Poverty is terrible. People go hungry, they have no home, no money. We see these people on the streets, begging for change. This is how they get by. This is basically their only method for income. Poverty causes people to just lay in street corners and park benches to sleep. Sometimes when more fortunate individuals see them, the first thing that most commonly comes to mind is something along the lines of, "Gross. Whats that bum doing here?"
Now, keeping that thought in mind, think: How would YOU handle not having a home, no money or family/friends to help you? When that "bum" is sleeping on an old park bench, to him it might as well be a king-sized bed with a heat blanket in a 5-star hotel.
I think that poverty is a problem worldwide. Pretty much anywhere in the world you will be sure to find a few homeless people. A cruel fact about poverty is that children are often involved. Remember seeing those children on the T.V. commercials that are walking around a town, covered in dirt, no clothes, and a swollen stomach? That's all too real. The swollen stomach thing? It's called Kwashiorkor. In other words, malnutrition. Those children are starving to death. No hope, no dreams, no future. NO FOOD.
Poverty is a harsh reality, even in America. Poverty is most common in non-white groups. Mexicans, African-Americans, Native Americans, etc. There are hundreds of people suffering every day. Now think back to the bum that is just lying on a park bench. He's just one of millions of people suffering from poverty.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Fighting: Only for the Ring
Fighting is one way that individuals settle disputes. Some use fighting as an outlet for their anger or stress. I believe that fighting is good, but should only be done in a ring.
When I was growing up, I faced the usual people that believe in physical confrontation, even if it isn’t necessary. As a result, I got into fights all the time. It always ended up the same way. The kid and I would still have a problem with each other, meaning nothing was settled, and we both got into trouble. That’s when I viewed fighting as a lose-lose situation. However, I also noticed that I enjoyed fighting. I got a thrill out of it. There was something about it that I loved doing, though I didn’t know what it was, nor did I understand it. So despite knowing that the result would be no better than before, I got into fights with kids over stupid things, problems that could’ve been settled with a simple apology or compromise. And every time, I got into trouble.
All this fighting resulted in my parents taking me out of one school and placing me into another, where I didn’t really get into any more fights, at least not physical. For some stupid reason I craved to fight, I missed it. Eventually I came to realize that what I missed about fighting wasn’t trying to physically harm another person or settle problems with my fists. I just missed fighting. There was no one I wanted to hurt, there was nothing worth fighting for at the time. I just missed fighting.
On TV there’s tons of shows that have fighting on them. WWE wrestling, TNA, Boxing, the list goes on and on. One show that stuck out the most to me was MMA and UFC fighting. Individuals that trained in various martial arts styles, honed their skills, and brought them to an eight-sided ring, simply referred to as “The Octagon.” When I watched pros like Chuck Liddell and Anderson “The Spider” Silva fight, I noticed that they fought for themselves, to prove that they are the best and strongest fighters around. Their goal wasn’t as simple as hurting another person, it was to prove that they were the BEST. And when one fighter could no longer defend themselves, was knocked out or submitted to a hold, a referee watching could stop the fight, so rarely was another person hurt.
That’s when I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to become a professional fighter. I didn’t want to get in trouble for something I loved to do. I do not believe in fighting to settle problems or just to hurt another person. I believe in fighting for yourself, against someone you know can fight too. I find no greater thrill than contending in a match, staring down someone who now becomes a challenge to you. I believe that fighting is only for the ring.
When I was growing up, I faced the usual people that believe in physical confrontation, even if it isn’t necessary. As a result, I got into fights all the time. It always ended up the same way. The kid and I would still have a problem with each other, meaning nothing was settled, and we both got into trouble. That’s when I viewed fighting as a lose-lose situation. However, I also noticed that I enjoyed fighting. I got a thrill out of it. There was something about it that I loved doing, though I didn’t know what it was, nor did I understand it. So despite knowing that the result would be no better than before, I got into fights with kids over stupid things, problems that could’ve been settled with a simple apology or compromise. And every time, I got into trouble.
All this fighting resulted in my parents taking me out of one school and placing me into another, where I didn’t really get into any more fights, at least not physical. For some stupid reason I craved to fight, I missed it. Eventually I came to realize that what I missed about fighting wasn’t trying to physically harm another person or settle problems with my fists. I just missed fighting. There was no one I wanted to hurt, there was nothing worth fighting for at the time. I just missed fighting.
On TV there’s tons of shows that have fighting on them. WWE wrestling, TNA, Boxing, the list goes on and on. One show that stuck out the most to me was MMA and UFC fighting. Individuals that trained in various martial arts styles, honed their skills, and brought them to an eight-sided ring, simply referred to as “The Octagon.” When I watched pros like Chuck Liddell and Anderson “The Spider” Silva fight, I noticed that they fought for themselves, to prove that they are the best and strongest fighters around. Their goal wasn’t as simple as hurting another person, it was to prove that they were the BEST. And when one fighter could no longer defend themselves, was knocked out or submitted to a hold, a referee watching could stop the fight, so rarely was another person hurt.
That’s when I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to become a professional fighter. I didn’t want to get in trouble for something I loved to do. I do not believe in fighting to settle problems or just to hurt another person. I believe in fighting for yourself, against someone you know can fight too. I find no greater thrill than contending in a match, staring down someone who now becomes a challenge to you. I believe that fighting is only for the ring.
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