Metacognition: Get Organized

With the assignment of this blog, I decided to take on a huge task that I've been meaning to tackle for a while: Organizing the explosion of clothes that is my closet. While I was ready to FINALLY get the thing organized, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. My closet isn't very big, but I've managed to cram in more shirts, sweatshirts, pants, dresses, skirts, shoes, jackets, bags and other random items than you could ever imagine. My closet was literally on the verge of overflowing. I didn't use half of what was in it. I've never really felt the urge to clean up my closet, but I figured that organizing it certainly couldn't hurt.

Organizing my closet took more than two hours. Working on this project became quite a challenge. There were so many ways to approach it that I honestly didn't know where to begin. I moved everything out of my closet onto the floor of my room. Then I separated what I still used/what I still needed and what I could give away.  I stood staring at the piles of clothes and other random items for a few minutes before doing anything at all. But once I wrapped my mind around the situation, I took it one step at a time. After separating what I would keep and what I would give away, I organized everything on my floor into different categories (sweatshirts, scarves, shoes, etc.), and eventually put all of that neatly into my closet.

Despite the overwhelming feeling that I felt during the project, I felt extremely accomplished once I finished. Not only did I finally organize my closet (which my mom had been begging me to do for quite awhile), but I also filled two large bags with clothes to give away to charity, and found plenty of random items to reminisce about and be nostalgic over. I found a folder from my second grade class and read the class journal about field day and flag day. I also found a pillow case that my friends and I decorated on my 10th birthday. So, overall, this experience was both productive and enjoyable. My mind feels refreshed. As a whole, I feel more put together. How organizing a closet managed to produce these feelings, I'm not quite sure. But my life as a whole can become pretty unorganized, so my mind certainly feels more structured now that at least one thing in my life is organized. Besides finding out that my closet has a floor, this project helped me realize that cleaning things up isn't a hassle; it helps me stay organized and puts my mind at ease. This project has actually made me feel more in control. Even if the rest of my life is a stressful mess, at least I don't have to worry about finding my shoes or my sweatshirt. Organization is essential for a more orderly and productive life.

Blogging Around

In response to Alex K's blog, iMedia: Katy Perry's Powerful Pressures...Alex wrote about how Katy Perry and other artists create a "social necessity" for drugs, alcohol, and general bad behavior.

Let me start off by saying that I've honestly never thought about how something as simple and innocent as a music video could have such an impact on our society. Of course, I always hear adults and even people my own age talking about how inappropriate and horrible our pop culture and music are nowadays, but I've always just accepted the awfulness of the industry and gone along with it. Unfortunately, I must admit that I have always accepted the idea of "social necessity", probably because I've been exposed to the stuff since I was a little kid. 

Unfortunately, I must also admit that I've sung along to Katy Perry's songs and laughed at the music video for Last Friday Night on more than one occasion. Now that I've gone back and watched the video through a different set of eyes, I realize how disturbing it is that this kind of media is considered normal in our society. What's even more disturbing is that some people watching the video probably view Katy Perry as some sort of a role model, and some may want to be just like her when she breaks out of her nerdy shell and becomes "hot".
Of course, Katy Perry isn't the one to blame for this ridiculous idea of "normal" that exists in our society; it's been around for quite awhile. But that doesn't mean that stars should go along with the idea and spread it even further.


In response to Maggie H's blog, An Inconvenient Truth 24 hours...Maggie wrote about how having only 24 hours in a day is both a blessing and a curse; it keeps us from pursuing everything that we're interested in, but it allows us to become better at what we focus on.


This "inconvenient truth" is going to be my greatest downfall. I always plan my days as if I'll have unlimited time, but when it comes down to it, I'm always struggling with the clock to get things done. Some days I'll have so much planned that I won't get home until 10 or 11 PM, and then I'll be racing against the clock to get any sleep at all.

Like you, I've had to prioritize and give up things that I enjoy simply because the day runs out before I have the time to do them. Is it fair? No. But is it necessary? I think so. Without these time restrictions, fewer people would hone in on specific talents; everybody would pursue every single one of their interests and wouldn't be able to focus on just one.

Another consequence that comes with such short days: it makes it difficult for over-scheduled people (like me) to relax. Even on weekends when I try to relax, I usually look at the clock, freak out because it's already 3 or 4 PM, and then I rush around trying to do something productive because it's starting to get late and I have so much to do. We only have 48 hours in a weekend. We only have 24 hours in a day. Sometimes we go on autopilot and don't actually live each day of our lives, but it's important to enjoy every single hour.

Research: William Shakespeare

"He was not of an age, but for all time!" -Ben Jonson (1573-1637)

 Who hasn't heard of William Shakespeare? The majority of people in our society have heard of Shakespeare, and quite a few (myself included) have read at least one of Shakespeare's works, seen one of his plays, or at least seen a movie version of his plays. If you went up to a person on the street and asked them if they'd ever seen or heard of Romeo and Juliet, chances are the person would say yes. But how many people have heard of The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe or John Marston's The Malcontent? Both of these are plays written during the same time as Shakespeare's, but they are nowhere near as well known as Shakespeare's works. Almost 400 years after Shakespeare's death, his plays are still a huge part of the world's culture. I have seen a number of his plays and have read a few of them as well. I've always enjoyed his works, but lately I have begun to wonder: what gave Shakespeare the edge that made his works so famous and popular?

According to the website Shakespeare Online, one of the main reasons why Shakespeare's works have become so famous and have endured so many centuries is because of their ability to accurately portray a range of human emotions in a very simple, yet strong and beautiful way. The emotions that the characters feel are so real that we often see ourselves in the characters. We relate their struggles to our own. When we see Romeo and Juliet, the classic story of forbidden love, we see our own difficult experiences with love. When we see Benedick and Beatrice quarreling in Much Ado About Nothing, we think about our own stubborn, love-stricken friends. Shakespeare's stories are timeless and relatable. Even hundreds of years later, we can still read one of his stories and identify with the characters and the emotions that they feel. The impact of his works was not limited to one century; it lives on forever.

An article from the website Mannmuseum comments that Shakespeare's life greatly influenced his plays. Shakespeare lived a very interesting life. He lived in a large family, being the third of eight children. He learned Latin and literature in school. He got married to a woman named Annie Hathaway and had three children. William Shakespeare later became a popular actor in Elizabethan theatres, which probably greatly affected his later career as a playwright. Shakespeare was also influenced by other works from the time. For The Winter's Tale, Shakespeare got some of his characters' names from Sir Phillip Sidney's Arcadia, and the story itself was influenced by other stories of the time. Shakespeare also used a popular technique of the time called "pastoral romance," which is fictional, unreal romance. William Shakespeare, considered one of the greatest playwrights of all time, may not have become so if it weren't for the many things that influenced his writing.

Needless to say, the greatest underlying reason why Shakespeare has endured through hundreds of years is simple;  his plays are really very good.  You can get lost in his stories, connect with the characters, and feel every emotion that they feel. The language he uses is incredible, and our thoughts become intertwined with his words. In the words of Robert Graves (1895-1985), "The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good - in spite of all the people who say he is very good."


Sources
Mannmuseum: What is it that made Shakespeare so famous?
Shakespeare-Online: Why Study Shakespeare?
Elizabethan Playwrights

An Inconvenient Truth: Money Can Buy You Happiness

Ever since I can remember, I've heard people tell me that money can't buy happiness. Money can only buy you material things, and what's really important in life is having loving relationships with your friends and family. But this seems idealistic. How can you be happy if you have no money?

Money provides the basics that one needs to be happy: food, shelter, clothing, health and an education. I've heard many people say, "Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have." In my situation, this sounds like a reasonable statement. But how can we expect someone who has nothing to be happy? It's unfair for us to assume that everyone has enough to live comfortably. People whose basic necessities are not met spend their lives worrying about making ends meet and struggle to provide a decent life for themselves and their families. On the other hand, research based on Gallop polls taken around the world shows that life satisfaction is highest in the richest countries. With money, we can have some peace of mind. We know that we'll always have food on our table and a roof over our head.

Once you are financially stable and have your basic needs covered, many choices open up to you. You can get a good education, which in turn puts you in a better position to have a good career, and ultimately, helps you pursue what you love. If material things make you happy, then, with money, you are in a position to get the things that you want. If what makes you happy is helping others, then having money allows you to be altruistic and assist others in need. If what makes you happy is spending time with your family, then having money allows you to work less and spend more time with the ones you love.

So in fact, money is a prerequisite to happiness. This may sound cynical, but it's actually quite true. The inconvenient truth is, no matter how many people tell you otherwise, money CAN buy you happiness.

Captured Thought: Life is Short. Make a Difference.

“...we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.” -Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs passed away this past week. He was a visionary, he co-founded Apple, he changed the world. And he was only 56 when he passed. His work touched millions of lives and changed the way that the world operates, from the iPod in your back pocket to the laptop that you work on. His life was cut short, but he accomplished more in those 56 years than most do in 100. At 21, most people are still in college, and a lucky few have any idea of what they want to do with their lives. But at 21, Steve Jobs co-founded Apple. He didn't waste a day of his life.

Life is fleeting. We all want to make a difference in our lifetime, but very few of us actually take that desire and make it a reality. I used to think that only some people were destined to make a big difference in the world, that it had a lot to do with who you know and just sheer luck. But Steve Jobs demonstrated to me that this isn't the case. He showed me that what it really takes is hard work, perseverance, and a dream. So what's stopping us from stepping up and changing the world? In all honesty, it's probably ourselves. We forget how short life is; we become preoccupied with everyday nuisances and don't remember the big picture. But what's the point of living if we don't make any difference at all? We don't need to become billionaires to make a difference. We don't need to be world famous, we don't need to create the next iPhone. We can change lives in our own communities.

We choose what we do with our lives. We may not always feel like we have control, but ultimately, we do get to choose. If you found out that you had one month to live, would you be happy with what you're doing? Would you feel confident that you had made your mark on the world? Steve Jobs may have only lived to be 56, but he lived a full life, and he clearly left a mark on the world. Life is short, and our lives are quickly passing. Make a difference. It's our choice, "So it better be damn good. It better be worth it."

Best of Week: Clothes

Every single morning before leaving for work or for school, each of us chooses an outfit that we are going to wear that day. We may not think about it consciously, but in the back of our minds we know that people are going to be seeing us in those clothes all day, and at some point, someone will probably make a judgement about us based on what we're wearing. No matter how shallow this may sound, our clothes are almost as important as what we say and what we do when it comes to the way that we're viewed. Clothes are one way of expressing ourselves to the world.

"Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than merely to keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world's view of us...Clothes are but a symbol of something hid deep beneath" (Orlando, pages 138-139).

On an average school day, a typical outfit for me consists of a pair of jeans, a nice shirt or a tanktop, and a cardigan. What am I trying to express with that outfit? I never really think about it when I'm putting it together. But as I think about it now, I'm trying to be comfortable but I also want to look classy. On the other hand, when I wake up in the morning knowing that it's going to be a not-so-good day (if I have a test in every single class, if it's finals week, I'm sick, etc.), I dress differently. On days like that, I usually either wear sweatpants and a T-Shirt, or jeans and a sweatshirt. What am I trying to express? I'm tired, I'm stressed, and I want to be left alone to some extent. While I still want to be comfortable, dressing nicely is the last thing on my mind. 

Clothes not only affect the way that others view us, they also affect the way that we view ourselves and the way we behave. In Orlando, Orlando falls in love with a Russian girl named Sasha. Sasha wears Russian clothes which disguise her gender, to the extent where, upon their first meeting, Orlando is unsure whether she is a girl or a boy. On the very first page of the book, it is said of Orlando's gender, "...the fashion of the time did something to disguise it..." So, Sasha is dressed in a more manly way than most women of the time, and Orlando's clothing disguises his gender to some degree. From the time they meet, Orlando is wrapped around Sasha's finger. But later on, she deceives him, leaves him, and returns to Russia. In their relationship, Sasha, clad in men's clothing, takes the role of power (which the man usually takes), and Orlando is crushed as a result. 

Our outfits can change our attitude and the way we portray ourselves. When it's a special occasion and I'm wearing a fancy dress, I feel elegant and I behave in a more ladylike fashion than when I'm wearing jeans. When a man puts on a uniform, he immediately feels a sense of authority. When a person goes in for a job interview, he or she will "dress for success," hoping to project confidence and professionalism. But along with helping us express ourselves and changing our attitudes, clothing can also dictate what we can and cannot do. For example, nobody would show up to a funeral in a pair of sweatpants. Nobody would go for a jog in a party dress. In a way, we are not as free as we think when it comes to choosing what to wear. In the words of Virginia Woolf, "...It is clothes that wear us and not we them; we may make them take the mould of arm or breast, but they mould our hearts, our brains, our tongues to their liking." (138).

What If: Gender Roles

Recently in class, we've been discussing gender roles and their effects in the book Orlando. While discussing their effects in Orlando, we also began to discuss how gender roles effect our society today.

We tend to think that, compared to the time before feminism and women's rights arose, our society treats males and females pretty equally. And I guess that's true, seeing how women nowadays are allowed to work, and the majority of working women have gone to college and received a degree. But what we seem to ignore when it comes to equality between the genders is the stereotype that each gender typically takes on. These stereotypes aren't usually questioned, because they've become so common that we've learned to accept them and move on with our lives. But these stereotypes are still limiting what each gender is socially "allowed" to do.

Women are supposed to be nurturing, pretty damsels in distress. Men are supposed to be big, successful tough guys. While, of course, there are exceptions to any stereotype, most men and women in our society tend to follow these gender roles, at least to some degree. But during our discussion, I began to wonder: What if these gender roles didn't exist? What if macho men could freely have a passion for ballet? What if nurturing women could play football and obsess over their cars?

And the more I thought about it, the more questions came to my mind. How much would really change in a society without gender roles? People would be more likely to fulfill their potential without worrying about whether it would be perceived as the"right" thing to do as a man or a woman. But, would people feel lost or confused without a pre-established role to follow? Could it be that gender roles are just a part of human nature, and our society would eventually just fall back into the way that things are now? Are gender roles really so bad? In truth, it's hard to assess whether they are good or bad, since they do seem to be based on human nature. After all, since the beginning of time, men have been hunters and women have stayed home and raised the children. It's really a fact of life. So by questioning a human's ability to break through a gender role, we're really questioning the entire foundation of society.  And while I could "man up" and wrestle with that subject, I'll just let the boys take care of it. Maybe I'm better off with a pint of ice cream watching The Notebook.