Response to "Go-Nowhere Generation" New York Times Article

A Friend of Mine shared this article on Facebook and her frustration with it. As I tend to do when I get passionate and heated, I went off on too long of a tangent, but thought it would make a great blog post.

Here is the article: 
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/opinion/sunday/the-go-nowhere-generation.html?_r=1


And here is my response:
One of the things that older generations don't understand is how millenials engage with eachother and technology. In past generations, not only was it cheaper to travel, but it was more important to travel to be able to keep in contact with diverse people spread out geographically. I'm all for traveling, but one of the other things our generation is attributed with are better relationships with our parents and families and more of a innate duty to engage with and support our communities. I think its great people are reinvesting in the communities they come from, because no one knows that community's needs like someone who was raised there. They make it out to be a bad thing to love where you're from and the community that raised you, but its not. And they have some numbers thrown in there, but make alot of wide inferences as to why Millenials do what they do, using a few outliers and examples from the past to highlight how things "should be". Well in every generation you are going to have both your movers and shakers, and you're going to have your general public that maintains the status quo pursuing a mediocre "American Dream" and no more. Its not like ours is the first generation faced with this, theyre just trying to point fingers as were coming of age and realizing how much bullshit is going on in the world around us. Were becoming adults and leveraging technology to do more from our home computers in a day than they could do in a month at our age. The older generations are getting older, and our generation is the largest that has ever lived, with the most purchasing power of any generation, and as soon as we realize that, and how to use that to control the trajectory of corporations and politics we will really become a threat to them. But as such a large generation, yes there are many who have been discouraged by the economy and their environment and feel like fighting for change and a better life is pointless when there is so much competition with both peers and more experienced elders also fighting for employment. This is not to say we're "going no where", but that there is so much economic and political noise as our generation comes of age, that the dormant potential needs to be tapped into and directed. This can also be very dangerous as it makes the young and influential prime prey for flashy campaigns promising purpose and hope (such as the response to Kony 2012). We want something to believe in, because our government, economy, and elders are letting us down and teach us to shift blame rather than leading by example. But I would rather my peers wait to activate themselves after critical thinking and for a true cause rather than getting swept away because we're told this is what we "should be doing". Better to sit and wait for the moment to act then act hastily as someone else's puppet when the ensuing results will not actually be in our own best interest, but rather benefit the privileged corporate stockholders seeking to use our purchasing power to repad their pockets after economic downturn. 

I am renting my own home, 60 miles from the community i was born to. I just graduated college and was one of the fortunate few of my peers to find full-time employment immediately after graduation. I understand that we all play a role in keeping the economy afloat, but for our generation we need to focus on strategically planning our future rather than running to the wind because that's what were supposed to do to keep things going as they are. OBVIOUSLY things aren't working as they are, were off track and not living sustainably. Maybe we don't want things to continue as they are? An analogy I heard from a famous economist is that our American economic system is like a car with bad brakes and bad steering. It doesn't work no matter who's driving it, when the infrastructure is not right, it will always eventually crash. So rather than condemnation for a generation born to a world in turmoil, monitoring the progression of the social justice causes and calls for economic reform, why not give us motivation and direction, or at least support. Lead by example and show us what to do to fix this, use our intellectual capital to look for answers to problems, reward us when we're on the right track. Don't condemn the one's not strong enough to take on this corrupted system on their own.

As a Marketing Student, I spent significant time understanding marketing research, and how to use it to get what you want. I love my profession, but I understand Marketing as corporate manipulation. Once you know who your target audience is, you act in ways to play to their psyche and get them to respond in the way you desire. The same is true of politics and journalism. This is done in journalism by the way a story is framed, but before the validity of a claim is established, the perspective of the framework needs to be taken into account. The funny thing about personal perspectives is that when you're looking for something you will find it. When you're looking for research and statistics to back a belief, you will be able to find or create them through primary or secondary research. You will also generally ignore signifiers opposing your stance, because only the results with statistical significance get published in journals, not researching that ends inconclusive or rejecting the null hypothesis of no correlation. Though this article may capture parts of my generation, it does not speak for all of it, for myself, or the vast majority of my peers that I am fortunate enough to call my friends. Truly, its all a matter of perspective. With so much stimuli constantly coming in, its human nature to reaffirm preexisting believes and ignore outliers, but that does not mean that this is the entire truth, just the way we see it or we've been instructed to see it. Yet, it's easier to point fingers than to offer a hand when our shortcomings are realized.

I agree that when people are always filling their minds with technology and outside information they arent thinking as much for themselves. It curbs creativity and innovation and can lead  to sedentary lifestyles, so its important to take time to unplug as well. What they also dont address is how technology is our generation's frontier, a new and unchartered playground with endless possibilities. It is similar but different to the geographic exploration of our ancestors, but less detrimental to other cultures and natural resources. It's easier to connect with many different communities you identify with, growing off their ideas and with their encouragement, all from the comfort of your own home. With information and communication at our fingertips, geographic relocation isnt as necessary for sharing and building on ideas, but it is more of an expensive luxury because of the economy and rising costs of gas. I can barely cover my gas to and from work in the same city, and I have more important bills to pay than taking as many road trips as i did just a few years ago. They make it seem like its a bad thing to want to reinvest in community and establish a life and future family near the family that raised you. Ok its cheaper to go to North Dakota, but who wants to go there? What if you're happy with where you live but can't afford to live there on your own? Both sides of my family have strong ties in California, including my Native American tribes, and though I've traveled all that has done is show me there is NO WHERE ELSE I want to live. Additionally, many other cultures keep family together until the children are married, and even then they invest in the community which then in turn invest in raising the child to be wise and ethical.

If you ask me, the older generations have it wrong. We've had it wrong on a slippery slope since the birth of capitalism putting the pursuit of personal riches before the most valuable resources we have - our time and our lives. Putting pursuit of riches before family and community has lead to alot of the problems were facing today, and the moral and ethical depravity that's eating away our nation from the inside out as well as the depletion of our finite natural resources in the guise of progress and profit. So let them hate on the "Occupy" movement, were a product of our choices and the environment that has been created for us by those that came before. Although we are a product of our predecessors we do not need to be condemned to their choices and mistakes, but rather should take this as an opportunity to stop pointing fingers, accept the realities of our own shortcomings, because we cannot change them, we can only decide our own actions and future. We just need to be sure to watch and listen now so that in a few years time when its our turn to run things we don't lead our kids into the same economic turbulence and finger-pointing games our predecessors are teaching us now

:) Thanks for sharing the article. I feel much better after that tangent. :P haha. We may be young, but we're smart and motivated. If we ever realize our power we will be a force to be reckoned with, and being raised with technology we have an advantage over older professionals that have to learn it from scratch. It comes natural to us, and though they have more experience we have the ability to teach ourselves anything we have the motivation to with a few finger twitches and a youtube video or two. They may not get us, but they do fear us, because we care and we're smart enough to do something about it. People in control like things the way they are from their seat of privilege and power. We just gotta use the doubt and repression as fuel to keep fighting harder, because words only mean so much. Its our actions that will speak for us.

Autobiography - The Content, Context, and Passion of My Life

INTRODUCTION

I was born on the 15^th day of June in 1990. As the eldest daughter to my mother and father, I have been blessed with the selfless love of the best family I could ever ask for and the wise advice and guidance from my community elders. Before I go further in regards to the content of my life, it is important to understand the context of the world I was born into as the pursuit of my passions is rooted in the global culture to which I was born. 1990 marked the change of a decade from the 80’s to the 90’s, and the world was shifting dramatically. This was the last year of the Cold War Era and documented dramatic political and social changes around the world.  As the Cold War came to a close, the Gulf War began. Political unrest led to revolutions and was accompanied by many former Soviet nations declaring their independence. Though there were movements and agreements made toward solidarity and peace in this international platform, there were also horrific terrorist attacks and national disasters in 1990. Revolutionary action was stirring up innovation globally, and this was the year that birthed the World Wide Web as well a number of noteworthy scientific advancements. With technological innovations beginning to affect the way we communicate, I was born into an increasingly smaller world as our networks began to grow exponentially stronger internationally. As this cultural diffusion was happening all over the world, new frontiers began to develop and social justice initiatives that transcend national boundaries began to reshape the world as we know it.

THE WORLD IN 1990

                To begin the year, the United States invaded Panama which resulted in Manuel Noriega surrendering to American forces. There were significant political changes resulting from the Cold War, beginning with Lithuania demonstrating for and later declaring its independence from the Soviet Union. Soviet Troop killed 130 and wounded 700 protesters for national independence in Baku, Azerbaijan, but this did not kill the revolutions. 1990 was the year that East Germany held their first elections, which would lead to East and West Germany deciding to merge their currency and economy before the end of the year. In Estonia’s first free elections they declared that Soviet rule had been illegal since 1940. The Soviet Union apologized for the Katyn Massacre, but the snowballing effect of independence was already in motion. Latvia declared its independence, followed by Estonia restoring its name to the Republic of Estonia with its previous state emblems. Romania joined the movement as they held their first post-communist presidential and parliamentary elections, and the Republic of Yemen was formed from the Yemen Arab Republic and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. Along with political reshaping, this was the year George H.W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the treaty to end chemical weapon production and began destroying their respective stocks in the United States and the Soviet Union. Gorbachev was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to ease the tensions post-Cold War as Russia was reformed. To conclude the 1990 Cold War events, the parliament of the Russian Federation declared sovereignty, as did Belarus, and when Azerbaijan declared independence it finally lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

                With the end of one war was the beginning of another as terrorism and political action between Iraq and Kuwait lead to America’s involvement in the Gulf War. After Iraq invaded Kuwait, the United Nations Security Council ordered a global trade embargo against Iraq. President George H.W. Bush made a statement on television threatening to remove the Iraqi soldiers with force. This was followed by the passing of the UN Security Resolution 678 which authorized military intervention if Iraq did not withdraw and release their hostages. Before the end of 1990, Saddam Hussein did release the hostages, but the trouble wasn’t over. On an international level this year saw acts of terrorism across the globe. A terrorist act in Azerbaijan resulted in the Armenian terrorists blowing up a passenger bus killing 14 and wounding 35. In the Caribbean, a coup attempt on the parliament building in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago lasted 5 days and killed almost 20 people. The Middle East also saw continued Israeli-Palestinian Conflict as Israeli police killed 17 and wounded over 100 Palestinians near the Dome Rock mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

                Though the world was going through a period of uncertainty in 1990, there were many positive revolutionary acts and developments as well. The United Kingdom and Argentina restored their diplomatic relations after 8 years of problems. In 1990 the FIFA World Cup was held in Italy, where the world watched West Germany defeat Argentina. The International Olympics Committee decided that year that the 1996 Summer Olympics would be held in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States. International cooperation continued as the Charter of Paris for a New Europe was signed between European Nations, Canada, and the United States. With the end of the Soviet Union Russia saw it first McDonalds this year as the corporate giant continued its international trek. It was also the year Nelson Mandela was finally released near Cape Town, South Africa after 27 years of incarceration. Additionally, Brian Keenan, an Irish writer, was released from Lebanon after 5 years in captivity. 18 months after a coup in Haiti, Prosper Avril was removed from his seat of power in 1990 to be replaced by elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide ending 3 decades of military rule. Similarly, Bangladesh President Hossain Mohammad Ershad was forced to resign after massive protests in his country. In Croatia, the Serbian Democratic Party declared the sovereignty of the Serbs in Croatia and the first constitution of the Republic of Croatia was adopted.

                1990 saw dramatic changes geologically and technologically as well as politically. A 7.3 earthquake killed thousands in Manjil, Iran. Later, an underwater volcano called Mount Didicas erupted in the Philippines and was followed a short time later by a 7.7 earthquake killing 1,600. This was also the year Exxon was indicted on 5 criminal counts for the Exxon Valdez oil spill that had significant environmental damage. As support teams attempted to deal with the environmental devastation, NASA put the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. Paleontologists mark the year the with discovery of the best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found in Faith, South Dakota. One of the most significant advances though may be in the technological developments of 1990. Earlier in the year, Steve Jackson Games was raided by the Secret Service which later led to the development of the Electronic Frontier Foundation to raise public awareness about civil liberties issues associated with advancing computer-based communications media. Later in the year, Col Needham launched the Internet Movie Database which allowed users to search for information regarding films online. Though this seems simple now it was revolutionary at the time. However, the most significant achievement of this year was Tim Berners-Lee publishing the formal proposal for the World Wide Web and then creating the very first webpage on the first web server.

                As the world was reforming and the frontiers of the new millennia were developing, cultural issues transcending national boundaries such as gender equality and homosexuality were advancing as well. In 1990 the World Health Organization finally removed homosexuality from its list of diseases. Following this, Queensland Australia decriminalized homosexual acts between consenting adults. The first female Anglican priests, Kathleen Young and Irene Templeton, were ordained at St. Anne’s Cathedral in 1990. Not to be outdone, Ireland elected its first female President Mary Robinson, catching international attention. In America, George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act designed to protect disabled Americans from discrimination. All in all, 1990 saw monumental changes, and least importance of all of these is my birth. However, I have a very unique and rich story with a vibrant and trying background that I’m eager to share within the context of my own cultural lenses and privileges. This may appear just another autobiography, but the Native American side of my family taught their youth through oral tradition. I have composed this document to explain my lessons of world history and examine my role in it for all those I may serve as a teacher or an elder to, that the wisdom of my family is not lost.

CALIFORNIAN

                I like to jest that my family has been Californians since before my friends’ immigrant ancestors knew what California was. The truth is that is only a part of my family tree and to get a thorough understanding of how I have developed into the person I am today a more inclusive explanation is needed. My mother’s grandmother is Native American hailing from the Wintu, Pitriver, and Chimariko tribes of Northern California. She married a Russian man whose family escaped through Canada to California during the Second World War. As Native Americans were considered the lowest social class at the time, for his love of my great-grandmother he wrote scores of romantic poetry, but his love was not recognized by his family. They were wed, and he was disowned for the disgrace of marrying a “dirty Indian”. Their eldest daughter was my grandmother, and after her mother died young of cancer it was my grandmother’s responsibility to raise her siblings and take care of the motherly responsibilities though she was just a child herself. Her struggles growing up with nothing led to her relentless work ethic and her self-taught mastery of a diversity of tasks and specialty skills. She implemented what she learned at home and as the highest tiered civilian employee in the Transportation Department at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, Ca.

                My mother’s father’s side is also a very interesting one. Born in Kansas of natural childbirth to a white mother and father, my grandfather has dark skin and traditionally African-American features. His sisters were all white and he was raised in Kansas by a white Christian family, but this did not save him from prejudice and strife during the Civil Rights era. My grandfather began with an apprenticeship at McClellan Air Force Base’s Printing Press in High School. He enrolled in college and loved to play baseball, and was actually drafted to the Pittsburg Pirates. Unfortunately, he dropped a class which made him eligible for the National Draft. When he didn’t pick up a replacement class in time he was drafted to the Korean War. There he worked on cryptanalysis, though to this day he still remains loyal to his pledges of upmost confidentiality regarding his time working for the government. His General knew his love of baseball, and allowed my grandfather to play professionally in Japan for a few years before he came back to the States and McClellan Air Force Base. It was here that he eventually met my grandmother, and they were a strong multiracial supportive couple often coaching my mother and my aunt’s softball teams even after they divorced. My grandfather remarried and I have been blessed with another amazing aunt and uncle, but my grandmother remained a single parent and was highly involved in raising my sisters and myself.

                On my father’s side I’m blessed to have a grandmother with a passion similar to mine for genealogy. The daughter of a country Assembly of God pastor, she’s traced our family back to Norway in the 1700’s. My grandfather’s family has proven slightly more difficult to trace, though we do know they came to California from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. My grandfather was offered a country singing deal before he decided to serve his country overseas. When he came back my grandmother and he worked relentlessly to provide for their unexpectedly large family of 6. With a devout faith, my grandmother utilized her property management skills while my grandfather worked an array of blue collar jobs and they traveled up and down Northern California with their family.

 My father started his own family very young, and became an auto mechanic to provide for his new wife and daughter. He had my three eldest half-sisters in that marriage before they were divorced. Now I am blessed with 3 older sisters living on a reservation in Montana, as they are a different tribe Native American, with my 3 beautiful nieces and 3 handsome nephews. The eldest of my nephews just graduated and is making our family proud by serving his country. My father later took a job working for Ryder Truck Rentals, and worked his way up to a position of regional manager. My mother was a recent Marketing and Management graduate from Sacramento State working for Ryder as part of an arrangement to fund her education, and it was here that my parents met. After dating a while, they married and had me a year after. Though I had many cousins on my father’s side spread out across the West Coast, I was the oldest granddaughter on my maternal side and was very close geographically and emotionally to these grandparents, especially my grandmother “Mum”. My parents had three daughters together, and my grandmother was a significant impact on my life and is my role model for the independence, passion, and selfless love she has always demonstrated.

CITRUS HEIGHTS - MY BIRTH

I was raised for 18 years in the same home I was brought to after my birth in the North East suburbs of Sacramento County. I did not recognize my privilege as a child because my earliest memories are ones surrounded by tons of family and love and activity. Socioeconomically my family was lower middle class, and though I now know how rough some years were my mother worked miracles so that I never realized how bad things sometimes got. My mother had me in 1990, but I was soon followed by two more sisters in 1993 and 1994. With 3 young children to raise, my mom worked various jobs when I was younger and I would spend time with babysitters during the day. When my sisters came, she decided though she had her degree and robust career opportunities she wanted to be there to raise my sisters and myself. My father was traveling frequently at the time as a Regional Manager for Ryder, and my earliest memories of him revolve around his return home on the weekends with gifts from around the country. My Mom sold Tupperware for a while, and as an amazingly creative and resourceful person she would craft dolls to sell at craft shows to make a little extra cash flow. Then, she decided to go back to school to get teaching credentials so she could teach at the local Christian preschool my sisters and I attended. When my youngest sister was getting old enough to talk, my father realized the strain it put on my mother and my family having him travel so often. He quit his job at Ryder and together with my mother they opened Hale’s Truck Trailer Repair, Inc. with a Body Shop, Service Department, and Paint booth to specialize in freight vehicles. This allowed me to spend much more time with both of my parents, and to grow in an environment where I was constantly learning about the family business.

Green Oaks Fundamental Elementary School Beavers

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

It was not easy having my father as the CEO and my mother as the CFO of their own company, because from that moment on work always came home with them. Though the stress would put a strain on parents’ relations, and I’m sure it was not easy on my father in a house with 4 high energy females, it created an environment for me to learn how to mediate. I appreciate the struggles of these times because from a very young age I was able to see both sides of the argument, often with my mother’s marketing training leading her to point out the “devil’s advocate”, I realized generally the best solution lay in a mutually beneficially compromise. This came through in Kindergarten when I would attend special meetings when asked to be a conflict manager on my playground and for my peers. Through Elementary school I was very privileged to be at the best public school in my district. It was not my neighborhood school, but I waited to get in and then attended from first through sixth grade. The parents at this school were generally very involved and supportive, and I was allowed the creative freedoms and rigorous academics to explore the heights of my own passions and talents. Here I was in extra classes called G.A.T.E. for gifted and talented education where I performed my first dissections in second grade and was taught life skills and to think critically. I had two best friends from school growing up, one beautiful and athletic, the other quietly gorgeous and very studious, and they were both rooted in a deep faith in God. One of the best friends I have today I met through church, but even as we grew up and away she has always been the bedrock of reason and love that you need in a true best friend. In fourth grade I made a new friend, a young Muslim girl from Singapore. I was fascinated by her culture and family, and this relationship drastically affected my world view during the 9-11 terrorist attacks and ensuing national blind hatred for Muslims like my best friend. By sixth grade I was the Student Body President and my mother was the PTA President. I appreciate this sheltered time in my life as I feel it was a critical incubation period for me to develop, make friendships, and learn to appreciate my differences and embrace my intellect.

Louis Pasteur Fundamental Middle School

MIDDLE SCHOOL

My fairy-tale world did not last forever, and it was a critical turning point in my life when a friend of mine committed suicide the summer between 6^th and 7^th grade. Going from an academically challenging bubble to the mainstream realities of my pubescent peers, I entered into my own severe suicidal depression. I wondered why my friend would take her own life and what I really had to live for. I learned a lot about relationships as my friendships and networks grew, and I found my purpose in life. I got through that time by not focusing on myself and all of my apparent inadequacies and fears, but by resetting my goals and my perspective, and thereby forever altering the reality of my world. I realized I won’t be remembered for the number of dollars I die with in my bank account, but rather for what I invest in other people and how their life was somehow different because of my own. I couldn’t bring back my lost friend, but as a 13 year old it became apparent I couldn’t sit around and wait for someone else to be the friend people like her needed; I needed to be the change I was waiting for. As Arnold H. Glasow discovered, “Success isn’t the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”

In middle school many seeds of interest were planted that have today developed into the passions I live my life by. I had the opportunity to take a Media class in 7^th grade in which we learned to write scripts, act, direct, edit, and broadcast our skits across campus. I remained in Honors Classes and began noticing my affinity for Math and Science as I was placed in the accelerated math classes. Then in 8^th grade I learned more about graphic design as I served as Co-Edit-in-Chief of the school newspaper and yearbook. I had amazing best friends, and though I was a social butterfly interested in hearing everyone’s story, I had 2 best friends at this school. One of them was a beautiful Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Black Mix and the other was a stunning model whose mother was from Fiji and whose father was an Austrian pastry chef. We were Lulu, Fuffi Fuffi, and Kakootzabella, and from this I use the name Lulu in my current blogging projects. I also became best friends with Bella’s old boyfriend as we all used to spend a lot of time together, a Salvadorian and French young man with a passion for his car club and music. The summer before High School I took a Web Design class at Sac State learning to design websites on FrontPage and Dream Weaver programs, and I designed websites for small businesses before I was old enough to work a traditional job. After that, Fuffi, Bella and I went our separate ways in High School, and though we tried to keep in touch our school schedule and Fuffi’s relocation to Orange County made this difficult. This led me into a new period of my life, as I took it as another chance to reinvent myself.

Bella Vista High School Broncos

HIGH SCHOOL - FRESHMAN & SOPHOMORE YEAR

Again in High School I didn’t go to my neighborhood high school, which was often threatened to be turned into a vocational school due to the low level of college applicants and a number of other poor performance problems. I enrolled in the best academic school in my district for the college preparation and the excellent Drama department because I love to sing, dance, and act. Though I did not enjoy the new drama teacher my freshman year, I took chances to explore my other interests. I played three different sports over the course of four years. I had gone back and forth between Soccer and Dance since I was 5, but I started out my freshman year playing Center Midfield on the freshman team. Though I loved the sport, the time commitment was huge and I also had a rigorous Honors and Advanced Placement Schedule as well as significant time commitments to work and my Youth Group. During my sophomore and Junior Year I enjoyed playing Varsity Golf as my athletic choice. When I turned 16 the summer between sophomore and Junior I was dating a musician, as I also wrote music since I was 12 and played acoustic guitar since I was 14. I began working hard for minimum wage at an Ice Creamery around the corner from my house. After that I worked seasonally for Mervyn’s in the Children’s Department before working as an Administrative Assistant in my parent’s business until graduation.

High School Graduation

HIGH SCHOOL - JUNIOR & SENIOR YEAR

My Junior Year is when I began dating my first real love, who ended up being my high school sweetheart until Graduation when I was 18. A 6’4” German Mormon, he played on the Varsity Basketball team and I grew close to his family as I would go support as many games as possible. My senior year was strenuous preparing for college, working, and taking so many AP classes. My middle sister was a Freshman this year, and I was so excited to share my campus with her. My sisters and I have danced many styles of dance over the years, as our mother was a college cheerleader, dancer, and aerobics instructor. I have trained in Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Hip-Hop, Modern, Waltz, Cha-Cha, Rumba, Salsa, Zumba, Foxtrot, and Swing Dancing over the years, but was not too interested in doing a sport my Senior Year. One of my good friends from middle school was the Captain of the dance/drill team, and I needed to drive my sister to tryouts, so I ended up trying out as well. It was a predominantly young team, but that gave me the opportunity to help play “mama bear” and offer whatever love and guidance I could. That whole year I would go to school at 7 AM, get out at Noon, work till 4:30, go to practice till 8, and then spend my weekends at various band and dance competitions. Most schools do not combine their drill team and their color guard, which dances with the high school band. Our band was regionally acclaimed and wanted more dancers so it was as if we did two separate sports in one year with two separate competing teams and two seasons. The highlight of that year was our team trip to perform at Orlando Florida and then on a cruise performing on the ship as it sailed the Bahamas. At the end of my Senior Year I had my sights on attending University of the Pacific, my Aunt’s Alma Matter, as they were an hour from home and offering me the most financial aid and academic grants. I graduated with a 4.3 scoring a 2020 on my SATs and was admitted to Pacific as an Honors Biology Student with my sights on becoming a Pediatric Doctor.

O'Donnell Fam

POST GRADUATION

One of the most important lessons my mother taught me to accept is that you need to set goals so you’ll achieve more, but at the same time you need to be able to adapt when plans change. Turning 18 immediately around graduation I moved out of my parent’s house and in with my grandmother for the summer. With my free spirit finally unleashed from the demanding environment of my upbringing I set out to discover what the world had to offer me. I have made many mistakes over the past four years, but my scars have taught me lessons that have led me to be the person I am today. Though I have never adequately articulated all of my experiences during this time, I am so grateful for every setback and lesson that I feel compelled to outline this story for whoever might have the desire to hear it. I am confident, because I know that the content of my life is good and exactly what I want it to be, but I am balanced in my humility because I know that I have only become this person because of those beautiful souls that have touched my life and helped direct my path.

When I turned 18, I decided I wanted to be single and date. I believed I had known a good, yet complicated love and though marriage was discussed I wanted to experience life because I knew I didn’t have an adequate frame of reference to know what love really was yet. I didn’t want to work for my parents anymore, but rather worked at a local Movie Theatre until I left for college. My mother is an amazing wombyn, but I know she lives with regrets of her own, and she loves me so fiercely she attempted to protect me from harm by carefully watching us and monitoring where we were and who we were with every minute of the day. I appreciate her compassion and intent, but it did at times make things so painful for me, and as I entered “legal adulthood” I didn’t want to be protected anymore, I wanted to experience the bittersweet realities of life. Over that Summer I rekindled a connection with my childhood love, and that helped me refresh my vision of who I was outside of my parents and outside of my high school relationship. I felt I was starting over and I could choose to be anyone that I wanted to be because perception is reality and how I presented myself would influence how I was perceived and therefore treated. Dress how you want to be addressed. I couldn’t stand people that were too materialistic or lived their lives by conformity and “group-think”. All through high school I would go to as many indie-punk rock shows as I could and I fed off the energy of the non-conformist, the cultural oddities, and the critical thinkers. I developed some bad habits at this time including smoking cigarettes and partying Wednesday-Sunday. I began dating a friend, a Mexican young man that would DJ at local parties and events. I was living hard and fast, but realized my Russian, Native American, and Irish blood gave me a real affinity for alcohol as well as addiction, so I never tempted myself with hard drugs for fear of liking them and losing myself. The summer ended and I entered my Freshman Year at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Students of Distinction 2007

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC - FRESHMAN YEAR

I began working as a Diversity Coordinator in the ALANA (African, Latino, Asian, Native American) Center of the Multicultural Center on campus. I met an array of people on campus, but was still so close to my friends in Sacramento I was going there almost every weekend and every chance I got. My parents and I were having problems as they did not approve of my life choices and threatened to stop paying for school. At this point I withdrew from Pacific in first semester and moved in with my boyfriend in Sacramento to work full time to save up enough money to fund my own education. I learned a lot during that time, and I had many wonderful friends and loved the Latin culture of his house. However, I found out he had been cheating on me with a “friend” I had always been uncomfortable with. Being with him also set me back substantially financially. I moved in with my grandfather, and spent a good deal of time listening to his stories and lessons. I decided then to return to Pacific, because with the financial aid I was receiving here it was cheaper for me to return than to go anywhere else. I had some good diverse friends I met through different avenues during this time, but many of them left Pacific around the end of our freshman year for financial and academic reasons. I patched things up with my family slowly but surely and found a new romantic interest in a Salvadorian and English Business Student. That summer I returned to Sacramento and worked at Camping World, preparing to return to the Multicultural Center the next year.

Halloween 2009

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC - SOPHOMORE YEAR

My sophomore year I knew I was not enjoying my major as I had before. In high school I loved genetics and molecular biology, but in college I was enjoying Chemistry and discovering life way more than the intense competition and memorization needed for ecological biology. At Pacific, there are Professional Schools for Pharmacy and Dentistry, and the majority of my peers were competing to be accepted in one of these schools. Working in the Multicultural Center, I would plan events that taught about culture and perception and acceptance as well as current social justice issues. I had been planning parties since I was 5, and enjoyed the attention to detail and creativity needed for bringing people together to enjoy themselves. A family friend was an Event Planner for the governing business organization in Downtown Sacramento, and she agreed to let me Intern for her. I decided to switch my Major to Business Marketing as I saw a wider variety of opportunities beginning with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business. I wanted to plan events with social justice causes, and if at all possible incorporate my love of music. My boyfriend at the time had been rushing a fraternity on campus, and I went through that as his girlfriend and spent a lot of time with his fraternity brothers. They were relaxed and respectful and it was a wonderful period of my life, and I ended up rushing and joining a sorority on campus. What makes any moment precious is that it is fleeting and this time too came to an end. Though I appreciate all the memories and bonds I made,  I was in a position I had to choose between my job and internship and sisterhood, and as I had to fund my own living expenses I couldn’t give up my job. An uncomfortable break-up made it impossible to visit my friends in the fraternity house without problems with my ex, so again I set out to reinvent myself.

The end of my sophomore year I began spending more time with an old colleague from the Multicultural Center, a handsome African American, Haitian, and Creole young man from the Bay Area. Our time together developed into a relationship and I grew to love him very much and became best friends with him as I spent the summer in Stockton at summer school and he worked for the Stockton Ports Baseball Team. I was still working at the Multicultural Center during the year, but began working an Internship with a startup company of recent Pacific graduates called Port City Marketing Solutions. They gave me the title of Director of Event Planning and I began to teach myself how to throw concerts in a larger venue. I learned from experience how to handle talent, lighting, sound, promotions, and financial analysis with our Domestic Violence Awareness Concert that benefited the Women’s Center of San Joaquin County. This was the first event I performed in as the opening spoken word artist. I worked for Port City into the next year, but my junior year would prove to be a very difficult one.

Women's History Month 2010

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC - JUNIOR YEAR

To make some supplemental income I took a job as an Event Manager for the University handling the tech for various events hosted in Pacific’s facilities. Additionally I was working at the Multicultural Center, and was President of the Native American Student Association. I took another job as Campus Affairs Commissioner sitting on Senate and Cabinet as the liaison between Pacific’s Associated Students and the clubs and organizations on campus. Financial strains and relationship troubles led me into the second most severe depression of my life. Though I was not suicidal, I did not want to die, I didn’t really want to live either and things began to snowball for the worst. Family problems back home broke my heart, and the same thing that led me to love my ex made it difficult for us to communicate about the stresses I was experiencing. We were from different cultures, and we saw the world differently, but once I made my heart vulnerable to him our miscommunications would cut me deeper than I could bare because all I ever wanted was to love him and make him happy and be happy with him. We broke up before second semester, though our relationship carried through the end of 2011, and I began isolating myself in my work which heightened my depression. I would use alcohol as a crutch to forget how miserable I was, and one night when I was passed out in a friend’s bedroom alone I was molested in my sleep. I do not know the extent of the molestation because I was unconscious at the time. When I woke up my friend told me he accidentally walked in and saw this stranger over me but didn’t realize I was unconscious. It took a deep emotional toll on me and I withdrew further from caring about school and stopped trusting I would be safe if I went out. Some more horrible things happened to me that semester, and that wasn’t the only night I was taken advantage of. I had to come to terms with that, but at the time I wasn’t strong enough to so I wanted to drink to forget the pain. One of these times I realized I had too much to drink but I didn’t feel comfortable where I was, so I tried to drive the 5 blocks home and my tire with the entire break mechanism blew off. The car was totaled as I tried to pull off to a side road, and as a cop pulled up behind me to help with the dangerous situation they realized I had been drinking. I was a few weeks short of my 21^st birthday and I was arrested for a DUI, adding to my isolation with the inability to travel independently. My ex remained in my life as my companion when I was so lonely it was unbearable. I maintained friendships I had made, but mostly wanted to retreat into my own mind and observe the way that everyone else interacted amongst themselves. Through this deep period of introspection, I had a professor, my advisor, who realized I was performing under my potential academically. I didn’t share with her all the details of my struggles, but she gave me the kick in the ass I needed to start applying myself again and not give up on my dreams.

ASuop Winter Tiger Nights 2011

UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC - SENIOR YEAR

The summer before my senior year was a busy one. I had been asked to sit on the University President’s School Spirit Committee as a student representative with administrators to assess and make recommendations to enhance school spirit. Here I met the Associate Vice President of the University’s Marketing and Communications Department. A child of technology and being well versed in the channels of communication across campus, I spoke up and made some suggestions for disseminating Marketing Research tools that caught his attention. He offered me an internship working full-time as his personal intern, and I jumped at the chance. I began working with the Media department covering commencement and the Press Conferences with former Mexican President Vicente Fox. I’ve since worked on various projects as needed, spending a substantial amount of time on top current and aspirant peer comparisons for the University. I’ve used this research to develop a new University Wide social media plan that will begin to be implemented this semester. I no longer work for the multicultural center, but have continued to embrace the vibrancy that diversity brings to my life. I have worked to build the home I want to live in within walking distance of campus. I have 3 amazing roommates that keep me balanced and constant energy flowing through my house. The two roommates I originally had were in the LGBT community, and the other is Vietnamese born and raised in Germany studying at the local junior college. I am grateful for new and developing friendships, as I have been able to help my male roommate refocus his life and find a way to pursue higher education that will forever transform his life. He has introduced me to some amazing friends, and I have simplified my life to find the time to rekindle the healthy relationships that give me the energy to do the intense work that I do.

Commencement  May 2012

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

                Looking at the future, I’m so excited for all the various possibilities of where my life may go. I have been giving it deep introspection and looking for guidance from many elders around me. Before I address where I’m going, having explained how I got here, I would do my story injustice if I do not explain what I have learned from my strife. In Native American culture, there is this idea of spirit animals. You have multiple animals throughout your life that are concentrated on specific behaviors and attitudes, that come in and out of your life as you transition and need the lessons they teach. Above these animals is the Totem animal, which accompanies your soul’s energy through the physical and spiritual world. These animals are revealed to the individual in different fears, admirations, or appearances until it is clear to the individual what their animal is. I believe my spirit animal is the hummingbird, small but considered a warrior in battle that will dance out its unique colors and filigrees in the sky. I believe my Totem animal is the mythological Phoenix, as she reminds me there can be rebirth through devastation, and when it comes it’s a brand new chance to redefine who I want to be. Success will not be the end of my failure, but if I stop trying to improve everyday such a failure would prevent any future success. I love people for the nature of who they are in the unique context of their life. I believe that love is the most powerful transcendental emotional energy we will ever know. I believe that the smoky mirrors of modern society have distracted us from what matters in life by using “group-think” to play a giant chest game with the globe and advance the value of money over the value of life. I believe that culturally we have developed systems to sustain our life and liberties in an urban way which are not in their entirety wrong, but this can only be assessed through a resonating sense of the content and context of self as well as learning how to assess all stimuli and information critically.   

In Native culture spirituality and religion are different and separate things. Religion is the systemized way of worshipping a specific deity, or deities, and many Native Americans believe in a Christian God. The spirituality is recognition of the connectedness between all living things, that we all have a common destiny. A good way to explain this is if you are to look at a tree. From a molecular biologist’s standpoint, we’re made up of the same protein and chemical building blocks as the tree, just with a different blueprint for construction. When we exhale the tree breathes, and when the tree exhales we are provided with the specific molecules we need to sustain our lives. Native American spirituality is often misunderstood by modern culture. There are hundreds of different unique tribes across the Americas, and sometimes the old ways are preserved. However trends of a new overarching subculture with common modern symbols and practices are what typically exists in urban and suburban settings. Many of these culturally rich centers are not advertised to the mainstream media as is complementary or true of the culture, but stories are often framed poorly or spun for some alternative purpose. I believe all living things are connected – that is my spirituality, and as a scientist I can prove it. We all consume resources to sustain life, to create necessary energy to keep the machine of our physical bodies flowing in balance, and then expel excess energy, waste, and byproduct out into the environment. This process is what it means to be alive, and every living organism sustains this life as long as it can before their machine breaks down or their life is stopped by some external force. From all of this autobiography, the moral of my life is this: life itself is of the upmost value, we try to sustain it as long as we can but its brevity is what makes it precious.

WHAT MATTERS MOST

                So if the brevity of our life is the most precious thing we possess, and our life is measured in time, our time is our most valuable resource. We are all born into different systems and given certain labels depending on our role in those systems. These labels carry inherit privileges and disadvantages which we sometimes use to define us, but if we do we’re selling our potential short. It is our choice every moment if we use our time to live up to those labels, to run away from them, or to have the internal guidance to make choices based on truth rather than the system. This requires the strength of an emotional warrior, to not run away from our problems but learn from them and express our emotions when we choose it to be appropriate. For this to work we must stop caring about how they want to label us, and therefore strip them of their power to decide our life’s direction. You might have heard of this response as fight or flight, but I think our choices are truly fight your problems, run away from your problems, or control your environment to fix your problems. Within these systems those born with significant privilege are more easily susceptible to take those privileges for granted without outside comparison of the context of life around them. In this situation, although the resources, ability, and opportunities may be present, advancement is hindered due to a lack of motivation. Those born to significant disadvantages often appreciate earned privileges more due to the effort and trials that were overcome to possess that privilege. However, those born to disadvantage are often restricted in their pursuit of advancement by limited resources, ability, or opportunities. In my business classes it is explained that you need motivation, ability, and opportunity to achieve what you desire. I believe by providing the resources across lines of privilege to those most motivated to create their opportunities for success we have the opportunity to reshape the world.

                If time is our most precious resource, then the more time we save the more we can spend time doing the things we most desire to do. However, I feel like corporations have taken advantage of this to offer convenience over substance when profit is the bottom-line goal. I am a child of the technology era, and I’m fortunate enough to be born in a pivotal time in world history as global relations improve and international communication is increasing. I have been privileged in so many ways, with a loving and supportive family, amazing and diverse friends, and many trials and tribulations that my community has helped me to overcome. I have a unique set of skills when it comes to technology, music, event planning, marketing, and international relations. I’m not worried about being the richest person in the world, my most valuable possession is my time, and I invest it in those I love that my experiences might help give back to the community that’s helped me so much. People call me crazy for thinking I can change the world, but I think those crazy enough to think they can change it are the ones that do. I don’t have my future etched in stone, but as my mother always told me, “Shoot for the moon because even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.” I’m still learning, and as long as I am alive I will be a student, but the purpose and value of my life comes from watching the ripple effect of the love I invest in everyone I meet.

My Fiance and I - 22nd Birthday

GOING FORWARD

                Currently, my day job is as the Box Office Manager for the Stockton Symphony. Additionally, I am in the processing of open my own consulting firm for event planning and social media marketing. Shooting for the moon I’d like to launch myself traveling internationally and touring anywhere I can to see as much of the world as possible. At the end of the day, I want to open a University for Native Americans in Northern California. It would be modeled after a version in Johannesburg, South Africa where students get real world experience working administratively for the university, and their work subsidizes the cost of attendance making it accessible to low-income communities. I believe education is the key to thinking critically, and if we can awaken this interconnected generation of Millennials to pursue truth rather than tradition we have the capability to reshape the entire world economy sustainably. The old world taught that for a new civilization to rise another must fall, but I don’t agree with this model in modern context. We are seeing technical evolution at such a rapid rate, it is making it possible to communicate in ways never imagined and make executive decisions that more adequately represent the people. It’s not that everything in society is wrong, but it needs to be upgraded to keep up globally. However, the beauty in the cultures of the past should be kept alive as they still have lessons to teach us. This is just my story, and I am just one girl, but maybe one day you’ll be able to say you know one girl that changed the world. 

Rules of Engagement

If you can’t explain it simply you don’t understand it well enough. 

– Albert Einstein

You’ll get the right answers when you condition yourself to ask the right questions.

Rules of Engagement

·  I don’t have all the answers but I’m beginning to ask the right questions.  

·  Do not believe anything you’re told at face value, even if it’s what I tell you.

·  Take what you hear, weigh it against what you know to be true.

·  Take what you know, and evaluate how you know it.

·       Did you learn it through experience?

o   Did you come to your own conclusions?

o   Were your conclusions influenced by your culture, experiences, opinions, family or friends?

·       Did someone tell you?

o   Even the most credible sources are human

§  Humans are fallible

o   Even humans with the best intentions, preparation, or status are human and therefore are susceptible to flaw or error (myself included)

o   It is quicker to learn from the experiences of others than to attempt to experience all things yourself

o   It is important to assess validity of what you hear to establish the sources you can trust

§  It is crucial to understand context of information as well as the content

§  It is critical to understand the difference between intent (cause) and impact (effect)

·       Please treat me with respect, and you will receive respect in return

·       If you are unclear of my intentions or disagree with my opinions, please refer to “My Intent” listed below


http://femmefatale-theluluchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/12/intent-disclaimers-and-purpose.html

CONTENT
·  Subject matter; substance

CONTEXT
·  The surroundings, circumstances, environment, background or settings which determine, specify, or clarify meaning of an event or occurrence

INTENT
·  The purpose of something that is intended
·  Intend – to fix the mind upon (something to be accomplished); be intent upon; mean; design; plan; purpose
·  Summary: The reason why people do the things they do; motives behind actions

IMPACT
·  A significant or strong influence; an effect
·  Effect – the result or outcome of a cause
· Summary: The effect of another’s actions are based on the action themselves and how this action correlates to our perception and reality to cause a reaction

Intent, Disclaimers, and Purpose

MY INTENT, DISCLAIMERS, and PURPOSE

I do not want everyone to adopt my specific opinions

·        If everyone thought as I do, the world would be very boring

·        Rather, I want to help equip people with the tools to think critically about their own lives and reality

o   When people think critically, opinions will differ - but they are based on more substantive information than just adopting the opinions of the surrounding environment/culture

To foster critical thinking, it is critical to evaluate all ends of a spectrum

·        Even if you do not personally agree with an opinion I believe that makes it even more crucial to listen to and fully understand the opposing argument

o   Hearing opposition can help one solidify your own beliefs by specifying what you don’t believe

o   In debate, you must understanding opposition to systematically evaluate WHY it is wrong, supported by facts and not just raw passion or personal opinion

I am not perfect

·        I will continue to grow and develop every day I am alive

·        My opinions are based off of personal opinions and critical analysis of the opinions and experiences of others

o   When I am introduced to new ideas I entertain/consider those ideas

o   After listening to a new/opposing argument, I weigh these beliefs and this information against my own beliefs and experiences

o   If I agree with points made, I may adopt them into my own belief system, connecting them to preexisting beliefs and my own justifications/experiences

o   If I do not agree with points made, I understand that my dissenting opinion may be based on differences between my own reality and that of the opposition

§  If I am to have the freedom to believe and express my own opinions I must therefore understand others have the right to believe and express what they want as well

§  Defensive/Offensive responses distract from the message of the argument and are rarely successful in changing the opinions of others

·        In fact, such responses generally lead to the other party becoming defensive, which detracts from their concentration on the intent of your message

·        This can lead to emotional fights and internalization of “attacks” rather than intellectual debate

§  It is sometimes important to voice your dissenting opinion, however for comprehension it is critical this is done in  a non-offensive manner

·        If you do not voice your opinion, by your silence the opposing opinion may incorrectly believe they have your support

·        If opinions are expressed in a defensive/offensive manner, the opposing side will respond accordingly, and once this has been established it is much harder to communicate openly and concisely without the complications of emotions

Healthy Relationships are Built on an Exchange of Trust

·        Relationships are established by agreements made between multiple parties

o   Each party trusts that the other will act in a manner according to the nature of the relationship

o   ie. Business Partners, Familial Relationships, Domestic Relationships

·        Trust is Earned

o   Trust without a sufficient basis can lead to the abuse of that trust if one of the parties is unclear or guarded about their true intent

o   Trust can be established through clear definitions of expectations and the consistent meeting of those expectations by the opposing party

I Aim to Earn Your Trust through the Clarity of My Intentions

My Motivation

·        Writing these thoughts out helps me clarify my own opinions by justifying them on a tangible medium

·        I believe in America, and I recognize its problems

o   I believe in a New American Dream, I believe in the fundamental principles our nation was founded upon, and I believe in the potential of Capitalism

o   I believe that in its current state, America has been institutionalized by the minority in control to hold socioeconomic standards at a fixed inequality

o   I believe that capitalism should reward those who work hard, but is currently stratified to cyclically keep the status quo

o   I believe that the quickest way to give up your power is to believe that you don’t have any

o   I believe that the foundations of corporate America need to be reevaluated and redefined to return to the founding principles of the Bill of Rights

§  Protect the Natural Rights of Liberty and Property

§  Guarantee of Personal Freedoms

§  Reserve Powers to the States and Public

o   I believe by extending these rights of an individual to corporations, we subject ourselves to being ruled by corporate agendas

§  Corporations primary objective is to maximize financial investments of the primary stockholders

§  This means, generally corporations value financial power over social responsibility, and their actions and impact are directly correlated to this intent

§  The structure of a corporate entity gives it more purchasing power which can be leveraged to effect politicians, the outcome of legal rulings, and the focus of the general public by regulating the economy and therefore controlling the effect financial changes have on individuals and households

§  I believe that though some media remains “pure”, media is the message and the messenger, and like all information we receive it is critical to evaluate the source and intention of these messages

·        Money opens the door for research on how masses of people will respond to given stimuli

·        When this is understood, it can be applied to drive mass action and beliefs in the desired direction of the controlling party, often without the masses realization of being controlled

·        The only sure way to counteract this is to be aware of it by thinking critically and making decisions based on facts and information rather than public opinion

o   I believe that a government powerful enough to give us everything we want is also powerful enough to take everything we have

§  It was for this reason our nation was established with checks and balances

§  Due to changes in corporate structures, these checks and balances need to reflect modern issues and hold the corporate agenda in its place so that capitalism can be the means to the American Dream rather than the driving entity that decides the future of our nation, which should be the power and opinion of the people of that nation

·        I believe to get things done you need
MOTIVATION x ABILITY x OPPORTUNITY

o   Everyone is born with a unique set of privileges and disadvantages that manifest due to the environments we are in and our personal choices in those situations

o   I believe those born with the most privileges do not always maximize their potential because it is easy to take those privileges for granted without outside comparison

o   I believe those born with significant disadvantages often have intense motivation due to their experiences in struggling to overcome those disadvantages, but are often limited in their success due to lack of resources

o   I believe by providing the individuals across these lines of privilege with the resources to create their own opportunities and maximize their own abilities we can see the societal changes I believe to be both necessary and critical to our nation and the individuals therein

·        I believe I can help people attain a much needed sense of peace and understanding

o   Though I cannot tell individuals their meaning of life, I can direct their trajectory by initializing critical thinking

§  You’ll find the answers when you begin looking in the right places

o   I believe to be a happy and functioning member of society, it is critical to understand how that society functions

§  To ensure we navigate our individual paths effectively, it is critical to first fully understand our options

o   To maximize the effectiveness of our actions and communications, we must understand the implications of intent versus impact

§  To understand action à reaction we need to understand the context of how our words and actions are received

§  To understand context, we need to understand how others decode our intentions and actions

§  Once we understand how others are prone to understand what we say and do we can effectively communicate by eliminating the distractions that result in miscommunications

o   I believe for TRUE happiness we need a combination of:

§  Something to do

§  Somewhere to be

§  Someone to care about

·        I believe with the rapidly shrinking world as globalization and global communities continue to develop, it is increasingly important to understand other people and cultures outside of our own

o   Understanding helps break down boundaries of hate

§  By understand what we believe and why, we can better understand the beliefs and reasoning of others

§  When you break down culturally established boundaries it is easier to stop seeing things as “us” and “them”, and begin seeing them as “we”

·        You can accomplish more together than any individual on their own

·        Surrounding yourself with diversity will help you forsee unique problems and solutions that would be invisible or minimal through your personal cultural lenses

·        People from different and unique backgrounds can complement your own productivity as your weakness may be their strengths and vice versa

§  Ex. You may be culturally taught that homosexuality is wrong and have a vendetta against all of “them” that are different than yourself, but when you discover your best friend or your relative is homosexual it is easier to relate to the person as “who they are” and separate from the hate based off of “what they do”

o   Being open to understanding the experiences of others will make your life more vibrant and open your own opportunities to maximize your own life experiences

§  Ex. After 9-11 you could culturally conform to others around you who “hate all Muslims”. However, when you understand the horrific acts of 9-11 were the extremist actions of a small subsection of a larger group and not the norm for all people who identify with this religion, you rid your heart of the weighing hatred and open yourself up to meeting new people with unique life experiences. It has been my personal experience that the majority of which are trying to live the best lives they can, with good and honest moral intentions, and are not too different from yourself after all

o   I believe it is less important to judge others by the factors of what they are born with or into, and more important to evaluate based on what individuals do with these factors

§  We do not choose the body we are born with, the people we are born to, or the culture that we are raised in

§  You do choose how you react to external stimuli

§  Ex. You don’t choose the crayons you’re given

·        It may be the 8 pack or the 64 pack

·        It all comes down to what you do with the crayons

MY PURPOSE and BELIEFS

·      ·  I am a deeply introspective person, and highly inquisitive of the world around me

·      ·  From a young age I began to question the meaning of life

o   I discovered my meaning is to help those around me

o   I will not be remembered for the exact number of dollars I invested in my bank account

o   I will be remembered for the time and energy I invested in other peoples lives and how my existence affected theirs in some way

·      ·  My life has not be easy

o   I have struggled and hurt, fought and lost, loved and been abused

o   When you encounter hardship I believe you have two options

§  To let it control and define you and to feel bad for yourself

§  To take control, evaluate what can be learned, and persevere

o   I have been blessed with an amazing family

§  They have been my example of strength in the face of adversity

§  They have sacrificed for me to provide me with opportunities to pursue my passions

§  They have taught me faith, determination, hard-work, creativity, passion, compassion, and to view my environment from an atypical lens

§  They have set high expectations for me, not to set me up to fail but rather to teach me to expect the most out of myself to struggle and reach my full potential

·        Even if you try and fail, you will have achieved more than if you never tried at all


·         Success will not mean the end of failure, but if you stop at failure you'll never experience success

o   Though I have bottomed out and made many mistakes, I learn from every one before I move on to the next stage in my life

§  Experiencing failure means you will better appreciate success

§  Experiencing pain will make you stronger

§  Experiencing embarrassment will teach you empathy

§  Experiencing loss will help you appreciate what you do have

§  Experiencing the depths of sadness will give you a richer appreciation for the happy times

§  Experiencing heartbreak will teach you the value of true love

I’m trying to find my balance

·        I have observed that all things in life have the ability to balance themselves naturally, and to navigate life happily we must work to emulate this balance

o   If balance is not achieved, it is generally due to human intervention or action

o   Though varied points on the spectrum may appear more appealing, they are generally not sustainable

§  Without sustainability, even with current desirable outcomes, balance will eventually be reinstated on the system (Karma)

§  Without maintenance, resources, and some foresight the system will crash

·        Though I have seen the public opinion of this manifest and warp its meaning, or distract from the central message with flashing lights, this is what drives me, finding my own balance

·        Western society often tries to identify almost all things in such dichotomies and  in the guise of balance

o   Man and Woman

o   Life and Death

o   External and Internal

o   Right and Left

o   Up and Down

o   Good and Bad

o   Right and Wrong

·        We fear what we do not understand

o   So when we do not understand, we label trying to fit new stimuli into our current “cubbies” used to explain life (compartmentalizing)

o   Though it is necessary to filter and sort external stimuli for quick comprehension and reaction, it is important to know that most things do not exist in such evenly drawn “boxes” - there's an exception to every rule

o   In an attempt to direct public opinions it is often the extremities of these dichotomies that are most publicized, characterized, and villainized to direct the public opinion to fall somewhere in the middle of the two extremes

§  The reality is most things are not simple dichotomies

§  Most things to be evaluated fall on a sliding “sphere” more so than a “line” as we are typically inclined to see

·        We are inclined to see things that way subconsciously due to the conditioning of our social and cultural groups

·        These groups decide our educational systems

·        Our education conditions us to respond certain ways within society to receive success and social approval

·        Our education teaches us to look for stimuli that reinforce existing beliefs and minimalize or ignore stimuli which oppose those beliefs

§  When there are high social pressures to conform, those who do not “belong” or fit “perfectly” within these identified criteria are outcast

·        When the “exceptions” are removed from the equation, the equation appears to be true

·        This does not mean that the perception is the reality, it means fear and shame of social pressures outcast the obvious dissidents while scaring the rest of the population into conforming for risk of social isolation

·        I am not a prototypical non-conformist, and I am not a conformist, but I choose to exercise my right to determine my life’s direction and worth for myself

I believe there is nothing more valuable than life

o   Though varied religious and spiritual views may affect one’s understanding and perception of this subject, I ask that across the board those are set to rest for one minute to not taint the understanding of this point, though they may be later evaluated in comparison with it as you develop your own opinion

o   I believe by the nature of being “human beings” with the advanced consciousness to engage with our environments, we have certain inalienable rights and privileges within our environment

o   “With Great Privilege Comes Great Responsibility”

§  One such responsibility being to protect our rights and the rights of others by establishing a governing and punishment system

§  Given dominion over our environment means that we must also respect that environment and treat it in a way to facilitate its sustainability so the system we’ve created can and will outlive ourselves and adjust to future developments

o   I believe there is no greater violation than to end one’s life

§  I believe the lives of all human beings are equal

·        Though attempts are often made to quantify the worth of people by “traditional standards” and “majority opinions” this does not take into consideration the unseen factors - intent, heart, and that life’s potential impact for good in the future versus actual impact

·        I believe the intrinsic value of a life far outweighs the net worth or social standing of that life

·        I believe that no other human can adequately assess the value of another’s life because there will always be outlying and misunderstood factors

o   I believe the only way to attempt to understand another’s life is a qualitative value of the impact of all of their interactions and relationships

§  I believe it is the duty of government to look at all entities equally and assess punishment and retribution as determined by the educated opinions of the majority population

·        I believe before judgment is passed all associated parties should have an uninterrupted opportunity to speak their opinion and view without fear of being subjected to judgment or persecution

§  I believe it is sometimes necessary to take life in order to save lives

·        Ex. Upon breaking and entering with intended harm to one’s family, I believe the head of the house would be justified in ending the intruder’s life if there were no other means of stopping the imminent harm of the family. However, if ANY lesser options are available that would ensure the same protection of the lives of the family, those options should be exercised.

§  I believe that humans have the capacity to validate any internal justifications they choose

·        Just because it is validated by some measure, does not make it right

o   Justifying in one’s mind helps them come to terms with an unsettling event so as to deal with that event and move past it

o   Validity of justification often depends on perception more than reality

·        I believe extreme necessity when all other means to a solution have been evaluated and removed is the only justification for this act

o   I believe the worst harm anyone can ever do to themselves is ending their own life

§  Feelings of unending, all consuming and irreparable misery, sadness, social disapproval, and lack of purpose or huge factors I believe play into this tragedy

·        Having both experienced severe depression and the loss of loved ones at their own hand has lead to this opinion

·        Since then, I have realized that the problem is not necessarily the truth of reality, but rather the perception with which individuals construct, interpret, and interact with that reality

·        I believe by changing our perception, we can change our reality to maximize happiness and meaning to life

·        I believe that it is important to keep a perspective of the whole network of life and our role in it to deal with the horrific realities we sometimes must endure to develop an unbreakable spirit and realize our full potential

·        I believe the worst case of this occurs when an individual is made to feel like an outcast until they end their own life

o   Instead of establishing new norms of accepted behavior this merely reestablishes the public opinion that “different” doesn’t belong. It therefore will continue to be socially acceptable to outcast those who do not fit the comprehendible “boxes” of that system 

o   I believe the second worst harm anyone can ever do to themselves is limiting their own potential by figuratively “committing suicide” and giving up on themselves and their own talents and ambitions in the pursuit of being like someone else

§  I believe that it is critical for people to have role models

·        You can’t be what you can’t see

·        Seeing how others like you achieved goals you desire can help direct you on the path to achieving and surpassing those goals

·        Role models and mentors direct your development, idols lead to complete submission and emulation

§  No one else should have the power to decide what you do, as they do not know your unique experiences and potential consequences like you do

§  No one else lives with the consequences of your actions like you will

·        You do, you have more at stake

·        Therefore its critical you make decisions you can physically and morally live with & do not engage in activity if you are not ready to handle the consequences

§  I drew an in-depth analysis of this subject through the evaluation of “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

·        In this essay, giving up one’s own passions, talents, dreams and pursuits in the attempt to be like another is compared to suicide, because it is the end of the life you were created to live

·        You do not have the talents and experiences of that other person, and you will never be a better “them” than they are

·        Similarly, no one else has your unique experiences and talents and no one else will ever be able to be a better you than yourself are if you can identify these unique abilities and strengths and apply them as you’re meant to

·        I believe for a healthy society we need diversity

o   As humans we all have weaknesses, and need diversity around us to learn how best to strengthen those areas

o   Diversity of perspective allows us to better assess reality past the scope of cultural lenses

o   Every person performs a different function in society – like parts of a body

§  If we were all the mouths, and there were no ears, talking would be pointless

§  Some people are the hands doing, some people are the feet moving forward

§  Some people are the neurons transporting information between the distinct parts and organizing reaction to stimuli

§  Some people are the brains, receiving all the information and processing it and then attempting to coordinate the action of the parts

o   THE IDEA IS – no one could do it alone, as much as were taught its “us” against “them”, you and they have a common destiny, and by stabbing yourself in the eye because you don’t like the color of the pupil you’re not going to make yourself walk there any faster or have any more of an idea where you’re going

§  When we allow the media to control the public opinion of what is and is not acceptable, we are allowing them to strip us of our unique potentials and evaluate us to fit unrealistic social molds that do not embrace our talents or foster happiness and our capacity for good, but rather teach us to hide them and change them to “fit in”

·        When everyone believes the same way, it is easier to direct the actions of that group by anticipating how they will respond to events and stimuli

·        It benefits corporations to subconsciously advance conformity while simultaneously showing individuals how they do not meet the unrealistic ideals to strip them of their pride and sense of self-worth

o   When this is done, it is easier to increase product sales by convincing consumers through buying in to what they are selling the consumer will finally attain self-worth and approval

o   From this view, happiness is associated with an end all result of having the right things and being loved and envied by everyone else

I Believe That We Need to Listen to and Respect Our Elders

·        Their CONTEXT may be out of date but their CONTENT is still relevant

·        It is our responsibility to decode their messages and apply them to our modern scenarios

o   Their messages are full of meaning and purpose if properly understood

o   If you don’t personally have grandparents there are tons of retirement homes filled with loving elders who have stories to tell and just want someone to take the time to listen
o   They will do you the favor of helping to teach you if you do them the favor of showing respect and listening – unlike many modern information sources that want monetary gain and personal advancement in return

·        By learning from the experiences and stories of others we do not have to “reinvent the wheel” every time a problem arises

o   We can build procedures and guidelines by anticipating problems based on the problems encountered by those who have experienced similar situations

Love One Another

·        Above all else, I believe love is the one emotion strong enough to connect every living soul and transcend this hell we’ve created for ourselves on earth

·        I believe Love comes in many shapes and forms (as I will later discuss)

·        I believe that the people that are the most difficult to love are the people who need to experience love the most

·        When we break down the insignificant barriers we’ve been taught to separate ourselves from others we will realize that we are more similar as human beings than we will ever be different due to our cultural experiences and conditioning

·        To truly love another and feel that love in return will transform your life