Most problems have a solution. And all solutions are possible. In Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture, he attempts to fulfil his childhood dreams of floating. Through Pausch’s experiences trying to get on NASA’s “Vomit Comet”, he learns a valuable lesson that he choses to include in his last lecture.…
Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck, the co-founders of the Innocence Project, which works to exonerate those who were wrongly convicted and fights for equality in the criminal justice system, are a social entrepreneurial unit I identify with. Following the release of a study establishing that 70% of wrongful convictions were the results of incorrect eyewitness reports, Neufeld and Scheck took it upon themselves to help the lives of those falsely identified and imprisoned, who were too poor or oppressed by the bias of the justice system to unbury themselves from their judicial graves. I find this especially important because those who are already oppressed in our society are silenced further with a system that is supposed to protect and give justice…
To his younger sister, Rachel Gentz, Joel Gentz was a nerd in high school. He was a member of the marching band, and more specifically the drum line. He was obsessed with all things related to flight and dreamed of being an astronaut. Joel was also an outdoors-man; enjoying hiking and backpacking with his family and as a Boy Scout. Joel graduated high school in 2002 and with events of 9/11 fresh in his mind, decided he wanted to enlist. His parents convinced him to go to college first and potentially become a military officer. Joel went on to attend Purdue University with an Air Force ROTC scholarship in hopes of becoming a pilot. Joel was the Cadet Wing Commander at Purdue. He was honored four years running with the Warrior Spirit award, elected by his ROTC class. He was also a member of the Arnold Air Society. He graduated in 2007 with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and was accepted to the U.S. Air Force’s pilot training. However, Joel had been exposed to the difficult training of the USAF Pararescue and had a new dream. Joel turned down his chance to fly to become a Combat Rescue Officer, and take on…
About 23.5 million Americans are addicted to alcohol and drugs. That's approximately one in every 10 Americans over the age of 12. In the book "The Other Wes Moore" by Wes Moore, Wes Moore writes about this life growing up without a father and moving around. Wes Moore also talks about how there was another person that has the exact same name as him and how scary it would of been if they ended up getting each others lives. In the book, The "Other Wes Moore" by Wes Moore, the author explores the ideas of family guilt and education to develop the theme The people one surround himself/herself with will have an effect on his/her…
An analysis of Robert Schwartz “Autonomy, Futility, and the Limits of Medicine” reveals that physicians are not required to give patients treatment that has been proven to be effective, and they are not morally obligated to provide treatment that is not in-line with practice of medicine. Schwartz explains although our autonomy is respected, there are limitations on our request.…
“A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him. I think he will not be a danger to others.” From the moment that judge Persky considered any factor about Turner's personal life when sentencing him other than the fact that he he was found guilty of three felonies he neglected his sworn oath. The oath states, I Aaron Persky do solemnly swear that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.” The felonies Turner was found guilty of included assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated person, sexually penetrating…
It’s in our sick and dying bed that we are sadly given no other task but to evaluate all our years of living. The body no longer full of vigor nor fight, the heart heavy form sorrows past; the footsteps of death nocking at the door serve as an earnest call to evaluate and make peace with all we did in life. Suddenly, its time to review the many chronicles that compose our life story. As I look back on my life I am overwhelmed with grief. I grieve not for missed opportunities, God knows I seized every opportune moment. I grieve for the misjudgment of my ambitious endeavors, which will be forever erroneously highlighted and remain an eternal blemish upon my legacy.…
“Tuesdays with Morrie”, written by Mitch Albom is a story of the love between a man and his college professor, Morrie Schwartz. This true story captures the compassion and wisdom of a man who only knew good and thought good in his heart. A man who lived his life to the fullest up until the very last breath of his happily fulfilled life. It is a story of a special bond of friendship that was lost for many years, but never forgotten and simply picked up again at a crucial time of both Morrie’s and Mitch’s lives. When Morrie learned that he had only a few months to live with the deadly disease of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Morrie began the last class of his life with Mitch – life’s greatest lesson. Throughout the last fourteen weeks of Morrie’s life, Mitch met with him every Tuesday to learn and understand all of the wisdom and lessons of life that were within Morrie. The weekly routine consisted of lunch and lecture, these meetings included discussions on everything from the world when you enter it to the world when you say goodbye. From the relationship that these men had with each, a love is revealed like no other love resembles. This is a love of friendship and of respect. Such a bond between people is difficult to achieve. Their relationship consists of an “unembarrassed love” that is constantly present, Morrie Schwartz was a man of great wisdom who loved and enjoyed to see and experience a simplicity of life, something beyond life’s most challenging and unanswered mysteries. From Morrie, we learn that life is most happily experienced when enjoyed and fulfilled to the max. Morrie shares this with Mitch in the last days of his life and these great lessons will be carried and practiced throughout Mitch’s life. What I learned that was new for me, after reading Tuesdays with Morrie I felt a sense of discovery. Morrie Schwartz was a man that touched the lives of many. He will always be remembered for his sincerity and his…
He concludes his address with this realization: "Our whole fragile tradition of art and thought is neither an amusement nor a yoke. For those who steep themselves in it, it provides both a guide and a goal for surpassing all the half-baked ideologies that have blown up at our feet in this century like landmines . . . All we have to guide us in this present is the accumulated thought and experience of those who have lived before us."…
IMPORTANCE TO AUDIENCE: Cancer can affect just about anyone, so you can gain something from this speech by being informed about cancer and how to find ways to prevent it.…
Throughout my short time here at Walden, I have taken so much from each of my courses in my journey as a Master’s candidate in Science Education. I have learned so much about reforming and editing my teaching philosophy and practice in my quest to become a more effective administrator. I cherish this last assignment, because in my mind it is such a celebratory time, that recognizes the effort and the work that went into the past seven weeks – and also really reflecting on what has transpired in my thought processes.…
Have you ever had a class where the subject was “The Meaning of Life”? (1) In his book, Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom learned life’s greatest lessons through his old professor’s life and death. The class took place every Tuesday in his professor’s home until his death in which they discussed various topics. The lessons varied from talking about the culture we live in and money, as well as love and death. Mitch’s professor, Morrie, had a relationship that surpassed that of a student and teacher, they were friends that respected each other and therefore, Morrie helped his student by giving him advice for a happier and meaningful life. Even though the book was published in 1997, the advice given is still valuable in today’s culture.…
Francisco Velasquez February 3, 2015 English 100 Professor Ash Words of Communication There are certain reasons why we as humans are seen as being a higher species. That’s due to the fact we have evolved to communicate and create relationships between one another in this way. As humans we tend to take many things we use on a daily basis for granted. In Christopher Hitchens essay titled the “Unspoken Truths” he conveys his experience of dealing with esophageal cancer or throat cancer in simpler terms, to his audience.…
What would you do if you were told you were going to die in a matter of days or weeks, and life as you know it would completely change? What would you do in your last days alive? One of the things our generation struggles with the most nowadays is finding their place in life and through the process, they get lost and forget what truly matters. As we progress, we tend to forget all the things that are essential to what we all deserve, our happiness. This is where Tuesdays with Morrie comes into play. This memoir is narrated by the closest student of Morrie Schwarts, an old college professor who retired due to his diagnosis of ALS. In this book, Mitch (the author) writes about his life before…
The chilly December winds made it impossible to work for a normal man. But they were no normal students. The outgoing batch of The School still worked relentlessly inside the wooden-floored, grey-walled auditorium. Today was the last day of this session. Today was the last day they would face the audience, address them as the senior most girls. But most importantly, today was the last day they would be standing together as a “class.” After today, they would spend rest of their lives, meeting each other unexpectedly, brushing accidently, reading about each others’ achievements, a random engagement/marriage invitation here and there, and, as time moved on to higher degrees, obituary columns would remind them of someone who was once their classmate.…