Learning and the Learned

To learn is to increase ones knowledge of a given subject. To say that I have done that would be accurate, but subjective. I have learned a great deal of information that, while it is perhaps not directly relevant to my major, influences my emotional and logical decisions based on the new source of information I have received.  As such, this class directly influences my life from this point on in a significant and meaningful way. This class has given me a bit more understanding and sensitivity towards explicit details within our society.

Word Count: 93

Shadow Friends

Mike Stoll

302 Words

When I live my life today, I move through the annals of the campus living a normal life. I hang out with the few - but important - friends that I have here, and generally appreciate the time that I can use for both education and recreation. 

As I'm sure many can relate to, though, my days never consist of the old friends I had back home. Alex is a double major in Business and Japanese. We used to hang out all the time, and our group would playfully poke fun at him. But he was always a good sport, and we understood he would be since he was probably one of the smartest among all of us. He's in Japan now, studying abroad. 

Patrick is a Computer Science major and is a bit of a procrastinator. We would always hang out and play video games, leading the teams, even though he was always a bit lazy and a jokester. He's in New York now, studying diligently and coding every day. 

Ned is not far from me- he's only at a different university in Maryland- but the distance feels substantial, and we rarely meet in person. Even without that interaction, I know that Ned still has his same-old 'Who cares!' attitude.

They're all gone now. One in New York, one in Japan, as well as plenty of others that feel just as far away. But when I say gone, I don't mean that they aren't my friends. I return to my room daily and they await me there like the friends that they always have been. Not in person, but digitally; in a way that shows the important of friendship regardless of distance in a way that only the current generation can understand. My friends leave shadows- I can't see them myself, but I know they're there because of the way the light plays off of them.

True friends aren't just the friends of today- they're the friends that supersede any obstacles.

Knowledge Above All Else

It must have been years ago when I realized that the world isn't the way it should be. Everyone probably has that defining realization. Mine was during history class, when I noticed that the majority of the globe did not enjoy the same comforts as we did, behind our metaphoric stone walls of safety. We, as children, and even now as adults, are coddled during much of our lives and taught to enjoy that kind of thing. Not in a malicious way, but in an innocent way that suggests that there is little we could do to change things. The sense that no matter what, the things we do would always result in failure if we tried to change the way the world worked at the fundamental level. Those who have would always continue to have, and would always have more than those that didn't, and that was just the way things were supposed to be, according to society.

But really that's just the things that we've been told, due to the nature of our current society. We're in a transitional phase, so to speak, between the world of superstition and the world of reason and science. Slowly, society will make the move towards a fully educated populace, due in no small part to the abundance of education in our society and the way in which it is provided. It isn't enough yet, but it's a pattern that can be observed and used to extrapolate. I believe in the fullest use of knowledge, so as to best serve society, and provide guidelines for future generations to follow. The improvement of society and the world is incredibly important, and should never be ignored.

Word Count: 282

#1

The scent of the sea and old, kicked up cigarettes essentially replaces the normal taste of air, and a rattled old wood makes up the walkway for the teeming crowds of Ocean City. In fact, Boardwalk 1 is the oldest part of the boardwalk in Ocean City and represents a landmark for the bustling city that grew in the area.(1) It is now one of the biggest tourist attractions in the area, and should most assuredly be preserved as such, lest the disrepair that the area currently suffers from result in the destruction of the area entirely.

(Word Count: 97)

(1)"The Boardwalk History", Ocean City Maryland Boardwalk, 10/3/2012, http://www.ocboards.com/history.html

Unbranded

I don't see the need for brand association. Besides accountability, an individual product association is usually unfounded and illogical. Buying whatever is most effective at the least cost is really what matters, and yet often this is not what prevails. For myself, the only brand I myself find myself personally associated with is only a local restaurant that I've developed an emotional relationship with. The people there know me, and despite what might seem to be poor reviews, I return every time.

The ramifications? The logical reason behind brand association is likely emotionally linked, and dependent entirely on the person.

(Word Count: 100)

Implications

For many people, Style is a way that people are judged and I feel that, in past generations, this was just how things were. There were cliques, groups, and that was that. I never observed this. Style is just something that happens to a person, but this isn't the case for everyone, and that's okay too. But, judging based on that choice isn't accurate, and shouldn't ever be.

The ramifications? Being a part of society doesn't always involve knowing everything about your peers at first glance. Knowing someone is an effort required- and one that should not be shallowly calculated.

Word Count: 100

Home is Comfort

Home for many people is where they find solace and comfort. For me, my computer has become something of an extension of myself, in that it stores on it years of my life. It's a source of comfort and my own personality, since I built it myself. This can save anyone a huge amount of money and it isn't that difficult when using websites like Newegg.

The ramifications? I'm a computer nerd, and to be completely blunt- I'm proud of it. I would not be at home without my computer, and, as such, home is where my computer is.