Nothing Moves Me

There are many great people whose lives have inspired thousands. Their thoughts and ideas are profound and make people contemplate important things. Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates were three of the many but there are also great people who have inspired others using different methods than these three philosophers. The great people who we should acknowledge as philosophers are musicians.

The way people think in our society is often shaped by songs. Musicians can express their ideas in ways that will stay in people’s minds even if they don’t agree with them. After time, people will take the musicians ideas into more consideration and will start to formulate their own ideas from the lyrics or they will completely let their guard down and have the ideas become their own. People will even recite lyrics without knowing what they mean. The public can forget about the power that music has but Andrew Fletcher explained the power of music well when he said, “Let me write the songs of a nation - I don’t care who writes its laws.� This is the impact that music can have. It takes over our minds and if done right, the musician can get their ideas across to thousands of people. Certain songs will evoke certain emotions depending on the individual.

One of the greatest ways to have your ideas heard is through music. In an imaginary world, I would have an amazing voice and would be able to write poetry. I would use my talents to make people stop and think about my ideas about the way society should be, about politics, about religion, about life in general and about anything else that would have peoples’ minds begin to think about meaningful concepts. Even if I could just impact the life of one person, I would be content.

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Whenever I think of social issues, a lot of times, the problems seem to be unsolvable. If asked why I care to do something about things such as poverty, diseases, hunger and other problems if there seems to be no solution, I would answer: “because I love people and I love helping.� And even though I may not be able to solve the problems, I can at least say I did something. Everything that I do is based on the way I was brought up. Helping others is a reflection of the values that I was taught. Every now and then I still wonder why bad things happen in the world, and my answer for that is that there is a plan for everything.

Pictures that inspire me:
In winter flowers die but come back to life in the spring with help from the sun and rain. Like the flower, people can have rough times but with help they get better. Flowers remind me that people can get a fresh start with ↓help.

Everything that happens has a reason and there is someone there to help us through it all. ↑

Quotes that inspire me:
God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into a midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Psalm 46:1-3

Whether our task is fighting poverty, stemming the spread of disease or saving innocent lives from mass murder, we have seen that we cannot succeed without the leadership of the strong and the engagement of all.
-- Kofi Annan

We, who have so much, must do more to help those in need. And most of all, we must live simply, so that others may simply live.
-- Ed Begley, Jr.

Songs that Inspire me:
I Dare You to Move by Switchfoot, Trust In You by Jeremy camp, Spread Love by Bad Boy Bill, Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bob Marley, Where is the Love? By the Black eyed peas. Carnaval by Celia Cruz. (This song talks about how people should view life like a carnival. Even in tough situations, people can try to make the best out of them.)

Songs that make me want to help people:
Quien by the Kumbia Kings (Talks about poor children who do not have anyone to look up to and about poverty and what people can do to help.) Runaway Love- Ludacris and Mary J. Blige, Angelito by Don Omar (Tells of how a girl is about to die from AIDS)

Picutures:
Flower: http://www.serendipitychoir.com/Pictures/Unity_Modesto_Tulip_Tree_5.JPG
Cross: http://www.saintfranciscathedral.com/images/CrossatUnity4.jpg

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Homelessness is a big problem in the Twin Cities. Around Hennepin County there are about 3,000 homeless people. So how is homelessness going to be stopped? If people would stop being selfish, lazy, and irresponsible, perhaps this problem could be solved. People who are more fortunate and have the capability to help the homeless, should. But wait, what about those people who are homeless, don’t they also need to stop being lazy and irresponsible?

I am not saying that EVERY person who is homeless is lazy and irresponsible. Many of them are young children that can not help their unfortunate situation. Many are also women fleeing from abusive relationships. The people who are sincerely trying to fix their lives and become more responsible should all be helped. About 28 percent of homeless adults do have a job. Not all people are being irresponsible the truth is that many ended up on the streets because of drugs, alcohol addictions, lack of education, getting laid off and _________ (fill in the blank). According to the Star Tribune, “Nearly 40 percent of homeless people said they lost their housing because they couldn't afford rent. Mental health issues, chemical dependency, lack of education and incarceration were also cited.� In other countries homelessness occurs because of things such as wars, diseases, poorness, not enough education and various other reasons that are also prevalent in the Untied States, but the United States is not a third world country and I find it amazing that a country that has been so prosperous can still find people out on the streets. There are hundreds of jobs that people could have instead of begging on the streets. Their begging does not surprise me though. In Mexico, the government was trying to help the homeless by supplying jobs for them but the people rejected the jobs because they made more money begging on the streets.

So what can be done to stop homelessness? In order to prevent homelessness we first must get to the source of the problem. In order to really try to fix this problem people need to start getting educated from when they are little that having an education is important. Kids who are not taught from the beginning that drugs, too much alcohol, and laziness is WRONG will have a high possibility of ending up homeless or having other problems. But I suppose that telling anybody that they are wrong is a taboo in our society. They normally choose to blame it on something or somebody else. God forbid that it was really their fault…

If we build new shelters for people, eventually more are going to be needed. I’m not saying that we should leave people out in the cold but if shelters are to be built for the homeless then they should take part in helping maintain the shelters or showing that they are making an effort to get their lives straightened out. Along with building homes for people in need, let’s go back to that old fashioned way of thinking that people can be wrong. We need to stop passing the guilt to others. For homeless people I think we should feed them, clothe them, give them shelter, but not cripple them by giving them money or by supplying shelter without them making an effort to get a job, fix their lives, help the shelter by cooking, cleaning…etc. There is an old proverb that comes to mind when thinking of this situation: “Feed a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a life time.�

(Picture found at: http://mstabile.blogspot.com/2005/03/im-sure-that-this-homeless-man-whom-i.html)

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Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; but it can be transformed from one form of energy to another.

The environment of downtown Minneapolis successfully demonstrates the idea of energy, flow, and transformation through a city. People in the city are often in a rush to go anywhere. Either they will be rushing to catch a bus, to hurry to a job, to put quarters in a parking meter, or to do various other things. The energy in this environment is very fast paced and could even be described as edgy. People are not as friendly towards others as they might be in a suburban town. Though this may not be true in all cases, materialistic values seem to embody the people of the city. Energy of the people will give either positive or negative alterations of peoples moods. The energy of one person’s mood will flow to another and is then transformed to how the person decides to take it, and how they will continue the flow of energy to the next person. If one person is negative, anyone who they encounter will either chose to let the negative attitude impact them in a bad way, or they can chose to ignore it and be more positive that their day is not going as bad as the other persons. Either positive or negative, this energy is transmitted from one person to another and it forms a chain reaction. The environment of the city is a reflection of the people’s energy. People’s attitudes impact the energy that will later be transformed to create the environment of the city.

Transportation and the design of buildings and their placement throughout the city is one of the outcomes the transformation of people’s energy has. The people’s lives in the city require fast and efficient ways of doing things to help them with their daily routines. Busy schedules cause buildings and transportation to be designed to fit the needs of the people. Buses can take a person to their destination quickly and inexpensively. Taxis wait on every street. On the corner of Nicollet and 9th Street there are two Starbucks opposite of each other so people will not have to cross the street to get caffeine or a muffin. Target Corporation is located one block away from a Target store. Instead of an employee having to stroll down the side walk and cross the street, a skyway (one of many) is conveniently placed connecting the buildings together. If the employee is in a rush to eat before returning from one building to the other they can get take out at the Quiznos between Target Corporation and Target in the skyway. They could even stop to get cash on the way there at the TCF Bank. The energy of the people’s attitudes is also transformed into how buildings are designed. Tall buildings with straight lines and edges are prominent. The Minneapolis Library is an example of how the edginess of the people is transformed into a building. The lines are sharp, as well as the cantilever that emerges from the building.

Downtown Minneapolis has a culture of its own. Energy is not lost but flows from one person to the next and is transformed into the way transportation and buildings are designed. The edginess of people’s energy is transformed into the way buildings are designed. Their busy lives dictate the environment of the city.

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