My Essay
Right and Wrong
socialization is what defines us as people everything we do as a society is a reflections of how we have been socialized. we are socialized as individuals, in large part to facilitate our affiliations into society as a whole. many times this is done consciously and subconsciously as a means of survival, or to make things easier for us, to avoid rejection, again acceptance etc.
I was born in rural colorado and lived just outside of durango until I was five years old at which time I moved to mexico. ever since I have alternated between durango and mexico at a split time ratio of half and half. I am also the son of young parents who pose a mixture of progressive and traditional parenting styles and values. when I lived in colorado with my mother, I attended all public schools and always have. when I live with my father I have attended catholic private schools. so far, I feel that this has provided me with a wide spectrum of influences that currently make up my own socialization and conditioning. things that are part of normal life in one place or in one household may be inappropriate or unacceptable in another.
at the age of 14 i realize that not long from now I will be entering manhood. I wonder what my place will be in society, I wonder what impact I will be able to have on a world that seems to be in need of so much improvement. my father has often told me that he wishes to help bring out the best lucius I can be. for me it is important to feel comfortable being myself, while trying to make positive contributions to society as a whole.
every boy at some point at some point in their lives are reminded, whether by their parents, friends, or teachers, what it takes to be a man in this world. I have been taught by my parent the stereotypes of life and how they work, but that it is not necessary to follow them. as a little boy i learned that boys weren't supposed to dress up like girls or paint their nails, that was for girls to do, but that as long as i was understanding of that than i could do whatever made me happy.
All the time you hear from your friends asking if you're gay?... because you wanted to give them a hug or cuz you said that you love them. Why does it always have to come down to your gay if you do this that and this, can't we just express ourselves the way we want to be?
There was this time that when I had first moved to Mexico I had painted my nails the night before the first day of school, and when I showed up all my friends started laughing at me, asking me why I wasn't embarrassed,? I stood there thinking why I wasn't embarrassed, and why they were asking me, I couldn't come up with a good answer so I just asked them why I should be embarrassed? They told me that because I looked like a girl none of the girls would like me or want to date me.
I’ve lived in mexico for half of my life and it wasn't until the last 2 years that I began to understand that people would be judged for the slightest thing: being gay ar lesbian that if you wanted to fit in with everyone else than you needed to do exactly the same thing as every other“normal person.” anyone that truly expresses their feeling is either crazy or just straight up weird.
it is for all to give more thought to how our socialization will help achieve, or hold back progress on this planet. each and every one of us is responsible. we are all participants, we all affect one another. I know that it is time for me to truly realize that I am capable of making a difference for the well being of myself, but for those around me as well. if we all thought more independently, and where open and accepting of opinions, and ideas, and points of view that differ from our own, I truly believe that this world could take much better care of itself.
My favorite part of my mask was how much I think the mask can relate to me: for example my mask represented someone that had just gotten too tired of trying to be someone that he's not so he pelled of the “fake mask that he was hiding behind” so that he could be free to be the actual person he is...the actual person he wanted to be. The reason I like this is because i think that i try so hard to not be someone i'm not.
At the age of 14 I realize that not long from now I will be entering manhood. I wonder what my place will be in society, I wonder what impact I will be able to have in a world that seems to be in need of so much improvement. I am proud of this sentence because of how much i always think about this, i always wonder if Lucius could make an impact for this world or if i am just gonna be another person in this world that does nothing.
My biggest takeaway from this project is that: every person is special, and we all have our own personality and that there will always be judgment but you need to accept that everyone will be judged for the slightest thing, and that if someone likes you for who you are than right on but if someone is gonna be jerk and judge you than you should not be their friend.
Have you ever been judged before? well if you have than you should know that it doesn't feel to good, so even though there are weird people in the world then you need to accept them for who they are.
At the age of 14 I realize that not long from now I will be entering manhood. I wonder what my place will be in society, I wonder what impact I will be able to have in a world that seems to be in need of so much improvement. I am proud of this sentence because of how much i always think about this, i always wonder if Lucius could make an impact for this world or if i am just gonna be another person in this world that does nothing.
My biggest takeaway from this project is that: every person is special, and we all have our own personality and that there will always be judgment but you need to accept that everyone will be judged for the slightest thing, and that if someone likes you for who you are than right on but if someone is gonna be jerk and judge you than you should not be their friend.
Have you ever been judged before? well if you have than you should know that it doesn't feel to good, so even though there are weird people in the world then you need to accept them for who they are.
Model United Nations
this project was all about current events in today's society, specifically the North Korea and Israel Palestine issues. We studied these issues for ten weeks working up to a major conference/debate over the Israel Palestine issue. Throughout these 10 weeks we were expected to do extensive research and write mulitiple papers to deepen our understanding of each topic. This was not just through our perspective though, we were assigned a country to study and then to take that countries perspective for the conference. It was as if we were UN representatives, that was the point. Overall, this project was a way for us to take a look into the adult world and to realize what is happening around us, it was a great experience.
policy paper
Lucius Anthony Policy Paper 1/19/16
Although Israel is becoming established in land they call their own, Pakistan firmly believes that the Palestinians should have the right to return due to the 5,000,000 Palestinian refugees and the irrational and cruel ways of the Israeli government. Pakistan’s support of the right of return comes from a few different places. For one example, there has always been hostility between the US, Israel and Pakistan so of course they’re not going to have the same opinion. Also like many other muslim countries, Pakistan is horrified with the Israeli attacks on the Gaza strip that are killing hundreds of Palestinians.In fact, Pakistan feels so strongly about this issue that there have even been organised protests and UN visits to condemn attacks on Gaza. In Lahore, Pakistan the religious party Jamaat Islami led a strong march towards the US consulate chanting anti American and anti Israeli slogans. After the demonstration the party leaders blamed the Pakistani Government for not taking a strong stand against Israel. (Rizvi) So why does Pakistan feel so strongly? The reason behind the intensity is the community consensus on their perspective towards this conflict. M.J Rosenberg says, “Where the US pays little attention to the tragedies in Palestine, the Muslims feel their misfortune is as personal as it gets.” (Rosenberg) This is clearly an issue that needs a solution because the Palestinians need a suitable place to live with electricity and drinkable water and without garbage filled streets and over crowding. The fighting also obviously needs to stop before the issue spreads to other parts of the country more than it already has. A logical solution to this issue can only mean one thing, for the Palestinians to return. However it does not have to be one sided, in my opinion and from the perspective of Pakistan, there can and will be benefits for the Israelis. For example according to the DOHA Debate on the Right of Return, it is said that through the acknowledgement of the right of return Israel will be transformed from a racist state to a democratic state. (Video 4) Of course Israel could care less about this, they care about the actual land and freedom. So with a few changes and compromises it seems that previous Resolution 194 is both reliable and fair. The reason behind this is as apparent as ever. One strong example of this is that with this agreement comes a choice for the Palestinians, however the Israelis will not be forced to leave. That choice being weather the risk of returning home is worth it or not. Also, this resolution states that if the refugees choose not to return home they will be reimbursed for the damages. (Resolution) Some say this may not work but I view it as a chance to regain trust and repair damage. This is because if the Palestinians want to return to their homes badly enough they will cooperate, and the Israeli people will also because they were not asked to leave so essentially they are getting their way. However we have figured out that this is not enough for the Israelis so we could also make slight adjustments to the land distribution if needed. It could be divided into the previous 19461967 borders (Abbass) almost as a “starting point” for the Palestinians and a “win” for the Israelis. Overall, with a bit of negotiation and persuasion this resolution could be a very solid option. Why create another when there is a perfectly good resolution with potential just waiting to be enforced?policy paper
North Korea policy paper
Although North Korea’s nuclear weapons pose a threat to other countries, Pakistan feels they should have access to nuclear power to ensure economic stability, protect their own country from corruption and proliferation issues and to maintain on good terms with allies. Pakistan’s support of nuclear weapons mainly comes from the issue of their economic stability. North Korea and Pakistan made a deal ensuring a trade of nuclear tips and supplies for a large profit, so if North Korea’s nuclear power gets taken away if could mean trouble for Pakistan’s economy. Because of this deal, Pakistan is also at risk of getting in trouble for proliferation issues and corruption. This may cause issues between allies and between nations in general. However, Pakistan is not in the wrong and neither is North Korea for the most part. In the eyes of Pakistan, the real issue is the sanctions imposed on North Korea. This is their perspective because they feel that it is unfair for nuclear privileges to be limited only to very powerful, privileged countries when those countries most likely need it least. The sanction solution seems like a good idea to the people on the other side of the spectrum, but when you take a look at what’s really going on you can see that the progress made in resolving this issue is small. It also almost seems as though imposed sanctions are causing even more raging frustrating within the walls of North Korea. The North’s foreign ministry spokesman from the KCNA news agency says,” Now that the U.S. is set to light a fuse for a nuclear war, the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK will exercise the right to a preemptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressors and to defend the supreme interests of the country.” (Bruton, Johnston) Through this example you can see Korea’s true interests. This supports Pakistan’ positive attitude towards North Korea’s use of nuclear power, while it also benefits the economy and political status of their own country. The solution to the issue through the perspective of Pakistan is simple. The country believes that the sanctions should simply be dropped. This is realistic because Pakistan has been observing that the sanctions have yet to prove themselves even after almost 9 years. These sanctions have also been putting financial strain on the North Korean economy. In the opinion of most, the United Nations is a center of peacekeeping, mediation and humanitarianism. What do these sanctions say about those morals? What happens to all of the citizens of North Korea with these sanctions in place? When these sanctions are dropped from North Korea this will also be beneficial to many other places, such as Pakistan. Another reason why this resolution is realistic is because although nuclear weapons could be a threat to the world, there are a multitude of things to focus on besides this that are current and outrageous, like poverty. If we were to tighten and enforce these sanctions more than they already are this would only be helping more privileged countries. If you were to think about the bigger picture it would be clear how much nuclear power actually helps. For example, the trade between North Korea and Pakistan is providing money for Pakistan which is helping the country thrive. Another thing is that nuclear power could be a wonderful thing for even North Korea in the long run. They could use it in a peaceful way, like for electricity in homes without that privilege. In conclusion, this resolution is very reasonable, achievable, and would benefit many nations. It all lies in the trust of the UN and the decisions of North Korea.
North Korea resolution
Recognizing an unfair distribution of power, the privileges of some countries are clearly weighted because of unjust reasoning, Deeply concerned by the Security Council dictating and holding the only legal nuclear power in order to maintain control, Fully believing the sovereignty of any and every country is relevant in a situation with a topic such as this, Aware of the non proliferation treaty clearly stating that nuclear weapons will not be allowed outside of the security council, North Korea however is not a part of this treaty therefore making them suitable to use nuclear power, Having considered the countless failed sanctions placed on North Korea, this is obviously a route not valuable to the solution of this issue, Noting North Korea's intentions of peace, not war, yet pushing for what they believe is a right and a source of protection for the country, Guided by a feeling of threat due to neighboring countries with nuclear programs provides even more of a reason to maintain their own nuclear program, Welcoming the open minds and agreement of countries opposed in order to create a solution suitable for both sides and to release tension throughout the world, 1. Recommends the use of nuclear power in the country of North Korea for uses the country feels are necessary; 2. Strongly supports and encourages the creation of a peace treaty to signify the agreement between nations; 3. Expresses its hope for nuclear power to be used in an appropriate way instead of a way to create dominance: a. With no intentions or actions on the topic of North Korea’s sovereignty in any way, shape or form 4. Affirms the use of nuclear power for energy and the self preservation of North Korea’s country as a whole, if this is followed welcomes the idea of helping those in need within the country: a. With providing food aid and proper medical attention for the ill b. With preparations and actions to create an effort to end poverty and national hunger 5. Recommends bonding and healing between North Korea and the United States in order to make the agreement work to its full potential; 6. Further invites all countries with issues towards North Korea to be open minded about the future and to forget about past mistakes, to build a healthy relationship between all nations; 7. Takes note of the fact that if North Korea rebels or refuses to comply with set agreements in the resolution, it will not pass and new objectives will be made while old sanctions will be put back in place; 8. Accepts and approves that all past decisions will be dropped, there will be charges of corruption etc, and there will be no judgement or grudges held against North Korea or any party in agreement of North Korea’s perspective;
Israel Palestine resolution
Fully alarmed by the situation between Israel and Palestine in such close proximity to each other,
Noting with deep regret the casualties of many Israeli and Palestinian people and the displacement of roughly five million Palestinians who are now living in neighboring Arab countries,
Having heard from the article “The Core Issue” this conflict is in “complete disregard to the Palestinian rights and human reality”, everyone should have a quality of life and a home to call their own,
Realizing that Palestinian refugees are living in extreme poverty and overcrowding, and left without drinkable/running water or electricity, as seen in the film “Refugees for a second time: The Palestinians forced to flee Syria”,
Deeply convinced the right of return is “an individual right, enshrined in international law, which no national leadership can sign away” as said in the article “The Palestinian right of return”,
Observing that according to the Palestinians and to the article “The Palestinian right of return” , nowhere in American proposals do they recognize that Israel is even partially responsible for the current refugee issue,
Keeping in mind the Israelis right to life and land, while compromising the division of disputed territory,
Viewing with appreciation the significant concessions the Palestinians are willing to make for the simple right of return,
1. Emphasizes the division of the disputed territory with fair borders: (a) Urges the 1947 borders to be enforced yet accepts the 19491967 borders; 2. Endorses a signed peace treaty between Israel and Pakistan ensuring respect and nonviolence:
(a) Recommends the monitoring of the rival states through neighboring allies such as Lebanon;
3. Authorizes the Israeli people to remove themselves from Palestinian territory and for the illegal Israeli settlements to be destroyed:
(a) Reminds Israelis of the 60 day evacuation period, and of the forced removal if these requirements are not met;
4. Supports the compensation of all damage to Palestinian property and the resettlement of all refugees;
5. Draws attention to the choice of the Palestinians in the current conflict:
(a) A choice to remain where they currently live, in their current refugee camp, with compensation;
(b) A choice to return to their homes and brave the damage that has been done;
6. Takes note of the transition and sacrifice being made by the Israeli people:
(a) Therefore agreeing to protect and make sure religious sites are accessible to the Israeli people and making sure the area is demilitarized;
7. Encourages Arab host countries to absorb and keep those who choose to stay or who are not able to make it back to their homes:
(a) Due to overcrowding, the returned land may not have the capacity for all refugees to return;
(b) For those in this situation, financial aid will be provided by the UN;
8. Expresses its hope for future peace achieved, enforced, monitored, and nearly solved over the course of the next 5 years in hope of a more stable future.
Noting with deep regret the casualties of many Israeli and Palestinian people and the displacement of roughly five million Palestinians who are now living in neighboring Arab countries,
Having heard from the article “The Core Issue” this conflict is in “complete disregard to the Palestinian rights and human reality”, everyone should have a quality of life and a home to call their own,
Realizing that Palestinian refugees are living in extreme poverty and overcrowding, and left without drinkable/running water or electricity, as seen in the film “Refugees for a second time: The Palestinians forced to flee Syria”,
Deeply convinced the right of return is “an individual right, enshrined in international law, which no national leadership can sign away” as said in the article “The Palestinian right of return”,
Observing that according to the Palestinians and to the article “The Palestinian right of return” , nowhere in American proposals do they recognize that Israel is even partially responsible for the current refugee issue,
Keeping in mind the Israelis right to life and land, while compromising the division of disputed territory,
Viewing with appreciation the significant concessions the Palestinians are willing to make for the simple right of return,
1. Emphasizes the division of the disputed territory with fair borders: (a) Urges the 1947 borders to be enforced yet accepts the 19491967 borders; 2. Endorses a signed peace treaty between Israel and Pakistan ensuring respect and nonviolence:
(a) Recommends the monitoring of the rival states through neighboring allies such as Lebanon;
3. Authorizes the Israeli people to remove themselves from Palestinian territory and for the illegal Israeli settlements to be destroyed:
(a) Reminds Israelis of the 60 day evacuation period, and of the forced removal if these requirements are not met;
4. Supports the compensation of all damage to Palestinian property and the resettlement of all refugees;
5. Draws attention to the choice of the Palestinians in the current conflict:
(a) A choice to remain where they currently live, in their current refugee camp, with compensation;
(b) A choice to return to their homes and brave the damage that has been done;
6. Takes note of the transition and sacrifice being made by the Israeli people:
(a) Therefore agreeing to protect and make sure religious sites are accessible to the Israeli people and making sure the area is demilitarized;
7. Encourages Arab host countries to absorb and keep those who choose to stay or who are not able to make it back to their homes:
(a) Due to overcrowding, the returned land may not have the capacity for all refugees to return;
(b) For those in this situation, financial aid will be provided by the UN;
8. Expresses its hope for future peace achieved, enforced, monitored, and nearly solved over the course of the next 5 years in hope of a more stable future.
Project Reflection
Project Reflection-
1. What would you tell another student if they asked why the MUN project was important?
If another student was to ask me why the Model UN project was important, I don’t know where I’d begin. I would most likely start by telling them about how it is a real issue, incredibly relevant to the world around us. I would tell them that even though we as students cannot change the fact that there is conflict in the world, we can still feel like we have a voice and we can choose our own perspective on the issue. During this project my eyes were absolutely opened to a whole new world, of not so pleasant things, and it made me really think about how this could change. I guess that’s the UN’s job, so it was then up to me to find history and context to what could change. This is when the importance became clear, and when my research became as important as ever. I would say that in the end it’s important because it is a part of our lives in a very distant way. It is important because everyone should want world peace, but to achieve this we have to solve issues like these. As I’ve learned in this project, it may not be easy but it is worth the effort.
2. Which HOHAM were you most proud of using during the conference?
I was most proud of using perseverance throughout the conference. This is because often times it was hard to focus or hard to get a point across under a time constraint. For example, when making an amendment to a resolution it was very hard to get everything one in such a short time and in a pretty chaotic scene. Yet I was able to get it done and in the end it felt really good to be able to add something to the conference. Also, it was sometimes hard to focus on what the speaker was saying while also trying to come up with intelligent comments to add to the discussion. In the end, I was successful because of perseverance and of course listening skills. The biggest reason why I was proud of using perseverance is because I was able to get up in front of an audience and share my perspective. Usually I am very nervous to do so, however during the conference I feel that I had strong and intelligent points to share, therefore I persevered and worked up the courage to speak.
3. What was the greatest challenge you faced in the project and how did you work through it?
A challenge that I faced during this project was using evidence when backing up an argument. It was as if I was so passionate about the issue that I would just go into what my (Pakistan’s) perspective is and why Israel is wrong. Although there is strong evidence for this argument I would “forget” to incorporating it making my points a lot less strong. This affected me in a lot of places, especially in my speech during the conference. Working through it was quite simple though, for the most part. To do this I refined and edited everything that I did for this project. The peer critiques really helped me with this because my peers held me accountable to make my writing the best that it could be. This is something I have struggled with all year so although it is still my weakness, I feel that I am making improvement slowly but surely.
4. What was the most interesting speech, resolution, amendment, or comment by one of the delegates?
I found Russia’s (Amina Youssef) speech was very motivational and powerful. It was interesting to have the writer of your chosen resolution give a speech. This is because it really shows their intentions for that resolution, it almost makes that resolution stronger. It was also so strong, because of her delivery and presentation. I think this because it sounded like she knew what she was doing and there weren’t any noticeable stumbles in her speech. Because Russia and Pakistan had the same perspective, I also found it interesting to listen to her strong points I may not have incorporated into my speech. Also, I feel that she really incorporated all the skills we learned in our class before our conference. These skills included eye contact, rise and falls in our voice, posture etc. I feel that this was absolutely the hardest part of delivering a speech Overall, I found her speech to be captivating for all of the members in the audience and it is absolutely a speech to use as an example for future classes.
1. What would you tell another student if they asked why the MUN project was important?
If another student was to ask me why the Model UN project was important, I don’t know where I’d begin. I would most likely start by telling them about how it is a real issue, incredibly relevant to the world around us. I would tell them that even though we as students cannot change the fact that there is conflict in the world, we can still feel like we have a voice and we can choose our own perspective on the issue. During this project my eyes were absolutely opened to a whole new world, of not so pleasant things, and it made me really think about how this could change. I guess that’s the UN’s job, so it was then up to me to find history and context to what could change. This is when the importance became clear, and when my research became as important as ever. I would say that in the end it’s important because it is a part of our lives in a very distant way. It is important because everyone should want world peace, but to achieve this we have to solve issues like these. As I’ve learned in this project, it may not be easy but it is worth the effort.
2. Which HOHAM were you most proud of using during the conference?
I was most proud of using perseverance throughout the conference. This is because often times it was hard to focus or hard to get a point across under a time constraint. For example, when making an amendment to a resolution it was very hard to get everything one in such a short time and in a pretty chaotic scene. Yet I was able to get it done and in the end it felt really good to be able to add something to the conference. Also, it was sometimes hard to focus on what the speaker was saying while also trying to come up with intelligent comments to add to the discussion. In the end, I was successful because of perseverance and of course listening skills. The biggest reason why I was proud of using perseverance is because I was able to get up in front of an audience and share my perspective. Usually I am very nervous to do so, however during the conference I feel that I had strong and intelligent points to share, therefore I persevered and worked up the courage to speak.
3. What was the greatest challenge you faced in the project and how did you work through it?
A challenge that I faced during this project was using evidence when backing up an argument. It was as if I was so passionate about the issue that I would just go into what my (Pakistan’s) perspective is and why Israel is wrong. Although there is strong evidence for this argument I would “forget” to incorporating it making my points a lot less strong. This affected me in a lot of places, especially in my speech during the conference. Working through it was quite simple though, for the most part. To do this I refined and edited everything that I did for this project. The peer critiques really helped me with this because my peers held me accountable to make my writing the best that it could be. This is something I have struggled with all year so although it is still my weakness, I feel that I am making improvement slowly but surely.
4. What was the most interesting speech, resolution, amendment, or comment by one of the delegates?
I found Russia’s (Amina Youssef) speech was very motivational and powerful. It was interesting to have the writer of your chosen resolution give a speech. This is because it really shows their intentions for that resolution, it almost makes that resolution stronger. It was also so strong, because of her delivery and presentation. I think this because it sounded like she knew what she was doing and there weren’t any noticeable stumbles in her speech. Because Russia and Pakistan had the same perspective, I also found it interesting to listen to her strong points I may not have incorporated into my speech. Also, I feel that she really incorporated all the skills we learned in our class before our conference. These skills included eye contact, rise and falls in our voice, posture etc. I feel that this was absolutely the hardest part of delivering a speech Overall, I found her speech to be captivating for all of the members in the audience and it is absolutely a speech to use as an example for future classes.