overwhelming

When someone says "The Middle East," what do you think of? There are so many connotations that we make over time just by listening to thew news, radio and opinions of our friends and family. It's hard to form your own opinion, and often times, it can be based off of opinion and not facts. This is a real danger in the single story.

This video explains a lot and gives an interesting perspective on world views.

One of the things I've struggled with this school year in understanding the entire concept of conflict in the middle east, or religion in the middle east, and especially terror groups such as ISIL. In my english class, we're currently reading Reading Lolita in Tehran a book that deals with the Iranian revolution in 1979.

One topic we've most heavily discussed so far is the idea of wearing a veil, burqa, etc. and how that effects not only the women, but the perception of how women are effected by this phenomenon. From what I've gathered through our discussion as well as class-related research, I believe that women should have the option to wear the veil if they feel so inclined. I feel like many people are often misinformed when it comes to hijab and burqas. It's very easy to here a small fact about them such as "the are a tool of oppression" and run wild with it.

Opinion and fact are very different things. You cannot craft an argument and use other people's opinions as you basis of belief or even try and support you beliefs with others opinions'.  It's overwhelming to hear all of these opinions when you're trying to sort out what's going on. 

flat

prepare for ranting and whining commencing in 3...

2...

1...

falling flat. getting steamrolled. waiting in the wings. lost in the shadows.

these are all phrases that I associate with the type of person I am.

[we have lift off]

falling flat

when I feel as if I have completed a task to my self-expectations. did I forget to mention that even though they may be just-right goals for me, they don't even come close to the abilities of my peers that come oh-so-easily to them?

getting steamrolled.

now, I know some pretty passive aggressive people, but I won't name names. okay, I'll name one; jordan. I'm that girl that gets extremely angry or annoyed at someone, see's them the next day and doesn't even mention it. I suppose I've just accepted the idea internally that certain people's thoughts or ideas are above mine and they have a greater right to voice their minds then I do. I really wish I would stop forgetting that I have a voice too.

waiting in the wings.

similar to getting steamrolled. whatever. what happens when two people start talking at the same time? one person usually continues, and the other quietly backs off and listens. I'm not sure I could name a single time (unless I was hopped up on caffeine in which case I will not stop talking for any reason whatsoever) that I didn't back down. this trait gets me in heaps of trouble sometimes. I take longer to form my thoughts, perhaps because I get distracted easily, or have I'm sure a plethora of other psychological instincts that I've developed over time. it seems as though I'm always waiting for someone else to finish, so that I can begin, but sometimes, people never finish.

lost in the shadows.

this year in my spanish class, we examined the idea of having multiple selves. at home, I talk 24/7 am always voicing my opinion, loudly, and engaging in playful arguments with friends and family. in the classroom setting, especially my morning classes which are the same everyday due to a specific program that I'm in, I find it extremely difficult to step out of the shadow and into the spotlight, or microscope as it seems. 

____

I'm not sure what this post was really. I know it doesn't really offer new information, but for me, your blog should be a place to express your thoughts and emotions, and right now, these are my thoughts. I also recognize that there are plenty of people out there with similar thoughts, so please, comment down below how you feel.

material world

Madonna said it best: We are living in a material world.

via Nordstrom tumblr

This realization always comes to mind for me around the holidays. I feel like during the holidays it's extremely easy to get wrapped (pardon that put I couldn't help myself) up in the idea of crafting the perfect Christmas list, or even brainstorming the perfect way to out-gift all of your friends at the gift exchange this year. This obsession that we seem to have with buying carries on all the way to Valentines day.

"Jesus is the reason for the season." This is something I like to remind myself this time of year, especially as I teach religious ed. to local sixth graders. It's often very easy to forget this as we eat our Santa shaped chocolates out of our advent calendars every morning and fasten reindeer antlers and a blinking red nose to our cars.

This phenomenon seems to say a lot about our culture. We care more about presents and lights then we do the reason for the holiday itself. By completely disregarding the historical value of such an event, we've only making ourselves look worse. One thing that I see a lot of churches doing are Christmas Pageants. Specifically, one church in my area has been putting on a pageant for over 50 years, and it draws quite the crowd each year, reminding everyone of the true meaning of christmas.

Hopefully in these last few days leading up to Christmas, an for some of you, the start of Hanukkah this week, we can keep in mind the reasons we celebrate, whether they be religious, or just a reminder to bring the whole family together.

Happy Holidays, jordan