, they want to act superior. By acting cool, they might not always do the right thing. The often follow what their head is telling them and not their heart. When that same child is put in the situation they would never what that done to them in return. So we all have to live thinking would I want this done to myself? They must have the courage to follow their sense of right and wrong and recognize the right thing to do.

Some people will never realize what the feeling is of seeing a little old lady smile because you gave up your seat, of if you were to stick up for that little boy who always got picked. The feeling might be the most rewarding feeling a person can feel. Being a genuine person leaves a lasting impression on people. They will always remember when someone was there for them or when a person went out of his/her way to help. If you always go along with a positive attitude, being kind comes natural.

"MY HEART BEATS FASTER"

My heart beats faster when you hold me in your arms.

My heart beats faster when I look into your eyes.

My heart beats faster with the thought of you on my mind.

My heart beats faster and faster every time.



My heart beats faster when I'm longing for your touch.

My heart beats faster when I need you so much.

My heart beats faster with the power of your love.

My heart beats faster like you’re sent from above.



My heart beats faster when I see you smile.

My heart beats faster when I sit and think for a while.

My heart beats faster every time you speak.

My heart beats faster and I feel so weak.



My heart beats faster because I’m so in love.

My heart beats faster than the heart of a dove.

My heart beats faster when you walk into the room.

My heart beats faster boom boom boom.

"HEY HOW YOU DOING"

THERE IS A LOT OF SPECULATION GOING ON PRETAINING TO WHICH NEW YORK MLB TEAM IS GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE "BIG SHOW." ARE THEY SERIOUS OR IS THIS A PLOY TO RILE UP FANS INTO A DEBATE THAT WE KNOW ALL TOO WELL THE ENDING TO. THE METS BEING IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE HAVE A MUCH BETTER SHOT AT MAKING IT TI THE "BIG SHOW." HOWEVER, ODDS ARE THEY WILL CHOKE AND LOSE AGAIN. SINCE 1962 THEY'VE SIMPLY BEEN ANYTHING BUT REMARKABLE. LET'S REWIND TO A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHEN PEDRO AND INJURY-PRONE EL DUQUE GRACED THE ANYTHING LESS THAN AMAZING WITH THEIR PRESENCE. TYPICAL METS FANS PLACE ALL OF THEIR HOPES IN ONE PLAYER BECAUSE THEIR ENTIRE TEAM WITH THE EXCEPTION OF DAVID WRIGHT AND CARLOS BELTRAN, WHO IS BY THE WAY OVERRATED AND OVERPAID FOR HIS PERFORMANCE, ARE DI ASTERS. THEIR 1-9 NOT SOLID. THE YANKEES HAVE A SOLID 1-9, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE PLATOON BETWEEN GIAMBI AND DUNCAN. SO LET THE METS GET TO THE "BIG SHOW." IT WILL ONLY BE FOR THE REASON THAT THE NATIONAL LEAGUE IS SO WEAK. LET'S PUT THE METS UP AGAINST THE MARINERS, INDIANS, YANKEES, AND RED SOX AND SEE HOW THEY DO. MY PREDICATION IS THEY'D WET THE BED LIKE THEY'VE BEEN DOING SINCE 2000!!! LET'S HOPE JOHAN SANTANA LASTS THROUGH THE NINTH INNING TOO SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO BRING IN THE TERRIBLE BILLY WAGNER WHO CAN BARELY MAKE IT THROUGH ONE INNING. CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE PLAYING A WORLD SERIES GAME AT SHEA? WHAT MLB TEAM STILL HAS A MASCOT? THEIR FANS SHOULD WEAR THE DISGUISE GLASSES THE WAY BOBBY VALENTINE DID AFTER HE WAS EJECTED FROM THAT GAME A FEW YEARS BACK. NEW YORK IS A YANKEE TOWN AND IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!

"Controversial Question"

Are you Pro-Choice?

Every individual has the right and choice to decide how they want to live their life. Every action and decision made by an individual affects not only their life but others around them. One issue that has challenged the government’s authority for years is abortion. Webster’s dictionary defines the word abortion as a medical termination of a pregnancy before the fetus has developed enough to survive outside the uterus. The definition of the word abortion still today creates a conflict among many citizens whether they are Pro-Life or Pro-Choice.

For many years abortion was illegal in New York and several other states. Many people feel that abortion is taking a person’s life away. As a woman, I strongly support the decision of Pro-Choice. I believe that Pro-Choice does benefit many individuals when they are faced with difficult obstacles. One example that impacted my decision and is the main reason why I am Pro-choice is, when my mother’s friend Grace was pregnant with a baby who was deformed. Grace had two other healthy children who she was a wonderful, caring, and kind mother too. She loved her children just like many mothers and did and would do everything and anything for them. Unfortunately, when she found out she was pregnant for the third time the doctor told her that baby was deformed and would require several surgeries. Due to the baby’s health it would never be capable of living a normal life. Grace and her husband were faced with an enormous challenge if they decided to go along with the pregnancy. They decided as a family that they would not be able to afford the surgeries and the care the child would need. As a result, Grace had an abortion because she felt this was the best choice for everyone, including the most important person herself. She was given the opportunity to go through with the process of having an abortion because of the court case Roe v Wade.

The court case Roe v Wade had a significant impact in the history of abortion in America. In 1971 a Texas resident, Roe, tried to terminate her pregnancy by abortion but she was denied this opportunity due to Texas law which prohibited abortions except if the pregnant woman’s life was at risk. Roe’s attorney Sarah Weddington fought back against the Texas government by presenting the judge with the question; does the constitution embrace a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy by abortion? Once Weddington argued her point whether the constitution has the right to say whether or not a woman can have an abortion it made the jury question the right of privacy and Weddington turned the court case around in her favor. The conclusion of the court case was that a woman’s right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy which all citizens are protected by due to the Fourteen Amendments. This court case proved that abortion should be legal if there was a convincing reason and as a result of this court ruling the laws of forty six states were change.

I believe Pro-Choice allows people to be in control of their own lives. Many people often judge women who are Pro-Choice or had an abortion, but before a person passes judgment you must observe the situation that the woman is presented with. In addition, having an abortion is a decision that I feel you make once you are faced with certain circumstances.

"Women & Physics"

* While I was researching a topic for a Science project I came across a very interesting article about women in physics and the injustices they face around the world. At the bottom of my entry I have the link to the article feel free to comment !

“Physics: For women, the last frontier”

Throughout history there has existed a struggle to maintain equality amongst men and women. Unfortunately, this intense struggle of equality still vividly exists today within the field of physics. Physics is a nature science, which studies matter and its motion as well as space and time. In addition, physics deals with concepts such as force, energy, mass, and charge. Both men and women are drawn to physics and practice physics for the same reason, but the women physicists are still very rare.

No matter how many women start out in the field of physics, a common trend across countries is their attrition in going from undergraduate and graduate studies to permanent positions. Moreover, there is still not an abundance of women physicists even in countries with strong family support mechanisms, such as Scandinavian nations. Even in countries where there are more women in the field of physics, few are in leadership positions. In Europe and North America women go to the extreme and even apologize for studying physics. French delegates predict that even if women have perceived advantages in the field of physics it will backfire. Supporting this theory the German delegation stated that the number of German women physicists would be even less in research physics today if a small percentage of positions where not designated for women in the Max Planck Institutes.

After reading this article I was appalled to know that discrimination against women’s educational opportunities and job positions in the field of physics exist. I feel that if you have a true passion for a particular career your gender should not be a factor in achieving your success. By not giving women the opportunity to flourish in the field of physics, women physicists all around the world will not have the chance to attribute their knowledge of the subject.
http://proquest.umi.com.jerome.stjohns.edu:81/pqdweb?did=122556081&sid=1&Fmt=3&clientId=9216&RQT=309&VName=PQD

"Hands on Experience"

* Recently in my Child Psychology class I was assigned to complete 15 hours of Service Learning. I would like to share with you my experience because I felt by taking a hand's on approach and dealing with children; and not just reading about them the lessons I have learned in class where able to come alive.

When people say that the only way to learn about a topic is to actually go out there and do it, I would have to agree with this advice fully after my experience observing. I observed a five-year-old child named Andrew who was diagnosed with Persuasive Developmental Disorder, a form of autism. After bearing eyewitness to his daily behavioral patterns, I feel comfortable to say that I learned an enormous amount during this process. It was truly a learning experience that kept me interested and was able to broaden my understanding of children suffering from this disease.

Andrew is a delightful little boy who almost exudes this sense of innocence. His actions cannot be blamed whole-heartedly on himself because he suffers from a genetic disorder, which affect his speech and social interaction. Through my visits with Andrew, I was able to not only observe how a child with this disease approaches mundane task but also was able to gain a greater appreciation for the caretakers who work with these children. Every visit I was accompanied by Lauren, the res-hap worker, who taught me something new literally every time. I was able to learn how to deal with tantrums thrown by autistic children as well as certain ways to reinforce proper behavior. Lauren pointed out certain behavior that would normally go unnoticed to the untrained eye. She made me realize that we must not only look for the physical abnormalities but the social ones as well. An example of this was when Andrew was playing with his dinosaurs and the conversation he was making them have. The dinosaurs were reciting movie lines, which I would have never picked up on had the caretaker not told me. This was a sign of memorization, which dampened the social skills of Andrew and must be corrected.

Although I had only observed Andrew five times for three hours at a time, I was able to get a better understanding of how we need to deal with autism. The experience was unparalleled to anything that I would be able to get reading the textbook. I was able to learn new tactics to control and shape a child’s behavior patterns. I believe that in order to learn and fully understand something related to how a person acts, you must be able to monitor them first hand. Sometimes a visual allows us to understand and remember certain things better. A picture says a thousand words, and that is the way I felt while observing this child. There was always something different to watch out for and always a new challenge to overcome. It was almost as if the child knew what he were doing, but unable to control his feelings both emotionally and physically. At times he appeared to be in a daze oblivious to the outside world, with not a care at all. Then at other times he was over zealous and paying strict attention to every word out of your mouth. This behavior was very interesting to me. It showed how versatile this disease was and how many different things there were to watch out for.

Being around Andrew and watching him live his life on a very strict schedule allowed me to see the hard work it takes to raise a child with autism. His parents must put in a lot of effort and money just to support his well being. Andrew has an occupational, social and physical therapists, as well as attends a special school for autistic children. His parents make many sacrifices to raise their son in way that he needs to be. Andrew’s lifestyle causes his parents to adopt a new one themselves, that of which is essentially Andrew’s. They must remain on a strict regiment that allows their son to stay on track right along with them. They must be sure Andrew is on time with all of his endeavors or else he may become rowdy and regress in his behavior. His parents have an important job in raising Andrew but judging by the smile on their face when they look at him, they do not mind the hard work at all. They know they are giving their son a better life by living theirs the way the do.

Although we have not gone into depth about autism yet, I was still able to use the knowledge I had gained in class while observing. I learned in class that social interaction was major factor in determining if a child was autistic or not. By using this tactic, I was able to give a diagnosis of my own to Andrew while observing his behavior. Service learning was one of those experiences in life that make you a better person in so many different ways. I was able to cultivate a greater understanding for autism as well as an appreciation for caretakers and parents of child suffering. Service learning allowed me to not only learn a large amount but also realize that we take life for granted everyday. Being able to perform the so-called norms of society is often taken for granted. After seeing how this child must work just to not recite simple movie lines uncontrollable, I realized how grateful I am for being a mentally healthy person and not having to endure the hardships of this little boy. However this little boy, full of a certain goodness and pureness was able to teach me some things that a college textbook would never be able to, therefore I am thankful for having the opportunity to participate in such a program.