Why does our society need boxes to
organize people into? I've heard it's because we, humans, are drawn to make
sense of our world so we organize it. Yes, everything can be and possibly should
be organized with one exception: human beings.
I sat in on class of junior AP English students and when asked "What does individuality mean in our society; if anything? one student expressed her unpopular opinion that not only does our society place heavy influence on individuality but each person making up a society seeks to make an individual of them self. Thus, no person can possibly be an individual. She went on to say that we are all inherently cut from the same cloth; unable to be holy distinguished from one another. Her opinion struck me; knowing her to be an intelligent polite and driven girl; I did not expect her of all people to hold such sentiments. I mulled her thoughts over in my head for the following days and came to the realization that she was wrong.
Each human mind is like a piece of tape that never loses its adhesive abilities. In every moment our body and our environment including friends, authority figures, family, and actions change who we are. There is infinity of possible combinations to make up a human life. It is impossible for one person to experience life quite like another; though major similarities may be found. Every human is as changing and unique as one square light-year in the cosmos. Our efforts to categorize humans based on gender, race, class, age, sexuality, and creed is futile yet our interactions are based on this assumption completely. We cannot compartmentalize humanity.
Not considering it to be an issue, I have come to the realization that I do not consider race at all when it comes to meeting and interacting with people. It has been through the lens of this realization that humanity is impossible to be organized and through my perspectives and beliefs that I see double. With each human that I interact with I see what society teaches me to see while seeing what I know to be true. Judgments are taught to us by our religious figures, media, family and friends. They are not something we are born with yet we have come to accept prejudices as a part of our society.
The greatest lie that anyone has ever told "Is I know him/ her." I don't know a single soul on this planet. The kindergartner mantra that "You are no different from him or her" is of course wrong. We are of course vastly different from one another but if we examine the intrinsic meaning of that expression we find one great truth. We must treat one another as if we were no different though we know how different we are. I am totally unique yet I am just like you.
Why engage in a discussion such as this one? Hate in any form, to any degree, is based on the fallacy that we know someone or a group of people. Each prejudice formed is unfounded and therefore completely wrong. Though people are vastly different from one another, we can in no way pass judgment on any person.
I sat in on class of junior AP English students and when asked "What does individuality mean in our society; if anything? one student expressed her unpopular opinion that not only does our society place heavy influence on individuality but each person making up a society seeks to make an individual of them self. Thus, no person can possibly be an individual. She went on to say that we are all inherently cut from the same cloth; unable to be holy distinguished from one another. Her opinion struck me; knowing her to be an intelligent polite and driven girl; I did not expect her of all people to hold such sentiments. I mulled her thoughts over in my head for the following days and came to the realization that she was wrong.
Each human mind is like a piece of tape that never loses its adhesive abilities. In every moment our body and our environment including friends, authority figures, family, and actions change who we are. There is infinity of possible combinations to make up a human life. It is impossible for one person to experience life quite like another; though major similarities may be found. Every human is as changing and unique as one square light-year in the cosmos. Our efforts to categorize humans based on gender, race, class, age, sexuality, and creed is futile yet our interactions are based on this assumption completely. We cannot compartmentalize humanity.
Not considering it to be an issue, I have come to the realization that I do not consider race at all when it comes to meeting and interacting with people. It has been through the lens of this realization that humanity is impossible to be organized and through my perspectives and beliefs that I see double. With each human that I interact with I see what society teaches me to see while seeing what I know to be true. Judgments are taught to us by our religious figures, media, family and friends. They are not something we are born with yet we have come to accept prejudices as a part of our society.
The greatest lie that anyone has ever told "Is I know him/ her." I don't know a single soul on this planet. The kindergartner mantra that "You are no different from him or her" is of course wrong. We are of course vastly different from one another but if we examine the intrinsic meaning of that expression we find one great truth. We must treat one another as if we were no different though we know how different we are. I am totally unique yet I am just like you.
Why engage in a discussion such as this one? Hate in any form, to any degree, is based on the fallacy that we know someone or a group of people. Each prejudice formed is unfounded and therefore completely wrong. Though people are vastly different from one another, we can in no way pass judgment on any person.
Adan, I enjoyed reading this piece a lot. You talked about an issue that most people don't even think about or even consider. I like how you completely flushed out your thoughts on this matter, and organized it well. In a sense, it was like it was organized like an essay, but it wasn't written like one. The ideas that you displayed were your own opinions and experiences, and I completely respect them. I do agree with you on this matter for the most part, but it was definitely a profound piece.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading your piece! I thought it was a very unique take to the somewhat popular tend of challenging what individuality is. My favorite quote from the piece was "Each human mind is like a piece of tape that never loses its adhesive abilities." which I thought was a simply brilliant comparison. Great job!
ReplyDeleteIsabelle Huynh
Per.1
Adan, this piece is so amazing. The word amazing cannot even justify how I feel about it! The outlook you took is honestly one that I hardly hear. Mainly because, as you stated up above, society has told be otherwise. We are all told that we are the same and we all function with a same brain. Hmm, it may be SIMILAR but not same, which in this case would be a great difference. The way you used a rhetorical question to grasp the audience’s attention was very effective! Also, the flow from one paragraph to another was completely smooth and well done! Each human being, even when fed by society, has their own personal beliefs that they can either push aside or accept. I feel like your piece is really welcoming the versatile thoughts and beliefs and I applaud you on that. “Prejudice” itself has been discussed in many different forms but this is probably one of my favorite ways! Fantastic job!
ReplyDeleteYou supported your opinion very well in this piece, and your train of thought was amazing. The analogy you used of the adhesive tape was very well used and really helped the reader better understand your reasoning and ideas. Also I love how you related things back to the commonly heard statement "You are no different from him or her" and twisted the normal connotation it has from everyone is the same to treat all as though they are the same. Amazing job Adan, I am still blown away!
ReplyDeleteEva Badal
Per.1
Adan, I have misgivings about commenting on your blog piece, but after much contemplation I've realized that you probably won't ever bother to even read the comments that people leave for you so here it goes. Your perspective on the fallacies of society is nothing new to me, considering that we spent all of last year discussing this topic. You have an incredibly strong and passionate opinion on this topic, and I agree with you when you say that restricting and restraining humanity is futile, yet epitomizes the theme to which many societal constructs and values are modeled after. However, you've brought up something new; the concept of the impossibility of truly "knowing" someone. This thought encouraged me to critically think and engage in self - analysis, and I've come to the conclusion that your argument for the most part holds true. I mean really, human minds and opinions are not static objects. They constantly change and are influenced by societies around them, so to claim to know someone is a complete generalization. I mean that concept explains why humans are capable of being shocked by those around them. They have certain expectations of certain people based on how much they "know them." When these same people fail to conform to these expectations, the compartmentalization of humanity has failed, going back and supporting your initial argument. Thanks for making me think.
ReplyDeleteDelia Munoz
Period 1
Adan, this blog entry truly made me think about how our society functions. When we are young, we are taught that no matter what skin tone or ethnicity someone is, we are all the same; however, your opinion in this blog shows how that statement is indeed invalid. We are all humans, yet no human is truly like the other. We tend to pick up certain habits and actions from those around us, but that does not completely mean that we are all the same. It is like a diverse pool; we pick up certain habits and add them to our own pool, making us more complex than we were before. Your use of the adhesive tape analogy helped connect the central point of this blog submission beautifully. This was a beautifully constructed blog post. Good job! :)
ReplyDeleteSimran Bajwa
Period 1
I have frequently asked myself the same question that you posed in this piece. Every human is a being that feels, absorbs, and deals with a variety of complex emotions and experiences, so how can we possibly "know" someone fully. You express these ideas and philosophies quite eloquently and I admire your ability to argue a point concisely without letting distracting emotions infect the argument itself. You pose a question, express an argument, provide examples, and end with a logical conclusion. It was an interesting piece that expressed an idea that should be presented more often in our world.
ReplyDeleteAn excellent addition to the Pondering the Abstract category. This is a topic that I'm not sure people consider as often as they should. The individual is a beast that cannot be easily defined, due to it needing to be unique in its own way. I believe that this piece is a great jumping off point for the reader to make their own thoughts and research into the nature of the individual.
ReplyDeleteCharles Purcell
Period 5
This is the basic fundamentals of how our society functions. I really connected with this blog entry because I don't like how judgmental humans are, not just with skin color or ethnicity, but with everything. We are so determined to be individuals that we butcher ourselves to be so independent. This makes us just like everyone else! Its a crazy concept to think about but once you can wrap your head around it you realize its completely true! Great blog entry I really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteKatelynn Gutierrez p.4
Adan,
ReplyDeleteI only recently realized that I am certainly not the same person I was four years ago, let alone even six months ago. We continue to change and become increasingly different as we are affected by those around us and the choices we make. You cannot be more right when you said, "Judgments are taught to us by our religious figures, media, family and friends." We allow these things to persuade in what way we should think rather than what we personally want to believe in and giving others the benefit of doubt when it comes to the "differences" we classify ourselves in. It hit me home when you mentioned how we are so similar and also yet so unique from each other. I guess the best way to label human beings is just under "human beings." Oh! And one thing I really liked in your style of writing is when you compared our minds as the never withering adhesive tape, which goes to show that we are rubbed off by who and what we let affect us personally.
Gian Velasquez p.1
This piece for as it could be for anybody an eye opening piece as this reminds us that we are never truly the same as other people. Not only that but also that we never really know a person because there are an endless possibilities of the different kinds of people there are. This piece very accurately takes into play all our ideas and just reminds us that we can not judge a group of people because of one reason as not everybody is the same even if they're part of the same group.
ReplyDelete