Hyndman High School
Hyndman, Pennsylvania
Teacher: Janet Phillips

 

 

 

World Conflicts and Considerations

By Andrea Nicole Emerick

Eleventh Grade

 

 

The conflicting problems of our world masks not the small iniquities of the human soul, but allows for reprimandom and correction. Every time the media introduces the evening news, they present us with an image of a world losing its heart and soul to violence, drugs, and mass madness, but what they don’t portray is the good that’s done each day. Today thousands are being taught to read and tomorrow the hungry will be fed, but rarely do these stories make it past the lips of the people experiencing these small miracles. I believe that if we focused more on the good that takes place each day, our world would be a little less cynical and a lot brighter. 

           

Every day latchkey children are taken from one parent to the other and rarely feel the stability that they so desperately need. The increase of divorce rates and one parent homes is astounding, and the acceptance of such a tragedy is startling. I shudder to think what the newer generation will face because most that experience these situations are left with emotional scars, low self-esteem, and future failed relationships. The parents of these children are faced with difficult decisions every time the alarm clock rings: “How am I going to make it to work on time and still get my child to school before the bell? How can I make my meeting and still fit in that baseball game I promised to see them play? How long will they be home alone?” These are crucial decisions in their child's development. Small let downs now can leave deep scars tomorrow. That’s why I propose that communities need more facilities to cope with this ever growing problem.Youth centers and day cares are a safe and great way for children to interact, to grow, and to provide a source of stability.  Parent support groups should be put into action because what one may not know, the others are sure to have experienced. Our communities are worth investing in and, by showing we care, we invest in all of our futures. These children will lead us into the new millennium, but it’s up to us to guide them now so that the quality of everyone’s futures is not jeopardized.

           

Government funding is a wonderful way to get these programs started, but communities should lend a hand in raising funds, because I believe when the means are just presented, appreciation is rare, but if community involvement is present, these projects are their own and success has a better chance to thrive. There are so many ways for genuinely helpful projects to be started.  (If non-profit organizations were to poll their communities, they may really be surprised because a person’s honesty will be given if they really think their voice will be heard.) Community projects should be put back in the community’s hands because that’s when a real difference can be made.  Contributors will support projects that they feel are in great need and can present immense benefit .  With group support and the assets to back these projects, the world can reap great harvests. 

           

By setting the standards and expectations for what we expect from contributors and producing an esteemed ethics for the world to hold on to, we may be able to create more conservative benefactors instead of influencing waste and ludicrous competitions among our contributors and non-profit organizations. I believe that union should be considered for a better and more functioning non profit “network” of organizations. If this idea could be put into action across the nation and world, just think of the possibilities that can influence great progress and benefit. These organizations could have a post site over the Internet that would post progress reports and updates. In this way the similar groups can cut down on costs by not overlapping their efforts, and money can then be used even more productively. 

           

Non-profit organizations share a common bond no matter how different the cause; they all want to enhance their community by a sincerely humanitarian gesture. These organizations would be nothing without the caring souls that help make it all possible.  Volunteers each year become angels of mercy, but angels are rare, and as the world’s problems increase, the need for heavenly hosts doubles. If people knew the need of volunteers and how much their time means, more may be willing to share this special treasure. We need to take action, make that stand, and create the power of leadership, because we can do so much if we could just establish a rapport among young and old.  Each creates such inspiration and influence of character. By utilizing these resources we may find a way to somehow promote a regeneration of morality among our country and world. 

           

In collaboration these generations together are a powerful resource that allows for true potential to burn its brightest. The success that is achieved in making our world a place where people can be proud to live in and share their lives in its many chapters reaps not just for the concerning individual, but for all.  If society can empower and challenge their minds, we can be lead to life’s fateful gateways a bit more smoothly. We need to challenge our young minds, push them to expectancy, for “victory will never come to the stagnant!”  

 

Answers To Questions Regarding Required Reading

                   

Q.1.  Manus, New Guinea, should be an example to the world in consideration to the fact that so often people aren’t judged by how well they care for of their marriage and personal relationships, but by how they react in public.  I believe, we as a society should unite and realize that a big key in our success is how well we take care of the people close to us.  We should work corresponding to an individual’s personal relationships; not over burden by complicating a delicate bond between two people. 

            Sometimes we are so success driven that the home and family are put on the back burner and overshadowed by the nail that drives the world.  I’m not saying we should act as therapists and treat every need and problem as a crisis, but there are times when sensitivity must be applied.  America is finding that this is true.  We’ve developed the drive we need to keep us on top and in the same time become “family sensitive.”  More and more families need a two spouse income, but still don’t want to lose that special closeness.  I believe work places are realizing that and now show consideration to these needs.  Workplaces have developed half days, created day care facilities, and now even allow the privilege of working at home.  America is showing the world that you can still have it all and in the same time keep its edge over the competition.

 

Q.2.    (1 year of marriage) We haven’t really figured out all the answers yet, but always            remember to keep the honeymoon alive!

            (7 years of marriage)  Always remember commitment is the key to a solid                                  relationship. 

            (48 years of marriage)  Keep God first.  Always respect each other.   Be kind and                     patient as well as understanding, and always be supportive of one another.

            (20 years of marriage)  Always keep conversation flowing.  And remember to               always be open and honest with a sense of humor thrown in on the side.

            (18 years of marriage)  Always keep God first, family second, and self last.

            (10 years of marriage)  Being open and honest is the key.  And if that doesn’t work,                  flowers and candy always seem to help.

            (14 years of marriage)  Always be sensitive to the needs of your spouse!

            (4 years of marriage)  Work together as a team because couples that love each              other never work against each other.

            (25 years of marriage)  Give God total control and he’ll guide any ups and downs life     may pass your way.

            (11 years of marriage)  We attend church regularly as a family on a regular basis and                  this helps keep everything in perspective.  And a sense of humor helps also.

          

Q.3.  Richard Eckersley takes the opinion that progress means you are content with the gifts life has given you and know how to reap the most harvest from those smallest treasures.  I agree with Mr. Eckersley in that our collective goals should not be material possessions, but the sharing of an inner happiness and involving ourselves to improving our environments economically and at the same time morally.  He speaks of how we view our progress in that we so often we believe that  as our technology improves, our morals and spirituality decline.  But what I find to be so astounding is that in his thesis we are wrong in our opinion, because he believes that  in the rise to power and wealth we reach a standing point where we as a society want not to just improve our styles of living, but our social and ecology as well.  He enlightens me in his studies because he shows a common likeness among third world countries and in rich nations in the fact that as we improve, our critiquing turns into a desire of perfection and shows that we truly are not failing as a society, but realizing our potential.

 

Q.4.  My goal is for us as a society to join together in our differences and go forward with our goals in creating a place where down home country spirit meets the standards of a modern world and yet can at the same time keep the values and integrity that has been breed in all of us.  I wish to see a caring community that looks out for their neighbors and whose goal is to make a difference; let it be planting a tree or offering a compassionate shoulder to cry on.

 

Q.5.   I agree in that America has changed dramatically in the past century and especially just over the past ten years.  America is a diverse society in that  today, it’s a common acceptance for children to live with only one parent.  This does not mean just because divorce and live-in relationships are accepted are right; it just means it happens more frequently.  It amazes me how much society can change over short periods of time and how much we can accept and overlook.  In the 1950’s, divorce was shunned and frowned upon, and now today we accept it almost as much as we do the morning paper.  “Latchkey children” are left  in search of that feeling of stability that they lose as they go back from one parent to the other, which usually results in low self esteem and future failed relationships.

            America is truly a melting pot of ethnic backgrounds and situations.  When our country was in its developmental stage it was made up mostly of whites, and now it is estimated that by 2050 whites will only make up fifty percent; blacks, Asian, or Native Americans one quarter; and one quarter Hispanic.  This to me, brings great promise in the fact that the gap of cultures are slowly being brought to a close, liaisons and interactions will be made, prejudice forgotten, and hopefully the minority will find their alloyed voice in a working democracy. 

 

Q.6.   I completely and utterly agree with Kathleen Sullivan’s views that lawyers are the glue in our democracy.  They are the strong hold that allows for reprimandom and justice.  Without lawyers our government would have no way of staying a democracy and protecting its people.  Lawyers are indispensable in the fact that they anticipate future conflicts and protect our society from falling into the hands of communism.

 

Q.7.   I don’t prefer either concept because sometimes regulations cage talent and ambitions to settling for something less than they are worth and punitive damages can be paid as if they were a misdemeanor.  The old saying “to hit them hard, go to their purse” has created fear, but in today’s society, punitive damages need added inflation to actually stop corruption from taking place.  Society needs these alternatives to regulate conduct, but it can’t stop dry rot from continuing to eat through a perfectly good tree.  If these regulations were brought to a more personal note, then the corruption of bad practices might recede.  If a practice that was acting unlawfully was inspected each day for a specific time duration, then with added regulations and punitive damages a change may be seen for the better.  Society can’t change for the better overnight, but if we strive for excellence, expectations will eventually be met. 

 

Q.8.  First of all, retired entrepreneurs will most likely start  new businesses and hire associates that they trust, are close in age to, and have extensive experience in their profession.  Secondly, the new retirees will be able to provide service to the next baby boomers and their aging parents as well.  Thirdly, they will provide the opportunity for young teenagers to accept responsibility and provide service for a small, yet helpful wage.  These teenagers will be taught the importance of providing health care, home shopping, travel opportunities, and real estate services to a growing elderly market, and at the same time, expand upon themselves by creating within an individual that is ready to enter into a growing world with high expectations.

 

Q.9.   President Clinton’s anti-poverty plan seems well planned and shows a possibility of succeeding, but what I can’t agree with is all that he has overlooked.  President Clinton doesn’t realize that the poor aren’t getting richer just because they come from minorities or rough neighborhoods.  The poor along the way haven’t gotten the education they need to support themselves and their families.  Somewhere along the way the educational system overlooked them or failed them letting them “slip through the cracks.”  To stop poverty we need to go straight to the source of the problem; no proper education.  In this world a high school degree just doesn’t pay the rent anymore.  We need to educate first, then climb the ladder to success.

            I realize President Clinton and the Democratic Party has done a lot to promote higher education, but for people barely making it through high school, college is a lost dream.  Facilities that could cope with this problem should be put into a ten year plan starting with the poorest of areas.  These facilities could be a government supported trade school or government paid, six month apprenticeships.  If President Clinton started a plan and invested the money in bonds with higher interest rates, the plan could pay for nearly a third of itself.  It’s not the raising of minimum wage or giving of welfare that allows our country to succeed, it’s providing the means to higher ground and your own determination that gets you there.

 

Q.10   Lewis and Cathy both are successful men that want to give back to their community.  Lewis is giving his retirement to help children with poor futures look ahead to their dreams, and Cathy is a business man that didn’t back down to the pressure of a modern day tycoon  business world.  Today Cathy has proven that you can still hold true to your beliefs and run a business at the same time in a Christian like manner!  This man actually gives up his Sunday profits to obey his Lord by respecting the Sabbath, and invests great amounts of his profits in projects he believes in!  (Now this is someone America should look up to!)    And Lewis has gone to the worst streets in his neighborhood to bring an enlightenment to children living in filth and ignorance.  It amazes me to see such determination and strength in these men, both are standing true their beliefs and ideas in the betterment of society.  They help make America what it is today and give inspiration to our futures by protecting the foundation our society was built on:  God, love for mankind, establishment of high morality and integrity.