this i believe:

music makes me come alive:
Joan Tower believes that music nourishes out inner souls, gives us public permission to share things, connects people to others, and expresses yourself in different ways. It was interesting how she connected music to politics because I always thought that music was a way to display your current emotion. Other than that connection, I do agree with her that music is a very important part of life because it makes me feel in a way emotionless. Every sad thought, angry thought, happy thought, and whatever is going through my mind can relate to different types of songs. If I am feeling depressed, then Emo music is what I would listen too. But, if I feel really hyphy and excited, then Hip-Hop/R&B is right for me. Like Joan, I honestly don't know what I would do without music. Honestly, it's everywhere we go, in the car, bags, heads, schools. It's my life saver and best friend.

utterly humbled by mystery:
Father Richard Rohr believes in mystery and multiplicity. He is a very religious man that trusts in god and knows that everything happens for a reason. This particular essay was of interest to my because I am religious and don't always know why God does things in my life. He believes that faith will keep us motivated to go through the mysteries of life. But I have a hard time to cope with difficult situations. Since my knee injury, I was very angry at God because it seemed unfair for him to allow this to happen to me. I really thought that I didn't deserve it because I was being a good person. Not knowing what would happen to me in the future after my surgery has always been and will continue to be one of the biggest mysteries in my life.

failure is a good thing:
Jon Caroll believes that failure is a good thing because it teaches us important lessons and we should not dwell within our unsucessful goals. It is true that alot of students at Punahou are always striving to do their best. One bad grade, and they think that their parents will yell at them. In fact, some people think that a B+ is bad. [I'll be honest and say that I am one of those people who think a B+ is bad] But you know, I can't help it. Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to do better than my best. If I made one little mistake, then I would get upset at myself and didn't realize until after my ACL situation that this mindset makes my performance worse. Tearing my ligament was a huge dissapointment and failure in my life. Maybe even my biggest failure. However, I have learned alot from this experience and in a way thankful that I got it because now, I'm working ten times harder just to get back on the court. I have never been so disciplined in every aspect of my life and I give all the credit to god.