Language

It's really interesting to think about all of the different countries in the world and how each one has one or many of their own languages spoken and all have different cultures. I think it is virtually impossible for someone to be able to properly communicate with and understand people from all of these different places. As we learned in class, something as simple as the "okay" hand gesture that Americans use means something extremely different and rather offensive to Italians. Most Americans, however, probably have no idea that this is the case and might give this gesture to an Italian without even thinking twice about it. Also, it is hard to think that some languages have words that don't even translate to English. We just assume that since we are Americans our language covers everything, but the truth is that many languages happen to have words that are not expressed in English. When I was in junior high I was talking to a friend who spoke Russian and she was trying to tell me a story about her family that she thought was hilarious. As the story went on, I found that it was going to be nearly impossible for her to tell it because she just could not figure out how to tell me what her family members said in English, because they also spoke Russian. It's important for people to be aware of how many different cultures there are out there and how many different languages other people speak. By being more socially aware, people from very different cultures can communicate better and learn how to understand one another in a simpler manner.

A Bronx Tale

The movie A Bronx Tale is a great story that tells a lot about how one's surroundings and world can greatly influence who they are. The neighborhood that Calogero is from was most likely formed when a group of Italians moved in and the generations of their families to follow continued to stay there and never leave. It is inevitable to have different groups within a neighborhood, because not every person is the same, and similar people will always stick together. One gang most likely formed a long time before Sonny's gang came along and the men kept the business in their families and continued the tradition. The people who chose to live an honest life were probably always on the outside since the formation of the neighborhood. Living next to Sonny's bar but having a dad uninvolved with Sonny's men and activities, Calogero was thrown in the middle of these two lifestyles within his world. Having to balance being an honest man and being a part of Sonny's gang is most likely something that many men before him had to deal with. In the end, Calogero turned out being a good kid and was extremely lucky that he did since he was a part of both Sonny's group and the group his father wanted him to be in. I feel that this scenario is nothing like my like or neighborhood at all. First off, my neighborhood is very diverse and has families of all races, ethnicities, and religions. Nobody "runs" the neighborhood and has more control than anyone else, and everyone is mainly shaped by their families and personal lives, not by what goes on in the neighborhood. I know personally that I am shaped more by my family, friends, activities, and religion than my neighborhood, even though many of my friends to live or have lived in my neighborhood.

Complex You

Whether people realize it or not, we are all part of many different groups that make us who we are, and have shaped us all of our lives. Friends, family, activities, and race are all examples of the groups that people are a part of, and most likely don't even realize. These groups don't necessarily define us, but they all influence who we are and who we become. People and things that we are constantly surrounded by will naturally end up shaping, or affecting, us whether it be positively or negatively. One group that I feel has shaped me the most is Judaism.  My friends might change and in the future I may switch clubs or sports, but I will be Jewish for as long as I live. Living in this community and going to Stevenson, I am surrounded by other Jewish people, and many of my friends are Jewish as well. Regardless of how often I go to temple or how often I pray, I am still Jewish and believe in everything that I have been taught from my religion. Personally, I have never faced any major conflicts in this group, but my sister has. When she first entered the University of Iowa as a freshman, her roommate, who is from Iowa, could count the number of Jews she had met before on one hand. Her roommate was accepting, but just couldn't understand why our family doesn't have a Christmas tree, or grasp the concept that we don't go to Church. I feel that it is my responsibility to stand by my religion and make sure others understand and accept it for as long as I live. This relates back to sociological mindfulness because all people should try to understand the beliefs and ways of those around them to create a world full of empathy and allow people to be enlightened.

Snowpocalypse

I think it's safe to say that I was as shocked as most other students and teachers at Stevenson that the storm hit as hard as it did. What was far more shocking was the fact that we got not one, but two days off of school! Seeing as how this storm was so bad and many people were even trapped in their homes, you would assume that the snow would have brought people in a neighborhood or community together. Unfortunately, I never saw this happening in my neighborhood, and my family members surely didn't see it either. My grandma lives down the street from my aunt and uncle, and at the moment she is currently staying at their house because of a recent illness. She's a widow and it would be too hard for her to get better and take care of herself in her own house without any help. After the storm hit, her neighbor whose house hers is connected to decided to only have their snowplow service plow her driveway and not my grandma's, even though they are literally connected. It blows my mind that someone my grandma has been friends with for so long would not help her out at all, especially since my aunt and uncle needed to get into my grandma's house but were blocked by a 3 foot wall of snow. This relates back to the idea that people are not sociologically mindful and they only care about themselves and don't think how their actions will affect others. It is events such as these that remind me how so many people are only interested in themselves and rarely think about helping or being there for others.

Sociological Mindfulness

Michael Schwalbe defines sociological mindfulness as, "the practice of tuning-in to how the social world works." He discusses how few people in today's world are sociologically mindful for various reasons. I agree with nearly everything that Schwalbe has to say on this subject matter. People are often too busy to take the time and think about how their actions affect others and how everybody's lives are intertwined. In addition, from a very early age people learn to focus mainly on themselves and only worry about things they know they have control over. It seems as if people are almost trained to be blind to the outside world and not to take the time to think about others, or actually try to fix problems that may seem difficult to fix, but are surely fixable. Thus far in my life, there have many occasions where people, and usually even my friends, are completely ignorant to how their words and actions affect the people around them, and even affect me. Many of my friends make jokes that play on stereotypes, even if the jokes are related to a group of people, or people of a certain race, that are present at the time. I have heard many Jewish jokes being told not only in front of me, but to me. Since I'm Jewish and all of my friends are aware of this, I'm not too sure why they think it is a good idea to be making those jokes to me of all people. The jokes don't really bother me anymore because I know my friends accept my religion and are most likely only kidding, but there is no doubt in my mind that the jokes offend plenty of other people that hear them. I think that the world would be a much better place if everyone could start to think less about themselves and more about others and how those people are affected by their actions. If Schwalbe's lessons could be taught to more people, there would be an epidemic of awareness that would only enlighten the minds of the somewhat ignorant humans that are living among us today.

Silence

After discussing our experience with Sal's silence activity on the first day, the entire class seemed to agree that the silence was awkward. But why was it awkward? What makes people think that silence is such an uncomfortable thing, especially in a classroom? Ever since we were children we have been brainwashed into thinking that if teachers don't get up in front of the class and lecture, or talk the entire time, that something is wrong. To students, silence is unconventional. It's not what is supposed to be. People need to stop having a problem with things, or in this case silence, that are out of the ordinary. Just because we aren't used to something, it isn't automatically bad or unacceptable. This situation is similar to one I was in over winter break. I asked my mom if I was allowed to stay out later than I'm normally allowed to and she didn't respond whatsoever. I am so accustomed to thinking that the "silent treatment" means I've done something wrong, when in reality she said yes shortly after. Humans are trained to think a certain way and often have a hard time adjusting to thinking in new and different ways. The saddest part about this is that most people don't even realize it has happened to them and nearly everyone around them.

Who Am I?

 It's hard to say what defines me as a person, because I rarely stop to think about what interests and qualities make me who I am. One of my biggest passions in life is music. I couldn't imagine life without my iPod and I wish I had more musical talents so I could be around music all the time. Up until freshman year I played piano and focused more on making the music, but now I love listening to other people make it. I could spend hours of my days searching for upcoming bands that I think might become popular, or just groups that I have never heard of before. Needless to say, I'm a music junkie. Starting my freshman year of high school I began to snowboard and fell in love with the sport. I can admit that I'm not very good at it, even after nearly 4 years of learning, but that is irrelevant to me. Snowboarding is relaxing(when I'm not face-planting into the snow) and it provides a necessary escape from the stresses of every day life. I try to live my life based on lessons that my parents have taught me and advice they have given me. Their opinions are extremely important to me, even if I may not let them know that at times, and they have helped me make numerous decisions in my life and have influenced my actions. By the end of my life, I want to be able to say that I lived life to the fullest and always tried my hardest at any task I was given. I always try to give one-hundred and ten percent, because if I don't try my hardest I know I'll regret it later on. Yes I can be hard on myself very often, but I would rather be that way than always wondering what life would be like if I had put more effort into things.