Final Project

My final project is a reflection on how I have grown more self confidence over the course of the year. English has always been a class where I was nervous about sharing my writing and my opinions. This year I did not really have an option whether or not I wanted to share my work with others, I needed to through my blog. I feel like I have grown into a stronger person as well as student. It sounds weird to say this but I would always tell my teachers that I have learned from them, but I think that it is something inside that kind of clicks eventually, and you can't rush that. This term I felt that click. It didn't take me the usual hour and a half to sit and write a paragraph, or the really long and tedious hours to read a book. This year english was more enjoyable and was more of something I looked forward to coming to rather than a class with assigned projects. My Project is going to be two sheets of paper and one of symbols of me from the beginning of the year and one at the end of the term of the more confident me.

On Religion

I wouldn't consider myself a very religious person, but I am tied to my religion socially. Growing up I went to a Jewish preschool, hebrew school, sunday school and more. After my Bat Mitzvah I thought I was going to be done with temple and was pumped. After that I realized that there was a deeper meaning then just scribbles that looked like doodles on paper. I had a community that was completley different than my school community and sports community. We all had one thing in common and that was being Jewish. I feel a sense of comfort knowing that there is a place like my temple where I can always have someone who is there if I ever need help. I feel differently approaching my peers there then I do in some other places. Being involved in a religious community is not for everyone, but I know that it has helped me grow more of an understanding for other religions, ad how to approach certain things that I have been faced with. Unlike a lot of people who go to temple and pray, I don't believe in G-D, therefore I don't believe that there is someone or something that can solve problems and issues. But religious venues are there to give guidance to those who seek it.

On Beauty

Beauty is viewed in different ways. The mind quickly thinks of inner and outer beauty. The eye is drawn to make assumptions of the outer beauty, and this normally means that we are judgmental. In the Prophet beauty is talked about not being a need, but bringing happiness. To me this is sort of confusing, because a lot of people today believe that to be happy, being beautiful is very helpful. One of my favorite quotes from this section is "It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth, but rather a heart inflamed and a soul enchanted". This talks about how beauty is more for the inner soul and yourself rather than to please others and less about the physical sense of beauty. I think a lot of people worry and have self esteem issues with beauty, and if society can let go of this more people will view beauty in a different way, shape, or form.

On Time

I feel that the topic of time is so weird to think about. During the day I just think about time as how much time we have left of class, or how much time till lunch, I cant wait till 5:30 till practice is over. But in the long scheme of things, life evolves over time and we don't normally think about it in that sense. Once the day is over it is old news and we only dream of the next day, and the days to come. Time just keeps going and going and no one stops to take in the present and what is going on. We read about history in school, and I think very little of the population thinks about how generations ahead could be learning about us. Which is strange to think that there is life after us. But time doesn't stop and take a pause when we want it to. It will continue on whether or not we like/ want it to.

On Friendship

Friends mean the world to me, and I rely on them so much. This chapter touches on the different ways a friend has impacts on ones life. "Friends are your needs answered", this quote shows that friends fill the empty space of what you need/want and are there to help guide you towards the path of being filled. A friend is also a feeling, you don't need to have them right at your side every minute of every day to be able to feel the comfort of a friend. You can feel a friend through spirits as well states the Prophet. Although friends are there for support, they cannot fill the emptiness that one feels, they can help with needs, but not what is missing from ones life. I know personally I go to my friends for support with everything and I hope that they have my back with things when I am in a time of need. Reading this passage makes me think back to what I look to my friends for, and if some of the things that I assume they help me with are okay for me to look to them for.

On Teaching

In most of society we learn from going to school and from what our teachers teach us. They feed us their knowledge of the subject and we are told to memorize that and take what we are given and run with it. In the Prophet, the teacher says that you cannot be given understanding you have to learn from your own knowledge of topics. All your knowledge is already in your head, just asleep. I thought that this was a cool way about thinking about minds and the information that we know. Except when I reread these couple lines, it made me think that if I am not so smart in a certain topic, that I am unable to understand information that is not already known. There is so much out in the world that I do not know about, but someday hope to learn. The teachings that everyone else can teach me and I can learn from seems to go a little bit against the Prophet, but my vision of knowledge can be different then my peers, family, and friends.

Yoga Practice 11/5/10

The second time that we practiced yoga was more enjoyable than the first time. The first time was filled with laughter and confusion and just took some getting use to. My body normally isn't use to the movements that yoga forces my body to do. This time I was able to hold the poses better and have more balance. I liked the poses where we had one knee in front of us bent, and the other leg stretched out behind us. Normally, during meditation I get somewhat antsy and find it rather difficult to drop in and let my mind have no thoughts, but after yoga it was very easy. I was able to sit still and barely think of anything. This was a breath of fresh air and gave me the confidence that it is not impossible to sit and meditate.