Definitions

1. Heart- the central or innermost part of something : right in the heart of the city.
• the vital part or essence : the heart of the matter.2. Desire- a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen : [with infinitive ] a desire to work in the dirt with your bare hands.3. Reality-  the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them : he refuses to face reality | Laura waslosing touch with reality.4. Ontology-the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being.5. Being-  existence : the railway brought many towns into being | the moment whenthe universe came into being.6. Religious sense-  is intrinsically connected to the hypothesis of revelation.7. 4 Truths of the "I"- I did not create myself, I am limited, I have infinite desires, and I ultimately seek my own happiness.8. Suffering-  experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant) : he'dsuffered intense pain | [ intrans. ] he'd suffered a great deal since his arrest |[as n. ] ( suffering) weapons that cause unnecessary suffering.9. Original sin-the tendency to sin innate in all human beings, held to be inheritedfrom Adam in consequence of the Fall. The concept of original sin was developed in the writings of St. Augustine.10. Church- a building used for public Christian worship : they came to church with me.11. Presbyter- an elder or minister of the Christian Church.• formal (in Presbyterian churches) an elder.• formal (in Episcopal churches) a minister of the second order, under the authority of a bishop; a priest.12. Viaticum-  the Eucharist as given to a person near or in danger of death.13.Theodicy- the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil.14. Sacrament- a religious ceremony or act of the Christian Church that is regarded asan outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual divine grace, in particular.15. History of the sick being healed by the Church – The rising of Lazarus and Jesus gives sight to the blind man.
16. Presbyters - An elder or minister of the Christian Church.
17. Who administers the sacrament? - Only priests (including bishops) can administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick
18. Who can receive the sacrament? - As soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.
19. Theodicy - The vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil.
20. Apocalyptic- Describing or prophesying the complete destruction of the world.
21. Apostolate - The office, duties, or mission of an apostle.
22. Oil of the Sick - The olive oil blessed by the bishop of a diocese for use in the sacrament of anointing of the sick.
23. Penance - Voluntary self-punishment inflicted as an outward expression of repentance for having done wrong.
24. Confession - An admission or acknowledgment that one has done something that one is ashamed or embarrassed about.
25. Forgiveness - To give up resentment of or claim to requital for an insult.
26. Conversion - The fact of changing one's religion or beliefs or the action of persuading someone else to change theirs.
27. Empathy - The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
28. Ten Commandments - The divine rules of conduct in the bible given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.
29. Four Dimensions of the Sacrament – The four main dimensions are contrition, confession, satisfaction/penance, and absolution.
30. Mortal Sin - An actual sin that destroys sanctifying grace and causes the supernatural death of the soul.
31. Venial Sin - An offense against God which does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace.
32. Original Sin - Either the sin committed by Adam as the head of the human race, or the sin he passed onto his posterity with which every human being, with the certain exception of Christ and his Mother, is conceived and born.
33. Personal Sin - A personal sin may be a sin of commission or a sin of omission. When we choose to do something that is prohibited, we have committed a sin of commission.
34. Declaration of Nullity - A given marriage was not valid (and therefore not binding) at the time a couple spoke their marriage vows.
35. Abortion - The deliberate termination of a human pregnancy.
36. Contraception - The deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy as a consequence of sexual intercourse.
37. Sterilization - The act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce
38. Natural Family Planning - comprises the family planning methods approved by the Roman Catholic Church for both achieving and avoiding pregnancy.
39. Nuptial Blessing - The formal blessing of the newlywed couple, given at Mass after the Lord's Prayer. The priest gives the blessing with extended hands and prays for husband and wife that they may love one another, be faithful to each other, witness to others by their Christian virtue, and be blessed with children to whom they will be good parents.
40. Fidelity - Faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support.
41. Divorce - The legal dissolution of a marriage by a court or other competent body: "her divorce from her first husband.
42. Polygamy - The practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time.
43. Adultery - Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse.
44. Annulment - is a legal procedure for declaring a marriage null and void.
45. Purpose of Marriage - The purpose of marriage is to have children and create a stable home in which the child can grow and thrive.
46. Unity - Harmony or agreement between people or groups.
47. Procreation - The sexual activity of conceiving and bearing offspring.
48. Intimacy – A close or warm friendship or understanding; personal relationship.
49. Grace - In biblical language the condescension or benevolence (Greek charis) shown by God toward the human race; it is also the unmerited gift proceeding from this benevolent disposition.
50. Family - A group of persons who are related by marriage or blood and who typically include a father, mother, and children.
51. Domestic Church - It is the Christian family that lives, proclaims, and — by sharing Christ’s example from generation to generation shines like the scriptural city on a hill.
52. Matrimony as a covenant - A holy covenant between a man and a woman and their God for a lifetime.
53. Cohabitation - The state or condition of living together as husband and wife without being married.
54. Definition - Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration by water in the word (per aquam in verbo).
55. Proper Matter - The remote matter is natural and true water and the proximate matter of baptism is the ablution performed with water. The very word "baptize", as we have seen, means a washing.
56. Correct Words/Form - I baptize thee (or this person is baptized) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."
57. Designated Minister - The ordinary minister for Baptism is a priest, bishop, or deacon. In an emergency where life is at stake anyone can baptize as long as they have the desire to do God's will
58. Biblical Basis – The Incarnation and Jesus being baptized in the River Jordan.
59. RCIA - is the process through which interested adults and older children are gradually introduced to the Roman Catholic faith and way of life.
60. Rite of Baptism of Children - It should be conferred in a communal celebration in the presence of the faithful, or at least of relatives, friends, and neighbors, who are all to take an active part in the rite and are willing to raise the child in the catholic faith.
61. RCIA Process – The five stages of the RCIA Process are Inquiry, Rite of Acceptance / Catechumenate, Rite of Election, Sacrament of Initiation, and Mystagogy.
62. Cradle vs. Convert – The question that ask whether converts to the faith make better evangelists than cradle Catholics (babies).
63. Candidates -  The focus is on teaching the foundations and traditions of the Catholic Church in contrast to other Christian denominations.
64. Catechumens - This is the primary learning phase of the RCIA process.  Often times, many people simply "go through the motions" to complete this phase, but it can be a time of tremendous growth.
65. Diocese - A district under the pastoral care of a Christian bishop.
66. Vicar - In the Roman Catholic Church, is representative or deputy of a bishop.
67. Episcopal College – A church that practices or advocates the principle of the Church being government by bishops.
68. Synod of Bishops - A council or an assembly of church officials or churches; an ecclesiastical council
69. Ecumenical Council - an assembly of bishops and other ecclesiastics representative of the Christian Church throughout the world. Roman Catholic canon law states that an ecumenical council must be convened by the pope
70. Infallibility - The doctrine that the pope is incapable of error in pronouncing dogma.
71. Imprimatur - An official license by the Roman Catholic Church to print an ecclesiastical or religious book.
72. Parish - A small administrative district typically having its own church and a priest or pastor.
73. Stole - A strip of fabric used as an ecclesiastical vestment, worn over the shoulders and hanging down to the knee or below.
74. Dalmatic - A wide-sleeved over garment with slit sides worn by a deacon or prelate.
75. Seminary -  is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination asclergy or for other ministry.
76. Celibacy - Celibacy refers to a state of being unmarried and, therefore, sexually abstinent, usually in association with the role of a religious official or devotee.
77. Bishops - Bishop is the title of an ecclesiastical dignitary who possesses the fullness of the priesthood to rule a diocese as its chiefpastor, in due submission to the primacy of the pope.
78. Pope -  is at present employed solely to denote the Bishop ofRome, who, in virtue of his position as successor of St. Peter, is the chief pastor of the whole Church, the Vicar of Christ upon earth.
79. Definition - A sacrament in which the Holy Ghost is given to those already baptized in order to make them strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ.
80. Proper Matter - The imposition of hands and the chrism oil is the are the matters of this sacrament.
81. Correct Words/Form - "I sign thee with the sign of the cross and confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."
82. Designated Minister ¬– The bishop is the designated minster of this sacrament.
83. Seal - The seal is when the bishop anoints a person with chrism and says, "[Name], be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit."
84. Holy Spirit - The third person of the Trinity in which God is spiritually active in the world.
85. Fruits of the Spirit – The fruits are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
86. Gifts of the Spirit – The gifts are wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe, judgment, knowledge, courage, and reverence.
87. Pentecost - A feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ.
88. Chrismation - The sacrament or mystery more commonly known in the West as confirmation.
89. Sponsor - Sponsors or godparents are present at baptism and vow to uphold the Christian education and life of the baptized.
90. Definition - The name given to the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar in its twofold aspect of sacrament and Sacrifice of Mass, and in which Jesus Christ is truly present under the bread and wine.
91. Source and Summit - To say the Eucharist is the "source and summit of Christian spirituality" means at least two things. First, that Christian spirituality flows from the Eucharist as its source, the way light streams forth from the sun. And second, that Christian spirituality is supremely realized in and ordered to the Eucharist as its summit or highpoint – that to which all of our actions should ultimately be directed.
92. Transcendence - The aspect of God's nature and power which is wholly independent of (and removed from) the material universe.
93. Eucharist is a memorial – Eucharist is a memorial meal because when catholic are at mass they are remembering how Jesus gave up his life and saved us from sin and to bring Christianity into the world.
94. “Real Presence” – Expresses the belief that in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is really present in what was previously just bread and wine, and not merely present in symbol,
95. Consecration - Consecration, in general, is an act by which a thing is separated from a common and profane to a sacred use, or by which a person or thing is dedicated to the service and worship of God by prayers, rites, and ceremonies.
96. Transubstantiation -  is the doctrine that, in the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and the wine used in the sacrament is changed into the substance of the Body and the Blood of Jesus.
97. Tabernacle - a tower-shaped vessel for preserving and exhibiting relics and the Blessed Sacrament (Eucharist).
98. Other Names for the Eucharist - The most common names are: the Eucharist, Holy Mass, the Lord’s Supper, the Breaking of the Bread, the Eucharistic Celebration, the Memorial of the passion, death and Resurrection of the Lord, the Holy Sacrifice, the Holy and Divine Liturgy, the Sacred Mysteries, the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and Holy Communion.
99. Liturgy of the Word - In the liturgy of the word Christians come together to thank God for God’s gifts.
100. Liturgy of the Eucharist - While the liturgy of the word focused upon the table of the Lord’s word-the lectern, the Eucharistic liturgy centers upon the altar-both a place of sacrifice as well as the table from which as Christians we are fed.

Universal Call to Holiness

Msgr. Luigi Giussani states:  "[T.S. Eliot] asked himself "Has the Church failed mankind, or has mankind failed the Church?" . . . Both, both, because first and foremost it is mankind who failed the Church, because if I need something, I chase after it if it goes away. No one chased after it . . . The Church began to fail mankind, as I see it . . . because she forgot who Christ was, she did not rely on..., she was ashamed of Christ, of saying who Christ is."  I think this quote is very interesting because it points out two major concerns with the Church and mankind. The first is mankind failing the Church because "if i need something, I chase after it if it goes away." I think this quote is touching on taking things for granted. So many people often take their faith for granted and take the Church for granted as well. In the quote it says that the only reason why we chase after things we need is because it might go away. I think this is true because if something we need is always at our side we won't be very concerned about going and getting it. We do not feel that it is necessary to go out of our way to understand something that has always been around. This is the reason why mankind has failed the Church. Mankind always wants things that it can not have. As a result if mankind has always had religion and the Church then there is no reason to go out and chase after it. If all religions in the world were to end in two weeks, everyone would be chasing after religion and finding it. There is no need to do that now because it is around. Mankind takes religion and the church for granted.

      Msgr. Luigi Giussani also states that the Church has failed mankind. "The Church began to fail mankind, as I see it . . . because she forgot who Christ was, she did not rely on..., she was ashamed of Christ, of saying who Christ is." The way I see this quote is that the Church might have lost it's path somewhere along the way. The quote says that the Church forgot who Christ was, and she did not rely on (him). I think that this means that at one time the Church was pure to the cause of Jesus Christ and his mission but it has become a different meaning today. The Church did not rely on what Christ means and was ashamed of Christ. To say that the Church is ashamed of Christ is a bold statement. This means that the Church is embarrassed to recognize who Christ really is and does not want to say who Christ is. This is how the Church failed mankind. The Church is supposed to be this upstanding community who speaks and acts the truth in the footsteps of Jesus Christ but if they are ashamed of saying who Christ is, then how can they be fully devoted to the cause.

She Went by Gently

1. A gift of Baptism is the ability to love others as God loves us. The ability is seen in the women's treatment of the girl. The woman is very sensitive and comforting when the girl is having a bad time or in a stressful situation. The woman is able to love the girl as God loves her. In this we see the relationship between the girl and the woman but also the same kind of relationship mirrored back to us in the way that God loves us and we should love everyone in that way. The woman also shows her love for her by comforting her by telling her to be strong just like her mother. In this we see the way that the woman is there for the girl just as God is there for us. She goes four miles just to by the girl's side and God is just like that in the way that he is always with us. He will never leave our side and will carry us through the bad times.

2. At the end of the story the woman says un regard to the infant, "I saved him." What she means by this is that by baptizing the baby before he died, she pretty much saved the baby from sin. By baptizing the baby the original sin was wiped clear of him and even though he never made it to the age to be part of any of the other sacraments, he was able to receive baptism and is God's child. When the woman said, "I baptize you, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost," she is putting the baby under God's protection and makes sure the baby has an unbreakable relationship with God.

3. The author describes the journey of the woman to her own home. The purpose of this selection of the story is to try to tell the reader about the birth of the baby and his baptism. This part was important because as a reader we were able to see that she had kept her faith even though she had seen sad things happen. She was still able to put herself in God and trust him enough to take care of her just like the woman's treatment of the girl. I think the author was trying to illustrate the deeper meaning of the woman's decision to baptize the baby. This was able to give the baby hope with God and to give him everlasting protection under him.

Distance Learning III

1. Ludwig does not understand why sacraments are part of grace. He also doesn't understand why sacraments are needed to bestow the action or attribution of grace. He describes one having grace as an unmerited attribute or that one is not contingent to the other.
2. The Church does not propose to deny Christ's love toward everyone. The church also strongly condemns the thought of limiting the scope of God's redempion toward others.
3. The church is referring to that there should be an emphasis on how salvation should be a great deal of the relationship between him and all of his followers. A human being will not ever universal redemption without a relationship of salvation.
4. God reveals and gives each human being his universal offered grace through his omnipresence. His grace is all around us all the time and at every point in our lives.
5. The Christian doctrine of the Eucharist.
6. The gob of modern day spirituality is the understanding of omnipresence or that God is everywhere.
7. The Christian repudiation of spiritual snobbery is that we must not act as though our faith is greater but instead try to spread our faith and our religion everywhere.
8. God died on the cross because he knew we were sinners and that we were going to sin so he died on the cross so we could be forgiven for all of those sins.
9. the crucifix is seen more than a simple sacrament but a sign of our forgiveness as an entire race of people.
10. There is a difference in saying what kind of presence is taking place at that moment: one meaning that it is an ordinary presence that Jesus always maintains and the other one means is one that has divine intervention.
11. Grace gives everyone a sense of security and assurance of knowing that God is always with us even if we cannot see him.

Distance Learning II

    Bishop Fulton J. Sheen discribes sacraments as symbols that are both seen and unseen. He then refers to handshake as a form of a sacrament. There is a visible sign of people shaking hands but there is also an invisible sign that is friendship. He also says that people who understand the sacraments have a divine sense of humor. This means that they can see the sacrament for what is really is. They don't only see the physical side of the sacrament but also the symbolic side. People with a divine sense of humor also see this every day. They see it in sunsets and every part of the day.
    Bishop Fulton J. Sheen also wrote about Seven Conditions of Life. 1. In order to live, one must be born. 2. He must nourish himself. 3. He must grow in maturnity. 4. He must have his wounds bound and healed. 5. If he has a disease, the disease must be driven out. 6. He must live in government and justice in human relationships. 7. He is called to propagate the human species. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen then goes on to explain the seven conditions to live a spiritual life. The seven conditions are the seven sacraments and how they are present in our lives. the sacraments derive their power and efficacy from the Passion, Death, and Ressurection of Christ. The outcome of the sacraments all depends on the person that is recieving it. If the person in open to the sacraments and understands it then it will be effective. If the person does not understand the sacraments then it will be worthless. The word "sacrament" in Greek means "mystery,"
and Christ has been called by St. Paul, the mystery hidden from the ages. "If man were only a biological organism, then he would be content to eat and to sleep and to die like a cow." The sacraments bring divine life or grace. Christ's reason for taking upon Himself a human nature was to pay for sin by death on the cross and to bring us a higher life. Man may live at three different levels: the sensate, the intellectual, and the divine. The sensate level represents those who deny any other reality except the pleasures that come from the flesh. The intelectual level of existence, that of the scientist, the historian, the journalist,
the humanist; the man who has brought to a peak all of the powers of human reason and human will. This is a much more comfortable kind of existence, and far more satisfying to the human spirit. The divine level or level of grace, by which the human heart is illumined by truthswhich reason cannot know; by which the will is strengthened by a power quite beyond all psychological aids, and the heart is entranced with the love which never fails; which gives a peace that cannot be found on the two lower levels.
    The Divine Sense of Humor is a way of seeing the world. People with a divine sense of humor can see things in two ways. The first way is the way that it is physically or the way most people see it. Like a sun set. People see the sun set as the day ending or just red and orange light. Someone with a divine sense of humor sees deeper into that sun set. They see God at work in the sun set. The divine sense of humor can be directly linked with sacraments. Sacraments have two sides. The physical side and the spiritual side. The physical side is water being poared onto someones head for baptism. The spiritual side is that person entering a relationship with God. The sign is the physical part. People see it as it is and don't look any deeper. The symbol is the deeper level that the physical side could represent.

   Mr. McLeod was not trusted by the whole community because of an incident that happened earlier with a boy in the same position as Norstadt. Norstadt is receiving tutoring from Mr. McLeod and the whole town feels uneasy about it because there are rumors that say that Mr. McLeod sexually abused one of his former students before they both got into a car accident and the student died. Norstadt did not know about these rumors until the end of the movie. The whole time before he knew he didn't have a problem learning from Mr. McLeod and did not have any problems with him. If Norstadt had never heard the rumor he would have never came to the conclusion that Mr. McLeod did anything wrong before. Norstadt comes to the moral certainty that he can trust Mr. McLeod when they are both on the beach confronting each other about the trial and what really happened. Norstadt was questioning Mr. McLeod about if he had done anything wrong and if all of the rumors were true. Mr. McLeod would not tell him directly but on purpose. Norstadt ends up thinking about it and realizing that Mr. McLeod would never do anything like what he accused of and that he can be trusted like he has been trusting him before.
    It is so important that Norstadt comes up with the moral certainty that he can trust Mr. McLeod because he wants Norstadt to come up with the realization on his own and not because someone told him. When they were having this argument Norstadt was asking Mr. McLeod if he had done anything wrong and that if he just tells him the answer he will believe him either way. Mr. McLeod told him to think if he had done anything bad to him and given him anything else but friendship and compassion. Norstadt continued to ask and wanted Mr. McLeod to tell him the answer so he could believe him. Mr. McLeod wants Norstadt to come up with the answer on his own and with no one else's help and to use the logic and reason he has learned with him to figure it out. I think McLeod does this for a reason. I think that he makes Norstadt figure it out by himself in order to get him to make his own decisions and opinions. If someone isn't skeptical about rumors or anything that people say then they just accept everything that they hear. I think Mr. McLeod was trying to get Norstadt to get out of that kind of mentality in order to prepare him for the school or even just everything in life.
    I also think that Norstadt's pass or fail way of judging people was interesting. He does this many times in the movie and not only to Mr. McLeod but to his family. This happens on many occasions with Mr. McLeod. He wants Norstadt to dig holes which will ultimately help him understand math in a different way but instead of going in with an open mind and accepting it, he totally just shut down and did it out of guilt and anger. This also comes up when Mr. McLeod makes him angry in parts of the movie and Norstadt goes and tells his friends all about Mr. McLeod. He also does this to his own family. When his family makes him mad he just shuts down. For example his sister tried to help him at one point and he just completely closed up and shut her out even though she was trying to help him. The same happened with the mother and sister. Once one thing goes wrong he judges them very fast. I think this links into the point I was making about being skeptical about things. Norstadt does not stop and wonder if things are done for a reason or if they are going to help him in the future but instead he is very closed minded about everything and rejects everything that immediately seems foreign or strange. Even if Mr. McLeod is trying to teach him something that might help him in the future, if it is immediately bad or he doesn't like it he will judge it.

    Knowledge is to know what is true about something. It is knowing the truth. The reason why knowledge is not just knowing things that are true or not is because if it is not true then you don't really know that thing. When people thought that the earth was flat, they thought that was true. They don't actually have knowledge or know that the earth is flat. It may have been a fact for them and they believed that it was true but it wasn't. A lot of people say knowledge is power and I agree with it. The more truths a person knows, the more they are in touch with reality and themselves. They don't exactly have more experience but in a way they do. They might not have gone through the actual experience but they know what to do or understand the situation. Knowledge does come through experience and it might take longer than others to understand the truth. The more someone goes through experiences the more truths they may understand. I also think that knowledge is not limited to just facts or physical things in nature like the sun is hot or the sky is blue. It can be extended to yourself. You can have knowledge of yourself. Knowledge is very important of one's self. You have to understand what is true about yourself and what you like. Experience also links into this because through experiences you understand more about yourself and understand what may make you happy and what may make you sad. These things are figured out through trial and error. You have to try something before you know you like it or not and once you do, you have the knowledge about yourself.

Freedom

      I think the one time I really felt free is when I took a week long vacation to New Hampshire with my dad to visit my aunt. It was last summer and I just found out that a baseball camp I was attending was actually a week later then what I thought it was. It was only my father and me at home because my  mother and my sister were in Costa Rica. After finding out the correct date of the camp we realized that we had a complete week to do whatever so we decided to take a trip to New Hampshire. We called my aunt that night, packed some stuff and left the next morning. I think that was a good start to the trip because we did not have any of the stress that comes with packing and trying to think of everything we need on the trip. Instead we just decided we would pack some clothes and anything else we needed we would just buy on the way. The ride up there was very peaceful and even though it was long, it was very enjoyable. We got to New Hampshire to my aunts lake house and unpacked. We realized we didn't have any plans or anything that we had to do so we could make up our own schedule and relax. The reason why I felt like this was the time I was the most free because the way I felt. I had no worries about due dates, or being somewhere on time. My mind was finally free from the constant drag of everyday scheduling and work. I realized that I could think more clearly and had the time to think about anything I wanted to without any outside stress interrupting me. I might not have been free but I felt as free as I had ever been from my life.

       I think it is true that life consist of fundamental choices that lie entirely with in the human person and allow them to engage in the world differently. I think they way someone looks at life depends on the choices they make and how they look at situations. I think it is a very credible idea because a person can change how they look at the world by the choices they make to others and to themselves. These choices consist of telling yourself to be more patient while in the long check out line or realizing that we need to stop sometimes and absorb what is going on around us. Most of the people in today's society make choices that directly affect themselves for the best way possible. We also need to slow down and consider others as a factor and a direct effect of our choices.
       I would like to think that I take the time to look around me and be aware of what is going on before I make choices but I don't. As David Foster was talking about, it is hardwired into me that I am the center of the universe and everything revolves around me. They way I look at other people revolve around me. I usually make choices that affect myself like maybe if I am driving and I see someone behind me that wants to get over and I don't let them, I am thinking of myself and not of the other person's needs. In my mind it is fair because the other person way being a jerk for trying to get by me but in reality they might have needed to get around me for a very important reason. I would like to make choices that affect other people positively and automatically think in that way. It is hard to do that even if I am thinking about it.
      Even when I am trying to think about other people it is very hard to make choices that may put myself after others because I am worried about the effect it might have on me. Again I think the universe revolves around me so that means when I make a decision I am going to be the first person I think of when deciding who it is going to affect and how. Even if I try to be nice I might end up making the selfish decision because I thought that the cost of being nice was too much. Maybe it being paying for someone else's lunch when they don't have the money but after school I wanted to get some new shoes. Even if I want to make the good decisions it is still very hard to.
         I noticed that there were a lot of people clapping when David Foster was using sarcasm to explain how other people may have more important things to do then us. There was also a time when Foster was talking about how the people in hummers are just selfish and being horrible with gas and just bad people in general and the crowd thought that he was being serious but in reality he was making fun of how narrow minded the people were being for getting on another peson. I think this is a indication of the people being too wrapped up in their beliefs that they think they are right and everyone else with a hummer is wrong.
        I thought this directly corresponded back to the story he told about the atheist and the christian who were arguing about how the atheist life was saved. The christian thought it was because he prayed to God but the atheist thought it had nothing to do with God but just some people came and saved him. He was explaining how the two people were so caught up in their beliefs that they thought each other were wrong. They didn't want to believe anything else then what they thought was right because they knew they were right. I think this goes hand in hand with the people that were laughing while David Foster were making fun of them in his speech.

      Camus demonstrates Caligula's heart by Caligula wanting something. Caligula went out and ran away from the kingdom for a while to go get the moon. The moon represents his wants and desires and how they are impossible. Caligula's natural wants and desires can not be fulfilled by his reality which makes him very confused. Caligula is tired from walking because he did not get what he wanted and he came back to the kingdom without fulfilling his wants and desires. The patricians think that Caligula is foolish and is just being a child. They think that all they have to do is give him some time and he will be back to normal in no time. They think that his wants and desires, or his heart, can be forgotten or distracted by other things over time. At one point one of the patricians gives an example about his wife dying and now he has completely forgotten about her and has moved on. I do not agree with their view because it is very cruel and heartless to move on from something like a death of a loved one. To distract his wants and desires go against his human nature. I don't think over time he will forget about his loved one and move on.

object with factors

         My phone is a Droid so it is very business oriented with a lot of functions and things you can do on it. Unlike an Apple phone a Droid is used for function instead of looks or being user friendly. The phone has the ability to be used in different countries, work as an e-reader, and type documents that directly save to an account. Even though all of these capabilities are there I only use it for texting, talking, and playing games. I do not know how to navigate the phone very well and never really used its full potential. I just see it as a texting, talking, game machine. I am sure some other people. that have more knowledge about the phone, know how to work it better than I do. Sometimes when I have no use for it at the moment I might just use it as a paper weight when the fan is on in my house. The people that know how to use it better probably would tell me I am using it wrong but I don't have that much knowledge about the phone so I cant use it to its full potential.

What makes me happy?

      There are many answers to the question that I do not really know yet but I do know a couple. I believe family makes me happy. Being with my family, whether it is at a party or a small get together, makes me happy because any time my family collects into one room we always laugh and have a good time. There are many things that links my family together like laughter, love, and being thoughtful. Another thing that makes me happy is having a good time with friends. Just relaxing with no stress is always a good thing and I think its one of the things that makes me happy. I think if you are around people you like and get along with it is always going to be fun. Playing sports also make me happy. Just being active outside can be fun. Sometimes it is not that 'Best memory in my life' moment but on a day to day basis it makes me happy and I don't dread doing it. It seems like all of the things that I have listed have to do with having fun and being active. I think that is a big part of my personality but I also have a side that likes to do good things for other people. I also like going on food runs because I get the instant feeling that I am helping people. Even if I don't feel like doing it before, I feel a lot better after I actually do it and I knew it was worth it. Just making someones day or doing little deeds makes me happy too. If I can make someone's day that is pretty much a great day for me too. It can be something little like holding a door for someone, completmenting what someone is wearing, or just talking to the cashier at a store. I try to do good things and that makes me happy. People say that material objects cant make you happy and I think as I get older I begin to see that more and more. As a child I remember when my grandmother would take me into the dollar store with my sister and hand both of use a five dollar bill. In my eyes I could just buy about everything in that toy section and to me she was the best grandmother in the world. But the next day right of cue the toy would break and my short intention span would forget about it until the next time I would visit grandma and the whole cycle would start all over again. Back then material things meant the world to me and I am not talking about sentimental objects like a coin collection from my dad but like toys and candy and things that were out of my $4.37 budget. As I started to get older I became bored of things that I would normally find amusing and I started to spend time with my family and friends and discovering the more important things in life that make me happy.

Hello My Name Is...

       If someone were to ask me 'Who are you?' I would probably answer by saying- My name is Kevin.  I play baseball and dabble in soccer. I have family in Costa Rica and I visit there a lot. I have several brothers and sisters and one dog with a cone on its head. I would tell them that I was in boy scouts until I was about 9 and that my baseball team made it into the championship and lost two games to one last year. My family is probably the most cherished and valuable thing in my life. They have always been there when I needed them the most. I have a lot of family so it is always a good time getting together with them. I am Catholic and most of my family is Catholic. Some of my extended family are not and they have certain reasons for it that I can respect. I have a set of morals that I don't like making decisions without. If you were to ask some of my friends about my morals they would probably laugh and say "Yah he has a MORAL CODE". It is very important to me because those are rules that I live by in any situation. If I did not have them I would be lost. As I mentioned before I have family in Costa Rica. They are a pretty big family that is very close. They are very family oreinted. Most of them live in the same neiborhood. This is important to me because everyone is watching out for each other and it is really fun having everyone around. Some of my hopes in life is have a successful career in the medical field, get married and have children, and to just be happy overall. I hope my life is very balanced.