this i believe

This I Believe

My favorite quote is, “the positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.” It is saying that positive people can do just about anything. If your attitude toward things is negative, then you will most likely live an unhappy life. If you keep the positives on mind then you will have a better time with life.
Only two years ago, my grandpa was hospitalized. He was very sick and stayed in the emergency room for a couple of months. He was sedated almost the whole time he was in the hospital. My dad and I never lost hope. We visited nearly every night. There was a point in time when almost all of the doctors thought he was going to die. I knew that whatever happened would be right and stayed positive. After a while, my grandpa gained strength and eventually made a full recovery.
I have found that positivity spreads. I have played baseball my whole life. Every time I have errors, bad calls, or other mistakes and I give up I lose. If I stay positive and pick up my teammates I may rally and even come back and win. In the game against Southside Christian High School there were a plethora of bad things happening. I focused on the good things and kept everyone positive. In the last inning my team was losing by a couple points, but we did not give up. Then we came from behind and won!
My whole life is not centered on baseball though. I also love playing the guitar. The music I like to play has fast pace and difficult parts. My mom once asked,” Why do you always play the same part over and over?” I answered because I don’t get it right every time. When I mess up, I play the part I mess up on until I play it as good as the other parts. I rely on the parts I’m good at to get my positive momentum going. When I mess up its okay because that is just one part of the song; I played the whole rest of the song really well.
Two of my favorite candies started with failures. Milk Duds were supposed to be spherical, but it couldn’t stay that way so they named it Milk Duds as a joke and sold it. Pez was supposed to be a medicine. It never did anything though, but taste good. So they sold it as a candy. Failures can become successes when they are approached with a positive attitude. My attitude towards things is more positive because of the negative things that happen in my life.

To Hold or Not to Hold?

“What will I gain by holding a grudge?” I asked myself this question after getting my one and only referral. Sixth grade was almost over, and we were all tired of one standardized test after another. All of “the guys” were playing football before lunch, not a real game, just throwing around. We were playing around, and I caught the ball. Another boy tried to take it from me, but as I regained control, he grabbed my arm and bit my wrist. As I started bleeding, I stepped away and went inside to the nurse. After I had been bandaged up, I was called to the principal’s office. To my astonishment, we both received referrals and I was suspended for longer than he was.

Sitting in my room the next day, I asked myself that question. I decided that rather than gain anything, I would loose a friend, the respect of others, and possibly my health.

Stressed caused by anger, found a recent study by Duke, accounted for 75% to 90% of doctor visits in the U.S. In 2006, the American Association for the Study of Stress found that over 16 million adults in the U.S. are afflicted with IED, or Intermittent Explosive Disorder. This is brought on by the storing and bottling up of anger, they found, and can lead to many unfortunate ends, such as verbal, spousal, and co-worker abuse, as well as such unfortunate events as the Columbine high and Virginia Tech school shootings.

The further effects of grudges and anger are many. The AARS recently posted a finding explaining some of the effects. When people conceal anger, they are more apt to lose their temper in the workplace, most often when dealing with computers. A survey revealed that 50% of those surveyed in the U.K. had hit their computer hard enough to bruise their hands. When someone has an outburst like that, you know something is wrong.

When I hold a grudge, I tend to become less focused, caring, and happy. People do not enjoy being with me as much, as grudges cause me to brood all of the time. Furthermore, grudges wear me down, especially if I see the person often. Grudges cause me to be more irritable, and the more irritable I am, the more things I begrudge. This causes the cycle to be repeated and, at this point, I have hit a downward spiral.

I spent all day thinking about this, and the only good option I found was to hold no grudge. This choice turned out well, and when I went back to school, we both acted as if nothing had happened. He never offered an explanation, and I never asked for one. He left the school after that year; I think no one stayed in contact with him but me. We are still good friends, and see each other occasionally. If I had held that grudge, I would have lost a good friend, and possibly so much more.

Half Full

Half full. Never half empty. Have faith for the best. Dream for a better tomorrow. Live each coming and going day of your life having a positive attitude and hope for the future. I have learned from one of my heroes that there is always tomorrow and have faith in it, and I am who I am because of what he has shown and thought me.
A story about my grandfather, in some ways sums up how he has lived his life. In March 2000 my grandparents had just moved into a new house that was easier for my grandmother. It had been a hard move for her to accept. On the way to Charleston, my mom and little brother stopped by to see their new house. Talking about the challenges of the move, my grandfather said that he always found ways to see his glass half full and that things would be for the best. The next morning a stroke took 7 languages, strength to his right arm and some of his vision. My mom and brother rushed back to Orangeburg. The next time my mom saw him, he was a seemingly broken man in the ICU. Poppie motioned with his left hand for them to come and sit next to him. Silence and sadness was all my grandmother and mom could feel. Poppie looked intensely at my mom and with his left hand pointed toward my grandmother. “Baba”, my mom questioned but his head shook “no”. He pointed again and at a glass that sat in front of my grandmother. “Do you need a drink?” Once again his head shook “no”. He looked directly at her and pointed again at the glass, the glass was half full. He looked with calm certainty right into my mom’s eyes and slowly pointed his good left thumb squarely toward himself. Here he was, voice silenced, vision impaired, and right arm paralyzed and his silent message remained: “my glass is still half full”.
If a man who has almost lost everything still sees his glass as half full, I think we all can. He has dramatically changed the way I view life. I do my best to wake up each and every morning and look at the bright side of the world, and the good in everything and everyone. Because of looking at the positive side of things I think this makes life worthwhile, and brings light into the world. So next time you have a bad day, remember all of the things you have and that you are thankful for. We should all look at our glasses as half full. If this was not just a hope or dream or some sort of fantasy we as people would no longer be half empty, but half full. The world would be a better place. Poppie is still alive, his voice still silent, his message still unchanged and louder than ever, and his glass is still half full.

Passion is Fighting; Fighting is Peace

Throughout my brief time in the world, I've notciced the effects of sporadic human behavior that ultimatley shows us that our own wost enemy is ourselves. Imminently, human endeavor will be worn out, and we won't even have ourselves to fight with. But one thing stands between us and ourselves; passion.
Peace is a complelety illogical theory that exists soley in the minds of those blinded by a hope; a hope to change who we really are, but passion ge to where peace can't. And that's something that can't be written down. Something on such an independent level that it wholly decribes our being, something that doesn't change the true colors of people, but rather how we see them. And maybe, someday, we could combine those occasionally dark colors with the blinding light of hope as humanity's dawn, and band togethe to begin a new day; a day not of peace or riches, but of humnity acting as a passionate whole.
We've all felt strongly towards something, and we've all also felt the want, no, need to support it. We fight, we argue, and overall grow bitter at each other, but this is the closest thing to peace we will ever see.For this is the only timewe reach the summit of our passions at their rawest point; when threatened by another. But when we really care about something, it remains unscathed; a flower pushed aside by the breeze always rebounds and stands tall again to reveal the same beauty.
I've seen, you've seen, the world has seen, all the effects f our love and our hate; a history where caring and genocide stand more similar than different. And as we learn from those who showed us their passion for our forgotten brotherhood between us, we musn't forget that those who seem to break us apart have just as much to tell, because they felt strongly enough about something to go out of their nway to act on it; to push one common characteristic over another.
The sum of this social equation that adds coexistence, subtracts tyranny, and multiplies love is to fight! Fight so division isn't in that equation; fight nto wear out your hate just as humanity has it's innocence. Connect with yourself and find out just how close you hold your passion to your heart. Maybe one day, not our bodies, not our names, but our passions will echo through history, through the stars, and in the mind of all those who accept each other's beliefs with open arms. As a human. As a coexistent. As one.

Music

Music is what drives our soul and keeps us going day to day. It makes us want to dance, jump, and shout out the lyrics to our favorite song in the bathroom shower. Beautiful bass pounds your eardrum as the chorus comes in with engaging emotion and great harmony. without any music, we would be bleak and dull like the cleanest, non-brain eating zombie or a cow. No music basically means no celebrations, no happiness, no passion, and no life.

From to J-Pop, music has the perception of those who have listened to it. Punk rebelled from the teens of the late 1970's, while the blues told of misfortune and hardship. Hip-Hop gives rhythm and rhymes that tells of an artists' rise to fame. However the double bass barrage that is Heavy Metal made headbanging seem like a way of life. Even elevator music can be entertaining at times. For ever type of different person in the world, there is a different type of music that they will like and listen to until music dies or we die.

Music can be more that we think it is. Sometimes songs can have a very powerful message hidden within the lyrics, but some people tend not to realize the artists' true meaning. Songs can really be way to tell us information that we do not know. Though music may not be as political as it used to be, there are a limited few who still throw messages out there that some do not catch. The messages that make us think and ask question to ourselves and our friends are the strongest ones.

There were many times where i have been in different moods and a song on the radio described the same exact moment I was just in. At first, ti felt weird how a song could just come on the radio and be the perfect song for that particular situation. It feels like the DJ was sitting right beside me the whole time, listening to every argument and discussion then putting on the music appropriate for that scene like a music composer for a movie. But, sometimes a song can make everything worse because no one wants to hear a love song after they broke up with someone. The last thing I would a person would want to hear after a bad relationship is love song because nobody would want to be mocked in that type of situation.

In conclusion, some may say that a song is just a song and that there nothing special about it, but why do we listen to it? why do we sing the lyrics randomly every times we think of it? Why is it continuously played on the radio almost every single day of the week? Maybe it is special and just do not know it yet or we do but do not realize it. Anything that can spawn may different subcultures, fashion, sound, and ideals is pretty special to me.

This I Believe

“It’s your decision. Don’t let others make it for you,” is what my mother always says to me when I have to make a hard decision. It never really occurred to me that my mother might not have said it just to get me to make my own decisions and to stop asking her what to do, but to choose what I wanted and not what others wanted me to do. I suppose my mom meant for me to not let other’s opinions keep me from doing what I really wanted. When I was tubing with my cousin, four years ago, I hit a dock and had a long cut on the back of my leg and could barely walk. I also had a really bad sunburn on the back of my legs, so not only could I not walk, but I couldn’t sit down because it hurt to sit on the sunburn. Even though my family thought I should wait to tube and I was afraid, I did it anyway, because I was not going to let a cut on the back of my leg, or a sunburn, keep me from doing what I liked to do the most. I think doing what you enjoy is very important. If people didn’t do what they liked to do, no one would be happy and everyone would just be miserable. I have trouble saying no to people because I don’t want to be mean, but I don’t like to be told what to do either. When I do something that one of my friends wants me to do, I sometimes don’t get to do what I want, but I always seem to enjoy what my friends wanted me to do. I think people shouldn’t keep others from doing what they enjoy if they want to do what they enjoy too. If I had not gone tubing again that day, I probably would have been miserable and I would have regretted not tubing for a long time. Although my legs were sore, and my leg with the cut was hurting, I still enjoyed tubing and it was my own decision. I think people let the fear of doing something keep them from actually doing it and finding out for themselves if it was something to fear. I tend to let fear keep me from doing many fun looking things. I think if I just did them without that fear, I would have a wonderful time. I have always been afraid to get on any rides, even though they look like a lot of fun and my friends say it was great. One time I actually did go on the rides at a fair, and I enjoyed it so much that I rode them again and again. I think what is most important is to not let anything get in my way, or overcoming the things that do get in my way that keep me from doing the things I will really enjoy.

The Friendship Tree

“Remember, friends last a lifetime!” This is something my teachers and my parents always told me when I was moving to a new town and school. I believed this to be true, until the day came when I could not remember their face, their voice, or even their hair color. It seems that there are some friends that are difficult to keep when you do not see them on a regular basis.

I envision the friends I make in lifetime as the branches on a tree. I start at the bottom of the trunk, when I make a friend, but at some point we both go off to a different branch. On this new branch, you form different friendships, and again, at some point, separate to another branch. The branches holding all of my friends grow further apart and are moved away by the nature of life. Once in a while my friends and I trek back to the trunk and meet up again, but our individual lives direct us towards our own branches. I go left, and my friend goes right.

During elementary school I was extremely close to a good friend. He and I got along easily, could go to the movies, play games, and spend the night at each others house. I moved to South Carolina and we tried to continue our friendship by e-mails and phone calls. After less than half a year, the e-mails became sparse and our friendship subsided. I had hoped the use of the internet and the social networking tools would be enough to keep us bonded. Those methods worked for a little while, but if I saw him today, I am not sure that I would recognize him or even have anything to say to him. I would want to tell him, “Hey, It’s me! Remember, from third grade?” I would hope that his memory would spark and all the good times we had would come back.

Just recently, near the beginning of this school year, I went to a local store to find a backpack. While surveying the vast majority of styles of backpacks, I noticed someone that I went to middle school with. Since that time we both had gone off to different high schools. The two of us made eye contact but did not say a word to each other. My assumption is that the lack of continued personal interaction between the two of us weakened our friendship.

I have made many friends in my fourteen years, I have also moved several times in those years. Every time that I moved, I left behind good friends and hope to keep in touch. I move on to make new friends and do my best to keep the connection to my old friends. Friends that I moved away from tended to grow farther apart from me and became not friends, but acquaintances. So, do friends last a lifetime? Do they remember me after years of separation? What happens when I bump into one of them? Will I remember them? Will they remember me? How will the two of us react? And will we be able to reconnect?

No Retreat in Battle

My success is a bulldozer. For the most part, the things I’ve achieved were accomplished because I didn’t give up. Everything I’ve worked for and triumphed in was solely the result of plowing through my troubles to reach my goals. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve given up before. And truthfully, I no

w regret the fact that I quit those activities. If I hadn’t, I might now be a great pianist, or a moderate guitarist, or even an agile soccer player. The things that I haven’t quit are my greatest achievements. I would be a much better person if I never quit.

Unlike most people, I can boast being a black belt. It was not easy to get. I spent five long years training and developing the skills necessary for my amazing accomplishment. During those five years, I experienced successes and failures, but I didn’t quit. I ultimately got my reward.

There are several things I had to do to become a black belt even after doing all that training. First, I had to write a personal 1000 word essay about my life as a Tang Soo Do student. Then, I had to take a written test about all my knowledge of the Tang Soo Do art. Lastly, I had to take a grueling physical test that tested me on every move that I had ever been taught during all five years of my training. I passed the trials and I can now call myself a black belt.

My martial arts career did not end there. After two more years of training, I could test again for second degree black belt. As my brother said, “First degree black belt is an accomplishment. Second degree black belt is a commitment.” To test for second degree black belt, I had to write a 2000 word personal essay

 about my life as black belt. Then I had to pass a written exam that included all my old Tang Soo Do knowledge and all the information that I had learned as a first degree black belt. Lastly, I had to pass the physical exam. I accomplished that only three weeks ago. Next week, I can officially call myself a second degree black belt.

Of course I don’t intend to quit there. Tang Soo Do is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I will strive for an even higher rank. I will not retreat in battle.

Tang Soo Do isn’t my only example of the value of persistence, although it is probably my most extravagant. The reason I get decent grades is because I usually strive to keep my average above a ninety. When I stop striving, my grades suffer. Thus I have learned not to quit.

What I believe

What is wrong with me? Is that not a question that deserves an answer? That is a question I’ve asked myself daily since October of 2008. That month my life changed over night. It seemed as if my health turned from the best of time to the worst of times. Hospitals, doctor’s office visits, tests, specialists, and medicine are what the doctors call the million dollar work up.

The doctors are still trying to find out what’s wrong with my body today. Technology has improved over the years but not improved enough to find out what’s wrong with each baby, child, or adult who comes in sick and needs help. There is a chance they walk out of the hospital with an answer that is positive or an answer that could be negative. With a negative answer then it’s a chance they continue to get sicker like myself.

Life rewards me with about two and a half weeks a month where I’m feeling pretty good. The rest of the month is filled with most of the time with days of uncertainty of when and where I will be found in and unconscious state. It was during one of those days of uncertainty that I decided to abandon my childhood dreams of becoming a beautician to becoming a Pediatric Registered Nurse. Why the change? I feel my experience as a young person can help encourage hope in other children, no matter what their age or circumstance is.

While the medical institutions have not found a definite explanation for my health problems there is reason to be hopeful even though I long for a diagnosis. Weather a person’s hope proves valuable or disappointing all depends on what that hope is based on.

In order to hope a person has to desire for something good to happen, maybe for you or for someone else. Scientists and doctors promise a better world with cures for sickness and diseases. What hope is there for a complete cure or total prevention of all diseases?

I keep close to heart the promise of a time soon to come when this earth will be a paradise where “No resident will say, I’m sick.” (Isaiah 33; 24) Yes, one day I will be healthy again. This is what I believe. This is my hope. So no matter what, I keep in mind, if I keep hope alive things will turn out for the most part all right.

Don't Live In The Past

When was the last time that you did something that you regret doing, or that you regret not doing? I think that it is not that important, I think that you should be worried about how you are going to be doing with the rest of your life. I think that you should be worried how you are going to live every day to the fullest. the reason I say that is because you cant change the past. You can only prevent yourself from making the same mistake you made before.

I believe that I should live every moment like it could be my last. I should always try to be myself. I should be with the people who accept me for what I am and I should try to do the same for them. I think that I should think about how the people I surround myself with are going to affect my future. A decision like this could affect the way I live for every second of the rest of my life. If I hang around with the wrong people I could end up in trouble for the rest of my life. I could end up doing something that I know is Wong and that I would never do right now. If the group that I stay with is bas enough to influence me to do the wrong thing, I may find myself in jail or even in death row. the thing is that if you hang out with the none of this would happen. I would be with the people that help me stay away from the situations that would possible get me in trouble or even put my life at risk. This is the group pf people that I want to be with for the rest of my life. The reason I believe this is even though I may hate my past I can't change it. I think that once you made that mistake you shouldn't stay in the past and morn over what you did. I should move on and make sure my future is as good as I can make it. Even if I try my best and things still don't go my way, I need to stay positive and look towards the future. this is what I believe.

This I believe.

Sharing is a very useful tool that is learned at a young age. As far back as preschool you are taught to share. Share toys, food, knowledge, and most importantly love. I think at some point after that kids forget this. Not saying they don't want to show love, it just might get harder to show love. Kids find new agendas, new hobbies, new groups of friends, and maybe showing love may not be very important to them anymore.

Sharing love is important and should be practiced more. I strongly dislike seeing students in the hallway walk right by people in need. A student will accidentally drop their books and another student will walk right by without even giving them a second glance. All of these are opportunities to share love with one another. I don't understand why this happens so often. In the early years of school it was way different. Whenever someone spilled juice or dropped something there would be students right there to happily help them.

A few weeks ago I met a very wise kid in downtown Greenville that still hasn't forgot these ideas. Upon walking around to find my dad's car we started talking to this guy standing around a bridge. His face was quite mellow, yet he looked he looked eager to tell everyone something important. He started off the conversation "Hey man I'm Justin. Care to come to the class I'm teaching about sharing love with others. Sharing love starts with loving ourselves." For some reason he really spoke to me. I never related loving ourselves with loving others. "As humans, one of our main purposes is to share love." It was incredible to see someone who cared enough about spreading love to stand around a bridge to share his knowledge with anyone that would listen. After ten minutes of talking there was already about twenty people listening to him talk. I remember one thing he said that especially stuck out to me. It was "Sometimes you need to share love with someone in need before they realize how much people really do love them. Life is beautiful. In order for some people to realize this you must share love with them. It can even start with kind words or nice gestures. by this time Justin was talking for another 10 minutes and another twenty people were in the crowd ready to hear his words of wisdom. After this My friend's dad called called to tell us where he was. His dad sounded angry so, we knew we had to leave the bridge and Justin's inspirational speech. While walking through the increasingly big crowd Justin took the time to shake our hands and say "Remember how important love is. Share it with someone in need."

Justin inspired me in many ways. unlike a lot of people,he remembered what he learned in Kindergarden. Just like me he wanted to spread love to those in need. 

This I Believe

"People kill, not gun" I once heard a man say as I passed by him. This thought seemed to linger in my mind. I went back and forth whether guns or people kill. As long as I thought about it, I still could not come to a conclusion. Eventually, the thought slipped away, and i did not think of it anymore.
The thought returned to me suddenly on a November morning, as the sun rose, and the fog lifted from the ground. I was hunting, and a deer came into view. I aimed, and with a simple pull of the trigger and a loud bang, the deer fell dead. My grandfather said, "Good job you killed it." That was when the answer seemed to jump out at me. I realized it was people that killed. I had to load the gun, and then pull the trigger. I now know each time I go hunting it is me killing the deer. Knowing this it makes it much harder to pull the trigger each time. The gun did nothing it was only me that killed the deer.

Many deaths occur each year by gunshot either by suicide or murder. Each year, 14,000 murders happen by a gun. This number wouldn't change if guns were illegal. It is the person killing not the gun, so they could use another weapon. The number of suicides per year by gun is 18,000. This number would also remain steady because these people have their mind set on dying and not having a gun would not stop them. So, removing guns would not solve anything.
Guns often save lives. There are two ways that lives are saved by guns. One way innocent lives are saved is by the police and military workers using them each day. For example, both of my grandfathers used to work in the navy and air force. They had to work with guns very frequently to help innocent people. The second way is by simply having a gun handy when a robbery happens. The gun could be used as a threat to scare the robber away. Ninety two percent of the time a gun is used as a defense no death occurs. So just having a gun could save your life.
I tell as many people as possible of my belief. I explain my reasoning, and try to convince them of my belief. I tell them how they save lives and don't end them. I clarify that in order for a gun to kill someone it needs an operator. It is the operator of the gun that ends the life I say. They did all the work such as loading, aiming, and firing the gun.
As i have said, guns are very helpful to me. They can only help me and keep me protected. Guns are not the killers that they are known as. The gun will not kill unless someone pulls the trigger. So guns should remain legal to save lives.

This I Believe

Have you ever tried your best at something, but failed? I believe if you have tried your hardest you have succeeded no ma

tter what the world tells you. The success of people shouldn’t be counted b

y the standards of the world. Success should be measured by peoples own standards and how hard they try to accomplish their goals. This belief can be applied in many different situations, such as sports, school, and even in the workforce. The title of success should go to the ones who try hardest and make the effort to achieve.

During advisory, we were talking about how you know if you have succeeded or not. One student, two years my senior, said, “If you try your hardest, you have succeeded.” Most of the class had some objections. They were saying that if a student doesn’t reach a cer

tain standard, which in this instance was at least an “80,” the student has failed. I was thinking that if someone tries his hardest that’s the best he can do. Most of the time we can always improve on some things, so don’t focus on the grade you get but that you did your best.
Since I believe this, I try really hard not to judge people by what grade they make or how athletic they are. I try to judge people by how hard they try and what type of character they have. To me you don’t have to be the brightest bulb in the socket or the fastest man on the team. You just have to try your best and give it all you have.
I have been thinking of a system that could challenge everyone to do their best, and to not fail. That structure would be made of individual “levels”. This would accomplish stretching the curriculum for those for whom school is easy and that can do the work without much trouble. For those students who struggle in school, they can get help and have different goals for each day. This system would eliminate the apparent failures, or the ones who fall short even though they make their best attempt. The sad thing is that many people don’t try their h

ardest so the system would be flawed.

Though I have not struggled much in school, I know personally someone who makes a great effort to succeed in spite of difficulties. My brother tries harder than anybody I know, and because of that, he has great perseverance and good character. He sometimes thinks of himself as a failure because he cannot succeed even though he is putting it all on the line. Yet the act of not quitting is true success. I admire his courage to face another day when it is so hard for him. The definition of true success is not

 always how the world defines it. School grades, sport scores, salaries and other measurements are not the whole picture. A successful person has worked for goals and has become a better person because of his efforts.

Do Over

When was the last time you made a mistake while you were at work or at school and you needed to do that task or project over again? Some times you get a second chance but other times you don’t. It all depends on the situation. Even though people don’t realize it, most of the time they get second chances. Everyone disserves a second chance. 

I have had many chances in my life. One was when I was around six years old. I knew my parents had money in their piggy-banks on their shelf and I was in need of money for school. So I crept in their room when they were both downstairs. I went over to the shelf and reached for one of the piggy-banks, but I was to short. So I took their chair and moved it in front of the shelf and stood on it. I got the piggy-bank and turned it over to get to the plug but, but right as I did that all the money rolled around on the inside making a crashing sound. So I got scared and rushed to put the piggy-bank back up as fast as I could and that made it nosier. Then when I tried to get off the chair I slipped and fell on to the floor. That is when my mom came in. I was so scared that I started to cry. The look on my mom’s face was unbelief. Then my mom moved back the chair to it original spot and then sat down beside me. She started lecturing me on how stealing was wrong and how if I do that later in life it may hurt me a lot more. She let me off the hook that time but she reminded me that if I did it or tried to do it again that she would not make it so easy. That day I learned that people do get second chances and that everyone disserves a second chance.

Though if someone commits a horrible crime they should not get the book thrown at them but also they should not get off completely. If they do it again though, they should get the full punishment, maybe even more because they were warned. Every one disserves a second chance but not third or fourth chances. Everyone makes mistakes and bad decisions which they wish they did not do. Second chances should not be used to be taken advantage of. So I believe that second chances should be used, but used wisely.

This I believe

Do you believe we have the freedom of speech, as it says in the American Constitution? My Mom always told me that we didn’t (because of religious reasons). But my friends said that we did. I know that your parents know best, but I could have cared less about the subject then.

It wasn’t until late in 2008, that I started to really care. I started to share my opinions on the internet, about what I thought of politics and the Presidential candidates. People ended up telling me that I could get in big trouble for sharing what I thought about politics. “I thought we had the Freedom of Speech?” I thought to myself. Later on, I saw stories on the tv and internet, about people getting in trouble for the things they said.

One story was about a lady, whose next-door neighbor’s kids were playing in a tree that was special to her. The lady told the kid’s mother that her kids need to quit acting like a bunch of animals in her tree. The mother took offense to the word “animals” and sued the lady. The story sickens me, I would tell you more, but I can’t thanks to our “freedom of speech”.

If we really have the Freedom of Speech, people wouldn’t be getting sued for careless words. How can we have the Freedom of Speech if we are getting in trouble with our government and society for speaking the way we feel? It’s just not right! I know that there are more people out there that are fighting for this right. People shouldn’t even have to; it’s a right given to us by men and women who risked their lives and died for this right. I am willing to do whatever it takes for this cause.

The people of America should come together to decide whether we really have the full freedom of speech or we don’t. There is no in between, we either have it to it’s fullest or we don’t. The Supreme Court should do something about this. How can we go through life with a limited freedom of speech, knowing that it says in the Constitution that we have full freedom of speech?

I’ve decided for myself, if someone comes up to me, telling me that I can’t speak about the way I personally feel; I’m going to tell them what our Constitution says about that. I believe parents have the right to set up language rules in their own house, due to their convictions; whether spiritual or personal. I also understand that some language can be offensive, to a certain extent. That is why I think people should use the Freedom of Speech at an appropriate time and place. So America, do we have the freedom of speech?

I Believe. . . .

This I believe. . .

What do you call a family? Well to most people it’s a dad, mom, maybe kids, and even having a pet. Family, it a strong word to some and to others it may not be. To me it is. I think everybody has a family. Some don’t think they have a family like I did. I thought I didn’t have a family because when I was younger my parents split up. When I got older I didn’t notice that my mother left. Then I hit preschool I noticed that most of the other kids had their mothers dropping them off. It kind of upset me on the inside because my dad was the one that was dropping me off. Also, after I did notice that I had no mother it kind of left a small hole in my heart. Sometime later my mother would get my sister and I every other Thursday and every other weekend, but even though I still got to see her, but the hole was still there. Now that I’m older I still notice that my mother still not there for me. So that hole is still there to this day. It’s not really all my mom it’s my dad too. When my parents split up so did the amount of income. So my dad had to work more to pay the bills and other stuff, and because of this I didn’t get to spent time with my dad. Sometimes I thought that it could get worse. My mom stop getting us on her days with us and my dad had to work more, so I was alone most of the time. So for the longest time I felt alone and because of this I now just want to be left alone. So now just want to be left alone. Well family is not all that bad I had fun with my family, but not much. Well when I think about it. The good thing about family is all the fun you have with them. Yeah I had good times with my family. We did fun stuff when my dad wasn’t working and when my mother got us on her weekends. Still, it was nice when I spent time with them but now I really just don’t care as much as I did when I was little. What felt great was knowing they were there with me to help guide me through life. If you take a few seconds, think if just one of your parents were gone how would it make you feel on the inside. You would feel like me right with that small hole in your heart that you just can’t fix. So be happy you have a family, because I didn’t think I did, but I was wrong. I did have a family even though my mother wasn’t there for me, and I still had the rest of my family still with me. Well, I guess you always have family. I know they’re not perfect.

This I Believe

“Get it next time big guy,” says the whole team battling through a river of errors and faults. “Pick me up,” I say, frustrated after messing up and allowing a run in. Our team gets up to bat down a run not discouraged at all, but the accident actually because the team to be more pumped saying our team’s catch phrase, “Get pumped, get pumped.” A close game brings out features in people you don’t see everyday. “Win this and we are going to playoffs,” says our coach wanting the win more than anything. Two outs go by fast, but luckily we have a guy on second base. The team is still enthused and few lost hope. The guy on our team that is up to bat is a batter that isn’t such a great hitter. He is still determined to help the team win. The stress gets to him and he starts to cringe in fear. He goes up to bat and gets a few bad calls by the umpire. He starts to lose faith in himself and his willpower starts to decline. Teammates, coaches, and fans all erupting in optimism noticing a loss in encouragement. Yelling loud, voices cracking, and many smiles emerging when seeing the reaction to a team enthusiastic for a sport we all love. Then the pitcher pitches a meatball waiting for it to get hit. He hits it! The ball is a strong ground ball to the third baseman. The third baseman fields the ball cleanly; he could have been smart and tagged our runner, but he takes the risk and throws the ball across field. The throw was a strong throw, but was too high of a throw to catch. The first baseman leaps for the ball but misses by a mile. The runner who was standing on second base runs his heart out making it home to win the game. Our team swarms onto the field jumping for the sky. “We just beat the team that we have never beaten,” says a teammate. Over and over again we look at the scoreboard to try and make ourselves believe that we have just won. The way I see determination is when I want something so bad, I do whatever I can to do it. Determination allows me to think what I want to think. It allows me to believe whatever I want to believe. It allows me to be whoever I want to be. Madness is lost with determination. Pain and hurt are lost with the attitude thinking I am going to do the best. When I step up to the plate, the pressure is on. I start to lose my faith in myself each strike that goes by. With the help of my team, I get passionate about wanting to be where I am. If something went wrong my team would encourage me to calm down and get it next time. Determination brings out the beauty in everyone.

This I Believe

I jumped from wall to wall until I finally made it to the top but I couldn't stop there, I still had to make it over the fence. The fence was two feet higher than the wall and a long fall. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but then I remembered, "You can do anything as long as you set your mind to it," as my mom used to say. So I told myself I could do it over and over again. I jumped high up over the fence, landed on my feet, and rolled. I was amazed that I did it! That one thought is what gets me through all of my extreme activities.

I mountain bike, street bike, do BMX, and run Parkour. I am only able to do these activities because I set my mind to it. I believe that setting my minds to activities that give me trouble is the only way I could accomplish everything I do.

I try, try, try, and try. Each time I try I always remember that I can do it. I tell myself over and over again that I can make this jump or do this trick or climb this hill. For example one day while I was mountain biking I rode up a mountain trail. When I reached the end of the trail, there were two roads. I asked a guy for help and he pointed me in the wrong direction, which I didn't know, so I went down it. Once I got down to the bottom of the road, I looked at my phone and saw that it took thirty minutes to get to the bottom. The whole thing was down hill and I was probably going down it at fifteen miles per hour. I had never ridden a bike that fast and when I finally got to the bottom, I realized that I had taken the wrong road. I couldn't believe I had done that and I didn't think I was going to get back up. I did the math and it was about seven miles to get back up. I was running very low on water and already felt dehydrated, but I told myself that I had to do it; I had to get up this massive hill. So I started hiking the hill and grew tired very quickly. I was ready to collapse after just an hour and I had already run out of water. I lie down on the ground and closed my eyes and I saw my mom saying, "You can do anything as long as you set your mind to it," I stood up and kept marching up the hill. By the time I got up the hill, I could barely even talk I was so tired; it had taken me four hours and thirty minutes. I felt very satisfied with myself and I knew then that it is possible to do anything as long as i set my mind to it.

Events like this have made me believe in mind over matter, will power, and anything is possible as long as I set my mind to it. I always amaze myself with what I can do when I believe I can. Just to think that one sentence my mother said when I was nine could affect me so much is truly incredible. I always use that one simple phrase to keep me going. I believe in myself.

This I Believe

This I Believe Trey Snow

What does music mean to you? How does it shape your life? These deep question may be answered with one word by some but by others it is their very existence. Music is what I see, hear, breathe, feel, and live off of. It is another language I can speak to the world. I felt the presence of music at a very early age. I grew up with my father playing me the music of such artist as The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, and Bob Dylan. These roots have shaped me into the musician I am today. When I play and hear music, it takes control of me. I think that everyone that plays music feels the same way about music. I believe that music can mend even the most shattered soul.

I can remember a day of great despair from my childhood. It was a time when my father, brother and felt the world was out to get us. It was a Saturday and the day before, my Dad received word that he may be close to losing his job. This had changed the entire demeanor of the house from a happy upbeat one to a sad and almost depressed attitude. As we rode out to my grandfather’s house to try and add something positive to our lives, the car began to shrug as it slowly stopped dead. I sat there, just begging for it to start again. My father quickly hopped out of the car to see what was wrong. The battery was dead. He called a good friend to bring out some jumper cables to get it started again. When he arrived we rode on our way again.

As I stared out into the barren highway, my soul felt bleak and empty. All was quiet when the radio filled my ear. It was Bob Dylan, the song, Blowin’ in the Wind. The words echoed through my heart. “How many years can a mountain exist before it is washed to the sea”. It hit me like nothing else had before. For the first time that day I had a smile of contentment. It wasn’t just a song; it had truly lifted my spirit. I felt that the rest of my family was there with me knowing that even though we were going through tough times now, we were going to come out stronger in the end. The music had truly mended my broken spirit. This is why I believe that music can mend even the most shattered soul.

This I believe Essay

This I Believe
“I believe people should take responsibility of their actions” This is a statement that my family always tells me and I believe it in strongly.
I believe in that strongly because it is one statement that my parents tell me a lot. If you look in the dictionary the word responsibility means “state of being responsible”. I also believe in this statement because to me it’s like a non written law. When it comes down to taking responsibility you can have good outcomes as well as bad.
Some bad outcomes are that people can get other people in trouble for not taking responsibility for their actions. The situation that I saw, was during school. It was in between classes and someone broke a teacher’s favorite chair and when the teacher asked her fourth Period class what happened no one knew who had broken the chair. Since the person never came forth and no one knew who did it the teacher made a rule that no freshmen could sit on the couch. Since the student didn’t take responsibility for his or her actions every freshman is now paying the consequences.
I remember a long time ago, I didn’t practice being responsible when I didn’t listen to my parents. My mother had given me a list of chores to do on a Saturday morning. When I woke up, she called the house and told me the chores. When I walked downstairs, I saw the list on the refrigerator. I still didn’t start the chores, instead I chose to eat breakfast and then I said that I would do them but when I finished eating, my friend next door called and asked if I could come over and play video games and just hang out. I thought to myself and said that I would go over there, play the game, and then come back and do the chores. My mother had told me to have the chores done before she came home, but I was just leaving my friend’s house when she drove in the drive way. When my mother found out that I didn’t do the chores I had to suffer the consequences.



In my life I feel that I am a pretty responsible person because I am surrounded by responsible people in my home setting. I think that being around them has shaped and molded me into taking responsibility and being a responsible person even though every now and then I may not act or be responsible. I feel that I still have a little bit more work to do.
Taking responsibility for my actions is something that my parents have told me and probably will continue to tell me. They believe in it so strongly because if you obey it then you will be honest. My parents always want me to grow up and be a very responsible man and an honest man. I feel that if people are responsible that they are most likely able to have a good life, good job, and probably a responsible family. I say that because when I grow up my family may be responsible because they may look up to me then they will try to be more like me.

The End

By: Jon-Michael Harmon

this i believe

This I Believe…
What is one of your most interesting memories that you have ever had and you will never forget? I think that memories last forever. The good memories, the bad memories, the sad memories, and the memories that hurt the worst too, I will never forget any of them. I have some of my favorite memories of all time with some of the relationships I have with my family and with my friends.
I believe that having relationships matters. When I was in the 5th grade my great grandmother died. This had a huge impact on my life because i loved her very much and I will never forget her. One of my favorite memories of is that when I visited her, she used to call me the wrong name, like Ariel or Brooks or anyone else that she remembered. She could never get my name right because she had something called Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is a disease that makes people lose their memory like names. Every Christmas before she died we would all go to her house and see our family that we haven’t seen in forever. It was like a family reunion. I will never forget the special Christmases we shared together
When one of my family members dies it has the biggest impact on my life and on the life of my family. It feels like somebody has stabbed a knife in my heart and in the hearts of everybody that really cared about him or her. The memory of each family member is burned into my brain. When somebody dies in my family, I will never forget them no matter what. That person may be dead but they still live forever in my heart. I would never trade any of those memories I had with each person for the whole world.
Some of my friendships are the best relationships that I will ever have because my friends stick with me when I am down. They help me when I’m down and they expect me to do the same thing for them when they are down. Friends who that stay with me forever are the ones that i have the best relationships with.
I believe that relationships matter because there are people out there that want to be in my life and that I want them to be and have a good relationship with. I really believe that having a relationship with your family and close friends are important to a healthy life. Without the relationships i have with my friends and family, I would not be the same person I am to this day.

Final Draft

My dad said that we were going to need each other’s help someday and that when you give that help to them, they’ll remember that for a long time. I looked at him in a strange way and then tended to my business. After he passed what he said did come true in a small shocking matter.

My youngest brother T.J brought some of his friends over eighth birthday and his friends brought some games over to play. I was just watching and making sure nothing was broken or missing. T.J got excited when he won something in the game and threw the Wii control up in the air and landed in what I call the cat’s area. The Wii controller hit Tigger, my mom’s cat. T.j tried to get it out of the “cat’s area”. However, I guess Tigger was not very happy about the Wii controller hitting him, so the cat scratched T.j’s arm. T.j asked me to get the remote out. I said ok and reached for the wii controller and Tigger didn’t scratch me. I got the controller and gave it to him.

A week later I visited a cousin’s house, and cousin’s asked me to find get her purse. I asked her what color was the purse she told me the color, and I ran down the stairs and looked in the kitchen. I saw what I thought was the purse and I brought the purse to her and she said that that purse wasn’t it. Then she said to look in the one of the two cars. I looked in the one of cars and see three similar purses and I grabbed one of them, and then brought it back. She yelled, “NO!!! That’s not it”, I ran out of her room and then T.j comes in the house after riding his bike. I asked him if he could help me bring my cousin’s purse to me. He ran back outside. Few minutes later he brings her purse to me. I ran back up the stairs. My relative was pleased that her purse was found. Without his help I would not have found the purse.

I see that people with little brothers and/or sisters need to help each other once in a while, even if it’s something extremely small. You never know, possibly in the future your little brother or sister will remember that little thing you did for them, and they will pay you back with a little extra.

This I Believe

Have you ever been judged unfairly because of how you dress? I have been judged and also judged others because of outer appearance. It hurts really bad to be made fun of and judged just because of the way I choose to dress. I have also incorrectly judged someone before I really knew her and now we're great friends and I can look past our differences in clothes. One of the sayings I now live by is, "Don't judge a book by its cover." I know what it's like to be treated differently because of outer appearance and for this reason I won't prejudge people anymore.

Many times in my life,I have been judged incorrectly. One time my friend and I were hanging out at McDonald's and a group of teenagers that dressed differently than me walked past us. They started pointing at me and began to laugh. They also said I looked disturbed and I was a freak. Comments and actions like that have occured numerous times, but no matter how many times it happens, it will always hurt a little bit. Something that once was very painful was when I was judged by someone who I thought was my friend. She told me that she was inviting everyone to the mall except for me and when I asked her why, she said that she didn't want to be seen in public with someone that dresses like me.

Being judged by appearance is both hurtful and wrong. I wish things like this would never occur, but sadly they do. Sometimes, people are judged to the point that they feel like they don't belong. This is the reason some people take their own lives. For example, one of my best friends was ridiculed by people at school and he felt like he wasn't accepted. One day he got so tired of it, he tried to take his own life. When he told me about that, I was devastated that I almost lost him because of the judgemental people that said cruel things about him. It hurts me when I hear about people committing suicide because they don't feel accepted.The truth is that no matter how you dress, you can be insanely mean or really sweet. Someone could dress like me and have a heart of gold, but they could also have a heart as black as the clothes they wear. For this reason, I will never be the person doing the judging. This is something I will always believe in.

rcolker this i believe

Have you ever had a plan or activity planned that did not turn out the way you planned? I believe life is unexpected and you cannot predict what will happen. i believe this because one day a few years ago, while i lived in 

Charleston, my family and some friends went to have a party on an island. the day started fine, people were swimming and playing volleyball. then while one of my dads friends was swimming he cut his foot on a piece of glass. he had to go to the hospital. later that day clouds began forming and moved closer. then it began pouring, people rushed to get packed and leave. there were still two boats left, my dads, and his friend Mr. ray's. my dad told my sister and me to to leave with Mr. ray, so we did. we had to go really slow because you could only see to the end of the boat. Mr. ray was trying to get to the bridge so we could get under cover. once we got there we waited for my dad. when he never showed up we got worried after it stopped raining we went out to find them.we found them on the island, trying to get the boat started. they never did, so they had to stay on he island through all the rain. mr ray jump started the boat and we were on are way home.when we got to the island that morning we did not think that would happen. another time some thing unexpected happened was last year on a class trip. we went white water rafting. once we got to the river we put helmets and life jackets on. we put the rafts in the water and were on are way. it started as a very boring trip with just little rapids.

 they told us that there was a big water fall called "the big one"at the end that we got to go over. as we appoached "the big one" our guide said that we would try to do a trick, the trick is to his the wall of rocks on the side of the river and do a three sixty. we agreed and started paddling, we hit the wall and next thing i knew i was the only one in the raft, i began to panic. i tried to pull people in, no luck. i could hear the water from "the big one". the other groups noticed that we fell behind and stopped and waited for us, when we came around the corner where they were they saw our raft with just me in it. when i saw them, i stared paddling as hard as i could. i got close enough and they threw ropes for me to grab on to, when i got one they pulled us in. after we were pulled in we got back in the raft and continued the trip.

This I Believe

Being different is a good thing. Who wants to be like everyone else, another face in the crowd? I think that if I be myself, everyone who is my real friend would like me for who I am not for who I act or live like.
Once I read a book that was about a girl who wanted to be popular. She tried so hard to fit in with the cool people that she was mean to everyone else and made herself look like a jerk to the cool people. In the end she got on everyone’s nerves and nobody liked her at all. This book helped me realize that if I try to be something I’m not, I’ll end up miserable in the end so why bother? I already know that not everyone in the world is going to like me so there is no reason to try to impress everyone. Once I finished pleasing everybody else by being who they think I should be, I wouldn’t be who I wanted myself to be anymore.

Once I heard a journalist say that he didn’t care what people thought about him as long as he delivered the truth. Once I also heard a quote from John Wooden that said, “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are and your reputation is merely what others think of you. When I heard both of these quotes I realized that I live like this everyday. I think that my character is what should be judg

ed because I chose it. I chose who I want to be friends with, not who others expect me to be friends with. I chose what music I want to listen to. I chose what I want to believe in and I chose to either make the right or wrong decision.

I’m the type of person that will like what I want to like even if it isn’t what’s in or if it’s not what others expect me to like. I choose the clothes I wear, not what the world thinks I should wear. I know that I should live up to my character, not up to the reputation that others gave me. I think that I should act the way I want myself to act, not the way others think or want me to act. I realized that being myself can pay off. I believe that I should be who I want to be.