Not Everyone Should Have a Gun

Our society has a lot of issues.  They're everywhere.  One that I want to focus on is the threat of guns.  Guns are put into the wrong hands of people all of the time.  This leads to innocent lives being taken away from heartbroken families.  I don't like that anyone can get a gun.  To get a gun, all you have to do is get a license.  A mental exam is not required for citizens to legally have a gun.  You also don't have to get a personality check.  To get a gun, I think that you should have these tests done.  The mental stability test should be given because mentally instable citizens should not be allowed to handle guns.  Someone with a gun that is mentally ill can do dangerous things.  A sad example of this would be the man that shot people in the theatre in Colorado.  Many families were left heartbroken by this tragedy.  A personality check should be done because if people with malicious tendencies are given guns, there is no telling of what they will do.  If these tests are required to get a gun, then it is possible that there will be a decrease in murders.      

7 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Turned 15

1.  Don't get into the habit of procrastinating because more time isn't promised.

When you make a habit of something, it becomes hard to stop.  When you have time, you shouldn't be lazy and put things off because that same amount of time isn't promised later.  You never know what could happen in that time period.  There could be a family emergency or another surprise that prevents you from getting things done that could have been done earlier.  Getting behind on things can cause loss of sleep, which can cause stress.  Avoiding putting things off can save you the stress of the aftermath.

2.  Build a close relationship with your family, especially your siblings.

I can honestly say that this would be my number one wish because this has caused me a lot of grief and stress that I have no business having at fifteen years old.  If you don't have a strong relationship from the beginning, then there is a very strong chance that it could get worse as years pass.  It could go either way.  For the lucky ones, a strong relationship could be the result of maturity with age, however, it could be the complete opposite for the unfortunate ones.  Therefore, if you had a strong relationship with your family from the start, it could prevent many headache-causing arguments.

3.  Bottling up your feelings never works.  If anything, it only makes things worse.

Thinking that you can keep your feelings from everyone may seem possible BEFORE your feelings start building up.  Once your feelings start building up, it feels like a weight that keeps getting heavier with every building feeling.  Believe it or not, it feels much better with people knowing than the overwhelming weight on your shoulders. 

4.  Try not to judge people before you get to know them.

I had to learn this early on in life when I used to judge people because I thought they were weird.  I learned that the coolest people are weird!  As I look back, I can honestly say that the best people that I've ever met were "weird".  I know I'm weird because sometimes my actions seem strange to people that don't know the reason behind them.  I have had to learn that it is best to judge someone by their personality instead of the surface. 

5.  Treat the people you love as if you would never see them again.

In today's world, anything can happen.  Freak accidents can happen that could take the life of someone that you love.  You should treat people you love like you'd never see them again because life is short.  When you say goodbye to someone, you should feel content that he/she knew that you loved them.

6.  If you have the power of preventing someone from making a bad decision, then do it.

If you see someone about to make a bad decision, then you should try to talk some sense into that person.  If something happens to him/her, then you would have to live with all of the guilt.  You could spend the rest of your life thinking "What if".  Thinking about what could have happened if you had done things differently wouldn't help you at all.  Therefore, helping someone to not make a bad decision would also help you.

7.  Enjoy having no responsibilities as a kid.

People say that they wish they could go back to when they were kids because they wouldn't have as many responsibilities as a kid.  That's most of the fun of being a kid!  As a child, you could play games most of the time and take naps without the worry of the responsibilities of being a teenager.  Your parents take care of you and provide for all of your needs as a kid, but then you have to grow up and start doing those things for yourself as a teenager.  It's nice to live in the moment when you have no worries or responsibilities.  It's too bad it doesn't last.     

Best Friends For Life

“What if they don’t like me?”

“They’ll love you!”

“What if they stare?”

“If they stare, it’s only because they’re curious, but too scared to talk.”

“What if I don’t make a friend?”

“Honey, stop worrying.  Everything will be alright.  I’m sure there will be one special person that will want to be your friend.”

Cheyenne looked at her mom and smiled.  She could always make her feel better with a few comforting words.  As nervous as Cheyenne was, she was going to need them. 

Today was Cheyenne’s first day back to school after the accident and the move.  She didn’t want to go, fearing the looks she would get because of her arm.  She was still getting used to the metal hook that replaced her hand.  Cheyenne hated the hook; it just reminded her of the night of the accident that took both her dad and her arm.

As Cheyenne entered the fifth grade classroom, everyone became silent. 

“Class, this is Cheyenne.  She just moved from New York and is your new classmate. You remember how you felt on your first day, so please make her feel welcome.”

Cheyenne walked to the only vacant desk located near the middle of the room and felt the eyes watching her.  She pulled her sleeve down to hide the shiny hook and kept her head down.  Her pencil slid off of her desk and onto the floor.  When she bent to retrieve it, her hook peaked out and gleamed in the light.  Frozen into place, Cheyenne glanced around to see if anyone saw.  A small boy with black hair and deep blue eyes stared back at her in wonder.  She quickly sat up and stared straight ahead until it was time for recess.

Sitting on the swing, Cheyenne started daydreaming about her dad, when the boy with the deep blue eyes sat beside her.  Instead of trying to hide her hook, she just stared back at him and noticed the scar that tilted his lip.

He said, “What happened to your hand?”

“I was in a really bad car accident.  What happened to your mouth?”

“I was born this way.  Mama says that I have a cleft lip.  I’m Daniel.”

“I’m Cheyenne.”  A few moments pass by as Cheyenne considers this boy that’s different, just like her.

“You know, I think your hook is pretty cool.  Can I touch it?”

Hesitantly, Cheyenne nods silently.

Daniel gently touches the cold metal and whispers, “Cool!” He looks up at her and says, “Since, you’re new in town, do you want to be my friend?” 

“Sure!” Smiling at her new friend, Cheyenne feels hope for the first time that things will get better.


Looking back on that day, now old with wrinkles, she still remembers it with clarity.  As she looks at Daniel, her lifetime friend and partner, she can't imagine what her life would have been like if the deep blue-eyed boy hadn't sat beside her on the swings.

The Dread of Going Back to School

Everyone has had that moment of realization that goes like "Oh, crap! I have to go back to school tomorrow!"  This moment is especially disappointing after a relaxing weekend.  This weekend, for example, was decent.  I caught up on one of my favorite shows, "The Walking Dead", ate delicious food for Thanksgiving, went shopping briefly on Black Friday, and slept in.  It was so wonderful! After a nice five-day weekend of no school, I was so disappointed to realize that I had to go back to school tomorrow.  This moment is the worst part of the weekend and happens to everyone.  No one likes waking up early in the morning, doing work that gives you a headache, dealing with irritating people, or sitting through fifty minutes of teachers droning about things that you really could care less about.  You basically sit there waiting for the bell to ring to let you know that you can go home.  You then get through school by looking forward to the upcoming weekend, just so that the whole process can repeat.  The feeling that you get when you realize all of this is going to keep happening is agonizing, at least for me.  Most of the time, I only get one day's worth of a weekend because on Sunday I have to go to church.  It's like tasting freedom just to have it snatched away from you over and over again.  It's actually kind of cruel when you think about it.  This cycle is something that we all have to endure every week. 

Driver's Ed

After waiting for so long to take driver's ed, the time finally came.  When I was finished, I thought only one thing:  Thank you, God, that it's over.  I hated it.  I think that it would have been better if I had an instructor that was more likable.  I liked the girl that I took driver's ed with because she was nice and didn't like the instructor either.  Knowing my luck, it didn't surprise me that I ended up with an annoying instructor.  When people who they're instructors were, they didn't name the person that I had.  This probably explains why their experiences weren't as bad as mine.  Because I'm not supposed to list specific names, I'm going to call this instructor "Saul" and the girl that I drove with "Tina."  I didn't like Saul because he couldn't make up his mind, he was NOT patient, and he was extremely rude.

Saul could not make up his mind to save his life.  For example, when I was driving, Saul would say, "Turn left...no, turn right because it's better...no, go ahead and turn left."  Before I did anything, I would ask, "Is that your final answer?"  He would either go with his last statement or choose something else.  This happened more than once and not with just me.  Saul did it with Tina too and I could see that it was getting to her.  One day, when Saul went into a gas station to get a drink, Tina voiced all of the complaints buzzing around in my head.  It was such a relief that she was thinking the same thing.

Saul also was NOT patient at all.  His impatience at first made me nervous and tense.  On the first day, I was already nervous enough.  Try to picture a girl that is nervous for her first day of driver's ed.  It's easy enough.  Now, try to picture a balding man with a nasally voice yelling 'what are you doing' and giving last minute instructions.  Add all of that together and you've got a nervous wreck.  Because of that bad combo, I almost hit the bumper of a car in Wal-Mart's parking lot! 

This person was way too personal.  When I was driving, he would ask if my dad lives around town.  I said that he doesn't.  Saul was all sympathetic and asked, "Is it hard? It's hard isn't it?" I said, "Not really."  That really made me angry.  Saul did something like that with Tina too.  He asked her, "Is your dad still in prison?" My mouth then dropped open.  Tina said, "Yeah, we just went to see him the other day."  When we dropped her off at her house, he started explaining her situation to me.  He explained who her dad was and why he was in prison.  That whole situation made me angry and made me wonder why he would try to embarrass someone by sharing that kind of personal information.

Honestly, no one can even begin to know how relieved I am that I don't have to see Saul anymore.  I feel bad for Tina though because he works at the school that she goes to.  I guess this is a lesson that everyone can't be courteous.

Music Response to "The Show Goes On"

This is a response to Lupe Fiasco's song, "The Show Goes On."  In this song, he talks about how he doesn't give people the satisfaction when they try to get in his head.  Fiasco sends a message to the kids in the ghetto, saying that they need to keep their heads up when hard times come their way.  He says that the world is theirs because he used to be like them and he became successful.  Fiasco says that whatever you are going through, you should keep your head up to let people know that you aren't going to give up.  He portrays that you should remember that life goes on.

I think that Lupe Fiasco wrote this song to send a message to people that are going through hardships, saying, that you shouldn't give up.  He wants people to know that even though it may seem like you won't get through your hard time, life will go on.  This artist succeeds in portraying the feeling that no one is alone because he said that he was in the same place.  It makes the listener feel empowered knowing this.  Lupe Fiasco uses rhyme and imagery.  He uses rhyme to make the words flow and imagery to make the listener picture what he is saying.  An example of the imagery that he uses is the line about slaves.  "They treat you like a slave, Put chains all on your soul and put whips up on your back" - This allows the reader to picture and relate to the pain portrayed in the words. 

Lupe Fiasco is critiquing the fact that so many people will try to bring you down when you're doing well.  He mentions this several times throughout the song.  Fiasco says that when people try to bring you down, you should shake it off and not worry about it.  This is a great song because it gives people something to relate to.  This song makes people feel as if they aren't alone and gives them confidence that they will get through whatever hard time that is happening.

Social Media Response

  This painting was created by Pawel Kuczynski in 1976.  In this illustration, there is a naked baby winding up a white dove with an olive branch and is surrounded by toy soldiers.  I think it means that there needed to be a call for peace during the Vietnam War because of all of the casualties.  I think that Kuczynski was trying to say that many children lost their fathers because of the war and that they wished that there would be no more fighting.  Kuczynski probably thought that our society was too concerned with winning the war that we forgot about the people that died in the process.

Kuczynski is succeeds in portraying the feeling of desperation because the use of the baby showed that someone had to call for peace because no one else would.  He used archetypes to explain his views because he wanted to make the viewers think of his message.  The archetypes that he used were the white dove with an olive branch and the red background.  The white dove and olive branch are a universal symbol for peace and the red means blood.  Kuczynski uses the red background to stand for the blood that was spilled during the Vietnam War. 

If you just took a passing glance at this painting, you would probably think that it looked stupid or bizarre.  Once you dig deeper and focus on the message behind the pictures, then you'll get what the artist is trying to say.  Overall, I liked this painting because it really made me think when I tried to find the meaning.