My Sanity Sack

1. Bible
2. Cross
3.Photo album of family & friends
4. Kente Cloth
5. Compass given to me by my mother
6. Journal
7. Drawing Pad
8. Soccer ball
9. Battery powered satellite radio
10. Deck of cards

Life Is a Series of Rooms

If I had to chose, I would live a long life of obscurity. For me, dying early and being insanely famous for two thousand years would be completely pointless simply because I myself would not be alive to enjoy the fruits of my fame. My name and legacy would be alive but I would not. A quiet life in obscurity would be more suited for me. I think that I can leave a legacy living a long life simply by being a good person. I can leave a strong and long lasting legacy by connecting with other people on a more individualized basis. Through treating others well and having a genuine care for other people I think that I can be remembered, even if it is not for two thousand years. Fame does not last forever. Everyone's name will fall into obscurity eventually. A person who is insanely famous for thousands of years will also eventually fall into obscurity. So, while we our on this earth, we need not worry about becoming insanely famous or being remembered for generations. Enjoying life while we are here and treating others well is the most important thing.

Antigone the Feminazi

Men are creatures of practicality. Society says that men are supposed to be productive, practical, and are supposed to show very little emotion. Women, on the other hand, are relationship creatures. They are nuturing and sensitive to emotions. Women are more demonstrative and outgoing when it comes to feelings and emotions. It is proven that women, in general, are better at understanding and interpreting emotions than men.
Because of this, women are often times portrayed as being weaker than men. Because women often times focus more on emotion than practicality, men feel that they can take advantage of women in many ways. Take the work place for example. A man and a woman who work the exact same job do not earn the same salary. The man, in this situation, would earn a higher salary simply because he is of the male species. Because we live in a male dominated society and men are incapable of communicating with women, men attempt to keep the power amongst themselves.
Also, because men are productive creatures, they are expected to support the family. A reason why men earn a higher salary than women is that society says that men are supposed to be the main bread winners in a family.

Am I in Control?

In today's society, we like to believe that we are in complete control of our lives. We believe that the decisions that we make everyday are our own and that no one else can control us. For the most part, this is true. When we wake up in the morning, each of us has a number of choices we can make. We can chose to kill someone. We can chose whether or not we want to get up and go to work in the morning. However, for every action there is a consequence. If you chose to kill someone, there is the consequence of being jailed or being put to death. If you chose not to go to work, you risk being fired.
In today's reality, society places constraints on what we can and cannot do. There are social and economic parameters that limit one's decisions. For example, I could buy that Chrysler 300 I always wanted, but if I don't want to become bankrupt, I'd better buy that Geo. In this way, and in many other ways, we as people are not truly 100% in control of our decisions. As moral human beings, we are concerned about how are decisions affect other people. We are also concerned about how are decisions will affect ourselves and our own wants and needs. So, overall, we are technically in control of the choices we make, but we are restricted by the consequences and the controls that our environment and society places on us.

Free Fallin'-Fate or Free Will

"An oracle was reported to Laios once... That his doom would be death at the hands of his own son-His born of his flesh and of mine!"(p.978 Lines 186-189)

Fate is defined as, "something that unavoidbly befalls a person."In "Oedipus Rex", Oedipus the King's destiny is primarily determined by fate in the form of the "oracle". Oedipus' actions play some role in his downfall, but overall, fate is the driving force that leads to his ultimate demise. Before Oedipus is born, the prophecy says that he will murder his father and marry his mother. As a mere mortal, there is nothing that Oedipus can do to stop this. The choices that Oedipus makes in his life are limited to the confines of the prophecy. As the play progresses, Oedipus and Jocasta try more and more to avoid fate, but there attempts are simply futile. Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus gauges his own eyes out after witnessing her suicide. Fate, as defined, is unavoidable. No mortal can alter it.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy

Why read Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter From A Birmingham Jail?" Why read a letter that was written decades ago in a cold jail cell by a man who has been dead for almost forty years? The answer is simple. Dr. King wrote this eloquent and profound letter while confined in a Birmingham city jail. In this letter responding to criticism from his fellow clergymen, Dr. King explains to the world why he has gone about his activities the way he has. His fellow clergymen called his activities "unwise and untimely" and questioned his methods and motivations. This letter's purpose was to explain to people why he chose to implement his direct-action, non-violent protests at that time and why he could not wait. King says, "We have waited for more that 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter." Dr. King believed that his people had waited long enough for justice and equality. Dr. King was never idle and did not wait for justice to be handed to him. He was assertive and impatient when it came to the freedom of his people.
Today, we can learn much from the ideals presented by Dr. King and his letter from a Birmingham jail. We too must be assertive and impatient about our wants and our needs. Achieving justice should be part of every individuals life for generations to come. Injustices are still present in today's world and will continue to be present as long as human beings inhabit this earth. The injustices that Dr. King encountered in his life time are still present in this country today. In Dr. King's time, the injustices of segregation and racism were definitely more obvious. The oppressor was as clear as black and white. The injustices that we as a people face today in this country are much more nebulous and more subtle, but they do exist. Segregation and racism are, possibly, as alive today as in Dr. King's time. It may even be present in your church, in your school, or around your community without you even realizing it. This is the reason why it is important for us to study Dr. King's life and works. The fact that injustices are still present today should motivate each of us to transform the status quo. It is our responsibility today to carry on Dr. King's legacy so that we can continue to progress in a way that will lead to the overall progress and betterment of our world.

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Blind, Deaf, or Mute

If I had to choose between being blind, death, or mute I would choose to be mute. The most important sense to me out of the three is sight. Without sight, it would be extremely difficult to interpret the world around me. Sight gives you a window to other people's emotions. An important part of communication with other people is being able to interpret someone's facial expressions. Also, when I grow old, I want to be able to physically see the world around me and how it has changed. The second most important sense out of the three would be the hearing. Being able to hear what others have to say and to hear the world around me is very important. I think that a world of silence would be too noisy for me.