Childhood obesity is on the rise. News broadcasts and newspaper articles alike are confirming that statement. Everyone seems at a loss as to why it is and how we fix it. It seems fairly obvious to me what the problem is, considering society is the creator. And because society created it, it would seem very clear how we deal with the crisis at hand.
For one thing, as kids are getting chubbier, technology and gaming is rising in popularity. Kids should definitely know how to run a computer, but limiting time spent on computers, watching television, or playing game systems could lead to more time spent burning calories.
Secondly, at the same time that kids are getting chubbier and technology and gaming is rising in popularity, schools are piling on more and more homework. Years ago, children were given hardly any homework, and were smaller because they spent more time playing. Well maybe if schools didn't pile on the homework like they do children would have the time and energy to exercise and eat right. Maybe if lessons were taught and projects were done in the six hours a day alloted for them kids wouldn't mind reintroducing themselves to one-on-one time with a basketball or football. And maybe, just maybe, if children were taught that there's more to life than being a good student, they would realize the importance of playing and having fun.
Moral of the story:
The answer is in the question.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Public Speaking
What is it about public speaking that sends some trembling at the knees? I believe that we see a sea of 500 people and instantly tell ourselves that those are 500 more opportunities for someone to find your words stupid or ignorant. Not only that, but those individuals who disagree with you will have the ability to talk amongst themselves and confirm that what you're saying is wrong.
I personally view public speaking differently. The idea that there is so much conviction in my beliefs or research that I can get up there and share them is remarkable.In talking to an audience, you are potentially influencing their mindset. There isn't a feeling quite like standing in front of a crowd and talking. Sure, there are jitters- a slight queasiness in the stomach, sweat dripping from your palms. But when it is all said and done, you know what you did was right. You know what you did was great.
Moral of the story:
You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.
John Ford
I personally view public speaking differently. The idea that there is so much conviction in my beliefs or research that I can get up there and share them is remarkable.In talking to an audience, you are potentially influencing their mindset. There isn't a feeling quite like standing in front of a crowd and talking. Sure, there are jitters- a slight queasiness in the stomach, sweat dripping from your palms. But when it is all said and done, you know what you did was right. You know what you did was great.
Moral of the story:
You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.
John Ford
Community Service
It is a common misconception that to serve the community you must pick up trash or visit a nursing home. While those acts of kindness are amiable in their own right, community service stretches far beyond such cliches. There are many opportunities for you to use your skills in a fun, interesting way. Volunteerism is in museums, libraries, zoos- everywhere. If you're still not convinced, start your own service project for a cause you care about.
The common excuse for not giving back is that we just don't have the time. Let me just say that a child dying from leukemia or a wounded soldier didn't plan on spending so much time away from hobbies or jobs. By reaching out and lending a hand, whether that be through hours of work or just the flash of a smile, you are seeking a reward much deeper than achievement obtained through work. When you help soemone, there's a feeling in your gut that feels absolutely right. Time will wear on, but that feeling will never leave you.
Moral of the story:
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
Aesop (620 BC - 560 BC), The Lion and the Mouse
The common excuse for not giving back is that we just don't have the time. Let me just say that a child dying from leukemia or a wounded soldier didn't plan on spending so much time away from hobbies or jobs. By reaching out and lending a hand, whether that be through hours of work or just the flash of a smile, you are seeking a reward much deeper than achievement obtained through work. When you help soemone, there's a feeling in your gut that feels absolutely right. Time will wear on, but that feeling will never leave you.
Moral of the story:
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
Aesop (620 BC - 560 BC), The Lion and the Mouse
Respect
Most of the time I'm oblivious to the drama that takes place at school. My closest friend and I eat lunch by ourselves, sheltering us from what really happens between classmates. I didn't realize how plain rude students could be until I spent two weeks eating lunch with different people, as the aforementioned friend was on a trip. While she was gone, I witnessed a level of immaturity that I had no idea took place. Friends back-stabbing other friends, older students looking down upon younger ones. I felt out of place. Showing such disrespect for one another in a school that claimed to be close and at peace was contradictory to everything Polaris stood for.
The worst part about it was that I could feel myself being sucked into it. A mind subconsciuosly tells you that it's okay to think what everyone else thinks. And so, accordingly, I would catch myself thinking disrespectful thoughts about someone, crticizing people I had no right to criticize. I was constantly having to keep myself in-check and in-line with my morals.
My message is clear and simple: degrading someone does not make you superior to them. On the contrary, it makes you just as low as you feel the person you're degrading is. Remind yourself of what is right, and share with others how you feel about their comments and actions. Together we can change the mindsets of students in schools.
Moral of the story:
The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else.
Whitney Young (1921 - 1971)
The worst part about it was that I could feel myself being sucked into it. A mind subconsciuosly tells you that it's okay to think what everyone else thinks. And so, accordingly, I would catch myself thinking disrespectful thoughts about someone, crticizing people I had no right to criticize. I was constantly having to keep myself in-check and in-line with my morals.
My message is clear and simple: degrading someone does not make you superior to them. On the contrary, it makes you just as low as you feel the person you're degrading is. Remind yourself of what is right, and share with others how you feel about their comments and actions. Together we can change the mindsets of students in schools.
Moral of the story:
The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else.
Whitney Young (1921 - 1971)
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Common Bonds
When I was in the Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute, I remember hanging out with a bunch of fellow trainees at lunch. We were talking, joking around, and telling stories. There was one seventeen-year-old girl who living with a very religious family. She talked about how much she disliked being so sheltered. She said that when she was 18 she would move out, and enjoy being free. One guy said, "You mean, like burn down a house or something like that?"
The girl laughed. "Something like that."
Earlier that morning we had broken up into groups for a problem-solving workshop. Each group was supposed to find creative solutions to common issues. After a certain amount of time for discussion, groups would present their most creative, out-there ideas. One group had pollution as their issue. One of their solutions was to burn down all of the car dealerships to make a statement about the toxins cars produce. This idea was ridiculous, of course, seeming as a) you can't commit arson just to make a statement and b) the amount of pollution produced from setting fire to dealerships and the cars within them would hardly be worth the effort. Our trainer brought the latter point up, though not unkindly, and we all got a good laugh out of it.
So here we were at lunch, and the idea of burning down a house in rebellion to strict parents was brought up. I casually made a joke, saying, "You know, you could burn down car dealerships. I hear it'll stop pollution."
I didn't think that the joke was anything special until I said it. On the contrary, it was a hit, and I barely got the first sentence out before everyone burst out laughing.
In that moment, I was very, very proud. Here I was, the youngest person in the camp, receiving high fives and uproarious laughter from people three, four years older than me. We were so different, and yet we respected one another and didn't care how differently we acted, spoke, dressed, or laughed. In that moment we bonded over a common experience, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Moral of the story:
You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.
Dale Carnegie
The girl laughed. "Something like that."
Earlier that morning we had broken up into groups for a problem-solving workshop. Each group was supposed to find creative solutions to common issues. After a certain amount of time for discussion, groups would present their most creative, out-there ideas. One group had pollution as their issue. One of their solutions was to burn down all of the car dealerships to make a statement about the toxins cars produce. This idea was ridiculous, of course, seeming as a) you can't commit arson just to make a statement and b) the amount of pollution produced from setting fire to dealerships and the cars within them would hardly be worth the effort. Our trainer brought the latter point up, though not unkindly, and we all got a good laugh out of it.
So here we were at lunch, and the idea of burning down a house in rebellion to strict parents was brought up. I casually made a joke, saying, "You know, you could burn down car dealerships. I hear it'll stop pollution."
I didn't think that the joke was anything special until I said it. On the contrary, it was a hit, and I barely got the first sentence out before everyone burst out laughing.
In that moment, I was very, very proud. Here I was, the youngest person in the camp, receiving high fives and uproarious laughter from people three, four years older than me. We were so different, and yet we respected one another and didn't care how differently we acted, spoke, dressed, or laughed. In that moment we bonded over a common experience, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Moral of the story:
You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.
Dale Carnegie
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Writing
I used to love to write. I’d start novels, write short stories, scribble poems and lyrics in journals. While my friends had hobbies such as dancing and drawing, I wrote. It wasn’t silly or stupid. It was just what I did.
Here I am now, going into ninth grade. While I still love to write, it's not quite the same. Suddenly, everything I write needs to have purpose. Novels need to be the next “great American”. Stories have to be edited five times over until every colon and comma knows its place. Songs need to be number-one-hit material. The soft feel of a pen flowing across a paper hardly exists, replaced by the repetitive sound of fingers on a keyboard. Don’t even dream about cursive, either. That’s gone.
But through this major change in my writing, I’ve learned a very precious lesson: sometimes we just need to sit down and truly write. Not the artificial works on a Microsoft Word document, by the simplistic stylings of pen to paper. Who cares what’s written? When your world goes to pot, it’s important to know that, when all is said and done, the only things that matter are you and those words. No matter the shape of the paper they’re written on, words are eternal.
Moral of the story:
Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
Cyril Connolly
Here I am now, going into ninth grade. While I still love to write, it's not quite the same. Suddenly, everything I write needs to have purpose. Novels need to be the next “great American”. Stories have to be edited five times over until every colon and comma knows its place. Songs need to be number-one-hit material. The soft feel of a pen flowing across a paper hardly exists, replaced by the repetitive sound of fingers on a keyboard. Don’t even dream about cursive, either. That’s gone.
But through this major change in my writing, I’ve learned a very precious lesson: sometimes we just need to sit down and truly write. Not the artificial works on a Microsoft Word document, by the simplistic stylings of pen to paper. Who cares what’s written? When your world goes to pot, it’s important to know that, when all is said and done, the only things that matter are you and those words. No matter the shape of the paper they’re written on, words are eternal.
Moral of the story:
Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
Cyril Connolly
Employment
I have long followed the philosophy that every legal job is just as important as the next. Humans often get caught up in thinking that the person flipping their burger is beneath them. Why? Why do we think that they aren’t as talented at the next person? Those people are hard workers that at least had the motivation to fill out the application. Others sit around waiting for a better career to fall into their laps. The person that sinks low enough to look down on employees without a college education should think again.
Moral of the story:
Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.
Sam Ewing
Moral of the story:
Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.
Sam Ewing
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