In this world, life is all about how you perceive what you’ve
been given. But no matter what, there are always only 2 options. Either you
take it and go, and you make a living for yourself, or you mourn how crappy
your life is and constantly ask, why me? When in reality the world is in fact
NOT out to get you, I promise you that.
If by some off chance, Mr. Wallace and Ms. Morrison were
seated at the same table on an evening out on the town, I believe that they
would have much to discuss on their views of how they perceive the world.
The speech that stood out to me this most was Mr. Wallace’s This is Water. Multiple times he
references the “default-setting,” discussing how it is our first instinct to
put ourselves in the center of the universe, making our problems more important
than others and our needs having to be dealt with before anyone else’s. He then
continues on to list examples of a normal default-setting mind frame throughout
a typical day for the modern working person. As negativity continually piles
up, he then begins to show how a simple change of your mind frame can considerably
improve your day.
Now the question is, how would Ms. Morrison respond? When
the old woman is continually bantered with the question “Is the bird I am
holding living or dead?” she finally replies that she doesn’t know, but that whether
it is alive or not, that choice is in their hands, literally and theoretically.
Flipped another way, language is essential to life. The way it is handled by
the youth of today determines if it survives, but if one fails, so do we all.
Both authors would agree on the fact that your life is in
fact in your own hands, and the way you live it is entirely up to you. No
matter how terrible of a hand you were dealt, you can come back and make a
living for yourself. Wallace would be more adamant on the fact that it is all
up to you, while Morrison would see it as a domino effect that eventually lead
to that person’s demise.
I have always been a firm believer that everything happens
for a reason, and having faith in God’s greater plan will lead to a brighter
future. As Mr. Wallace pointed out, it really is based on how you decide to
look at things.
I agree with your take on what the two speakers would have to say to each other, I also like how you call back to Morrison's "old woman" story. I felt that Morrison's speech was harsher and a bit more real. It seemed as if Wallace was giving guidance to young adults in his speech, while Morisson was giving her audience warning.
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