Episcopal and Presbyterian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Episcopal and Presbyterian - Essay Example Furthermore, we find women not allowed for teachers, and yet allowed to speak in the church as prophets: now, these being debarred speaking in their natural capacity, because teaching implies an act of authority, that privilege being reserved to the men, shews they had a right to it in the Christian church without prophetical inspiration, otherwise there was nothing at all in this case debarred to the woman. Moreover, the general directions given by the Spirit, in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, concerning the appointment of bishops and deacons, elders or ministers, running all upon moral qualifications, the common Graces of the Spirit, and good instruction in the Scripture, did, then, as well as for ages succeeding, lay a foundation for the ministry of teaching without the special gift of prophesying. An appropriate Catholic response would appear to include the following elements, which flow from a fundamental belief in the dignity of each individual human being and the imperative to seek the universal common good in solidarity with the poorest, the weakest, the oppressed and the marginalized: * a recognition of the reality of sin and evil in the world and the duty of Christians to resist evils such as oppression, social and economic injustices, and genocide; * actively to seek to address the causes of grievances and conflicts in social, economic, and political inequalities which fail to treat every person and nation with appropriate dignity and respect; * the establishment of appropriate international institutions for the reconciliation of differences, with legitimacy and the authority to enforce compliance; * a recognition that an option for non-violence is as important an imperative for Christians as the option for the poor; * focus more than previously on alternatives to war, the need to promote social justice as an integral element in the following of Jesus, to fund peace education programs, and so forth; * the promotion of agreed and internationally regulated arms reduction; * in so far as armed responses to evils such as genocide are necessary, they should conform to the principles of the just war, and particularly proportionality and discrimination; * the need for this to be undertaken speedily and effectively by reformed international institutions with legitimacy and powers of enforcement; * the creation of a strong international civil society with a commitment to human dignity and rights; and * the promotion o

JUDICIARY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

JUDICIARY - Essay Example This is the democratic principle enshrined in the Constitution, the rule of law to prevent the tyranny and also maintain law and order. To achieve this end, the three foundations of a justice system are the police for the enforcement function, the criminal justice system for court trials, and finally, the corrections or the prison system to incarcerate and rehabilitate those convicted of crimes against society. Members of the criminal justice system, such as the prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges or justices must at all times implement and interpret the law with probity, fairness, justice, equality, and solidarity in the pursuit of human rights protection for all, exercise their function without fear or favor. All the said members must act in an ethical manner at all times, free from any corruption, and not influenced by any consideration except morals B. Discussion The judiciary performs its functions with the utmost fairness and equality; how judges must implement or interp ret the law without any influence or pressure from anybody, so that citizens will have faith and trust in their justice system, as their supreme protector against oppression by powerful individuals or influential pressure groups. However, it is also faced with a number of problems or issues it must address so it can carry out its mandate adequately. 1. Judicial ethics – members of the judiciary are brought to a higher standard than other people, they being expected to uphold the law at all times so people will also respect the law. The foundation of law is based on the validity of civil ethics within pluralism (Cortina, 2000). a. Solemn oath – this is a reminder to always stick to the straight and narrow path, despite temptations along the way in performance of duties. Corruption has been a bane, because people tend to accept bribes or other considerations of value (Montinola & Jackman, 2002). b. Sanctions – the judiciary does not take too kindly to its erring m embers and imposes a variety of measures such as fines, suspensions, disbarment, and even imprisonment. c. Code of conduct – members of the judiciary have to be careful in their actions at all times, to uphold the integrity and independence of the judicial branch of government. Standards are contained in the judicial canons issued by the Supreme Court, to include such matters as the avoidance of any impropriety, or even just the mere appearance of impropriety, and to avoid any partisan political activity at all times, such as campaigning for a particular party or candidate. It is a co-equal branch and must exercise its independence always (Fox & Stephenson, 2011). 2. Why people commit crimes – there will always be deviants in any society. Why these people commit crimes despite the certainty of punishment made sociologists offer their theories. a. Anomie theory – this was introduced by eminent French sociologist Emile Durkheim, in his book The Division of Labor i n Society published back in 1893, which explains the modern phenomenon of deviance, resulting from feelings of inadequacy and ambiguity, coming from the industrialization of society, causing normlessness from loss of values and traditions (Franzese, 2009); anomie views criminals as victims of society, unable to cope, and not as mere deviants. b. Strain theory –

The role of tourism in the development of Nigeria

The role of tourism in the development of Nigeria In discussing this, earlier work conducted on similar research will be made will be made reference to. This include: a research carried out by (Oji-Chukuwka, 2013) entitled Economic development of Nigeria-The Role of Tourism. This study was carried out using structured questionnaire and based on the notion that the federal government has heavily depended on agriculture and crude oil as the main stay of the Nigerian economy. As such, the researcher decided to carry out a research to unravel how well or otherwise the Ebonyi State Tourism Board has contributed to the Nigerian economy through the promotion of its tourism-related activities. The following were the objectives of the study: 1. If the Nigerian tourism sector has met the objectives with which it was set up? 2. If Government’s interference in the activities of the Ebonyi State Tourism board affects its performance in the long-run 3. If Tourism has created equal job openings for all classes of people. In another study, carried out in 2006, Noà «lleOConnor examined how television induced tourism has influenced Ballykissangel’s Residential Community in the long run. Ballykissangel is the title of a BBC television drama that was shot in Ireland. It aired from 1996 to 2001 and had six episodes. OConnor, simply wanted to find out if and how the decision to shoot the series in the rural Irish suburb has affected the tourist inflow into the community. The purpose of the study, according to her, was to examine the influence of television induced tourism on asmall rural basedcommunityinIrelandandhowitcanactuallyinfluencetourist development to adestination. Specifically, the researcher sought to find out the role of the television series’ in developing an area for tourism related activities. The case study chosen therefore for this research was Avoca, a small village in County Wicklow, Ireland that was the setting for the filming ofthe BBCtelevision series Ballykissangel. The major data for the work were collected fromasystematic sample of residents of Avoca and through personal interviews. 2.4. Empirical Literature During the course of consulting other research works that are in line with my research, the different methodologies used proffered different findings and conclusions. These would be highlighted here as part of the empirical literature. The first study, (Oji, Chukwuka, 2013,) discovered that the lukewarm and inadequate funding of the Ebonyi State tourism board was the one of the banes confronting the development of tourism in the state. Also, findings of his study revealed that the government were the major beneficiaries of the tax revenues derived from civil servants, visitors’ expenditure and tourism attraction. On the other hand, OConnor, discovered that alarge number of tourists were attracted toAvoca as due to the fact that the then popular seriesBallykissangel was being shot in the locality. Today , tourism hasbecome Avoca’s most vitalindustry since the closure of its cooper mines. The residents have also realised that not only has this increased their earnings, it has attracted the international attention to the once quiet suburb. It has also created job opportunities for the locals whilst instilling a sense of pride for the natives of the community. With regards to the tourism promotion, this study revealed that Television is currently the most potent of all media used in promoting tourism activities. In view of this, more consideration should be given to television as a medium of advertising. This may be because Television combines motion, sound, and special visual effects. The product can be demonstrated and described on TV. It also offers wide geographic coverage and flexibility as to when the message can be presented (Arens, 1996). 2.5 .Other relevant literature 2.5 .1 The Nature of the Nigerian Tourism Industry Nigeria currently boasts of an array of beautiful landmarks, amazing water-bodies which include the beaches, rainforests in the southern part of the country ,monuments, sites and sound, down to the hustle and bustle which is prevalent in the cosmopolitan cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt. All these have become particularly conducive and attractive for holidaying. Besides the tourist attractions, the culture, norms, artefacts, food, language, mode of dressing which all differ from one part of Nigeria to the other, have all contributed in making the country extremely unique in many ways. On many occasions, international tourists are in awe of the unique selling points of Nigeria despite the attendant issues like corruption and high poverty index. However according to (Uche, 2003) many of these attractions are largely still untapped notwithstanding the fact that they are largely exploited. They are savoured by visitors either rich and in search of adventure, new terrains and exploits. One cannot help but mention some of these attractive tourist sites which Nigeria boasts of. They include the Yankari Games Reserve, Olumo Rock, Mabilla Plateau, Zuma Rock, Gashaka Games Reserve and of course the coastal beaches which are unique and enchanting. Tourism is relatively at an infancy stage in Nigeria. This is more so because of the running neglect of the abundant resources naturally endowed on the country rather than the lack of them. Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity and tourist attractions are inexhaustible. Apart from Cultural sites and reserves which serve as potential tourist attractions, African countries like Nigeria have abundant cultural festivals that are very rich in mythology and diversity which can also be harnessed to generate revenue as well as serve as a means of creating some feeling of shared love and brotherhood among the various ethnic groups in Nigeria. These festivals include the fishing and New Yam festivals celebrated in almost all the nooks and corners of the country at various seasons of the year. The uniqueness of Nigeria’s tourism potentials have been confirmed and recognized by UNESCO, which has singled out the Sukur Kingdom in Adamawa State as a world heritage site. Other unique sites also recognized include the Three Sisters’ Rock, Kamala Mountains, Obudu Cattle Ranch, Lokoja Confluence, Osun Oshogbo Shrine, Gurara Waterfalls, Ikogosi Warm water springs, Oguta Lake, Kwa Waterfalls, Bwasu Hot water spring, Mboi pond, ancient natural and man-made caves and a host of other sites. Many years after the advent of television in Nigeria as well as the proliferation of private television stations across the country very little has been done to promote the tourism sector, which is a neglected goldmine, (Da Silva, 1999). However, despite the rich number of tourist sites and attractions in Nigeria, there have been a lot of impediments to the growth of the sector. These impediments are numerous and include acute conditions of advanced fee fraud popularly called 419, underdevelopment and poverty as well as the growing level of insecurity-fuelled by the activities of the insurgent group, Boko Haram, which many potential Nigerian bound tourist’ many not like to be confronted with. A survey on tourist activities in different geographical areas of Africa shows that Nigeria is one of the least favourite destinations which by extension earn less income. However, in spite of the enormous tourism potentials in Nigeria, the investigation shows that tourisms contribution to economic development in Nigeria leaves much to be desired, (Ovat, 2003). Sensing the impediments to the growth of the tourism sector and realising the important role that tourism can play in the economic and national development of Nigeria, led to the establishment of the National Tourism Policy. (Da, Silva, 1999) says the national tourism policy prescribes various ways of promoting the development of tourism in Nigeria through the following ways: Increase the flow of foreign exchange through the promotion of international tourism Encourage even development of tourism based enterprises. Accelerate rural/urban integration Foster socio-cultural unity among the various groups in the country through the promotion of domestic tourism Promotion and encouragement of active private sector participation Preservation of our cultural heritage and historical monuments Massive and aggressive publicity campaign to facilitate the growth and development of tourism Simplify the issuance of visas to intending visitors. Re-orientation for all security agencies including customs and immigrations,( Da, Silva,1999) While all these promises are okay, revenue from tourism sector has not been encouraging. A careful study of tourism statistics and data reveals that Nigeria in particular is one of the least favourite destination in the world, this by extension results in a colossal loss of revenue with untold hardship and effect on Nigeria’s gross domestic products , (Uche, 2003). On the other hand strongly believes that the Nigerian coastal waters and beaches are dirty and therefore unattractive to tourist. The negative publicity launched by the international media against Nigeria has also affected the tourist traffic in the country with (Nnadozie, 2007) identifying some of the problems affecting tourism development in Nigeria as follows -Government’s nonchalant approach to the tourism industry -The scourge of political instability which encourages wastage and poor resource management -Lack of foresight on the part of the elite who control virtually every sector of the economy. -Inadequate enlightenment and improper coverage of the tourism sector by the mass-media. Nigeria also has key rivals in the tourism industry namely Ghana, The Gambia, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and Mauritania. These countries have a better and more developed tourism industries in terms of infrastructure, maintenance, security and enlightenment. Another impediment to the growth of tourism in Nigeria is the general belief and habit of excessively copying anything western, despite our rich cultural heritage and tourism potentials. It therefore becomes imperative therefore to blame our artists and media practitioners for failing to portray our rich cultural and tourism potentials to the outside world. They often love to portray the culture of the foreigner to the foreigner, they want to speak and dress like them. They want to belong to their kind of caucus, yet they are nothing near them. The end result however is that they have made themselves copy-cats, rather than portraying have their own culture, ( Adekeye, 2007). However in the words of (Nasco, 1986), in this day and age when no country including ours, can’t afford to solely depend on the fluctuating oil market as the primary source of revenue, tourism, my dear friends is indeed an alternative for the mobilization of the much needed foreign exchange and local revenue. The Nigerian Tourism Development Commission, NTDC, traces the advent of tourism in Nigeria back to 1472 with the first Portuguese mercantile mission-trade tourism. However, the first attempt at structuring Tourism in Nigeria came about in 1962 when a group of Nigerians with interest in and commitment to the promotion of tourism set up a body then known as Nigerian Tourism Association (NTA). Prior to the creation of the Department of Tourism in the former Federal Ministry of Trade and Tourism in January 1990, very little or no attention was paid to the development of the sector. However, following the approval for the establishment of the department, a federal bureau was also created to champion the promotion and development of tourism in Nigeria. In the last few years, the Nigerian government has put in a lot of effort aimed at reviving and improving the tourism sector. In an attempt to explore other aspects of the Nigerian economy, economy with an emphasis on the tourism sector, the federal government took some concrete steps at ensuring the development of the culture, travel and tourism industries. They comprised of inauguration of the Presidential Council on Tourism, Federal Ministry ofTourism and its Departments and Agencies with same at the States’ level and Local Tourism Committees which falls in line with the provisions of the National Tourism Policy (NTP) of2005, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) of 1992 and the Nigeria Tourism Development Master Plan of 2006. Back in January 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo, approved the sum of $548 million as grant to the transport, culture and tourism ministries for tourism master plan projects Udeorah, (2004). Primarily, this amount was earmarked to develop transportation, infrastructure, tourist sites, mobilization and public enlightenment towards accelerated tourism development. It is however evident that there is need for the mass media albeit television, to complement government’s effort at tourism development and promotion. Nigeria, with its population and array of tourist attractions and sites is yet to tap into this goldmine as a result of the dearth of tourism programmes on TV stations. Today, the apathy towards tourism, confronts broadcast stations in the country despite the abundance of tourism contents which can be explored to any capacity. The urgency to nurture, promote and sustain the Nigerian tourism sector cannot be over emphasized and can therefore not be overlooked, (Udeorah, 2004) The Nigerian tourism sector is still at an infantile stage amidst the abundant natural human and natural resources. Also, the infrastructures currently in place at the tourist sites and locations in Nigeria are nothing to write home about and consequently not make Nigeria the envy of other nations in this regard. When compared to countries like The Gambia, South-Africa, France and Spain who already have advanced tourism industries, Nigeria does have a long way to go (Dantata, 2011). Speaking at the Nigerian Tourism Investors forum and exhibition in Abuja in May 2014, DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Tourism Development Board, Sally Mbanefo, noted that tourism is Indeed a tool for national economic development. She said there are several international initiatives that have highlighted the potential of tourism to contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction, as well as to environmental protection, cultural preservation, and job creation .

Survive by Love, Faith and Will Essay -- History, Nazi Party, Jews

At the beginning of the 20th century, anti-Semitism became more serious. Germany began to isolate and eliminate Jews. When the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, comes to power in 1933, he wanted to set up the perfect Nazi state. The Nazis wanted to stamp out any opposition to their rule, so they set up a system of concentration camps, death camps for holding people that they see as â€Å"undesirable†. Those â€Å"undesirables† were Jews. From 1933 to 1945, about six million Jews are murdered and it is called the Holocaust. The Holocaust is the greatest single case of mass murder in history and is difficult to ignore. After World War II, survivors of the Holocaust told their stories directly or wrote down what happened in the Holocaust. One of the famous writers is Elie Wiesel, a Noble Peace Prize winner in 1986 who wrote the novel Night based on his experience as a Holocaust survivor. Night is the record of Elie Wiesel’s memories of the Holocaust. This work of lit erature is about his experience with his father, Chlomo, in the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald between 1944 and 1945. Another book that effectively describes the theme of the Holocaust by Canadian poet Anne Michaels is Fugitive Pieces, for which she received many prizes such as, Orange Prize, Canadian Authors Association Award and so on. The Fugitive Piece tells the story of a seven-year old young boy Jakob Beer and his parents are murdered by Nazi soldiers and his sister, Bella, is abducted during the Holocaust in Poland. Jakob flees and is rescued by a Greece geologist Athos Roussos. Athos hides Jakob successfully in Greek, then at the end of war, they move to Toronto. Both characters though from different perspectives and stories Elie and Jakob’s experiences... ...him geography and language every day. Because of Athos strong will, Jakob finally goes out the room and back to life at the end of the war. Hence, Ellie and Athos' will to survive supports them and the people around them to live to see the end of the war. To sum up, World War II was the most destructive human endeavor in history. Battles were fought on every continent and involved more than sixty countries, affecting about three-quarters of the world’s population. Six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis. Although the memory of Holocaust has made the world more sensitive to genocide, it has a lasting impact on the Jewish people. Then both Night and Fugitive Pieces are two impressive books which allow readers glimpse at Holocaust, tell the world that even in the worst situations, love from families and friends, faith and will to live will encourage survivals.

National Social Issue: Drugs and substance

The problem of drug and alcohol abuse among youngsters has become a social and concern of national importance that merits closer attention and demands significant thrust and efforts by parents, teachers and government. This problem of drug and alcohol abuse takes especially severe implications in case of youngsters due to their greater vulnerability in becoming confirmed addicts of these substances ( Langfield, MacIntyre and Turner, 2006). Statistics from Office of national drug control policy point out that over half the students in USA over half the students in USA try out at least one illegal drug before passing out high school, and around two third of them have at least drunk once (Fact Sheets). It’s also reported that use of illicit drugs and alcohol among American youngsters is highest in the industrialized world (Haier, Maddi and Wadhwa, 1996). Causes of substance abuse Adolescents turn towards drugs and alcohol due to a number of reasons that include disturbed family background, history of substance abuse in the family, pressures from peers and friends, as a reflection of prevailing social trends and some times just for experimentation purpose (Prichard and Payne, 2005). Their peers or friends, public trends, and general acceptance of limited drug use that is considered social and normal initiate a large number of teenagers to substance abuse. Youngsters are indeed under great pressure to use drugs due to pressure from their immediate social interaction, and because drug use is seen as sign of growing up. In this regard, reports and surveys have strongly indicated that once youngsters understand the dangers associated with drug abuse, there is a significant reduction in drug abuse among them. Many youngsters turn to drug abuse feeling they are invincible before drugs and thereby get entrapped in the vicious circles of alcohol and drug addiction (Prichard and Payne, 2005). Generally youngsters are initiated in the drug cycle with a relatively less dangerous but highly addictive drug marijuana. Later on they are motivated to use more dangerous and potentially life threatening drugs such as crack, cocaine, and heroine, making them completely depended on drug. Increasing instances of substance abuse also finds hand of organized drug mafia whose business depends on increasing the size of their spread by popularizing the concept that drug use is common and therefore acceptable (Cherry, Dillon and Rugh, 2002).. Effect of Substance Abuse Dependence upon drugs abuse creates a whole set of medical, social, and psychological problems for the youngsters that adversely affect their normal development and growth path while creating an equally traumatic experience for their parents and peers. The persistent use of drugs and alcohol cause depression, moods swings, sudden volatile behavior, seizures, lack in concentration, lack in coordinated speech and behavior, stupor and increased suicidal tendency in the adolescents (Prichard and Payne, 2005). Other problems related to drug and alcohol abuse are disrupted family life, self isolation and seclusion, disruption in functioning of central nervous system, and renal and hepatic failures (Haier, Maddi and Wadhwa, 1996).   Heavy drug abuse leads to permanent damage to brain tissues, cause lasting depression, irritability, mood swings, inability to take decisions, reduction in cognitive and intellectual abilities, isolation from family and friends, increase in suicidal tendency, coma and even death. Remedy of substance use The problems related to drugs and alcohols are systematic, long term and need consistent monitoring, support and treatment, something that is only possible in the family setup (Langfield, MacIntyre and Turner, 2006). Individual treatment is seldom effective as its effects are short termed and in the absence of any preventive motivation and check adolescents tend to fall back to the use of drugs and alcohol.   Therefore the problem requires a systematic, comprehensive and all out approach to attack its foundation. The government, in coordination of society needs to evolve policies and programs that prevent youngsters from being initiated into the drug use (Rivers and Shore,1997). An important step in this effort is to identify the youngsters who have already used/abused drug once and ensuring that they are not led to further abuse of drugs and/or alcohol. In this regard, federal student drug testing program is a major initiative that aims to make students aware of their own drug abusing habits without exposing them or embarrassing them before their friends and family members (Rivers and Shore,1997). The mission should also aim to spread awareness against performance enhancement drugs in sports academies and sporting teams, as these drugs encourage students to take illegal drugs at later stages. This priority should also focus on making younger people aware of better health options, educating them on full range of dangers associated with drug abuse, the permanent debilitating effect of drugs like cocaine, marijuana and heroine on their family relation, health, career and entire life (Haier, Maddi and Wadhwa, 1996). The program must aims at launching a comprehensive media program to educate youngsters on all the aspects of drug abuse. It also includes the intention to induce help from families, schools, sports coaches, teachers and community leaders in to reinforce the message that drug use is extremely harmful, dangerous and leads to irreparable loss (Cherry, Dillon and Rugh, 2002). The substance abuses prevention policy should further aims to use public health infrastructure to intervene in the initial period of drug abuse. An integrated aspect is to use medical institutions as a screening procedure and providing treatment to every one, whether they can afford institutional treatment or not. The program should also includes patients risk assessment by physicians to estimate their potential of drug abuse (Haier, Maddi and Wadhwa, 1996). The final priority in program should be concerned with attacking the well structured and deeply rooted drug trade by targeting foundation of drug business, such as agricultural production of many drugs, their transportation and distribution network, its organizational and hierarchical system and its transportation system (Cherry, Dillon and Rugh, 2002). This strategy promises impressive results with certain elimination of major drug cartels, elimination of cocaine trade and make significant progress in bringing down the size of organized drug market. In this regard United Sates is committed to closely interact with international community to share information and collectively act against the drug trade. Reference Andrew Cherry, Dillon, M.E, Rugh, D. 2002. Substance Abuse: A Global View. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT. Haier, R.J. Maddi. S.R. Wadhwa. S.R. 1996. Relationship of Hardiness to Alcohol and Drug Use in Adolescents. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Volume: 22. Issue: 2. P.A. Langfield, M. MacIntyre and J.G. Turner. 2006. Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Abuse. 27.02.2007. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/consumer/10216.html Prichard J.   and Payne J. 2005. Alcohol, Drugs and Crime: A study of Juvenile in Detention. Australian Institute of Criminology. 27.02.2007. http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/rpp/67/06_chapter2.html#1 P. Clayton Rivers and Elsie R. Shore. 1997. Substance Abuse on Campus: A Handbook for College and University Personnel.Greenwood Press.Westport, CT.                                       

Not Always Right

Brooke is a stunning, red-haired, fair-skinned, girl with dazzling blue-green eyes. On her skinny figure she wore light distressed Jeans and a long-sleeve grey sweater? she rocked It. I had never talked to her In my life and I had never heard anything bad about her; I Just made assumptions of my own. Before asking her anything, I told her that she could tell me anything and that it would be safe with me and I meant it. She has good grades, likes photography, and says that she doesn't typically have issues with her friends.Then, I asked her if she was self-conscious and she said yes; she also said yes when I asked her if she considered herself to be depressed. She told me that she had family issues and that her and her parents do not get along?to this I relate In so many ways. We talked about family problems for the entire first half of our conversation. When this topic came to an end I asked a question that I'm sure she saw coming. I asked her is she cut and she said, â€Å"l used t o but things have gotten better for me. She started cutting in 7th grade because of self-hatred, depression, ND family issues. I wasn't surprised because too many freshman girls do this as well, including me. The main things I learned about her were that I was wrong and that we have a lot In common. To be honest, I learned more from this experience about myself than I learned about Brooke. When I asked Brooke to speak with me, I had an Idea that the assumptions about her in my head were no doubt, correct. Because I had judged her so roughly, I did not think she would be able to change my mind?call me stubborn.Also, I came to realize that Brooke and I have a lot in common: the way we deal with problems, being self-conscious, and being required to adjust to family issues. This made me realize that I tend to Judge people who I share similarities with; I also found other relationships where I did or do this. I do this because I try so hard to be myself and be original, but being complet ely unique is hard to do in a world of 6,973,738,433 people. She is a gorgeous girl and I am insanely jealous of her; I know for a fact that I edge people am jealous of.When we were talking, I found my original idea of her completely deteriorating. The more I think about my colonization with Brooke, the more I realize that I am wrong. Now, I realize that I enjoy talking to her. I hope we keep talking and maybe even one day become friends. I hope that eventually she will see me as someone she can talk to about her problems instead of cutting herself. When I spoke with her, I felt like I could be honest and be myself and I rarely feel this way with anybody.I'm surprised y my slight ability to open up more than I usually do during that conversation because I always hold everything in. For example, when she asked me if I cut, my good friends. I'm thankful for the change to begin getting to know Brooke, and I hope that we continue getting to know each other. I will not say that I am goin g to stop Judging people because Vie tried to do so before?it doesn't work, but from now on I will try my best to get to know a person to a fuller extent before Judging them. I'm glad I got this chance to figure out that I was wrong about Brooke.