Man Emerges Ahead

Read: "Man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments."
The Grapes of Wrath

Ponder: Have you ever wondered what separates us from every other living thing in the universe? What is it that makes us different from the bacteria, the plants, the apes?

Pursue: Even with all the proven science of evolution and DNA, people are finding a hard time swallowing the fact that our physical make up isn't all that different from many of the animals we look down on. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't believe we came from bacteria or apes or anything, but evolution is real and the facts are all around us. What people don't understand is, that even though we share so many similarities with "lower level" organisms, we are 100% different. What animal "grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments?" I believe that only humans have that ability. The truth is, man is special, man is different. Man shows compassion, love, empathy, growth. Man has the potential to change the world; we cannot ignore that.

We the people....MUST STAY TOGETHER!

Read: "The bank is something more than men, I tell you. It's the monster. Men made it, but they can't control it."
The Grapes of Wrath

Ponder: What happens when something gets out of control, when a man made "thing" no longer depends on man? We've seen it so many times: Terminator, Wall-E, you get the picture. But in The Grapes of Wrath, the problem is less tangible. When it's a bank taking over lives, who's to blame?

Pursue: We need to learn from books like the Grapes of Wrath. We need to realize that the hard times are caused by banks, credit, stocks, and fear. If we as a people can come together and show compassion to one another, we will have control and we wont be at risk of defeat by uncontrollable forces. Yes, hard times will always come, but we can overcome more if we are together.

Think First!

Read: "She was vexed beyond what could have been expressed—almost beyond what she could conceal. Never had she felt so agitated, so mortified, grieved, at any circumstance in her life. She was most forcibly struck. The truth of his representation there was no denying. She felt it at her heart. How could she have been so brutal, so cruel to Miss Bates! How could she have exposed herself to such ill opinion in any one she valued!"
Emma

Ponder: All of us make decision that we instantly regret. Whether it's speaking to quickly, acting too rashly, or doing something that goes against your values, it happens to all of us.

Pursue: It confuses me that even though the consequences of our actions are so horrible to us, we don't change. We know what will come from our actions, but that doesn't stop us from making bad decisions. I think the best thing we can do is try to be rational and always think before we act. When you go against your values, you let yourself down and this dissapointment can cause you to slack in other areas of your life.

wisdom from a child

Read: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill a Mockingbird

Ponder: Truely understanding a person is hard to do. Do you believe that you really understand anyone?

Pursue: Not many people have the courage to consider things from other's points of view. You have to be willing to leave everything you believe and know behind and become the other person. You must "climb into his skin and walk around in it." Only then can you truely understand someone and only then can you know their hearts.

History Does Repeat Itself

Read: "After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by-and-by she let it out that Moses has been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn't care no more about him, because I don't take no stock in dead people."
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Ponder: Do you ever wonder why we take so much time to learn about people from the past? Do you ever wonder why history is so important to us? Why do we take "stock in dead people?"

Pursue: Though in this passage, Huck Finn states that he doesn't care about learning about the past, I disagree. I think learning the world's history is very important. It teaches us about people and about ourselves. Though someone may be dead, it doesn't mean they are not worth learning about.

Read: "It was kind of lazy and jolly, laying off comfortable all day, smoking and fishing, and no books nor study. Two months or more run along, and my clothes got to be all rags and dirt, and I didn't see how I'd ever got to like it so well at the widow's, where you had to wash, and eat on a plate, and comb up, and go to bed an get up regular, and be forever bothering over a book, and have old Miss Watson pecking at you all the time. I didn't want to go back no more. I had stopped cussing, because the widow didn't like it; but now I took to it again because Pap hadn't no objections. It was pretty good times up in the woods there, take it all around."
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Ponder: Sometimes we just enjoy sitting around with nothing to do. It's nice to have to no cares and to not have to worry. Huckleberry Finn is this kind of person. Even though his father is cruel and beats him, he enjoys living with him and letting life just move on around him.

Pursue: Though living like this can be fun for a while, it gets old fast. I find enjoyment in working myself and accomplishing things. The other part of this passage that also stuck out to me was how Huck Finn enjoys being with his father even though he beats him. It showed me that a child will never stop loving their parents. Sometimes I think parent take advantage of this and treat their children cruelly just because they know that their child will accept it.

Be That Person

Read: "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place....With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us."
Of Mice and Men

Ponder: Do you ever take for granted the comfort and support friends and family bring you?

Pursue: Our families; our friends give us a place to belong. They give us a future. Them simply being there changes our life entirely. Without them, we have nothing to care about; no one to talk to us. Try to be that for others. You can never know when the person next to you is desperate for someone to care. Say hello, smile, assure them that someone out their cares.

All Alone

Read: "I fell to my knees by the side of my grandfather's body. Dead. Growing cold. I straightened his arms and legs so he he might lay with dignity. What should I do next? There was no one to ask. I felt like a baby girl just learning to walk, only the ground under my feet was shaking and I had no one to hold one to."
Fever

Ponder: What does it mean to feel completely alone? What happens when the only thing you have left is taken from you? The darkness that envelopes you is frightening and you feel like a helpless child again. Everyone will experience this feeling at some point in their life.

Pursue: Complete lonliness is one of the scariest things to feel. It's dark, heavy, suffocating, but it will pass. Knowing how it feels to be alone only makes you appreciate those around you more. Loosing a family member or a friend is a part of life; the part no one wants but everyone will experience. You must grow from those hard experiences and live your life as passionately as possible.