What To Expect in Pathway

Just like Sarah stated in the last blog post, this is my first attempt as well at writing a blog so here goes nothing!

Since the fall of 2007 I have definitely had a new perspective on many personal responsibilities I have had to take on since being introduced into the collegiate lifestyle. I have learned what types of changes there are in living outside of the usual household setting. I have learned the new responsibilities that go with it as well. While sometimes I have failed at these responsibilities I still continue to learn from the mistakes. One obstacle I have faced is paying attention to the events that are happening around me. I was never fond of the news because I always found it depressing to watch or it would be about issues such as budget cuts and the changes in the stock market. Those things never really had an impact on me growing up because I never had to think about those types of things. Now realizing that in a few years I will be off on my own, it is imperative that I start to focus on what is going on in the world. The first item that caught my mind was the presidential election and how it could impact me in the next four years.

One of the mistakes that I made in following the news was not keeping a close eye on the events in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and many other countries that are fighting on a daily basis. When I try to read some of the stories about such items as the Gaza conflict I am left wondering what led to this? This semester I am hoping to learn about what has happened since September 11^th and more importantly what has happened since we last met in the fall of 2007. What have we done to help the people in Iraq? What is the next step the U.S. will take in trying to garner peace with these countries? These are the types of questions I have had and I will be looking for some answers.

Being able to find this information is not very difficult thanks to the internet and search engines, however there are some negatives when it comes to these types of sources which have left me skeptical on the truth of the stories published. Media outlets such as ABC, CNN, and Fox News all have their own agendas and all have had different takes on particular events. These news sources have been flooding the public with ideas that we were making great progress when we first made it into Iraq. Little did we know that the U.S. wasn’t making much progress and the ideas such as “Weapons of Mass Destruction” might have been false. I saw a show on PBS about how the armed forces are struggling with their plan for peace. Some might even suggest we might have caused more chaos by going into Iraq and those places than if we had not gone to war. Being able to get a timeline about the key events that have happened over seas is definitely something I am interested in looking up and something I am sure that will be discussed in class as well.

Over the past year a lot has changed and there is still more change on the horizon as well. Being caught up on past events definitely helps us shape what is going on today. September 11^th is one of millions of events that have changed the way of life in America and it still has effects today. Being able to put all the pieces together is definitely my number one priority going into this class.

Hope you enjoyed my first attempt at a blog post and hopefully it wasn’t too long or boring to read. Until next time take care!