“The
sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to
be good or evil.”
Hannah Arendt, The
Life of the Mind (1978).
By Kate Bolonnikova
When people think of
evil, for the most part they tend to associate it with stern, atrocious
intention. However, very few manage to realize that the vast majority of evil
in literature and history was committed by those who had never wished it ever
to occur.
I can’t but mention the
invention of the first atomic bomb by Robert Oppenheimer, which lasted from
1939 to 1945. To him, it was another experiment in Physics, and rather the
innermost hope to put an end to all wars. To the victims of Hiroshma and
Nagasaki, though, the fateful morning had a different colouring. The bomb was
else referred to as “Death, the destroyer of worlds” (The Bhagavad Gita), while
its creator — the epitome of destruction.
This may as well remind
one of the accusations Niemand imposed upon Dr. James Graham in “The weapon” by
Frederic Brown. The key scientist of a crucial military project, Dr. Graham is
surprised to receive a small, nondescript, and obviously harmless man as a guest.
Even more appalled he grows when the visitor utters him to be “the man, whose
scientific work is more likely then that of any other man to end the human
race’s chance for survival.” Apparently, Dr. Graham believes that only a madman
would give a loaded revolver to an idiot. Yet, seeing the very trifle in the
hands of his sole mentally arrested child, he grasps the subtext of Niemand’s
present: working on the weapon almost equals making the same heedless gift to
humanity.
The very same picture
arises in “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, standing out of the whole spectrum of
literature. At the moment when a Medicine student artificially composes a
manlike creature, his eyes are shining with sheer innocence. To Victor
Frankenstain, the advent of his own monster is a bright scientific achievement.
Perhaps with time, he would be able to revitalize dead corpses — and maybe even
that of his own mother. Little does he realize, that in just a couple of days,
his greatest success will turn into the worst nightmare, whereas a good
intention — into a bottomless sea of evil.
To draw the line, people
actually rarely choose to execute evil. In fact, it is their ignorance and failure
to think forward, which ultimately lead to human calamity.
Some people believe that competitive sports are
bad for children, and that sports should be played without keeping score. Do
you agree with this belief? Do competitive sports cause some children to be
popular and others disliked? Do competitive sports encourage cheating or
aggressive behaviour?
By Kate
Bolonnikova
Children
are children. Unlike grown-ups, they tend to take everything close to heart.
That’s why it comes as no big surprise when competitive sports make so many
kids break down or lose their temper.
They want
success and they want it now. But very few understand what it actually takes to
be first past the post. For junior contestants, a sporting activity is most
probably a game they want to win – nothing close to a showcase of long-term
trainings and trials. And losing it is, well, a case of injustice yet
inconceivable to their perception. “I wanted to be the first one, not the
second one. This is not fair!”, you can hear from a little wannabe.
Contrary to
adults, most children find it difficult to face failure. Seeing their peers
score a point or two higher on another match may often cause them pain. And
myriads liters of tears – literally! For many, such dramas result in a hurried
resolution to give up: “I can’t do it, so I won’t”, or…”I will never play
football ever again — Michael does so much better!”
I can’t but
mention how traumatic it is for a child to be judged. Perhaps they will swallow
their pain and wipe their tears away… Perhaps parents will buy them a lollipop
as a kind of redemption. Yet, back in their childish society, no highs and lows
will remain unrewarded. As ABBA sing it, “The winner takes it all, the loser
has to fall.”Now the victors of yesterday ride the crest and all the less
fortunate resort to dirty cheating, rumors, abusive behaviour, and at times
head for pretentious isolation.
Everything given a thought, it is simply wrong
to challenge unripe kids with what even mature people find stressful. Before
crossing that rigid START line, I believe, one should be ready to exclaim “May
the sea of rants, comments, and retorts commence!” — NO, not a humble “I want
to win (sighing).”
it’s better to be a happy dustman rather than an unhappy millionaire
Through the
centuries people have always dreamed of becoming millionaires. Personally I
completely agree with the statement that it`s better to be a happy dustman
rather than an unhappy millionaire. Here are some arguments in favour of my
opinion.
First and foremost, if you are an
ordinary worker you can be confident that your nearest and dearest won`t betray
you. Rich people don`t know who their friends are and they don`t have mutual
sincere relationships. Apart from this, it`s easier to find something in common
with others. People are likely to become friends with an equal one.
The last but not the least, it can`t be
denied that people while making a fortune poison themselves. They become aloof,
selfish and lose the real sense of life. Such people try to become a big cheese
through all their lives, but consequently they lose family, friends, themselves
and turn into faceless shadows.
However, there are opponents who believe
that being an unhappy millionaire is much better. They assume that money makes
the world go round. Foe them money is a blessing, because they can buy
everything they want, even respect and a social status. They have luxurious
mansions, impressive cars and expensive clothes.
Taking everything into account, it must
be said that rich people are poor in spirit. Personally I am strongly convinced
that to be morally rich is much more important than possessing expensive
belongings.
Mary Murashko 11-V
We Make Our Destiny. Do You Agree?
Nowadays the question of our destiny
is considered to be one of the most multi-faceted matters. Some people deem
that different life circumstances and acts have a great influence on our
existence, so there is nothing we can do in order to change something. But I
support the idea of those who believe that precisely we are makers of
everything we have. I reckon this notion for a variety of reasons.
First of all, let’s contemplate this
issue soberly – if we have a desire to do something, we will do it despite all
eternal flows of problems. You should compare your dream with your abilities
and forces and that is all! Your dream will come true and consequently, you
will change your life greatly and what is more, you can change it every day. Furthermore,
“everything begins with the head.” If you can put aside everything and interfere
yourself to think correctly, probably you will be a creator of your future.
Just regulate your spectrum of thoughts. The last but not the least, you should
always do your best. We have only one chance to live and those, who understand
this, they have a wide range of abilities and greatly influence on fortune.
In contrast to this, opponents to
this view say that a number of forces are stronger than we and some guy or God,
maybe, planned our lives. We just follow its rules and rights. But I am
absolutely sure that they are wrong because we were born to create something
new.
To sum up, I still feel that
everything is in our hands. God, car accidents, flights, storms, strong wind –
these things are under our control. We are stronger than natural disasters or
our enemies. We are architects of our fortune and it is the only correct way to
do.
Maria Fed’ko
LIFE IS A JOURNEY
«Life is a one-way street and
we are not coming back»
A baby is born. He seems to do nothing
but eat and sleep, but it is fundamentally wrong. His small hand is firmly
holding a ticket for the Train, which will help him cover a significant part of
the way to his Destination. The baby does not care about it yet, but his
parents have already woken up to the fact that they are to guide their child to
the grandiose and honorable Destination of his.
A baby grows into an adolescent, and he
is still on the Train, already infected by the «Destination» concept. But the
years pass by – and the Destination is still remote and intangible. «Have I
been on the wrong Train all the time?» - this would definitely be the first
question to arise. Finally the day comes, when he takes his courage in both
hands, sneaks off the Train and runs as fast as his legs will carry him. He can
hear his parents shouting something to him, but he never stops. His Destination
is calling for him.
The adolescent has turned into a grown-up.
and his life is a series of Trains, Buses, Cars… He pulls along both heavy and
useless suitcases, full of his memories, regrets and hidden fears. Staying in
roadside hotels, he leaves indelible traces in the hearts of people whom he
will never see again. On and on he hobbles through the hazards and perfidies,
fighting against the fire and the frost, people and nature. Obsessed by the
Destination, defrauded by guileful conductors, drivers and fellow travelers, he
is starting to grow tired. His walk slows down; then he stops in his tracks and
looks around. He is too lonely and too exhausted to go. The adult marries,
because he HAS TO, his children are born, and it is now his turn to guide them
to their Destination, although the one he has been struggling to achieve is
still far far away.
The adult is now an old man. His
children have escaped the way he did in their age. The voice of his Destination
grows weaker every day, and even if it did not, he can not possibly follow it,
being too infirm. Were his parents guilty? Or was it his lucky star that
deceived him? He watches the Trains, Buses, Cars full of youngsters pass by.
«Fools!» he cries, clenching his fists. He can not even imagine how close his
Destination really is.
The man’s eyes close with his last
breath, with his last heartbeat, last pulse at his temples. He is now pleased
and pacified. Has he found his Destination? And did it really exist? Can the
Destination be just living your life honestly, loving somebody and cherishing
every moment of your road?
We are all equal before Death. However
rich, famous and talented we may be – we are to end like that. And if so – why
should we hurry? These minutes will never repeat, and «you will never be
younger than you are now». Whether you are walking or taking a Train, fighting
or relaxing - enjoy every second of the Journey of Your Life.
By Maria Latonina
The best way to understand the
character of a society is to examine the character of the men and women that
the society chooses as its heroes or its heroines
People have always tried to
examine societies by different means. They have set off for various places and
analyzed diverse aspects of human behaviour. From my perspective, however, the
best way to determine the character of a certain society is to investigate the
figures it praises and venerates.
Remember the main hero of the
novel “To kill a mockingbird” by Harper Lee. An honest advocate, Atticus Finch
is ardently fighting for the rights of a discriminated Negro. As the story
unfolds, we are fully exposed to the picture of an American hero. In his
desperate resolution to protect representatives of the race neglected in the 19th-century
United States
Another historic episode can
well show a hero reflecting Ukrainians as a nation. As the 17th
century arose, people on the Ukrainian lands were raised to struggle for their
independence from Poland Battle Ukraine
Everything taken into account,
heroes of nations and societies can definitely let us comprehend those very
societies better. As the old saying goes, “Every cook praises his own broth”,
which is well reflected through the broad spectrum of literature and history.
By Kate Bolonnikova
The question of happiness is a really
debatable one. Some people reckon that joy lasts longer than sorrow. However, I
think that a day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy. I support this point
of view for several reasons.
Firstly, I consider sorrow to be a
deep feeling of disappointment. This feeling is endured by a human for a long
period of time. In addition, time flies when you are over the moon. If we
suffer from a heart-break it will seem to us to be the biggest misfortune. The
most persuasive argument in favour of my view is harmonically intervolved with
our own perception of life. For some people it is difficult to bear the changes
of our life and that is the major reason why they evaluate their sorrow as the
biggest disaster.
On the contrary, other people think
that the moment of joy is endless. It means that they pull themselves together
quite quickly. Furthermore, they try to focus on amazing moments of their life.
Such people forget their sorrow and overcome obstacles. Moreover, they are
interested in their healthy lifestyle and they prefer being in the seventh
heaven to suffering from imagined curses.
Taking everything into deep
consideration, personally I can not skip these moments of sorrow in my life. It
is impossible to escape from sorrow even if we want to. Time is the best healer
and we have to withstand all challenges.
By Katherine Kovtunovych
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