Dystopian Brainstorm

The terrain was cold and lifeless as far as the eye could see. A gust of wind caught my attention as it brushed against loose snow.  I stared blankly through the impenetrable glass, the freezing metal floor chilled my feet as I stood. I wandered through the empty capsule that served the sole purpose of withstanding the freezing temperatures and high winds of this forgotten planet. I shuffled through the greenhouse past the chickens and goats, which were surrounded by a large dome made of fogged glass. They glanced up with hopeful eyes waiting for me to drop a speck of food, but I passed them. Instead, I unlocked the door and trudged outside. Crisp air rushed as I shut the door behind me. I absently glanced at the transparent membrane that was keeping the oxygen sealed within the compound. Then my glance shifted to the other side of the fence; they had placed interactive holograms of playing children and farmers tending to animals to keep me company. They, the ones that had sent me here, I don't remember them, nor do I remember where I came from; if I volunteered or was forced. All I do know is that I don't belong here. 

I tried to keep my thoughts from progressing; pondering about why I'm here and where I came from brings me sorrow and longing, I knew there must be more than this. Upon realizing that my feet were growing numb, my thoughts dissolved. Aware of my declining body temperature, I started towards the holograms just outside the nearly invisible force field and leaned my arms against the fence, watching, wishing I was living in their world, a community with people. A middle-aged woman carrying a bucket of water on her hip smiled at me and waved, but I did not return her gesture, it meant nothing to me, I was alone. 

Creative Writing: English February, 2019

What The Bible Says About the Poor

            In the Bible it is said that Christians should take care of the less fortunate and give generously to those in need. “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.” — Proverbs 19:17 

We are called to defend the rights of the poor and needy and speak on their behalf. In Proverbs 31:8-9 it is stated “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights or all who are destitute. Speak up and defend the rights of the poor and needy.”  Those who are able to give should not withhold help from people who are suffering. 

“For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” – Deuteronomy 15:11  

Research: January, 2019

How Not To Write A Paper

            Don’t think about it too much, in fact, don’t think about it all. Put in as little effort you humanly can. The less you care the better; Structure, grammar, dignity, all not worth your time. Starting off with a strong intro doesn’t matter. Unless your reader has a brain the size of a pea, they should be able to understand what you’re getting at. Don’t even bother to write a conclusion, it’s pointless to restate what you’ve already said. Teachers will appreciate that they won’t have to skim over another repetitive paper. If you aren’t keen on punctuation, fear not! Acceptable papers do not require proper grammar if you get the point across clearly. Don’t worry about proper format, indentation of paragraphs, staying inside margins, and even spacing should all be disregarded. If you’re struggling to keep up with the word count throw in a few unnecessary words to do the job, and misspelled ones too. Never proof text with a friend, you don’t need their ideas infiltrating your thought process, and never edit. 

            Original content is not necessary, if someone on the internet said it better feel free to use their wording. Doing so will make you a much faster writer and you’ll have more time to waste at the end of the day. Throw all research out the window, don’t even think about entering a library. Always try to fit in some of your own biases and opinions and don’t bother with facts. Try to be vague to keep your reader guessing and give inconclusive explanations. Still can’t come up with content? Start a long tangent about something else. Who’s going to read your paper anyways? You’re not an aspiring author, you’re just a student who’s trying to blow through school so you can do whatever you want. You know that in the grand scheme of life being able to write an English paper won’t pay your bills so why spend time on it?

Composition for English: January, 2019

Success or Failure

Contrary to the common saying that people learn more from failure, psychological studies are showing otherwise. While people are typically inclined to remember and dwell on their failures, they have shown to actually improve more after achieving success. When met with success people often excel and continue to progress their successes or even repeat the process to result in more prosperity. 

An experiment conducted with monkeys led researchers to discover that monkey’s brains were capable of keeping track of recent successes and failures. The monkeys were subjected to a two-choice visual task, those who had correct answers displayed impressive results; the animal’s neural processing improved and performed significantly better in the next trial. However, if the monkey made one mistake, even after mastering its task, it would perform by chance in the next trial. To clarify, the monkeys were thrown off or discouraged by their mistakes rather than learning from them.

This principle also applies to people, for instance, Torchy’s Tacos an Austin favorite, which began as a food truck is currently opening countless new brick and mortar locations around the U.S.  Sales started soaring after business owner Mike Rypka began passing out his award-winning chips and salsa to people on the street and inviting them to give his tacos a try.  Soon after, his tacos gained popularity and became widely known among Austin citizens. Rypka took the opportunity brought to him by good marketing, quality product and service, and recognition to advance his business. He took a positive outcome that resulted from hard work and then took it further. 

As an artist I experience this as well, I’m constantly developing my work and trying new things. After practicing experimental techniques, I constructed a stylized formula in which I like to apply to my drawings. This set a growth in motion, I have since improved in skill and added onto the positive effect of exploring new styles had on my work. Due to a successful advance in style, I continue to grow artistically through these techniques and build on what I have learned. 

Although it depends on personality, more people are discouraged by failure and are apt to repeat their mistakes, examples being; Repeat drunk drivers, those who are prone to binge eating, and people who fall into unhealthy relationships repeatedly. Most people believe that you will learn more from failures because they reveal what you did wrong and how you can improve, but many are discouraged and turned off by their mistakes and are more apt to be motivated to excel and improve when they achieve a goal or make a beneficial decision.

Compostion for English: November, 2018

Einstein's Wise Words

            Widely known Physicist and genius Albert Einstein wisely stated, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”  Essentially, what he is trying to convey is that you shouldn’t judge a person’s intellectual capacity off of their ability to perform well in subjects they are not naturally inclined to because everybody has their own talents. There are various forms of intelligence, some of which are given more credit than others. Academic intellect is the most favored in society as it is seen as being most optimal for success. This is a common occurrence in the public education system, countless students feel pressured to perform exceptionally in all academic subjects. For instance, people who are dominantly creative or have artistic intelligence often feel that in order to be successful they must conform to society’s standard of ‘smart’ rather than pursuing their natural abilities first. This quote can also apply to family units. Parents attempting to live out their ambitions through their children put pressure on their kids to excel in the things that they want them to. If the children fail to meet their parents’ standards, they are seen as less successful or disappointments. Another example would be that peers often try to force each other’s intellectual abilities in a box, believing that they have an intellectual advantage due to their friend’s incapability to perform a specific task as well as they can. They can use it to put themselves on pedestals to feed their ego and discount other’s intelligence to verify their own. Due to these circumstances, people often feel that they are stupid or below average, but in reality, they just excel in different things than what society says is ideal. If people are defined by their weaknesses rather than strengths, they will be led to believe they are stupid. 

Composition for English: November, 2018

Introverts Versus Extroverts

The terms ‘Introverts’ and ‘extroverts’ are widely known in today’s culture, especially in the field of psychology. What exactly do these popular terms mean? Assumptions have been made that they are simply fancy words for ‘shy’ and ‘outgoing’ but this is not the case. Contrary to the common misconception, they have a slightly different meaning. Whether or not a person can be labeled an introvert or extrovert is based on how they recharge their mental energy. Time alone is essential for introverts to gain back spent mental energy while extroverts gain energy from being social and interacting with others. Introverted people do not necessarily have to be shy to fit the mold, although being introverted and being shy go hand in hand.  They can be quite outgoing in social settings. What makes them introverts is the need to recharge at the end of the day. Extroverts can be shy as well, although this is not common. Now that the definitions of introverts and extroverts have been cleared up, we can delve into why they’re different.

These two types of people naturally have different social preferences. An introverted person typically prefers smaller social groups, preferably consisted of people they are familiar with, to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Introverts also prefer less social time due to their tendencies to get burnt out easily. A majority of introverts enjoy calm and less rambunctious settings when with others. Extroverts, however, prefer to be in the middle of the action and participate in larger groups. Contrary to their counterparts, extroverts gain from mental stimulation, so they prioritize social time. They often thrive in high energy settings and eagerly engage with other people. 

Introverts and extroverts are more apt to have personalities that conform to their social preferences. Although they are not limited to these attributes, one who is introverted is likely to be quieter and more reserved. They are also more inclined to have shy tendencies and are more prone to social anxiety. Most introverts can be described as laid back and easy going, they typically do not have loud or energetic personalities like their extroverted counterparts. Extroverts are usually more outgoing in nature and tend to be engaging. They are also talkative and likely to initiate conversations with their peers. 

People who identify as introverts usually feel more comfortable in predictable situations, last minute or abrupt changes can be upsetting to them. A trait common among, but not exclusive to introverts is preferring hanging out one-on-one because it reduces social pressures and is less draining. Extroverts prefer adventurous situations and have more spontaneous tendencies.  They are more likely to be found in groups or crowds because there are more social opportunities in that setting.

The terms ‘Introvert’ and ‘Extrovert’ are used to describe extremes on a broad scale and if there were a person who was purely introverted or extroverted, they would be something close to a madman. Most people fall somewhere close to the middle of the spectrum while showing stronger tendencies towards one side or the other. Others who are hybrid of both are called ambiverts, who find restorative properties in both being alone and being in the presence of other people.  To determine which side of the spectrum is dominant a person must ask themselves which situation they are energized by: social situations, or spending time alone. They can then better understand their personality and act accordingly to keep themselves happy. However, while these terms may be helpful for understanding the way the human mind works, they are very general. We shouldn’t let them define us completely because they are such broad terms and we are much more complex than that.

Composition for English: October, 2018

Forgiveness

I stood with my elbows pressed against the frigid railing of the bridge. Fleetingly my eyes rose to meet hers, but quickly darted away after locking with her melancholy gaze. 

       “I heard dad called,” I finally spoke as I glanced up to meet her solemn face, “ I know that makes thing complicated-“
                “No, it’s really not that complicated,” she interrupted. “He’s a bad person.” She paused, pursing her lips and then continued, “He was an inconsiderate drunk, it’s as simple as that.”
                “Yeah, maybe he was,” I agreed “ but what if he has truly changed like he said?”
                “I would be surprised; I suppose it’s not impossible but he’s never shown to be anything more than a coward,” she bitterly stated. “We spent our childhood believing we were worthless, that we couldn’t do anything right. Everything was always our fault, whenever something went wrong the blame always fell on us.”
                “ Maybe so...” I trailed off momentarily, “even if he hasn’t changed, don’t you want to move on? You’re past has controlled you for years, it’s kept you from so many things that could have benefited or healed you.”

                   “Forgive and forget, is that it?” She retorted, “I’ve heard that one plenty of times.”
                “I’m not asking you to forget, but I am asking you to forgive. I think this is a good opportunity for you to finally have closure. Continuing to live in pain and bitterness is never going to get you anywhere.” 

    “What has he done to deserve my forgiveness?”  She jeered.

     “Maybe he hasn’t done anything, but that’s not the point.” 

                “ If you think I’m going to subject myself to being his punching bag again you’re wrong!”  She cried.

               “I’m not implying that you should subject yourself to his actions and it's not compensating for what he did to you. Forgiving him won’t erase his actions but it will erase the feelings they left behind.” 

At that moment her phone began buzzing, she slowly pulled it out of her coat pocket to reveal the caller ID, ‘Dad’. 

Composition for English Class: October 19,2018