December Blog- Post Traumatic Stress

War is a big issue when it comes to society and history. There have been treacherous wars in the past; and today's society tries to learn from human's past mistakes and tries to prevent more treacherous wars from happening. There is a reason why wars desperately want to be avoided; there is more than just destruction and human loss that comes along with war. War tears the world apart; it breaks up countries, continents, families, and friends. War destroys homes, communities, cities, and populations. One of the saddest parts about war isn't the actual war, but it's what the wars do to the soldiers. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is something that most  soldiers have to deal with for the rest of their lives after they defend their country in battle. PTSD can cause veterans to become stressed, anxious, feel emotionally cut off from everyone else, have trouble concentrating, and have trouble getting along with family and friends. PSTD and having trouble coping with life after war relates to Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Billy Pilgrim experiences PTSD in a severe way; he imagines he was abducted by aliens (Tralfamadorians) and is very unstable emotionally. Billy Pilgrim can not even be a normal human being after the war, and his daughter has to keep him under close eye.
PTSD is a very real problem for many veterans and families in society today. An example of a veteran with severe PTSD is Roy R. who was a 19 year old soldier in the Vietnam war. He got through the war with rockets regularly coming down on him and the rest of the soldiers and constantly being under fire. After the war, Roy spent the years after doing many different jobs. He eventually became a successful broadcast journalist, until his PSTD began. The XTRA-TV at the broadcast station overwhelmed him and brought flashbacks of the war. He then became agoraphobic; he stayed inside with his blinds shut, he began to drink a lot, and he avoided people at all costs. Roy's doctor saved his life with medication and therapy. Roy's story is just one out of thousands and thousands of people who deal with PTSD.
I believe that both war and PTSD are horrible things to experience, and I can't imagine what going through both of them is like. Soldiers should be treated with so much respect just for defending their country, and after wars they should be helped tremendously dealing with post traumatic stress.

The Ideas of Cultural Relativity

We all live on a big world, with many different kinds of people and cultures. Even though we are all humans, it does not mean that we must follow the same beliefs or live the same way. There are thousands of different cultures that are present in the world today; and there is nothing wrong with believing in your culture, no matter what it is. Even though some cultures seem crazy, immoral, or unjust, it is okay. Every culture has a different moral code; what one group of people thinks is right and completely okay is strongly immoral to another group of people. It is not a person's right to say that someone else's culture is not acceptable; because to that person their culture is acceptable. It is naive of people to believe that their culture and beliefs are shared by everyone else in the world. It is even more naive to think that your culture is more right than any other culture in the world.
In the novel, Things Fall Apart, there is a clash between cultures. The African people followed their culture for a very long time and they never saw a problem with it. Their culture involved believing in several Gods and demons and many other different things. Then, the white Christians came to Africa and tried to convert the Africans to their faith and culture. The Christians built churches and persuaded the African people to join their culture and the church. They told the Africans that their culture was wrong, and they told them that there was only one God. They also told them that the Gods they believed in were fake. Some of the Africans fought back saying that the Christians beliefs and cultures were wrong, and what they believed in was false. Neither of these groups would budge on their cultures because they were right and just in their eyes. In reality, this is how it should be. There should not be prejudice, wars, or and harm done because of people believing in different cultures and beliefs. The Christians had no right to come into the African's land and discriminate against them and tell them that their cultures were incorrect. I believe that as long as cultures are not harming one another, they should be able to believe and do what they want to do because it is right to them. People have no right telling other cultures that their beliefs are wrong. Different societies have different moral codes and it should be left at that.
A world event that relates to this discussion on cultures and believing in superiority when it comes to cultures is Hitler, the Nazis, and World War II. Hitler and the Nazis hated Jewish people because of their cultures and beliefs. In result of the Jewish people having a different culture, Hitler decided he wanted to kill them all. Hitler wanted to hunt down all Jews and make sure they would die because of their culture. The rest of the world went to war, hoping to save the Jews and their culture. It was horrible want happened, and it just shows how cultures are so different. However, it does not mean that we can hate or discriminate other cultures because they do not believe what we do.

Good vs. Evil

Good versus evil has been a reoccurring theme in stories for centuries. Even in the earliest times, stories were being told about a feud or rivalry between good and evil. The "good" character is usually the hero, the person who conquers the evil and saves the day. The "evil" character is the person who causes trouble and mayhem in the world. The evil character goes against the good character to try to continue their mayhem. 
This good versus evil theme occurs in the epic Beowulf. Beowulf, the "good" character is the hero of the poem. Beowulf is brave, strong, loyal, courageous, and he saves others from terrible monsters several times. Grendel is one of those "evil" characters. Grendel is described as a "fiend from hell", he is a horrible monster who takes enjoyment in devouring people and devouring as many people as he can. Beowulf comes to the rescue to save the Danes. Beowulf, with his God-like strength kills Grendel with his bare hands. Throughout the epic, Beowulf kills two other evils; he defeats Grendel's mother and a dragon. Beowulf is the good; the hero that conquers the evil and saves the day several times. Grendel and the other villainous creatures are the evil; the characters that go against the good and try to continue their mayhem. 
This good versus evil theme is not just something that occurs in stories, it is evident in everyday life. People in the world are constantly fighting the evil. For example, police officers protect society from local criminals. Soldiers protect out country from outside threats, they sacrifice their own lives so that we can live in peace. There are people who stand up for what is right; they want to get women more rights, they want to get minority's more rights, or they just want to see justice in this society. These people are the "good" in our world today, and these people protect the world from evil. These people are the real life heroes, and they fight the real life evils. 
I believe that this theme is one of the most important themes there is, in both stories and real life. Almost every story written or every movie made has the good versus evil theme. People want to read about or watch heroes save the day. Same goes for real life, everyone loves a hero and people love to praise the heroes of our world.