31
Jan 13

“The Sexes.”

I chose to do my online deliberation assignment on The Atlantic channel “The Sexes”, which focuses specifically on gender issues in America. I’ve already chosen a couple articles, for example, an article about women being incarcerated in Mexico due to the drug war. I chose this site because it relates somewhat to my civic issue blog and I’m greatly interested in what these writers have to say. I’ve always loved The Atlantic and the opinion’s page they include. Hopefully, I’ll get some reaction from this site because a lot of opinionated people read the articles, but there isn’t an excess of traffic (like there is on the New York Times website).

Here is the link to the website:

http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes

 


20
Jan 13

This I Believe: The Pursuit of Happiness

This I Believe: The Pursuit of Happiness

When I was young, I learned early on that sports were one of the things that gave me complete and utter joy. Ever since I was four, I had competed in swim meets, basketball games, soccer tournaments, and cross-country races, hoping that one day I would be good enough to compete at the collegiate level. But when I was 10, I felt this deep, throbbing pain in my right shoulder at swim practice. The pain gradually increased until I finally broke down crying on the side of the pool. At the time, the doctors thought it was just growing pains, but the pain continued to persist for years. During that time, we tried every imaginable test, treatment, and physical therapy and the doctors eventually announced that I had a rare medical condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. The problem was that I had an extra cyst in my shoulder. But there was no surgery they could perform and there was no known treatment that could permanently fix it.

So during the next five years, the pain lived on. That familiar deep, throbbing sensation in my shoulder was what I came to expect every day. Sometimes, my hands would tremble in the middle of class and my vision would blur because of the strain my body had to withstand. It was five long years until I actually found a medication that worked and even then the medication did not eliminate the problem but merely covered it up for an extended period of time.

But with the medication, the pain became tolerable. After years of holding onto that last shred of hope, my life got better. Never once in those five years did I stop playing sports. I loved running and basketball more anything and I promised myself that I would never give up the things that made me happy. Even if it meant passing out on the sidelines after I played a basketball game without stop. Even if I crossed the finish life shaking and in tears because I was forcing my body to endure so much pain.

So after all these years, I’ve learned to persevere through anything knowing that the solution might come years after the problem enters your life. I’ve learned how to cherish my health knowing that the days I’m not in pain are considered a blessing. But the most important thing I’ve learned, this I believe more than anything. No matter how long it takes, I believe in the pursuit of happiness. Some problems in your life can last for years. But those struggles should never discourage you, weaken you, or cripple you. You learn to enjoy every amazing moment.  You learn to be grateful for everything you are given. You learn, after years of struggling, how to be happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


16
Jan 13

This I Believe draft

When I was young, I learned early on that sports were one of the things that gave me complete and utter joy.

But when I was 10, I felt this deep, throbbing pain in my right shoulder at swim practice. The pain gradually increased until I finally broke down crying on the side of the pool, nursing my useless shoulder. At the time, the doctors thought it was growing pains, but the pain continued to persist for years. During that time, we tried every imaginable test, treatment, and physical therapy but the pain lived on. The doctors eventually announced that I had a rare medical condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. The problem was that I had an extra cyst in my shoulder. There was no surgery they could perform and there was no known treatment that could permanently fix it.

During the next five years, pain became my life. That familiar deep, throbbing sensation in my shoulder was what I came to expect every day. Sometimes, my hands would tremble in the middle of class and my vision would blur because of the strain my body had to withstand. It was five long years until I actually found a medication that worked and even then the medication did not eliminate the problem but merely covered it up for an extended period of time.

But with the medication, the pain became tolerable. Never once in those five years did I stop playing sports. I loved running and basketball more anything and I promised myself that I would never give up the things that made me happy. Even if it meant passing out on the sidelines after I played a basketball game without stop. Even if I crossed the finish life shaking and in tears because I was forcing my body to endure so much pain.

When I look back on my life, I wouldn’t take back any of those awful, heart wrenching moments. All those moments made me who I am today. I’ve learned so many things from growing up with chronic pain. I’ve learned to persevere through anything even when the solution might come years after the problem enters your life. I’ve learned how to be compassionate toward others, knowing for years I had no one who really understood what I was going through. I’ve learned how to cherish my health because days when I’m not in pain are considered a blessing. But this I believe more than anything. No matter how long it takes, I believe in cherishing your happiness. All those years I was in pain and doubted if I could make it through and pitied myself over something I couldn’t control made me realize how hard life can be…if you let it. So I strive to realize the miracles in life, I strive to never give up that last shred of hope, and I strive to make each blessed day count just to ensure that my life is a blessed one, a daring one, a happy one.


10
Jan 13

This I Believe credo

For the This I Believe podcast I have a very specific incident that I would like to use. To be perfectly honest, it is an extremely personnel incident. Nonetheless, I feel like it would be foolish of me not use it. If I didn’t share this experience I would be ignoring an incredibly important part of my life, because everything I believe in has come from this one experience. I’ll get into the details later in my podcast, but to put it simply I’ve had medical problems since the tender age of ten. Truth be told, I’ll probably have medical problems till the day I die. That thought absolutely terrifies me, but I’ve learned over the years that fear should never hold you back. In fact, fear should be the thing that drives you to make your life worth living. Fear can be the very thing that forces you to stop wasting time, and realize what miracles you want to witness and what wonders you want to experience. That being said, I know I shouldn’t be scared of sharing my experience with all of you. On a side note, I say this to everyone who hears about my past. I am not looking for pity, nor do I expect to receive any. I simply know myself well enough to know that the bravest thing for me to do is share how I’ve had medical problems for most of my life and how those problems have shaped me into the person I am today.

 

Now for the civic issue choice! I chose gender, race, and sexuality (I do believe that is the title) and I am very excited about it. I was going to choose environment (typical), but I already know so much about that. I wanted to choose I topic I’ve always wanted to learn more about, ergo, that’s why I picked this specific topic. I’m pretty sure I’m going to focus a lot on gender and sexuality because due to personnel experiences I know I have a strong opinion on those topics. I look forward to hearing from the group!


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