Final Reflective Essay

            As my husband and I finished saying our vows, my pastor from Brazil reminds us of the importance to keep on learning about each other, understand who we are and where we came from, I believe this wisdom is especially important in cases like ours, a cross-culture marriage, and how the effort we put now on this matter will impact our descendents and their generation.

            There are so many differences between two nations , those differences brings us two choices: to seek understanding about other cultures and learn how to love them, so their differences  will add to our relationship with them, or to ignore and judge , creating a hierarchical view of cultures, subtracting from your relationship with one another. I chose option number one, and this class has helped me to understand not only what does it mean to be an American, as it has taught me about my husband and myself.  .

            It is overwhelming to attempt to write what I have learned during these 10 weeks. What have I learned about what? Literature, life, America’s  path, beliefs, flaws, difficulties, strengths and fears or my beliefs, my flaws, my difficulties, my strengths and my fears ? Oh how wrong I was when I read the first essay theme ( “What is an American?”) and thought that this class would make me feel like a fish out of the water; How mistaken I was when I thought that it was impossible for me, a Brazilian, to relate to this class , this culture’s history , challenges and victories          

             I learned from early ages to be critical, to do not accept any knowledge without questioning but I also learned to do not stop on seeking for answers. I learned a great wrong deal about United States through the TV, back in Brazil, that made me so distant from what today is my new home. This class, though, made me revise my concepts, arouse my curiosity and reminded me of who I truly am, a person that does not accept easy answers without foundations. This culture of social networking, blogs, and  globalization, brings us freedom of speech but it  also brings us a greater responsibility to be more critical, study harder and to be slow on judging because anyone can publically represent their country, culture or what they call to be their faith, and they might not even know themselves. We must be as careful to speak as we should be to have discernment about what we listen and what we read, literature and history can be great tools on helping us to learn the truth from the experience of others. Smart is the man who learns with his own mistakes, but wiser is the man who learns with the mistakes of others.

            As I learned about the civil war its causes and consequences, I questioned the confederate flags still hanging in many houses in my in-laws neighborhood; as I learned about Thoreau’s writings on nature, I wondered how much of that could had influenced Roosevelt’s Government; as I read about the constitution, I wondered whether the American freedom, so acclaimed nowadays, came from the blood of many or from the ideas of few, spread by words; or even if the blood came from the words or if some words stopped some blood from being spilled; as I pass by Brown’s box, I wondered if his contemporaries had the word dignity written in their dictionary; as I read Emerson’s essays, I wondered what he would had said about credit cards, installments and super sales. When this class began, I thought it would require from me plenty of reading, and with my limited free time, it would be my challenge, now I can tell that, more than writing, it required from me an overwhelmingly greater amount of time of thinking, or more expressly, critical thinking.  I believe I learned with this class that even though I did not agree with some of the ideas on the essays we have read, they all made me think critically.  Franklin, Thoreau, Emerson and Payne writings had a greater impact in this particular challenge. “But it is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.” (Payne).

            As I detailed in a previous essay, In English 241 we learned what America is through the lenses of literature. We could notice repeatedly the influence that Literature had throughout American History in imperative moments of changes.  The first writings of genuine literature defined the new society that was being formed in this land; the literature of the romantics that helped to fight slavery, the Declaration of independence that helped The United States to have freedom from its former colonists, among many more examples. American, as we know, is famous for being a country of freedom, we learned although, that this freedom did not come lightly and it is still a work in process.  

            One of the most engaging and interesting subjects we learned in this class was the impact of the Romanticism on insightful progressive movements. We learned that part of the Romantic Political plan was inclined to believe that by helping others to experience life to its best, they would learn how to feel as others do, and learn how to have more sacrificial lives by putting others before themselves. This way of thinking led them to engage in profound causes and progressive movements as women’s suffrage, the fight for Native American Rights, and the fight to end slavery. They gave the first steps towards freedom. (Dr. Brandon)

            We have been given a special attention to slavery; we brought up a delicate subject that still affects us, black market slavery, and the discussions about this subject gave me a bigger perspective on our contribution to this evil. I learned that our alienation to great matters of our society does not excuse us from its guilt. We learned that those involved with abolitionism and suffrage used literature as one of their most powerful weapons to defend their campaigns, bringing more and more people to believe in what they believed , which was initially supported by only a few.

            The readings of J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, gave me a closer perspective of the slavery issue. As in my country, Brazil, we did not have the civil war that United States had, to give freedom to the slaves, it has been hard for me to understand so many culture differences that unfolded between the white Americans and the African Americans after the war of the North against the South and all the baggage that many still carry from it.  I admit being far from understanding why in Brazil there is not so much separation and contrast as here, although, literature has helped me to better understand the tension created before the civil war period and reading detailed essays about the subject, has helped me to start grasping some answers to my restless questions.           

            Studying the origins of America has helped me to understand America today, who they are, where they came from. We learned how Thoreau’s and Emerson’s writings, with the purpose to bridge the gap between the people of his society and nature around them, influenced the idea of having parks (something United States is really well known for, nowadays) and the beginning of the environmentalist conscious that we, still today, seek for.

            Another idea that is deeply related to America, consumerism, was foreshadowed in the writings of Jefferson and Franklin, who tried to make their contemporaries aware of how debt can be a type of slavery, truth which has helped lead this country to its current  recession. Another writer whose idea is still applicable was  Thoreau’s,  who believed that happiness was not to obtain material wealth but to live simply and enjoy nature and the world around you and the people in it, those ideas helped me to see the signs that were given by those scholars of the current individualist America.

            Lastly, we came to understand that the Declaration of Independence was strategically written to give a bad impression of the British Government of King George, by detailing his innumerous despotic and totalitarian acts, to justify their rebellion and, most importantly, their declaration of independence.

            Overall, I learned a great deal about America through the lenses of Literature in this class. To follow the steps of the forefathers, to read their thoughts, to learn from their experiences gave me a far greater idea of what is an American and the components that contributed to make the America we live in now. I also relearned, as I mentioned earlier, to think critically, and as far as my writings went, I believe that I was increasingly influenced by our readings throughout the class and even though I did not fully understand the concept of the class in the very first week, I believe it was clarified to me throughout the second week with so many of my questions being answered by our professor and my colleagues.

            I confess I had an atypical summer, starting with my moving from my host parents house to my own house on the first week of class, then my wedding that happened on the second week of the curse, bringing many Brazilians from all over the globe for me to host for a couple of weeks; followed by a sickness that kept me in bed for over a week. No challenge was big enough to keep me from accomplishing my goal to finish this class with excellence. I believe my reading and writing skills improved considerably, also my knowledge about how American history has been unfolded. I had all my essays posted at the time required by Doctor Brandon, with the exception of those that I revised and reposted within his grace period. I believe my second half of this curse was better than the first as I increased my understanding of what was required from me by reading the blog posts on the weekly assignment by Doctor Brandon. I participated in the class discussions with consistency, and tried to incorporate the readings in my discussions and essays as I thought it was relevant. I honestly could not stretch my time between, work and other classes to work on extra credit opportunities, I wanted to dedicate my time to doing a better job on what we were assigned for, although, I believe my participation on the class blog, including making questions and helping other classmates was one of the activities to be considerate as extra credits. What I would had done definitely if I had the opportunity was to take this class on campus and not online. Unfortunately, many of my classmates did not participate in the discussion as I expected and so I believe the discussions could have been richer and the experience greater than in an online class, although, this online experience was an interesting one, it made me eager to go home and see what else had been posted on the blog by the Professor and I particularly loved the option that he gave us to listen to the essays. Also, The reflective essays allowed me to feel engaged in the class,  it was my first experience with this class dynamic and I truly enjoyed it.

            As far as “what now?” what to do with what I have learned? I believe English 241 had a special meaning to me. I am not a person of many talents, what defined me back in my country were my writings. I was the girl with paper and pencil, the poet, the bookworm, and then I came to the United States, to a different culture and language; I have been, since then, trying to find my identity again, I lost interest in writing. Although, after taking this class, I believe now, that it is possible to write again. The study of American  Literature can be the answer that I was looking for; My goal now is to learn about this culture, read and read and read some more to learn this language so what has distracting me from my path, can become my ally.

            “Stones on my path? I keep them all, and one day I’ll build a castle.” ( Fernando Pessoa)

The Word and Its Echo

                In English 241 we learned what America is through the lenses of literature. We could notice repeatedly the influence that Literature had throughout American History in imperative moments of changes.  The first writings of genuine literature defined the new society that was being formed in this land; the literature of the romantics that helped to fight slavery, the Declaration of independence that helped The United States to have freedom from its former colonists, among many more examples. American, as we know, is famous for being a country of freedom, we learned although, that this freedom did not come lightly and it is still a work in process.  

            One of the most engaging and interesting subjects we learned in this class was the impact of the Romanticism on insightful progressive movements. We learned that part of the Romantic Political plan was inclined to believe that by helping others to experience life to its best, they would learn how to feel as others do, and learn how to have more sacrificial lives by putting others before themselves. This way of thinking led them to engage in profound causes and progressive movements as women’s suffrage, the fight for Native American Rights, and the fight to end slavery. They gave the first steps towards freedom.

            We have been given a special attention to slavery; we brought up a delicate subject that still affects us, black market slavery, and the discussions about this subject gave me a bigger perspective on our contribution to this evil. I learned that our alienation to great matters of our society does not excuse us from its guilt. We learned that those involved with abolitionism and suffrage used literature as one of their most powerful weapons to defend their campaign, bringing more and more people to believe in what they believed , which was initially supported by only a few.

            The readings of  J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, gave me a closer perspective of the slavery issue. As in my country, Brazil, we did not have the civil war that United States had, to give freedom to the slaves, it has been hard for me to understand so many culture differences that unfolded between the white Americans and the African Americans after the war of the North against the South and all the baggage that many still carry from it.  I admit being far from understanding why in Brazil there is not so much separation and contrast as here, although, literature has helped me to better understand the tension created before the civil war period and reading detailed essays about the subject has helped me to start grasping some answers to my restless questions. It still makes me profoundly sad to remember when 4 years ago I did not feel welcomed to the first American church I visited for being the only white person in the temple, all the surprised starring eyes, not necessarily of condemnation, I believe just surprised eyes . I also remember walking in a store that according to my host mother “I was not suppose to go to” just because I am white, nothing that I had control of, or that I could had stopped from happening,  and I remember replying to her :“what does that have to do with anything, why they don’t like me just because I am white?”, three years later I  heard my husband say that his friend received a scholarship just because he was one of the few white students of his College, I cried, all those times. I could not believe how one of the most powerful, modern, revolutionary nations in the world had such contrasts, I could not understand as I could not judge for I did not know its story. In any way I mean to justify any prejudice that might still remain, it disgusts me; I just want to understand this country’s people, and its story.

            Studying the origins of America has helped me to understand America today, who they are, where they came from. We learned how Thoreau’s and Emerson’s writings, with the purpose to bridge the gap between the people of his society and nature around them, influenced the idea of having parks (something United States is really well known for, nowadays) and the beginning of the environmentalist conscious that we, still today, seek for.

            Another idea that is deeply related to America, consumerism, was foreshadowed in the writings of Jefferson and Franklin, who tried to make their contemporaries aware of how debt can be a type of slavery, truth which has helped lead this country to its current  recession. Another writer whose idea is still applicable was  Thoreau’s,  who believed that happiness was not to obtain material wealth but to live simply and enjoy nature and the world around you and the people in it, those ideas helped me to see the signs that were given by those scholars of the current individualist America.

            Lastly, we came to understand that the Declaration of Independence was strategically written to give a bad impression of the British Government of King George, by detailing his innumerous despotic and totalitarian acts , to justify their rebellion and, most importantly, their declaration of independence.

            As we can see, literature leaves us the blueprint of a society, bringing us inside of the minds of those that cannot speak for their people anymore, those that greatly impacted their generation bringing transformation. Literature gives us the opportunity to learn about ourselves, the mistakes we have passed and the solutions that have been forgotten or delayed. We are products and makers, the beginning and the end, we are reading history and making history, so we should remember that one of the most powerful weapons used by our ancestors to fight for justice was the word, ideas spelled by powerful words; I do believe though that the real power it is not in the word but in its echo. 

Reflective essay week 8

 At what moment did you feel most engaged with what you were learning?  Be specific.  Was it in reading the literature, reading a blog post of a committee member, participating in the class discussion forum, writing your own blog post for the week, etc.  Why was this the moment when you felt most engaged?

                I felt most engaged while writing my essay about my beliefs; God is my favorite subject and to share my passion for Him and experience with Him, even in a short essay, was very enjoyable. As the Bible says: “… For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Mathew 12:34. Even though I did not agree with everything said by Thomas Paine, it was very interesting to read his Profession of Belief because He did not just accepted other people’s belief without questioning it for his own faith. I think it is important to search for answers that will reaffirm our faith, I just think he looked for them in the wrong place.     

 At what moment did you feel most distant from what the class was doing and what you were learning?  Again, be specific and explain why.

The discussion board posts without a doubt, because most of my committee did not share their beliefs for one reason or the other, therefore, I could not have the real discussion I expected.

 What action did the professor or another student take that you found most helpful or affirming?

I was confused about the order of the posts and Mervat answered a post I had missed encouraging me to participate. 

What group member's post surprised or taught you the most?  Why?

Llana’s post from The Maryland Committee when she confess being upset about having to share her beliefs. I was so excited about this week’s discussion that I could not imagine that someone could be upset about having freedom to share with so many other people about their beliefs in a school “environment” … usually we cannot profess our faith or start any discussion about religious beliefs, and when it is given the chance to us, I thought it was a moment to cherish and enrich each other, being upset was the most unexpected reaction, although, meditating about it, I could guess now her reasons. 

My Profession of Belief

Confession’s of Faith

            Before the confession of my words of faith, I would like to refer to Thomas Paine’s statement: “I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise; they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine.”

            I believe in God, His son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit who lives within me. This first, and most fundamental, profession of belief carries all my other ones. My beliefs all depend, as the 10 commandments of God, explicitly, on the first one. It is like an immense truth that is to amazing to grasp and because of that  has to unfold itself continually into details resembling how God reveals Himself to us progressively.

            When I say in my faith that I believe in God the almighty Father, maker of heaven and earth, this is an act of recognition, clarity, diving into the mystery of Whom is the Beginning and the End of all things. For it is by faith I behold the Face of God; since I am so limited, only by faith I can transpose my limits to reach the unlimited divine, and still speaking in our language of quotas, I am like the river that flows into the sea.

            The faith I believe in has its origin in God, as well as all natural faith, because I do not believe that there are atheists in this world. There are people who say that they do not believe in God, though, they believe in something, even if their beliefs are their own statements; I say this because without faith it is impossible to exist. Those who do not believe in anything, believe at least in death, for they self-destruct themselves.

            Everything we are and everything we have, we are and we have because we have received them or because we have cultivated what we have received. Well, my faith in One only God was given to me by God himself, through a relationship that I have been cultivating throughout the years, He is One God, by nature, substance and essence, although, He is three people in one nature.

            I also believe that the Bible is God’s word. The reasons why I believe in it goes beyond my faith. By experiencing the life it brings to those who ask to The Holy Spirit for discernment, then reading it, then living it.  “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrew 4:12). I believe that the Bible is the main source of doctrine, whose pages record the historical foundations of Christianity, although not exclusively. The Christian tradition encompasses much more than the Bible. It includes the valuable contribution of the great Christian thinkers and saints, liturgy, devotional treasure accumulated over centuries and the moral implications of Christian faith in our daily lives. Although, I believe that the Holy Scriptures contain all doctrine necessary for salvation and nothing that cannot be read or proved by them can be taken as an article of faith or as something necessary for salvation.

              By believing in God and in the Bible, I believe that I must love Him with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my mind (Mathew 22:37), I also need to love others as I love myself; I need to go to tell the good news about Jesus Christ and His salvation to everyone I can; I also believe I must live in communion with my brothers and sisters in faith, and teach to whoever seeks for answers, preparing myself for it.

            Even though I acknowledge that the human statements about the nature of God are insufficient to express the whole truth, I encourage the study and research about the truth in all fields of human knowledge. I do not think there should be any limit to the study and to the honest investigation, and I favor the use of reason as a faculty given by God to enrich and expand the revealed truth. I accept as true that the Holy Spirit guides men in search of truth, enabling the church to relate human being’s truth with God’s truth revealed in Jesus Christ.

            Finally, it is not what you believe that matters, but what you do with what you believe. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that —and shudder.” (James 2:19)

The Search for Moral Perfection: Unattainable and Irrefutable.

The Search for Moral Perfection: Unattainable and Irrefutable.

                Benjamin Franklin writes his plan for attaining moral perfection with great expectations, although I believe that perfection cannot be achieved by human beings, besides Jesus Christ, though, that should not stop us from seeking it and improving our characters.  Steadfastness is the key word for

• Patience:  is the ability to allow or endure delay, difficulty, or distress without getting frustrated. In a more spiritual way, Patience is the peaceful resistance based on the certainty that God is in control.
• Kindness: An act of kindness is a natural gesture of care towards someone or something. Kind words and deeds come from a position of compassion. Acts of kindness are acts of love showing that you truly care.
• Goodness: Doing what is morally right and having integrity and good intentions in your actions.
• Faithfulness: is being loyal and constant in your beliefs and to the people that rely on you.
• Self-Control: is the ability to control your actions, desires and emotions in order to achieve a set goal.
• Justice: Give fair and equal treatment to all guided by righteousness.
• Humility: Put others before yourself and not think of yourself higher than you ought to.  
• Love: The most important of all, master of all virtues, love requires a sacrificial life and constantly seeking all the other virtues.
• Joy: Having delight in happiness and being satisfied in all circumstances.
• Peace: Seeking for tranquility and order and avoiding strife and conflict.

                Some of his virtues overlap with mine such as justice and humility, although, the virtues I chose as more relevant to our search for perfection, are interrelated within themselves.  Self-control requires patience, there cannot be justice without goodness or faithfulness, and humility and kindness should walk together.  I also found self-control to be somewhat close to the Franklin’s definition of moderation, although, self-control does not always requires moderation, such as, you can be radical and extreme in your love for others or holding back an addiction as examples.

                About love, love should be the cornerstone of every single virtue. If anything is done without love, there is no greatness in it, no matter how right or moral or helpful it might be.

Reflective Essay week 6

           As I started class late because of my wedding and the visit of my family from Brazil, I had a hard time keeping up with the great amount of reading and writing required by the class. Fortunately I had all my writings posted by the date required by Doctor Brandon.

            I suppose that because the themes are so broad, I did not realized the necessity of quotations in my first drafts and in some of them I did not relate, before the revision, as much to the class’ reading as required later by our professor.  I had then, to revise my essays, and unfortunately, because of my recent illness (pneumonia) that has kept me in bed for one week I had again less time than desired to go through them.

            I consider that I have participated consistently with the Committee of Correspondence, although, I am not as prompt with my answers to my colleagues as the rhythm of the class requires. I think I can try to do better this second half of the course by checking my email more often throughout the day. I also have started conversations and followed with discussions that helped me to better understand the subject of study.

            I believe that to make the conversation more enjoyable I would like for more people from our New York Committee to participate on them, as the saying goes “The more, the merrier”. More people, brings more point of views, different perspectives, more knowledge and it all enriches the discussions.

             The readings of the Wikipedia are helpful to the understanding of the subject, and have been more used by me for the essays than for the weekly discussions. Our group, especially me, has brought more personal perspective and contemporary examples to the discussions than relating directly with the readings. I should probably do better than that and keep focused on the subject matter. On the other hand, the class announcements have always interesting facts that makes the subject of study more tangible.

            I am working hard to get an A, although, I understand that this class’ requirements are greater than I expected, specially the amount of time that the readings and many responses require and I will have to work even harder to follow up with the class this second half of the semester, and try to arrange time to work on some extra credit activities. Hopefully my health will improve so I can devote more time and energy to the class. 

Give me Water , Food and Facebook- revised

             "While America is boasting of her freedom and making the world ring with her professions of equality, she holds millions of her inhabitants in bondage." (Henry Brown) This was written in 1851 by a former slave, one of many writings about the concerns that many held against slavery. How could then, this idea still be applied nowadays to our reality of free, democratic country? What kind of slavery is leading society to regress, taking away our freedom, distorting our values and corrupting our families? It is an invisible enemy much different than the obvious forces of the past. Although the consequences of this new type of enemy have been destroyed families, wrecked relationships, and wasted lives, this is not a slavery that is being forced upon us, but rather is a slavery of our own choosing. This slavery is the bondage of the virtual world. The same way the slaves of the past tried to escape from their reality with stories and culture, today we use computers and virtual lives to escape our own realities. The American nation's well being and ideals rest on the beliefs of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Are we being faithful to those principles when prioritizing our virtual lives, denying liberty by being slaves of the internet and social networks? How are we pursuing happiness by conducting relationships in a fake reality? 

            Jacksonville mom Alexandra V. Tobias, 22, pleads guilty to murder. Alexandra was arrested after the January death of 3-month-old Dylan Lee Edmondson. She told investigators that she became angry because the baby was crying and interrupting her, while she was playing a computer game called FarmVille on the Facebook social-networking website. (The Florida Times Union).

            Social networking, in our generation, has become more than a tool or a mean to our lives, but a purpose, an end. Many are living for the next status on their Facebook, twitter or for the next video they will publish on their YouTube channel. This is a real issue that needs to be taken more seriously by each of us, starting with me.  

           Facebook is the most widely used and known social networking site, with more than 500,000,000 users; one in every 13 people on Earth have a facebook account, more than the entire population of USA. Almost half of Facebook's users visit it every day, 71.2 % of U.S. web audience are on facebook and  48% of young Americans said they get news about current events through Facebook. There are 10 million comments posted on Facebook every 20 minutes — that’s 500,000 comments per minute (Dyer). Some of its users spend an inordinate amount of time on Facebook, allowing the hours to while away unnoticed, the chores to go uncompleted, and even going so far as to ignoring family and friends in the actual world.

             Elizabeth Cohen writes an article on Facebook addiction, using as a setting the real story of a woman who is so ashamed of her addiction and so, decides to use a code-name - Newton. Apparently, Newton's twelve year old daughter asked for help on her homework numerous times, although her mom “could not” help her, for being so held up on Facebook. The daughter tries another strategy by emailing her mother asking for help, but the email was not noticed. Newton says that one day without facebook is the best she can handle, although one whole weekend without it, it is too much of a requirement. I wonder how many people, in certain level, can relate to her story. With the help of a marriage therapist and a clinical psychologist, Cohen identifies five clues to help readers detect if they are "Facebook addict".

            If you are losing sleep due to spending an excessive amount of time on Facebook, spending more than one hour a day on this social networking website, if you become obsessed with old loves or you ignore work in favor of Facebook, if just the thought of getting off it leaves you in a cold sweat, in Cohen’s opinion, you are obsessed with it. I would make it easier for you by saying that if you cannot imagine your life without this website, meaning that you understand that you need this tool for whatever reason, you might want to consider the power of influence, and maybe damage, of it in your real life.

            It is hard to pinpoint an exact amount of time to spend on Facebook, but marriage and family therapist, Paula Pile, says that she thinks that probably no one needs more than 30 minutes a day.  a marriage and family therapist in Greensboro, NC,  states there is nothing wrong with "befriending" an old boyfriend or girlfriend, but she warns that it can get out of control easily. For example, it could cause inappropriate flirting between the two, which could cause a divorce. Mark Keenan, Managing Director of Divorce-Online said: "I had heard from my staff that there were a lot of people saying they had found out things about their partners on Facebook and I decided to see how prevalent it was, I was really surprised to see 20 per cent of all the petitions containing references to Facebook” (GMT). Joanna Lipari, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, states, "If you're not doing your job in order to sneak time on Facebook, you could have a real problem”.
           There are many facebook users assuming that they consider themselves addicts to it or that there is a possibility of an addiction. Many of the last ones, have decided to do not be on facebook so often, in numerous cases; just one day absence, caused to them stress and anxiety, proving that they need to reach out for help.

           Eric Frazier, from the website Charlotte observer  writes a story about a mother (Melynda Rushing) who wants her daughter to study harder, so she made her Facebook-loving college student a deal: Stay off the social network for a month, pour all those extra hours into academics, and you'll get $300. About halfway through the challenge, Alyssa Rushing misses the network so much she jokingly says she's going through “Facebook detox”:  “It's very hard," she said via telephone from the University of South Carolina Upstate campus in Spartanburg. "It was actually a lot harder the first couple of days. I didn't know I was truly addicted."

          Even though in so many ways the theme “facebook addiction” has been approached through books (ex: Facebook Addiction: The Life and Time of Social Networking Addicts ), blogs, research (Google search website  has more facebook addictions entries than cigarettes or sex addictions entries – The Internet Time Machine) , shirts etc, there are still many people that are not aware of how facebook has become  a priority in their lives. The organization School Online have gathered an incredible amount of statistics that, in my opinion, makes many of us reconsider our own, “status” on facebook addiction: 48% of 18 to 34 years old check their facebook right when they wake up; About 28% check their facebook on their smart phones before getting out of bed; The college demographic (18-24) grew 74% in one year; “Facebook” was the most searched term for the second year running; 57% of people talk to people more online than they do in real life; In 20 minutes, 10,208,000 comments are made on facebook wall.

          There are a great amount of reasons that can be attributed to the over-growing addiction towards the social website; one of them is the fact that it gives users a sense of worth. All of us require a sense of self-esteem and worth and this is what ever Facebook user profile has become a source for. In an article written by Andrew L. Mendelson and Zizi Papacharissi titled Look at us: Collective narcissism in College Student Facebook Photo Galleries,they write: “People are able to post only that information which presents a desired image. While people are purportedly presenting themselves, they are presenting a highly selective version of themselves. Social network sites (SNSs) present the latest networked platform enabling self presentation to a variety of interconnected audiences.”  For every average user, their profile is the perfect tool for them to shout out to the world about their interests, their thoughts, philosophy of life and everyday events.

           Facebook also makes it a lot easier for us to satisfy our humanistic instincts. We all have a sense of curiosity that compels us to know what is going on around us, within our social circle, your neighborhood, your office, or even what your competitors are up to. Facebook lets users become very aware of friends’ activities. And the most appealing one, is the facebook application available on mobile phones, making it a lot easier the massive amount of times people can login, for its convenience.

         There is no problem in having a facebook account but it can become a problem when you find more pleasure in it, then in your real life. A “2.0 generation” seeks for freedom in a virtual world and finds addiction as a powerful enemy, restricting their ability to prioritize their activities or meaningful purpose for their lives. While researching this topic, it made me feel as if we were the Chernobyl victims; for the life of the habitants of  Pripyat (city affected by this tragedy)  continued normally after the worst nuclear accident in history, because the enemy was invisible. Even the ones that had knowledge of the gravity of the accident, like the militaries and the scientists, remained in the city. They were ignoring the dangerous while they were sleeping and working there. The accident was hidden from the rest of the world for a while, even though, Europe was in dangerous. The ignorance is an evil that works silently, although, powerfully.

           This issue is only one of the consequences of a society that has become increasingly selfish and individualistic, making it harder to be solved for being so interconnected with so many other issues of our society. The addiction for this virtual life is a direct consequence of the loss of values that should be the foundation of our lives, as individuals, consequently, the cornerstone of this country. Conscientization is necessary, although, to be aware of our addictions is not enough to stop us, there must be a profound awareness of the values that are being lacked in our lives that led us to this addiction.

            One must reevaluate  how he or she perceives the entity of family, what they believe to be the purpose of our lives, analyze their self esteems , because the perspective of those, were distorted by this broken civilization; appearance seems to be more valuable than character, and sacrifice was traded for convenience, that is why people do not sacrifice their time to visit a friend that is sick or going through a difficult time, when they can just send them a message on their facebook; that is also why the image we pass through our profiles is hardly who we truly are, rather, who we want people to believe we are.

            We must face our real lives and real problems, take care of our real family and friends (that are probably less than 1000), spend quality time with our neighbors, visit the sick, instead of posting in their wall-  hardly a word can be warmer than a hug or even just a presence of a friend.  Parents would not have to “stalk” their children on the internet if they developed a genuine relationship of trust with them; instead of playing with a machine, we could gather our friends, play a game and have a meal together. I remember that when I was younger, we used to classify two people as real friends when they “knew” all their faces, when they could translate each other without words, I wonder if we still can apply this wisdom nowadays. The human being was not made to be alone and our nature requires company, affection and time from one another. We need to be more humans, go back to the essence of fellowship. 

Reflective Essay

The ENG 241 was quite a surprise for me; starting with the blog “style” for the class and ending with some interesting themes for us to write about. I like how we study a subject from a different century, and at the same time, we have to apply the knowledge or concept of it to our own generation and society. While sometimes it can be challenging, it is a creativity starter for our minds, with topics that are so open that give the opportunity to each student, to write about especially diverse subjects while working on the same thematic.

            I felt most engaged to the class, while replying my colleagues’ posts on the general assembly wall. I like connecting with people, exchanging ideas, making new relationships etc, although, it can become quite challenging when you are taking an online class. The way this specific class was set up, though, made me feel closer to those “names in the screen” and even start to notice the style of some of our classmates, after reading few of their writings. It was quite interesting for me to read the different opinions and engage in discussions, attempting to try to have a better perspective about a subject.

            At the beginning of the course though, I felt a little insecure, because the first theme was “What is an American?”. How can you answer this question if you are not one?! Well, after struggling with it for a little while and feeling quiet homesick, I took advantage of my weakness and gave my perspective as an outsider. I tried to show how by emerging in a different culture is the best way to get to know their people better and understand their values. I also felt a little distant from the class when I learned that we had to have a blog. As an outdoorsy, mostly old fashion person, the idea of working with a blog and that everyone can see, did not make me so happy. I am sure there is a way you can control who sees it, but I did not figured that out yet, and I found out yesterday that a friend that is not taking classes with me, was following my blog and reading my posts.

            Another struggle was to try to do not offend people by sharing my spiritual beliefs and still answer the questions proposed for the essays without nullifying my character and perspectives. Good news is that soon I found out that others were going through the same struggle and I believe their “audacity” inspired me to be as real as I could be, while writing my essays, if necessary, why not, sharing my most radical values.   

            I found to be very interesting most of the readings required for this class so far. I disagree with some point of views, agree with others, although, overall, they added much to my perspective of the human condition, and I can see that many of the issues addressed in some of the essays are still part of our society, after all, good knowledge never gets old.  

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?

                                                 Give me Water, Food and Facebook.

            Jacksonville mom Alexandra V. Tobias, 22, pleads guilty to murder. Alexandra was arrested after the January death of 3-month-old Dylan Lee Edmondson. She told investigators that she became angry because the baby was crying and interrupting her, while she was playing a computer game called FarmVille on the Facebook social-networking website. (The Florida Times Union).

            Social networking, in our generation, has become more than a tool or a mean to our lives, but a purpose, an end. Many are living for the next status on their Facebook, twitter or for the next video they will publish on their YouTube channel. This is a real issue that needs to be taken more seriously by each of us, starting with me.  

           Facebook is the most widely used and known social networking site, with more than 500,000,000 users; one in every 13 people on Earth have a facebook account, more than the entire population of USA. Almost half of Facebook's users visit it every day, 71.2 % of U.S. web audience are on facebook and  48% of young Americans said they get news about current events through Facebook. There are 10 million comments posted on Facebook every 20 minutes — that’s 500,000 comments per minute (Dyer). Some of its users spend an inordinate amount of time on Facebook, allowing the hours to while away unnoticed, the chores to go uncompleted, and even going so far as to ignoring family and friends in the actual world.

                                            

      Elizabeth Cohen writes an article on Facebook addiction, using as a setting the real story of a woman who is so ashamed of her addiction and so, decides to use a code-name- Newton. Apparently, Newton's twelve year old daughter asked for help on her homework numerous times, although her mom “could not” help her, for being so held up in Facebook. The daughter tries another strategy by emailing her mother asking for help, but the email was not noticed. Newton says that one day without facebook is the best she can handle, although one whole weekend without it, it is too much of a requirement. I wonder how many people can relate to her story, in certain level. With the help of a marriage therapist and a clinical psychologist, Cohen identifies five clues to help readers detect if they are "Facebook addict".

     If you are losing sleep due to spending an excessive amount of time on Facebook, spending more than one hour a day on this social networking website, if You become obsessed with old loves or you ignore work in favor of Facebook, if just the thought of getting off Facebook leaves you in a cold sweat, in Cohen’s opinion, you are obsessed with it. I would make it easier for you by saying that if you cannot imagine your life without facebook, meaning that you understand that you need this tool for whatever reason, you might want to consider the power of influence and maybe damage of facebook in your real life.

      It is hard to pinpoint an exact amount of time to spend on Facebook, but marriage and family therapist, Paula Pile, says that she thinks that probably no one needs more than 30 minutes a day.  a marriage and family therapist in Greensboro, NC,  states there is nothing wrong with "befriending" an old boyfriend or girlfriend, but she warns that it can get out of control easily. For example, it could cause inappropriate flirting between the two, which could cause a divorce. Mark Keenan, Managing Director of Divorce-Online said: "I had heard from my staff that there were a lot of people saying they had found out things about their partners on Facebook and I decided to see how prevalent it was, I was really surprised to see 20 per cent of all the petitions containing references to Facebook” (GMT). Joanna Lipari, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, states, "If you're not doing your job in order to sneak time on Facebook, you could have a real problem”.
                                               

     There are many facebook users assuming that they consider themselves addicts to it or that there is a possibility of an addiction. Many of the last ones, have decided to do not be on facebook so often, in numerous cases; just one day absence, caused to them stress and anxiety, proving that they need to reach out for help.

     Eric Frazier, from the website Charlotte observer  writes a story about a mother (Melynda Rushing) who wants her daughter to study harder, so she made her Facebook-loving college student a deal: Stay off the social network for a month, pour all those extra hours into academics, and you'll get $300. About halfway through the challenge, Alyssa Rushing misses the network so much she jokingly says she's going through “Facebook detox”:  “It's very hard," she said via telephone from the University of South Carolina Upstate campus in Spartanburg. "It was actually a lot harder the first couple of days. I didn't know I was truly addicted."

     Even though in so many ways the theme “facebook addiction” has been approached, through books (ex: Facebook Addiction: The Life and Time of Social Networking Addicts ) blogs, research (Google search website  has more facebook addictions entries than cigarettes or sex addictions entries – The Internet Time Machine) , shirts etc, there are still many people that are not aware of how facebook has become  a priority in their lives. The organization School Online have gathered an incredible amount of statistics that, in my opinion, makes many of us reconsider our own, “status” on facebook addiction: 48% of 18 to 34 years old check their facebook right when they wake up; About 28% check their facebook on their smart phones before getting out of bed; The college demographic (18-24) grew 74% in one year; “Facebook” was the most searched term for the second year running; 57% of people talk to people more online than they do in real life; In 20 minutes, 10,208,000 comments are made on facebook wall.

     There are a great amount of reasons that can be attributed to the over-growing addiction towards the social website; one of them is the fact that Facebook gives users a sense of worth. All of us require a sense of self-esteem and worth and this is what ever Facebook user profile has become a source for. In an article written by Andrew L. Mendelson and Zizi Papacharissi titled Look at us: Collective narcissism in College Student Facebook Photo Galleries, they write: “People are able to post only that information which presents a desired image. While people are purportedly presenting themselves, they are presenting a highly selective version of themselves. Social network sites (SNSs) present the latest networked platform enabling self presentation to a variety of interconnected audiences.”  For every average user, their profile is the perfect tool for them to shout out to the world about their interests, their thoughts, philosophy of life and everyday events.

     Facebook also makes it a lot easier for us to satisfy our humanistic instincts. We all have a sense of curiosity that compels us to know what is going on around us, within our social circle, your neighborhood, your office, or even what your competitors are up to. Facebook lets users become very aware of friends’ activities. And the most appealing one, is the facebook application available on mobile phones, making it a lot easier the massive amount of times people can login, for its convenience.

     There is no problem in having a facebook account but it can become a problem when you find more pleasure in it, then in your real life. A “2.0 generation” seeks for freedom in a virtual world and finds addiction as a powerful enemy, restricting their ability to prioritize their activities or meaningful purpose for their lives. While researching this topic, it made me feel as if we were the Chernobyl victims; for the life of the habitants of  Pripyat (city affected by this tragedy)  continued normally after the worst nuclear accident in history, because the enemy was invisible. Even the ones that had knowledge of the gravity of the accident, like the militaries and the scientists, remained in the city. They were ignoring the dangerous while they were sleeping and working there. The accident was hidden from the rest of the world for a while, even though, Europe was in dangerous. The ignorance is a evil that works silently, although, powerfully.

                                             

Work Cited

Dyer, Pam. "Are You Obsessed With Facebook? [Infographic] | Pamorama." Pamorama |

                       Marketing,       Life, Social Media. 18 Jan. 2011. Web. Apr. 2011.

Cohen, Elizabeth. "Clues That You Are Addicted to Facebook." CNN-health. 22 Oct. 2009.Web.

Figure 2. Nitrozach, and Snaggy. "The Joy of Tech." Comic strip. Tekkii.org. Print

Frazier, Eric. "Can She Go a Month without Facebook? | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte 

                    Observer Newspaper." Charlotte News Panthers Bobcats Sports Banking |

                    CharlotteObserver.com. 11 Oct. 2010. Web. Apr. 2011.

GMT. "Facebook Fuelling Divorce, Research Claims - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph Online, 

                   Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. 21 Dec. 2009. Web. Apr. 2011.

 "The Internet Time Machine - Is Facebook More Addictive Than Sex? (Niche Alert)." Learn New

                  Internet Marketing Trends For Niche Markets, Ideas, and Products. Web. Apr. 2011.

Where I Lived, and What I Lived For essay

            There is that moment in our lives when we question the purpose of our existence; where did we come from and why? In his essay, Where I Live and What I Lived For, Thoreau brings about these questions and the day when he believed to have found some meaning to his life, when he went to live in the wild, leaving behind the worldly lifestyle; The writer portrayed an allusion to independence day as a representation of that particular day when he moved to “the open outdoors” (Walden).

             Walden wanted to be awakened, to find meaning and to live for it. In my opinion, when you seek for purpose you seek for God, and what a better place to find Him than in Nature, in the middle of His creation and in the quietness of our souls, when the business of this world do not distract us from listening, observing and adoring Him?!  A famous quotation by an atheist says : “Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless” (Warren), this quote would not have nearly the same impact if it had been said by a theist , therefore, if God brings us purpose, how do we awaken for it? How can we live this purpose? As a Christian, I found my answers in the Word of God, the Bible, and it tells us that in the book of Mathew Chapter 16 verse 25: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”; for that reason I believe that there must be sacrifice, we are suppose to live a sacrificial, selfless life to be awakened.

            In his essay, Thoreau mentions that he "wished to live deliberately," to simplify everything in his life to the barest of necessities so that he could really live. This idea of releasing ourselves from the material world and living simply is well taught all throughout the Bible, though, our challenge becomes greater and greater in a time where consumerism dictates society and the business of this culture distract our minds from the essential in life. I do not believe that Thoreau invites us to leave everything and go live in the woods, as this experience was temporary for himself, I believe he suggests that Nature helps to arouse our souls, clean our minds and bring us back to our origins, awakening in our hearts the purpose of our lives.  It is interesting how a concept of the 18th hundreds can still be applied nowadays in our civilization; how much could any of us use some time in nature, away from this drive –through society to find ourselves and our lives’ meanings?!

            If our purpose is found, what comes next? How should we live a sacrificial life? To live a sacrificial life we have to first explore the meaning of the word sacrifice. The dictionary would tell us that sacrifice is deprivation of something valued or self-denial.; the meaning of sacrifice goes beyond the dictionary definition.  Sacrifice is usually associated with giving, something appreciated. If we accept the idea that sacrifice is to sacrifice material possessions then a donation would be the total of all our possessions. This would lead us to a difficult situation: we could no longer be stewards of God because nothing would have to administer neither could we demonstrate fidelity or infidelity. Sacrifice is also identified as an exchange; this exchange would be made by man trading things from this world for something eternal with God. Although, that also cannot be true considering that we do not own things in this life since we cannot take them with us once we die. So, if sacrifice is not to give or exchange, what is it?

             Sacrifice is the willingness to surrender all our lives to God without any reservation. It is putting everything to God's disposal: Time, Temple, Talents and Treasures; more than that, we are suppose to make an alliance with sacrifice, which means that  is the man's decision to deliver all life to God, without any reservation, for all that God requires from us, even if it means reaching the sacrifice.

            The person who sacrificed their will, their desires and plans and is available to God does not think more about themselves. We are not called to sacrifice what we possess, but also who we are. This costs more than money: it involves time, health, skills, effort, comfort and safety. The Bible says that We must learn to live this way, to the point of no longer seek to save ourselves but to want to be broken, to bring Christ to be revealed . There are numerous ways to give ourselves; sacrificially living is not only sharing our economies, we must open our souls to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted.

            “Like your job? Someone asked another missionary who served Christ in Africa. The answer was: Liking this work? No, my wife and I do not like dirt. We have a very refined sensibility. We do not like anything to drag us into vile huts, stepping on goat droppings. We do not like the company of ignorant, dirty and brutish people. But will someone not do something for Christ just because they dislike it? If so, may God have pity on that person. If it pleases or displeases us, it does not matter. We are commanded to go, and so, we will. Love constrains us.”( ejesus.com)

            On another powerful testimony, sacrifice is revealed as life-style: “Wilbur Chapman who was a powerful and a productive evangelist was holding a conversation with William Booth who was the founder of the Salvation Army. And Wilbur Chapman looked into the piercing eyes and rugged face of this giant for God. And he said, ‘General Booth what is the secret of your power? And what is the secret of your success?’ Brushing the hair from his brow that revealed those furrows that were put there through years of toil and years of battles and trials and victories, General Booth said to Wilbur Chapman, ‘I will tell you the secret. God has had all there was of me to have. There have been men of greater opportunity, but from the day I caught a vision of what Jesus Christ could do, I gave all to him. Many people who name the name of Christ may be saved and on their way to Heaven, but precious few every respond to this call of discipleship. The reason this is true is because discipleship involves a person. There is a person to please and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Sermons)

            We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
(Warren)

                                                                Work Cited

Warren, Richard. The Purpose-driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,                 2002. Print.

"Sermons, Outlines, Illustrations and Pastor Resources." SermonSearch. N.p., n.d. Web. June 2012.

"Walden - Chapter 2." Walden - Chapter 2. N.p., n.d. Web. June 2012. 

ejesus.com

My Best Self

            There was a man named Solomon who pleased God and in return God said he would grant his heart’s desire; Solomon asked for wisdom and discernment. What treasure could be better than that? What is wisdom and why should we pursue it?

          We, as human beings, are the result of everything that has ever happened in the history of the world; we are product of every relationship and the consequence of every mistake ever committed, we are singular and plural. How then, can we be our best selves and pursue our uniqueness, making a difference in this world, if we are in fact, a multitude in one? In Emerson's essay Self-Reliance, he says: "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide;". He believes we ought to be innovative and find our own selves, being original, although, I believe we are apprentices in this land. The same way that hundreds of years ago it was believed that the Earth was flat and our ancestors were unaware that it was not the center of the Universe, but a dot in the infinite, we also have a great deal to learn and to discover and we do need a master. I believe my best self is a collection of wisdom acquired through my own experiences and through the observance of the experience of others. We are a work in progress and we should never stop on seeking perfection. Perfection is like a bright light which we are far from; as closer as we get to it as better as we see our imperfections, this way, as we learn about our flaws, we can better work on them, eliminating what holds us back from being perfect.

          The first step that we should take towards the goal of the perfection is to choose good wisdom. We all have masters, for some, their masters are their money, for others, their work, for many, their partners, for a few, their God.  We need good leaders, good role models, good teachers, good parents and good masters. I have a good God and for me He is enough, but many have greatly helped me through this journey. Once you decide where you can acquire your better wisdom from, you have to pursue it. Words have to become thoughts, that have to become actions, that have to give fruits. What dictates the efficacy of our efforts on becoming a better person is not how much have we accomplished but how constant our growth is. Someone that have accomplished much twenty years ago, is no better than someone who decided for a change and yesterday and today and tomorrow will accomplish little. As our wisdom growths, it should give fruit; our better selves should impact others so that we can be leaders to those that are in the same journey seeking for their best selves. Every apprentice can have an apprentice, as every leader needs a leader, and on top of this hierarchy should be the only one who conquers perfection. We must always put others before ourselves, one more time my believes clash with Emerson's when he attests  "Then, again, do not tell me, as a good man did to-day, of my obligation to put all poor men in good situations. Are they my poor?", we must be humble and learn from the smallest of us.

          As a great work of art, good wisdom is not easy task. Wisdom per wisdom is empty. Wisdom not applied is like a beautiful casket, there is no life in it, and no fruit will come from it. I know I have worked in my character when I see fruits from my work.  To better understand how this process happens, I will give one simple personal example of it. Once I  read in the book of James, in the Bible, a verse that said: "Men have two ears, and but one tongue, that they should hear more than they speak." (James 1:19), I confess that until today, the practice of this wisdom acquired is still in progress. Even though its beautiful and very graphical analogy helped me to remember its practice, the accomplishment of it is still challenging. Although, I realized that my wisdom acquired was producing some fruits when I noticed friends coming more often to share with me their thoughts, troubles and their very souls. I am still in the beginning of this path but I can see growth and this is what I like to call living wisdom.

         Every year on my birthday, my father writes me a letter reminding me of the importance of wisdom. Even though we have different beliefs, his words of encouragement remind me each year to do not be content with where I am now in my growth, but to continue to pursue it daily. This persistence have taught me that there is something essential in everyone’s growth that goes beyond the wisdom, the action and the steadfastness, this is love. I have learned that as important as what you do, is how you do and why you do what you do. The intentions of one’s heart can be greater than the action itself.  What is virtue worthy of, if its meaning is just to do well what you are able to do?! If there is a knife, a great knife, very sharp and firm, should we give the same value to it whether it is in the hands of a grandma cooking pie or an assassin? We should not. We must do our best job with our best purpose and intention. If there is no love in action, there is no growth.

           

        This way, I believe that by carefully choosing the best wisdom, committing myself to seek for growth, putting it into action, producing fruits, making disciples and most importantly, doing it all with love, this living wisdom will bring me closer to perfection with consistency. At last, I must be humble and patience, above all with myself, I need to understand a fall is part of the growth and that all mistakes can be redeemed into wisdom.