Going to college is intended to be an educational experience. Who knew that the education would begin before you got there.
The lesson that I am getting right now is one in patience. The University of Wisconsin is going to get back to me before January 15th, but they do not tell me how much before that the decision will come. It could be today. It could be tomorrow. It could be January 15 exactly.
I am someone who loves to plan. I like to plan ahead what I will do when, how I will do things, and every detail kept in order. Not knowing what your options are, however, really impacts your ability to plan. Wisconsin is teaching me to have pateince, to sit by and wait while a decision is made for me.
Between now and then, I will check my email somewhere close to 1000 times. I will do everything to keep myself busy, as if to make myself feel like I have a say. But overall, Wisconsin is teaching me one of the most valuable lessons it will teach me, whether I attend or not. Just got to stay patient.
“All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope” Alexandre Dumas Pere
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
January 1st
Today is the first day of a new year. It is also the beginning of my next journey into blogging.
Last year, I posted almost every week, each time on a different topic. This exercised my ability to come up with engaging information to talk about, and allowed me to come up with ways to experess myself both for others and for my own benefit.
This year, I want to try something different. Rather than a weekly post that is many paragraphs long, I want to attempt a daily post. These posts will be shorter most of the time, sometimes being only two or three sentences while other times reaching to multiple paragraphs. THis will allow me to work on stretching my creativity to allow me to observe what goes on around me and to find the value in the most often mundane.
I will post in this fashion every night for the first part of the year, and reflect back on it in June to reflect and adapt based on my experiences.
I will also close every post with a quote that is moving to me in some way or another.
Last year, I posted almost every week, each time on a different topic. This exercised my ability to come up with engaging information to talk about, and allowed me to come up with ways to experess myself both for others and for my own benefit.
This year, I want to try something different. Rather than a weekly post that is many paragraphs long, I want to attempt a daily post. These posts will be shorter most of the time, sometimes being only two or three sentences while other times reaching to multiple paragraphs. THis will allow me to work on stretching my creativity to allow me to observe what goes on around me and to find the value in the most often mundane.
I will post in this fashion every night for the first part of the year, and reflect back on it in June to reflect and adapt based on my experiences.
I will also close every post with a quote that is moving to me in some way or another.
“The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.” Don Williams Jr.
Monday, December 27, 2010
The Recap
After almost 365 days, 42 posts, and a plethora of words, my blogging experiment comes to its final deadline. I, almost one year ago, decided to embark on a journey to blog every Sunday night, one post each week, about different topics that I found pertinent and meaningful.
This adventure was first designed to be an opportunity for me to experience a new form of media communications. My father suggested it to me as a way for me to share some of my ideas and allow my creativity to form an actual learning experience for myself and for others.
Now, after spending countless hours thinking up, writing, and posting these stories, I would have to say the experience was a success. I learned a great deal about how to communicate my thoughts and emotions, and attempting to say my words in a way that will convey my message while refraining from insult or injury to others.
This wasn't always easy. There were times when my posts caused people to get upset, and this was an excellent learning opportunity for myself as well. I had to learn quickly after my first real post that not everyone is going to agree with everything you have to say, but that it is important to say things so as to start conversations, rather than arguments.
I have wanted to be a Rabbi during much of the time that I have been posting these blogs. The opportunity to have this page as a form of pulpit, to practice writing as if it were for a sermon, was an excellent insight into the struggle that not only Rabbis but educators of all kinds undertake in an attempt to inspire others. I allowed the blog to educate me in the same way I hoped to educate others. In fact, I used the experience of blogging as a topic for two different college essays, which I hope will have some positive influence on my acceptance.
My favorite story pertaining to a blog posting was when I received a private message after the publication of one of my ideas. I don't remember what the exact post was about, but a member of my community who had been dealing with a particularly bad situation, who I had not spoken to for quite a while, wrote to me in a private facebook message. This person shared that he/she believed that my post had helped this person to see things from a different perspective, and that they had had a positive shift in thought process after having read one of my posts. Now this was coming from someone who I had believed wished to have nothing more to do with me, or with anyone who I was close with. The fact that they were willing to read my blog at all, let alone be moved by it, was emotional for me on a very meaningful level.
Another story of my blogging came during one of my classes at school. A fellow student of mine, who almost never interacts positively with anyone else, was talking with some friends. He was frequently disruptive, and he and I generally didn't get along well. At one point in his conversation, he brought up some topic (again I forget which, but it isn't important). Then, in passing, he commented on something that I had said in my posting the night before, and brought up the fact that he liked what I was saying and agreed with it. This was very meaningful to me because this meant that people I had no idea were even reading my blog were actually doing so, and learning from it as well.
Throughout this journey, many people have helped me in my posting. From my parents and grandparents who read every post and asked supportive questions, to my best friend who always kept me on schedule and even reposted to his own facebook page, I couldn't have come up with the end result I did without their help.
Even though I had no idea where it would take me, the year long experiment was enough of a success for me to continue. I will continue to post blogs through the coming year, although the format and style of posting will change come January 1. I am excited to learn from my past blogging and continue to grow and develop as a writer, speaker, and human being.
I hope that the Zoot Perspective has somehow impacted you positively. If you have ever enjoyed this blog, please feel free to comment on it either on this page or on facebook. I also encourage you to send me a private message if you would like to share a more personal connection with the postings I have shared.
B'Shalom V'Ahavah (With peace and love)
AZ
This adventure was first designed to be an opportunity for me to experience a new form of media communications. My father suggested it to me as a way for me to share some of my ideas and allow my creativity to form an actual learning experience for myself and for others.
Now, after spending countless hours thinking up, writing, and posting these stories, I would have to say the experience was a success. I learned a great deal about how to communicate my thoughts and emotions, and attempting to say my words in a way that will convey my message while refraining from insult or injury to others.
This wasn't always easy. There were times when my posts caused people to get upset, and this was an excellent learning opportunity for myself as well. I had to learn quickly after my first real post that not everyone is going to agree with everything you have to say, but that it is important to say things so as to start conversations, rather than arguments.
I have wanted to be a Rabbi during much of the time that I have been posting these blogs. The opportunity to have this page as a form of pulpit, to practice writing as if it were for a sermon, was an excellent insight into the struggle that not only Rabbis but educators of all kinds undertake in an attempt to inspire others. I allowed the blog to educate me in the same way I hoped to educate others. In fact, I used the experience of blogging as a topic for two different college essays, which I hope will have some positive influence on my acceptance.
My favorite story pertaining to a blog posting was when I received a private message after the publication of one of my ideas. I don't remember what the exact post was about, but a member of my community who had been dealing with a particularly bad situation, who I had not spoken to for quite a while, wrote to me in a private facebook message. This person shared that he/she believed that my post had helped this person to see things from a different perspective, and that they had had a positive shift in thought process after having read one of my posts. Now this was coming from someone who I had believed wished to have nothing more to do with me, or with anyone who I was close with. The fact that they were willing to read my blog at all, let alone be moved by it, was emotional for me on a very meaningful level.
Another story of my blogging came during one of my classes at school. A fellow student of mine, who almost never interacts positively with anyone else, was talking with some friends. He was frequently disruptive, and he and I generally didn't get along well. At one point in his conversation, he brought up some topic (again I forget which, but it isn't important). Then, in passing, he commented on something that I had said in my posting the night before, and brought up the fact that he liked what I was saying and agreed with it. This was very meaningful to me because this meant that people I had no idea were even reading my blog were actually doing so, and learning from it as well.
Throughout this journey, many people have helped me in my posting. From my parents and grandparents who read every post and asked supportive questions, to my best friend who always kept me on schedule and even reposted to his own facebook page, I couldn't have come up with the end result I did without their help.
Even though I had no idea where it would take me, the year long experiment was enough of a success for me to continue. I will continue to post blogs through the coming year, although the format and style of posting will change come January 1. I am excited to learn from my past blogging and continue to grow and develop as a writer, speaker, and human being.
I hope that the Zoot Perspective has somehow impacted you positively. If you have ever enjoyed this blog, please feel free to comment on it either on this page or on facebook. I also encourage you to send me a private message if you would like to share a more personal connection with the postings I have shared.
B'Shalom V'Ahavah (With peace and love)
AZ
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Uneeded Force Competitions
I now work at a sports bar, which I love. I love the human interactions that it comes with, and getting the opportunity to work with people of a wide variety of backgrounds and personalities is fascinating, and a fantastic life-experience. I honestly think that this experience will do better for me in understanding of the working world than any I have had thus far in my life.
At work on Saturday night, we had a UFC fight night. We payed for the ability to play the fight on our televisions, and geared up for a crazy night. Crazy we got. We had every table packed multiple times across the night. What began as a regular Saturday night crowd quickly turned into one giant group, no one leaving their seat, all staying for what seemed like the duration of the evening. This was, again, a great experience for me, as I got to work under a whole new set of conditions that I had never experienced before.
Then the fight began. I had never watched a UFC fight. I had only heard or read the end result on ESPN.com the day after. Wow. What an eye opener. The fact that thousands of people were paying to watch two grown men beat the living snot out of one another was not a little disturbing.
I found the entire fight to be somewhat sickening. The way that the two fighters were going at it was a whole new form of cruelty. It looked as though there were no rules to the match, and I'm sure there were few, if any at all. The pure brutality of the fighting was appalling in the society in which the media is now creating, because it seems so often as though we are being cushioned and sheltered from some of the nasty things in the world.
I also believe that the fight was very contradictory to the moral standards that we are striving for as a society. I would like to believe that we are striving to better ourselves with the actions we pursue, and this form of entertainment does not jive well with it. We need to ensure that our actions and our words are coinciding, and, when we take such pleasure in seeing this kind of violence, we are not doing as good a job as we intend.
At work on Saturday night, we had a UFC fight night. We payed for the ability to play the fight on our televisions, and geared up for a crazy night. Crazy we got. We had every table packed multiple times across the night. What began as a regular Saturday night crowd quickly turned into one giant group, no one leaving their seat, all staying for what seemed like the duration of the evening. This was, again, a great experience for me, as I got to work under a whole new set of conditions that I had never experienced before.
Then the fight began. I had never watched a UFC fight. I had only heard or read the end result on ESPN.com the day after. Wow. What an eye opener. The fact that thousands of people were paying to watch two grown men beat the living snot out of one another was not a little disturbing.
I found the entire fight to be somewhat sickening. The way that the two fighters were going at it was a whole new form of cruelty. It looked as though there were no rules to the match, and I'm sure there were few, if any at all. The pure brutality of the fighting was appalling in the society in which the media is now creating, because it seems so often as though we are being cushioned and sheltered from some of the nasty things in the world.
I also believe that the fight was very contradictory to the moral standards that we are striving for as a society. I would like to believe that we are striving to better ourselves with the actions we pursue, and this form of entertainment does not jive well with it. We need to ensure that our actions and our words are coinciding, and, when we take such pleasure in seeing this kind of violence, we are not doing as good a job as we intend.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Blacker than we thought
Happy thanksgiving everyone. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and found it to be a peaceful rest from the craziness of this time of year. Who would have known it was a harbinger for even more craziness.
Craziness is what occurred at 12, 3, 5, or 7 in the morning the following day, Friday. Friday after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday," a day on which consumers flock to stores to get the hot new deals and sales that companies offer for only a few short hours.
Black Friday started early this year. Usually, early is at 5 in the morning. Sometimes early is at 3 in the morning. Unusually, midnight is early. This year, however, we saw a whole new act of crazy. Stores began to open during the Thanksgiving holiday in an attempt to get even more shoppers to flock to their stores. The advertisers couldn't even wait until the single day on the calendar dedicated completely and entirely to them, but they also had to bleed over into the only day a year dedicated to thankfulness.
I see something vividly wrong with putting Thanksgiving and Black Friday next to each other on the calendar. Lets set up a full parallel. On one side, we have the day during which we are supposed to spend the day basking in all that is great about the lives that we live. We are supposed to acknowledge just how good we have it in life and to be happy with what we have. Now, on the other hand, we are supposed to sprint to the stores, fight in the aisles of stores, wait in hours long lines, and argue and heckle over prices just so that we may accumulate more STUFF. We aren't buying any prayer books here people (although I apologize if religious items were on your wish list). We were buying TVs, jewelry, appliances, and clothing.
The spirit of the holidays that of giving, and I understand that. Black Friday is most often about buying for others, about getting our holiday shopping list done for all of those people who we want to buy gifts for. That is admirable, that we are spending our time and money on others. Still, though, I am still critical of the day for a number of reasons. The first is that not all shopping is so benevolent. Much of it is just as selfish as on any other day of the year: going to get the hot deal so that we can get things for ourselves. Another reason is that I do not believe it is an emergency to good things for others. You don't need to rush out and cut short your day of thanksgiving to buy stuff for other people. We need to make sure that we are giving one of our most important holidays its due, and giving it entirely.
I am just as guilty of Black Friday spending. I purchased a new watch at a store for a mind-blowing price. I was pleased. My new watch makes me happy. But I did it at 2 in the afternoon, the day after I had celebrated all that I already had.
We can be consumers looking for the best deals, but we need to make sure that we are getting the important days in order. Thanksgiving is not merely a holiday that we have to get around simply so that we can get to Black Friday. It is, rather, one of our most important national celebrations, and should be given respect as such.
Craziness is what occurred at 12, 3, 5, or 7 in the morning the following day, Friday. Friday after Thanksgiving is known as "Black Friday," a day on which consumers flock to stores to get the hot new deals and sales that companies offer for only a few short hours.
Black Friday started early this year. Usually, early is at 5 in the morning. Sometimes early is at 3 in the morning. Unusually, midnight is early. This year, however, we saw a whole new act of crazy. Stores began to open during the Thanksgiving holiday in an attempt to get even more shoppers to flock to their stores. The advertisers couldn't even wait until the single day on the calendar dedicated completely and entirely to them, but they also had to bleed over into the only day a year dedicated to thankfulness.
I see something vividly wrong with putting Thanksgiving and Black Friday next to each other on the calendar. Lets set up a full parallel. On one side, we have the day during which we are supposed to spend the day basking in all that is great about the lives that we live. We are supposed to acknowledge just how good we have it in life and to be happy with what we have. Now, on the other hand, we are supposed to sprint to the stores, fight in the aisles of stores, wait in hours long lines, and argue and heckle over prices just so that we may accumulate more STUFF. We aren't buying any prayer books here people (although I apologize if religious items were on your wish list). We were buying TVs, jewelry, appliances, and clothing.
The spirit of the holidays that of giving, and I understand that. Black Friday is most often about buying for others, about getting our holiday shopping list done for all of those people who we want to buy gifts for. That is admirable, that we are spending our time and money on others. Still, though, I am still critical of the day for a number of reasons. The first is that not all shopping is so benevolent. Much of it is just as selfish as on any other day of the year: going to get the hot deal so that we can get things for ourselves. Another reason is that I do not believe it is an emergency to good things for others. You don't need to rush out and cut short your day of thanksgiving to buy stuff for other people. We need to make sure that we are giving one of our most important holidays its due, and giving it entirely.
I am just as guilty of Black Friday spending. I purchased a new watch at a store for a mind-blowing price. I was pleased. My new watch makes me happy. But I did it at 2 in the afternoon, the day after I had celebrated all that I already had.
We can be consumers looking for the best deals, but we need to make sure that we are getting the important days in order. Thanksgiving is not merely a holiday that we have to get around simply so that we can get to Black Friday. It is, rather, one of our most important national celebrations, and should be given respect as such.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The boy who lived again, and again, and again
Harry Potter hysteria went up this past week, with ridiculous numbers of "pot"heads rushing to theaters to see the first part of the final chapter of the epic saga. I too was part of the rush to see the beginning of the end for "the boy who lived," and was not disappointed. Incredible effects, brilliant cinematography and a good plot line made for a great movie.
One thing I noticed while watching however, was the simplicity of the plot. Harry Potter is, at its most basic, a simple story of racism. Instead of the color of one's skin being the symbol for prejudice, the ability to use magic is instead. Voldemort (or rather, he who shall not be named) is simply a glorified white supremacist, a Nazi, a KKK member. All while missing his nose.
Voldemort develops a following of those who do not believe the "other" group is worthy of equal rights. They form an exclusive group to work together to terrorize the non-believers, and to make the lives miserable of all who do not agree with or act like them.
Harry is an exact representation of a freedom fighter. He, the underdog, the one who should have been dead before he even got started, is the only one who can vanquish the evil of prejudice. He, the young man, holds all the power. He is, of course, depicted as bold, brave, fearless, and most of all modest, all while standing up against great danger and fear to defend what he thinks is right.
J.K. Rowling is very talented at crafting a story. She didn't, however, make up the idea. In fact, she wasn't even born when the idea was first used. People have been being killed and tortured for their differences since before anyone can remember, and J.K. Rowling is simply talented enough to write about it and make an excruciating amount of money from it.
Everyone who has bought into the HP phenomenon now has a social obligation. Yeah, that's right. Rowling tricked you. Now that she has you addicted, you have the obligation to be the next Harry Potter. No, race isn't as big of an issue today, although some races are just as abused. This connects much more to the obligation to stand up. Stand up against those who seek to destroy the dreams and hopes of others. Stand up for those who may have no idea that they are oppressed, but simply know that they are suffering. You don't need to wave a wand to create magic. Magic can appear in our daily actions, our weekly behavior, and our yearly commitment to doing what is right to benefit the community as a whole.
It may sound as though this is a giant tangent from the Harry Potter topic that was going on earlier. It really isn't. The story, as creative as it is, boils down simply to even the most famous book of our generation contains the same ideas that have been plaguing us for centuries, and it is our job, as this current movement to fix them.
May we have strength as we do so.
One thing I noticed while watching however, was the simplicity of the plot. Harry Potter is, at its most basic, a simple story of racism. Instead of the color of one's skin being the symbol for prejudice, the ability to use magic is instead. Voldemort (or rather, he who shall not be named) is simply a glorified white supremacist, a Nazi, a KKK member. All while missing his nose.
Voldemort develops a following of those who do not believe the "other" group is worthy of equal rights. They form an exclusive group to work together to terrorize the non-believers, and to make the lives miserable of all who do not agree with or act like them.
Harry is an exact representation of a freedom fighter. He, the underdog, the one who should have been dead before he even got started, is the only one who can vanquish the evil of prejudice. He, the young man, holds all the power. He is, of course, depicted as bold, brave, fearless, and most of all modest, all while standing up against great danger and fear to defend what he thinks is right.
J.K. Rowling is very talented at crafting a story. She didn't, however, make up the idea. In fact, she wasn't even born when the idea was first used. People have been being killed and tortured for their differences since before anyone can remember, and J.K. Rowling is simply talented enough to write about it and make an excruciating amount of money from it.
Everyone who has bought into the HP phenomenon now has a social obligation. Yeah, that's right. Rowling tricked you. Now that she has you addicted, you have the obligation to be the next Harry Potter. No, race isn't as big of an issue today, although some races are just as abused. This connects much more to the obligation to stand up. Stand up against those who seek to destroy the dreams and hopes of others. Stand up for those who may have no idea that they are oppressed, but simply know that they are suffering. You don't need to wave a wand to create magic. Magic can appear in our daily actions, our weekly behavior, and our yearly commitment to doing what is right to benefit the community as a whole.
It may sound as though this is a giant tangent from the Harry Potter topic that was going on earlier. It really isn't. The story, as creative as it is, boils down simply to even the most famous book of our generation contains the same ideas that have been plaguing us for centuries, and it is our job, as this current movement to fix them.
May we have strength as we do so.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Pushing it around
The topic of bullying has taken the country by storm in the past few months. Almost every school, youth group, club, and social organization has discussed the numerous deaths this year due to bullying related incidents, many because of homosexuality.
This past weekend, I participated in a program through my youth group discussing bullying and what forms it takes, along with many ideas about how it happens, why it happens, and how best to stop it. These experiences inspired me to write down my thoughts from the conversation in a post.
First of all, bullying has evolved as I have gotten older. It used to be a physical thing, making one kid actually feel physically intimidated by another. One kid was bigger, thus better at football, thus the kid who could exert influence over anyone else. Now, bullying isn't even seen through the term "bullying". Instead, teasing, harassment, hazing, and a plethora of other synonyms pepper society. All in all, the terms may change but the feelings are the same: the horrible feeling of not being loved, not being accepted, and not being good enough.
Whether or not it was recent or more in the past, everyone has been on either the giving end or receiving end of bullying at some point in their lives. The fact that it is so common should, in theory, lead to its demise. It is not, however, so easy to buck the trend and to get over the social tendency to make other feel bad in favor of a more positive environment. Unfortunately, all too often people see these types of acts as needing vengeance, and therefore pay it forward in a negative way, rather than doing the right thing and braking the chain.
The easiest type of bullying to do and the hardest to break is the act of doing nothing. When we sit back and let other people get bullied or harassed, we are just as guilty of the pain that that person suffers as the person actually doing the bullying. It isn't easy to stand up to someone who is tormenting someone else. There is a fear sometimes that the person will turn their attack on you, instead of the original target. Despite this, we need to be the bigger person in these situations and take a stand against those who attempt to break down the community that we try so hard to build up.
It is each of our jobs to stop this behavior in its tracks. No longer is it acceptable to stand idly by and watch others be put down, hurt, and emotionally beaten for any reason at all, whether it be because of race, sexual orientation, religious view, or simply who they are and what they enjoy doing. We are the generation that will stop this sort of behavior and instead build communities that encourage everyone to become better, to live together happily and to be truly happy. This might sound idealistic, but if we don't try to make ideal situations realities, the only one who we are beating is ourselves.
This past weekend, I participated in a program through my youth group discussing bullying and what forms it takes, along with many ideas about how it happens, why it happens, and how best to stop it. These experiences inspired me to write down my thoughts from the conversation in a post.
First of all, bullying has evolved as I have gotten older. It used to be a physical thing, making one kid actually feel physically intimidated by another. One kid was bigger, thus better at football, thus the kid who could exert influence over anyone else. Now, bullying isn't even seen through the term "bullying". Instead, teasing, harassment, hazing, and a plethora of other synonyms pepper society. All in all, the terms may change but the feelings are the same: the horrible feeling of not being loved, not being accepted, and not being good enough.
Whether or not it was recent or more in the past, everyone has been on either the giving end or receiving end of bullying at some point in their lives. The fact that it is so common should, in theory, lead to its demise. It is not, however, so easy to buck the trend and to get over the social tendency to make other feel bad in favor of a more positive environment. Unfortunately, all too often people see these types of acts as needing vengeance, and therefore pay it forward in a negative way, rather than doing the right thing and braking the chain.
The easiest type of bullying to do and the hardest to break is the act of doing nothing. When we sit back and let other people get bullied or harassed, we are just as guilty of the pain that that person suffers as the person actually doing the bullying. It isn't easy to stand up to someone who is tormenting someone else. There is a fear sometimes that the person will turn their attack on you, instead of the original target. Despite this, we need to be the bigger person in these situations and take a stand against those who attempt to break down the community that we try so hard to build up.
It is each of our jobs to stop this behavior in its tracks. No longer is it acceptable to stand idly by and watch others be put down, hurt, and emotionally beaten for any reason at all, whether it be because of race, sexual orientation, religious view, or simply who they are and what they enjoy doing. We are the generation that will stop this sort of behavior and instead build communities that encourage everyone to become better, to live together happily and to be truly happy. This might sound idealistic, but if we don't try to make ideal situations realities, the only one who we are beating is ourselves.
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