Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Graduation Test

We have all heard about the struggle between Americans and Mexicans and the illegal immigrant issues. There is dispute over them being citizens of the United States. Now people are testing the actual young citizens of America, to see if they themselves would be able to pass the citizenship test. What have these test shown? It shows us that we as youth of America, are not attentive, or caring about the politics, history, etc. about the US.
If we don't pay attention to these details about our government and society, than we are not doing our parts as American Citizens. Our country is led by elected officials. We elect the officials, therefore we have a say in who we want to run our country. If we do not make an educated decision, then we could possibly end up with a ruler who does not do the things that are to our liking. One of the duties of an American Citizen is to vote, but it means nothing if you do not vote smart.
We also have our freedoms because of the founding fathers, and the people who have fought in the many wars we've had. How can we honor their contributions if we do not even remember what they worked so hard for? It is a good idea to have this be a bigger part of school curriculum. We need to know how this country works if we are going to make it grow.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Love and Abuse

Love and Abuse.
Seemingly two complete opposites, yet they can blend together so inconspicuously. So much of our lives revolve around these boy-girl relationships. We listen to others while keeping ours rather secretive. Yet for every good relationship, there is a bad relationship. A guy sweetly charming a girl combined with a guy stalking her every move. There is such a fine line between love and abuse, we sometimes cross over it without even thinking twice. You may think you are doing what's best for your boyfriend or girlfriend, but you might be doing too much.
It may start out as small and simple things, but it turns into a controlled relationship by one or the other. It is a snowball effect. If you give someone the feeling that they can ask anything of you, and you'll do it, then they may take advantage of you and control your life. From telling you what to wear, to who you can and can't hang out with. It can get ugly in a hurry. You start trying to get out of the relationship, but you are afraid of what the other person can do, so you seek help and counsel, and then the whole thing becomes a big mess.
There is the kind of adolescent love. This is the kind of love you see throughout many High Schools and even some Jr. High Schools. It seems as if you were made for each other, yet it never lasts. It can ruin friendships between each other, and other friends. It is usually just fun and flirty love. It can still be good for people to have, if you learn from mistakes, then you can become a better and better person for someone to meet. This is where most of the abuse can be started. It is an easy mistake for young people to make.
Lastly there is true love. It is the love that keeps people together for decades, through death. It is love that cannot be marred by a simple mistake by either member of the relationship. It is the love that produces children, and makes other people jealous of what they don't have. It is the kind of love that people seek, yet don't always find. It is very tough for abuse to be created when this love is present.
This is the difference between love and abuse. If you love someone, you don't want anyone to hurt them, including yourself. This kind of love is a lost art that you don't find until you are fully mature, and ready for an eternal companion.