The article we read today explained how its possible that a mother could kill her kids and why in some places mothers don't get punished as harshly when they kill their kids. First I think the most important thing to take away from this is that a mother would have to be mentally insane or dealing with some serious issues to purposely murder their kid. However the article tells us that their are multiple reasons that a mother could feel inclined to kill their children. The first reason they give is that in the mothers head the tell themselves that the kid would be better off dead. Now even though this sounds crazy I can almost understand how it is possible. In just thinking about it if I was a mother that couldn't provide for my kids I wouldn't want them to live a terrible life. Another reason is when a mother hears voices that tell her to kill her kids. This one I cannot understand as well. The last is most relatable to Medea because it explains how mothers could kill thier kids to get back at the father. This is bad because  then the father legacy will not live on.

Just go with the flow dude

The Taoist religion can give us an insight into Chinese history because they show the importance on natures natural order. This being expressed by the go with the flow attitude that people who follow this religion have. Like a river they suggest that humans do not interfere with its natural flow. The religion also gives insight into the political affairs of China, for most of Chinas history there was an emporoer in power. In creating celestial masters the Taoist were in search of a government in which every person was treated equal.  This political order and China as a whole didnt last very long however the tribes that followed the social ranking was based on the persons religious ranking. The article tells us that since there is no physical evidence they based their piecing together of history with writings.

what does it all mean?

Today we read an article about how we all could be some computer simulated game. Before reading I was sure that I was real and living, after reading I'm not so sure.  I would almost rather be a computer simulated game because its easier to think that everything happens for a reason instead of just trying to go with the flow of life. quite honestly high school seems like an impossible maze that I can never get out of. Like a mouse in a science lab I smell the "cheese" or college but it feels like I'm never getting any closer... am I being timed against others? Why am I here? I would rather feel that there is some greater being using me as an experiment or just for enjoyment then to think that I'm here for no reason at all. Religion gives me little insight and I am left with hoping that humans have more to offer then war, crimes, jealousy and hatred. Those who are good are suppressed while the innocent are killed every day and it leaves me wondering how this all happens without some purpose. I've lived a good life so far and I've been given everything I wanted but the ugliness in people is just the same wether they are rich or poor. If I am part of a game what happens next because we all know there is a time when the screen turns black and "GAME OVER" comes. If I'm a figment of another persons imagination how am I able to question them and why wouldn't I know this person. After all of this I finally realized that no matter what you believe or think us humans are not the most powerful thing on this Earth and we don't know what we are here for. I can promise though that we weren't created to  post selfies on instagram in hopes of getting comments to feed our self esteem or to  snap chat people in order get a little number next to their name meaning the amount of consecutive days you and that person had meaningless conversations. This brings me to another reason that we might have been created, I've always heard about the good days but when were those days because everyone living says they remember the good days but during that time there was some time before that, that was better. Going back with the computer simulated game theory are we being tested for every possible out come it started with being a small number in one part of the earth and here we are 7.125 billion and counting replications later. Spread across the world living all different lives, is each person a test or is humanity in total being tested. These simulations as referred to in the article if proven some how to be correct would be the answer to question that people have been asking since cognitive abilities were advanced. The reason people have fear and the entire purpose of religion is to tackle that one idea. Personally I feel the only way to really live life whether we are real or not is to forget why we are here and be here just for the purpose of enjoying life. Once you have found what makes you happy and let everything else go then you have fulfilled your purpose. Not super sure how this became a long rant about life but it did and I feel comfortable with the ideas that I've shared and I hope someone will be enlightened or maybe this only made sense to me.

In the article "Holocaust Survivors: the Search for Faith" Mr. Menachem Daum describes the remarkable journey of his parents faith after suffering through the Holocuast. He describes how his mother cannot find it in herself to forgive G-d and his fathers strong faith that continues even after the Holocuasts. The quote that really stuck me was " A G-d who limits himself to actions that we humans can understand couldn't possibly be G-d." This quote would support his Dads views. Most people I feel would agree that his mothers arugmet is logical that G-d should have stepped in and done something. That quote sheds light on the argument if us as humans could understand everything G-d did then we wouldn't be human. If we are relating this to the story of Job we could say that this was a test of the faith of the chosen ones, the Jews. Was Hitler the work of the devil in order to make sure that the Jews would keep their beliefs in time of suffering. What G-d did to Job was awful but he kept his faith and proved to be loyal. Job was a good person and so were the Jews. The story of Job is almost identical to the holocuast the punishments got increasingly worse and worse as time went on and the strong kept faith while others turned their back on G-d. Logically its hard for some to understand why G-d would continually let his "chosen people" be pursicuted but in comparing these stories I saw a whole other side of the Holocuast.

absent for one day and we already moved to a new story

From reading "The book of Job" part 1 there are clear similarities and differences to the bible stories. One major difference in this story is the presence of the devil or Satan. From what we have read in class the devil is not directly influencing pain on the people its G-d. A second difference is usually the good people who fear G-d are not punished but rewarded, like Noah or Abraham after proving himself. There are also many similarities such as the way they refer to G-d as lord. Another similarity is that G-d wants people to fear him and to follow his rules. He tests Job just as he did Abraham giving them reasons that would be logical to turn their back on G-d and waiting for there responses. You could say that both passed the test given to them. Lastly G-d proves himself to not be as all knowing as he seems in almost every story that I have read, unless every flood, torture, trick,and sacrifice was all part of his plan to lead humans where he wants them to be.

The best thing about high school so far is the freedom that I have. I am no longer told write like this, sit like that and stop chewing your gum in class. Its not that the teachers care less about order and dispiline its just that they know that we are individuals who like to express ourselves in different ways. In taking all honors classes being on the debate team and playing tennis I find my work starting to pile up without end. I haven't gone to sleep before 11:30 since the first week of school. For some that isn't that late and they prefer to be up until one or two in the morning. However for me 9:30 is time to start heading to sleep. This is no longer an option for me.  The other thing I'm having trouble with is that tests, quizzes and assignments are much harder then I have ever had. Last year only earth science, spanish and math counted for college so I could prorotize those classes over others. This year all my classes are important and its hard to pick what test to study more for.

Well at least now I know that G-d is...

During the last two classes we spent time on the characterization of G-d. Before this I never saw G-d as a character more as something a being just set in stone.  I felt a little uncomfortable with reading this because I felt that it was wrong to what feels like judge G-d. However after the first day I realized that we are learning about G-d. I learned that he lives through humans and this is proven because in every page there is at least one time where they state that humans are made in G-ds image. G-d also set expectations for humans when humans did not meet this expectation G-d regrets creating the humans so he destroys them. Being that humans are created in G-ds image he should have known that humans would become violent. This is where I think religion has a disconnect if G-d is all knowing how would he not see this coming. I enjoyed doing this because I looked at something the seemed obvious in a new way.

Adam and his partner Eve against temptation

Today we read Genesis which actually is not as confusing as I thought it would be. I think the it's G-d's  doing that Adam and Eve got kicked out of Eden. G-d makes the fruit " good for food and pleasing to the eye." Along with this he tempts them by telling Adam and Eve no, since he created them he would know that part of human nature is the need to rebel against power.  He also created the serpent knowing that in the future he would lead them to the tree. If g-d is all powerful as he is described he must have known all the possibilities and wanted Adam and Eve to be kicked out.

after looking through 200 flood myth websites...

In the short flood story I read created by the native Americans the earth was flooded because a man named Nanabozho tried to receive his cousin from the river serpent. He angered the river serpent, which caused him to flood the earth, everyone who ran to the top of the mountains survived by making boats and some animals survived too. The river serpent however did not survive because he was shot in the heart. A main similarity between this flood story and the one told in Gilgamesh is that the flood was given as a punishment. This also brings a big difference because the native American flood story was given as a punishment to only one person which was Nanabozho, in Uta- napishtis story the flood was given to kill everyone because they made too much noise.  Another difference is in the native American flood story the flood time line is based on when the water covers the mountains that they people were on, in Uta-napishtis the time line for the flood was a specific 200 hundred days. Another similarity is that after the flood everything went back to normal, the native American flood story ends bt saying that the water disappeared from the land and those who survived returned home. In both cases the flood didn’t have lasting effects on the earth itself on the people on it. In Uta-Nepishtis story everyone died however the earth did recover to its normal form as well. Lastly both were started because of angry g-ds and both were saved because of g-ds who weren’t quite on the same path as the angry g-ds. Meaning that each had g-ds that helped them survive.

Source: http://www.native-languages.org/

Introduction

     Hi, My name is Makenzie not Mackenzie even though auto correct would like the second option better. I go to Roslyn High school and I am a freshman. I play tennis and lacrosse and I am also on the debate team here. I am writing this blog for my English class, this project totally indimidates me. I'm not really sure how but my name is Selena in my google account which just shows you how lost and confused I am on technology. Personally not looking foward to doing everything on the iPads and creating this blog. I'm thinking if maybe I learn what I am doing it will be easier. So wish me luck.