Sunday, December 6, 2009

The Powers of a Leader

Last week in English class we had an in-class essay on whether or not extraordinary people should be bound to the same rules as everyone else or if they should be allowed more leeway. I answered that all people should be bound by the same rules that define society or else risk plunging society into chaos because once the line between right and wrong is allowed to be broken it loosed standard and becomes fuzzy. However, now I am thinking about it on terms of leaders. Leaders certainly qualify as extraordinary people. So the question becomes; is it justifiable for leaders to break the rules of society for the "greater good"?
If thousands could be saved is it okay for one to be sacrificed? When thinking about social justice, do we apply that to an overarching "greater good" or is social justice more about defending the rights of every human? Should we consider more individuals or society and humanity as a whole? The use of water-boarding for the "greater good" was largely responded to with outrage from civilians. However, if the torture of one could save a million others, is it not worth it to torture the one and save the million? These questions I pose lead to the idea that the ends justify the means.
My response to my questions would be that no matter the benefit of an evil act, wrong is still wrong. The easy solution is not always the best solution. The boundaries of society set by law must be held firm. In fighting for social justice, I would say our end goal is striving for the betterment of humanity as a whole but that end must be achieved in a just way. Justice is not without justice without justice. So in conclusion, regardless of a motive of striving for the greater good, leaders must follow the rules of society or justice will not be justice.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

slavery continued (again)

I'm really passionate about the slaves in the world today. I know that there have already been many posts on it, but I wanted to add some more. Here's one fact I found: The average price of a slave in 1809 was $40,000 but today is is only $90. Here is a story I found about one girl in Cambodia:
"Kunthy was trafficked in to prostitution in Cambodia at age 13. She was held captive in a dilapidated structure the locals called the “Anarchy Building,” where she was raped nightly and routinely beaten, drugged and threatened by the brothel keeper and pimp.
Kunthy was discovered through an IJM undercover investigation. After documenting proof of her imprisonment, IJM staff worked with local authorities to ensure her rescue, and pursued the prosecution of the brothel owner and pimp, who were sentenced to 15 and 10 years in prison respectively.
Today, Kunthy lives in an aftercare home, where she is healing from her abuse in a secure and loving environment. Her dream is to own an Internet café and design Web sites for businesses. Right now, she works at a part-time job with a local NGO, attends a computer training school and is thriving in the freedom and security of her transitional home."

It is so sad that girls as old as us have to deal with things like this.

some thoughts about sex slavery

as i read ian and molly's posts, i remember some stories a friend once told me. mihoko was my graduate school classmate. she had great passion for Cambodian women in villages. when she served in a NGO for about a year or so living in a remote Cambodian village, she discovered that many people would sell their daughters to others (these people would go to villages and promise restaurant jobs in big cities such as bangkok, when in fact they would force them into prostitution once these girls get there) because they were poor. but my friend also discovered that they were poor because they did not have enough water to irrigate their rice farm. so, her NGO decided that the best way to combat prostitution was to dig wells. if they could discover rich water source, farmers would be able to water their land and harvest better crops and improve their economic condition. and as a result, they may not have incentive to sell their daughters to any job offers. in combination of education (teaching the families about the deception of these pimps) and well digging, the NGO seemed to be able curb sex trafficking in that area of Cambodia.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Continuation of slavery

I would also like to continue Ian's post on sex slavery. This is something that has also been on my heart. When I visited Liberia this summer I was also appalled by the amount of women and girls that were selling themselves so they could provide for their families. Education in Liberia is not free. Everyone has to pay to attend school. It costs roughly $50 (USD) for one child to attend school for a year. To us it sounds like a tiny cost, but for many of these families it could be up to a third of their yearly income. Then picture the many families who could have up to 7 kids! How can they even afford to send their children to school (let alone feed and clothe them)? Many of the moms get caught in this trap of prostitution because they are, as Ian said, desperate for their kids to get an education. And many of the girls get caught in this trap as well because they so desperately desire an education. It is a serious issue that breaks my heart because these women are so stuck in this trap and they can't see any other option. It makes me so thankful that we can get a good education without having to go to extreme measures to get the money. I just thought I would throw that out there to let you guys think about.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

A 2 in 1 Post

This is a semi-continuation of Molly's post. I've always been appalled by the outrageous amount of sex slavery in the world. Sex slavery is a chronic problem, and is so widespread that it cannot be fought against effectively. The problem is huge in South and South East Asia. Parents sell their children, especially girls, to pimps for anything- even lifestock! Imagine selling a 10 year old girl for a goat! These girls are brought into cities for prostitution and are caught in an inescapable, suffering-beyond-description situation. A teenage girl might entertain 40 clients a day...a day! The root of the problem is simple...desperation. These families would obviously rather a different method then selling their daughters. Our focus should be to help bring social justice to the families in rural South Asia. That's where the problem and desperation lie.
Today is World AIDS day. I would like to also briefly touch on a story that caught my attention tonight on the news. Thozama and her teenage brother Thozamele were both orphaned when their mother died of AIDS; they were left in the slums of Johannesburg without water or electricity and responsible for their 4 other brothers and sisters. They walk over 4 miles everyday to go to their school and bring their siblings to their schools. The most amazing feature of this story was the hope that the kids had. They almost have nothing, yet they look towards the future. I think that is something that each of us need to do. We must look to solve our problems with hope rather than do nothing. I'm not sure that I could do that myself.

Here are some quick links Sex Trade: http://www.love146.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=21460
UNAIDS: http://www.unaids.org/en/AboutUNAIDS/default.asp

Friday, November 27, 2009

Slavery

Are you aware that today there are over 27 million slaves in our world? Did you know that this number far exceeds the amount of slaves at the time when America used slaves, a time when slavery was public? This greatly upsets me. If we, the majority of people in the world, are so against slavery, the mistreatment of human beings, we should have eradicated it a long time ago. So why are there more slaves now than there were at the time when there were thousands of people fighting against it? I believe it is because we have become unaware to what is going on in the world. We think the war ended in the 1800's. I think we need our eyes to be opened to what is really happening, and not only do we need to be aware, but we need to do something about it.
What do you guys think?

Check out this website: http://www.ijm.org/

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Bias?

Even though it does not always seem like it, women are still biased against in today's society. There has never been a woman president and men are still in the majority of high positions. Guys and girls, what do you think about this? Do you think men deserve positions over women or should women have an equal opportunity in all circumstances?

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Trying to Erase the Past...

Last Monday was the 20th anniversary of the crumbling of the Berlin Wall. This 10 foot barrier divided families, life styles, and cultures. It was the epitome of the Soviet isolationism and the firm grip it had on their citizens (any “Bourgeois customs”, such as washing your car, could get you arrested). People were not allowed to cross the border, so they would sneak across, by hiding in the trunks of cars, catapulting themselves across, or even building homemade planes. While the Western half of the city progressed in sync with the Western world, the East was still stuck in the post World War II age. The city lay in ruins from the war and technology, from cars to radios, dated back to the 40’s all the way until the 1980’s.
A few summers ago, I visited Berlin and walked across the border that once dived East from West and could not tell the difference. East Berlin has assimilated and has morphed into the West. If my father had not told me the differences of what separated the East form the West he saw when he was living there, I would have never noticed. The German government has done so much to help modernize the East to catch up with the rest of Germany, and have done such a good job that the only thing that seperates the two halves of the city are little “Berlin under Soviet Control” museums that you see when you walk through the East.
German history isn’t the most fabled, or the most morally right in the world, so Germany has made the effort to erase their past by pretty much rebuilding an entire half of their city and discourage any toys with a connection with the military. BBC had done interviews of many young Berliners to see what they knew about the Soviet control of Berlin and an overwhelming number of them couldn’t answer any of the questions. I can see how Germany is ashamed about their past, and I understand how they want to have a city like the other flagship European metropolises, but to attempt to erase recollection of the past is hard to handle. If we did erase all the bad things man has done in history we would find that history does repeat itself because we would never learn from the mistakes. We shouldn’t try to forget the past, but we should learn from it. We need something to grow on and sometimes these tough lessons are our tool to grow from.

Dearborn, Michigan

God has been preparing me my whole life to follow His will for my future, but until this summer I didn’t really know what he wanted me to do. This past summer my intellect, character, and Christian faith were stretched while on a missions trip to Dearborn, Michigan with my church youth group.
Walking out of Angel House the first day of the trip wearing my long skirt and long sleeved shirt in the hot June air, I realized I was not in Boston anymore. Around me were men and women from Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon. The women wore hijabs to cover their hair and long black robes to cover their arms and legs. I helped the people in the community by selling toys, furniture, and clothing to them. The first day in Dearborn I was immersed in the Muslim culture, which I found completely different than my own. I was intrigued with their lifestyle and wanted to learn more about them.
While in Dearborn, the woman who ran Angel House taught me all about the Muslim culture. I visited museums and mosques everyday to learn and see their cultural practices. Everyday I would debrief with my team to discuss what we had learned that day. We ate in a restaurant serving a different country’s food every night. My knowledge on the Muslim culture and Islam was constantly growing as I listened, was immersed, and talked to people of those cultures. I would step into the culture every morning when the Muslim women came to Angel House for English lessons. I befriended the women and came to know more about their lives as the short week went on. In going on this trip I learned to step out of my comfort zone and look into other cultures. My insight into the lives of the women that I worked with changed my life. After leaving Dearborn, God has laid on my heart the desire to continue to learn more about Muslim culture in general and Yemen specifically.
Living out my faith is a mission engraved on my heart. I am continually amazed by the fact that when I was in Dearborn I was completely out of my comfort zone, but in the end I found out and truly learned about what I am supposed to be. I was able to learn how to reach out to others in new ways and developed a greater love for friendships. I was able to share with fellow members on my trip about God’s work in my life the past year. But the most important thing I learned from the trip was that wherever I am, I want to use my job as a mission to those around me. Some may not understand how much this trip has changed my life. It was only a week, but God redefined me in those few days. Since the Dearborn trip I have been learning more about missions to Muslims and about Yemen because I feel that God has laid on my heart a desire to be in missions and to be a nurse. God has given me a passion for Yemen and I have learned that it is possible to dream big while following His vision for my life. I look forward to the chance to learn more about Islam and Yemen as I am working to understand God’s will for my life. Mr. Chen is allowing me to write on this blog to share what I learned with all of you! Prepare yourself it may be a crazy ride of learning!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Leadership

I think an example of a good leader would be President Obama. I am not saying that I necessarily agree with everything he says and does, but he has great leadership qualities. He has the ability to inspire people and motivate them. He has maintained a large, steady crowd of supporters in the midst of good and bad decisions. Additionally, he is able to clearly communicate his thoughts. An example of his inspirational skills is evident in his winning the Nobel peace prize. He won that on the basis of his promises to take action in promoting international peace.
That actually brings me to something else. What do you guys think of him having won the peace prize? Do you think he should have won it?

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Religious Suppression

I heard on the news today that in South Carolina, having a license plate with a picture of a cross and the words "I believe" has been made illegal. The prosecutors said that it violated the Constitution. That got me thinking about the different ways Christians are being suppressed in America, even though we may not always see it. I heard about complaints about the words "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Do you guys think that eventually America will become as hostile to Christians as many other countries are or do you think that these are just minor events and nothing to worry about?

Sunday, November 8, 2009

presidency

What do you gyus think about Obama's presidency..Do you think it will cause more racism in our country or do you guys think less of it will be present?

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Leaders in Boston

In light of the recent mayoral and district elections, an ethical situation has arisen. In my district, district 7, the race was between Chuck Turner, who was trying to be re-elected, and Carlos Henriquez, a newcomer (and also the president of the DSNI board).
For interns last year, you will remember that Sam Yoon was scheduled to come one day, but couldn't due to the arrest of a district councilman - Chuck Turner. He has yet to be indited, however, I think he should not be allowed to run again if he is currently being investigated for fraud. This is abuse of power. Yet, he won with 60% of the district vote.
Thus brings up a question: why would people vote for someone who was arrested for such a crime? Perhaps it's naivety, or that people are just used to having him as councilman.

So here's a question for you: Should governmental officials who have been arrested for a crime, but not charged, be allowed to run for a government seat?

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween -- is it fun???

Hey guys...

this is from my experience today, on Halloween...

Before today, I thought that halloween is the one of holiday for America, the day for only children, little Trick-ot treaters..

However, it wasn't..

I heard the experience from my mother and my brother when they were around the NEC and Huntington Ave.On the way of home, they saw the people who are drinking alcohol in the middle of the day and walking with faltering steps and they also met druken drivers who threats other drivers.other car was about to hit my mother's car, but fourtunately, my mother averted it.
and when I was at home, I got a headache because of my neighbors. They turned music loud ( even I cannot understand the music) and bunch of people were making noisy.

I understand the Trick-or treaters, little children who are going around and knocking the doors for candys, but I cannot understand the young people who drink alcohol and threat other people and interupt other people's life..
It is my second Halloween in America. On the last halloween, I knew that little kids with their parents going around the village and town and say: Trick or Treat!!! and People gave sweets for little kids.. and set off fire squibs at night...
But today, I saw different aspects of halloween...

Having the big parties and drinking and turning the loud music.... Is it the way that people enjoying the Halloween???? Is it the halloween getting popular to adults too or is it already popular to all range of people (disregarding the age)??

(I hope that you enjoy the halloween...)

Friday, October 30, 2009

How do we approach poverty?

This past summer I had the incredible opportunity of going overseas to Liberia. For those who don't know, Liberia is a country in West Africa that suffers from extreme poverty. In fact, 80% of the people live below the poverty line. It was a shock to enter a third-world country for the first time. Actually being in this setting showed me what poverty really looks like. It is real and terrible. It sucks the life out of people and is a source of constant fear and suffering. It preys upon people who are already disadvantaged, and traps people in a web they think they can't escape. It stirred my heart to see poverty ended not only in nations like Liberia, but in every nation where people are living in poverty, including the U.S.

Many times we as "rich Americans," along with most of the Western world, feel like because we are wealthier, giving away money is what is going to solve these problems. We think that donations are what will stop this huge, extremely prevalent issue. What many of us don't realize, however, is that we are creating a culture of dependence on our wealth that is very real, and extremely unhealthy. I recall many people in Liberia asking members of our team for this amount of money, or this thing, or that stuff. They have come to expect that we are there to give them something.

I believe we have been in the wrong by just handing out money, in fact we have been enabling them in a way that makes it even harder for them. Some of them don't have inward motivation, yet many of them simply lack a clear vision, an idea of how to go about this. They lack skills, knowledge, support, training, and the list goes on.

I think that when we'll really start seeing poverty come to an end, really see our world changed, is when we start reevaluating the way we use our resources to help those in poverty. We need to start focusing on long term solutions, rather than short term solutions. There is a saying that goes, "If you give a man a fish he'll eat for a day, if you teach him to fish he'll eat for a lifetime." We do have the ability to help them, but we will not ever help pull them out of poverty until we and they realize that they are the only ones who can end this cycle. We can use our diverse talents and knowledge, as well as finances, to train them, teach them, and guide them through this process. We can help build the infrastructure necessary to help them achieve. The first thing we must do, however, is let them know that, while we can guide them and give them a vision for change, they have the ability to fight this battle themselves.


Monday, September 14, 2009

Social justice internship 2009-2010

The internship application is here! Just click on the link. Returning interns need to fill out some parts of the application form while new applicants need to fill out most parts of the form.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Expansion of Transportation Infrastructure

This is something I learned about just today:

My dad's parents have a nice little house, near Fort Wayne, Indiana, with a beautiful yard that is huge by city standards. They were recently notified that the county government wants to expand the road that marks the edge of their yard to accomodate three lanes of traffic. In order for the road to be expanded, it needs to encroach on my grandparents' (and other residents') yard(s). So the county is forcing them to sell part of their land (for less money than it was originally worth) and rent out space in what remains of their yard to make room for the county's trucks during the more than eight months that construction will continue. On top of all of this, the value of my grandparents' land will decrease because their house will have a smaller yard and be closer to a busy road. Why does the county want to widen the road? Because they have the money and they can. There is no particular reason why the road should be wider; the airport that used to function nearby closed years ago. The county is simply afraid that if they don't spend their extra money, their budget will be cut for next year.

After a year or so, it will be much more difficult to walk along the creek that borders my grandparents' yard because the creek will be covered by a bridge. My grandparents and I will harvest only a fraction of the black walnuts that we used to because the trees will have been cut down. My grandparents will have to create a new layout for their flowers, trees, and yard waste heaps, and a couple summers ago they had to spend thousands of dollars to re-lay their sewer piping to make room for the expansion. Is this fair? Is this a justice issue? I have never felt the negative effects of the expansion of industry and transportation personally, but this hit home. My grandparents have done nothing to ask the government for trouble, and all of a sudden they are asked to spend lots of money and recreate their property to accomodate the purposeless plans of the county. This incident makes me think of everyone else who is facing much more dire circumstances: there are people who are forced to leave their jobs and homes because of industrialization and urbanization. On the other hand, advocates say that such unfortunate events are a necessary evil in order for everyone to be housed, fed, transported, etc. Who is right?

Friday, January 16, 2009

Mr. Chen, if you have time would you please put the article on the blog, i don't know how to do it myself. it's not working somehow. thanks.

response to the article racism in japan

I just wanted to hear your opinions on the article that Mr. Chen sent us. I don't know if you guys have read the article or not, but i post it just in case. It's about racism in Japan and i think this is a great article because asian racism is usually hidden under. and that being revealed out in the world is probably making japan go crazy right now. anyways, i did not know that there was a discriminated group in japan. it's like india and nepal's untouchables. i also like how the article talks about how nepal's discriminated groups (india's influnce) because it shows that some awareness about nepal is there. ok, back to the article, the buraku who were rejected to be the prime minister by all the other members of the government just because he is a buraku is extremely unfair. it says that the person is really talented and is fit for the job and being denied a position just because of what group you belong to is sad. discrimination is wrong because we are born into something we did not choose to be and to be pointed fingers at because of that is not fair and right. i cannot help, but think of the hardships the buraku went through to be in the political position he is in now, then hearing that his coworkers discussing ethnicity or background to decide his right to be a prime minister must have been awful. if the speech was not leaked out, he may not have known. i also like how the article compares japan and america in its struggles of overcoming slavery, discrimination, in their history. but it also tells blunt out that america overcame it and japan didn't, which i think is a little too confident to say. racism and discrimination still exists in america and just because barack obama became a president doesn't mean all racism is gone. it is definitely a step forward, but we are not done yet. wow, now my response is becoming too long, i hope it was not too boring to read. ok, my main point, i really like the article. thanks mr.chen