Final Thoughts About SJCJC

This is my second and last year at SJCJC. Despite being told that the transition from high school would be difficult, I never found this school life style to be truly demanding and challenging. Sure some courses were difficult; however, I must say that at least 45 percent of the difficulty and stress that comes with each course is held by the teacher of that course. As a matter of fact, I found that teachers, staff and school management were the most difficult and challenging aspects of this school to overcome. It spans from ridiculous registration processes to dealing with a teacher that you can swear hates you. It all comes down to how you choose to deal with it. In the end, I decided to take it easy and not take the school too seriously as it seems many staff members do the same. However, I must say that my time here at SJCJC was a good experience and I would only change a few things if I had the chance.


sjcjc website: where the website is great but the school is...

My Final Thoughts On Abortion

The wrongs of abortion outweigh what may seem like necessities for abortion. It is the responsibility of the woman to take precautions and even so think about the life of the child if these precautions fail. Therefore, I believe the value system of society in our country and the world needs to change to suit the lives of the defenseless and realize that abortions completely go against the commonly accepted idea of the sanctity of human life.

Take a look at the picture below. Here, even the mother acknowledges that she is killing the child, but states it as her "right". (ridiculous)

Even With Those Truths...

Some believe that human life begins at conception; therefore no matter where the fetus is in its development, it is already a separate human being. Therefore, if the woman sees it fit to say that she has free will to do what she pleases, then why should the free will be taken away from the human being inside her? Secondly, those that argue that adoption is not viable to replace abortions are wrong. The value they overlook is the importance of human life regardless of what the creator of that life has to say. Libertarianism, utilitarianism, and egalitarianism all contradict this claim. A human’s right to liberty, happiness and equal opportunities would be totally denied if the aspect of abortion over adoption was taken. Basically, they are being selfish. The women that use this argument are saying, “Because I don’t want this child, you can’t have him/her either; therefore I rather kill him/her”. Isn’t this an act of selfishness on the mother’s part. Adoption may suit the child with a parent who would nurture and care for the child much unlike the mothers that would even consider abortion. Therefore, the thought that abortions should be made available for those that merely don’t want their child is ethically wrong by all standards of society.

There Are Some Truths And Exceptions..

Although I mentioned that women should be responsible and take the proper precautions, I must admit that there are women who do take these precautions and still end up being troubled with an unexpected child. Women do apply the use of contraceptives and as we all know, they do sometimes fail. Women do check up on their health status and apply the necessary precautions; however, when dealing with a sexual relationship not everything is perfect. I must also note that some people have different views on abortions. Some may argue that women have full rights over their body and as such can do what they want. People argue that because the fetus cannot live outside the womb and is dependent upon the health of the mother, it is not a separate entity and therefore is not a separate human being, making abortion legal and not an act of murder. There also those who argue that adoption is not a viable alternative to abortion because it remains the woman's choice whether or not to give her child up for adoption. Statistics show that very few women who give birth choose to give up their babies - less than 3% of white unmarried women and less than 2% of black unmarried women.

Why Even In the Situation...?

As mentioned before, abortions are done for several reasons including health risks and mental instabilities. However, the importance of this aspect is not the need of an abortion but why are the women in the position to consider abortions in the first place. Women with health risks should take the proper precautions when having sex. These include contraceptives and items such as birth control pills. Women must also be responsible enough to know their health status before engaging in sexual activity or even considering a child. This is important for several reasons. They would be able to find out any diseases that could be transmitted sexually as well as if they are able to successfully have a child without risking their health. Many women tend to jump into sexually activity without knowing these important pieces of information and are then considering abortions to save their own lives. This is not the correct way to go about your life especially when another life may be involved. It is the responsibility of the women in our society to know their health status as well as being precautious if there is some risk so as to avoid even considering an abortion. Therefore, I believe that the women who aren’t responsible should have the child and risk their own lives because of their irresponsibility, not the life of the child who is unable to even defend him/herself.  

Abortion's Ethical Dilemma

Abortion is a very emotional and highly ethical topic. Obviously, there will be many contradictory views on this matter, concerning whether it is moral, ethical or a violation of human dignity and rights. So the main question arises. Should abortions be made illegal everywhere, including Belize? First we must make note that abortions are done for several reasons. These include health risks, mental issues and those that just demand it because of irresponsibility. However, we must ask ourselves. Why are these women even in the position to have to consider an abortion? If they know their health is at risk or their mental state is unbalanced, why would they risk developing a child by engaging in sexual activity? Also, what makes it right for women to freely have sex, but then abort the life of a living human being? Therefore, I believe that abortions are wrong for any reason and that they should be illegal everywhere even in our country, Belize.

One Of My Ethical Dilemmas

One ethical dilemma I can remember is that during my first year in sixth form I was offered marijuana by friends. Although this would count as an ethical dilemma to most people, to me it wasn’t even a real problem. I have been taught that any kind of drug used outside of illnesses could only reap negative effects in the long run. Therefore, the obvious answer to me was no. However, I did think for a moment that it would be the first and last time I would try it. However, if I took it, where would be my boundaries? I would never be able to truthfully say that I have never taken illegal drugs. So in the end, I never took it and was proud of my decision. I would have done the same thing if I had another chance because I would engage in the same thought process as before and with the even greater knowledge that I have now.

What is Personal Ethics to me?

To me, personal ethics means what I the individual believes is right and wrong. I believe it is based on the values I grew up with and how I apply those values. Although values may differ from individual to individual, it is up to us as citizens of a law abiding country to determine how ethical our values truly are, despite what we are thought.

Assimilationist Ideal (Individual Preference)

The last point to make is that the assimilationist ideal sees race as irrelevant went it comes to individual and sometimes group choices and preferences. This ideal states that it would be unethical for a person to reject someone because of their race. It would be unethical for segregation to occur as in the days of Martin Luther King. Imagine a world where different people weren’t allowed to interact with each other. Imagine Belize in that way. Belize’s development as a people and a country would seriously be hampered. Belize’s population is filled with diverse cultures, races and people. In fact, this characteristic of our existence is a major part of who we are. Our tourism industry flourishes because there are so many cultures to witness and people to interact with. If schools in Belize were segregated and people in the work places were segregated, there would most likely be many cases of absolute poverty and increased low class poverty. This would then cause different races and classes of culture to be given different privileges which is totally against what Belize is and ought to be. So, regardless of moral pluralism, different views on the moral aspects of society and people do not justify the discrimination of people because of race, culture or location.

Assimilationist Ethics (A General View)

Assimilationists are those who seek to advocate a policy of uniting differing racial or cultural groups. Therefore, ethically, assimilationists seek to provide or form a society in which race and skin color is irrelevant; a society in which racial distinctions no longer exist. Equality between the races is their goal. For assimilationists, natural law concerning race is that humans ought to live among each other on a level playing ground as equals regardless of anything else. The human dignity always comes first. We must consider the way we live now. Would it be ethical or moral for a restaurant or hospital to ask what race you are before offering service? No. This type of behavior would disrupt human harmony and would disrupt natural law. At birth, all humans are born with the same rights; therefore none should be privileged over another because of race or culture even. The sole acception for privilege would probably be location or environment which offers these opportunities as opposed to others that don’t. Just being a human being grants us the rights to free will, choice of location, choice of spouse etc. Hence, what reason is there that human beings shouldn’t be equal if human dignity and rights come first.

How Covert Racism Is Still Present Today

As mentioned before, covert racism is the inexplicit act of racially oppressing another person. This type of racism may occur subliminally or subconsciously through choice of words or actions. What is even more sinister is unintentional but effective racism that is done through aspects such as stereotyping and mental notes that oppress and demean other races. These types of covert racism seen all around the world include assuming that black people are more physically superior than other races, shop keepers keeping an eye especially on black customers, and exaggerating offenses against white while ignoring more serious offenses against other races. These are all examples that occur around the world but mainly in the US. However, in our country Belize, there are also several acts of covert racism. These range from small offenses such as crossing the street when about to approach an unkempt black person to larger offenses such as increased police brutality in the southern part of Belize City. Although covert racism may seem less impactful than blatant sadistic racism, it is still racism and is illegal. The world, specifically North Carolina made an honest attempt to improve the racial biases of the world and created the NC racial justice act on August 11 2009. This law will allow people facing the death penalty to present evidence of racial bias, including statistics, in court; therefore, granting all races equality in court as well as a source of defense. This is the world making an attempt to truly eradicate racism and to bring about an assimilationist idea.

My Thoughts On Racism

When dealing with racial justice we must first come to understand the meaning of justice itself. That is, the principle of moral rightness or equity. In society this means the people and government must make an effort in upholding what is just, especially in aspects of fair treatment and due reward in accordance with honor, standards, or law. Now take into account this definition and apply it to race. Consider the societies we know and the issues that arise because of diverse racial differences. Racial justice then, means that society, if not the world, must make an honest effort to uphold human dignity and the equality between all human beings regardless of race. Yes, this is the way things ought to be. However, when we do consider the issues in society we must realize that there are other issues that become problematic when dealing with assimilationist ethics. These include race, location, culture etc. The final point we must realize is that covert racism is still blatant in our world today. This is the inexplicit way of racially oppressing human beings and will be addressed further on in this paper.

Response to the Protestants...

" I mentioned before that protesting was meaningless. I stand by this statement. I understand that the Belizeans of this country feel strongly about this belief but what did they expect to happen from protesting. The modernist and post modernist views of the world are what overlook and will overlook the way the world interacts and plays out. I believe that the Belizeans in our society, even though gays are not truly socially acceptable, can allow them to be a part of our community as long as they don’t greatly influence our society or affect us. That would be the more appropriate and mature response to homosexuals visiting our society. I do not agree that Belizeans are backward for doing what they did but could have been more subtle in their approach."

What Would Be My Response To Stephen Silver..

" For you to say that Belizeans are backward and ignorant is in itself and ignorant statement. If you did not know, being a homosexual is against the natural law of things. Homosexuality goes against the way things ought to be. Of course if you were born that way I cannot blame you. However, for you to say that Belizeans are backward because they want things the way it should be is selfish to say the least. You cannot force someone to accept what is not the norm, especially when in their society. If some people look down on you for being gay, then you should deal with it and move on. However, I don’t believe it is appropriate for you to spurn or downgrade them for expressing how they feel. As mean as it sounds, it is you that is breaking the norm, not them. In this time, society makes the rules and if you go into a different society you cannot call them backward for their beliefs against nonstandard things regardless of how it makes you feel."

Steven Silver and the Cruise

A few years back there was a gay cruise ship that arrived in Belize. However, this ship was not so easily accepted and some Belizeans protested against it. Steven Silver, one of the gay passengers, spoke badly about the protest and called Belizeans 'backwards' because of it. Now, I personally believe that homosexuality is wrong and shouldn't be condoned. However, with my current knowledge, I believe that protesting and passing laws against homosexuality is pointless. In the same way heterosexuals (attracted to the opposite sex) feel and know they are the way they are, so do the homosexuals feel. If there are those that choose to be gay, then I believe that is wrong. However, those that are “naturally” homosexual can do nothing about the way they are. Hence, laws and protestants would do nothing because they would still exist and gay sex would still occur. Another point to notice is that there is a post modernist view in which the individual makes the rules. In this society, the person determines most things about his or her life making these approaches to homosexuality pointless as well. Homosexuality among the human race is probably inevitable especially when sex preferences are being reinforced through surgery and sex changes. With these points in mind, I believe that the protesting etc was not needed or pointless to say the least.

Why are Societies Different Then...?

If we all go through the same stages throughout the human life course, don't you wonder why societies differ in such distinct ways. I believe this happens because our development is influenced by our social experiences and ways of life. We can see this by observing individuals within the same stage of development. For example, why are some teens very rebellious while others are fairly focused in school etc? The reason may be that the rebellious teens were kept under strict rules when younger and were confined. Therefore, upon getting older and realizing their strong desire for independence, they become rebellious and try to free themselves. The teens that are focused could have been granted some degree of independence from an early age; therefore, they found it unnecessary to roam about carelessly. These are just some plausible explanations for one of many scenarios. The fact remains, however, that every day social interactions do influence the development of human life.

What About the Human Life Course?

With the three theories of Human personality and development in mind, can you determine the human life course. As the name implies, the human life course are the stages in our lives where we make certain transitions. By observing the previous three theories, I was able to determine the following information. The human life course begins with childhood at birth. This is the stage where we are unlike most other animals and require constant protection and nurturing for a long period of time. Most animals are able to fend for themselves fairly rapidly after birth; however, we are defenseless and unable to properly communicate and survive for several years. In our childhood we develop the basis for language, non-verbal communication, bonds and a portion of our cognitive abilities. A healthy childhood is important for proper human development later on. Adolescence is the transition from childhood to adult hood. In this stage we should be able to think and act on our own. We should be able to survive independently to a certain extent. After this transitional stage, we reach adulthood. Adulthood is where our cognitive abilities should be properly defined and suitable for proper survival. In adulthood, we may lose total dependence on parental figures and form mutual relationships with others in things such as marriage. Finally, after adulthood we hit old age. This is sort of like going back in time, whereby our cognitive abilities begin to decrease and dependencies may form again. However, this time these dependencies may be on children of our own or with other people with whom bonds have been formed. In this stage of life, we are able to properly pass down cultural traditions, practices and norms.

Mead's Theory of the Development of Self

Mead’s theory of the development of self, states that the basis of humanity is the self. The self is defined as that part of an individual’s personality composed of an individual's self-awareness and self-image. For Mead, the self was a totally social phenomenon, inseparable from society. Mead connected the self and society by stating that “the emergence of the self is accomplished through social experience, based on the exchange of symbolic interaction, and occurring within a context in which people take the role of the other.”

Piaget's approach to Human Development

Piaget’s approach to human development has to do with stages in our life. These include the sensory motor stage (birth to about age 2), preoperational stage (begins about the time the child starts to talk to about age 7), concrete stage (about first grade to early adolescence) and formal operations stage (adolescence). The sensory motor stage states that the child learns about himself and his environment through motor and reflex actions. The preoperational stage states that the child begins to use symbols to represent objects through language learnt over time. In this stage the child has little to no sense of time and is oriented in the present. Children in this stage also think about things they way they want it be; sort of like a fantasy. The concrete stage states that the child develops an ability to think abstractly and to make rational judgments about concrete or observable events. Children in this stage no longer need to physically inspect events or objects in order to understand them. Finally, the formal operations stage states that the person no longer requires concrete objects to make rational judgments. At this point, he or she is capable of hypothetical and deductive reasoning. It is possible that people may not reach this stage because of things such as a mental handicap, or prolonged social isolation.

Freud's Theory of Human Personality

Freud’s theory of human personality is the theory most of us would be able to relate to. Freud claims that Human behaviour is determined by “inner forces” that a person has little to no control over. He then went on to divide this behaviour or human personality into three elements: the id, the ego and the superego. The id is the instinctive element that is present from birth and is comprised of a person’s most basic biological needs such as hunger. The id seeks instant gratification and therefore produces a feeling of anxiety and tension. It tries to relieve this tension through the primary process which creates an image of the desired object in the mind as a substitute. The ego is the part of us that deals with reality. It tries to satisfy the id in a realistic and socially appropriate way by finding a real object that is equivalent to the mental image created by the id’s primary process. The superego now guides our conscience and basically handles our moral dilemmas.

Sociology

Have you ever wondered how the study of sociology helps us understand our development? Through sociology we may learn how society, the human mind and human interactions work and develop. It is a social science that studies the society and our roles within society. Three of the big contributors to Sociology are: Freud, Piaget's and Mead. Each of these sociologists contributed greatly to the understanding of society and human development. Each also created their own theories concerning our personalities and development. It is our job to determine how true each one truly is by paying close attention to our every day lives.

Do You Know About Sweatshops?

A sweatshop is a workplace whereby workers engage in the complete opposite of meaningful work. Meaningful work is work that enhances you as a human and uplifts your dignity. However, working in a sweatshop means that workers are subject to extreme exploitation, including very low pay and long work hours. They work under poor and harsh conditions such as working in hazardous places or withstanding abuses of all kinds. Sweatshops are found all over the world and they ignore human rights. I, as do many people, believe that sweatshops are morally and ethically wrong. Why has the world succumb to such unfair and ill-treatment of others for the benefit of ourselves? We are all human beings and sure there will be some who have more opportunities and advantages over others. However, that gives us no right to intentionally degrade others through the workplace because they have no other choice. If anything we should be trying to uplift them, not take advantage of them. The least we can do is give meaning to the lives of those who are unfortunate and it would be unethical to even say that providing meaningful work for these people is impossible.

How Can Freedom Be Bad?

There are people who abuse freedom. For example, because we have freedom of speech, some people take advantage of that in order to demean or insult others. This reduces human dignity and has lead to problems, especially in schools. How many times have we heard students committing suicide because of bullies that tease and demean them? Sure, low self-esteem plays a role in these types of behavior; however, no one should blatantly and consistently demean others sadistically to the point where they feel totally helpless. We are all humans and so should respect one another’s freedom and dignity. Finally, because we are all free, severely flawed human beings see this as an opportunity to assert dominance over others. Examples of these include murder and rape. Rape especially attacks freedom because many of the times, the attacker seeks to assert dominance over the victim. Whatever the reason may be, it takes away freedom. With freedom come those who seek only to take it away from others. This is a form of psychosis that some disturbed or changed people deal with.

Why Freedom Is Good

Freedom is the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint. It is a very important part of human life. In fact, it is the basis of how we interact, communicate and work together. Even though every human being deserves freedom, there are negatives that come with the positives. First, let’s look at a couple positives.

            Freedom enables us to live happily and pilot the way we live our lives. With freedom, we are able to choose our spouse, choose our jobs, choose our living conditions and the list could go on. The point is, freedom is the very foundation for how we live our lives. Recall the horrible days of slavery and picture a life without freedom. It doesn’t necessarily have to include forced manual labor; however, a life of confinement is boring and unhealthy for the human being. It is important the we utilize forms of free will. Secondly, freedom is a good thing because it gives way to imagination and the betterment of our world. Imagine that people like Einstein or Karl Marx never had freedom. The important contributions made to science and human understanding would be very limited. Human progression would be very slow if any at all. The importance of imagination is vital for our world to progress. In fact, it could be said that imagination alone is what created our world today. Because we are free to think, the world reaps the benefits. My father and I hold the belief that, if humans can imagine it, it probably can be done.

This video shows how, through freedom, we are able to help one another.

Belize's Money Management

Belize is in the middle of a recession and is indebted to several countries. This is old news. Therefore, we would think that governments and city councils would take whatever measures possible so as to reduce inefficient costs. However, it seems that that is not the case. For several weeks now, I have observed roads being fixed in the same manner they were before they got destroyed. By now, they should realize that proper money (whether it be a large amount of not) should be spend on roads and other means of traveling so as to reduce constant repair. In the long run, the cost of building a well defined road would be less than constantly having to repair large pot holes and cracks. The problem of money management not only applies to the Belizean government but to investors as well. All around Belize City, we can see several unfinished or abandoned buildings. What were their intentions? How much was placed into the construction of those buildings? I don’t know. However, these buildings are obviously an enormous waste of money. In studying economics, I know that investing is an important part to an economies success. However, investors must manage their money supply and know when to best utilize their savings so as to reap the greatest profits. Investors in Belize seem confused about what they want to do and in the process, provide no form of money flow in the economy. Instead they just waste space and time that could be used elsewhere.

Belize's Law Enforcement

I am sure that many Belizeans, if not all, would agree that Belize’s law enforcement capabilities are poor to say the least. Criminals are becoming less afraid to commit crimes, knowing the charges they receive most likely won’t even reflect the type of crime they committed. Also, many of the policemen in Belize are properly trained; therefore, what should be an easy task in locating or disabling a criminal, becomes a chore and may take quite some time. Based on experiences, we can safely assume that the government is taking very little precautions in order to fix this problem. Very little measures are taken to properly ensure that the policemen are properly trained. Recently, it can even be seen that some policemen are corrupted and engage in theft of murder. Belize has gotten to the point where even law enforcers and officials are corrupt. Hence, we must ask: Who can we trust? If policemen are being corrupted by this society, what can we do? This is a problem for the government. They must try to create proper training methods for law enforcers. The Belize defense force seems to be able to handle themselves; however, our policemen are the law enforcers and must act accordingly. Law enforcement is vital in Belize’s time today. Because many of the law enforcers are incompetent and the judicial system is insanely flawed, it is no wonder that Belize’s crime situation has gotten so out of hand.

School Policies

For some time now, the government has been trying to fairly equalize student payments among schools in the country. They seek equality among the people and believe that every person deserves the same opportunities as the other. However, this is a very tricky problem to tackle. Take into account two different schools of different calibers (no names will be called). Would it be correct for students in one school to be paying the same or similar amount as those in the other school? The answer would have to be no. Suppose one school produces a certain quality of education and supplies. Then, the price of that school should reflect that. Suppose the other school produces a higher quality of education, lab supplies and teacher-student relationships. The price to enter the school should also reflect this. For a more prestigious school to require the same payment as a school of a lesser caliber, it would be expected that teaching quality would reduce as teacher payments would be less. Also, how would new and old supplies and technology would be paid for and maintained if school fees are less? Therefore, governments need to find a more appropriate way to even the playing field. Certain types of scholarships or programs, or even working on school should be implemented as a way to even the playing field. Most of the time those who deserve the opportunity to go to a good school, are willing to work for it.

The Chinese in Belize

Just recently we’ve seen how the Chinese in Belize react to crime against their people. The innocent killing of a Chinese shopkeeper was followed by a total shutdown by the Chinese people. They wouldn’t open shops or stores and wanted to make a point to the citizens of Belize, indicating how fed up they are with crime. They also showed bravery in standing together as a people to show their disdain for crime done against them. When analyzing the situation closely, we see how different the Chinese are from other Belizeans. Every year, a large amount of non-Chinese Belizeans are murdered or offended in some heinous way. Parents of the victims rampage for a little while on the television and radio; however, what actually gets done. In doing this, no true message is sent to the governments and people of Belize. Most people just say that these are parents are defending their children in saying they are not “trouble makers”. However, why were they targets for killings (exempt those who were innocently killed). In complaining alone, little can be done. We can learn from the Chinese people and utilize their methodology of fighting crime. For every heinous crime that is committed, we should try to come together as a people to truly send across point to government officials and criminals. This would hopefully jumpstart the production of an effective justice system.