Into My Favorite Piece

      My favorite piece of literature this year is easily Into The Wild. Of course there were some uninteresting parts in the book, but overall it taught me multiple life lessons. I will probably never forget the message Chris McCandless forwarded to Ronald Franz in a letter. It was extremely inspiring considering the fact that Franz actually made a huge change to his life and actually started living the life he wanted. McCandless made it clear that taking risks or getting out of the boundaries that you have set for yourself is quite beneficial and will make you a billion times happier. It also made me realize that so many people decide to continue to live their unhappy lives because they are so used to the norm and that sense of security. Chris went on to mention that Joy does not only reside between relationships, but everywhere within us. Joy can be found throughout our experiences or daily likings. This letter made me realize that joy is everywhere and that we should not always search for it because it could end up in our hands without even noticing. 

     It is pretty obvious why this is my favorite piece. When I read books, I like to learn things from it or get some advice and within this book, I found both. Although most people thought McCandless was "stupid" or "careless" I found him quite inspiring. Maybe he could have saved his own life with a map, but I think he had a lot of courage to take on the Alaskan Wild on his own. Almost is a sad word, but I do think he almost made it. Even though Chris is gone, he did teach me many important life lessons within Krakaur's book. 

Homeland

       What would I do with my "once in a lifetime" opportunity? With no money I would try to hitch hike my way to my homeland Armenia, which seems quite impossible. I would definitely need to get on a plane to get there, so I would sell my car to get there. I feel it is my responsibility to travel to my homeland and learn more about it. I have never been there, but this coming May I will finally see Armenia and get to feel the soil beneath the soles of my feet. I will not be able to contain my excitement and I will also probably get quite emotional. Anyways, once I get to Armenia I will move around to every single village and city. I will travel on foot, in cars and even boats. I will get to see and feel every single part of Armenia. I would visit every church in Armenia (which is a lot) and light a candle in each one. I would also hike within all the greenery and take in all the beautiful scenery. Not only would I completely explore Armenia, but I would also visit such neighboring countries.
      In my homeland I would find old Armenian books and make memories with Armenian grandparents. I would sit down with them for hours and they would talk to me about all their experiences and what they hope for for the next generation. They would give me insight to the best places to explore and truly feel at home. For hours a day I would sit on the grass and feel my land within my hands. I would stay up all night and by three or four in the morning I would watch the sunrise. I would visit orphanages and speak to all the children there and bring them gifts. I would eat the fully fresh and organic food that Armenia offers to me and I would probably live off cheese and bread for many weeks. I would roam all around Armenia and never stay in one place because the entire nation is my home.

Pope Francis Titles Armenian Genocide as "the first genocide of the 20th century"

"Francis Uses 'Genocide' To Describe Armenian Killing, Turkey Reacts"
By: AP
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/12/pope-francis-armenian-genocide_n_7049802.html

     Pope Francis on Sunday titled the slaughter of the Armenian Genocide "the first genocide of the 20th century" and encouraged the international community to recognize it as well. This upset and surprised Turkey, showing that they must have not been prepared for such a truthful justice. By making this statement it shows Pope Francis' true character and longing for justice. Turkey, which has always denied the obvious massacre of the nation of Armenia, immediately called upon the Vatican ambassador to complain and mentioned that the country would let out an official response later in the day. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu responded to the Pope's statement by saying "The Pope's statement which is far from historic and legal truths is unacceptable". Pope Francis, who had a close connection to Armenia from his days in Armenia, mentioned that it was his duty to speak upon the memory of the innocent men, woman and children who were "senselessly" massacred by Ottoman Turkey. Francis' words had an immediate effect on St. Peters, where the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Aram I thanked the Pope for admitting it as a Genocide.
     "Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it". This quote by Pope Francis is connected with "Silence encourages the tormentor, not the tormented". The best advice for Turkey at this point would to accept the fact that the Armenian Genocide actually did occur and there is no way they could continue to run away from it.