HELP WITH A PROJECT - DID YOU GO TO COLLEGE ? DID YOU HAVE PARENTS? THIS IS FOR YOU! April 21, 2008

I am doing my senior thesis and need feedback.

I got three questions for you, and you post them here on the blog, or email them to me at pinkarma21@gmail.com if you want more privacy. I appreciate all the help.

I need your

1) gender and age

2) Where are you from? Where do you live?

3) Tell me about your worst day in college. What was your worst experience? What mistakes did you make that you feel were a result of your newly found independence? (You can answer all or one of these). Tell me your story.

4) What is something you wish your parents had taught you? It can be something that you learned on your own through experience or something that someone else taught you? Tell me your story.

 5) What is the most important thing you learned in college (that has nothing to do with classes or studying, or professors). If you could leave behind one sentence, one piece of advice to future college students, what would it be?

Once again, thanks. And I look forward to hearing your stories.

Cochlear Implants: A Tough Decision April 17, 2008

The cochlear implant was developed in 1969 by William F. House, M.D. at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, CA. He initially implanted 3 patients with hard wired implants. It was not until 1972 that a wearable device was available. A cochlear implant is an electronic apparatus that allows people with severe hearing loss to recognize some sounds, especially speech sounds, and that consists chiefly of a microphone and receiver, a processor that converts speech into electronic signals, and an array of electrodes that transmit the signals to the auditory nerve in the inner ear (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language).

            A successful cochlear implant procedure differs greatly from one patient to another. Different factors such as age, extent of hearing loss, speech and language therapies, further schooling, and the amount of possible interaction with non-deaf family members or other non-deaf individuals can greatly influence the level of success after the procedure.

 

            In the video documentary, Sound and Fury: The Communication Wars of the Deaf, we are presented with two very different cases. Two families; one in which the parents are non-deaf and are considering a cochlear implant for their deaf child, who is eleven months of age, and the other family, in which the parents are both deaf, and all children were born deaf. The child for which the deaf parents are considering the cochlear implant for is Heather, who at the moment is four years old.

 

            In the first case, with the non-deaf parents, Chris and Mari, they eventually decide upon the cochlear implant for their infant son. They recognize that there is a higher chance of their son developing better language and communication skills if this procedure is done at an early age, even though the FDA recommended that the optimal age to implant is not earlier than 12 months, although some infants as young as four months have received cochlear implants.  Even though, the ability to “make sense of and use these signals for meaningful dialogue varies greatly from person to person” (Nancy Bloch, National Association of the Deaf), these parents recognize that with further speech and language therapy and with support from them as parents, this operation could be very successful in the long run.

            With Heathers parents, Peter and Nina, the case is completely opposite. Both the parents are deaf, and believe that Heather is much too young and is not able to give her input regarding the procedure. Peter and Nina’s decision to not get the cochlear implant is more social and cultural than scientifically related. They believe that Heather will not be part of the deaf culture and their social environment if she were to get a cochlear implant. Perhaps the procedure would not be as successful seeing as Heather would be surrounded mostly by her immediate family members, all of which are deaf. Even though Heather is at a good age to receive a cochlear implant, her parents choose not to go through with it, and decide to move to Maryland in order to immerse themselves into a place where society has adapted more to deaf culture. A place where there would be better schools for their children and where they could continue their current lifestyle with fewer difficulties.

 

            I can better sympathize with Chris and Mari. I have always been a part of the hearing culture, as they have. They know what it is like to have the ability to hear, and they realize that “cochlear implants have been shown to significantly improve a child’s success with speech development and listening and hence provide them with access to the larger hearing world” (Donna Sorkin, Alexander Graham Bell Association). Both families debated fervently over the subject of cochlear implants, but what I believe is that both parties have to respect each others decisions. Parents have the right to make decisions on behalf of their deaf children, but what I don’t understand is why Peter, Nita and the Mancini’s, parents of Mari, were so against it. I agree with Donna Sorkin in her response that she doesn’t not understand “why some deaf people feel that because individuals and families have pursued the cochlear implant option their choice somehow devalues others’ choices for manual communication”. Mari and Chris were more open minded in that sense, they realize that it is not about choosing manual over verbal communication, but as hearing people that also know American Sign Language, realize that it provides access to a larger scope of communication within society.

 

            Contrary to what most people believe, the deaf and hearing worlds do not necessarily have to be separate. Deaf people do not need to feel, as Chris and Maris parents felt, that they were being put down, and that Mari and Chris were ashamed of their deaf family members and their child being deaf. Mari and Chris’ child is going to form part of the deaf culture. He has deaf grandparents, and he was deaf at some point. Deafness is a medical term, but your identity and sense of belonging is personal. “If individuals already consider themselves as part of the deaf culture, even with an implant they will continue to perceive themselves in the same way”. Personal identity is not determined by technology, but by what you surround yourself with.

 

Parents do have the final say in their children’s lives, especially at the ages of Chris and Maris’ infant and Heather, but, I believe that if you have the opportunity to give your child the option of choosing between both worlds, you should. As a parent, you should put your feelings aside and give your child the most of this world. Heathers parents worried too much about their feelings and those of the deaf community. Deafness is not going to disappear from the map, and it will continue to be a unique part of society as a whole. But, as Nancy Bloch said in Sound and Fury: Cochlear Implants – The Debate, “The bottom line is that everyone needs to respect others language usage and communication preferences”. Both deaf and hearing cultures have to understand that one is not above the other, and that perhaps one day, we can all just see each other human beings, and learn to not divide amongst ourselves.

In the field - Cloisonne Factory in Beijing, China April 17, 2008

I entered the “Friendship Store” in Beijing expecting a setting similar to malls in the U.S. But, was struck as I was lead by our tour guide inside this building, and to the right, where there was a factory setting in which I saw how cloisonné vases and other items were made. In this factory they make different items such as bracelets, animal figurines, vases ranging from the size of a coke can to about 6 feet high.

            In the cloisonné factory, there were 8 tables, and 4 girls sitting at 4 of those cream colored plastic picnic-looking tables. These tables were full of the materials that these girls were using to create the cloisonné vases and other items. All of them were currently working on vases, one of them talking on her cellular phone while she did this. The girls ranged from ages of 16-25. I asked one of them how old she was, and she answered 18. This girl was almost my age, and had been working in this factory setting since she was 15. The girls wore jeans and t-shirts, and had their hair tied back. Two of them chatted while they worked, the other two stayed in their stations and worked on their vases. The materials that were placed on their tables were copper wire, which they used to mark the design on the vase. They had tweezers that they used to twist and glue the copper on the vase.  After this, they “fill” the copper area with different colors. Some of the designs on the vases were flowers, others were phoenixes or dragons.

            The tour guide explained to us that the process to make a vase the size of a coca-cola can takes seven people two weeks to make. After the women initially fill the copper areas with color, it is heated to place the color, and then refilled five times, until the area is filled to the top. A separate worker works in the “heating room”, in which he holds the vases with prongs, and places them in a well-shaped oven that is located on the floor.  After that, another worker “polishes” the vase so that all of the vases areas are even. The final step is the actual polish, in which another worker uses a machine to polish the vase and make it shinny. These workers could be seen behind a glass, the machines were dirty, filled with a white substance, and the workers wore gloves, but no masks. They also wore jeans and shirts, that were dirty, but it seemed to grease dirt, not ground dirt streaks that marked the workers pants. They also chatted with their co-workers as the women did; however, they had to yell over the loud sounds of the polishing machines to be able to speak to one another.

In the field - Buddhist Temple in Nonthamburi, Thailand April 17, 2008

Buddhist (Theravada) Temple

 

            During my stay in the Buddhist Temple, Wat Sanghathan, in Nonthanburi, Thailand, I was able to observe various prayers. Morning Prayer at 4:30 in the morning, mid Morning Prayer, evening prayer and night prayer at 7 at night. The prayers were all basically the same, except sometimes differentiating in length.

            I will be describing the late evening prayer at 7pm specifically. Prayer was celebrated in a large meeting hall. It did not look like a temple or shrine from the outside. The walls were glass, although you could not see inside because inside they were covered by drapes. Inside the shrine was a large empty space. There was nothing on the walls, except the drapes that covered them. It almost seemed as if the shrine were under construction. In the middle back part of the shrine was a large gold-colored statue of “Present Buddha”. In front of this statue was a space in which a monk sat in prayer/meditation. He sat there without moving, it seemed as if he did not even blink. In front of him sat four monks, which were the leaders of the prayer. However, only one of these monks chanted for the rest of the congregation to follow. The grounds (which were a total of 36 acres), were divided by gender. Women stayed on one side, and men stayed on the other. In this shrine, only women prayed, except for a number of monks, which ranged from 10-20 monks, sat on the left side of the shrine during prayer.

            During prayer, some women did not pray, but merely sat with their legs crossed and eyes closed, meditating. There were also children who stayed at the shrine. All of the people that were praying were those who were staying in the shrine. The three nights that I participated in evening prayer I only saw three people that were not wearing white robes. Only the monks and nuns were wearing mustard yellow robes. A nun never was the head of prayer.

            Before prayer started all the women took mats that were provided at the shrine and placed them on the floor to sit on them. Some women brought their own mats on which to sit on, although this was usually not the case. Once we all sat on the mats, the women chatted in a low voice, while others bought these small yellow boxes with a red cross on them, which were intended to offer to the monks. These boxes contained items of first-aid and basic items like soap that the monks and nuns might need.

            Most of the women had a small book with the prayers that were chanted at the shrine. Some had simple tattered books, with a soft cover, but others had more decorated books with a hard cover. Some women did not need a book to join in the prayer, they had them memorized.

            Sometimes during the service women would walk in and take a place within the shrine and began to pray. It was not looked down upon to enter late at the shrine, everyone simply continued praying. Most people closed their eyes if they did not need to read from their prayer book. The prayer was chanted in a monotonous tone. The tone in which the monks and congregation did not change during the prayers. There were times during the prayer in which everyone would bow. At the beginning of prayer you are required to bow three times. First you place your palms together and place them in front of your forehead, then your heart, and then place both palms down and bow towards the front. This is repeated three times at the beginning of prayer and at the end when you are finished. It was also done at times during prayer.

            At the end of the prayer, the women who had bought the yellow first-aid boxes would walk towards the statue of Buddha in the center of the shrine and placed it as an offering to the monks.

            Other women stayed in the shrine, to wait for the later evening prayer which started at 9pm.

Comparative Paper Religion for Anthropology April 17, 2008

The topic of my field component papers were religious rituals in the countries of Vietnam and Thailand. One of the religious rituals I observed pertained to the Cao Dai religion in Vietnam, and the other was Theravada Buddhism in Thailand.

            I noticed many more similarities rather than differences. One of the similarities I was able to observe was the color used to dress the congregation. In both religions, the laymen wore white clothing. Also, those who were in higher positions such as the priests in the Cao Dai temple and the Buddhist monks wore different colored robes. The monks wore mustard yellow robes and the priests at the Cao Dai temple wore red, yellow and blue, representing their beliefs in different religions.

            Another similarity that I found was that both congregations removed their shoes before prayer (because the temples are holy places), and both sat on the floor. However, they sat in different ways. In the Cao Dai Temple all the participants in the prayer sat with their legs under their body and their feet facing the back. In the Buddhist Temple, people could sit in this manner, but also crossed their legs, or placed their legs to the side: it did not matter as long as your toes did not point towards the statue of Buddha. Another similarity that I observed is that the congregation would repeat certain phrases and chant together. The only difference is that in the Buddhist Temple the monks would chant certain phrases, and then the laymen would follow. In the Cao Dai temple, the laymen followed the choir.

            A big difference between my stay at the Buddhist Temple and the Cao Dai Temple, is that in the Buddhist temple there are six prayers that occur during the day, although you are not obligated to attend all of them, it is expected of you when you read the Precepts before staying at the temple. I was not able to stay during the total duration of the prayer at the Cao Dai Temple, but our tour guide told us that it is usually an hour long (same as in the Buddhist temple), and that they have three prayers during the day.

            In both temples the congregation was divided by gender. The only difference being that in the Buddhist temple, men and women do not pray together. The only men present at the prayer in the shrine were the monks that lead the prayer.

            During both prayer rituals there were moments during the prayer in which the laymen had to bow, and both had their own way of beginning and ending the prayer that included bowing. The ways in which each religion began and ended their prayers was almost identical. In the Cao Dai Temple the people rested on both their knees and placed their palms together and over their forehead and then bowed forward. In Buddhism the same is done, except that the laymen place their hands in front of their forehead, heart and then bowed.

            I am not surprised to have found so many similarities and few differences between the Cao Dai and Buddhist religions, because Cao Dai included Buddhism in part of their beliefs and rituals. However, one big difference I found between the rituals is that “outsiders” were allowed to sit amongst the laymen and pray, they did not need to wear the white robes if they were not staying at the temple. In the Cao Dai temple, is seemed as if you had to be a member to join in the prayer, because there were no people that were no dressed in their typical clothing (white for laymen, and red, yellow and blue for the priests). People could come into the temple and observe from a second level, but could not stand in the first level and pray with the rest of the congregation. Also, I did not see any Vietnamese entering the temple to make any offering to either their shrine or their priests.

 

FREEFAHL bands plug in for a good cause April 17, 2008

FREEFAHL bands plug in for a good cause

Vashti Joseph Staff Writer UD will be hosting a large event this weekend that is bringing in people from universities and cities all over the Midwest. No, it’s not a football game, it’s the FREEFAHL concert hosted by the Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) sorority benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research. FREEFAHL stands for “Forever Reminding and Educating Every Female About Healthy Living.” This Sunday, for just $10, you will experience a jam-packed day filled with live music, free food, carnival-style games and raffles with all the proceeds going toward the breast cancer foundation. The ZTA Sorority has been hard at work planning this event for about nine months. Blessid Union of Souls will be headlining FREEFAHL. They will be flying in from Las Vegas on the day of the concert and are participating in the event absolutely free of charge. “I even went to Jeff Pence’s house, the lead guitarist of Blessid Union, to see if he would play for us,” said Tiffanie Chow, the fundraising Chairwoman of the ZTA Sorority. “They really believe in our cause.” The band has hit the Top 40 a number of times with hit songs such as “I Believe,” “Light in Your Eyes” and “Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me).” “… Blessid Union of Souls takes subtlety to another level with its soul-inflicted alt-pop, wile maintaining a psychedelic influence that invokes more of the spirit of Lenny Kravitz than John Lennon…” Rolling Stone magazine wrote. The concert will also feature six other bands and artists such as Self Portrait, James Wade, Ryan McIntyre, From Midnight On, Justin Branham and the Vinyltones. Besides all the great live music, there will be a wide variety of games and entertainment for the whole family. “There is going to be a cake walk, jugglers, a hula-hoop contest, free hot dogs and hamburgers,” Chow mentioned. “Oh, don’t forget the raffle,” Oh yes … the raffle. For $1 per ticket, you can participate in a chance to win a free trip for Dayton to Daytona this summer. Many organizations and individuals have collaborated to make this event a success. Flyer Radio, Kroger and many students have devoted their time to this cause. “The only way that this event will be successful is with the support of UD students along with their friends and family,” Chow said. FREEFAHL is expecting a big turnout from the surrounding community. The festivities will start at 2 p.m. and end at about 10 p.m. at the Collins Gymnasium in the Physical Activities Center here at UD. What does this mean? Just that there is absolutely no excuse to miss out on this great event that supports breast cancer research. Concert for a cause, what more could you ask for?

Why can’t we just be happy? April 16, 2008

People like to be miserable. I’ve noticed that. You might be thinking: “of course not, everyone wants to be happy!”. Well, I would happen to agree, but that is not what I have observed.

Let’s start with the constant complaining and whinning. If you’ve read any of my previous blogs you’ve probably seen that people that whine and complain are not at the top of my list. To me, these people are just ungrateful, because, not to be cheesy: it can ALWAYS be worse. Ever heard of Murphy’s Law?

Why are people always complaining? I think that people are always looking for something to either: 1) call attention to themselves, 2) have something to keep their minds occupied 3) one-up other people.

So, people want to call attention to themselves. Sure, we are all trying to separate ourselves from all the other 6 billion + people that live on this planet. However, why set yourself apart through a negative part of yourself? Examples of this, I see every day.

Jenny: Hey John, how are you?

John: oh, I’m tired, I didn’t get any sleep last night, I’m so tired of school, and I had a big fight with my parents last night.

Jenny: well, it’s nice to see you too….

We begin our conversations with the negative.

Want to really freak someone out? Want to give an eye-opening comment? Next time someone asks you how you are doing, answer: AWESOME. Believe me, you’ll scare the crap out of them. When you say that you are doing AWESOME, not great, or just good, the person that you reply to is going to be thinking: “damn, how is this person doing awesome, when my life sucks?”

People love to talk about their miseries. How their car broke down in the middle of the road on a dark and rainy night, or how they have been sick for a week. People are often complaining about how they are overworked or how they dont get enough sleep. But my personal favorite is watching people battle it out to see who has the worst illness. I’m sure you have witnessed this. There are two people sitting down and one of them mentions high blood pressure. The other person says:”oh, thats nothing, I have type 2 diabetes”. Then the other person (who has high blood pressure) says that they had open heart surgery not long ago. Once the other person feels one-uped, they’ll turn to their spouses illness, their children, friends, parents, etc. In fact, why are funerals so popular? Honestly, unless you are immediate family (parents, children, uncles, cousins, etc.) why are you there? Some people just like to be surrounded by grief (and I don’t mean just funerals). I feel like funerals are a time to give your respects, but if you didn’t know the person, why are you there? It’s almost as bad as the people I knew in High School that went to mass and took their notebook with them to do homework. Come on. Respect people. It’s a basic human precept.

My second point. People like to be worried because it gives them something to keep their mind occupied. I wonder what people would do if they didnt have anything to worry about. Would they go outside and take a walk? Sit out on their roof at night and look at the stars? Call up a family member they never talk to? Probably not. They would turn on the tv, click on over to the news and look at more negative things that are infesting our world.

Which takes me to another point, why is there never any GOOD news on television? Everytime you turn on the news there is a story about another shooting, robbery, rape, murder. Yes, these things do happen, but what ever happened to recognizing those who do extraordinary acts for mankind? What about a newspaper filled with good news? Well, what would an expert tell you? Good news doesnt sell. Tragedy, murder, negativity: that sells.

Why can’t people just be happy? Well, that’s a mystery to me. Seems to me, the answer is right in front of you. Now, if you could only get that negative thing out of your way…

 

Cao Dai Temple in Vietnam - what was it like? April 16, 2008

Cao Dai Temple in Vietnam

 

            As we entered the Cao Dai Temple, we removed our shoes and headed towards the inside of the temple. Inside, it was very colorful decoration. Inside the floor was composed of different patterns of tile. Some had the shape of a four leaf clover; others were simple and only had the colors cream, brown and black. There were six columns on the inside of the temple that supported the infrastructure, and these were decorated with carvings of dragons and flowers wrapped around the column.

            The men and women were divided before and during the ceremony. Women sat and talked on the left side of the temple, while the men sat on the right side. The people who attended the ritual all wore white clothing. Their clothing was similar to Ao Dai, which is the typical clothing worn by the Vietnamese, which is composed of a long shirt with long sleeves and long pants. Of course, they were all barefoot.

            The head priests dressed in different colors. Each representing the different religions that were represented in the Cao Dai belief: Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. The ritual started once one of the head priests stood up and walked towards the altar and made an offering which included fruit. I could not see what the other things inside the basket were. Once the head priest made the offering a group of young girls that composed the choir began to sing their prayers. The congregation did not follow, but merely bowed and certain times during the prayer. The head priests sit at the front of the temple closest to the altar, while the congregation (dressed in white) sat in the back, divided by gender. There were no female priests.

            A symbol that was present all around the temple, especially on its walls was an all-seeing eye. This eye was enclosed within a triangle and light seemed to “shoot” from it. Its image was surrounded by flowers that looked like tulips and roses.

                                                                                                           

 

Culture Shock - Chennai, India April 16, 2008

Before going to India I had visited various countries. I had been to Spain, France, England, Japan, China, Vietnam, and Thailand. However, my first real shock did not occur until I set foot in Chennai, India. Let me explain myself.

I arrived in the port of Chennai on a beautiful sunny morning. The sun was hot and dry, the walk to the nearest “taxi stop” was a good half hour from where my ship had docked, and the street, and now my feet were filled with soot. However I felt full of hope and wonder.

I had always wanted to visit India. It’s just one of those things I had on my “Life To-do list”.

So, when I stepped outside the port gate and was faced with a swarm of about 40 men I was more than a tad shocked. Luckily, I was with four other friends, unfortunately all female. But the company made me feel that I was not about to get swallowed by this sea of desperate men trying to get me…to get in their taxi. Or tuk-tuk as they like to call it.

Never in my life had I been so afraid (even more afraid than when I was in the middle of Quingdao, China where NO ONE spoke english and I thought that I was gonna die on the taxi ride from the port to the airport). These men were all yelling at us, pulling at our shirts and arms trying to convince us to get in their taxi.

At the moment, I had to take charge. My friends were freaking out and wanting to just leave. The men and their tuk-tuk’s wanted to take our money (some were asking for an exhuberant amount of money for such a short taxi ride).

 Using my “people skills’ and what I could apply from my major (psychology) in a moment of crisis, I looked around for someone that I felt I could trust. Amongst all these men, all you really want to do (especially as a woman) is to get into a taxi, ANY taxi, and get to your destination. After grabbing my three friends, and pulling them towards a place with more space and air to breathe, I decided (not based on any categoiries really) a random man and his friend that I hoped would take us to the airport and not rob us of our money. (Tip to travelers: they know you are a tourist, they are always going to screw you over).

His name was Vijay (VJ, which I thought was funny because those are my initials). That mere fact made me feel better because I felt like it was a sign. We were safe. We were going to make it to the airport on time and in one piece.

Thankfullly, I was right.

What did I learn from this? Well, once I got out of that slightly stressful situation, and I sat down on my Spice Jet flight (yes, that is the name of the airline) on my way to Calcutta, I realized, as I looked back, was the desperation of these men. They werent trying to harass us, they were simply trying to work. They wanted work. I realized how really different we are from everyone else, but also how we are so similar. We all want the same things. We want to be comfortable, to have food on the table, have a home, have enough to care for our families, or enough to start a family. All we really want is to have the opportunity to better our lives.

As I sat on that plane, I realized, once again, that I am very lucky. We are all very lucky. I thought to myself, I will never have to beg tourists to use my taxi, I’ll never have to stand all day in the hot, dry sun in hopes of getting work. But what I really learned was that you cannot judge the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged. Because we really dont know as much about the rest of the world as we think we do. This is why I believe that travel is important. To step out of your comfort zone is to open your life to the acquisition of knoweledge. You don’t necessarily have to travel half way across the world, but you should try and look at how others live. It will enrich your life and make you see life in a different way. Learning about others can only make your life better, never worse.

                                                             

Calcutta (Kolkatta), India April 15, 2008

Sometimes in life, we need a jolt. A jolt to make us realize that we are indeed, very fortunate. Last year, I visited Calcutta (Kolkatta), in India. It was definitely the experience of a lifetime. While some other friends of mine visited New Delhi and the Taj Mahal, I decided to do the unexpected: Calcutta. A city where 30,000 people sleep on the streets at night. Where children are forced into prostitution. A place, where you would think that life would be bleek, life is instead, vibrant.

I was fortunate enough to be in Calcutta during Durga Puja Festival. It was amazing to see sales going on in stores, people setting up lights, and buying new clothes to wear for the nights of the celebration. It was much like Christmas. Durga Puja, although being a religious celebration, did not make them pious (although, they did go to temple). Instead, they rejoiced, and took this time to ask the gods to care for their families, and thank the gods for what they had, and make their offerings.

We should all be so lucky as to view the world in this manner. These people, who live in poverty, were thanking their gods for what little they had. To me, that is admirable. To be able to look beyond their status, their monetary gain, their posessions. To look beyond what you don’t have and see what you DO have, is a gift.

Many times I have wished that people could realize how well off they are. Whenever I hear friends complain, and I hear them say: “my life sucks, I hate my life, I’m tired, I’m lonely…”; they complain about work, friends, family, relationships, their health, and I won’t lie, it makes me upset. Why does it make me upset? Well, my answer to their lament is always the same: you can hear, see, speak, walk, breathe, and you have a roof over your head, and atleast one meal a day…you are blessed, please shut up!

As human beings, we tend to take things for granted, to want more, to strive for the best. But the mere fact that you can see, hear and walk, has already given you an advantage over those who are deaf, blind or paralyzed. You should give thanks every day that you do not have this extra burden in your life. That you are able to start a winner. (For the record, I am not saying that those who are deaf, blind of paralyzed arent winners, look at Helen Keller, the woman was deaf and blind and she wrote books.. she’s my hero).

All I am saying is, stop complaining. You are lucky. You have all the opportunities the world has to offer. You have two hands, two feet, and a mind to guide you, and a heart that reminds you of what is right and wrong. Make the most of what you have, and take advantage of the advantages that you may have over others. Because not doing so, would be an insult. Not only to those who are disadvantaged, but also to yourself, because you are not living to your full potential. And that’s a damn shame.