Posts

Language as a Literacy

Image
 At a young age, I was always fascinated with the fact that various cultures around the world had different lifestyles. I would ask my parents questions (often annoying them) when I wondered why a stranger in public wore different clothing or spoke differently than I did. “Weird” my young self always thought. “Why don’t they speak the same way I do or dress in a t-shirt and shorts?” My young self failed to understand the diversity a completely different culture can offer, especially in terms of their language. Everything from grammar, syntax, and even phonemes (the smallest unit of sound in a language) assemble to create a language that is just as unique as the people that speak the language.  We’ve all grown up learning a language that is specific to where we were born or the type of family we were raised in. And then, of course, as we develop and our minds begin to grow more and more complex, we learn the different ways to construct our words, and sentences, which then devel...

What Does Being a Morally Good Person Look Like?

Image
I think it is important that people do their research on whatever topic they are wanting to study. Whether you're researching a topic out of pure curiosity, to become more educated, or for the sole purpose of completing a project and getting it over with so you can get a good grade... which may or may not be what I've done in the past ☺. Take for example my interest in the subject of morality and how that (is supposed to) play a role in society today. At first, I discovered a few nuggets of information that allowed me to create several opinions about how morality should be incorporated into society. However, very quickly, I ran out of ideas to discover. Everything I stumbled upon was either something I had already come to the conclusion of or repetitive information that was similar to a recent idea. However, eventually, one train of thought I found caught my eye.  Joseph Butler was an English theologian who is for his positive arguments that self-love and conscience are not at ...

The Moral Dilemma

Image
As of recently, I have been following the various topics that have been posted on the news... more so than usual. Most of the articles that have been posted, however, have been about the recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It is heartbreaking to see how the war has escalated so quickly and has put innocent civilians in harm's way. Although I feel the urge to do something about the situation, I am only a teenager; there's nothing that I can do to help resolve the conflict any faster. However, instead of focusing on the things that I can't resolve, I have turned my attention to the things that I can do something about... one of which is the dilemma the world has today on the topic of morality. I know what you're thinking... "Why in the world is a 17-year-old teenager so concerned with the wrongs and rights of the world? Doesn't he have other things to worry about?" Yes, in this case, you are correct. I am constantly wondering about how busy work will...

Our Pursuit of Happiness

Image
Lately, I've had a lot of time on my hands to reflect on my decisions in life and decide whether or not they've benefited me or were pointless. I'm not saying that I regret any of my decisions, in fact, I believe that if I didn't make any of my past decisions I may not have ended up in the same mindset or situation I am today. It's just good to reflect back on what you have done to see if you could have done anything to improve your circumstances. For example, I'm procrastinating on this project that I most definitely had time to complete earlier this week. Anyways, I digress. Back to the main point. Have you ever found yourself repeating the same steps over and over again because of some feeling or goal you're chasing? I've felt that way for a while now, but I feel now that I am able to put my thoughts on paper. There is a movie that is very popular amongst my family members (and I highly recommend you watch it if you haven't already) and it is ...

The Uncertainty of The Future - Riley Girard

Image
     Ever since I was in the 7th grade (roughly 13 or 14 years old) I always wondered what the future would hold for me. Of course, no one can actually see the future, so it always kept me wondering about what was to come. Would I end up moving schools all of a sudden because of a job change in my household? What if I become gravely ill and tomorrow I end up fighting for my life? What if everything would end up running smoothly and I was overthinking everything this whole time? That was the younger, less mature me, however. At that time, I was still figuring out certain aspects of life with my parents and figuring out why certain things happen. However, now that I am much older, I look back and realize how little those problems were compared to the ones I am currently dealing with. I am now a junior in high school, which obviously means that my thoughts have changed. Instead of wondering what the future would look like, I now wonder how my current course of action will al...