"This I Believe"

In my 11th grade Honors English class, our final assignment was to write a "This I Believe" essay. When I first heard about the assignment I thought,"good, something easy." I didn't realize how wrong I was. It has been a struggle trying to come up with a statement. I also believe that Mr. Rich, our teacher, wouldn't give us this assignment to please himself. He was trying to make a point, (I think). I think that the reason Mr. Rich gave us this particular assignment, was to help us understand and find something we truly believe in. Beliefs are important no matter who you are or where your from. Without something to believe in, then what is the point living. Believe by definition means, "to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right on doing so: Only if one believes in something can one act purposefully." (www.dictionary.com) I believe in believing. Somethings we just don't understand, so we believe in something, or someone that does. This I believe, that without belief, life is empty and there is no hope for the future.

"Life's hard, then you die."

"Life's hard, then you die." That it what my sixth grade teacher told my class repeatedly. "Life's hard, then you die." Of course, they are probably not the most encouraging words to tell a twelve-year-old. But, they stuck with me. They have made me think over and over again about why life is so hard. Maybe the better question is, does life have to be so hard? After thinking about it for a while i have come to the conclusion that life can be made easier by focusing more on others. Each day my goal has become to say "hi" to as many people as I can. Not to the point where I sound cheesy, but to make others smile. In my short but memorable high school experience, I have learned that if I could forget about what others might think of me, but instead, what I think of others, I will be a lot happier. Popularity wouldn't matter if we all stopped caring about ourselves. Sadly, this is not true and cannot be true. The "natural man" will win. back to my main point. Life doesn't have to be hard if we make it a little bit easier for someone each day. It is my belief that if we all cared a little more for others and less for ourselves, MVHS would be a happier place, and perhaps everyone would feel included. And I don't see a problem with that.

Summer

Summer, Good or Bad? When most students think of summer, they think of it as the best time of the year! Yes, it is true. But, are there disadvantages? Let's see: sun, friends, no school, etc. The only bad thing about summer is the extreme heat. (unless you live in Alaska) Summers in UT are very hot and dry. It can be a miserable experience when you are stuck out in the heat all day in a desert. I remember one time I was working outside on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, all day. The temperature was hot, my water was hot, I was hot, (and I don't mean looking.) It was a miserable day. Even though I wasn't in school and I was with my friend, I wanted nothing more than a snowstorm. This example shows that even during the best season of the year, the worst can come upon us. It isn't always sunflowers and flowing rivers. When things are going great they can still take a turn for the worse. So, summer may be the "most wonderful time of the year," but things can go wrong and get pretty ugly. Just don't be too shocked this summer when you can't wait for school to start again. Oh, and wear sunscreen.