Meaning

“What is the meaning of life?”

In my entire week with the Dalai Lama, every conceivable question had been asked—except this one. People had been afraid to ask the one—the really big—question. There was a brief, stunned silence at the table.
The Dalai Lama answered immediately. “The meaning of life is happiness.” He raised his finger, leaning forward, focusing on her as if she were the only person in the world. “Hard question is not, ‘What is meaning of life?’ That is easy question to answer! No, hard question is what make happiness. Money? Big house? Accomplishment? Friends? Or …” He paused. “Compassion and good heart? This is question all human beings must try to answer: What make true happiness?” He gave this last question a peculiar emphasis and then fell silent, gazing at her with a smile.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/i-took-the-dalai-lama-to-a-ski-resort-and-he-told-me-the-meaning-of-life-2014-11#ixzz3LJw4Yx1K

Whenever anyone asks me what the meaning of life is, I reply with "Life itself", and then there’s usually a long statement from the other person telling me how that is not an answer. And I then go on to ask them what the meaning of life is some say some philosophical answer that they read somewhere and others just say they don't know. I usually never get a chance to explain what I mean by my answer. In my opinion the purpose of life is to live life, now whatever meaning and whatever we choose to do with our life is up to us. No two people have the same life, it is impossible because each of our decisions have slightly different outcomes. And I agree with the Dalai Lama when he says that the hard question isn't what the meaning of life is. Because we have the answer, but the only difference would be what that word life means to us. When we specify the question to what is the meaning to life to you and only you then I believe the question gets harder.

Thankful

This post is extremely late and I do apologize, because I know everyone is wondering who I'm thankful for. I am thankful for everybody in our class because without each and every one of you guys class wouldn't be as entertaining. Getting to better understand people’s politics, morals and way of thinking has been a pleasure. But the people I will be writing about in my post would have to be Adina, and Jacqueline. They aren’t just my classmates they are my lunch buddies. And if anyone comes to 6th lunch they would hear our table singing and just laughing because we have such awesome people in our table. Adina and Jacqueline are part of that wonderful group. Adina is funny, sweet, talented, caring, she laughs at my jokes so that’s a plus. She makes me feel like I’m actually funny. She is there if you need her and we have the same taste in people, like Jemila! Jacqueline is also caring, sweet, talented, and one of a kind, she is special. I just got to really know her this year and so thankful that we got to hang out more, because I got to meet a wonderful person with a gentle heart. I'm thankful for everybody but I’m truly thankful for the new friends I've made this year.

Into the Wild- Alone

I've watched the movie twice and both times I never understood why don’t get me wrong I understand why he wanted to go away and be away from society but seriously, was it worth dying for. Dying alone with the realization that true happiness comes when you're with people. Being alone sucks, there are times when of course alone time is great, but a prolonged amount of a long time isn't healthy. I'm too scared to be alone, I've only ever gone out and eaten by myself once and that was recently. I sat down alone and ate and i didn't like it, I didn't like being that person that is by themselves. So, in trying to put myself in Chris's shoe I absolutely cannot. I have no desire to get away from society and my family. While I might not always agree with both of those I don’t think I need to run away from them, or make a big scene just to prove something. Some people might be upset by what I have to say but I think Chris was just a spoil kid that wanted to rebel against his parents and he rebelled by running away and saying that, he did it because of society.  All he really wanted was for his parents to pay attention to him.

We Still Haven't Figured This Out Yet

How is it that we still haven't figured out that, we can’t fix the whole world. Even if we could why don't we first start by fixing our things, before we decide to try and fix other peoples things. 
I don't understand why we still haven't figured out that in order for us to try and even remotely attempt to make a change we have to first make a change in the things we do. It’s my opinion that if everyone tried to first change their own life then the world would be much better place. I also don’t understand how we haven’t yet figured out that the way the educational system is set up is just bad. I realize that I have learned a lot more when I wasn’t stressed about getting an A or when I wasn’t trying to cram the next topic in my head. I seemed to retain more when I was interested, in the subject that I chose not one that I was mandated to take. It seems like as kids we have figured it all out, the solution to the educational system and it’s a great plan, but then we grow up and completely forget about trying to change it, and we subject our kids to the same system. When will we ever learn!!!!!

How Do I Know What I Know?

This is a question that thinking hard about it will make someone slightly crazy. It’s quite simple actually. Think about it this way, first name one thing that is known; to me I know that the shirt that i am wearing right now is red. Second how do I know that it’s red, well because that what the color red has always looked like that is the color that I was taught to associate with red.
 Trying to figure out what we know is simple because it has been taught to us. Since we were kids we have been taught many different things, that our parents know, and they learned it from what their parents know. And then I’m sure the question of how do the people in the beginning know what they know. Well I have an answer for that too, no one knows, and i don't really care.
Trying to answer that question is stupid because it doesn’t have an answer someone a long time ago decided that red would be red, that dark people would be called black and that things with four wheels will be called cars. Someone made that decision and because of that person or those people, we know what we now know. I think that the question of how do we know what we know, gets confused with how do we know that what we know is right.  I don’t know if what I know is correct but I know how I know it because it’s been passed down.  I know it because that’s what I’ve been told.

The Garden State

The Garden state can be taken literally or not. For me I take it literally, because if we put the entire book, Candide into the metaphor, it would make more sense especially when it comes to the point of the Utopian society. The utopian society would be the perfect garden; more like a plastic one, its perfect it’s the one everyone wants but don’t want to work on. A Garden takes time, patience, and knowledge in order to be able to grow something beautiful. The world id like a Garden the only way we can make it better, is not in believing that it would automatically water its self and cultivate itself, we have to put the effort in in order to get what we hope for. "The garden should be cultivated" can be taken to mean or imply many things; perhaps most applicably in relation to that tale, that the garden of thoughts or ideas one should cultivate sense and weed out nonsense, or that in the garden of the world, one must weed out the vile for the desirable to flourish and survive, but arguments could be made for other meanings and implications. Our “garden” is the better place we build by love. The force of that last line, “We must cultivate our garden,” is that it’s our responsibility to be learned and educated.

Candide’s Punishments, Do They Fit the Crime?

Candide has been punished many times in the book; some justified others not so much. His initial punishment that seemed to set everything in motion is getting kicked out of the castle after kissing Cunugonde. That punishment was unjust, for the fact that kissing someone isn't a big deal and being kicked out of the house was almost like over kill. The punishment was given to the wrong crime, kissing isn't bad but kissing a cousin, is just wrong and should be punished. Then he gets punished for trying to leave the army that he didn't even know he signed up for. I think this was wrong because he didn't go into it at will, he wasn't given a chose. And he should have been able to leave without consequences. Another reason i believe that Candide’s punishments don't fit the crime is because, i don't think that Candid is smart. He isn't very bright, and he is wondering around looking for his missing Cunegonde, while I’m not saying this is an excuse for him to do bad things and not get punished for it, I think that his intelligence needs to be put to question when it comes time to Judge him.