Part 3: Potential

What are we capable of? What are the limits of our ability? It’s a question everyone asks themselves at some point or another. It’s a question that can give us hope and help us to find where we fit in our lives. What is our potential? Why are we here? Some people never live to their full potential. Others don’t realize what they are capable of. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest the patients at the mental hospital are unaware of their potential. For many years they have been conditioned to believe by Nurse Ratched that they would be lost in the outside world. That they are capable of nothing good and they can’t fit out beyond the walls, in place with society. In part 3 of the novel McMurphy sets the stones for them to realize they have worth, that they have the ability to surprise themselves. For example, when the gang stop at a gas station before they reach the docks, they are confronted by a gas attendee that tries to take advantage of them because he believes them to be too mentally ill to put up any fight. McMurphy tells the gas attendant that they are all crazy psychopathic murderers and this strikes fear in the attendant. The other patients realize that they can use their mental illness to an advantage; they can cause people to become intimidated by them and this is a source of power. They don’t have to fear the outside world as much because the people on the outside fear them as well, maybe even a bit more. Another example is when McMurphy refuses to help his fellow patients while out at sea. This causes fear in everyone but they soon realize their self worth. They don’t need McMurphy to catch fish, or to have a good time. They have the potential to do these things on their own, they are surprised by how much they are capable of and this brings out a newfound confidence in everyone.

What am I capable of?  It’s a question I ask myself every day it feels like. Sometimes I abuse it I think. How can I abuse a question you may ask yourself? Well, when I’m lying in bed, doing nothing productive with my life I ask myself this question. I’m confident that I could be successful in life. I’m confident in my abilities and I see myself as an intelligent being. I’m just lazy, and if I wanted to go out and do something productive I could. I know what I’m capable of; the problem is that society doesn’t know. That’s a major character flaw of mine I think. I expect things to just happen for me, like my dream job will just come to me in a silver platter and I won’t have to put any work behind it. I need to find a wind of ambition to come beneath me and throw me where I want to go. I want to do things in my life and I want to be someone of merit. I’m just super lazy, hopefully this is something I can work on.

I think like in One Flew Over The Cuckcoo’s nest society acts somewhat like Ratched in a way... What I mean is, we are told most of our lives that if we don’t do certain things we can’t be what we want to be. We must fit into society’s mold of how our lives must be. We must go through high school, and after that’s over we must go directly to university or college. While we’re there we must get a degree of some sort, and then begin looking for a job. After acquiring a good job you must then settle down, marry someone, start a family so then your kids can start the same bullshit cookie cutter life that we are all expected of doing. After all that, 50+ years of working you must retire and spend the rest of your days probably living in a nursing home until you die. I say screw all that, screw the established thought of what everyone thinks your life should be. Do what makes you happy, do things at your own pace, choose your life path and don’t let others choose for you. We only get one life, live it to your own max potential. You never know what’s out there for you if you don’t go and find it. Live it up!

Part 2: Leadership

I chose to do my blog entry on leadership.

Leading people is something of great responsibility that people should not take lightly. Not many people are born leaders but the ones that are must realize how important their actions are and how what they do reflects upon the people they lead. In One Flew Over the CuckCoos nest, McMurphy is a born leader. He’s opinionated, charismatic, and has many leadership qualities. He leads the other patients in rebellion against the rules Nurse Ratched has created in the asylum and helps to give them newfound hope. I personally believe in the beginning he was doing this for selfish reasons. He saw himself as invincible and led the other patients for his own entertainment. In part 2 though, he soon realizes the power Ratched has over him, how she decides when he is able to leave the asylum, before this he thought he had to only serve his previous term. After learning this new knowledge he becomes less confrontational and more subdued, following the rules Nurse Ratched has in place. It becomes too late for this though. He has started something amongst the patients of the mental hospital, he has lit the fire of rebellion and with every waking day it grows larger in their spirits. McMurphy knows he’s the only one that can lead the other patients to having a better life in the hospital. He reinstates his rebellion with Ratched, fully knowing this time the consequences he may face. I see this as heroic and an example of martyrdom, the signs of a great leader. I think great leaders don’t lead because they want too, I think they lead because they have too. We need people like McMurphy cause if we didn’t have people like him are world would be much different, I think it would be a much darker world.

I’ve been watching a lot of Game Of Thrones lately. I actually finished 2 seasons of the show in a matter of a couple days, 20 hours of television in two sittings. In some way I’m kind of proud of this and I don’t know why haha. It just an awesome show and I highly recommend it. The reason I bring up Game of Thrones though is because the show deals with many different leaders. It’s about the struggle of many different people fighting to become king, fighting to become the leader of the 7 kingdoms. Each different person could be leaders for their own different reasons and I believe that in the end of the series, the person who is meant for the job will become the rightful king. The others will fail because of their intentions of why they want to be a leader. A leader doesn’t choose to be a leader, a leader is chosen by the people.

The pursuit of finding leaders has been glorified in our society I think. If you watch any of the coverage on the current American election I think it’s a fucking gong show. Two politicians picked by not the people of America, but picked by the corporations that have decided to fund their campaigns. They have not the interest of the people in mind but the interests of their backers in mind and whoever ends up winning doesn’t change anything. We need real leadership in society, we need someone we can believe in. 4 years ago Obama promised the American people hope, and he failed them, showing he is too just a puppet of wall street. I hope the idea of a true leader isn’t dead in society. My views are pessimistic as of late though, and I fear we will forever be led by idiots.

Journal # 8

Think of something that represents you. A rose, a song, an animal, what is it? Why does it represent you?

I'm represented by my power animal, the bald head eagle. Swift and courageous, delicate but powerful, majestic and beautiful. I am the symbol of all things righteous and true. I am the Bald Head Eagle!

I hope you didn't take any of that seriously, I couldn't help but say something a little silly cause I find the topic a little campy and corny, no offense. I'll try my best to answer the question though to the best of my abilities. I can't think of an animal or an inanimate object that best represents me personally but maybe I'll take this time to talk about a song that I can definitely identify with.

If I was vibration, and could not be seen, only heard. I would be the song Sowing Season by the band Brand New. There's a couple lines that strike a cord with me and its a little negative but maybe it means something to me because of the things i've been through in life. The lyrics are.

Do you miss the blend?

Color she left in your black and white field.

Do you feel condemned, just being there?

I'm not your friend.

I'm just a man who knows how to feel.

I'm not your friend

I'm not your lover

I'm not your family

Yeah.

Its pretty powerful, especially when you listen to the song, I hope you will.

Journal # 7

The grass is always greener on the other side.

I've heard this quote many times growing up. I think when I was younger I took it literally and really thought on the other-side of the world maybe the grass really is a bit greener. Now, years later, I'm pretty sure there is just a lot of deserts on the other side of the world and i've seen some mighty fine grass around my neighborhood.

What does the quote seem to mean to me now? I think whoever came up with it meant that its easy to think everything looks better outside of where you are and you've been drawn the short straw. When In reality most people are thinking the same things as you, no ones grass is actually any greener then yours.

I think everyone has a little unhappiness in life. You can't have the good with out the bad, its only fair. The best years of my life were the ones that seemed terrible and unhappy at the time, its the only times in my life that I actually learnt anything about myself. They helped me become the person I am today.

Journal # 6

Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows. If you could retain one childhood characteristic, what would it be and why?

If I could keep one characteristic of myself from my childhood it would be how painfully ignorant I was to the world around me. When crossing the street and hanging out at the connivence store was considered traveling. When it didn't matter what I did, I was never afraid, nothing could hurt me. Now a days I feel like my mind is polluted with thing I've read and stuff i've experienced and seen.

The world can be a fun place, don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful to be alive. I just can't take all the miserable things that happen everyday. As I get older I feel like the fun times blend together and the worst times of my life stick out like a sore thumb. I was sitting on my couch the other day, flipping through channels, and I came across a infomercial for Sick Kids. Despite my better judgement I sat and watched the whole thing and couldn't help but feel disgusted that I live in a world where such terrible things as childhood cancer is possible. I'd rather not know, I'd rather have my childhood ignorance and carry on blissfully unaware of what's going on, perfectly content with the world around me.

Journal # 5

A wrongfully accused man is always vilified by the ignorant masses. Such a man should fire at will, he is bound to hit something. What do you think the speaker of the quote means? Is a person who is acquitted of a crime, that they were wrongfully accused of, ever really seen as innocent again by their peers? what would you do if you or someone close to you was wrongfully accused of a crime?

What I believe the speaker of the quote means is that no matter what, someone who has been charged of committing a crime will always have that bad stigma with society, no matter what he does. There will always be a group of people who still thinks he committed the crime or won't trust him because of the image he once held. The only thing he can do is keep pleading his innocence and maybe one day he can change peoples minds or strike a cord with at least someone.

I think if you are acquitted and beyond a doubt proven innocent of a crime you were charged for, then there is no way your peers can't think your innocent. There definitely will be some guilt from the people that without a doubt thought you did it, but, your real friends and family will have already known the truth and they are ones that really matter.

If I was wrongfully accused of a crime I would do the only thing you can do, continue to plead my innocence and hope for the best. Or I'd pull a Shawshank Redemption, bust out of jail and live the rest of my days on the beach with Morgan Freeman.

Journal # 4

When a child kills, does he instantly become an adult? or does he maintain some trappings of childhood, despite the gravity of his actions? In stances of crime, does a child ever stop being a child? and if yes, when?

I think when a child commits murder they still retain all of their innocence, at least for the moment. There isn't some on and off switch that is triggered when you kill someone that makes you an adult instantly. Usually when a child kills someone i guarantee it was an accident or they didn't understand the gravity of their actions. If it wasn't on accident and they knew what they were doing, then I think that has more to do with the way they were brought up and they may be sadly robbed of their childhood innocence already.

I think what really makes a child an adult is life. The highs and the lows. The good times and the bad, love and loss. Some people mature faster then others, I think this is because they have experienced more things in life. This is why I don't think the child would instantly become an adult once the crime was committed. The after effect of their crime though would definitely make their road to adulthood much shorter.