my comments to others.

shayna, 

i always love reading your blogs because they are always intense and make you think. first of all, i am so happy to hear that your sister is okay and healthy. but i completely agree with you about everything being written. i am a firm believer of how "everything happens for a reason," although i don't always know what the reason may be. for example, why are people who are struggling with money, the ones to lose their jobs, and the wealthier class are the ones who win the lottery or get the promotion. or why in a drunk driving accident, why does it happen that the drunk driver survives, and the people in the other car die? none of these things make sense to me, which is why it is interesting that i still believe that everything is written. however sometimes, when good things happen that lead to other good things, i do believe that there is something that keeps the good things rolling. but, whether or not it is an indescribable force or just "what happens, happens," i think that there is something guiding us through life. 

caylin, 

i really liked your story about the camp because i thought it was amazing that even at such a young age, society has taught us to be so discriminatory. (good for you for standing up for your friend!) but seriously, i am actually disgusted by the amount of segregation that is in america, or even in places as small as our school. no matter where you are, there are a thousand ways that someone can judge you. "your hair is the wrong color, your too tall, your clothes aren't 'in,' your house is too small, your skin is too dark." it is amazing how there are so many things that people can pick apart about each other, that no one spends the time to pick out the good assets anymore. why can't society teach us to go up to someone that you might not usually talk to, and compliment them on their shirt or their new haircut just because you like it? i think these are the lessons we should be taught by our parents and by the surrounding world; not lessons of hatred and bigotry. 

jamie,
my favorite part about all of your blogs is that you are not afraid to state the truth. whatever you are feeling, you just let out, and i saw that in this blog, too. i think my favorite part was how you questioned ignorance, and how it involved your surroundings. in truth, i believe that we are all ignorant of different types of people, religions, and cultures. one of my blogs discussed how it is important to have a background of different religions, just so you know what you are talking about. i also thought it was interesting how you said that you were not comfortable around the korean kids in your church, because you couldn't relate to them. even though this area is predominately caucasian, i think that people still have a hard time fitting in. people are harsh these days, which makes it even harder to fit it, and makes more people ignorant. i really like your opinions!

oh and your link was really interesting + i liked how you tied it into your topic

jill,
i completely agree with you about the reading thing with malcolm ( i have a post about it also ). not to rewrite what i stated in mine, but i truly do believe that reading is what saved malcolm. i also think it is amazing that he became so smart after reading and memorizing a dictionary. even though he had the time, that kind of memory and skill it takes to do that every day shows that malcolm always had the intelligence inside of him, it just needed a match to spark the flame.
also, you mentioned how music can help you relax or deviate stress. i completely agree! music is basically my savior, because there is always a song that can relate to how you are feeling. for me, it is the loud and sing-a-long music for those good moods, and the slower and softer music for times when i am feeling down or upset. music saves the soul and can mend any situation. really good job, i like how you describe malcolm's feelings from different angles.

rachel, 

i thought it was really interesting that you made this connection, because i had thought about how i don't really know anything about hillsdale. i have lived in the same house here for 12 years, and i still don't know any history about it. i mean demarest farms is right down the street, and marsha demarest + her husband live down the street, which tells me that the area used to be all farmland. that is hard to believe though. i did learn some facts from your link, and just like you, i didn't know that Hillsdale used to be part of Washington Township either. i really liked this blog and the connection that you made with malcolm x.