Why do we do the crazy things we do?

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Pandora current song: Breathe In, Frou Frou

Self-presentation and perception. This is a major theme of thought in peoples’ minds whether directly or indirectly. What we do, how we do it, what we wear, what we say is all a part of identity for ourselves in others’ minds. It is in our culture to come up with excuses for things done wrong. Who wants to take the blame and be the dimwit who made the mistake, especially if it wasn’t even our fault? Humility and honor is a characteristic we put on the shelf when we really need it most. Yet, it is good for our identity to admit mistakes and show our vulnerability. Actions we take also account for our impression on others. If we trip on a root or stumble as we walk, we look back, say “Oops,” laugh it off, and then keep walking. If we didn’t look back, people would think we were strange. Another example is when we forget things. We start walking to our destination and when we remember what we forgot, we snap our fingers, and say, “Oh crap,” or other choice words. If you just saw someone walk by and then all of a sudden turn around in the opposite direction without any indication of a mistake, again we would think something was strange about that person. In both instances, people most likely are not paying that close attention to you, but ultimately we are all observant people. If something out of the norm occurs, our eyes follow that.

To be good or to be bad - that is the ethical question

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Pandora current song: I Go Back, by Kenny Chesney

Ethics play a big role in every decision people make on a daily basis. They are principles and morals that govern the appropriate conduct of an individual or group. Throughout my life, I’ve been a prime target for others to harass me based on my leadership techniques. Honestly, I should be used to it, but I am also one who HATES it when others are frustrated with me. I do everything in my power to make everyone else happy before I ever care to worry about myself. Sure I get run over in the process, which is probably why I’m an easy target with my submissive personality waving the white flag.

I know a lot of you who know me are thinking, “no way is she submissive. She sticks to her opinions and no one can come close to blasting those walls down.” I never said I wasn’t stubborn. However, I also have learned to pick my battles and only stick up for issues that mean something to me or for the greater good of a community or even more, the world.

Like I said before, I always loved my sorority, but it didn’t always love me back. The ethical climate would have received low marks during certain “reins” throughout my time on campus. People in power abused it by making decisions they shouldn’t have, but also belittled those they didn’t particularly like. Sounds petty, but true. However, we see it in everyday life. Those with power or titles use it to their advantage and screw the “peons” in the process, while they gain more and more.

One semester in my sorority, I was taken aside almost every week to be down graded and nit picked for every weakness or fault. It was humiliating and frustrating. Want to know why? Well let me tell you...

The Difficult Lesson of Learning to Accept Differences

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Pandora current song: Variations, by David Nevue

Opposites tend to fascinate us because they add variety to life and pull us from our comfortable rut of familiarity. Opposites stretch us beyond ourselves, forcing us to broaden our horizons and provide opportunities for growth. It’s from them that we learn our most difficult lessons. They expose us to thoughts, feelings, and experiences that are foreign to us. So why don't we accept people who are "different" from us more often?

I once had a student who asked me why he did things so differently. “Will things fall slowly into place and make me the best man I can be for I have not been influenced by the words and actions of others who are unaware that they may be living the standard prepackaged life that has been put upon by them by some influence? Or am I stubborn, stupid and blind for that is how life is suppose to be lived and happiness can only be achieved not by dreaming but by doing what we should do and not what we were born to do?”