Thankful

This Thanksgiving, we must think about who we are thankful for. In McCarthy's 7th period English II class I'm thankful for Bella Fertel and Henry Ferolie. Bella's ideas inspire my own thoughts and promote deeper thinking from me in class. I am really thankful for her and I don't think my cognitive abilities would be so developed without her. Henry's more often than not very confrontational and looking for a chance to debate an idea with someone. Although it can be a little much at times, I'm thankful for it. He pushes me to my limits and forces me to thoroughly evaluate my ideas. I'm pushed to think of creative ways to convey my points. I wouldn't be as good a student if it wasn't for these two amazing people in class challenging me to excel everyday. Thank you guys for making me better, and happy Thanksgiving to all!

I Celebrate Myself

Self-reliance and self-appreciation were big aspects of the Transcendentalist Movement. Those ideas have carried over for years and years and are a big part of our society. There are two extremely opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to celebrating oneself. The first end is being over-modest. We live in a society that tells award-winners to thank everyone else before acknowledging the fact that they worked hard to win the award, if they acknowledge that at all. In this society, it's inappropriate to talk about yourself too much without being prompted to do so by the other person in the conversation. Over-modest people don't fully appreciate themselves (even if they believe they do) and will never be self-reliant because they don't believe they are skilled enough to carry out all tasks. They don't celebrate themselves. The opposite end of the spectrum is being self-centered. Self-centered people never acknowledge those who put them in the position to accomplish what they've accomplish. Many Americans were offended when President Obama said "If you've got a business, you didn't build that." However, this statement could not be more true and is applicable to several situations. If an individual is extremely smart they were not born smart. There were several teachers who aided their mental development. You didn't get their on your own and it's completely ridiculous for someone to say that they did! There is not one person who has been 100% self-reliant and has needed no help from other people. So there has to be a medium between the two ends of the spectrum! Celebrate yourself because yes, you've worked hard and have earned your accomplishments, but acknowledge those who put you in the positions do so. One must realize that is a combination of both their own hard work and the assistance of others that has led to their success, not one or the other.