What is Human's Greatest Strength?

Humans have many strengths. Out of all the strengths humans possess, emotion is the strongest in my opinion. Emotion is common among everyone, and there are many kinds of emotion. However, each and one of them have great influence and impact on people around them.

               Happiness represents optimism. Happiness spreads like a disease infecting everyone with the happy mood. When there are group of people who are depressed because of (I don’t know what) some reason and a person who is trying to cheer everyone up with his or her own happiness and joy, everyone will lighten up sooner or later. Emotion is a powerful strength. It is very influential. Even one person’s  emotion can affect multitude of people. However, it can be the direct opposite. Even at a party where everyone is having a good time, one person’s mood(perhaps the star of the party) may affect everyone present in the party.

               Emotion is not only strong in real life but also in novels. There are three ways for an author to appeal to the audience to establish a persona. Logical appeal, logos, is one thing, and ethos, personal appeal is another. However, the most influential of all is pathos, emotional appeal. When the author brings up an anecdote, it not only allows the readers to comprehend the content better but also to think of a situation in that person’s shoe. By reading the anecdote, the readers can sympathize with the person. It is also a very effective strategy that can rivet the readers’ attention.

               Emotion is not only effective in stories but also in speeches. The purpose of the story is to convey the author’s message, and the purpose of the speech is to persuade the audience. Think of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech for a second. His speech is solely about civil rights movements of African Americans, and this maybe a boring, hackneyed topic. What makes his speech different from others is that he effectively uses pathos to make his speech interesting.  He also uses analogies of his own to add taste to his speech to wholly make the speech his own. He talks about the adversities African Americans had to go through for centuries in the land of freedom. America, the land of freedom, ironically was segregating their inhabitants.  

               Emotions are also apparent in movies. In movies, the movie makers create emotional situations where audience can sympathize with. If the story line is continuous(not abrupt like some movies) and the actors are good(playing their role as if they were actually them), then some audiences(if they are emotional enough) will cry along with the actor. If this is achieved, the movie is then known to be a very good movie. Some will have catharsis effect just because it brought up a situation that reminded people of the situation that they were in.

               Emotion can move people. Even though a person is determined to do something, when someone else cries and goes against their decision, the person may change their opinion or even consider about changing their opinion. This is because people care about people around them and no one would want to make other people sad or disappointed. Even without force, emotion can persuade and influence people greatly.

Big Schools or Small Schools?

               Choosing between big colleges and small colleges is one of the important choices you have to make before applying to colleges. There are advantages and disadvantages for both sizes. Small schools tend to have smaller school body and lower faculty to student ratio. This means that one professor does not have to deal with forty students in a class but about ten at a time.  When there are less people the professor has to be in charge of, the professor can spend more time with each student. Each student then can ask more questions and discuss for a longer time obtaining better understanding of the subjects being learned. This greatly helps the student prepare for graduate school and for places they have to work in. Also, it allows the students to get close to each other. Since there are fewer students in a class, they have more chance to get close to each other.  Also small schools are nice, because students can get to class at a faster rate. In a small school, buildings are clustered together unlike big schools. Because all the buildings are near, students can get from one class to another in few minutes.

              

Big schools usually provide more opportunities. Usually, they have more funding, and this allows them to set more programs for their students either for free for at a low price. In a big school, there are more varieties of club. There may be interesting clubs and useful clubs where students can get into, and this allows the students to interact with more people. Also, there are various courses offered to the students. After taking required courses, students may take courses that seem interesting to them as elective courses. Big schools are also nice, because it allows the students choose who they want to hang around with. In a small private school, students have to hang out with friends that they don’t even like. But in big schools, they have choice.

               I prefer big schools over small schools. Its diversity attracted me, but my desire to go to a place totally different from where I live, Saipan, heavily influenced my choice. I’ve been stuck in an isolated, undeveloped island for 8 years, and I really wanted to get away from this place. There is absolutely nothing to do here. All schools are small here, and the island itself is small. There are no places to hang around with, and there are not many people to interact with as much as the states.  Also, big schools have more and bigger libraries that have more variety of sources. Saipan is a very limited place. When I wanted to find a book about a topic I wanted to write about, I almost never succeeded. I had to order the book from a website or read an e-book.  Saipan was nice, because it is multi-cultural. This is why I prefer big schools. Big schools tend to have more diverse school body, and I love mixing in with people from different background. It allows me to understand the cultures of other countries and I think that it will widen my thinking and help me greatly in my life. I also like big schools, because they are usually located in or near cities. After living in Saipan for 8 years, I started abominating rural places. I want to live in urban cities as much as I can. I want to live in cities, away from places like Saipan.

               

My Children

               Children these days seem to be more spoiled than our generation or our parents’ generation. As the world advanced, the standard of living improved. Children in this generation enjoy the prosperity our parents’ generation has built and seem to do no hard work, or at least do the things that they can manage on their own. Parents these days do everything for their children. Even before the children ask them a favor, they will just do it for them. This spoils the children. When I was young, I was supposed to ask when I wanted something. My parents were strict, so they did not do everything for me even though I begged and pleaded with them. Now, I think this is totally different. When I went to Korea 3 years ago, I often went to nearby malls to go shopping. During the weekdays, the malls were little bit less crowded but still there were kids running around the mall. They were screaming and running around playing hide and go seek. When I went near the toy section, there kids lying on the floor crying for minutes begging their parents to buy them toys even when they had a lot in their homes already. There has never been a day where I could shop peacefully. Even in food court, there were kids complaining and whining that they did not want to eat. It was just a chaos.

When I have a child, I am going to first teach them basic manner. I think that behavior is what matters the most now, because there are so many kids who are disrespectful and disobedient. I’m going to teach them about filial piety and how they should respect elders. I’m also going to make them do things by themselves to grow independence. Of course I’m not going to force them to wash dishes when they are 1 but I’m going to make them learn how to do simple stuffs like organizing their shoes after coming back home. I think that childhood habits are really important. It is very hard and challenging to teach them how to have good manners, because they become rebellious and more forceful. I’m also going to teach them table manners.

I’m also going to teach them how to communicate with others. Some people do not know how to socialize because they are not used interacting with other people. So I’m going to take my child to my friend’s place often so she can be comfortable with socializing.

Studying wise I’m not going to force her to study like a dog, but I’m going to ask her to try her best. I was forced to study. I was sent to be tutored until late at night, and even when I wanted free time, I was forced by my parents and teachers to study. If I did not do well in school, my mom got mad at me. It seemed as if it was the most important thing to her. I do not want my kid to be under the same pressure I was in. I want to give my kid liberty as long as she did her work and my kid felt satisfied under the condition that he or she tried the best. I want my kid to be different from others. I want my kid to have his or her own opinion and be able to assert it. I want my kid to have confidence.

Should SIS Have Uniforms or Not?

Before, I used to wear uniforms to school. They were just nuisance. The school says that it promotes unity among the students, but this is a non-sense. It actually had nothing to do with the unity among the students. Those who wanted to unite continued to try and those who did not continued to not try regardless of their wearing of uniforms.

               Uniforms give no color to the school. It just represents the strictness of the school and does not give freedom to the students. I think that the students as a human should have the right to choose what to wear to school. This is a freedom of choice. Wearing the same dull uniforms every day to school limits the students from expressing their own style. I think that waking up every morning to look for clothes to wear to school is one of the things students should do daily. It’s kind of part of the daily routine. Without this choice, they would just have to wear the same clothes the day before. I also think that it is kind of sad to have three or even more clothes in one closet just to wear the same clothes day after day after day.

When I had to wear uniforms, I was not satisfied with it. I could not wear the clothes I bought and I did not like the design of the uniform. There can never be a design for the uniform that everyone in the school can agree on. There are going to be people who like the design, but there are going to be as many people who hate the design. I was one of the people who hated the design of the school’s uniform. Actually, there was hardly anyone in the school who like it. It was a blue and green plaid pattern overall and a white blouse with a blue striped collar. It was a knee length uniform and we had to wear socks that was up to our ankles. I asked if I could shorten the length because it was too long, but the principals said that he was never going to allow it. I hated the design, but it length was the one I hated the most. I was perhaps lucky, because I was one of the students who had the new design. Students who were enrolled in schools previously had the old style uniform which was just a white blouse with their school logo and a navy skirt longer than the new uniform. Promoting unity as the school promoted was nowhere to be found, and I realized that there was no use of uniforms. There was only one good thing that I could actually find about wearing uniforms. It reduced the amount of money that had to be spent on clothes. But as a shopaholic, I abhorred uniforms.

If SIS reinforces uniforms on students, there would be many people who would oppose it. SIS has no uniforms, so having uniforms would actually bring more disapprovals than other schools. Even when people work in companies, they are not forced to wear the same clothes unless they are a service related companies. I think that it is humans’ right to choose what to wear, and limiting this right is just a non-sense to me.

If I Could Bring Back One Person From the Dead

If I could bring back one person from the dead, I would bring Jesus back to life. I’m not a religious person. I am an atheist, but many of my friends are actually Christians who firmly believe in the existence of God. Many friends have tried to convince me that God truly did exist and that the Bible is based on a true story, not made up. I refused to believe it every time someone tried to persuade me to believe that He really existed. If I could bring him back to life, then I would be able to ask him if the Bible is actually true and that He is God as every Christian says.

               I am not sure of what to serve him, because the food he ate back then would be so much different from the food we eat now. Because it is almost impossible to find or even cook the food that he is accustomed to, I would just take him to McDonalds and buy him a Big Mac Meal with Oreo McFlurry. Oreo Mcflurry has been my all-time favorite in McDonalds, and I think that he would even enjoy it. Although Big Mac is not my favorite, in my opinion, it is the biggest burger in McDonalds. Because he has been dead for a while, I think that he would need to eat a big burger to restore his strength. I think that he would be satisfied with it, because almost everyone likes fast food these days. It wouldn’t be bad to try a new kind of food. I would also make him try coke. I absolutely hate coke, but it’s my friends’ favorite soda. I hate the fizziness, but I think that he would like it. Before he goes back, I want him to experience what the world is right now.

               Although there is only one ultimate question to ask, I would also have to ask for something that can be used as a proof. There are millions of people who assert that the Bible is true, so oral assertion would not be enough. Currently, it’s only a theory, so it must be substantiated with a proof that is actually tangible. Perhaps I can ask him if there were any written text that he and his disciples wrote that can prove it or any biblical site that can prove any event written in the Bible. Although it would not be able persuade people to believe that the theory is true or not, I think that it will actually bring a step closer to finding a solution.

               If the theory is proven to be false, I would ask him then how so many people firmly believe that the theory is true. Probably he would be able to answer this question, because he was the one the book was based on. If he cannot, then it would just prove for sure that the theory is really not true. Then I would ask if the evolution theory is true. He might not know, but who knows.

Should Computer Games Be Allowed?

               Computer game is said to have negative effects on the person. People say that it causes people to become more violent. Certain games do involve violence but it does mean that everyone who plays the game will just grab a gun and start shooting around their neighborhood. If the person has the right notion and common sense, the person would be insusceptible to the game.

               Computer games were first created by the companies for entertainment. Surely enough, it became popular throughout Korea. When others saw that games were good profit makers more people started producing new games. Variety of games attracted more people to play, and the game industry prospered.

Most teenagers have already played computer games before. Most of them first contact computer games through their friends and some through random internet search. Usually, teenagers will play about 3 to 5 hours on average, but in extreme cases, they will play up to 8 hours or even more a day. This is addiction. This is when computer games lose their true meaning, entertainment.

               The sole purpose of computer game was entertainment, but it is being changed because of people. Because of this, more people are going against computer games. As a person who enjoyed playing computer games, I cannot go against computer games. I began to play computer games when I was young. I started playing when I was a 1^st grader, and computer game was one of the only things I could enjoy. Even at a young age, I was being tutored for three hours after school, and computer game was one of the only ways to relieve my stress. Other than computer games, I only had the television which showed my favorite shows only at a certain time. So for the rest of the time, I devoted myself to computer games. Through computer games, I was able to forget about all I had to deal with at least for few hours. My parents were always away, and I had no one in my house until late at night when I was already in bed sleeping. I played three hours a day and I felt joy from playing it. I depended on computer games for entertainment, and it really served as a good tool for entertainment. Why try to prohibit one from playing it if one can feel joy from it?

               Most online games require strategies. They have quests that we have to clear, and they help us level up. Sometimes, these quests do not just involve killing monsters but using our brain. Although most of the quests are solo quests, some are party quests. Here, you have to learn how to cooperate to complete the quest within a given time. Raising a character also involves using our brain. Just leveling up does not do any good. One must do the stats to raise certain characteristics of the character to strengthen it, and it needs to be distributed properly according to the character one wants to grow. Computer games also require financial management skills. Currencies are also used in almost all computer games, and one must learn to use it wisely so one can use enough money to invest on the character as well as to not become bankrupt.  Because computer games share so many aspects with our society, I think that it will actually help a person to prepare for their social life.

Define Beauty

               Definition of beauty depends on what kind of beauty it is. Beauty may be referred to the inner beauty or the outer beauty. Outer beauty represents the attractiveness of a person. The person does not necessary have to look beautiful to be attractive. Their cuteness might be the source of their attraction. As long as people find the person attractive, I think they qualify for the word “beauty”.

               The thing about beauty is that it does not necessarily have to be intrinsic. Beauty is the word girls want themselves to be described as. Because not everyone is not born beautiful, some will try to change their outer appearance by makeup or even plastic surgery.  The amount of money women spend for beauty is tremendous. Every day, women put on makeup to hide their real look. They put on eyeliners and mascara to make their eyes look bigger and more attractive and put on lipstick or lip gloss. When they are not satisfied with how their face looks even with makeup, they perform plastic surgery on their face to make permanent change. It costs thousands of dollars, and some may say that it is waste of money. It really is kind of costly, but I think that it’s worth it if the person can be satisfied with their face. It’s the person putting their own money to change their face anyways. Some will try to change their looks even though they look beautiful just because they are not satisfied with it. Some are born attractive, but they are continuously discouraged by others. Some are the opposite. They are lauded by others for their beauty and this contaminates their inner beauty. I think that they beauty is the right word for a person who both has outer beauty and the inner beauty.

               Inner beauty is maintaining their true nature. As kids grow, they are affected greatly by their milieu. It may be their parents or their friends who influence them. It may have a positive effect on them or even a negative effect. Everyone is born nice. This is what I believe, and I think the hardest task the humans are given is to maintain the nature they were born with. This is a very difficult task although it might not seem like a very difficult one.  As kids grow, their mind will be continuously contaminated by others. If they are able to maintain their true nature, then they will be suitable for the word “inner beauty”.

               Some countries seem to provide the standards for beauty. Korea is one of them. Many celebrities on TV exemplify as a paragon. Koreans look upon them as idols and try to become like them. To look more like them, they will waste thousands of money to become like them. I think that this is where the word outer beauty does not fit. When everyone becomes the same, would it really mean beauty? If you actually go to Korea, you will see people with same hairstyle and fashion. Sometimes, if you go to certain places, you will realize that they all look alike. After losing their own characteristic look, I don’t think that they can ever qualify for the word beauty again.

If I Were Stranded on an Island?

If I were to be stranded on the island, I would take a tool that can filter water, machete, and a pack full of lighters. There are many more things that I would like to take, but since I am limited to three, I would take the three that I think are most important for surviving in an island.

               All human beings need water and food to survive. We can only survive up to seven days without food and up to three days without water. Island is a good source of water, but it is inedible. Island is surrounded by ocean, but I cannot drink salt water. I read an article somewhere that there were three people stranded in the middle of the ocean. Because they were directly under the light, they soon became thirsty. They all knew that they were not supposed to drink ocean water, but the thirstiness drove them crazy. Two people chose to drink water. The third person did not. After drinking ocean water, their condition instantly improved. They regained their energy and looked perfectly fine. The third person was almost persuaded to drink ocean water with them, because nothing significant had happened to them. However, in the end, the third person was the only one who survived. After two days of drinking, one person turned insane. The person started to crave more water and jumped into the water and drowned to death. The second person started to hallucinate. Driven insane, the person jumped into the water full of sharks and was soon consumed by hungry ferocious sharks. Common sense had saved the last person’s life. Also, we do not know if the island has a river or a stream that will provide fresh water. This is where I would use the tool that can filter water. I will just take a scoop of salt water and put it in the tool to get fresh water. With this tool, I would never have to worry about water supply.

               Machete would help me obtain food. Machete is different from small Swiss knives. Although the Swiss knives come in variety, they are too small to be used to cut hard things like plants with high fiber. With machete, I would be able to cut bushes that are in my way and gather wood for fire. Also, I would be able to get coconut leaves to make baskets and a bivouac. I can also use it when there are any wild animals like wild boar trying to attack me. When there are small animals around, I can also use it to hunt them for food.

               A pack of lighters will run out eventually, but it will provide me fire for a pretty long time. Without fire, people may not be able to survive very long.  I don’t know if the island is located near Antarctica or near the equator, so I think that it is necessary to bring the lighter. Also, when I catch animals with my machete, I cannot eat it raw. With the lighter, I would be able to eat it cooked.  It would be possible to eat it raw, but raw meats may contain bacteria, viruses, or other kinds of germs that may cause health problems. If I get infected with this, then I would not have any chance of surviving for a long time. If I have these three things, I think that I would be able to survive until I get rescued by someone else.

               

What Do I Want on My Tombstone?

               I have never thought of what I wanted on my tombstone. I always thought death was far away, and it was always out of my concern. I was too busy thinking about the present. The first thing I think of when the word tombstone comes up is RIP, rest in peace. Before, I thought that RIP was the only thing that was written on the tombstone. If I could have something else written on the tombstone, I would want something positive. No one would want anything negative on their tombstone.

               I would want “the person who left great legacy on the society” on my tombstone. Leaving legacy on the society is one of the things that I want to accomplish before I die. I don’t have any specific plans of how I am going to achieve this, but one thing for sure is that I am determined to achieve this. One thing that I am considering right now is earning a lot of money so I can use it for a good cause that will benefit everyone around the world. If I become a billionaire and have enough money, I will donate at least half of my money to facilities that are working to invent vaccines or treatments for HIV. Although there are many more untreatable diseases, HIV is the most rampant and the deadly one. HIV is not actually deadly, because it itself does not cause death but its side effects. Still, it causes death indirectly. Also, many people especially in Africa have suffered from HIV. Cancer was one of the diseases that seemed to be untreatable although it is not a sexually transmitted disease like HIV. However, through the efforts of many people, more patients with cancer are being cured. Cancer that seemed formidable to many people is now becoming less and less formidable. To make HIV less formidable like cancer, I would like to spend my money on facilities. If I could help to save many people, I would feel very grateful to spend money even if it means spending thousands or perhaps millions.

Also, if I have any money left over, I would like to spend my money to reduce the cost of medicines and surgeries. When I lived in Korea, I would go to the hospital whenever I felt sick. I was then treated, and it was not a problem for me. But living in America with its medication cost high up in the air, I never visited hospitals. I only went for checkups or vaccines if it was necessary. I was always worried about my health, and it was the same for my families. When we had problems that seemed serious, we thought of flying to Korea instead of getting treatments here. Flight ticket might seem expensive, but it is nothing compared to the cost of medication that foreigners have to pay in America. Getting x-ray once costs a hundred dollar bill, which means a lot to immigrants like us. It’s not only the foreigners who suffer from high cost. Even the natives here complained that the high price prevented them from going to hospitals. In Korea, going to the hospital was not a question. If you are sick, then you go. Although these would cost a lot of money, I would gladly spend my money on these cases.

Telephone vs. Television

               Telephone is a mean of communication while television is a form of entertainment. Telephone definitely helps people communicate faster and easier. However, it is television that has more influence on people. This is because people use telephone more than television. Although people use telephone more often than television, they use television for a longer period of time. When people have nothing to do, they unconsciously reach out for a TV remote control. Television has assimilated to our life. It’s just that we don’t seem to notice it, because it has been in our life for such a long period of time, sometimes for the whole life time for some.

               Television was first invented for entertainment. It came out in black and white and as it advanced, colors were added and resolution became better. The diversities of shows on TV also expanded. This allowed new industry to pop up, and this industry proved to be successful. Celebrities that appear on TV are idolized by people. People spend a large amount of money every year to download their favorite artist’s music, attend a concert, or watch movies. As time passes, we spend more time in the entertainment industry.

               Because celebrities are idolized in TV, some people have desires to become like them. Just because they are wearing some brand clothes, people will start buying them. This is not the only thing people modify from the TV. Advertisement that is shown between shows influence people to buy certain products. Most of the time people don’t notice how much this influences our choice, but advertisements greatly affect our lives. This is why many companies pay thousands of dollars to have their products advertised on TV. Advertisement is an effective way of making more profit, because almost every one, at least in America, watches TV very often.

               It’s not only the advertisements that influence us. News informs us daily of what is happening around the world. Sometimes, these news would be biased depending on what channel it is broadcasted in. Without news, people may not be aware of what is happening around the world and may not be able to voice out their opinion on certain subjects. News enables us to do this.

A problem with television is that it makes people accept what is on TV without being skeptical about it. News shapes our opinion of the economy. This shouldn’t be so. Many of the programs that we see today are actually biased and provide only little bit of the information. Some are even interpreted in a wrong way which causes misunderstandings. Because we have watched televisions ever since we were little, we tend to believe any information on television without doubting them.

When we are little, we did not have our own telephone. But we did have televisions where we could watch Dora and other programs. Through television, we were able to communicate with fake characters that we thought were real. They shaped our childhood and provided us with memories. This is what the television can do and the telephone cannot. Television not only provided us with entertainment but also memories to cherish. Even though televisions have many faults, I think that they affect our lives more than the telephone.