Thursday, March 19, 2020

Should Parents Allow Their Children to Fight Professor Ramos Blog

Should Parents Allow Their Children to Fight Martin Christian Gonzalez 11/1/18 S. Ramos English 010 Have you ever been knocked out cold before? Do you know how scary it is to be in that unconscious state due to a punch in the face?   I can tell you it’s something you’d never want your children to ever experience. When I was 6 years old, me and my friend were playing catch in our apartment complex in Pico River California on a bright sunny day. Everything seems to be going well until I threw the ball a little too far away from my friend to catch. It accidently hit a boy that was in a group of his friends. They seem to be in the 5th grade perhaps middle school by then. I was only in first grade at the time. The angry group of kids walked up to me and my buddy and asked â€Å"Who the f*#k threw that ball†!? I replied, â€Å"I did, but I didn’t mean for it to go that far I’m so sorry†. I turned and pointed to my friend and said â€Å"He was supposed to catch it†. By the time I turned my head towards the boy who was yelling at my face I just remembered feeling a great force in my left eye and everything went blank. I tried to focus on what happened but everything was a blur and I didn’t even know where I was at anymore. By the time I stood up crying my bloody eye out, the groups of boys ran off and I had to get carried up to my apartment door where I lived. I got sucker punched without even realizing what happened. In that moment I knew, I never want to experience that scary moment ever again. I started to understand that I got knocked out because I took my eyes off the kid for a split second and once you do that, you never know what could happen the next second. My mother was devastated that it happened because I was such a happy-go-lucky kid growing up until I got punched in the face. She ended up putting me into karate classes as a kid and it taught me so much knowledge that I wish I knew before that day. Karate taught me that you should never take your eyes off your opponent and to never underestimate anyone under any circumstances. In middle school, I encountered another problem where this kid was jealous of me because I was with a girl he liked. We ended up meeting after school where we settled out his problem against me. With the knowledge I had in karate, I ended up showing that kid to never cause me problems ever again, same goes for his friend that attended the fight. I am now currently in boxing helping out many young kids who are just starting to get into the martial arts world due to some sort of bullying incident they had at school. Yet, there are some parents out there that think putting their kid through any fighting classes is â€Å"dangerous†. Let me assure you, it’s a very smart decision you can do for the safety of your child inside and outside the classes themselves. Martial art classes don’t just throw your kid in the ring for another child the beat the sense out of them. Normally, they can’t spare with anyone else without their parent’s permission and attendance. They teach your kids discipline, respect, confidence, and most importantly, physical health. Your child will not only become more educated on a street fight whenever they encounter one, but to also respect the people around them at all times knowing that they have the training they developed in class. Plus, it’s a great way to be more involved in your little one’s life by always supporting them and having fun watching them have fun. Today, bullying is something that is very hard to stay away from. Trouble lurks around every corner of the playground or campus in general. Even outside of school, you may run into trouble without doing anything to cause it. It’s sad that at any time, someone may way up to your child and want to start problems over nothing or just to take their money or possessions away from them. Being able to predict something happening ahead of time is something the classes will teach you as well. For example, if you see a group of kids or just someone approaching you, you will be able to tell if they are just casually walking by or may do something to you without hesitation. Being alert and focused can put you in a step ahead of the situation before they even begin to try anything with you. Knowing what to do and when to do it can help you potentially save your own life. A lot of children these days lack the physical conditioning that can help them save themselves from bullies or just to be able to be healthy in general. The classes will put them through a lot of fun physical conditioning that will make them healthier and grow up to live a healthy lifestyle. Appreciating your health at a young age can provide a long meaningful life for your children. The classes put your child through fun activities that they’ll enjoy doing without realizing they’re losing weight in the first place. They’ll also teach you as a parent some helpful tips on keeping your kids in shape and to also help you get on track yourself alongside with your child. I highly recommend you think about getting your child into an affordable martial arts class that suitable for you and your family. Preparing your child for the worst-case scenario when it comes to just walking to the store is honestly the best decision you can make as a parent for them. It shows that your concerned and for your child and will do whatever it takes to make sure that you and your family grow up being a step ahead of a bad situation.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

A Guide to Dantes 9 Circles of Hell

A Guide to Dantes 9 Circles of Hell Dante’s Inferno (14th C) is the first part of a three-part epic poem, followed by and Paradiso. Those approaching the La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) for the first time might benefit from a brief structural description. This first part is Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell, guided by the poet Virgil.  At the beginning of the story, a woman, Beatrice, calls for an angel to bring Virgil to guide and aid Dante in his journey so that no harm will befall him. The nine circles of Hell, in order of entrance and of severity   Limbo: Where those who never knew Christ exist. Dante encounters ​Ovid, Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Julius Caesar and more here.  Lust: Self-explanatory.  Dante encounters Achilles, Paris, Tristan, Cleopatra, Dido, and others here.Gluttony:  Where those who over-indulge exist.  Dante encounters ordinary people (i.e. not characters from the epic poems or gods from mythology) here.  Boccaccio takes one of these characters, Ciacco, and later incorporates him into The Decameron (14th C).Greed: Self-explanatory. Dante encounters more ordinary people, but also the guardian of the circle, Pluto.  Virgil discusses the nation of â€Å"Fortune† but they do not directly interact with any inhabitants of this circle (the first time they pass through a circle without speaking to anyone – a comment on Dante’s opinion of Greed as a higher sin).Anger: Dante and Virgil are threatened by the Furies when they try to enter through the walls  of Dis (Satan). This is a  further progression in Dante’s evaluation of the nature of sin; he also begins to question himself and his own life, realizing his actions/nature could lead him to this permanent torture.   Heresy: Rejection of religious and/or political â€Å"norms.†Ã‚  Dante encounters Farinata  degli  Uberti, a military leader and an aristocrat tried to win the Italian throne, convicted of heresy in 1283. Dante also meets Epicurus, Pope Anastasius II, and Emperor Frederick II.  Violence:  This is the first circle to be further segmented into sub-circles or rings. There are three of them, the Outer, Middle, and Inner rings, and each ring houses different types of violent criminals.  The first are those who were violent against people and property, such as Attila the Hun.  Centaurs guard this Outer Ring and shoot its inhabitants with arrows.  The Middle Ring consists of those who commit violence against themselves (suicide).  These sinners are perpetually eaten by Harpies.  The Inner Ring is made up of the blasphemers, or those who are violent against God and nature. One of these sinners is  Brunetto  Latini, a sodomite, who was Dante’s own mentor (n ote that Dante speaks kindly to him). The usurers are also here, as are those who blasphemed not just against â€Å"God† but also the gods, such as Capaneus, who blasphemed against Zeus. Fraud: This circle is distinguished from its predecessors by its being made up of those who consciously and willingly commit fraud.  Within the 8th  circle, there is another called the Malebolge  (â€Å"Evil Pockets†) which houses 10 separate Bolgias  (â€Å"ditches†). In these exist different types of frauds, including: Panderers/Seducers (1), Flatterers (2), Simoniacs  (those who sell ecclesiastical preferment) (3), Sorcerers/Astrologers/False Prophets (4), Barrators  (corrupt politicians) (5), Hypocrites (6), Thieves (7), False Counsellors/Advisers (8), Schismatics (those who separate religions to form new ones) (9), and Alchemists/Counterfeiters, Perjurers, Impersonators, etc. (10).  Each of these Bolgias  is guarded by different demons, and the inhabitants suffer different punishments, such as the Simoniacs who are stood head-first in stone bowls and forced to endure flames upon their feet.Treachery:  The deepest circle of Hell, where Satan reside s.  As with the last two circles, this one is further divided, this time into four rounds. The first is Caina, named after the Biblical Cain who murdered his own brother.  This round is for traitors to kindred (family).  The second is named Antenora  and comes from Antenor of Troy who betrayed the Greeks.  This round is reserved for political/national traitors. The third is Ptolomaea (for Ptolemy son of Abubus) who is known for inviting Simon Maccabaeus and his sons to dinner and then murdering them.  This round is for hosts who betray their guests; they are punished more harshly because of the traditional belief that having guests means entering into a voluntary relationship (unlike the relationships with family and country, which we are born into); thus, betraying a relationship you willingly enter is considered more despicable.  The fourth round is Judecca, after Judas Iscariot who betrayed Christ. This is the round reserved for traitors to their lords/benefactors/m asters. As in the previous circle, the subdivisions each have their own demons and punishments. The Center of Hell After making their way through all nine circles of Hell, Dante and Virgil reach the center of Hell. Here they meet Satan, who is described as a three-headed beast.  Each mouth is busy eating a specific person – the left mouth is eating Brutus, the right is eating Cassius, and the center mouth is eating Judas Iscariot.  Brutus and Cassius are those who betrayed and caused the murder of Julius Caesar.  Judas did the same to Jesus Christ.  These are the ultimate sinners, in Dante’s opinion, as they consciously committed acts of treachery against their lords, who were appointed by God.