The Way

I first expected The Way to be a boring movie about a man walking a religious path, almost like a documentary. What I learned instead from Tom and his companions is that everyone has a story. Each of the people he walked with seemed annoying or rude before he really got to know them and learned the reason that they were walking on the Camino. Tom's self discovery along the way taught a lesson to me as I watched the movie that everyone can have a second chance to write wrongs no matter what age he or she might be. Tom honored his son and finally understood the reasons he had for choosing to drop out of school, travel, and walk the way. The pilgrimage itself was inspiring because each of the characters had time to change and think as they walked the long journey. Another purpose of the camino was to solve a problem or reach a goal. Each of the characters set out to achieve one thing, but realized the true reason for walking the camino only when they reached the end. Sarah first started the walk in order to quit smoking, but once she reached the end she realized that it was about regaining respect and love for herself and learning to be brave after getting out of a relationship with an abusive husband. She was an introvert and standoffish at the beginning, but by the end learned to open up to her companions. The Way taught an important lesson of self discovery, and the camino was an extremely successful way of doing it.

IVF

After viewing the dateline special and reading the article on IVF, I have begun to be able to construct an informed opinion. The Church believes that every embryo is a person from the moment of conception. Therefore, the creating of embryos and freezing them is immoral because not all of the embryos will survive, result in successful pregnancies, or be used. After watching and hearing the stories of these people who were unable to create life, I began to realize some of the pros that this procedure may have on families. Not everyone is able to successfully fertilize but want to be able to have children. My opinion is formed based off the morality of the Church's teachings but also my personal beliefs. It is wrong to kill off the innocent embryos but IVF can also provide a family with a miracle. The financial cost of the procedure makes me question if it is fair. Poorer families do not have the option for IVF because of the extensive costs. The procedure is only available to the rich which makes it less moral than it would be if it was more affordable and available. The process of IVF can be seen as a miracle for families in need but also a process that destroys thousands of embryos that will never get the chance at life. The Church might need to adopt a more modern view on the procedure but also keep in mind the protection needed for the embryos that will not be as fortunate as those that are successfully fertilized.

The word of the year is...

The author of the article "The Word is Love" gave a deeper meaning to such a common word. She described it as a love from God that is more powerful than any romantic or friendly love. This kind of love is both sacrifice and happiness at the same time. She found strength within God during her illness and found the power to overcome her pain and suffering. God and the people that surrounded her during her time of need showered her with immense love to remind her that she was cared for. Her reasoning for making love the word of the year give such a common and overused term a deeper meaning while giving it power and purpose.

In my opinion, my word of the year is "change." As the new year school year started, I was faced with immense change. I felt older and began to make decisions for myself. Starting the school year as a senior faced me with the reality of the college process. I filled out applications upon applications and still find myself racing to meet final college deadlines before the month is over. I know that next year my life will be completely different and I can already feel the change in my life start to occur. As I grow older and start to mature, change is the primary word in my vocabulary.