Reflections of a Child

This week ought to be a time of remembrance.  223 years ago today,  George Washington laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol, a magnificent symbol of our nation.  Yesterday some of us celebrated the 229th anniversary of our Constitution, something that is often forgotten in the shadow of Independence Day, though it is of much greater importance in my opinion. On September 13th, 1932, Gandhi started a fast to protest Caste separation, which was a terrible form of discrimination, akin to the discrimination that still plaques the world. And of course, a week ago many of us joined in saying that, "We Will Never Forget", the atrocities committed on 9/11.  But how many of us can truly say that we have never forgotten, or never will forget 9/11? I know that I for one, have forgotten that day many times, possibly because I was too young to realize the full import of the events. But in a deeper sense, I feel that we have really forgotten the mo...

If you made less than 12,000 dollars this year, than you would be considered an individual in poverty; that is to say, you would be considered extremely poor (US Census Bureau). Poverty is caused in many ways. From weak educational backgrounds to drug addictions, poverty has affected many lives for the worse. Impoverished individuals experience a lower standard of living than those above the poverty line, which causes significant negative effects to their emotional stability, physical health, and their ability to function in society. In order for the problem of poverty to be properly addressed, people first need to become aware of the magnitude of the issue, and then give support to groups and programs which are already fighting it. Poverty spreads far and wide, and it touches every life in some way or another. According to the World Bank, nearly 15 percent of the global population lives below the international poverty line (The World Bank). That means that just under 500 million peo...

People are strange. Throughout all the ages of man, armies have wasted their lives going to war over things as frivolous as an apple as well as many who kill themselves and others in the name of a divine being that they have never even seen. At the same time, many heroes have given their lives in protecting liberty and standing up for justice and freedom. What could cause people to make decisions such as these? The ancient Greeks believed that there was a part within each of us that caused us to make irrational decisions like these. This was called Thymos. Plato wrote extensively on the topic. He said that all forms of society are born from this philosophy of Thymos, and I agree. Upon examination we can find that political initiative, the life blood of a free society, flows from the attributes of Thymos. Likewise, if we do not control this place within, we will develop a weaker more tyrannical society. The Thymos that dwells within each of us is the seat of our passions. It has...

Walking down the streets of a large city, you look around. What do you see? You see the towering buildings touching the sky. You see the extensive infrastructure and expensive cars stretching on into eternity. Towering above our meager lives, society casts a long shadow across the earth. Now take a step back. Look a little bit closer. Beneath the shadows of every immense building, and on the corner of every busy street you can find something much smaller, but ever so much more important. Lurking in the shadows there are the people who have been cast aside by this massive society. The poor, sick, needy masses who are left on the corner of a road pleading, pleading for someone to show them the smallest compassion. But day after day, they are tossed aside by people who see a world no deeper than their own selfish desires. Two years ago, a tiny girl stepped onto a street corner under the shadow of the selfish city. She was not homeless, not in need, not there to beg for compassion....