Freedom speech

Should there be restrictions to freedom of speech ?

Obviously , freedom of speech can be very dangerous . I find that every time somebody shouts something homophobic, racist or just offensive, their defense is usually "free speech ". Without total freedom of speech, things such as the kkk would not be able to exist and racist abuse would be fully disallowed.

Speech is an act and acts which cause not needed and substantial harm should be illegal! I am not talking about causing offense or promoting an unpopular and even morally corrupt point of view. But it is not legal  to start riots or to verbally harass and nor should it be. Freedom of speech exists to promote the liberty of individuals, not to allow us to cause harm to one another.

Having the right to free speech does not meaning being irresponsible and ignorant. I mean our freedom ends where the others starts, you should be free to give your opinion but with coherence and respect, to also be conscious of the sensitivity of others. To use our freedom we must respect the other's freedom as well.

There is no excuse for inciting hatred. There is no excuse for inciting hatred and racism. Free speech cam be used as a way of pretending that it is OK. Religion should be allowed to be criticized, the same with everything but you cannot incite hatred into the world as that is not right. 

Boundaries are needed sometimes. Well, to be honest, I think a line needs to be drawn around this point. It feels like some people will say and do anything to have people agree with them on an issue, and we simply shouldn't give these dishonest people ammunition by allowing them to lie and distort facts.  

                                                        

#CharlestonShooting

This weeks blog is something different. I decided to speak about racism. The reason for this is because of the tragedy that took place in Charleston not too long ago. A white male walked in to what was known as a black church and  shot 9 people. Now although many of different excuses have been made for this man  such as "he is mentally unstable", "it was an act of hate of religion and not race". It is clear that is bunch of bs. 

I chose this video mainly because I thought Jon Stewart worded his thoughts extremely well. One thing that really moved me was when he said, "In South Carolina the roads that black people drive on are named for Confederate generals who fought to keep black people from being able to drive freely on that road.  That's insanity.  That's racial wall paper." I just don't understand, its 2015, and we're still not acknowledging the fact that oppression that should of ended long ago, is still happening. Every few days a racially motivated attach happens in that area, and we still act as if racism has nothing to do with problems going on.

Nine people get shot at a church by a white male who hated them, who wanted to start some kinda civil war, the confederate flag flies over South Carolina, the roads are named after confederate generals AND THE WHITE GUY FEELS LIKE HIS COUNTRY IS BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM HIM.

What also blows my mind, is this white male was excepted in that church, they did not kick him out as soon as he walked in because his skin color was different then theirs. Lastly, my deepest condolences accompany the families who have lost a loved one in the Charleston shooting. We will never forget. Its unbelievable to damage we can do ourselves.

Religion ( What I know) Part 2

I'm taking the more psychological path on this.... 

How do you believe in anything? How do you know the air you breathe is the reason you stay alive instead of the reason you're slowly dying? How do you know that beyond the Milky Way, mankind on Earth is the only living thing to exist? The particle theory? The Big Bang? The answer is you don't. No matter how much scientific proof you can come up with, there will always be a small part that goes against everything. Humans are incapable of drawing those conclusions. No matter how complex our internal and external functions are the human mind simply does not possess the knowledge nor capacity to understand those concepts. So we rely on religion to tell us. The guidelines, dating back to before anyone could ever remember. Ideologies that formed in the Stone Age and only improved with the modern age.. they are what form the foundation of religion. 

So what I'm trying to say is that religion in itself is the answer to the things humans are incapable of figuring out themselves. And they're not new ideas that force you to do anything, EVERY religion is based on the foundation of generosity and purity. Every rule, guideline and saying has a purpose and meaning behind it. We don't follow them because of fear of the unknown, we follow them because they make us better humans. To find inner and outer peace. Science proves to be just as unpredictable and in-dependable as humans. . So Maybe religion is the answer, I mean we'll never fully know. 

Religion ( What I don't understand ..)

This blog is going to be my personal take on religion. In no way do I mean to offend anyone. These are my personal thoughts and opinions..

I grew up with a dad who was fully muslim, my mom was half and then half catholic Christian. I mainly followed my dad but I also attended and still do attend a catholic school, that is since I was 4. I am familiar with every story in the old testament. From when Adam and Eve were created, to when Moses free'd the Jews. ("let my people go") Ive attended church many times and  ive attended the mosque many times. I can recite most of the catholic prayers, and I can recite verses of the Quaran (Muslim Holy Bible). I always thought of myself as a pretty religious person. Until this year..

One thing I know for sure is that it just does not add up. I mean I think I believe in God, theirs got to be some sort of explanation to why everything is the way it is. But then wheres the proof? How am I suppose to believe something that may not be true? How do I know Jesus died on the cross? How do I know that in order to get to heaven I must pray 5 times a day? Religion has actually convinced people that their is an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. This invisible man has also a list of ten things, he has a place , full of fire and smoke and burning and torture. Where he will send you to live and suffer and scream and cry forever. But he loves you! Hes all perfect, all knowing, all wise... 

One thing that angers me, is religion screams out " You have to", like everything is forced. And if you do not follow everything, your bad person and once you die youll be sent to hell... but then what am I supppose to believe .. my next blog will explain my theory..

“belief is the death of intelligence.” 
― Robert Anton Wilson, Cosmic Trigger: Die letzten Geheimnisse der Illuminaten oder An den Grenzen des erweiterten Bewusstseins

...

To be honest... life kind of sucks at times. Most of my friends come to me with the same problems. So you meet someone, and he/she seems so nice.You probably go to school together, may not have a lot classes but you do see each other in the halls and at lunch. You grow even closer and you eventually swap numbers. You talk, and you talk. You end up realizing how much you love talking to this person. A 3 hour conversation will seem like 5 short minutes. You bond over corny jokes, music, art and other things. You share secrets, fears, things you love, things you hate, literally everything. You may disagree with them and argue, but just one look at them and without even noticing the biggest smile is put on your face. 

Days and weeks go by, and now you've grown another fear. The fear of loosing someone you know care about so much? The fear of falling too hard ? The fear of not being enough? Or maybe you're just scared because this person means more to you then anyone else. You then start doing stupid things, like being defensive and stubborn for no reason, being too needy, craving attention 24/7. Finally you convince yourself, that the persons better off without you and that they deserve better. 

You stop talking, you go back to being strangers. Its like you die a little inside because now you have to walk by them everyday, and pretend like you never knew them, never even talked to them before. When really you know everything about them. You're hurt, and can't move on because you messed up something that was so perfect, something you feel you may never get again. I mean you can try, but really how are you supposed to get over that? 

So now you've got a choice, I mean its obvious you're not over the person and truly miss them so do you follow what your heart wants or do you go with the rational decision. I mean its easy to make up your  mind but convincing your heart is the hard part.

You may be wondering if its worth it. But honestly that's not even up to you to decide. Say you do pour your thoughts and heart to this person. Its there say, sometimes people just change and no longer want things they used to want. Don't let that stop you though, you wont know unless you try. Hope for the better.

“We accept the love we think we deserve.” 
― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Death

Death is devastating. I mean it just happens..

Last summer me and my grandmother (who was only 59) were on the phone. We were conversing about how she could not wait to see me in the summer(she lives in Lebanon) and how she misses me. "You know I love you", is what she said and then something went wrong with my phone service and the call ended. I didn't think to call her back. The next week, my mom comes into my room saying she booked a flight to Lebanon for that night, and that her mother had passed away. She was trying to explain to me how she had a stroke but as I cried and I cried all I could think of was the last few words she had said to me, they would replay in my head, with such a fresh and clear voice. My grandmother, the lady I look up to, who was healthy and perfectly fine is now gone. Its weird, the death of loved one. Our time in this world is limited and I guess it is true, all of us will go at some time, never to wake up. Yet I was so shocked and surprised.

Let me tell you this, you never get used to it. The idea of someone actually being gone. Just when you think the worlds going round again & its been accepted, someone points it out and it just hits you again.

The next few weeks I was full of rage, I mean I had about a hundred people saying "sorry for your loss" "she was a great lady". PEOPLE WHO DID NOT KNOW HER, PEOPLE WHO BARELY KNOW ME. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all the comfort I was getting from everyone. But you reach a point where your fed up with the idea that people are always feeling sorry for you. It was like a bad day that would just not end.

I attended the local funeral we had. Like any other funeral, you bid the dead farewell. You grieve. But then you've just got to continue with your life, and at times her absence will hit you, and you will weep. But days, weeks and then months will pass by. It'll began to happen less and less. The persons now gone, but you're alive, I guess that means you should probably live.

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new."

-Steve Jobs

3 pieces of advice

1/3- Don't give into peer pressure

Being in high school, you're tempted by so many things, things you see everyone else doing, things that are considered "cool". I on the other hand, for some reason, my personality just does not desire these things and even though I was the odd one out, I would never give into things I knew weren't right. Sometimes I guess it seems like a good idea to "live a little", but you should never do something you don't want to do. Don't be peer pressured. People nowadays are willing to weaken themselves for the sake of others. DO NOT let others define and set the pace of your life. Be YOUR best, live YOUR best. "Make every day count and you'll see how exponentially more exciting, thrilling, successful. Happy and full your life will be."

2/3- Mental health

Your mental health should always come before anything else, even school. If its midnight, and you have an exam or test the next day, but you're completely stressed out, you're shaking and having trouble breathing. Gets some ice cream and go to bed. So what if you get a 62% on the exam the next day? You took care of yourself and at the end of the day that will always come before a high test score. To hell with anyone who says differently.

3/3- You don't need other people to make you happy

You're whole without someone else. You are not a fraction. You're a complete masterpiece all by yourself and you do not need anyone else to validate your existence. Yes most of us need people; usually it’s to feel some sort of connection. Don't try so hard to be an army of one, work on depending on yourself and needing people from time to time."True happiness is shared, find your own happiness and let other give it to you too."

“Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.” 
― Robert Frost

TRUST

Takes years to build and seconds to be shattered. Yes, you've probably already guessed it. Trust. I think the worst thing about trusting someone is you never know whose fault it is once they betray you. Do you blame them or do you blame yourself for trusting them? Some people find it is hard to trust others. Sometimes it’s because of past experiences. They think trust should be something to be earned, not given

What a word... It can make a difference between a friend and an enemy. The word is overused, misunderstood and mistreated making it almost worthless. Trusting someone by telling your secrets, showing a part of you, not a lot of people have seen... Now being confident the other person won't screw you over is the tricky part. They're now in a position to hurt you, to expose you, or use this as an opportunity to blackmail you. So how do you know, how can you tell if you can trust someone, or can even trust anyone at all?

Want my advice? TRUST NO ONE. 

It's the best way to assure yourself you will not be betrayed. In the end everyone ends up alone, but that should be enough right? You can never be certain if a friend's all in; you never know what’s going on in their head. All in all, the only person you can trust 100% is yourself, am I wrong? You need to rely on no one, to not depend on anyone but yourself. 

Also, people leave when things get tough. I for instance, I always find myself holding on to people, and they were always leaving. So my advice to you now is, don't set yourself up for disappointment. Stay safe, and just be independent.


NOTE: If someone is willing to say nasty things about their best friend, odds are they're doing the same for you. It may feel like the person is revealing to you-spilling their secrets, but I think this is a sign that they're not trustworthy. Don't get me wrong, it’s okay to vent to someone else about how a friend of ours is bothering us, BUT there is a fine and clear line between having a harmless venting session and being completely mean about your friends. Somebody once told me that the people we'd take a bullet for are usually the ones behind the trigger.

You should also keep in mind 3 things - Never beg anyone, trust no one, never expect anything from anybody. 

“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche 

Introduction

I have been giving advice for a while, basically ever since my friends knew the meaning of four small words: “What should I do?” From what I've heard, I’m quite good at it too. So let me start by saying no one's perfect, but still, others perspective can make a difference and help us in many situations. Sometimes, there's nothing better than talking to someone in order to find the problem and the solution truthfully.

Here's a bit about me. I'm a 16 year old girl that can speak 3 languages (English, Arabic and French) , I live in a city in Canada and I like to help others. There are many things I like to do, to see, and to experience. I love to read, lets just say you cannot find a cup of tea big enough or book long enough to suit me. I like to write as well, I like to believe once you write word after word it has a bigger meaning, its power. I like to think, to stand alone and observe. I like to look at the clouds in the sky with a blank mind. I like to dream,  I like to talk, I like to listen. I like to travel and see things from a different perspective. I like to see the moonlight at night and the sunrise in the morning. I like not only listening to music ,but relating to the lyrics . I like the sound of the rain and I love long walks . I like to be alone. I like having a lot of friends. I like to do thought experiments when I cannot sleep in the middle of the night. I love food and comfortable clothes. I love how I feel when I'm all dolled up for a special occasion. I love seeing others happy. I like good books and romantic movies. But most of all, I like to laugh. 

With all that said, you probably think I'm all rainbows and sunshine, but that is nowhere near the truth. I'm realist meaning I tend to view things as they are, I use facts and past events rather than hopeful feeling and wishes. I don't sugarcoat. Every post I make will be my honest opinion, what I think, how I would handle things, perhaps a logical explanation. I will end every post with a quote because what I did not mention earlier is, I love how deep and inspiring quotes are. As for now, I leave you with a quote by Oscar Wilde who was an Irish writer and poet.

“ The only good thing to do with good advice is pass it on; it is never of any use to oneself ”