Freedom of expression doesn't always mean that you can say what you want, wear what you want, and do what you want. Freedom of expression is saying what people NEED to hear and see so as to promote individual growth, peaceful communication, and advancement of knowledge.

Labels: advice, freedom, quote, speech, thoughts

In my North American Studies class, our professor asked us students to make a reflection paper about the relevance of freedom of speech to the virtual world. I would like to share you my reflection paper for you to be aware of what is freedom in the virtual world.

When we talk with one another, we say words we want the others to hear but most of the time we hide words that needs to be heard. Why is that? I think it is because we are afraid of what the others might think of our say. We are scared that their criticisms might violate our freedom of speech and so we escape reality to enter the virtual world and pour our minds’ content there because we know that in the virtual world, we are free and unstoppable.

As Thomas Jefferson (1776) stated in his Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal. We have rights naturally given to us by God and with these rights; it is men’s duty to use them wisely. If they are not happy with what is happening around them then it is their own rights to voice out their opinion. In relation to the virtual world, we are free to say what we have in mind because persuasion is not as difficult as it could be in person because all we need are meaningful and powerful words; no need to confront the people who go against our opinions. Another reason is that there are users in the internet who have the same opinion as ours and so we are not alone. Lastly, there is no physical discrimination because in the internet we are all equal.

In order to understand the advance world today, we have to be vocal of our thoughts. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1941) in his speech to the members of the Congress gave us one point on pursuing our goal and that is freedom of speech. He did not exactly state it but I know that what he meant by it is we have to speak up to satisfy ourselves and that is one of internet’s goals. In the Constitution of the United States (Bill of Rights, Amendment 1), freedom to speak up is highly recommended because it promotes the development of the person. We understand the world better even if we are just sitting in front of the computer; we get to experience the world in just one click and our knowledge advances too because of the internet. That is why freedom of speech is very relevant to the virtual world. It allows us to know information or ideas that we cannot reach within our grasp.

Despite the pros of being liberated in the virtual world, there will always be a con. There is nothing wrong with freedom of speech in the virtual world but what made it look wrong is the abusive use of the word freedom. We are very liberated that we forget the limitations. We want people to hear our opinion but we do not think if it is said in a right way or time. All we care is our voices to be heard. We do not care if the content is explicitly dangerous or agonizing as long as we show our opinion to the world. The reason why Twitter has a 140 characters limitation is to remind us that it is okay to tell the world what is in our mind but we have to keep in mind that our status do not violate human dignity. Having limitations do not violate the law of freedom of speech; rather it protects freedom of speech from abuse.

The virtual world is a world of information and when I mean by information, these are ideas that will help us develop our growth as a human. Communication is important but we need to communicate with human beings to be human. Freedom of speech should not only be limited to the virtual world; in fact, the virtual world is merely just a short cut to the other side of the world. There is so much to learn if we turn our computers off and experience the world personally.

Labels: advice, Franklin D. Roosevelt, freedom, quote, school, story, Thomas Jefferson, thoughts

I would like to greet the most awesome person I've ever met a happy, happy birthday!!!

Happy 20th birthday, kiddo-oh wait, you're not a kid anymore. Wow! You're now in an adult age and one more year, you'll be in a legal age for the crazy Vegas life! Hahaha! So I have a few reminders, though, some of them are old-fashioned already but the older it is, the wiser it is. One reminder is that age is just a number. I don't know why I'm saying this but just in case you feel old already, remind yourself of this. *wink* Then second,enjoy life! Twenty is a nice age so let yourself free from doubts and do things that will enrich your life. Third, enjoy college! I won't explain further for the third reminder because it is always up to you on how you'll enjoy it. Fourth, always pray for guidance, strength, knowledge, happiness, safety, gratitude, and the list goes on. In short, pray for everything to God. And last but not the least (which I doubt will be the last because this might be a really long list of reminders.), believe in yourself. :)

So happy birthday again and have a nice day! Enjoy your special day!

--JAQ--

Labels: birthday, greetings, happy, quote, strength, thoughts, twenty

Do you know how much we hate goodbyes? We hate it so much that we could fill a thousand pails of it. We lose people that we love. I lost some but I won’t enumerate them because that is something i do not have to point it out here. There are two types of goodbyes, one is leaving without a note and another one is leaving with a note. Leaving without any words or note left hurts. You know that person was having fun with you then the next day he/she left with no reasons at all. That is like witnessing a falling star, no news of coming then no stopping for leaving. If that hurts, what’s worse is knowing that someone will leave. I witnessed this kind of moment, saying goodbye, hugging, then watching that person walk away with his/her back on me, daring not to look to avoid a tear from falling down. Seeing that person walkaway with his/her last words echoing in your head hurts the most. In fact, goodbye is a really painful word because you have to let things go even when you’re not yet ready. Let’s say, like you’re forced to give your favorite blanket to someone who needs it the most. No one can really handle goodbyes, not even the strongest one.

The first stage is becoming honest. Goodbyes are something that makes us honest with our feelings.That’s why we breakdown after losing something because we realized how much it actually means and this will lead to the second stage which is regretting. You regret that you didn’t stay longer; you regret that you didn’t do something to make him/her stay; you regret that you didn’t say your feelings; you regret, that’s it. Regretting will go on forever. We regret things we didn’t do more than things we did, most especially if it’s about a special person. While the scar of regretting is still there, the next stage, which is emptiness, will occur. There are days when you don’t want anything, you just want to sit in one corner and think of nothing else. There’s nothing much to say about emptiness because this is like the break time for moping around. After that comes longing, the fourth stage. You longs for that person’s touch, voice, face, smile, laugh, and every little things you noticed. You want no one else but him/her. After the longing state, comes the fifth stage, the illusional part. You start imagining moments with him/her that will never happen. There are days where you would talk to him/her when actually you are only talking to the empty space beside you. Then there are times when you would hear his/her voice when actually it is just in your head. This stage is really depressing because you cannot quite distinguish reality and fantasy. You made your own world to escape pain. Then after that depressing stage, I hope you now found yourself but if not yet, it’ll go back to the first stage. It will go on and on until time slows it down and fixes you. It’s a long process but if you try to help yourself, then it might be shorter.

I really hate goodbyes because it always haunt me. The images of the person kept on playing in my mind as if the replay button got jammed. Goodbyes are like multiplication table that you have to memorize over and over again until you can say spontaneously. It is as if it’s telling us something, like a lesson. To conclude this, I think what goodbye is trying to tell us is to be strong. Life is really messy but it want us to leave it with a wise mind and a brave heart. It wants us to close the door and choose the right one. Goodbye is telling us, “it was nice knowing you, now i have to leave,” but is actually whispering, “be brave.”

Labels: advice, quote, speech, thoughts

My first ever short entry! This will be short but I hope this is something else... I asked myself today, what scares me the most? It’s not the cockroaches or the F in my test paper or the monsters under my bed but the future. I, and also you, cannot help but, sometimes, fear for what will happen to the future. Will you get what you want? Will you end up with him/her? Will your friendship with him/her last forever? Will you still stay in this place? Will you survive? So many questions yet no answers. The future may be scary for we do not know what’s in store for us but whatever it may be it’s best that we prepare ourselves for it. Whatever life throws at you, catch it, don’t avoid it.

Labels: advice, future, quote, speech, story

Yay! College life... Stressful and busy but full of great experiences. Speaking of experiences, this new chapter of my life is eye opening for me. If my eyes were already opened when I was in High School, my eyes now are wider and vigilant. I feel like everything is in high definition and in high contrast. I feel like every tick of the clock is pure gold. Every day has a moral to tell and teach.

So what is expensive than diamonds and valuable than pearls? For me, it's the people around you, most especially the people you had when you were in your past chapter in your life. Not everyday you get to be with your loved ones. You meet new people and for a moment, while talking to these "new found friends", you forget what you had or have for a moment. You exchange the people you have for the new ones. You keep what you have in the back of your mind and give space for the new ones. You will not realize it until you see your loved ones fade slowly. Sometimes they disappear like a bubble, no warnings or whatsoever. When they disappear, there are times that nothing can have them back and that's pretty scary. Like it's too late to bring them back. Yeah, I learned how to value the people around me. As in LEARNED. I know that lesson before but I never gave much importance to it but now I can feel it burning brightly.

I don't want to keep this entry long but the bottom line is value the people around you. Live with them like there's no tomorrow. It doesn't matter if they make you cry or smile but what matters is your experiences with them. Being with the people you love teaches you greatest lessons in life.

Labels: advice, quote, thoughts

Source:
http://girlinbraces.tumblr.com

Note:
Three words: never give up! *two thumbs up*

Labels: advice, pictures, quote

- Sun Tzu

Labels: advice, quote

"Mag-sheshare na nga lang, bossy pa."
-Yeye Manansala

Nice one!!! XD

Labels: advice, quote, school

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