Metacognition: My Bedroom

I tend to think of myself as a fairly organized person. My ways of keeping things in order may seem completely arbitrary to someone else who walks into my bedroom and sees papers, books, pens and pencils, and other random objects scattered on my desk and floor. If Aristotle were to walk into my room without prior knowledge of what he was going to see, he might think some sort of horrific natural disaster had terrorized my bedroom. But I happen to know where everything is in my bedroom. I might have a stack of old papers piled two feet high, but I will know that my math homework is the piece of crumpled notebook paper squished in the very middle of the pile, and I will be able to find it easily. But when my mother walks into my room, she simply sighs and tells me to clean it up because she can't stand to have an unorganized room in her house. So finally, I admitted to myself that it might do me some good to clean up a little bit. I spent the last hour filtering through all of the old papers that invaded my desk, putting all the stray pens and pencils into cups, and putting the abandoned books back on the shelves. Then, after I had finished cleaning, I literally took a step back and was able to see the carpet and an open desk for the first time in about four months. I was relieved.

Before I began the grueling task of ridding my room of all the unnecessary "garbage," for lack of a batter word, I felt like my room was just a place to pile all of the items I didn't need or was hesitant to throw away. If you had walked into my room an hour ago, this description would speak for itself. But as I began to slowly sort my way through the things I was going to keep, throw away, or put somewhere else in my house, I felt as if my mind was able to clear itself as well. If you have ever had a massive load of homework, or a large task you had to accomplish in a short amount of time, and you get some or most of that task done, you feel a huge weight come off your shoulders. That is exactly how my mind felt when I was done organizing my bedroom.

Now that my room has been cleared of its mountains of junk, I can walk on the carpeting without having to carefully place my footing so I don't step on a book or a pencil. I tried organizing my belongings in a way that I wasn't used to; actually putting things away and not just stuffing it in drawers or tossing it in the corner and forgetting about it. Not only did my room look cleaner and more in order, but my mind also felt a lot more organized. I don't spend ten minutes looking for my textbooks anymore because they are back in their rightful places on my bookshelf where I can grab them in ten seconds if I need them. I learned that although some methods of organization, like my old habits, might work for certain people, other ways of organizing, like the one I tried, work much better for others. I didn't know how simple it was to just throw some objects away and put other items where they belong. It made my mind open up and I felt so relieved to have a clean, organized space to live in. If only Aristotle could see me now.

iMedia: "Numb" by Linkin Park

"Numb by Linkin Park-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXYiU_JCYtU

This song, when interpreted, can have many meanings. I read the lyrics and saw this song as a way to promote self-confidence and individualism. To me, the main focus of the song was to epress how the pressures of trying to act like another person often make you feel "numb." Don't get me wrong, having a person you look up to or aspire to be is great, but turning your whole life around just so you can try to be like them may be more harmful than beneficial. An example of this in modern times is the societal pressures on women to look and act a certain way. Beauty has become one of the main concerns of women, and now more than ever, women are craving the need to look "perfect." The evolution of our culture over time eventually brought us makeup, new clothing styles, and cosmetic surgery. All of these things have changed the way other people view women, and even how women view themselves.

"I'm tired of being what you want me to be,
feeling so faithless, lost under the surface.
I don't know what you're expecting of me,
put under the pressure of walking in your shoes.
Every step that I take is just another mistake to you."

I think these lyrics show the true pressures put on women. The last line of the verse shows that when women don't make an effort to be the "perfect" woman, they are failures, or outcasts in society.

Typically, all of these pressures on women lead to low self esteem, demeaning views, and negativity towards women. I feel as if many women see themselves as described in the third and fourth lines of the verse. It makes me frustrated to see women change their entire lives just to look good. Who's to say what a "perfect" woman should look and act like?

"I've become so numb, I can't feel you there,
become so numb, so much more aware.
I'm becoming this, all I want to do
is be more like me and be less like you."

I hope to always live by the third and fourth lines of that verse. I believe all people are unique for a reason. Personally, I've always been a bit of a tomboy. I never played with dolls, wore dresses, or had tea parties with my stuffed animals. Instead, I preferred playing with toy cars, dressing in t-shirts and jeans, and playing ice hockey. Although even I have been influenced by the pressures of being the "perfect" woman, I have not let it take over my entire life. I pride myself in having the freedom to express my individuality. Anyone that knows me well can attest to the fact that I love to wear very colorful socks and shoes. And although I have been ridiculed for being "weird" or too "outgoing" with my fashion, I embrace the fact that I like being different, and nobody can change that.

Connection: King Lear and Kite Runner

The play, King Lear and the novel, Kite Runner share many things in common. One important theme throughout both works is jealousy. In King Lear, Edmund, the bastard son of Gloucester, is envious of his step-brother Edgar. Even though Gloucester appears to love both of his sons equally, Edmund is fully convinced that he will always love his legitimate son more. Jealousy consumes Edmund and he eventually frames Edgar in an attempt to plot against Gloucester. Edmund only set up Edgar so he could have his share of the inheritance. He wants to feel equally important to Gloucester. Edmund's lie about framing Edgar eventually gets out and Gloucester is furious. Their father-son relationship is permanently damaged and will never be the same.

Similarly, in Kite Runner, Amir is often envious of Hassan. Amir's father shows more fatherly affection to Hassan than to his own son. Amir grows jealous of Hassan for feeling more loved than him, although by rank, Hassan is only their servant. Eventually when Hassan is raped, Amir does nothing about it and keeps it a secret. When asked about what happened, Amir denies the entire event. Amir continues to keep his secret in the dark for the next twenty five years. His relationship with Hassan was destroyed because of his denial.

In a way, both Edmund and Amir felt that they were not important enough their fathers. Both were taken over by jealousy and told lies to seem innocent. In the end, the only thing that came out of their scheming and lies was a broken relationship with the people they loved most. I can also relate both of these stories to my own life. I have a younger sister, so I know what it's like to feel jealous. Often times, I think my parents favor my sister over me. It makes me feel angry, and sometimes, I will do things to get my sister into trouble. But as we grow older, we both realize that revenge doesn't get you anything except for more consequences. In King Lear and Kite Runner, I think that Edmund and Amir, respectively, finally realize that revenge and secrets don't make your life any easier. In fact, in many cases it only creates more problems.