N8oveenism

Time can be imagined as a circle, having no beginning and no ending, continuing infinitely forever. Everything that is or ever was has subsisted with no beginning or ending. With time comes energy, both positive and negative, flowing within everything that exists. Everything can be separated into two separate categories, Positive or Negative, good or bad. Everything positive flows together, connected, pulsing as one thing, all consisting of the same thing: Positive. Positive is the label given to everything good, while Negative is the label given to everything bad. All energy came together living as intelligence, abstractly creating everything because it is everything. Positive exists as a concentrated form of Positive energy and intelligence, creating everything that is good. Everything that has Positive in it is connected with everything else that has Positive in it, as well as Positive itself. Negative cannot create anything because the act of creating is Positive, an action done out of love and goodness. Because of this Negative tries to flow into Positives creations, becoming part of it and corrupting it, making it become dirty and not pure. Positive created the earth, thinking something and creating it. Having done no work because of the connected intelligence, he created everything is such beautiful detail, with no imperfections, completely perfect and pure. Positive energy was concentrated into pure forms, which created life. Intelligence was given a form, now becoming real and not abstract, solidly existing on the perfect earth.

Positive is everything good, bright, happy, loving, selfless, clean, pure, right and kind. It is the sun, which creates light, warmth and life. It is day, nature, weather and life. Negative is the exact opposite of Positive, darkness, hate, dirty, cold, night, the moon and anything that is bad. Everything created had an opposite, creating universal balance between everything. Negative flowed into Positives creations, corrupting and turning it evil, warping it and changing it so it would be absolutely opposite from its original form, which was good, pure and positive. Negative did this to everything Positive created, corrupting the perfect creations, made out of love. This created opposition and balance in all things.

Positive created a form, pulsing strongly with everything good, made out of unconditional and unimaginable love. This genuine creation is man, the ultimate form of life, having far more intelligence than the other forms. When man was created it was pulsing so brightly with goodness, flowing freely into everything that was good, essentially perfect. Positive had so much love for man that the earth was given to man to live freely on it. Negative took advantage of this generous gift, and tried ludicrously hard to flow into man, corrupting it for the worse. Positive could not allow his most beloved creation to be destroyed, so it gave man the gift of choice. He blessed man with agency, being able to choose to let Negative into itself, or to be enveloped in Positives love. Negative could not control or corrupt man unless they chose to let Negative. Men chose to be dirtied by Negative, and slowly lost its pure essence, becoming less and less connected with Positive. Men could no longer live be fully with Positive, so Positive created life, giving men the opportunity to clean itself of Negative and come completely into Positive. Man, and its opposite, women, go through life, striving to come closer to Positive. No Negative thing can exist in the presence of Positive, so man strives to return to its true form, coming back to live within Positive.

Holden's Negativity

Holden definitely points out all the negativity he see’s. For the most part, the words he says are true. He chooses to look for negativity in the world and then he chooses to dwell on it. He spends so much time seeking negativity that he doesn’t spend enough time on looking for it in him. He is so worried about what others are doing wrong and pointing out their mistakes, which doesn’t allow enough time to worry about himself. I think that Holden gets too caught up in making others things right rather than himself. Holden really needs to grasp the concept that he is only in control of himself, and now one has the control over him or any other person. He can’t change how people act, but he can change how he deals with their actions. The Serenity Prayer would really help him out in this situation. He needs the serenity to accept that he can’t change others, he needs the courage to change himself, and he most definitely needs the wisdom to know the difference between these two laws of life.

I think that if Holden knew about the Law of the Harvest his life may go differently. You reap what you sow. What he puts out in life will be what he gets. Holden consistently puts out negativity into the world, and he is consistently feeling down and depressed. It is proven that if you put out good things, nurture it and care for it, then it will come back good. You can’t plant an apple seed and expect for it to produce peaches. You can’t milk a cow and expect chocolate milk. Holden plants seeds of negativity, yet he expects positivity to develop from them. That is factually impossible.

Holden is far from perfect, but he wants everyone else to be. He wants so much people to stop being phony, yet he is phony himself. Holden just needs to chill out, take some time to himself and figure himself out. I find it kind of funny how he is so judgmental of everyone else, but he does the exact same thing he tells others not to do. He is so caught up in the drama of the world, when he really needs to take time for himself. Holden is one of the most oxymoronic people that I have ever heard of. He is ridiculously hypocritical in everything he does. If Holden were to slow down, he would find better ways of going about doing things. He really has good intentions, or he wouldn’t care so much about everyone doing stupid things.

I think that Holden needs to be medically stabilized in order for him to be emotionally healthy. He has a lot of diagnosis, but I think that his most severe problem is depression. I think that if depression was eliminated then his other problems would become very insignificant and small. Holden is a good person, but he has a lot of problems. Hearing his thoughts just brings the reader more aware of his problems. I think that everyone is just like he is. I think that theoretically if I were in anyone else’s head they would have thoughts along the same lines as Holden. We all experience negative and positive thoughts, it’s part of being human. Most people just aren’t aware of their problems because, just like Holden, they are too worried about other people.

Holden and Stability

            Holden likes the museum so much because it is the only consistent thing in his life right now. It was one of the only stable things in his childhood; one of the only things he could count on. He could always depend on it to always be there, and he wouldn’t be let down by it. The museum was always the same, and it will always stay the same, unlike everything else in his life. The concept of consistency is what I mean to make clear, it’s not necessarily the material in the museum, or even the museum itself, but what it means to Holden. It is the feeling of dependency and stability in his life that he hasn’t ever had. It’s the idea and the consequence he receives when he confides in the museum, because, in theory, anything could take the place of the museum in his life. If the object can be depended on, Holden could put his trust into it. Holden puts his confidence in cigarettes, alcohol, his sister, and himself, because he believe he won’t be betrayed by those things. He believes that he can’t possibly be betrayed by the museum, so he puts stock into it.

            Holden has had a very inconsistent life. He has changed to multiple different schools, which is a very drastic change in a child’s life. At first, he probably put trust into people in his first people, and into the school itself. But the he consequentially was betrayed, in a sense, by the school because he was taken from it. When something like this happens over and over again he begins to put less and less trust into things. I think that is what fuels the hate of school, because he has had to leave so many different ones, which result in the feeling of betrayal towards any school. He makes a generalization based on his past experiences, and refuses to trust anything anymore. When his little brother died, his family life drastically changed, creating inconsistency. At one moment everything was the same, he was in his comfort zone, and the next moment he was ripped from everything he knew, being forced into leaving his comfort zone. Holden has had a hard life, not in the sense of physical abuse, but emotional inconsistency, which I think he perceived as emotional abuse. This contributes to his trust issues, and why he likes the museum so much.

            Like the Indians in the glass boxes in the museum, I think Holden would want to be thrown in a glass box also. He wouldn’t have to deal with the world anymore, and would be taking the easy way out of life. He hates people in general, and is very antisocial. I don’t think that he would mind being left alone. I personally think it would do him some good, because he would only have himself, so he could get to know himself. Holden is lost, and doesn’t have the slightest clue of who he is. In addition, I think that Holden would throw all the people he dislikes in to a glass box, if he had the chance. Again, he would be taking the easy way out of life, which he tends to do.

            Holden decides to not go into the museum because he is scared. I think he is scared that the museum has changed. This would lead to more feelings of betrayal in his life, and he would lose something yet again. I think he is also scared to trust something again, or go back to something he once trusted, because he has lived his life without any trust for a while now. If he went into the museum, it could bring back happiness, which Holden hates. He is in such a negative state in his life that being happy would force him to change. Depression is his comfort zone, so he shuts out everything positive, because he is comfortable. Realizing that there may be something good out there in the world would challenge the way he is living right now, which would take him out of his comfort zone.

Catcher in the Rye

I think that, in general, Holden disrespects women. Throughout the book, Holden has consistently looked at women as objects. He dehumanizes them, and doesn’t see them as a person. He devalues their personality, only judging them on their looks. This is all a generalization because Holden does value, respect and humanize certain women such as: Jane, his mother and his sister. He loves these three women more than he loves any other man. I don’t think Holden is sexist, he is just judgmental. He dislikes more males than females, but he has a lower opinion of women in general. Holden doesn’t treat anyone very well, not matter what the gender is, but I think he has less negativity toward women. I think that he dislikes men a lot more and he treats them with less respect. He would fight a man, but wouldn’t hit a woman. He cares about women more than man and empathizes for them. When Holden was faced with the choice to have sex with a prostitute he felt bad for her, and refused. He isn’t a bad person, just a fake person. He has a heart. Although he tries to hide it, it comes out once in a while.

Holden respects his little sister, his mother and girls that he has real, intimate feelings toward. I think that he has the most respect towards his little sister, and he shows it through his words. He describes her with words that express genuine love and care. He thinks more of her than he probably does of himself. He cares about her very much and he values her more that most women, if not all women. The way that he talks about her allows the reader to actually feel the strong emotions Holden feels for his sister. Holden loves his mother because she is his mother. We all have a very strong connection with our mother, because we all came from them. We love them very much because they are the person that gave us life; the person that took care of us and loved us unconditionally, no matter what the circumstance.

I think that Holden devalues everyone, so his opinion of women fits his personality perfectly. I personally think that he has a better chance of respecting women more than men. His still has a negative paradigm towards everyone, but it becomes slightly more positive when he is faced with women. I think that girls bring out the best in him and they allow him the opportunity to show his good heart. Holden has good intentions, but he his ego gets in the way of his true self revealing itself.

Being Phony

            Being phony is very similar to being fake. It is showing a fake face, putting on a mask, not showing your true self or colors and not being real. When you are being phony you are putting up a front, not being who you really are which is practically lying by assent to everyone you come in contact with. You make up certain aspects of a personality that you think others like and you show it to them. You try to implement many different and contradicting personality traits into your own personality, but they’re not who you really are. The person you are with will determine what mask or persona you want to portray to the world. Being phony will limit yourself in behaving certain ways because you become indecisive, questioning what others will want you to do, not knowing which way to behave because you don’t know how others will react. You don’t know who you are and you have no sense of self. You may become phony because you dislike certain characteristics of your personality, so you try to hide them, showing only the positive; showing what others want. If you dislike yourself you try to find yourself in others. You may become a perfectionist due to low self-esteem, and trying to do only right, seeking acceptance from others so you can accept yourself. Being phony will enable you to run and hide from your problems; hide from who you really are.

            I think Holden see’s through people’s faces and their masks; seeing who they really are, and he dislike it. He dislikes people being fake, because he himself is fake. We tend to clash more with people who are more like us, especially if we have a strong, dominate personality. Holden clashes with most people because he feels insecure of himself, and people intimidate him. I assume that he has lots of anxiety and depression, and I assume that he feels threatened by most people. I also think he envies a lot of people, so he becomes fake; he becomes the people he envies because people like them. Holden also has a gift for seeing through people’s lies and their fronts, which results in harsh judgment. I think Holden dislike phony people because he sees himself in them and it scares him. He dislikes them because he dislikes himself.

            Holden is a hypocrite. He doesn’t like people being fake and phony, yet he acts the exact same way. He tells people what they want to hear, but he thinks the exact opposite of them. He has learned to kiss up to others, (brown-nosing) and make them believe that he is something he is really not. If others like him and see positive attributes in him, he thinks he will begin to like himself more. He puts on masks, fronts and faces which is the exact same thing he judges other people on.

Malcolm X

            Malcolm Little, later known as Malcolm X, was a self-destructive youth who was transformed into an educated leader. An African American leader, famous and followed for his strong belief in Black Pride and equal rights, overcame many trials and tribulations throughout his life. He is a great example on shifting his paradigm and changing a lifestyle that would eventually result in and early, and unexpected, death. Showing a desire for learning and education, he fulfilled his hunger for knowledge through reading and experiencing. Malcolm X overcame his addiction to cocaine, gambling and other crimes, showing personal growth and overcoming adversity.

            Malcolm Little, born fourth into a family of seven, had a rough childhood. His father, Earl Little, was a very influential Baptist lay speaker, a Pan-African supporter, and a local leader of the Universal Negro Improvement Association. His father taught his children the values of Black Pride and self-reliance, which would later impact Malcolm when he grew up.

            When Malcolm was at a young age three of his brothers, one of which was lynched, died violently at the hands of the local White Suppremists. Because of Ku Klux Klan threats, the Little family was forced to relocate to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1926. In 1929 the Little’s home was burned down by Klansmen, fortunately, the family escaped with minor injuries. Malcolm suffered from many racial antagonism and harassment during his years growing up.

            Malcolm grew up in the ghetto and later got involved in drug dealing, racketeering, robbery and pimping. He got arrested for picking up a stolen watch he dropped off at a repair store. He was sentenced to 8-10 years in prison. While in prison he continued his self-destructive behaviors until he met a man he called Bimbi. Bimbi encouraged him to educate himself by reading and changing his life around. Malcolm found the Nation of Islam (NOI) and changed himself. This transformation and commitment to the NOI would later influence his speeches and teachings.

            Malcolm X was a very influential and educated speaker for the Nation of Islam. Elijah Muhammad appointed Malcolm and the National Speaker for the NOI after he led a demonstration due to police brutality. I think his greatest accomplishment was recognizing a problem with society at the time, and he had the incentive to do something about it. Many people viewed him as a hate monger and a Black Suppremist, but in my opinion he was standing up for what he believed in. Malcolm X was on a path to death but he changed it and turned into one of the most educated and influential leader of his time. Everyone else was allowing negative things to go on that society deemed appropriate, but Malcolm saw the visible flaws in what was going on and he committed to stopping it. He went to extremes to stopping the racial hate that was going on. What was happening deserved to be treated harshly and extremely. 

            Malcolm X exemplifies many aspects of the Creed, but the most profound ones are Education and Life Long Learning, and Personal Growth. While Malcolm was in prison he educated himself by reading books and then he developed a love for learning and education. A high school drop out turned into a smart, well educated leader is a good way to describe Malcolm X. He was a drug addict, preferably cocaine, a gambling addict and a thief, but he changed his life around, with help from Bimbi and the NOI. He changed his self-destructive behaviors and became clean and respectable. Malcolm X was very smart, excelling in school, until the eighth grade. A teacher had told him he couldn’t do anything because he was black and then he dropped out. He figured out a legal way to evade the draft to fight in World War Two and didn’t get caught for most of his crimes. He wasn’t stupid and when he decided to put his brain to good use he made history.

            Malcolm X, demonstrating a desire for education and life long learning and personal growth is an example we should all look up to and follow. Seeing through his mistakes, and only looking at the positive, will allow us to better ourselves and improve certain aspects of our lives. Sometimes all of us could do, as Malcolm X demonstrated, is seeing the flaws in the society and media and make an effort to change it. There is always room for improvement and everything changes, except change, so we should influence the world we live in positively. Malcolm X shows that you can always turn your life around, even in the darkest circumstance. We should implement his positive aspects into ourselves. I respect him for what he did and his inherent values and skills.

Bibliography:

Gormley, Beatrice, “Malcolm X: A Revolutionary Voice”. Copyright Date: 2008 to Sterling Biographies, New York. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X

Sherol, “Malcolm X: A Story with a Twist”. Africana Online, August 18, 2010. Site visited on March 16, 2011.

www.africanaonline.com/2010/08/malcolm-x-a-story-with-a-twist/

“Malcolm X” Wikipedia.org. Site visited on March 16, 2011.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X

Paradigm Shift

Sometimes Life gets rough,
Tough and you feel crushed.
Keep moving forward,
Improving and progressing.

There’s always someone out there,
Who has it worse than you.
So chill and feel,
Don’t deal and kill.

Is your cup half full?
Or are you being held back?
By your negative thoughts
And unnecessary crap.

Why do you hurt yourself?
Making life worse.
Shift your paradigm,
And change life’s course.

Life’s not as hard
As we make it out to be.
Flip life’s cards and
Happy you will be.