I Am Poem

I am a hopeful enthusiast
I wonder why the sky is blue
I hear bells ring when I am joyful
I see hope in all my dreams
I want to be happy all the time
I am a hopeful enthusiast
I pretend that this is the last day of life
I feel exuberant when I'm near my dreams
I touch the earth to know it's real
I worry the sky isn't really blue
I cry in movies all the time
I am a hopeful enthusiast
I understand that things happen for a reason
I say you should never give up
I dream of having my own cloud
I try my hardest in everything I do
I hope my work will pay off someday
I am a hopeful enthusiast

The Best Christmas Gift!

    Yes I love the new cell phone, clothes and all of the other amazing gifts but nothing could ever live up to this one gift! It's not the youngest thing and I haven't seen it in two whole years! It doesn't cost any money and yet it is really valuable and important to me! It makes me smile and I'm grateful for it every second even if it starts to annoy me! Do you have any guesses? Well I'll tell you it's my big brother Michael!
     My brother just got back from his two year mission right before Christmas and honestly I can say it is the best Christmas present I will ever get! I was so excited to have him home and was completely ready to not be an only child anymore. :) When we went to pick him up it seemed like the airport was thousands of miles away and that Michael would never get off the plane. The six minutes that slowly went to five which slowly went to four (etc.) seemed like years! I've never been so anxious for anything in my whole life! But, when he came down the escalator it was worth the wait.
     I loved hearing my mom scream Michael and trying to video tape while she was running around, crying, and also trying to hug him all at the same time! Let's just say the video didn't turn out to be much of Michael but more of the airport walls and chairs! :) I loved that day so much I just wish I could relive it over and over and over again!
     I was so happy and wanted to spend so much time with Michael I never wanted the Christmas Break to end! Being able to have Michael home for Christmas was the most amazing present I could have ever gotten! And also I think that this is probably the most amazing Christmas yet! Michael really was the best Christmas gift!

Empathy

    
     I think that everyone in the community lacks empathy because they can't feel anything. I would hate for someone to listen and help me through something and claim they have empathy for me having no idea what it feels like or even what a feeling is. I keep wondering do they actually think that they know what people are going through? Do they really think that they have empathy for each other?
     Empathy is something that is so important in the utopia/community because every night at evening meal they share their feelings and how they felt throughout the day, and then the families are supposed to help, comfort, and support them. But, really they can't comfort and support them at all!
     Is it possible to comfort and have empathy for someone who hasn't even felt that or know what is going on? Well, I'll answer my own question, no! I think that comforting doesn't necessarily use empathy, comforting is just trying to make someone feel better. I think that the people in the community were trying their best at trying to help and support others but still they don't know how any of it really feels! I think that with this "tradition" that they use they are definitely "trying" to use empathy. But, they aren't doing the best job at it.
     But, Jonas I think definitely starts to have empathy for others because of all the memories and feelings he's received. Jonas can actually understand things and comfort someone knowing what's actually going on, even if they might not know or understand. But that also brings me to another question; if Jonas knows no one else can have empathy why would he bother to do it and strive to help others knowing no one would truly understand it?
     I think having empathy is what mostly makes Jonas who he is. I think if he didn't become the Receiver he never would have fully understood and because of the feelings and memories he was given he could understand, and I think that was something he was really grateful for as the Receiver. Even though I think some memories are tough and may be hard to relive its easier knowing that someone else could have gone through the same thing and knowing that you can help them and yet also be understood and benefit yourself at the same time really can make it worth while. But maybe that's just me who thought that. :)