Thursday, December 19, 2013
Zen Pencils
This J.K. Rowling quote about the benefits of failure really spoke to me when I read it, especially after all of the recent stress about college decisions has begun to be the complete focus of everyone. Rowling said "it is impossible to live without failing at something."I believe this is true. I might not get into my top college or even my second choice, but that does not mean that I will not eventually succeed. I know that whatever path God chooses for me, it will be the one that I was meant to take. Instead of being stressed and letting college take over my entire life while I am still supposed to be enjoying my senior year of high school, I will let whatever happens happen, and be grateful for it.
Monday, December 16, 2013
He's Just Not That Into You...
Anna and Ben
Anna and Ben have a relationship that is completely against the teachings of the Catholic Church. Ben is a married man and is cheating on his wife with Anna. Anna is not in a committed relationship, but is participating in premarital sex. Although she loves Ben and believes that he is prepared to leave his wife for her, she is still not making a good decision. The relationship between the two is a prime example of what not to do. It is the complete opposite of the anything our textbook claims is good. People make mistakes, and both Anna and Ben learn from them in the end. Ben realizes that he is a terrible person after his wife kicks him out of the house and he is forced to live on his own. He did not realize how good his life was and how much he took it for granted until it was too late. Anna realized what she was doing was wrong on her own. After witnessing an interaction between Ben and his wife, she realized that the relationship she had with Ben was wrong and a huge mistake. She ended it with him and instead began to focus on her singing career. She realized that her life should not be dependent on men.
Gigi
Gigi is a character that is relatable to when we learned about soulmates and the so-called "perfect match" in our textbook. Gigi is a die hard romantic and is obsessed with finding someone that is right for her. She often throws herself at men she likes or completely ruins her chances with them by doing something embarrassing. Although Gigi tries hard to find her perfect match, she finds him in the most unexpected way. She has many rules about dating and claims to see signs. She ends up being in love with a man, Alex, who was originally her friend. She did not see the relationship coming at first and when she fell for him she ruined her chances. Alex fell in love with Gigi for the crazy person that she was, proving that sometimes people truly can have a perfect match, even if they find them in the most unexpected places.
Beth and Neil
Beth and Neil are in love and have been living together but are not married. According to the Catholic Church and its' teachings, in order to live together and be involved in a sexual relationship, the couple should be married. Neil is afraid to commit to marriage and goes against the proper teachings. In the end, they decide to get married. It takes Neil a while to realize that he should marry Beth because he did not realize that he had the perfect relationship. It took Beth breaking up with him to realize that he should take the chance to marry her because true love like that does not come around often.
Anna and Ben have a relationship that is completely against the teachings of the Catholic Church. Ben is a married man and is cheating on his wife with Anna. Anna is not in a committed relationship, but is participating in premarital sex. Although she loves Ben and believes that he is prepared to leave his wife for her, she is still not making a good decision. The relationship between the two is a prime example of what not to do. It is the complete opposite of the anything our textbook claims is good. People make mistakes, and both Anna and Ben learn from them in the end. Ben realizes that he is a terrible person after his wife kicks him out of the house and he is forced to live on his own. He did not realize how good his life was and how much he took it for granted until it was too late. Anna realized what she was doing was wrong on her own. After witnessing an interaction between Ben and his wife, she realized that the relationship she had with Ben was wrong and a huge mistake. She ended it with him and instead began to focus on her singing career. She realized that her life should not be dependent on men.
Gigi
Gigi is a character that is relatable to when we learned about soulmates and the so-called "perfect match" in our textbook. Gigi is a die hard romantic and is obsessed with finding someone that is right for her. She often throws herself at men she likes or completely ruins her chances with them by doing something embarrassing. Although Gigi tries hard to find her perfect match, she finds him in the most unexpected way. She has many rules about dating and claims to see signs. She ends up being in love with a man, Alex, who was originally her friend. She did not see the relationship coming at first and when she fell for him she ruined her chances. Alex fell in love with Gigi for the crazy person that she was, proving that sometimes people truly can have a perfect match, even if they find them in the most unexpected places.
Beth and Neil
Beth and Neil are in love and have been living together but are not married. According to the Catholic Church and its' teachings, in order to live together and be involved in a sexual relationship, the couple should be married. Neil is afraid to commit to marriage and goes against the proper teachings. In the end, they decide to get married. It takes Neil a while to realize that he should marry Beth because he did not realize that he had the perfect relationship. It took Beth breaking up with him to realize that he should take the chance to marry her because true love like that does not come around often.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Snow Day!
From the beginning of the TED talk, I was reminded of the beauty of nature in all aspects of my life. The close up slo-motion images of plants growing and blowing in the wind made me remember what a phenomenon the gift of life is. What really stuck with me was when Louie talked about how people usually respond "Oh My God" to his pieces. The way he split up the phrase and gave each word an individual meaning really spoke to me. He said that "Oh" means that it caught the viewer's attention and made them mindful. The "My" connects with something deep inside the soul and inner voice, and the "God" is about the personal journey to be inspired and feel connected we all go on. He really put his wonder about time to work to make something beautiful. The three meanings inside this one phrase really summed up the beauty of nature and the places it can take us.
When the little blonde girl in the second clip of the talk said that we can develop more imagination by exploring. Sometimes in the hectic days we face, we are caught up in the hustle and bustle and never take the time to explore. Nature is all around us no matter what season, and a different type of beauty can always be found when we take the time to find it. Each day is an opportunity that we can either seize as a gift or ignore. I am going to begin to be grateful for each day in order to appreciate the beauty of nature and the awesomeness of everything around me. I need to treat each day as my last appreciating what I have, because I never know when it could all be taken away from me.
Monday, December 9, 2013
A New Vision for the Church
There are many mixed reviews in response to the Pope's "Evangelii Gaudium" or "The Joy of the Gospel". Many, including myself, agree that this new change is necessary in the Church with the standards of our society rapidly changing every day. A lot of the Church's teachings are outdated and often do not apply to the society in which we live. In this document, the Pope explored many new ideas such as including women more in the Church so that they can become more involved even though they may not become priests. The change that the Pope is offering is expected to be received as joyful and expects everyone to be open to it, as it is clear that this is what the Church needs. These new teachings are hope-filled and should be embraced.
A main point in the document is the discussion of the option for the poor and vulnerable. He states that the poor must not be forgotten, and that everyone deserves a chance. God has a special place for the poor in his heart, so we must also have a place for them. In "Evangelii Gaudium", the Pope does not expect everyone to immediately be open to all of its ideas, but to be willing to try to accept them. The Pope also encourages everyone to be ethical with their spending. In regards to the chaos of Black Friday and our extensive money spending during the holiday season, the Pope calls upon us to remember the poor and give back to them during the holidays. God loved the poor and we must also. Forgetting about them is not what our beliefs are about. We must practice solidarity and give back to them in order to enact these new teachings. We must not only enact these new teachings, but work to end the overall cycle of poverty. By doing this, we will have a deeper relationship with God that is strengthened by our personal experience.
A main point in the document is the discussion of the option for the poor and vulnerable. He states that the poor must not be forgotten, and that everyone deserves a chance. God has a special place for the poor in his heart, so we must also have a place for them. In "Evangelii Gaudium", the Pope does not expect everyone to immediately be open to all of its ideas, but to be willing to try to accept them. The Pope also encourages everyone to be ethical with their spending. In regards to the chaos of Black Friday and our extensive money spending during the holiday season, the Pope calls upon us to remember the poor and give back to them during the holidays. God loved the poor and we must also. Forgetting about them is not what our beliefs are about. We must practice solidarity and give back to them in order to enact these new teachings. We must not only enact these new teachings, but work to end the overall cycle of poverty. By doing this, we will have a deeper relationship with God that is strengthened by our personal experience.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Perspectives On Marriage
The marriages of my parents and grandparents are both very traditional. While I do respect and appreciate their love that they have for each other, i tend to take a more modern perspective on marriage. I do not see marriage as being submissive to my husband and acting as a typical housewife that was seen in earlier generations. Marriage is about having respect and equality with the person that I will choose to spend the rest of my life with. As well as the aspect of equality, my grandparents marriage is very serious and focused on their children. I want to marry someone who I am deeply in love with who shares the same interests and ideas as me. I want to be able to have serious conversations about important topics and voice my opinions freely. At the same time, I also want to be able to sit back and joke around with my husband without feeling any restraint. Marriage is not only about the partnership, but also about the friendship, care, and love one must show for their spouse.
In ancient cultures, marriage was often arranged and never true. In the present, women and men have the opportunity to explore dating and try out what they like and dislike before committing to a marriage. Old stories were often told regarding a man and a woman who were matched together out of convenience for the two families or a matter of money. The husband and wife never actually loved each other but were forced to stay together because of the wishes of their families. Another story often heard about marriages of the past is simply about procreation. People used to marry only for the purpose of having as many children as possible in order to keep the family name going for as long as possible. They never had sex to show love for each other but just to have children. Marriage today is about both of those aspects of sex. The Catholic Church has changed its definition on marriage to be more about just procreation. Now it is about a deep love and understanding for the person that you choose to spend the rest of your life with.
In ancient cultures, marriage was often arranged and never true. In the present, women and men have the opportunity to explore dating and try out what they like and dislike before committing to a marriage. Old stories were often told regarding a man and a woman who were matched together out of convenience for the two families or a matter of money. The husband and wife never actually loved each other but were forced to stay together because of the wishes of their families. Another story often heard about marriages of the past is simply about procreation. People used to marry only for the purpose of having as many children as possible in order to keep the family name going for as long as possible. They never had sex to show love for each other but just to have children. Marriage today is about both of those aspects of sex. The Catholic Church has changed its definition on marriage to be more about just procreation. Now it is about a deep love and understanding for the person that you choose to spend the rest of your life with.
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