Violence STILL isn't the answer (SSR)

   Recently in Baltimore, violence has erupted. The streets are being taken over, stores are being broken into and vandalized, cars are being smashed; it's pure chaos. In an article written by the New York Times, they tell of the various occurrences of the violent protests and the differing opinions of all of it. Many people believe that violence is the only way to get things done and I STRONGLY disagree with that. Violence is only going to make the situation worse and give the other opponent a good reason to be violent back. That is like punching someone in the face and expecting them not to hit you back. More likely than not you're going to soon receive that punch in return. Two wrongs most definitely don't make a right but the police can't just sit here and let the violence occur.
   Martin Luther King made a great example of nonviolent protests and he accomplished equal rights for all races and even has his own holiday! Nothing productive will come out of smashing a bystander's car except that this type of stupidity will be put in jail and off of the streets. Violent protests to me have always only been a reason to hit something. It accomplishes nothing and even more than that, it defeats the whole purpose of protesting in the first place. There are not going to be any advances in society for the people breaking store windows and stealing things because they feel that they are being treated unfairly because of their race.
   What especially is off about the whole riot is that the rioters believe that they are mourning the death of Freddy Gray and avenging him by vandalizing and setting stores on fire. This in no way will create the positive outcome or advancement that they expect. People are abused every day in police custody maybe even to a ridiculous extent but the only time you hear of it is when it's a white officer and a black victim because they think that this specifically was based on racism. There have been cases where black police officers have injured white victims but have you ever heard of a riot because of this? And who I feel the worst for are the African Americans who have nothing to do with this and are receiving the consequences of the others' actions. If anyone is promoting the wall between the white population and the African Americans, its the protestors themselves.

But is it Really THAT Big of a Deal?

   Recently in the news, Ted Cruz, future presidential candidate, commented in an article written by CNN on a recently published article by The New York Times. The Times said that he was against gay marriage and mentioned that he only said he would accept if his daughters were gay because of the interests of the audience around him. In the CNN article, Cruz stands by his word of not being for gay marriage and denies the allegations of "shaping his views to suit the audience's." He says how it "speaks volumes" that The New York Times thinks that people with different views meeting up is "newsworthy" and that people are always going to have different opinions but he isn't going to change his to make others happy.

   I myself am not against gay marriage. I don't see the issue in two people who are in love wanting to be committed to each other for the rest of their lives, but I don't disrespect those with different opinions and I don't see why everyone has to make such a big deal out of little things. 

   All you see in the news anymore is that Bruce Jenner is changing genders, your favorite soap opera couple is getting a divorce, President Obama used a swear word. Everyone makes such a big deal out of little things that happen every day but since these people are "celebrities", they can't being anything but perfect without being written about. And the sad thing is, if they do tend to act good in public, they usually lose popularity because of it. It seems like to be noticed now a days, you have to be a so-called "sinner". Why is that?

   What we find interesting now a days is the drama that fills the lives of our most beloved celebrities or political figures, but what about them? I get that they know what they are walking into when they decide to become more famous than before but they don't deserve to be trashed every time they take a step outside their house. They just want to show their talent or practice the profession that they love and in return they get punished. To be heard you have to be noticed and to be noticed now a days you have to be interesting and you don't find those type of people too often anymore that are famous for the good that they do for the country.

    I admit to reading into these gossip articles but I wouldn't mind reading about those who save a family from a burning house or a soldier surprising his wife and new born baby when he comes home three months early.

   These news reporters feed into other people's falls and by us reading into what they are saying, it only encourages this behavior. I believe that we should read less about other people's botox mishaps and more into the stories that can actually make a difference in our lives.

I'm Going to be a Senior in a Month? (PB)

   The 2014-2015 school year is coming to an end at Lakeview High School and although saying goodbye to the seniors will be hard, I have never wanted a school year to be over so much in my life. This year has been full of stress, late nights of studying and typing, endless homework, impossible tests, and a few hundred thoughts of dropping out of school and going to work at Wal-Mart (not that there's anything wrong with Wal-mart. Ask me how many times I go there a week). We have buckled down and taken our ACT, we have redone our schedules for next year about 10 times, and it's finally real; we are going to be seniors in a month.
   There are so many views on being a senior and I'm not sure which one I'm leaning towards more. There's the "I cant wait to be a senior because I hate everyone and want to get out of here" view, and then there's the "I don't want to grow up and move away and be independent" view. I feel as though I'm somewhere in the middle
   I can't wait to be a senior because that is what I have been working my whole life for. All the bitter sweet years of school in the Lakeview School district have been leading up to this moment. You get seniority over basically everything and get to go home and take a nap during open lunch every day because let's be honest here, that sounds pretty good in the middle of the school day. You also start to get excited for your future, being independent, and being able to move on with your life. You can make new friends and learn something that could actually pertain to what you want to do for the rest of your life and take classes that you are actually interested in; however there are some downfalls.
   With becoming a senior, you begin to have your last everything. Last first day of school (in high school, not pertaining to college), last homecoming dance, last football game that you will ever cheer at, last track meet you get to run at, last everything. You also get the great amount of nervousness and anxiety with where to go to school and what to go to school for and if you will get in or not; not to mention all the scholarships and essays you are going to have to write. And then there's the fear of growing up and becoming independent; not being able to live off of your parents as much and the thought that you may not be able to live with them ever again.
   Being a senior evokes a lot of emotions and although my use of pathos in these paragraphs may have made you confused pertaining to your feelings, think about this; we are almost done with the preparation that will lead us through the rest of our lives and as one of my favorite movies, The Fault in our Stars, once said, we're on a "roller coaster that only goes up, my friend."

So Will We Ever be Really Satisfied? (CRR)

     In class, we read a story about nature and how we take it for granted, by Emerson I believe. Some can say that we don't and I agree with this in some aspects because there are times when I look outside and just think... wow, but then I go on with my day. I do have to agree that we don't appreciate the wonders that nature provides to us.
    Although spring has been technically around for a while, today was the first day that I could comfortably wear shorts to school and although we have been overwhelmed by rain, it's warming up. We appreciate it for the first few days, maybe weeks but then what? We say, "it's such a beautiful day out," and then keep going. After we get tired of  spring we look for summer. Then once we're tired of the heat we look for fall. The changing leaves coloring the world red, yellow, orange and then onto winter. How beautiful it is when the snow falls perfectly onto the ground and how it glitters when the sun shines on fresh fallen snow. Will we ever be really satisfied?
    I'm not going to go to the extent that Emerson alluded to in the aspects of dropping everything and basically becoming a hippie but I do think that we should sit back sometimes and just let nature take us over. Appreciate the trees, give thanks to the flowers, acknowledge the shrubbery because at the end of the day, it's more than just an accessory of nature. The trees provide us with the air we breathe, the sun provides us with the vitamins and light we need, water provides us with the nourishment that keeps us around just a little longer.
    At the end of the day we are not the only ones who inhabit this earth, so why do we act like it? We don't appreciate the amazing nature that surrounds us and we always look for what is next and I guess what I'm trying to say is that we just need to take an extra 5 minutes out of our bust schedules every once in a while to just appreciate how much we do actually have.

This is my FREEBIE!

I know I sound kind of lazy doing my freebie as my first blog for the nine weeks but I've been busy and will make up for it the rest of the 9 weeks! You're the sweetest!! (: