Final Paper on a Good and Meaningful Life

Meaning. I recall that on the first day of the school year, an entire debate arose just over the definition of meaning. No two people had the same definition, but that said something in itself about what meaning is, and that is that it is something different for everybody. With the world telling us so many different things, I think it is best that you ask the people what they think, and come to your own conclusion. I will start with what I initially thought, then go on to other people to finally show what my final conclusion on what makes life meaningful.
10 months ago, I considered the meaningful aspects of my life to be my family, my friends, movies, comics, and my choice of music. Now I realize that this is not only because of the actual closeness of myself to those things, but because much of the world tells me that. Loving your friends and family is a dominant message in every form of the media, in religion, and in folk culture. In fact, to be distant from others and isolate oneself is a trait that is marginal and only stems from great tragedy. Having never experienced great tragedy myself, I obviously associated more with the mainstream message. This is one of the things the media heavily promotes that I truly feel is correct. By that I mean it is something that should be emphasized and made important. My love of comics, movies, and music all stem from my inner self, they are each a reflection of parts of me. These each show that something I considered meaningful was creativity and originality, as each media is about that.
9 months ago we asked other people, peers of ours, what they their thoughts on a good and meaningful life included. Once again, family and friends came up in nearly all interviews. This helped to solidify the place of family and friends in the meaningful life. What was interesting in this was that they all considered things forced onto others, like the media, school, etc, to be meaningless. This could probably be because they were not significant things that they felt were worth the time in the long run, as they left each experience with little gained. A new topic here was wisdom and common sense. I think that this is in fact very important to have and to cherish, because in the course of the last year of my life I have found an increase in the amount of people who show little to no understanding of common sense, such as people who immediately do what they are not supposed to, after they are told not to.
Four months ago we asked our elders, the senior citizens of America, what they thought on a good and meaningful life. My grandma was the interviewee for this, and what she said was revealing about her and her age group. Her answers were the first to include selflessness in a meaningful life. This was something I overlooked, and something I’m sure at least some of my peers must have overlooked but would include on reflection. I think that being selfless is a trait that many people simply lack today. While my grandma did not say that, I think that she would agree to at least a certain degree. There are many people, all ages, that are out for themselves and could care less for what the impact of this is. Take for instance Bernie Madoff, the man who stole 65 billion dollars. While this is an extreme case, many people are very selfish right now. This is due to the slumping economy. However this only serves to further hurt the economy, just as selfishness gets you nowhere in life. This cancels out the marginal media message of the loner, and proves that selflessness leads to gratitude to happiness.
Today I asked a child what she thought a good and meaningful life would include. Asking a child what they thought on a good and meaningful life had been something I had intended to do for quite some time, and in doing so I was able to see how a child would think of life, with today’s influences. I only asked one question. What does she consider a meaningful life. She answered only: A simple life. She went into detail to say that this would just be her, living in an apartment, having a pet. Now, taking into account she is in Fourth Grade and 9 years old, this astonished me. It was so contradictory to everything the media tells people to do. This actually made my day, and upon writing this I realize that in it’s simplicity and purity (since she is just a child after all), this was the best answer because it was automatic and from her heart. The most detail that she went into was saying that if she wanted meaning and to have an impact that recycling was key, saving the planet.
After taking in all of these influences, months of research in the field of meaning (if you wish to call it that), and countless excersizes analyzing the world that I cannot even do justice in this final report, I have come to the conclusion that what makes life meaningful is honesty. This is not coming straight out of left field, for the answer that effected me the most was that of a child, simple and honest. The answers from my peers that were most memorable were those that were not simple things from the media, they were their honest thoughts. A few months ago I decided to be 100% honest with people, tell them what I truly felt and accept what they truly felt with understanding and not harshness. This made me incredibly happy and brought me closer together with a lot of people, as they saw that I was only trying to help them out and tell them the good and bad. I have long held the opinion that meaning is not related to good or bad. While Superman leads a meaningful life, so does Hitler. Both of them went with what they felt was right, and whether those instincts were good or bad is irrelevant. To go with ones heart and do what you think is truly you is very meaningful and shows that people are not cookie cutter results of the media outlets or Biblical teachings. To be honest with yourself and the world is to forsake the opinions of others, and that makes the greatest impact of all and provides the most meaning.

Collapse Assignment #2

If it were up to me, oil would be gone. However, my understanding of the importance of oil is limited. When I think oil, I think of it as fuel for cars, never really looking that deep past the surface. However, oil is crucial to nearly all aspects of American life from a manufacturing standpoint. It is because of this, that I both hate oil and know that without it, we are most likely doomed.

What happens when you run out of food? Well, you can last a while, long enough to go to the grocery store and buy some more. Now, what happens if the grocery store is closed? You go the night without it, it's tough, but you deal. The next morning, it's still closed, so you try to find an alternative store, only to find none. Down the line, you realize the food is all gone and that you have to find a replacement for food. But you don't have the energy to expend towards this, since you are running poorly due to starvation. Then you cannot find an alternative and collapse without your food. Now, read that all again, replacing grocery stores with oil reserves and food with the oil itself. That is America's future. Dependency on any one substance is never a good thing, look at the way that has been dealt with in the past. When America relied on slaves upon foundation, nobody seriously considered the fact that they might get rights one day, and when it did happen the slave owners were in for the shock of their lives and a major adjustment to the way they lived their lives. However, dependency on slaves is nothing in comparison to oil, and manpower is more of a renewable resource than oil.

Another aspect of the current way of life is the ever increasing population. According to "Crude Impact" there were essentially 2,000,000 people on the Earth at any one time over the times\-span of nearly 100,000 years. Then in the year 1800, the population had ballooned out to 1,000,000,000 (1 Billion) people. From that point to today the world population has increased to nearly 7 billion people, which is a number expected to be reached next year. Earlier I used the analogy of a balloon in terms of population growth. Balloons can only stretch to a certain point though before they simply explode. The Earth similarly can only support so many lives before collapsing. This connects to the usage of oil, as with more people on the planet more oil is used. In fact, calorie by calorie, oil is used at a rate ten times that of food, another resource that has shown increase in recent years. With food on the rise, the amount of oil used is also on the rise, therefore bringing about collapse in the near future.

Source Here

However, collapse is not a definitive. I would like to theorize that the strength of the human spirit would pull through in such a situation. People are always trying to be better, do better, and never die. This may very well be the reason that collapse is likely, but it is also what would bring the world through a crisis such as this. Past tragedies such as 9/11 have shown that great tragedies only serve to unite the people to a common cause, and in the event of a collapse, not only the American people, but all countries would find the strength and resolve to persevere. For that reason, I will admit that collapse scares me, but what comes next I have complete faith in.

Collapse Assignment #1

The inhabitants of Easter Island are certainly very interesting. For most of my life, I never gave them a second thought, never even thought about Easter Island Heads further than the fact that they were giant statues of heads that would pop in as a joke in cartoon and movies. However, I really think that the story behind these heads is anything but funny. In fact, the story scares me a little bit, because it seems all too reminiscent of the current state of America. This is mostly bad, but there are bits of good sprinkled in the details. One thing that I find very interesting and quite common in lost civilizations is the need to be the best. Striving to be better has always been something that I personally aspire to, and it is an honorable trait. This can be found at the core of the Easter Island inhabitants. However, the part that takes that honorable ideal and warps it is that they let the strive to be better, to compete against one another, past the logical limitations and stop signs to a point where it was dangerous and caused downfall. This was because the want to be better was corrupted by power. Personally, I think that power is a horrible thing. Not because of what it entitles, but because of the weakness of humankind to succumb to power and become corrupted by it. That is how Easter Island fell, because the people were too weak to realize what the thirst for power was doing to them. This is something in human nature that I have always found to be quite interesting if simply because it is so often repeated. What about human nature makes them succumb to the power they hold instead of continue to strive and try to appropriately use and earn power responsibly?

The Easter Island reading scares me because it i something that can very easily be connected to America. For one, the usage of natural resources for frivolous things such as clothing and jewelry, or for an upgrade of something that needs no upgrade in the first place. The amount of time and money spent in the statues and the pursuit of having the bigger better one is very similar to how companies are always in direct competition with one another to make the better product. I am a strong believer that competition brings out the best in everybody and shows who they truly are, but I feel that the things that a lot of these companies are competing for are hardly worth it in the long run. Think about this. The iPhone 3G was the hottest phone to have, touch screen capabilities, GPS, Internet, games, all that needless stuff for a phone. Now, a year later, the very same phone has gone down hundreds of dollars in price because it has already been replaced. In this state of constant evolution, needless products (Do people seriously need to be able to go online, play games, listen to music, etc. on their phone?) are given the promotion that other needed products could use. Michael Bloomberg is running for a third term in office, something that by no right should he need campaign for. However, he spent millions of dollars for campaigning already. Now imagine if instead of all of this self advertising he had donated this money to the MTA, or to PETA, or to something that could have really used the money. I think New York would find something else to plaster on every billboard in the city. But this needless self promotion is what this country is becoming. Now, isn't that exactly what the Easter Island heads were? And didn't they collapse? THAT is why I am scared for the future of America.

Final Food Assignment

  America has no food culture. In this world of got to have it now and constant societal evolution, the food of America has taken a critical hit. Now the only thing people think of for Americans when it comes to food is either fast food or cheeseburgers. To be associated with fast food chains worldwide is no easy feat, but America did it. The fast food chain is what many base their dietary habits on, which is unstable due to the constant changes and multiple sources present in the fast food industry. But I’m getting ahead of myself here, lets start at the beginning.

            Vvvrrrooom! and Our Daily Bread essentially tell the same story, the humble origins of our food. It was after seeing these that it became apparent that the way food is created is in fact unhealthy and unnatural, and the reason that people are unaware of this is due largely in part to the way the material is showcased. In Vvvrrrooom!, there is an overall feel of joy and youthful optimism, teaching the younger generation where food comes from. What is interesting to note here is that the narrator does not in fact do any work that he is saying is so important. Also worth noting is that there are no animals in the video except a domesticated dog that eats with the family.

            In our Daily Bread, there are tons of animals present in addition to all of the crops being gathered. The crops gathered here are collected in the same way as in Vvvrrrooom!, however additional footage and camera techniques reveal more about the process at hand. In “Our Daily Bread” , the land is being torn apart as a result of all the farming going on. I think that this is a more honest depiction of farm life, as it shows more footage of the events at hand and actually shows people working he land, letting the motions tell the story without narration. Both of these videos show that the process of gathering food, one of the core practices that human society was built upon, is no longer a human practice. The food for people is made by machines and through crop manipulation, making it very inhumane and inhuman.

            The video “Our Daily Bread” also shows the treatment of animals destined to eventually become a burger patty of Kentucky fried meal. These animals are treated horribly, being sent to small cages that restrict movement and comfort. Those that are not fast enough to escape the hands of the workers are taken and killed, not being used for anything except waste. This is cruel and makes the animals miserable, unable to live anything even resembling a quality life. The fact of the matter is that most meat products are gathered in a manner similar to this, if not worse and in filthy conditions. The animals are also genetically altered, so that they contain more desirable meat and that they can be used more widely. This is very unnatural and has a direct effect on our health as a nation. Rising obesity trends can be connected to this, as the amount of McDonalds goes up in America, so does the national weight average and the obesity rates nationwide. 

Source Here

Source Here

This also reflects the prevalence of diabetes worldwide, as shown above.

Food #8, Industrialization

When did America become artificial? Apparently, in the 1950's, or so the Meatrix tells it. Between the Meatrix and the video watched in class yesterday, I have never wanted to be a vegetarian more since the summer of 6th grade when I tried to be a vegetarian. The Meatrix is quite informative once you look past the quick bits of humor. What truly scares me is that this is the reality of the world. People ar ignorant of the world around them, because they simply accept what they are shown as everything there is, when in fact the corporations filter what is seen. People tend o accept this surface value, which I feel is at their disadvantage, because they can easily be lied to and manipulated into buying on product over another. Watching the Meatrix is actually physically upsetting for me, because the unwarranted cruelty gets to me and makes me want to lash out at the corporations. If just the animations get to me like this, you can imagine how he footage of the chicks affected me.

When watching the Colbert Report interview with Michael Pollan, Stephen Colbert made a passing comment about how even as a baby, the corporations try to convert the young into artificial beings, switching from the natural (Breast milk) to the unnatural (Formula). This is reflected throughout childhood, as the TV plays commercials of "fruit roll-ups", and "fruit loops", when in fact the closest thing they contain to actual fruit is corn syrup and artificial coloring. As an adult, this is reflected in commercials on TV that advertise fast food joints over home cooking, including commercials that say things that illude to the general idea of "Why cook if somebody else can make it for you?", which draws people into the allure of the future corporations and unhealthy living that rule many American lives.

Easy Recipe

Lasagna Recipe

Easy Lasagna
8 ounces lasagna noodles
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 ounces mushrooms, optional
1 jar (about 16 ounces) spaghetti sauce, your favorite
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside. In a large skillet, brown beef, onion, and mushrooms; drain well. Stir in spaghetti sauce, garlic powder, salt, oregano, and basil. In a 2-quart buttered baking dish (about 11x7x2-inches), layer 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat layers twice. Bake lasagna at 350° for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly heated and bubbly. Let stand for 8 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 6 to 8.

The first thing I did when cooking the lasagna was cut all of the proportions in half, since I was cooking it with my mom and there are only two of us, so a meal meant for 6 to 8 would be too much. We cooked it without a hitch and it turned out great. I think that it was especially good for me since I cooked it, and I had never cooked lasagna before and was proud of my abilities. I really like cooking and since this was so easy, I think that I will make it again soon, because lasagna is one of my favorite meals that I don't get to have often due to difficulty.

Comments

On Marco's Blog, "My Food Habits"- I feel like saying that snacks and meats taste good is not a very substantial argument. And by snacking too often you in fact speed up your metabolism which in turn can prevent you from gaining weight.

On Rachel's Blog, "Grocery Food and Habitual Food"- I think that eating fruits is very important and helps to balance out your diet much more. I think that you also might be eating a lot more fruits than you realize, because fruits are used in various kinds of sweets and desserts.

On Gavin's Blog, "Grocery Store Assignment"- I think that you have a valid point about the cheaper food. Another factor to take into account is that if you see ads. of a product on TV all the time, then they might be spending less money on the actual quality of the product.

Pollen Response, Second Draft

Unfortunately, I do find that I must agree with what Michael argued on American food culture. We do not have one. And as a result, we cannot be stable. More evidence to support this includes a common occurrence in everyday life. If you sit at home, and think about what to eat, the choices are almost never American foods. You go through take out menus, which include Chinese food, Mexican food, and so on. I think that the only "American food" would be the cheeseburger, or maybe the food of a diner. To that extent, America does have a sliver of a food culture, but that would be the fast food joint or chain, which is in itself a very unhealthy type of food to be associated with. The food at these restaurants is often hastily cooked and therefore not of the same quality as many other kinds of food.

For the most part, my family does not pay attention to what the world around us tells us to eat. We will watch the news and see the newest "findings" on what to eat and what not to eat, but we rarely let them affect us. If anything, they will influence one or two meals. We go mainly based on what we were raised eating, which is a relatively balanced meal. We also think that a lot of the ways food is portrayed in the media and ways we are told to eat food is wrong, such as in commercials, where they are obviously just going to promote their own product.
The danger that America faces is that most households are not like mine. They are much more easily convinced of what to eat based on what the TV says, which encompasses the news reports on food (that change every other week for some reason), the commercials (that focus on buying their product over another for flawed reasons), and scientists (who can only make money by being on TV because they are discredited otherwise). This makes people have irregular eating habits that are unbalanced and leave them dependent on more of the same food that caused the problem. It causes a problem in America and contributes to rising rates of obesity and diabetes. This also adds to the American food culture, which is essentially to focus on the new and never look back on the past again. What I would propose is that the packaging for food be transparent in the front, to see the food, all the ingredients shown in picture and list form, so people can actually see the stuff that they call "food", and that dietary limits be applied through an outside force (government if need be). A lot of people may be so ignorant even after these facts and then need to be forced to eat healthy, the morals behind this I still have to decide on.

Food #6, Response to Pollan 1

Unfortunately, I do find that I must agree with what Michael argued on American food culture. We do not have one. And as a result, we cannot be stable. More evidence to support this includes a common occurrence in everyday life. If you sit at home, and think about what to eat, the choices are almost never American foods. You go through take out menus, which include Chinese food, Mexican food, and so on. I think that the only "American food" would be the cheeseburger, or maybe the food of a diner.

For the most part, my family does not pay attention to what the world around us tells us to eat. We will watch the news and see the newest "findings" on what to eat and what not to eat, but we rarely let them affect us. If anything, they will influence one or two meals. We go mainly based on what we were raised eating, which is a relatively balanced meal. We also think that a lot of the ways food is portrayed in the media and ways we are told to eat food is wrong, such as in commercials, where they are obviously just going to promote their own product.

The danger that America faces is that most households are not like mine. They are much more easily convinced of what to eat based on what the TV says, which encompasses the news reports on food (that change every other week for some reason), the commercials (that focus on buying their product over another for flawed reasons), and scientists (who can only make money by being on TV because they are discredited otherwise). This makes people have irregular eating habits that are unbalanced and leave them dependent on more of the same food that caused the problem. It causes a problem in America and contributes to rising rates of obesity and diabetes. What I would propose is that the packaging for food be transparent in the front, to see the food, all the ingredients shown in picture and list form, so people can actually see the stuff that they call "food", and that dietary limits be applied through an outside force (government if need be). A lot of people may be so ignorant even after these facts and then need to be forced to eat healthy, the morals behind this I still have to decide on.

Grocery Store and Habitual Food

In my family, grocery stores are very important things. They normally signal a big meal together, or that we will actually be cooking. At both my moms house and my dads house we buy a lot of fruits and vegetables, but normally the same ones. What I always find interesting though is that the variety and quality is so limited. The produce sections also seem like they are pushed out of the way a little bit, even though they are most commonly right in front. The annoying thing that I find about grocery stores is the stuff near the registers. They are often the "fake good things". By this, I mean the trail mixes that have nuts in them, but they are also full of artificial fruits and laced with sugars. This defeats any health value they may have once had, and makes them cheaper (I would assume) for the makers. They also seem to have lots of little candies near the register, at low prices so you buy more of them. While this is smart placement, it is not good because it makes people waste money on something that will take 5 seconds to eat and leave no impact on hunger.

In the Course of One Week I Eat:

• Broccoli
• Strawberry
• Potato
• Onion
• Garlic
• Corn
• Green Beans
• Banana
• Pear
• Peach
• Vanilla
• Tomato
• Peanut
• Wheat
• Rice
• Couscous 

I mainly learned how to eat such a variety of foods through my parents. My entire life, my mom has cooked at least once a week. In recent years, that number has gone up so that she cooks almost every day. When she cooks, she used a variety of ingredients that range from different food groups. This made we well rounded in terms of what I would eat. Ever since my dad got re-married, my step-mom and dad have also been more active in the kitchen. I think that between the two households, I end up eating home cooking 5-6 days a week, so I have always been well rounded. This also shaped my diet, which has generally been a meat main course about 5 times a week and then a wheat based main course for the other 2 nights.

My favorite meals also come from this string of events, with them being a cheeseburger and lasagna. Lasagna was always a treat when I was growing up and later it became a favorite of mine. Cheeseburgers are also very good, because they are very simple at the core but can have a vast range of outcomes. Now, these two are also my favorite foods to cook, more than they are my favorite food. My favorite food is pizza, a long lasting favorite of mine that I have normally once a week.

May Day

I feel like May Day is an odd holiday. The very fact that the country that created it does not celebrate it on the day shows that people are easily manipulated. In fact, the holiday itself is trying to say "down with the man" and the establishment and so forth, but in a way it is in itself another large figure that plays an equivalent role. Now, for the people that truly celebrate the holiday because they support working groups and unions are right to celebrate, but I think that the holiday is lost upon many people. Even the equivalent holiday in America, Labor Day, is a day of parading and American pride, which forces you to spend the day off BBQ-ing, which means you have to buy the stuff which means not everybody is even getting the chance to celebrate, which is unfair to an extent. A truly fair alternative would be a day where everybody takes the day off and the country shuts down, except for the positions deemed necessary to have functioning.

Food Journal

Tuesday Night Dinner- Cheese fries, with ketchup and mozzarella sticks. Small restaurants, bad marrinera sauce, spanish cooks and cashier. Felt conscious of my manners. Made me feel happy because I was hungry and I was with somebody instead of eating alone

Tuesday Night Dinner- I went to a small restaurant with my friend Alli. I ate a medium order of cheese fries with ketchup and she ate mozzarella sticks. We sat at a small circular table on stools facing each other. It lasted about 20 minutes to eat everything, between the actual eating and the talking. We both used our hands and the only T.V. nearby was the one the cashier was watching on the other side of the restaurant. We talked about friends we used to know from school and each other and how crazy it was to hang out. I felt very good during this, more by the company than the food. However, the food was decent, albeit with odd sides, but good and hit the spot perfect.

Mug full of Tea- I later had an iced tea in a mug. I was thirsty and normally not a huge fan of iced tea, but this hit the spot perfectly. It was Lipton brand tea, made into iced tea and I drank it in my room alone. It was soothing and relaxing and made me feel relaxed.

Mug full of water- I had a big mug of water. This mug is like twice the size of a standard mug and therefore holds a lot of water. This was to last me the night, and it did. Drinking water helps to both energize me and make me feel clean which was vital in this instance, since I was doing homework and needed to focus.

Mug full of tea- I had another mug of iced tea when I was up late talking to Alli and finishing up my homework and needed the energy. Nothing much to it, just was there to give me a boost and make me feel energized, which it did.

Cereal and tea- When I wake up, I am very tired and often grouchy, so I always have something to eat right away. This helps to wake me and gives me a few minutes alone to lose the chip on my shoulder. Tea helps me when I stay up late and I need that little extra boost, like on this particular morning.

Wednesday lunch- I always have school lunch, just for the sake of saving money. In addition, all of my friends have school lunch so it makes it all the more enticing. Wednesday there was grilled chicken and fries, with a cup of fruit. I also had a chocolate milk. This was all very good and was nice because I was in the mood for chicken. I was with Kevin, Paul, Gavin, Marco, Russell, Kareem, and Mateo, a bunch of good friends. This makes the environment very lighthearted and fun. It made me feel good and triumphant, since we went on to play the "movie game" and I won.

Food Ways

At home, food is a very big deal. Not to say that we obsess over food, but at both of my households a great emphasis is put on cooking. At my dad’s house, cooking a meal is very common. Most of the time it will be a meat dish with a side vegetable or potato based dish. My dad and step mom alternate responsibilities when it comes to cooking. When one of them is cooking, the other is cleaning up the room or watching my little sister. We do order food frequently though. When we do this, we tend to order either pizza or fried chicken. Sometimes we order Italian dishes, such as pasta, ziti, or lasagna. We then eat while talking about our days and watching T.V. At my mom’s house, we almost always cook. Whether or not it is a big dish where we sit at the table and sit together varies. Often, food is treated like just sustenance at my moms, where at my dad’s it is more of a family time. I typically eat in my room at my moms and just continue to do what I was doing.
The mainstream media here in the U.S.A. displays dinner as a family outing. Whether it be at home or at a restaurant, the family always gets together for dinner, even if they hate each other or are mad. Also, people are never seen eating along in television or movies unless they are being mocked, such as being called a loser. The typical movie or T.V. show depicting food will show one of the parents or more responsible members of the group cooking the meal, with little help. They then serve the meal and everybody talks or makes attempts to talk about their days.
My food ways are a very simplified way of my family’s. When I cook I like to keep things simple and quick, so as not to snack on something else while waiting for the food to be done cooking. I eat in my room and continue on with my activities from before I eat then, not letting it interrupt my day. In that respect, it is different from my family’s food ways, because I am much more isolated.
Between these three food ways, the most direct similarities are between my family’s food ways and the mainstream U.S. food way. In both cases, the family cooks the meal, with only one person cooking. They then eat at a dinner table and talk about their days to play catch-up with one another. I think that this shows the roots of my family. My mom grew up with her mother cooking every night, which she had learned from the media and what was socially acceptable. On my dad’s side of the family, his abuela cooked for his family every night, also instilling the importance of a family dinner. I think that this shows to a certain degree how much the media at the time affected their actions. As for my food ways, they are also very similar to both my family’s food ways and the media’s food ways. I think that this is the case for all people, they grow up with their family’s perspective on how the family should treat food, but there is also the influence of the media there to alter it from being exactly like their family’s, and possibly to go out for dinner instead of eating in.

Question of the Day

Why are Americans so fat?

I think that rising obesity rates can be due to many factors. These factors range from convenience, lack of time to cook (Depending on region), to transportation (LIke in the Midwest, where EVERYBODY drives). However, upon researching for "Why are Americans fat?" I found a very logical answer to this question. Money. If you go to the grocery store, the cheap food is fattening, and the expensive food is healthy. This also applies to restaurants, where cheap restaurants like McDonald's are fattening, but cheaper. With weights going up in the last couple of years, as the economy slumps, this reason seems to make the most sense. Therefore, the more money people spend on food, possibly the less they will weigh, depending on what they buy and how often they eat, and so forth. But a definite trend is seen here.

Source Here

Refrigerator Findings

Contents of my fridge:

• Parmesan cheese
• Iced tee
• Water
• Milk
• Eggs
• Butter
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Mayonnaise
• Worcestershire sauce
• Potatoes

The food in my fridge says both a lot about what I eat, and the current state of my household. The eggs, butter, and milk show that I eat a lot of dairy, while also showing that we cook a lot at home, since those are all key ingredients to many recipes. However, the ratio of condiments to actual food shows that things have been better food wise. A month or two ago, the fridge would be filled with vegetables and other cooking ingredients. I think that the lack of fast foods and other “quick buys” show that we eat pretty healthy and that we also finish things off, not leaving lots of leftovers for more than a day or two. I think that I am pretty proud of my fridge as it stands, because it shows that we have to take some initiative when we eat, instead of just popping something in the microwave.

Health Paper

Health is a subject that is most commonly associated with the physical body. This is pretty obvious, due to the multitude of commercials for all things healthy and the many hospitals readily available. However, health does not confine itself to only the physical. Health is an umbrella that encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, moral, spiritual, and social aspects of life. Basically, life is everything that has been alive, is alive, or will be alive.
What stands out to me the most is where America stands in these various categories of health. In fact, it scares me, because it shows explicitly what is wrong with a larger percentage of America. The average America woman is 5’4”, weighs 140 lbs. and wears a size 14 dress. Source Here The reason this is scary is that this is equivalent to a 24 on the B.M.I. (Body Mass Index). A 25 is overweight, and a 24 is dangerously close to this, which would result in the national average being overweight. In addition, size 14 is when clothes start to go into plus sizes, which means that the average American woman is wearing plus sizes by technicality. In addition, out of the women that do try to lose the weight, two-thirds of them gain it back within a year. Virtually all women gain it all back in five years. The average American man is not much better, in fact weighing 17 more lbs than he should at his given height, which is 5’9”. Source Here This does however vary by source. In fact, the two sources provided have slightly different statistics. Here, a chart provides more evidence to show the national average being too high.

With the ideal weights for the same groups during the same years:

Source Here

  In any situation though, the findings are not good and there is a problem that needs to be addressed. In order to address this issue, I feel like physical activity and more “Television blackout” days should occur, and span more channels so people don’t just simply watch something else.
Out of all the concepts we have learned about in this unit, co-counseling is the one that has seemed the most progressive to me. It essentially involves two people talking with each other, taking turns to talk about something on their mind. The person listening does not comment on what the other says, and do not add their own anecdote. Instead, they simply ask questions about what the other is saying. They do not try to solve the issue, merely listen. Before I learned about co-counseling, I thought that therapy was a stupid concept and that it was part of what is wrong with America, with every minor affliction or issue being given a diagnosis. I still think this, but I think that co-counseling is a good start towards bringing people together and gaining better understandings of each other. It is something that I would like to try and use in my own life, and I intend to do so.
In the last month, my definition of health has changed significantly. While it used to only concern the physical, I now think of the mental and emotional parts of health as just as important, if not more. The reason behind this is that the psyche plays such a large part into who a person is and how they act. In addition, I think that what makes these three aspects of health so significant is that they are very difficult to change, if at all. While physical health can be treated by going to the hospital, taking medicine, or going to the gym, changing ones mental and emotional health is a long process that can be easily influenced by outside sources. In fact, I think that mental and emotional health is not who you are, they are instead a reflection of what you have been exposed to in your life.
I think that improving anybody’s health is a very difficult task. While physical health can be fixed by any of the things I said above, all other aspects of health involve a person “cheating” in a way. In order to improve one’s social health for instance, they can continue to act as they normally do, but this will not change anything immediately and it will take a very long time to make any significant change. So instead they have to be aware of their actions in social situations. This has worked for me in the past, because I feel like I have become less “socially-weak” then I once may have been. But at the same time, it gives me a sense that I am not the same person I once was, or that I am pretending to be something I’m not. Along those lines, trying to improve emotional health is very phony, because you are holding back your emotions and therefore not being yourself. Many aspects of health are like this, and can lead to many moments of doubt and contradiction, but if done for the right reason through the right means, it can make you a better person over time.

Feelings Over Break

Over break, I decided that the best way to keep track of how I felt every day was to simply take notes on it every day when it was fresh in my head. As a result, I saw a lot of patterns. On days where I spent a lot of time with my family, my emotional health was clearly higher than on days where I was just relaxing without them. The trend for the peaks in my emotional health  is that interaction with others makes me feel better emotionally. Whether it is with family or friends, my emotions were dependent on others. This shows me that I look to others for security in a way, and that I also am socially comfortable with my emotions. On the other side of the spectrum, my lowest emotional health were the times when I came into conflict with my family, regardless of topic.

My mental health was highly dependent on actions, so essentially what I did determined my mental state. This surprised me in a way, because I would really only expect my actions to deal with my physical happiness. My peaks of mental happiness were generally in moments of triumph. For instance, I felt very sound mentally when I would repeatedly win at a video game. Other times where I felt mentally peaked were when I had solid interactions with people. In both situations, people had a large impact on my mental state. This also goes for my mental lows, which were when I got into arguments or suffered losses of some sort.

Physical health was tough for me to determine over break. The only real physical activity I had was walking to and from the train. When I did do a lot of walking though, and in some cases I ran, I felt happier. My physical peaks were typically moments where I was either relaxing my body completely, such as in a bath, or when I had to clean up the house. The lows were moments of confinement and restriction, such as on Easter when I was forced to sit in a contained manner in the pews, or when I was cleaning my room and surrounded by the mess I was moving.

Co-Counseling

I very much like the idea of co-counseling. I think that America is creating a society that is growing more narcissistic for every individual person. As a result, people do not truly listen or understand one another, but rather they look for a moment when they can hop on board the others train of thought of another person and direct the conversation to be more about them. I am not exempt from this. Upon completing the exercise in class that acted as a demonstration of this technique, I came to the conclusion that the majority of my conversations were in actually just tales of my own adventures in life. In the brief amount of time that was given for this I truly felt that I was able to gain a better understanding of my partner (In this case, Marco) and that I benefited from this, as well as he.

As an activity to be regularly practiced I see no negative effects. It is an opportunity to further develop a relationship with someone while also opening up about yourself. The fact that it is not a conversation and that the person questioning the other is not allowed to talk, but only ask questions to further their understanding, is really enlightening and leads to many possible positive outcomes, such as the person solving their own problems or coming to their own conclusions, rather than somebody having to tell them.

For more on Co-Counseling, Click HERE

Healthy Character, Unhealthy Character

Healthy

Left foot. Right foot. Walk down the street. I look in a window as I walk, my reflection appearing to me. I see the blue of my jacket, the black of my pants. My feet stop moving and i take a longer look at myself. I should keep walking, my legs, while muscular, look as though they could turn too fat any moment. Maybe I will go to the park and play a game of football with the guys. I should call them up. And then tonight I can just call Suzzy and we can have our date walking in the park along the river. Sounds fun. But first I should start walkin' again.

Unhealthy

Left foot. Right foot. Walk down the street. I look in the mirror and have to stop. Look at that lovely creature in the window. Oh wait, what's that? It's me! Yeah it is. Look at the way my jacket hugs me. These few pounds look good on me. Maybe I should just stop walking, get a few more, look better. My fat is sexy. So what if I'm single, I can love myself. I don't need anybody, I can just lay in bed all day and watch reality TV, eating ice cream by the carton-full. I might even just call up everybody I know and tear them new one's, so I can be left alone. Those jerks deserve it! And then I can just relax alone. Mmmmm... love reflections.

Health Questions

1. What are American obesity rates and how do they vary from state to state?

Source here

2. What is the definition of physical health?

Concerning the physical body and it's well-being.

Source here

3. How many Americans are overweight?

64.5% of Americans are overweight. This statistic varies from race to race.

Source here

4. How do American models compare to the average American?

The average American model (female) weighs 23% less than the average American woman, which under typical classifications is anorexic, however with the American woman being overweight is merely underweight.

Source Here

5. How does obesity affect the heart?

Obesity is the cause of almost 66% of heart disease.

Source Here

Animal Paper

If there is one thing that nearly all people forget, it is that we (humans) are in fact animals. When people think about it they know it, but when they talk about animals as a whole group or concept they tend to categorize them separately. However animals are crucial to gaining an understanding of a good and meaningful life and to understanding humans and human nature better.

There are many reasons why humans do not think of themselves as animals. Top among them is the Bible. In the bible, Genesis states that God created man to rule over the animals (who had been created the day prior). Still in Genesis it is stated that man was created in the image of God, therefore enforcing the idea that man is superior to other animals and is not "one of them". 

For those who are not religious, science is the equivalent as the bible. The scientific classification tree branches off into many different subcategories and such, eventually leading to every single species on the planet. These species come from a genus. The higher up the tree one travels, the more it encompasses. The genus for Sapiens Sapiens (Humans), Homo, is unique though in that it only contains one species, humans. This isolates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom and places greater emphasis on them.

A third reason that humans are prohibited from seeing themselves as animals is that nearly all of their time is spent with other humans. Human-other animal interaction is very limited and in most cases the animals are in the possession of humans or are treated with little human care on the street. This makes humans think that they are all that matter and that they are separate from other animals.

Humans are also distinct in that they willingly denounce their more "animal" traits. As a result, humans travel on two legs instead of four, focus on mind rather then body, and wear clothes. These may seem trivial, but no animal in the wild is going to be wearing clothes walking on two legs thinking about what they saw on T.V. the night before.

Darwin, best known for his theory of evolution, has separated humans from their animal cousins through the very same theory he is known for. Evolution states that humans are essentially more evolved than other animals and that as a result they are superior over others. This works out great for humans, but this same theory can be flipped through perspective and can therefore be dismissed.

Lastly, humans have a hard time identifying with other animals because of Rene Descartes. Rene Descartes separated the body and mind in his theories on what gives humans self-awareness and a "soul". His theory included the now cliche line, "I think, therefore I am". This makes many humans think that they are superior because they think and are aware and they then assume that animals do not have these abilities.

However, contrary to what these reason would have you believe, living life more like an animal can be very benefitial and crucial to living a good and meaningful life. One example of this is birth. Birth is an animal process that has been around for centuries. Only in the last 40 years have people begun to give birth through different means, such as C-sections. Procedures like this have become overused and as a result there are more painful labors that endanger the well-being of the child. If the women giving birth really have doubts about their well-being, look at history. Women have been giving birth to children since the dawn of creation and have persevered and survived, therefore they can as well. Here, separation from animals is hurting people and therefore by being an animal lives would improve.

Another benefit to thinking like an animal is the body will improve. There are essentially two similar aspects to this. The first being that the body matters. This is basically that the body matters and that it should be well taken care of. The second and more extreme of these is prioritizing the physical. What this means is that people need to stop thinking so much and be more active and physical. This is a growing concern in the world today as obesity rates gradually climb up. As of this moment, the average American is overweight, with the average American woman weighing 150 lbs at 5'3", and the average American man weighing 180 lbs at 5'9". By prioritizing the physical more people would be in healthy shape and would be happier as a result.

The third thing humans can do to be more like an animal is stop making thinking a big deal. Everybody tries to analyze every single problem that everybody has at every moment of every day. It solves nothing and in fact all it does is stress people out and cause more trouble than need be. Were people to stop thinking as much, many problems would simply run their course and people could live their lives more carefree and happy.

The fourth and final thing that needs to be stopped in order to live more animal-like lives is that death should not be thought about. There are many people who simply cannot stop thinking about death and constantly try to analyze all possibilities that would result from simple non-consciousness, or an empty mind. By doing so they are in fact doing the etisoppo (opposite) of what they need to do, because they are thinking more and more which can never result in emptiness. It is like trying to create water with fire, simply impossible.

In my opinion, humans have much to gain from trying to be more like animals. When it comes to aspects such as living outside of our heads and being more physical I completely agree. I feel that one of the major problems that America is faced with right now is the inability to jump. I mean this both literally and metaphorically. Physically Americans are gaining massive amounts of weight and the fact that both the average man and women in America is overweight is very concerning. This is because modern conveniences make people think too much about what is around them rather than simply experiencing it. On the metaphorical hand I think that people are slowly becoming less proactive. In fact, very few people seem to think of ideas and ways to solve problems. They simply try to use same formula in different situations and hope for the best. This rarely works and does not help anything. People are also less likely to take orders from a superior will procrastinate things instead of "jumping when they are told to jump". Unlike all the stereotypical boot camp instructors that say "Jump" and demand to hear "How high?" in response, people are told to "jump" and say "Do I have to?", "Why?", "Can't somebody else do it?" And it is responses like that which are hurting American lives and bodies. By being an animal and simply "jumping", we can heal many injuries that have occurred in recent years.

Living Funeral

I noticed that having a living funeral for myself makes me forget about the social status of some of the people i would invite. If I am going to die, what does it matter anyways? My train of thought overall for this excercize though went from uplifted to discouraging. At first, the prospect of thinking about all the people who's lives I had touched and would have something good to say about me made me feel very sure of myself and happy. However this made me upset too because the idea of death has always been the one thing that truly scared me. Knowing that everybody was only saying these things to me because they knew I was going to die, even hypothetically like this, made me question my life and think seriously about my own mortality. As for thinking about who would invite me to their living funeral, I was happy again. I thought about how these people knew me well enough and were affected by me enough to want me there at the end. I thought that even though it wasn't talking about how I affected them in this second instance, it still made me think about the impact I have on others and overall the impact that everybody has on each other that makes us constant streams of change.

10-15 Old People Questions

1. 1. 1. 1. What percentage of the elderly have dimensia?
         • 15 percent of the elderly suffer symptoms of mental illness.
         • http://healthyminds.org/mentalhealthofelderly.cfm

          

         2. When will somebody not be resuscitated?
         • When the odds are that it will not work in the situation.
         • http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HealthAndWellBeing/HealthServices/AccidentsAndEmergencies/DG_10029742

          

         3. What is the top fear of the elderly?
         • The top fears are (in order):

         ·      Arachnophobia (spiders)

         ·      Social phobia

         ·      Aerophobia (flying)

         ·      Agoraphobia

         ·      Claustrophobia (enclosed or confined spaces)

         ·      Acrophobia (heights)

         ·      Emetophobia (vomit)

         ·      Carcinophobia (cancer)

         ·      Brontophobia (thunder)

         ·      Necrophobia (death or dead things)

         • Note* These are overall for all ages, no survey have been conducted that specifically target the elderly
         • http://blogs.webmd.com/anxiety-and-stress-management/2007/08/fear-and-phobias-top-10-plus-one.html

          

         4. How long does the average person live?
         • On average, men live to be roughly 75 years old and women live to be roughly 80 years old.
         • http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005148.html

          

         5. What percentage of the elderly take pills?
         • 30 % of prescribed drugs are prescribed to those 65 or older and 40 % of all over-the-counter drugs are purchased by that same demographic.
         • http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/meds4old/697_old.html

          

         6. What age is considered “old”?
         • The AARP accepts members who are 50 years old and up to join.
         • http://www.aarp.org/about_aarp/aarp_overview/a2002-12-18-aarpmission.html

          

         7. What percentage of the elderly are sexually active?
         • 50 – 75 % of people aged 57 – 85 remain sexually active.
         • http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/22/AR2007082202000.html

          

         8. How many old people commit suicide every year?
         • Out of every hundred thousand elderly citizens, 19 people will kill themselves, translating to 0.0019%
         • http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C0DE3DD1039F931A25752C0A960958260

          

         9.  

          

          

          

         I think that these findings show that society does not give the elderly the same care that is given to others. The elderly are given care, but it is often more like they are just trying to prolong the inevitable and that the elderly are not given the same opportunities to thrive and improve as those younger than them. I think that this is possibly harmful to our culture, because though the elderly may not be as contemporary as the modern generation, there is a lot to be gained from their experience and by paying attention to their pasts and our history as a whole we could thrive forward.

Medical Issues of Old Folks

Why does the immune system weaken?

What percentage of old folks have dementia?

How have medical advances affected the way that old people live?

How does aging affect one's perspective of the world and overall mindset?

Is it possible for an old person to be as fit as a young person?

What is the most feared thing for old people?

When won't an old person be resesitated?

How much money is spent on a person with 2 weeks to live?

How much money is spent on old folks?

How long does the average person live? Are their last years good or bad?

What percentage of old people are on anti-depressants? Pills? Viagra?

My Grandma's Perspective on a G & M Life

Interview with my Grandma

1.What was the main value that was told to you by those older than you as a teenager?: 

The difference between between right and wrong. Honesty was good, and to look at what I had and not what I didn’t have, and that would make me really happy. For example, thinking that I have beautiful parents and that I’m healthy, instead of wishing  I have a million dollars would make me happy. Also, thinking that nothing is impossible, the impossible just takes a little longer to achieve. Finally, to never to give up.

 2. What determines a good life? A meaningful life?

Happiness determines a good life. Happiness is determined by being content with what you have and looking at the glass as half full rather than half empty. A meaningful life is being able to help out other people and to put others first. If you can think of other people before yourself, you are living a meaningful life.

 3. . Do you think that kids today have the potential to live a G & M life? If so, how?

Yes, but I think that it is harder to live a good and meaningful life because there are more temptations around and it was easier for me to be a good person with what was around me. The expectations are also higher for your generation.

 4. Does technology affect a G & M life?

It doesn't really affect it directly, but there is less interaction between people now, because when I was your age we had to go hang out instead of calling people and talking online.

5. Do you think that the average teenager from your teen years had more of a G & M life than somebody from our generation of the same age? 

I wouldn’t say that, because you can have a very meaningful life in both eras. Things are harder now, we were more naïve back then. Kids today are exposed to a lot more than we were and have a wider understanding of the world than we did.

5 Questions for "Old Folks" on the G & M Life

1. What was the main value that was told to you by those older than you as a teenager?

2. What determines a good life? A meaningful life?

3. Do you think that kids today have the potential to live a G & M life? If so, how?

4. Does technology effect a G & M life?

5. Do you think that the average teenager from your teen years had more of a G & M life than somebody from our generation of the same age?

MLK Day on a G & M Life

Martin Luther KIng Jr. is one of the most famous folk heroes of American culture. If you cut it down to just those who are black, he is probably number one (But Obama is closing in on that too). However much of his agenda is in fact ignored by the media and few people know about it. In a way this defeats the purpose of celebrating his accomplishments.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrates the man who "defeated" segregation, the man who fought for racial equality at a time when there was known. That is why we celebrate MLK day, to honor all that he accomplished. However, if you look at the grand scheme of what he did, he failed at most of what he tried to do and what he did accomplish was practically an accident. Nobody honors Hitler for helping to have the Jews integrated into society more than they had been (My opinion more than fact I guess), and yet we honor Martin Luther King Jr. This seems a tad odd, but I do not deny that he accomplished a lot.

MLK Day however, tells people a multitude of things that are "crucial" to a good and meaningful life. For instance, fighting the system, exactly what Martin Luther King Jr. did to be honored. It also encourages people to fight for what they think is right. These are both pretty mainstream messages that are common in most forms of culture. What I would like to propose though is that the holiday in fact tells people that overlooking what you don't like and focusing on the good is necessary to a good and meaningful life. That is basically what the holiday is doing, and since it is so celebrating so widely, it is basically encouraging that you just overlook the bad. I think that for this reason the holiday might not be all it should be.

What does the inauguration say about a G & M life?

Every four years, America stands still (or at the very least slows down) and watches as the president is sworn into office for the next four years. The ceremony itself is a big event that is prepared for months in advance. This year of course, extra attention was given to the inauguration due to its historical significance.

The inauguration is essentially a fancy display of a winner, of somebody who beat everybody else, normally against the odds. The inauguration therefore says that success and conquest are good. This year added on to that, by having a man of mixed race win the presidency. This says that making history and defeating the odds are meaningful. In a way, this year also says that being of a race that is not white and doing what a white person has done is also meaningful, because it shows equality and that it can be done by anybody.

Online Advice from the Normal Folks

The world is full of people that are trying to live a good and meaningful life. Many of these people think that they are living a good and meaningful life, and as a result they want others to do so as well, so they post what they think is crucial to live a good and meaningful life online.
One example of this is a set of videos on how to be the perfect boyfriend and girlfriend. The video on how to be a perfect girlfriend states that you should “relax your standards”, in reference to the girlfriend not always expecting her boyfriend to be perfect and for her to not expect herself to be perfect. The girlfriend should not make the boyfriend expect her to be a perfect bombshell, “but make an effort” every once in a while, to liven things up and make yourself feel better. This shows folk culture values women who rise above their standards every once in a while. This can often mean lowering their standards by being more slob-ish and such around their boyfriend. In a way this is encouraging people to lie, or at the least it is leaving that as an option for relationsips.
In the video on how to be a perfect boyfriend, the most important thing is to “listen to her” when your girlfriend talks to you. This shows that folk culture values it when boyfriends listen to their girlfriends. This, coupled with the how to be the perfect girlfriend video message to listen to your boyfriends stories and explanations makes the overall message that listening to those close to you is very important. This shows that when people are in a relationship where they can both communicate and listen to each other well, that they can live meaningful lives. However, the boyfriend video provides a bit of a contradictory message in that they want you to lie to your girlfriend if you weren’t listening to her and say that you were.
In my own findings, a good and meaningful life comes from “self-knowledge”. This is a very common message from folk culture. In my own life, I have found that family often says this and that by knowing yourself, you will know a good life. This can be because if you understand yourself truly, then you will know exactly what there is for you to do in order to live a good and meaningful life.


My source on folk culture: http://www.zeromillion.com/personaldev/meaningful-life.html

Deconstruction of: Christmas

Christmas. The word alone can excite boys and girls across the world at the prospect of getting presents. In the United States, the holiday is one of the most celebrated days of the year, right along with New Years. The holiday is all about togetherness and goodwill towards all men (and women). It is a day when you are supposed to be giving and thankful for that which you receive. The holiday also celebrates time with your families and those you care for the most. These bring up feelings of joy and togetherness, making your inner self feel better.

Christmas is traditionally celebrated in many different ways, making it unique from other holidays. Always falling on the 25th of December, people celebrate by gathering around a cut down tree or replica of one, in their house and opening presents. Later on the people celebrating may go to Church to here the story of why we celebrate Christmas (The "birth" of Jesus) and then have a feast. Christmas, though originally a religious holiday, is generally celebrated by anybody that wants to, surpassing every other religious holiday known.

Christmas, like many holidays, has many unique aspects of attire to it. Of course, the most one most frequently seen is the costume of Santa Claus (A marketing spokesman). In addition to this, the colors of red, white, and green are seen frequently, along with blue and gold occasionally. Phrases such as "Merry Christmas", "Ho-Ho-Ho", and "Feliz Navidad" represent both the corporate aspects of the holiday along with the folk. Christmas has a ton of music too, with album after album of Christmas songs available. Normally classical with an emphasis on lyric and vocals, these tracks are so numerous that Christmas has it's own section in many music stores.

Christmas though is a holiday full of contradictions. First off, the thing it is celebrated for, did not occur on that day (Jesus was born in the spring, not the cold of winter). Secondly, Jesus preached about being selfless and helping others, cleansing yourself in a way. Now, people spend weeks in advance buying presents for themselves and everybody that they know.

America tends to have a habit of focusing on the more consumer based aspects of every holiday, and Christmas is the ultimate representation of this. Black friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the kick off to the Christmas season (A.K.A. early winter), and has sales on everything known to man. Millions of Americans buy buy buy everything they see. As a whole, we tend to base our Christmas' on how many presents we got and how expensive they are. Forgotten is the religious origin, all that remains is the shopping and gifts. This is often due to the shallowness that many people have with their own lives, so they choose to focus on material possessions to make them feel better the way that family and togetherness once did.