Religion in Modern Society

            In our society there many different types of religions. There’s Christians, Catholics, Presbyterians, Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Atheists, Buddhist, Hindus, the list goes son and on. The point is to say that our society  is much more diverse than just the color of our skin. That how we live is so very diverse. So why is it that people believe that their point of view is the right way for others to live. Why must people force their point onto the society so that everything is “the way that it was before”. People who push their religion onto a growing society can both hurt and harm a society. Forcing ones religion can stop progression into a better society. On the other hand  the overall messages  of religions are important to keep a society have proper  morals. However, in a society such as ours, how to keep progressing as  a society and keep the true teachings of religions together without all the other extra baggage? When do we as a society learn that everything has a fine line to it, even our religion?

Recently one of the main arguments that has arisen in our society is if jobs should supply women with birth control or not. Some peoples argument is that they should not because  of the bosses religion.  Certain religions believe that women should not take birth control because that means that they won’t partake in premarital sex. They also believe that it is against procreation. While I respect their opinion, I believe that a boss has no right to force their religion onto their employees. Their employees may have  a different religious belief than them. Why should a person be denied something based off of their BOSSES beliefs. And if the boss denies the employee something as simple as  birth control , what else can they do. Could they fire someone because they have a  different faith than them? Because if that’s what it’s coming to, then that is considered prejudice. No person should ever be attacked based off of their religions. And with a place of such diversity, why should religion even BE  in the work place. Now I am not against showing public display of religion; if you where a cross necklace,  if you have star of David earrings, or if you pray before meals that is perfectly fine. I’m saying that religion should not affect decisions in the work place, because a  work place is a place for WORK.

Another thing that I find hard with Modern Religion is that people are trying to make the smallest points the main idea, and not trying to keep the main ideas of religion in tact. For example Most people ( politicians included) believe that Gay marriage should not be passed because it is in the Bible that one shall not mate with one of their own sex. They believe that it is a sin and that it will ruin the sanctity of marriage. Well I hate to break it to these people, but times have changed. They idea of marriage has changed a lot over  the span of time. And while marriage in the 1950’s was seen as a contract to stay together no matter what; today standards are played by different rules.  We see people get married in quickie Vegas , on to for money, people who elope. Plus anyone can get married, and it doesn’t have to be in a church : Wickens and Atheists get married all the time in court houses . So why should it matter it two men or two women do the same thing, all they are doing is professing their love  for one another. So how does that destroy the sanctity of marriage but being married in Vegas doesn’t ? What ever happened to loving thy neighbor, to be kind to others ? Those are the teachings that religious people should be focusing on, not stopping people from loving one another.

Religion is supposed to be based on the idea of acceptance and loving one another. Then doesn’t that also mean changing to make what once was current to todays society. I am not saying that we should throw out everything in the Torah or the Bible. I am saying that we as a society need to take the important aspects of religion and teach them to our society. We don’t need any of the extra stuff because that is not what’s needed in  our society so that we can learn accept and prosper. Religion is a very powerful thing, however the way we use it as a society will be the determining factor on whether it helps or harms our future.

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Living YOUR life

There  comes a time in everyone’s life where that person needs to take control of their own life, and go in there own pursuit of happiness . For most people, myself included , it is usually in there teenage years. That is the time where on some terms we as humans are given the ability to figure out what we want to do with our lives. We get responsibilities such as jobs and drivers license. These responsibilities and freedoms allow us as people to find our interests and our true passions in life. As time goes on we are given the opportunity to make our own decisions. We are told to “chose wisely” and to act off of reason not heart. And on certain occasions, that is right. It’s important to realize that you will not always get what you want, and that things will not always go your way. But in certain situations a person needs to follow their heart because sometimes that will lead to a better version of themselves. So I pose the question, is it better to live off of logistics or to follow what makes you happy ?

Over the past year I have had to come to grips with a major decision in my life. I have always been very into musical theater, and have been doing shows since I was in the first grade.I love being on the stage and performing in front of others.The high I get from performing is something that I can only describe as being magical.My dream has always been to perform on Broadway.However I know that this is something that may never happen for me. I know this because although I am very talented, I have a physical disability that will hold me back in many ways when it comes to auditioning for parts. My back story is that I had a stroke at birth that affected the whole right side of my body physically. And although I have had two surgeries that have helped immensely there are still many limitations physically that won’t help me during auditions. So when I had to figure out what my intended major would be for college, it killed me to not put musical theater. Although vocally and acting wise I have the talent, the dance audition would have stopped me from getting into the program of my dreams.My singing teacher has had many conversations with me that I needed to find a program that suited me. My mom said that I needed to be more practical, and think of a alternative major.

So in a crossroads I decided to take the educational route and go for a double certification in English and theater education at the high school level. That was a challenge because not many schools have theater education  or allow a student to be dual certified. This killed me because that meant that I may have to give up performing forever. I did not want to give up one of the only things that made truly happy in my life. Even though I would not be performing as a teacher, I accepted that at least I would be able to help others build to their dreams some day. As I looked from school to school, my dreams of keeping theater in my life became more and more dim. I was willing to give up till I found the school that I will be attending this fall. A school that allows a dual certification, and has a masters in teaching program. So I could strictly double major in English and theater, then masters in education. That way I could still have my theater experience. Even better was when I found out my schools connections, and that I would be able to possibly get some Broadway experience.

For those of you that are reading this, I hope you realize that this story is more than just me discussing why I chose my college. It is about how one can still attain their dreams and follow their heart while being logical.I have been through a lot over the past 18 years, and theater has always been that one thing to lift me up. So it excites me that I get a chance at possibly following my dreams. I think that this story shows that one should not let an obstacle define you. That one should find a way to get around that obstacle to achieve whatever  they want… Don’t let limits or logistics define you. Let you and your beliefs define you.



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The Truth About Communication

Being a teenager in the 21st century, society puts some lofty technological expectation on me. However before this class I can say that I did not meet up to these expectations. I did not know how to upload video to YouTube; I didn’t the significance of writing a blog. However over the past school year, I have learned so much about the world that we call the internet. The internet is more than just a place to connect with friends. It is a place to expand our knowledge, to grow as people and to become better citizens. The internet is a place to be creative, and to voice our opinion. The internet is more than just a person on a computer, it is a community. Communication in the 21st century has taught me more about the impact what one person can do than any other class.

If this class has taught me nothing else, it has taught me the importance of how to create a positive online persona. People believe that the only impression that counts is the one when you meet someone face to face. However this class has showed me that in this day in age this is not the case. People don’t have to wait to meet someone in person. Now they can look them up on a search engine and all of that person’s life will be in front of them in the click of a button. So it is important to have a positive on line persona. If you post pictures that are less than flattering, or when decide to vent to the online world about how annoying your boss is; most likely it will come back to haunt you. Many jobs now require you to offer up your social media site passwords to make sure that you represent the place in a positive. Schools are also doing this as well. Colleges will look through potential and current student’s sites to make sure they represent the school in a positive way. So being negative online may ruin your chances of advancing your future. Finally being negative on the internet and not thinking before you type hurts others on the internet. Saying critical things on chat rooms and on comment sections towards others is considered a form of cyber bullying, which is a very serious topic in today’s society. Plus many comment sections are taken down because of the terrible things people say towards others. So it is important to have a positive persona because you never know who is looking at your page.

My view on the use of social media sites has changed as well because of this class. People believe that these sites are used for fun, to connect with our friends when we can’t see them in person. While this is a very true statement, social media sites have become so much more than that. Social media sites have become a place for news outlets to reach their audience. Before I opened a twitter account through school, I believed that twitter was only for normal people to look at the lives of the rich and famous. However I soon found out that all major news outlets use twitter to get storylines out there. By following these sites, I have been able to be informed on all major issues in our world. Social sites are also used for social activists. People used to have to put flyers, and try to get news agencies to get the word out on social issues. That can cost a lot of time and money. Now all someone has to do is create an event or tweet something out to the public and thousands of people will be able to see them. Creating videos for YouTube can also help get the word out, and provide a more realistic image to those that do not believe what is being written. So the use of social media sites has more impact in our society than just connecting us to our friends; it connects to all of the world and its problems.

To go along with the use of social media sites, I have learned about the positive aspects of publishing on the internet. I think one of the most positive aspects is being able to voice your opinion to people who care. Often times when teenagers try to get involved in serious topics they are often shut down because they “don’t know anything”. So when I get to write about topics such as gay marriage or affluence in America, I feel like my voice matters. And when people like what I write it makes me feel like I am doing something right. Publishing on the internet also allows me to see how other people view a situation. Publishing is a learning experience. You can interact with people from all over the world on all different ideas and beliefs. These conversations are what create a strong well rounded society. So publishing is more than just writing, it is an educational experience that you cannot get in a classroom.

Next year when I go to college and after that when I start my professional life, the teachings in this class will always be with me. I will always be aware of what I do on the internet; to not do or say things that I would never do or say in public. That anything that I write on the internet can be seen by anyone. When I’m in college, I will make sure I don’t post anything that is stupid or seems shameful towards. I will think before type, because you never know who you are talking to and what their story is. When I become an educator I want to take pride in what my social media site looks like. I want to show my students that this is how you become successful; by learning how to represent yourself in a positive way. I also want to teach them that it is okay to be opinionated, but there is a certain measure of caution that you must take on the internet.
This class is more than a class; it is a guide to how to use the internet to your advantage.

The cyber world is full of games, and every person has to learn how to navigate through it. If one thinks about it, the internet and cyber space is just life, only worse because people can be a lot harsher online. However Communication in the 21st century allowed me to learn the tricks of the game, and I can go into college with all of the tricks up my sleeve.

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Being Socially Active

             To be socially active in Society means a lot more than just saying “I support gay marriage “. Being socially active means that you as a person are willing to do anything within reason to make sure your cause is addressed in this society. You learn everything you can on this subject because you want to make sure you have the facts that support your subject. To get your ideas out into society, you use your knowledge in public outings. Whether it be attending rallies, or writing letters to your congressman; to be socially active one must be able to get their point of view out in a positive way. However in the social media advances of today, people can be socially active by using the internet. You can use social sites such as Facebook or Twitter, create videos on the topic, or create blogs such as this one. By using this technology you get your point of view to be seen by hundreds of millions of people. Finally in order socially active one must be passionate about what you are supporting. You have to be able to give up time towards this topic. You have to have the drive to fight for your issue no matter how hard it may seem at the time. This is what I believe a person needs have all of these requirements to be socially active.

                This class has done a lot to help me make a difference in this world. First of all it made me write about serious topics in today’s society. Where some people believe that teenagers do not have a voice or an opinion; this class has allowed me to voice my opinion on issues that everyone talks about. I enjoy that I can voice my opinion on the internet. This class has also helped me by getting me more involved with the many uses of social media. Until this class I believed social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube were only used for teenager’s entertainment and to make connections with people around the world. Now because of this class I have learned just big social media sites impact our society. These sites are now central hubs for social activist. Going down my twitter feed I can see posts from the New York Times and the Huffington Posts on topics ranging from the current economic situation to the latest fashion trends. This use of social media has helped me create topics on my blog (which was also created due to the class). The use of my blog has helped me express my opinion on topics such as gay marriage and privacy on the internet. And even though tons of people won’t see what I write, for those that do will see that I am a person who wants to see the world change for the better.

             Although the school is coming to end, I still plan on using my blog as a place for me to get my opinions on topics in today’s society. I plan on writing more on the hot topic of Gay Marriage and equality. I believe that this is a very hot topic in our society that is made a big deal because people refuse to change. I also plan on writing about other topics that I believe need to be addressed such as the use of common core standards in the American school systems. Finally I would like to address my life as an actor with a physical disability. I have not addressed it on my blog prior but I think it is a very interesting topic to discuss in our society.

                So as time goes on, there will always be topics that will get people fired up. Change is always inevitable in our society. Change is every: in our lives, our governments, even the music we choose. And with change comes there will always be the social activists that initiate the discussion. And as our society advances, social activists will find new ways to get their points across. From rallies to Facebook, social activists are tireless to see change in our society. Over the past year I have been able to use the internet to get my point of view , and will continue to do so in the future as I start my new journey in college.

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Educational Experience

         Trying to attain a higher education this day in age has become increasingly tough over the past years. Between schools being stricter on application requirements to the rapidly increasing tuition rates, being accepted into any college or university is an accomplishment. The chance for students to learn and experience new points of view has increased immensely as well. Students have more opportunities to watch guest speakers related to their majors. They have school wide events that deal with real world issues. Institutions are trying to make learning everywhere on campus, not just in the classroom. And what these students are learning is not something they can learn from a textbook; they are learning about different peoples experiences with different issues in the world. However certain people within the world of academia and the government feel that they need to control these opportunities for students. These people believe that they need to control the thoughts that enter the students mind so that they’re the same as theirs. Since when was it a bad idea to be open minded? In a society that is advancing every day, there is no time to go backwards.

           I saw a twitter post from the Huffington Post  about how a Tennessee Lawmaker  was trying to get funding cut for guest speakers, including the schools commencement speaker, from some of its institutions because they were participating in “ Sex Week” , a week dedicated to talking  about LGBT issues.  I’ve written about my point of view on LGBT rights in the past, but for me this article is more about the restriction over the ideas of expressing thoughts. This congressman believes that he has the right to stop students from expanding their minds. By cutting funding for things such as guest speakers, this man can be damaging these students rate of success. I do not believe that someone’s personal bias should harm an individual’s education. Along with this, he is upset over the fact that these students are getting involved in real world issues. Maybe he should be happy that these students should want to do something with the world, instead of them wasting their lives at college. Most importantly, he students most likely paid for this event, so why should they stop it. Students pay a lot to go to college, and to have these opportunities, and they are going to have them whether the government likes it or not. Bottom line: this congressman should not have gotten involved with possibly damaging student’s education just because he does not approve of a certain event that goes on at the institution.

                Another story that was brought to light recently be that faculty from Rutgers University demanded that the school take back the invitation for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice from speaking at commencement this year. This is another classic case of a person’s personal bias getting in the way of an individual’s education. It is no secret that most college professors are liberal, and Rutgers is no exception. So to think that teachers do not want their students to listen to a person’s story, just because that person was a part of the opposing political party is disturbing. I think students can learn a lot from Ms. Rice because she held such an important position in our national government. Of course the people that want this invitation rescinded are those who think she was a part of the worst presidential team in history. To them I have to words:  Jimmy Carter. Plus let’s not forget when Rutgers paid Snooki 32k to talk about how drunk she used to get on a daily basis.  If I were a student, I’d rather listen to a person of experience, no matter what political side I am on.

                The problem with people in today’s age is that everyone’s biased towards something. People say that we live in a world of acceptance, but if there is something a person does not approve of then people come up with a way to make it seem bad. People need to realize that Religion does not stop a person from expressing themselves, or that people don’t have to agree with what side you’re on. People need to allow things to happen to get the best out life. Allow people to learn and grow from others; that is the only way history doesn’t repeat itself.  




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Take the Photo?

         It is known fact that every single person in the world has forgotten something at least once in their life. As humans it is a part of our nature. If people remembered every single thing that happened at any point of their day, a persons head would be twice as big. In recent years people have come up with new pieces of technology that allows people to remember events. It is a camera called “Lifelogging” that takes photos of what a person is doing every thirty seconds. Although this device would help a lot of people with remembering things such as events, it has brought up a lot of controversy over the idea of it possibly disrupting an innocent bi-standard of privacy.


            When I first heard of this invention, I thought it was a very neat idea. I mean I am no stranger to forgetting something, so this would be very helpful. I think a machine like this would be very useful for everyone, but especially for the elderly and those who have Alzheimer’s or other illnesses that cause memory loss. People like this might have an easier time remembering different events throughout the day if they have pictures to jog their memory. Now I am not saying that would help them remember everything, but it may help them with simple tasks such as remembering if they ran the dishwasher in the morning or not. By using this machine, people will be able to have a visual checklist of things to do during the day. If someone forgot if they ran to the store in the morning, they could check the camera to see if there is a picture of the store from that day. The whole purpose of this machine is a great idea, and would have a positive impact on society,


            That being said, I do see how this machine can indeed become a major problem for a person. First of all the whole idea of having to carry a camera everywhere you go can be a little awkward. Some people may feel kind of weird seeing a person carrying around a camera in public for no reason. Plus I know that some retail stores dislike people that take photos while in their store, and have asked the person to turn of the camera. So seeing that person is carrying a camera around their neck that takes pictures every thirty seconds might be a little unsettling to store associates. Along with that, I believe that this can create a problem for the user. This person is going to have to go through hundreds of pictures daily to see exactly what they did during the day. Most of these pictures would be useless, but in order to find the useful pictures, one has to search through the hundreds of scrap photos. Trying to go through all those photos might become very time consuming for a person, and the machine would not be worth it then.


              Of course there is also the privacy issue. I believe that this machine does take advantage of a person’s privacy.  I would not want people taking pictures of me every five seconds while I am around town.  I would feel a little violated.  And if someone who does use this often has so many pictures of random people, it can them look a little crazy. I do believe that a person should tell someone if they are using the camera, but they should not tell everyone. If a person had on while in a store, they should not go up to every customer explaining why he has a camera around his neck. However if a person was in a meeting with someone else while they had it one, it would be the respectful thing to tell them that the person is being photographed.


            Over all I do believe that this is a step in the right direction to people with bad memory. However I do believe there could be adjustments.  I think there a recording option, so if a person cannot be reminded visually, then maybe this person can be reminded audibly. Also there should be an option of how long the time should be between each picture and a manual setting so the person could do it themselves. That way the person has some control over what is being photographed.


            It is no secret that people forget things once in a while. However due to recent technological growths, new machines have been created to minimize the flaw of forgetfulness. Machines such as the “Lifelogging” camera may be able to help millions of people when done properly, but there are still many advances to be made. The idea of maintaining a person’s privacy has to come into play when these machines are being reprogrammed. Inventors also have to make this product more convenient for the buyers of this product. By doing this , “Lifelogging” technology will become the biggest technological advances of our age.








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Love is Love

In the Constitution of the United States, it states that the idea of church and state should be separated in the eyes of the government.  Throughout the years many things have changed in the eyes of the government; but the idea of church and state being separate has always held strong. However in recent years the idea of Church and State has become the sight on controversy with the war on gay rights. Some people believe that Homosexual people should not have the right to marry and receive benefits because they are marrying a person that is of the same sex. Their reasoning: It states in the bible that man should not be with another man. Well for those who believe in that statement it also states that we should not be mixing fabric or be eating pork. I can tell you now I am wearing different fabrics, and I had pork chops last night: does that make me a bad person? I also believe that a person should be able to be with anyone they want, whether it is with some one of the opposite sex or not. Anyways in recent weeks events issues have come up over the idea of how we should treat homosexual people in the business world.

While on Twitter, I saw a tweet from the Huffington post that had a link to an article. The tweet stated that a republican lobbyist proposing to create a law to get homosexual players in the NFL to be banned.  This is just weeks after football player Michael Sam game out as a homosexual.  This law boggles my mind because Sam’s news was very well received from the public eye. This republicans reasoning was that the NFL has no morals and that the government needs to take care of this situation. My question, why does the government need to take care of one of the most successful independent industries in America? Yes I do agree that some players in the NFL have had a rough past, and have done some things that are extremely illegal. However if a man opens up about something as personal as their sexuality, they should not be punished for it; they should not have to lose their jobs because of who they love. And why should the NFL be the only one targeted? Why not the NBA or MLB because I bet you that there are homosexual players in those leagues that has not come out. By suppressing these people and telling them that they cannot do a job that they are good at because of whom their interested is discrimination. And being a country that is supposed to be based off of equal opportunity, this is extremely hypocritical. Why doesn’t this lobbyist care more about the problems in Washington and let the NFL worry about them  

However this Lobbyist is not the only person in the government making waves to make homosexuals feel even more like an outsider. Over the past week the state of Arizona has come under mass media scrutiny over its attempt to pass a law that would allow store owners not to serve people because they are homosexual. This all started  when a very religious Christian couple refused to do a wedding cake for a gay couples  wedding, standing on the grounds that it would be against their Christian beliefs to do so. After that couple filed suit, and lost, the Arizona state government thought that they should create a law that would allow people to deny service to their business if it opposes their beliefs. This is where the idea of the separation of church and state comes into play. With living in a society that is so diverse, there are going to be many different beliefs within a community. This is especially true when it comes to religion because our country is full of different religions from Buddhism and Hinduism, to Christianity and Judaism. Although there are some common threads between all religions, all of them are going to have different beliefs. So if stores were going to be biased and discriminatory based off of their beliefs and religion, then their store would go out of business because no one has the right to feel that way. In economic times such as these, people should not be picky about their clientele. They should be happy that they have business that is in need of their service. So what if that person does not have the same beliefs as the store owner, it’s called service with a smile.  

Every single person in the United States of America has the right to do anything they want within reason. It should not depend on the person sexual preference on whether they should be served by a business, or be able to work in a workplace. As a society the United States has a problem with change, and the idea to accept people for who they are. The United States of America has over three hundred million citizens; we are one of the most diverse nations in the world. There tons of different religions practiced here, all of them having different beliefs and morals.  Yet as far as we have come to accept people of different ethnicities and races, we cannot accept people who just happen to love people of the same sex. We make these people feel like the have to hide who they truly are instead of being free because the bible said it’s a bad thing to do.  There is a reason the founding fathers put a separation of church and state in the Constitution; it was because the Anglicans and Catholics had different beliefs that would destroy the country if religion became involved. So why when our current society has so many religions involved should we propose laws that would negatively impact people who one religion finds vulgar?

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