Recently, as I mentioned in my last post, the topic of hope has been something that I’ve spent a lot of time musing over. Because hope is so personal, so human, and yet it can be so rational, it is really quite interesting to me. As someone whose main goal in life is to seek and identify truth, I find it fascinating to mull over the concept of hope because of this seeming contradiction.
Human experience sometimes seems spiritual, as though it is something so innate in ourselves and in our…
A question that I am often asked by people in general is “why do you hope so much?” (Or something to that effect.) As a background, I should mention that I’m a rather reserved person when it comes to social interaction. I try to talk only when I have something intelligent, humorous, or worthwhile to say (a conversation takes all types, I prefer to observe). When I do talk, I don’t think it’s fair to say that I’m optimistic. I do believe that I’m fairly realistic – I try not to let my…
One of the most interesting aspects of my life has been my constant struggle to understand how people interact in social situations. While I believe I have an above average intelligence when it comes to theoretical things and ideas, I tend to be downright terrible at handling interactions with people. I am sometimes literally dumbfounded when people ask me the simplest of questions, for multiple reasons I’m sure. I try to be fairly open about this because it usually helps me to be more…
This blog has been here for about three years, lying dormant every few months as I perused various interests of mine. I recently decided that I wanted to begin blogging again after my latest hiatus, and I also resolved that I ought to remove all my previous content. Old links will not work, though certainly you are free to look through various cache sites, as I’m sure you can find it there if you’re really interested. The mass purge is largely due to the fact that I have grown in maturity and…
Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.
Nelson Mandela (via ne-plus-ultra)
“Poverty is not natural. It is man-made.”
(via stfuconservatives)
(Source: , via stfuconservatives)
No doubt about it. (Source: alyssal0uise, via caraobrien)
Thanks to the recession, 2009 was one of the worst years for poverty in America in more than half a century. The total number of Americans living in poverty hit 43.6 million, the highest level in 51 years and the national poverty rate rose to 14.3 percent from 13.2 percent, according to data released last month by the Census Bureau. All told, one in seven Americans are living in poverty. To visualize America’s startling rise in poverty, Mint, the personal finance site, put together this interactive chart of regional poverty rates.
I know I still have a few years left of high school, but paying for college is making me nervous. I’m going to mainly have to rely on scholarships and student loans, especially if I can get accepted into a school outside of Ohio. If government does nothing for the next two years (which I predict it will, assuming Republicans gain a narrow majority in the House and Democrats keep a narrow majority in the Senate), the economy will probably stay about the way it is, or perhaps worsen. I’m not the only one who has to deal with this either - I have friends that are less likely to get scholarships who will likely be indentured for a long time to come if they get the education they want.
I will mention my appreciation for Ohio’s PSEO system, which allows students such as myself to go to college under state funding for both high school and college credit (though the credit conversion is annoying). If you have the option, I can heartily recommend taking it.
I’d rather restart blogging though. I have a paper due tomorrow on a book I gave up reading. Just for future reference, Tamburlaine the Great isn’t exactly Marlowe’s most exciting work. A bit too archaic to be appreciated by most people nowadays, I think.
.. to anyone. Ask yourself three questions.
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?
Decidedly Eclectic is a sporadically updated blog by Kevin Porter, an American teenager. While topics are usually of political or philosophical nature, different oddities show up from time to time. Please feel free to read, comment, and ask questions!
