An Apple A Day keeps the Khazaks With Pay

I wonder, “What is the most influential plant in the world?” The answer to this question becomes quite obvious once I take a closer look at my life; I communicate with people on my Apple, for a healthy snack I pack that handy-dandy apple, and someday I want to see ‘The Big Apple’. Even when it comes to religion and culture, my peers often allude to the apple of the forbidden tree. It is clear that apples dominate all other plants when it comes to influence. So where does this plant originate from and what is special about it?

Malus sieversii is the scientific name for the grandfather of apples. Malus sieversii is native to parts of Central Asia, namely, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan. This region is famous for the Altai Mountain Range and the Mongolian steppe, which experiences much of the same continental weather as Siberia. Alma-Ata, former capital of Soviet Kazakhstan, experiences anywhere between 107.1 Degrees Fahrenheit down to -35.9 Degrees Fahrenheit. Interestingly enough, the word Alma-Ata is derived from “alma” in the Kazakh language which means ‘apple’. It therefore seems quite appropriate to learn that Alma-Ata is regarded as the ‘Cradle of Apples’. Now that I know where apples come from I wonder, though, “so what?”

A bit more thinking makes me realize the enormous impact the environment of Alma-Ata has had on human civilization, and my life in general. Maybe without this region of the world, apples would not have survived natural selection. What would happen then? For one, what would people name their companies? For some reason, ‘Orange’ or ‘Watermelon’ just doesn’t seem to have the same ring and attractiveness that ‘Apple” does.  Second of all, what would people eat for snack? Few fruits or vegetables can compete with the apple on a world wide scale, in terms of availability. Even in the poorest regions of the world, people have apples. This is yet another reason why Alma-Ata’s climate has helped humanity.

If Kazakhstan’s climate wasn’t as harsh as it is, apples would not have developed such good defenses against the elements. Malus sieversii has recently been cultivated by the United States Agricultural Research Service; according to the research, some Malus sieversii plants show remarkable disease resistance. Furthermore, these Kazakh apples are much more capable of growing in environments that are not suitable for the domesticated apple, such as in colder areas. With climate change pillaging our world, we have to introduce hardier species that will guarantee a food supply even in the roughest weather. If, for example, China had an extremely cold winter and forty percent of its apple trees were lost, around twenty six percent of apples in the world would be lost. This would mean that sixteen million, five-hundred and four thousand, two hundred tones of apples would be lost in one year alone, not to mention the fact that it would take several years for the Chinese to re-plant those apple trees. Of course this is a ‘really-horrible-case scenario’, but then again, how many people expected there to be a giant freeze in Europe this winter? Or who expected there to be floods in Australia, Pakistan, Malaysia, and even Saudi Arabia. The weather is certainly unpredictable at the moment, therefore we should prepare for the worst.

Increasing awareness about Malus sieversii may not only be the answer to securing the stability of apple output in the world, but it just be the answer to increased demand for food across the globe as well. Since this species of apples is not well known in modern agriculture, farmers are still unaware of the potential that this species possesses. With an annual worldwide production of around sixty-five million tones of apples, it is hard to deny that Malus sieversii may be able to greatly contribute to the food basket of the world. I do not believe that everybody should just become apple farmers; instead I propose that people open their eyes to new potentials and possibilities. With careful planning, knowledge in the agricultural field, and global effort, I know that humans can create a natural, sustainable, non-genetically modified, and healthy system where the demands of all humans are completely met, in terms of fruits and vegetables.

The Good, The Bad, and the Proud

“Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar”

The Good, the Bad, and the Proud

Is Pride a Good thing or a Bad thing?

 The idea of ‘Pride’ has always been in a love-hate relationship with the morality of humankind. On one side, great thinkers, such as Aristotle, argue that pride is a positive and helpful virtue. Most religions, however, believe that pride is the greatest sin; it is said to be the cause of all other sins. Pride is the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins. Shakespeare even advises, through the character of Polonius, “Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar”; this means that one should be neither too proud, nor too humble. 

Many philosophers argue that pride is a good virtue, Aristotle among them; he said, “Pride, then, seems to be a sort of crown of the virtues; for it makes them greater, and it is not found without them.”- (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics). Such philosophers believe that pride is how one respects himself or herself.  They believe that, without it, one would have no reason to trust one's ability to live or that one would have no reason to accept that life is worth living. Many ancient and contemporary intellectuals have even gone so far as to separate the “good pride”, that is the pride that helps to keep someone optimistic and respectful to themselves, from the “bad pride”, that is the arrogant, sinful, and over-confident pride. They have labelled the “bad pride” as hubris and tried to make it a totally separate concept. Even in our society today we have such a distinction; arrogance is frowned upon, and ‘pride’ is considered a healthy emotion and is promoted because of belief that “good pride” will help us succeed. 

In contrast to Aristotle, many religions and cultures disprove pride. Pride is considered the most harmful of the Seven Deadly Sins, because all sins are derived from pride; they are all seen to be a form of self-worship. Even in the legends of ancient origins, and stories of old, proud characters were eventually doomed. In ancient Greek culture, it was thought that the Gods were disgusted by the pride of humans.  
Even national pride is sometimes looked down as a bad thing. This is because of the bad memories people have of the last time someone was serious about national pride; Hitler’s regime had such a negative effect on German national pride that during the 2006 World Cup Finals Match, people were afraid of all the pride being shown. Generally speaking, those who disprove of pride do not separate “good pride” and “bad pride”; instead, all pride is seen to be bad, even in the smallest doses of it. 

But there is another side as well. Most people have heard the proverb, “Too much of a good thing is bad”. Most of us have also heard of yin-yang and the philosophy that groups the two opposite sides into a single existence. Applying such a philosophy to the relationship of “bad pride” and “good pride” it becomes clear that, in fact, pride is a single idea, and that too much of it is bad, but small amounts of it may be constructive. For example, a small amount of pride helps people to maintain their freedom; people who are too humble develop a ‘slave’ mentality. Too much pride is harmful because it causes Superiority complex, a psychological disease. The underlying fact is that pride is the same emotion in different people, however, it comes in different concentrations. 

In the end, it does not matter which philosophy one believes in. What matters is that ‘slave’ mentality does not become the dominant mentality. That being said, over-confidence, narcissism, and arrogance are bound to be doomed and are harmful, not only to one’s psychological state, but also to the rest of the world; Herr Hitler is a well known example of this. Cultures should wake up and realize that pride is not “bad” or “good” in essence, but that there is a golden mean for it.

How the Great Depression affects "The Glass Menagerie"

Hey everyone!

Today, I thought I might post this. The essay is about a play, specifically, "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams. I did this essay for another English assignment. "The Glass Menagerie" takes place during the Great Depression of the thirties, and is about a family's struggle for a better life, with each of the characters having a completely different translation of "a better life". This play does not really agree with my taste in the arts, but it does give a different perspective on life.

The topic of this essay: How does the Great Depression affect the situations and actions of the characters?

During the 30’s, America’s population saw, possibly, the hardest times it has ever seen, both financially and socially. The hardships of that time caused disturbances in the structure of many families, and such a scenario is evident in Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie”. On an individual scale, the Great Depression forced many people to make decisions that would affect the rest of their lives and those of their children. Such decisions were also made by the characters of “The Glass Menagerie”.

Tom, the narrator of “Glass Menagerie”, was faced with many of the problems not uncommon at the time. To be specific, he had to financially support his mother and sister, his father was of no help to the family, and he had a taste for adventure that he could not answer by working at a low wage job in a warehouse. In this play Tom had two main role models, his father and Malvolio the Magician. Malvolio represented an ideal character for Tom; one that could escape from a “coffin” (or in Tom’s case, a bad situation) without removing a single nail or destroying a plank. On the other hand, Tom’s father represented a more pragmatic character. He could escape from the coffin, though not as cleanly as Malvolio. Tom’s father ended up choosing the option of a “poor man’s divorce” (he left his family without warning). During the Great Depression such a method of escaping one’s duties was not uncommon, especially in the United States. We will see that Tom chooses to escape his duties like his father, but, unlike Malvolio, Tom cannot escape from his “coffin” without causing any damage. Tom’s biggest role model seems to be his father, not only because of his actions, but he is also quoted as saying, “I’m like my father. The bastard son of a bastard.” (p.62)

Another aspect of Tom that was affected by the general socio-economic state of the US at that time is the fact that Tom was interested in the arts, especially cinema and poetry. During time of hardship, the arts seem to receive much more attention, and are sometimes introduced to new concepts. For example, Blues music was invented during the Great Depression. The relationship between socio-economic problems and the arts can be explained by the fact that during times of economic hardship, when a vacation is not an option, the human brain still needs a rest. Not being able to afford a vacation, or taking a break from work leads to the use of creative ways of relieving stress, by relaxing music, poetry, or otherwise. It is therefore not improbable that Tom’s artistic side is a direct result of the stress he is in. Factually, there was a boom in the number of movie tickets sold during the Great Depression because people, like Tom, needed a stress-reliever.

Amanda, Tom’s mother, is a character in “The Glass Menagerie” that was heavily affected by the Great Depression. Not a rare thing at the time, Amanda depended on her son’s financial aid to keep the family surviving. She also worked for a magazine, but the amount of money that she made was little-to none. Amanda was abandoned by her husband, a fact that she became obsessed with as it developed in almost all of her conversations and was the reason behind much of her worries. Amanda’s decisions were very typical for a mother during the Great Depression. She wanted to be sure that her kids have a financially stable future. First she tried to stable a secure future for Laura by enrolling her in a business course. This failed horribly due to Laura’s shyness. Upon discovering that Laura had dropped out, Amanda began to look for a husband for Laura. While it may not seem like an important part of the play, Laura’s limited options ultimately represent a cultural restriction on women, much of which was still evident in the thirties. Today it may not be so; however, during the thirties the only way to ensure that a woman would live a financially stable life was to wed her to a rich man or to prepare her for an office job such as a typist.

Laura, Tom’s crippled sister, was the shyest character in this story. She was, arguably, the character that was hardest hit by the socio-economic state of the thirties. First of all, she was put into a typing class which she dropped out of because of her shyness. She had also dropped out of high school because she was embarrassed by her physical disability. The fact that she did not receive any support from the school or government, in terms of emotional stability, self-confidence, dealing with the psychological effects of a physical disability, are indirect indicators of a poor economy and social turmoil. Another effect that the Great Depression had on Laura’s situation was represented by the fact that she had to look for a husband, if she did not want to live off of Tom’s income forever. An explanation for the fact that women could not work all the same jobs as men during the thirties, could be that if the economy was in a good enough shape, people would be hired, regardless of gender. Unfortunately, there were not enough jobs for everyone, so not as many women worked as they do now.

Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” takes place in the thirties, and it introduces us to some of the hardships of the Great Depression. The characters in this story each represent a group of society that has its own set of problems. Tom represents the restless youth that has to make its sacrifices. Laura represents disabled people and the young females that are faced with their set of problems. Amanda represents a single parent living with her adult children. At the end of the story, Tom has achieved his goal and Laura now has the self-esteem to achieve hers. Keeping all the problems and situations of the characters in mind, it is safe to say that the Great Depression greatly influenced the Wingfield family.

The Road to Savagery

Hi everyone! :)

This is an essay I did for my highschool English course. It's related to the book, Lord of the Flies (William Golding). Lord of the Flies is a book full of symbolism and allusion and I recommend that you read it. (If you have never read Lord of the Flies, this essay might not make much sense-there are many references to the book)
Here it is:

Topic: Compare the authoritarian and democratic power of Ralph and Jack with situations in our world today.

In the novel, Lord of the Flies, Golding portrays a society of English schoolboys, who have crash landed into an uninhabited island. They must fend for themselves and must learn to stay together. Golding shows how they develop a democratic society at first, probably because of the conditioning of the society from which they originated. Slowly, however, their society turns to dictatorship, violence and savagery. To compare Golding’s group of schoolboys to a society in our world today would indicate some interesting connections. To be fair, one must compare the schoolboys to a society that has had democracy to start with, but is gradually advancing in the path of dictatorship.

The most obvious example of a society that laid its foundation on the concept of democracy is the United States of America. The second sentence of the Declaration of Independence is clear proof of this democratic mindset; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. Slowly, but surely, the rights of the American people are fading. In Lord of the Flies, one can recognize that gradually, Jack’s group retrogressed to killing members of their own group. Ethical deterioration such as this is also evident in many of today’s countries, including the USA. Recently, the Obama administration gave itself the authority to assassinate any Americans which it deemed to be a threat. This includes the American public and since “threat” was not defined, anyone could be killed.   

In the beginning of the novel, Jack and some of his followers chose to be the “hunters”. The hunters showed little interest in keeping the fire lit (hence they had little interest in being saved), and instead pursued their own interest of killing pigs. Since the book constantly refers to the fruits on the island, Jack’s group had no reasonable excuses to waste their time on hunting. Jack’s followers were in the early stages of becoming power-hungry savages, who thought that by killing pigs, they became more powerful. Clear evidence of this is seen in parts of the book such as, “knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink”, and “'Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!” The mentality of being powerful, and abusing that power to impose your will on others or to sacrifice the weak, is a mentality that exists in our world today, and evident in American politics. At first, the idea of Manifest Destiny was proposed, which means that a strong union between individual states used to fulfil the common “destiny” which is expanding the borders of the US to consume weaker countries. And even today we see that some politicians push for the taking over (killing) of weaker countries (pigs). An indicator of this is the fact that after the Haiti earthquake, the United States sent more soldiers to Haiti than Humanitarian Aid, while such a weak and small country does not need an army trained to kill, but food and supplies to survive.

 Golding’s novel raises some questions about the fundamentals of human nature and politics. Among these questions, one is, “Why do democracies slowly fade to authoritarianism?” To answer this, one must realize that the unification of a nation to fight a common enemy is not a bad idea in itself, but when the leaders of a society create the non-existent enemy to instil fear into the hearts of their own citizens for selfish reasons such as power and authority, that is an evil concept. We realized, in Lord of the Flies, that the idea of “the Beast” was raised by a small child, but Jack, realizing the potential that the concept provides, used it to gain absolute power. We can see that, while in reality the Beast was only existent in the hearts of the boys, they made it real by sacrificing meat to it and constantly exaggerating it. When Jack realized that the Beast was a way to gain power, he explained that “The beast is a hunter... we couldn't kill it” thereby protecting his own status as supreme leader. Some politicians in the United States have done just that; created enemies such as Cuba and Iraq, and used it to gain money and power. For example when we look at the situation in Iraq, we can see that the only reasonable excuse to continue the war at the cost of, not only 2 trillion dollars of tax-payer money, but the lives of soldiers and civilians, is for the corrupt officials to gain power.

The Lord of the Flies, while being a tale of fiction, represents very real aspects of human psychology, politics, and the devolution of people into savagery. One may even apply the basic plot of the story to all societies which are on the road from democracy to authoritarianism. The story starts out with a group that is organized into smaller groups each with a purpose and order. The smaller groups slowly lose their sense of unity and order, and civil war begins. One group overpowers another, and eliminates almost all opposition, until a saviour comes and stops the cruelty. Unlike the story, however, real societies must remember that the saviour is not going to appear miraculously, but must be one of the citizens of the society itself. The people of the USA cannot wait for a naval officer to save them from the situation they are in. The only way to save such a society is to raise leaders like Abraham Lincoln, who re-enlightened the fire which is the freedom as promised by the founding laws of the USA. If such leader were present in Lord of the Flies, the conch would not have been destroyed, and murder would not have happened.  

The Story of Lord of the Flies portrays a society and how such a society deteriorates from democracy to authoritarianism. An example of a society that is similar to the schoolboys in Lord of the Flies is the United States. One similarity is the fact that both societies have created enemies for themselves. Another similarity is the idea of taking over smaller societies for the pure enjoyment of imposing your will. Both the schoolboys’ society and the United States have given themselves the right to murder a member of their own population. If any social order sees itself turning to authoritarianism and fitting into the plot of Lord of the Flies, it must look for a savior to protect its own democratic future, because democracy is a constant struggle for freedom.  

Intro

Hey everyone!
First, let me list my reasons for creating this blog:

#1)To improve my writing
#2)To communicate my ideas, views, etc
#3) To develop the habit of blogging

Second, I strongly encourage you to leave comments. Remember, however, that racist, profane, or otherwise offensive comments are not tolerated here.

Finally, I will tell you that this blog is about a wide variety of topics. They range from my opinions on famous books or movies, to conspiracy theories, to random ideas.

And that's pretty much it.