Post #14, 5-12-09, Leave the Past in the Past

I took my AP Chemistry test today, so bear with me if my newest blog post isn't top notch. But my apology actually serves as a sort of introduction into what I want to write about today. I think I studied more for this particular test than I've studied for the accumulation of all past quizzes and exams. I'm your typical procrastinator- I start out with good intentions, but end with an indifferent attitude. I constantly put things off until "tomorrow". As a result, I developed terrible study habits. I've never spent more than an hour reviewing old notes, and I rarely read textbooks. I was able to get away with that until high school, so freshman year hit me like a ton of bricks. Even still, I didn't put in the needed amount of effort to achieving the highest grades possible. I got by, and that's all I cared about. Until this year. Junior year, I decided I was really going to try. Although I didn't give my full attention every day, I did try during most class periods, and my study habits began to improve. It really paid off in AP Chem, which was where it was needed most. Science has never been my strong suit. The entire class was preparation for the AP test at the end of the year. We went through what felt like a chapter a week, and it took all that I had not to fall behind. Anyway, I flew by the seat of my pants all year, but when May came along, I discovered that I knew more than I thought. I had acquired a genuine understanding of the concepts taught, and I was proud of that. But after today, I'm doubting how much I actually understood. I walked into the library this morning with confidence. I felt ready. I had studied for hours the night before, by myself and with a small group at the library. I got a full eight hours of sleep, and I'd studied even more this morning. I had done everything I could to prepare, and it still wasn't enough. I walked out of the library in extreme disappointment. I was angry at myself for not doing better. I was in a bad mood until school let out. Then I realized, I had absolutely no reason for my attitude. I did my absolute best, which is something I don't honestly say very often. I don't regret anything about this past year, and that's a first. So what did I have to be angry about? I thought about that while reading the last of A Streetcar Named Desire. Then, suddenly, I had an epiphany: Blanche. Need I say more? Her entire life is based on past mistakes and traumatic experiences. She lives every day like it was years ago. Look where it got her- a mental breakdown cost Blanche her family, friends, a paying job, her house. She lost everything by dwelling on the past. Although I definitely do not focus on the past to that extent, I did realize just then that replaying past events over and over in your head gets you nowhere. I believe that the past is there for you to grow stronger from, to learn from and move on. We reside in the present for a reason. If you don't believe me, look at these quotes. People all over the globe, of all different ages and backgrounds, have said the exact same thing throughout the years about the past in regards to the present and the future. It doesn't change.

Post #13, 5-5-09, World Peace?

With the world in its current state- wars erupting left and right, economies steadily declining downhill- the individual's moral decision making is extremely important. The decisions that people of authority make- the president, other members of government- effect all of us. In the latest Newsweek, an article by Sharon Begley was titled "Adventures in Good and Evil". The subheading read, "What makes some of us saints and some of us sinners? The evolutionary roots of morality." Earlier this year, during first semester religion, I took a Christian morality course. During that time, I developed a strong interest in the reasoning behind choices people make and the effects each choice has. This particular article brought up many interesting points through summaries of past and present experimentation on psychology. Some studies show that when placed in control of a situation in which a person is rewarded for inflicting pain on another person, or is made to believe that the situation is beneficial on the larger scale of things, the moral judgement of the person in authority diminishes. In another study, "if people are asked whether they would be willing to throw a switch to redirect deadly fumes from a room with five children to a room with one, most say yes, and neuroimaging shows that their brain's rational, analytical regions had swung into action to make the requisite calculation. But few people say they would kill a healthy man in order to distribute his organs to five patients who will otherwise die, even though the logic- kill one, save five- is identical: a region in our emotional brain rebels at the act of directly and actively taking a man's life, something that feels immesaurably worse than the impersonal act of throwing a switch in an air duct. We have gut feelings of what is right and wrong." I found this incredibly interesting. I would have never realized the connection in the two circumstances if it had not been pointed out to me. It's unbelievable to me how the brain functions- that it can place identical situations in different moral categories, and convince you that one is a more righteous act than the other.
The article goes on to say that important principles instilled during childhood, life-altering experiences, observing qualities like compassion and forgiveness in others, and feeling secure in multiple aspects of life are also characteristics of those with high moral character. A different study shows that, "if only people could feel safer and less threatened, they would have more psychological resources to devote to noticing other people's suffering and doing something to alleviate it." After reading this, I began to wonder what the world would be like if everyone felt safe and secure, assuming that this theory is correct. I think that further testing and developing this idea could be extremely beneficial. It could be a start at world peace, something we all can only dream about. We could potentially eliminate poverty and war. It's almost too much to think about how we can create a more perfect world by simply studying the why's and how's behind our response to critical situations. I don't know, do you think this is attainable?