Moral Dilemma

123 Main Street
Happyville, British Columbia
V2A 3T1

May 30, 2011

Mayor
City Hall
666 Elm Street
Happyville, British Columbia
V2A 3Y2

The case against Gunter Grass should be abolished. Even if he was truly involved in the holocaust I firmly believe that all the good he has done for this village has been his repayment towards society. He has repaid his debt to society in many different ways. From 1962 to 1998 he was the villages mayor and helped out many people during this time. He also employs many of the villagers, who are all getting paid a good amount. He has spent a incredible amount of money on charities throughout the years, and has help many individual families throughout the years to make ends meet. Many of the families that he helped out would have become homeless or hungry without his assistance. He is also a 92 year old man, with not much time left, so there would be no point in punishing him because of his age and how many people since the Holocaust that he has helped. This all leads to the fact that the evidence against Gunter Grass should be destroyed.

This man has obviously made up for the wrong doings during the Holocaust through his many actions for this village. Also what is the purpose of causing the village this much shame and pain. This man has been our mayor for over 36 years, that would effect the village drastically. Also the impact on Gunter Grass, a 92 year old man, would be unpredictable. There is no point in wasting the money on putting this situation through a court case when Gunter Grass is most likely only a few years away from death. Finally the Holocaust survivors shouldn't be put through all the pain of reopening the case of the Holocaust over a man who is sure to die. This is why I firmly believe that Gunter Grass should not be prosecuted for this wrong he committed many years ago because he has made it right through his actions after the Holocaust.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Allies

The Afterlife

Death is a thing feared by most, but some people embrace it as a new beginning. The Buddhists, the Jewish and the Gnostic's all believe in a new start, and a chance for redemption.

            Buddhists are very peaceful people, they believe in rebirth. They don't believe in being forever separated from the world, like Christianity and Hinduism. They believe that there are 6 different places of rebirth. Naraka; being, which is the thought of being re birthed into a hell like place. Preta; which is the thought of sharing the world with both humans and spiritual beings. Animals; even though fully shared with humans, it is thought to be another life form of humans. Human Beings. Asauras; which is the realm of demons, angels and anti-gods. The final place of rebirth is Devas; this is thought to be a place for gods, angels and other spirits. Buddhists also believe in the infinite heaven only possible by being a skilled Buddhist follower. There is no damned soul, only a chance of a new beginning.
            Judaism is a firm believer in resurrection. There are two places much like heaven and hell in Judaism. They are called Sheol and the Garden of Edan. Sheol is the place for a people who have done wrong during they're period on earth, it is a place for them to heal they're souls from they're wrong doing. The Garden of Edan is Judaism version of heaven, the difference is that no matter what your religion you are welcome if you have done well in your lifetime on earth. Jewish people also believe that as one man dies, so does a animal and the other way around, it’s all a big cycle. The Jewish also don't believe in total damnation for most, only those who have done wrongs that are way beyond normal, the only exception to this is if a non-Jewish person does something unforgivably wrong they don't get sent to either places, they don't exist in any part of the cycle.
            Gnostic's also believe in resurrection. Gnostic's have come to believe that the body is evil and the escaping from the shell if escaping from all your sins. They view resurrection as a spiritual enlightenment, a possibility for a new journey. This is different from Judaism because there does not seem to be one place where you go too to start your new beginning it is all formed from the resurrection itself leading to spiritual findings towards your new life.

My personal beliefs are in rebirth. I believe there is no heaven or hell but a simple state of in-between lives to see your mistakes in a previous life and go through all the mistakes made in previous lives and to make changes for the better. Death is not a scary thing, it is a thing to embrace as it is embracing a chance for a new beginning. It is not something I think about all the time, and it is not one hundred percent based on a religion more on personal beliefs. When it comes it’s a new journey in life.

Tuesdays With Morrie--

Our society influences our everyday activities. In "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom, Morrie discusses the idea of changing our society for the better by creating our own, and by not following what we don’t believe it. Some of the many influences society has is what’s 'cool' or not, it tells us how we should dress, how we should look, how much money we should have, Morrie is stating that our dependency on materials is unrealistic and that we should focus much more of our time with our friends and love ones. Morrie also points out that many people are more unhappy than he is, even when he's dying, this is because most of the stereotypical looks out there are so far off, and so unnatural due to things such as airbrush and Photoshop that it is next to impossible to fit into these categories. Another common problem that our society suffers from is the need to be rich. Because of this need to have all our materials it causes our society to work like crazy and find jobs that pay the best, but this means giving away our core values in life and doing anything that pays the biggest buck. This is proof that what Morrie says is valid. We thrive for things that we think could make us happy but we throw away our own happiness in the process.

Rebecca Allies