We're finally done with classes, and the semester is ending. It's kind of a bittersweet feeling. I'm going to miss our FS. Over the semester I really came to enjoy our familiar meetings. Thanks everyone for a great first semester! We survived our first semester of college!!
College brings out complaints from everyone, especially when you're like me and just complain a lot in general! Because of this I was able to relate to the idea of complaint choirs. When I feel stressed, making a list of the things that are on my mind always seems to get my thoughts organized and help take away some of the anxiety. Putting a list like this to some type of rhythm and making it a song is a fun way to make light of the troubles you are having, almost like poking fun at yourself. With class registration and finals approaching, composing our own "complaint choirs" in class this week proved to be very effective in making my own complaints seem humorous. I really liked this exercise and had a ton of fun doing it.
College brings out complaints from everyone, especially when you're like me and just complain a lot in general! Because of this I was able to relate to the idea of complaint choirs. When I feel stressed, making a list of the things that are on my mind always seems to get my thoughts organized and help take away some of the anxiety. Putting a list like this to some type of rhythm and making it a song is a fun way to make light of the troubles you are having, almost like poking fun at yourself. With class registration and finals approaching, composing our own "complaint choirs" in class this week proved to be very effective in making my own complaints seem humorous. I really liked this exercise and had a ton of fun doing it.
When I first learned that the previous episode of Sunday Morning would be our last, I was anything but disappointed. I figured "one less thing to do Monday afternoon!" but looking back on the show, I think I might miss some of those quirky episodes. With such a variety of topics, some at times very strange, I have grown to like the show a lot more than I did when we first began viewing, so I i must admit, my first reaction was false.
The Sunday Morning segment regarding Joni Mitchell touched on a very important issue that lies unresolved today. In speaking of inspiration behind her songs, Mitchell stated that her biggest pain in life is man’s disrespect for nature. The lack of value shown towards nature is an increasing problem which is unsettling. So many people abuse the natural resources provided to us when they should be grateful. I like how at Allegheny, the environment is always taken into account, and anything environmentally friendly is always urged. We should listen to Joni Mitchell and show more appreciation and conservation to the planet in which we live…who knows how long it will be around.
This week in class we listend to several commentaries. One, given by Ryan, touched on reality tv and the problems associated with it. I admit, I am a guilty in divulging in reality-tv pleasure, however I often do so to make fun of it. Although I watch for this reason, I am still providing the show (and reality tv as a whole) with popularity, so does this increase the problem? The question that arose in my mind is what can we do as a whole to settle this problem?
This week in class we finished the movie October Sky. Having never seen this movie prior to class, I enjoyed it very much. It sent an inspiring message and conveyed the lesson that with passion, we can acheive anything we want. I feel this is a lesson which often gets overlooked. People lose passion in their busy lives so their dreams are often left unachieved. We should take the lesson learned from October Sky and live by it. Find your passion and never give up.
I was surprised to learn that Congress might phase out incandescent light bulbs in favor of the more environmentally friendly fluorescent light bulbs. While I am agreement with saving the environment, I find it a shock that light bulbs as we know it may become extinct. In grade school we were all taught that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but with the modification of which light bulb we use, will new generations credit a different person with inventing their source of light? The possibility of this makes me wonder what other familiar aspects of life will be modified in the future.
This week in class we discussed language and the roots of prejudice extensively. Language is used by everyone and has many uses. It can either be constructive or destructive, and for this reason acts as an important tool to our society. Destructive language spurrs prejudice in our world, and for this reason language is the catalyst to prejudice. Unfortunately, with many words in our language having roots far into the past, the revision of these words has little hope. If we could change these words though, it is possible that we could change much of this existing prejudice. Is this possible though? Could we unanimously adapt new meanings to already existing words or eliminate them entirely, or is there another solution to the prejudice problem?
This week in class we discussed humor and how it can affect stress levels. After learning that not enough evidence exists to prove a correlation between humor and low stress, we seemed to come to the conclusion that laughing isn't really that effective in dealing with problem. I must disagree with this, however. I have had many occurances where I am having a bad day, overwhelmed, or just in a bad mood, and a good laugh always makes me feel better. Laughter relaxes you, making your body and mind more at ease. I suppose that the reason that little scientific evidence exists in this area is due to lack of experimentation. I hope this is the case, at least, because I am a strong believer taht laughter can cure many things. Laughing is a way that strangers can share a moment, and it allows you to take your mind of whatever is bothering you even for a moment. Humor might not be able to physically cure, but it can certaintly work wonders for your mind.
