Wednesday, January 20, 2021
For Next Week: : Blog Response #2/Humans, “The Approach” pp.23-175
Be sure to read the next 'chapter' of Humans for next week, when we'll have an in-class writing/quiz over it (bring your book to class--you can use it!). For now, watch the short video below and respond with a COMMENT on the blog. Let me know if you have trouble posting it, and remember, you can e-mail me your response if it won't work no matter what you try. I'll post the Paper #1 assignment on the blog later this week, though it won't be due for two more weeks.
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Honestly what gives me hope in the world is the phrase that my pastors wife told me when I was struggling with some serious depression, she said "Pain is temporary. Don't make a permanent decision to a temporary pain". I believe in the world, for the most part there is a good and a bad to everything. When I struggle with my emotions and everyday life things, I like to tell myself that those feelings won't last forever because the truth is, they won't. Feelings, people, emotions, and all other things in life will come and go. I do most things in life for my grandparents who passed a few years back. I struggle with many things in life and my hope is that one day I will be happy with my life and things will be different. I may stress over a test or assignment I bombed but then I tell myself that a year or so from now that grade won't even matter or ever cross my mind. One of my favorite sayings that I wish everyone knew and lived by is "Don't stress about the could haves, if it should have, it would have." Which to me is very true and helps me out a lot in certain situations. I'm a firm believer of everything happens for a reason. Therefor if it was meant to happen, it would have!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very insightful and useful response--almost like a "Humans" response itself. I love the idea that a temporary setback shouldn't define your entire life, and yet, people often do that. They let a bad relationship, or even a bad decision, ruin every subsequent relationship or decision. Every day is a new day, and you can defeat your mistakes and failures with a single 'good' decision or action. But it's easier to remember the times we've failed than the times we've succeeded.
DeleteWhat gives me hope is the simple fact of not knowing. Perhaps I will not make or I will not be successful but unless I try I don't know for sure. It's the uncertainty of knowing what I might miss out on that makes me continue. If I don't try I have no chance at all of seeing what could have been had I just tried.
ReplyDeleteGreat response! Uncertainty can be killing, but it can also make life worth living. Not knowing what 2021 holds is exciting and hopeful. Otherwise, we would dread every month,knowing exactly what terrible things are coming down the pike! Also, by not knowing, we can learn to response spontaneously and openly to new situations. And that's a great life skill.
DeleteWhat gives me hope is my future and the goals I have. When I'm having a tough time and I'm stressed out about college, I just think about why I'm doing it. I'm doing this for my future spouse, my future children; I want to be able to give them the best life possible. I'm also doing this for me, knowing that I'm capable of making it through college and getting a degree when so many other people just give up, that's a huge accomplishment and goal for me. So my advice to someone who is asking their self "what's the point?", would be think about your future and what you want in life, think about your future family and how you want to live. Use that as motivation to get up everyday and strive to do and be your best, in the end the hard work will pay off.
ReplyDeleteGreat response: we can't live for the moment, or let the moment defeat us, since it's merely a step towards something larger. Having goals, or even a vague end point in mind, gives you something to wake up for in the morning. Because no matter how bad things get, you can still push towards that 'something better' in the years to come. So I think it's a great idea to tell someone they need to start with a goal, even a small, easy achievable one, and then try something bigger. Accomplishing something after long work and planning is one of the most exciting feelings on earth.
DeleteThe future has always been unknown and for me the only way I can ensure everything is going to be alright is having hope and faith in God. I know that education is important to have when my goal is to be successful to support a family and do the best I can for them. There are times where I am super stressed and I just want to take a step away from it all. However, God has always shown me that there is no need to be stressed. It is all in his hands not mine. There is some assignments that I know I could have done better on but I wont let that worry get to me. I know that that grade is not going to matter in the next four years anyway. I have hope that God will take all my worries away and take my life on the right path. I have struggled with worrying too much for the future for a long time and now I have hope and I have seen the difference that my life has been.
ReplyDeleteGreat response; it's very useful advice to allow something larger than yourself to shoulder the worry, and to simply know that things will work out, as long as you don't quit prematurely. Otherwise, it's too easy to start second-guessing and wonder whether any of this is worth the time and the effort.
DeleteThinking about myself in the future living comfortably and owing my own business is what gives me hope. I know anything could happen and it may not work out but honestly just seeing myself there as compared to a low income job in my middle ages that's my dream. I honestly keep hope because I really do believe in myself and know that I can make something successful, and i take the steps to do that every single day.
ReplyDeleteYes, great response; seeing yourself in the future, and literally imagining your future business and your quality of life is important, since in a sense, you ARE there already. If you can imagine it, you can be it. I think people who fail (or are unhappy) simply couldn't imagine making it to the other side, so weren't prepared for the major and minor obstacles in their way. We can't always make it or be successful, but we can find a lot of nice compromises along the way, so long as we keep striving for the end goal.
DeleteThe one thing that gives me hope in this life is knowing that the best is yet to come. This life, along with all of our pain and sufferings, will one day pass away. Which then we may have far more than what we do now, that is only if we put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And because I have done this I know that my life has a purpose and I can live with a hope that many have not found.
ReplyDeleteIt can seem difficult to find the strength to continue my education at times, but I have found a variety of things that keep me going. Like, knowing that one day all of my hard work will pay off when I get a job. My family, friends, and the Lord help me a great deal on a day to day basis as well.
Some advice that I would offer to younger students would be not to give up, one day it will all have been worth it. Enjoy the small moments in your life and do NOT take anything for granted.
Great responses here: I love the idea that enjoying a small success can lead to a big pay off later. We always look for the "big" reward, forgetting that sometimes, the small moments in life prove to be the richest. When I was trying to finish my PhD, I thought graduating with the degree would be the ultimate goal, the ultimate success. But that turned out to be lackluster; what I remember most are the people I met along the way and the classes I taught. Those were worth more to me than the degree itself--those "small moments" that did, indeed, make it all worthwhile.
DeleteWhat gives me hope is my lost loved ones. I think about them every single day, I just have to. Everything I do is for them, they give me strength when I am feeling down. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have any motivation to do anything. I would be a bum. They are the ones who got me to where I am (Football Scholarship). I am forever thankful and will forever to continue to try to push myself as hard as I can.
ReplyDeleteGreat response--doing something in the name of someone you loved, or to commemorate their sacrifice, is a powerful incentive to move forward. That's what I like about the book, Humans. You see so many people who can't be where we are, who can't do the things we take for granted. So it pushes me to enjoy these things and to excel in them, to honor their memory and their sacrifice.
DeleteThe thing that gives me hope is the fact that I am a naturally positive person and I know things get worse before they get better. I have seen a relative of mine get sick, from cancer specifically, their health decline and work became hard, but they remained positive and never gave up. Now they are doing amazing and doing the things they loved doing again. Since I've seen it with my own eyes, I am able to believe that I can perservere like they did.
ReplyDelete- Tori Prince
DeleteGreat response and ideas here: just because things get dark, or you even fail, doesn't mean the story's over. It goes on. But as you suggest, it can keep getting worse and darker if you don't try to find something to enjoy and celebrate in the meantime. Some of the most beautiful days I've ever experienced have been after a violent thunderstorm or even a tornado outbreak. That's a great metaphor for life itself: we are sometimes reborn from a great tragedy. Life is a wheel--it goes up and down, and we simply can't always be up, or we would be stuck there!
DeleteWhat gives me hope is knowing there's something in this world for everyone. I have no clue what I want to do, but my main goal is to find a job I enjoy doing and make decent money so I can travel. I would love to see the world, visit new places, and meet new people. I'm sure it'll probably take me a while to figure out a job I enjoy, but life's about the journey, not the destination. Whenever I start to stress out and worry, I tell myself none of this will matter in 100 years when I'm dead. Eventually, no one will even know my name or that I ever existed, so why overthink and let things get to me so much? The most important thing is that I live my life with no regrets and that I am happy with who I am and where I'm going.
ReplyDeleteGreat response here, with a mix of practical and idealistic advice. Life is truly what you make it, so having travel as a goal certainly isn't an unrealistic one. I like your idea that everything is relative: who will remember any of us in 100 years? So why not take a few risks and not worry about doing something 'wrong'? Of course, living without regrets is easier said than done, especially once you see how connected you are to so many people around you. But that said, perhaps the more you keep things in perspective, the less regrets you make?
DeleteThe goal of me being able to be able to go into the field of business and making a decent living for myself and helping the people I care about with what they need gives me hope. Even though things could change at a roll of the dice I will try my best to get though it like most challenges in my life so far. If I do find myself in a slump I will listen to the Tom Petty song "Won"t Back Down" to boost my spirits and get me fighting again.
ReplyDeleteGood response--music always helps to put things in perspective, especially music from the 80's! :) But I think having realistic, attainable goals helps, too, and you certainly have those. So there's no reason you can't achieve (and surpass) them!
Deletemicah mitchell
ReplyDeletemyself and my goals give my hope even when i feel like giving up. i know not getting my degree and just staying in my home town is something i definitely do not want to do i wanna make something of myself and actually get out of Oklahoma and travel and i know if i give up now that will never happen
Exactly, you can see what you might regret in the future if you give up now. And it's always worthwhile to see how far you can go even if you don't make it quite as far as you want. That's still farther than when you started!
DeleteThe idea of having a bright future and making decent money is what gives me hope, the knowledge that I have the opportunity to break my family tradition of living pay check to pay check and make a good life for my self gives me hope. Knowing someday I will be able to provide for my family without struggling to make ends meet, coming home to a happy loving family, and being able to travel and explore the world someday gives me hope and courage to work hard.
ReplyDeleteYes, escaping poverty is a big motivator, especially when you see how relatively easy it can be (despite how hard in the short term). And having some financial peace of mind, and the ability to put down roots, and maybe even enjoy your work, is a great goal even in the darkest times. I hope it continues to help you!
DeleteThe people that are around me are my biggest source of hope. I see how hard my parents work and everything they have achieved and I feel hopeful that I can work to create a life of happiness for myself. Things didn't go exactly as they had planned their life to be, but they still made good lives for themselves. I see the dreams that my friends have and how hard they are working towards those ideals that they believe in and it gives me courage and hope to pursue my own ambitions. Even people that I don't know well, like acquaintances or random people on the internet, make me feel less hopeless and alone when I hear their stories. I've made a lot of mistakes already in my life and I have regrets, but the people that surround me are what make me feel like I need to keep going. If I was to give advice to someone younger than me that feels like giving up, it would be to find your favorite people that are in your life and keep them close to you, find inspiration in them, and try to be that light for others as well.
ReplyDeleteGreat response; learning to deal with regret, failure, and compromise is an important part of life. Just because you don't get X doesn't mean Y is impossible, too. Sometimes, what you thought you want isn't really what will make you happy. A failure can lead to a success by accident this way. And by looking at other people's stories (like in Humans), you realize how relatively easy it can be to be happy and successful. You just have to be open to change and a little compromise.
DeleteThere are many things that give me hope and drive. God, family, and friends are the first things that motivate me. I always want to do right by them and make them proud because they have all done to much for me to not succeed. Another thing that gives me hope is looking towards the future. I have many goals for my future, and I know that in order to achieve these goals, I have to keep a good mindset and work hard. With that being I know that I cannot choose to just do one of these core values, but have to maintain both at all times. Because you can work as hard as you want but if you are in a 9 to 5 mindset (working 9-5 everyday like a typical job) you may not ever be as successful as you'd like. Elon Musk once said when talking about success "You can watch others make it happen, or be apart of it."
ReplyDeleteIf I were to give others advice, I would tell them to do what makes them happy, and live each day to the fullest, because tomorrow is never guaranteed.
-Braden Schroeder
Great response! Working hard is important, but also not letting your entire life be work. You have to enjoy the fruits of your labors, and not get lost in the struggle to succeed (since that can be a never-ending journey). So the trick is to do what makes you happy, but also realize that what makes you happy changes from year to year, and you have to be open to compromise. It's okay to change your goal if you change, too. But as you say, tomorrow is never guaranteed, so listen to yourself first and see what you really want out of life.
DeleteI would say the thing that gives me hope in life is simply knowing I was given a chance at live because I was almost not here today. I was born 2 and a 1/2 months early my mom and I were both extremely sick. If it wouldn't have been for the nurse who listened to my mom after the shift change I don't think either of us would be here. Simply having to remind myself in my darkest times that the things I face momentarily are just a fraction of what I will experience in my life. I have many aspirations and dreams and I do have thoughts of being stuck in one place for the rest of my life but then I realize that I have to take life one day at a time. Everything happens for a reason. Simply dwelling hasn't enriched my life and I am working on that part of myself. Finding myself on this road of not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future has made me realize what I have in front of me.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's a great one--realizing you got a miracle chance at life is a powerful motivator when times are dark. Any chance is better than no chance, right? So even if you don't succeed in everything you wanted to do, you can still do something great that you might have missed out on otherwise. It certainly wasn't a mistake that you're here, and now you get to find out why. How exciting!
DeleteThe fact that I am actually given the chance to go to college and I get to decide who I will marry is what gives me hope. I may not be positive about what I want to major in or do with my life, but I have the hope that someone or something will come along and help me realize that dream. My advice is to look at all of the other stories where people went through some of the same things, that you are, but in the end they got what they really wanted. Maybe it will give you a confidence that your life will change too. Continue dreaming about working for Nasa or finally finishing your education because the moment you stop dreaming is when you really lose.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that gives me hope no matter where I am in life is my faith in the Lord. The way I was raised was that there is a point where you are not in control and you just have to trust the Lord. This never stops reassuring me that life will be okay. Some advice I could give someone a few steps behind me is that what seems like a big deal at the time is probably not going to be as important later in life. Because of this, it is important to believe or be invested in something that is bigger than yourself or this world. If you are relying on things of the world to bring you happiness or hope you will be let down over and over.
ReplyDeleteWhat gives me hope is getting to see my friends and family make it through hard times. It hurts that I see them when they are low but when the get to the other side of the dark I get to see how much they grew, and how they will continue to grow. I don't get to watch myself do that so seeing it happen for the people I am closest with makes me want to keep pushing for them. If could give advice to some people that a little behind me I think I would tell them to find people they trust and they think will be with them through the thick and thin. Even though times can get tough you always have people who love you, even if you don't know it or believe it.
ReplyDeleteWhat gives me hope is that I have come to the conclusion that nobody knows what they are doing they are just doing it. I get caught up in the frustration of just being an adult and get overwheld when in realily I just have to relize that all people are clueless until there not. So I just tell myself to "life one day at a time" and "why stop now you're this far".
ReplyDeleteMy advice is to those who are asking "what's the point" I would ask them why stop when you have gone this far? I think most of the time we get lost or caught up and seem to forget why we are still doing what we are going through all this trouble. I have been a very fake it till you make it kinda person. I know that I have always have had to work and study extra hard. Whether it be grades, money, or any position. This is not a bad thing but you have to realize that all the mistakes or slumps that are making you feel this way will just make the day that much happier when you are proud you didn't quit. So don't give up it gets better.
-Erika Lamb
Something that gives me hope is that nobody has their life together more than yourself. Everyone was born into this world without an instruction manual. Everyone makes mistakes, I know that I've made my fair share. Each time I make a mistake or get frustrated because society and Hollywood has made it seem like you absolutely have to have your shit together by the time you're 23 or else your life is pratically over, I have to take a deep breath and remember that this is how it's actually supposed to be. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows all the time.
ReplyDeleteMy advice to those who feel this way is simply: breathe, you've got your life as together as it is supposed to be in this moment. Shit happens and goals become delayed, that's okay! Anytime someone points their finger at you because you aren't in the same position they are, they've got four fingers pointing back at themselves. Don't be that person who stresses themselves out about the small stuff. Stop for a minute, take a breath, remind yourself that this is exactly where you're supposed to be in this moment, and then continue working on your goal.