Small acts of Kindness

Many people believe that we live in a world where good is overshadowed by darkness and this is true. The little things we do for people are overshadowed by the little bits on sin we do to others, when it should be reversed. Some of the ways in which young people, like myself, can show these small acts of kindness or as Desmond Tutu says, “light a candle to dispel a bit of darkness,” is by simply performing random acts of kindness towards others. For instance, opening the door for the elderly, helping a stranger with their groceries, volunteering or by simply using the words “please” and “thank you”. These small acts of kindness can make a big difference in other people’s lives. Other ways that a young person can be kind is by inviting those who are isolated into their social groups or buying lunch for someone or by just treating someone with physical or mental differences equally. Often these simple acts of kindness are not appreciated because people usually only hear or see the bad things that our happening in our society and tend to stop appreciating these little acts of kindness; thereby long for something really big. As a teen, I believe teenagers need to start showing random acts of kindness and less acts of rudeness or violence in our community. I believe others should appreciate it and recognize it more by simply smiling and saying “thank- you.” This is a world where good is over shadowed by evil and we need to start recognizing the good because when we don’t people get discouraged and forget about trying to be good, if no one recognizes them.

Cell Phones are WASTE

Cell phones are the epitome of convenience. They allow us to talk to our loves ones anywhere in the world from almost anywhere in the world. Without cell phones, most teenagers would struggle to get by, kind of like music. Owning a cell phone is like second nature today. Everyone has one. Even when I visit an elementary school, I see kids in Grade 6 with them, texting! When I was that age I was trading cards and playing tag. But the cell phone population has really exploded. It is great tool that we can use to talk or text but it is also great for using in emergencies. All that said, sometimes it can even be a waste of money. We spend roughly $30 to about $80 (or even more) a month depending on our plans, to talk to other people, when we can just use a house phone (or, God forbid, a payphone for real emergencies). I don’t think people realize that most of the time we are on our cell phones we are at home and now with the cell phone banned in cars we can’t even talk on the go. We are spending over a thousand dollars a year just to talk to people we see every day at school or work or in the surrounding area. I have a cell phone and I admit that I use it, but I when I realized that it was a waste of money it was already too late. I am stuck with a three-year contract with Rogers, paying about $50 a month. I won’t lie though, cell phones are great and with the expansion of technology they are handy and fun; but when I put things in perspective, it’s a waste unless you are a business person and need a cell phone to operate and run your business effectively or do your job effectively. But hey, who am I? I’m just one voice. Please leave a comment – or text it from your cell.

My second passion MUSIC

Music is also the most amazing thing in life. Without music I don’t think I could survive a day in life. When people say music is life, I totally agree with them now! With the variety of music and different types of things you can listen to it on, one should never have to go a day without listening to their favourite song or artist -- at least I don’t with my handy-dandy iPod (a great invention). As I grow older and older I can really see the importance of music and I realize how much it relates to my life. Music has also helped me through the good times and the bad and even changes my moods. I’m in LOVE with music and I just wanted people to know how strongly I feel about it. Do any of you out there know what I’m talking about? I want to hear your vibe. Post your comments below.

Love

Love is the most amazing thing in life. Love makes people do a bundle of things that you wouldn’t normally do. Sometimes these things can be good or bad. There is also a variety of different types of love, such as love from and for your parents, love towards friends and love with another person of the opposite sex. When in you’re in love with someone of the opposite sex it feels as if there could be nothing better in life that you could ask for. God gave us the ability to love one another and to experience this feeling, so I believe we should take advantage and fall in love more often. It’s far better than the alternative of hating each other and creating enemies. Love can also be very stressful -- especially when the relationship doesn’t go as planned or expected. I have only been in love once in my life, and the amount of things I did was so ridiculous; I used to walk in the snow (I hate snow), skip to school and many other things to silly to even mention. It was reciprocated by her though. The good times I had with her I would never ever give up in a million years or for any amount of money. Love is the most precious gift and I believe everyone deserves to be loved from the moment they are born. We also went through many down, not-so-in-love times but the good times made it worth it. If you’re in love or have ever been in love, I want to know what you think. What was it (or is it) like for you? Please post your comments below.

Liars

Have you ever lied? If you say no then you’re probably lying now. Sometimes lying can be a good thing (SOMETIMES), but most of the times it is bad and usually hurts someone emotionally. I have lied many times before in the past, but the last two years I have stopped, or been trying to stop, due to previous situations because I was only hurting individuals I loved. I also began to realize that lying didn’t get me out of that much trouble, so now I just tell the truth and face the consequences. Recently someone who I thought was very professional, just told a fib on me, which led to a three day suspension from school, grief with my family and emotional distress. After I heard the accusations of what I did I was extremely angry and I couldn’t believe that someone would do that. This experience has allowed me to understand what I did to others so maybe I deserved it. I have learned my lesson from this so now I am I’m completely done lying. I realized lying does not always help and even if you get away with things and, even worse, stays on your conscience and makes you feel really guilty (if you have a conscience). We liars need to realize that telling the truth is actually better, and can even result in a lesser punishment. Because of lying a person’s word doesn’t count for much. For example, people now have to say “I swear to God” or “I swear on my grandmother’s grave.” As the Good Book says, your “yes” needs to be a “yes” and your “no” needs to be a “no.” You shouldn’t have to swear to the Almighty or on good ol’ grandma’s grave. Start telling the truth and your word will go farther. Have any truth about lies for me? I’d like to hear your stories (really). Please post your comments below.