Kasey Powers ENG 101-A

My name is Kasey Powers I love anything agriculture related even though I’ve never actually lived on a farm. I came to Eastern Kentucky University because I hate UK and Murray was too far away. When I first came to my English 101 class it seemed like any other English class read, respond, read, respond, but I found myself thinking deeper into the readings. Things like how each point of view and each topic affected me.

Government:

I feel very blessed to live in our country because I know that we have freedoms and opportunities that people in other nations could only dream of. I think an ideal government is one that does not limit its’ citizens in any way. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”(Thomas Jefferson). My ideal government is one where all the components of society can play off of each other and improve together.

Citizens hold the most important place in our government, as any role with the majority does in any situation. Citizens ultimately decide who is in charge and therefore how our country is run. It is our job to improve our nation in every way from the products we make to the businesses we run or work for.

Wealth and Poverty:

“Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community”(Andrew Carnegie). I agree with this quote, if you have excess amounts of wealth it’s your duty to society to help improve your community. I do think it’s necessary to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, even distribution of wealth is one of the main things that could improve a community. It would erase snobbery and resentment and replace it with a sense of camaraderie and equality.

I myself do not manage money very wisely. I have never had a savings account and my money never seems to last that long. Whether it burns a hole in my pocket or I just have too many bills as a nineteen year old is up for debate. The only way I can afford to help the poor with money is donate to the Salvation Army every time I see them at Christmas time; I find it’s easier for me to contribute to the poor by volunteering my time. My ultimate goal for my money and my financial state in general is to simply not be broke all the time. I want to have money saved for emergencies so the sky is not falling when they occur, I want to be able to donate to worthy causes, and I want to just be worry free where money is concerned.

Justice:

In my mind justice is the ever-present “right thing to do”, which is almost impossible to determine the majority of the time. I think injustice is far more common in our world. The treatment of women in countries such as Iran, white supremacy in South Africa (Hotel Rwanda), and child slavery are just some of the injustices that occur in our world every day. These things are all unjust because they possess the attitude that one sex, ethnicity, race, or human being is superior or even more valuable than the other.

I believe there is no room for unjust laws in our world that they all can and should be broken. Our world is corrupt enough without the government enabling such things. My role against injustice is to stand up for what I believe in on a daily basis whether it’s someone being judged or picked for his or her beliefs at school or voting against something I’m opposed to in our government.

Ethics/Morality:

Ethics/Morality is the sense of right and wrong we are all supposedly born with. Yet in our society today we have terrorists, rapists, and murderers just to name a few and justice is definitely not served in every case simply because they have become so common in our world our government cannot punish them all.

I do believe ethical/moral behavior can be achieved without religion. I think everyone is born with that sense of conscience but due to life events some turn away and ignore it. I think whenever people talk about karma that it easily relates to your personal morals/ethics, it’s the prime example that you reap what you sew. I think being happy is going through life with a feeling of contentment, comfort, and confidence. Being sure of yourself and knowing who you are giving that self satisfaction that helps you get through the day and prepare for tomorrow. I do consider myself happy, I have everyday worries and concerns but I don’t let that keep me down or hold me back. I find happiness in everything I love such as my family, friends, and horse.

Individual:

Being an individual means knowing your place in the world and knowing that how you conduct yourself as a person is the main way to improve the world. If each citizen strives to better themselves than that alone improves society, working towards a positive end to each day betters society for all of us. We all have the responsibility to show our government what would create a better life for all of us and to help each other in turn create that life for themselves. As an individual I see myself as a confident and passionate human being, I will never conform to what others consider normal or acceptable, in fact those are the social barriers I believe we should try to rid ourselves of. I contribute to society by always trying to do right by others and myself. I believe that supporting each individual is supporting the collective, by that I mean in listening and responding to each persons beliefs and ideas you are in turn supporting the collective. As humans we are sometimes easy to manipulate and coerce so it is debatable whether it is truly possible to be a true individual. Factors such as culture are other things that can limit your individuality, an example being in Middle Eastern countries where women have to wear headdresses called a hijab. Every individual is shaped by life experiences and since no ones life is the same this explains why we are all so different. Society shapes us by giving us laws and standards to live by though some of us go so far as individuals as to rise above the authority of the government. I am involved in my society to the point that my goal in life is to benefit not only myself but also every other person I possibly can.

I will carry every conclusion I have made about myself, my government, and my  place in society during this class for the rest of my life, though I hope to refine my ideas and beliefs in a hope to better communicate them, the authors I have read in this class certainly gave me a good start to doing just that.

Government Image, http://www.execte.com/politics/2010/idea-of-government-licensing-internet-proposed-by-microsoft-to-prevent-malware-attackes-07103505.html

Vote Image, http://www.blackfive.net/main/2010/02/vote-matt-and-vote-often.html

Rich Man Poor Man Image, http://catholicnotebook.blogspot.com/2010/09/september-26-2010-26th-sunday-in.html

Lady Justice Image , http://www.williamsburgsculpture.com/statue_of_lady_justice.htm

Ethics/Morality Image, http://btr.michaelkwan.com/2011/09/30/morals-and-ethics-are-culture-specific/