Is it really Over?

My people... We have reached the end. It seems like alot but in reality, it was only a small portion of our lives. I think this is how one must feel when they reach the pearly gates of Heaven and they have to talk to St. Peter. When they have to look back on their lives and see what they have accomplished, they end up saying, "That was It? That's all I've done?" Sorry, that is a depressing thought but this holiday season always does that to me.Still, this class was so much work. What makes me laugh is that I have worked harder in this English class than I did in my English 231 class which is supposed to be harder. But it wasn't all bad. The first essay was easy but after that it was all down hill... (essay wise). These last two big essays kicked my ass... I really need a break. But isn't it funny, while we all like to have breaks there is a time where, if the break goes on too long, we think "Man, wouldn't it be nice to have a bit of a challenge?" I think this is what this class was, a huge challenge and a commitment. You could not really slack off for one week, I would have liked to but I couldn't. If you did, Good God, you lost a lot of points.

There is one thing I really did like about this class though. Even though it was a pain in the ass sometimes, I really liked reading the discussions and blogs we were assigned to do. It often happens that in many classes, the majority of people are silent. They have a lot to say but don't have the confidence or the boldness to just say it; I am one of those most of the time. This blogging and discussion allows thoughts to float around that would normally never would have. I can't imagine thoughts being confined to the recesses of the mind. I believe they should be expressed or else they become poisonous. This class has allowed us to share some of these thoughts and lessened the possibility of being poisoned. I learned that everyone in our class are really different. Everyone has had completely different experiences.  The things they have been exposed to creates such unique characters. For example, I guess I can be really liberal and when I read more of the conservative views of my peers, I actually learned some things I never thought I could learn. It takes the saying "walk two moons in someone else's moccasins" to another level.

There is so much to say but I don't know where to begin. This isn't an end because I don't think anything ever does. The echo of our actions resound through the lives of others, even when we think we have not had any effect. I wonder if, through this blog, I might have influenced someone else's thoughts just a bit. I know mine have. So my fellow classmates this is a see you later because some of us may cross paths again. Live Long and Prosper!

Finally...

I feel like I am galloping towards the end of this semester. I can't wait for this semester to end. I had five different classes and now I feel like a I need a break. But whatever, I always digress. What did doing this paper teach me... Well, I feel like I out all my creative juices into writing my UC personal statement. I like what I wrote. So my research paper is not as good as I would like it to be. Wish me good luck!

This paper taught me a couple of things. We often overlook sources of information that could help us. As I was reading my groups essay, I kept saying, Oh this source could have helped  or man I wish I would have thought of that. I remember my final for the Philosophy of religion class I had to do. We had to sit in a semi-secluded area for eight hours if possible and just wait for the eight hours to end. On the last day of class we had to report what we discovered. A lot of people lied. I actually did it. I remember sitting in this bush for eight hours and had flocks of people seem blind to my presence. I discovered we ignore what is around us and that is really frightening. I feel that I ignored a lot of good information in my paper. I probably going to rewrite a lot of it.

But something else I did learn was how reality is such a fickle thing. However I see the world is how I perceive my reality. I am still contemplating on whether that means that everyone else's reality is just a illusion if compared to my reality. Does reality even exist? Is this like the matrix, where we have a reality imposed on? Or Is there nothing like Buddha said?  I am still working on this thought. I just wanted to write a little on this concept.

I have also changed my view on what a hero is. I will admit, I am a bit of an anime freak. There is one anime that I absolutely love and its called Naruto. The thing about this character, Naruto, is that he is always underestimated. Nobody thinks he has any power. They think him and foolish. But he alway beats the bad guy because he never gives up and he doesn't care about the established rules. Nafisi and her students remind me of this. They never gave up loving literature even though their world thought it as a foolish and dangerous venture since it brought in western culture. My definition of what hero used to be was someone who always kicked the bad guy's ass. Now I realize that a hero is someone who fights for what they love and have the guts not to give up even when pursuing their goal is dangerous. This is my new definition of a hero. I am not done with my paper so, I have much more to learn.