In sum, I agree that the war is all for oil. Being in the United States, we have the largest energy consumption out of all the other countries and with the growing population, it is only going to expand and so is our need for oil. In the sense that we are going over to a land that is not ours and stealing something to our benefit is horrible. From the standpoint of an Arab Muslim, I would hate what the Americans are doing in my land. It makes no sense for us to just go over and start a war, wasting our army just so we can get a few extra gallons of oil. If anything the United States needs to lower our dependence on fossil fuel and start looking towards other methods of getting energy.

I’m sure he has an extreme dislike for America and the American soldiers, and as he should. They destroyed his entire life. We destroyed a lot lives, all for what? To take something that doesn’t belong to us? Shame on the United State’s Government, in our educational systems we teach kids not to bully other kids but on military level bullying is completely fine? I don’t think so, that oil doesn’t belong to us. I understand that we need an energy source but we need to use our own resources, maybe not oil since we don’t have a lot of that but there’s plenty of coal. I’m sure some scientist can figure out how to burn coal cleanly or figure out another energy source, like garbage, that would solve 2 problems. This lecture had taught me to keep an open mind and always try to see the issue from another viewpoint because it will give me a better understanding and also help me make sense of everything.

Did Sam’s lecture on Tuesday change my opinion on the war? Tuesday’s class left me in a very confused state. In some ways, Sam’s words and tactics really generated a sense of anger from me. On the contraire, being put in the eyes of an Islamic person helped me see the issues from another perspective. Sam definitely changed my views on the war. I always knew that it was over oil but I never thought about it in terms of we’re taking something that doesn’t belong to us. It really does sadden me how many innocent bystanders mainly children are getting killed because we want something that they don’t want to give us. I think that the US is being a big bully in the Middle East. When we rolled in there we destroyed their cities, their economy, we took lives and we hurt a lot of people. I was appalled by the way that the American soldiers ran that car off the road and crushed that other car. It was completely unnecessary; they were trying to get wood so they can rebuild the home that the US troops destroyed. That car was that man’s entire way of making a living, what is he supposed to do now to support his family?

You can no longer confide in people because you fear they will violate you too. This feeling can be regained. It just takes a while. All it takes is one person who is there through thick and thin, who doesn’t push for information, who lets you be you and come to them when needed. Eventually, this trust will be regained and justice can be served.

One of the hardest things is overcoming an act such as this. It only takes one individual, in one act, to completely change a person’s life. Sex is supposed to be mutual. But think about when it is not. Sex is so personal and intimate of an act that when someone violates it, it cuts deep. The victims of sexual abuse feel lost and dirty. They feel used, unwanted and alone. Their biggest sacrifice and gift to share with someone was stripped from them. Who are they now? They do not feel special and wanted. The abuser stole life from them. They stole trust from them. This, above all, is what victims need back in order to speak out, trust. It is what was violated. Trust is solely confiding in someone with personal information and knowing they will understand and stand beside you. It is accepting the individual for who they are and appreciating how their lives and experiences have shaped them. It is another way of giving of yourself to another. This is taken when someone is sexually abused. The victim can no longer trust. Someone they did not know, and in most cases, do know, took the biggest value in life. Speaking from experience, this hurts.

Sex is intended to be an intimate experience that individuals share between each other to express various feelings. Most of these feelings include love, lust, devotion, and above all trust. In my opinion, sex is the only act where someone completely gives themselves to another. It is intended to be special. Only given up to those emotionally and physically close to oneself. Sex is intimate, personal, and most importantly, it is mutual. Each party gives themselves to the other. This bond is like no other, it symbolizes unity and two beings becoming one. It is intended to, emotionally and physically, be the best feeling we can experience. With that, people get greedy. They start to only think of themselves and what they want. It is still a special act that involves giving of themselves to another, but it lacks the mutual consent. Certain people are determined to get what they want, when they want it. This is called rape, and in an even broader term, sexual abuse.

Sexual abuse is frightening. Think about it? It is one type of abuse to completely, emotionally and physically, tear an individual apart. After an event such as that, the victim feels violated, lost and almost “dead”. I say that in quotes because, although the person is technically living, they are void of all emotion. It is like the abuser stole all life from them.

In my opinion, happiness and success are two different, unrelated aspects of a persons life, granted every individual person defines it differently. Success to some people may be to attain a high paying job that makes a lot of money. Others may view success as owning a house or property, providing for a family or a combination of all three. In either instance, success emphasized owning and having the responsibility of other people and material objects, and maintaining a higher status in society. If you notice, all of these require money. Our society places an emphasis on money. Without it, we would have nothing. Money is the food of our economy and society. We need it to survive and ultimately grow as individuals. The more money an individual has, the more opportunities that person will have.
Such examples would be attending college, leading to internships, then finally jobs. Buying a house, a car, life, home and auto insurance, and any other toys that people like to have to enjoy life. This all requires money. It is when all this has been acquired, that success has finally been reached. I have a slightly different view of success. To me, success can be achieved through small acts or large achievements. A person does not just have one success in their life and then its over. They continuously succeed. Graduating high school, getting accepted into college, graduating from college, winning championship games or dance competitions, attending grad school, receiving that dream job and buying a house. Each success builds on the other and builds on the other to reach that sense of being and purpose. To any person in society, this is what being successful means. It is achieving goals set for your self and accomplishing those goals. Not one definition of success will not include money. Money makes the world go round. Money seems to act as simply a stabilizer. The more you have, the more comfortable a person may be. The more you have, the more successful you are viewed.
Happiness, though, is defined vastly different between individuals. In more cases than not, people will say owning a lot of money will make them happy. I, on the other hand, disagree. I feel happy when I accomplish a goal, make my parents proud, or brighten someone else’s day. It is the interactions between other people that influence happiness. I guess happiness is much like success in that it is achieved through many small or large acts. Small acts such as eating a bowl of ice cream and laughing with friends makes me happy. Without this, our lives would seem as nothing more than robotic. Money only has the power to stabilize one’s future and influence their happiness. Don’t let greed control you. It is what you do with the hand you are dealt that defines you. Through this, you will find happiness and success.

They will being treating your nails, ask you a question in broken English, and then turn to the other person working there, say something and they both laugh. It seems that they could be talking about something else until each of them exchange glances with each other and then look at you. It makes it uncomfortable to be there, like they are making fun of you and how you keep your nails or appearance. Other times is seems harmless, like they are talking about what needs to be done throughout the day or when their child needs picked up from school. But, it is those specific times when you know they are speaking about you and you have no idea what is being said that makes you mad, awkward and uncomfortable. It is almost not fair, but, at the same time, out of the question to insist that they only speak English.

If I was in their shoes, I would be too. It is the language I grew up with, grew to know and an aspect of my heritage and culture to keep practicing. In addition, multiple students around campus are also of different ethnic backgrounds so it is an aspect that students share and have in common.
On the other hand, I have also had uncomfortable experiences with people speaking a different language in front of me. I am a girl and occasionally like to get my nails done. As bad as it is, everyone knows that the Vietnamese people are the best when it comes to nail pampering. More times than not, I go to them only because I know they do an excellent job and because it is always slightly cheaper than going to a white individual. Anyway, several times that I have went into these shops I have felt like they talk about you. Now, I am not just being paranoid. They really do.