Thankful for a Classmate

Over the past three years in my high school life, I have grown to be thankful for a number of my "real" close friends. A number of those students are in my philosophy class. Perry has been a good friend of mine for virtually my entire life, Tyrone and Dominique have been my teammates for four years, and I have grown to be pretty cool with Kene, Xavier, Zach, Rachel, Nicole and Hannah. I enjoy the conversations that we are able to have in class as a whole. However, if I were to choose one classmate that I am thankful for, I think it is obvious that it would be my twin sister, Vicky.

Vicky has been my closest friend for my entire life. We live together, so we spend a lot of time together. I view my family as literally the most important thing on the planet. We joke and say that we are the same person, have the same brain etc… And in some ways, it is true. We are quite similar, and I think that we have helped shape each other in to the people that we are today. We talk about everything, we joke about things, we have a great time whenever it is we decide to do something, and almost anything else good you can think of. These are just a few of the many reasons that I am thankful for my twin sister, Vicky Thompson.

Open Letter to Cormac McCarthy

Dear Cormac,

I recently finished reading your novel, “The Road”, and I must say that I am quite impressed with your work. A father and son in a post apocalyptic setting is a curious topic to say the least, however, I think you made it work quite well. I was drawn in to the characters as a reader. It was almost as if I cared for them personally. I was also impressed with the journey you chose to show. Their experiences of often not having enough food, and constantly worrying for their lived on the road are strong pieces to have in the story.

            That said, I think what I enjoyed most about the book was your writing style. Your lack of quotation marks, your many uses of fragments, the words that you made up to use in the story, etc… I read your novel for a senior year philosophy class, so we analyzed all of these things. It made for a highly enjoyable class reading experience. Each of us in our class had our own ideas about why we thought you chose to do this, but if I may ask, what prompted you to write in such a peculiar style? More so, what inspiration did you have for writing such a sad story about two people living in the post-apocalyptic world? I think that knowing the answers to these questions will provide a little bit of closure on a wonderful reading experience.

Sincerely,

Sam Thompson

Whitney Young Magnet High School

Defend the Poet

Charles Bukowski is by all means, a debbie-downer, a pessimist and any other word that can describe someone with a negative outlook on life. In a social setting, Bukowski sucks. However, in many ways, his outlook on society right now is correct.

Right now, America is in a state of peril. We are rapidly moving further and further towards the point of no return. I think most would agree with Bukowski's views of what is wrong with America right now. The poet is not saying anything too radical because we are, in fact, doomed. I strongly believe that unless there is radical change in the near future, America will have the same fate as Ancient Rome in that we will perish. The similarities are too great to ignore. The disparity between rich and poor is at all time levels and growing, and other nations are growing in to world powers.

I don’t know how exactly we will perish, but we will. Hopefully it is not as bad as the Romans and that we get our acts together, because I genuinely love certain parts of America. But I don’t think that it is possible. Greed has consumed the minds of those who have the power to steer us in the right direction.

So, in Charles Bukowski’s defense, all of what he said is legit.  No reason to criticize him for speaking the truth.

Mother Daughter Father Son

The relationship between a father and his son and a mother and her daughter are in a sense, quite different. However, I think that in many ways, they are the same once you get past the gender differences. The one major difference that I have seen is that I feel mother’s are harder on their daughters than fathers are their sons.

During my childhood, I lived with one brother and one twin sister. When we went to high school, my brother went to college. As a result, I’ve been able to pay close attention to the way that my parents treat my sister, and the way that they treat me. My sister is what people would call a “Daddy’s Girl” and I’m what most people would call a “Mama’s Boy.” M father feels that my sister can do no wrong, however my mother frequently gets her in trouble. Things that my sister does are essentially magnified when dealing with my mother. She is noticeably harder on her, however they still maintain a great relationship. On the flip side, my mother feels that I can do wrong, however she is much more lenient and understanding with me than she is with my sister. My father is neither hard on me nor soft. He is about in the middle of it all. He gets me in trouble when I deserve to get in trouble, and he’s cool when it is not necessary. We do not have the stereotypic “go to the park and play catch” relationship, but I also have a strong relationship with my father.

How do I know what I Know?

This is a question frequently asked by philosophers and other thinkers. Long story short, you don't. You will never be completely sure about anything. In a sense, it is a sad and unfortunate aspect. On the other hand, the uncertainty is a beautiful part of life. I admit I don’t quite understand people’s thought that they don’t quite know anything. I agree w/ Descartes that one is not deceived by their senses. For example, if I lay the ball up and watch it go through the hoop, I know that I watched the ball go through the hoop. There is no disputing that fact. I think that most people would agree with me, however I feel that most would also agree with me in saying that there are few things that we are certain about. I think that the hardest part of this argument is deciding where to draw the line.
How many stars are in the sky? How do I know if I exist? How do I know what I know? etc.... These are all questions that I don't think we will ever know the answer to. I think that most people agree with me on that. Basically, we don't know much of what we know at all.

My Meaning

What is my meaning?

That is a difficult question for me to answer. I am certain that I do not believe in the idea of pre-destination and therefore I feel that I must create my own path in life, however I often wonder what, if anything, is my purpose in the grand scheme of things. To clarify, I’m not someone who lives their life sad questioning whether or not they have a purpose, I just do not yet know what it is.

My immediate thought is that right now, my meaning in life is to be a good friend, son and brother. I feel strongly that your family and real friends are the most important things you will ever have in life, so it is my duty to be good to them. My meaning in life will continually change, but my friends and family will always remain a constant. I also feel that it is my duty to find my way in to society as a young adult. As of this moment, I’m still living under my parents and they’re still providing for me. As I continue to develop as a person, and embark in to the real world, my meaning will become more apparent.

How is God Viewed in 2010?

How is God viewed in 2010?
God is viewed similarly to the way that he has been for all eternity. I do not pretend to be an expert on God or on any religious matters, but I do not sense a large scale change in the way that God is viewed in 2010 from the ways that he had been viewed in the past. He is still viewed as an almighty being, and by most people the creator of the heavens and the Earth. He brings a great deal of joy to most people, and those of us who believe in him feel that he is responsible for all of what happens in our lifetime. That is why a large number of the human population worships some form of higher being and in many cases have completely based their lives on their beliefs. People have different interpretations of how he does so; for example, the idea of pre destination and others of that nature, but tend to agree that there is a higher being.
As I stated before, I am by no means an expert on God or religion, so I can’t go in to detail about the different views people have about God. However, it is safe to say that nobody completely understands God his doing. This hasn’t changed in the countless years that people have been worshipping a higher being.

Modern Gadly

The answer to the question, “who is the modern day Socrates?” is by no means a close ended question. Socrates is a unique human being in the sense that few people possess his combination of knowledge, willingness and ability to show it while questioning a public official. There are a number of people who question public officials in the media and in public settings like music and television, however, few, if any, succeed as Socrates did in bringing out the wrongdoings in a public official as Socrates was able to do.
One example of those who publicly question public officials is Rev. Jesse Jackson. Jesse Jackson is a leader in the black community, and mostly brings to view the treatment of blacks. His public appearances and writings frequently take to task members of society who are in power. This was shown particularly during the civil rights movement. Jackson was a leading spokesperson against the unjust laws and practices against the black community, and for that reason can be compared to a modern day Socrates.
Another example is the musical artist M.I.A.  M.I.A. is an artist who frequently sings about political matters. She is not a leader in movements as was Socrates, or Jesse Jackson, but she is an example of the way some use to voice their opinions through modern day media.
There are a number of other past and present examples both in media, and in equal rights movements.

Socrates

Is the unexamined life worth living?

Yes.

Socrates’ claim, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” is an unfair statement. Human beings will inevitably examine every choice that they make in life, but repeatedly asking yourself why you are what you are is not a necessary aspect of your life. Some people need that in order to live comfortably within themselves, and I respect that, but I do not think that it is anyone’s place to say whether or not someone’s life is worth living.

Now, that said, most people do examine their lives. Every decision that is made, along with most other things will be examined again and again, so it is an unavoidable part of your life. However, I take Socrates’ quote to mean something more than just weighing your options. I think that he is talking more about continually asking yourself questions about why you are doing what you are doing, and living your life based off of what you feel. I personally feel that a person is doing oneself a disservice by not examining what they are doing, and for what reason, but I stand strongly in my belief that it is ones choice to do as they wish. 

My Eulogy

     Samuel Howard Thompson was born at 7:30 a.m on November 11, 1992 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the second of two children bore that day to Hubert Thompson and Kennise Herring, and the youngest of their three. His older brother, Franklin, would serve as his role model for all of his athletic endeavors, and his twin sister, Vicky, would be his best friend until the day that he passed away.

     Sam began school at the age of three at the Ancona School; a small Montessori based school in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. From an early age, Sam was a standout athlete. He followed in his brother's footsteps, first in soccer, then in basketball. Sam excelled in school, as well as on the athletic field. At an early age, Sam showed an aptitude for mathematics. After the fourth grade, Sam quit playing soccer entirely when his older brother decided to make the jump to play basketball exclusively. While Ancona had historically been a poor basketball school because of its small size, that changed in Sam's last two years there. In his seventh grade year, with his best friend Ahmad Starks as point guard, Ancona had it's first perfect basketball season in the school's history. In his eighth grade year, Sam, along with his twin sister playing with him on the boys team, would accomplish that feat for a second time.

     Sam, along with his sister, followed in their older brother's footsteps by attending Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. Sam's athletic ability continued to be showcased throughout his high school career. Sam was a starter as a sophomore on the state championship basketball team; the second boys basketball title in Whitney Young's history. Sam would continue his stellar athletic career throughout high school. Sam was survived by his siblings and his parents. He will be greatly missed by a host of family and friend.