Politics in the Good Life

Personally, I have never been a fan of politics. I find the idea of needing to classify oneself as a Republican or Democrat ridiculous so I identify as Independent; I am the neutral party. Politics is almost always about conflict. There is always 50% who are happy while the other 50% are dissatisfied. More and more, politics is becoming about pride and popularity. In order to be elected for anything, you must have a balance of insults to your competition, offers for the people, and charm. 

Based on the recent Republican debates, our charming Donald Trump is a professional, when it comes to insults or "throwing shade". He is constantly judging his competitors appearances other unique qualities about them. I find this an obvious sign of immaturity. If the only way you can get votes is to bully others, you don't belong in office. Although it is alright to be truthful in politics, there is a fine line between exposing their political flaws and just being rude. 

Along with this, as a politician you should at least tell people what you are planning to do for them. We are electing these people to serve us, not the other way around. These politicians feel like they own whoever is in the sam party as them. Even people who have chosen a certain political group seem to limit themselves to the only people in the same political group. Acting in such a way is childish. That's basically saying, "Those people disagree with me on the group I choose  so I don't want to hear what they have to say." This elementary way of thinking closes people off to many ideas that could actually be useful. Limiting oneself in this way is a primitive way of thinking that just gives politicians more power over the people than they deserve. 

Another part of politics is charm. There is no way one can be elected for anything unless they have some sort of charm. Even Donald Trump is able to charm his audience because of his witty comments. Politicians usually need charm so when people are watching them in debates or looking at their previous political actions, they aren’t completely dulled. Everyone wants to vote for a people pleaser. 

Personally, I feel that sometimes, politics can help people achieve a good life. Politics effect everything people do and therefore it is important to stay updated but I don’t believe people should be so closed-minded. It prevents innumerable relationship from being created between political activists and it also increases the lack of understanding between both political parties.  I feel like one can still achieve a good life with politics if they maintain an open mind. 

Happily Ever After

In the movie Cinderella, the original version from Walt Disney, everyone is invited to a ball by the King who is making a desperate attempt to find a wife for the Prince. The Prince is not very enthusiastic but agrees to the ball. As everyone knows, the ball is where the Prince meets Cinderella and they immediately fall in love with each other. Would you say they were soulmates? Does everyone have a soulmate?

According to Merriam-Webster.com a soulmate is defined as “a person who is perfectly suited to another in temperament". Another description of the word soulmate by Merriam-Webster.com is “a close- friend who completely understands you”. Most people tend to have several close friends. Let’s say the average person has about 3-6 close friends. Of those close friends 2-3 are of the opposite gender. Logically speaking, this means that people have more than one soulmate. For the people who don’t really have any close friends, do they have a soulmate? Aren’t people supposed to marry their soulmate? 

There are people who prefer solitude and there are also priests and nuns. These people have committed to a life without a husband or wife either because they would rather not be in a relationship or for religious purposes. When it comes to soulmates, does this mean that these people have met their soulmate but rejected an intimate relationship with this person or have they just kept their relationship on the friends level. As soulmates they should be close friends and understand each other really well but do people who become nuns and priests still end up loving their soulmate? As soulmates, do both people have to love each other romantically? 

Personally, I believe people choose their own soulmates. Just because you get along with someone doe not mean you and them are destined soulmates. It just means you have found a good friend to be with. Although, I do believe Cinderella and the Prince have set standards for what a soulmate must be. People in this generation think that anyone who they get along with or have intimate feelings for must be their soulmate. Everyone has one soulmate. Whoever you marry must be that one someone. I disagree. I feel that everyone has several people who they are compatible with but sometimes you may not recognize this based on certain circumstances. I feel that although people should marry their soulmates, it doesn’t always happen that way. This doesn’t mean they are preventing themselves from having a good life, it just means that they are able to adapt to other people and therefore are able to become soulmates. In relationships, people change and grow together. Through the trials, they learn new thing about each other and base future actions on what they have observed.  I believe people who are nuns or priests have adapted to a life without a soul mate by focusing all their emotions to a supernatural being. Whoever was supposed to be the nun or priest’s soulmate before they devoted themselves, surely has more that one “soulmate”.  

Honestly, I don't think people should base their happiness on one person and wait for their happily ever after. Make it happen yourself. Whether you have a soulmate or not doesn’t mean you'll be forever alone and wont be happy. You may end up marrying someone else and you will grow together with that person and be happier. Even if you don't end up being married, you still have friends who are there to support you. Happiness can come in all different forms and usually comes through unexpected ways. 

Adi Alsaid: “I urge you to please notice when you are happy.”

Father Business and Mother Nature

On November 12th, my Intro to Humanities class took a field trip to the Harn museum. On display were innumerable pieces of art, each individual piece was completely unique but they all seemed to belong together. It seemed as if each piece was a part of a body, the body being the museum. Although I really enjoyed looking at many pieces, several pieces stood out to me.  There were two particular pieces of art that seemed to interact. 

The two pieces that interact are "M is for Mao" and “Scene on Snake Key, Gulf Coast”. Although they seem to interact with each other they seem to be yelling at each other. They have a love hate relationship in my opinion. 

The piece “M is for Mao” puts emphasis on China, Mao Zedong and McDonalds. The art piece uses the colors red and yellow. According to www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html, the color red symbolizes “strength, power, and determination”. Yellow is usually an “attention getter” and is often used by food industries. Together, red and yellow have been shown to cause people to become more hungry. McDonalds uses both red and yellow to their advantage by using this color scheme throughout their restaurant. This business strategy increases their consumer spending thus giving McDonalds more power in the fast food industry. 

The colors red and yellow are both found on the Chinese flag. China itself is a communist country. They seem to be building up more power each day and have become extremely military defense. This power hungry country was once ruled by Mao Zedong. He started off wanting to change China for the better. As he began to gain more and more power, he was increasing education, promoting women’s rights, and making positive changes in healthcare. Despite these improvements, he faced problems and rashly began putting his opposers in prison. He showed his fear of losing power because of his reaction to this opposition. 

In the art piece “Scene on Snake Key, Gulf Coast”, the piece is focused on nature. The art work uses the largeness of nature and compares it to the minuscule strength of humans. Within the picture the artist uses a man walking with his dog to show off the greatness of nature. They are surrounded by large trees and a vast sky. Within this picture, the sky seems to be grey and symbolize a storm. Is the storm coming? The storm symbolizes the dark future mother nature faces. 

In today’s age, businesses are constantly trying to expand. In order to expand, they destroy beautiful nature sites such as Snake Key, Gulf Coast. These business do this in order to gain more power within their industry. They fail to realize the true power of nature and forget how powerful storms can be. Once in awhile, mother nature strikes back taking businesses down through hurricanes and other occurrences we call natural disasters. 

Comparing the two pictures, there is a tension between business and nature. Businesses are extremely power hungry whereas nature is just trying to protect what it has left. Is power really what can give us a good life? Based on “Scene on Snake Key, Gulf Coast”, the grey clouds show that there will be another power shift. We just have to wait and see if the businesses or mother nature will win the next battle.

Traditions

As many of you know, Halloween just recently passed. Most college kinds students tend to stay at home whereas younger kids go out trick-or-treating. Of course, I went trick-or-treating because I really enjoy getting candy. But as my friends and I were walking up to a house, we were all really excited because of how much candy we had been getting. As the woman opened the door, she said "Aren't you all too old to be trick-or-treating? Next time I won't give you any candy?" At first I presumed she was joking but the more it replayed in my head I realized she was sort of rude about it. My friends and I started talking about what age people stop trick-or-treating at. Technically speaking Halloween is a tradition for all ages. There are no rules saying you must be under a certain age in order to go trick-or-treating. Why is it so wrong for a college student to want free candy?

Halloween is a tradition for all people to participate in. Children are able to both go trick-or-treating and give out candy yet adults are limited to giving out candy because they are “too old”. Although Halloween can be associated with different religions, unlike Bat Mitzvah’s and other traditions, Halloween has no specific age or clothing requirements. People should not be judging college students for taking advantage of this wonderful tradition of collecting free candy. 

Where did Halloween come from? I’m sure Halloween didn’t originally start off as a holiday for people to get candy. Some people view it as the Devil’s Night whereas others view Halloween as a fun made-up holiday for children who want candy. 

Why do people have traditions in general? most people celebrate certain holidays because of religions. Others prefer the more secular aspects of holidays. For example, Christmas is  a holiday that was supposed to be the day to remember Jesus Christ’s supposed day of birth. Today, atheists, Muslims, and a variety of religious people celebrate Christmas because they like the idea of giving and (moreso) receiving. This tradition has been so watered down that even some Christians have forgotten the purpose of the tradition because they get so caught up in the presents or the food or the music or just being with family.

Personally, I am satisfied with the traditions we have today. I know the origins of the holidays I celebrate and so far I have not forgotten the reason why we celebrate most traditions. For example, Halloween was originally a tradition to celebrate dead saints and send away the devil. Christmas is a holiday to celebrate the birth of Christ and act as the wise men who brought gifts for the new born king. Although, these traditions have been extremely watered down, I feel that I have done my part and learned why we even celebrate to begin with. 

Ghost and Entities

According to the story “Ghosts and Entities” by Lauren Groff, she begins by telling the reader how she vents. Throughout the story, she explains everything she observes. She never quite gives any details of the exact sights she sees while she is out venting. The imagery she creates in the readers mind is created out of general terms. 

Referring to the beginning of the story, Groff portrays the narrator as the main character who tends to go on runs to vent. Is venting a good thing? In a way, isn’t it like running away from problems? For example, when she came home and found her husband satisfying his sexual desires, she went on a run. Nowhere in the story, does she confront her problems. She continues to go on runs. Perhaps, she felt the need to remove herself from situations so she could think rationally an avoid making the problem worse. 

I believe, part of the reason she covers up the problem because of society. Her neighborhood, is covered by a happy go lucky exterior. Although the houses are superficially happy, when she runs, she observes more of the hidden flaws of the perfect neighborhood. She sees a fat boy running on a treadmill, a couple arguing, and an elderly woman walking a dog. During the day, all of the houses give off a perfect image and keep their problems hidden in the night. It’s possible that she was able to see these people as possibilities for herself. The fat boy running on treadmill with the sad expression on his face could be representative of how she continues to vent on a constant basis and continues to run away from her problems, but just like the fat boy, she is stagnant and her situation is not changing. Additionally, the couple arguing is her viewing a consequence of addressing the situation with her husband. A confrontation such as this would lead her to nights of arguing with her husband. The elderly woman can be interpreted as a result of the confrontation. She may never be married again but she won’t need to be tied in this relationship.

Additionally, Groff refers swans and nuns. She is symbolizing the swans and nuns as contrasting points. Swans are often used to represent love and companionship. The nuns are included to symbolize independence, purity, and love for the church. Each symbol, faces the same type of end. The swans and nuns, both face death. In a way, this could be her way of realizing no matter how she lives, she will still face the same end. One way she will die with her husband, the other way she will die by herself.

Focusing in on the author, the story itself was extremely vague. I would describe it as a descriptively vague story. Although she does include that it was based on the Duckpond of Gainesville. Similarly to one of my previous blogs, the author adds to the idea that each house and each family has its own history. No story is exactly the same. Although both the swans and nuns faced death, they lived completely different lifestyle. One was more animalistic, whereas the other was more based on human community. Both had different identities and therefor different lives. In the same way, the narrator, had an opportunity to take actions that would alter her lifestyle. 

In conclusion, no matter what lifestyle you choose, we all face the same end. Death is inevitable and people are free to do as they please. Before taking action, one should still consider the possible results of their actions.

Santa Fe Dance Show

On Wednesday, October 28, Santa Fe College was hosting a dance show that I attended. The performances were all student choreographed and each dance came with its own storyline. Some of the dance s included, Human, Carried Away by Love, and Thriller. Each of these unique pieces portrayed a story that was expressed through each dancer. 

Human was a dance involving several people. Throughout the dance, there were 3 people who were synchronized. The other dancers around them were dancing more liberally and on their own movements. The music of the dance was very dark and was likely chosen to evoke strong feelings of grim actions. Dim lighting and slight color changes added to the feelings of mystery and danger. The dance itself was very contemporary and abstract although it had a powerful message. 

The inspiration for this piece, according to the student choreographer, said that she was inspired by a piece of art. She elaborated and described the picture saying that it was full of average people, but something about their eyes inspired her to create her piece. The student choreographer suggested that her interpretation of the art was expressed through her dance. She wanted people to realize that in relationships or even when walking down the street, the strangers and everyone else, “they see you, but they don’t really see you.” Although she explained the original story of the message, she left the detail of the dance up to the audience to interpret.

I agree with her message. I believe that people tend to have more of a superficial communication when encountering another human being. You can never really tell how a person will react or what they are truly capable of. Despite the relationship you have with someone, you never know their true intentions. Often times, people even hide their own intentions from themselves. This makes it hard to truly determine the character of a human being. Despite this, we can all still be certain that humans in general have some sort of insidious quality to them. It is suggested that this intangible quality exists in every human being. 

During the dance, I interpreted the independent, liberal dancers as stranger who walk by and are sometimes affected by others but not affected enough to change their entire life. The synchronized dancers showed that through relationships, we are able to be a part of the community despite our true self. There are certain action we do on our own but, in certain relationships, your actions, no matter whether they are good or bad, are affected by the people around us. 

Personally, I believe dance is a great form of expression and a beautiful way to communicate your feelings. The only thing you need to do is determine how you feel. Despite the way someone acts, they only have a vague idea of who they are and what they are able to accomplish. Their actions only give people around them an vague idea of what kind of person they will truly become.

Chinese Art Exhibit

On Wednesday, September 9 of 2015, I attended an art exhibit at Santa Fe College. The exhibit Florida Impressions, by artist Dr. Runa Peng, reflects her observations and feelings about her experience in Florida from 2013 and 2015. Her printmaking expertise and Florida experiences show in all of her pieces displayed in the exhibit. Of her many beautiful pieces, two of them stood out to me.

The first striking piece was called “Lake Alice I”. Dr. Peng created this 21”x 42” piece while she was located in China during 2014. I found this piece extremely bold because of the contrasting colors she used within the piece. Her varying nuances of blue also created an effect to separate the body of the lake from its setting. The black represents the trees and gives off a woodland forest feeling to the artwork. Additionally, her use of colors including orange and purple allow one to have an idea of the sky giving off vibrant colors towards the end of a beautiful day. The focused area of light blue above the body of water is presumed to be some sort of building, such as a house on a lakefront. This house is also reflected in the water and should the surrounding colors allow the house to be a part of the forest area even though it is not a part of nature. The setting gives off calm emotions, a sense of serenity, and a hint of mystery found in the black representation of the forest. Overall, the picture personally puts a clear image in my head of returning home, after a tiresome day, to my comforting home where relaxation fills the air. I feel that Dr. Peng was portraying home as a sort of safe haven during days of large amounts of stress.  It was extremely interesting to see the way she portrayed home though a small house on a lake.

The next eye-catching piece I observed was call “Make A Wish”. This 34”x 20” piece was made in 2015 while she was visiting Florida for her second time. In this piece, Dr. Peng uses blue as a contrast color again. This time, she uses it to create a shadowy effect for her main color, green. With a blue emphasis, Dr. Peng uses green and her main center to create an abstract genie in the bottle image. The muddled green and blue towards the bottom of the piece create a cloudy image that can be considered smoke coming out of a genie lamp. This creates a mystical aura for the picture which adds to the supernatural feeling. The solid structural lines create a strong and powerful feeling that genies usually have. Dr. Peng’ also includes a yellow background that puts great emphasis on the green center genie and allows the vapid image to catch complete attention. The image itself creates a feeling of hope because of the yellow background. Dr. Peng is able to also create an unsure yet eager feeling of anticipation throughout her piece. She is also able to continue her sense of mystery from the last piece and incorporate it into her “Make A Wish” piece. Through this piece of work I can imagine a powerful, confident genie emerging from an ancient golden lamp or bottle. Dr. Peng used this to represent her eager anticipation during her second trip to Florida.

Conclusively, I saw and felt Dr. Peng’s excitement to be in Florida and experience the new culture. She was able to experience the home living of the average American. Her “Lake Alice I” clearly showed her point of view from where she visited. Her image of the house in Florida also revealed how she may have felt hints of homesickness while visiting Florida. In addition, Dr. Peng was able to express her excitement during her visit through her “Make A Wish” piece. Additionally, she was able to display all of this through Chinese print making, a traditional art style. She was able to express her experiences clearly in her pieces put on display in the exhibit