Journal #42: Anti-hero Story

There was a man by the name of Billy Bob who lived in the fair city of Tokyo.  As it turned out, Tokyo was being attacked by a giant monster known as Godzilla.  Godzilla was running rampant through the streets destroying anything and everything in his way.  People were dying and whole skyscrapers were being destroyed in a matter of seconds.  These alarmful events did not bother Billy Bob, though.  He was boarding a ship that would take him to China and then he would travel to Europe, Africa, America . . . anywhere but Japan.  As he was about to board the ship, a man walked up to him and asked him if he would be willing to save Tokyo from the monster.  Billy Bob thought the man was insane and he said that the only thing that he cared about was getting to safety.  The stranger then said that he could give Billy Bob powers that would last for one hour and enable him to defeat the beast.  As a result, the man explained, he would be celebrated throughout all of Japan and probably even given special honors and rewards.  Billy Bob finally obliged and was shocked when the man gave him a bag full of broccoli, which was apparently the source of the amazing powers.  “Since everyone hates broccoli”, the man said, “They never try enough to see how wonderful it really is!”  Billy Bob ate all of the broccoli and felt himself grow tall and strong like a giant with the capabilities of flying and super strength.  He dashed over to where Godzilla was at and threw several punches.  The monster, which had not even seen the hero, collapsed.  Bill Bob, still giant, was parading down the street proclaiming his great achievement.  After about half-an-hour, however, the monster got back on its feet and became more violent than it was before.  It was not until a young man brought out his samurai swords and pierced the monster’s front legs before delivering the final blow to the heart that the terror was ended.  Afterwards, the people praised the young man and forgot about Billy Bob, now back to his normal self.  The peoples’ reaction angered Billy Bob and he later snuck up and killed the young man.  Batman saw Billy Bob commit the act, however, and he in turn killed Billy Bob. 

Journal #41: Describing a Hero

A hero is someone who selflessly helps others despite not gaining anything for himself and sometimes even putting himself in harm’s way.  Some examples of action heroes that are well-known these days could include Spiderman, Superman, and the Fantastic Four.  All of these characters were given super powers, which help them save many lives and even the even the entire world in the movies.  Just because they had these abilities did not mean that they had to use them for good, however.  As seen in Spiderman 3, a hero could fight a battle within himself and use the abilities for darker purposes than protecting the innocent.  While an action character might be the first person that many would think of upon hearing the word “hero”, they are certainly not the only ones; thankfully there are real-life heroes as well.  Police, firefighters, and soldiers are heroes, too.  Imagine facing life without someone to help when your house catches on fire, when your country is under attack, and the crime rate is soaring.  They all put so much at stake to ensure the safety of others; some unfortunately have to pay with their lives to maintain this safety.  It is true that these people are certainly heroes, but have you ever thought of everyday citizens as heroes, too?  Well, many times they are.  Good parents can be heroes to their children by providing for them and giving them a loving environment to grow up in.  Other family members or friends can also be role models, which is in a way a type of hero.  Siblings that are supportive of one another, setting a good example, and showing unconditional love are incredibly important beyond the means that words can explain.  If a person is going through a hard time, then someone could be a hero by encouraging that person and assuring him or her that things will be okay.  My point in all of this is simply that there are numerous kinds of heroes, some that are more obvious than others, but they all share an unquestionable significance. 

Journal #40: Sad Fictional Story

Once upon a time, there lived a little boy named Steven.  He was very happy when he was growing up and enjoyed playing outside, singing, and hanging around his siblings.  When he was still little his brother, Gabriel, and mother, Marleigh, died in an airplane crash.  He did not really understand the significance of this at first.  He thought they had just gone away on a vacation.  But despite this, Steven still had a couple of amazing older brothers that he really admired, Caleb and Jonathan, as well as his father, Stanley.  As he grew up, Steven was very active in school and participated in several sports and other after-school activities.  His favorite thing to do, however, was to spend time with his brothers.  They were his first and true friends.  Whenever Steven felt insecure or that he couldn’t do something, they would encourage him that he should try his best, and that even if he doesn’t succeed, he will always be a winner in their minds.  He was so thankful to have Caleb and Jonathan as brothers and he wished that he could have remembered more about Gabriel and Marleigh.  Whenever he would have periods of depression, he was reminded of the few times that he still had visual memories of them.  He always felt like a failure.  He admired his brothers and parents so much that he decided he would be like them and always succeed.  So, he tried, but it seemed that no matter how much effort he made, he still could not measure up to his role models.  This realization would bring about even higher levels of depression.  Eventually, Steven came to starve and cut himself.  He hated every ounce of who he was and he wanted to change, but he felt as though he was a failure and would be that way for the rest of his life.  The only reason why he had not killed himself was because he could not bear having Gabriel and his mother see how miserable he was.  One day he had taken too much medication and died before ever being able to redeem himself.  The rest of his family was glad to be relieved of their burden and they lived happily ever after. 

Journal #39: Spring Break

This spring break I stayed in town.  I did not really do too much.  On the Thursday we got out of school, I went with my dad to the Maundy Thursday church service.  On Friday of break, I went to my church to help prepare food for the Easter breakfast that my youth group is in charge of.  On Saturday, my cousins were in town so I went to have dinner with them at Texas Roadhouse.  Then, on Sunday, I arrived at the church again early to prepare and help serve the Easter breakfast.  Not much else happened that day.  My mom cooked a ham for herself and my dad, but I could not have any because I am a vegetarian.  Instead, I just found a few things to eat around the house.  On the following Friday, I went to help my dad at his office.  At some point of time I went to Lincoln Memorial Gardens to walk around the trails and also to see about volunteer opportunities in the future.  As it turned out, my friend was at the gardens too, and I went with her to her house for about an hour or so after we were done with our walk.  She had recently got a new hamster, and it was really interesting watching it run around and nibble on carrots (at least until it accidently bit my finger).  I also took my dog out to the local dog park; he really enjoyed playing with the other dogs that were there and it was a treat for him since we had not gone since before winter.  I was also able to see my brother and his family.  I played scrabble with my nieces and nephews and I also took them outside to see the chickens, which they really enjoyed seeing.  Other than that, I tried to spend time preparing for tests, studying, and reading.  I did not get as much accomplished as I had hoped, but I still did get quite a bit done. 

Journal #38: Job Shadowing

Last week, I had the privilege of being able to job shadow at the State's Attorney’s Office, which is located inside the Sangamon County Courthouse building.  I really enjoyed the experience.  Everyone that I met was very welcoming and open to talk about what their career is like.  For the most part, I followed one attorney around to different office and court rooms.  She and a few other attorneys explained the process of a court trial and tried their best to elaborate on the proceedings.  I was able to sit-in for preliminaries, traffic court, felonies, and other events taking place.  One lawyer working on a DUI case explained the case to me and another student who was job shadowing from the same high school.  He showed us the evidence in the form of a video and afterwards asked us if the defendant would be found guilty or innocent.  We both thought that the evidence was substantial enough that the verdict would come back guilty, and we were surprised when he said that in DUI cases, the jury often decides that the defendant is not guilty, despite contradictory evidence, because they do not see those individuals as criminals.  Something else that I found interesting was being given the chance to get to talk to a few judges.  I am glad that I was able to participate in this activity and I feel that I have learned a bit more than I had known before about what it is like to be an attorney.  I still cannot say for certain if that is the career that I would like to pursue, however, since a large part of an attorney’s typical day often includes large amounts of paperwork and reports.  I did not get to see this part because it was deemed too boring, so instead I was able to watch other functions that litigators might perform, such as at prelims.  One thing that I do like about attorneys is that do their best to ensure that justice is done.  Without them, it would be a much harder task to defend oneself in court.  I intend on keeping my options open for the future, but I will keep legal studies in mind. 

Journal #37: Listening to "Blue Monk"

Imagery can not only be seen in literary works such as poems, but it also exists in songs, even songs that do not contain any lyrics.  The tone of the song can help create an emotional feeling and bring about an overall picture of some event in a listener's mind.  These pictures can vary for different people as each person has a unique imagination and perhaps experiences which might somehow connect with the imagery.  While listening to the song called Blue Monk, I pictured the spring, summer, and fall seasons.  I could see my family outside in the spring plowing the ground and planting seeds.  The rainstorms and summer static lightning were clearly seen as well.  I would go outside during the rainstorms and the heavy winds to be outside and enjoy the weather.  Occasionally I might try to catch a as many raindrops on my tongue as I could.  The grass turned a vivid green and the trees and flowers began to bloom.  It was so beautiful and I wanted to spend all of my time outside.  I envisioned myself dropping the seeds for corn in the big field and almost passing out in the heat from being outside for too long, as I had apparently waited too long to begin planting.  The corn finally began to grow, and before long it was taller than I was.  I would go outside and practice archery, hoping that I did not overshoot my target and loose the arrow forever in the corn field or even worse, bury it under the ground.  Then, I saw my mom spraying the fruit trees to kill unwanted Japanese beetles.  I went to pick the ripe vegetables and berries in the garden, and my dad was outside cutting the grass.  The chickens were there too.  To alert that they were out of food, they would bock and then follow me all the way from the back door of the house out to the chicken coup like the Israelites followed Moses.  The last image that I saw was of the leaves changing colors in the fall.

Journal 36 Being Yourself

I believe that it is very important to be yourself.  Pretending to be someone else would give people a different picture of who you really are.  By acting like another person, you are in a way creating a clone of that person and in the process losing your own identity.  Imagine if everyone decided that they wanted to be Walt Disney.  Although Walt Disney may have been a good person who inspired countless artists, children, and adults, this would not be a desirable scenario.  Just picture it.  Everywhere you look there is a Walt Disney personality.  Perhaps this gives a representation of how necessary originality is in our world.  Everyone has special skill.  Those skills may not be the same as that person's friends or peers; the individual may not even know that he or she has any skills.  These talents, perhaps for a while unrecognizable, provide contributions for society and, if used right, make it a better place.  Since everyone has their own calling in life, it would be a waste to try to mimic what someone else's purpose is.  This blocks the person from reaching his or her potential.   How can a person come to develop his or her own talents if he or she is too busy acting like someone else?  Oftentimes, someone may want to act like someone else because that person is talented at something, attractive, smart, or funny, etc. . . .  So, instead of realizing that he himself is special, that person may want to follow the crowd in order to gain popularity or feel better about himself.  The Bible reminds us, however, that it is what is in a person’s heart that is truly important, not how funny, attractive, or intelligent he is. 

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) 

Before anyone was born, that person was given a special purpose in life.  Spending any time trying to be a clone of someone else would be a waste of the talents that the talents that we already possess. 

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them."  (Psalm 119:14-16)

"1 Samuel 16:7 (English Standard Version)." BibleGateway.com. Crossway Bibles, 2001. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.

"Psalm 139:14-16 (English Standard Version)." BibleGateway.com. Crossway Bibles, 2001. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.