The Empathic Civilization

Most people nowadays don't seem to think for themselves. Most of people are run by society, they have given up their souls and minds, for somebody else to think for them. and its not even a good body to think they’d help you out. Most are run by people who want to make you feel bad about yourself, like if you weren't good enough for the world. They want you to feel anger and loneliness, so you won’t feel kinship with the rest of the people surrounding you. These people are who create society by getting into the minds of the vulnerable and taking their innocent. Its business. They’re just using the ones who are giving in. You are working for them, for no profit. Why can’t we stay just as humble as were when we came out in this world, thinking everything was good, trusting everyone as if no one would ever fuck us over. The empathic civilization makes me think of the gang members who think they do not belong. They may think that they’re in relations yet, but they actually have been all along. They mattered just as much. And Father Greg sure made them realize that. Now it makes me think of the country in all. It makes me think, especially young adults who are always so mad at one another. Families, who betray each other and even the ones who betray themselves. This could all be societies fault. But I think its up to us to not let them get to our head but actually go in the opposite direction of which they’d want us to go. We have to be conscious of our every action and thought that goes through our body. This generation has its nose stuck so far into society, that we lack communication. A group of people could be in a room for half a year and still not speak to each other. I'm not saying technology is bad, but people obviously abuse it. They isolate themselves to the point where they won’t even talk to their parents or brothers. They live in that cave they call room until reality hits them in the head, and that's even if they let reality get through them.

Dear Chief of Police...

Heaven On Earth. Essay.

                                        Heaven on Earth.

While most of us are unconsciously drawn to negativity and seek for revenge, God embraces the act of forgiveness to discover kinship.

How would people in the world be if they had never forgave people? Forgive those who got your order of burger wrong, forgive those who cut you off in the freeway, forgive those who cheated, stole and fell in love with someone else. The act of forgiveness is something we all have to do to accept faith into giving us something much better in the future. “Is there anything I can do? .. Can I give him my blood? .. He was not my enemy. He was my friend..”(145). This was a homie, Clever speaking to Greg after he was found out that an enemy had be beaten in the streets then hospitalized. He had forgiven his rival gang enemy and now saw that kinship was more important. Sometimes it does take something tragic to happen for people to be forgiven or to feel compassion for them. But they say that the one who forgives or apologizes first is the bigger person, the one who loves most and the one who could oversee the bad and knows that relationship is more important than some drama that started it.

Most people wait until they’re dying on their hospital bed using their last breath they have to finally apologize to the people they’ve hurt in their lives. To even forgive people from many years ago with problems older than a decade. Most people are so selfish they won't let go of those problems until they see their victim hit rock bottom and thats when they forgive their burdens. Holding grudges is not the way to be, it can really affect your soul. We have to love our enemies now and make peace now just as if this were to be heaven on earth. “I finally realized why I was out there for so long … I was so fuckin’ angry all the time … And now, I just let it all go”(107). This homie Jason had finally seen the light and “let it all go”. The anger, the burdens, the non worthless drama that was ruining his life. But he realized a little too late because the next morning, Father Greg found out he had been gunned down. Most of the time people don’t realize what they have or could of had until its gone. “Total recurrence of the same”(Nietzsche). It’s our responsibility to put bullshit aside and act now as if everyday was our last.

“Sooner or later, we all discover that kindness is the only strength there is … Love never fails”(122,125). Sooner or later, but never late is better. Once the homies start to recognize compassion with each other, they start letting down their walls. All those feelings of insecurities and uptightness starts to dissolve into kinship.  As working together in Homeboy Industries, they created a bond. They were co workers, friends and some brothers. The most important thing was they no longer saw each other as enemies.

People would ask Greg how he got the homies to change their life. I believe it was the way Greg approached them, how he would communicate them, the way he would forgive them and let go of the burdens the homies caused him. That was exactly what God would do. Greg understands how it is to act as if heaven was earth right here, right now. He didn't wait for the homies to be on the hospital bed, to forgive them and lead them into the right path. Living your life as if every action will live forever.

Part of the book that's just trynna fuck me up..(Consciously challenging)

What do you call yourself, how do you feel, and what is your view towards this world if you didn't grow up with no parents or just a single parent? When Cesar gets out of jail, he seeks for Greg's help. One night at 3am Cesar calls him, hoping to get reassurance. "Have I...been...your son?''(30). The whole book challenges me but this is one of the parts that I could relate to. Greg replies, "Hell yeah". and Cesar exhales a sigh of relief. Ive had a couple adults in my life who I'd call mom. Its not like I didn't have one at home waiting for me, but since the relationship with my own mother isn't as open as I'd want it to be, these women were there to fill the spaces of hope. I know not everyone has a perfect family, with perfect parents. The moms I would build a relationship with would give me the emotionally and sympathy support I've always searched for in my own parents. My parents have a really different way of expressing themselves and are not always so sympathetic towards us ( their children). I think this really messes me and my siblings up because the way I would be as a parent, is totally different then what my parents act. I think that's why bump heads so much and disagree about our beliefs. Yeah, we are all going to have different beliefs all the time but when the main source of a childs life is constantly putting them down with non supporting words, that eventually gets to their inner core. That could mess with a childs life throughout their whole entire life. Parents don't realize that their actions are rippling down their child's life. They won't just get over it, their going to have to deal with their insecurities and whatever their parents put them through. Its going to come out through relationships with people and how the child makes decisions in life.

Questions Regarding Gov't ShutDowwwwwn

1. What is the debate around the government shutdown?
            a.) Why does the government have to be selfish and shutdown for them to compromise?
            b.) Who are the people who are actually going to suffer from this shut down?

2. Why the Republicans making this about Obama Care?
            a.) Why would the Republicans want to make their followers suffer, and not approve of this?

3. What is the Obama Care anyways?!
             a.) What are the bad things about ACA?

4. What is the situation around health care in the U.S?
              a.) Where does the money you don't end up spending from health insurance?

5. What happens or will happen when the government shuts down?
               a.) If federal businesses shut down, will they get paid what they lost?
               b.) How will the real victims suffer when the gov't shuts down?

6. What is considered discretionary spending?
                a.) How does the gov't pick and chose, how much money goes to who?

Personal Reflection

This talk and lecture about government, poverty, and money all make me feel extremely vulnerable. Its overwhelming, it makes me insecure and unsure of who people really are, if it wasn't for the money. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one but I don't feel so good about myself when we discuss this topic. Sometimes it gets me upset from everything I'm learning, I feel this anxiety inside me and want to walk out the classroom. The feeling of not being able to do anything about this corrupt government is very stressing and nerve wrecking, especially for some in the lower class. When I'm sitting in class, I'm thinking, "Any minute now, when the teacher ends his sentence, he's going to tell us the secret to survive against this government confinement we live in". But it never comes, so my hopes are crushed. Probably we have to find out on our own, even if some get it or don't. It makes me despise the upper class more when I find out how immoral they could be. Sometimes i feel like talking about all this is just to learn more about whats going on in the world, but I want to take action! This kind of corruption has been going on for decades and people clearly cant do anything about it. We're still going to be under federal law, we're still going to pay taxes, have low paying jobs and unemployment, there is still going to be extreme poverty and slaves and we're just still going to get fucked over at the end of the day either way! Unless you're in upper class, but the upper class wont even have this on their list of worries. It makes me scared and anxious of how the future is going to be, because now even the middle class could become the new poverty in just a blink of an eye. Like it just confuses me to the point of wanting to quit everything I'm doing. Obviously working for the government is never going to end. Or sometimes I think of moving to other countries where life could be better, where its more equal and less corrupted. Where I don't have to worry about the government being all jacked up and with the upper class and just being selfish or just doing things when it suits them. It all makes me feel like I cant trust the government. Even the police abuse their power to the extreme! Police are suppose to make you and the city feel safe by reducing endangered criminals, but sometimes they are the real criminals behind the scene. Why can't most things be equal, like whats the problem with everyone having benefits and survival things. We clearly have enough food and money to give to everyone, especially the ones who seriously need it. But the government doesn't care about the dying poor, they need an enemy, they need to be hated on and they need to be unfair for their plan to work all together. I think its pretty fucked up how the government just drains all its problems and the poor are the ones who have to suffer from it under the sewer. Meaning the government always wants to just push everything down or to the side and since the poor is in the lower class, they're almost invisible to ignorant people. Though the problems never go away they just keep piling up until another president gets elected and has to maybe find a way to cover it up or take the attention away from it. How do they even rank where the money goes to? "The money" obviously our tax money. I'm thinking its randomly picked out of a hat because the needy are clearly not first on the list. I think after all that I've learned, I'm convinced the U.S is just a fraud. If people really knew how things were here before they came from their countries, they probably would change their minds and just stay where they are at. Some people believe slavery, discrimination and racism is over, but it never even got close to being over. Its always going to be here no matter what, in the black shadows and  in between the lines. 

ObamaCare Vs. Healthcare.

ObamaCare is a health care service for low income citizens, which can help them receive the benefits they need for their health. This plan is for the large group of Americans who struggle everyday, having to decide weather they go to the doctors or eat a meal. Either cost money so they would rather feed their family and just hope their wound heals by itself. Most people who benefit from ObamaCare are the people who's jobs don't give health benefits nor insurance or where some insurance companies turned them down. Even the people are are most healthy have had been rejected on insurance. Now people who have ObamaCare are only paying half the price of their previous insurance. What these people have in common is not enough money or quick doctor appointments or even check ups for future illnesses that can be prevented.

Site Sourced
(http://obamacarefacts.com/obamahealthcare.php)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/05/i-am-obamacare-_n_4046470.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular


The situation on healthcare in the U.S has left 50 million people without health insurance and the results end up with 45,000 people dying each year because of it. 700,000 people go bankrupt dealing with health care,  which increases poverty rate. In comparison the 5  largest health insurance companies made a combined profit around $12 billion in 2009. The U.S has fewer doctors and nurses than most high income countries. Hospitals and doctors are disproportionally are located in wealthier areas and public hospitals in areas which are most needed, are shutting down.

Sources
http://www.nesri.org/programs/health-care-in-the-united-states

700,000 families go bankrupt each year just by trying to pay for their health care – even though three quarters of them are insured. (Health Affairs 2006). In comparison, the five largest insurance companies made a combined profit of around $12 billion in 2009. (Department of Health and Human Services 2010) - See more at: http://www.nesri.org/programs/health-care-in-the-united-states#sthash.fXWfB8E6.dpuf

700,000 families go bankrupt each year just by trying to pay for their health care – even though three quarters of them are insured. (Health Affairs 2006). In comparison, the five largest insurance companies made a combined profit of around $12 billion in 2009. (Department of Health and Human Services 2010) - See more at: http://www.nesri.org/programs/health-care-in-the-united-states#sthash.fXWfB8E6.dpuf

700,000 families go bankrupt each year just by trying to pay for their health care – even though three quarters of them are insured. (Health Affairs 2006). In comparison, the five largest insurance companies made a combined profit of around $12 billion in 2009. (Department of Health and Human Services 2010) - See more at: http://www.nesri.org/programs/health-care-in-the-united-states#sthash.fXWfB8E6.dpuf

700,000 families go bankrupt each year just by trying to pay for their health care – even though three quarters of them are insured. (Health Affairs 2006). In comparison, the five largest insurance companies made a combined profit of around $12 billion in 2009. (Department of Health and Human Services 2010) - See more at: http://www.nesri.org/programs/health-care-in-the-united-states#sthash.fXWfB8E6.dpuf

700,000 families go bankrupt each year just by trying to pay for their health care – even though three quarters of them are insured. (Health Affairs 2006). In comparison, the five largest insurance companies made a combined profit of around $12 billion in 2009. (Department of Health and Human Services 2010) - See more at: http://www.nesri.org/programs/health-care-in-the-united-states#sthash.fXWfB8E6.dpuf

700,000 families go bankrupt each year just by trying to pay for their health care – even though three quarters of them are insured. (Health Affairs 2006). In comparison, the five largest insurance companies made a combined profit of around $12 billion in 2009. (Department of Health and Human Services 2010) - See more at: http://www.nesri.org/programs/health-care-in-the-united-states#sthash.fXWfB8E6.dpuf