Storytelling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StNvFjirQks

A Question of Faith is a Christian based movie, directed by Kevan Otto. The movie was released on September 29, 2017. The movie focuses on forgiveness, driving safety and donating organs. A teenager, Maria, was operating a vehicle while texting and driving. Her mother had warned her several times it was dangerous to text and drive, because she could harm herself or someone else. Maria was making a delivery, while responding to a text and struck a 12 year old boy who was crossing the street. Eric is pronounced brain dead and his parents have to decide whether to pull the plug. Maria is sent to jail for homicide by a vehicle. While Eric is still on ventilators when a young singer, Michelle, falls out from heart issues and is hospitalized. Once Eric's parents decide to pull the plug, his heart is donated to Michelle. Each family has a hard time accepting the events that took place. They all begin to question their faith. Circumstances throughout the movie bring all three families together and they begin to heal, upon meeting each other, and learning the others stories.

The tone was set a few minutes into the movie. The accident where Maria hit Eric took place not long after the movie began. "The opening sets the tone for the story, the audience needs to be given presuppositions about the type of tale they're reading" (Weiland 339). "Set the tone of your story right from the start" (Weiland 341). The movie opened with Maria driving and her mother scolding her for texting while driving. "The stories open with characters, preferably the protagonist. Even the most plot-driven tales inevitably boil down to characters" (Weiland 339). The movie opened with conflict and set the stage for the remainder of the movie. "If there is no conflict, there is no story (Weiland 339)." Conflict makes the story or movie worth watching, reading, or being told. "Conflict keeps the pages turning, and turning pages are nowhere more important than in the beginning" (Weiland 339). Stories that have meaning leaves its readers with wanting more, they begin to wonder and ask questions about what is going to happen next. "You can't just tell readers what is going on in your story; you have to give them enough information to make them want to ask questions, so you can answer them" (Weiland 340). It is important to keep your audience's attention. "Opening lines offer authors their first and best opportunities to make a statements about their stories" (Weiland 341). It is up to the author to catch our attention and make us want to read or watch what they present to the world. People lean towards what they can relate to, what they find interesting, or appealing. "Your hook is your first chance to impress readers, and like it or not, first impressions will make you and break you" (Weiland 342). It is important to grab the attention of the audience. "Plan the hook carefully and wow readers so thoroughly they won't ever forget the opening scene" (Weiland 341). The audience's reviews of a story will determine the feedback. It is vital to make a good first impression, and to catch the attention of others at the beginning, so they will be left wanting more.

Blog 3 (Happiness)

"Happiness is referred to as the good life, flourishing, or an emotional state of well-being"(wikipedia.com). Being happy is being positive and surrounding yourself with positive energy. Happiness is developed from within.  It is up to the individual if they allow things of the world, personal problems, or work get them down. Should we as people allow things that occur in the world or society determine our happiness? No, because we could be depressed all our life, if we let natural disasters, crimes, hate, death and other things keep us from being happy.

Anthony Phillips feels if people are happy with the things going on within the world they are not living in reality. He basically feels people should let issues of the world effect their lives. "Three constituents of happiness are pleasure, engagement and meaning. Through casual conversation, we can increase positive emotion about the past, present and future"(Selimann et al 540). Things are going to happen within our lives and the world all the time.  That does not mean we won't have moments where we feel down about something that we may go through or a tragic event broadcast for the world to know. Things happen every second, of every minute, of every day. If we surround our lives or focus on the negatives things like Anthony Phillips wants us to, we'll all be depressed and have mental disorders. We have to live our life for today because tomorrow is not promised. "We must live in fullness, without waste of time and potential" (Auden 544). Time is something we can not get back. There are so many things that cause stress dealing with life and things that occur within the world; but if we can't do anything to solve problems of the world, why let them depress us? Mental illness and depression is real, so unlike Anthony Phillips I'd choose to be happy than to create issues worrying about things out of my control. "Psychologists and psychiatrists were able to make people less miserable 50 years after World War II" (Seligmann et al 539). When you're unhappy its a process of getting back to a happy place, if the person is able to bounce back from what caused them to become unhappy. "Suffering drags you deeper into yourself. It gives people a lot more accurate sense of their own limitations, what they can and can't control" (Brooks 567).

We never know what a person is going through. Maybe Anthony Phillips is an unhappy person since he wants people to base their happiness on the state of the world. "Recovering from suffering is not like recovering from a disease, may people don't come out healed; they come out different" (Brooks 568). Life is what you make of it. We can only face each day with a positive mind set and pray for good outcomes. We have to remain strong dealing with life and society.





www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/opinion/sunday/a-formula-for-happiness.html

Blog 2 (Rumor)

Ever heard a rumor? Did it have you questioning whether it was true or not? "A rumor is a circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth (www.google.com)." Rumors are spread for various reasons. Some are formed with malicious intent, some are leaked, some just sound good and some are really true. Bad news travels faster than good news and thats how rumors begin.

On February 25, 2018, a article was published Are Cadbury Products Contaminated With HIV? There was a claim that a worker had been arrested for contaminating items manufactured by the company with HIV positive blood. "It was stated this was released on BBC News and to refrain from eating Cadbury products over the next few weeks (snopes.com)." The rumor was false. There were no sources indicating the accusations were true. No warning had been made or arrests for that matter.

Over the years, stories involving people contaminating products with HIV have been circulating around. From Pepsi, to pineapples, soft drinks and canned good all have been targeted with this same rumor. The rumor remains the same, the company's being targeted are just different. This rumor originated when the claim were first made about a Pepsi employee.

"The CDC states HIV can not be transmitted through air, water, saliva, sweat, tears,closed-mouth kissing, toilets, food or drinks (www.cdc.gov)." The most common ways to get HIV is through sexual behaviors, needle or syringe use. "Only certain bodily fluids can transmit the virus which include blood, semen, rectal and vaginal fluids and breast milk. These fluids must come in contact with  a mucous membrane, damaged tissues or directly injected into the bloodstream for transmission to occur (www.cdc.gov)."

The rumor spread through social sites and provided false information with no real details. It was only stated that an arrest had been made, it was never stated who the employee was, what state the incident took place in or that more details would come at another time. This rumor can be classified as a bogie rumor and a wedge driving aggression rumor. With the bogie rumor, this type of claim can cause fear among people if they have purchased these products and consumed them, that they may be infected with HIV. People can experience anxiety and may not want to purchase any goods for a fear of contracting the virus from any foods due to the claims made. With wedge driving aggression, it is mean to spread harsh rumors. HIV is a disease that there is no cure for. If something like this was true it would change the lives of so many people. The rumor was false, but what about the people who are easily manipulated and believe the things they read without having supporting facts. The rumor that Cadbury products was contaminated with HIV was short and simple. The story could have been changed and added on to so that it could be believable.

We don't think about the consequences of spreading things we hear. All we know is we've heard some juicy information and we have to share it with someone. We tell the gossip to our friend, they share it with someone they're close to and it never ends. The story gets mixed up, things are added on to make it sound better. All the while we never consider the person the rumor is about, if and how it will affect them, or what they may be going through. All news is not good news and all rumors aren't meant to be spread.

#RumorsCanDestroyCharacter&PeopleIfTheyAreBelievable

Should I tell or keep it a secret?

Have you ever been in a situation where you don't know what to do? Its not easy being in a situation, where you're unsure of not knowing what to do. I was questioning myself, if I should keep this secret or reveal the truth. Keeping the secret to myself would have people questioning my loyalty, if the secret came out. Then on the other hand, revealing the secret may destroy a family and break someone's heart in the process. What to do when you don't know what to do?

Stacey and I were best friends for 7 years. I was the God mother to her children. Stacey was in a long-term relationship with a guy I grew up with. We were from the same neighborhood. One night I decided to go to a bar, alone. I never go anywhere without a plus one or a group. This night was different, I decided to go enjoy myself. After being at the bar for maybe an hour, I ran into Stacey's boyfriend. We chatted for a while and went our separate ways. I had made it to the dance floor and was enjoying myself. I felt someone walk up on me to dance, but I didn't think to turn around and see who it was. When I finally did, I got the shock of my life and realized it was Stacey's boyfriend. He was too close for my comfort, so I put space between us and continued dancing. Once the bar closed, Stacey's boyfriend followed me outside to my car. He then proceeded to ask where was I going and could he come home with me. I declined, not only was his girlfriend my best friend, but she was also pregnant with his child. Once I turned him down; he asked me if I was going to rat him out to Stacey.  I advised him at this point it wasn't anything to tell, but if he didn't stop making passes at me she would find out.

The next day I consulted my mother for advice. She gave me her opinion; which was to keep it to myself because she's been in that position before. The female didn't believe her and got upset with her thinking she wanted her boyfriend. From my mom's experience, she stated whether I told Stacey or not, she'd probably be with her boyfriend regardless. I know I can trust my mom, so I was going to do exactly what she told me. Little did I know, the rumors had already gotten back to Stacey. Contrary to what I stated, onlookers told Stacey I was dancing on her boyfriend in the bar. At that point I felt I had no choice but to reveal what I wanted to hide in secrecy. Stacey confronted me with the rumors and I told her what happened. Stacey was upset with me and felt betrayed because I should have told her. She did not understand if we were suppose to be best friends, why would I keep this secret from her. I tried to plead my case but it failed. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted to keep confusion down. It would be awkward still visiting her, looking in her boyfriend's face, and being her friend if I ratted him out and they stayed together. Ultimately, Stacey didn't feel she knew what happened on my behalf or her boyfriends. She chose to end our friendship months after the ordeal. Like my mother said, she and the boyfriend still remained together; until he did the same thing with someone else.

The virtue approach stands out to me with this issue. "Virtues are dispositions and habits that enable us to act according to the highest potential of our character and on behalf of values like truth and beauty (Behrens, 2016)." I wanted to withhold a secret to keep my friendship; but also I didn't want to bring hurt to someone I cared about. I was considering her feelings and what the situation may do to her. I learned it is always best to be honest, because the truth can always be revealed. Like the saying goes, what is done in the dark will always come to light. I feel I demonstrated compassion by wanting to protect my friend from being hurt. This situation taught me just because I think I'm making the right decision, doesn't mean its the right choice for someone else. Ethics gives us insight of how we are supposed to act, but it doesn't give insight as far as what to do in real life situations. The solutions to situations are solely up to us. We have to make decisions that may change lives on our own and hope for the best outcome.

The utilitarian approach can fit into this dilemma as well. The term utilitarian is the one that provides the most good or does the least harm, or, produces the greatest balance of good over harm (Behrens, 2016). By keeping the secret, I would've been possibly keeping a family together. I was attempting not to cause harm to others, I wanted the outcome to be good. Even though Stacey did not see my point of view, I thought I was doing right. Different alternatives were considered, I just felt keeping it to myself was for the best.

With moral development, Stage 3 is Good Interpersonal Relationships. "Stage 3 reasoning works best in two-person relationships with family members or close friends, where one can make a real effort to get to know the others feelings and needs and try to help (Behrens, 2016)." This stage fits perfectly with my dilemma. I wasn't going to gain anything by losing my friend. I was more concerned with her feelings and not stressing her while she was pregnant. When dealing with interpersonal relationships, "motives should be good and and they should gain interpersonal feelings like love, concern, empathy and trust for others (sites.google.com)." I had empathy for my friend because I know what its like to have your heart broken. My decision may not have been fair, but my heart was in the right place.


For examples of ethical dilemmas, visit this site:
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/ethical-dilemma-examples.html


#WhatToDo?????

Works Cited

Behrens, Laurence. "Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum." Potthoff, Brad, Pearson, 2016, pp. 276-287.

Crain, W.C. (1985). Theories of Development. Prentice-Hall. pp. 118-136. 
"Ethical Dilemma Examples." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 February 2018. <http://examples.yourdictionary.com/ethical-dilemma-examples.html>.

Introduction

Hey bloggers,

My name is Sharee Curry. I currently live in Lancaster, SC. I have lived there all my life. More than likely I'll remain a resident of Lancaster since I am purchasing my first home as of May 2016. I am 29 years old. I am a single parent of a 9 year old little girl, whose in the 4th grade. I am currently attending York Tech to further my career in the medical field. As of now, I'm a Medical Assistant with Rock Hill Pediatrics. I have been in this field for 6 years and looking to complete the LPN program in the next few years. Enrolling in school again is definitely harder than I expected, but I'm going to push my way through. Before I began this new journey, I spent most of my free time reading fiction books, playing board games with my daughter or just relaxing. I'm really just a simple female that enjoys being at home mostly. I have started trying to travel outside the United States at least once of year. Other than that, I'm just working on myself to become an even better me.