Bird in a Cage

Humanity has faced and still continues to face many obstacles, let it be environmental or not, which could potentially bring the race down to its extinction. But there’s a drive in our guts; a drive for survival that always forces us forward. An urge to push on and succeed for our own benefit, have always been the key to our dominance. Humans treasure life and will obtain the power they need to harness a way to keep it with any means necessary. If sacrifices need to be made to keep their precious lives, then they shall make them, even if it takes away the life of another. This is human nature, the nature of a prideful race.

By closely analyzing the German song, Bird in a Cage, originally known as, Vogel Im Kafig sung by Cyua, the song covers the humanity’s need to move forward, advance and virtually move on to maintain a dominant position in the world. A line from the song says, “We hopefully can understand it someday. We are walking to the other side of the horizon. We hopefully can understand it someday. We go on with firm steps.” This line portrays that humanity is advancing to a much greater length which lies beyond the average scope. Let the advancement be in space travel which opens up the universe or in medicine that allows us to lengthen a life at risk. To reach these advancements we make many sacrifices, human or not. For the future of medical health, we experiment on animals we dominate to get the results we need. We value our own lives over others.And as humans are supposed to do, we are leaving behind the old methods and adapting to the new ways of living that allows us to become a more knowledgeable and physically stronger being. This act strengthens out hold of the world and feeds our minds the power of superiority.

However, superiority does not grant us perfection. Actually we are far less than perfect. These lyrics from the song give us an insight in what it truly is to be human;“tears, bliss, pity, ruthlessness, tranquility, chaos, trust, betrayal…” Humans feel emotions and let them influence us, that is what separates us from machines or many other organisms. We are selfish beings, condemned with the need for a stronger standing. We are generous and affectionate. We fear, we cry, and we smile. Most importantly we feel, and let our emotions control us. This is the one flaw that builds us strength to prosper and collapses to break us down. 

But just as we have to advance we have to move on. The song also portrays this need in the lyrics, "With sorrow and confidence in our hearts, we show the will to move on." As humans we gather many experiences that change us. Sometimes the experiences traumatizes us or leaves a blissful memory. But humans need to move on from that experience, that that effect them, take away a lesson, and let it go. This ability gives self-confidence and sets the mind at peace. Therefore, the ability to move on is equally important to advancement.

To be human, we need to advance and let go. This is what makes us strong.

It will Hurt If your Head is in the Clouds

Often we question what it would feel like to have the power to do something that we are not capable of fulfilling at the very moment. We fantasize about it and eventually become anxious to achieve it. Anxiety soon clouds the reality of where we stand and for an instance we fly up to the clouds. Only, in a sudden moment, our wings disappear and we plummet back into what is real… We all have the tendency to get lost in the clouds, though it seems like a harmless act, it has the potential to shatter us to the most minuscule pieces.

The short story; The Stolen Party written by Liliana Heker portrays this concept within the story. The historical plot involves a girl named Rosaura and her mother who is employed to the rich household of Senora Ines and Rosaura’s friend Luciana. Rosaura’s young stubborn self fails to realize no matter how she looks at her situation, she is not considered her friend’s equal. The blunt fact hovers above everything; she is the daughter of a poor employer of a rich family- that’s where it starts and where it ends. There could never be a thicker line separating their social standings. Yet still, Rosaura has her head in the clouds, fantasizing about the power of authority and acceptance which she never had, because just the thought of it brings her contentment and joy. To pursue her contentment she crosses her boundaries. She thinks she gains acceptance when she plays with the children at Luciana’s birthday party. She thinks she has authority when she was able to decide who will get the bigger piece of the birthday cake and who will not. But in reality a higher queen sits on her throne above her with a natural manipulative crown, making everything happen for the benefit of herself; Senora Ines. By the end of the story when Senora Ines holds out cash to Rosaura for helping her pass out the drinks and cake, Rosaura is shoved back harshly to her side of the line when she realizes the authority she felt didn’t belong to her. The single act of offering of payment shows, Rosaura is not Luciana’s equal but the daughter of her friend’s mother’s employer and that is what she will always be in Senora Ines’ eyes. Not equal.

Young Rosaura dreamed, though it’s fantastic to have a dream to reach, it’s unsafe if that dream floats in a whole new planet light years away when you don’t simply have what it takes to get there. Obstacles and challenges in the form of meteoroids will collide against your space ship which can bring you down in a split second. You’re moment’s peace could be taken away in a millisecond. It will hurt. It will hurt a lot. But whether or not you have the potential to endure it or not will play a critical part into making a dream which you craved for into a gratifying reality.  

Words can Make or Break

2013 on the surface seemed to progress as “just another year” for me. Underneath the skins however, I found my mind expanding as the universe itself expands. My outlook on the surroundings around me has matured at a drastic level which never failed to catch me off guard. Sometimes when I think to myself, the voice inside my head seems to have such a sophisticated tone that it seems alien but familiar at the same time. At times, I don’t want to realize 2013 has actually been a year where my mind made a very important decision. I fear that I might not be the same anymore if I define myself to that choice. Who knows if this “choice” will be for the better or for worse?

In 2013, I think I have decided to scratch the path that could virtually construct who I, as a person, will be in the future.

Initially, the books, mangas, and movies I have picked up and the people I met last year played a huge part in my “self-reconstruction”. But a single manga which I happen to find lying on a table in my public library changed me the most. Around June of last year, I was exposed to many dark corners of this word; let it be violence among people, discrimination against people, or just the insecurity that surrounds most teenagers around or close to my age. I was exposed to this so quickly that it all came as a blast which caused me to doubt if the world contains any “good” people at all.

The summer of 2013, I picked up an amazing manga entiled Attack on Titan (aka Shingeki no Kyojin). It revolves around a futuristic world where humanity is at the brink of extinction, facing a horrific predator a hundred times their size. Although many might wonder how any of the content can really have any impact on me if not at all? As I said in my previous entry, a work of total fiction can hide the most useful lessons. This manga hides so many messages and it portrays the best and worst of humanity with striking accuracy. The characters are portrayed with real human personalities which guide the readers from humanity’s greediness to it’s generosity, revenge to truce, loyal to betrayal, and from wish to the need to make it a reality. This manga showed three things; (1) to appreciate what you have. (2) You are your biggest enemy. And most importantly, from this manga I was able to acknowledge that (3) the world is filled with people with opinions, it’s whether you agree with them or not.

Now, these three rules are something that I have come to live by. It’s a constant reminder to myself when things go into the dark. I’m glad I have the opportunity to read such wide variety of things; I’m glad that I can just simply read. This year I plan to keep on reading to expand myself further, because now I know words have the power to make or break.  

(I want to thank Ms.Warren for assigning this reflective work. I don’t know if this falls into what you were looking for since its super self reflective, but I felt the need to write this down somewhere. This assignment seemed like the perfect place. Writing all this down helped me strengthen what’s been fuzzy thoughts circling around in my head. So thank you.)