Should you really fear death?

Recently for my psychology class, my professor has given an incredibly interesting story to read. It is a fictional story about death, by Tolstoy.

The story of The Death of Ivan Ilych is an eye-opening story that has made me more appreciative and more of the life I am living and should be living. I have learned that all the bad things that go on in one’s life could possibly be unforgettable and overcome the few good memories that may occur. Life is pretty much death. Whatever it is that you want to achieve or whatever you want that makes you happy is something that is important when you’re time comes. I have developed this belief that if you do what you want to do and create a life of full happiness, death can possibly become and easier aspect of you’re life when the time comes. Instead of fighting everything off and realizing all the wrong, living a happy life could help you realize right away that you achieved a well life that you will never forget. Though death will most definitely be something not easy to cope with the period of time where final acceptance is needed will be an easier time.

Living a life of unhappiness and of regret is something that I don’t want to die with. I don’t want to live blindly thinking I am happy when I am not. I will try to live life to the greatest extent and complete it, as I want to. I will not let others conquer my beliefs or lead me to believe in something other than my happiness and my families’ happiness. Tolstoy’s story seems to be a realistic story that seems to be almost correct. Though it is just a story, it is a story that gives off a tremendous impact on the reader because it is a story that in some ways makes complete sense. Everything that has happened previously in your life seems like it will eventually affect you in the end mentally. I can see possibly looking back on my life and wondering what I have accomplished and if I was happy and if my family was happy. If these aspects result negatively I’m sure I will feel pain and agony and wish I could live again, if only to correct some mistakes that have occurred, or to just fulfill some sort of endless happiness.

From Tolstoy’s story I have also discovered that my fright of dying has increased a great amount, but there is also a settling aspect in the story that makes me feel somewhat more settling than before.

My view on Immigration

Immigration has helped the United States.

I agree with this because it has been said that immigration has a positive effect on wages and the economy as a whole. Immigrants will take any job they can get, even if its low wage and this helps us because Americans would be wanting more money to be doing the jobs that immigrants do. A study done by Immigration Policy Center at the University of California tells that immigrants and U.S. workers are not competing for the same jobs because immigrant’s skills and level of education differ from an Americans. The immigrants tend to find jobs such as dishwashers, landscape work, or farm work because that’s what’s available for them. Americans find those jobs unappealing and don’t seek that type of work so it would never be done if immigrants don’t do it.

Illegal immigrants take away jobs from U.S. citizens.

I disagree with this statement because many immigrants don’t have jobs that Americans are seeking. Immigrants have low paying jobs and Americans are looking for high paying jobs. As it has been said by many Americans will not be seen doing dishes in a restaurant, doing farm work, or landscaping, those are just not jobs that appeal to Americans. The immigrants are helping us by taking those jobs that we will not do. Illegal immigrants are coming here to try to make any penny that they could and by taking such jobs that Americans despise they are getting the money that they want.

The U.S. government should put more Immigration and Naturalization Service border patrol agents on the border of Mexico.

I disagree because putting more border control agents will cost a lot of money that the government should not need to use. If they put more Immigration and Naturalization Service border patrol agents on the border of Mexico illegal immigrants will just find other ways to get into the U.S. or even resort to the legal way, which will then have proved that the government is wasting money setting up that many border patrol agents. I believe that with or without these border patrol agents immigrants are going to keep trying to come to the U.S. to find a better life and I don’t think the U.S. would like to deny them from this country which we promote to have endless possibility.

What a Game

Soccer is a sport that is very important to me. I have a passion for it and I love it. It is something I wish I can play everyday. It is one thing that truly makes me happy and never brings me down.

I have played soccer for about thirteen years now and it has been a great thirteen years. I have learned many things from many different coaches and from many different players.

High school was the first time I competed and was very serious about the game. The previous years I didn’t realize how much soccer meant to me and why I was playing it. In high school it became very clear that it was a game that I grew up with and there are many memories and events that I remember, all because of soccer.

Freshman year I was a bit drawn back from trying out for the team, because it was a whole new experience after leaving a team I have played with for about nine years. My old team knew me and knew what my skills and slight weaknesses were, but now I had to face these new potential teammates that didn’t know how I played the game. After trying out and making it I grew comfortable with my new team, after learning nobody was perfect and learning that the team wasn’t too successful.

This was the start of my happy high school years, being able to play for my schools team. I grew with even more excitement and happiness knowing I was a starter. I was good enough to bypass some veterans and others. I never knew that I was a good player until high school.

Senior year was an important and unforgettable year for me because I was captain of my team and was so happy to be known as a leader of my favorite sport. There were ups and downs of my experience playing, such as the last two years where I had to take one for the team and switch my position. This is one thing I wasn’t happy about, but grew to learn why I needed to do it and was happy to do it for my team.

Soccer is a completive, skillful, and aggressive sport, but yet is also about the mind. Making the right decisions of whom to Pass to and what to do within split seconds is an important factor in the game.

Soccer is a sport that has taught me so much. I have learned to become smart, successful, and a leader. What better could you ask for?

SOCCER is my PASSION and nothing and no one could take it away from me.

Broadway Bliss!

Singing, dancing, comedy, drama, and happiness all in one equals Broadway. Broadway presents a variety of shows from How the Grinch Stole Christmas, to Rent, to The Producers, to Jersey Boys, and just about everything and anything in between. Each show is original and dazzles in its own way.

Broadway plays are something I always wanted to experience and I finally had my chance to now in college. For class I was assigned to go see one Broadway play out of a great amount of choices. The plays that I was able to choose from were Rent, Les Miserables, The Color Purple, Pygmalion, Hairspray, Wicked, and Avenue Q. It was a tough decision, but with the choices all being phenomenal and not being able to make a decision, I chose the play most of my friends were going to see. The decision came down to Rent. I was so excited because I have heard so many great things about this play and many other plays and I did not know what to expect.

Rent, which is written by Jonathan Larson, is an appealing play that is about a filmmaker and a musician who can’t seem to pay their rent. During their process of making it along without electricity and with little money they encounter numerous old friends and new ones that help try to comfort each other. They all have problems of their own from break-ups, to having AIDS, and to dealing with deaths. They all somehow overcome these hurdles and come together to enjoy an appreciate life.

I thought the play was great. There were some incredible singers, one being American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray, who was outstanding. Each cast member put on a serious, yet sometimes-funny act, which was quite entertaining. My favorite character in the play was Angel. Angel was a transvestite/musician who livened up everyone. He made the show fun and exciting to watch.

My experience of my first Broadway play was enjoyable and I can’t wait to head out to NYC to see another one.

Sculpting my life

Art and design is something I love. I’ve always loved coloring, painting, drawing, and doodling, which I probably why I am so interested in art now.

I remember a lot of really amazing projects that I loved to do in design class in middle school and extremely fun and great project from my ceramics class in high school.

I guess I love it because it’s something that is so easy for me to do and something that is usually extraordinary to the eye and viewer. I love the beauty involved in art and the uniqueness of it all. You made nothing into something.

I really enjoyed my ceramics class in high school because I loved being able to create anything I wanted and make it anyway I wanted with my own actual hands. Besides that, the class was overall fun because of the fact that you felt like you were five again and playing with play dough, but this time around I actually wanted to make something important and meaningful, instead of a pink pizza or a blue banana.

In ceramics I made vases, mugs, plates, monsters, monster heads and just about anything else I wanted to make. They were all fun but, I enjoyed making the monster the best because I created it my out of my imagination and I think its one of the best projects I have done. I sketched the model of the monster before actually making it, so when I made the monster and it was coming out exactly the way I sketched it I really felt like I accomplished something. I made something that was on paper come to life.

I have learned over the years that art has become a very important thing in my life, and I hope to have some kind of career in art. It is something that makes me feel talented and accomplished.