A rather entrancing mural 

Who would of thought you can find philosophy in the streets? 

How true. 

A chalked wall in Williamsburg, Brooklyn 

Street Art, and a little bit of Mary too. 

What have our Schools Become?

I often think about what we as humans are supposed to do, supposed to be. How are we supposed to act, or respond to things. Is there a definitive answer, I doubt there is: but just because billions of us do something does that make it right? Billions of teenagers go to school, it has been that way in the U.S for over eighty years, but what did teenagers do before there were schools to go to?

We were Apprentices, young people who wanted nothing more than to become older and begin to work. There has always been some sort of ageism, but before there were public schools we worked low-rent jobs until we became older and skilled enough to get "real jobs". But now things are different, we are part of a system. Everyday millions of us are filtered through this system they call "school". Its a building with rooms, rooms that contain places for us to sit and absorb whatever there is for us to learn.

We had no power or standing amongst eachother before schools came along. We were young and that automatically made us less, we had no say. But now its so different, we go to these buildings were we learn and interact with eachother. We create our own societies, we re-create every part of real society in our own way. We create stereotypes, we create classes: The superior arise out of what seems to be nothing, their power dwelling from the others sub-conscious view points. We have our own currencies even, our own way of communicating, our own ways of doing what we enjoy.

We have been born into this system and we have literally created our own worlds, with all the aspects of the real world, just in whatever form is obtainable for us. Each society is different as you go from school to school but they have the same concept(s). These are harsh realities for us, but we must accept them. As you walk through the hallways from class to class, you see people, some of them you may have never spoken to before. Not even knowing their name or anything about them you know where they stand. You know what others think about them, you know whether he/she is a potential threat, you know whether you are better then them or not. These are the societies we have sub-consciously created just by attending school. This is our adaptation, our way of accepting the system that is so abruptly thrown at us, but is it the way it should be?

Schools have become a standardized way of life for us, which is good we become smart and educated people that go own to live great lives. But who designed this definitive system that has become part of our lives? Furthermore did they do a good job?

Gaza is Free!

Gaza is free! A few days ago Israeli troops pulled out of Gaza. Some people are calling this liberation of whom I believe to be the most oppressed people of our time, an act rewarding terrorism. It sickens me that people can just dismiss the Palestinians and ignore their rights. Liberating Gaza is not rewarding terrorism, its returning to these people what belongs to them, when Israel was formed it never included Gaza. But the Israeli's claimed it just as they did Sinai. It puzzles me why they stayed there, all it did was cause them trouble. With the troops gone Hamas and other terrorists have less of a motive to attack, and many Palestinians are happy. Infact since the pullout there has been minimal violence, the only major violence was commited by a Jewish man who fired a gun into a group of Palestinians killing three people. What's saddening is that the Israeli government is forcing Jewish settlers to leave their homes, just pack up and move. I don't think that a victory for Palestinians calls for a diaspora, and I don't think another diaspora will do any good. Although the tanks and troops are gone Israel still controls the Gaza airspace and part of their coast which I think is wrong.

Iam happy for the Palestinians, and hope this pullout brings the Israeli's and the Palestinians closer to peace. I remain a supporter of the Palestinians, and while Gaza's liberation is a victory for them, they are still far from freedom, but perhaps this pullout is precursor of further liberation.