Liar Liar pants on Fire

To lie- “to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive; to create a false or misleading impression.” As stated by the Merriam Webster’s dictionary, this is how lying is perceived by many. I agree with this definition, however with scattered additions. A lie’s meaning can differ depending on the intent being placed into the mistruth being told. When spoken merely out of the best interest of one’s peers, I feel as though what some call a “white lie” does not fall under the category of a mental crime. However when one deliberately chooses to violate the truth and blatantly make a statement disregarding honesty completely, a situation of this stature is what truly goes against all human values. As prone to it as I may pretend to be, giving in to lies and allowing myself to believe out of downright fear is what I find myself doing quite frequently. Whether it is as simple as convincing myself that the shaky result received on a pop quiz will in no way affect my final grade, or on a more vital level of promising myself that no matter how steep of a decline my grandfather’s health is racing down he will be okay, my mindset revolves around constant positivity, factual or faux. Confrontation is my weakest asset, meaning that speaking to please is what my first reaction continually is. When faced with situations ranging from having a thrilled friend approaches me raving about her new jeans that I find not as flattering as they may appear to her, to assuring my parents that I had no visitors over while babysitting, explanations intended to delight are what invade my brain initially. This has been my largest flaw for longer than I can ponder on, and continues to hold the honor of the biggest obstacle I attempt daily at overcoming. As I stated earlier, I feel as though lies are defined through the purpose in which they are told, yet I’ve found that the confrontation issue I struggle with succeeds in revolving around positivity, however untrue my responses may be. Unlike a blatant lie, my intent to please is wholesomely out of fear of causing disappointment, never to inflict mental pain on others. However, a lie is a lie, and whether it is genuinely helping one or ravishingly damaging another, a half truth is indeed a whole lie. 

Investigate- The Aztecs Method of Human Sacrifice

While researching the Aztecs and their ways of life, an area of study that jumped from the page was the section regarding human sacrifice. Not only did this method of spiritual duties carry great importance, but the story behind it is what truly makes it significant. According to the Aztecs, the sun was central to all of life, fighting constantly for human survival. Throughout these battles, it tended to lose energy and was frequently in conflict with approaching eternal darkness. In order to replenish its energy and in turn postpone the result of endless darkness, the only antidote was the gift of life, along with human blood. Due to the fact that the Gods had distributed their blood in order to create humankind, the proper and respectful thing to do was for the Aztec people to volunteer themselves as sacrifice. This led to a significant discovery, causing the Aztecs to take away from the ritual improved techniques. They then adopted the warfare mannerism that instead of killing the enemy, they must capture the prisoner. 

After reading about this process the Aztec so adimately valued, I did further research on the topic. According to Wikipedia.com, this method of repayment to the Sun was extremely controversial, and was not supported by all. It informed me that human sacrifice was the highest level of "panoply" of offerings the Aztecs chose to present to the gods. The sacrifice of animals occurred on a much more regular basis, which pleased many in terms of presenting a humane way of making ammends. As a slight diversion of human sacrifice, many would offer smaller amounts of their blood along with parts of their body. This included ears, tons, lips, calves, etc., and was considered "a private and a personal act of penitence to the gods."  

With both sets of information planted in my brain, I now have an improved outlook on the topic. My understanding of the matter was solid yet slightly vague based off of the information taken straight from the book, however once researching it further I now feel as though I have a more well rounded comprehension. Hearing about the case from two separate sources makes a significant difference, and I found the topic extremely interesting. I look forward to completing deeper research on the topic. 

Separate source used: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sacrifice_in_Aztec_culture

Menlo/Cat's Cradle collaboration

Life at Menlo through the eyes of Jonah would be a perception not viewed by many. The quirks and idiosyncrasies not commonly highlighted would be of primary importance, and the sequence of events would be categorized by complete randomization. Instead of switching from class to class, a transition from English to Modern World History would be referred to as a change of worlds. The extreme variations between environments would be of vital significance, and there may even be a possible alter-ego skipping from subject to subject as well. If the Menlo Knights community revolved around a core of mere lies, the personalities, attitudes, and mannerisms would vary indisputably. With the roots of an environment consisting of fibs, the result cannot help but grow into a fraud. If everything, everyone, and everywhere were already a lie, why not continue the popular trend? Staying true to oneself would seem to be completely uncanny, resulting in a land made of building blocks, stacking lie upon lie. In the voice of Jonah, the peculiarities of Menlo School would be our only hope in saving the world from eternal doom. If the lies, stereotypes and dishonesty continued, everyone, including their altar egos, would vanish.

"Call me..."

Hello my name is Mona, however I'd prefer if you would call me Marzipan. No, I am not a confection of crushed nuts, but I do like to refer to myself as an abundance of flavors all whirled up into one. I come from a land far, far away, laced with cotton candy hedges and candy cane forests. I was given birth to in Ho-Ho Hospital, and was brought home to Butterscotch lane. Growing up in a house made of pure, churned, dark chocolate caused my nostrils to become prone to the warm smell of cocoa beans wafting from room to room. Scootering to school everyday on my Mike & Ike Moped with my Bubblegum books and Pixie Sticks pencils was an event stapled securely to my daily routine, and anything different would be completely Swedish-fishy. 

However as my 16th birthday is nearing, so is my plummet into the journey of adulthood. The adventure, the odyssey, the vagabondage; in 27 days, my venture to the Candy Castle sets sail. An extremely high-profile this event is, with exorbitantly strict privacy policies and rules not even my parents can inform me of. Although when an exchange student from Playtime Providence was visiting Hershey High, she spoke of some ancient American myth she had been told. According to her sources, there once was a game called Candyland. It was an amusement centered around the idea of accomplishing the struggling feat of reaching Candy Castle, including the rumored bumps encountered along the way. The tone in which she spoke of the game led me to believe that was and would be my answer to attaining Candy Castle in one piece. 

The road blocks she mentioned seemed absurd and almost foolish, yet succeeded in planting a seed of worry into my head. Crossing Rainbow Pass into Gramma Nut's cashew garden or encountering Lord Licorice and escaping his wrath of deadly vines seemed to be endeavors easily defeated, however the number of survivors altered my outlook on the matter. The though of getting trapped in the Gumdrop Gully and being taunted by Queen Frostine sent chills down my spine, and the more I heard the greater my worries grew. Yes, joining King Candy face to face with a life changing handshake was motivation not to have my taste of a candy cane while strolling through the Candy Cane forest be my last lick, however the mission that lies ahead is one of tremendous significance. 

And yet as I continue to worry, I must also keep in mind that I am Marzipan, the mixture of emotions, bubblegum blower virtuoso and lover of Cotton Candy. Meeting Plumpy and taking a bite of his deadly fruit should be the least of my worries, and until then, my count for how many licks it takes to complete a lolipop continues.