Pay It Forward Blog #2

Posted by Javier Peraza in English 1 - Dunn on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 1:22 pm

Advancing from my last blog, (The link to the blog is posted here http://www.scienceleadership.org/blog/You_And_The_World-YATW-Pay-It-Forward) I have been exigent to get more involved in the Pay it Forward movement while still keeping you guys versed on what is milestoning. I surmise that if I indubitably strive to make a difference then there is nothing out there desisting me from my goal. I wish to achieve global cognizance on how philanthropy and magnanimity can really shape our world for the better. I hope to be some spark that ignites the flame of truly good moral amongst the human race. To invigorate the honorableness in peoples’ hearts which will set in motion a path towards peace. Before I can even work to becoming this spark I must investigate whether or not humanity is capable of such a change. Also if I am to be confident in myself I must dive into creative research. This inquisition can help give me an idea on where I stand in my plan. Maybe if I find out where everyone else poses in this predicament I will be apt to come out stronger in my campaign. Like everything big, I must start out small. I should inaugurate in my community first. The only problem that arises is what can I possibly do?
Humility, generosity, chastity, meekness, temperance, kindness, and diligence are the seven main virtues that are instituted to students in Catholic schools everywhere. They are responsible for building teens’ personalities into righteous and forthright good samaritans. If you live your life by these seven virtues I am confident that you could really make a difference in your hometown or city. As a result I felt that my journey to making this world a better place should start around here. I attended Catholic elementary school for eleven years and each day was being educated that everything Pay it Forward stood for was the way to live, in an indirect sense. In this environment we had to constantly be kind, generous and forgiving. My friends that I knew in elementary school were the exact image of eleemosynary samaritans. They treated everyone, including strangers, like a friend. Always being willing to pay for another kid’s lunch, these people are the perfect model of exactly who you're suppose you be if you join Pay it Forward. To find out more on what it means to truly be a good person I interviewed my brother Vincent. Vince is in his freshman year at Roman Catholic High School and always has a story to tell on how teens at his school enact deeds of kindness. Roman Catholic High School is filled with courteous and debonair children who are always ready to learn. Here is the link to Roman Catholic’s website if you want to learn more about them http://www.romancatholichs.com.Thus when I conducted my interview with my brother I had the utmost confidence that he would for sure tell me tales of how students in his school love to act like christians. The interview between him and I is written down below.

Me: Vincent, Pay It Forward is the organization who performs acts of kindness that is sweeping the nation. So far Pay it Forward is responsible for influencing thousands of people to perform good deeds in the world. Soup kitchens have been donated generous amounts of money and stolen items everywhere are being returned all because of Pay It Forward. Nice isn’t it, to have people out there who actually care? Especially today where there is so much evil out in the world. Tell me, how does what the people of Pay It Forward are doing make you feel?

Vincent: It’s heartwarming to see so much compassion and generosity in our society. This is proof that there are still genuine people in the world today who actually care for others.

Me: It’s good to know that this affects you so. I’m glad to have someone like you in our community who takes the time to think about this. Now I believe that you attend a Catholic school and from past experiences I understand that Catholic schools pressure their students to be good samaritans. Some say that Christians are more felicitous to exhibit acts of goodwill in the world because of their teachings of being kind to everyone. Do you see a lot of this displayed in your school?

Vincent: I have often noticed acts of kindness shown in my school. It would seem that there is some connection between students and teachers alike because they all care for each other as if they were family. Whether it is something little like holding the door for someone in the morning or helping someone with a huge task, it is the thought that always counts.

Me: That is very inspiring, I am even more happy to see that kids our age are really trying to get out in the world and spread honorable deeds like that. I think for the most part that growing up in an environment as such can have a huge impact on one’s personality. For example, you have shown that teens being taught good samaritanism not only try to make a difference for the better, but also enjoy it. Do you agree, that if you are born surrounded by other humanitarians that you are prone to lead a life of good doing?

Vincent: If you grow up in a healthy and supportive Christian environment, there is no doubt that you will grow up to be a helpful and successful person. I myself find it satisfying to give to others in need. It is such a great feeling when you know you are truly helping someone.

Me: After thinking about this more do you think you’ll try to get out in the world, maybe? The whole point of Pay It Forward is to make a chain reaction of kindness among the world. Later in the year when I start to pursue making an actual change will you join me and move on to spread beneficence in your own school?

Vincent: I’ll do anything it takes to secure a brighter and better future.

Me: Thank you Vince for allowing me to take some of your time. I hope that talking to you has inspired you to really start thinking about making a difference. I hope you have a nice day my friend.

The interview between Vincent and I gave me hope that this world is ready for a change. Although thinking through the situation made me have an altered view on things. Here was a kid who lived his whole life being educated that you should be a prime person. Was there any doubts that his response would be nothing less than “A savior of humanity’s moral good”? I became concerned that what if normal people living normal lives could be the same. I needed to conduct an experiment to see how willing everyone is to put away their selfishness and actually care about someone else. After much thought I decided to transact a survey. Walking around my neighborhood seeking friends and family I depicted a situation where they supposedly found a clip of one hundred dollars lying in the street. I then asked them if they would try to bring the money to its rightful owner. The amount of persons I asked totaled to thirty. Using a pie chart to record results, I saw that the denouement was quite disturbing.
Unlike Vincent’s inspirational account on what it means to be a good samaritan, this pie chart shows that not everyone can have a truly generous heart. Out of all thirty people I used in this survey only 7% said they would try to return the clip. That is only two people! I was upset, discouraged, driven to the point of nihilism. Surely this couldn't be real. It was inconceivable for this to be real. I went over the results over and over again but to no avail. It seemed that greed persisted in people’s souls no matter what. It was time for me to change offense. Pay it Forward is routinely educating people around the world about the seven virtues and how to live by them. Did they ever think to mention the seven vices and talk about how not to live by them? Greed, lust, sloth, wrath, pride, envy, and gluttony. The tools of the devil; the 7 notorious archenemies of Pay It Forward. The ones that prevent us to fulfil our lives as right and just people. To raise knowledge on how to avoid these deadly offenders I created a chart on what to do when evil is on your doorstep.

VICE WHAT IT IS WHAT YOU CAN DO TO AVOID IT
Pride Pride is an inflated look on yourself and your achievements. If you are very prideful you might have a big ego. It’s always good to be happy for yourself and to keep your head high;sometimes too much of that is a bad thing. To avoid pride you might not just want to be enthusiastic about your pros, but about other people’s too.
Wrath Most definitely the most violent of the seven vices, wrath is an over amount of explosive anger towards a person or thing. Wrath can be really dangerous to the people around you and that is why it is important to try and sidestep it. A good way to make sure you never are responsible for horrible deeds caused by anger is to think things out. If you try to put things in a different perspective, then you might see there is no real reason to be that mad. Try to see the outcome of a situation before you do anything you’ll regret.
Gluttony Gluttony is the overindulgence of food or drink just for spite. If you and your friends ordered pizza and you eat the last piece not because you're hungry but because you did not want your friend to have it then that is gluttony. Never look at food as a luxury but as nourishment. Once you feel that you eat just for pleasure then that is the first step towards gluttony. Try to only consume in an amount of food necessary to keep you alive. Remember there is people out there that don’t have the money to buy food.
Greed Greed, I personally feel, is one of the worst of the seven vices. Greed is accountable for hundreds of atrocious deeds committed in history. It has started many wars and domination in the world. Greed is the need for wealth. If you realize that you do not need money to enjoy life then you will be walking farther away from greed than you know it. See money not as a necessity but as an asset. You might not believe me but the goal to happiness does not involve wealth what-so-ever.
Envy Assassinations and broken friendship can all be found in history caused by the evil of being envious. Envy is jealousy of another person’s possessions or status in life. Envy is tremendously evil and you should always approach cautiously if you ever feel jealous of another person. If you are unable to avoid jealousy then here is a simple tip to make sure it doesn’t brew into envy. No matter who a person is and what they own you can always fulfill your dreams if you set your mind to it.
Sloth Sloth is emotional, physical, and spiritual apathy. Sloth can be something as facile as not getting up to get the TV remote because you're lazy or even neglecting to socialize with people because you don't want to waste a breath. A good way to maneuver sloth is to try to get active in the world. Make it a habit so it sticks. If you join a sports team or repeatedly do simple tasks such as holding the door for someone then you will be less tempted not to do something in the future.
Lust Lust is a strong emotion of intense desire in your body. Lust takes many forms such as lust for knowledge , lust for power, and or lust for sex. Lust is always knocking on everyone’s door. The temptation to do, say, or have whatever you want is not something you take lightly. To counteract lust you can try to think about other things when your desire for something comes up. Starting a hobby or hanging with your friends can help distract you from any desires.

I hope you guys can take the time to look over these deadly vices and see if you are under danger of being corrupted by anyone of them. Going back Pay It Forward I wanted to see how much the organization influenced people around the world. Reading articles and consulting people I finally found out that this global phenomenon actually inspired a director to make a movie called “Pay It Forward”. The movie involves a young boy who is given the chance to do good in the world. I watched the movie and introspected it as tremendously heartening. I'm not going to say anymore ( You can learn more here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/)but the point is that if this movement that is sweeping the world can be strong enough to have a movie made about it then why can’t it do better? After watching the movie I felt better despite the horrible events of my money clip survey. It looks like some people seriously want some vicissitude for the greater good of the human race.

Pay It Forward movie cover.

It is hard to sleep at night knowing that humanity might be growing mature from some its old and ridiculous ways of life. The ways of life where people have to filch and murder to get by. You wonder why it is hard? It is hard to sit back and not join the cause. I have such a strong opinion about helping everyone around the planet that I have been boiling with enthusiasm ever since day one. The pullulating eagerness I feel to get my hands on some project that could inevitably make another person smile is inconceivable in amount. I am willing to put gargantuan volumes of devotion in my crusade to embodiment true values of justice in our country. Unfortunately reviewing the steps leading up to this second blog I realize that my research was pointless. I'm still left wondering whether or not even Philadelphia is ready for something like this. I am timorous that support might be problematic to acquire. It unsettles me not to be confident that I’ll receive reinforcement in what seems to me an epic battle of good and evil. Although I know that history repeats itself and I'm aware that throughout history it was always the will of one person that breaks and bends the turn of events. Anyone can make a difference own their own and I am determined to have my voice heard. I can’t help still being candidly moronic on what Im doing to do for my agent of change. Everytime I think of an idea it feels like it isn’t enough to create a spark herculean enough to wake people up. I will strive forward in my research until I find the ‘treasure’ of real enlightenment. If you have any ideas or are interested in service to the world then you can email me at jperaza@scienceleadership.org

This is the link to my annotated bibliography: https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1WHe41_DlnlJDnn1ULc7fNqNr9Tp8edR8O7Unbr8mIsU/edit

Comments (1)

Leo Levy

First, while I'm all for a sophisticated style, you seem to be employing rather antiquated language. It detracts from the writing, and gives a sort of "holier-than- thou" air to the whole thing. Secondly, have you paused to consider that your views on morality may not be 'whats right?' Morality is relative. It is unique to every individual, so to expect others to live by YOUR personal moral code is nothing more than pride.

VICE	WHAT IT IS	WHAT YOU CAN DO TO AVOID IT
Pride	Pride is an inflated look on yourself and your achievements. If you are very prideful you might have a big ego.	It’s always good to be happy for yourself and to keep your head high;sometimes too much of that is a bad thing. To avoid pride you might not just want to be enthusiastic about your pros, but about other people’s too.
Wrath	Most definitely the most violent of the seven vices, wrath is an over amount of explosive anger towards a person or thing.	Wrath can be really dangerous to the people around you and that is why it is important to try and sidestep it. A good way to make sure you never are responsible for horrible deeds caused by anger is to think things out. If you try to put things in a different perspective, then you might see there is no real reason to be that mad. Try to see the outcome of a situation before you do anything you’ll regret.
Gluttony	Gluttony is the overindulgence of food or drink just for spite. If you and your friends ordered pizza and you eat the last piece not because you're hungry but because you did not want your friend to have it then that is gluttony.	Never look at food as a luxury but as nourishment. Once you feel that you eat just for pleasure then that is the first step towards gluttony. Try to only consume in an amount of food necessary to keep you alive. Remember there is people out there that don’t have the money to buy food.
Greed	Greed, I personally feel, is one of the worst of the seven vices. Greed is accountable for hundreds of atrocious deeds committed in history. It has started many wars and domination in the world. Greed is the need for wealth.	If you realize that you do not need money to enjoy life then you will be walking farther away from greed than you know it. See money not as a necessity but as an asset. You might not believe me but the goal to happiness does not involve wealth what-so-ever.
Envy	Assassinations and broken friendship can all be found in history caused by the evil of being envious. Envy is jealousy of another person’s possessions or status in life.	Envy is tremendously evil and you should always approach cautiously if you ever feel jealous of another person. If you are unable to avoid jealousy then here is a simple tip to make sure it doesn’t brew into envy. No matter who a person is and what they own you can always fulfill your dreams if you set your mind to it.
Sloth	Sloth is emotional, physical, and spiritual apathy. Sloth can be something as facile as not getting up to get the TV remote because you're lazy or even neglecting to socialize with people because you don't want to waste a breath.	A good way to maneuver sloth is to try to get active in the world. Make it a habit so it sticks. If you join a sports team or repeatedly do simple tasks such as holding the door for someone then you will be less tempted not to do something in the future.
Lust	Lust is a strong emotion of intense desire in your body. Lust takes many forms such as lust for knowledge , lust for power, and or lust for sex.	Lust is always knocking on everyone’s door. The temptation to do, say, or have whatever you want is not something you take lightly. To counteract lust you can try to think about other things when your desire for something comes up. Starting a hobby or hanging with your friends can help distract you from any desires.