Please answer the three sets of questions that follow:
(1) REALIZING LIFE:
Often the people in Our Town lack any sense of wonder at the everyday goings on of life...This year has brought many changes to our lives.
Discussion questions:
What events have taught us to "realize life"?
(2) WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ETERNAL? (Think Whitman, Leaves of Grass....)
What does it mean to be eternal?
There is another way that Our Town is like classical Greek drama. Our Town, like The Lion King, if you will, is concerned with the circle of life, or the paradox that from life comes death and from death comes life.
Wilder portrays this arc of life very cleverly:
In Act I, there's a literal birth.
In Act II, there's courtship and marriage.
In Act III, there's a funeral, and discussion of the afterlife.
In this play, Wilder attempts to show that when humans retain their faith that in death there is life...
He is not explicitly religious, although his audience would probably have interpreted the play that way; he mostly stayed away from overtly Christian symbols, preferring instead to concentrate on the cycle of life.
Discussion Questions:
What is it about YOU that's eternal?
What is it about your family that is eternal?
What is it about your town that is eternal?
(3) THERE IS SOMETHING WAY DOWN DEEP INSIDE....
There is a sense of community in most people. Some people are strong individuals, some identify themselves with certain groups or their families or localities. Often these individuals and groups have a sense of whom they are which is based upon traditions of the past. Sometimes they find that they have made changes and become stronger, or weaker.
Who were we? (Who was I?)
Who are we now? (Who have I become?)
Am I like others who have lived here, gone to school here, etc....?
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Life for me has been a tremendous eye opener for the past year. Losing my best friend,has given me a mature out look on my daily life. I believe that with out the expiriences I have recently encountered, I would not be who I am today. Death is the biggest fear in the world. When you expirience the loss of someone, it sets you back on what life is really about. Through the crumbling I did, I have grown up and I am thankful for god giving me the strength to grow into a young adult. So death does teach you a lesson and that has what made me who I am today.
(1)I believe that an event that made me "Realize Life". Was When MY BEST FRIEND had developed breast cancer. And after going in and out of the hospital for almost 5 monthes,her cancer went into remition. Then out of the blue 2 monthes later her cancer came back, and after 3 more long monthes fighting for her life, she passed away. After watch her struggle for her life I then realized just how precious life is, and just how important it is that we live life to its fullest.But not only that, I also realized that instead of all the time we put into fight with our friends over little things in life, we should be enjoying every minute with them. And we should be thankful to be blessed with such good friends.
Realizing life is something that everyone goes through at one time in their life. For me realizing life came when I lost a close friend. Losing someone that made a huge impact on your life really teaches you something. For me, I learned that life is precious and you need to have fun and enjoy yourself, and not care about what anyone else thinks. Donnie would always tell me to have fun and experience life, and although hetried in so many ways,it wasnt until after he passed away that I truley realized what it was that he meant. I believe that realizing life is in some ways realizing yourself,and who you are. He knew who he was and taught me to live and find myself,and I think that for me, that was when I realized life, and just how beautiful it is.
I think realizing life for me was when my grand mother died. When i was young i thought that none of my grand parents would die or leave. But whenshe died i was devestated. We used to have all our holiday dinners up there but now we can't and evry holiday is a deep reminder of her. This experience has opened my eyes and made me appreciate who and what i have alot more.
Everyone lives in a different way. Some just stroll through life never accoplishing anything and never realizing what life is and what it can hold. At a young age I realized how fragile life and that if we arent careful our lives just slip away. When I was young my great Grandmother pastaway. I was really close to her and it was the day after her funeral that I realized how fragile life is. Death seems to hit most people as a realization to life or a "wake up call." Everyone experiences this "wake up call" at least once in there lives. My Great Grandmothers death was a terriable loss to my family but I belive its one of the reasons I'm the person I am today.
1.) Death is definetly an event that has taught us to realize life. Many tragic events have happened to me, but most of them happened when i was a kid so i do not remember very well and i have just grown accustomed to it. I always go through life worrying about if something bad is going to happen today. The worst events to me are when i see people around me struggle with a loss or just life in general. When i hear other people's stories i realize not to take my life for granted and i wish i could help everyone with their pain. When i am having a bad day and then i see or hear about someone eles' problems, my bad day doesn't matter anymore and i focus on that persons and how i can help them or just pray for them. Why waste my time worrying about a bad grade or something small like that when there are other people with much bigger problems than me. Life should not be taken for granted and we should try to live each moment like it is our last.
2.) I believe that to be eternal is like the circle of life and that there is life after death. They say for every person that passes on a baby is born. My town, family and i are all eternal because we have a life after death. Like in the song, "The cirlce of life moves us all through despair, hope, faith, and love untill we find our place on the path unwinding in the circle of life."
3.) There is something inside everyone that we choose to keep inside way down deep. It is our own little secrets that no one knows. These secrets are from our past and they either make us stronger or weaker. I think the biggest change in my life that i have made is that i am not as self conscious as i used to be. I still am a little but not hardly as bad as i used to be. I have learned to just be myself and not let other people's feelings toward me put me down. I do not care as much about what other people think, where as i used to constently be worried about it. Now i am more confident and i feel like i can just be myself and i choose to care about the more important things in life. I am a much stronger person now and stick up for what i believe in. :)
I realize life everytime I wake up in the morning. I realize life when I'm in a crowded room, or even when I'm by myself. You can have some sort of revelation while walking in the woods. THe presence of life there is phenominal. Some people might say that death teaches us to realize life, but when you look at a newborn child, you really start to think about life in general. It amazes me how something so little, and precious can exist. I look at a baby, and I see life.
1.) Realizing Life:
I think the combination of events lead one to gradually realize life; events that give you those "natural highs", the death of a close friend or family member, or going through a traumatic experience can all help you realize life. Events that involve death and traumatic experiences most often hit people pretty hard and are hard to ignore. However, as far as the events that cause those "natural highs" go, that is a different story. Unfortunately, there is so many people in the world set in an automatic pilot mode that sometimes we forget to acknowledge the simple gifts of life. Whether it be the great joy in knowing that someone loves and cares about you or the subtle happiness received from having a chocolate chip cookie melt in your mouth, we must press the pause button every now and then and realize how great it is to live. It's the simple things - taking a hot shower, laughing till your stomach hurts, or waking up at 6am only to be informed that it is a snow day and you can go back to bed - that make me greatful for what I have. They counter the bad events that happen; the events that involve death and traumatic experiences. And without this balancing act, I would not be able to realize life.
1.) I see most people talk about losing someone very close to them. I can't really say ive gone through this same thing but i think when you here about ANYONE dying no matter who it is, it makes you realize life and not take advantage of it.
2.)I guess if i'd have to choose something about me that was eternal it would be the memories i would leave behind for other people, my family is eternal because it is pretty much going to keep on going forever until someone stops having children, my town is eternal because its going to keep evolving and its always going to be there unless someone tears everything down and comes up with a new name.
Realizing life i feel everyone goes through. This might happen when you are young or it might even happen now. Everyone talks about losing someone that was so close to them. Luckily for me i havent had many people pass away that were close to me, but knowing someone else around you has lost someone is a real eye opener. You think that it would never happen to you, but it does and it will eventually happen. I feel that death does teach you a lesson, and that lesson makes you who you are, it changes your out looks on different things.
Live for today.
Well I guess you can say a person may come to terms with their meaning of life when they see others taken away. For me I feel like I shouldnt feel like realizing my life, by seeing others death. For me its time when I feel most alive. There are times I know for me when "I think to myself, This world is a beautiful place" when you realize how blessed you are to even be alive. It's when you're happy, doing things you love, or even those moent when you know your loved. You just realize how amazing your life is. In Our town, it appears that (having not read it I can only simply speculate)its these events that bring us to our death, and from death comes eternity. for some people, on a religous level, life is eternal. We have been given this great gift, but as a people we are just as eternal. It may seem silly but the first eternal thing i think of is the biography section in the library. Those people have whole books on what they've done. What have I done? What could I do? Will anything that I ever do live on forever? Maybe... but my odds are better on an eternal society. I think parts of myself that will live on, is who I really am inside, but that will oly be remembered just so long. We are all different but we all one. I may not always be here but (okay lets disregard global warming, and the end of the world stuff)someone will be. When I die others will be born, people will probably always live where I live, do things I do, and be their own individual, just as I am so essentially we are the same. But who am I? who was I? I honestly don't know. I can tell basic things like, I lived here, went to school here, but really... inside? I think we all wanna say we're good people, did what we should and then so much more... but really, I do what it takes, I've honestly never really felt like i fit in an still dont really, I know I always wished I did but maybe to be different is good, but have we consideredd that its good to be the same? I've always wondered, but I dont know, maybe someday I will.
2) There are several things that we can do to make ourselves eternal. My life will live on through the music I play. That is eternal. I will be eternal through my name and my accomplishments on this earth. As long as you touch one persons life, you are eternal. My family is eternal in my heart, as well as the memories shared with others. The only problem is that people remember what they want to remember, not only the good, but the bad. The town is only eternal through the people who live in it. We remember the way the town was, and how it changed. There are members who might be able to trace themselves back to the origins of the town, but you might also say thatthe town has evolved into something completely different. Those memories are what keeps the past alive, without them the town is nothing.
1) I think that hard times make us realize life the most. Like Danielle said, most people go through their lives on “auto-pilot”. When things are going well we just live. But when a situation turns bad we finally wake up and see things for what they really are. There is a saying, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”. I find this to be very true in all things, whether in possessions, family and friends or even spiritual matters. I guess I have been fortunate in that I have not had too many bad things happen in my life. One bad thing, though, was the loss of a younger brother when I was ten.
2) What is it about a person that is eternal? I would say that a person’s soul is eternal. Your personality is eternal. Your actions are eternal. Physical things are not eternal. So, I would say that basically your inward self is eternal. I think that your family is much the same. How you treated each other and how you felt about each other are eternal. Since a town is not a living entity, it cannot be considered eternal in the same way that I have considered a person and a family eternal. It can be eternal in the sense that it can be remembered for a very long time but it cannot exist for eternity. In this light, a town can be eternal in someone’s memory, whether the memory is of the local store or a town parade or anything really.
3) The biggest change in my life was probably moving to different places. I spent the first fourteen years of my life living in a tiny town in New Hampshire. Then I moved to a small city, also in N.H. When this happened I experience a major culture shock. The amount of people and their busyness was overwhelming at first. Eventually I grew accustomed to it, though not adopting the lifestyle for myself. Then, after living there for a year, I moved here to Corinna. This has strengthened me because I can now appreciate the quietness of the country and have gained some perspective on how busy life can be.
I think that loss is a major think that helps one to realize life the most. For me this is true. I loss a friend to death last year and it really opened my eyes to life. It made me realize that tomorrow is not pomised to any of us, so one needs to live their life to the fullest each and every day. At any point in time in your life you could die. So I think a person really should try to do anything and everything to enjoy there life, because you never know when it will end. Losing a friend has taught me to cherish my life and not to worry about things that have no importance.
1.) Realizing life is something that all of us learn to do everyday. Everyday we learn something new, do something different, make mistakes, etc. that develop our characters and personalities. I would agree though that we never fully understand the meaning of life until we lose it or something we love or cherish has been taken away from us. "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute?" This is said by Emily Webb at the end of 'Our Town'. She finally realizes, after she has died, that when she was alive she never truly understood or realized life until life was taken from her. I think this is an exemplar quote for all people to think about and ask themselves; Do we ever realize life?
2.)Eternal; lasting forever. I think the one thing that is eternal in me is my faith in God and His everlasting love for me and mankind. Also, love is eternal just by itself. It is eternal for all people including my family and town. If you love someone or are truly loved, than you know within your heart that is everlasting, forever....eternal.
3.)Once I was an egg
That grew into a fetus
Who became a baby girl
I soon grew, facing the terrible two's
And then my life became engulfed by school
Soon I realized that family was my favorite
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter
I grew and grew and grew
And became a teenager
Soon I thought family was detestable
And I grew and grew and grew
I came to understnad
That life was different
It never was the age that mattered
Or what I thought was right
For a woman can't stand alone
She can't forget her home
I grew and grew and grew
And faith, hope, and love
Engulfed my life
And helped find
Who me was
Who I was in time.
2)I think eternal means something that is everlasting. Eternal is a very powerful word. If something is eternal it does not change. For example the love within a family is eternal. You can not break the caring and love that is within a family. It is a vey strong bond. A family helps each other and does not like to see one another hurting. They always want to help each other out in whatever way they can. This is because they love each other. I think the love within a good family can never be broken.
1. This year nothing has significantly made me realize life. Something that happened to a friend of mine did make me realize something though. Her best friend/boyfriend passed away and it was of course the worst thing that had ever happened to her. Before this she had probably been the most optimistic person I had ever seen. After his death she confessed to me that she felt as if she was getting more cynical every day. After explaining her views I realized that I felt exactly the same way about the world, bun the strange part was the fact that it didn't take a tragedy to change me. Over a period of time I've observed many things and I'm sure that we as people are not as important as we think we are. When our lives are in the hands of some other man you realize that. But recently I've decided thatthe pessimistic approach may not be the best. If anything I've realized that I deserve to make a good life for myself and that may be one of the truest freedoms of all.
2. Whenever I think of something in myself being eternal I immediately think of my soul. It's my life force and it inhabits the material body. We have to realize that the world that we think is reality is not the entire reality after all, but the one true thing is that the soul is eternal. I don't really believe in the eternal town society because I don't have any connection with my town at all. Newport doesn't seem to have much of a life force. People seem to be just existing here. Maybe I'm wrong, but I guess you have to have lived somewhere your entire life to be able to really feel like your community has something.
3. This question I cannot identify with. I don't know anything about the people who came before me therefore I cannot conclude on how we were. I know that my experience living here has contributed to how I am now in both a negative and positive way. It was the negative that caused the positive. My negative experiences as being a new person made me somewhat cynical after awhile and I didn't become one of those sheltered people who is protected by the pack. I realized that you can be more able to face the world alone if you are not like that. Community is a good nurturing environment, but at the same time it makes people docile and ignorant.
There are events in everyones lives that can makes them open their eyes and realize life.The event in my life would have to be when my stepsister lost her baby.we were all looking forward to her birth when we found out that she had lost the baby.It made me realize that life can be taken away as quickly as it is given
1) The thing that made me "realize life", is slightly cheesy. I was in kindergarton and at that age we all think that the world revolves around us (you did too just admit it). It was towards the middle of the year when I had an epiphany, everyone has their own thoughts.... everyone has emotions.... we are all individuals. That is the true day I realized life, as my life has progressed I have added to my list of "things you need to know about LIFE"
2) I agree with Ashley Raymond on this question. I also would like to beleive that once our souls leave us they may be placed somewhere else and we are reborn.
3) *who was I?
It is hard for me to say who I was... I tend to forget my past self and look at the good things I have now. I'm not a huge fan of how I was when I was younger, but at the sametime those hard and yucky memories have made me into someone I am more comfortable with.
* Who am I now?
I can do this one :) I am a person who loves to learn through life. I try to be caring, but sometimes caring hurts more then not caring. I love to be with people and I love to see people doing something they love to do such as:
1) Arielle singing
2)J.c throwing at track
3)Hannah T. acting or singing
4) Taylor G. doing improve
or pitching
> If I see you doing something you love to do it will make me happy :D
* Am I like others who have lived here, gone to school here, etc....?
I like to beleive that we are the same in certain ways but also we are very unique and there is no other person like us.
i feel eternal means forever. You are eternal to your life. Every breath you take is promising you another minute. When you get married that is eternal everlasting. Eternity isnt something that you can just take back. Eternal is part of you forever.
# 1: I honestly never really thought about the value of life (and especially youth) until I began my job, working at a nursing home. However, working there has forced me to come to grasp with the fact that I will eventually lose my youth, and ultimately die. It truly made realize how lucky I am to be young and alive, and I now appreciate life much more then ever before. The residents in the nursing home are at the end of the line, while I am just beginning. Some of them have regrets ; things they wish they could take back, moments that ruined their lives. I haven’t even had time to ruin my life. Yet, most of them have lived happy, fulfilling lives, and have so much wisdom. I don’t have any wisdom; all I’ve got is a tiny, little bit of knowledge…Working there made me realize that I should “seize the day”, and actually live life, so that when I grow old I can reflect on my life without regrets. Of course, I will undoubtedly make mistakes, but making a mistake is not necessarily a bad thing - you learn from your mistakes. Just don’t make the same one twice. At any rate, I intend on having the best life I can have, and I will never, ever wish to be older. I definitely appreciate being young.
yes there is something deep down in everyone. Inside me deep down is passion. My passion is to always strive for excellence. Excelling in life, even if it is not at its full potential is still worth while to me. Becuz being happy is what makes someone deep down have something special. We all are blessed with life. Everyone in this school is blessed with something different. This school brings out a community of different cultures. When we look at the differnt groups as some pple would say i say that when it comes down to helping others, we are there for one another. So having something deep down inside builds your soul. that everyone talks about after your death.
1) I think that death has been a part of me realizing life. When my grandfather died I really saw life from a diffrent perspective and made me realize that every breath I take is a gift. Also that tomorrow is not always a promise. Also another one is the news that has taught me to realize life. I has showed me that this world is not the nicest place and that we as a body are not going be here much longer so I need to live life how I want to now or I might not ever get another chance.
2) I think what it means to be eternal is your soul and how that lives for eternity. You here on earth get to build that soul and make it the way that you want it to be. When you die someday you have to live with that soul for eternity. So I think that eternal is talking about your soul and how you live with that soul for eternity.
3) We are all our own people. We might have the same likings but not all the same likings. We are who we make ourselves to be. I know that myself I have driven myself to have two jobs and work hard at them. Not always have I wanted to but that was a choice I made when I applied there. Not everyone else could handle working as much as I do and that is why we are diffrent and there is no one way to defining people in general.
2)I agree with Ashley Raymond that we live in what could esentually be the "Circle of Life." This quote portrays the circle of life and our lives in an eternity.
"This mortal probation is a brief period-just a short span, linking the eternity of the past with the eternity of the future. Yet it was to be a period of tremendous importance. It is, in fact, the most vital period of our entire eternal existence. In this mortal state we come face to face with innumerable temptations and pressures. Sometimes we come in contact with advocates of wrongdoing, disobedience, and sin. Lucifer is going about tempting those who can be tempted to see if he can lead them astray."
I believe that being eternal is just what Ashley Raymond said the circle of life! My family.. what would be eternal and for the town is that there would be life after death as in when we pass away or parts of our town do they will be back. They will be rebuilt say if a building was lost or for a family more n more are born.
This i feel is a hard question to answer. I dont know who i was before but i do know who i am now. A person who loves to be happy, determined, motivated and has a sense of humor. Maybe who i was was totally different from who i am now? Maybe there are others that are like me?
To me this question is hard to answer because who i ahve become and who i want to be are different things. Myabe people see me differently then i see myself?
About 2 months ago my Nanny had a stroke. I thought it was the end of the world. Seeing her not being herself killed me. It changed her soo much. Shes not the same person she was before. And having that happen to her opend my eyes. I never really called her before just to see how she was or went to visit her. Now I really wish I had. I realize that life really is short.
Well im kinda confused still on this "our town" theme.
So in all good intention im gonna wing it.
It comes to mind when i relised life is when my mother died. I lost a friend no a mother a kind freandlt all around good mom. Its was as if Life was a hot fring pan and it slaped me right acrosses the face. Besides havin 3rd degree burns as if it felt all over my face. I wanted life it self to End....
But hope came to me with the people in my town, at camp came to honor my mom. They didnt say much they didnt need to.With the corwed so big it seemed like a live concert of ACDC just in tht small funarel home.With all of those people thier i realized that my mom made an impact in every ones heart. Mine the most, seeing this with my eyes I wanted to have people remeber me.So now I do what i can when i can and give it my all so i could do the smae my mom did. So when thier is death, from that death comes life and when life comes thier is death.
<3 RIp MOM *Kathy Chandler*
Everyone goes through something in their life that opens their eyes to reality. A few years ago we found out that my mother had a very rare auto-immune disease. She was told that they had caught the disease early, but there was still very little chance that she would live another ten years. She was put on Kimo, which made her very sick and susceptible to other sicknesses. However, the Kimo did help, and now the disease she had is gone, as far as the doctors can tell. Almost losing my mother showed me just how fragile we are, and how death can come any time.
I think that it is the random moments with people you love that make you realize just how precious life is. When you have lost someone very close you become so suddenly aware that you do not have all the time in the world. Everytime I think of my sister I feel the sudden urge to make sure that everyone knows exactly how I feel about them. I think these moments are really important because as horrible as it is to lose someone you love, its even worse to live knowing that they never knew how much they really meant to you.
I think that it is the random moments with people you love that make you realize just how precious life is. When you have lost someone very close you become so suddenly aware that you do not have all the time in the world. Everytime I think of my sister I feel the sudden urge to make sure that everyone knows exactly how I feel about them. I think these moments are really important because as horrible as it is to lose someone you love, its even worse to live knowing that they never knew how much they really meant to you.
Everybody realizes life at some point. Over the past three years there has been 4 people i knew that have passed away. Two of them passed away when they were young. This made me realize that people death can come very unexpectedly, and that nobody is invincible. Since then i have tried to be more safe about the things i do.
#1-So most people realise life through death, understandable. For me though I also have alot of random moments that make me open my eyes. I have seen good kids, kids with so much potential ruin their lives. Kids I have grown up with, and kids who "had it all". I think alot of people today ignore priorities for most of their life like school and family. Drinking, smoking, and drugs, I have seen them all take down people before they even realise it's happening. It's sad, alot of them didnt even finish high school. I use other peoples problems as examples of what not to do. It's a good eye opener for me, but it's too bad they couldn't look at themselves and do the same.
#2-What about you is eternal?
My life. I know God, and i am proud to say it. Other than that nothing.
-What about your family is eternal?
other than their life, nothing.
-What about your town is eternal?
nothing.
-Other than life (those who know God) nothing is eternal. I know that in a year, my hair color will be different.[: In 3 years I won't be living in Maine. I will never be exactly the same. My family, even though we have traditions we won't ALWAYS do it the same. My town, is expanding. Just think about how newport may have looked say in the 1800's. Eternal for me means lasting forever, permanent, unending. Can anyone honestly say that themselves as an entire person will always be the same? Or about your family? Town?
I honestly believe nothing on earth is eternal.
my life has been full of "eye Openers" but when Donnie passed away my life was changed in a great deal. i never would have thought that one of my good friends would of passed away so suddenly. when i see friends fight with each other over stupid everyday stuff i think to myself how stupid is that? you could be fighting with that friend one minute and then the next that friend could be gone. life is to short to hold grudges.
2) What is it about me that's eternal?
Well, since my life on earth will not be eternal, I would like to hope that my influence on other people will be. Think "consilience"; everything is connected or influenced by one thing which leads to another, and an event would not have had the same exact outcome if it wasn't influenced by all of the other events that it went through...(Hopefully that made sense). For example, the friendships or even brief greetings that I make with people throughout life will have some kind of influence on both them and me. Even the tiniest things that you do will have some kind of impact on someone. Who knows, a soda puddle that was spilt at an airport might have caused someone to slip and fall, then go to the bathroom to clean up there soda-stained pants, then lose track of the time, and ultimately miss their scheduled flight. Then a whole new set of events would come about based on this person being late to their destination rather than if they would have mad it there on time. It's all connected; someone influenced this one person's whole day just because of a measley soda spill. But that is how I am eternal; everything that I do influences one thing or another. We all change the world somehow; whether it be my family, my town, or friends. Even when we're dead, we still change the future because we have already made our impact on the world, leaving a new chain of events to occur.
3) Who was I?
I was then who I am now. It's not like the little girl who grew up in Corinna, Maine, who loved recess, had a wild imagination, a passion for playing tag, treasure-hunting, and hide-and-go-seek, has disappeared; she's still here. Yet, as we go through life and school, we learn how to suppress these thoughts and feelings; how to put them in our back pockets. So it's not about who I was, because I still am the same person and always will be, I have just learned how to not cry over dumb things, or how to accept the fact that I am too big for the McDonald's playplace (sigh). And as time passes and I meet new people and see new things, my interests will expand, and the things that I love now I will learn how to push them aside.
I usually identify myself as someone from Corinna. The saying "there's no place like home" just sums it all. The memories that are made in your hometown are unlike any other; the elementary school, the downtown (which doesn't exist much anymore), and everything in between has all impacted me for a lifetime.
1) I realize a little bit more of life every day. There has never been one big event that just made everything go BOOM. With every new person i encounter i learn how diverse life is and how every person has a different view of life. Understanding how other people percieve life makes me realize my own life sometimes i rethink it but usually i dont because i have a pretty good life.
2) My entire being is eternal. My body will die some day but eventually it will just get mixed back in with the matter of the earth. My soul is eternal because after this life i believe my soul will keep traveling through other lives. Not exactly like reincarnation but, a close relative.
My spirt follows me where ever i go and i leave a little piece of it behind. Not that anyone can see it of course but, if someone searched hard enough for it they would feel it. When they find it they will feel happy, or inspired or whatever i was feeling that moment.
My family will be eternal for many of the same reasons that i will be etarnal. My family however, will be eternal in the souls of each individual family member. If we are all individually eternal than our love (or hate) of our family will follow each of us into eternity.
My town will also be eternal in the soul of any individual who has ben affect by it. A more literal aspect of my town is that the place, the actual land in which it dwells will always be in existance. Even if the earth does eventually blow up or something, the fragments will still be there.
3) I have always been a very strong person. When i was younger i used to hide it more and try to blend in. As i grow up I become more bold and defined. Way deep down i have stayed pretty much the same but, my morals and personality are more mature now that they were ehen i was younger. I am sure that i have many sililarities to others who have lived here and stuff but i am still an individual. I dont think i have ever been or will ever be the same as someone else, at least i hope not.
Life in the past year for me has changed tremendously. I have lost two great friends Andrew and James. For me it was an eye opener that life is to short so do what you want now before its too late live your life to the fullest dont be afraid to try something new. I also got a job which showed me that i need to be more responsibly and not count on my parents for all my expenses and it is showing me what it will be like when I get out of high school and move into the world. What it takes is a high level of maturity and responsibility.
2. something that is enternal to me is my family. to me enternal means something that will go on forever. we all have family somewhere and they are always there and w/ us. we all had family 20 yrs ago and we will all have family 20 yrs down the road. granted we dont stop having childeren. so to me that is a good example of the word enternal.
3. i am the same kid i was 10 yrs ago. i still love to do the samethings i did when i was a yound kid. we are all like that in some way. i still find myself sleeping in and watching a lil saturday cartoons juss like i did when i was a yound kid and i think we all have done that a few times. maybe not, maybe im just crazy but anyway we all have to grow up sometime. we all mature but there are those things that bring us back to our childhood days that we will never forget and still love to do. and i think everyone can agree to that.
(Courtney Parkins)
1)) Realizing Life...
Many events in my life have taught me to realize life. First, a few years ago, when my grand-father died. He was such an important person to me, and to lose him was both a shock and a set back. To this day I still will see something interesting, and think "Wow, I can't wait to go home and tell him about it...", only to realize minutes later the mistake I had made. Every time that happens I realize life, and how precious it is, and how you can lose someone so close to you. Second, I realized life was when I was in my old school, and a friends mother died. It was so sudden, and it really affected us all to watch someone so close to us lose their mom. I guess I just realize everyday how much I really have and how much I could lose in an instant.
2)) What does it mean to be eternal?
I think, to be eternal, it just means that when you're gone, you will always have at least one person to remember you. I think that when at least one person remembers you, you will live on eternally in their memories. I think that now, I could be eternal, if my friends remembered me I could be eternal. Same for my family and town.
3)) There is something way down deep inside...
When I think of who I was before who I am now, I can't really see any difference in personality or anything, I just see a change in the way I dressed and stuff. I've always been the same person deep inside, I may have just gotten more outgoing and more confident. I don't think I'm like anyone else, in the respect that I am an individual, and I think that others aren't like others, because they are individual too. You may dress and act like someone, but you will still be your own person on the inside.
Many things have happened to me to relize life a little more. I think that the main thing was on April 13th,2006 our yellow lab named Zack died in my arms. It really opened my eyes and made me think about our everyday lives and how much stuff we take for granted. So much as the love of a dearly loved pet can open the eyes of many people around you. I would have to also as Jessie did agree with Danielle and say that everyone hits autopilot every now and then. I know that is usally where my thoughts are, especally in the morning. I will get myself ready for school and find that I am riding the bus to school, and think "WOW, I'm on the bus already?". That is also an event that made me relize life and it's wonderful things, That morning on the bus I decided to try to remember and enjoy the things that I do in the morning to get ready for SCHOOL, and the things that everyone does while they are on Auto Pilot, To enjoy what is happing because it is going to fly quickly by if you don't pay attention.
I believe in eternity, because I believe that there is a God, and an afterlife. However, I do not believe that anything on earth is eternal. Since I believe that when I go to Heaven I will literally live for eternity, I don’t think that what happens here on earth can ever truly be eternal. Earth is not eternal.
I have a very strong sense of family. In my family (including my extended family) we are all very much alike despite our obvious differences. I never feel quite so much as if I belong, as I do at our family gatherings. I love my family despite their eccentrics (and believe me - they are all very eccentric!), and I know that they love me despite mine. And that is family
1) Well i have kinda been getting these little wake up calls of the vaule of life through the year basicly from 7th grade on the problem was that i would just digress from my realizations and this happened a few times until my grand father died and he had always seem to be like that eternal thing that i would never have to worry about and then to seal the realizations about a year later a close friend died. i think this by itself really made a lot of people think and for me it was like a punch in the face and i really wasn't ready for it. i think it actually shocked me into the idea that something as small as driving to fast a a twitch of the wheel, can be the end.
2) Well the way most people do look at this is that we are eternal and our names and doings will always be remembered. I tend to dissagree as a whole the idea of being eternal is ever lasting and we are not ever lasting. In fact people looked the everlasting idea is what most people try to rationalize death with and the truth is that more lives would be saved if only the people did value ther lives enogh to ralize, yes they will be remembered but why waists this valuable thing called life, just to be rmembered. So in general everything in life is a balance of priority and vaules it all depeneds on what you live for. If you live for money are you willing to lose your life for money, which is actually what you live for so if you don't get the money then what is your reason to live, you might as well die.
3) Who we are is what you make of life if you don't do anything with your life then you are kindof a nothing but you could be the best nothing in the world and there for you might be briliant in your own way and every one could love you. There for making you something in there eyes, which would still be nothing in your eyes because hopefully you aren't liveing for them and try to make yourself someone through them. The second they make something of them selves is the second that you are back left as nothing. your best bet is to get something done for yourself and and find where that takes you.
1.) Well, I've come to realize life through visits and charity programs on HIV/AIDS/Malaria.
Once I realized that every three seconds a child, in Africa dies in extreme poverty, everything in my life was put into perspective. I realized that worrying about petty things (i.e. school drama, how people think I look, in who's top eight I am on MySpace, etc) was INCREDIBLY selfish, shallow and idiotic.
(I have a whole rant on that sort of thing, but I'll save it for a time where it'll actually be relevant)
Nothing makes you realize and appreciate what you've got when you see millions who have nothing.
2.) The only thing eternal about myself is the effect I have on others -- NO, I'M NOT BEING EGOTISTICAL, DON'T WORRYING AND KEEP READING --
Just hear me out: Say John gives Joe a car. Then, Joe takes the car out for a spin and crashes and dies. A bystander, Bob, sees the crash and tells his buddy Rob about it. Rob then decides that his kid, Moe, won't drive until he's 18. Moe hears snide remarks about this fact and beats up the kid who made them. The kid, with a bloody nose [...] who lived in the house that Jack built.
See what I mean? A chain reaction of seemingly unconnected events sprouted from one action.
These chain reactions don't have to all be birthed from physical actions, though. They can be thoughts, as well (i.e. the morals and ideas that parents teach their children). They can also be the fact that something exists (like a town).
3.) I am me.
That's all I know.
Yes, I've changed over the years but the morphing of my psyche, due to puberty has been so gradual (it seems like it anyway -- I'm only 17) that there's only one thing I can be sure of that I changed about myself-- how I feel about music.
To further your understanding of this change, let me tell you about a little Freshman named "Micah":
Micah, a home schooled child, who had just joined the track team was seeking a way to "fit in". One of the things he noticed, about everyone of his newfound acquaintances, was taste in music -- everyone liked the same bands.
Micah then decided to start listening to various artists that his buddies had been more than happy to show him.
He didn't really like the music, but, to fit in with everyone, he learned to.
For the next year (yes, a whole year) Micah downloaded the top-rated songs on iTunes. If he didn't like them, he would listen to them anyway, thereby effectively brainwashing himself.
The next summer, Micah came to the realization that he had been doing this to himself. He then decided to listen ONLY to bands that no one had heard of.
Although he realized that this might seem just as bad, he had found that with all of the underground bands out there he never had to make himself listen to anything. Ever.
And feels the stronger for it.
(btw, Emo "music" will create such a rage in Micah that he will explode the stereo that plays it)
The End.
I believe that some of the things that are eternal in someone, not necessarly me, are the memories that people have with others and special events they encounter.The memories that someone has stays with a person for a long time. I believe that something that I have that is eternal is the love that I have for my faimily and friends. The part of town that I live in has the friendlyness and neighborness that is eternal.
I was a very depenent girl that followed everything that i was told to do. I believe that i have changed to the young lady that i am today because of people that have come into my life and have touched it so deeply. I had been intimadadted(Sorry can't spell) by alot of people, such as people smarter than me, people bigger and more popular. But somthing changed as i went into high school. I am not saying that I am the most confident but in my personal opinion i have come a long way from 5-6 years ago, and this is who i am today:)
To be eternal means to make an impact with your life on others and the community. If you live your life to its fullest you will probably have an impcat on others,and after you are gone everyone will remember how you were.
[1.] So much can allow a person to "realize life" From something as big and broad as the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and the war..... to even other life-altering things such as getting your liscense or graduating highschool.
[2.] When it comes to being external, i cant honestly explain what i think it means....i suppose most people agree with the whole "circle of life" theory. Which i do as well, but not quite as literal. Mostly because, like alecia said, even though our bodies dies our souls do not. I'm not really sure how to explain it. Thats a toughy :-p
[3.] As for the third part of the question, i can honestly say that i have no idea who i am. Its still something that i'm trying to figure out. I mean, i know what i like and what i dont like...& i know my name and how old i am, but i'm not sure a person can ever truly know who they are because we are always changing. The ways we think & feel, or what we believe. I think it is possible to be similar to the people in our pasts because the saying goes "things from the past are what makes the future." so i can see where certain things in life now have derived from the past.
(1) Realizing Life
throughout the last few years I have realized a lot.
My freshmen year i hada really tough year. My mom ghot into a car accident and broke both her legs. I missed so much school because of that incident that no one thought I would be able to pass. Well I proved them all wrong. I passed most of my classes with passing grades and moved on.
My sophomore year was a little better but there was so much going on with my family. Including divorces and other not so great problems.
This year has been a little easier. There has been a few tough times like when my boyfriends dad past away and also when the guy building our new house just up and quit. But even with all that bad we managed to find the help that we needed to build a beautiful house and also have a good time doing it.
What all of this has done for me is helped me realize that even though life can be hard that those hardships can bring good and that with all that good there can be happiness.
1) the event that taught me to relize life this year was when mandy came in and taught our period one class to act like our normal selfs and not to just put an act on for school. she also taught us that it is okay to be foolish sometimes but you have to know when to put the serious act on.
2)i think it means that you should live your life to the fullist.
3)i think that when i was younger i was more of a laid back person and let life take me where it wanted me to go. but now that i am older i think that i have let myself fall into peer pressure and not let life take me where it wants me to go and that i think is a disadvantage becuase different decisions could mean different paths.
I think a big thing that made most of us "Realize Life" is school. As I first got into High School I realized that education is no joke, and if you want to make it in life you need to get one.
I am a strong believer in the idea that no one truly knows what they have until its gone, which makes it understandable that the majority of us still breathing take those breathes for granted everyday. Obviously I have never asked someone who has died how they value life but I’m sure they would have a deeper appreciation for it than we do. All that considered the closest we can ever come to remotely experiencing the loss of life is when we lose that of someone close to us. I would like to see how the characters in our town would cope with a situation like death.
Realizing life is somehting that i think that I have done for an extremly long time. When I was younger and abused I think that was when I realized that life can be cruel. When I got to move in with my grandparents I realized that there are people in life who you can trust and love. Now, in a group home I realize that what people go through in life everyday makes you that much stronger. There is a saying that says " Be prepared for the worst, but hope for the best," and that's all that you can do in life is......
be prepared + hope
Though I have been fortunate enough not to experience a tragity among my family or friends within my living memory, my mom has. She told me stories about her sister, and her father, both of whom died before I ever came into existence. Looking at it more thoroughly than just an outsider, though, life is more fragile than I could have imagined. My aunt, my mom's sister, was a great, nice person, my mom told me. She was more like me than anyone else in the family; I probably could have gotten along with her like a best friend. But, something so much as a mis-step during hunting season was enough to take that away; from her, from my family, and myself. It hurts, even though I never knew her, to think of the things that never had, and never can, happen. I don't really live up to this realization every day, but every once in a while, that thought makes me want to live for the rest of my life. :)
2.) i beleive in eternal life. As one person is born another person dies. My memories are eternal and so are my accomplishments. My family will always be eternal to me and in my heart and mind. So is my town, new people are born and the town grows and it keeps evolving.
3.)Everyone likes to keep somethings bottled up inside. We have our little secrets we want to keep to ourselves. I used to like to keep everything to myself and hide away and never let my feelings show, but, now i know that its better that you talk about your feelings with people. Talking about things always make you feel better.
I think realizing life comes the hardest from the fact of death. All of our junior class ahs felt the loss of our friend Donnie and that has awakened our group for life. I also realized life when my Mema fainted after a basketball game one night. Though shes fine now, I can not totally describe how I felt through that time. All I could think about was having her hear me say "I love You" just incase something did go wrong. My Mema is my best friend and is always there for me, I could not imagine my life without her. That is why from that moment on I say those three little words to my family a lot more!!!
1) I believe that an event that made me realize lif ewas when my grandfather died. I wasnt that close to him. But the reaction my dad had was a real eye opener. All i could think about was what if i lost everyone around me.
2)I would have to say my personality is eternal. Thats what most people think about when they here my name. My family is eternal because your family keeps growing.
3) the thing that has made me stronger it getting out and talking more then to my friends. I also got stronger by being myself more than what people want me to be.I dont think I was like anyone who went to school here everyone is different in one aspect or another.
Life can be uplifting or can let you down. Many people today I would have to say take things for granted. Not saying I'm innocent but for most people it takes losing something, someone very dear to them for them to relize you can't go back. There may be no second chance.. Life comes with you on your heels. Anything could happen. Events such as Sept. 11th and Hurricane Katrina to losing family members and close friends when i least expect it. If you really step back and look at your life.. should we really be complaining. I know I can't. Looking back at everything.. not just me but my family and friends. We've all mostly changed for the better. I've matured and grown through my mistakes and taking things for granted. Do I wish I could take back some of things I've done or things that have happened to me.. Sometimes yes, but for the most part I'm still alive and healthy with an outlook on life I've never had before. To me everything happens for a reason
one.I think that the trials and hardships people go through make them "realize life". Without trials, life isn't really life. It's the things we don't want our life to be filled with that makes us question our being and who we are. As awful as it may sound, death is a big part of realizing life. Realizing that life is a temporary gift that can be ended at any given time...a given time that we'll never know. Most people today seem to take their life for granted. Of course there are people who have harder lives than others, but in situations like those, why not look at the good rather than the bad? We as American juniors have so many more opportunities and priveledges than most other people in the world. We have the opportunity to be healthy, the use of technology in our lives, most of us have enough clothes and food to survive, a home and even something to call a family. In fact, we are alive. That is a blessing in itself considering that many children don't even make it to the age of 2 digit numbers.
I recently watched the 2006 film "Bobby", which fictionalizes people in the hotel the night Bobby Kennedy was assasinated. In the end credits, there are multiple photos of Senator Kennedy with his family, as well as with the people in the community and during campaigns. It made me think about how awful that must have been to be there that night, and what types of people there are in the world. Bobby Kennedy wasn't just politician, he was a real person. Seeing those pictures was like a small epiphany of connection. It's the small things like family that keep us all connected and that even protect us from the "realization of life".
two.
"When we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connnected in the great Circle of Life." The famous quote from The Lion King. I believe that "being eternal" can be identified with each person as an individual. Whether you believe that Heaven is the key to an eternal life, or reincarnation as a literal meaning to living eternally, or that lasting memories will keep somebody alive eternally. Though I don't fully believe in the literal "circle of life" in that I'll become something to provide another (like grass...) I still really enjoy the classic quote and ideas from the movie, and what other cultures celebrate for life.
three.
Like most people, I don't know exactly who I am. I don't think anybody goes through life knowing exactly who they are because people constantly change as do their objectives and desires. While I don't know who I am exactly, I do know what I like and what makes me happiest and most comfortable. That is what I want to seek from life. I know that performing is what I want to do. Nothing really makes me happier than to be onstage. Music follows very closely. While I might be similar to other people who have been here, I am not the same or even close to being the same. I'm me - which doesn't really compare to anybody else, where I can't compare with anybody else either.
2.The part of me that would be eternal I guess would have to be my impact on the world and the people around me. My accomplishments and contributions that I make through out my life will by far out live me, I hope that my life will be something worth remembering after im gone, i think that is why it is so important to live your life to the fullest.
I guess I sort of see a sense of community and pattern in my town but Im not really involved in it enough to understand it on that level. I think the older generation like my grandparents would see our traditions as the eternal part of our town, but the sad thing is how much our town is separating and morally depleting as that older generation fades.
Your traditions and morals are what is eternal about your family because each generation passes down little pieces and of themselves and those that came before them. No matter how much times change there will always be certain aspects of your family that will stay intact.
3. I really don't know alot about those who came before me, not even on a personal basis such as my grandparents. I do however know that everyone in my life has been effected by those who came before and have in turn influenced my life, people are a sum of everyone they have ever known. positive ofr negitive, everyone effects you. I think that over my lifetime based on my experiences I have changed and grown alot. I don't feel like I am really part of any specific group, nor do I feel excluded. I have spent my life wandering in and out of social groups and friends, and I think that has made me a much happier and well ajusted person. Sometimes I think people find a place that is comfortable and are afraid to venture out, and while having a sense of community and belonging can be positive I think sometimes people hide behind it and forget to really live their lives.
2.
Ok something that is eternal in me and my family are our souls. They will always live on no matter what happens.
3.
To tell you the truth I have no idea exactly who I am. I have a few ideas but I am really not sure. I have learned a few things lately about how I think I should be treated. Some people just don't know how to take or deal with other people. I really don't like it when people judge me for who I am not.
But anyways here is my blog. I Am Done Finally
Bridget Lister
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