Acceptance

When this video started, I instantly thought that I have already watched it but I was wrong. I am a person who particularly enjoys watching this kind of videos so, that might be the reason why I felt as if I have already watched it. When I make reference to “this kind of videos”, I mean videos that make people reflect upon issues that are so common than end up being unnoticed or overlooked.

How many times do we pay attention to the physical appearances of people?  I would dare to say that it is an everyday situation.  The first thing that we get to know from a person is the way in which he/she looks like. From that image that we first meet, our mind starts making a thousands of deductions about how that person might be. In other words, we tend to judge from what we see plus ideas that we have about that “kind” of people we see. But now, how many times has happened to us that that “first impression” wasn’t that accurate as it seemed it was? Sometimes, images don’t say anything. The fact that you wear glasses doesn’t necessary mean that you are a “nerdy” as well as being plump is not an equivalent of being a person with eating disorders...

The unnoticed or overlooked issue here is the way in which the social behaviour of judging by appearances exerts a powerful impact upon the way in which individuals look at themselves. In the video: “Comfortable” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0tEcxLDDd4, 50 peoples were summoned to carry out a project. That project consisted on asking them which part of their bodies they would like to change and all the adults could easily answer it and all the answers were related to social conceptions of beauty for example: Small ears, round eyes or being tall. Besides, some of them were related to aggressions that they have received such as being called “Dumbo”.

When the turn of the children arrived, the answers were completely different. They found the question difficult to answer and the answers where far from the expected: “Having like a shark-mouth”, “extra pointed ears”, “wings like birds”. All of them loved their bodies and only wanted to have extra abilities like flying like a bird or running like a cheetah. Isn’t it that cute?

We should take advantage of that innocence that children have and teach them to love and respect themselves just the way they are so as to encourage them to do the same in front of others. They are the ones who can make the difference and build a better world. A world in which heights, sizes and colours weren’t important because “acceptance” would be the common issue and “prejudice” the overlooked one.

       Thanks, Andy

Mens sana in corpore sano

The first time I read this, the Latin aphorism “Mens sana in corpore sano” came to my mind. This aphorism is usually translated as "A sound mind in a sound body" in English and as "Mente sana en cuerpo sano" in Spanish.

This aphorism appears in “Satire X”, a poem in which desirable things in life are listed. This poem was written by the Roman poet Juvenal in the late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD. Besides, it is part of the well known collection of sixteen satirical poems divided among five books, “The Satires”.

Here is the English translation of the poem:

You should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body. Ask for a stout heart that has no fear of death, and deems length of days the least of Nature's gifts that can endure any kind of toil, that knows neither wrath nor desire and thinks the woes and hard labours of Hercules better than the loves and banquets and downy cushions of Sardanapalus. What I commend to you, you can give to yourself; For assuredly, the only road to a life of peace is virtue.

It can be construed to mean that only a healthy body can produce or sustain a healthy mind. It can also be said that a physical and mental health are the root of our welfare. In my case, I not only share those ideas but also hold the idea that our body has such a perfect mechanism than every single piece of it is connected to one another. When I mention pieces I am not only making reference to organs but also feelings and spiritual states.

The existence of a soul is something I don’t mistrust, in fact, I think that it is the one that exerts the most powerful influence over the most important hints of our personality.  Personality that guides the way in which we cope with every situation from life... Situation that always entails a sum of emotional reactions... Emotional reactions that end up affecting our organs.

It is our responsibility to take care of our health. We are the ones in charge of keeping our soul white and in peace by the way in which we behave; we are the only ones that can control every reaction and apply different strategies that can help us to be at ease despite the toughness of the situation we have to face and in that way, prevent our body from undergoing stress, diabetes, pressure problems, cancer and an endless etcetera.   

Let’s pay attention to the ways in which we act and react. Let’s place our welfare at the top of the list of our priorities. By doing so, everything will get better... Welfare is a condition that has to be constructed and that construction needs to be balanced and systematic.

Feeling well and being healthy is up to us and ends up being a lifestyle.

Thanks, Andy 

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mens_sana_in_corpore_sano

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satires_(Juvenal)#Satire_X:_Wrong_Desire_is_the_Source_of_Suffering 

"Cosas que me DEBERÍAN avergonzar..."

Have you ever thought what to be ashamed means? It means to feel shame, right? And, what is shame? Well, it is generally defined as a feeling that is unpleasant... It is said that we usually experience that kind of unpleasant feeling whenever we do or experience something wrong or dishonest, right? But now, who defines what is wrong or dishonest? Do we individually define situations or behaviours as being embarrassing or do we do it as a society? 

In my humble opinion, I think that this is another social construction. In other words, as we have seen in some subjects of our Teacher Training Course, it is a product of human choices rather than laws. These constructions determine most of the ways in which individuals and groups participate inside the social life. The reason why this happens is that we tend to act on the interpretations and knowledge of several constructions. So, taking this into account, we can say that we may feel ashamed of different things depending on our social context.

Now, this makes me think in dynamism or change, doesn’t it happen to you as well? However, we should take into account that these constructions not only change in accordance with the social context - as I said above - but also in accordance with generations. Hence, we may say that these constructions are part of ongoing processes. Thus, for example, if you got a 4 in an exam in 1999, your parents would have felt ashamed of you and you would have felt in the same way. But, if you get a 4 in an exam nowadays, it is most likely that your parents feel ashamed of your teacher and even blame her for giving you a 4 rather than feeling ashamed of you... Another example I can give you, but now related to cultures, is the way in which a successful woman is seen in different contexts. It is not the same a successful woman in Argentina than in Pakistan. It is most likely to find a man in Argentina feeling proud of a successful woman than in Pakistan. The latter country is a chauvinist one so, most men there would feel ashamed of a successful woman and even reject her.   

When I first bumped into this image I read it and instantly thought about social constructions but then I started thinking about personalities and wondering whether they are related to these social constructions or not. After some minutes of deep thinking I came to the conclusion that they are related to them but they may not coincide... By saying this, I am also stating that I still believe in individuality inside society, something that I find great! After that I tried to imagine the kind of woman that would say that: “...Así que busqué a mi sinvergüenza interna. Y le costó salir un poco, le daba vergüenza. Pero acabó sacándome a bailar, haciéndome dúo al cantar, saliendo conmigo a la calle con la cara sin lavar, animándome a hablar, a ignorer cosas que me deberían avergonzar...” 

And, the woman that appeared in my mind lived in a very oppressive and chauvinist society... She was a very introverted woman who knew very well how to be invisible and in that way, accepted. She knew how to adjust to her society but that didn’t mean that she accepted it. She knew how a woman was supposed to dance, very elegant and quiet, always letting the man be in charge of her movements. She knew how important make-up was; she was supposed to look fantastic all day long no matter her feelings or moods... She knew that a woman was a beautiful decoration or gift which looked better if in silence... But she was actually pretending that she knew it until one day she gave up pretending and decided to free herself up!!! This woman started to be proud of being a woman, not ashamed. Proud of dancing as she wanted, looking as she pleased and speaking her beautiful mind!

I strongly believe that we shouldn’t be ashamed of anything unless that thing hurts somebody; that would be the only exception... But, we just have to feel as free as possible and enjoy it.

Thanks for reading me

Andy

En tan sólo un segundo...

This has not only been a very unusual week but also, tiredness has invaded my entire body (and mind). Writing has turned into a very difficult task for me... It is very difficult to be sitting here, in front of the screen today. This time, I am not willing to do this, I just have to do it...

Today, Sunday 19th is Mother’s Day in our country and it won’t be a very happy day for some children we (me, my family, and people from the place where I study) are close to.

I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Vanina, my classmates’ beloved friend... But, I am sure about the fact that was a great mother... And my heart breaks in a thousand pieces whenever I think about her children, above all, during this special date. What’s more, one of the women that I love the most has suffered a very dreadful accident... This woman is my godmother, Roxana, the strongest woman that I’ve ever known.

This woman has fought against cancer and she has won; this woman knows how to work; study; raise her children; take care of her husband and be present in every single moment of her beloved ones... Yes, everything at the same time. This woman never stops laughing and making people laugh.

This woman is now in intensive care in the hospital of San Luis, our province, and no one is able to tell us whether she is going to improve or not. This woman used to be very active and used to have energy in excess. But now, this woman has multiple fractures in her legs... Yes, this woman that loves doing sports, dancing, running, climbing mountains and is in love with life... Is now lying on a bed inside a hospital.

On Wednesday, October 15th she finished her workday (well, she is a teacher and as you all may know, we never stop working once we are outside the classroom...), she was opening the door of her car when suddenly a truck run over her.  The driver was a very old man that says that he didn’t see her... he was driving so fast that he not only run over my godmother but also the door of her car... A man that was walking near the accident saw everything and picked up my godmother’s phone from the street and called her husband.

Once she was in the hospital, she underwent a surgery to put all the bones of her leg in a position as similar as the “normal” one... She has different breakages in her legs... From her hips to her feet...

I haven’t been able to see her yet, only her husband and children are allowed to see her. I have gone to the hospital and being some meters away from her is better than nothing... However, I am eagerly looking forward to hugging her very very tight! And kissing her everywhere!

This woman has fought against cancer and has won. She has to win again!!!

Besides, these situations have made me think on the power of time or I don’t know what!!! But, in just a couple of seconds, your life can change in an impressive way... And after those seconds it is when we start appreciating simple things of life like kissing, hugging, laughing... Those are the seconds that make us think about the way in which we live life. In my case 90% of my days I am inside my bedroom drinking coffee, working and studying. What a pity! 

Fortunately I am just 21 years old and I am willing to change that. At least I am trying...

Andy 

  

"ARREGLO MÁQUINAS DE COSER A DOMICILIO"

          A couple of days ago, I saw an old man in front of my house wearing a kind of construction vest. It was orange and had a white square in its back portraying the black and big message of: “ARREGLO MÁQUINAS DE COSER A DOMICILIO” (On-site sewing machines’ repairs). Unfortunately, Argentinean people in general, or at least most of Argentineans that I know, are not used to seeing people offering work, less likely, in a way that is unusual for our century.

I imagine that offering work and also asking for work used to be something very noble, decent and absolutely current a couple of years ago; I imagine people actually working all day long to bring the bacon home... I also imagine people having the skills to do different things that are useful for everyday life, more precisely, people holding the knowledge of installing and repairing pipes; people skilled in woodwork, people repairing machinery, people owning shops, and a long etcetera that makes me think in the different abilities that people used to live on... Something that is not that common nowadays...

Nowadays, we are living in a century that is characterized by a drastic change in society. There is a wide part of society that does not want to work and wants the government to pay them just because. And as you may imagine, having thing repaired is the last thing they may think about... There is also a wide part of society that does work but, generally work in schools, companies, hospitals, banks, etc. They generally have neither the will nor the knowledge to properly work with simple things like water losses, gas losses, electricity grids or even machines like sewing machines, irons or stoves. Those simple things tend to cause several problems to people but they prefer to buy new ones because it is just a tiny minority the one who is willing to work with those things in an honest and decent way. A bad panorama to our old man, isn’t it?

     The first thing I felt when I saw him walking by the street was admiration but then I instantly felt pity. How many of us have sewing machines? And, how many of us take time to have things repaired? Most of us just hire tailors to mend our clothes and buy new things instead of having the old ones repaired... On the other hand, it is true to say that whenever people actually want to have their things repaired, it turns into a difficult task to find skilled and willing people. Finding tailors, plumbers, carpenters, etc. is not easy and, whenever people find them, they generally lack the will of working properly. That is why I have this ambiguous feeling towards this man. I really admire him because of his willingness and predisposition shown just by his decision of walking all around the neighbourhood wearing the orange vest – the one I described at the very beginning of this entry-. However, I pity him because I deeply think that society has changed a lot. Nowadays we don’t have time for anything, including having things repaired and we tend not to trust so easily in people since most of them have cheated on us or we tend to label them as being absolutely lazy.    

   

    So, how should we act? Who is to blame? What is wrong with society? Why so many changes? Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer... I have been with this questions going around my head the whole week... And as if these thoughts weren’t enough, my uneasiness was magnified when Ailín showed my an article about an obese woman from Wigan, UK who lives on benefits and asks the government to give her more money because with the money the government gives her, she can only afford junk food. Eating only junk food has made her a 25 stone woman and this overweight is entailing different health problems... hence, she is asking the government to give her even more money to eat healthier and go to the gym. But that is not the only thing she is asking, she wants the government to give her money per each pound she lose... Can you believe it??? Who would you blame? This woman, the government or both? And what about her children? I didn’t tell you but she is a mother of two children, a boy and a girl. What are they going to learn?

     Here I leave you some articles about this woman, Christina Briggs just in case you want to read more...

http://www.doyoueven.com/2014/09/its-not-easy-being-overweight-obese-mother-on-government-benefits-demands-more-money-to-help-her-diet/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2768442/It-s-not-easy-overweight-benefits-says-25-stone-mother-two-wants-MORE-money-government-help-diet.html#ixzz3EPLyvREY

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2770704/You-CAN-lose-weight-budget-How-fit-eat-healthily-without-spending-fortune.html

Before leaving you I want you to keep thinking about this...  Why is it that most people don’t want to work? Why is it that we get amazed whenever we see someone offering his/her work?  

Thanks for reading me, have a nice long weekend! Enjoy! Don’t let responsibilities overwhelm you! But try to reflect upon this, upon our society and upon the conception of working and earning an income.

 Andy

HISTORIAS DE AMOR

I know that a couple of hours before I uploaded the previous post but well, that happens when hours are not enough... I apologize...

This time, I want to share with you a lovely video that my friend and our classmate Ailín shared with me while we were attending a Congress in Mendoza at the beginning of this year.

This video starts by saying: “Everybody wants to be loved. Everybody wants to be in love. But, do they believe they’ll find love? It’s funny, but what the world really loves is a love story…”

And yes, this author is right. We are fond of love stories! We love happy endings and impossible loves becoming possible...

I am a person who particularly enjoys reading and watching every love story that fills us with hope and makes us keep believing in the existence of real love.

Nowadays the idea of being in a relationship or loving somebody has been devaluated. Relationships tend to be short, without real compromise and people say “I love you” as many times as they say “hello”...

I invite you to keep watching videos and/or movies, reading books and/or articles about passionate and long-lasting relationships... I invite you to admire old couples that daily choose to walk together the path of life... I invite you to fall in love with someone and love him/her tenderly...

Never stop believing neither in love nor in good and honest people.

Never stop enjoying simple things like loving and being loved.

Have a great weekend!

Andy

Like a girl

Sorry for posting this entry late but I have been without internet connection almost the entire last week and with a huge “Things to Do” list upon me!

We are all women in our class that is why I thought that this video would help us to love and respect us in a more passionate way.

What impresses me the most from this video is the power that society has over language and image... As regards language and image, I consider that they are extremely connected because, the relationship between both entails meaning.

It is interesting how such a simple phrase like the one mentioned along this video can end up being just a phrase or an insult. Besides, the fact that these expressions create conceptions about different issues is even more incredible.

When did “like a girl” become an insult? Why do we say to a boy “don’t cry! Act like a boy!” or “you are making a big issue out of this, just like girls do...”? Our world is full of social conceptions built through time... “Boys don’t cry” and “girls are weak”, isn’t it like that?

Being a girl places us in an inferior position... We, girls, are superficial, we are emotionally-driven, we are weak... We are not good at sports and are generally interested on physical appearances, getting married or some other “silly girly stuffs”...

Why do we still make distinctions between genres? Why does our sex allow us to do some things and not some others? Who says that? And why, whenever we are given the opportunity to do the same things, we do it differently, even “weakerly” (this word doesn’t exist but it makes sense, does it?)

This video makes me think about the huge amount of women that have historically fought for our current social position and those who are still doing it.

We have been historically given a secondary position in life, even Eve comes after Adam in the bible! We have to fight against that secondary position and honour those strong women that fought for equality and went against the “common pattern” of life!

Let’s be proud of being women and let’s be proud of “living like girls”, “fighting like girls” and “winning like girls”!

Have a great weekend my dear women teachers-to-be!  

 

Andy

"Una persona tan despreciable"

I am sure that most of you were struck by a harsh feeling while watching this short video… “A despicable person” What a horrible expression, isn’t it? 

According to the WordReference Dictionary, despicable means: “deserving to be despised” and “worthy of being despised”. If you think about these definitions, two questions might cross your mind: Who are the ones in charge of classifying someone as being despicable? and, which are the parameters to tell whether someone is despicable or not?

From my point of view, nobody has that kind of power... We are the ones who directly attribute to ourselves that power and even choose the parameters to work out the “election of our victims”. We can despise a person for several reasons: Religion, culture, social class, music they listen to, or like in the video, their skin, among others.

This behaviour may be just a natural part of our human essence; it may be something we just do without taking into account correctness... Or, it may also be something we have been creating while evolving into a society, a power-hungry society focused on the existence of the superior race. 

We don’t know the answer but the thing is that this behaviour - let’s call it being a racist - has cost us a wide amount of lives, has made us experience misery, grudge, separations and even wars.

We don’t know which the starting point of racism was but we do have to stop with it! Racism is one of the large numbers of characteristics that make us doubt about our evolution... 

There is no worth for racism to exist and keep destroying our community.

The change starts on us, let's not be despisers, let’s be accepters.

Andy

Being a teacher

 If you google the name of the author of this quote, Forest E. Witcraft, you will realize that little is known about his life. But, if you google his quote you will find it in several web pages used by a wide amount of authors in different contexts. This is so because nothing can detract from the fact that these are rousing words.

In Argentina, in September 11th teacher’s day is celebrated. This date has been chosen in memorial of the death of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, our 7th President to whom we thank his strong concern over education.

Still, I am not going to make a historical display here as well as I am not going to make any biographical description. I am going to write about teachers as a group of people in charge of forming other people to do well in life. It doesn’t seem an easy task, does it? Let me clarify something before going on; September 11th is the date in which primary teachers celebrate and September 17th is the date in which secondary teachers celebrate in our country. However, this year, both dates have been joined and it has even been declared a national holiday.

Being a teacher in my country doesn’t entail a huge monetary reward, salaries are low, materials are not enough or are in poor conditions, and sometimes the buildings are deplorable. If you are a primary teacher, you have to work with at least 60 students per day in a full time job in two different schools and, of course, with different groups of students with their particular characteristics. If you are a secondary teacher, you have to work in several institutions with different groups of students in different social contexts, with different needs and realities. You may be asking yourselves why... A decent life, yes, that is the answer.

Argentinean Educational System is full of irregularities and the one I previously mentioned is the one I disregard the most and that isn’t only because of monetary conditions, that isn’t even the most important reason... It is because of despersonification. Individuality is lost and our duty becomes mechanical...

Nevertheless, even if we consider every single negative aspect of our work, nothing can be compared with the most suitable reward for us: Appreciation, growth and happiness. If there is only one student whose development we can witness or whose love we can experience, that will be enough.

We don’t have to give the system the chance of blowing us down. It is our duty to change our students’ view of the world with tiny things such as acting as models for them, making them reflect on different aspects of life or just making comments about different issues. We should listen to them, make them laugh and enjoy being at school. They should feel comfortable inside the classroom and be proud of their learning process. We need to be an important part of their life, as Witcraft says.

We have to learn from our personal experiences as students and as teachers and give our best every day. Our main objectives have to be our students – children, teenagers, adults- and their welfare... Other aspects are secondary in this interaction student-teacher, interaction that needs to be carried out with love and devotion.

Andy    

Aprende a quererte y respetarte, porque tendrás que vivir contigo toda la vida.

I cannot help but smile while observing this simple but meaningful image.

I don’t know either who the author is or the main objective of its creation which makes me feel absolutely attracted to it.

I could do a research about this image on Google and I might find something interesting related to it but that would only limit my imagination. I love being still able to close my eyes, smell sweet perfume or just look at a vivid photo album  to recall almost every hidden detail Immersed in my mind. My mind is generally a welcoming and warm place to stay in so I frequently take imaginary trips to it.

This particular trip begins when I bump into this image and I not only discern the shape of a real woman hugging an imaginary one but the shape of a real woman hugging her real self. You may be asking yourselves what I mean with REAL... And what I mean is imperfect, yes, perfectly imperfect. This image portrays acceptance, respect and love. As I stated in the title (quote whose author I don’t know) of my post, we will be living with us forever and ever and there is no divorce or way of cancelling the contract. This comes with us from the moment we are conceived and we have to assert with this fact, to accept ourselves, respect and love us.

“If you don’t love yourself, you won’t be able to love someone else”, that is one of my basic precepts in life. Every single and tiny aspect of our everyday life starts on us; everything depends on how we face things and how we go through them... We have to work inside ourselves to cope with the outside world; we have to keep the balance between our mind, body and soul... We are the ones that have the obligation of making us happy and choose the people we want to walk the path of life with. We have to learn from our mistakes and try to repeat our successful actions. Forgiveness should be a must and welfare should be our main objective.

I invite you to change the perspective though which you see your life! Try to magnify your cheers not your sorrows! Try to pay more attention to what you have rather than to what you are missing. MAKE YOURSELF HAPPY! Accept yourself, respect yourself and love yourself!

PS: I hope this image makes you think about the role you play in your own life. Which is the position you have in your top ten priorities' list? Value yourself, take care of your mind, soul and body.

Have a lovely half of the week!

Andy