I see things Crystal clear

Note: Before continuing with this post I must say that yes, I will continue to use that pun (the one in the title)

            As a random human being with a lot in her mind, seeing through my eyes is a whole new experience. The thing is that I get so used to my thoughts that I often wonder how other people can live without them. That’s why today I want you to know what it feels like to think like me.

            Usually when I am walking down the university I am usually thinking about how no one notices anything. I’m a believer. I believe God created nature and everything so we could enjoy it and it is a shame that we are almost never able to do that. It is sad that I walk and all I see is indifference. The university has taught me some things and one among them is the fact that no one cares about anyone; no one gives a damn of what you do with your life. People are so submersed in their own lives that they fail to stop and recognize that we are all living together in this society and what happens to another person’s life can possibly affect us in a point of our lives.

            Anyways, back to what I was talking about. When I was reading “On looking”, something that caught my attention is the part when the author says that some people see things according to their professions or what they do. I can identify myself with that because it is something I usually do. I love chemistry and that I am studying at the university. When I see things as I walk I start thinking about how they are composed, how their molecules and particles move and how would it be possible to alter their composition. It also happens to me when I am watching The Flash series. I always try to physically explain every impossible thing that happens in the show. I must admit that thinking like that is pretty amazing.

            Sometimes, when I am really overwhelmed with work, projects and responsibilities I go outside and stare at the mountains. I live in a rural place and at the very end of the street there stands a big mountain, just as if it had been dropped from the sky and fell there. It brings me so much calmness and each time I look at it I think about how everyone has so much to do and life passes by and we are never able to enjoy the little and most simple things in life.

            The other time that I am not thinking the ways I mentioned before are my “what if” moments. I see a thing and I just imagine how it would be if it was made or if it looked any other way different than the actual way it is. Those are the moments I am able to use my imagination and well, it is good to use it because what is not used atrophies and I do not want that for my imagination. Anyways, so now dear reader you have an idea of the way I think. Now, go back to your world and I will go back to my wonderful chemical world.

This is not a selfie but it's as close as it gets...

            Hello, reader. So, at the end of this entry you are going to achieve what others have spent some time of their lives doing: know a little more about myself than just the funny character I have created.

            The truth is, I am a walking contradiction. I can never identify myself completely with anything and I never feel like I truly belong somewhere. My parents got divorced about 4 years ago, but they were separated some time before that. I don’t have much of an idea of the ideal family with the pretty life I have always wished to have. Actually, I love my life just the way it is. Every single bad thing that has happened in my life has led me to this moment, so I guess I’m doing something right.

Speaking of life, for me, everything in life is vain and I truly believe that everything is ethereal and that everything we do is not worth it at the end of our lives. The essential is invisible to the eyes and not many things are invisible. Having stated that awfully pessimist philosophy, I am totally a cheerleader. I am the first one to believe that anything we want is possible if we really want it and try hard enough.  

My dreams are to be successful, either as a lawyer or as a doctor, and well, with those goals you can say I’m an overachiever. I am perfectionist as it is and my worst critic is always myself (just like everyone else’s worst critic). I have an awesome sense of humor, which is mostly dark and I have a thing for smart jokes and puns.

When it comes to friends, I believe I am a great friend. I always try to be there when they need it. My best friend is Stephanie Orta, an awesome actress, which has influenced a lot in my life. She introduced me to the world of books and fiction, which is pretty awesome. I guess some part of me loves that world because it makes me escape reality and sometimes my reality is not pretty.

Anyways, I always portray myself with this shining personality, which I enjoy, but there are other many factions in which I belong that almost no one knows. So, dear reader, I hope that you now understand me a little better and that you do not use any of this information against myself, well, I just wouldn’t do it.

"The Use of Force"

Death is not picky

The short story “The use of force” has multiple themes that can be mentioned. The first one and most obvious is the sickness that does not discriminate. I know that rich people, even on those times had a huge advantage over the poor when it came to treating diseases, but if it became so complicated that not even science was advanced enough to treat it, then no money could save you. This is how I see the family in the story: I do not know well if they were rich, but all I know is that they had money enough to ask a doctor to go to their home to treat her daughter and had some amenities there. We see in the story how the daughter contracted a disease presumably untreatable and mortal, which supports that not even the rich were safe from dying from a bad disease.

Another related theme of the story is the illness in the time, which, in fact, was not that long ago. We notice in the story how one of the parents say that a lot of kids at school were sick with diphtheria and that is why they were afraid that their daughter had it too. An interesting part of the story is how involved was the doctor with his patients in a way and how he was so willing and desperate to stop the disease, but his hands were practically tied to his back with this. He was so involved and desperate that he was totally willing to use his physical force for the greater good of the patient, as happened to the story. We can also see the frustration when he couldn’t do anything for the patient. Personally, I did not like that he used his strength on the girl but it was still good that he cared so much. I believe that the doctor did the right thing because it was part of his responsibility to try his best to save the girl's life, and also, he was desperate and feeling frustrated. Anyways, that does not justify the method he used and he totally did not use the right method.

What really got my attention was Mathilda, the couple’s daughter. She knew she was sick all the time but I must say she was very innocent. It is as if the thought that if the doctor could not certify the diphtheria then she did not have it. We may think that it is ridiculous, but it is the way some people think in real life, although in a smaller scale. Mathilda’s character really impressed me a lot and it hurt me how in the end, she realized her whole world was falling apart and there was nothing her family or her could do to stop it. It really was a pessimist story.

The story was short but it was really good and it made you know and feel what the characters felt in the situation, it really was as if you could be in their shoes for moments of the story, which says a lot of the author's quality.

Running Brave

Running Brave: A bit cliché, but still a good story

My reaction to the movie Running Brave is quite simple. It is a great movie, but it is nothing out of what people are used to see. It is about a poor boy, an outcast at first that tries to do something different and to pursue his dreams. When he is finally starting to accomplish them, trouble and discourage come in the way, causing the boy to leave everything and almost quit. Then, noticing how wrong he was, he comes back and wins the grand prize at the end. Most of this is what we see in almost every other inspirational movie of pursuing your dreams and all that, but what really is surprising about the story is that it actually happened. I think it adds a little something extra the fact that Billy Mills exists and that he actually accomplished his dreams.

On the other hand, this movie was a bit different from other stories that treat racism, poverty and other society problems. Something I really admire from what happened at the story is that our protagonist was not this stupid stereotype that is bullied by everyone who thinks he’s inferior and does nothing about it. At least we see that he was not abashed of his ancestors (even though he had some identity issues) and was willing and able to fight back. This fighter attitude is what drove him to pursue and accomplish his dreams at the end of the movie. 

Regarding Billy's identity I must say I'm impressed by his attitude because even though he was in a completely different environment, away from the reservation and his family, he quite kept his identity and personality the same. Yes, he had some changes as of his view of the place but he still loved it and the people inside it just the same. The change in perspective he went through was completely natural and, at least in the movie, it doesn't look like they were prejudicial to him.
If I was going to compare my identity with Billy's I would say that I wish I had his force of character, because, personally, I believe that I am a little weak in that aspect. Actually, I identify a little with Billy because I know what it feels like to know you do not fit anywhere, but, just as Billy, I always try to make the best of it and I think I have succeeded in that matter at least.

Last, but not least, to avoid the cliché of the protagonist being most people’s favorite character, I must say that my favorite character in the movie was Pat, the protagonist’s girlfriend. I admire her fighter attitude because Billy was not the only one judged for being Indian; also his girlfriend was kind of shunned because she was willing to be in a relationship with him. I also admire how she never left him and stood by his side in his good and bad moments. Before ending, I must say that the movie is quite inspirational and it asks everyone who sees it: what’s your excuse to not pursue your dream and do something?

                                                      Image taken from: www.cineplex.com

                                                    RUNNING BRAVE, Robby Benson, 1983, (c) Buena Vista Pictures