#Kindness Quotes
Friday, May 28, 2010 @ 3:13 AM
A fellow who does things that count, doesn't usually stop to count them. -Variation of a saying by Albert Einstein
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
-Mark Twain
In relation to my previous post, I would like to say that doing a couple of acts of kindness is sort of a win-win situation. You let the people whom you extend your kindness to feel happy, happy that there are people in this world who are not so self-centered. And, as I mentioned, you will feel invigorated and have a sense of self-fulfillment. So why not, extend a helping hand to love ones, and make this world a better place for all, the deaf and blind and us alike.
#Putting In Your Best In All That You Do =)
@ 3:06 AM
The act of giving your very best to the needy can likewise cultivate the best emotional satisfaction in your heart. Whatever form of help you extend, be it service or something of value, you will undoubtedly receive something better in return.
Is there anything better than a simple “thank you” that is meant with sincerity? Is there anything better than an appreciation that makes you feel needed and important? Is there anything better than to see smiles on other people’s faces for having made them feel equally important and cared for?
If your physical resources are limited, you can put your talent or creativity to work. Your urge to help those in need should inspire you to find ways in accumulating resources to actualize your intention. You can come up with ideas to generate more money through fund raising programs. You may also give more of your time doing volunteer service. Even volunteering in seemingly insignificant events such as my school's flag day or a simple beach cleaning with my classmates will count!
In the process of giving your all, your cooperation, attention, and entire being need not be strained. You may get physically exhausted; but emotionally, you will be charged with a heart full of compliments, making you feel all-important. You will feel revitalized and invigorated. All these occur because you love and enjoy what you’re doing.
When you set your mind to work for a good cause, you are actually tapping and activating power that promotes health in every corner of your physical, psychological, and emotional being. You will feel contented with what you are doing. You will feel as though you just won the 4D; not because you have alot of money now, but because you’re being 'paid' with your own sense of fulfillment.
Oh yes………….when you give your all, the best will "bounce" back to you. Kindness begets kindness.
#Setting Goals 101
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 @ 5:59 AM
Why Should You Set Goals?
Wonder why some people could not even achieve an inch of what they dream of becoming? Blame it on pure dreaming and lack of setting goals for achieving their dreams.
Setting goals is a very significant part of success and positive accomplishments. It is like scaling a 20 feet building and marking early on what feet you would like to reach at this specific period.
People who set goals literally create a map of their target achievements in life, marking where they should begin, where to pause, where to delve a bit, and where and when to stop. Once this map is created, it allows the map drawer to check where he is in the scheme of things and whether or not he is making some achievements that will take him closer to his goals.
By setting goals, people will know how they are doing and what they should be doing to achieve their targets or dreams in life. They will know if they can relax or if they have to double their efforts when they are falling short of what is expected of them.
Goal setting means a person is proactive in dealing with challenges that may affect his plans. Being proactive means one is able to outline possible difficulties that may occur as well as the solutions to these difficulties. By doing this, a person is not easily scared or defeated when challenges occur because he has already prepared for them. He knows they can happen and he has prepared a solution or strategy when that time comes.
Setting goals will enable people to track their progress in whatever endeavor they have set out to do. It will help people become more confident in themselves and more motivated to achieve their plans.
However, goal setting is not enough, as this should be accompanied by a positive outlook and self-discipline. A person may have a blueprint of where he wants to go, but if he does not have the necessary discipline to carry out the plan, then nothing will come out of it.
To be successful in goal setting, the goals that one has set for himself should be realistic and based on his capabilities, as well as selected and important external factors. Being too ambitious in setting up goals can make the goals unrealistic and difficult to achieve. However, do not also set goals that are too low because this might discourage one’s vision instead of achieving it.
It is also necessary that the person setting the blueprint for his direction should also include a time frame within which the goal will be achieved. This way, he is able to determine if he has to fast track his strategies or to slow down a bit. Goal setting will also help a person check if he is performing within his plans or if he is doing things towards the achievement of his plans.
Once you have achieved something, even a little of what you hoped to achieve, then you should always give yourself a pat in the back to keep you motivated. But do not be too complacent with any little achievement, as this may cause you to backslide.
Setting goals can be used in any aspect of one’s life – from one’s personal or family life, to his career and finances. Goal setting can be as simple as setting a target weight when you wish to lose pounds or something big, like earning your first million.
When setting goals, it is always important to set standards that would suit your present situation, your capabilities, and other factors that may influence the achievement of your goal.
#Interesting Quote
@ 12:49 AM
Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.
-Robert Frost
#Analysis of Rainbow Death Task 2
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 @ 8:34 PM
Complete the template provided below (Annex A), focusing on (1) Point of View; (2) Situation and Setting; (3) Language/Diction; and (4) Personal Response, and post your response to Task 2 on your blog. This template is based on John Lye’s ‘Critical Analysis of Poetry’, and you can make reference to this in Annex B when in doubt.
Rainbow Death
America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.
Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of Agent Orange spray!
Point of View
The soldier was fighting in the Vietnam War and he was one of the victims who were suffering from the toxic agents in the war, as we can see from line 2: "Green, pink, purple and other colors death
The soldier only felt the effects of the toxins after a couple of years akin to the nuclear bomb drop on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the villagers only felt the effects of the radioactive rays after a couple of years, but the effects lingered on forever, causing deformities and even a high infant mortality rate. The author was immobilized and decided to write about war. Thus, as he had suffered the brutality and cruelty of war, his perspective may be a little extreme and contain a dense negative connotation.
This is evident from the poem which states: " Nefariously America led astray, Generations untold will pay, Execrable effects of agent orange spray. "
This line written by the psychologically scarred poet implies that war will turn soldiers into constantly nebulous and evil "Creatures", which have to fight for survival. He is also saying that the effects of war would be felt across many generations.
Though it may be true that Hubert Wilson’s POV is largely negative and maybe even
too
extreme,
this is not a reason to dismiss his perspective as irrational and incredible as he has prior experience
in t
he Vietnam War, and is very clear about the harmful effects of the war, including those caused by Agent Orange. Victims of these chemical agents do suffer from immense psychological and physical hurt, and from my research, I found out that Wilson from mobility issues.
Tension and setting
How is tension created in this poem? Well, I think that the poet has intelligently weaved punctuation marks in the second line to make us read that part of the poem more “slowly, and sharply”. By adding in three punctuation marks in that line, readers will find that the poet is trying to place emphasis on the three different colours of the chemical toxins, namely, Green, Pink and Purple. Hubert Wilson has also created tension by shortening lines 3, 4, 5 (which is the climax of the poem) to get the reader’s attention and also to speed up the pace of our reading.
But why does he want to get our attention? Well, I personally think that Wilson is trying to get us to remember the title of the poem, Rainbow Death. Well, when people think of a rainbow, a generalized thought would be that of life, purity, joy, happiness and of course beauty. But in the poem’s context, the rainbow is referring to the colours the chemical agents produce; green, pink etc. Although it is very colourful and the colours are vivid, the irony here is that the impact and the pain and suffering caused by chemical warfare will last through many generations and is like a scar that will never heal; a painful memory that shall never fade away, just like when you see a rainbow; that sight shall always linger stubbornly in your head for quite some time.
Language and Diction
I guess the most complex word in the poem would be ‘potpourri’ in line 2. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the meaning of potpourri is: a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent. Well the irony here is quite evident. As potpourri is supposed to allow people to enjoy the aroma of the flowers, the fragrance in the poem refers to the colourful chemical agents used, which can very easily kill people.
Personal Response
Lastly, I shall be giving my personal feedback on this poem. Well, most of the time, wars break out due to lack of open diplomacy. As countries are unwilling to be open-minded about certain issues, or are unable to give and take, wars will break out even due to the slightest nitty-gritty issues. However, innocent lives are lost in the process of war, and in this poem, the harmful effects that war caused are felt from the chemical warfare used, which is even more painful than dying via a battle, as chemical warfare brings about conditions that may linger in your body for a long time, or worse, cause immobility or deformities. And thus, I feel that the crux of this poem is that the poet is trying to talk about how harmful and despicable chemical warfare can be.
#Analysis Of Rainbow Death
@ 7:57 PM
Based on your understanding of the selected poem, perform extensive web research and write a report on your blog detailing the conflict represented in the poem(s) of your choice. Bear in mind that this piece of background information will allow your blog audience to further understand the poem as well as your analysis of the poem in Task 2.
Be sure to include your references and credit your sources.
Rainbow Death
America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.
Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread!
Nefariously America was led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!
Here is some background information about the poet Hubert Wilson.
Hubert Wilson
Ssgt USAF, 1968-1972
This small poem speaks of a modern day ingredient of warfare that has caused appalling death and suffering – not only to its intended victims, the Vietnamese people, but also the service personnel that used or even just came into contact with “Agent Orange”.
Wikipedia reports, “Agent Orange is the code name for a herbicide and defoliant—contaminated with TCDD—used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War.
According to Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities, and 500,000 children born with birth defects.
From 1962 to 1971, Agent Orange was by far the most widely used of the so-called "Rainbow Herbicides" employed in the herbicidal warfare program. During the production of Agent Orange (as well as Agents Purple, Pink, and Green) dioxins were produced as a contaminant, which have caused numerous health problems for the millions of people who have been exposed. Agents Blue and White were part of the same program but did not contain dioxins.”
From this excerpt, we can tell that Agent Orange causes numerous health defects to the innocent Vietnamese, and that the pain and suffering that Agent Orange causes to the Vietnamese Villagers is worse then the intensity and pain the Vietnamese War causes alone. Most importantly, I would like to comment that this poem may remind us that wars aren't over when the wars are over as the effects of Agent Orange can be seen throughout many generations.
The following extract is the Author, Hubert Wilson, own comments about his poem. Hubert Wilson
Rumors persist of still another more toxic color coded herbicide at the end of this deadly rainbow!
I am a Vietnam War veteran (as are my four brothers) who served in the USAF Security Service. I, along with a dozen or so intelligence school grads, prepped for about 14 months at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas, before anticipating being sent to Vietnam or elsewhere in southeat Asia in 1970. About half ended up in Da Nang (an Agent Orange hotspot) in the 6924th Security Squadron. The rest of us were assigned to Shemya Island, Alaska, with the 6984th Security Squadron, and what eventually was a MORE contaminated environment than Da Nang!
My health problems started approximately 15 years ago with unexplained headaches and limb pains. Four years ago my central nervous system radically deteriorated with Parkinsonian type tremors, severe headaches, progressive limb pains, etc. No physician has ever diagnosed the specific illness. NO VA physician has ever rendered ANY medical assistance! My number one educated guess is the heavily contaminated drinking water at Shemya during my year there as an intelligence analyst. Organo-phosphate toxins may not run their toxic course until 20 to 30 years after initial exposure.
Since my brain still functions moderately well (and I have mobility issues), I have turned to writing just like my late Father and the late singer (and writer) Johnny Cash.
Hubert Wilson.
We can infer from his comments that many young and healthy men who were born without any abnormalities before the war suffered from disabilities after the war and this ruined their life completely. These young men could easily be the potential leaders of the next generation who would be the countries' valuable human resource. Thus the effect of war and that of Agent Orange's toxicity is shocking and appalling.
