Big Paper

Throughout life i often wonder what make up a good and meaningful life to an individual. I noticed that it isnt just one idea or belief that surrounds one good and meaningful life but there are many. Many people have these theories that to have a good and meaningful life you have to surround yourself with family and friends, but within these lines are a thousand other ways to what a good and meaningful life is. From interviewing random people while on the streets of NYC and family and friends, I realized that many people actually were outside of these line with the theories i stated above. For example, one man who handing out free newspapers reported that a good and meaningful life is "Art," but when i asked to specify why art makes him have a good and meaningful life he said " because Im an artist." Anther random guy who was having alone time in the park stated that a good and meaningful life to him is "women, wine and song," which i did not understand what he meant but i found out that he was quoting a song. I assumed that a good and meaningful life to him is music because he quoted a song. Although these two men thought outside of these lines of just family and families there was one guy who still believe that family was apart of someone having a good and meaningful life. He stated that "family and accessories" makes up his good and meaningful life. There was one interesting comment that a candy man stated that you would not hear many people report. I asked him "what is a good and meaningful life to you?" he stated "I do not Know. Ask my Boss." I thought it was interesting to hear this because many usually involve family but this guy involved his boss, so i thought that his job was probably a good and meaningful life to him. I Life my good and meaningful life simply by sharing my love for my friends and family as well as my favorite hobbies such as writing and dancing. Sharing my love with my family and friends is the most meaningful things in my life because they are always there to give me a helping hand when i need it. But my hobbies such as dancing and writing are what make my life good. All of these things make up my good and meaningful life. Though we as people have our theories of what makes a good and meaningful life, we have the media that often give us ideas of what a good and meaningful life should be like. For example, we have MTV, there's people all over the world who watch this station. We often hear messages from this station that to have a good and meaningful life, you have to live your life like a celebrity, and the messages within this is to have the right body, wear the right clothes and be presentable(look good). Corporate media usually sends out three types of messages, they usually introduce the dominant, marginal and prohibited messages.

Trampled Wal-Mart Worker

what does this show about how people live?
The Walmart worker that was trampled on black friday simply shows the courtesy of people in this society. This was unpleasant to a man who was working to possibly live a good and meaninguful life and was cut short because people were
about people's priorities? about our culture? if anything? use specific evidence.)

Black Friday/BND

Did you shop or not-shop?
Black Friday was far most the worst day of my life! I never believed that so many people actually come out on this day to shop and catch sales. It was my first time seeing millions of people crowd the streets. If you get enough of tourists, crowded streets of 34th street, and people bumping you then this definitely wasn't a holiday to involve yourself in. After all, i shopped a little after being frustrated with the millions of people that surrounded me in huge department stores like Macy's, Bloomingdales, Bergdorg Goodman, and some other small stores like Gap, American Eagle, Rugby, etc. I didn't expect many people to be out shopping due to the financial but they proved my point wrong. Before break sitting in Andy's class, he told us that black friday was also said to be "buy nothing day." I interpreted that as buy nothing? how could you not buy anything on this day and there's numerous sales and selective products that you run across. To me buy nothing day went in one ear and out the other, the only way for me to have a good and meaningful life is by exploring my personal desires and to me that is buying what i want. At the end of the day I feel like I accomplished something because I did something I love.

TURKEY DAY!

After all, Thanksgiving wasn't what i expected it to be. Having family time is most important thing I look forward to every year when thanksgiving is coming around. This year it didn't affect me the same way it had done past years, most of my family went away, and all of my cousins within my age range wasn't there to celebrate with me. The only thing i had left to think about was being thankful for a loving family, caring friends, and waking up everyday to live another day. Genocide did not come up as a topic on thanksgiving, although i did think about the people who lost their lives and sacrificed, the pilgrims. Simply, a holiday like Thanksgiving is for individuals to give thanks family and friends and spin time with their families as it becomes a ritual each and every Thanksgiving. To me, Thanksgiving helps individuals overcome past struggles and grow into a new person by spending time with the people they love. This often helps one to believe that they are living a good and meaningful life by sharing their love.

Introductory Paragraph...What is a good and meaningful life?

What is a meaningful life? What do people say about it? How do they know? How do you live a good and meaningful life?

Throughout life, i often wonder what contributes to make a good and meaningful life.

Ideas & Answers from people interviewed

What does it mean to have a meaningful life?

My sister: "To Live and Learn, While Learning To Live

People on the street:
A guy who worked in the candy station says "I dont know, ask my boss"
A guy in the park said "women, wine, and song" which he quoted a song.
Another Guy in the park said "Family and acccesories"
An man handing out newspapers reported "Art." When I asked him why he said "Because im an artist."

Comments to others videos/Insights & Analysis

To Bonnie:
I enjoyed your video because of the music. The music definitely defined how you feel about everything that is meaningful to you. I really like the clip of you and jeffrey walking, very movie like.

To Dinorah:
I felt a connection from your video through your likes of animals especially dogs. I love dogs! your life doesnt seem meaningless afterall!

To Katherine:
I agree with kyle comment, although it was jus a slideshow of pictures it did show what you value the most, family. I actually value my family alot also so i could definitely connect.

To Bao Lin:
After watching your video i felt relaxed because your pictures was alot of nature and i would actually like to visit china in the future so that made me interested! also great photography!

To Reiko:
Reiko definitely loved your video, the coloring of the many different pictures in your video was great and i am a fan of photography. Goodluck with photography, maybe on day if i ever decide to take modeling to another level you may be one of my photographers!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Analysis:
1. I noticed that many people used family and friends as a meaningful aspect in their lives including myself so to me that shows me that our life is meaningful because family and friends bring hapiness and joy.
2. I noticed that a lot of the videos had very calm music, this to me described the mood of the person and the emotions of the things in their life that is meaningful to them.
3. The last thing that striked my attention in the videos is the use of color. This showed me that those people could be meaningful in some way because color describes happiness and it is a like to many people.

Description:
1. What have you included in this video?
In this video, I included a several other videos, one of myself modeling at a beauty pageant, another shows my friends and I celebrating my friend Alex birthday at hooters and the last video of Jay-Z live in Concert at the Apollo theatre. I also included many pictures of friends and myself at birthday celebrations, silly pictures, and a picture of the great college tour experience junior year at SOF.

2. Which parts of the video related to relatively meaningful aspects of your life? Which parts related to relatively meaningless aspects of your life?
I believe that all of the parts in my video are meaningful to myself. I believe that spending 5 years of my life with most of my friends is an accomplishment. This is true because many people go through ups and downs but within my “circle of friends” I realized those that I appreciate all that they have helped me to be as well that those that appreciated me. I feel that celebrating with one another is a true deed and being able to enjoy the company of others is greatly appreciated as well, though at many times I can very silly which is a part of my personal character.

I also believe that putting a clip of Jay Z in concert is actually a meaningful moment in my life because though I am not a fan of rap his lyrical ability and messages relate to me and my life growing up.


3. What would you have liked to have included but weren’t able to?
Something that I would have liked to include in the video was actually footage of my everyday life. The reason I wanted to do this was because I often feel that I actually do have a meaningless life at times, but at least having an actual cameral rolling for at least 24 hrs out of my life would of probably helped me understand that my life isn’t meaningless after all.



Analytical:
4.What seem to be some of the main criteria you use (emotionally +/or mentally) to assess how meaningful an aspect of your life is?
When trying to address how meaningful an aspect of my life is I usually think about how it will affect me in the future. The reason why I do this is because I try to spend less time on the less important things to me and try to expand on the more important thing to me. For example, going to school and finishing to go to college is a major aspect in my life and that what I try to focus on more. In my opinion, I believe that being able to relate to something in some way could be a sign of a meaningful life.

5. Is there a pattern in what you find meaningful or meaningless? What are some of the elements in that pattern?
I believe that there is a pattern in the things that I find meaningful. The meaningful things in my life reoccur often, which I think I will benefit from. Family plays a valid role in my life and this one of the things that is very meaningful to me because through my ups and downs they are always there to push me forward and help me. Being able to share love and happiness and having a connection are the key elements.

6. Looking at the video as a whole – is it a fairly honest/accurate depiction of your life? Does it make you seem interesting/special/exciting?
This video is actually an honest depiction of my life because the events included in my video are things that play a role in my life everyday and things that are very meaningful to me.

In someway it make me seem exciting like being able to have fun with my friends and be "silly" at the same time. It mostly makes me seem special because knowing where I came from and not being able to relate to people but being able to enjoy the company of those who can relate to me in some way and building bond with my friends is important. Also doing something I love, "modeling", also shows that my life is interesting, being able to model 3 pound angel wings was not the hardest thing I’ve done in life.

7. Does your life seem meaningful from an outside perspective? Is it from an inside perspective? Why?
My life does seem meaningful from the outside perspective. If a person can relate to the things I did in the video, like, celebrating with friends, going to concerts, experiencing challenges in life, and being silly, which many people can, than my life would seem meaningful. If they can watch my video and be able to appreciate the things that are meaningful to them than my life would seem meaningful.

From an inside perspective, it plays the same role.

8. What questions do you have about living a meaningful life at this point?
*How come we waste time on things that are less meaningful to us?
*Is there really such thing as a meaningful life?
*How does a person know when their life is meaningful?

Meaningless

test 12 12 12mic check 12 12