Halloween

Halloween has never been a favorite holiday of mine. I usually think of Halloween more with little kids than I do with adults. I love carving pumpkins and the other traditions most families have but I'm not a huge fan of adults acting younger than they really are, what Halloween seems an excuse for. I like the holiday simply for young children, for the opportunity for them to continue the "pure" part of the holiday.
This halloween I ate dinner with my family, worked on some college applications and went over to Brent's house to hang out with some friends. I had fun but I didn't dress up or do anything out of the ordinary, just a typical weekend.
I definately think Halloween is the least important holiday in our country, just because I really don't understand the purpose, regardless of it's history. I do believe it is a fun tradition purely for families. I have a bunch of fun memories from Halloween from my childhood.

Mrs. Micikas

I think listening to Mrs. Micikas talk was the highlight of the semester for me. It's so interesting to see the person she has become from her childhood. I really can't imagine growing up in the type of home that she did. Having no grasp of reality or moral compass when she left home and moved away is such a scary thought.

I really liked what she had to say about God and her faith. I agree with Mrs. Meyer about how it's comforting to know that someone so intelligent would choose God and the Christian faith. Listening to her struggle with God hits so close to home. Growing up a Christian, it often seems that everyone has it figured out and doubt is non-existent in a relationship with God. Seeing one of the most faithful people I know talk about her dramatic experience with Him is really comforting in a way. It's reassuring that God will never let you go, no matter what you've been through, and she is living proof of that.

The Voysey Inheritance

Overall, I enjoyed our trip to the Denver Center of Performing Arts. I thought the tour before the play was the most interesting. It was cool to see the process and how much work really goes into a play. I never realized how much thought and planning it takes for a show to be successful.

I wasn't really happy with the actual play. Although I thought the acting was really good, the story line was very hard to follow. It would have been nice to know more about the play, like the background information, beforehand. Because it was so much dialogue and so many characters, it was hard for me to keep track of everything. Too many characters were introduced too soon in the play and the ending was very unclear. I felt like nothing was really resolved in the end.

I think it's interesting to see that it is very relevant to us. Even though the play was set in the 1900s, many schemes and "deals" happen more today than they probably did back then. I also think it is not considered as big of a deal now as it was then, which shows the track of our society.

Homecoming

Homecoming has always been one of my favorite events at DC. I think it's cool to see both students and teachers work together on activities that doesn't include our usual academic routine. Especially coming from a public school, I really appreciate and love the school spirit and energy that goes into the week and homecoming game. Homecoming builds community, within the school and out of it and going to a smaller school allows everyone to get involved. Having to come together as a grade to create a mural or decorate a hallway builds friendships and promotes teamwork. It's also cool to see alumni throughout the week and at the game, the true meaning of homecoming.
Being part of a long tradition and seeing families come together to take part is one of my favorite aspects of Denver Christian.

Movie Review

Slumdog Millionaire 

This movie portrays poverty in India today. It not only showed the extent of the poverty in the country but the extent of the rich. There seems to be extremes, not a lot of middle class people. In the story, a group of three children from the slums were taken by a child trafficker. The story follows the children throughout their lives. The worldview for this movie is related to working hard and never trusting others for anything. After working hard, one may never get anything back in return. Your home or "turf" should always be protected, no matter who or what you have to go against to protect it.

I agree with this worldview. The world is a bad place and having too high of expectations or trust for anyone could put you in great pain. Depending on only God and yourself to accomplish great things will never let you down. 

Emotional Battle

In 1969, psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross outlined the 5 stages of the dying process -- denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. She believes that suicide is wrong for terminally ill patients. She explains that "Lots of my dying patients say they grow in bounds and leaps, and finish all the unfinished business. [But assisting a suicide is] cheating them of these lessons, like taking a student out of school before final exams. That's not love, it's projecting your own unfinished business." Giving up too soon for these patients would give up the healthy process that sometimes brings the ultimate meaning to one's life.

I have always thought of the families' emotional battle with a terminally ill person, not necessarily the patients themselves. It makes sense to me that suicide would cut this emotional process short and I believe it is necessary but I also think prolonging a life could bring a great amount of suffering. I wonder which is more important.

Euthanasia in Athens

In Athens, magistrates kept a supply of poison for those who wished to die. The person wishing to commit suicide was required to plead their cause before the senate and obtain official permission. The guidelines were clear:

"Whoever no longer wishes to live shall state his reason to the Senate, and after having received permission shall abandon life. If your existence is hateful to you, die; if you are overwhelmed by fate, drink the hemlock. If you bowed with grief, abandon life. Let the unhappy man recount his misfortune, let the magistrate supply him with the remedy, and his wretchedness will come to an end." 

These "guidelines" really surprise me. It seems harsh to not only have the officials tell healthy people to kill themselves if they are not happy but to also give them the ways to do so. I wonder how the people of that time reacted to this.

Song Analysis

Hallelujah-Jeff Buckley

I like this song because it's difficult to figure out. It talks about God, music and love. The references to the women in this song are said to be about women in the Bible and their story. Musically, this song is acoustic and fairly simple which i appreciate, especially since the lyrics are so strong.

My favorite line from anything I've ever read is in this song, "Love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah..." To me, it explains my life and what I've experienced with all kinds of love. It explains that love is never perfect, whether it's love in a relationship, with God, family or friends. Love is always hard, broken, cold but perfect in it's imperfection. I think this song explains that.

i heard there was a secret chord 
that david played and it pleased the lord 
but you don't really care for music, do you 
well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth 
the minor fall and the major lift 
the baffled king composing hallelujah 
hallelujah... 
well your faith was strong but you needed proof 
you saw her bathing on the roof 
her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you 
she tied you to her kitchen chair 
she broke your throne and she cut your hair 
and from your lips she drew the hallelujah 
hallelujah... 
baby i've been here before 
i've seen this room and i've walked this floor 
i used to live alone before i knew you 
i've seen your flag on the marble arch 
but love is not a victory march 
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah 
hallelujah... 
well there was a time when you let me know 
what's really going on below 
but now you never show that to me do you 
but remember when i moved in you 
and the holy dove was moving too 
and every breath we drew was hallelujah 
well, maybe there's a god above 
but all i've ever learned from love 
was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you 
it's not a cry that you hear at night 
it's not somebody who's seen the light 
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah 
hallelujah...