Why Can't We Be Friends?

Since the beginning of time, religion has played a great role in global affairs as well as in every individual. From Christianity to Mormonism, Buddhism to Hinduism, and Islam to Sikhism, they're all religions trying to make the world a better place with better people that live in it. I've never really understood why some people make religion their absolute priority. Everybody has their own beliefs and ideals, so why do these people have the urge to self-impose their own religion on others?

Who's right and who's wrong? Does it even matter at all? It's the hypocrisy in religion and real life that strayed me away from the whole subject itself. According to the dictionary, religion is a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Yet, religions have caused many conflicts in the world. From the Crusades to the War on Terror, religion has caused the world to break apart and separate. According to Religion and International Relations Theory by Jack Snyder, religious civil wars are longer and bloodier than other types of clashes. They are also twice as likely to recur and twice as deadly to noncombatants such as innocent citizens. So why would anyone want to inflict all this pain and damage? Why can't we all just be friends and get along?

Most religions teach their disciples to be moral and scrupulous; however, history has shown that many people go against their religion and act in a shocking and embarrassing manner to their religion. For example, the Westboro Baptist Church members call themselves Baptists, yet they are inhumane and sickening, refusing to accept other people's religions, race, and nationalities. They've disrespectfully picketed at soldiers' funerals and recently plan to picket Blake Shelton's concerts simply because he divorced his first wife and married Miranda Lambert. They don't accept the fact that both men and women have a choice in their marriage. If this is what religion comes down to, then please, things seriously need to be changed.

Religion is definitely a murky subject with many different views and beliefs. In my opinion, I believe that there is a god somewhere up there; I don't know what type of God he/she is, but I do think he/she is there. Ultimately, the greatest advantage to religion is the ethics and morals that it teaches. Whether you move onto some kind of afterlife or not, life is all about for the living -- being a good, virtuous person and contributing positively to society.

Dealing with Stereotypes: A Memoir

The name of my blog is "Life of the 11th Grade Canadian"; however, it should really be named "Life of the 11th Grade Canadian/American/Chinese/12.5% Vietnamese Student*." Hey small-eyed Asian, why you no get no A's? Hey hoser*, you're Canadian eh? Send me some maple syrup with the bacon, will you? Dude, you're American. Let's go to McDonald's and get fat and lazy!

In Sherman Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, the reader experiences the racism and prejudice as a Native American living in a land of the whites. Alexie shows us how important it is to remember who you are, yet also remembering that you are a separate being and only you have the ability to live out your life .

The first time I experienced personal racism was in 10th grade during lacrosse season. I've experienced stereotypes that were meant to be playful or teasing, but this time, someone acted maliciously towards me simply due to my natural race (as an Asian). This year, my friend and I were the only Asians on the Troy High Lacrosse team. It was my first year playing lacrosse, but I picked up the game and improved as I played. I was a starter on the team and scored numerous times that season, but when we played the Birmingham Seaholms, I was in for a treat. One player was especially hostile towards me and played very roughly simply because I was an Asian playing in a white-dominated sport. However, that didn't stop me from playing my own game; I went on to run past him and score a goal in that crucial game. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." That game taught me not to back down to anyone, especially to someone who tries to degrade you for who you are. 

I've lived in Canada from my birth until the end of 8th grade. I moved from Canada to Troy before the start of 9th grade as a result of of my dad's promotion in GM. While I was in Canada, I lived in a white-dominated town called Ajax, in the suburbs around 25 miles away from the well-known city of Toronto. I attended a local school, but moved to a gifted school after Third Grade. Once I moved, I didn't necessarily stand out to the rest of the students; however, I learned to work hard and earn those A's. I turned out to be one of the top in my class, excelling in math with perfect 100's in my classes. I didn't earn that 100 because of a hidden Asian gene in the 22nd chromosome that gives me all the answers to every test. No, no, definitely not. I earned my A's from hard work and perseverance. As a child, my parents enrolled me to Kumon, an educational program specializing in math and English. Sacrificing 30 minutes of my day to Kumon's everyday homework brought me ahead of the pack. I was learning 8th grade math concepts when I was only in 5th grade! It felt great to be learning ahead of everyone and helping others when they didn't understand a concept. I graduated my school with honors and top of the grade in math. However, reality kicked in when I moved to Michigan.

It all started when I was taking a pre-test in Ms Quilliam's office on the first day of school; I was trying to test out of Algebra 1 and Geometry. I had received 100's in my math classes, yet I was struggling to answer these questions for a supposedly easy math class. I realized that the U.S. is on a completely different level to Canada when it comes to education. Whereas Canada focuses the learning in high school, the American high school program almost starts in the elementary school level, in which kids enroll in the Advanced Placement program in 3rd grade (that's what my sister is currently doing!). I thought I was the best, but in reality, I was just another student going into Troy High School. As Asian as I was, I was not ready for the American high school life. 

On the first full day of school, I walked into my English class and had no clue what to do, or where to go. I sat in a desk, only to be moved because it was Hannah Ma's seat! I sat behind her and became friends with a dear friend of mine, Ben Mansky. He's the one who recognized me as a Canadian with my "accent" and constant use of "eh." Obviously, he recognized me since I was so kind like a true Canadian (just kidding, it was because I asked to go to the WASHROOM)! We've always joked about it, but we know that I'm just a mix of everything. Contrary to popular belief, Canada is not very different from America! They're both first world countries with similar technologies and interests. The weather is the same; Windsor, Canada is actually more southern than most parts of Michigan! The people are the same. In fact, the people in Troy seem to be nicer than the people in Canada! However, it's hard to understand this when you can't experience both the Canadian and American life. To my Canadian relatives, I'm apparently Americanizing; to my friends, I will always be part Canadian, and to the rest of the world, I'm the smart Asian who doesn't need to even try in school to get an A because all I do is study.

Contrary to Asian stereotypes, I play many sports and was actually one of the best athletes in my school; however, it was always tennis and volleyball that I enjoyed playing the most. I played competitive volleyball and even won a national title in Eighth Grade! Yes, yes, even sports enjoy the fun in stereotypes. Volleyball has always been viewed upon as a girl sport, but it's a sport of power and explosiveness. Imagine hitting a ball as hard as you possibly can, maybe to the empty spot on the court or maybe at an opponent's face! Imagine coming face to face with a ball coming 50+ mph towards you and having the nerve to hit it back! In the hotter states like California or Florida, that's almost all they play. Volleyball is a great team sport that involves skill and teamwork. Yes, the girls wear spandex shorts and it shows off their assets, but no, boys do not wear spandex. I seriously don't understand why there isn't a boys volleyball program in Michigan. Many other states have it, so why doesn't Michigan?!

It's always been a struggle for me to become fully Asian. I've gone to Chinese school for 8 years in my life on every Saturday and still cannot master the Chinese language. I have 31 cousins and 24 uncles and aunts. The majority of them speak fluent Chinese, except for those who immigrated to the United States from Vietnam during the Vietnam War (but that story is for another time!). My parents speak two different dialects of Chinese, yet they can speak each other's dialect with ease. However, my sister and I have been whitewashed to the extent that we can only listen fluently, but speak limited Chinese. I love being Asian and all the cultures and traditions. It's just those moments when you feel like you don't belong anywhere. You don't belong in the white society because you're not white. You don't belong in the Chinese community because you're a disgrace since you can't even speak the language. However, being Asian is part of who I am! It's hard for me to imagine myself being a white person growing up in a white family. I'd be eating sandwiches day after day instead of rice with all sorts of meats and flavors. My mother is an amazing cook, and I don't know what I would do without her food when I'm in college; her specialty is pho, a delicious Vietnamese soup. My father works hard every day as an engineer at GM to give us a home and food to eat every day. He enjoys me with amusing stories and helps me with his knowledge. Without my parents, I would be a nobody, so shout-out to my parents! <3 They understand that it's not always easy to get high grades, especially in my AP classes this year; all they ask for is that I try my best and achieve the best I can possibly achieve. A's are amazing, but B's are okay too if you can learn from your mistakes and errors. 

It's difficult living with so many names. Stereotypes are commonly judged assumptions/judgments about a group of people. The word "stereotype" has a negative connotation, resembling discrimination. However, stereotypes play a great role in society. It is in human's nature to judge others by their looks, behavior, and abilities to be able to understand the world better. Through stereotyping, we know what's right and what's wrong. It is always important to confront those stereotypes and be who you truly are. Don't let others tell you what to do. Don't let others tell you who you are. Because only you can decide for yourself, what you want to do and who you want to be.

* Why 12.5%?? My paternal grandmother was 50% Vietnamese, making my father 25% Vietnamese, thus making me 12.5% Vietnamese!

*Hoser is a slang term primarily used by those imitating Canadians.

We Are the World

Although I am only one person out of 7.18 billion people, I believe that every individual has the ability to wield a great deal of power in society. Yes, even the band geek that nobody knows. Often, many people mistakenly regard power as brute force; however, power is the ability to act or produce an effect. Every day, I wake up. Change my clothes. Go downstairs. Eat my food. Brush my teeth. Walk outside. Go to school. Take a test. Take some notes. Stay awake. Take more notes. Go home. Do homework. Go to sleep. How do these actions contribute to an individual producing an effect, that is, wielding power? 

Every now and then, we ask ourselves, "What can we do to make a difference in the world?" Every little action has the possibility of resulting in a larger reaction. From volunteering to supervise the children's playing area to wishing your teacher a good day, you produce a positive effect for that individual or group of individuals. Nonetheless, you also have the ability to ruin a person's day by posting hateful comments or on a larger scale, refusing to allow a human race to enjoy equal protection and man's inalienable rights.

With great power comes great responsibility, as Huckleberry Finn finds out in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Initially, Huck Finn has little power and individualism; as he progresses throughout the novel, his ability to influence others and produce an effect escalates. For once, he has the power to decide for another individual, leading to his moral dilemma of changing Tom's life by either helping his friend Jim escape slavery or returning Miss Watson's "runaway nigger" (Twain 216) to his rightful place. 

On the contrary, the opposing view would believe that people have as much power as society gives to him/her, similar to the Declaration of Independence and how it affirms that the government has as much power as the people gives it. According to this viewpoint, community confines certain people to achieve great heights of power, whereas others wield little to no power. Tom Sawyer in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn shows his power as the leader of the robber gang as well as leader of the plan to steal Jim. Even though Huck carries the most responsibility for Jim, he obeys all of Tom's orders regardless of its absurdity. Some would say that Tom originally carries this power to control Huck as well as Tom's fate because of his heritage and upbringing as a respectable middle-class boy. However, one individual's actions cannot possibly be confined to society's demands. Huck could have dissented Tom's ridiculous plan, but he does not express his conflicting ideas or feelings with conviction, and he continues to submit to Tom's silly ideas. 

Every person is an individual with his/her own ideas and actions, which in then leads to an effect on other individuals. Whether an individual acts by thanking a stranger or sets a black slave free, he/she wields the power to create positive and negative effects. All individuals in this vast world have the capability to carry immense power for their every action.