THIS I BELIEVE, PROJECT
ESSAY
We are socialized to be critical of others and their stances in life. We grow up thinking, subconsciously, that we need to hold prejudice against others who we don't know just based on the outside of a person. Like any other, I judge people every single day. I compare myself every single day to the people around me because it has been so heavily ingrained in me to do so. But after I developed my own philosophy, I changed my perspective on others and the way I should view our purpose in the universe.
It started when I began to have convulsions for no apparent reason during eighth grade. During these episodes, my mind went to a place that cannot be explained and understood easily.Time was nonlinear, it had no specific pattern that it ran in. My existence became a part of a different reality. I came to the realization that the infinite is possible, and that humans are foolish to believe in what is right in front of us. Everything we know, could be a lie or delusion that we create for ourselves because we cannot expand to the idea of the impossible. I have realized that judgment is just what blinds us from what we need to see beyond our universe and physical comprehensibility.
My philosophy begins with the multiverse theory. The multiverse theory is about the idea that more than one universe exists and may even coincide in terms of time and events with other universes. Some even believe that they can be mixed together. My idea is that there is an infinite amount of universes. To help understand, imagine it as a map. You can see the past and the future all at once. On the outside of these infinite universes filled with infinite possibilities, time does not run in a straight line. It shows the lemniscate of all those universes from beginning, to end. Each blink of an eye causes a chain reaction in your universes timeline. Each time you make a poor decision, it was meant to happen in that part of the map of time. This is why bashing others beliefs and religions is irrational. A god could exist, or could not exist. We will most likely never find out, that's why there is no point in arguing with others about your beliefs, because frankly, we could all be extremely wrong.
After I developed this philosophy, I go every day looking at others and realize that however the way they are, is the way the are meant to be for the universe and how they were raised. Trying to get others to change their opinions or stances is not what we should be doing. The reason we have so many problems in our world is not because of our opinions, but because the way that we are too arrogant to realize the importance of acceptance and we create oppression for others. We are too selfish to take a step back and realize that there is no point in arguing over what we have or believe in, because we will never change others ideas. It is simply realizing that we are raised the way we are, and even the biggest assholes in the world, were just raised to be that way and won't change their morals or ideals. We are so small and insignificant in our universe that it is best to just stop worrying about what others are doing or why you dislike them. It is time we admire each others beliefs and differences, because humans are so small and we should focus on the bigger picture in order to create positivity.
PROJECT REFLECTION
For this project, I deeply reflected on what topic i wanted to write about. After I figured out that I wanted to go in depth on my own philosophy, I started to figure out more things to include and how to connect it to something i believe in. Perspective is the HoHaM that I used more than anything. In order to express your ideas, you have to use your perspective to be open to others. Part of my philosophy is that we should be accepting of everyone's opinions. That doesn't necessarily mean we have to agree or support them, but we should all be allowed to express.
The part of my essay that I am most proud of was my intellectual power. During my time writing this essay, I went in depth on what I felt my purpose was on earth was. I feel very confident on a lot of my opinions and I took pride in my ability to think deeply and beyond. Most kids my age have some sense of thoughts like these, but tend to not focus on them. Other then that, I will come clean, I was not proud of my essay. I didn't take as much time as I could have to explain so that people would gain a better understanding. I am a decent student, and I have too many expectations for myself. This essay did not meet most of my expectations, and when it came time to present, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Especially with the news I found out. After the fact, I felt that a few people were upset, and I felt that I disappointed a lot of other people, but myself more than anyone.
I felt that I could improve on every category in the rubric in some way. I felt that even though I put in a lot of effort towards writing my essay, it didn't come out the way i wanted it to. I wish that I had taken more time to choose a topic that would fit better with this essay. When time came for me to show it to others, I felt this pit in my stomach. I didn't want anyone to read it. I read it over and over and over, and each time I disliked it a bit more. So, next time I am tasked with writing about something I believe in, I will think things through a lot more; spend more time looking at the rubric and self reflecting so that I can be proud of my end result.
The part of my essay that I am most proud of was my intellectual power. During my time writing this essay, I went in depth on what I felt my purpose was on earth was. I feel very confident on a lot of my opinions and I took pride in my ability to think deeply and beyond. Most kids my age have some sense of thoughts like these, but tend to not focus on them. Other then that, I will come clean, I was not proud of my essay. I didn't take as much time as I could have to explain so that people would gain a better understanding. I am a decent student, and I have too many expectations for myself. This essay did not meet most of my expectations, and when it came time to present, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Especially with the news I found out. After the fact, I felt that a few people were upset, and I felt that I disappointed a lot of other people, but myself more than anyone.
I felt that I could improve on every category in the rubric in some way. I felt that even though I put in a lot of effort towards writing my essay, it didn't come out the way i wanted it to. I wish that I had taken more time to choose a topic that would fit better with this essay. When time came for me to show it to others, I felt this pit in my stomach. I didn't want anyone to read it. I read it over and over and over, and each time I disliked it a bit more. So, next time I am tasked with writing about something I believe in, I will think things through a lot more; spend more time looking at the rubric and self reflecting so that I can be proud of my end result.
SELFIE PORTRAIT
SHAKESPEARE PROJECT
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
This project started with going in to depth on Shakespeare and his works to see how he has formed and effected modern media and ideals. After we studied the basic information, we watched movies and read his works to make connections. We gained this knowledge and used it to ask that question throughout the project as we worked on the final product. In order to be successful, we all were assigned roles such as director, producer, engineer based on our skill sets and continued into those roles. I, myself, was given the job to be a director as I am strong in most leadership parts and may not be as successful in a job where I don't have as much say or organization. Finally, we portrayed one of our own Shakespeare play using the art of puppetry and shadows.
REFLECTION
Everyday that we studied Shakespeare and how he connects to the modern world of media, I found myself more connected with the history of language and entertainment. When we began with reading certain plays of his and then followed that with movies, I made different connections to how certain stories that he tells onnects to me, as a teenager, with all the experiences I have had. Especially during our time where we studied Romeo and Juliet, I got a better understanding of how some things in media are constantly romanticized and how we have certain expectations of what love is; even though that era was drastically different. And it wasn’t even all about the content, it was about my part as a director and how I used my skills to connect to the work that we were doing. If I had not had the part I did, I would not be able to connect as well with ho we were portraying him. Even after the project, I constantly think about how in the end of a project, it didn't matter our final results. It mattered that we came together as a group and each helped in a way. That is what allowed me to connect with him, because I understood how those times were different, but similar. And, I gained a better perspective on how long the plays must have taken him to direct/write.
The most difficult part of this project was trying to get my unmotivated peers to do what they were supposed to. At the beginning of this project, we were all assigned a certain role that were apart of certain groups that would lead to a contribution in the entire project. But, I found that most of my peers did not even want to participate in their work or follow directions even after given explicit instructions. I was given the role of directing with my peer, but even with our strongest skills and maximum effort, our class could not seem to learn about their role or went off and helped with unnecessary parts. In no way am I bashing my fellow classmates, I just have a very different way of approaching projects where we are given that much freedom. In the end, I found my co-director and I doing most of the bulk work that could have been completed weeks before it had. After all that, though I wasn't too satisfied with some peers, I gained confidence in certain areas and felt mostly proud of the work that I had done.
When I begin and experience different projects in my life, I always have many takeaways from the content and the creative part. I gain new skills, get better at some, or eventone osmedown that may be too prominent. For this project, I toned down my leadership skills in order to gain a better perspective on my peers and what they were doing so I could be successful as a director. There were few times where I caught myself actually not doing as much work or giving people jobs, which, is very unlike me to do. Though, this doesn't sound like a positive thing, it is. I gained more insight on how I don't always have to be the person who takes the leadership roles.
Through this project, I grew in many ways: too many to count. Before this process, I was a strong leader, but I was too confident in my skills as a leader. I went through this project facing many challenges with my groups and I realized that there are some groups in my life that will be too hard to coordinate. Everytime one of my peers told me they could not complete it for some reason, I believed it to be irrational, but it is because of the way they approach it. It is not necessarily their fault. I either had to teach them myself or do it myself or even both at times. This is not a negative thing. I realized that sometimes, the people around me will not be there to listen and do the work that they are told or even help in the slightest, but I have to just take the initiative and it myself. That is how I grew.
As I had mentioned earlier, Shakespeare is what shaped modern media and language in many ways. From the little mannerisms and words to the big picture medias that we use everyday. Shakespeare most likely had apart to play in it. What would it be like if we were to not create or express his works and ideas? I asked myself this question everyday as I worked. I don't just say that to appeal to my reader, because i did really do this. He started the chain of romance in my opinions. What would modern media look like if he had not shaped the ideas in our heads from years ago?
The most difficult part of this project was trying to get my unmotivated peers to do what they were supposed to. At the beginning of this project, we were all assigned a certain role that were apart of certain groups that would lead to a contribution in the entire project. But, I found that most of my peers did not even want to participate in their work or follow directions even after given explicit instructions. I was given the role of directing with my peer, but even with our strongest skills and maximum effort, our class could not seem to learn about their role or went off and helped with unnecessary parts. In no way am I bashing my fellow classmates, I just have a very different way of approaching projects where we are given that much freedom. In the end, I found my co-director and I doing most of the bulk work that could have been completed weeks before it had. After all that, though I wasn't too satisfied with some peers, I gained confidence in certain areas and felt mostly proud of the work that I had done.
When I begin and experience different projects in my life, I always have many takeaways from the content and the creative part. I gain new skills, get better at some, or eventone osmedown that may be too prominent. For this project, I toned down my leadership skills in order to gain a better perspective on my peers and what they were doing so I could be successful as a director. There were few times where I caught myself actually not doing as much work or giving people jobs, which, is very unlike me to do. Though, this doesn't sound like a positive thing, it is. I gained more insight on how I don't always have to be the person who takes the leadership roles.
Through this project, I grew in many ways: too many to count. Before this process, I was a strong leader, but I was too confident in my skills as a leader. I went through this project facing many challenges with my groups and I realized that there are some groups in my life that will be too hard to coordinate. Everytime one of my peers told me they could not complete it for some reason, I believed it to be irrational, but it is because of the way they approach it. It is not necessarily their fault. I either had to teach them myself or do it myself or even both at times. This is not a negative thing. I realized that sometimes, the people around me will not be there to listen and do the work that they are told or even help in the slightest, but I have to just take the initiative and it myself. That is how I grew.
As I had mentioned earlier, Shakespeare is what shaped modern media and language in many ways. From the little mannerisms and words to the big picture medias that we use everyday. Shakespeare most likely had apart to play in it. What would it be like if we were to not create or express his works and ideas? I asked myself this question everyday as I worked. I don't just say that to appeal to my reader, because i did really do this. He started the chain of romance in my opinions. What would modern media look like if he had not shaped the ideas in our heads from years ago?
MASK/IDENTITY PROJECT
REFLECTION
DESCRIPTION
In this project, we studied the different factors to the forming of identities and perspectives that individuals have through the cycle of socialization and their upbringing. We started out by reading different articles and stories about people who have had different experiences. One example is about a girl who had almost no form of socialization, therefore making her incapable of most things that humans learn. Our socialization is what makes our identity and most of our personality, without it we would be lost.
MY PROJECT
Every part of my project was something that I was able to present and be proud of, but the part of my project that I was most proud of was my essay. In the past, I have focused more on my physical project and the art components; there is nothing wrong with that, but I have never taken the time to think about my project before jumping into it. So, knowing this, I took a different approach to the project by first writing my essay and thoroughly thinking about what I wanted to do. I finished my first mask and I looked at it. Something about the first one I did just didn't quite give me pride, so right before the exhibition happened, I switched it up. After I did so, I was proud and confident in both my essay and my mask.
REFINEMENT REFLECTION
I feel that I completed what needed to be completed and put a full amount of my effort into my project. I think one thing I could have done is to distribute that effort equally between my essay and my mask. Even though I believe both components were well refined, I can see that my mask wasn't as detailed as I would have liked it to be. Part of this project was being able to have people see our mask and have it sort of explain itself, but my mask didn't fully do that. Even though this is true, I cranked it out within a few days. So, with that information, I can take into account that I may use a bit more effort and refinement, but I also need to not worry about the little things and have too many expectations.
EXHIBITION
Most people disliked the exhibition in some ways, but I actually enjoyed it (besides it being two hours long.) The majority of my peers kept on complaining about their experience, but I found that the exhibition was successful. I was able to see that many of my peers were able to be open about their experiences and their identities in order to spread their messages and make an impact. Hearing people's rough stories about how they have been stereotyped and put under prejudice and sharing mine as well brought me closer to all my peers even if I didn't communicate with them.My own dad talked to a few students and heard about their tough experiences to the point of almost tears. Seeing that people I don’t even know are willing to open up to random adults and kids is amazing to see.
REVISITING THE ESSENTIALS
After completing this project, which I will miss, I have been able to open up my eyes and see new perspectives on people that I want able to see before. This project not only allowed me to do this, but to also to have discussions with people out it and take this subject out of the shadows. Even though we sometimes fail to realize the cycle we push on others, we do it. It is time to make positive change and to break down the negative ones.
In this project, we studied the different factors to the forming of identities and perspectives that individuals have through the cycle of socialization and their upbringing. We started out by reading different articles and stories about people who have had different experiences. One example is about a girl who had almost no form of socialization, therefore making her incapable of most things that humans learn. Our socialization is what makes our identity and most of our personality, without it we would be lost.
MY PROJECT
Every part of my project was something that I was able to present and be proud of, but the part of my project that I was most proud of was my essay. In the past, I have focused more on my physical project and the art components; there is nothing wrong with that, but I have never taken the time to think about my project before jumping into it. So, knowing this, I took a different approach to the project by first writing my essay and thoroughly thinking about what I wanted to do. I finished my first mask and I looked at it. Something about the first one I did just didn't quite give me pride, so right before the exhibition happened, I switched it up. After I did so, I was proud and confident in both my essay and my mask.
REFINEMENT REFLECTION
I feel that I completed what needed to be completed and put a full amount of my effort into my project. I think one thing I could have done is to distribute that effort equally between my essay and my mask. Even though I believe both components were well refined, I can see that my mask wasn't as detailed as I would have liked it to be. Part of this project was being able to have people see our mask and have it sort of explain itself, but my mask didn't fully do that. Even though this is true, I cranked it out within a few days. So, with that information, I can take into account that I may use a bit more effort and refinement, but I also need to not worry about the little things and have too many expectations.
EXHIBITION
Most people disliked the exhibition in some ways, but I actually enjoyed it (besides it being two hours long.) The majority of my peers kept on complaining about their experience, but I found that the exhibition was successful. I was able to see that many of my peers were able to be open about their experiences and their identities in order to spread their messages and make an impact. Hearing people's rough stories about how they have been stereotyped and put under prejudice and sharing mine as well brought me closer to all my peers even if I didn't communicate with them.My own dad talked to a few students and heard about their tough experiences to the point of almost tears. Seeing that people I don’t even know are willing to open up to random adults and kids is amazing to see.
REVISITING THE ESSENTIALS
After completing this project, which I will miss, I have been able to open up my eyes and see new perspectives on people that I want able to see before. This project not only allowed me to do this, but to also to have discussions with people out it and take this subject out of the shadows. Even though we sometimes fail to realize the cycle we push on others, we do it. It is time to make positive change and to break down the negative ones.