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

surreal

Found on Google

Found on Google

I would definitely not call my self an artsy person. Or an artist, or relate myself to the art world whatsoever. I'm definitely a novice in every aspect of the topic. The artistry skills my Grandpa had most certainly skipped my generation.

Recently in my Spanish class, we began to discuss surrealism in the form of art. I had never really had a opinion on art. I felt I didn't have enough "credentials" per say in order to form an legitimate opinion of any type of art, except for dance maybe because I've been doing that for so long.

As we've studied this topic further and further however, I've grown more and more fond of it. My favorite pieces seem to be those that look almost as if they are pictures like the ones above.

I think that surrealism appeals to me the most because it represents the most normal things in life, with a twist. I also have a bit of a "dark side" that enjoys dark humor and realizes the reality and finality of life, which is often a topic addressed through surrealism. Although I'm still not the best at analyzing art, I really enjoy looking at it which, I suppose, is the first step in enjoying art.

One thing I feel like in the art community is that it seems slightly elitist. When I'm sitting in my Spanish class, I often feel like my thoughts regarding a certain work. I feel like art is something that should foster creative thought and now deter people from commenting on it by making them worry that their thought isn't correct.

Similar to the discussions we've had recently in english class regarding the discussion of "author's intent: and that, unless you're the author, you truly cannot be sure of what the author has intended, you cannot know what the artist has intended without speaking to them. I think that art is meant to be what the "viewer" takes each piece to be, creating a truly unique experience for everyone!

"Art" isn't really a topic you can fully cover in one blog post, but I hoped to merely scratch the surface with this one. I hope you enjoyed, & come back next time!

Feel free to comment your own thoughts on the topic down below!

Aha

Hello all! Happy November!

I was reading a guest post on one of my favorite blogs, Carly's The College Prepster, about finding your "Aha Moment" recently, and I found it to be very interesting and somehow calming.

I feel like often times, we're chasing after inspiration, whether it's while we're writing a college essay, or for the more artistic bunch, working on your very own "masterpiece." Like Maxie said at the beginning of her post, often times, we go searching for inspiration and chasing after aha moments. I agree with the idea that you can't go chasing after these moments.

I think especially with the changing of the seasons (and if the not the equinox, but at least the radical 180˚of weather we've had in Chicago recently) it's hard to find inspiration or motivation to do well, I know that I find it extremely difficult, and I know I'm not alone.

I think the tips that Maxie gives in this post are very interesting and easy to apply to every day life. I'm also in agreement that coincidences are actually the complete opposite. I'm probably fate's biggest supporter, as I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I like the idea of letting go in order to find inspiration and letting it come to you.

One thing I've never tried however, is meditation. It's something that has always intrigued me, but I've never set aside the time to do it. I think that this could really help me listen and also give me time to think. It feel like we often forget to take time and just think about what is going on in our lives because we're usually very busy, but maybe meditating could be something to try and combat the stress of everyday life.

I hope to become very inspired this holiday season, and I think listening and internalizing some of Maxie's tips could definitely be the key to doing so.

I wish a relaxing week to you

Jordan

fear

• When you're done, read my friend Ruhi's response to this post here!

Ebola. It seems to be a word that is being used almost as much as "like" these days. The fear of getting the disease is almost paralyzing for some, where others joke about it constantly.

A photo of a man protesting flights from affected countries in order to quell spreading of the disease.
via

*Let me also preface this post with the fact that I am absolutely not an expert of any sort and am going off of information from various articles on the web, and from my own personal experience*

The actual disease of Ebola is something to be feared in my opinion. With a survival rate of around 30% and the fact that it ravages your body for two weeks making your internals organs essentially bleed out. It's not exactly a pleasant experience, so I understand the fear that some people have.

One thing I do not understand however, is the constant joking about the disease. I feel like this joking may be a way to cope with the fear, no matter how small or large that fear is, in the back of our mind. It has come to the point where "Ebola!" seems to be the punch line of every joke. This shouldn't be a joke, it should be viewed seriously, although perhaps not with the intense terror that some are currently afflicted with.

I feel like this current outbreak is sort of a humbling experience. The US, or at least many people in the US, like to believe that we have complete control over everything that effects our country and that, come a global issue such as this one, we will be 100% protected because, 'Hey! We're the United States of America!' It's a bit of a control complex if you think about it. When something like Ebola comes upon us [the US], we're often taken by surprise that such a horrible disease could be carried to the States.

Although the US is currently taking steps to prevent the spread of the disease such as equipping the Pentagon with a deployable medical response team, or setting up check-points in major airports through out the country, I feel like there is more that could be done, or that should have been done sooner. But similar to the fact that you simply cannot incarcerate every criminal, we cannot catch every case of Ebola that enters the country before the victim is even suffering symptoms because it's simply impossible.

___

I could go on and on about this for weeks probably, but I'll spare you from that for now.

A great resource for quick info on topics such as Ebola is "The Skimm" available here.
I hope everyone has a safe and healthy weekend!
Jordan

welcome

Welcome to this blog and thank you for visiting!

My name is Jordan and I'm a 17 Senior in high school living in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I've created this blog as part of an English assignment, but I've been blogging independently about fashion and my life in general for the past 2.5 years.

via

This blog is a place for me to develop my writing skills, as well as address current issues. The thought behind the title "Mood" is the idea that when you walk into a room, you can usually feel the mood of it. This idea isn't just limited to a room or how you feel, but you can also talk about the mood of a country's economy or the mood of the National Football League for example. I plan on addressing both of these topics throughout this year. I'm sure my opinion will sneak its way into some posts as well. For another class, we've been assigned a country to keep tabs on throughout the year and I've been assigned Vietnam, so I'm also going to try to incorporate that into some posts.

Some topics I plan on addressing other than those mentioned above are:

• The Stigma of Depression
• Ebola
• The Middle East
• Poetry
• The College Application Process
• The Materialism of Holidays

These are just things that are rolling around in my head right now, who knows where we'll be in June!

I hope that this I can keep this blog on track and not only address topics that are current, but are also interesting for you. Although this blog may cover a variety of topics, I hope to keep everything connected with the idea of mood and also use this "lens" to delve deeper into aspects of topics that I may not have noticed otherwise.

I hope you enjoy this journey (was that too cheesy? I think yes) with me.
Be sure to follow this blog either by RSS feeds like feedly, or by clicking the button on the right to follow me on Bloglovin'!

Until next time,
Jordan