The world is surrounded and functions around competition.  I would like to discuss this topic because I want to express my opinions on whether or not competition is safe or effective.  I decided to write about this because I just came back from the generation camp and I saw some of the many negative consequences that competition can have.  The whole camp was intensive competition.  Every single thing we did was rewarded with points and this made the camp a bit tiring.  During activities in which we competed against other teams, it called my attention how people change their attitude towards others, even if they were friends.  People became aggressive just for the pride of winning (boys obviously were much more aggressive).  I used this example in order to illustrate how competition can affect all over the world.  If my generation changed because of competition, imagine the effect this can have on more significant and delicate situations.  Almost everything in life is based on competition even though sometimes we are not conscious of it.  Since we are in school we are given grades that demonstrate our capabilities and as we grow up we are faced upon the importance of obtaining higher grades than others.  This is because when we go to college for example, the best students are the ones that are able to go to the best schools.  We take SAT’s and we are pressured in a way to get high results so that we can demonstrate that we are more capable than others therefore deserve more.  Competition can lead to violence and create enemies.  Some people, more than others, have a desire to always be better than others.  They want to have the best car, the most money, the best house, etc.  This is what many times create rivalries because people are striving to beat others.  Then we most not leave aside that even though competition brings negative consequences… it also has its positive side.  Competition is what motivates people to be the best they can be.  To take advantage of all opportunities they are presented upon and give the best effort they can give.  This motivation is very important so this makes it difficult to decide whether or not competition is good or bad.  I think competition is good but to a certain extent because if it can be taken to a level in which it stops bringing positive consequences and starts doing harm.  I think this is a very difficult question to come to a concrete answer because the pros and cons of the issue are interrelated.  I am not sure if this topic is very tokish… but I thought is very important and it is something that is affecting our daily lives.  And even more to people around my age that are beginning to graduate and enter the world of pure competition. 

 

The other day we went to the Intertok conference where we had the opportunity to interact with other diploma students from all over the country.  Even though the conferences were a little bit too long and therefore by the end I was not able to pay much attention, the different topics that were discussed were very interesting.  I have always been very interested in the universe and all what is outside our atmosphere that most people are not aware of.  Even though it was way too much information for one single day, it was very interesting and I found out how little we know… The more we investigate and make new discoveries. The more we find out how little we know of the universe.  In order to understand all those theories we were talked about, one has to really open the mind because they are things most people have always thought to be impossible.  Since they are so complicated and strange theories, if one tries to really understand them… you will not understand much I think.  This is because I think that before trying to understand theories like these, one must first simply accept them.  It is very difficult to make sense at the beginning because they state facts that contradict what we have been thought since we were born.  They are concepts that we have never thought as to be true.  An example is how light can travel back in time and how it can also be at two places at the same time.  =S… I mean really… if you have never ever experienced such things since you were born, then they have been inexistent in your life… well at least in our conscious lives.  If after years of not ever being presented upon such situations… when they are presented the first thing you would say it that it is impossible.  That is why I think that you simply must be very very open-minded and just accept the theories.  For example if you went back in time when there were no airplanes and you talked to a person about an airplane, they would be as confused as we are with these theories.  We were born knowing about the existence of airplanes so we find it difficult to put ourselves in the shoes of someone who lived many many years ago and actually be able to experience what it feels like to have no idea about the existence of a certain concept.  As the same time that I find all these recent discoveries very interesting… I have a certain doubt about there importance in the world.  They are tremendously abstract concepts that most people will never be able to grasp.  They are not consciously present in our everyday lives.  So this is why I begin to question myself.  Is it really worth spending so much money on research on abstract theories that we are not conscious that exist because they do not affect our everyday live, instead of dealing with current more important issues.  I know that in the long run all these investigations might lead to a great discovery that would change our lives completely but: is it our priority right now?  I think there are other priorities in the world and they are all those short run worldwide problems that must be fixed first I think.  Our world is full of poverty, violence, and environmental issues that are affecting our daily lives.  I believe what we first need is a short run solution and invest money on issues that are affecting our everyday lives instead of using this large amounts of money to do research on theories that are not consciously affecting our everyday lives.  I would like to clarify that I am not saying this money is being wasted…because it clearly is not.  It is through the investigation of things that were thought to be impossible that there have been great discoveries that have changed our lives.  I am simply pointing out that there are other issued that I believe are priorities we should be focusing on, of course without stopping the other research completely.

This bimester as well as all the other bimesters, we have discussed in class the concept of truth and ultimate truth.  I have come to the conclusion that I have a different approach on these concepts than most people.  Since we have been discussing math in class, I find this topic of ultimate truth to be interrelated to this area of knowledge.  First of all I would like to share my opinion that in my life “truth” and “ultimate truth”.  Some thing that is true is completely true… why would an “ultimate” make a difference in the meaning.  I find this word to be a bit unnecessary.  If we say something is true it is because it is completely true.  If it were not completely true… then we would say it is “true to a certain extent” or “ it is not “a hundred percent true” or something like that.  Now I know that people would argue with my opinion… and yes I’m not saying my interpretation is the correct one because it is not.  Why do I know it is not? Well because the meaning or connotation of these two concepts is very subjective.  Humans have not come to a concrete agreement on their meaning.  An interpretation that I heard for these concepts in the class was that truth was something that could be the truth for an individual but this did not mean that it was the ultimate truth.  Someone in the class said something about how the ultimate truth was something that was universally true.  I gave a simple example to backup my point.  I said that at that precise moment I was hungry because I had not had breakfast that day and that for me that was the ultimate truth.  What people argued with me was that that was just the truth and not ultimate truth because that was not true for everyone. Well of course it is not the ultimate truth for everyone…we are all different and feel different things at different times but that does not make my hunger not an ultimate truth.  Then when I said this some classmates began to ask other questions we have been asked many times during the year like: how do you know you are hungry and other similar questions.  I found that a bit unnecessary…  I know myself well and I know when I am sure I am hungry and I know when I am not hungry.  And I also know that there are sometimes I am not sure whether I am hungry but I still eat…  I can be sure when I am sad and I can also be sure when I am not sad.  And there are also times I am not sure of what I really feel.  During these times when I am not sure what a am really feeling I agree with people that I do not know the ultimate truth of what I am feeling.  If I am not sure what I am feeling I cannot say any “truth” either… it is the same thing (for me).  It has also been argued that reaching an “ultimate truth” is impossible.  Nobody will ever reach this state.  If this “ultimate” truth is impossible is impossible to reach… then there is no point in talking about it I think.  And this is why I will remain with my own interpretations of these concepts but at the same time respect and be open to others’ opinions.

The last topic we having been studying in class is the area of knowledge: math.  We have approached it from a very different perspective I had ever approached math however it still did not alter much my longstanding opinion of this area of knowledge.  The first controversial question I would like to discuss is: Was math created or was it already there?  I personally believe that math was created.  Math even though it is precise (for me, yes some people argue this I know) it is abstract.  It is something that was created by humans and put together based on pure logic.  The very basics of math were created based on assumptions and many people take this fact and use it as evidence as to why not even math is certain.  I want to make it clear that I agree that nothing in this world is certain.  We know very little of our world and our universe.  But this does not mean that I agree with questioning math’s uncertainties.  Math is the most certain thing we can count on therefore we must forget the uncertainties and take risks.  The basics of math are made from assumptions…so what?  It is still the most certain thing we have.  If we were to question everything to this extreme then nothing in this world would make sense and many things would not be possible.  If we were to base ourselves on the fact that math is not certain and cannot be relayed on because its basics are based on assumptions… then many great discoveries would not have been possible.  Since humans were the creators of math and mathematicians, using their logic, came up with the fact that 2+2=4, then that is the ultimate truth. That is what is real for people so what is the point of questioning that.  This brings us to the debate of what is real and what is not and how do we really now that is reality and so on and so on with those questions we will never come to a concrete answer…  Yes we have learned during the course that we know nothing about “reality”.  Well this is what I have been taught but I do not really agree.  A quick example is the fact that colors do not exist and that they are just an experience therefore in “reality” there are no colors and what we see is not reality.  If I see colors… then that is my reality.  I really want to know what is the point of talking about a “reality” that we cannot live and never be able to live.  If this “reality” that people talk about why is it reality?!  Going back to math… yes the world is full of uncertainties but we must put our feet on the ground and set certain principles that can be reached to by logic and accept this principals.  People need a place to start.  Everything at some point has to start.  Math was created and mathematical proof was also created.  I think we cannot argue that mathematical proof does not exist because mathematicians created different formulas and theorems that work because of mathematical proof.  They put ideas together in a way that they would fit perfectly with each other.  But it has been found that there are some theories that do contradict each other… but both have proof… yes the world is a complicated place full of mysteries we might never solve.

Sarah Palin

Marital status:

She is married to Todd Palin, who is a lifelong Alaskan, a production operator on the North Slope and a four-time champion of the Iron Dog, the world’s longest snow machine race.

Political career and success:

She made history on Dec. 4, 2006, when she took office as the youngest governor in Alaska history and the first woman. During the 2008 presidential campaign, she became the first Alaskan and the first woman to be nominated for vice president by the Republican Party.

Other accomplishments

·      Passage of community revenue sharing

·      The reduction of business license fees

·      An overhaul of the state’s ethics laws

·      Took steps to address Alaskans’ emergency energy needs by establishing a renewable energy fund.

Clothing and appearance:

She looks young, feminine and not very intimidating.  Since her selection as John McCain’s running mate, the Republican National Committee spent more than $150,000 on clothing and make-up for Sarah and her family.  Palin received more valuable clothes in one month than the average American household spends on clothes in 80 years. A democrat put it another way: Her clothes were the cost of health care for 15 or so people.  She was very criticized for spending this money con expensive clothes when there were much more important issues in which the money could be invested.

Voice

Her voice shakes a lot; she does not speak with much security.  You can easily tell when she is not sure of what she is saying.  In the videos I watched she did not speak very convincingly.  Her voice does not give her much sense of power.

More info

Prior to taking office, Palin served on numerous boards and commissions throughout the state. She was active in her family’s pursuits – including serving as a sports team mom and school volunteer. She also runs marathons

Some nicknames people have given her…

Failin’ Palin

Spiteful Sarah

Trainwreck Sarah

Pontius Palin

Hurricane Sarah

Pinocchio Palin

Pandora Palin

Sarah Failin’

Sinking Sarah

Conclusions:

Sarah Palin, based on this research, does not fit the characteristics of the social male.  Even though she has accomplished many things in Alaska, she did not convince the US during the presidential elections at all.  She does not fit in many of the descriptions in the article either. 

Pratibha Patil

Marital status: Married on 7th July, 1965

Appearance: Does not have much presence but rather looks very fragile and maybe out of place. Mentions things that are irrelevant to political subjects but that appeal to the common people such as speaking to ghosts. She is not intimidating.

Voice: Her voice is not high pitched or low pitched but a balance between both, she does not have a striking voice.

Political Career: Her political career has varied from Deputy Minister, Cabinet Minister, Deputy Chairman, Chairperson, Governor of  Rajasthan and now the presidency.

There are many controversial issue involving her:
she said that people with hereditary diseases should be sterilisied, there were allegations of shielding her brother in a murder case, Pratibha women cooperative bank scam (financial irregularities), Sant Muktabai Cooperative Sugar Factory (drug spot), etc.

She does not seem to be a true leader, and her predecessor Abdul Kalam was a great leader and people don’t feel she can live up to his expectations.

 

Language, in my opinion, it the most complicated Way of Knowing to understand and discuss.  Simply coming up with a concrete definition of language is difficult because language can have many implications.  Many times when people come across the word language, what first comes to their mind is language as words for example Spanish, English etc.  They leave out other types of language.  For me, language is anything that allows communication between people and it adapts to people’s needs.  For example many years ago the word airplane had no meaning at all.  It was not a part of people’s vocabulary because at the time they did not need it since it did not describe anything that existed during that time.

  Language can come in many forms, not necessarily by words.  One’s gestures when one expresses speaks can be seen as a totally different language.  For example your words may be hiding your emotion at the time but sometimes your face expressions are not able to hide your emotions. Different types of language are more efficient for different types of communication.  For example when it comes to matters of teaching, words are more efficient.  It would be very difficult to explain math without the use of words.  It can be taught with the aid of visual representations but it would not be enough for some people that are not strong in that specific subject.  It is rather difficult to follow a series of steps if it is not through the use of written or spoken word even though there are always exceptions.  There are some cases in which body gestures are more effective than words.  When it comes to teaching physical activities, simply words are not enough because action is required to learn.  There are other cases in which gestures are more effective than words when it comes to situations with people’s feelings.  When you are feeling down, it may be more efficient to simply cry out your sorrows for a while an have a friend comfort you simply with his or her presence. 

Language has many different functions.  Language is a very important Way of Knowing because it is through language that we communicate what is gained from the other Ways of Knowing.  Even though the other Ways of Knowing depend on language, if emotion, perception, and reason did not exist, language would have no use because there would be nothing to communicate.  It is through language that we express our ideas; feeling and we are able to learn.  It is through different forms of communication that we are able to expand our knowledge.  If there was no language then how would information provided by the senses by processed in the mind?  In what form would your ideas be?  These questions highlight the importance of language as a Way of Knowing.  Even though language allows large groups of people to communicate because it is where people have come together to give words meaning to facilitate communication, it is not completely reliable and certain.  This is because one single word can serve to grasp more than one concept.  A simple example in Spanish is the word “banco”.  Some people hear the word and think of a bank and others may think of the stool even though the meaning people give based on the situation under which the word was used.  This is a simple example of how language allows people to communicate but it is also has its uncertainties that may create miscommunication.  Words are symbols.  When you hear a certain word, many times there is a certain concept that comes to your mind just like when you see a peace sign or a heart.  Another example of how the language through symbols can be misleading is with the Nazi symbol.  After the holocaust many people relate the symbol to violence and cruelty while others see it as a religious symbol with no negative implications.  I will not continue with the discussion of words and symbols because that is another big discussion that a may develop in another journal.  I just wanted to point out how language facilitates communication but it may be misleading sometimes.

Another interesting aspect of language to analyze is whether or not it is biased and under what circumstances may this occur.  Now that I have come upon this topic, it is important to go back to my previous statement that language adapts to people’s necessities and how one word can imply more than one different concept.  The type of language that has the tendency to be biased is the one expressed through words.  Many people do not realize the power one single word may have and how altering one word can alter the implication of an entire sentence. There are many ways of expressing one same idea but all the different ways may have a slight difference in connotation. I became interested in this after reading the article “The Egg and the Sperm”.  It is incredible how I had never actually noticed or even considered the fact that what we are taught in school (biology for example) could be biased.  This article made me aware of an important issue in society that many people do not question.  The issue is how people tend to believe scientific facts without questioning or analyzing the language used to express these ideas.  Once again with this article the power of language is clear and also the capacities it has.

The difference between knowing something and believing it has always created opposition between different people because each individual is the one that makes this decision.  Only you are aware of when you know something or you believe it and it may become a subjective decision.  Coming to an agreement with others and making them change from just believing a statement to knowing it is the difficult part.  Sometimes even deciding for your self whether you know something or you believe it may be a challenge.  Coming to an agreement on the exact definition of knowing and believing is another factor that makes the whole situation difficult.  I decided to write about this issue in my journal because I remembered how we spent days during the second bimester of TOK we spent several days discussing this same topics and the class never really came upon a concrete definition for each concept.  In this journal my aim is to discuss my personal opinion and definition for these two concepts.

I think that if you know something you believe it as well, but if you believe something, you do not necessarily know it.  The relationship between these two concepts for me is still somewhat confusing.  When brainstorming about this journal there were times when I thought I was almost getting it but then I think of other factors and the whole concept becomes a mess once again.  Knowing something means being able to justify it with concrete evidence. Since there is evidence that justifies when you know something, many times more than one person may agree on the fact that they know a statement is true. But once again what one person knows may vary from another person because people have not gone through the same experiences that allow a person to justify a statement.  For example I know that “ absence makes the heart grow fonder” because I have had experiences that justify this statement.  I leaved in California for three years, and now that I am back in Costa Rica, I began to miss certain things that I had no appreciated while I lived there.  Some people might not agree with me since they have not lived this same situation. Since other people might no have actually experienced this feeling, they may say that they believe the statement is true, but they do not know it.  From this example you can see how knowledge, which is another difficult term to come across a concrete definition, is obtained through personal experiences.

Believing in something, on the other hand, does not necessarily need concrete example to justify it and this is what makes this term more subjective.  Even though in order to believe something you do not need concrete justifications, you still need to have gone through experiences.  Your beliefs are a product of what you have been taught since you were a child and all the different experiences you have gone through during the trajectory of your life.  What you are taught by other people may have and impact on what you believe but it is not necessarily what shapes and molds what you believe.  God is a perfect example to show the difference between knowing and believing.  I cannot say that I know God exists because there is no concrete evidence, but I can say I believe in God.  Even though there is no real evidence to prove this claim, in my heart I believe in God and I do not feel the necessity to prove his existence.  Believing is more like having faith in something.  My beliefs are the things that I have molded through my personal experiences and they may no necessarily be true to other people since there are no justifications.

There are some cases in which people are confused on whether they believe a statement or they actually know it is true.  This tends to happen when people believe something so deeply that they say they know it.  I think it happens constantly and it has probably happened to me.  I think that no matter how certain you are of something you believe, if there is no bit of concrete evidence, you cannot say that you know it.

Before answering this question, it is important to define the term moral responsibility because understanding of the concept is crucial for the understanding and the answering of the question.  Moral responsibility is the responsibility that people have to act according to the standards set by society on what is right and what is wrong.  It is not something obligatory but more of an own conscience responsibility.  Since it is a conscience level responsibility, it varies from person to person.

Every single action one takes or decision one makes has a thinking process behind where one takes into account one’s moral responsibility.  One acts and decides according to certain standards of what is right and what is wrong.  There are no laws regarding certain decisions you may have to make but society will always have a reaction to your action.  Yes, I believe that artists carry a moral responsibility just as writers for example carry a moral responsibility or any person when making any decision or taking any action.

Even though an artist, I believe, has complete liberty of expression through their artwork, society might have different reactions to it. There is a limit to what is morally accepted in every society and artists must be aware of these standards if their goal is to please observers.  This limit though, is quite impossible to determine clearly since it is based on subjective standards.  The standards of what is moral and what is not may very from place to place, culture-to-culture, etc.  Even though these set of standards exist, some artists may simply decide to ignore them and express their ideas without worrying about society’s reaction.  Artists use art to express their feelings about certain topics whether or not they agree with society.  Many times art is used to criticize different aspects of society and it is here when artists have the greatest moral responsibility.  Who decides when an artist has gone too far and what are the consequences? Every individual has a different perspective but the artist cannot be punished for expressing a thought even though the artist still carries the moral responsibility in his or her conscience.

Yes, I believe that it is possible for an artwork to be immoral but this judgment varies from person to person.  What one person might find offending, another might completely agree with the artist.  Artist cannot be punished for creating an “immoral” painting because this is a subjective decision that varies depending on a person’s background, values, and experiences.  The artist may only be punished by his moral conscience. 

Different standards exist when judging a work of art.  Some people might judge it based on formal qualities, others by its meaning, others on the impact created on the observer.  Everyone can judge an artwork basing themselves on different qualities, but the artist, in the end, must be respected for his own interpretations and reasoning behind his works.  So there is not really one correct way to judge a work of art or specific standards to judge a work of art.

 

This activity taught me about the purpose of language.  This activity allowed me to have a clear definition of what language is.  Language is a tool that facilitates the interaction between people.  It is the canal that allows communication but is may not always be accurate since it is not the same throughout the whole world.  Symbols and words are given a meaning by the people therefore this meaning is not universally definite.  This task showed me how words are simply symbols that help communicate ideas but they may change or evolve as time goes by.

• valezofrenia(noun): a condition of the mind that is triggered under stressful situations and does not allow a person to stop saying random comments for a long period of time.
• ernestation(noun): an argument expressed not only by words but also by constant facial and body movements.
• lunner(noun): when you mix dinner and lunch.
• esthra(verb): the action of awarding someone for most or all of the things they do.
• obelisquer(noun): the constant need to call the attention.
• nugnying(verb): the act of screaming for no reason; random screams.
• quinoing(verb): digressing extremely beyond social acceptance.
• bobbying(verb): containing all emotions for evil purposes.
• esquibell(noun): an obvious statement.
• clementing(verb): constantly referring to psychology or unethical actions.