Journal #9 Ethics and Vaules

Ethics and values are very important to have if you want to be successful. They are a moral guide that you can follow andessentially they define who you are and what your beliefs are. They can be either good or bad but no matter what everybody has at least one. For instance, people might not steal because they know it is wrong and they will tell you it is against their morals to steal. However, every person has many different variations and different outlooks on morales.

For instance, I think stealing is wrong and you should not do it. Al Capone might disagree with me if her were still alive today because he was a mobster and made alot of money through crime. This is just one example of how people can view morales differently which means that you need to have some optimism when discussing morales with other people. You cannot expect everyone to fully agree with you or what you belive in.

Overall, Ethics and morales can be found everywhere. They simply show what you value and believe in. They can be good or bad and it mostly comes down to individual opinion on these matters.

Even though people may think differently when it comes to morales and values, many of them are viewed basically the same way when it comes to the general population. In America, the majority of the population does not like crime so we want to make sure criminals are punished so that we can reduce the amount of crime in our country. Also, because of crime we agree that a police force is necassary in order to catch the criminals and to protect the population from crime and criminals.

When it comes to morales, anything can be taken differently by other people and seen differently than yourself. The best way to handle this is to look openly towards other peoples' ideas even if they are different and they will generally show you the same respect. Morales and ethics are found in every single culture or community no matter where you go. They are as essential to the human identity as the eyes ears and noses.

Journal #8 Working with Partners

Working with another person or in a large group can be both good and bad. It is a good way to divide the amount of work that you have to do but it can also make coordinating everything much more difficult.
If you have a large project to do, it can be overwhelming if you have too much work to do. When you have a partner or a group of partners it reduces the amount of work that eveyrbody has to do. This is beneficial because then all you have to do is focus on one section and it is much smaller than having to work on the whole project by yourself.
However, sometimes working with a group or a partner can be a bad thing. If you get a partner that does not want to do the work, then it can become frustrating. Dealing with people like this is an important experience because they are everywhere. It is good to experience at least a few times since it provides valuable insight into the real world.
When dealing with an unproductive or unresponsive partner things can become much more stressful. This kind of behavior only piles on to the other sources of stress put on by the project and trying to tie everybody's pieces together. The best thing that can be done is to take things one step at a time and have an accurate plan that can be followed.
When you have a group or partner that is willing to do the work, things become much easier. Everybody takes a piece of the project and accomplishes what needs to be done. Then, they can all take the parts and combine them to make them the whole. These group projects slash the amount of work and time that would have been needed if it was not a group project. This type of group is not as bad as an uncooperative group but is just as essential to gaining real world experience.
Working with partners can be both a good and bad thing. If the group gets along then things can go smoothly but it can be a rough and bumpy ride if the group does not get along well.

Organized Religion

Organized religion is important for any society or culture to have in order to function properly. Religion brings the people in a society together and allows them to work together or worship together. This unity can be carried outside of the church and into everyday life so that people help each other out if there is a problem.
The Church is an important part of any culture. Virtually every culture ever to have existed has had some form of religion. It is crucial to the identity of the culture to have a religion because it allows them to be assossiated with that certain religion. Plus, it can unify the whole culture or civilization by all of the people having the same religion. It can even be on a smaller scale such as a small village or town. These places especially can be brought together in church because of religion.
When brought together by a common interest, in this case religion, people are more able to get along and become friends. Outside of church, the friendships created can be shown by helping out neighbors or other people that need help. This is shwon through acts of good deeds after a large storm wrecks havoc on an area. The community gets together and does what they can to help each other rebuild and move forward.
The Church can also scare people into behaving. This lessens the crime rate hopefully and keeps a large portion of the population behaving. When people go to church, they hear about how if they are bad or they do not behave they will be sent to some form of Hell. I can only assume that the vast majority of people to not want to be sent to Hell. Therefore, it is safe to say that most people will try to behave and not murder, steal, or cause problems for the ordinary good people.
Organized religion is an essential tool in maintaing an empire or running a counrty. It unites the people and brings communities together. Also, religion causes people to try and live as "holy" lives as they can.

Journal #6 Blame

Blame is when you put the responsibility or consequences on someone else so that you don't have to deal with it. It is often a negative thing and when placd upon someone it complicates matters for them greatly. Blame is usually placed on someone else by a person who is in trouble because they are trying to get out of the trouble they are in.
A good example of this can be found in The Crucible written by Arthur Miller. When Abigail, Betty, and the other gils are caught dancing and performing suspicious activities in the woods, the pretend that they see witches, spirits, and other village members with them. This allows them to get out of trouble because they are placing the fault on other people. The people being blamed by them are now the ones in trouble while they are seen as workers of God by rooting out the evil in the village.
Everybody, in one way or another, has experienced both sides of blame. It can be shown as simply as when you break something and you tell your mom it was one of your siblings, not you. Depending on whether or not your mom believes you, you get out of trouble and avoid the consequences, while your sibling gets the blame and is now in trouble.
If you have ever been blamed for something you have not done and gotten into trouble for it then you know first hand how fustrating it can be. This is frustrating because you try to prove your innocence but it doesn't seem to be doing any good. For instance, if yur mother is mad that the object got broken, and your sibling blames you, then your mother comes at you with a wrath and is not willing to listen. In my experience with this, I got lucky, I was only placed in time out for a short time. In some cases, the bad effects of blame can be much more harmful and destructive so you must always be careful. It is always better to just confess to your mistake because then you can keep a clean conscience. Lying causes things to get blown way out of proportion and things become much more difficult. When telling the truth you show that you are man (or woman) enough to admit to your mistakes and things are made much more simpler for everyone.

Journal #5 My True Colors

I took the true colors personality test and it said that I am a blue. I think that this is a fair enough representation of me. Blues are pretty good at keeping cool and try to stay laid back as much as possible. They are good at keeping a level head and prefer to live drama and stress free. I think this representsa me well enough because I prefer to try and not let things get to me so I can get away from unecessary drama. I feel that this leads to a better life and it makes me happier when I don't have to deal with the added difficulties of drama.

When it comes to relationships with other people, blues tend to feel vulnerable in relationships. I don't think this totally describes me because everybody is like this to an extent. Therefore, I don't feel that this part describes me accurately but I can see examples that make it partially true. Blues, when it comes to relationships with others, try to find ways to make others like them and strengthen these relationships.

Even though I don't agree with the feeling vulnerable in relationships with friends, I can see how this applies to me because i always try to find ways to bring me closer to other people. I always find myself wondering how i think my relationships with my friends are going too. If something is wrong between us, or i feel something is wrong between us, then I begin to worry and try and find ways to fix it. Although, everybody does the exact same thing so I feel like that should not be something that sets me apart.

Another trait of someone in the blue category is that they are able to stay calm and keep a straight head. I feel like I have this ability but i can't lie, I also have the ability to mess up a pressure situation very badly. I do my best to give it my best shot but the situation usually ends up spiraling way out of control due to my efforts. That happens sometimes though so it is what it is.

I think I am accurately described as being in the blue category.

Journal #4 How I Categorize People

In one way or another, everybody categorizes people into groups. I am no different from everyone else because I do this as well. I like to think that I'm not usually a judgmental person but i know that alot of the time i can be. I generally classify people into groups that I like and don't like.

For instance, if i think somebody is mean and i don't like them then I will put them in the "dis-like" group. If I like people I am generally more friendly to them and put them in the "like" group. When I do not like a person I usually try to not openly show it. However, I will try my best to avoid them or i will give them short answers. Sometimes I like to be tricky about it and I will be openly friendly to them and laugh on the inside because they have no idea how much I truly despise them.

It takes alot for me to really dis-like someone to the point that I cannot forgive them and move on. I generally try to get along with everyone and for the most part I am successful with this. I think its better to get along with people rather than argue with everyone. This is also basic common sense but some people don't like to get with others. I am much happier being able to talk to people and get along with them as compared to always starting arguments and trying to always prove i am right.

So, basically, I categorize people into two groups. There are the people I like and the people i dis-like. I'll be honest there are other categories too, but if anyone should happen to read this blog and see something that offends them it would not end well for me. Also, if there is someone who is in one of the groups I don't like then they would be unhappy and a conflict would ensue. Therfore, I think it is best if we leave it at people i like and dis-like.

Journal #3. To lose everything I own

I think it would be extremely difficult to lose everything I own. Since I'm in a routine everyday and used to this routine, to not be able to follow it because of some unforseen tragedy would be horrible. I can't even begin to imagine how my life would be affected. Every day I wake up and take a shower, then I eat breakfast. After that I put my contacts in and brush my teeth. Finally, I pack my boogbag and head for school. This is the same routine I've followed for many years. It's just what I'm used to.

If I lost my house and family in a fire or tornado my routines would be drastically changed and I would most likely find it hard to adapt. Just knowing that I have a home to go to always makes me feel so much better. For instance, If I have a bad day at school or am having a rough weekend, I just go home and take a nap on my bed or couch. If I were to lose those two places I would be totally lost. They are just my way of escaping from the problems I have until I'm ready to deal with them.

Also, if I were to lose my family I would also be totally lost. Without my parents to cook food and do my laundry, I would not be able to survive. Also, my older brothers are always there for me and give me advice or counseling whenever i need it. They are also the first to yell at me when I do something stupid. Without them I wouldn't know what to do. Their advice always helps me because they have already experienced all the things I am experiencing now.

I would like to pretend I would be able to adapt and survive if I lost everything but I doubt I could. I mean, honestly, if I lost my whole family and my house I would be all alone. It is hard for a sixteen year old boy to adapt to such a difficult life situation. Hopefully I'm never put in that situation.

Journal #2 The Importance of Written or Documented Rules

In order for any country to run and govern itself effectively it must have some form of law. Laws keep the people from doing things that might harm others or the country as a whole. Without some form of documented rules, the judicial system would not be able to be fair. When rules are written down they can be revisited during a court case or a technicality. In order for the courts to be fair, there must be a documented form of rules for the court to refer to. Otherwise, the judge or lawyers could make things false laws in order to get what they want. With a set of documented rules corruption can be filtered down much more than if there is no written form of the laws.
Also, documented laws are important because it allows the population in a soceitey to get along and funtion properly. If their were no laws nobody would respect each others property or privacy as much. Crimes would be commited much more because if something isn't documented it can't technically be brought against you in a trial assuming the courts are being fair. Neighbors would constantly steal and take from each other because there are no laws protecting privacy. Documented laws are very necessary in order for people to effectively get along and cooperate together. Without them, things could quickly go wrong and a civilization would falter without them.
Basically every civilization had some form of laws. Especially the major civilizations. Some were based off extremely strict rules and others were much less strict. For instance, in Hammurabi's code, an early documentation of rules, a child could have their hand cut off for disrespecting their parents. In America's system, the child does not get in serious trouble by disrespecting a parent. The parent might punish them to the extent they see necassary, but the child gets to keep their hands. The Roman empire also had thier own set of documented rules. They had one of the greatest empires of all time and they would not have been able to manage it without a documented rule system.
Rules can be found anywhere you go. They are meant to keep order and peace. Sometimes a rule is fair and helpful, but occasionally you find one that you dis-agree with and find it should be eliminated. It is just a process of life. Which, without rules, our lives would not be very structured at all, so it evens out.