This I Believe

"This I Believe" is a regular broadcast on N.P.R. that is basically regular people, and some famous people, voicing their beliefs that helped or is helping them become a better person. The topics of faith, love, kindness, hope, and many others are written and voiced out loud in this weekly broadcast. Heres a link to the site: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138

The first essay/recording from "This I Believe" that I was drawn to was written and voiced by 16 year old Josh Rittenberg. I was drawn to this one because, for one, it was written by someone the same age as me, and two, it was about his belief in looking forwards to tomorrow. Here's a link to the essay/recording: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5232116
In his essay, Josh talks about overhearing his dad talking to his mom about how their generation didn't leave a bright enough future for future generations so that the future generations can live in peace. The dad goes on about how the world will go to chaos in our (mine and everyone else around 16) lifetime. It was interesting to listen to how Josh proved that our future holds some hope for success and a brighter time for mankind. He uses examples from the past and how eventually, the hard times in the past turned from bad to good. Me, I have always tried to stay optimistic about the future ahead, and how, no matter what, mankind will always move ahead in search of new answers, ideals, and questions. I too believe that you can't always be pessimistic about the future, because no one, absolutely no one, knows for sure what the future has in store for us. Its part of life, and whether those surprises down the road are good or bad, I think that surely we can overcome it or continue onwards.

A second essay I listened to was about how failure is a good thing by Jon Carroll. Heres a link to the site: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6196795. He talks about how Failure helps you learn about what you are doing wrong and teaches you how to correctly do things. He says to us that failure shows how we are stepping out of our comfort zone and expanding our learning by trying something new. I agree with some of what Jon says. I for one don't believe that failure should be experienced often. I believe that success has to be felt more than failure because when anybody fails, its only natural most people would become slightly depressed. And when these failures stack up on a person, it really brings them down, especially if they can't handle it mentally like some people can. Success helps you feel good about yourself and gives you self-confidence that helps you as a person grow.

The third essay I listened to was about the belief of Stepping Out of Fear by Vickie Milazzo. Heres a link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5750397. She talks about how when she was a little girl, she was afraid of doing anything even slightly risky. She talks about how she lost a lot of her confidence in herself from being afraid of stepping out. She only realized her error in taking a safe and easy way in life by acknowledging the fear of being like all the other burned out, low-risk nurses who didn't care to do anything other than what was required of them to do. In the end, she took a risk to create a consulting business for lawyers on medical related subjects. It worked out for her. In the end, she realized what she was missing out on all her life. I should learn from this essay and try to participate more in class and other things. It is relatively easy to say you are going to do something though, than actually doing it. In any case, I should learn how not to hesitate and "just do it."