Passion Project Update

I think my project is for the most part on pace. I have already recorded several things/events, and am looking into different video editing software. The only problem I face is deciding what I should or should not record, and actually finding things that are worth it (I don't want my project to be several minutes of boring video footage). But for the most part, I believe I am on track. I believe my project is also morphing from just daily life, to mostly certain events, as well as things that take up a lot of my time. By the end of the allotted time, I should have a decent  amount of recording done for a video (Im not sure how long it will end up being )

127 hours

"There is no force more powerful than the will to live" is the tagline of the terrific movie 127 Hours. I believe, after watching this movie, and hearing about other situations like this, that it is 100% true. When faced with a near-death situation, people are able to go against the odds to survive.
I really enjoyed the movie 127 Hours. It was filmed really well, making his hallucinations seem as trippy as they were, as well as being able to recreate the actual recording that Aron Ralston had made when he was trapped. Between the way the movie was filmed, the good acting, and the gripping story, I really enjoyed it. It was very inspirational regarding the constant drive this guy had to survive. This movie was able to perfectly portray the quote above. there really is no force more powerful than the will to live, as shown by Aron Rolston.

Dasani (no not the water bottle)

Recently we read a 5 part series on the NY Times, which was centered around the life of Dasani, a young girl living through a rough life in New York. She's a member of a large homeless family, that suffers from generational poverty. Although they are able to live in shelters, that does not just automatically they are okay. Living in a family with 7 other siblings, and 2 parents who are constantly on and off addicted to drugs. After reading this story, I feel....well.... kind of disturbed about the variations of life. Coming from a middle class family, its easy to take things for granted, and constantly expect more when looking at the glamorous life style of celebrities, athletes, and wealthy business owners. However, these things we want are larger paychecks, bigger TVs, faster cars, and even bigger homes than the ones we already have. But these children grow up with different ideas. They want parents that aren't addicted to drugs, ones that are constantly there for them, and being able to have enough food and clothes to make it through the year comfortably. Many of us no doubt feel selfish, having what they want, and only asking for more.

After reading this piece, I'm interested to find out what has happened to Dasani and her family in the time since this was published. Are they still in Harlem? Are both parents still clean? Are they at least making the best of what they have? Although we may all say we don't want people to be homeless, it's more sincere when we learn a persons background first.

I couldn't help but notice some similarities between Dasani's life, and my life, as well as the lives of others kids my age. Dasani is portrayed as the person who always wants to do the best she can, and is disappointed in herself when she can't.  I feel the same way in many situations, when it comes to academics and athletics.

If i could say something to Dasani, it would be to keep going strong. Dasani is a gifted athlete, and smart girl. If she can keep working hard over the next several years, her dream of going to college will no doubt be achieved. I mean scholarships are always available to people who prove themselves. And from there, the comfortable life she deserves.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

I think that the film "Beasts of the Southern Wild" was over all a good movie. All though it seems confusing at times, or you might not understand it, by that's all part of what makes it better. The movie was able to get heavy messages across, ones that aren't touched on that much today, where most people judge happiness on the amount of wealth you have, or the class of society that you live in. But this movie was able to get across that life can be enjoyed and valued even in low class areas, by families that don't have much money, and by people who don't have the best opportunities available to them. Also, this movie also taught a lot about a sense of community, something that most of us no longer have. The people in this movie love their town, and stayed behind during the storm because of that. They worked together to rebuild, and help each other mourn the deaths of family and neighbors. We can learn a lot from this movie, about community, empathy, and appreciation for what we do have, not what we wish we have. We can live like the people in The Bathtub who "have more holidays than anyone else in the world". But more importantly we can take what Hushpuppy said to heart. We are all just "tiny pieces in a big, big universe". No one is that more important than anyon else. We all have our roles to play in the world, and we all need to do them.
I think this movie ties in perfectly to our unit, Humanity. When we are asked  "What does it mean to be human?" I think our answers can be influence by this movie. Because of this movie, I can think part of being human is to have empathy, a sense of community, and to be grateful for what we have. These are all important things that if people live by them, we could all have a better life.

Passion Project Update

So far, my passion project is at about the mid way point. I've been working on researching the parts of the brain that automatically correct mistakes, or allow us to see things the way we do. The obstacles i find are not understanding most of the solid research that i can find, and needing to look up more, to just understand the first thing. What i need to do over the next 8 passion project days is really push my self to work diligently on finding and comprehending my research, and finding a way to present it. I also want to find examples of things that our brain automatically corrects, to show the class. i think i will be able to accomplish this all on time.

Myers-Briggs Personality Test

Recently our class took a personality test, the Myers-Briggs one to be specific. My results tell me I am an ESTP type. The ESTP type bears this description:

 "Flexible and tolerant, they take a pragmatic approach focused on immediate results. Theories and conceptual explanations bore them – they want to act energetically to solve the problem. Focus on the here-and-now, spontaneous, enjoy each moment that they can be active with others. Enjoy material comforts and style. Learn best through doing."

I think this is very accurate. I cant learn well if I'm just sitting at a desk listening to a lecture. I find it easier to do it, as well as have a fun, laid back environment. I also like to enjoy the moment, and hate when i have to think ahead and worry about things in the future.

The information i could get from the test can help me understand others, because i can have access to how their personalities blend with mine. Since there are 16 personality types, that means there's at least 16 ways to interpret or do something. I could learn about the different personalities so I could interact better with more people.

This can also help answer the question "What does it mean to be human?". This makes me believe that there might not be a specific answer to this question. If there are 16 different personality types, then there are 16 different types of people and they all act and think differently. This just farther proves how humanity is natural diverse and how everyone is unique.

Joyas Voladoras

After reading Joyas Voladoras, I as well as others in my G&T class believe that in can help us answer the question "What does it mean to be human?". In the writing piece, Brian Doyle discusses the different sizes of hearts and their paces among the different creatures on earth. However, there's a deeper meaning to it as well. While not all hearts are the same size, or beat the same amount of times in our lives, all hearts do have a similarity. Whether large or small, hearts can all hold so may important events and emotions in them. All hearts will hold good and bad things, and any number of them, and this is not affected by the size of the heart, or the pace it beats. So why does being human have to be something physical? if we can all experience the same things despite different physical characteristics, then that should mean the question "What does it mean to be human?" can be answered with not just physical explanations, but emotional, mental, and philosophical ones as well.

My favorite line from Joyas Voladoras  was "So much held in a heart in a lifetime. So much held in a day, an hour, a moment"