Amir's Atonement

I think that Amir has a slight chance of achieving atonement in his life. He witnessed something that scarred him for life, and he is in bitter resentment that he witnessed it at all. I think that apologizing to his friend for not sticking up for him would be a great atonement for himself. Or admitting that he was a bad friend to Hassan and should have treated him better, and somehow made it up to him would prove as atonement. Amir seeks atonement by letting out the secret he holds about Hassan, and also all the wasted time he spent worrying about everyones opinion of him, especially his father.

I do not think that atonement exists, only personal relief that a problem was resolved that happened in the past. I think that when more then one person is involved in this wrong doing or mistake, you cannot makeup for it by masking it with apologizes or some gesture to make the sinful situation disappear. I think that a mistake you make stays buried in the past, but I also believe that not making that mistake in the future is a type of atonement. You can make all the promises in the world to never cheat on your spouse again, you can prove yourself loyal, but atonement is something that can never be reached because a mistake that large is unforgivable and you cannot possibly make up for it when another person is involved. I believe in personal atonement, in a way that you give yourself satisfaction as well as ease your consience for a mistake you made.

My Cheating Mistake

I remember in fourth grade, I had reading problems and it took me a lot longer then everyone else to comprehend tests because I was "special" and learned differently, (not really but I was a really shy kid that didn't like to talk- ever). This one particular test was really important, it actually counted for a grade. I remember that I wasn't sure if my answers were correct, and I hesitated to turn in my test. Walking up and handing in my test, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to put my name on the line in the right corner of the paper. I took it back out of the silver wired bin and brought it back to my seat to write my name on it really fast. Then my teacher called me out on it, in front of the whole class, and accused me of cheating.
I felt so ashamed of myself and I wanted to cry. If that wasn't bad enough, she then proceeded to take me out of the classroom and yell at me about whether I cheated or not. She was my favorite teacher, so hearing her yelling at me made me feel like I was on some type of bad trip. I confessed to her that I was unsure if my answers were correct, but I would never cheat. She checked over my answers, and seeing as I probably failed I most likely was telling the truth. She then helped me work out the answers and I got the test back a week later with a B. I feel like I learned a few lessons that day; never make a foolish mistake that can lead to accusations,always write your name on every paper you get - ever for the rest of your life, and also not to be afraid to ask for help. I feel like asking for help was one of my greatest weaknesses in life.

Creative Story

This solider was on the run for nearly a week, trying to find his troupe for he had lost his way.
With only his backpack, the solider has been dodging and fleeing attacks in this foreign country for what seemed like forever. The end is near, the food in his bag is running low; he is faced with a decision;to starve or to risk getting killed are his only two options. He once heard a story that where there are insects there is water, so following his gut he decided to head in the direction the insects were buzzing to. Little did he know what was waiting for him at the end of his journey:A tent filled with terrorists. Armed only with his bullet-less rifle, the solider began to panic. There was no turning back, he had entered onto their territory, he had to face the consequences. With every step the soldiers heartbeat quickened it's pace. The only way around the tent was to jump off a cliff, to face death in the quickest manner, if there were not water running in that deep crack in the land. Taking the biggest risk of his life, the soldier found himself skidding down the side of the cliff, alive. He made it to water finally, but all he could do was run as far as he could away from that tent, away from his fears and into the jungle of mystery.

The Triumph of Evil

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.
- Edmund Burke

I think that this quote is really powerful, and I disagree as well as agree with it. I think that evil only exists if a person is weak and is able to be overpowered by it. I agree with this quote because if the good and unevil people of the world did something to stop evil from spreading, there would not be a problem. As long as good exists, evil will as well.

Decisions

Everyday we are surrounded with choices and decisions that affect our immediate lives. Things that influence us the most would be our environments as well as the people we are surrounded by. I think that everyone has had to make a big decision in their life, one that can alter their pathway forever and affect the impact they want to have on the world.

Going into college, deciding which college to attend and what you want to major in are all very stressful choices that have to be made in a short period of time. How does an 18 year old kid know what they want to do for the rest of their life? The decisions we make now affect our long term future, whether we see our family and friends as often, or whether we choose to see them because we're not going to college to far. Whether or not to get into trouble and fail out of school and waste you or your parents money, they are all decisions.


We learn in life that taking risks and making the "correct" decisions will lead to satisfaction, but do the little choices we make along the way seriously alter our journey?
Life is made up with a series of problems, and to determine one's path is how one can figure out the solution. Everyone has a unique answer to the question of who do I want to be and what impact do I want to have on the world. Each life is individual, choosing to have little or no impact is still a decision.

Recipe for Afghanistan

Delicate Recipe

One decade of the USSR
A dash of civil war
1 teaspon of evil terrorist Osoma Bin Laden
3/4 cup Mountains
1/4 cup Plains
5 tablespoons of cloaked and covered women

Stir in 33,609,937 natives and then let sit for 2 years to see what happens

Spring Break 2009

I didn't really do much of anything this spring break except for work. I would like to have gone to some tropical island, or even Florida. Having this break made me excited that there is only one marking period left until summer :) I went to a flea market and bought a few prints of both famous and unfamous paintings. I saw my boyfriend frequently which was good. I had a doctors appointment for a physical and learned that I have anemia which was no surprise. I wish I practiced driving so I could gain KNOWLEDGE about how to operate an automobile. I also did some face painting and took some photos for my web design class.