Random Act of Kindness #6
Anonymous to a friend
Wendi Muir has been my friend for three years, now. One day, she asked me to find an elephant piñata for a party that her sister is going to host. I didn’t understand why she needed, specific, a elephant piñata; all she’d said was that she needed one and she couldn’t find one in West Des Moines. So, she asked to find in Des Moines in the Mexican Stores. So, I did. I stopped whatever I was doing that day and search for an elephant piñata. After going to store to store, I finally found a piñata store. I was quite surprise to find one. In any case, I explained my situation to the store owners and agreed to prepare an elephant piñata by tomorrow, which was perfect because Wendi needed it by tomorrow.
The next day, I came to store and brought the elephant piñata for $35. It was big elephant piñata that could hold up to 30-35 pounds of candy. So, I thanked the store owners for making the piñata and carried into my car. I, then, went to meet Wendi at a restaurant, to have lunch and give her the piñata. I explained to her that it was $35 for the piñata and she suddenly got a little depressed.
She said that all the party’s games for her sister party didn’t cost more than $5 and said that she didn’t have the money, now, to pay me back. So, she gave me check and told me to cash it right away. She, then, explain that the elephant piñata was for the Presidential Election Party that her sister was throwing. The Democrats would play a game of pit-the-tail-on-the-donkey, while the Republicans would hit and bash the elephant piñata. She invited me to come, but I declined and said that had to do homework.
After lunch, we both went to car to see the elephant piñata. I opened my trunk and all of a sudden, Wendi burst into joy. With her eyes and month wide opened, she stared at the piñata and said that the piñata was incredible and big. She could not believe that I was able to find a big elephant piñata within short among of time, but I did and she was grateful. I carried the big elephant piñata to her car, while people, who came out of the restaurant, stop and stared at the big piñata. Wendi said that I should put the elephant in the front passenger seat of the car and put the seat belt on as if it was a child. She thanked me once again and left the restaurant’s parking lot. I waved good bye, then hopped in my car and looked at the check that Wendi gave me. And then decided, I wasn’t going to cash it. As farther as I am concern, Wendi found and got the elephant piñata free.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Act of Kindness #3
Random Act of Kindness #3
To a Stranger
One day, I needed a quiet place to study for a test and eat lunch on the road. So I decided to stop in at a Village Inn restaurant. The host sat me near the entrance doors. The server quickly took my order and within a couple of minutes, she brought out my lunch. However, it was during the middle of my meal, where I notice two old ladies slowly walking towards the door, one had a walking cane and the other had walker. The two ladies were struggling opening the door; I quickly glanced around me to a couple and a family eating calmly. I also saw the host and two managers behind the counter, talking among themselves, not noticing the two old ladies struggling with the door.
I hesitated little, then I had the nerves and strength to get out of my sit and quickly ran to help the two ladies. I made it in time to hold the door for the two old ladies. The ladies looked at strangely and surprised to see a young person to be so nice to hold the door for them. And the only thing they said to me was “Thank you” and slowly walked towards the host. A minute later, the host noticed them and sat them at a booth. However, I pretty sure the two managers and the host didn’t see notice me helping the two ladies. Nevertheless, while I was walking back to my table, I noticed from the corner of my eye that the couple and the family were looking at me strangely. At the moment, I could read their expression and question that they had in their head, “Why did that young man help to the two old ladies?” “What does he hope to gain from being nice to strangers?” Regardless, in how the couple and the family thought and looked at me, I continued to walk towards my table, finish my lunch and study a little afterwards. Then, I noticed that everyone continue to finish lunch and move on with their lives, including the two old ladies.
To a Stranger
One day, I needed a quiet place to study for a test and eat lunch on the road. So I decided to stop in at a Village Inn restaurant. The host sat me near the entrance doors. The server quickly took my order and within a couple of minutes, she brought out my lunch. However, it was during the middle of my meal, where I notice two old ladies slowly walking towards the door, one had a walking cane and the other had walker. The two ladies were struggling opening the door; I quickly glanced around me to a couple and a family eating calmly. I also saw the host and two managers behind the counter, talking among themselves, not noticing the two old ladies struggling with the door.
I hesitated little, then I had the nerves and strength to get out of my sit and quickly ran to help the two ladies. I made it in time to hold the door for the two old ladies. The ladies looked at strangely and surprised to see a young person to be so nice to hold the door for them. And the only thing they said to me was “Thank you” and slowly walked towards the host. A minute later, the host noticed them and sat them at a booth. However, I pretty sure the two managers and the host didn’t see notice me helping the two ladies. Nevertheless, while I was walking back to my table, I noticed from the corner of my eye that the couple and the family were looking at me strangely. At the moment, I could read their expression and question that they had in their head, “Why did that young man help to the two old ladies?” “What does he hope to gain from being nice to strangers?” Regardless, in how the couple and the family thought and looked at me, I continued to walk towards my table, finish my lunch and study a little afterwards. Then, I noticed that everyone continue to finish lunch and move on with their lives, including the two old ladies.
Act of Kindness #5
Random Act of Kindness #5
To a person I hate
The kind of people who I hate to know, talk, and see are people, who are ignorant and take serious pride in who they are base on race. There is teenager in my neighborhood, who is exactly like that. His name is Kevin and he has taken in the image of what a young Mexican-American, who lives in the ghettos. The problem I have with that is that he doesn’t live in the ghetto. Not only that, he has also shaved his head bold, wears long, loose, bagging clothes, hangs out other Mexicans who act the same as him and smokes pot. It is the image that Kevin has adopted; that most of the public see all young Mexican-Americans to be. And that is the exact image that I have to fight and proof people that all young Mexican-Americans are not like him, including myself. So I hate him for what he has adopted.
So one day, while I was clean and planning to sell of my some of books, music CDs, and video games. I decide to be nice to Kevin by give one of the last video game that I ever brought, that he never played. Of course, the last time I ever brought a video game was this spring. However, my grades and education were on the line and I needed to clean out my room and get rid of anything that could interfere with my studies. So I caught Kevin outside that day, and gave him the video game with no explanation or questions asked and walk away. I never looked back to see his expressions and even now, I still don’t know his reaction or talk to him about it.
To a person I hate
The kind of people who I hate to know, talk, and see are people, who are ignorant and take serious pride in who they are base on race. There is teenager in my neighborhood, who is exactly like that. His name is Kevin and he has taken in the image of what a young Mexican-American, who lives in the ghettos. The problem I have with that is that he doesn’t live in the ghetto. Not only that, he has also shaved his head bold, wears long, loose, bagging clothes, hangs out other Mexicans who act the same as him and smokes pot. It is the image that Kevin has adopted; that most of the public see all young Mexican-Americans to be. And that is the exact image that I have to fight and proof people that all young Mexican-Americans are not like him, including myself. So I hate him for what he has adopted.
So one day, while I was clean and planning to sell of my some of books, music CDs, and video games. I decide to be nice to Kevin by give one of the last video game that I ever brought, that he never played. Of course, the last time I ever brought a video game was this spring. However, my grades and education were on the line and I needed to clean out my room and get rid of anything that could interfere with my studies. So I caught Kevin outside that day, and gave him the video game with no explanation or questions asked and walk away. I never looked back to see his expressions and even now, I still don’t know his reaction or talk to him about it.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Keeping a Promise
To keep or not to keep
To keep a promise or to determine that keeping a promise is moral is not something that as a group can decide upon. A group makes decision base upon a majority of the votes, thus minority of the voters are there to criticize the decision. This is peoples’ individuality at work. Even though, the group has decided on their decision on the moral issue of keeping or not keeping promise; the group, then, has force those who are not of favor of the decision to convert. Thus, people will deal with another moral issue of force people to accept the decision.
Groups, I think, are not all bad; however, the first step is for people to decide upon themselves to make keeping a promise moral or immoral. From there, it can be reasonable to find other individuals with the same values, to join in a group to make the decision process easlier. The decision can be made base upon an individual’s happiness. If a person feel happiness by keeping a promise to another, and enjoys the kindness received from other for doing a promise; then that individual will value keeping a promise and called it immoral for not doing so and vice versa. Therefore, rather an individual must make the decision to keeping a promise moral or immoral; the decision is made by one’s own will of happiness and means. Thus, keeping a promise opens a channel to make more rights to obligation that are promised, at the same time, holding on to the individual's will of happiness.
To keep a promise or to determine that keeping a promise is moral is not something that as a group can decide upon. A group makes decision base upon a majority of the votes, thus minority of the voters are there to criticize the decision. This is peoples’ individuality at work. Even though, the group has decided on their decision on the moral issue of keeping or not keeping promise; the group, then, has force those who are not of favor of the decision to convert. Thus, people will deal with another moral issue of force people to accept the decision.
Groups, I think, are not all bad; however, the first step is for people to decide upon themselves to make keeping a promise moral or immoral. From there, it can be reasonable to find other individuals with the same values, to join in a group to make the decision process easlier. The decision can be made base upon an individual’s happiness. If a person feel happiness by keeping a promise to another, and enjoys the kindness received from other for doing a promise; then that individual will value keeping a promise and called it immoral for not doing so and vice versa. Therefore, rather an individual must make the decision to keeping a promise moral or immoral; the decision is made by one’s own will of happiness and means. Thus, keeping a promise opens a channel to make more rights to obligation that are promised, at the same time, holding on to the individual's will of happiness.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Act of Kindness #4
Act of Kindness #4
To a acquaintance
Hosting
Yoshiko Swift is a Japanese DMACC Instructor in the Ankeny Campus. I don’t know her very well and I never took her class at DMACC. I met her once in the Asian Festival and said she was in charge of foreign exchanged program with Sister City of Des Moines, Yamanashi, Japan. Her role was to schedule flights plans, find a room at DMACC and teachers to teach English to Japanese students, and to find host families to take care of the Japanese exchanged students for a whole week through October 13th to the 17th. And she asked me, if I wanted to host Japanese students. I agreed.
Yoshiko then called me 3 months ago. She explained her situation to me and need host families badly. I thought about it for a minute and accept her offer. At the time, I was about to go to my first day at Drake. I was going to host two Japanese students. When the time arrived, I noticed that I was falling behind in my classes. And I could’ve easily told Yoshiko that I didn’t want to host two students. I needed to catch up in my classes. However, I never did tell Yoshiko about my little crisis in Drake and welcomed the two Japanese boys to my family. Of course, my family didn’t have the time to take care of them, so I was responsible to take them places and give them a wonderful time in Iowa.
It has really time consuming. Every day within the week, I had to drive the two Japanese boys to the Ankeny DMACC Campus at 8:00 am and picked them up around 3:00 pm. I take them shopping, bowling, canoeing and etc. I even decided to bring along two addition students, mainly because the host family didn’t know what to do with them and they were afraid that their boys were not having a great time. Plus, I thought it would be interesting for my boys to talk with their friends during their visit in Iowa. Each passing hour could’ve been time to catch up in my classes. Nevertheless, I did it anyways to help Yoshiko and her program. And in the end, she and the two instructors, who came with the students, thanked me and said that they never met a young and kind person, who would take the time out of their busy schedule to help out and showing two or four Japanese students a great time in Iowa. I was the only young person to do such a thing. The experience and their gratitude gave me a great sense of accomplishment, even though I cost me a lot of time out of my classes in Drake.
I guess I tend to do nice things that would bring happiness to other people, but at the same time, make me suffer just a little.
To a acquaintance
Hosting
Yoshiko Swift is a Japanese DMACC Instructor in the Ankeny Campus. I don’t know her very well and I never took her class at DMACC. I met her once in the Asian Festival and said she was in charge of foreign exchanged program with Sister City of Des Moines, Yamanashi, Japan. Her role was to schedule flights plans, find a room at DMACC and teachers to teach English to Japanese students, and to find host families to take care of the Japanese exchanged students for a whole week through October 13th to the 17th. And she asked me, if I wanted to host Japanese students. I agreed.
Yoshiko then called me 3 months ago. She explained her situation to me and need host families badly. I thought about it for a minute and accept her offer. At the time, I was about to go to my first day at Drake. I was going to host two Japanese students. When the time arrived, I noticed that I was falling behind in my classes. And I could’ve easily told Yoshiko that I didn’t want to host two students. I needed to catch up in my classes. However, I never did tell Yoshiko about my little crisis in Drake and welcomed the two Japanese boys to my family. Of course, my family didn’t have the time to take care of them, so I was responsible to take them places and give them a wonderful time in Iowa.
It has really time consuming. Every day within the week, I had to drive the two Japanese boys to the Ankeny DMACC Campus at 8:00 am and picked them up around 3:00 pm. I take them shopping, bowling, canoeing and etc. I even decided to bring along two addition students, mainly because the host family didn’t know what to do with them and they were afraid that their boys were not having a great time. Plus, I thought it would be interesting for my boys to talk with their friends during their visit in Iowa. Each passing hour could’ve been time to catch up in my classes. Nevertheless, I did it anyways to help Yoshiko and her program. And in the end, she and the two instructors, who came with the students, thanked me and said that they never met a young and kind person, who would take the time out of their busy schedule to help out and showing two or four Japanese students a great time in Iowa. I was the only young person to do such a thing. The experience and their gratitude gave me a great sense of accomplishment, even though I cost me a lot of time out of my classes in Drake.
I guess I tend to do nice things that would bring happiness to other people, but at the same time, make me suffer just a little.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Duty to one self and others
Kant's Theory of our existence
The notion of human beings only to exist for oneself and for others is what interests me the most. Kant said that is a human beings duty is to be a human being and to be object of experiences. Therefore, under my understanding, he is saying that, we, human beings can only exist for ourselves. At the same time, we, as human being, only exist to for other people experiences. Thus, this creates a purpose for everyone in the world; to live for other peoples’ experiences and/or pressure.
So my question to Kant is, “Is this the meaning of our existence?” “If so, did you have a very difficult time spreading the message in religion and science at the time?”
“Were you surprise about your theory?”
His theory makes sense in a way. The only way that a person would exist for me is to be a friend, a teacher, a person to see everyday, a person who has done me wrong or right, a person to talk to, or people just to fill the scenery with. Therefore, it is obviously to see that, from the very core of the concept, which everyone who I see and know is only there to fill my life with experience. What else would my friends and family exists, but to fill my life with sad, happy, and interesting experiences. This theory scared me at first, but now I understand it or I think I understand it.
The notion of human beings only to exist for oneself and for others is what interests me the most. Kant said that is a human beings duty is to be a human being and to be object of experiences. Therefore, under my understanding, he is saying that, we, human beings can only exist for ourselves. At the same time, we, as human being, only exist to for other people experiences. Thus, this creates a purpose for everyone in the world; to live for other peoples’ experiences and/or pressure.
So my question to Kant is, “Is this the meaning of our existence?” “If so, did you have a very difficult time spreading the message in religion and science at the time?”
“Were you surprise about your theory?”
His theory makes sense in a way. The only way that a person would exist for me is to be a friend, a teacher, a person to see everyday, a person who has done me wrong or right, a person to talk to, or people just to fill the scenery with. Therefore, it is obviously to see that, from the very core of the concept, which everyone who I see and know is only there to fill my life with experience. What else would my friends and family exists, but to fill my life with sad, happy, and interesting experiences. This theory scared me at first, but now I understand it or I think I understand it.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Contradiction
Contradicting One Self
Contradicting ourselves, nowadays, doesn’t seem to be much of an issue. Mostly because we use reason to separate two issue that are similar. For example, to say that you’re for immigration, for people around the world to an equal opportunity in America; at the same time, you’re for making English as the official language in America is contradicting oneself. Immigrates come to America with a different language, aside from a lot or little English. However, the mere fact that English as the official language in America only suppresses people who don’t understand English, mostly immigrates. But nevertheless, you’re saying one thing, at the same time saying something completely different.
I really can’t decide if this is moral or immoral to contradicting yourself. In a way, you’re only hurt yourself, not others. Unless, you’re in a position to influence other; therefore spreading your own contradiction ideas to other. But other than that, a single individual, who contradicted oneself, is only lose their ability to understand the concepts and reasons between issues. This only involves one person; therefore that one person has created its own way thinking with reason. It is our moral duty, who sees someone contradicting oneself, to convince (persuade) them, who are contradicting themselves, to understand what they are doing. Can we really convince someone to change their way of thinking?
Contradicting ourselves, nowadays, doesn’t seem to be much of an issue. Mostly because we use reason to separate two issue that are similar. For example, to say that you’re for immigration, for people around the world to an equal opportunity in America; at the same time, you’re for making English as the official language in America is contradicting oneself. Immigrates come to America with a different language, aside from a lot or little English. However, the mere fact that English as the official language in America only suppresses people who don’t understand English, mostly immigrates. But nevertheless, you’re saying one thing, at the same time saying something completely different.
I really can’t decide if this is moral or immoral to contradicting yourself. In a way, you’re only hurt yourself, not others. Unless, you’re in a position to influence other; therefore spreading your own contradiction ideas to other. But other than that, a single individual, who contradicted oneself, is only lose their ability to understand the concepts and reasons between issues. This only involves one person; therefore that one person has created its own way thinking with reason. It is our moral duty, who sees someone contradicting oneself, to convince (persuade) them, who are contradicting themselves, to understand what they are doing. Can we really convince someone to change their way of thinking?
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