Martin Luther King Jr.’s life story is very compelling but his family history also explains the roots of King’s motivations and actions. King’s grandparents were complete opposites, as in: his mother’s parents were oriented around Christianity to the extent that they were a living example for even whites to follow, while King’s father’s parents were not feminists in nature and dealt with the problems they faced through aggression which was a product of the harsh environment the Kings lived in. Peggy L. Chinn’s “Peace and Power” tells of feminism and its origins as this is very misconstrued within the contemporary.
Peace and Reconciliation Studies is a product of feminism and this may be why the stereotypical, brute, Caucasian, American male refers to peace activists as “tree-huggers.” Carrying on, Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist that was referred to as “Nigger” and he could have taken drastic measures like his father’s parents may have or members of his race, like Malcolm X in an eye for an eye, sordid mentality. “An eye for an eye makes the world go blind,” is an expression originating from Gandhi that was often heard and seen regurgitated through King’s many lectures and peaceful protests. Gandhi’s philosophies helped transform King’s negative impressions of white society that had been passed down through his family for generations. This aspect alone is a transformation from how the many generations of enslaved African Americans sacrificed their lives through the use of violence while challenging their oppressions.
We have seen this evolutionary process in many forms of life and within the human race, from the marching American revolutionaries battling the solid standing formations of “Lobster-Backs” to Japan’s ancient samurais that wore all white in battle to symbolize their willingness to die for their freedoms and beliefs. Martin Luther King Jr. adopted feminism like many other evolutionists and through this feminism he created a psychological dominance for the black race during their struggles in the civil rights period. King, similarly to Gandhi proved that the use of brute-force wrecked the African American image and took away from the unification of all races. Acts of masculinity could be described as actions carried out through impulsive tendencies. As in, they are not thought out and have more of a physical embodiment as opposed to carrying a spiritual or philosophical meaning. This point still hasn’t made its effect on all governments and rebellions but it has made progress.
Analytical writers, Zillah Eisenstein and Barbara Ehrenreich have mapped out instances throughout history where mankind has acted on impulse during moments that require forbearance and poor results have yielded. Within these writers’ analyses the concepts of feminism appear to be similar to the “invisible hand” that pushes society. Feminism in itself has been present in all instances of peaceful compromise but people often confuse it as a sex orientation when really it is a guide to create an agile response in some of life’s worst moments. “Peace and Power” mentions how females take on females are limited and enslaved throughout different parts of the world (even North America) but with these limitations females have developed a much more stable complexity as opposed to the brute mentality of the human race’s counter-part.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “power of love” attitude was a product of feminism and without this ideology, the African American would probably still be enslaved or slowly gaining rights while segregation would still be present. “The Singing Revolution” comes to mind right now, where natives of Estonia gathered in the hundreds of thousands to not riot, but sing about their once free land (close to a hundred years earlier). The crowd turnout in these protests gave the country buzz throughout the global community and eventually other nations teamed up to free Estonia of its occupation by the USSR. In the past centuries, Estonia’s people fought against different countries that tried to occupy them but the most powerful use of force was the influence of community among the indigenous that gathered to sing for freedom. King, Gandhi and the Estonians are modern proof that those oppressed have the power “to be” and “to do” without the use of violent force that so many consider using within the contemporary.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Obervational Dualism: Relation To Universal Needs
I have been in this position before except I could contain myself then.
My mind is racing faster than the speed of sound. I have been saying my thoughts out loud and it is just now that I am realizing this. The eighty some odd students and professor that I am presenting my media analysis paper to appear saddened and confused by my demeanor as am I. I cannot think straight but my mouth wants to move during this awkward tension. My arguments and points that I wrote earlier seem to be forgotten. I am getting frustrated with myself as my ears start to hear what I interpret as snickers and chuckles around the lecture hall. I act on this insecurity and give every person spectating a cold glare as my awkward presentation turns into a philosophical monologue challenging religion.
I have been in this position before except I could contain myself then.
All of the aggression within the presences around has consumed me. His body language and dialogue is completely different from other times that we have visited. I note this but that revelation soon diminishes when I perceive him invading my personal space both, physically and mentally. I instantly react without thinking and give this fellow a mean gaze. I tell him in not very nice words to get out of my face as his nose is pressed right up against mine similarly to an axe resting in its splitting log. I pull my head back and notice his mouth start to move. I interpret it as laughing within the first upward and downward movement of his jaw. Similarly to the mechanical movements of a swinging axe, I pull my head back and snap my neck down forward.
I have been in this position except I could contain myself then.
I grab a hold of the two with each hand on the others’ shoulders. The clinch is enough to defuse the tension between the two while it has brought the attention on me. We are all friends but right now we have seemed to forget. The oldest of us three shakes it off while the youngest of us three has decided to hold his fists up. She, my significant other, jumps in and grabs me as my mother is yelling for us to stop in the background. I grab my love and tell her: “You need to get back. You might get hurt, either by him or me pushing you away.” She listens and he charges me with his fists in the air. I thought my hands were at their sides but one formed a fist and within a hook motion collided with his right temple.
The students and the professor’s eyes froze as their bodies seemed forced motionless while the two gentlemen’s eyes rolled back when they lost consciousness as gravity pulled their bodies to the ground. My mind is so confused within the moments that follow after. Sorrow then rage, rage then sorrow and eventually the rage is over while all I feel is sadness, alone and fear. “The protagonist never feels this way,” I use to say. The protagonist within a dualistic setting is no different from the antagonist while the words used to describe them are considered antonyms. The idea of “victory” within a physically combative setting is staling similarly to cat piss on a hot sunny day. Nobody wins but everybody is hurt. The dualistic reactions plague the body and mind while an inner seed of suffering grows like lotus.
I have been in this position before but now know that the feelings and emotions I am experiencing root from the beautiful, universal needs of, acceptance, self-respect, to see and be seen, integrity, harmony, order, celebration of life, challenge, clarity, mourning and freedom.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
So pa
Patience is an element that every individual from all walks of life possesses or more commonly lacks. Forbearance is a necessity amongst interactions with other people and during the complex processes of reconstructing the self. Descriptions of people with impatient traits generally paint a negative image of the person; descriptions like: “he’s type A” and “she acts just like a bull in a china closet.” It is very evident that patience is a needed ingredient in creating a warm and loving community.
I picture the New Jersey turnpike whenever I hear the word “impatient” because there seems to always be a moment where there is a motorist among the many in one of the four lanes that is sounding off their horn like there is no tomorrow. Within this same moment there are vehicles zooming past at high speeds of up to a hundred miles per hour. In no time, there is an accident and every motorist has to stop but there are some that will try to cut through the miles of traffic through riding within the break-down lane and zigzagging in and out of the four lanes. In this short instance of three sentences we can already see how detrimental a lack of patience can be to those around the impatient. That individual who has decided to engage in beeping their horn has probably put fear in the law abiding driver in front of them. There should be no discomfort for a driver that is following the rules on the road but so commonly this is the case.
At any moment, the speeding vehicles could collide with cars of lower speeds that are changing lanes. During these instances, serious fatalities could occur from just one impatient motorist. Those drivers that decide to create a “shortcut” (more commonly motorcyclists) make it very hard for the rescue crews that have to use the break-down lane to get to the accident scene. This lack of patience could cause the seriously injured death. We see too commonly, serious accidents that occur because there was an impatient individual. This impatience deters a community especially when there are are fatalities to the extent that the impatient person is punished legally while also alienated by the community. All of this is a chain reaction of impatience, the members of the community that decide to say they will not forgive that person who made a mistake out of impatience will live suffering more than the individual that decides to use forbearance to later gain resolution and a general acceptance of the one who caused the accident.
We tend to encounter distressed people that we can visibly see their mind is racing and they are looking for a solution but don’t have the patience to narrow it down correctly. This is a natural thing for every sentient being but when I am amongst this with other people, I say: “Just breathe.” I can think of vast instances where this two-word liner has been so comforting. “So pa,” an eastern terminology describing patience, is applied globally but inhabitants of sub-cultures that are not poverty stricken must learn to possess patience. In that same instance at the gas station, where we are at the back of the line and frustrated with that cashier whom is talking to every patron like there is no tomorrow- we need to keep in mind that there are people of all ages in third world countries that stand and wait for hours, even days to receive food rations and medical treatment in some of the harshest forms of inclement weather.
- Just Breathe -
I picture the New Jersey turnpike whenever I hear the word “impatient” because there seems to always be a moment where there is a motorist among the many in one of the four lanes that is sounding off their horn like there is no tomorrow. Within this same moment there are vehicles zooming past at high speeds of up to a hundred miles per hour. In no time, there is an accident and every motorist has to stop but there are some that will try to cut through the miles of traffic through riding within the break-down lane and zigzagging in and out of the four lanes. In this short instance of three sentences we can already see how detrimental a lack of patience can be to those around the impatient. That individual who has decided to engage in beeping their horn has probably put fear in the law abiding driver in front of them. There should be no discomfort for a driver that is following the rules on the road but so commonly this is the case.
At any moment, the speeding vehicles could collide with cars of lower speeds that are changing lanes. During these instances, serious fatalities could occur from just one impatient motorist. Those drivers that decide to create a “shortcut” (more commonly motorcyclists) make it very hard for the rescue crews that have to use the break-down lane to get to the accident scene. This lack of patience could cause the seriously injured death. We see too commonly, serious accidents that occur because there was an impatient individual. This impatience deters a community especially when there are are fatalities to the extent that the impatient person is punished legally while also alienated by the community. All of this is a chain reaction of impatience, the members of the community that decide to say they will not forgive that person who made a mistake out of impatience will live suffering more than the individual that decides to use forbearance to later gain resolution and a general acceptance of the one who caused the accident.
We tend to encounter distressed people that we can visibly see their mind is racing and they are looking for a solution but don’t have the patience to narrow it down correctly. This is a natural thing for every sentient being but when I am amongst this with other people, I say: “Just breathe.” I can think of vast instances where this two-word liner has been so comforting. “So pa,” an eastern terminology describing patience, is applied globally but inhabitants of sub-cultures that are not poverty stricken must learn to possess patience. In that same instance at the gas station, where we are at the back of the line and frustrated with that cashier whom is talking to every patron like there is no tomorrow- we need to keep in mind that there are people of all ages in third world countries that stand and wait for hours, even days to receive food rations and medical treatment in some of the harshest forms of inclement weather.
- Just Breathe -
Monday, May 23, 2011
Martial Arts: A Lifestyle & Spiritual Path
Violence has played a role in the evolutionary processes of human beings since the creation of man as it first played a role when sentient beings were seen as the smaller item of any carnivorous food chain. Humans are an abnormal mammal because we stand on two legs without any natural protection of our vital organs besides a small layer of skin and minimal bone structures that don’t necessarily shield internal organs completely. Through time, our species started to adapt to its surrounding habitat but differently from other animals. A caterpillar builds a cocoon and nestles itself in the structure to later transform into a butterfly within the next season. Human beings have to rely on outside resources in order to survive day to day; instead of making a cocoon, early human beings used their hands with the help of their jointed thumbs to create building structures and clothing while they gripped weapons made from stone and indigenous plants (spears, tomahawks, knives, etc.) to fend off nature’s inclement weather and its hungry mammal inhabitants.
Through time a competitive edge encompassed the human race in what is now known as the “cave man theory.” “The survival of the fittest” tactic we may still see but its real existence lives in landscapes without human intervention, where: the mouse eats the plant; the bird snatches the mouse; the bird is devoured by a tiger; then the tiger is engulfed by a massive snake and so on. It was not long after mankind established its plethora of ethnicities and languages that this theory became altered in a form where peace and happiness was assumed to be possessed not by the physically stronger but by the higher social class. History and the contemporary have seen this aspect repeat like a broken record while caged and enslaved people have worked for generations (in some cases centuries) without being presented with plausible opportunities that could lead to future generations attaining a higher social status.
Today, we most commonly see this survival of the fittest ideology possessed by people that are not in the wilderness with scarce resources among other, very hungry, larger creatures. This aspect lives within the various industries of the world, where corporate companies devour natural resources that are not just crucial to the survival of all of humanity but very detrimental to the existence of ecosystems that flourished before human intervention ever occurred. The state of an inhabitant’s environment undoubtedly affects the inhabitant’s mental and physical attributes. In the late 1990’s, companies that we believed were exemplary in depicting Western culture for the rest of the world to see became dragged under the microscope of media outlets on a global level. Nike and Wal Mart, regularly outsourced in third world countries where there were no working regulations; there were other companies among them using the same practices but it is known that these companies funded the creations of factories that trapped the indigenous in terrible working conditions where they made lower than a hundredth of people in Western culture filling the same positions.
While many people remain enslaved in different parts of the world, social revolts have occurred and “freedom” has been captured by those who were oppressed but it has not come easy or without bloodshed. The successful uprisings in many cases have not involved violence partaken or incited by the movement leaders (Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, etc.) but our instincts derived from a primitive past where we were the weaker item on the food chain tends to cloud the minds of many who have been oppressed. This fact creates a terrorizing scene even in the most holy of places, such as Hunan province, China. The Shaolin temple sets in the mountains of this region and for over 1400 years the Shaolin monks have ventured into Hunan province to collect supplies similarly to how we often see people of Amish descent purchasing supplies that are intended to be rationalized for long periods of time.
As much as we might admire those who dedicated (and in many cases literally gave) their lives to complete nonviolence- the Gandhis and Martin Luther King Jrs. Of the world- there are situations where a shovel cannot do the work required of the hammer.
- Martial Artistic Novelist, Dr. HaHa Lung.
In 600 A.D., Hunan province was plagued with social injustices that were carried out in a fatal, dehumanizing array of mechanisms. The monks of Shaolin were continually robbed and nearly beaten to death by other inhabitants of the village’s pathway. Their spiritual teachings would not deter the attackers away or grant these unethically correct individuals an awakening but more than likely inspired the robbers to hurt and steal from the monks more. The beatings stopped after, Bodhidharma, a monk master arrived from India. Bodhidharma had experienced military battles before converting to Buddhism and he is credited as the creator of Kung-Fu. The monks of Shaolin underwent physical training within the fields of yoga, sparring and grappling carried out by Bodhidharma.
After a short period of time, the monks were no longer perceived as a group of weak individuals and they served as an exemplary basis for sixth century and contemporary martial arts schools to follow. The Shaolin monks’ depiction of martial arts was among many within this time period spanning across the world and they are often falsely credited as the sole creators of martial arts. The techniques taught and executed have been seen in other martial arts while the Shaolin monks were within a culture that already had martial arts influence (since 1600 BCE) and were later taught by a powerful Buddhist figure of Indian descent with a military background. Nearly 2000 miles away, since BCE Japan has acted as a creator in different branches of martial arts. These martial arts span from hand-to-hand combat fighting styles to weaponry fighting but the most commonly known ones today are judo and jujitsu.
The prefix “ju” means gentle while “jitsu” is interpreted as technique and this combines to form the English interpretation “gentle technique.” Jujitsu served as a platform for the lower-classes (representing the majority of 6TH Century Japan) to achieve inner peace through the various traits jujitsu presents its student’s with. There are a plethora of theories that contradict each-other in regards to the incredible growth of jujitsu. The theory that seems the most prevalent is the Sociological Class Theory. “Mastering Jujitsu” writers and professional jujitsu experts, Renzo Gracie and John Danaher, explain the Sociological Class Theory as: “This is the idea that every culture has a class system in place that ranks citizens into various groups based on income, occupation, lineage, and so on. Feudal Japan used an extreme example of this hierarchy, as different sociological classes had different social roles and conditions (Danaher, Gracie. 2003. Mastering Jujitsu. P.7). Self-confidence is derived from the physical and mental exercises within jujitsu’s structure that its students of middle class actively participate in. The psychological and physical gains from martial arts will be described more in depth after the origins of the dance fighting art, Capoeira are explored.
Capoeira is a fluid, rhythmic ritual, with enigmatic and often contradictory characteristics. The gestures of the capoeirista are those of a martial artist, with ritualized but sometimes violent attacks and counter attacks” – Women & Environments Writer, Janelle Joseph.
Eighteenth century, African slaves held captive within Brazilian plantations practiced Capoeira as a way to train each-other how to defend themselves while disguising Capoeira as a dance that the plantation overseers misconstrued it as. This martial art is seen as a form of expression and a challenge to oppression that still lives today in various parts of the world. Capoeira was very influential and it inspired the enslaved to revolt. Eventually, slavery became abolished in 1888 but with this came the illegalization of Capoeira. Capoeira did not become legalized in Brazil until the 1960s (Joseph. 2005. Transgressing Boundaries and Crossing Borders. Women & Environments). Capoeira’s success is incredible, but it and other martial arts should not be misinterpreted as simply, forms of brute force. The various forms of martial arts should be identified as paths that promote inner spirituality, efficient responses and self-confidence that are possible and present in the tense moments of life. Professional Counselor, Marty Mendenhall,explores in his article, “A Radical Approach to Delinquency Reform,” the peace that can be attained by juveniles who are living in distress within a detention center by attending a daily martial arts class.
Mendenhall selected 12 residents of a juvenile detention center ranging from 16-21 years of age to participate in a 12 week program that taught Chuan Fa, a martial art of Buddhist origins. The students were taught meditation and self-defense techniques that promoted a positive inner self. These “juvenile delinquents” developed skills that authoritative figures possessed through their secondary trainings. This fact might sound frightening but this is why I quoted “juvenile delinquents” because these residents wore that dehumanizing label without being presented a skill to remove it. Obviously, there are crimes of different natures where there is an extreme level of suffering by both the inmate and the inmate’s victims. Juvenile training schools are also present in the detention centers but Mendenhall notes that between 50-70% of enrollees commit crimes within a year or two of release (Mendenhall. 2008. A Radical Approach to Delinquency Reform. P.71).
Chuan Fa presents mindful breathing exercises while presenting Buddhist attributes, such as the Four Noble Truths and The Noble Eightfold Path. The four noble truths are the recognition of suffering, the origination of suffering, the stopping of suffering and a continual path of avoiding moments of suffering experienced in the past. This is a huge core of the Buddhist religion and like all other elements of Buddhism, it can be conjugated to explain all Buddhist teaching as all other aspects can describe the Four Noble Truths. Marty Mendenhall did not want to force his religion on his students so he presented the teachings in a neutral base form. The idea of recognizing suffering has been captured by Western philosophers (Sigmund Freud’s “Pursuit of Happiness”) but it is so controversial that different branches of Buddhism developed after the death of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha).
Mendenhall also explains the psychological disorder called locus of control:
Locus of control is the tendency of individuals to either perceive life’s circumstances as a product of forces outside their control.
I’ve seen this as the thesis of many lost people’s lives and it is sad because it can be countered. Meditation creates an absolute form of mindfulness and it acknowledges the rivers filled full of emotions and impulses. The Noble Eightfold Path plays in our mind naturally but without knowledge of it then there is no possibility of strengthening it. The Noble Eightfold Path is: Right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Instances where the mind naturally follows the eightfold path are when the mind stops and analyzes a specific thought that is not true or obscene. When asked about the meditation experience, one of Mendenhall’s students responded:
Meditation practice has helped me open up and stay focused. Not only that, it has expanded my awareness and helped me understand other people’s perspectives on life, and that there is not only one way to handle the issues that I have. Ever since I started this practice I feel more at peace with my mind. I’m not trying to fight with myself anymore. I’m learning to help myself (Mendenhall. P. 72).
As a current student of Brazilian jiujitsu (BJJ) I have noticed a remarkable change with my self-confidence and physical strength through both physical and mental exercises within each class. I was an individual who was first inspired with martial arts because of the physical maneuvers and not the soul of the sport. I learned maneuvers from handbooks and people of experience before actually setting foot in any dojo. I learned that the movements I had learned were uncommonly a success while grappling with an even not nearly experienced BJJ student. I still struggle with maintaining discipline but I have a completely different view from when I first started to dabble in martial arts.
As I said earlier, my interest was to learn how to hurt people while, presently I have found BJJ plays the role as a family and a lifestyle that I would like to stay true to. The motivations to stay involved with the sport are achieving an acquired level of discipline, self-refrain, family and eventually gaining higher merits within the belt system. I had a misperceived stereotype of what actually transpires in a martial arts academy and felt more fear before attending. The environment is warm and welcoming where the student develops a strong bond with people that the student had never met until the night’s class. This sense of community is a very powerful feeling.
I’ve found that Mendenhall’s Chuan Fa is very similar to how I train my mind within most moments of life. I am very new to martial arts but I find the literature of martial arts to be very similar to texts of Buddhist and even Western ideologies. The dojo is the only place where you can be on the floor, on your back, shaped like a pretzel, without the fear and attitude that plagues people who find themselves in these situations outside of the dojo. Since beginning my trainings, I have found it much easier to defuse situations where the other person(s) maybe trying to cause harm by listening and noting their awkward movements. Those fellows that are always picking fights at the local tavern have serious mental issues, probably derived from a childhood of being bullied. I find that there is hope in these tense moments where these lost souls might interfere while my significant other and I are participating in “a night on the town.” A few years ago, I may have thought differently and I know that my girlfriend gets really nerved up but all of these emotions rush our mind especially if we have not trained them. A good friend of mine created an organization called “Breathe Peace,” I tend to do some breathing exercises while saying that in my mind and it works.
There is without a doubt that we have control of the path that we are going and with almost anything we can see how we could have had a different result. I look at my past experiences, where I had been beaten to a pulp-like substance and in some cases by more than one person; I know that I had done wrong just as much as those people wronged the innocent. Adopting “Gentle Technique” to my experiences has taken scenes that could have ended with resuscitation or a very long stay at the Intensive Care Unit and replaced them with a sense of reform and acceptance. These trainings can not necessarily change all scary situations, but they create a much more in depth level of understanding where the mind and body can react not in a vigilante sordid way, but that of a brother or a shepherd helping direct the lost.
Brazilian jiujitsu is a Brazilian impression of jujitsu that Helio Gracie presented to the world in his mixed martial arts exhibits in the early 1930s. Gracie just passed away at 96 but he was actively participating in the sport up until the year before he perished. Gracie’s children and their children actively participate in BJJ. Royce Gracie’s infamous pay per view fights against people of all sizes from the nearly seven foot tall 450 pound Akebono to Ultimate Fighting Champion Matt Hughes, has given BJJ more shine and popularity within the global community. BJJ also developed from social class order, where its participants could feel free from all of life’s oppressions in a famine and disease stricken Brazil.
History has shown how martial arts has strengthened the mentally and physically weak while, serving as an outlet for people in distress to become stable. The monks of the Shaolin temple in the sixth century help provide an image of institutionalized martial arts but should not be confused as the “creators” of martial arts. It is very evident that social class structure has played a role in the evolution of martial arts. Marty Mendenhall’s approach to disciplining juvenile delinquents with a Buddhist form of martial arts appears to be more successful than the schooling procedures going on within detention centers across the globe. One size does not fit all but martial arts allow creative expression to form freely as opposed to specific governing structures. We need to fix ourselves before we can enact a policy that will produce peace in the masses. Society could become less violent and filled with peace if martial arts were used as a curriculum in teaching people of all walks of life.
REFERENCES
Danaher, J. Gracie, R. (2003). Mastering Jiujitsu. USA: Human Kinetics.
Janelle, J. (2005). Transgressing Boundaires and Crossing Borders. Women & Environments International Magazine. P.31-33.
Lung, H. (2008). Mind Fist. New York: Kensington Publishing Co. P.1-85
Mendenhall, M. (2008). A Radical Approach to Delinquency Reform. University of Phoenix. Arizona: ReVision Publishing. P.71-76.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Never Forgotten!
Photo Courtesy of:http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/34935079.html
His dreads hung past his blocky shoulders as the Black and Mild cigar touched his lips during the brief pauses in and out of his monologue. I thought he was much older than he really was but his physique and dialect made him seem older. The former Liberty University tailback was in the prime of his life and I had the privilege to know him as a friend for a short span of the last three months of his young life. Shay’s voice was very deep and I remember always walking into his conversations not knowing or really being able to relate. I was ignorant about the trials and tribulations that African Americans go through in the USA and I believe my lack of knowledge partially is because I’m a native of Maine where it is very sheltered compared to Virginia. I wasn’t use to Shay’s dialect but he was very kind towards me and I could see that he had good intentions.
After a few visits in the designated smoking area at Blue Ridge Community College we started to have good conversations within small increments because it was typically in between classes. I was twenty at the time and I placed Shay as being in his mid-twenties because of his physique and verbal presence. It was surprising to me to learn that Shay Nicholson was only nineteen. I’ve heard different versions of what happened November 9, 2008. That early morning, three members of the despicable gang the Crypts entered a party that Reginald Shay Nicholson was at with two friends, a male and a female. Apparently these members of such a ruthless gang started to terrorize the party through threatening people with gang symbols and ill language.
Shay was a fighter and at this point in his life, he had defeated many odds while using his athleticism and charisma. Calling the confrontation “a brief fight” is most certainly an understatement. Nicholson told the thugs that they were being disrespectful and that they needed to stop. They responded by trying to jump Nicholson. The gang members were upset with the outcome of the brawl and as Shay walked out with his friends; his male friend was jumped from behind while stepping out the door frame of the townhouse apartment. Shay and his female friend were walking down the gravel parking lot at Hunter’s Ridge thinking their friend was behind them but it was eighteen year old Zachary Turner of Charlottesville with a loaded semi-automatic pistol. The bullets were shot off at a high angle to the extent that a round grazed Nicholson’s friend’s scalp. Tragically, Shay wasn’t as fortunate as she was and a bullet entered from the back of his head and remained in lodged inside his sinus cavity. For almost two weeks Reginald Shay Nicholson held on and during this time period his parents quit their jobs to be with their son in his last moments of life.
I was almost a stranger to Shay but his murder impacted my life as it did a vast majority of Shenandoah Valley. Today, I learned that a close friend of Shay’s and mine almost had his life taken away at gunpoint in broad daylight within that very same parking lot, yesterday. It’s almost been three years since Nicholson's tragic murder but there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t thought of his story. It’s sad to fathom that such terrible atrocities are happening in the very spot that this young person was slain. I remember advocating a march against violence in his honor but it never happened. Hopefully something will change in Shenandoah Valley; it’s a beautiful place where there are incredible sentient beings that are being misrepresented by the heinous crimes of primitive gang members. My condolences go out to the friends and family of Reginald Shay Nicholson.
His dreads hung past his blocky shoulders as the Black and Mild cigar touched his lips during the brief pauses in and out of his monologue. I thought he was much older than he really was but his physique and dialect made him seem older. The former Liberty University tailback was in the prime of his life and I had the privilege to know him as a friend for a short span of the last three months of his young life. Shay’s voice was very deep and I remember always walking into his conversations not knowing or really being able to relate. I was ignorant about the trials and tribulations that African Americans go through in the USA and I believe my lack of knowledge partially is because I’m a native of Maine where it is very sheltered compared to Virginia. I wasn’t use to Shay’s dialect but he was very kind towards me and I could see that he had good intentions.
After a few visits in the designated smoking area at Blue Ridge Community College we started to have good conversations within small increments because it was typically in between classes. I was twenty at the time and I placed Shay as being in his mid-twenties because of his physique and verbal presence. It was surprising to me to learn that Shay Nicholson was only nineteen. I’ve heard different versions of what happened November 9, 2008. That early morning, three members of the despicable gang the Crypts entered a party that Reginald Shay Nicholson was at with two friends, a male and a female. Apparently these members of such a ruthless gang started to terrorize the party through threatening people with gang symbols and ill language.
Shay was a fighter and at this point in his life, he had defeated many odds while using his athleticism and charisma. Calling the confrontation “a brief fight” is most certainly an understatement. Nicholson told the thugs that they were being disrespectful and that they needed to stop. They responded by trying to jump Nicholson. The gang members were upset with the outcome of the brawl and as Shay walked out with his friends; his male friend was jumped from behind while stepping out the door frame of the townhouse apartment. Shay and his female friend were walking down the gravel parking lot at Hunter’s Ridge thinking their friend was behind them but it was eighteen year old Zachary Turner of Charlottesville with a loaded semi-automatic pistol. The bullets were shot off at a high angle to the extent that a round grazed Nicholson’s friend’s scalp. Tragically, Shay wasn’t as fortunate as she was and a bullet entered from the back of his head and remained in lodged inside his sinus cavity. For almost two weeks Reginald Shay Nicholson held on and during this time period his parents quit their jobs to be with their son in his last moments of life.
I was almost a stranger to Shay but his murder impacted my life as it did a vast majority of Shenandoah Valley. Today, I learned that a close friend of Shay’s and mine almost had his life taken away at gunpoint in broad daylight within that very same parking lot, yesterday. It’s almost been three years since Nicholson's tragic murder but there hasn’t been a day where I haven’t thought of his story. It’s sad to fathom that such terrible atrocities are happening in the very spot that this young person was slain. I remember advocating a march against violence in his honor but it never happened. Hopefully something will change in Shenandoah Valley; it’s a beautiful place where there are incredible sentient beings that are being misrepresented by the heinous crimes of primitive gang members. My condolences go out to the friends and family of Reginald Shay Nicholson.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Transcendinng Popular Culture
“If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.”
- Lao Tzu
People often make the assumption that they’re separate entities from their neighbors, cities, nations and the world because they can’t see unification existing or possible. Coinciding, peace advocates believe that there is not a large enough platform for the promotion of peace practices within the mediums that publish information and entertainment to all publics. According to researcher Alice Cherbonnier, television viewers of the USA are more prone to believe that the images they view are true sixty percent of the time (Cherbonnier, 1998). Keep in mind that news television shows are viewed much more than others. Editor, publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst once said “you furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.” It’s hard to fathom how the USA still thrives on sensationalism that started over a hundred years ago within the news industry.
The information and images projected through the public sphere can be informative to an educated person or very detrimental to a naked mind. The Buddhist teachings of mindfulness help enforce a person’s immunity to the negative, mental food ingested by a medium’s viewing audience. A person who applies Buddhist practices to their own life has the ability to decipher the mental imaging they ingest while discarding information that will resonate in the mind harmfully. The individual who consumes these negative influences as a form of information or entertainment is similar to a child who mistakes hazardous toxins as a tasty treat. Entertainers know this too well as they have to continually be an element of society’s interests and fads. Legendary musician Bob Dylan describes the power of the media in his song “Man of Peace,” an excerpt is posted below.
He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongue
He knows every song of love that ever has been sung
Good intentions can be evil
Both hands can be full of grease
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.
The questions that maybe arising might be: “if entertainers know about the harm they produce then why is the material created;” or “why are viewers consuming entertainment that will lead to suffering?” A person of religious descent may say it’s because there are many lost without a structure of morale that they abide by. This assumption is wrong seeing how 89% of the earth’s human population practices a religion. Practices that are a solution to this problem popular culture faces were created thousands of years before the discovery of the 512 lines of resolution that first projected television or the electromagnetic spectrum that radio-waves travel; not to mention that these teachings became in practice centuries before the birth of Christ (BCE).
Over twenty-four hundred years ago, at the age of twenty-nine Siddhartha Gautama was disheartened with the life he lived and the perceptions he possessed. Gautama was on a quest and in a six year span he practiced meditation under many enlightened teachers. After Gautama’s studying ventures he applied what he learned through deep meditation under a fig tree that’s known as The Bodhi Tree. After twenty-four hours this man felt understanding and he became the Buddha that is referred to within the Buddhist religion today.
The Buddha didn’t intend for Buddhism to be a religion but a practice for people of all religious backgrounds to use and attain understanding. Nyogen Senzaki was a Buddhist scholar and teacher during the turn of the twentieth century in San Francisco, California. In his literary work “On Zen Meditation” Senzaki declares “Buddhism removes heavy and unnecessary burdens from the shoulders of its followers instead of imbuing them with passions and desires of the Spiritual World, as many traditions do” (Senzaki (1936) p.13). Thich Nhat Hanh and other contemporary Buddhist monks describe practicing mindfulness and meditation similarly to constructing a raft out of raw material on a river bed. Every thought that rushes through our mind has the ability to become one of many fibers that create this raft while a thought that isn’t analyzed and put aside can turn into a wave of the violent current. We must cross this river because it symbolizes the past, present and future.
During every moment of life we process thoughts consciously and subconsciously. Everything we view with our five senses (hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste) generates thoughts; this verifies an interconnection we possess with all “things.” Television influences our minds with the average American viewing over twenty-eight hours a week. Not to mention, by the time an American child completes elementary school they have viewed over eight thousand televised murders with 78% of the country believing that violent acts are influenced by television (Herr, N. (2007). Television & Health). Now, a person just learning these facts may appear bewildered but will they break the addiction?
Television’s effects to our culture are very serious but there are practices we can use as crutches similarly to an alcoholic attending an Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting except without forcing a super-being on the practitioner. There are various teachings that the mind can learn and practice to eventually see how each teaching is part of the others as the other teachings create a specific lesson. The Noble Eightfold Path is possible for the viewing public sphere’s audience to achieve during any viewing of mediums. The first path is right view which is the ability to maintain the mind in a neutral and accepting form. These violent images that children see automatically alter their mind and viewpoints but a simple solution to this is changing the substance that the children are viewing.
Ron Kauffman is a strong advocate and member of Turn-Off Your TV. Kauffman states in the following how violence on television can distort a developing mind: “Children exposed to large doses of violent programming will give them violent heroes to imitate (and it doesn't matter if the TV character was justified to use violence). It will also show children that violence is the right way to handle conflicts and may also whet their appetite for viewing more violence” (Kauffman. (2004) Filling Their Minds With Death: TV Violence and Children). I’ve heard many people exclaim “it’s the only thing on” when justifying what they’re watching but really there is much more than what really meets the television-sheltered eye.
The internet has many peace advocacy websites on it with sites that show interviews with celebrities who are humanitarians while they’re performing great acts of kindness. My Peace TV has materials for all age groups to occupy themselves with from musical performances by artists who regularly appear on MTV to documentaries about courageous individuals. Not only does My Peace TV shape our perceptions but it helps generate the second path, right thinking. There are programs that exist in our public sphere that promote positive thinking.
The people in the entertainment business who make their fads popular without the use of violence are using right thinking. Back in 2000 the LA Times published a summary of the Federal Trade Commission’s Report on Media Violence. "Of the 44 movies rated R for violence the commission selected for its study, the commission found that 35, or 80%, were targeted to children under 17" (LA Times. (2000). Highlights of The FTC Report On Media Violence). There’s evident proof that creators of violent films are targeting children isn’t something wrong here? If 85% of these films are targeted to children than this must be a general consensus that violence is accepted by members of all ages in the American society.
Right Speech is the third path and it’s very obvious that the fads in the entertainment industry can be vile for all minds. Society’s frustration with how children are influenced by the media is very ironic. Material that portrays murders and obscene language also influences the adult mind. Vulgar language and obnoxious, verbal and non-verbal cues generate tension in calm situations. Buddhist practitioners in these “tense” moments don’t view them as tense and think before they speak. If they can’t speak, reflecting their complete thought then the Buddhist practitioner must go back to right thinking.
Not only does violence plague young minds as a solution to a problem but it’s a consensual solution that all age groups participate in. The entertainment industry thrives off the plot of a story composed of protagonists and antagonists. The 8,000 murders that a young child has viewed are alright because those who died were “bad guys,” this ideology carries onto adults. Dualism is a misconception that our culture has been plagued with and it’s lead to fatal tragedies. For a person who is on the path of right action, they know that aggression isn’t a solution to the problem and that reacting negatively not only hurts the person they’re reacting to but it also hurts their mind.
Peace Magazine is a component of pop culture that emphasizes pacifism and reconciliation. They also act as a platform for other organizations worldwide to inform those who don’t have a right view and want to change it. After upon hearing about the deaths, terrorists, drugs and famine in Afghanistan the creators of Roots of Peace were appalled. Roots of Peace didn’t take the approach of annihilating those who appear different from us in the name of freedom but instead they took a much more logical approach. They helped poppies growers whose yield helped the growing epidemic of opium and heroin abusers in the world. Roots of Peace helped these growers by offering the Afghanistan farmers grapes to grow as opposed to the poppies. Someone reading this may think that the Afghanistan farmer made much more money in the other trade but there isn’t such a thing as fair trade in the drug empire of the world.
Roots of Peace helped afghan farmer’s find the fifth fold of the Noble Path, right livelihood and the organization themselves has achieved this to. There are hundreds of thousands of other organization that enable people who don’t know the right decisions of life make them and thoroughly understand. The Playing for Change Foundation has helped set up education structures all around the world for children and adults. This organization is notable for giving homeless people education, shelter and music lessons while also helping the natives of Tibet still escape to a much more promising environment. Here in the state of Maine we have a camp for people of different culture backgrounds from all around the world settle their differences at the Seeds of Peace reconciliation camp.
These organizations may not be in existence for the same purposes as the multimedia corporations of the world but they possess the right livelihood that the entertainment industry lacks. This isn’t an implication that right view, right thinking, right speech, right action and right livelihood don’t exist within the fads of American culture but they seem to not be as endorsed. All of the folds of the Noble Path can be recognized within popular culture it just depends on how the viewing audiences interpret what is before their senses. This interpretation relies on the motivation to view not what’s necessarily popular but meaningful to the mind. This is the sixth fold, diligence and we all possess this with whatever decision making we participate in.
Deborah Tannen explores in her book “The Argument Culture” how everything that’s presented on the news wouldn’t be if none of the viewing audience opposed it. This is sad and what’s more devastating is she gives examples in her book about non-profit organizations reaching milestones then reporting these feats to a news corporation who won’t publish a story on this humanitarianism because there’s not enough conflict. This is negative mindfulness which essentially we want right mindfulness seeing that it’s the seventh fold but this raises a misconstrued image that the predecessors following after Siddhartha Gautama possessed and projected. The three Dharma Seals are suffering, impermanence and non-self.
After the Buddha’s death many believed that they had to spend every moment of life focusing on suffering. This isn’t true and is partial to why there are different branches of Buddhism. If a person were to get up everyday just breathing in suffering and breathing it out then they would be a very depressed individual. We’re supposed to recognize suffering but ignore it when it isn’t present. The entertainment industry has managed to focus on suffering and transcend it to the viewing audience. After we practice right mindfulness and control what we view we have the ability to view elements of entertainment that cause distress with others in optimism. This isn’t to say that a trained mind can view a gripping action scene; it’s to say that a trained mind decides to not view the malevolence.
This optimism is a product of right concentration which is a tool that we can use to not suffer from today’s popular culture. Right concentration is the eighth fold of the Noble Eightfold Path but this doesn’t mean that this is where we stop. Right view, right thinking, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right diligence, right mindfulness and right concentration all describe one another in a trait that describes Buddhism entirely: all in one and one in all.
REFERENCE LIST
Cherbonnier, A. (1998). Study Says TV Crime News Influences Safety Perception. The Baltimore Chronicle & The Sentinel. Retrieved from http://baltimorechronicle.com/tvcrime.html
Dylan, B. (1983). Man of Peace. Bob Dylan. Retrieved from http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/man-of-peace
Herr, N. (2007). Television & Health. The SourceBook For Teaching Science. Retrieved from http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html#tv_stats
Kauffman, R. (2004). Filling Their Minds With Death: TV Violence and Children. Turn-Off Your TV. Retrieved from http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/healtheducation/violencechildren/violencechildren.html
LA Times. (2000). Highlights of The FTC Report On Media Violence. Blue Corn Comics. Retrieved from http://www.bluecorncomics.com/ftcrpt.htm
Love on Earth. (2001, April). Some Thoughts on Peace. Retrieved from http://www.loveonearth.org/pages/peace.html
Meadows, D. (1990). State of The Village Report. The Miniature Earth. Retrieved from http://www.miniature-earth.com/
Senzaki, N. (1936). On Zen Meditation. Kyoto, Japan: Myoslin-ji.
Think Exist. (1999). William Randolph Hearst Quotes. Think Exist. Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotes/william_randolph_hearst/
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.”
- Lao Tzu
People often make the assumption that they’re separate entities from their neighbors, cities, nations and the world because they can’t see unification existing or possible. Coinciding, peace advocates believe that there is not a large enough platform for the promotion of peace practices within the mediums that publish information and entertainment to all publics. According to researcher Alice Cherbonnier, television viewers of the USA are more prone to believe that the images they view are true sixty percent of the time (Cherbonnier, 1998). Keep in mind that news television shows are viewed much more than others. Editor, publisher and politician William Randolph Hearst once said “you furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.” It’s hard to fathom how the USA still thrives on sensationalism that started over a hundred years ago within the news industry.
The information and images projected through the public sphere can be informative to an educated person or very detrimental to a naked mind. The Buddhist teachings of mindfulness help enforce a person’s immunity to the negative, mental food ingested by a medium’s viewing audience. A person who applies Buddhist practices to their own life has the ability to decipher the mental imaging they ingest while discarding information that will resonate in the mind harmfully. The individual who consumes these negative influences as a form of information or entertainment is similar to a child who mistakes hazardous toxins as a tasty treat. Entertainers know this too well as they have to continually be an element of society’s interests and fads. Legendary musician Bob Dylan describes the power of the media in his song “Man of Peace,” an excerpt is posted below.
He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongue
He knows every song of love that ever has been sung
Good intentions can be evil
Both hands can be full of grease
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.
The questions that maybe arising might be: “if entertainers know about the harm they produce then why is the material created;” or “why are viewers consuming entertainment that will lead to suffering?” A person of religious descent may say it’s because there are many lost without a structure of morale that they abide by. This assumption is wrong seeing how 89% of the earth’s human population practices a religion. Practices that are a solution to this problem popular culture faces were created thousands of years before the discovery of the 512 lines of resolution that first projected television or the electromagnetic spectrum that radio-waves travel; not to mention that these teachings became in practice centuries before the birth of Christ (BCE).
Over twenty-four hundred years ago, at the age of twenty-nine Siddhartha Gautama was disheartened with the life he lived and the perceptions he possessed. Gautama was on a quest and in a six year span he practiced meditation under many enlightened teachers. After Gautama’s studying ventures he applied what he learned through deep meditation under a fig tree that’s known as The Bodhi Tree. After twenty-four hours this man felt understanding and he became the Buddha that is referred to within the Buddhist religion today.
The Buddha didn’t intend for Buddhism to be a religion but a practice for people of all religious backgrounds to use and attain understanding. Nyogen Senzaki was a Buddhist scholar and teacher during the turn of the twentieth century in San Francisco, California. In his literary work “On Zen Meditation” Senzaki declares “Buddhism removes heavy and unnecessary burdens from the shoulders of its followers instead of imbuing them with passions and desires of the Spiritual World, as many traditions do” (Senzaki (1936) p.13). Thich Nhat Hanh and other contemporary Buddhist monks describe practicing mindfulness and meditation similarly to constructing a raft out of raw material on a river bed. Every thought that rushes through our mind has the ability to become one of many fibers that create this raft while a thought that isn’t analyzed and put aside can turn into a wave of the violent current. We must cross this river because it symbolizes the past, present and future.
During every moment of life we process thoughts consciously and subconsciously. Everything we view with our five senses (hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste) generates thoughts; this verifies an interconnection we possess with all “things.” Television influences our minds with the average American viewing over twenty-eight hours a week. Not to mention, by the time an American child completes elementary school they have viewed over eight thousand televised murders with 78% of the country believing that violent acts are influenced by television (Herr, N. (2007). Television & Health). Now, a person just learning these facts may appear bewildered but will they break the addiction?
Television’s effects to our culture are very serious but there are practices we can use as crutches similarly to an alcoholic attending an Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting except without forcing a super-being on the practitioner. There are various teachings that the mind can learn and practice to eventually see how each teaching is part of the others as the other teachings create a specific lesson. The Noble Eightfold Path is possible for the viewing public sphere’s audience to achieve during any viewing of mediums. The first path is right view which is the ability to maintain the mind in a neutral and accepting form. These violent images that children see automatically alter their mind and viewpoints but a simple solution to this is changing the substance that the children are viewing.
Ron Kauffman is a strong advocate and member of Turn-Off Your TV. Kauffman states in the following how violence on television can distort a developing mind: “Children exposed to large doses of violent programming will give them violent heroes to imitate (and it doesn't matter if the TV character was justified to use violence). It will also show children that violence is the right way to handle conflicts and may also whet their appetite for viewing more violence” (Kauffman. (2004) Filling Their Minds With Death: TV Violence and Children). I’ve heard many people exclaim “it’s the only thing on” when justifying what they’re watching but really there is much more than what really meets the television-sheltered eye.
The internet has many peace advocacy websites on it with sites that show interviews with celebrities who are humanitarians while they’re performing great acts of kindness. My Peace TV has materials for all age groups to occupy themselves with from musical performances by artists who regularly appear on MTV to documentaries about courageous individuals. Not only does My Peace TV shape our perceptions but it helps generate the second path, right thinking. There are programs that exist in our public sphere that promote positive thinking.
The people in the entertainment business who make their fads popular without the use of violence are using right thinking. Back in 2000 the LA Times published a summary of the Federal Trade Commission’s Report on Media Violence. "Of the 44 movies rated R for violence the commission selected for its study, the commission found that 35, or 80%, were targeted to children under 17" (LA Times. (2000). Highlights of The FTC Report On Media Violence). There’s evident proof that creators of violent films are targeting children isn’t something wrong here? If 85% of these films are targeted to children than this must be a general consensus that violence is accepted by members of all ages in the American society.
Right Speech is the third path and it’s very obvious that the fads in the entertainment industry can be vile for all minds. Society’s frustration with how children are influenced by the media is very ironic. Material that portrays murders and obscene language also influences the adult mind. Vulgar language and obnoxious, verbal and non-verbal cues generate tension in calm situations. Buddhist practitioners in these “tense” moments don’t view them as tense and think before they speak. If they can’t speak, reflecting their complete thought then the Buddhist practitioner must go back to right thinking.
Not only does violence plague young minds as a solution to a problem but it’s a consensual solution that all age groups participate in. The entertainment industry thrives off the plot of a story composed of protagonists and antagonists. The 8,000 murders that a young child has viewed are alright because those who died were “bad guys,” this ideology carries onto adults. Dualism is a misconception that our culture has been plagued with and it’s lead to fatal tragedies. For a person who is on the path of right action, they know that aggression isn’t a solution to the problem and that reacting negatively not only hurts the person they’re reacting to but it also hurts their mind.
Peace Magazine is a component of pop culture that emphasizes pacifism and reconciliation. They also act as a platform for other organizations worldwide to inform those who don’t have a right view and want to change it. After upon hearing about the deaths, terrorists, drugs and famine in Afghanistan the creators of Roots of Peace were appalled. Roots of Peace didn’t take the approach of annihilating those who appear different from us in the name of freedom but instead they took a much more logical approach. They helped poppies growers whose yield helped the growing epidemic of opium and heroin abusers in the world. Roots of Peace helped these growers by offering the Afghanistan farmers grapes to grow as opposed to the poppies. Someone reading this may think that the Afghanistan farmer made much more money in the other trade but there isn’t such a thing as fair trade in the drug empire of the world.
Roots of Peace helped afghan farmer’s find the fifth fold of the Noble Path, right livelihood and the organization themselves has achieved this to. There are hundreds of thousands of other organization that enable people who don’t know the right decisions of life make them and thoroughly understand. The Playing for Change Foundation has helped set up education structures all around the world for children and adults. This organization is notable for giving homeless people education, shelter and music lessons while also helping the natives of Tibet still escape to a much more promising environment. Here in the state of Maine we have a camp for people of different culture backgrounds from all around the world settle their differences at the Seeds of Peace reconciliation camp.
These organizations may not be in existence for the same purposes as the multimedia corporations of the world but they possess the right livelihood that the entertainment industry lacks. This isn’t an implication that right view, right thinking, right speech, right action and right livelihood don’t exist within the fads of American culture but they seem to not be as endorsed. All of the folds of the Noble Path can be recognized within popular culture it just depends on how the viewing audiences interpret what is before their senses. This interpretation relies on the motivation to view not what’s necessarily popular but meaningful to the mind. This is the sixth fold, diligence and we all possess this with whatever decision making we participate in.
Deborah Tannen explores in her book “The Argument Culture” how everything that’s presented on the news wouldn’t be if none of the viewing audience opposed it. This is sad and what’s more devastating is she gives examples in her book about non-profit organizations reaching milestones then reporting these feats to a news corporation who won’t publish a story on this humanitarianism because there’s not enough conflict. This is negative mindfulness which essentially we want right mindfulness seeing that it’s the seventh fold but this raises a misconstrued image that the predecessors following after Siddhartha Gautama possessed and projected. The three Dharma Seals are suffering, impermanence and non-self.
After the Buddha’s death many believed that they had to spend every moment of life focusing on suffering. This isn’t true and is partial to why there are different branches of Buddhism. If a person were to get up everyday just breathing in suffering and breathing it out then they would be a very depressed individual. We’re supposed to recognize suffering but ignore it when it isn’t present. The entertainment industry has managed to focus on suffering and transcend it to the viewing audience. After we practice right mindfulness and control what we view we have the ability to view elements of entertainment that cause distress with others in optimism. This isn’t to say that a trained mind can view a gripping action scene; it’s to say that a trained mind decides to not view the malevolence.
This optimism is a product of right concentration which is a tool that we can use to not suffer from today’s popular culture. Right concentration is the eighth fold of the Noble Eightfold Path but this doesn’t mean that this is where we stop. Right view, right thinking, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right diligence, right mindfulness and right concentration all describe one another in a trait that describes Buddhism entirely: all in one and one in all.
REFERENCE LIST
Cherbonnier, A. (1998). Study Says TV Crime News Influences Safety Perception. The Baltimore Chronicle & The Sentinel. Retrieved from http://baltimorechronicle.com/tvcrime.html
Dylan, B. (1983). Man of Peace. Bob Dylan. Retrieved from http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/man-of-peace
Herr, N. (2007). Television & Health. The SourceBook For Teaching Science. Retrieved from http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html#tv_stats
Kauffman, R. (2004). Filling Their Minds With Death: TV Violence and Children. Turn-Off Your TV. Retrieved from http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/healtheducation/violencechildren/violencechildren.html
LA Times. (2000). Highlights of The FTC Report On Media Violence. Blue Corn Comics. Retrieved from http://www.bluecorncomics.com/ftcrpt.htm
Love on Earth. (2001, April). Some Thoughts on Peace. Retrieved from http://www.loveonearth.org/pages/peace.html
Meadows, D. (1990). State of The Village Report. The Miniature Earth. Retrieved from http://www.miniature-earth.com/
Senzaki, N. (1936). On Zen Meditation. Kyoto, Japan: Myoslin-ji.
Think Exist. (1999). William Randolph Hearst Quotes. Think Exist. Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotes/william_randolph_hearst/
Monday, July 26, 2010
Misperception
A wave of swirling water can frighten minds.
Insecurities arise from false images of the wave’s future.
Misperceptions of the wave’s current allow diverse reactions.
The water’s thumping impact on the sandbar possesses.
During intimate moments I am similar to a grazing sheep among its full herd with a little “MAAA” here and a mouthful of grass there. In these times happiness is always around. It is this way until the ferocious pack of blood-thirsty wolves plagues the plot of grass. The herd of my brothers and sisters that once appeared in a pack diminish in all directions as the vicious creatures terrorize, sodomize and eat the weak who submit themselves to the atrocious acts. The antagonist the wolves fear forms within my mind and projects off of my body. The magical potion I’ve consumed that differs from my weak and dead herd is solely ego laced with anger. I stand on my hind legs as my limbs grow long and wide. My fur violently rips across my enlarging chest and the wolves have spotted me. Good sheep do not hide. They cluster together using guerilla tactics in a wedge formation and charge at me. I can’t comprehend what I have done and am still doing because my mind is paralyzed by instinct. My arms crack into the shattered torso of the once strong wolf and my claws decapitate. The sharp pain that is created from the canine’s jagged teeth muzzled around my ankle pains the limb but enrages my body to react in an “eye for an eye” sordid way. The bite cleanly dismembers the once snug paw of the despicable wolf.
The remaining wolves run away from the sound of a distant, angered farmer’s buckshot. My once very large family is dead and they are surrounded by me. My eyes burn from the wolves’ tainted blood as the body hurts from such a brutal confrontation. The shepherd was on his way to lead us back to the barn. He sees me covered in bodily fluids and assumes that I am severely wounded. He raises his rifle and rests the butt upon his shoulder. I did not recognize my brothers and sisters; I mistakenly identified them as a pack of wolves.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Impact
Your pace is adjusted in a more gingerly way as you approach the brick covered park floor. She is one of your happy coworkers who enjoyed the night filled with moderate alcohol consumption and great spirits while exploring the “Old Port.” The conversation about the janitor at work who smells like patchouli changes when she asks:
“So what do you feel like doing now?”
You look ahead to see two Caucasian males shadowing each side of a Hispanic male. The two shadows do not stand out like the Hispanic male who is wearing a flat-rimmed hat, a bright yellow jersey and loose fitted pants that sag way below his waste.
“Anything;” you blurt out quickly because you feel as though the conversation was neglected while focusing on an exemplary stereotype.
“I think we’ve experienced the pub scene; it is one thirty in the morning… We are limited.” The response is good and soothes your distracted mind. The males who once seemed so far away approach and are within fifty feet of walking straight into you and your pleasant friend. The shadow to the left pulls his hand fast up to his face then presses his fingers against his mouth to produce a loud wolf whistle call. The male in the center wearing the fashion statement says very colorful language to your friend; implying consummation of various sorts.
“F*** you,” she yells angrily at the rude insinuations as they pass by.
“F@%* you bitch! I’ll f@%* you real hard-” The anger fills your mind as this obnoxious hip hop impersonator offends her once again. Physical confrontations you try to avoid and the last one you experienced was in a high-school marching practice years ago. You are pissed though and the once well-behaved geochemistry sciences senior in college transforms into a beast- you tell yourself this. You are a tenth of a second from blurting out a line that will illustrate your great charisma- A line that is comparatively powerful to Patrick Henry’s: GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!
“F@*& off,” your voice squeaks a little and you look down to the ground. Your ears register the scuffing footsteps plaguing towards you. You catch her eyes one last time glancing at you. You turn your body quickly to see the man with the odd clothing step towards you and square off with a puffed out chest and fists packed full of heartless insecurity.
“What now bitch?” His eyes shuffle up at yours. Your once agile body is frozen in a traumatized state. You start to say:
“Leave us aloo-” he takes advantage of your vulnerable stance and interrupts your rebuttal with a fast, right-hook punch to your temple.
The metallic colored stars possess your eyes while your stiff body tumbles backwards like a fallen tree. Through the blurred vision you see her kneeling over you and screaming bloody murder. Your eyes are glancing ferociously attempting to adjust and then they roll up. Darkness protrudes.
The paramedics rush quickly, adjusting a neck-brace to straighten your limp head and strap you to the board-like structure. Mom, dad, your two brother and two sisters sit with you for eleven hours in the Intensive Care Unit. None of them can fathom how you got here but can’t wait for you to get out. The sadness fills the room as you take your last breath of fresh air and exit your body to transition into the after-life.
You the reader have the ability to exit this scene but this is a reality that people of all walks of life are experiencing. This story is inspired by the short, courageous life of Eric Ernest Benson. The Hispanic male dressed with the flat rimmed hat, yellow shirt and baggy pants was later identified as twenty year old William Googins. Googins has an extensive juvenile record for similar acts and is currently at the Cumberland County Jail facing the charge of aggravated assault with a posted bail of $100,000. The lives of all who knew Eric Ernest Benson are forever changed from the hands of his attacker. Googins will experience a life of great depression and remorse because he tragically possesses the life of a good humanitarian on his conscience forever.
William Googins Courtesy of Portland Press Herald
Society should learn from such atrocities and prevent future acts of violence by addressing the issues that continue to arise within consistent offenders. Every member of humanity has a voice. Speak loudly, never be vulnerable and let sad stories like this be the fuel to the machine (you) that ends random acts of violence.
THIS ARTICLE IS DEDICATED TO THE LIFE OF ERIC ERNEST BENSON AND GREAT EMPATHY IS DIRECTED TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
REFERENCES
Hench, D. May 25, 2010. Portland Press Herald. Gray man, 20, charged in deadly assault.
“So what do you feel like doing now?”
You look ahead to see two Caucasian males shadowing each side of a Hispanic male. The two shadows do not stand out like the Hispanic male who is wearing a flat-rimmed hat, a bright yellow jersey and loose fitted pants that sag way below his waste.
“Anything;” you blurt out quickly because you feel as though the conversation was neglected while focusing on an exemplary stereotype.
“I think we’ve experienced the pub scene; it is one thirty in the morning… We are limited.” The response is good and soothes your distracted mind. The males who once seemed so far away approach and are within fifty feet of walking straight into you and your pleasant friend. The shadow to the left pulls his hand fast up to his face then presses his fingers against his mouth to produce a loud wolf whistle call. The male in the center wearing the fashion statement says very colorful language to your friend; implying consummation of various sorts.
“F*** you,” she yells angrily at the rude insinuations as they pass by.
“F@%* you bitch! I’ll f@%* you real hard-” The anger fills your mind as this obnoxious hip hop impersonator offends her once again. Physical confrontations you try to avoid and the last one you experienced was in a high-school marching practice years ago. You are pissed though and the once well-behaved geochemistry sciences senior in college transforms into a beast- you tell yourself this. You are a tenth of a second from blurting out a line that will illustrate your great charisma- A line that is comparatively powerful to Patrick Henry’s: GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!
“F@*& off,” your voice squeaks a little and you look down to the ground. Your ears register the scuffing footsteps plaguing towards you. You catch her eyes one last time glancing at you. You turn your body quickly to see the man with the odd clothing step towards you and square off with a puffed out chest and fists packed full of heartless insecurity.
“What now bitch?” His eyes shuffle up at yours. Your once agile body is frozen in a traumatized state. You start to say:
“Leave us aloo-” he takes advantage of your vulnerable stance and interrupts your rebuttal with a fast, right-hook punch to your temple.
The metallic colored stars possess your eyes while your stiff body tumbles backwards like a fallen tree. Through the blurred vision you see her kneeling over you and screaming bloody murder. Your eyes are glancing ferociously attempting to adjust and then they roll up. Darkness protrudes.
The paramedics rush quickly, adjusting a neck-brace to straighten your limp head and strap you to the board-like structure. Mom, dad, your two brother and two sisters sit with you for eleven hours in the Intensive Care Unit. None of them can fathom how you got here but can’t wait for you to get out. The sadness fills the room as you take your last breath of fresh air and exit your body to transition into the after-life.
You the reader have the ability to exit this scene but this is a reality that people of all walks of life are experiencing. This story is inspired by the short, courageous life of Eric Ernest Benson. The Hispanic male dressed with the flat rimmed hat, yellow shirt and baggy pants was later identified as twenty year old William Googins. Googins has an extensive juvenile record for similar acts and is currently at the Cumberland County Jail facing the charge of aggravated assault with a posted bail of $100,000. The lives of all who knew Eric Ernest Benson are forever changed from the hands of his attacker. Googins will experience a life of great depression and remorse because he tragically possesses the life of a good humanitarian on his conscience forever.
William Googins Courtesy of Portland Press Herald Society should learn from such atrocities and prevent future acts of violence by addressing the issues that continue to arise within consistent offenders. Every member of humanity has a voice. Speak loudly, never be vulnerable and let sad stories like this be the fuel to the machine (you) that ends random acts of violence.
THIS ARTICLE IS DEDICATED TO THE LIFE OF ERIC ERNEST BENSON AND GREAT EMPATHY IS DIRECTED TO THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
REFERENCES
Hench, D. May 25, 2010. Portland Press Herald. Gray man, 20, charged in deadly assault.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION LIVES ON!
" I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees. The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets. It has given me blessed release from care and worry and the troubled thinking of our modern day. It has been a return to the primitive and the peaceful. Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and benumbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy."
~ Hamlin Garland - 1899
Centuries ago, back before Leif Erickson and an early Christopher Columbus “founded” North America there were indigenous people who lived on this nutrient rich continent solely off of natural resources. These people who appear rare in the contemporary are referred to as Native Americans; they once had various different tribes similarly to the current plethora of subcultures in North America. The tribes practiced environmental ethics in a time where the earth’s deterioration was not a fear. Early settlers characterized the indigenous of North America as primitive because of how the less technologically advanced society physically appeared and spoke. Hypocritically for the Europeans, the Native Americans taught the settlers how to survive off the land and shared their land even when these natives could see through the false promises that lead to major deception. A member of the Wintu tribe which is based out of what is now known as Sacramento, California, once said in the nineteenth century the following: "When we Indians kill meat, we eat it all up. When we dig roots, we make little holes. When we build houses, we make little holes. When we burn grass for grasshoppers, we don't ruin things. We shake down acorns and pine nuts. We don't chop down the trees. We only use dead wood. But the white people plow up the ground, pull down the trees, kill everything. ... The White people pay no attention. ...How can the spirit of the earth like the White man? Everywhere the White man has touched it, it is sore" (Stony Productions. 1996, Native American Quotes).
Today, environmentalists of different ethnicities share this perspective that the earth is polluted from destructive and inefficient acts for the creation of selfish desires. Since the beginning of this close extinction of the indigenous culture the planet has become more polluted from heat-trapping greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are created from: burning, fossil fuels and biomass which is formerly live vegetation (I.E: wood, sugar cane, corn, etc.); and the rising emissions from aerosol propellants (compressed gas) (Solomon, S., Qin, D., Manning, M. 2007, Recent Climate Change). The primary effects of greenhouse gases are a dramatic increase in global temperatures and a rise in sea level which causes the destruction of ecosystems (Mayhew, M., 2001, Appetite for Destruction. Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy).
The technological advancements which progressively started during the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth century have created a simplistic life for modern cultures but this simplicity has created detrimental effects on the environment. Native Americans portray humanity as the caretaker of the earth. As caretakers of the earth they tried to share the land without gluttony because every inhabitant is part of the planet. The indigenous noticed this invasion of the “white man” but the wise elders of tribes changed their style of life to allow the new settlers fertile living. Caretakers of the earth must act as humanitarians because humans are among the many inhabitants. Similarly to today, there are members in every culture who partake in malevolent activities. Settlers experienced the fear of, thievery, rape and murder from stories that told of such actions in areas around them. A stereotype developed among both sides. The “white man” was seen by the Native Americans as inconsiderate; coinciding, the indigenous of North America were portrayed as morbid creatures to the growing array of European settlers.
The mass development of prejudices from false stereotypes is still being constructed today. Societies have learned that not one person or group can represent a sole entity; there are “bad seeds.” The knowledge that Native Americans and European settlers of the “new world” possessed could have been shared to each-other; it’s evident that it would have prolonged life and deteriorated bias. This is a case study of the practices and repression of solar technology and energy efficiency that have been administered before and since the origins of indigenous tribes in North America.
-“In any given hour, more energy from the sun reaches Earth than is used by the whole human population in any given year” (Mckibben, B., 2009, Paths To The Future. Natural Geographic. Energy, 95).
The sun has spiritual traits that are recognized among religions and those without religious tendencies. The circulation of the earth around the sun depicts time in every aspect from: daylight to dark night; days to week; weeks to month and months to year. Small clusters of plants grow to become large vegetated areas from the UV rays and heat emitted from the sun. The amount of sunlight a person is exposed to is proven through many psychological studies to affect their emotional state. The following story was contributed by The Stanford University Solar-Center and portrays the significance of the sun to the Hopi tribe. The Hopi is one of the oldest still intact tribes in the United States of America, based out of Northern Arizona.
A boy once lived with his mother's mother for he didn't know who his father was. His grandmother said to ask the Sun about his father, surely the Sun would know. One morning the boy made a flour of crushed tortoise shell, cornmeal, coral, and seashells. He threw the flour upwards and it made a path into the sky (Milky Way). He climbed the path and when he found the Sun he asked "Who is my father?" and the Sun replied, "You have much to learn." The boy fell to Earth. He then made a wooden box from a Cottonwood tree and sealed himself in it as it floated west down a river to find the Sun again. The box washed ashore where two rivers join. He was freed from the box by a young female rattlesnake. Together they traveled west to find the Sun. They saw a meteor fall into the sea on its way to the Sun's house. They asked it for a ride. In this way they made it to the Sun's house. There they met the Sun's mother (the Moon) who was working on a piece of turquoise. That evening when the Sun came home from his days work, the boy asked again, "Who is my father?" And then the Sun replied "I think I am" (Snowder, B., 2005, The Boy and The Sun).
The sun is personified and held in high regards similarly to the existence of Christ (Christianity), Buddha (Buddhism), Ishvara (Hinduism), and Allāh (Islam). This is assumed from when the Sun implies he is the father, the creator of all life. The Native Americans used the sun’s emissions for agricultural activities but they also achieved a sense of place by not using other alternatives that pollute their beloved environment. Modernly, economic tendencies have pushed the world to seek energy sources that substitute the sun’s capabilities.
This substitution occurs because people are aware of their sense of place but are not educated about the consequences of their quick, cheap-costing energy. Solar technology has undergone dramatic research and more recently has resurfaced into society. Native Americans approve of the use of solar thermal collecting because there are no waste emissions from the process of containing and producing the electricity. Research in solar technology has been on going since the Industrial Revolution but it was suppressed heavily in the United States after World War II when there was a need for nuclear technology in the aspect of creating nuclear warfare (Etkowitz, H., 1984, Solar Versus Nuclear Technology: Autonomous or Dependent Technology? Social Problems. 31. 4. 417).
Ironically, the largest nuclear power plant in the US is in what used to be Navajo territory in Wintersburg, Arizona (Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station). The three reactors create 3,872 megawatts which is nearly four times the production of decommissioned Maine Yankee located in Wiscasset, Maine (Nuclear Energy Institute. 2008, US Nuclear Power Plants). Nuclear power plants were not popular among society when they first entered production for several reasons. Information about the harmful effects of nuclear toxins were not clearly stated by President Harry S. Truman but were created exemplary from the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Etkowitz, H., 1984, Solar Versus Nuclear Technology: Autonomous or Dependent Technology? Social Problems. 31. 4. 421). The world’s eyes became glued open from the shock of such fatal atrocities.
“We've raped our homelands to maintain our economies.'' - Roderick Ariwite of the National Tribal Environmental Council
(Satchell, M. 1/11/93. Trashing The Reservations? U.S. News and World Report. 114, 1).
Six years after the nuclear bombings, President Dwight D. Eisenhower endorsed “Atoms for Peace” which calmed the world but disheartened environmentalists. This was a notable transition (from Atomic Bomb to energy) for the development of nuclear technologies but is partial to causing a near extinction of the Native American race and cultural structure. Like many groups of people who are part of a specific ethnicity those of the North American indigenous ancestry contrast in their lifestyles. These people can not survive like their predecessors because of the role money plays in human life. Active tribes all have pride but the economy influences many. There are those who decide to make a tourism site out of their existence and those who don’t want to make their heritage marketable; but instead bury nuclear toxins and trash in their backyard. Hypocritically in the pride aspect, there are some tribes who fall in between; they might consider the tourism industry or the defacing of sacred land but then decide not to partake in the deformation of their culture (Satchell, M. 1/11/93. Trashing The Reservations? U.S. News and World Report. 114, 1).
On February 16, 2010 President Barack Obama announced an 8.3 billion dollar loan guarantee to build a nuclear power plant in Georgia. This decision affects not only people of all walks but the environment severely. From 1968 to 2002, the U.S. buried 47,023.4 metric tons of Uranium (U.S. Energy Information Administration. 5/26/2009,
Uranium Purchased by Owners and Operators of U.S. Civilian Nuclear Power Reactors). A process has not been discovered to transform nuclear waste into a non-harmful emission; instead this waste that has a life range longer than the existence of human beings is being sealed up in deposits all around the world.
Luckily for the wellbeing of the planet and pride of environmental enthusiasts Barack Obama also has funded advancements in Green Technologies. Michael J. Mayhew, President of Heliotropic Technologies based out of Boothbay Harbor, Maine is an Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Consultant with over thirty years of experience in the field. Mayhew develops energy efficiency projects for commercial and municipal clients as he sells renewable energy systems varying from the residential to industrial level. The renewable energy systems include, Solar Electric, Solar Hot Water and Wind technologies.
Mayhew thinks the future energy supply will consist of solar electric, wind, biomass, natural and hydrogen gases. His response to nuclear power was, “I believe nuclear wastes are such a risky problem and potentially can be used by terrorists to create ‘nuclear weapons.’ The development of breeder reactors could use today’s spent fuel as part of the fuel mix that generates electricity thus reducing the large stock-pile of spent fuel which terrorists could use and less agitated, glowing Native Americans. Did I mention that with the government incentives and the low interest rates, solar power has reached parody with conventionally generated technologies? Can I take your order please (he asked for that to be included)?”
The use of the sun is rising back into focus of every able person who consumes electricity. By adopting the use of green technologies and energy efficiency Native Americans won’t be forced to destroy their homelands and relationships among other tribes. Though the use of the sun has been ignored; the once irritated technology has flourished into a conventional idea for all to share. If a breeder nuclear system does become available in the near future, sites like New York’s Mohawk reservation will be preserved physically with pride still intact.
References
Etkowitz, H., (1984). Solar Versus Nuclear Technology: Autonomous or Dependent Technology? Social Problems. 31. 4. 417.
Mayhew, M., (2001). Appetite for Destruction. Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, 16 (3), 62-70.
Mckibben, B., (2009,June). Paths to The Future. Natural Geographic. Energy, 92-95.
Nuclear Energy Institute. (2008). US Nuclear Poweplants. Retrieved from: http://www.nei.org/resourcesandstats/nuclear_statistics/usnuclearpowerplants/
Quotes about the environment, nature, and trees. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.sapphyr.net/smallgems/quotes-environment-nature.htm
Satchell, M. (1993). Trashing The Reservations? U.S. News and World Report. 114, 1. Retrieved from: http://prxy4.ursus.maine.edu:2060/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=104&sid=a2958a85- c474-402e-b6e6- 5d6fca0d4bf3%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d #db=aph&AN=9301070143#db=aph&AN=9301070143
Snowder, B. (2005). The Boy and The Sun. Retrieved from: http://solar- center.stanford.edu/folklore/boy-and-sun.html
Solar Symbolism, Ancient and Modern. (2010). Retrieved from http://solar- center.stanford.edu/folklore/symbolism.html
Solomon, S., Qin, D., Manning, M. (2007). Recent Climate Change. Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/recentcc.html
Stony Productions. (1996). Native American Quotes. Retrieved from: http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/quotes.html
U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2009).
Uranium Purchased by Owners and Operators of U.S. Civilian Nuclear Power Reactors. Retrieved from: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/umar/summarytable1.html
Promoting Student Wellness
Boothbay Region High School, Boothbay Harbor- The second “Parents’ Meeting” went underway on April 26, after the previous one that occurred on the first of this month. The two hour meeting was a successful attempt to preserve positivity in the learning environment among the Boothbay Region Elementary School (BRES: K-8) and Boothbay Region High School (BRHS). Issues surfacing around the health and wellness of students created concern for both parents and faculty. This worry prompted community forums. Through the forums solutions have evolved for students to enjoy the educational process.
“We’ve had a really good year; a positive one. We’re tackling challenges as they come.”
- Boothbay Region High School Principal, Dan Welch
As a member of the Alumni of the Boothbay Harbor school system I was greatly pleased to talk with BRHS’ new principal. His enthusiasm for a “positive culture and climate” transpired through the phone and it created one less unsure Alumni member (hopefully many less from viewing this article). More recently, the school has installed twenty-two cameras and limited the access points. The reaction to the new security upgrade appears mixed among a few current students I’ve talked with. Realistically and contemporary speaking, there are very few schools that don’t have surveillance and a check-in point for visitors.
This measure was made because students don’t appear to touch base with faculty and uneasy situations have aroused. Welch assured preserving a positive environment and a comfort zone between students would lessen conflict. Welch also claims that by conducting community forums there will be no “isolated incidents” which will form an integrity-filled educational facility. BRHS is lowering the class duration from eighty to fifty-eight minutes and twelve new elective courses will be in place in the fall of 2011. Among these changes, BRES and BRHS are trying to promote a healthy education from endorsing exercise. Incoming freshmen will be required to take a course called “School Tools.” This class teaches students how to maintain school work and research development.
It was a great interview! Special Thanks to Dan Welch!
“We’ve had a really good year; a positive one. We’re tackling challenges as they come.”
- Boothbay Region High School Principal, Dan Welch
As a member of the Alumni of the Boothbay Harbor school system I was greatly pleased to talk with BRHS’ new principal. His enthusiasm for a “positive culture and climate” transpired through the phone and it created one less unsure Alumni member (hopefully many less from viewing this article). More recently, the school has installed twenty-two cameras and limited the access points. The reaction to the new security upgrade appears mixed among a few current students I’ve talked with. Realistically and contemporary speaking, there are very few schools that don’t have surveillance and a check-in point for visitors.
This measure was made because students don’t appear to touch base with faculty and uneasy situations have aroused. Welch assured preserving a positive environment and a comfort zone between students would lessen conflict. Welch also claims that by conducting community forums there will be no “isolated incidents” which will form an integrity-filled educational facility. BRHS is lowering the class duration from eighty to fifty-eight minutes and twelve new elective courses will be in place in the fall of 2011. Among these changes, BRES and BRHS are trying to promote a healthy education from endorsing exercise. Incoming freshmen will be required to take a course called “School Tools.” This class teaches students how to maintain school work and research development.
It was a great interview! Special Thanks to Dan Welch!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
History Repeats Its Self
It has been clearly illustrated that the basic frame for civilization in the “new world” was an abstract of European technology. With this noted, the European settlers strived to be different from “Mother Europe” by creating more democratically correct expressionism. As noted in Starr, the motivation to create oriented communication was halted by the threat of being charged with sedition (Starr, 2004, p.46). In this time communication beyond talk was transferred through the hub system; the majority of active participants in this system were entrepreneurs who participated in the economy. Fundamental properties and aspects of this system still appear in the form of various postal corporations but one can not say the hub system that existed during the Industrial Revolution of 1750 is completely symmetric with contemporary postal systems. Another idea that is still being contemplated today is the two-step flow.
The two-step flow was concocted by Paul Lazarsfeld and introduced in 1944. The first step involves a medium sending out a message. Then an opinionated figure interprets and relays their comprehension to their listeners. The development of focus groups and at random surveys raises the question: could this acquired information be the third step? According to the American Academy of Political and Social Science the two-step flow has converged into a one step developmental process as a result of technological advancements (Bennett, W., Manaheim, J., 2006, p. 222). This theory seems like it’s a one size deal; what about the little people?
“Herein lies a cautionary lesson for thinking about the next paradigm: if we are at a point where both social structure and media technologies are changing rapidly once again, we will be well served by more careful specifications of the underlying social and technological factors involved” (Bennett, W., Manaheim, J., 2006, p. 222).
In order for a country to experience such an upgrade it must contain integrity in both the economy and social structure. Third world countries are poor because of their lack of productivity in the world market; some regions are not blessed with rich natural resources. “Money makes the world go round.” Without any domestic products the people of these nations can’t nurture themselves and become vulnerable of world powers entering and abusing the people through child labor, unfair trade, and pollution. There are other nations of high wealth that do not partake in mediums that are regulated by a democracy.
North Korea and South Korea are exemplary in the proof that wealth is among many factors in creating a public sphere. These two countries once were the Korean Empire until the territory was annexed by Japan in 1910. After many decades the area was split into two regions. The Northern area was controlled by the Soviet Union as the Southern was obtained by the United States. Similarly to a scarce relationship between the “big red” and the U.S., North Korea is seen as the mean little brother pulling his big sister’s (South Korea) hair. The current leader of North Korea, Kim jong-il murdered his father to acquire his position. Kim is portrayed as a totalitarian for: backing out of an armistice with S. Korea; testing nuclear warfare (as recent as 2006); his strict control of the press and forming isolation from the lack of media allowed entering the country (SAN-Hun, C., 2010, Times Topics: North Korea. New York Times).
Contrasting with its nemesis, South Korea is not in isolation with the world and the Republic is a huge participant in the global economy. The country possesses kun-long (KUNWAA) which is idolized in the Buddhist religion as the forbearance and ethically correct decisions a person constructs every moment in their life. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (NK) blames the U.S. for its shortfall. This idea would be fathomed more by people other than those of totalitarian descent if South Korea was failing too. The following is an excerpt from Korea Today of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea:
From the first day of its military occupation of South Korea, the United States harbored a scheme to perpetuate the division of Korea, and it has tried to check at every step the surging trend towards reunification in the north and the south.
The little brother is angry; he thinks it’s unfair. The lack of interaction within multimedia has left the country with a bad label. The citizens are ignorant and misperceived about other nations’ customs. The New York Times clearly states the citizens of North Korea do not know how economically poor they are in comparison of other countries. North Korea has a constitution but until the dictator is out of power, there will be no ramifications similar to the United States’ first amendment to the constitution. Kim jong-il and his father have controlled North Korea since 1948. The territory remains the same and unfortunately one of Kim jong-il’s bastard sons is going to be revealed in 2012 to take the power.
History repeats itself in various forms. This registration is similar to how a person can go into a crowd of strangers and pick out people they recognize as reminders of friends and family with similar attributes. The North American colonies that were occupied by France in the later half of the eighteenth century that are now known as Canada were not allowed to have a printing press. The British colonies were allowed to have the printing press if the publisher had a print license. Sure enough, the British settlers were more literate than the French (Starr, 2004, p.50). Print technology helped the red-backs vocalize their issues about taxation without representation. This complaining that we in the contemporary hear and actively participate in was a severe offense known as sedition. British settlers caught participating in seditious acts were jailed, exiled and murdered to a brutal extent. Contrary to the belief that France always loses, the British colonies did what Canada should have done when the printing press was made illegal.
De facto freedoms are the solution to the contemporary North Korea. The government has been controlled by the same family for sixty-two years. Since when does every generation agree on no freedom but the sodomizing of the seekers?
Bennett, W., Manaheim, J. (2006). The Two Step Flow. American Academy of Political and Social Science. 608. Retrieved from: http://prxy4.ursus.maine.edu:2149/stable/pdfplus/25097863.pdf
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. (2006). Worst Obstacle To Reunification of Korea. Korea Today. Retrieved from: http://www.kcckp.net/en/periodic/todaykorea/index.php?contents+1803+2006-01+80+36
Republic of Korea. (2010). Exploring Korea. Korea.net. Retrieved from: http://www.korea.net/exploring.do
SAN-Hun, C. (2010). Times Topics: North Korea. New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/info/north-korea/
Starr, P. (2004). The Creation Of The Media. New York: Basic Books.
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