The Way

This film taught me that one should not judge people too harshly, because every person has a different past, and it is impossible to know what a person has gone through at first glance. During Sarah's first conversation with Tom, I judged her as a character before I was able to learn about the struggles that she had gone through. Also, Sarah initially judged Tom and thought he was just a cranky old man before she heard his story. After witnessing these examples of people being unfairly judged, I thought about how I unintentionally sometimes "judge a book by its cover" in my life. I will now make a conscious effort to avoid immediately forming an opinion of someone before I get to fully know the person. I was also inspired by the movie to go on more nature walks and hikes. My busy life has gotten in the way of my enjoying the beauty of nature as often as I would like, and I hope to change that now. At first when we were given a description of the film, I thought that the pilgrimage would only be religious, but the film showed that a pilgrimage can be taken for self-growth or other reasons too. Another lesson I learned from this film is that one should be flexible to change, as Tom enjoyed himself more on the pilgrimage once he began to go with the flow.This year will be full of changes and perhaps surprises, and I need to be ready for them when they come.

IVF

There are several pros and cons to IVF, and each couple should think about them seriously before they decide to go through with the process. 

Pros:

1. It allows previously infertile couples to be able to give birth to children that are biologically theirs. 

2. The research done to support IVF may help doctors learn more about birth defects. 

3. There is generally a high success rate.

Cons:

1. The procedure is usually very expensive. 

2. Condemned by the Catholic Church, because it is seen as unnatural and often, not all of the fertilized eggs are used  

3. Possibility of multiple births 

The Church's teaching about IVF has informed my opinion by allowing me to know about each side of the issue. I had always thought of IVF as an undeniably positive practice, because it allows couples who cannot have children on their own to have a chance at parenthood. These couples are usually the ones who want children the most. However, the Church views IVF as immoral because not every fertilized egg is used, and I can understand why it feels that way. Every fertilized egg should be used because it has the possibility of becoming a human being, and should not be discarded of. The financial cost of IVF also affects my opinion of the morality of the practice, because I think it is overpriced in the United States, and some families cannot afford such an expense. Also, IVF costs less in foreign countries, which causes some American families to use surrogates from other countries. Sadly, often the surrogates are underpaid and would be shunned by their families if the pregnancy was discovered. 

The Word of the Year Is...

At first when I began reading Bethany J. Welch’s blog, I thought that her choice for the word of the year was unoriginal, and, therefore, did not think that the rest of the blog could possibly be interesting. However, she proved me wrong, and she made insightful remarks in her blog about a type of love that is not portrayed in the media often, like romantic love is: agape. Bethany explains how she had never really understood the meaning of agape, which is the love God calls us to show one another, until she became sick in the past year, and experienced loving acts from total strangers. I agree with her that agape does not make logical sense, because we usually categorize people who love us as friends, family, or significant others. Agape is the most powerful form of love, because it usually comes unexpectedly during our hour of need.

My word of the year for 2013 is “new.” I have met many new people in the past year, and I got to know and start dating my boyfriend. I went to Europe for the first time and visited England. I also went to prom for the first time, and was fortunate enough to do something else for the first time: apply to college. Luckily, the hard work paid off in the end, and I was accepted into a few schools, even though I am still waiting to hear back from a few. My sister became engaged this year, and my word for 2014 will also be “new,” because, along with Katherine getting married, there will much change in my life. I will graduate from high school, and begin college, and I need to be receptive to the new opportunities which I will have in my life.

Zen Pencils

The quote I found on Zen Pencils is from Dean Karnazes, and he states, “We think that if we had every comfort available to us, we’d be happy. We equate comfort with happiness. And now we’re so comfortable we’re miserable. There’s no struggle in our lives. No sense of adventure. What I’ve found is that I’m never more alive than when I’m pushing and I’m in pain, and I’m struggling for high achievement, and in that struggle I think there’s a magic.” This quote is especially poignant for me, in light of the college admissions process. I felt dejected when I found out I was deferred from my first-choice school, but then changed my perspective when I found out that I had been accepted to two amazing schools the next day. I realized that I had been feeling sorry for myself for no reason, and that I should have been focusing more on my schoolwork during that day. Whether we get into our top-choice school or not, the only way we can receive jobs someday is by actively working to develop networks, and acquiring useful skills for our desired professions. The only way to find a worthwhile career is not to depend on a degree from a prestigious school to give us that on a silver platter, but to “struggle for high achievement,” and to relish that struggle, because challenging ourselves, and then ultimately succeeding, is the most fulfilling aspect of life. 

"He's Just Not That Into You"

"He's Just Not That Into You" explores the inner workings of different types of relationships, and something can be learned from the experiences of each couple in the film. My favorite couple in the movie, Gigi and Alex, shows how the best relationships can often develop from a friendship in which both people trust each other and respect each other’s opinions. Alex helps Gigi with her love life by giving her insight to understand why she may appear as too headstrong and helping her to accept that a relationship will start if it is meant to be. Gigi exposes Alex for who he is: somebody who is avoiding falling in love in order to avoid becoming hurt. This realization leads to them starting to date each other, and although the viewers do not see what the final result of this relationship is, I imagine that it ends well, because the relationships I have witnessed in real life which are based on mutual trust and respect are the ones which have the best chance of working out.

Another couple from the movie is Neil and Beth. Their relationship would be considered immoral by many in the Catholic Church, because they are living together before they are legally married. However, they have been together for several years, so it is almost as if they are married even though they are not legally married, which is why Neil, initially, does not feel the need to ask Beth to marry him. Ironically, Neil and Beth have a stronger relationship than a married couple in the film, Ben and Janine. In my own life, I have known people who live with their significant others before they were technically married, but they had already made a lifelong commitment to each other, albeit one that was not legally recognized. I think that the Catholic Church should reexamine its stance on cohabitation for certain cases, such as when a couple is engaged already and is committed to waiting to have sexual intercourse until after they are married, or is practicing natural family planning.

Scarlett Johansson’s character of Anna shows that a person needs to know himself or herself before getting involved in a serious relationship. Anna does not know what she wants with her relationship with Conor, and eventually he is convinced that she will want to be involved in his decision of which house he wants to buy. Anna’s insecurity is revealed when she resorts to being a temptress in order to persuade Ben to go with his gut feeling and abandon his wife for her. Ben and Janine’s relationship was becoming strained anyway, but Anna and Ben should have waited to engage in any sexual activity until he had divorced Janine. I think that Ben should have cut off contact with Anna for awhile to see how his relationship with Janine would play out. The divorce rate is becoming higher and higher every year, so couples should take the time to evaluate their marital issues and decide whether they are reconcilable.

Snow Day!

The speaker of the TED talk, Louie Schwartzberg, shares similar views to mine, such as believing that money is not needed in order to appreciate life, and that often, all you need to live a fulfilling life is to be able to enjoy the time you have, and to have a sense of wonder for the world around you. He feels a sense of awe for everything around him, such as flowers blooming, which many of us may overlook sometimes as we go about our fast-paced lives. Not surprisingly, he holds a deep respect for the beauty of nature, as do I, and we both feel a sense of responsibility to protect Earth’s treasures, like the forests and wildlife. I agree with him that experiencing nature “cultivates a feeling of gratitude.” Today, for example, I was stressed out about all of the work I need to do and college essays I need to write, but then I went for a walk outside in the snow with my sister and remembered that I would be much more stressed out if I did not have a day off today as a result of the gorgeous snow on the ground. There is always a positive side to every situation, and always something to be thankful for.

The little girl’s comments about adventure touched me, not just because she is so adorable and so wise beyond her years, but because I realize that I have almost lost a sense of adventure in my life. I am often so focused on getting the tasks on my mental “to-do list” done, that I can forget to sometimes just go where life takes me, and to stop and smell the roses, literally and figuratively. I am looking forward to the next stage of my life as a chance to explore and to try new things, and hopefully to have the opportunity to travel around the world. I hope that I will then be able to maintain an adventurous spirit even when I am older. Throughout my whole life, I will try to remember to be grateful, even if I am having a “bad day.” Each and every day is a gift, and I do not intend to waste any of them.

A New Vision for the Church

I am excited by the possibility of the change that Pope Francis hopes to spearhead in the Catholic Church. For awhile, I have thought that some practices of the Church have been slightly antiquated at times, but Pope Francis recognizes, more than other popes in recent years, that the Church cannot remain as a stagnant organization. He has realized that many people feel distanced now from a Catholic Church that they feel is not adapting to a changing, modern world. Pope Francis has not been in his position for very long, but he has already published several writings which declare his determination to make the Catholic Church more welcoming to others and conscious to the need for social justice. His most recently released apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, spans a wide range of topics, such as joy being a necessity for evangelization and the need for priests to deliver better homilies; however, it particularly highlights his concern for the well-being of the poor of the world.

Pope Francis uses startling phrases such as, “idolatry of money,” and “economy of exclusion” to describe the economies of several first-world countries. His message about the evil of greed is even more powerful because of when his apostolic exhortation was released: around the time of Black Friday, an event which is focused on consumerism. Pope Francis’ vision for the Catholic Church, and for the entire world, is that the rich will “help, respect, and promote the poor.” Contrary to the sometimes selfish motivations of Black Friday enthusiasts, Pope Francis calls for everyone to be involved in social justice, and to give freely of their time and to part with as much money as they can afford. Much too often, the holiday season is focused solely on the secular side of Christmas, which involves Santa, Christmas lights, and presents under the Christmas tree which we may not need or may forget about by the time the next Christmas comes around. Instead, we should pay attention to the reason we are celebrating, which is the birth of Jesus Christ, and serve others as he did during his lifetime. Many people’s relationship with money, especially Americans, revolves around using money to make their already easy lives better, when the money could be utilized for a more important purpose, like giving it to a family that is on the brink of starvation, or cannot pay for medical care for their loved one. Pope Francis is asking people who have comfortable lives to donate and help others whose lives are less pleasant, and I completely support him in that, as I also approve of the other changes he wishes to enact in the Catholic Church.