The meaning of justice outlines the border of right and wrong. It gives our people fairness so that we may live our lives freely. It is also what the American people wish to believe, because in a sense we are far better off than other countries with our government branches and etc, instead of communism or capitalism.

2.                  Do you believe life and/or American society is “just” or fair? Explain.

America is supposedly claimed as a land of peace and equality for every citizen because of its constitution. Yet, we all know that many of the times, this is not the case. America has its own problems with the people in it, many concerning racism, powers of money, gangs, etc.

3.                  Does justice mean “equality for all”? Is “equality for all” possible? Explain using an example of a situation where two people committed the same crime but you feel should be treated differently.

 Justice does mean equality for all, and yet even though “equality for all” is possible, it doesn’t happen. Say if two people committed crimes for shoplifting, they would think it would be someone who looks like they actually stole something.

4.                  Do intentions play a role in determining a fair or “just” punishment for a crime? Should the punishment for a crime committed accidentally be the same as the same crime committed intentionally? Explain your answers and SHOW an example that supports your point of view.

Intentions of committing crimes or not does determine a fair punishment for a crime. Even though a person may get charged for the same crime, it would be on different levels. Say if someone had gotten murdered, of course the police will find out if they were intentionally murdered or not, but, it would be an accident if one was in a situation that needed self-defense.

5.                  Should age be a factor considered when determining the punishment for a crime? Should kids under a certain age be punished differently than adults who commit the same crime? At what age should someone be tried as an adult? Explain your answers and SHOW an example that supports your point of view.

Crimes committed by an adolescent are just the same of crimes committed by an adult, but the only thing that is different is the age. Children who break these laws are still young and don’t know very much, so opportunities to have them learn and change is given so that they won’t do bad and suffer the full consequences of the law when they turn into adults.

6.                  Describe a time you felt you were treated unjustly and why you felt that way. Write your response in paragraph form, addressing the following questions: What happened? What made you feel like you were treated unfairly? Why do you think this happened? What would have been a fair outcome? How did this make you feel? Did this incident teach you anything or change you in any way?

During a time of my middle school, I moved to a rival school from my school. I was harassed by other students and even teachers about where I came from. I thought it was childish to be treated this way because in the school where I came from, the students there would not have been treated the same way that these students treated me. I especially don’t understand how these teachers could be the same way as the kids. Coming to a rival school, my old school was bad. I came to the school and was being a delinquent because I didn’t even start fights to be in them. To be treated fairly, I should have been given a chance to fit in and have made some friends, instead of starting off like everybody hates me. I believe that in these years, I think I learned to treat people the way I would like to be treated.

            I believe that Sisyphus should have righteously been punished the way he did for what he had done. Because of his actions, they had caused made an unbalance in the world; he had trapped Hades in a closet, and then tricking Hades’ woman to returning back into the world. This has caused not one thing to be able to die, but grant warriors of the battlefield to be able to be come back to dinner torn up in pieces.

            Being happy is an emotion that I think you would run out of when you have not been able to achieve the things that you want. Sisyphus didn’t accept his task, if he really did accept his task, he would have just walked away from the boulder. Camus’ opinion on Sisyphus’ fate would not have been superior because of the fact that he didn’t take control of his actions.

            I do not agree with Camus’ metaphor due to the fact that I strongly defend the workman’s career of his job, only because he is happy. I personally do things for a reason; Sisyphus’ sentence was self-evident due to his crimes against the gods. People today may or may not have monotone lives, but it is their own freewill to decide to work. It may be meaningless to people, but what we do everyday contributes to their life everyday to survive.

            Even though most of us already is enlightened on how some, most, or all parts of life is meaningless, many just do stay attached to trying to at least live it out. Maybe they might even be scared to do anything about it. Human emotions are sometimes too strong for people to act with; maybe someday this would cripple evolution. People may lose everything once they realize all of what they have isn’t going to help them in the long run, so that they would stumble upon things wonder why all of these things happen.

            Thinking of trying to escape this sentence, how could Sisyphus even try. . . What Sisyphus thinks while he walks back to start over his journey back to the top of the hill is already redundant, too much of words. Either way, by pushing up the boulder back to the top of the hill, he could just be forced to do so. Cheating on death again could lead to more dire consequences, so this long continuous process of walking and pushing is still going to be repeated for all life so it would not matter at all if anything could be thought of in his noggin of his. He will still push it to the top of the hill to watch it roll back down.

            We are struggling because we are doing all that we can to reach what we hope for, knowing that what we hope for cannot always be possible. Our dreams and aspirations for what we strive for seems hopeless because it just makes life so meaningless. Trying to be happy while having the burden of knowing what can actually make us happy just gives us the feeling of remorse. Possibly what we strive for is never enough, that’s why we always keep struggling for more. This quote  says that Sisyphus tries to reach the top of the hill to be satisfied still knowing that he will do it all over again, and Camus tries to contrast it to the lives of modern day life.

            Knowing that we are the “master of days,” this is a good enough reason to live because I am in control of my own life. If then that I’m in control of my own life I have a choice to decide whether or not to do these “meaningless tasks”. For example it’s not meaningless to eat because I need to eat to survive. If eating or having a job was so meaningless I wouldn’t waste my time even thinking about it.

I believe that your attitude is more important than what we choose to do with our lives because without a good attitude we can’t choose what to do in life. That may contradict the earlier statements of how I said we have our life in our own hands, but, it’s the attitude that drives us on and keeps us motivated to decide what we want. Life will mostly take people with positive attitude who would be willing to learn whatever to do what life says rather than taking in a stuck-up person with the best resume. Say if, your attitude on life was to completely give up because you feel its meaningless to go on; that then effects what we choose to do in life.Camus’ interpretations about the life of Sisyphus and his comparisons towards life are very straightforward, but inessential otherwise. Camus writes, “Thus, convinced of the wholly human origin of all that is human, a blind man eager to see who knows that the night has no end, he is still on the go.” Even though a blind man cannot tell time, a man does get tired of wandering around. Otherwise, other things about what Camus writes in his essay are fine.

There is a saying:

The world is bound by endless amounts of threads;

If you cut one, you are a criminal.

If you cut a hundred, you are wanted.

If you cut them all, you are god.

I believe that if I am omnipotent, greed would control my being, so I would rather not answer this question. My example for this is, “No king would be happy if he never shared his wealth at his dinner table.”

Maybe it is possible to be in love with someone we’ve never met, being infatuated with what delicate words can mean over a letter, or what a striking image of what a picture can hold of a person. We can never actually ever tell what is a person’s real identity without meeting a person, but people can dream of what may happen once they do, already knowing all about each other without even meeting each other once. Maybe people get excited about this, “love” can happen anywhere and it could may just be seen as immature or sophisticated to let anyone criticize.

1. What factors might lead someone to a cyber-romance or other type of anonymous relationship between people who have never met or don’t know each other personally? Why do you think these factors would lead the person to this type of relationship?

People may think that it’s better for someone to be in a far-distance relationship because of the fact that you can leave our someone’s quality about their image, or just web-camming and having a type of relationship where they have to wait to show their devotion before meeting or something.

1. Are there psychological dangers or side effects of a cyber-romance or other type of anonymous relationship?

There could be; doubts of commitment, there are types of people who would just “wander” on about having new people. People in general find romance on the Internet to meet new people and try others out for their hopes of finding the right “one.” Maybe it’s a danger because of being heartbroken that you’ve spent so much time on one person you don’t even know that they just break up with you; it’s so easy because there is no danger to move on, no actual heart in a relationship.

1. Are “real” relationships naturally “better” than anonymous relationships? Explain.

I believe that there are pros and cons to having “real” relationships rather than being on an mysterious Internet affair. Real relationships would naturally be better than anonymous because of the fact that there would be someone there as a figure in their life, in reality.

1. Do most anonymous relationships have the same chance to be successful as a traditional relationship? Explain.

I believe so only if you do give it a chance, even though I would rather opt not to, because I don’t feel the vibe of being in a long distance relationship.

1. Does an anonymous relationship make it too easy for partners to deceive each other? Explain.

This is another problem about anonymous relationship, anonymous relationships do have it bad because it is in fact easy to deceive each other.

1. If one or both partners in an anonymous relationship are not completely honest with the other person at first about themselves (i.e. their looks, personality, accomplishments, etc.) can they still trust each other enough to build a meaningful, loving relationship? Explain.

I believe they can still trust each other if they actually get to be honest with them later because the person gave them a chance to spill out the truth, the fact is that the person still liked them for who they actually are, not what they fake themselves out to be.

1. Do anonymous internet relationships cause a loss of a sense of reality, or a loss of connection with people in real life? Or is there no danger because it’s simply a new way to interact with people? Explain.

There are some cases of people actually losing sight of reality because they were so into having a relationship of their taste that it had to be online, and not in reality. Their interests lay within typing words building up a relationship online with another person.

1. As relationships with strangers increase because of the internet, do you think that society and people’s relationships will get worse? Explain.

As relationships increase with the Internet to relationships in real life ratio, I still believe that real relationships will be greater than the ones online. Also, they last longer.

1. Do you know anyone who has had a relationship that began anonymously? If so, how did they meet? Was it successful?

I do know of someone who has had a successful relationship online. There is an online game called MapleStory, a game where there is a community of people killing fictional monsters and building up characters while communicating with society. There was a couple who met online and developed a strong, meaningful, and devoted relationship to each other. They also lived very far away, but eventually met in real life. Till now, they’ve been together.

1. Do you think you could have a successful anonymous relationship? Explain.

I, myself, do not believe in long-distance relationships because it’s not my type of way I want to use my time. I would like to meet my partner and have the time to actually physically know and love them.

“Do you believe in God?” the old man asked, as if we had known each other forever but somehow neglected to discuss that one topic.

What is happening in the story:

A stranger is asking the main character in the story if he believed in God.

My personal thoughts / feelings / reactions:

To a random event, such as one asking another if he believed in God or not would be pretty awkward, especially coming from one with an old age, such as the stranger, it makes me feel as though he wanted something to contemplate on the rest of what ever life the old man had left. It’s kind of sad when trying to figure out what kind of thing this man would be trying to accomplish.

QUOTE: pg. # 13

“If God exists, his motives are certainly unfathomable. No one knows why he grants free will, or why he cares about human souls, or why pain and suffering are necessary parts of life.”

What is happening in the story:

He states his opinion on that if God exists, he is certainly incomprehensible.

My personal thoughts / feelings / reactions:

I sort of feel this way too, the way that if God exists and how he puts things the way they are, then I wouldn’t understand how God is like this, even though he must have done everything for a reason.

QUOTE: pg. # 14

“A brain surgeon would tell you that a specific part of the brain controls the ability to love. If it’s damaged, people are incapable of love, incapable of caring for others.”

“So?”

“So, isn’t it arrogant to think that the love generated by our little brains is the same thing that an omnipotent being experiences? If you were omnipotent, why would you limit yourself to something that could be reproduced by little clumps of neurons?”

What is happening in the story:

The old man is questioning why God should limit himself to love when love can already be produced by little clumps of cells.

My personal thoughts / feelings / reactions:

If we’re saying that we feel love, why should god have limit himself with love, too, due to the fact that love can be controlled by a little part of our brain. If it’s damaged, we can’t feel love anymore. That means that God must have some sort of higher levels of emotion, or something really.

QUOTE: pg. # 15

“Okay, I can accept the idea that God doesn’t have a personality exactly like people. Maybe we just assume God has a personality because it’s easier to talk about it that way. But the important point is that something had to create reality. It’s all too well-designed to be an accident.

What is happening in the story:

The main character’s thought about reality is that it’s just too much to be real. Someone had to be responsible of this, and that it must have been either God, or somewhat of a higher entity of the human race.

My personal thoughts / feelings / reactions:

Maybe reality is just too real. Something just have had to have happened for everything to be now. Or maybe just everything just happened because it led from one thing to another. The universe of these cosmos maybe just was already there for everything to grow. Who knows.

QUOTE: pg. # 16

“If someone very wise knew how the world was designed without God’s hand, could that person convince you that God wasn’t involved?”

“In theory, yes. But a person with that much knowledge doesn’t exist.”

What is happening in the story:

The old man said that there could be a chance that someone other than God knew how everything was designed. The main character agrees to it, but asserts himself otherwise because he knows that no one in this world that knows how it is doesn’t exist.

My personal thoughts / feelings / reactions:

If someone were to say that he or she knew how everything was a design, I would think that everything in this world is an illusion because there can’t be any real fact on how everything was made the way it was. It’s just to incomprehensible for anyone to realize that there is a blueprint to life.

QUOTE: pg. # 17

“Does God have free will?”

What is happening in the story:

Now the man asked if God was truly an omnipotent being, which the main character says that he is.

My personal thoughts / feelings / reactions:

If God wasn’t so Omnipotent, then he wouldn’t have so much freewill as to create all of the lands and life. He wouldn’t have done so much just for us to live.

1. Where does the world come from? How do you know this?

No one knows exactly how when and where the planet came to be, so they can only create assumptions. Scientists, for example, think that the world came from an enormous catastrophe known as the Big Bang. It’s only natural that these circumstances are highly questionable, but nonetheless better than nothing for an answer.

1. Where did the first people come from? How do you know this?

The first people came from evolution of monkeys, as scientists prove that we have DNA strands similar to theirs. Although there is still no hard evidence, this question still evades coming to an answer. Mankind did not record anything from their times, nor could the answer even survive this long.

1. Culture: Japanese

Story of how the earth was created:

The story did not tell much about the whole earth being created, but only how Japan was the only world. It stated that there was a couple of gods, crime, and horror.

Story of how people were created:

          Two gods, Izanami as a female and Izanagi as a male, stirred the ocean until land have appeared to make houses on them, an island named Onokoro with a stone pillar to support the world. Giving birth to various gods, Izanami died giving birth to the God of Fire. Going to the underworld, Izanagi came to try and take her back, but at her state, she was almost at a concurrence that she could not leave that place. Looking for her, Izanagi searched the underworld to finally look at her, giving birth to the eight god of thunder. Furious over her own sight, with maggots crawling all over and flesh rotting, Izanami sought after Izanagi to have him slain. Fortunate to escape, Izanagi created a barrier at the border of the land of the dead and land of the living with Izanami right behind him. Izanami yelled at her side of the dividend, “ Everyday I shall kill a thousand people, and bring them to this land.” So as a curt reply, Izanagi exclaimed, “Everyday, I shall cause one thousand five hundred babies to be born.” And from that day on, civilization had started.

1. Culture: Chinese

Story of how the earth was created:

 The story is not particularly a story, but a legend repeated and sung as a folktale. This was sung by two persons, or groups consisting of boys to one side, and girls to the other. They recite the song in order, one group asking the questions about how everything was made, and the other one answering them, such as, “Heavenly King was intelligent, spat a lot of spittle into his hand, clapped his hands with a noise, produced heaven and earth, tall grass made insects, stories made men and demons, made men and demons, made male and made female. How is it you don’t know?”

Story of how people were created:

This poetic legend just clearly states that people were created by Ziene, the Heavenly King.

1. Culture: Huron

Story of how the earth was created:

In the beginning, a woman fell from the sky onto a place where there was only water, and the animals who lived in it. Animals went to her rescue, but cried for help. Help came, and as a turtle arrived, he ordered to go down into the water and bring up Earth. Many animals died, and some barely even came up for their lives. A toad came eventually to be successful in finding earth. The earth was then placed on the turtle to start the beginning of the earth for the woman to live on. The land became dry, and it formed country after country until it became what it is now.

Story of how people were created:

The myth of Huron’s people didn’t say how people were created, just how the higher beings were to prepare the earth for the humans to live on. Since the woman fell from the sky and lived on what is now her land, as time passes, the woman gave birth to two babies, whom are complete and total opposites. One good, one bad. The good one was born the way children are usually born, but then the bad one burst out of his mom’s side, thus killing her. As the mother was buried plants began to grow in order to have life survive. So as these two brothers grew up, they were tasked to prepare the earth for the arrival of the humans. The bad brother created horrible and dangerous animals, while the brother created animals that could be of use to the nature of the human kind. Seeing as how this conflicts another, they settled on having to kill either one of them. The good brother killed the evil one, but his life wasn’t completely destroyed, so in his last stand he said, “I have gone to the far west. All the races of men will follow me to the west when they die.”

1. Do the stories have common elements? Are there major differences? Do they seem like they could be true?

 Stories like these do have things in common. They more or less have a higher being of power to create life and resources. What makes them so different is how they interpret the things coming from their land and lives to create such tales. But as fiction, and so many stories coming from so many different places, it doesn’t seem likely that any of them could be the truth.

1. Is there a difference between creation myths or stories and scientific explanations for how the earth was created? Explain.

I believe that the difference between these two is that since people have came up with their own thoughts on how everything was created and how everything was to “be,” scientific explanations have more of a chance being the truth due to their own thoughts with investigating and evidence. Solutions to how scientists figure this out is way over my own head, but maybe the answers of their achievements can say that it’s not just a story, but a real fact that it actually happened in the past.

1. Do you think your view of how the world or people were created is more correct or right than the different cultures’ views here? Why/ why not?

I personally can’t argue on other’s true beliefs because that is what they believe in, whether it may be right or wrong. I believe who and what is right is a decision left to be answered by their own eyes.

1. Does it matter how the world or people were created? Why/ why not?

            I personally think that it doesn’t matter how the world or people were created. I mean, its great to know what we originally came from, but does it matter anymore, since we’re still living our lives for the future? Dwelling on the past hinders the outcome of the future.

1. Is philosophy important?

   Philosophy is important because it ignites our mind into a deeper meaning of thought. It gives us a sense of who we are as humans, as we exist.

2. Are you a philosopher (are you curious about the world and how it works)?

   I am sort of a philosopher in the way that I am curious on certain aspects of life. I am not really interested in the whole of the world as I am in an individual person; such as, when a person dies is there only a coffin to come of it, or does there lay a deeper meaning of death, such as heaven?

3. What is the most important thing in life? Why do you believe this?

   The most important thing in life is a state of opinion, and my opinion states that the most important thing in life is the emotion of happiness that you live with your life. I believe this way because I feel that it should not be disregarded as just an emotion, but a case of serendipity of fate that we are at least given this feeling to share.

1. Why are we here (on earth)?

   Looking back towards histories pages on how we evolved throughout our times, I say we are here on earth to live and express ourselves the way that we want our future to be, and what our kid’s future to shape up like. We are here on Earth to live out our own meaning of lives and be free.

1. Does life have a purpose or meaning? If so, what is it? Where does it come from? How do you know or why do you believe this?

   Life has no purpose or meaning in my opinion. I believe that once you are born, the world gets nothing from you, yet you give the world everything as you live your life. Everything meaning that you spend so much time living up to everyone’s expectations and rules, being locked up in a cage full of the inevitable flaws of the human nature.

1. Is it important to have a purpose or meaning in life? Explain your answer.

   It would be recommended to have an own goal or purpose in life as you grow up. Living a life without a person’s own meaning can stress the problems of not being goal-oriented. Things like financial problems or hunger can afflict life.

1. Is there a life after death? If so, what is that life like? How do you know or why do you believe this?

   One may believe that there is life after death, such as a religious person puts faith in there god that there is a heaven for them is they carry out the word for their god and put in goodwill for their community and so they believe that there is a good heaven awaiting their death. Maybe life is a prelude to a death for eternal peace and slumber from what the world’s dilemma has given you all of your time during your life. Of course, this is just an idea from a figment of imagination, but probable answer on what could happen after the course of death. No one knows for sure what happens, but one could only guess.

1. Is it important to know if there is life after death? Explain your answer.

   For some people who need to put faith in other people’s hands, it might be important to have a need to know. I myself do not think it’s important to know or not because whether or not my soul lives after death, I am still living right now and to me, this is what’s important. I need not know what lies in wait for my upcoming death, but I would like to make sure as long as I live, it would be a happy one.

1. Is there a “right” way to live your life? If so, what is it? How do you know how you should live?

   I do not believe there is a right way to live any life. Everyone’s opinions on their own way of life can lead them to be happy. Others may think that it’s just an optical illusion for others. I believe that since there is no definite way to live happily, what’s wrong and what’s right? People should strive for the way that they want to live and that’s right.

1. Do you live your life at the tip of the rabbit’s hair, or buried “deep down in the rabbit’s fur”? Explain what this metaphor means in your answer (What does the “top hat” represent? The “rabbit”? Who/what is the “magician”? Etc.)

   I would probably view myself as living deep in the rabbit’s fur. I wouldn’t say I would be questioning the gears of the universe and how it works. The author is pretty original, using a magician and rabbit as a metaphor. I would guess the rabbit would mean the whole world to us, on page 10, it states “The only different between us and the white rabbit is that the rabbit does not realize hile the magician would represent all the trickery and holding all of the world’s problems and not revealing the answers. To top it all off, the top hat would probably mean the rabbit’s concealment to everyone else; meaning that since the rabbit is in the top hat hidden, the world would be in a darker place. Maybe, just maybe, it would be better for us to not know any answers to the greatest philosophical questions.