Know a Person Before you Judge Them

It is important that, when you portray someone in a book, or a poem, you know them from facts instead of rumors. Dante showed what happened when you judge someone off rumors in his Inferno, in which he portrays Odysseus (Ulysses) as being the exact opposite Odysseus he is in Homer's writing. If you judge someone off of something someone said to you, chances are that the judgement is wrong. It's just that person's personal opinion. To get to know a person's character, you need to know more than one thing about them. I personally have never known someone that has had this done to them, nor do I think anyone has ever done this to me. Before you speak out against someone, check with other people about them, or see if there is anything on the news about what they have done. Do a background check if the person is well known. If it is someone at school or something, check with teachers or other kids in the school.

Father-son relations

This week, (week one of my study of Greece) I am studying a lot of the Greek myths. Two of them were those of Daedalus and Icarus and Theseus and the Minotaur. The assignment is to write about the father-son relationships of Daedalus and Icarus Aegeus and Theseus.

Daedalus and Icarus' relationship shows a lot of the disobedience most boys develop as they grow older. We boys are trying to prove ourselves and are trying to be more independent. Our fathers advise us and tell us what to do often. They don't do it for their health. They do it to steer us in the right direction. Daedalus tried to do this with Icarus, but Icarus' disobedience kicked in and he ended up dieing because he didn't listen to his father's advice.

The relationship between Aegeus and Theseus shows how much fathers love their sons. Aegeus loved Theseus and therefore didn't want him to go to Crete to defeat the Minotaur. Theseus, however, who was impulsive and loved danger and adventure, wouldn't listen. He promised his father that, as a sign that he had lived, he would fly white sails instead of black when he returned. However, as he returned home, he forgot to change the sails. Aegeus, believing his son was dead, killed himself by jumping off a cliff. In my opinion, he did this because he had never really known Theseus, having left before he was born, and he believed he would never be able to. I think he regretted leaving.

The Reason People Choose Evil Over Good

I think someone would choose to do evil instead of good only if they had a very specific reason, such as revenge for a past crime. Or maybe they are just dumb and think it would be fun. I, personally, do not remember doing anything wrong while knowing the consequences of my actions. If I did, it would be lying, as that poses a problem to me to this day.

I think what causes someone to choose doing evil over doing good is temptation. Temptation to do something and see what happens. And Satan is the one who causes temptation. Therefore, by default, Satan causes people to do evil.

The Choice Between Good and Evil

This week is studying the difference between good and evil, and the choices they present. To me, the choice between doing good and evil is not always clear, but it is usually. Despite that, I tend to do things either reflexively or instantaneously, and I don't always consider the options I have on how to react. So I sometimes make evil choices, especially when angry or hurt, as that is when my brain goes into overload and I want to hit something, generally the person who hurt me or I am angry at.

How do we know what is good and what is evil? I don't know how we first learned it, other than Adam and Eve both ate from the tree or the knowledge of good and evil and since then we have been punished for the wrong things we do. I know what I consider evil, such as vengeance, hatred, and stuff like that, but I don't know everything God considers evil. In fact, I don't think anyone does. Just another question to add to the post-bucket question list.

Justice and Mercy

To me, justice and mercy are a pair of ideas that, while they don't always work together, they can be two of the best partners in judgement. Justice, to me, means upholding the law and punishing wrong-doers. However, mercy is being kind and compassionate to those in need. Because of that, it makes giving judgement to a person who is down on luck sort of difficult to one who has not done it before. Sometimes though, all it takes is a tender heart to give proper judgement and punishment to those who deserve it.

The Lord's Plumb Line

In the book of Amos, the Lord uses a plumb line as an symbol of his law. It is always straight, and to truly be with him, you have to walk that straight line perfectly. He used an object we know about and know to prove something 100% straight to signify his law being 100% straight.

Today, the message of Amos is to be kind to those who are unfortunate. Don't beat them down and take advantage of them due to the fact that they are poor. If you can, help them to get their feet back underneath them so they can get back to life. Also, keep with the Lord's law. He didn't write it for His own good. He did it for ours. Because he takes the time to pay attention to us and help us when we ask, the least we can do is follow the rules he has laid down in our benefit.

Becoming an Adult

This week, an assignment has me write about what becoming an adult means for me. It means I will be old enough to support myself. I will probably move out of Mom and Dad's house and into an apartment of my own, get a job, and probably go to college. What I look forward to for being an adult is maybe more freedom. I will be able to do what I want, but I will still go to Mom and Dad for advice for years to come. What I don't want to do as soon as I am an adult is probably get a family of my own. I want to make sure I have enough money to support a family before I even think of getting married. Mom and Dad both did that, and it turned out well for them. Do I want to become an adult now, no. I want to enjoy the last few years of "child"hood while I can before I have to become 100% responsible for myself. I could see myself becoming an adult and becoming independent by the time I am eighteen or nineteen years old. Until then, being a kid is what is important, and I am going to enjoy it.