(BiM)–The Chronicles

I don’t go to church often. Why, I’m not sure but I don’t. Many people in the Black American Community do not like the fact that my family (a family of Doctors) go to church maybe twice a year. My Dad’s not a fan of religion. My mom and I suspect that he is an atheist. My mother is West Indian, yet Catholic, which is weird because most West-Indians are Protestants.

So what am I? I’m not sure but I’m definitely not Protestant and not an Atheist. I believe in God and that he is the creator of universe.

But I believe in Evolution. I want to be Physics major in College. I trust in science and its theories.

I agree with he 10 commandments, I have read a fair chuck of the Bible. I believe in many of Jesus teaching, but do not call my self a Christian. Why?

It’s really simple. I am not sure if Jesus is divine or that he is my savior. I think that Jesus is the coolest philosopher history has heard of, but I have not been baptized and accept Jesus as my savior. The fact that the Da Vinci code and Holy Blood, Holy Grail mention that Jesus might have had a child with Mary Magdalene, does not faze my at all. Here lays the problem.

Many people believe that because I do not think Jesus is my savior that I will die and go to Hell. I will not be saved nor walk along side God in Heaven. This thought haunts me everyday. Every time I think of God, I think about the afterlife and where I am heading when this life ends. Every time I go to church I fear for my soul.

Because I fear Hell, I want to just go to church get baptized as a Catholic and insure me salvation. It would be easy and painless, and put my fear to bed. After going to a Bible camp the summer of my six grade year I wanted to do this for my soul’s preservation.

But I am 18 and not baptized and undeclared. I’ve yet to fulfill that promise I made to myself in Bible camp; why? I was in my bathroom looking at my in the mirror when I realize why I had not been baptized and why this day I will not be baptized.

How cheap, I thought, how cheap and pathetic and low of me to get baptized so I could not go to Hell. How lame of me to get baptized in fear of Hell and the Devil and his torment. My anger was directed not at God or Hell but of my spirit.

To be in Heaven is to walk beside the Lord and be with HIM. It is to be with God and with his knowledge and with his love. HOW DARE I think that I should be baptized to avoid Hell? I should get baptized because I love Heaven.

I realized that this was a revelation few people would make. Many people hint at it but few, I think, realize it. If you are going to be baptized, it should be because you love God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit not because you hate the Devil and his “lake of fire.” It is lame to be spooked in faith. Faith is just that, faith, if you do not have it, you can not be baptized.

Until I accept a religion and it’s figures, be it Jesus, Mohammad, or Buddha, I cannot be baptized. I cannot pledge. I cannot be saved. I will pledge to a religion for my love of God not my hate of the Devil.

The following essay was written by a Californian student for a Social Justice Class.

Forgiveness: What it is and what it is not.

The Sunflower by Simon Wisenthal, asks us the important question, what would we do. What would we do if we were a Jew and an unknown soldier on his death bed asked you for forgiveness? What do you do when a friend betrays you? What is forgiveness? It is difficult concept that’s meaning varys from person to person. To live in an imperfect world, we must learn what and how to forgive. To know how to heal, one must understand forgiveness: what it is and what it is not.

Forgiveness is not many things. It involves two parties, the forgiver, and the forgiven and both can fail. If the forgiver cannot reserve judgment on the forgiven, forgiveness is impossible. The acts which each person can forgive vary from person to person, culture to culture, religion to religion. For example, Cynthia Ozick, an American writer, wrote that murder is unforgivable because it is “irrevocable” and “irreversible” (214). Another person, like Buddhist Matthieu Richard, might say that because of their religious background they are obligated to forgive despite the gravity of the crime (235). Others, like Rabbi Harold Kushner, believe that forgiveness cannot happen between two people (183). Because of these different attitudes, forgiveness is not universally possible. And even if the forgiver is willing to forgive, the other party might not be worthy of forgiveness. In other words, forgiveness might be impossible because of the prospective forgiven. If the forgiven continually makes the same mistakes over and over again, forgiveness cannot be upheld. Forgiveness is for acts, not habits, mistakes, not flaws. We cannot forgive a person that hurts us over and over again. This is ignoring or denying the abusers personal flaws, not forgiving a mistaken person. The forgiven must stop their harmful action and try to correct them before they can ask for forgiveness. This is what forgiveness is not.

The Sunflower depicts a great example of when forgiveness was impossible. From the beginning, the forgiven, Karl, has failed to uphold his end of the promise. The fact that he asked the nurse to get him a “Jew” shows that he has not learned his lesson. One “Jew” cannot equate to another “Jew” for at that time “Jew” was a government handed label. Such a superfluous connection as a government label cannot make any forgiveness valid. As Terence Prittie said for this one Jew “to forgive this one SS men would mean, by implication, to forgive every other SS man who murdered on his deathbed” (234). Simon cannot do that because he does not know every Nazi soldier and does not have a connection with every Jew. Karl can also not be forgiven because he has not forgiven himself. The fact that he needed a Jew to forgive him to die in peace suggests this. Though he feels regret he shows little signs of wanting improve his faults. Even if he did, he could do little since he is on his deathbed. Furthermore Simon is unwilling to give the soldier forgiveness. Though he feels sorry for the soldier after the meeting he cannot bring himself to forgive him. Because of all these reason forgiveness was impossible. So when is it possible and what is it exactly?

Forgiveness is the ability for a person to value others not based on the crimes that those others have inflected on that person but for the good deeds they will do. Forgiveness can happen between people, between themselves, and between a person and their maker. But more importantly, forgiveness is two sided with two promises. The forgiver must not continually punish the forgiven for their mistake. On the other hand the forgiven must forgive themselves and promise to do better. This is what forgiveness is.

Forgiveness is for the redeemable. This allowed Dith Pran, a survivor of the Cambodian genocide, to forgive the Khumer Rogue soldiers, but not the government. He recognized that the soldiers committed horrible acts, but were not necessary horrible people (231). Dith Pran was able to escape his labor camp because a soldier helped him escape (Joffé). This suggests that even though the soldier had hurt many people that he was capable of good. On the other hand, Pran could not forgive the Khumer Rogue government for killing hundreds of members of his family. The government was not brainwashed into killing twenty percent of its citizens: they were the ones mandating death. This government that forced the soldiers to kill was oppressive and cruel. Being cruel is trait not a single act, therefore it is unforgivable.

Though most people’s ideas on forgiveness vary widely, all can agree on one thing; forgiveness is difficult. This is why many religions see it as a blessing. Being able to release bitterness is difficult. Changing oneself and admitting to past crimes is not easy. Even though forgiveness is taxing, it must be done. It is forgiveness that allows humankind to redeem itself and move on. For without forgiveness, bitterness would consume the world.

Wiesenthal, Simon. The Sunflower. New York. Schocken Books. 1998.

Kushner, Harold (183-4). Ozick, Cynthia (213-5). Pran, Dith (230-2). Prittie, Terence (233-4). Richard, Matthieu (235-6).

The Killing Fields. Roland Joffé. Enigma (First Casualty) Ltd, 1984.

Cliche should they be used?

For those of you that are not familiar with the term, cliche is something, like a saying or joke that is old and most likely overdone. Pies in the face, “darkest before dawn,” “there’s no crying in baseball,” are all examples. I think that cliches are nice but I hate when people try to make spins off of old cliches.

One cliche that is terribly abused is “What happen in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas.” I’ve heard so many bad versions of this cliche. The “apple a day keeps the doctor away” is abused as well. “I see Dead people” has also become a cliche that’s been written in various form on derogative T-shirts.

Cliches also do not translate very well. Try translating “When the cows come home,” into Chinese. It won’t work.

I’m glad that cliches are also taboo in essays. Give the English teachers and translators a break.
So what should be done? Nothing really. There is little you can do but change the channel and move on and find better entertainment. Cliche are like all bad jokes, drama, and music. Their nothing we can do but avoid them.

PS: I will never write on cliches again.

Boob Jobs or Breast Augmentations/implants, whatever. You know what I’m talking about, silicon in the chest for those who believe that implants will make them more attractive.

It’s not the worst thing in the world but still I don think it the right thing for a girl to do with her money. Most people can spot what they are, they don’t act like real boobs do and they give Bra Salespeople a head ache.

But should they be banned? Of course not. People should have the right to do stupid stuff to their bodies. Tobacco and Alcohol are much more dangerous, and less attractive. Banning plastic survey just because a few idiots are going to abuse it would be like Las Vegas Banning gambling, and Twixs going out of commission because of fat people.

But I also believe that people should treat Breast implants like tattoos: these things are permenant. Many people agree that if you dare choose to remove implant after they have been implanted, that your breast will look worse than before you got them in. Their is also a health risk as well. Though it is very rare (like 1% or less), some people’s immune systems respond negatively to the silicon implants and try to attack it. This causes a sort of allergic reaction. There is also the risk of what a Bra Sale Women I know calls “Bargain Boobs.” If you do plan on get implants, it would suit you to fork up the money for a quality job instead for a cheap job.

But people ask why. It what situations are “Boob Jobs” justifiable?

I think that if you survive breast cancer you have every right in the world to get implants. If you’ve been in a situation that has rendered your boob seriously damaged, I think that a boob job is perfectly fine.Other than that I’m not a fan.

I think I’m against them because I have bigger breasts. The thought that someone with an A cup and $1000 can get bigger boobs than the ones that God has given me is threatening. Other than that I can not think of any other reason I that I’m against it. Women do all sort of “fake” things to their body. I personally wear hair extensions, high heels, and make up. I also have perching. The only difference between boob jobs and foundation is that it’s permanent and a lot most costly.
As far as guys that like silicon breast all I can do is shrug my shoulders. There are guys that like fake boobs, guys that like real boobs and guy that aren’t boob crazy. I think this is a good thing. Diversity is always good.

Breast implants, what can I say, It’s not the worst thing you can do to your body but it’s certainly is not the best.