CISV (The greatest thing since ice-cream)

5) An entry on whatever you would like to write about.

I am a part of this amazing organization that is called CISV. It is a non-political, non-religious, non-profit, non-biased, youth-run, international club to promote global peace and friendship. People from around the world go to camps to meet other like-minded people and make life-long friends. It is one of my favourite things in the world (followed by ice-cream). But enough boring explanation, I wanted to write about it to explain how it changed my life. I’ve been to three CISV camps in the last three years.

At the first one my best friends were from Denmark and Indonesia and I learned that I could be a leader. We had one simulation activity where the leaders dressed up in masks and turned off the lights. They chased us into one room and had five chairs in the middle. “Whoever is sitting on these chairs in one hour will survive, but we are going to kill the rest of you.” We all sat around the chairs unsure what to do watching the minutes tick on by. Finally, I began speaking, for the first time during this camp, which was three weeks long, I took charge. I asked people what they thought of this and what the possible solutions could be. I became the leader that was required. I was shocked when someone suggested that I take one of the chairs, because I was a great leader, and the others agreed. Before this activity I hadn’t accepted that I could be a leader, instead always letting someone else take charge. It was a great experience.

At the next camp, my best friends were from Waterlou and Calgary. I helped plan a ton of activities, but I worked too hard and so didn’t have as much fun as I should have had. I learned to not take everything so seriously.

At my last camp, my best friends were from Iceland and Sweden. I became a leader at this camp before it even started, by making a Facebook group and discussing possible activities. I led all of the camp meetings and I took a huge role in the organization of the camp. It was amazing. I love CISV for that and many other reasons. I now have friends around the world that I talk to and share experiences with. CISV truly is the greatest things since ice-cream, and that’s saying a lot, because ice-cream is wonderful. :D

-It took me a long time to think of what to write for this one, because I work better with boundaries, but I just tried to think of something that I really love, hoping I would be able to write enough about it. Turns out I was able to write way more than needed. :)-

Forgiveness, how much is too much?

3) Forgiveness

I recently saw a book entitled “Forgive for Your Health.” I read the back cover and something stuck with me. It said something about how forgiving someone isn’t for them, it’s for you. If you don’t forgive someone of something then you are holding it with you, instead of letting it go. This is different from forgiving and forgetting. It said that forgetting is not necessarily a good thing because then you could fall into the same routine and trust that person again, only to be betrayed. I completely believe in that idea, because when you don’t forgive someone it does weigh on you. It’s hard for me to imagine to what extents this applies though because I’ve had a fairly simple life, with not much major conflict or horror. I don’t ever hold grudges against anyone, but I can’t imagine forgiving someone for murdering a loved one or for committing crimes like that. I think forgiveness is important, but I completely understand why some people can never forgive others. The problem with that is that they then cannot move past their hurt. Another important question is how many chances should someone get? Second chances can be a good thing for people to prove that they have changed, but what about third and fourth chances? And then you must ask yourself, can people really change? Another form of forgiveness is for yourself. Some people make such big mistakes that they can't even forgive themselves and that, again, applies to the forgive, but don't forget rule. There is a lot to think about on the subject of forgiving and if I ever figure it all out, I will be sure to let you know.

Everyone must ask themselves the ultimate question: Forgiveness, how much is too much?

One should not give someone, or themself, too much forgiveness, because this could lead to the same mistake, but if they do not give enough then they will be burdened by whatever happened.

-image from http://songbirdchelsea.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html-

Goals, are they really that important?

2) Personal Goals

I remember reading (on a bag from Lulu lemon, I believe) something about how writing your goals down gives your subconscious brain a kick start to completing them. Whether or not that’s true, it’s something to consider. I think about the future a lot. Especially at my age, planning ahead is important. Universities, career, part-time job, studies, and socializing are all important things that need to be planned. I have not written down many of my personal goals, but I do like to think about them. My goals at the moment are mostly things in the immediate future. For example, my goal for this month is to finish a set amount of English and Psychology schoolwork. Some of my longer-term goals include going to Douglas College and doing some volunteer work abroad. I made myself a little notebook a few years ago so that I could write down any goal I could think of when I thought of it. I also drew little drawings that related to each goal. Some of the first ones I wrote include milking a cow, getting a tattoo, riding first class on an airplane and going to the moon. I definitely find it beneficial to write my goals down, because then I will remember them and be on the look-out for opportunities that could lead me to completing one. I hope to graduate grade 12 in February at the latest and then to volunteer for a large portion of the time remaining before this summer. I have so many things I want to do and experience in life, as I’m only 17 and have the rest of my life ahead of me. Writing down my goals is the first step.There's a show, I don't know much about it, just that it exists, where a group of people try to complete their list of goals and I hope to do that someday.

Are goals really that important? I believe they are, but even if they're not, there's no harm in having them.

-images from http://mattsobservations.wordpress.com/ and http://mdaras.com/pma/

How original is too original and how far can you follow before you can't find your way back?

4) Follow Trends or Be Original?

Twilight is the biggest trend I know of right now and by Twilight I mean vampires. It’s difficult to define how original someone is compared to how much they follow trends. For example, I like vampires; I like some of the ways they are portrayed now. However, I dislike how they are everywhere now. It has become too big of a trend, in my eyes, because I think that a lot of people only like Twilight-related things, because EVERYONE else does. So, I like vampires, but dislike the trend, so what does this make me in terms of a follower or an original? I suppose somewhere in the middle, closer to a follower. I like to think of myself as original, but I know I do follow trends. Most of the trends I follow are things that I like, such as wearing scarves, I love scarves and so when I see other people wearing them and think of how nice it looks I go out and buy myself some. I don’t follow trends that I don’t agree with just to “fit in.” There is a thin line between following trends and being original and another even thinner line between being original and being alone. Some trends you do have to follow to fit into society, and it’s not just for others, it’s for yourself as well. For example, hygiene is important and a “trend” could be to maintain good hygiene. Obviously, not everyone does this, but to be accepted by society, it is common knowledge that you will follow the basics of good personal hygiene care. Some examples include taking a shower every once in a while and washing your clothes more than once a year. (That’s an exaggeration; hopefully most people wash themselves and their clothes more often.) We, as a society, follow trends that we see through the media, whether we know it or not. Even those who are “original” are never really original because there are other people out there thinking the exact same thing as them. If I had to be one, I would call myself a follower because I want to look good and fit in. I am a shy person and so do not always speak my mind when I know there are people that will disagree with my opinion. This hugely makes me a follower. I don’t wear bright lime green pants or half shirts, I know what works for me and what doesn’t, as well as what society would find acceptable and what it wouldn’t.

I think that everyone should be themselves, whether that means they follow trends or not. If you're not yourself, then you may lose yourself, and who would you be then?
How original is too original and how far can you follow before you can't find your way back?

-image taken from http://yasik.kiev.ua/jj/-

The truth will set you free, but ignorance is bliss.

1) To Lie or Tell the Truth?

There are stories adults tell us as little kids that make telling the truth seem like the right thing to do, always, and where there is a bad guy and a good guy and the good guy is the one telling things the way they are. Think of Disney stories/movies, of course the good guy wins and they do so by being the best he or she can be and full-heartedly telling the truth when everyone else around them does not. However, this may not be the best approach to life. The truth can hurt and not all of us can handle the truth. People like me, for example, like to live in their sheltered world, only letting in small specks of truth at a time. If I were to know the specifics of the massive amount of horribly evil and corrupt things that go on in this world then I may spontaneously combust and never recover. I know about some things and I am a fairly good human being, but I can't handle knowing everything all at once about all the dreadful things that other human beings are capable of doing. White lies, for me, are better then the alternative. I liked Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. It is hard to say if this world would be a better or worse place if everyone had to tell the truth all the time. (That concept was explored in the movie "The Invention of Lying.") Imagine if you woke up one day and suddenly could not tell a lie. Would it make your life easier or harder? I don't have the answers, in fact all I have is questions. It's something that I'll never know and maybe it's better that way. As for now, I'm comforted in the thought of bunnies laying chocolate eggs and a jolly old man giving gifts to those who deserve them.

So, remember the truth will set you free, but ignorance is bliss.

Think about Neo in the Matrix. Would you want to know that the world you'd been living in and everything that you had once thought was important to you was all just created by a computer? Or, would you turn into that guy that betrayed them in the first movie because he couldn't stand knowing the truth?



-images taken from http://www.fanpop.com/spots/christmas/images/2736333/title/santa-claus-wallpaper, http://yankeeschick.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/04/happy_easter.html, and http://www.pajamasandcoffee.com/?p=921-