Sense: Empathy

Empathy: "The ability to understand other people, forge relationships and care for others."
I thought it would be interesting to test my empathy because I wasn't really sure how I would score. Sometimes my heart really goes out to people, but other times (I'll just be honest) I can get annoyed with people a little too easily. I'm working on it. But anyway, I thought the results of my test could go either way. Turns out, I'm pretty much average; I scored a 45, with 47 being the most common score for women.

I had to hesitate and really think about a few of the questions. When asked if I prefer animals to humans, my first thought was actually yes. My puppies are my babies, and I would rather be with them than a lot of people.. but that doesn't mean that I don't need intelligent conversation and interaction with other humans. I ended up with "slightly agree" but I really needed a "sometimes" button there. And then the question of if I live for today rather than the future. I know the old cliches..live for today, because tomorrow never comes! It's true, but let's get real. We are constantly planning for the future. You kind of have to, right? For example, we take the ACT because we don't want to be left out in the cold when it's time to send in our college applications. Thinking about the future is the smart thing to do, even though they say we're not really supposed to. So it probably hurt my score, but I put "slightly disagree."

Then there were the questions that seemed a little irrelevant. For example, did I cut up worms as a kid? EW. What? Who even..who even did that? The most extreme it got for the kids at my school was the whole ants/magnifying glass thing, but come on..that's just fascinating. So yeah, I disagree. Then there was the question of whether or not I like roller coasters. I love them, but what does that have to do with me "[understanding] other people and [forging] relationships?" I'm guessing it has something to do with the way that brain works, but I don't quite understand it.

Basically, I wasn't surprised by my average result. I'm no Ghandi, but I do have a heart.
(:

The quiz:
http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/EmpathyQuotient/EmpathyQuotient.aspx

A picture of it:

I let my sister read some of the questions to me..she loves to read everything.

Sweet Summertime

Summer nights when the warm wind blows
It is the sweetest time I know
Laughter calls and worries leave
On summer nights when the warm wind blows

The sunbeams soak our skin all day
When basking in the warmth we lay
Music plays and worries leave
As the sunbeams soak our skin all day

Sweet summer calls and makes me want
To see her lovely face again
But she isn't here quite yet and I
Have days to go before I can

What Happens to Trust?

What happens to trust when it is broken?

‍‍Does it vanish

‍‍like time?

‍‍Or does it stay like a sad ghost

‍‍And haunt you?

‍‍Does it heal over time like a stinging cut?

‍‍Or infect

‍‍like a deadly disease?

‍‍Maybe it just pulls you down

‍‍like the weight of the world

‍‍Or does it kill?

Character Analysis: Creon

“Political leader” is a difficult position to assume. While they are often genuinely praised and respected, they are met with enormous responsibility and criticism. Every move they makemust pass inspection of the public eye. Whether a new leader chooses the “loved” route or the “feared” route, what they need more than anything is the approval of their people. In Sophocles’ Greek tragedy “Antigone,” when Creon suddenly finds himself tossed into the world of politics, he makes his decree for a hidden reason. As much as he disapproved of Polynices’ actions, his real motive was to establish his reputation as a strict disciplinarian.

Creon begins his reign with the controversial decree and the punishment that will fall upon anyone who dares to disobey. He first claims that you cannot truly judge a man “in heart and mind” until they have had “experience in the exercise of power.” He believes that power is very important, and can either make you great or make you nothing. This statement shows how much Creon wanted to use his power to prove himself to the people of Thebes. He then goes on to discuss Polynices, saying that they must “leave his corpse unburied” and that any man who does will meet his death, as “that shall be his doom.” With these threatening words, Creon hopes to begin his reign with respect. His desire is to prove that his laws will be enforced.

When the news breaks that the law beaker was Antigone, of all people, Creon is met with a dilemma. This woman was almost a member of his family, but to excuse her from the law would set a precedence of lenience. He makes the decision to “kill the bride of [his] own son” because she “dared to overstep [the] laws.” Since Creon’s son Haemon was engaged to Antigone, he could have justified excusing her crime. But in order to set a good example, she must die. Antigone’s sentence is solitary confinement “in a rocky cavern” that is “completely devoid of human life.” There, she would be left to die. Her status with the royal family would not excuse her from the law.

Unfortunately, Antigone’s death does not bring Creon’s desired result. Teiresias delivers his message “bringing woe,” and announces Creon must “release the maiden from her cavern tomb.” However, Antigone is already dead and he realizes his mistake too late. At this peripeteia, things begin to go wrong for the king. His beloved son Haemon’s “own hand sheds his blood,” and the queen, Eurydice, stabs herself upon “hearing her son’s most pitiable fate.” His decision to enforce his rules ultimately causes the death of his loved ones. The story ends with a changed man.

Creon becomes the textbook dynamic character. He starts off as a stubborn leader who cares only about his rules, and ends as a sad, lonely man who has lost everything. He truly regrets his actions, much like many characters in Greek drama. Arguably, he was generally good man, whose only desire was successful law enforcement in his country. Yet he caused his own sad fate as so many Greek characters do. Creon was a man of both mistakes and misfortune.

Malaria Kills

When most people think of murderers, they probably pictures guns, knives, or men in ski masks. But the number one leading cause of death worldwide is not a weapon at all, but a seemingly harmless mosquito.

According to this medical report article, mosquito-transmitted malaria will affect adults and especially children in “about 100 countries” (Davis, par. 7). If you stop and think about it, that’s about forty percent of the world. Many of the people who are infected with this disease will not receive adequate treatment, and untreated malaria is fatal the majority of the time.

Imagine if the United States was affected by malaria. Would greater steps be taken to prevent its spread? Unfortunately, the disease affects mostly third-world countries in Africa, Asia, and South America where economies, healthcare systems, and sanitation are poor. The average family sleeps where they are unprotected from preying mosquitos, and are denied proper vaccinations due to lack of money.

Luckily, there are things we can do to help from here in the US. There are programs such as Unicef and Nothing But Nets, a nonprofit organization that not only raises awareness about the disease, but also sends mosquito netting to homes in malaria-prone countries. Just because we may be safe from this disease where you live doesn’t mean we should ignore it. Malaria kills an innocent child every thirty seconds. Learn more and get involved, so that this killer can finally be stopped.

Davis, Charles. "Malaria." Medicinenet.com. Medicine Net, 8 Oct. 2010. Web. 17 Feb 2011.
     <http://www.medicinenet.com/malaria/article.htm>.

"Malaria." www.Unicef.org. Unicef, 29 September 2009. Web. 17 Feb 2011. <http://www.unicef.org/health/index_malaria.html>.

"Malaria Kills." Nothingbutnets.com. Nothing but Nets, n. d.. Web. 17 Feb 2011. <http://www.nothingbutnets.net/malaria-kills/>.