My Passion......History

So I'm really sorry that I have not had time to blog, believe me I am very mad at myself. I decided that because I'm sharing what I love, I might as well share why I'm at school. I want to teach US History and this is my first college history essay! You really don't have to read this if you want to but it's something I'm very passionate about. Enjoy and I will post something more interesting this week......Promise!

Why Should I Care What the Dead Did?

            Although many people do not often consider what our forefathers and ancestors did, history can teach many lessons. If we look back at past accomplishments and mistakes, we can learn a significant amount about the past, but also about our future and how to change it for the better. In order to fully appreciate “what the dead did”, society needs to look at the mistakes made, to learn from them, and take heed from warnings. Also, we must grow and learn from what “the dead” discovered in order to make our future a better place.

            History can show us the mistakes that people have made and how we can learn from them. These mistakes, when repeated and not followed, proved detrimental to society. When Napoleon Bonaparte was the leader of France he began his quest to conquer Europe. In June 1812, Napoleon decided to invade Russia, thinking there was adequate time to defeat Russia and get out before the deadly winter. Napoleon underestimated the intelligence of the Russian army, and as the Russian army retreated, they burned cities and towns so Napoleon’s army could not stay warm or get food. Eventually, the harsh Russian winter hit and Napoleon’s Army had to retreat. He lost countless soldiers and sulked all the way back to France. Again in 1941, another world leader tried to take over Europe. In June 1941, Hitler decided to invade Russia. Like Napoleon, Hitler too eventually faced Russia’s deadly winter and was forced to retreat back to Germany, losing many men along the way. Events during World War II could have been dramatically changed if Hitler had avoided the winter. Hitler’s repeat of Napoleon’s mistake is a great example of why we must analyze our history in order to make informed and smart decisions. Another example is George Washington’s Farewell Address, published in 1796. In his speech he warned the young United States to stay away from bipartisan politics because of the divisive nature and distraction for the government. Washington’s warnings were not heeded and today our political system is in shambles. Each side is so strong in their political beliefs that compromise is almost impossible. The good will of the United States is in jeopardy and threatens our growth as a world leading nation. Listening to George Washington, one of the best leaders in US history could have caused a different climate in our political system. Just because our past world leaders are dead, does not mean we should not listen to them. Studying historical mistakes can lead us to a brighter, better future if we do our research and heed their warnings.

            “The dead” can allow us to grow and learn from what they discovered in their lifetime in order to make our lives easier and better. The Industrial Revolution brought about many technological advances that have drastically shaped the world we live in today. From the Industrial Revolution, the world received the first steam powered engine created by James Watt. This fantastic invention really improved the textile industry, making it possible to create more goods at a faster rate because human and animal power was not relied on. Also the Industrial Revolution prompted many work rules and regulations in factories. Upton Sinclair’s book “The Jungle” shed light onto the horrible conditions of the meatpacking industry, which then led to many health reforms in the factories. Although that was not the intent of the book, Sinclair dramatically shaped the way our food factories should be run in order to ensure the health and safety of the workers as well as the consumers. Without these great men our world could have continued to wallow in disease, sickness, and uncleanliness and our health could have been severely jeopardized. The inventions and regulations that came about during the Industrial Revolution helped lay the foundation for innovations and inventions today. Without those original inventions we would not have a strong middle/working class and our economy would not have thrived. Without the factory rules, food and products would not have become safe to eat or use and our workers lives would be in danger. Listening to “the dead” has made our world a much better place and by continuing to follow in their footsteps our world can continue to grow and make reforms that will better our lives.

Studying history’s successes and failures will allow our future to be better off and we can avoid making the same mistakes. Building upon what has already been invented can only better our economy and our well-being as we are being propelled into the 21^st century at full speed and technology is changing every day. By taking the knowledge that we already know and applying it, our future can only get better. 

Music

Music has been a part of my life since I was little and now as I have matured so has my love of music and it's meaning to me. Music is the keeper of my emotions and gives good advice as well. Sometimes I feel as if my ipod is connected to my brain and it knows what song to put on at just the right moment. Music allows me to escape from the real world and enter a world where words mean more than what is being sung and silly dots and lines on pages turn into beautiful stories and masterpieces. Whether I'm singing, playing, or listening to music I'm always lost in it. It turns working out into an intense trainer that keeps yelling at me to go farther and push myself harder; it turns a simple walk through the quad an adventure or even a peaceful journey depending on the type of music; and it can turn something as simple as being happy into an overwhelming feeling of joy. Music has gotten me through some tough times. It just speaks to me and I can see deeper than rythms and words. Each note is it's own entity with it's own background and story behind why it is on the page and what it means. What fascinates me the most is how selfless music notes can be, despite each note being unique. Yes occaisonally they have their moment and need to shine (usually the soprano line if I might add) but each note knows that in order for the piece to function properly and sound absolutly amazing, they must work in unison and harmony. Even when two notes fight each other (knows as dissonance to those that aren't music savy) they know it is there for a reason and emits an emotion that is needed for the overall meaning of a piece. They keep fighting until the dissonance is resolved with a lovely chord that makes your heart and soul melt. Being in choir in high school has taught me a lot of this because my teacher absolutly loves music. They way she talked about a piece (especially if it was about water) gave it so much more emotion and character and it made me want to emit the same emotion as the piece wanted to be played or sung. She made me a better musician and singer and made me love music even more and showed me how deep music can be. Music is versatile as well and can mean many things depending on the person playing it. It allows for creativity and uniqueness as well all interpret the music differently but overall show the same meaning. I have realized how big of a role music plays in my life and how I don't know what I would do without it. Thank you to all of those that are/were involved in my musical life because you all have really shaped the singer/musician that I am today and made my love of music grow even more.

Never Postpone Happiness

   

One of the most important things I have learned this past semester is to never postpone happiness. I was told that by this guy and for some reason it really spoke to me. Along with "live with no regrets", "never postpone happiness" is a saying that I have learned to live by. Usually, I am one of those people that over thinks EVERYTHING! I look at a situation from every angle and then try to make the best decision based off of my observations. I hate making decisions. I have realized a lot this past semester that if I think too much, I become miserable because I'm constantly thinking about this stupid decision I have to make or I go through a million and a half "what-if" scenarios. I think about the good, the bad, and the ugly and it drives me INSANE!!!!!!! Doing that is postponing my happiness. Ever since those words were told to me, I have tried my hardest to stop thinking and just doing. Yes, I understand that some things need to be thought about but over thinking a text from a guy or something stupid like that is hindering my ability to live life and be truly happy. Over analyzing things took over my life this past semester and didn't allow me to live life with no regrets. After really thinking (probably too much) about the meaning of "never postponing happiness" i realized that if I live my life by those three words, how much happier I would be. If i know something is going to make me happy, why look at it from a bad angle? Doing this has made me such a happier person and I've been able to open up to people that really needed to know the real me. By keeping my true self and feelings inside, my happiness was postponed. For those that truly know me and my situations last semester, letting what I thought out led me to meet some awesome people who turned out to be fantastic friends. Yeah, it sucked for a little bit and sometimes still does suck, but in the bigger picture by not saying anything I was miserable. They say that people find their "true selves" in college and learn a lot about themselves and sometimes those sayings are BS, but this past semester I have learned a lot about myself and have changed some things I didn't like and done some things I'm not too proud of, but everything has shaped me and has made me happy. Why postpone happiness any longer? It's so much better being happy than it is sad, so don't think just do and that's how memories are made.

Jumping in the Deep End

So this is my first blog. I've told myself for months now that I would never have anything important or profound enough to have a blog, I mean one of my best friends writes letters to her deceased mom, how in the world can I follow that?!? I decided that even if my posts aren't as deep and meaningful as hers this could help get all my emotions and feelings out there because as a girl I have a lot of those and yes they are sometimes complicated, slightly stupid, and can contradict themselves. Plus I can share all my awesome experiences in Alabama because it is seriously a different world down here. And it will probably help with my writing skills (that one was for you High School English teachers).

Writing my first blog feels like I'm jumping into the deep end of a pool, not knowing how to swim. It's scary as hell, I don't know if I'll sink or swim. Are there blogging police out there.......are there rules to this? I guess I will find out as I go. What if no one reads this? Does that matter, or is this more for myself? I guess only time will tell. As I begin my second semester at Alabama I feel as if I have already grown up a lot. My new friends are AMAZING and I miss my old friends as well. The experiences I've had so far have really shown me the person I want to be and the person I should not be. I've learned a lot about relationships as well. People tell me I'm crazy for moving so far away from everything that is familiar but it was the best decision I ever made. I got to and will experience things my friends in California will probably never experience. Alabama football in itself is an experience, no team in California is as worshiped as ours here in the South and no one dresses up for games in California. I'm not talking jeans and t-shirts people, I'm talking sun dresses for the girls and khakis and polos for the boys. Football is a religion here.
 My first semester was all about taking the leap into the huge, deep pool that is known as the University of Alabama. The first daunting task: making friends in a sea full of 30,000 other people. How the hell can I get close to people when there is 30,000 of us?!? Luckily thanks to my Grandma I have a wonderful group of friends that hopefully I will be friends with for the rest of my life. They make me laugh and are weird just like me. I can tell them anything. Yes I did have some trial and errors with friends but those depressing times led me to my friends now and I'm so glad I had the bad times. They really showed me who I want to and need to be and the people I need to surround myself around.
Girls.......the boys here in the South are pretty AWESOME! I never have to hold the door open for myself anymore and they all are nice to look at. In California most guys have long hair, wear skinny jeans, and think their waist is below their ass so that's where their pants should be too. That was NEVER attractive to me. Here the boys are clean cut and extremely nice. Yes I have found the occasional asshole but those exist where ever you go. I've ran some trial and errors as well with the guys here too don't worry, I had to weed out those assholes. This was probably the next step to the edge of the pool. Being with the same person for 3 1/2 years I never got to experience different types of guys and figure out what I really want in a guy. Being single in college has its pros and cons. I've never had to deal with asshole guys before so that was a new experience for me. Luckily I weeded them out and have found one that is definitely not an asshole. We'll see where this goes and of course I'll keep my readers (if I have any) updated. Maybe I'll write a post about how to weed out the assholes because that unfortunately can involved heartbreak and bad decisions.
The final step into finally taking the plunge and immersing myself into the culture that is the University of Alabama was finding who I am. They say a lot of people do "soul searching" in college and coming out of high school I thought I knew who I was, but man was I wrong. Upon graduation I was a very independent, sometimes outspoken, very smart student. Upon coming to college, I'm still pretty independent and a good student, but I'm not as outspoken as I used to be. I tend to keep my comments to myself and I think more about what I want to say and if it is a good idea. I try to see things from all sides and the consequences of doing/saying things. Sometimes my outspoken/impulse ways come out which is good at times, but I have calmed down a lot in a matter of 6 months. I think it is the southern way that I'm adapting to. People move much slower here and I have begun to do the same thing which has helped me calm down a lot. I love the school that I go to and the friends that I have made. Jumping in is not as scary as I though it was, it takes a lot of learning, waiting, a little of praying and most of all courage.