Living Mindfully Each Day (By Chris Hwang)

      Six days ago, young Tommy Bock of Wallkill Valley was living a typical teenage life similar to the rest of us. He would hang out with friends, go to the movies, play sports, and partake in activities common to all teenagers. What Tommy didn’t know was that Sunday morning would be his last day. The news of his untimely and tragic death sent shockwaves through our entire community. In the hours and days immediately following Tommy’s death, we paid homage to him on Instagram and many of us even donated money to help his parents defray funeral costs. The outpouring of love and sympathy was infinite and innumerable. In fact, Tommy’s Instagram followers increased exponentially. Tommy had a message to send to us but unfortunately, he did so posthumously.

            As young energetic teenagers, we have only completed one decade of life. Most of us don’t fully comprehend the concept of death or truly understand the fragility of life. Because of our youth, we perceive ourselves as invincible. We heal quickly, our scars disappear in days rather than weeks, we get by on four hours of sleep, and we neglect exhaustion. Simply put, many of us are wired at our age to celebrate a fast-paced life where consequences are always an afterthought rather than a guard. Tommy was a wrestler just like myself. In fact, he was my age and wrestled the same weight. I met Tommy and I engaged in friendly dialogue with him at our District championship tournament just a few short weeks ago. Thus, the news of his untimely death really hit home. Unfortunately, it took a tragic death like his to remind me of how precious and valuable life is. In addition, his death also triggered an inner conflict within myself.

            We are often told by our elders and our loved ones to “live life to its fullest” and to “enjoy each day like it’s your last.” Well Tommy did just that and it cost him his life. The old adage tells us to maximize our potential and enjoy life. In fact, the old adage as interpreted by many teenagers inadvertently downplays the risks associated with living a fast-paced life full of enjoyment and gratification. And that is the heart of my dilemma. Although Tommy’s death was tragic, it didn’t have to happen. Tommy died of extensive trauma to his head as a result of a skateboarding accident. So the old adage holds true:  he enjoyed life. However, that enjoyment hastened his time with us. So in recent days, I’ve been struggling to understand how I ought to strike that proper balance between enjoying life and taking risks to enjoy this life. There is no right or wrong answer and perhaps my entry into adulthood will provide me with an opportunity to hone and refine that balance and understand the proper boundaries for “living” a fruitful, responsible, yet satisfying life.

            Despite my confusion and internal conflict, Tommy’s death did remind me to appreciate all that I have and everything that surrounds me. Life is fleeting, full of mystery, and yes, life can be short. In the days ahead, I will be certain to smile vs. frown, to forgive vs. to hold a grudge, and to hug vs. hate.  Although it is true that Tommy died while partaking in an activity that he loved, the risk unfortunately placed him in harms way. It hurts to know that his parents will never have another chance to hold him tight and tell him that everything’s going to be fine and to see him succeed as an adult but it also helps to know that heaven gained an angel. Rest in peace Tommy.

              

           

The Meaning of Life (Written by Eve Curras)

   Our world is a never-ending continuance of milestones.  From the moment we are born, a set of expectations are imposed on us.  The first expectation is receiving an education.  Every student in America legally has to attend school or at least receive some form of an education.  Once receiving a high school degree, a general objective of most students is to be accepted into a good college.  After receiving a college education, congratulations, you have finally made it into the "real world."  Most will enter the work force, and if you conform to what society's deems appropriate, within the upcoming years you will get married and start a family.  From then on, the process repeats itself.  Soon your children will conform to the same expectations you did.  They will find themselves, like you, living from one milestone to the next.  After your children have started their own families, perhaps by now you've considered retirement, depending on your age and particular job.  For a brief period of time there is only one milestone left, this one far more morbid than the rest, and that being death.

   I find that often I get caught up living from one milestone to the next.  Even from a young age I was always very school-oriented and took great pride in academic achievement.  My parents both instilled in me the importance of receiving an excellent education.  I was told that if I did well in school- somehow this meant, in the long-run, my life would be easier and better.  I've come to find that that ideal is entirely false.  There are people who work tirelessly and put in the exact same effort as the person next to them, but for some reason they are not as successful- even if they deserve it.  I have learned that life isn't fair, and bad things happen to good people-- so I have asked myself the same complex question multiple times: what is the point of life? What is the point of the hours upon hours of work I subject myself to, all so that it will pay off in the long run?  Life is short.  I want to enjoy it while I can.

   I have come to a certain understanding as I've gotten older that I need to enjoy the present and worry less about what lay ahead of me.  I'm constantly hearing from folks of the older generation that I need to enjoy myself while I'm young because someday I'll look back and wonder what exactly I had drained away my life doing.  I used to disregard their warning, deeming it insignificant, but I've realized why I hear it so often.  It is because it's true!  Life is passing us by.  Everyday I grow older and I need to ask myself- am I happy?  Am I happy with who I have become and the decisions I've made?  The great thing about life is that each day we get to make new decisions that will pave the path to our future.

   So, I ask myself again, what is the meaning of life?  Is it to settle down?  Work a 9 to 5 and raise my children in our lovely home, white-picket fence and all?  I've come to accept that I just don't see that being the path for me.  If that means once I hit 18 I'm running off to to Culebra, Puerto Rico to take surfing lessons and learn the secrets of the ocean with the Natives- then that's where I'm headed. The meaning of life- it is to find out what makes you tick.  Don't conform.  Life with intention to discover what will make you happy, not what others tell you will.

Living as Less Than by Madison Levinson

In class we read "The Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick. Although my blog post does not have to do with predicting the future of crime, it does pertain to the title of the work. Specifically, the word "minority". When people mention the word "minority", minds tend to travel to the obvious: skin color, race, and gender. The minority that people tend to ignore is religion. For the purpose of this post I will be focusing mainly on the Jewish religion, as it is my personal experience. Now, I was never deprived. I am a Caucasian, affluent, single child, who got anything I set my little heart on. But what I never truly got was a the sense of inclusiveness. This feeling was especially heightened during the winter months that approach the holiday season.

For most people the morning after Halloween is the official start to the holiday season. And for most people the holiday season means family, snow, and Christmas trees. Yes, Christmas trees, Who would ever think that Christmas trees could be the source of a problem?

As a small Jewish girl living in Sparta, New Jersey (The capital of farming but not Judaism) I was left out. All my friends would have days dedicated to simply decorating their houses: putting up lights, hanging up stockings and decorating the Christmas tree. All my family did was pull a Winnie the Pooh Menorah out of a box under our china cabinet. All of my friends had off on "winter break" for their holiday (but let's be honest, it may as well just be called "Christmas break"). I had to go into school practically all seven days of my holiday, and I guarantee nobody asked me what I got after saying my prayers on the fourth night of Hanukkah. All of my friends gushed about all of the toys that they got for Christmas when winter/Christmas break was over. By that time I had probably either broken or lost half of the toys my parents got me. As a small Jewish Girl I sunk to the back of the classroom during the holiday season. I quietly participated in all of the Christmas themed crafts, I just nodded and made something up when somebody asked me what I got for Christmas (even though it secretly infuriated me), I smiled and told the clerk "you too" at the store when she told me and my mother "Merry Christmas", and I envied all of the stories the children had of waking up on Christmas morning and running downstairs in their footie pajamas. That was the first time that I felt like I was less than everybody else around me.

As I grew up I came to terms with the fact that it was easier to please the majority and just do a Christmas craft. I realized that the school just didn't have the ability to give kids off for Hanukkah and Christmas. And I accepted the fact that I would always hear about decorating Christmas cookies as a family and getting into a frosting fight with Uncle Jimmy. But as I started to grow up I didn't just learn more about how society worked, I also learned more about my faith. I learned that Hanukkah was not a super important holiday, but Yom Kippur was. Yom Kippur is the Jewish Holiday for atonement, it is referred to as a holiday of the "high holy days". But I also learned that I was not given off from school on Yom Kippur. The most important important holiday of my religion was just another casual day at school where I had a science test. I had to take off from school for Yom Kippur, go to temple, and fast because that was what my religion mandated I do. That was the second time that I felt like I was less than everybody else around me.

A breakdown of religion in the United States
 (numbers may vary between different studies).

As I became a young adult I just accepted that the world was not going to give me special privileges because of my religion. The world wasn't going to favor me because I was different but the world also wasn't out to get me. What I did not accept and cannot accept is the way that people treated me because I was different. As an adult I came to terms with the person I was and the religion I worshiped because of it. I was not afraid to tell people I was Jewish when they asked what I got for Christmas. I was content with my beliefs. I felt as though I could handle however people reacted. I was wrong. I could not handle when somebody told me "You don't look Jewish". Sorry, should I carry around a giant sign with the word "Jew" and an arrow pointing at my face? Should I have my friends wear shirts that say "I'm with Jew" and an arrow pointing to me? Was I supposed to have a specific look because of my religion? I could not handle when somebody asked me if "That's why I had a big nose?". Yes, not only are all Jews supposed to look alike but were all also supposed to have the same exact honker on our face. Thank you for pointing it out because I am not at all self conscious about it. I could not handle when children started throwing pennies at me to see if I would bend over and pick them up. I am sorry to disappoint you but a penny is not going to buy me anything in this day and age. Maybe next time try a quarter so at least I can buy myself a decent gumball. I could not handle the first time somebody said "you're Jewish" as a reason for me not to have an opinion on a matter. Oh yeah, oops, I forgot. Us Jews just aren't allowed to have an opinion anymore. I could not handle learning about the Holocaust in school and feeling all of those piercing Christian eyes turn and look at me. Yeah, 6 million of us died, but I am not going to just burst into tears so you can feel bad for me. That was the third time that I felt like I was less than everybody else.

Now I can ignore the Christmas season. I can ignore the fact that my religion forces me to work around school and the world that I live in. I can also ignore the obscene remarks I receive. After all, 83% of the American population identifies as Christian, 13% identify as no religion, and the remaining 4% identify as a religion as non-Christian (The Jewish population makes up about 2.7% off the non-Christian population). I will always be a minority and I have come to accept that. I will also always feel like I am less than everybody else and I have come to accept that.