Best of Today: Outward Bound

As I walked through the halls today, I began pondering a question that pops into my mind from time to time: what would we all do if we knew everyone was watching us, and better yet, what would we dare attempt if we knew no one was looking?

Just as these questions were racing around the endless track that is my mind, someone bumped into me, accidentally knocking my Heart of Darkness book to the ground. It was that moment a few hours ago that has led me into what I believe to be my greatest insight about the book yet. Rarely in life do we do things without having the motivation to impress society, others or even ourselves. Maybe it's not the motivation for personal, private success that drives us, but rather the fear of public failure that lights a fire we can't help but get burned by.

The main character, Marlow, returns home from his ventures into the Congo only to be surprised that the world has not stopped turning. He had just been through such a life changing and extremely complex turn of events, yet now he returned to a simple life full of people he felt could not grasp the true nature and suffering that is life. He is a living witness to the atrocities that were happening during the colonization of Africa, and the horrors that the ivory trade inflicted onto the land, the people and the entire culture.

So the world doesn't stop spinning when something life-changing happens? Hmm. . . . Maybe the world doesn't have to stop rotating for us to spin around and look at the world a little differently. I can't help but think how different my life would be if I, and the rest of the world followed our heart instead of the textbook of rules that has yet to be written. I might not know where I'm going, or even how I'll get there--but from now on, I'll try not to worry. If the fire is going to catch me regardless, I might as well use it to fuel my heart instead of my insecurities. 

Blogging Around: Old Theme, New Perspective

One of my peers, Mr. Rich Kaplan, recently posted a new piece on his blog, The Kaplan Corner. His piece tells the tale of his exploration through organization. Mr. Kaplan admits to readers that organization is not something he always enjoys, yet realized it to be a useful tool when dealing with his beloved MacBook. My response to the beautifully written piece is as follows:

I absolutely adored this piece, Rich. I loved how you were able to nail down a universal theme (the struggle with organization) and yet make it personal at the same time. As a proud owner of a Macbook, I too can relate to the euphoria that is reached when one reduces and re-prioritizes the number of icons they have. What really impressed me about this piece was at how honest you were and how you were able to incorporate duality into this piece. You admitted you're not the most organized person, nor did you feel the need to be, yet you also felt a sense of relief upon organizing your laptop. This piece is quite well written, and I'm glad that you were able to not only get organized, but to share with the reader your plans to implement said organization in the future. Great job!

A little bit ago, a peer of mine (Mr. Alex Brandt) added a piece to his blog. This piece described the change in thinking that had occurred while writing his poem. Luckily for the reader, there were several changes in thinking that were clearly identified. My response to this lovely piece is as follows:

Alex, I think this piece is great! It's not always easy to identify changes in your thinking, or how you got from point A to point B, yet you've done so with ease. You've helped a reader understand the value of poetry that they (like you previously) may not have seen. I think it's really admirable that at 16, you're able to see the value in the end result as well as the process getting to said result. 
It's great to hear you talking about the power of words and their relation to politics. Maybe one day we'll get to see you implement this knowledge as an elected official! Great job, Alex!

From blog: Principal's Paradise