EDHS Contemporary World Affairs

MrsCavalluzzi · Guru

THIS YOU BELIEVE- A FINAL EXAM ASSIGNMENT

bailliecarberry · Veteran Member

To me, life is a story that builds you into the person that you were meant to be. I believe that in every situation that is given to us, you have the chance to make mistakes, make memories, make an opinion, make a stand, and the list goes on. In my everyday life, I wake up grateful that I am alive and thank God everyday for blessing me with the things that I have. My life is based off of my religion, Christianity. Ever since first to eighth grade, I have been raised in a private school, Friends Christian School, which was were I have been strongly grounded into my beliefs of how to live my life. My teachers taught me to be respectful, loving, strong, caring, forgiving, and nonjudgmental in all things. It has helped me in the long run because now to this day, I don't care whether one is different than me because of their race, ethnicity, sexuality, faith, etc. No matter what, I will accept everyone for who they are just like God accepts me. We are only on this earth to make lives better for others. Back when I was in fifth grade, I started to go through a hard trial in life of a classmate who was diagnosed with cancer. Many of my students grew together in faith. Sadly, she did not make it, however, this taught all of us as a family of
God to learn that life shouldn't be taken for granted. After this all had happened, I realized that you never know when the last time you will have with someone is. So everyday I base my life off of the kind of attitude to always be kind and compassionate to everyone, because you never know what might happen to them the next minute of their life. Also, I think that people should be thankful for what they have. Since I live in the United States, I have a lot of freedom, while other places in the world do not. My opinion of people who are blessed with great lives should go help others in the world who need help with theirs. There are places where people don't have homes and that always saddens me because all we have to do is get together and set up a plan to help improve the way they live. In this generation, it seems to me that our population is selfish. I was raised to put God first, then others, than myself. If more people lived like that the world would probably be a better place. I know that no one is perfect and our world has much evil and war in it, but I believe that if just one person stands up to make a difference, that could set a domino effect to change views. Overall, life is a gift from God and we should live our lives by reaching out our love for others and trying to make the world a better place for everyone.

mckenzieavon26 · Veteran Member

Something Ive always believed is If you think positive then positive things will happen to you. If you think negative then negative things will happen to you. Ever since my mom told me this I have always tried to think this way. My mom has always convinced me that this saying is true and will always go your way as long as you believe in it. When things get complicated the first thing that comes to my mind is all the bad things that can come out of the complication. After freaking out for a couple minutes about the bad things, I calm down and think about all the positives that can come out of it. The positive things that I thought about are usually what actually happen. For my senior project speech I was super nervous about having to speak in front of people. I told myself continuously that I was going to be fine and make the time I needed. I did eventually calm down and my time was perfect. Thinking this way helped me overcome my fear of public speaking and be able to pass. Having a positive outlook on life makes my personal life so much better. If I believe that all the bad things in the world, such as poverty, hunger, or racism, can get better then they can get better. I just need to share my positivity with other people can get it to spread everywhere. We need more positivity in the world now more than ever. Too many people think negatively about their own life or other peoples lives. Thats why we have a lot of disasters in our world. I believe that if everyone lived by this saying, our world would be wonderful and everyone would be happy. I know that it is easier to look at all the negatives in life because thats what we are most used to but if you try hard enough you can push yourself to achieve all the positive goals that you set for yourself. Nothing is impossible as long as you have the right outlook on life. So remember to always think positive things and positive things will come your way.

Christopher Wung · Veteran Member

Be kind and compassionate to one another forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
These words from Ephesians 4:32, are the basis of what I believe and how I feel people ought to live. People ought to help one another and to be forgiving of their mistakes. I feel like the world is in the state that it is in because there is a lack of kindness and no drive to love and forgive others. I believe that the solution to many of the problems in the world is kindness, benevolence, and care. Christianity is not the only religion to teach these principles. In fact, love is found in a majority of the popular religions in the world. Caring for others seems to be a popular world belief, but I feel that there is a lack of motivation for people to actually commit to this belief and put it into action. In this world, people live without trust, with fear, and through selfishness. All this can be solved simply by making a change and forgiving others of their wrongdoing and finding room to love others.
Personally, I do struggle at times with being kind to others. It feels so much easier to be nice to those that treat me nicely and not to those who treat me unfairly. However, I believe that patience is the key to finding the ability to love even the people who hurt me most. There are some people I have met that from the moment I have met them have been unusually cruel of unkind to me. While I have found their actions to be annoying, I have found the patience to forgive them. Additionally, I have found that kindness really helps me in my life. Kindness helps me remove by bitter and negative emotions and to plant nicer and more pleasant ideas inside my head. Negative emotions and thoughts usually result in dangerous and consequential actions but pleasant emotions never lead to regretful decisions.
I believe that kindness is the answer to pain and suffering. I have seen compassion and forgiveness work out in my life to make my life better. Through kindness, the world truly can be a better place.

mamato · Veteran Member

It was the night of Prom. My friends are I donned our dresses, applied our lipstick, did up our hair, and met for photos. As we stood watching another group of kids taking photos, a mother asked my father Which daughter is yours? a question my father curtly replied to with The non-Mexican one. Being the only non-Hispanic in my close-knit group of friends, I had received this curtness and shock before when its realized that I am not of Hispanic descent; but it was my fathers willingness to profile myself and my friends based solely upon race that proved to me the deeply engrained racism of this nation has not been eradicated.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Written in 1776, these hallowed words have been my personal guidelines to how I view and live in this world. I am no different from my friends. We are all female, all between the ages of 17-18, all seniors in high school, all have crushes, all enjoy hanging out, all like the same music; the only differentiating factor is our race. I am of Italian, Irish, and German descent, they are all of Hispanic descent; this being said they all hail from different portions of Mexico, and therefore even they are not the same-racially that is. Our Founding Fathers 239 years ago wanted to make it clear that all men (and women as of 1919) are equal under the law, and should be treated as such. However, this hope and promise has not been upheld; and from this lack of equal recognition has stemmed generations of both de jure and de facto segregation that has torn at the seams of this great nation. Slavery, Jim Crowe, Zoot Suit, Civil Rights, Freedom Rides, Chicano, Ferguson, Baltimore; names and terms we hear as our stream of consciousness wans in and out during history class do not appear to be impactful to our nations boastful history of militaristic and economic superiority. On the contrary, these terms and names are what makes this country. Not the red, white, and blue t-shirts from Old Navy, or a Ford Pick-up truck; but follies and triumphs over racism. Oppressed for generations, African Americans finally stood up, and continue to stand, against the injustices incurred upon them-just as their God given right prescribed they could. Likewise, after land was taken and culture was assimilated, Hispanics took, and continue to do so, a stand-just as their God given right has prescribed as well. Americans will gladly drink a cold brew and sing a Toby Keith song in the name of America, yet many will not stand by these hallowed words which laid the foundation for the greatest nation on earth. As racism continues to run rampant from sea to shining sea, we as a nation continue to fail our Founding Fathers and tear apart this country, seam by seam.

I was born in the beautiful state of California, so were my friends. I was born to American citizens, so were my friends. I was endowed by my Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, and so were my friends.

alex_aranda · Veteran Member

I really do not know what I believe, well its not really that I dont know what I believe, and I just do not know how to express it on paper, let me try I believe in god, I believe in hell, I believe in miracles, there is much more than just that, again I really do not know how to describe it, but Ill do my best. I believe that we should live in a perfect world, a world filled with love and kindness, a world where you can go out and have a conversation with a person that holds the complete opposite beliefs, and end it without having someones fist against the other persons face. We should live in a world without corruption, without lies and scams, a place where you dont have to worry about people abusing their power, or using it to take advantage of other people. We should live in a world where everyone can go to bed full and content. We should live in a world where we dont have to worry about our children being hungry at school. We should live in a world where you dont have to live paycheck to paycheck. We should live in a world where you dont have to worry about what you eat or what your weight is, because no one would care. We should live in a world where you cant be pushed aside because of your race, gender, or beliefs. We should live in a world where everyone is treated equally. We should live in a world where anyone can stand up and protest for what they believe. I believe we should live in a perfect world, but we dont. Thats what I believe.

nicholas b · Veteran Member

this i believe:

Of the many rules and values i try to live by. one is very difficult but very valuable is "even though you are not a gentleman i will treat you as such". i struggle with this every day weather it be my father my mother or my sister. i know for a fact i may be extremely difficult at times but it doesn't matter because i know that if i keep true to my value i will always end up in a good place. i try to be fair and treat everyone equally however i am human. i do get very involved with the disorders with my immediate family but i know that if i try to keep to my values. i be leave that i will get more and more skilled at using skills like this one to overcome adversity in my life weather it be with family or with strangers. i am an athlete and competition comes along with the competition but once again i try to incorporate my values into this aspect of my life. to truly understand my values i will leave this poem by rigard kipling to explain my morality. "If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, dont deal in lies,Or being hated, dont give way to hating, And yet dont look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dreamand not make dreams your master; If you can thinkand not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth youve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: Hold on!If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kingsnor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much;If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything thats in it, Andwhich is moreyoull be a Man, my son!

briannaperez · Veteran Member

This I Believe is to always go that extra mile

I believe that no one should ever give up on something they truly adore or enjoy doing. You have not truly failed until you give up. Giving up is the only true sign of failure. There are often times when people have the ability and the drive to succeed , but they see giving up as the easy way out. I believe that when you are at the point of wanting to give up on something, taking a step back and thinking about why you started doing this in the first place can always get you back on track. When giving up you do not get anything out of it besides the feeling of failure , whereas, when you push yourself and persevere the feeling of accomplishment and success is a much greater feeling. I have been raised with giving up never being an option. Those with the tenacity to work hard and achieve the greater things in life with always be more happy, responsible and better off than those who see giving up as an option and always trying to take the shorter and most simple routes in accomplishing tasks. Giving up on something that once gave you a reason to start shows lack of motivation and confidence. When completing a task or trying to reach a goal, whether it be a short term goal or a long term goal, you must be all in and in it to win it. Because, there will always be obstacles the come up at the most unexpected moments for random reasons and someone with motivation will overcome those obstacles and be prepared for whatever it is that might come next, on the other hand, someone who lacks motivation and self confidence will see that obstacles as the perfect time to put an end to the mission. Your mistakes are not what define you, it is what you do after those mistakes that shows one what kind of person you are.

KayleenBretz · Veteran Member

I believe I am a athlete and I am good at my sport of swim. I love swimming even if it is sometimes stressful. Swim has been in my life for 11 years now and I have had great success and great losses. I am the type of person that once I am in something I stick with it for the long run. I care for what I do and I would like to coach swim and teach people how to swim to stop from drowning. Other than swim I feel like I am a caring person I care for other people and will listen to what is going on in their lives. I am shy when it comes to public speaking and I can't look people in awkward situations. I am the type of person I think who is hard on the outside and nice on the inside. I care about what people think about me and what I do. My life's motto is everything happens for a reason and "What is a gold medal a trinket a bauble what matters in life is the true friends you make." I believe in these quotes because they are very true cause everything does happen for a reason and it is things that are hard to deal with and things that nice and bring you joy. With the second quote I believe that if i ever did make it to the Olympics a medal would just be a trinket it would be the people that got you there to that point that mattered. All the people that asked how i did in a race and caring about how i did and and shouting for me those are the people that matter and need to be around you in your life. You need to have people in your life that care about you and will help you with with anything going on. I think for myself I need those people so I know who i can come to in a time of need. I am very grateful for my life and friends and family I have. I believe that you need to care about people first before they care about you you need to do things for people first before they do anything for you. You never know what the future holds for you and that is for you to decide not for anyone else.

[what] · Veteran Member

Ten time NCAA winning UCLA head coach John Wooden once said, Never mistake activity for achievement. This quote constantly pushes me to go out and do things in life and set my level of standard higher and higher everyday. Not only does this drive me to go to exponential lengths to accomplish tasks but helps me realize that just because I am preoccupied or say that I am busy, it does not necessarily mean that I am getting anything done. Because I constantly strive to finish and achieve the end goals, I can confidently title myself as someone who does things, a do-er if you will.

That pull of the string, the tension in my arms, my hands, fingers, neck and arms are all real. One down. In archery, consistency and repetition is key. I have to bring up my hand up to my chin in the same spot every time along with the grip of the bow, the pressure in my fingers, the tension in my feet, and finally the release. Everything has to be exactly the same every time or the likelihood of that arrow missing skyrockets. But what does have to do with who or what I am? At the end of a competition, I will have pulled over a cumulative total of just over three tons, all with three fingers. Fatigue sets in quickly and the desire to quit overwhelms me faster and stronger than that of a tsunami. Nevertheless; I must go on, arrow after arrow. But it doesnt end after the first ton. Two more tons to go. Everything I do up until that final arrow is merely an activity to me. As I release my last arrow, only then will I know that I have truly achieved something. If I dont release that last arrow, I consider my entire day of shooting as illegitimate.

Although that this is something I greatly struggle with everyday life, I always remind myself that I must rise above and stand out from everyone else because in the end, it is myself versus eight billion other people.

justintran711 · Veteran Member

This I believe

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

This quote is from the New Testament in the Bible. I try my best to live a life like Jesus, a life that puts others before myself. Although, I dont meet up to Jesus and I make mistakes on the way, I still strive to live like he did. When I hear this quote, I think about the rough times in my life and how I overcame it. The quote says the light shines in the darkness, I believe that even if everything seems dark and vague, theres always a light at the end of the tunnel. This really helped me push through my high school career, and now that Im graduating soon. I hope that this can inspire others too. I believe in helping others because thats how you find true happiness. Always thinking and doing things for your own good makes you feel empty. The bible says Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13. Going on mission trips with my church has taught me that the best thing you can do for yourself is to do things for others. And that is my belief, helping others.

SouthPark · Veteran Member

I believe that a person becomes an honorable successful human being by having a positive outlook on life, helping others setting differences aside, and staying true to certain rules you set yourself.

You must remember that everyone lives a different life and has different life experiences, so treat everyone with the greatest respect and kindness. And the smallest actions make the biggest difference and together, it creates a domino effect. I believe people mostly grow from their experiences- mostly childhood. So people have to be honorable role models- doing what is best, not for the money or fame, but the image they can demonstrate to others. And people will learn and together, the negativity will die out. Of course there has to be bad so that there could be good, but it is important to not focus on the bad so much that it outweighs the good.

I believe that life is about finding a balance. There are no extremes. Life is about reflecting upon your life and doing what you believe is right. For example, you dont talk to strangers yet communication is key. Everyone has to personally reflect and set a balance for what they believe is right.

It is a beautiful thing that we all have differences, we work together as a community and make the world better. If everyone respected peoples difference and value what makes them so unique, the world could be a home to everyone.

A person isnt considered successful based on their test scores, GPA, and or money. A person can only be successful based on a moral character they create themselves.

I set people's need before my own. Friends, family, and strangers. I honestly believe that all the small acts of kindness add up. Holding the door open, compliments, and just smiles are the most simple acts that can leave a stranger smiling for days to new people. Everyone has an impact to this world and positivity is the most beautiful shade people could paint the world with.

If people could start with themselves and build themselves to be an honest honorable character, the world would be a better place. Imaginary characters from books and movies teach people life lessons they subconsciously follow and I want to be a part of that positive influence- helping the world. With my art I can teach others and help blossom more impressive characters that find their balance and sped the positivity.

I am a crazy artist who enjoys music from the 40s-60s. I am the biggest South Park fan. I dont care what people think of me and I do what makes me happy. I love how making other people happy makes me the happiest person. And I chose to live my life with a huge smile everyday. I have a strict belief to my personal balances and rules that make me a better person.

tstarkweather · Veteran Member

If I was to have one belief and principle in life it would be: Love others, so they can love you

I believe that everyone must love each other and through our love for each other we can overcome some of the worlds worst problems. I have gained this belief from my own personal life and through the way I have grown up. I have been raised into a mixed family with five children. I was born with a father who was an alcoholic and didnt realize what this kind of an addiction would do for his family. I have seen my parents fight over things that are so unnecessary to fight about. I have seen those who love each other, separate over reasons that shouldnt have taken them apart.

Growing up I didnt realize that my father's decisions would later impact my life so much. I loved him and through this love I shielded myself from realizing the truth. The problem was he didnt love me. If my father truly loved me he wouldnt have done the things he did to my family. He would have quit drinking because the love that he would have for my family would have surpassed the want to drink. I believe that if he had love in his heart for more than just alcohol that he would have made a different decision than the one he choose.

Love will surpass boundaries that we may never understand. I believe through love the world will become a better place. How do you hurt, rap, torture, punish, harass someone that you love? If we all choose to love each other, even love through our hatred, I think we would all be better for it. I think problems like domestic violence, sexual assault, cyber bullying would all fade away with time. Love is powerful enough to fix issues like this. The problem is is that love is so powerful that we dont understand it.

I define myself and others not by how they look, what they do with their lives, or even by the actions that they used to do. I define people by how much they love other and themselves. The greatest people that I have met in my life have been people that were so caring and loving for themselves and others that you never wanted to leave them. If we had a world filled with people just like this imagine the things we would do and the people we would change.

Learn to love and love to learn! Love is powerful beyond belief and you have the ability to share that power.

victoriaroseap · Veteran Member

This I believe

I believe I'm an observer . If I have one philosophy in this life it is to enjoy our short time here on earth.

I know for certain is that nothings ever promised tomorrow. When I was about 5 year old I have a specific memory I remember vividly. I was with my other 3 brother sisters eating dinner at the table. My dad was in the living room on the couch, connected to our kitchen. Suddenly paramedics busted through our doors and crowded around my dad. Before I could catch a glimpse me and my siblings were carried to another room and were told to stay there. I had no idea what they were doing to my dad or what was happening I wasn't sad just confused. We look out the window and our house is surrounded by the bright lights from the firetrucks and ambulances. My siblings who were only a few years only at the time did not ease my mind as they shared their suspicion that maybe he was going to die I woke up that next morning and I was told my dad was okay but in the hospital. I knew my dad had a history of bad health. We should cherish the moments we have with each other because we never know when it could be the last time we see we another.

I know you can overcome everything. My dad has been physically handicapped since before my oldest sister born and everyone would simply tell me it was because of an accident a long time ago. It was not til I was about 9 I found out about the severity of that accident. I must have been searching through our desk in my parents room in search of a pencil when i found a book that I assumed was a photo album of baby photos of me and my siblings. Being the snoop that I am, I looked through the photos and discovered something so ugly to discover. They were photos taken at the hospital from my dads accident where he was electrocuted and fell from 1.5 stories while working on some house at his old job in construction. They were really hard to look at. My dad had burns on his skin and there was a lot of blood and a hole in his head. I will not describe it anymore for your sake and mine. My dad then explained his accident to me and how he was in the hospital for months and how he was unable to see and how lonely it was. Today he walks with a cane and has a lovely family of 4 daughters and a son and a beautiful wife and is happy as can be to be alive.

I believe we should all love each other like brother and sister. I have a coworker whose name is Ali. I have never met anyone full with so much compassion and love and forgiveness. He came here from Persia and has traveled all over. It is difficult to put into words and explain how this man acts with so much kindness. He barely knew me and he would call me his sister and names like "jan" and "aziizam" which translates to dear. I didn't know what it meant for the longest time.

I challenge each other, to cherish the moments we have together. Not hold on to anger and grudges and focus on problems. As people we can adapt and overcome everything. It is a short life we have here we need to look out for each other and love each other. We are what make out of this life. Love it all because tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Tate The Great · Veteran Member

I believe that everyone should follow their own individual goals in life. Everyone is born into different families who have different expectations for them. I think that setting these irrational expectations for students has an extremely negative influence on their personal goals and passions. If someone is born into a family of doctors, and you are expected to follow in their footsteps, it leaves you with two options, put in the time and effort to become a doctor as well, or to follow your passion, and abandon your families expectations. In high school, I notice that many people are following trends and are just doing what they're told. I think that while in high school, you need to decide what you're interested in, so you know what you're going to do after your graduate. Entering college with no knowledge of what you want to do in life is a bad idea. High schools offer a variety of classes for students to choose from, but this is where there needs to be more thought. Many students today take classes that their parents tell them to take, or classes that they're expected to take at a certain grade level. I had an experience in this situation where my brother took all advanced and AP classes in high school, so when I came to high school, my parents expected the same from me. My parent's quickly noticed that i wasn't ready for the same classes my brother took. After countless discussions with my parent's, we finally decided that I can take whatever classes I want in school. I think that the students should always have the final word in what classes they take, because school is what sets up your future and how you're going to live your life. I think that the world would be a much better place if people were allowed to make decisions for themselves, with only their passions in mind.

JCorbin · Veteran Member

I believe I am a giver that also receives. I say this because I always get something in return. I am not the ultimate giver until I give without receiving. I believe the world would be a much better place if we were all ultimate givers. I believe that the world needs to focus more on the good than the bad, because the good should be recognized. I believe the media should balance the good news with the bad, so that our world does not always constantly look like a terrible place. I believe that even though this world has a lot of terrible events occurring in it, this is still a great world that has been made into perfection. I believe that the good in this world outweighs the bad, but we never realize it. I believe that if we look behind all the war and feuding between our countries, we will figure out that there are great things happening. I believe that all the givers in the world make a difference, but they are nothing without people to receive them. I say that I am a giver and that givers help change the world, but the world also needs receivers. The givers need to give for the right reason, as well as the receivers need to receive for the right reasons. The ultimate giver needs to be meet with the ultimate receiver. An ultimate receiver in my eyes is someone who dearly needs the help and is appreciative for it. If the world is full of ultimate givers and receivers, there will be a step taken in the right direction for our society. The final step would be to recognize all the good in this world. The media needs to be less negative and needs to show all the positive things that occur. For there to be a change, you have to see a change. This is why media has such a huge impact on how people view the world. The media has the power to show all the ultimate givers and receivers in this world and make that behavior known to others. I believe that this is the secret to a better society and for people to live better lives.

mollywoodward · Veteran Member

I believe that I am a person. I also believe that there are too many categories of characteristics and persons for me to be just one of them. There are many various aspects of my life that have made me who I am. Decisions that my parents and their parents and so on and so forth have made drastically influenced my being. I was raised well with a purpose to be a good and unique person by my loving parents and shaped by good friends and relatives. As a result, I have strong core beliefs that do not and will never falter. I believe in maintaining purity, virtue, and overall morals regardless that majority of the world I live in does not agree with me and in fact is opposed to my lifestyle. I have had more than my share of adversity and personal struggle, but I am thankful for it. Without all my problems, I wouldn't have an interesting life story. I'd prefer a life of conflict and plot twists instead of a boring and uneventful one. I own everything that I have ever done and everything that has ever been done to me because they are MINE. Every decision has lead me into the person I am and the situation I'm in and I wouldn't exchange that for anything. All my mistakes are not regrets because I have learned and grown from each of them. I believe that I am a relatively kind person with good intentions most of the time. I also believe that just like every other being on this planet, I am flawed and imperfect. Regardless of these flaws, I still hold it to be true that people should be good to each other. There are so many awful things that happen in this world and I think that it is the personal responsibility of each inhabitant to improve it even if just slightly. I believe that every single person has the potential for greatness and is born with unfathomable personal value that is beyond comprehension of the human mind. I believe these things because I'm religious and the values I hold dear revolve around that fact. All of my choices are influenced by that specific aspect of my life as well as how I was raised. However, I am not closed-minded to opposing beliefs and I believe that there is a lack of global acceptance that should be radically altered. People should live well, with freedom and happiness that doesn't threaten anyone. Life is meant to be good. Even if there seems to be no goodness in life, if you search for it hard enough it can always be found. I believe that I am a person in a world with other persons and that I have a good life ahead of me.

christina melendez · Veteran Member

I believe that everything happens for a reason. I think that God will never give you anything you can't handle. I also believe that everything God does to you will benefit you in the long run. Although, you may suck now it happened for a reason which may benefit you in the future. When I was in 8th grade I tore my ACL. I was at practice and when working out when I fell and tore my ACL. This restricted med from playing softball for about 8 months. Basically my whole 8th grade year I was recoving. Not playing for this amount of time really messes with your game. It brings your timing off and all your skills. This is also a crucial time because you are entering highschool. Also this is when college scouts begin recruiting. So once I found out that I would be put for this long I was devistated. In order recover I had to do several months of physical therapy. This was also tough because I wanted to get back on the field. I was not able to be recruited all summer or come to any of the highschool softball camps. Once I was able to play again I knew I had to work hard if I wanted to succeed. That is exactly what I did. I stayed after practices to get work in and I practiced at home. I knew it was going to take alot of hard work to get my eyesight and coordination back. It was finally here, high school softball try outs. I has missed the summer camp so I had no idea what to expect and had a disadvantage because the coaches had not seen me play already. But I came out and made the team. I was the only Freshman to make varsity and one of the two underclassmen on varsity. This showed me that if you work hard you can accomplish anything. Even though I made the team I was still bummed that I had been out for 8 months. I knew if I hadn't been out my level of skill would have been much higher. I was then recruited that summer and recieved my first scholarship the beginning of my sophomore year to Colorado State University. I was a little bummed because I knew if I hadn't been out so long I could have receieved one from a bigger school. I wanted to go to on of the top schools that makes it to the Women's College World Series each year. My next summer I recieved many different scholarships from different schools. That's when I decided to go to St. John's University where I am so happy I am going. It all ended up working out. One of my friends that I've known since i was 8 goes there and another one of my good friends is going there with me next year. Also my cousin just got engaged and her husband lives out there so she is always there. Everything happens for a reason. (:

Megan · Veteran Member

This I believe

I believe I am a thinker.

I have never truly enjoyed going to big parties and dances with large groups of people. I don't always know what to say and I feel like I'm being pushed to the sidelines. Whenever I have mention this to my mom as a reason why I don't want to go to a family party, she always responds by telling me that I'm being silly and that I'm always social in these situations. The truth is that I think too much. It takes me too long to decide how I want to respond to anything other than simple conversation. Often times by the time I come up with a passable response the topic of conversation has moved on. I second guess everything I want to say, I deconstruct sentences word by word until I'm absolutely sure that I'm about to say exactly what I mean in a suitable way. I can revise one response in my head hundreds of times before I decide what to say. Whenever I'm asked a question a thousand thoughts go through my head at once. "Do I want to say what I really think? Do I want to tell them what they want to hear? Can I correctly explain how I feel about this without getting flustered? Do I know how to explain this in a way they can understand? Probably not. Let's just say it was fun, take the easy way out. No one wants to talk to someone who responds in single words, right? But I'm bored and I don't want to not talk to them. Why didn't I bring my book?" It's easier for me to be in my head than to actually have a conversation. That way there's no way to make a fool of my self.

This I believe, I may be a thinker because I'm afraid.

katieannokeefe · Veteran Member

This I believe is, dont worry about they are doing.
I believe I am the outside observer
From only living a short seventeen years and about (hopefully) another eighty I feel I have barely lived enough to give philosophy advice about living. The longest and alternating part of my life has seemed to be high school. High school seemed to be the place where everyone comes out of their shell and discovers who they are, what they want to be, and what they will ultimately will result to. From my perspective of three turbulent years here I have observed the many classmates, acquaintances, and friends at school I have viewed how people act, study, and socialize. I have my concerns of others but past my second year of schooling I felt as if I had finally woken up. My first two years I did academically well and stayed with my morals, but there was something I was doing wrong which was I was only concerned on others. As junior year arrived and a couple months set in I suddenly realized how the majority of everyone, (not everyone entirely) but everyone at school only had one concern, what was going on in whoevers life and they wanted to be them. Yes I saw students worry about their work but after class time was over the only thing on their mind was pulling out a cell phone and checking social media to check the latest gossip. As time went on I never thought in to depth of what my friends and classmates conversations truly consisted of, which was talking about each other and focused on other peoples lives and not their own. It seems to be an advancing cycle of social media and gossip taking over peoples (teenager) lives. It seems to be that is only on the brain of people, have to post pictures, statuses, and view what is going on around them. But is it true they are really knowing what is going on around them, in my opinion no. Every day so far of my junior year I observe this and it does upset me that people are so focused on each others appearance and social status. In my belief this doesnt benefit anyones life, I truly believe it is a waste time and it is quite annoying to engage in conversation with people who just want to talk about other people. This generation of young adults seem to be so concerned with their phones and social life that they are not concerning what real life should be concerned with. If students just put their phone down they could learn about the outside world around them excel in what they love or have a talent for, and to just be themselves and not so caught up with the latest news on whoever. Yes I think its okay to know what is going on with your friends and family but dont be entirely consumed of it. But as my life goes on I dont think enough people observe the same way I do but I hope to make friends that feel the same way. Continuing on worrying with someone elses life is no benefit to your own because you are not them and while you were looking at them you are wasting your own precious time that could have been used to do something great. People who have become great things were not on their phone and caught up in the latest news, they were out making great things. I will continue to observe from the outside and watch the majority of people all run after each other but I hope it will not continue.

Kevboy IV · Veteran Member

One belief of mine that I've learned throughout my years of high school is that everyone needs to be passionate about something they can take pride in. Whether its a sport, good grades, work ethic, or even another person. I've learned through experience that its important to be passionate about something you can invest your time and effort into. During my freshman and sophomore year, sports were my passion. I worked my hardest every day trying to better myself playing soccer and baseball. I loved it. Being on the field was my escape and i knew i never wanted to stop playing sports. My junior year i decided that baseball was my true passion so i quit soccer to focus on one sport to get the most work in I could all year. It turned out to be a disaster and one of my most regretful decisions. I was moved out of my position, didn't play, and was treated poorly by my coach. All I could think about was how much i hated baseball and missed soccer. Hating baseball then turned into hating my life because for the most part, baseball was my life. I was there every day of the week and weekend. I was extremely miserable and had no pride in what I was doing. What I once loved was a burden to show up to every day. When I lost my love for baseball, it seemed as if my life started to fall apart. My grades were dropping, i lost some of my friends due to poor decisions, and i was depressed for some time. I didnt know what i stood for any more. To sum up my feelings, i felt lost. Because I no longer had pride in baseball, I felt as if i wasnt obligated to be passionate about anything. This year has been a huge learning experience for me. Its taught me to have a more positive outlook on life, enjoy the time i have here, and its taught me to take pride in what I do and who I am. I advise everyone to find that one thing they are truly passionate about and never lose sight of it. I plan to play soccer next year as well as coach a summer league baseball team along with my former coaches who made me love the game.

Nic · Veteran Member

I believe that i am a good person. Everyone has their downsides, including me, but i enjoy trying to be a good person. I am a teenage guy with giant stretched ears, therefore i get judged every single day of my life. It is because of this that i have learned to not care about others opinions of me and do what makes me happy. When people see how different i look, they automatically assume that im rude or im a bad person. i like proving them wrong. I am very friendly and approachable, im willing to make friends with everyone, and all of my friends know that i have a habit of not letting anyone litter around me. Aside from that, i enjoy riding bmx, being with my friends, and spending time with my beautiful girlfriend. I know exactly who i am, and i am proud of who i have become. There are of course some things i would change about myself, but for the most part, im happy. I enjoy life, and i look forward to my future. i want to thank everyone thats gotten me to where i am today. So whoever you may be, if your reading this, thank you for everything aww

A-BOY · Veteran Member

This I Believe:

I believe in making others smile. It brings great joy to me to have someone smile because of my presence. I feel that i could change someone's whole day by making a few compliments about them. When I make others smile and laugh, I feel good about
myself. I know everyone has bad days, but I try to lift them up and show them the positives. Even I have some bad days and I absolutely cherish the ones who help me up when I am feeling down. The more people help others up rather than putting them down, the more the world will turn into a better place.
Helping others smile and have a good day should not be a belief. It should come natural to everyone. If you go around and make other people feel bad about yourself, that's tells us a lot about you. Putting a smile on someone's face and making their day should be passed around. I compliment people to brighten up their day and knowing that there might be a chance that they brighten up someone else's day makes me feel even better. People do not get that being nice to someone you will probably gain more respect. Cherish the ones who go out of their way to make you feel special!

Koseph Jo · Member

i believe that i am a good person, and that i try to do anything to keep a person happy even if it comes back and hurts me because others mean more to me. I also take care of myself as well but when someone else is sad i will go out of my way to try to keep them happy such as the time when my friend called me at 2 in the morning crying and i stayed on with them until they were happy and laughing again. i also believe that something shouldn't stop a person from doing what they love such as me when i almost died when i was biking. I still bike and i love to do it and my mom didn't really want me to but i still did because had a big passion and love for it. My last belief is that everyone should just be happy with what they have and not really just throw a fit or anything because people in the world have it worse then us and they make the most out of everything. We just get mad over dumb stuff like "oh my god this isn't the phone that i wanted" and stuff like that. People at other places don't even have enough money to get it or just even able to get it. MAKE THE BEST OUT OF LIFE (:

jorgerodriguez · Veteran Member

My belief is that everyone should cherish their parents whether they are there or not because they are the ones who help you get through high school. There are young kids who say they hate their parents because they wont buy them the latest Iphone. Me and my Mom never really had a bond, every time i regained her trust after making a poor decision i'd go and mess it up. My Pops was never there because he was deported. I never really had a Mom after i got arrested and everytime i hear someone saying they hate their parents just because they are trying to keep them safe it makes me realize i should love my Mom because i put that woman through hell and back (she deserves a medal for putting up with me). Right now my main belief of my high school experience is that im proud of what i've accomplished thus far with my mom by my side.