There was a question on Jeopardy tonight pertaining to ISABELLA BIRD!!!! And I knew the answer!!!! :)

Kind of going off of what "noimpactman" said....
After I read his blog, the things that really stuck out to me where:
-"All of us have our own ways to help"
-"We cant leave it to the politicians or the designers or the Occupiers or the activists.It's up to each of us"
-"The question is not whether each of us in the type of person who can make a difference. The question is whether we are the type of people who want to try to make a difference".
I felt like i related to his post a lot because he emphasized that you don't have to do something drastic, or crazy but you do need to do something and that something is up to me and you. I personally, will not make a huge impact like Rachel Carson and save the world from a chemical like DDT. And I wont become an advocate  for forest/wildlife conservation like John Muir or Teddy Roosevelt and have national parks named after me. But I think I can do something. I am not totally sure of exactly what...but something
I feel like something I can do his help with improving the quality of people's life. The only things i really am doing at this point in my life is, school, work, and karate. I work at a nursing home and i believe that that is a place where I could make a difference. Not necessarily going to help the environment in anyway but it is still helping people which i think is important. When i work i try to go a little farther than i am expected to, i try not to only take care of the residents physically but also mentally. Everyone is in such a hurry and i feel like a lot of the residents just need someone to sit down and listen to them, talk to them, and really care... At karate i don't really think there is much of a difference that i can make other than to encourage the people around me and to work hard. At school, mhmm- the only thing i can think of is to recycle paper and to print on both sides. I know it wont make that much of a difference but a difference is still a difference no matter what the size i suppose.
so...How shall you live?
Shannon Miller

How Shall We Live... unfortunately, I do not think a lot of people think about this qustion.

I was talking to a friend the other day and she asked me if my parents taught me to respect my elders. Of course I said yes...I think most of our parents taught us that right? Well, my friend told me that she was in a public place a couple days ago and she was sitting down and an older woman came and stood beside her, not even having to think twice about it, my friend got up from her seat and told the older woman to have a seat. A younger boy saw what happened and came up to my friend and asked her why she let that woman take her seat. She said because it was just the right thing to do. Unfortunately, I do not think parents are teaching their children to respect their elders anymore.

So, how shall we live? I agree with a line from Jon Krakauer's Into The Wild, "the only certain happiness in life is to live for others..." Of course people should make themselves happy as well, but in my opinion, others happiness comes first.

By Kerah Umbel

Getting a few hits, finally!!!  Keep 'em coming!!!