Teen Leadership Council

A Ritual of Lies by Katie0
FleetusMcGee posted in Rituals And Traditions on February 27th, 2007

Empty eyes stare back through the glass,
The ghost of me from my past.
But it is so easy to ignore her,
Why dwell on what we once were?
And so begins my ritual of lies,
As I begin to paint on my clever disguise.
I place on my daily clothes of deceit,
I can feel the old me give in to defeat.
I then paint on my mask of make up,
My old face I continue to corrupt.
I then put on the final touch,
A large smile, but not too much.
Every day I continue this lie,
Just so I might catch your eye.
I continue being this person of pretend,
In hope that maybe you’ll call me your friend.
I change each day just to fit in,
Hoping to forget who I am within.
But the old me can’t help but wonder,
Is this all just one big blunder?

A Worldwide Look at Marriage by Megan0
FleetusMcGee posted in Rituals And Traditions on February 25th, 2007

One of the most common rituals in the world is marriage. In our culture, weddings are very personal and important. This is because the couple has decided to spend the rest of their lives with each other. In some countries, the practice of arranged marriages still exists, meaning those to be wed do not choose their husband or wife, generally, parents chose for their children.

The age of marriage, who chooses the spouse, acceptance of divorce, children, and treatment of spouses all depend on the culture. In the United States, all of these issues are free will and services are offered to lend any necessary assistance. In countries such as India, where arranged marriages are common, the men or women may only see their spouse a few times before the wedding day and divorce carries a serious social backlash. If the couple decides to get divorced, the people of their village ridicule them and parents basically disown them.

Another issue with these marriages is if a husband doesn’t like his wife he is more likely to mistreat her and the wife can’t get out of the bad marriage. It has also been brought up in articles on this subject that these marriages violate the human right of choice, since these men and women don’t choose their spouse.

The marital age differs depending on the culture, but in most, people marry by their late 20’s. In some countries, girls marry very young and generally wed much older men. Marriages like these often happen in impoverished countries where parents hope to give their daughters—and themselves—a better life.

The subject of children also differs among cultures. In China, each family can only have one child and in India, women can have up to 8 sons. However, in many cultures, daughters are not wanted for various reasons; for example, it is believed that they are too expensive because their families are expected to provide dowry for the wedding.

Getting married is one of the most common rituals and it differs throughout the world. However, it seems to have the same goal in all parts of the world; if you are a parent, you want your son or daughter to find a spouse and have a family of their own, continuing the family tradition.

After-school Special by Anonymous0
FleetusMcGee posted in Rituals And Traditions on February 25th, 2007

Click. Flicker. Crackle. Flash.
Sizzle. Burn. Scorch. Bake.
Bubble. Gurgle. Boil. Milk.
Rip. Tear. Snap. Whoosh.
Cough. Snicker. Tingle. Laugh.
Float. Giggle. Blur. Elevate.

Corruption Beneath A Revolutionary Standard by Gretchen0
FleetusMcGee posted in Rituals And Traditions on February 25th, 2007

It is often said that not even twenty years go by before a rebellion or a revolution occurs. In fact, if you follow the patterns in history, you can easily recognize this statement as the truth. A rebellion or revolution occurs to change the current regime into something new. The cause of this uprising may be due to many factors, but in one way or another, all revolutions are rooted in some sort of discontent for the present system structure.

It seems that, somehow, after years of democratic, socialist, communist, and fascist rule, no one system has shown to be one hundred percent adequate. Discontent will always remain amidst the human race because that is how we choose to live our lives. We will continue to succumb to living under similar circumstances instead of reforming completely. Therefore, our futures can only foreshadow another failed revolution.

Now, if every system, if every government proves to be unsatisfactory to the people it’s serving, it would seem logical to abolish the failed paths we’ve rewritten too many times before. Instead of this rational, yet radical idea, we continue making minor changes in our doctorial. From this standpoint, many rebellions have indeed been successful, but, considering that the changes made only reiterate the problem doesn’t necessarily mean that the problem will cease to exist. As long as we continue to teach the values that we’ve learned for so many years, only mild changes will continue to occur. Nothing will promote reformation as long as we all maintain the same programmed mindset.

Looking at this dilemma, you can see the incompetence of the human race causes our lack of change, reaffirms our habits of safety, and clearly points out that the root of our discontent, of our misery, comes from within.

A failed revolution guarantees a safety blanket for our countries, our families, and, more importantly, ourselves. This is why we continue to promote changes on a small scale as opposed to a complete 180-degree turn. History has shown the violent nature of the human race and for this reason we fear stepping outside of the laws which bind us. We feel that without Big Brother guarding us all the time, we might get out of control—Uh-oh. Maybe we’ll be responsible for the apocalypse. No one wants to be held liable for the travesties of the human race, but in reality, everyone knows that the damage we have done, and continue to do, has spawned the root of our own collapse.

This is our tradition, this is our destruction, and this is our devastation. Human beings have been given the gift of knowledge, reflection and the freedom of thought. We, unlike many other animals, can feel and understand our emotions. We can comprehend our morals but because of our overwhelming sense of fear we often suppress and demean that valuable privilege.

We continue to live under laws which limit our capacities to truly live. We continue to succeed at the failure of our reformation. Somehow, the most intellectual being maintains a social image of ignorance and stupidity that leaves us with a reputation full of shame.

So, this is what I propose to you, the audience, the reader, the abject human being! At this point in our lives, our only means of salvation is complete destruction. If everything burns, the world must rid itself of failed constitutions and look for new plans of evolution. Chaos will at first overcome many, but after we gain control our concentration will transfer from illusion to reality. If people plan to live in a world full of nothing, they will finally grasp the precious nature of everything. Our new means of breathing will be living to stay alive, not to serve. That will be our next revolution. And if that fails, the human race must be destroyed.