Forgiveness

          Each and every person that has walked on this earth has in some way, shape or form been hurt by another human being. That’s a fact, right? What are we supposed to do when we do get hurt? The pain and anger that builds up can cause rash amounts of stress and difficulties. How do you get rid of that pain, anger and stress? Forgiveness. Forgive is formally defined as “to give up resentment of or claim to requital for” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Now I don’t believe it’s possible to just “forgive and forget,” but I truly believe that a person can overcome the pain and forgive someone, no matter the deed that was done. Lewis B. Smedes once said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” Forgiveness gives the forgiver a sense of peace and relief.

            The act of forgiveness genuinely helps improve your physical and mental health. Firstly, it helps improve your relationships (Staff).  Healthy relationships make you genuinely happier. Happiness is always great; it’s like a gateway into a better and more fulfilling lifetime. Also, the threat of medical issues is reduced. High blood pressure is a growing problem, but with less stress and anxiety, the risk decreases (Staff). In addition, forgiving people also helps relieve depression and its symptoms (Staff).  I know from personal experiences that depression is a sort of disease that consumes your life. If you beat yourself up over the inner turmoil someone may have caused you, depression is almost certain. However, forgiveness can change that and help you transform into a much happier person. Even still, forgiving and leaving the anger behind reduces the risk of alcohol and substance abuse (Staff).

Additionally, forgiveness also helps your spiritual well-being (Staff). Personally, I have a strong Christian faith, and I believe that forgiveness is essential to being close to God and to investing into other people. Countless times in the Bible it is commanded to forgive others. For example, Colossians 3:13 states, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (NIV).” Simply put, the verse says that if you claim to be a Christian and have a problem with someone, you should forgive them. Why? Christ forgave our sins, and he even died for them. There are several other examples of forgiveness and even more commandments of forgiveness in the Bible. Eva Mozes Kor is a prime example of unconditional forgiveness. In the movie Forgiving Dr. Mengele which highlighted her experiences at Auschwitz, Eva evaluated the hurt that she had in her soul due to the treacherous events from her child, and though it took several decades, she faced everything, went back to Auschwitz, and decided that since that was in her past she could and would forgive not only the cruel doctor, but the German population as well (Forgiving Dr. Mengele).

To be completely honest, choosing to forgive and actually doing it takes much will power and courage. If you dwell on the anger and resentment long enough, those feelings begin to take root in your mind. After they create a foundation, they can only grow and get worse from there. Sometimes the negative thoughts overpower positive thoughts which results in bitterness (Staff). Multitudes of people struggle with forgiving. Some see it as a sign of weakness, when in reality it just eats away at you. Some people, however, choose not to go through the enduring process of forgiveness. It is a conscious decision. Susan Peabody mentioned in her article, “Furthermore, forgiveness is not a constant state. It ebbs and flows like the tide. Sometimes you feel good about those who hurt you, and other times you feel the anger all over again. But this doesn’t mean you have not progressed” (“The Pros and Cons of Forgiveness”). In her article, she talked about her battle of forgiveness towards her mother, and the relationship wasn’t restored for over six months (“The Pros and Cons of Forgiveness”).

Let’s take a moment and think. Is there someone in your life that has hurt you in some way? Do you still let that event bother you, possibly starting physical and mental tragedies like depression? Is there someone you’ve hurt that you could ask for forgiveness from?  We aren’t all perfect, but we can all forgive and be forgiven. I’m ready to make a difference by forgiving those who have hurt me because my God forgave more than any human being ever could. We should follow Eva Mozes Kor’s prime example of forgiveness. She found true joy and happiness through it, and we can most certainly do the same.

Journal 8

I really enjoyed this class! The different perspective really intrigued me, and it made the class much more enjoyable. One of my favorite parts was being able to watch several videos that dealt with various current issues and from that being able to write on own topic that was related to the film. I think the blog was an interesting way to share our essays,  but at times it became a bit difficult to keep up with, especially the comments. Overall, I really, thoroughly enjoyed the class. I definitely wish I could take it again!

Waiting for Superman

  Although I cannot not directly relate to the film, I thoroughly enjoyed the insight it provided. My whole life I have been sent to private, Christian schools. All my teachers have been devout Christians so I’ve never even had to deal with unruly or rude teachers. I’ve never had to take an FCAT or had the chance to wear what I want to school (kind of a big deal to a teenage girl). My mom has had friends that teach in the public school system, and they say they want out due to confusing decisions made by the board. Some have said that it’s impossible to gain classroom control, making them look like they are bad teachers while in actuality it’s the students. From what I’ve heard and understood, the teacher is graded on how their students score. If they distribute the information effectively and clearly, why should it be on the teachers if their students choose not to apply the information? I’d love to see the public school systems excel, but there are just so many problems to sort through before we can start heading in that direction.

Don't Conform

“Dress like this!” “Eat this, not that!” “Do your hair this way!” Numerous demands such as these that the society and media press upon teenage girls cause them to turn to many destructive habits and actions. Seeing the pressure on teenage girls is one thing, but experiencing and living through it is another. As a sixteen year old girl, I have felt the pressure to dress, look, and eat a certain way daily. It took me years to begin to understand that I shouldn’t let society transform me into something I’m not and that I should rather stay true to myself and what I feel comfortable doing. However, not every girl has arrived at this confusion. Many believe that a thin, tall, blonde hair, blue-eyed girl is the ideal way to look, and they begin to do whatever it takes to achieve that mold.

     Size and weight are two of the most common struggles teenage girls face. Just standing in line at the grocery store, you can see numerous magazines claiming ways to drop twenty pounds in two weeks. Though these have the intentions of encouraging a healthy lifestyle, more often than not they are misinterpreted as another pressure to be skinny. Some of these issues are quite serious, and can lead to anorexia and other eating disorders (“Girls vs. Media”). Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person chooses to starve in order to lose weight. In addition, it is also a “psychiatric disorder with anywhere from 6-20% of those who are diagnosed with the disorder eventually [die] from related causes” (Mukerjee). 

      With trying to become the “ideal” girl comes insurmountable loads of stress. Though different people deal with stress in different ways, it may eventually turn into self-harm, an issue that too many teenage girls deal with. “Self-injury is an unhealthy and dangerous act and can leave scars, both physically and emotionally” (“Teens, Cutting, and Self-Injury”). Self-injury includes a variety of attacks on the body such as cutting, scratching, hitting, bruising, biting, and pulling out hair. These actions are most commonly done in order to relieve tension (“Teens, Cutting, and Self-Injury”). For many teens, self-harm becomes a habit that they turn to during times of distress. I know several girls at my school that look perfectly fine on the outside, but they inflict self-harm because they feel useless and unwanted.

     Finally, the way some teenage girls escape the pressure to conform to the media’s standard is through suicide. “Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-to24-year-olds, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention…It is also thought that at least 25 attempts are made for every completed teen suicide” (“About Teen Suicide”). Research has also found that girls attempt suicide twice as much as boys, and they usually try by overdosing on drugs or self-harm. When girls feel like that cannot reach society’s standard, these suicidal thoughts begin to creep into their minds. Society tends to look down upon girls that “don’t fit in” with their standards, and in turn that leads girls to think they are invaluable and unwanted. Though there are several other reasons why teens may attempt or even commit suicide, I know from personal experience that this peer pressure adds to their struggles.

     So, are we going to let these girls continue to spiral downwards and let these destructive actions get even worse? Hopefully no! Even though the media is a big feat that cannot change overnight, communities are an easy place to reach out to teenage girls and invest in their lives. Women who may have battled with sort of the same things and other teenage girls that choose not to conform have the opportunity to pour into their lives. I believe that when a real change in a community is made, the doors to everywhere else begin to open. Whether it’s a foundation that has already been started or whether you come in contact with teenage girls regularly, what are you going to do to help teenage girls overcome these issues and become successful women?

Journal - Miss Representation

I absolutely loved being able to view this documentary in class. I had never heard of it before, and not that I’ve seen it, I have begun to realize and see how much the media and society puts down women. Every time I watch a movie or tv show, I notice that nearly every episode or film portrays a man as the protagonist.  Also, the way society portrays how women should look is sad. I believe in a healthy lifestyle, but being skin and bones is not a very healthy way. I hate seeing girls starve themselves from a sustaining meal to try to lose weight. I know for myself that if I’m healthy and doing well, then the society’s opinion shouldn’t bother me. Sadly, not all girls have this viewpoint. I want to help these girls understand what true values are: honesty, purity, trustworthiness, love, kindness, etc. These are all things that are on the inside, where the true person is, and it’s what matters the most in my opinion. I’m not sure how I’m going to pull this feat off yet, but I hope to begin with my own example.

American Starvation

     All my life I have been able to enjoy three solid meals and at least one snack a day. Of course I learned as a child that people from Haiti or Africa never had much food, but never did I realize that people in my own country – even my own city – were starving. Why? America is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet millions of people go hungry on a daily basis. Aren’t there food banks and shelters to help? I know for a fact there are shelters. However, many are deprived of sufficient amounts of food due to the rising number of starving people. Grocery stores and thriving families are the key to aiding these organizations in fighting hunger in the U.S.

     Firstly, food banks and shelters are undeniably important to the hungry people of America. Without their aid, millions of people would starve every year. “According to USDA 2008 statistics: Of the 49.1 million people living in food insecure households (up from 36.2 million in 2007), 32.4 million are adults (14.4% of all adults) and 16.7 million are children (22.5% of all children). 17.3 million people lived in households that were considered to have very low food security” (Woodgate). Food security is a term used by the USDA to distinguish a household in which one or more residents were hungry over the course of a year (Woodgate). Food banks generally serve those who have been laid off from their jobs and are struggling with finding other jobs. Local churches and organizations help these shelters by volunteering to distribute food as well as other things like clothing and cosmetic items. One shelter I have volunteered at is the Trinity Rescue Mission (TRM) located in downtown Jacksonville. While I was there, I saw countless needy people roaming around. The TRM does its best to help those who direly need it.

     In 1996, The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was signed into practice by President Bill Clinton. This act legally protects the “food donors from civil and criminal liability, should the product later cause harm to the recipient” (Food Donation Connection). It specifically protects individuals as well as non-profit organizations that administer food in “good faith” (Food Donation Connection). The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act was put into practice because the United States of America was sending nearly 14 billion pounds of food to landfills yearly while over 30 million Americans were starving (Food Donation Connection). The act applies to all “food and grocery products that meet all quality and labeling standards imposed by federal, state, and local laws and regulations even the food may not be ‘readily marketable due to appearance, age, freshness, grade, size, surplus, or other conditions’” (Food Donation Connection). With this act put into law, why are grocery stores and supermarkets not donating all the food they don’t want on their shelves?

     Grocery stores stock over fifteen thousand food items, and supermarkets keep over twenty-five thousand different products in stock (Arumugam). It has to be impossible to sell every item by the date while keeping everything fully stocked. So, why do produce items and meat and other products get discarded so easily? Of course some items may be past the “expiration date,” but those generally do not mean the food is not consumable if it’s only a few days past the date. Some grocery stores take the almost expired food and use it to make the dishes on their salad bar or something similar. Many stores are reluctant to freely giving away almost or  recently expired food in fear that the consumer may get sick and take legal action. However, despite their fears, The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects them from any legal troubles.

     In conclusion, the growth of hunger in the United States of America is a real, growing problem. Without food banks and shelters volunteering time and effort, the issue would be far worst. Nevertheless, if there is no income of food, there will be no output into the community. Grocery stores and individuals that are better off are needed to assist these non-profit organizations. What can you do to raise awareness and help the cause to fight starvation in America?

Journal 5

I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It was not only eye opening, but it was also convicting. I never realized how much food was being wasted until I saw the actual proof. I almost feel guilty for having excess resources while the rest of the world scrounges for any form of food. If my fate took a turn for the worst and my parents lost their jobs, I believe I would be willing to dumpster dive in order to provide food for my family. Why let it waste when it can be put to good use? Just a thought to ponder on.