The Holocaust

Can history forget the horrible slaughter of millions during the Nazi Holocaust? I think not. There is so much in this world that is good, and yet there is so much evil. I believe that those prisoners that stood behind the chain-link fence at concentration and death camps were not bad people; rather, they were good souls who were being persecuted unjustly. I don't believe that their captors were good at all, however. It tears me apart inside to know that human beings can be so cruel to one another. In the video "6,000,000: Story of an Auschwitz Survivor," I heard accounts from several individuals, and each tale was heart-wrenching. 

Imagine people of all age, sizes and genders being filed into a room only to be forced to inhale toxic vapors. Each one of those human beings that entered into those chambers died slowly but surely, and their bodies were heaped into piles and burned. All of this because of race and ethnic background? Children were split from their families and forced into slave labor. Many died. They all had to suffer. Was one man's crazed quest for power worth the death of millions? Was one man's crazed quest for power worth even the death of one soul? No. It's impossible. 

I don't want to believe those stories of human degradation and the loss of life. People can rarely find it in themselves to forget the wrong that someone has done to them. Normally I advocate the "forgive and forget" idea, but in this instance I believe that forgetting Auschwitz and leaving it for history's scrap pile will do more harm than good. No soul should be harmed because of something like ethnic background or religious belief- those innocent children didn't choose to be Jewish any more than I chose to be female. I think that the Holocaust was and still is a horrible stain written into the world's history books, but it needs to be remembered so that we know that we can avoid it if/when it starts again. Like they say: 

"Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."        

Gossip

I know that everyone has talked about someone behind their backs- be honest! I think that gossip is a bit like the internet- it can both be used for good and evil. You see, if someone were to tell you that someone was talking about doing something bad to you or your friends, even though you'd be hurt, you'd be glad that you had found out about it right? It's not good that the original person was gossiping, but word did get around in time to warn you about it. That would be a "good" thing. Like the web, it gives people access to all sorts of information, and somethings you might want to know and other things you might not. 

I do think that the majority of gossip is bad though. It's bad to go behind your friends/ classmates/family and say nasty things and slander their names. It's hurtful and spiteful and one day it may come back to bite you. It's a temptation that humans need to be conscious of. If you don't like someone or something, confront them/it. Slinking off to wallow in your miseries and grumble about what ever is bothering you won't fix your problem. It will only create enemies. You don't have to hide your opinion, you just have to be really careful who you say it to.      

PSA

I was given the assignment this week to do a PSA (public service announcement). Well, I have a team entitled "Stronger." Its aimed at teens who drink, smoke, do drugs or have premarital sexual relations. The announcement will show people that you can be 16 years old and not have to cave in to the peer pressures of society. It takes a "stronger" person to say "no" to something that everyone assumes to be cool than it does to say "yes." Kids today very much under-value themselves and are so ready to put out in order to be accepted by their peers. I don't believe in compromising my values for acceptance; believe it or not, you can survive without "friends"... who technically not friends if they're going to push you into something that you don't want to do! That's what the PSA is going to be about.

It may also involve some "Death Scene" pictures of my friends and I to show the alternative to saying "no." They should be fun to shoot... er, the PICTURES should be fun to shoot (not my friends!!!). I don't think teens who do stupid things ever thing that a tragedy will ever hit so close to home, but maybe if they were to see how serious other kids their age take the ordeal they'll realize that drugs, sex, alcohol, or smoke tobacco are not things to be tampered with.  

Easter Break- Park City Utah!!!

Okay, for me, spring break this year was totally insane!!! My family went skiing this year and I saw more than my share of interesting antics. First, however, I'll give some other details. My uncle decided to join us this year, which was awesome because he's the coolest. I know that doesn't really describe him much, but it definitely made the whole vacation more interesting. My sister, Leigh, who 2 years younger than I am also came along and of course mom and dad were there too. The most excitement came around on Wednesday when my mom fell avoiding a little snowboarder dude and wrenched her knee. They had to take her down the side of the mountain on a sled and when we got back to our actual home she had an MRI done. She's apparently torn her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). If the name sounds familiar, it should be- it's the same injury that both Tiger Woods and Tom Brady received within the last couple of years. 

After that episode, everything was better. We saw everything on those slopes, including men skiing/snowboarding without shirts, awkward costumes, and one snowboarder who decided to lose his knickers while trying to get on the lift- literally, no joke! It would have been really funny if my father hadn't been standing between my sister and I while waiting for our turn to ride up the mountain. My dad thought it was amusing though!

So this last spring break was awesome, and right now I can't wait to see where my family goes next year! 

My Inspiration

There was a quote that I formulated from my own vocabulary not too long ago, and it goes something like this: 

"There have been great writers, musicians, actors, and artists. 

However, there has never been a great conformist." 

Of course, the inspiration came from somewhere... and if I knew I'd tell you. But if I were to guess, I would have to say that it came from my past. I was never really like all the other kids that I knew- I had maybe three good friends at a time and that suited me well. I never wanted to have all the designer gear and be the richest person in the world. I had an imagination that had a tendency to run wild and always had a dream of something unreal (something like Star Wars or Narnia or Alegaesia.) I think that most of that was due to not liking society. No matter how much I wanted to fit in with the other kids I also knew that if I were to be a carbon-copy of everyone else, I wouldn't be me. Nothing would stand out because I would have nothing that made me different than anyone else. I'm a bit of a rebel- not in the sense that I dye my hair blue and listen to crazy music and stuff (though it would be cool to dye my hair red...), but I always felt like a quiet rebel; someone who was different than other kids and wasn't afraid to be that way. I always looked up to people who pushed the limits, like David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust or Cleopatra Queen of the Nile... these people are not like anyone else. They possess a special spark- Cleopatra was a female pharaoh; David Bowie was one of the first "glam rockers" ever and wasn't afraid to be theatrical, even when he was probably criticized. 

Let's face it folks- no one remembers the conformist or the "normal" person, because being "normal" can essentially make you one of the masses, not someone who's name will be remembered for the rest of eternity. Like people have said "Well-behaved women rarely make history," and "You don't get a harmony if everyone sings the same note." That's why I like to be different. 

I like being the extraordinary one, whether it's because of something that I know or simply my personality. I dread the day when I have to be just one of the others and become another "sheep in the flock." But maybe I won't... Who knows? You might see my name on the title of a New York Times best selling novel in the next ten years! Where ever I may go, I know that I am who I am and that's something that no one can ever take away from me. It's with me until the day I die. 

My Lenten Promise

My promise for lent has been an up-hill battle all the way. I should have known that quitting a two to three cup-per-day coffee habit cold-turkey would have some repercussions... and it did. I had headaches and stomach aches every day that I didn't have it!!! I got curious and decided to have a serving of it one day and guess what? No headache!!! I think I'm going to try giving it up again next year, but when I do that I'll probably take my self off of the caffeine slowly in the days approaching lent. 

I think that it's really an important thing when someone tries to give something up for lent. Even if you "fall off the bandwagon" so-to-speak, it was an attempt at making a sacrifice. Sacrifices are always really impressive to me, because it shows that a person can make a conscious effort to change for the better. Or just make a change. I dragged myself through the mud when I was little and gave up chocolate... big mistake!!! I think that I was too young and too much of a chocolate fiend and didn't realize what a sacrifice that would be for me in particular. I almost made it and then ate a chocolate-chip cookie and felt terrible! I think that someone should know if they're digging themselves into a hole... or at least consider what could happen. For instance, giving up homework doesn't count, nor does it work. Neither does giving up chores or wearing clothes (i haven't tried the last one, but I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't work really well.) I just think that it takes a strong person to give up what they truly enjoy and stick to that goal... hey, if you have you've done better than me!!! 

Future Career

Eventually, when ever I get out of high school, I want to go to college... and stay there. In a way, that is... I want to be able to teach at a college some day. I would, ideally, go on to college out of state, then go on to do a period of study over at the Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. I saw the campus at Trinity last summer and fell in love with the area. Not only is it beautiful from a historical stand point but also from a theological point of view, which are two things that I would love to major in. Theology and history; the two fields that interest me most. After graduating college, then I would love to go on to teach theology and history some where while writing novels, an endeavor that I have already undertaken by starting on several books. I'd enjoy having a small apartment, teaching college students, and writing stories for the rest of my life. A husband and children would be nice at some time, but those aren't two things that I'm highly concerned about. Then again, I'm sixteen, so any of this could be changed eventually, but that's where I am right now. I'm just going to take everything one day at a time.